Chapter 143 Neptune
……

Ningguo Mansion, study.

“Don’t worry, Lord Jia. We have already sent reliable people to Lianghuai. We can leave Beijing in two days.” Dai Quan said with a smile.

Jia Jing nodded and said, “It just so happens that my family is busy with many things, so I will follow the Prime Minister’s advice and set off in two days.”

“Haha.”

Dai Quan smiled and said, “Thank you, Lord Jia, for your understanding.”

“We still have to report to the Emperor, so we won’t stay any longer.”

“Minister, please do as you please.”

After Dai Quan left in a swagger, Zhuge Lan and the others all frowned and said, “He really knows how to pick up ready-made peaches to eat.”

“It makes sense.” Jia Jing said calmly, “With such a great contribution, the Imperial Household Department will definitely have a share.”

Nangong Lu sneered: “He is not just trying to get a share of the pie, he is clearly trying to take all the credit for himself, his appetite is really big!”

Jia Jing smiled and said, “If you want to keep it all for yourself, you have to bear all the risks. Don’t worry, Ru Hai said that these salt merchants have three burrows and are not that easy to deal with.”

“Since Eunuch Dai wants to take the lead, let him do it.”

……

Two days later, early in the morning.

Jia Rong had just gotten up and washed up when little Xichun rushed in, panting: “Rong’er, are you going to Jinling with Sister Lin? Are you taking me with you?”

Jia Rong felt a headache.

“I do not know.”

“Grandpa has the final say. Why don’t you go ask him?”

Xichun stepped forward, took Jia Rong’s arm and shook him, saying, “Rong’er, come with me and ask. I beg you.”

Jia Rong was helpless and comforted him, “Your Excellency is going to the court to do some work this time, so it’s inconvenient for him to bring his family with him. He reluctantly brought me with him just to give me some experience. How about I take you to Jiangnan next time?”

“It’ll be next time!”

Xichun curled her lips and said, “Why can Sister Lin go?”

Jia Rong said, “She is going back to her own home.”

Xichun asked, “Will Sister Lin come back?”

Jia Rong smiled and said, “He will definitely come back. Lord Lin is only going to Jiangnan for some work this time. He will return to Beijing after he is done. Aunt Lin will naturally come back with him.”

Xichun thought for a moment and asked, “Will Lord Lin always stay in Beijing from now on?”

Jia Rong smiled and said, “I don’t know about that. It depends on the emperor and the court’s opinion.”

“Hey!”

Xichun sighed.

“It would be nice if Sister Lin could stay in our house forever.”

Jia Rong: “…”

Xichun was a sensible person. She knew that it was impossible to do so and stopped forcing them. She only said, “You must come back early, preferably before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.”

Jia Rong: “…It seems difficult to handle.”

Xichun: “But you have to come back before February!”

Jia Rong: “It depends on the situation.”

“It’s mainly because I have no say.”

Xichun said in a depressed mood: “Okay.”

Jia Rong patted Xichun’s head and said, “You stay at home with Sister Bao, and invite the two sisters from the West Mansion to come over, and spend the New Year happily.”

“Ok!”

“My little aunt is so good!”

“Hey, you’re almost getting naughty!”

……

Lixiangyuan.

Baochai came to see her mother early in the morning.

Aunt Xue said with some anxiety on her face, “I heard that Rong’er took your sister back to Jinling? Is it true?”

Are you going to propose marriage?
Baochai nodded and said, “It’s true. Last night, Qin asked me if I wanted to bring anything home. I packed two bags of my unnecessary books and my brother’s old clothes and sent them back to my hometown for her.”

Aunt Xue didn’t want to hear this, so she just asked Baochai, “Why did you take her back alone? Is there a reason?”

Baochai said, “She is not alone, there is also Miss Lin.”

Aunt Xue asked in confusion, “Miss Lin is with Master Lin, let’s put that aside for now. I don’t quite understand why they brought Baoqin home.”

Baochai smiled and explained, “Brother Xue Ke went back to Jinling to do some work for Brother Rong, so Brother Rong took Baoqin back with him so that the family could spend a reunion year together.”

“Oh, I see.”

Aunt Xue sighed.

If Xue Ke can help Jia Rong, he will definitely be successful in the future.

His son Xue Pan.

After the New Year, I will be exiled to the northwest!
“My son, can’t you work harder?” Aunt Xue said helplessly as she looked at Xue Pan lying on the bed doing nothing.

Baochai smiled and said, “It’s okay to strive for success, but it’s good enough to be alive, isn’t it, brother?”

Xue Pan laughed: “That’s right.”

“I have already figured it out. When I go to the northwest, you guys can help me and send me more money. I will marry a few wives and have a dozen sons!”

Aunt Xue laughed and scolded, “You still want to marry a few wives? Dream on, no one will follow you!”

Xue Pan smiled and said, “If you have money, you will be followed, isn’t that right, sister?”

“Ah.”

Baochai nodded: “Brother, what you said is very true.”

“It’s a pity that I don’t have money.”

“You are going there to suffer, not to enjoy.”

“what!”

Xue Pan said with a bitter face: “You guys are not really going to ignore me, are you?”

……

Jiangnan, Huaiyang. The six major salt merchants gathered on the painted boat again.

The atmosphere this time was rather depressing.

Patriarch Bai took a sip of tea and narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, “Everyone, do you know everything?”

“Hey.”

The head of the Qian family slammed the table angrily: “I know, Lin Ruhai has already entered the capital, I underestimated the enemy…”

“I really didn’t expect that he would dare to use firearms and crossbows! I didn’t expect that he would actually use two layers of tricks to escape and swagger into the capital on the Xue family fleet!”

“I think we should wait and find an opportunity to severely punish the Xue family!”

The head of the Bai family waved his hand and said, “Now is not the time to talk about this. We need to think about it now…”

“The way out!”

Everyone was silent.

The head of the Liu family hesitated and said, “Lin Ruhai is just a mere figure. It won’t have any impact, right? Not to mention those people in the court, even the emperor is still thinking of our old friendship.”

The head of the Bai family shook his head and said, “It is still unknown how much of the so-called old feelings of the emperor are. It is mostly just wishful thinking on our part.”

“Besides, those officials in the imperial court will naturally be nice and polite when they receive our tribute, but when they really encounter trouble… humph!”

“I’m afraid he might even want to kill someone to silence them!”

The head of the Wu family couldn’t help but turn pale: “What should we do?”

Patriarch Bai said, “What I mean is that we’d better make preparations for both situations…”

Before he could finish his words, a servant came running in hurriedly from outside.

Just as they were about to scold, their faces suddenly changed.

“Bai Ying, why are you back? Did something serious happen?”

Bai Ying didn’t say anything, but took out a note from her bosom: “A letter was sent by carrier pigeon from the capital, and it just arrived this afternoon.”

The head of the Bai family hurriedly took it and unfolded it to take a look.

His face suddenly changed.

“what happened?”

“problem occurs?”

“Does it matter?”

The head of the Bai family slowly stood up.

“Everyone, I think we don’t need to make preparations for both scenarios. Let’s just prepare for the worst.”

“The imperial court has given up on us!”

“what!”

The head of the Qian family said in panic: “How is it possible? How much silver do we pay as tribute every year? Don’t they know the number? And Lord Wen…”

The head of the Bai family said: “Lord Wen has hanged himself, and all his property has been confiscated. Do you think there is still hope?”

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Mr. Wen hanged himself and his house was searched.

Can be imagined.

They will leave nothing to chance.

The head of the Qian family gritted his teeth and said, “We have built a foundation for so many years, are we going to do it for nothing?”

The head of the Wu family said, “Impossible! I will burn it down and won’t leave it to them!”

The head of the Bai family waved his hand and said, “Don’t say anything harsh now. The officials in the court want us to hide the silver so that the soldiers can search our house and get nothing. Then they can find a way to save us afterwards… Do you believe it?”

“bump!”

The head of the Qian family broke a tea bowl.

“I don’t believe it!”

“You just want to get something for nothing!”

The head of the Liu family said: “I don’t believe it either!”

Patriarch Sun said firmly: “I don’t believe it!”

“Master Wu, Master Zhou, where are the two of you?”

“Let’s follow Boss Bai!”

“it is good!”

The head of the Bai family clapped his hands and said, “Since the court is unkind, don’t blame us for being unjust. Let’s go to sea!”

“Great! Follow the Sea King!”

“With our money, it’s enough for us to buy an island in the South Seas from the Sea King and live comfortably as an emperor.”

The head of the Bai family nodded slowly and said with a smile: “Not bad!”

“But before that, there is one more thing to deal with.”

Everyone asked, “What’s the matter?”

Patriarch Bai looked at Patriarch Zhou and said with a smile, “What do you think, Brother Zhou?”

The head of the Zhou family smiled and said, “Of course I will follow Bai…you!”

“Puff puff.”

Several crossbow arrows shot into the chest of the head of Zhou family.

The Zhou family head opened his eyes wide, blood gurgling from his mouth: “You, you…!”

“Brother Bai, you!”

“Boss Bai, what are you doing!?”

Everyone stepped back in a hurry and looked at the head of the Bai family with unfriendly eyes.

Two of them have quietly put their hands into their arms.

Patriarch Bai put away his crossbow and said with a smile: “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just dealing with a traitor. With him around, we will be caught by the imperial soldiers even if we go to the ends of the earth!”

The head of the Qian family said with a bad face: “Bai Lang, please make your words clear!”

The head of the Wu family frowned and said, “Brother Bai, if you don’t explain this matter clearly, let’s go our separate ways. I don’t want to die unclearly.”

……

(End of this chapter)