The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Damn it, look how shrewdly these guys make money off the people's hard-earned cash. And then look at the indifferent Ning and Rong mansions. Jia Huan didn't know what to say.

It wasn't that he was heartless, but rather that he felt it wouldn't be too late to make a fortune by following the crowd and then slowly give back to the people later. At least Jia Huan still had this kind heart.

Unfortunately, the land he bought at a low price from the Rong family's sons yielded almost nothing this year; otherwise, he would have followed in the footsteps of these powerful and wealthy people and made a killing.

It was the day for Sihai Gambling House to collect its dividends, and Jia Huan had the rare opportunity to see Jia Lian.

So, how could Jia Lian possibly agree to the fact that Sihai Gambling House nominally distributes profits once every six months?

Then Jia Huan suggested taking the money in advance and settling the accounts when it was time to distribute the profits. In any case, the trouble would be with the gambling den's accountant.

Sihai Gambling House would naturally not refuse, so every month on the appointed day, Jia Lian and Jia Huan would come to collect their money.

It was a rare opportunity to meet Jia Lian outside, and it was also a happy day to receive money, so the two brothers simply found a small tavern to sit down and planned to have a good drink.

Jia Lian must have been incredibly busy lately. Before the food and wine were even served, he couldn't help but complain repeatedly, saying that the work at the Imperial Stud was inhuman.

Having dealt with horses all day, he developed a foul odor.

When autumn comes, I'll have to go to those horse farms on the border to check on the situation. I don't know how many troubles await me.

Of course, despite his complaints, this guy had no intention of resigning at all.

Having finally become a legitimate official with real power, how could I possibly give it up so easily?

Jia Huan naturally understood what this fellow was thinking and wouldn't be foolish enough to say something like, "It's too tiring, so I'll quit."

"Second Brother Lian, haven't there been a lot of vacancies in the Ministry of Revenue recently?"

He chuckled and said, "Doesn't Second Brother Lian have any thoughts at all?"

"Well, you've only just taken up your post at the Court of Imperial Stud, isn't it a bit too hasty to be thinking about a transfer?"

Jia Lian was indeed tempted; the position in the Ministry of Revenue was far more desirable than that in the Court of Imperial Studs.

"Haha, I was just saying, Brother Lian, just take it as a joke and don't take it to heart!"

Jia Huan smiled slightly, showing no intention of continuing the topic.

Even if Jia Lian is tempted, it doesn't matter. If Master Zheng doesn't change his mind, all his ideas are useless. He has to persuade Master Zheng first before considering anything else.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, just as Jia Lian was about to pay and leave, Jia Huan quietly revealed how numerous powerful figures had been channeling grain and supplies into the city through both overt and covert routes.

Finally, he asked curiously, "Second Brother Lian, I'm not familiar with the situation in the manor. Did the old lady and the others not react at all, and just miss such a great opportunity?"

"That's a huge profit, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!"

Jia Lian was taken aback at first, then glanced at Jia Huan with his charming eyes and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to be such a thoughtful young man, Huan-ge!"

"To know some of the unseen tricks, that's quite impressive!"

Before Jia Huan could explain, his face fell, and he lowered his voice, displeased, and said, "Those guys' actions were so obvious, how could the manor not have noticed at all?"

"But so what?"

"Do you really think that the people in the manor are unaware of what's going on with the estates outside? You're being far too naive!"

Chapter 107 Shocking Your Worldview (Please Subscribe)

Jia Lian's words were quite unexpected!

But thinking about it carefully, it really is true!

Neither the old lady nor the second wife were fools; how could they allow themselves to be fooled by a group of estate managers?

Every year, the estate suffers from various natural disasters. People who don't know the situation might think that the Rong family's estate has bad feng shui.

In fact, the eight estates of the Rong family were all high-quality properties acquired by two generations of Rongguo Dukes through careful selection.

To put it bluntly, looking at the entire capital, apart from the imperial estates owned by the royal family, the estates of the Ning and Rong families are the most fertile and have the most convenient terrain, almost all of them being flat areas with mountains and water.

However, when Wang Xifeng took charge of the internal affairs of the estate, it was plagued by all sorts of troubles, and the output decreased year by year. Sometimes, the estate even needed to be subsidized by the manor.

If I told anyone, no one would believe me!

But judging from Jia Lian's words, there's clearly more to this than meets the eye.

Seeing Jia Huan's puzzled expression, Jia Lian chuckled and said something that completely shattered Jia Huan's worldview.

"Those estate managers naturally have a lot of private profits, but the lion's share is secretly given to the old lady and the madam's private savings. Otherwise, how could they have such a stable position as estate managers?"

Jia Huan was first stunned, then filled with admiration: Wow, that's awesome!

Such shrewd methods of turning public resources into private ones truly make them the two most adept at poaching talent from within the Rong family!

Seeing Jia Lian's nonchalant attitude, a thought struck him, and he lowered his voice to ask curiously, "Second Brother Lian, this kind of approach will easily drain the public funds!"

"so what?"

Jia Lian remained unconvinced and chuckled, "Once the money's in these two's hands, they can forget about ever getting it back. Let's not waste our time!"

"Second Brother Lian, if the public funds run out, do you think the Rong family will fall apart?"

He didn't mince words and directly revealed a rather shocking result.

"how is this possible?"

Jia Lian's expression changed drastically, and his gaze toward Jia Huan was full of surprise and displeasure.

But when he met Jia Huan's smiling gaze, he slowly calmed down and began to ponder Jia Huan's words.

As a result, the more he pondered, the uglier his face became, and finally, a look of terror appeared in his eyes.

"Hehe, if they weren't fed a lot of silver, I'm sure Brother Lian knows better than I do what those servants are like. Do you think they would stick to their loyalty?"

Jia Huan sneered, "I'm afraid their first thought is to leave the Rong Mansion!"

At this point, he looked directly at Jia Lian and said softly, "If hundreds or nearly a thousand families with children all demand that the old lady release their indentures, do you think the old lady can withstand it?"

The scene Jia Huan described was so terrifying that Jia Lian didn't even dare to think about it. His face turned ashen, but he didn't utter a single word.

Shaking his head, Jia Huan said disappointedly, "I wonder what those two were thinking?"

"If the Rong family really falls, can they protect such a huge private fortune?"

"By then, all dignity will be gone, what use will money be?"

"I used to think the First Madam was greedy, but now it seems she's just not very clever and didn't do a good job of hiding it. If she really empties the mansion, it won't benefit anyone!"

"Of course, it's not up to me to decide, and Brother Lian doesn't need to take it to heart. Just treat it as entertainment!"

Unfortunately, Jia Lian couldn't laugh at all.

If Jia Huan hadn't brought it up today, he really wouldn't have thought that if the Rong family's finances went bankrupt, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Perhaps his wife, Wang Xifeng, had already noticed something amiss.

When I took over the Rong Mansion’s internal affairs, I complained a lot that the public funds were decreasing day by day, while the mansion’s expenses were increasing year by year. What should we do if things continue like this?

It was around that time that Wang Xifeng, who had always been very obedient to him, suddenly seemed to have changed her personality.

His words showed no respect for the Rong family anymore, and he was merciless in his mockery of them, always believing that the Rong family was only superficially glamorous and was actually not as wealthy as the Wang family.

He hadn't taken it to heart at first, but he felt that Wang Xifeng was too domineering and disliked her quite a bit.

Looking back now, it's clear that Wang Xifeng already knew the Rong Mansion's public finances were in trouble, which is why she suddenly seemed to have changed her personality.

This is how marriages between noble families are conducted: either the families are evenly matched and the couple is harmonious, or one family is strong and the other is weak, and the relationship between the couple is also like this.

At this point, Jia Lian really couldn't sit still any longer.

He forced a smile, said goodbye, paid the bill, and hurried away.

"Tsk tsk, there are too few sensible people in this manor!"

Seeing Jia Lian's hurried departure, Jia Huan couldn't help but sigh softly, "Everyone thought that the Rong family was so powerful and deeply rooted that they wouldn't be afraid of being undermined, but in the long run, even the biggest tree will perish!"

Actually, what he couldn't understand the most was Grandmother Jia.

Given his supreme position in the Rong family, why would he need to amass wealth to protect himself?

Besides, she lived through the Rong family's most prosperous decades. Wasn't her private savings enough and her treasures dazzling enough?

Some fan fiction, based on the experiences of the original author of Dream of the Red Chamber, argues that the Rong family had already been raided once during the campaign to depose the crown prince.

What a joke!

In any case, in Jia Huan's memory, the Rong family did not suffer the misfortune of having their property confiscated.

At that time, the second-generation Duke of Rongguo, Jia Daishan, was still alive. If the royal family dared to confiscate the Rongguo Mansion at that time, wouldn't they be worried that Jia Daishan would destroy everything?

At that time, the retired emperor was seriously ill and bedridden, and the new emperor had not yet ascended the throne. Both the royal family and the court were in a state of panic.

If another chaotic battle breaks out, the Great Qian Dynasty might be doomed ahead of schedule.

In the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, the Rong family's finances collapsed in the later period, and in the end, Jia Lian had to use his handsome man charm to steal things from Grandmother Jia's private room through Yuanyang to sell for money in order to maintain a respectable appearance.

Grandmother Jia knew, but it's unclear whether she regretted it at the time.

Thinking about it, you probably won't have any regrets!

In any case, what Yuanyang took from the private treasury was nothing more than a drop in the ocean for Grandmother Jia.

From now on, the fate of the entire Rong Mansion rests entirely on Grandmother Jia's shoulders. She may even exert greater control over the mansion. No one knows what Grandmother Jia is thinking.

In Jia Huan's view, an extremely selfish person will never change!