The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

The anxious atmosphere in the imperial court quickly spread to the streets of the capital, making the atmosphere tense and uneasy in the city as well.

This was the first time Jia Huan had encountered such a situation. He gleaned most of the truth from Jia Qiang and Master Zheng, leaving him speechless.

Why does this remind me of the late Ming Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen?

The Great Qian Dynasty has only lasted for a little over a century. No matter how you look at it, it's not about to end yet, is it?

Chapter 113 A Great Opportunity (Please Subscribe)

What's up with this?

Jia Huan was an observer. By comparing historical events with what he had seen in movies, TV series, and novels, he naturally had a rather superficial understanding of the current affairs of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The situation is certainly not as serious as the rumors circulating in the streets suggest!

The foundation of the Great Qian Dynasty is quite impressive, as can be seen from the condition of the Ning and Rong mansions.

Even if the two companies decline, the resources they control are still enormous, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

The root cause is that there are two suns in the sky at that time!

The current emperor has been on the throne for over twenty years, yet he still cannot completely control the court!

The power of the nobility cannot be mobilized, so they are naturally constrained in every way and cannot fully exert their abilities.

No wonder the ruthless purge of the nobility was carried out later; no emperor could tolerate that.

If one could completely control the court, even if it meant forcing a general at the front to his death, one would force him to immediately engage in a fierce battle with the White Lotus rebels, instead of the current stalemate.

Furthermore, the nobility group not only controlled most of the military power, but also the money, food, and supplies in the capital and Zhili region.

Putting aside everything else, the produce from the estates of the nobility outside the city could probably supply more than half of the annual food needs of the one million people in the capital!

If they were to donate even a little, the initial disaster relief funds and supplies would be sufficient. Why would they need to personally empty their already meager private coffers?

With the unfortunate precedent of the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, how could an emperor not have some private treasury? If an emergency occurred, would he follow Chongzhen's example and beg his ministers for money?

Jia Huan saw it clearly, but he didn't feel any emotion; he was quite excited at the moment.

Because the opportunity has arrived!

The opportunity to pull Lin Ruhai out of the fire has come!

However, getting things done according to his plan is not an easy task.

Fortunately, Jia Huan was somewhat confident about this.

With enough profit, he can persuade anyone!

That day, the Second Master of the Imperial Secretariat left the office early and was intercepted by Jia Huan, who had been waiting for a long time.

"My sir, your chance has come!"

Jia Huan spoke first, saying something completely unrelated.

Immediately afterward, before Master Zheng could react, he deliberately lowered his voice and said, "If you wish to advance further in your official career or leave the Court of Imperial Stud, your opportunity has arrived!"

"Is this true?"

At first, Master Zheng was somewhat displeased, feeling that Jia Huan acted rashly and did not meet the Confucian requirements for scholars, and was not likable at all.

But when it comes to things like promotion, he puts aside all other thoughts, his eyes shining with eager anticipation.

"Master, please don't rush. Let's go inside and talk. Standing outside is too conspicuous!"

At this point, Jia Huan was no longer in a hurry and changed the subject, offering a reminder.

"Yes, yes, let's talk in the main study!"

Master Zheng nodded repeatedly, then grabbed Jia Huan and strode into the study.

Seeing this scene, the scholars waiting in the study were quite surprised, but they also knew that something big was likely to happen, and they all became serious and ready to fight.

After sitting down, Jia Huan didn't waste any words. He glanced at everyone present, finally fixing his gaze on the Second Master Zheng, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency should be aware of the current situation in the court; the current emperor is extremely short of money!"

At this point, his voice rose with fervor: "At this time, any minister who can help the emperor obtain enough silver will be considered a capable and efficient official in his eyes, and it will be difficult for them not to be promoted!"

Upon hearing this, the Second Master Zheng's hopeful gaze immediately dimmed, and he said irritably, "Of course I know this principle, but where can I get money for His Majesty?"

"That's no small sum; it must be at least a million taels, or even several million taels!"

After saying that, he shook his head and said irritably, "Don't think such things at such a young age. Do you think you can get involved in such matters?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding scholars immediately understood and showed their disapproval.

Just as Master Zheng said, it's not a problem to please the current emperor, the key is where to get the money.

We can't just donate the Rong family's money directly, that wouldn't be enough.

The old lady and the second wife probably wouldn't agree either!

However, they really couldn't get involved in such a big matter recklessly. No matter what, it would be easy to offend Master Zheng or Jia Huan, neither of which they wanted to see.

"My lord, I didn't mean to donate; that money is from the imperial court."

Jia Huan didn't take it seriously and chuckled, "I've said it all, Master. If you're willing, you can be promoted to the fourth rank immediately, or even jump directly to the third rank!"

The Second Master's expression changed again. He carefully examined Jia Huan for a few moments, but what he saw was a strong sense of confidence.

The study fell into an unspeakable silence, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

The group of scholars and gentlemen held their breath, their faces extremely serious.

They were also curious about where Jia Huan got the confidence to speak of the fourth rank or even the third rank.

As retainers of the Second Master Zheng, they were naturally familiar with the court and officialdom, and knew quite a lot of information.

The fourth rank is manageable; as the top rank for mid-level officials, with the Rong family's resources, helping the Second Master Zheng to be promoted wouldn't be too difficult.

However, this is completely different from the third rank. They have already entered the ranks of high-ranking officials in the court. Even the current emperor has to treat them with great respect. It is no exaggeration to call them important ministers.

Given the Rong family's current resources and the abilities demonstrated by the Second Master Zheng, it would be extremely difficult for them to be promoted to the third rank.

"Then tell me, where does the imperial court have any more silver?"

The Second Master Zheng asked directly, "Moreover, I, your master, can personally obtain it!"

"Heh heh, the national treasury is in debt!"

Jia Huan simply smiled and casually uttered four words.

But the Second Master Zheng's expression changed drastically. He suddenly stood up and said with dissatisfaction, "This is the opportunity you were talking about?"

"Master, isn't that so?"

Jia Huan retorted directly, "If you, sir, can recover some of the debts owed to the national treasury, enough to meet the disaster relief needs in the south, will the government look at you differently and promote you to an important position?"

"This……"

For a moment, Master Zheng was somewhat bewildered, and subconsciously replied, "Of course!"

The most important thing for an emperor is to reward those who have made merits and punish those who have made mistakes, thus demonstrating his fairness and impartiality. Only in this way can he inspire awe and respect in his court officials.

After listening to the conversation between Master Zheng and Jia Huan and his son, the scholars and gentlemen standing nearby widened their eyes and looked at Jia Huan with disbelief.

Third Master Huan, do you even know what you're saying?

Jia Huan naturally understood what he was saying, and he was confident that he could persuade Master Zheng to support him.

"Brother Huan, do you know how much the national treasury's debt really relates to this?"

After pacing back and forth a few times, the Second Master Zheng finally sat down and asked in a deep voice, "This involves all the officials in the court. If we're not careful, we could offend them all!"

The situation regarding the national treasury's debt is basically the same as the one caused by Kang Youwei in normal history.

The retired emperor was a diligent and capable ruler in his youth, a model of a wise and benevolent monarch. Unfortunately, he became lazy and indolent in his later years, and gradually relaxed his control over the officials of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Not only that, he wanted a good posthumous reputation, so he planned to use the national treasury's silver to buy it.

Of course, the policy of allowing officials to borrow money from the national treasury looks quite sophisticated on the surface.

It was said that they pitied the hardships faced by lower-ranking officials in the capital, some of whom were struggling to make ends meet and unable to support their families.

In order to make life easier for these lower-level officials, the national treasury was opened up to allow them to borrow money to get through the crisis.

As a result, when such policies were implemented, everything changed completely.

Those who were most adept at borrowing money from the national treasury were imperial relatives and powerful nobles, who treated the national treasury as their own and emptied it almost in a short period of time.

By the time the retired emperor realized something was wrong and hurriedly stopped, the amount of money lent out from the national treasury had already exceeded 15 million taels.

This was equivalent to almost half of the national treasury's revenue, which completely baffled the retired emperor.

But not long after, the deposed crown prince launched a palace coup, the retired emperor fell seriously ill and abdicated, and the new emperor ascended the throne. A series of events happened in succession, and the matter of borrowing money from the national treasury was forgotten.

Neither the current emperor nor the retired emperor has forgotten this matter, but unfortunately, due to their mutual restraint, they dare not take the initiative to collect the debt, resulting in a deficit of more than a thousand taels of silver in the national treasury.

Because it involves a wide range of issues, and could potentially cause a huge uproar if things go wrong, even in the most difficult times, we have never considered using the national treasury to pay its debts.

However, if a minister were to take the initiative to propose this and be able to recover some of the silver to help the current emperor and the court solve their urgent financial problems, it would be difficult for him not to take it seriously.

"Sir, if you propose clearing the national treasury's debts, how much silver are you confident you can recover?"

Jia Huan didn't take it seriously and immediately switched to the execution level: "They are nothing more than close relatives and friends, as well as the noble forces in our mansion that we can control!"

"As for the rest, there's no need to pay them any attention!"