Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 103 Feng Family

When you first see Xue Baochai, you will be attracted by her unique temperament. At the age of twelve or thirteen, he is as mature and steady as a young adult. There is a shrewd attitude in his behavior and speech.

She is not as elegant as Lin Daiyu, but she is not as tacky as a businessman or official. She is just shrewd and sees through the world, just like the real "backbone" of the Xue family.

"Aunt Bao won't tell you, but I also want to get closer to Uncle Xue. We have the same temperament." Jia Rong laughed and agreed.

He likes Xue Pan so much.

As the heir to the Xue Family Royal Shang, he is a "silly overlord" and a spendthrift.

During this period, he often came to him to be naughty. Jia Rong bought farm tools and cattle for the rural tribesmen and tenant farmers in Jiangning County, all thanks to his connections. Xue Pan even had to take care of everything and pay for it himself.

Fortunately, Jia Rong was a person who "understood propriety" and stopped Xue Pan and insisted on taking out the money.

What are a few hundred cattle? That little money is just a drop in the bucket compared to the entire Xue family's property. Jia Rong made friends with Xue Pan and had a good relationship with Xue Baochai. She just wanted to lend a hand and help her relatives to prevent the Xue family's property from being emptied out by the collusion of those in charge, Diao Nuhang. Therefore, we must first gain the Xue family's trust. Don't lose the big for the small, pick up the sesame and lose the watermelon.

Upon hearing Jia Rong's promise, both Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai smiled and nodded, admiring Jia Rong more and more, showing their closeness.

I feel that Xue Pan finally has a "reliable" friend, and he may be able to grow a lot with him.

When Xue Pan heard that Jia Rong said that he and he had "compatible temperaments", he also grinned and looked at Jia Rong with deep joy in his eyes.

******

Xue Baochai is now focused on the draft and is a high-spirited master. Jia Rong didn't stay long, just said goodbye and continued to visit family friends.

Jia Rong, the four major families of King Jia Shi and Xue, all visited. Jia Rong also paid a visit to the most prominent gentry officials in Jinling City, and did enough superficial work to give him a good reputation among the upper echelons of Jinling City.

The officials and gentry were also very polite and would always give him a few small gifts, which made him feel embarrassed and made him visit more diligently.

Of course, the biggest reward is visiting the Zhen family.

The Zhen family, another top family in Jinling City, although there is no title inheritance, has a very good relationship with the palace. The old grandmother of the Zhen family was once the emperor's wet nurse. She lived for more than a hundred years. She was the "old lady" of Jinling City and even the Zhou Dynasty. Even the prince, dragon and grandson had to respect her a little.

Today, the head of the Zhen family is called "Zhen Yingjia" and is the president of Jinling Provincial Tiren Academy.

There is also a "Baoyu" in his family, called "Zhen Baoyu". When Jia Rong visited, he took a look with his own eyes. Sure enough, his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Jia Baoyu's. His face was like a silver plate, and he was white and plump.

The short hair that is turned around the head is all braided, ending with red silk, and is gathered together to the top of the head, forming one big braid. Wearing a silver-red coat with flowers, a collar, a name lock, an amulet and other items. The lower half of the pine and floral damask trouser legs are exposed, brocade-edged elastic ink socks, and thick-soled red shoes.

Except that there is no "baoyu in his mouth", he just looks like Jia Baoyu.

In the Zhen Mansion, he is also a demon king who likes his elder sister. When Jia Rong visited Mrs. Zhen, she mentioned that she also had a precious jade at home. She praised the two children a lot, which made Mrs. Zhen happy.

The Zhen family is rich, very rich!

Jia Rong made Mrs. Zhen happy, and everyone in the Zhen family was happy. He entertained Jia Rong well, and before leaving, he gave several large carts of gifts for Jia Rong to take away and hand over to Jia's mother and others.

Jia Rong opened the gift list and took a look. Even though he had seen it in the market, he couldn't help but take a breath.

But I saw: python embroidery, silk fabrics, jewelry and jades, cultural antiques, real objects with Jiangnan flavor from all over the country, gift sheets that I couldn’t even finish after a few pleats, and the ink marks on them were dense and all-encompassing, making it dazzling.

Especially the first few items in the gift list are the "first gifts" given to several important masters such as Jia Mu, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Rong, etc.

Without exception, they are all expensive Western and Nanyang ornaments, such as glass kang screens, big blond beauty screens, etc. Each piece can be sold for a high price of tens of thousands of taels, or even have a high price but no market. This gift list alone was worth more than ten or two hundred thousand taels. Jia Rong was shocked when she saw it.

"Is this the generosity of the Jiangnan Zhen family?" Jia Rong clenched her fists and finally saw how generous the Jiangnan gentry was. They were really rich!

In comparison, he, the dignified heir to the Ningguo Mansion, looked like a "rascal".

"Hey, you are so rich. Even I feel jealous when I see him. If the emperor doesn't confiscate his house, he will be a ghost!" Jia Rong was secretly envious and decided to build a good relationship with the Zhen family.

In the face of the political situation of "flowers blooming, fire cooking oil", Jia Rong must seize the huge resources of "rich people" to fully strengthen their own strength. In this way, even if the emperor wanted to take action, he had to "think carefully". ——In a word, let the emperor see his "united front value".

******

Family friends and relatives from Jinling City were visited, Jinling branch clan members were visited, and every property in the countryside was inspected. Jia Rong's mission to go south to Jinling was basically completed.

Next, he began to prepare for his return journey, purchasing Jiangnan flavor supplies and returning to the capital.

To this end, he asked Xue Pan to prepare several cargo ships, and heavy boxes were carried into the bottom warehouse every day. These gifts are not just for the masters of Ning Rongjia's house. It is also a gift to the Bafang clan in Shenjing City and all the family friends and nobles in Shenjing City.

To engage in social networking, you can't just talk about it, you have to pay real money. Only by going back and forth in this way can the relationship be improved.

In this process, Jia Rong's previous "visit" work came in handy.

Basically, there was no need for him to come forward. Relying on the huge network of relationships between the Xue family, the Zhen family, and the upper-class officials and gentry in Jinling, everything was ready quickly.

Not only was it ready, but it seemed that it was "overspending".

At this moment, there are more than a dozen cargo ships moored at the dock of Jinlingyi, weighing down their bilges. When Jia Rong saw it, he personally took a building boat to Huai'an City, visited the Governor of Water Transport, and paid for a dragon lantern.

The last time he "helped the coffin go south", there was only one boat to lay a foundation, but it was protected by a cauldron, which cost him a total of 3000 taels of silver. Jia Rong felt very distressed, so this time, he personally visited the Governor of Water Transport and "requested" two large dragon lanterns.

In Huai'an City, Wang Hongyi, the governor of water transportation, met him. Knowing the purpose of his visit, he happily ordered two "golden dragon lanterns" to be brought. And Jia Rong was also very sensible and left 600 taels of silver notes.

"Inviting dragon lanterns" from the governor's office is the most common way to protect merchant and civilian ships on the canal.

The dragon lantern hangs high, which represents the majesty of the canal transport governor's office. The canal soldiers and water pirates who eat on the canal have to "sell" some face. Whether it is the "eating and taking cards" of the cavalry soldiers or the "robbery and plundering" of the water pirates, they will be greatly reduced.

Of course, the safest way is to ask the Cao soldiers to protect you throughout the process.

It's just that the price is a bit more expensive.

Inviting the dragon lantern back from Huai'an City, Jia Rong learned a piece of news as soon as he entered Jinling City. Sun Rui and others who went to Daru Prefecture invited Xiangling's mother "Fengshi" back and were waiting in the old house of Ningguo Mansion.

Jia Rong learned about it and quickly told Xiang Ling the "good news".

Xiangling was so excited that she couldn't help but burst into tears, and kowtowed to Jia Rong to thank her. Immediately he hurried back to his old house in Ningguo Mansion to see his mother.

In the back house of Ning Guo Mansion, Jia Rong also met Zhen Shiyin's wife and Xiang Ling's mother - Feng Shi!

In an instant, Jia Rong's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)