Take the farm down to earth

Chapter 209

Jia Lian and Jia Rong's faces turned red when Shi Zhongkui said it.

Half of it is shame, and the other half is anger.

The Lai family's garden is valued at 40 taels, and with the Lai family's 17 taels of silver, there is at least 10 taels, which came from corruption in the past year.

In other words, the accumulation of the previous two generations of the Lai family for four to fifty years was actually only 50 to 6 taels of silver.

It can be said that the first two generations of Patriarchs of the Lai family were indeed loyal.

If Nanny Lai hadn't died, the Jia family really had to consider the merits of the previous two generations of the Lai family, and the affection of the other generations serving the Jia family, so they had scruples.

At least Jia Mu and Jia Zheng have a high probability of taking it lightly, spare the Lai family, and drive them away instead of ransacking the house.

Shi Zhongkui thought about it carefully, then suddenly shook his head and asked, "Do you know why Lai Da and Lai Er are so rampant?"

Of course Jia Lian and Jia Rong thought about it, and even the whole family sat in the Rongxi Hall last night to deal with the Lai family's affairs.

In the end, it was Jia Amnesty who said, "The gift should not have been returned to Lai Shangrong as a slave", which was unanimously approved by everyone.

The descendants of the servants were freed from slavery. Although it was indeed a favor to the Lai family, it meant that the Jia family had less means to restrain Lai Da and Lai Er.

Moreover, the Lai family hoped that Lai Da, the father, and Lai Mama, the grandma, would of course want to leave a better family business for future generations.

When he has money and feels that his family lacks status, he will naturally think of helping Lai Shangrong find an official position.

But the Lai family is just a servant, so they can only target the Jia family.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the fact that the Jia family looks bright, but it is actually going downhill, and Jia Zheng's reputation as the head of the family is not right.

The master is strong and shrewd, and the people below are naturally honest.

It's a pity that Jia Zheng's fifth-rank official was gifted by the Supreme Emperor back then, while Jia Jing was born as a Jinshi, but he was forced to become a Taoist priest.

In other words, the Jia family didn't even have a serious official.

There was constant infighting at home, Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang, and Wang Xifeng in the inner house were all eager to get money out of their own pockets, and the people below naturally followed suit.

Moreover, even if Mrs. Wang and the others wanted to make money, they would definitely need help.

After hearing this, Shi Zhongkui smiled and said, "The upper beam is not upright and the lower beam is crooked. It's about your Jia family."

Jia Lian and Jia Rong almost hid their faces in shame and walked away, but Shi Zhongkui reminded, "Now go back and tell Mr. Zheng that the letter of guilt has delayed the concubine Yuan's family visit.

His Majesty will be happy to see the success. The Supreme Emperor is worried about the thoughts of other nobles, so he should not punish the Jia family.

But copying the Lai family can only use the name of them embezzling Jia's 10 taels of silver, and at the same time killing the Lai family, the garden was built by you yourself. "

Jia Lian and Jia Rong, of course, do what Shi Zhongkui says.

And copying Lai's house means recovering all losses.

Back at Rongguo Mansion, Jia Amnesty and Jia Zheng hesitated for a long time after listening to Jia Lian and Jia Rong's reports, but thinking that Shi Zhongkui was smarter than themselves and had no reason to harm themselves, they helped them again and again.

In the end, according to what Shi Zhongkui said, he wrote a letter to plead guilty.

After reading the memorial, the emperor smiled and said to Xia Shouzhong who was serving at the side, "You can tell at a glance that it was my Liu Yuanlang's idea, otherwise no one in the Jia family would have such a perverted mind."

Throwing the memorial on the imperial case, he thought for a moment and said to Xia Shouzhong, "I decreed to reprimand Jia Zheng, Jia Amnesty, and Jia Zhen for only seeking pleasure, so that the Jia family violated the norms."

Then he frowned and asked, "What about Jia Lian and Jia Rong?"

Xia Shouzhong was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself that he wanted to take advantage of Lai Er to piss off his old lady, and take the opportunity to help Jia Lian and Jia Rong to the top?
Without time to think about it, Xia Shouzhong said cautiously, "Returning to Your Majesty, Jia Rong can be said to be a complete dandy, but this person is extremely filial, and it can even be said that he is too filial."

The emperor laughed after hearing this, knowing that Xia Shouzhong was talking about Qin Keqing.

After being ridiculous, he suddenly picked up a book on the imperial case and wanted to slap Xia Shouzhong on the head.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw "Han Feizi", so he could only put down the book, and cursed with a smile, "If you talk nonsense, go to the Clothes Bureau and stay for three to five months."

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly knelt on the ground and continued, "I heard that Duke Liu Yuan is quite close to Brother Rong of Ningguo Mansion.

As for Jia Lian, since the second girl of the Rongguo Mansion got engaged to Liu Yuangong, he has changed his image of a hungry ghost in the past.

Not only has he become a lot more honest in the mansion, but he has also become a lot more cautious in making friends in foreign affairs, and he is no longer willing to make friends with anyone. "

Xia Shouzhong didn't tell the truth. Since Jia Lian and Xue Pan made money from Babao Wine, they went to drink flower wine every three days.

There are even brothels and restaurants in the entire capital that they don't know about, and they haven't been to.

What the emperor was most willing to hear was not whether Jia Lian became decent or honest, but the last sentence of "not everyone is willing to make friends".

In the past, the Four Kings, Eight Dukes, and King Jiaxue supported each other, and were even united in sympathy, and the one who had a headache was the emperor.

Now that Jia Lian's attitude and position have changed greatly because of Shi Zhongkui, the emperor is of course satisfied.

"The decree is that the Ningguo Mansion will be succeeded by Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong, and the Rongguo Mansion will be succeeded by Jia Lian. Moreover, I think that for the merits of Ning and Rong, I will give Jia Lian and Jia Rong the honor of not degrading."

But after finishing speaking, the emperor thought for a while and said, "Wait for the imperial decree first, you go and call my Liu Yuanlang to accompany me to study."

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly responded, knelt back three steps, and then hurriedly left the palace.

Sitting on the sedan chair, he was thinking about how much money he had to ask for from Jia's family for benefits, and thinking that Shi Zhongkui had really figured out the emperor's mind.

On the front foot, the eunuch of Concubine Yuan was abolished, and on the other hand, she publicly said that something happened to Jia's family, and Concubine Yuan could not return home to visit relatives.

If it was another dynasty, Shi Zhongkui and Jia's family would definitely be unlucky.

But the result is that the Jia family can be rich for decades without descending to inherit the title.

Shi Zhongkui himself was called by the emperor to study with him.

It is said to be reading, but in fact, I want to hear his opinion.

This treatment is no worse than that of cabinet ministers.
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When Shi Zhongkui heard Xia Shouzhong's visit, he had no choice but to ask someone to help him put on his official robe, and followed Xia Shouzhong to the palace.

After entering the palace, he naturally wanted to know from Xia Shouzhong why the emperor was looking for him.

Xia Shouzhong touched the folded bank note in his hand, saw that it was 500 taels, and said with a happy face, "Your Majesty is dissatisfied with Jia's evil deeds such as servants pissing off their mothers to death.

He intends to let Lian Er and Brother Rong take the title, and they will not be degraded.

It's just that although His Majesty has such thoughts, he must have some scruples in his heart, which is why we asked our family to invite Liu Yuan Gong into the palace to accompany His Majesty to study. "

Shi Zhongkui secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and thought to himself the value of the 500 taels of silver.

Otherwise, even if Xia Shouzhong was willing to say it, he wouldn't say it in such detail.

After thinking about it, another 500 taels bank note was sent over, "Why hasn't there been any news from the saint recently?"

Xia Shouzhong was startled, looked left and right, but took the bank note without slowing down.

Seeing that there was no one within dozens of meters around, he lowered his head and said in a low voice while walking, "I heard that the saint is worried about the health of the old concubine Zhen, and he cannot pray for the old concubine with the honor of a saint.

I had no choice but to order several celestial masters to preside over the prayer, while I fasted in the palace. "

Shi Zhongkui didn't believe in "fasting in the palace" at all, needless to say, it must be that the Supreme Emperor has recently become obsessed with cultivating Taoism.

Then he thought, no wonder why so many things happened in the Jia family recently, but there was no response from Dragon Head Palace.

It's no wonder that the emperor changed his previous cautious approach and stepped over the Supreme Emperor to intervene in the succession of the Jia family's title.

However, inheriting the title without downgrading can indeed win over the nobles of various families and reassure the hearts of the nobles.

After all, Lai Er was so angry with his mother that the Jia family really lacked discipline and failed to educate the servants in the family.

Furthermore, Yuan Chun couldn't go home to visit his relatives, so it would be a serious crime if he really cared about it.

It is a gift for the entire Jia family not to have seized Jia Amnesty's title and not to be degraded to let his son Jia Lian inherit it.

Of course, Shi Zhongkui was also sure that the emperor would not seize the title of Rongguo Mansion.

The emperor beat Jia Amnesty and Jia Zhen, who had always been ambiguous and were more close to the Supreme Emperor, and punished the Jia family.

At the same time, he used Jia Lian and Jia Rong to win over the rest of the Jia family, and at the same time, he also wanted to show favor to the entire noble class, which can be said to kill three birds with one stone.

If the emperor still planned to take advantage of the plague that occurred on the grassland last winter, and after the snow melted in the spring of this year, all the ministries on the grassland would inevitably go south to fight a victory, which would indeed consolidate his power.

However, the emperor thought well, but ignored the sinister and insidious human heart.

In terms of military power, it has always been the weakest link of the emperor.

At least 7% to 8% of the generals in charge of the army are the emperor's people. Don't these people worry that the emperor will change himself after he really takes power?

Once there is this worry, it is possible to let the grassland army enter the customs.

If someone threatens the capital, or even beats it to the bottom of the city, it is not impossible for the Supreme Emperor to take power and rule again.

After the emperor heard Shi Zhongkui's worry, his face turned red within a few seconds.

The fist was clenched so tightly that the fingers turned white, and the veins on the back of the hand bulged.

It took a while to suppress his anger, took several deep breaths, and his expression gradually returned to normal.

But the coldness in his eyes made even Shi Zhongkui feel a little hairy.

The supremacy of imperial power is not meant to be played.

Even if modern people talk about despising authority, those who dare to talk nonsense when facing the powerful are either lunatics or fools.

And the emperor can decide life and death with a single word, and you are so capable, even if you kill the emperor, so what if you change the dynasty, you still have to be forced to stay away from the crowd.

After a while, the emperor finally calmed down, and then he smiled and said, "What can Aiqing teach me?"

Shi Zhongkui thought for a while, "I remember that Wang Ziteng, Lord Wang, has been in the position of Jiedu envoy of the Beijing camp for six or seven years, right?"

The emperor frowned and nodded, but his eyes became even colder.

Shi Zhongkui smiled without worry, "Since there is a plague on the grassland, we need to strengthen the rectification and training of the frontier army. It is better to send an important minister who knows the military affairs to patrol the nine borders."

The emperor and Xia Shouzhong instantly thought of the words 'Mingsheng is actually descending'.

Moreover, after Wang Ziteng was promoted to be the ruler of the Nine Sides, if he failed to make any achievements, no one would be able to say anything about being demoted.

If he really made achievements and promoted him to be the capital inspector of the nine provinces, it would not be to inspect the nine sides according to the order.

Instead, you have to pay attention to the affairs of the nine borders every two days. From ancient times to the present, no minister has mastered the army and horses in the capital while mastering the frontier troops.

Even if the emperor didn't mention it, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty would force the prince to vacate his position as the governor of the Beijing camp.

The most important thing is that most of the people in the Ministry of War are the emperor's people anyway, and sending another prince to the top is not a bad thing for him.

If you get the position of Jingying Jiedushi, it will be a big victory.

Seeing that the expression on the emperor's face eased a lot, Shi Zhongkui knew that he understood what he meant.

He continued with a smile, "I have also heard that Sir Qian Huai'en, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Lord Wang are close friends, and that the two of them can make more achievements by cooperating with each other.

If the two adults work together, it will be a good story. "

Xia Shouzhong yelled in his heart, hell, it's a good story, I think it's a 'lie'.

Qian Huai'en is the Minister of the Ministry of War, but not the cabinet minister.

As soon as Wang Ziteng came to power, the two were bound to have a falling out.

And once the two fight secretly, it means that there is a split in the Taishanghuang line.

In many matters in the future, even if they are not on the emperor's side, they will secretly use stumbling blocks to hinder each other.

For the emperor, this is not to draw chestnuts out of the fire, but to divide and draw together and win in chaos.

The emperor was in a good mood for a while, and even stayed with Shi Zhongkui to have lunch together in the palace.

After Shi Zhongkui left, he went to Yuanchun for a lunch break.

Shi Zhongkui was not worried about courtiers making trouble for him. After all, if he wanted to make trouble, he had to have an excuse at least.

I am a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, the left concubine of Zhan Shifu, and I care about trivial matters.

He is neither corrupt nor perverting the law, and has only submitted three memorials related to land reclamation. If you want to trouble yourself, you have to have that ability.

Moreover, even if he finds trouble with others, he is also trouble with eunuchs and empresses, let alone impeaching himself, the civil servants have to pinch their noses and give a thumbs up.

But Shi Zhongkui forgot that there is no bottom line for a woman to be jealous.

The emperor probably slept with Yuanchun, and when the Jia family received the imperial edict again, they already knew the result.

Jia Amnesty and Jia Zhen's faces were ashen, while Jia Lian and Jia Rong's faces were as ecstatic as they were joyful.

Jia Zheng's face was serious, but he didn't say much, instead he was relieved.

After all, he has said more than once that he wants to put down the burden of the Jia family and go back to the mountains.

Of course, if he were really asked to let go of the power of the housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Zheng probably, maybe would not be willing.

But the imperial decree did not mention this matter, Jia Zheng thought about it carefully, and was actually happier in his heart.

Jia She is the heir to the title, and as the younger brother, he has to worry about his thoughts again and again.

After all, Jia Amnesty is the eldest brother, and the two brothers are still siblings. If some words and things are said too much, it will make people's spines poked.

If it was Jia Lian, he could scold him if he wanted to.

If you catch a certain mistake, you can hit it if you want to.

But Mrs. Wang has a different idea. In her opinion, the title of Rongguo Mansion belongs to Jia Baoyu.

Now all thoughts are empty, how can Mrs. Wang not hate her?

As a result, Wang Xifeng, who wanted to give birth to Jia Lian's son, will have more difficult and rough days in the future.

Sometimes thinking about these methods of the inner house and the underworld makes people shudder.

But with Wang Xifeng's domineering and jealous personality, Jia Lian's wish for a son is even more difficult.

Moreover, the difficulty for him to get rid of Wang Xifeng in the future will also become more difficult as he becomes a first-rank general in the Rongguo Mansion.

(End of this chapter)