The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

This news was just whispered among a few elementary school students, but it just so happened that the domineering Xue Pan, who was staying nearby, overheard it.

Xue Pan found it interesting, and after returning to Pear Fragrance Courtyard, he told Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai about it as a topic of conversation.

As a result, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai took it very seriously and even discussed it privately.

They felt that since Xue Pan had heard the rumors, the news must have spread quite a bit, at least outside the area.

The reason why the news didn't spread within the Rong Mansion's inner courtyard was probably because they received a gag order from the Old Madam or Madam Wang.

The result of the discussion was that we should take the initiative to congratulate Madam Wang, so as to show our sincerity, right?

Then, Madam Wang, who was suddenly congratulated by Aunt Xue, was completely dumbfounded.

She had no idea about this and didn't understand why Aunt Xue had suddenly come to congratulate her.

When Madam Wang understood what was going on, she was immediately delighted.

If the Second Master Zheng could advance further in his official career, it would naturally be a good thing for her, as she would at least receive a higher-ranking imperial decree from the court!

Chapter 66 Master Zheng is in a precarious situation (Please continue reading)

"Have you heard? The master wants to advance further in his official career!"

"That's unlikely. The master has been stuck in the Ministry of Works for almost twenty years. If he could get a promotion, he would have jumped ship long ago. How could he suddenly be promoted now?"

"You don't know this, do you? I've heard that because of the huge deficit in the official granaries, the current emperor is furious, and many officials have been convicted and imprisoned. There are many powerful official positions vacant, both in the court and in the local areas, and that's the vacancy that you've got your eye on, sir!"

"I see. It seems that the master has a good chance this time!"

"Indeed, with the master's influence and the Rong family's prestige, it would be quite easy for him to advance further in his official career at this juncture!"

"It seems that the master has had some good luck. I wonder which official position he will choose?"

"They're either the grain commissioner or the Ministry of Revenue—those are top-tier, lucrative positions!"

This is the most talked-about topic among the gatekeepers and servants of the Rong Mansion's outer courtyard lately.

As for the backyard, rumors were rampant that the Second Master Zheng wanted to obtain a higher official position.

"Sister, have you heard? The master is going to be promoted soon!"

"What? The master is getting a promotion? Congratulations!"

"That's truly cause for celebration! When the master gets promoted, the old lady will be overjoyed!"

"Yes, we've waited for so many years, it's time for Master to take another step forward!"

"In my opinion, this means your luck has turned; you might just rise to great heights in the future!"

"That's great! I'm sure the manor will reward you handsomely!"

"Hehe, could it be that you, sister, live off the monthly allowance and rewards from the manor?"

"Let's not say anything taboo. Let's wait for the master's good news!"

The old women's words were rather unpleasant, such as "the old tree has finally blossomed anew" and "the master has finally gotten what he wanted," which were such nonsense that if Master Zheng had heard them, he would have been so angry that he would have vomited blood.

The rumor was so widespread that even the old lady sitting in Rongqing Hall, who was like a Bodhisattva, heard about it.

The old lady was both surprised and pleased, and immediately summoned Master Zheng to Rongqing Hall for questioning.

"Mother, I'm still considering this matter. I don't know how it got out."

The Second Master Zheng was a little confused by the question, but still answered honestly: "Given the current situation, if things go well, the chances of success are not small!"

"However, the imperial court is currently making great efforts to deal with the drought. It would be very risky to rush in at this time, so I need to observe the situation more closely!"

"Second brother, you can't wait any longer, you have to make a decision as soon as possible!"

The old lady was somewhat disappointed, but still reminded her, "The news has already spread throughout the mansion, and I believe it won't be long before it reaches the outside world. There's no way to stop it!"

She was quite familiar with the situation in the manor and knew that the servants were not reliable.

"This one……"

The Second Master Zheng was in a dilemma; he really hadn't made up his mind yet.

As the old lady had predicted, the news spread throughout Ningrong Street, from inside the mansion to outside, and discussions immediately broke out.

The main reason is that the Second Master Zheng's reputation as a holdout in the Ministry of Works is too well-known.

Upon hearing the unexpected news that the Second Master Zheng, a laughingstock in the elite circles, had the ambition to strive for self-improvement in his old age, it naturally attracted many curious and inquisitive eyes.

To be honest, the Second Master Zheng's behavior was indeed a disgrace to the powerful and wealthy!

At their peak, the Ning and Rong families were the undisputed leaders of the eight founding dukes, whose power and influence were not necessarily comparable to those of the four kings of different surnames.

But how long has it been?

I won't say much about Lord She, because he almost ruined his life because of the incident of deposing the crown prince.

Who could have predicted that the Second Master Zheng would become a holdout at the Ministry of Works?

He remained in the positions of a sixth-rank official and a fifth-rank assistant secretary for twenty years.

For the eight founding fathers, their official positions were the lowest, and they weren't even qualified to attend the grand court assembly, which was utterly shameful.

Now that we've suddenly heard that the Second Master Zheng is showing signs of a rare occurrence, how could it not attract attention?

The rumors spread and grew more and more powerful, eventually becoming accepted as fact.

Even when the steward of the Rong Mansion went out on business, he would unconsciously say a word or two.

Then, the stewards of other families found out, and naturally, the bigwigs of their families also heard about it.

"Jia Cunzhou wants to advance further? Why haven't we heard any rumors about his activities?"

"Jia Cunzhou has finally come to his senses, which is a good thing!"

"It seems that the Ning and Rong families are not content to remain idle; we'll have to keep a close eye on them from now on!"

"It's good that Jia Cunzhou can occupy a position, so that the power of our noble lineage won't continue to shrink!"

"..."

In short, there is anything to say.

Whether outside or inside the mansion, the news had spread like wildfire in a short time, and everyone's attention was focused on the Second Master Zheng.

Even the usually indifferent Master She, who ignored the affairs of the manor, unusually asked Lian Er to pay attention, as he wanted to know the latest situation.

What do you call this? This is called public opinion momentum!

Seeing that things were going well, Jia Huan asked directly during his routine greetings one day, "Master, the rumors about your promotion are already spreading like wildfire!"

"Is it almost done? Congratulations, sir, on achieving your wish!"

He saw with his own eyes that the corner of the Second Master Zheng's mouth was twitching abnormally.

His originally gentle expression turned extremely unpleasant as he said irritably, "I don't know who spread this rumor, I haven't even had a chance to start working on it yet!"

"Can't?"

Jia Huan exclaimed in surprise, "According to the rumors outside, it's a done deal for Master to be promoted. I'm afraid many people already believe it!"

"If they find out that the master hasn't taken any concrete action yet, it might damage his reputation!"

The Second Master Zheng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, which was what frustrated him the most.

The public opinion outside has already taken hold, and the commotion is quite significant. Even some powerful figures from noble families have taken notice. If he fails to succeed, he will lose face big time.

This was absolutely unacceptable to the Second Master Zheng, who was extremely concerned about his reputation.

It could be said that he was being put on the hot seat at this moment. If he knew who had spread the rumors, he would certainly not be polite and would definitely make them know what was going on.

The group of scholars remained silent, but secretly they were quite expectant.

They were all getting tired of Master Zheng's lukewarm and indecisive nature, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Now things are really messed up. The Second Master Zheng is in the eye of the storm of public opinion, and even if he wanted to back down, it would be impossible.

Chapter 67: Offering Strategies and Demonstrating Brilliance (Please Add to Favorites)

The second master was in a dilemma, as he had no experience in maneuvering for promotion.

Given his rigid nature and self-proclaimed scholarly demeanor, how could he possibly do such despicable things?

Previously, when I had some ideas, I always went through my brother-in-law, Wang Ziteng.

It's a pity that Wang Ziteng's ability to manage things was mediocre; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become a holdout in the Ministry of Works.

In other words, the Second Master himself really lacked experience in maneuvering for promotion; he didn't even know how to find the right connections.

He naturally wouldn't reveal these things on his own initiative; it's a matter of face.

He was quite unhappy about losing face in front of the gentleman.

Jia Huan, the instigator of the rumors, naturally saw the predicament of Master Zheng and would certainly offer advice to help solve the problem.

Since I've positioned myself as the strategist, I have to make a good impression.

"Sir, since things have come to this, let's just go with the flow!"

Jia Huan spoke up, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the study: "With the strength of our Rong Mansion, as long as we don't make too many demands and encounter too much opposition, it's quite simple to accomplish some things!"