The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

I heard that because of his attitude towards studying, the Second Master Zheng was quite dissatisfied and had already lost his temper several times in a short period of time. Even the Old Madam and the Second Madam were having a headache from all the commotion.

They did want to protect Jia Baoyu, but Master Zheng didn't deliberately target him.

Moreover, the teaching takes place in the main study, where the old lady and the second wife's people can relay information about what's happening there to them at any time. What else can they do?

We can't just abandon Jia Baoyu and let him live a carefree life, can we?

If that were to happen, the old lady and the second wife would be the first to object, and what that signifies is self-evident.

Once Master Zheng completely gives up on Jia Baoyu, even if the old lady and the second wife want to save him, they won't know where to begin.

In short, the matter of Jia Baoyu's studies caused quite a commotion in the Rong Mansion's backyard.

The old lady and the second wife were completely absorbed in the study, leaving them no time or leisure to attend to anything else, which made things much easier for Jia Huan.

His previous behavior was a bit too flamboyant. For some reason, he felt that the atmosphere in the mansion was a bit off, as if someone wanted to deliberately suppress him.

Fortunately, the phoenix egg insisted on making a fuss, and Jia Huan secretly gave it a push, directly attracting the attention of the old lady and the second wife.

Sometimes he couldn't understand it; couldn't everyone just live their own lives peacefully?

It can only be said that children have absolutely no voice!

If we bring Jia Baoyu, this bodhisattva, back to the mansion, Jia Huan won't be so foolish as to jump in.

I heard that Qin Zhong, out of loyalty to his friend, stayed with Jia Baoyu in the study for three afternoons.

Then, unable to bear it any longer, he withdrew, leaving Jia Baoyu alone to face the many enthusiastic guests and gentlemen.

After secretly enjoying the entertainment for a few days, Jia Huan turned his attention elsewhere.

That day, he was listening to various information summaries at the small martial arts school when Xue Pan and Ni Er returned together early in the morning, looking miserable and as if they had been bullied terribly.

The thugs following behind were disheveled and in a sorry state.

The guys kept groaning and moaning. Jia Huan waved his hand impatiently, telling them to go to the infirmary next door and see a doctor, and not to get in his way.

There is a renowned doctor on duty at this small martial arts school all year round.

He was one of the two renowned doctors he had managed to get out of prison.

Although it was a waste of their talents to put them in a small martial arts school as doctors, there was no other way.

Currently, the aftermath of the drought and the embezzlement of the government granaries has not completely subsided, so these two doctors cannot openly appear in public.

He stayed at the small martial arts school and clan school, recuperating both his mind and body while instructing Jia Huan in medicine.

Incidentally, it can also help its underlings and fellow students at the clan school get medical treatment.

"Brother Huan, we've really suffered a huge loss this time, you absolutely have to help us!"

After Jia Huan chased the people away, Xue Pan shamelessly approached them, begging for help.

"what happened?"

Jia Huan ignored the guy and looked directly at Ni Er, who was walking over at the same time, and asked curiously, "Didn't you say before that your group's expansion was going quite smoothly?"

"That was indeed the case before!"

Ni Er smiled wryly and said helplessly, "Who knew that we would run into a tough opponent as soon as we rushed out of the city and end up with a bloody head?"

"That's why we have no choice but to send our wounded brothers back first!"

Chapter 96 A Glimpse of Talent (Please Subscribe)

However, Jia Huan never had any intention of forming a gang or faction.

After learning that most of the so-called martial arts masters in the capital were only strong in terms of qi and blood strength, and had no so-called internal strength or true qi, his yearning for the martial arts world basically disappeared.

However, some things are simply beyond his control!

From the moment the small martial arts school became a branch on Ningrong Street, the local thugs and hooligans flocked to it, and after it gained a certain level of organization and order, it had already formed a considerable street force.

With their territory secure and their income stable, these guys had no worries and naturally began to expand, just like modern capital, which is not subject to the will of any single person.

In the early stages of expansion, relying on their daring and fighting spirit, as well as their unity, these guys quickly occupied a considerable territory, their income increased rapidly, and their strength expanded accordingly.

Especially after Xue Pan, a major financial backer, joined, the expansion became even more rapid and almost unstoppable.

There was no way around it; Xue Pan not only had money but also manpower, and the Xue family's guards were not to be trifled with.

Many of them were highly skilled in martial arts and could be considered top-notch fighters even in the martial arts world.

Even Jia Huan didn't expect that they would so easily gain control of the section of the canal from Tongzhou to Beijing, and the section within Beijing city, mainly the rights to handle cargo at the docks.

Even so, it was enough to inflate these guys' confidence.

So, they excitedly marched out of the city, only to run into a complete mess!

After hearing Ni Er's explanation, Jia Huan felt a little strange.

This is too exaggerated!

Nima was just a porter and boatman on a small branch canal. Where did he get the power to control it so tightly?

It is said that the northern section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal ends in Tongzhou.

Tongzhou is nearly fifty li from the capital!

Transporting such a large amount of supplies from the canal to the capital over such a long distance would be extremely difficult, both in terms of road traffic and efficiency.

Therefore, starting in the Yuan Dynasty, an artificial waterway was dug from Tongzhou to the capital, utilizing several rivers outside the city. Only small boats could pass through, and it was used specifically to transport goods.

Because it wasn't considered a mainstream canal, and government oversight was quite strict, there wasn't much opportunity to make a profit.

Of course, even with little profit, if managed properly, it's still possible to maintain several small gangs and live quite comfortably; that's about it.

Otherwise, if it were a place where powerful figures and influential people's interests intersected, Jia Huan would never allow his underlings to get involved; that would be tantamount to courting death.

This incident doesn't make sense!

With Xue Pan's support, Ni Er and his gang of thugs were still quite formidable in combat.

Who knew that they would run into a tough opponent as soon as they left the city? They didn't know where this powerful gang came from, but they had a lot of martial arts experts who directly crushed Ni Er and his group.

This is a bit strange!

As mentioned before, this artificial waterway, which is only suitable for small boats and is strictly regulated by government offices, doesn't offer much opportunity for profit.

At most, when the river wasn't too busy, they could transport some grain and livestock like pigs, cattle, and sheep by boat to earn a meager living.

With such meager income, how could they possibly support such a large number of江湖 heroes?

As you can see from reading "Water Margin," the heroes of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) eat large chunks of meat and drink large bowls of wine. Such a standard of food is no joke; even ordinary small landlords couldn't afford it.

"Brother Huan, you don't know, those officials from the granary yamen just stood by and watched us suffer, without even trying to intervene. They're a bunch of bastards!"

Xue Pan angrily retorted, "They were so eager to accept gifts before!"

"The granary administration office?"

Jia Huan was taken aback at first, and then suddenly realized what was happening.

This office, which was under the Ministry of Revenue, was responsible for receiving the grain transport goods and classifying them for storage in thirteen huge official granaries inside and outside the capital.

At this time, the governor of the granaries was Ma Yuan, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue!

Is there any problem here?

"Ni Er, what do you think of the relationship between the officials of the granary government and that gang with many skilled martial artists?"

How similar are these characteristics to the situation of Ma Yuan's family?

Previously, Jia Zhen led his men to cause trouble, but they were thoroughly beaten and left in a sorry state by the many skilled martial artists from the Ma family. He was so angry that he almost resorted to his last trump card, summoning the ancestral guards and their sons from the manor outside the city to help.

"Their relationship was so good they were practically inseparable!"

Before Ni Er could speak, Xue Pan said impatiently, "I reckon that if it weren't for the messengers from the granary government reporting us, our brothers' surprise attack would very likely have succeeded!"

In the world of martial arts, people will stop at nothing to fight each other!

There was still some apprehension around the capital, and people dared not use overly malicious methods, but a sneak attack was not a problem at all, and would not arouse condemnation or dissatisfaction from other martial arts forces.

"If we were to fight them head-on, are you confident you could withstand it?"

Jia Huan's mind raced, and he asked curiously, "To be honest, there's no need to hide anything from me!"

Ni Er was somewhat embarrassed and said helplessly, "I'm afraid that apart from the skilled fighters that Brother Xue brought, the rest of my brothers don't have that kind of strength. Their martial arts skills are lacking!"

A bunch of street thugs, besides relying on their bloodlust and courage, what kind of martial arts skills could they possibly possess?

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is not just a joke.

The small martial arts school that Jia Huan acquired also has a tradition of training the body.

Medicated baths and special topical ointments are not simple products, both in terms of procurement and production costs.

The most outrageous thing was the inheritance of martial arts in the army. Jia Huan only found out a little bit, but it was enough to surprise him. It was absolutely worth spending money like water.

Otherwise, why did so many of the great generals in ancient times come from military families?

There's a trick to this; it's not as simple as the rumors suggest—just some extraordinary talent and innate superhuman strength.

Leaving aside the small talk, Ni Er revealed the truth, and Xue Pan immediately patted his chest and said loudly, "Brother Huan, if you have any thoughts or instructions, just say them!"

"As long as it's within my power, I will definitely not let you down!"