The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 444 Wedding Date
Beijing.

Xue Mansion.

Zhang Zhisheng went from the counter to the mansion to see the old lady.

Although the business at the counter was managed by the individual shopkeepers, specific matters had to be reported to the old lady. Originally, Zhang Dehui was in charge, but now that Zhang Dehui had passed away, his son Zhang Zhisheng was quickly put to use by the old lady.

Like his father, Zhang Zhisheng reported everything clearly, big or small, and never hid anything from the old lady.

"I knew you'd be coming today."

The steward pulled Zhang Zhisheng away, and Zhang Zhisheng hurriedly said, "I need to see the old lady. What's going on?"

"The master wants to see you."

Hearing the butler's words, Zhang Zhisheng quieted down.

Xue Pan used to be called Young Master.

After they got married, he was no longer allowed to be called "young master" but instead was called "master".

This is not a simple title.

The decision determined who was in charge of the household. Just like the "Xue" character on the gate, Xue Pan was undoubtedly the master of the Xue family.

Although the master cares about business matters, he is more interested in enjoying himself. He only asks about it when he thinks of it. But I heard that the master has become quite famous at Zuixianglou recently. Why has he come back?

The Xue family's influence has now recovered, and has even reached a new level.

The money in the counter is like a mountain of gold and silver, which the master can squander as he pleases. Although he can't walk around the capital with impunity, no one will easily offend him either, so there's absolutely no need for that.

However, Zhang Zhisheng knew in his heart that his master was born in the Year of the Dog; when things were good, he was very good, but when things turned bad, there was no warning.

Even though his family had served the Xue family for generations and the old lady was kind to him, if the old man turned his back, that kindness wouldn't work. Zhang Zhisheng was uneasy. Although the old lady asked detailed questions, he preferred to talk to her.

"master."

Zhang Zhisheng had just greeted Xue Pan when Xue Pan turned around and tossed him an object. Zhang Zhisheng hurriedly caught it, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was a jade pendant.

Just by looking at its luster, you can tell it's worth a lot of money.

Xue Pan smiled and said, "It's yours."

"Thank you, sir."

Zhang Zhisheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"Get up."

Before Zhang Zhisheng could stand up, Xue Pan asked, "What's going on with Yongxin Ticket Office?"

"Quack."

As fate would have it, Zhang Zhisheng dared not hide anything: "I heard that Yongxin Tickets is going to be split up."

"Split?"

Xue Pan frowned.

"At least 60% of the shares should be given away."

"Divide?" Xue Pan asked incredulously.

Zhang Zhisheng quickly explained, "Based on the valuation, it will be acquired by another company."

"Ha," Xue Pan sneered, "Does the Xue family lack money?"

"No shortage."

Zhang Zhisheng said, bowing his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Xue Pan glanced at Zhang Zhisheng with suspicion. Could this man also be disloyal?
The people at the counter are all ingrates.

All the shopkeepers listened to Xue Baochai, actually listening to an unmarried girl. Xue Pan thought these old scoundrels were really ridiculous. In the Xue family business, he, as the head of the household, couldn't even make the decisions.
“Many people are getting senile, Zhisheng, you are still young. Not only does your mother like you, but I also have high hopes for you. Don’t do anything foolish,” Xue Pan admonished.

"Don't worry, sir. It's not that I didn't want to speak up, but I wasn't sure if it was true. What if it wasn't? That's why I didn't speak carelessly. It was only when you asked me today that I told you what I heard. But I really don't know the specifics."

Zhang Zhisheng knelt down again and said loyally.

Does the old lady know?

"The old lady doesn't know."

Zhang Zhisheng gave a definite answer.

"Look at this," Xue Pan sneered, "This is the old lady's good daughter, colluding with outsiders behind her family's back, moving her own things out of the house."

Zhang Zhisheng remained silent.

According to his own thinking, all of Yongxin Tickets should belong to the Xue family, which is unprecedented.

However, I absolutely cannot say these words.

"Let's go."

Xue Pan personally took Zhang Zhisheng to see his mother.

After her husband died, she was preoccupied with the affairs of the shop. In order to preserve the property for her son, she took her children and went to live with her sister in the capital. She finally managed to raise her son and find him a wife, but he ended up marrying a troublesome daughter-in-law.

Fortunately, the Xue family's business has grown bigger and bigger in recent years, and the sister's family is also gaining prestige and becoming more and more assertive. Even the in-laws personally reprimanded their daughter-in-law.

As a result, the peace of mind didn't last long, and the children started fighting again.

"How did you come?"

Aunt Xue felt uneasy when she saw Xue Pan bringing Zhang Zhisheng in.

"Mom is too biased towards my sister." Seeing his mother's expression, Xue Pan became even more dissatisfied.

“When have I ever favored your sister?” Aunt Xue retorted. “Tell me about everything you’ve done since you were a child. I’ve worried myself sick over you, but how much have I worried about your sister? On the contrary, I’ve made your sister run around taking care of things at home, to the point that even her wedding was delayed.”

"Don't say that it was the family that delayed your sister's marriage."

Seeing that his mother was still so protective of his younger sister, Xue Pan said angrily, "Which young master in the entire capital does my sister take a fancy to? I will personally go and act as matchmaker."

"Pooh."

Aunt Xue scolded, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak so arrogantly? You're becoming more and more useless. You're not as cautious as you were in the capital. You're a father now."

"I didn't use it properly."

Xue Pan was furious, but instead laughed and said, "I've never been respected since I was a child. Even if I'm not good enough, I still have my uncle. If my uncle doesn't step in, I still have my uncle-in-law. Aren't they qualified?"

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Hearing that her son dared to involve even his brother and brother-in-law, Aunt Xue was extremely annoyed. She didn't want to bother with it and was also afraid that Xue Pan would say more outrageous things, so she asked with a headache.

“I don’t want to bother Mom either.” Xue Pan pointed at Zhang Zhisheng. “Mom should ask him.”

Zhang Zhisheng didn't dare to get involved at all, and told everyone what he knew without offering any comments or opinions.

Aunt Xue fell silent.

This did sound wrong. Although she knew that her daughter would never do anything reckless given her character, she couldn't explain why, and for a moment she didn't know how to bring it up.

"Mom knows, right? Even so, she won't say anything?"

Xue Pan was even more furious and stomped his foot, saying, "It's all my fault for spoiling her. I should have never let my sister interfere with the business at the counter."

"If it weren't for your sister, would you have the nerve to mess around like that outside?"

Aunt Xue knew exactly what was going on.

In Jiangnan, the younger uncle monopolized the cattle, sheep and horse markets through his business outside the pass, showing a strong tendency to monopolize the Jiangnan market. The first family to bear the brunt was the eldest family, whose business overlapped with that of the second wife, and was severely impacted.

It was the daughter who saw the conflict between Wang Xin and his uncle, and her attempt to infiltrate Datong led to the later rivalry.

Otherwise, the first wife's assets would have been swallowed up by the second wife long ago.

It's not that the second wife won't give money to the first wife, but can someone who only has money but no property establish themselves in the capital?

Aunt Xue said with a heavy heart, "Have you forgotten when you first came to the capital, people called you Xue the Fool, and you even came back to me crying? Now that you're gone, your mother hasn't forgotten, but I'm powerless and heartbroken, and can only cry silently for you. Life was finally getting better, but how did it turn out like this again?"

As she spoke, Aunt Xue wiped away her tears.

No matter which family the man comes from.

It was her own brother who, despite all the setbacks and attempts to please him over the years, had always been working tirelessly outside for the sake of the family business.

Jia Lian, the eldest son's son.

Even if he is not picky about food or vegetables, he never forgets to do his job properly. Whatever task is entrusted to him, he will always handle it without making a mistake.

Like Jia Baoyu. Such a ridiculous person, but he studied hard and everyone praised him for being good, with a high school foundation.

"Why did I have to end up with a demon like you?"

As Aunt Xue spoke, she scolded him, hoping her son would change.

"From now on, the Xue family's business will be managed by my son personally."

"Are you in a good position to manage this?"

“Even if my son doesn’t manage things well, he will still manage them himself, so that Mom won’t always say that I’m not doing my job properly. Our Xue family, no matter how bad it is, can still be that bad. We can’t just let the managers below handle it.”

Xue Pan said defiantly.

"It would be good if you could keep your word," Aunt Xue sighed.

"My sister's dowry will be quite substantial. Mother, please choose a suitable husband for her. If you really can't find one, I will have to choose one myself. Whether I'm satisfied or not, he will be the one."

Xue Pan's face was cold, and his tone was unquestionable.

"fart."

Although Aunt Xue said that, as long as her son could actually work at the counter, given their status, what was there for them to do?
But you must be visible on the counter.

Whether you keep an eye on things or just watch over them, you must never let go of them.

As for my daughter's marriage.

We can't let our daughter become an old maid and live a life of widowhood. What good is a mountain of gold and silver if she has no children when she gets old? So we have to find someone.

The difficult part is that my daughter is nineteen years old.

Where can I find a suitable husband?
Aunt Xue had a headache.

Lin Ruhai sat in the sedan chair and left the Liu residence, heading towards the Jia residence.

Jia Zheng's status was not the highest, but it was like a spring.

"Wang Xin will inevitably rebel."

The two arrived at Jia Zheng's study, dismissed the servants, and Lin Ruhai finished recounting Liu Ru's matter before confirming it.

"You said that?"

Jia Zheng was shocked and his fingers trembled slightly.

He never thought of rebelling.

"No." Lin Ruhai shook his head.

Jia Zheng murmured, "That's good."

The barbarian invasion of Liaodong caused millions of Liaodong people to fall into the hands of the barbarians, and the loss of the entire Liaodong region dealt a huge blow to the prestige of the imperial court, not to mention other losses.

This is an urgent problem.

The imperial court must take back Liaodong, but how?

Whatever method is used, we must avoid being attacked from both sides. After much thought, we should first stall Wang Xin, and ideally transfer Wang Xin's army to Shaanxi to quell the rebellion. The court can quell the rebellion without losing a single soldier, and also weaken Wang Xin's strength.

"How did you respond?"

"I didn't deny it."

"what?"

Jia Zheng looked at Lin Ruhai with a bewildered expression and speechless.

"I am telling the truth."

Lin Ruhai has a clear conscience.

With Zhou Daofeng's death and Zhang Jifu's execution, there were not many people who truly cared about the court, among whom Liu Ru was one.

Others like Zhu Zhenjie and Li Chengxian are mostly just trying to protect themselves and going with the flow.

Did Liu Ru really not know how to deal with Wang Xin, or what Wang Xin was actually doing?

Jia Zheng, not understanding Lin Ruhai's inner thoughts, asked helplessly, "Just tell me, is it good or bad?"

Lin Ruhai shook his head.

"It is inevitable that Prince Zhongshun and the Grand Secretary will fight each other. They have also divided into two factions on how to deal with Liaodong. One faction is to win over the Prince of Dongping and support him in sending troops to deal with external threats before pacifying the internal situation. The other faction opposes supporting the Prince of Dongping and wants to send a large army to Liaodong to pacify the internal situation before dealing with external threats."

Jia Zheng could understand, but he couldn't figure out what to do. He listened attentively to Lin Ruhai's words.

"Actually, the struggle is still about controlling the Beijing Garrison. Once the Beijing Garrison goes to war, the food, supplies and logistics will be in the hands of the cabinet. Prince Zhongshun can't personally take command, so no one will agree to it."

"So who will win? Haven't we always been neutral? We'll help whoever wins."

Just like back then, Lin Ruhai believed that the emperor had a greater chance of winning, but there were also risks. So, while arranging for his eldest daughter to marry the emperor, he also kept a distance, not completely siding with the emperor.

"I can't see clearly either."

Lin Ruhai frowned and gave up thinking.

"Ah? You can't have been careless!" Jia Zheng exclaimed in shock.

"The situation is too complicated."

"How could things be as complicated as they used to be?"

"The previous court still had a lot of resources, and even though the accumulated problems were getting worse, it still had the capacity to deal with them. Now, with crises on all sides and various forces emerging, the court itself is riddled with internal contradictions, and it is really powerless to do anything about it."

"how could be."

"Why not? The Xue family is very obedient in Datong, but they are still a powerful force in Jiangnan."

Although he was a businessman, he still managed to preserve his wealth in Jiangnan through his power.

Since they have preserved their wealth through power, there is no reason for it to be taken away by power, unless they have even greater power. Unfortunately, the imperial court cannot control the local areas now.

See Weizhi book.

Commercial taxes accounted for a small percentage of the total revenue in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, although the Xue family had a large business, they could only benefit from local exorbitant taxes and road tolls, while the imperial court could not make any money.

The real foundation is still land tax.

Collecting land tax from each household is far more difficult than collecting commercial tax.

Jia Zheng looked troubled, but finally put aside his status and took the initiative to flatter him, saying, "My brother-in-law, you know me. I've never been one for deep thoughts, so don't make me guess these complicated things."

"You."

Lin Ruhai pointed at Jia Zheng, a wry smile on his face.

This is also what he likes about Jia Zheng; Jia Zheng is not domineering.

Take Wang Xin, for example.

After arriving in the capital, he quickly ingratiated himself with Jia Zheng. Based on his understanding of Jia Zheng, he must have seen through Jia Zheng's character.

A gentleman can be deceived.

It's a principle everyone knows, which is why everyone likes to associate with gentlemen.

It may seem like the gentleman suffered a loss, but in reality, it was a sign of great wisdom.

Lin Ruhai never underestimated Jia Zheng, but finally gave up on explaining things to him thoroughly. Instead, he spoke frankly with concern: "Wang Xin is very likely to rebel. If necessary, the young ladies in the manor may have to be abandoned."

"give up?"

Jia Zheng was speechless.

Although she was born out of wedlock, she was never neglected and always had everything she needed.

"Didn't the Shi family make the same decision back then? If things failed, they would just consider it as losing a daughter, and they wouldn't care even if they had to live in brothels."

"Why is this so?"

After a long pause, Jia Zheng managed to squeeze out a sentence.

Let's get married next year.

Too early and you can't see clearly; too late and it's too late.

They were around the same age.

Lin Ruhai gave Jia Zheng a date, which he could not refuse.

(End of this chapter)