Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Oh, since Erlang knows about the power of these salt merchants, why don't you tell me about it?"

Jia Lian sat at the head of the table and casually smiled at Liu Xianglian.

Liu Xianglian clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, "These seven salt merchants are renowned throughout Jiangnan. It is estimated that each of them has at least a million or even several million taels of silver in assets. Together, the seven of them are so wealthy that it would not be an exaggeration to describe them as being richer than a country."

Moreover, this is only the wealth they have accumulated themselves. In reality, most of the powerful salt merchants in Yangzhou are nothing more than puppets of those aristocratic families and powerful officials in the court, or even just servants of those wealthy families.

Take the most famous one, the Bai family, for example. As one of the seven major salt merchants, the Bai family may not be the largest salt merchant in Jiangnan, but they are certainly the most famous.

Because, according to rumors, the patriarch of the Bai family, Bai Yi, is a distant cousin of Marquis Yangwu, Bai Qi! And Marquis Yangwu, as you probably know, is the nephew of the current Empress Dowager, and now holds the official position of Military Governor of Anxi, a true regional governor of the dynasty.

The Marquis thought about it and realized that with such a background, who in the entire Jiangnan salt administration would dare not give the Bai family some face?

Besides the Bai family, the other six families each have their own backgrounds, and none of them should be underestimated; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to gain a share of the salt trade.

"The Bai family is actually connected to the current Empress Dowager?"

Jia Lian looked slightly surprised and glanced at Lin Youquan beside him.

Lin Youquan hurriedly apologized, saying, "My lord, please forgive me. My master instructed me to explain the true backgrounds of those salt merchants to you in Yangzhou, so..."

Jia Lian glanced at him, feeling somewhat speechless.

He could certainly understand Lin Youquan's meaning. Lin Ruhai was probably afraid that if he knew the backgrounds of all the salt merchants in advance, it would scare him away and make him back out. Therefore, although Lin Youquan and others had told him a lot about the Yangzhou salt merchants before, and even mentioned the backgrounds of most of them, including things like prime ministers, princes and members of the imperial family, they hadn't mentioned the Bai family much.

In a way, he and the Bai family were destined to meet.

Leaving aside the fact that he saved the stunningly beautiful Empress Dowager Bai at the Crown Prince's villa, he also had dealings with Marquis Yangwu, Bai Qi, back in Anxi Prefecture. Although they never met, he had his brother-in-law's legs broken.

Later, Bai Qi even wrote him a letter to express his apology. Although Jia Lian knew that Bai Qi was probably only being polite to him because of Princess Zhaoyang, otherwise, even if he didn't care that his brother-in-law had been beaten, he probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to befriend him.

Unexpectedly, Bai Qi not only wielded such great power in Anxi Prefecture, but also extended his reach into the Central Plains, and even into the most prosperous salt administration.

He has territory, military power, and he still needs so much money? Isn't he worried that the emperor might have some suspicions about him?

Or perhaps, relying on Empress Dowager Bai's influence, they've become somewhat reckless?

It seems I'll have to be careful when dealing with Bai Qi in the future, lest he trick me.

Lin Ruhai's concerns were understandable. No matter how powerful or complex the backgrounds of the other salt merchants were, they were ultimately just tools for the powerful and wealthy in the capital to make money. As for Bai Yi, he was Bai Qi's cousin, and by that reckoning, he was also the Empress Dowager's nephew. It was normal for Lin Ruhai to be worried about him getting into trouble and not tell him in advance.

So he glared at Lin Youquan and said, "Since it was my uncle who gave the instructions, then so be it. But now that I'm already in Jiangnan, shouldn't you tell me everything you haven't said?"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Lin Youquan also felt somewhat apologetic. After repeatedly bowing, he said, "Besides the Bai family mentioned by Young Master Liu, the Marquis should also pay close attention to the Wang family, one of the seven major salt merchants. Before our master took office, the Wang family was relatively unknown among the salt merchants, but later their power suddenly increased dramatically. According to our master's understanding and speculation, it's likely that the Wang family has established connections with the Crown Prince in the capital..."

It really is the Crown Prince!

Jia Lian was somewhat surprised, yet also somewhat enlightened.

No wonder those upright and principled officials in the court are so determined to pursue the matter of An Siyuan relentlessly, insisting that Emperor Ningkang send someone to the south to investigate the case thoroughly. No wonder the Crown Prince is so attentive to this matter, even going so far as to personally negotiate with him…

Sure enough, none of those who managed to get a share of the profits from the salt administration were simple.

If it were any other civil official in the position, how could they not be afraid in the face of such a vast network of relationships? Even if they weren't afraid, how would they dare to take action, or where would they even begin?

No wonder Emperor Ningkang, after much deliberation, still chose me to handle this matter.

Thinking about it this way, one can't help but feel that Emperor Ningkang was using him as a tool. But then again, isn't being able to serve as a blade for the emperor a testament to his ability?

Moreover, the more Ningkang Emperor used him, the more power he would give him, which was exactly what he had always craved.

Since he doesn't serve as a civil official or mingle in the imperial court, he doesn't need to worry too much about those people retaliating against him.

Therefore, he was not afraid at all. He simply asked Lin Youquan to fill in the gaps in the information about the other families that he had not yet fully revealed.

……

The journey from Yangzhou to Suzhou takes only a day.

Upon disembarking and approaching the city gate, the prefect of Suzhou and other major officials of the entire Suzhou prefecture came to greet and pay their respects, creating a great spectacle.

It wasn't that the officials of Suzhou Prefecture had special connections; rather, Jia Lian had someone inform him of the itinerary in advance.

As for why he did this, it wasn't because he deliberately flaunted it; it involved a very important rule of that era.

Large cities strictly prohibit the entry of the dead, as it is believed to bring misfortune to the city.

Therefore, even if someone is a resident of the city, if they die outside, even in the suburbs, their body or coffin will not be allowed to enter the city. This is a custom passed down for thousands of years, and no one, regardless of rank, is exempt.

Of course, the "officials" here refer to low-ranking officials. As for those who reached Lin Ruhai's rank, they naturally had special privileges.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be tragic if those high-ranking officials who served in the court, died in the capital, and wanted to be buried in their hometowns couldn't even enter their hometown cities?

Therefore, the Great Wei Dynasty had a law that only officials of the second rank and above were allowed to enter the capital to conduct funeral rites. Only officials of the third rank and above were allowed to enter local prefectural cities to conduct funeral rites.

Officials of the third rank and below were not allowed to enter the city unless they obtained an imperial decree from the emperor.

This explains why, in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, when Jia Jing died at Xuanzhen Temple outside the city, the emperor, upon learning the news, specially posthumously conferred upon Jia Jing the official rank of fifth grade and granted Jia Zhen and his son special permission to escort their father's coffin into the capital for the funeral, and why Jia Zhen and his son were so grateful to the emperor.

After all, if the emperor did not grant the imperial decree, the former head of the Ningguo Mansion would have no choice but to hold the funeral outside the city.

Lin Ruhai, holding the rank of second-grade official, was fully entitled to return to his ancestral home in Suzhou for his funeral. Therefore, upon learning that he was to be buried in his hometown, the Ministry of Rites had already notified the Suzhou government, instructing them to bring Lin Ruhai's coffin into the city according to the rites for a second-grade official.

In fact, no order from the Ministry of Rites was needed. Lin Ruhai, who was originally from Suzhou but rose to the position of central government official, was a source of pride for the people of Suzhou.

Now that Lord Lin's soul has returned to his hometown, it is a major event for the entire city of Suzhou.

The Suzhou prefect had already instructed his subordinates to set up roadside altars along the streets from the city gate to the Lin residence, and to spread stories about Lin Ruhai's life.

If Jia Lian hadn't informed them so quickly, leaving the Suzhou government no time to make further preparations, there might have been an even bigger commotion.

Even so, it took half a day to get from Suzhou to the Lin family's old residence.

Daiyu remained seated in the sedan chair, watching as the entire city of Suzhou was shaken by her father's return, her feelings inexplicably complex.

Perhaps this is the reputation that my father has been striving for all his life, and now he has finally achieved it.

Occasionally, he would peek through the carriage curtain to secretly observe Jia Lian, who was riding on horseback and helping to deal with the officials. Seeing how obedient, submissive, and utterly subservient the officials were in front of Jia Lian, he felt a secret delight.

If it weren't for her second brother Lian, she wouldn't be able to handle these common people.

The Lin family members also learned of Lin Ruhai's death and arrived at the ancestral home early to await the funeral arrangements.

Although it was expected that Lin Ruhai's status would warrant a respectable return to his hometown for his funeral, the Lin family was still both shocked and delighted to see that all the major officials of Suzhou, including the prefect, garrison commander, assistant prefect, and textile commissioner, personally escorted Lin Ruhai to his ancestral home and lingered there even after the mourning hall was set up and the memorial service was held.

Isn't it said that when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out, or tea growing cold after the person leaves?

Why are these officials in Suzhou so attentive and polite to the Lin family?

It was only later that they learned that the person who personally escorted their clan leader back was the famous young Marquis of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital, who had come to the south of the Yangtze River as an imperial envoy.

Those Suzhou officials were probably not currying favor with the Lin family, but rather with the newly risen nobles of the dynasty, the dignified Marquis of Zhenyuan.

Although learning the truth was somewhat disappointing, fortunately, many of them knew Jia Lian. After all, when their paternal grandmother Jia Min passed away, this Marquis of Zhenyuan had personally come to pay his respects, and some members of the Lin family had even interacted with Jia Lian.

Back then, Jia Lian was just a young man from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital, and he didn't have the great reputation he has now.

Now that the Lin family has lost its patriarch, its decline is irreversible. However, if they can cultivate a relationship with the Rongguo Mansion, they might have a powerful backer in the future…

These are the thoughts that some members of the Lin family had after briefly getting a feel for the reality.

However, some people have the opposite concerns.

Given Jia Lian's status, why would he condescend to personally escort the clan leader back to his hometown? Could it be that he has his eye on the Lin family's property and wants to seize it through this opportunity?

Such acts of powerful relatives seizing family property were common occurrences in this era.

Therefore, it's not surprising that the Lin family members made such speculations. After all, there aren't many members left in the Lin family, and everyone knows each other well.

With Lin Ruhai dead, how to elect a clan leader and how to distribute the clan's property became matters of ambiguity, and each clan had its own calculations and leverage.

But if they were to face Jia Lian, a powerful in-law, they would be powerless to resist. Even if their family property were seized, they would likely have no recourse.

Putting aside everything else, just look at those soldiers in golden armor and carrying golden swords who, upon arriving at the Lin family's residence, "guarded" all the important passages of the Lin family. They could only feel awe and dared not have any thoughts of resistance.

Even if they didn't know them personally, they had heard from others that those were the legendary Imperial Guards. Only the Emperor and imperial envoys on official business outside the capital were authorized to temporarily command these legendary Imperial Guards!

Jia Lian had no idea about the Lin family's individual schemes, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. After finally managing to send away the officials from Suzhou Prefecture and the people from all walks of life who came to pay their respects, it was already getting dark.

When they went to see Daiyu, they found that Daiyu didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"What, does someone want to steal your house again?"

When Daiyu heard Jia Lian teasing her again, she shook her head somewhat embarrassed.

Jia Lian then looked at Zijuan, who smiled and said, "Second Master, don't worry, no one is bullying the young lady. It's just that before, the aunts and uncles in the young lady's clan have been trying to curry favor with her one after another, giving her toys, clothes, and even wanting to take her in as their daughter. The young lady is getting a little annoyed by it."

Zijuan truly lived up to her reputation as a model of understanding people. She easily saw through the reason for Daiyu's unhappiness and told Jia Lian about it directly. Daiyu couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed and rolled her eyes at Zijuan.

Jia Lian understood.

All this talk of currying favor and trying to take Daiyu as his daughter is just a ploy to gain the upper hand.

That's true. The Lin family didn't know Lin Ruhai's arrangements before his death. They all saw that Lin Ruhai was dead, leaving behind a huge family fortune that definitely needed to be inherited. At this time, whoever won Daiyu's favor first would naturally have the upper hand.

Having already made up his mind, Jia Lian simply smiled at Daiyu and said, "Aren't you happy that your elders are taking the initiative to show you affection?"

Daiyu couldn't help but purse her lips and furrow her brows.

If those elders truly loved her, she certainly wouldn't be unhappy. But Daiyu could see the real reason why those people acted this way, because some of them were behaving in such an exaggerated way, clearly showing a discrepancy between their words and actions.

Daiyu was naturally perceptive, so how could she not see through their schemes?

She even felt a little sad. She felt that her relatives were far less respectable and of a lower social standing than the relatives she had met at the Rongguo Mansion.

Compared to the relatives of the Rongguo Mansion, such as Aunt Xue and Aunt Wang, the relatives of the Lin family were really no different from some country women.

How could this possibly make Daiyu happy?

Seeing that Daiyu remained silent, Jia Lian took one of her small hands and comforted her with a smile, "Sister Lin, you don't need to judge them with such harsh standards. Everyone has their own experiences in life, and thus, different perspectives."

Different perspectives inevitably lead to differences in level.

If Lin Daiyu likes someone, she can get close to them; if she doesn't, she doesn't need to care or offend them. She just needs to stay away from them.

"I will have the butler gather all the members of your Lin family together later and announce your uncle's will to them. I believe that once they know your uncle's arrangements, they will not send anyone to disturb your sister anymore."

When Daiyu heard Jia Lian announce Lin Ruhai's will to the Lin family, which naturally included his engagement to her, she felt shy and awkward, and wanted to pull her hand back.

Then she thought that Jia Lian was still the same as always, and as soon as he noticed any difficulty she was in, he would try to help her solve it as quickly as possible. She was very moved and grateful, and couldn't help but open her eyes, which were slightly brimming with tears, and look at Jia Lian.

"Look at you, why are you crying again?" Jia Lian felt extremely satisfied when he saw Daiyu's gaze.

He couldn't help but raise a hand, as if to wipe away Daiyu's tears.

"Who's crying...?"

Daiyu, however, did not want to admit it. She dodged Jia Lian's hand, sat to one side, and blushed.

After a while, Daiyu asked, "Have you taken care of everything outside?"

"Yes, that's about it. From now on, all you need to do is go to your uncle's grave every day at the appointed time to pay your respects and keep vigil. When the time comes, take your uncle's coffin to the ancestral grave outside the city and bury him with your mother."

Daiyu nodded silently. Jia Lian had told her all of this before, and she had no objections.

"So, are you going back to Yangzhou...?"

"Um……"

Seeing Jia Lian nod, Daiyu's face involuntarily fell a little, and she sat silently, not knowing what to say.

Although Jia Lian was pleased with Daiyu's reaction, he didn't want her to remain in such negative emotions for too long, so he deliberately asked with a smile, "Sister Lin, are you reluctant to see me go?"

"Who would be sad to see you go..."

Just as Daiyu felt embarrassed by having her thoughts exposed, she caught a glimpse of Jia Lian's smile and immediately realized that Jia Lian was doing it on purpose.

Therefore, he frowned and immediately replied, "I can't wait for you to leave! It would be best if you left tonight, so you wouldn't keep bullying people here."

Daiyu didn't consider herself bad at talking; among the sisters in the Rongguo Mansion, no one could usually out-argue her.

She always seemed to suffer losses in front of Jia Lian, which is why she repeatedly said that Jia Lian bullied her. Of course, it's also possible that Jia Lian often held her hand and took advantage of her.

Seeing Daiyu's reaction, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Jia Lian was greatly pleased.

Just then, Zijuan and the others saw him coaxing Daiyu and tactfully left the room. Jia Lian then raised his hand and gently pulled Daiyu into his arms, comforting her and saying, "Sister Lin, don't worry. I won't be leaving until tomorrow afternoon. Before I leave, I will arrange everything here properly."

Also, once I arrive in Yangzhou, I will take care of things there as soon as possible. Even if I don't finish, I will still make it back before my uncle's burial date.

Anyway, the two places are close by; if we travel by fast horse and fast boat, we can arrive in just half a day.

When Jia Lian pulled Daiyu into his arms, she quickly glanced around the room and felt relieved when she realized that no one else was around. She then gently nestled into Jia Lian's chest.

She listened quietly to Jia Lian's words, and after a while said, "You told me not to worry, but in reality, you've been the one worrying about me. Actually, Second Brother, you don't need to work so hard."

You've already done so much for me; I can handle the rest myself. Even if I don't do it well, the housekeeper and Aunt Wang will help me, and that's enough.

So, if you're busy with things on your end, there's no need to rush back.

The two places are neither far nor close, but second brother, you should focus on your important business.

Daiyu knew that Jia Lian was going to Jiangnan to investigate a case, and a major one at that. Even from the plays, she knew that any major case would inevitably involve some kind of vested interest.

She didn't want Jia Lian to be distracted by her and her father's affairs while he was handling important matters.

Just as Jia Lian was worried about her, she was also very worried about Jia Lian, fearing that something might happen to him.

Upon hearing Daiyu's words, Jia Lian felt immense satisfaction and instinctively tightened his embrace around her.

At this moment, he had no time to appreciate the softness and beauty of Daiyu's body; his heart was filled with tenderness for the person in his arms.

This girl has really grown up and is starting to care about people; all the love and care we gave her was worth it.