The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

It was extremely difficult for someone from a noble family to enter the civil service through the imperial examinations.

Lin Daiyu's father, Lin Ruhai, rose to prominence during the heyday of the noble aristocracy, and with the strong support of the second-generation Duke of Rong, Jia Daishan, he naturally rose to power with ease.

Even so, in the original Dream of the Red Chamber, he was outlived in office and died. In the end, whether it was the royal family, the court, or the civil service, who cared about the orphaned Lin Daiyu he left behind?

Those fellow townsmen, teachers, and classmates did not offer any response.

Similar to Lin Ruhai was Jia Jing, a cultivator. In any case, there was no indication from the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber that he was a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

It is estimated that only when the aristocratic group completely declines will the civil service group be able to gradually accept the sons of aristocratic families who have transitioned from military to civil service positions.

In fact, we can get a glimpse of this from the phrase "orchids and cassia in full bloom." By the time Jia Huan came of age, the noble family group had completely declined, and it was just the right time for him to participate in the imperial examination.

However, he himself was unwilling to spend too much time pondering the eight-legged essay.

There's no need to explain these things so clearly to Master Zheng.

Given the temperament of the Second Master Zheng, he would probably explode on the spot.

Fortunately, after communicating with some of the retainers, it was possible to persuade Master Zheng not to be too concerned about Jia Huan's actions.

And that's how they came in handy.

"Sir, there are some things I'm unsure whether I should say or not?"

After Jia Huan left the study, a scholar pondered for a moment and then spoke up: "This concerns Young Master Huan!"

"Oh, sir, please speak freely!"

The Second Master Zheng's anger had subsided, and he spoke with some curiosity upon hearing this.

"I think that Young Master Huan's behavior is a deliberate attempt to avoid suspicion!"

Qingke said, "After all, he is only the son of a concubine from the second branch of the family. It's not a good thing for him to perform too well!"

Upon hearing this, the Second Master Zheng's expression changed, and he fell silent for a long time.

"So I think that as long as Young Master Huan doesn't go down the wrong path, there's no need to be too demanding about anything else!"

The guest continued, "Furthermore, although Young Master Huan has close ties with the common people, some of the information he has gathered can be of great benefit to you, sir!"

The Second Master nodded slightly in approval, and the matter was settled.

Even if he had some thoughts in his mind, he did not reveal them to outsiders.

As Qingke said, we really can't be too demanding of Jia Huan right now.

With an elder brother who is close in age above him and a nephew who is close in age below him, it can be said that there is simply no room for him to shine.

If they perform too well, it will reduce the space for the two legitimate sons, and neither Master Zheng nor Madam Wang wants to see such a situation.

Master Zheng still held great expectations for Jia Baoyu.

He also took Jia Lan's words very seriously, but he didn't show it.

Most importantly, Master Zheng was well aware that Madam Wang would absolutely not tolerate Jia Huan being too outstanding, especially in his studies, where there was absolutely no room for compromise.

Having thought all this through, Master Zheng was quite helpless; for now, this was all he could do.

Soon, the trivial matters of the New Year distracted Master Zheng from Jia Huan's affairs, and he simply took it as tacit approval of his behavior.

Jia Huan was quite satisfied that he was able to get Master Zheng to accept reality calmly.

Naturally, the gentleman who spoke up for him received a New Year's red envelope containing ten taels of silver, and Jia Huan didn't consider himself a stingy person.

There's not much to say about the New Year; it's just that we get new clothes and the food is better.

They were still not qualified to visit Grandmother Jia at Rongqing Hall, and naturally, they did not receive the occasional red envelopes or rewards from Grandmother Jia.

The ancestral worship ceremony was a bit complicated. It had to wait until a high-ranking official of sufficient rank returned from the New Year's banquet at the palace before the ancestral worship could be performed and the feast could begin.

Jia Huan deliberately slipped over to Jia Lian's side and whispered, "Second Brother Lian, don't you have the official title of Assistant Magistrate? Why aren't you attending the grand banquet at the palace?"

To be fair, the household treated Jia Lian, the eldest son of the main branch, quite well.

When Jia Lian married Wang Xifeng, in order to make things more respectable, the household donated money to give him the official title of Tongzhi, which was of course just a nominal one.

It's not impossible to make it a reality, but it requires paying a considerable price.

Sufficient money is only one aspect; the Rong family also has extensive connections and a certain level of wealth and resources.

In contrast, Jia Rong, as the heir of the Ning Mansion, received far worse treatment.

At this time, he was merely a student of the Imperial Academy, and the honorary position of a fifth-rank Imperial Guard would only be granted after Qin Keqing died, which was simply outrageous.

"You little brat, you're always making fun of me!"

Jia Lian rolled his eyes in annoyance and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't make sarcastic remarks, just behave yourself!"

With a slight smile, Jia Huan didn't continue teasing him.

At the end of the year, Lai Er finally learned that he had been kicked out of Sihai Gambling House, and naturally he confronted Jia Lian, who had taken his place.

As to what exactly was going on inside, Jia Huan, who had been staying outside, wasn't entirely clear on the details.

When he returned to the mansion for a meal and rest, he overheard Aunt Zhao mentioning that Jia Lian had been having a lot of bad luck lately and had been severely reprimanded by Grandmother Jia several times, leaving him looking quite disheveled.

As for the more specifics, that's not very clear. Anyway, all sorts of rumors and gossip are flying around inside the Rong Mansion, it's in complete chaos.

I did hear from Ni Er that when Lai Er was drinking outside, he cursed Jia Lian while drunk, and also dragged Jia Huan, the instigator, into it.

Honestly, they don't know what's good for them!

If this fellow hadn't been holed up in the Ning Mansion lately, instead of wandering around outside, Jia Huan would have already considered putting him in a sack and hitting him on the head with a club.

I heard Jia Qiang say in private that Lai Er did ask Jia Zhen for help.

Jia Zhen did not agree. After all, strictly speaking, the Sihai Gambling House incident was a disgraceful affair, as the clan leader had been taken advantage of by his servants.

However, he did not punish Lai Er, and even gave a clear hint that he would not mind if Lai Er could get his revenge.

All I can say is that Jia Zhen is a heartless scoundrel; how could he utter such words?

If there weren't so few opportunities, Jia Huan would really like to give this fellow a whole set of hidden weapons as a gift, so he could enjoy the wonderful feeling of losing his health and power in the mansion.

He could see very clearly that Jia Qiang was full of indignation when he talked about this, and was obviously quite dissatisfied with Jia Zhen's actions.

It can only be said that Jia Zhen is a very unqualified clan leader; he really treats Lai Er as one of his own.

Chapter 60 There are seats in Mengpo Studio (Please continue reading)

The Lantern Festival is just around the corner!

It was another lively Lantern Festival, and the entire Rong Mansion's inner quarters were mobilized once again, having a great time at the festival.

I heard, just heard, that the three sisters, Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun (who was specially brought from the Shi family), and Jia Baoyu and his friends were playing a game of guessing lantern riddles at the lively lantern festival.

Each of them was quick-witted and brimming with talent, making the old lady laugh heartily.

Even the accompanying Master Zheng, upon hearing the children's wonderful process of guessing riddles, nodded repeatedly with a smile, expressing his appreciation.

Unfortunately, Jia Huan and Jia Cong, being relatively unknown figures, have no chance of getting involved in such a lively event.

Even if Master Zheng tacitly approves, the old lady and Madam Wang will not allow the two boys to get close to Jia Baoyu smoothly; out of sight, out of mind.

Fortunately, the two brothers didn't mind and arrived at the small martial arts gym early to settle in.

The place was quite popular; a bunch of junior members of the clan school, including Jia Qiang, came. Jia Huan specially spent money to prepare several tables of food and drinks, and everyone ate and drank, making it quite lively.

By the way, have Ni Er and the others keep an eye out outside, in case any accidents happen on the street.

The result left Jia Huan speechless. Ni Er and his gang actually caught three groups of more than a dozen people who were involved in child trafficking, all of whom were new faces.

Sure enough, where there's profit, there are fearless guys rushing forward!

This doesn't even include petty theft and other shady dealings.

It can only be said that the deterrent effect of that Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually dissipated.

Jia Huan didn't say much, and directly ordered Ni Er and the others to send the people to the West City Command Post.

As the event was about to end, the commander of the West City Command Post, along with several deputy commanders who were able to leave, came over to express their gratitude and, incidentally, demonstrated their ability to drink alcohol like water.

Clearly, the other party values ​​maintaining a good relationship with Jia Huan.

Not to mention Jia Huan's current status as the patron of Ningrong Street, which would be of great help to them.

After all, Xicheng is the capital city under the emperor's nose, and it is a well-known gathering place for the powerful and wealthy. Maintaining good public order and environment is a very important responsibility of the Xicheng Command.

As long as you do well, the achievements of those above and below will be clearly seen by the powerful and influential, and promotion and wealth will be a given.

It is known that every year during major festivals, several children from wealthy and powerful families would go missing in the western part of the city, causing considerable trouble for the officers and soldiers at the western command post, but with little effect.

Now things are much better. With Jia Huan directing the street thugs to cooperate, the pressure on them is much lighter.

At least, their ability to gather information about the martial arts world is much better than before.

In addition, Jia Huan was born into the Rong family, so the West City Command Post did not dare to neglect him.

Through the connection of Sihai Casino, they were indirectly allied with each other, so they naturally had to maintain a good relationship.

After the Lantern Festival, a rumor suddenly spread like wildfire in the backyard of the Rong Mansion.

The main branch of the Xue family, one of the four great families of Jinling, has gone to the capital.

According to the rumors, they will soon come to visit the Rong residence.