1.22 The Young Ladies of the Ning, Rong, and Jia Clans

In theory, the Crown Prince should be the legitimate eldest son; such is the ritual law of the feudal era.

In practice, however, things are different.

The rebellion of the Prince of Yizhong back then was actually small in scale. He simply mobilized his own Eastern Palace guards and caught the Imperial Guards protecting the palace off guard. Yet, given the absolute disparity in strength, it was quelled before dawn.

Furthermore, the Retired Emperor had already reigned for a long time and was quite advanced in age. The fact that his most favored eldest son betrayed him caused his already deteriorating eyesight to worsen significantly, leaving him effectively blind.

"How can there be a Crown Prince of forty years in this world?"

This remark is usually made in jest, but in the imperial court, it was fatal. Over such a long period, the entire civil and military officialdom had recognized and aligned themselves with the Crown Prince, only to suddenly learn that the Prince was gone and would be replaced.

Did they think this was child's play?

Whoever replaced him would rely on new people upon ascending the throne. What about the "remnants of the previous regime"?

The result, naturally, was instability in the court, eventually forcing the Retired Emperor to step down. The succeeding Emperor Jing'an originally had no chance at the throne, so his household was "configured" like that of any other imperial prince.

To this day, aside from selecting talents through successive imperial examinations since his ascension to cultivate for important roles, the core of the court has remained largely unchanged.

Among these "newcomers," Lin Ruhai was one of the most prominent.

His death was connected to the Second Prince.

His maternal grandfather was a leader of the pure-minded faction in court. Lin Ruhai had been slated for the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. With the two most prominent princes competing, could there really be no dirty royal business mixed into this?

Lin Rui would bet his life against it!

"My lady knows quite a lot." But he saw other problems within this.

The royal family, the imperial palace, the "Two Sages," and the succession struggle—these were all too distant. The beautiful woman was right before him.

"When I was still a young lady in the Duke's mansion, I often accompanied my late father into the palace to pay respects during festivals and major occasions," Jia Min said with a look of nostalgia. "Father originally wanted my second brother to study, and though... he did forge quite a few friendships because of it."

"At that time, the current Emperor was still the Prince of An, also famous for his love of books. Because of this, I became close with the then-Princess of An, now the Empress. To this day, we still exchange letters frequently, chatting about these very domestic trifles."

Lin Rui was shocked.

He truly had not expected this beautiful woman before him to have such a high-level social circle.

"You... who else do you know?" His tone became much more serious.

"What, are you afraid?" Jia Min saw his concern and shot him a disdainful look. "My late father was the acknowledged head of the military nobility in the court. As his daughter, I naturally had to assist with many matters in the inner chambers; there were certainly many intimate friends with whom I exchanged handkerchiefs."

Lin Rui looked surprised.

Many people think that women in the feudal era never "stepped out of the gate," but this is a misunderstanding—a typical case of something that is "not entirely wrong but not entirely right," purely a misinformed cliché.

Girls from poor backgrounds had no qualification to enjoy such "treatment"; they had to work for a living from a young age.

Daughters from wealthy families did indeed go out less, but they were never idle. They had to learn the foundations for their future standing—"backyard diplomacy," and most importantly, participating in various social engagements to build their own circles. Upon returning home, they still had to study needlework, etiquette, and more.

Whether in ancient or modern times, wanting to be ordinary is simple, but wanting to stand out requires fierce competition; there are no exceptions.

Jia Min was born during the peak of the Duke of Rong's mansion, the beloved legitimate youngest daughter of the late Duke Jia Daishan. She was indisputably the "eldest young lady of the Rong mansion," or even the "eldest young lady of the Ning and Rong Jia clan," naturally possessing a top-tier social circle far beyond what most people could imagine.

As for the current Jia family, perhaps only Grandmother Jia could still claim a connection; the others shouldn't even dream of it.

No one knew exactly how many connections she had, but it was truly not strange for her to have a friendship with the Empress.

"It seems that things after returning to the capital will be much simpler than I anticipated." Thinking this, Lin Rui wore a look of relief. "My lady, to be honest, I had already prepared for the worst. If we couldn't stay in the capital, I would have tried to find a post not too far from the city."

The problem was that getting a post outside was easy, but returning to the capital was difficult.

The experience of "being sent down to train" was useful, but the hard part was ensuring one was recalled on time.

"It won't come to that." A look of undisguised pride appeared on Jia Min's pretty face, though it slowly turned complex a moment later. She stood up and gazed toward the distant north. "Speaking of returning to the capital, I understand you have already arranged matters in Yangzhou. How have you planned the journey?"

"Has my lady forgotten? The Lin family's business includes water transport," Lin Rui said with a smile.

"True!" Jia Min's expression shifted. "I remember, you were the one who insisted on starting it."

"To tell you the truth, I did have a 'precautionary' motive for doing this, but it was mostly to secure a way to make money," Lin Rui sighed softly. "Unfortunately, my uncle's death interrupted all of this."

"The second branch of the Xue family in Jinling?" Jia Min nodded slowly. "Indeed, they have always done this."

"At the time, I used my uncle and your name to privately contact certain families, which made people mistakenly think it was the Lin family's intent," Lin Rui said with a bitter smile. "They even gifted us four hundred-load (fifty-ton) passenger and cargo ships upon opening. For the past two years, to repay the favor, I’ve had to help them manage trouble for the Feng branch in Yangzhou. After all, when there is too much money, many reach out their hands, and it was inevitable to use my uncle's name, but at least they didn't labor in vain. I sent a letter a few days ago asking them to handle it. In the past, it would have been no problem. Now, I really can't say if they will give us face, but in any case, it never hurts to prepare a few backup routes."

"So, you intend to go to Jinling first?" Jia Min understood his meaning.

"Correct!" Lin Rui nodded. "We have too much silver; I fear the Grand Canal will not be easy to travel."

"The sea route? The second branch of the Xue family does indeed handle that." Jia Min's expression became increasingly complex. "Back in the Duke's mansion, I once met the mistress of the first branch of the Xue family. She is quite capable in the inner chambers, but unfortunately, she lacks long-term vision."

"Oh?" It took Lin Rui a moment to realize she was talking about Aunt Xue.

"Just like her sister, her eyes can only see three steps ahead," Jia Min said bluntly.

Lin Rui: ...

"Well, your Jia family has more than just the Xue family as a connection in Jinling, right?" He had to change the subject. "I heard that the old family with the deepest ties to the Jia family is the Zhen family."

"When we reach Jinling, I will take you to see them," Jia Min nodded. "Come to think of it, when I first entered the Lin family, the Lady of the Imperial Decree specifically sent many gifts. In the blink of an eye, many years have passed; I wonder how the old lady is doing."

"Thank you, my lady!" Lin Rui truly hadn't expected the beautiful woman's circle to be so exaggeratedly high-level. "If the Zhen family comes forward, our departure from Jiangnan will be completely secure. But in doing so, will it delay your own plans?"

When he said the last sentence, his tone was noticeably odd.

"What plans?" Jia Min did not understand his meaning.

"My lady no longer wants to die?" Lin Rui's half-smiling words stunned her.

"..." Jia Min's complexion changed drastically, and she turned to leave, "I'll go check on Yu'er—"

"My lady!" Lin Rui hurriedly blocked her. "I know you are worried... and that you don't trust me in many things. I also know you have arranged many measures during this time, so I must remind you: one must cherish one's own daughter."

"Is it just Yu'er?" Jia Min turned back and stared at him sternly.

"My lady understands!" Lin Rui did not hide it.

Jia Min froze instantly.

"Anping, you are still young; you must think clearly," she said, meeting his gaze with a complex expression after a long pause. "This world has never been simple. Do not burden yourself with an indelible stain."

"Not simple?" Lin Rui looked at her deeply. "Actually, it is quite simple."

The atmosphere froze for an instant.

After a long time, Jia Min suddenly turned and hurried toward the warm pavilion.

Jinling, Zijin Street.

Two mansions, which did not appear particularly outstanding, stood side by side. Apart from subtle differences in detail, they were basically the same in appearance. On the gate of the one on the east side hung a plaque reading "House of Accumulated Goodness," signed with a personal seal, seemingly written by a person of great status.

Above the gate of the western courtyard, there was no plaque at all, only a landscape painting.

This was, of course, the home of the world-famous merchants—the two branches of the Jinling Xue family.

"Ke'er, come look at this." In the study of the main courtyard of the Xue family's second branch, an old man with a grey complexion, seemingly suffering from a serious illness, spoke in a weak tone while handing several letters to the young man before him. "Tell me your thoughts after reading them."

The young man respectfully took the letters and began to read them carefully.

"Father, I heard that Lord Lin encountered—" After a while, he returned the letters with great unease. "Logically speaking, this matter should have turned the heavens upside down. Yet, after so many days, it is as if nothing happened. I fear it is not very clean."

"Indeed." The old man nodded. "It is a pity that Lin Ruhai, with his lifelong reputation, should come to such an end. That such a major event could be suppressed without a sound means it must be the work of someone in the imperial court in the capital. Your concern is correct."

"Father?" The young man immediately understood that he hadn't considered everything.

"Don't forget, our Xue family's business in Yangzhou has long been cared for by the Lin family." The old man took a deep breath. "The lords in the court can be shameless because no one dares to gossip about them, but we cannot."

The young man's expression stiffened.

"What does father intend?" he asked hurriedly.

"Now the Lin family is in trouble, yet everyone knows they have silver. I fear it is difficult to get out of the interior. This letter was sent by that Lin Rui, Lin Anping, who is famous throughout Jiangnan; he wants us to help them use the sea route." The old man looked troubled. "It is indeed difficult to handle. But we cannot truly ignore it. Here is what we will do: you reply in my name, saying that although our Xue family has its own difficulties, we can send them out of Jiangnan. Once they return to the capital, relying on the Lin family's connections and silver, it is only a matter of time before they rise again."

"I understand!" The young man quickly agreed. "However, we still need to do business in Jiangnan. If we help them move such a large amount of silver, we might face many difficulties in the future."

"That is why I said to send them out of Jiangnan, not into the capital." The old man naturally had his own considerations. "We must not stand idly by this time; otherwise, what we face in Jiangnan will not be mere difficulties, but disaster. Let Qin-ya go."

"Father, if that happens—" The young man's face changed drastically.

"Go!"