Red Mansion is so charming

Chapter 76: Caobang’s concerns, going to Yangzhou to meet Lin Ruhai (please collect and read)

The name of the leader of the Cao Gang in front of him is Leng Xingyun.

The flowing clouds and flowing water correspond to the growth and development of Caobang on the water.

And a person with the surname Leng gives people a sense of aloofness.

I have to say, this is a really good name.

In his words, Leng Xingyun had a positive attitude towards being able to escape the control of the Zhen family.

However, she also expressed her and Caobang's concerns very straightforwardly.

The foundation of Caobang is in the south of the Yangtze River, on the great rivers and between the meandering streams.

Therefore, no matter who you depend on, you still have to make a living on this water.

And in Jiangnan, the biggest force is the Zhen family.

To get rid of the control of the Zhen family, the strength of the Zhen family must be greatly weakened.

In other words, there needs to be a force that can compete with the Zhen family.

Listening to Leng Xingyun's analysis, Su Ran's mind couldn't help but become more active.

Looking at the entire Jiangnan, in terms of power in the officialdom, there is absolutely no force that can compete with the behemoth Zhen family.

However, if we only talk about business, then there are still forces that can get on the stage.

One of them is the monopoly business of Salt Patrol Censor and Tea Patrol Censor on behalf of the imperial court.

As for the other group, it was the imperial merchants represented by the Xue family of Jinling.

Among these forces, the most powerful one is the Salt Patrol Censor.

In fact, it is easy to understand. No matter you are an official or a citizen, you may not drink tea, but you cannot do without salt.

As long as you control this thing, it will choke half of your life.

Therefore, in the entire Jiangnan, if there is one person who can challenge the Zhen family, it must be Xunyan Yushi.

Thinking of this, Su Ran looked at Leng Xingyun and said, "I can understand your concerns, but since I'm here, I must give you the capital to get rid of the Zhen family completely."

When Leng Xingyun heard this, he looked at Su Ran with doubtful eyes and said, "Oh? In this Jiangnan realm, I really can't think of any force that can compete with the Zhen family."

When Su Ran heard this, he suddenly burst into laughter: "That's not necessarily the case, don't forget, I am here to Jiangnan on behalf of the imperial court. As long as it is for the imperial court and the people, I can arrange everything the Daqing Dynasty has in Jiangnan. "

When Leng Xingyun heard this, he couldn't help but be infected by the confidence and domineering radiating from Su Ran.

She lowered her head and was silent for a few breaths, then nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then I'm waiting for your good news. As long as you can allow my Cao Gang to gain a foothold in Jiangnan, we are willing to work for you."

After Su Ran got the other party's promise, he immediately said goodbye to Leng Xingyun.

When leaving Xingyun Water Village, Leng Xingyun sent him outside the village.

Su Ran told him that he would definitely give her an accurate answer within three days and just let her wait for the news.

……

After leaving Xingyun Water Village, Su Ran returned to the inn and took Hong Shuang away.

At this moment, the two of them had already taken a ferry all the way to Yangzhou.

Yangzhou is on the north bank of Jinling City, and the two cities face each other across the river.

The reason Su Ran came to Yangzhou was because he wanted to meet someone.This person is Lin Ruhai, the son-in-law of Jia Mu and Lin Daiyu's father.

Today, he is serving as the salt inspector in Yangzhou, and he is in charge of the salt administration of the entire Jiangnan area.

After Su Ran arrived in Yangzhou, he settled in Hongshuang first, and then went to Lin Ruhai's mansion.

Since she had the imperial envoy's seal in hand, Lin Ruhai was very polite when she saw Su Ruan.

At this moment, Su Ran was sitting in the living room of Lin Mansion, with the freshly brewed tea in front of her.

Accompanying him was Lin Ruhai, the censor of Xunyan.

It's really not easy to talk about this Lin Ruhai.

The ancestors of the Lin family were hereditary marquises, but when they came to Lin Ruhai, their remaining yin was exhausted.

Logically speaking, the family should be in decline at this time.

However, Lin Ruhai was a talented scholar and relied on his own strength to pass the examination. At first, he was appointed as the doctor of Lantai Temple, and later he was appreciated by the court and appointed as the censor of salt inspection.

Lin Ruhai's wife, Jia Min, is the youngest of the four daughters of Jia Daishan and Jia's mother.

Jia Min originally gave birth to a son for the Lin family, but unfortunately he died at the age of three. Now he only has one daughter left, Lin Daiyu.

Of course, this information is stated in the original Red Mansions book.

Now after chatting with Lin Ruhai about daily life, I found that there were basically no differences.

After all, Lin Ruhai had been involved in officialdom for a long time, and he knew very well that if the imperial envoy suddenly came to visit, it would be impossible to just chat with him about daily matters.

So, after changing the tea in the cup again, Lin Ruhai looked at Su Ran and spoke.

"Master Su made a special trip to Yangzhou this time. I wonder what business he has to do? Or does the emperor have any orders?"

Hearing this, Su Ran put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Master Lin, does he know which family is the most powerful in this Jiangnan land?"

Seeing Su Ran mention this, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but have a look of doubt on his face.

He stroked his gray beard, his eyes flickered a few times and said: "There were originally four major families in the south of the Yangtze River, including Jia, Wang, Shi and Xue. They can all be called famous families, but the one that has been the most popular in recent years is the Jinling Zhen family. .”

When Su Ran heard this, he nodded slightly: "If we just develop the family's industry in an orderly manner, there is nothing wrong with it. But now there is evidence that the Zhen family controls Jiangnan's officialdom for promotion and demotion, forms cliques for personal gain, and has disloyal intentions. Officials in the DPRK and China are quite critical, and this is why I came to Yangzhou this time."

After hearing these words, Lin Ruhai couldn't help adding a bit of seriousness to his already perplexed face. He frowned, and tried to speak: "Master Su, you mean to suspect that Mr. Lin has something to do with the Zhen family?"

"No, no, no." When Su Ran saw this, he waved his hands quickly and said, "Master Lin has a breeze in his sleeves. He is deeply trusted by your majesty. How could he be involved with the Zhen family? The main reason I came here is to ask Master Lin to give me permission." It is convenient to release the salt transportation, so that I can divide the Zhen family's power into a large piece."

When Lin Ruhai heard this, he laughed dryly and said: "Master Su, you are joking. The manpower and material resources consumed in transporting salt are huge. Even if I have been the salt inspector for so many years, I have only been in these two years." I only figured out the way inside this year, and if the path suddenly changes, then the salt transportation will not be messed up, right?"

"Master Lin is worrying too much." Su Ran shook his head, "If an ordinary person were to be responsible for the salt transportation, he would definitely be weak and unable to handle it well. However, I am talking about the Cao Gang with tens of thousands of people. They Mr. Lin must be very aware of his strength."

When Lin Ruhai heard that it was Caobang, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Do you really want the Caobang to be responsible for the salt transportation? Doesn't this mean that one family is the only one, which is not conducive to control?"

When Su Ran heard this, he was about to explain, but saw someone running over in a hurry outside.

"Sir, master, it's bad, the salt ship coming from Suzhou has been robbed!"

When Lin Ruhai heard this, his head buzzed.

(End of this chapter)