King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 670 Jia Yucun: Stir it up!

"You are just making sweet speeches. The front line is in urgent need of military supplies. If you guys shirk your responsibilities, I'm afraid the soldiers will starve!"

"If the front line becomes unstable due to your negligence, who among you can be held responsible for it?" He Gujin asked again.

He was very active today because he discovered a very critical situation. The more active he was in Zhu Jinghong's affairs, the faster he would be promoted.

If he were to ask himself, he had to admit that he was not as concerned about Prince Xiang's Mansion as Jia Yucun.

In order to prevent his former subordinates from getting ahead of him in the future, He Gujin tried his best to perform well.

"He Zhongcheng, don't be angry... let's talk it out!"

The person who spoke was Xu Xin'an. Although he was only the Nanjing Censor, his status was much higher than his actual position because he had served as the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Palace.

In a sense, Xu Xin'an was speaking on behalf of the prince, so he was not in vain.

"Everyone, today's meeting is to reach a consensus and do a good job of the imperial envoy!"

"We should be loyal to the emperor and take the court's overall interests into consideration instead of pushing things away..."

Xu Xin'an is also a shrewd man. Of course he would not openly take the lead in opposing it. Instead, he acted as a peacemaker.

"Master Xu, what you said is absolutely right. We in Jiangsu can grit our teeth and squeeze out 100,000 dan of grain, and strive to transport 50,000 dan within half a month!"

"Master Xu is right. We should be loyal to our emperor. We in Jiangnan can also produce another 50,000 shi of grain and transport them to the coastal defense line within ten days!"

Next, officials from Guangdong and Fujian also expressed their opinions, and the situation immediately took a turn for the better, and it seemed that it was all thanks to Xu Xin'an.

Xu Xin'an's contribution is equal to that of the prince. It can be seen that these people have put a lot of effort into supporting the prince.

However, the reality is that even if these people are willing to make concessions, they are still a long way from Jia Yucun's preset plan. Simply put, there is still a food gap.

"That's right, as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all difficulties!"

With a calm expression and a slight smile, Xu Xin'an stood up and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince once said that if a minister takes more care, the king and father will worry less!"

His official rank was not the highest at the scene, but he overshadowed the three governors and looked like the person in charge.

Jia Yucun was about to speak, but Zheng Xianlin's eyes hinted at him, so he swallowed his words back.

Zheng Xianlin said, "Okay... I think we should do this for now. The most urgent thing is to transport the food. We can find a way to deal with the remaining food later!"

"Master Jia, what do you think?"

Jia Yucun understood what his old boss meant, so he nodded in approval.

"Okay then...let's sign the pledge first!" Zheng Xianlin said with a smile.

Zheng Xianlin saw the problem very clearly and knew that further discussion would only waste time, and the most urgent task was to transport the grain up.

As for those that are not good enough, we can talk about them slowly later. If it doesn’t work, we can ask for permission from the capital.

So everyone signed their names one after another according to what had just been said and reached a conclusion. The next step was to implement it.

"Everyone, now that this matter has been settled, don't mention any difficulties anymore. That would be a violation of military law!"

Since they have violated military law, they are likely to be punished by military law. Even if they are senior officials of the third rank, Zhu Jinghong may not be able to save their lives in his rage.

So Zheng Xianlin's words are indeed very destructive.

After the meeting was over and everyone left, Jia Yucun and Zheng He continued to discuss. They were determined to do whatever they could to get things done.

The final result of the discussion was that they would divide and win over officials from other provinces and force them to obey their orders, using nothing more than intimidation and inducement.

After the three of them finished their discussion, they dispersed, and Jia Yucun went to the back hall to rest.

He felt very depressed today, but things finally made some progress, which made him feel a little better.

But he had just sat down to rest for a while when a clerk came to report that the provincial governors and provincial judges were all gathered at Xu Xin'an's place next door.

These people should have left the area, but now they gathered at Xu Xin'an's place. Their purpose is obvious.

The three of them were having a small meeting, and a group of people over here were also having a meeting. It was really funny to talk about.

Now that Zheng and He had left, Jia Yucun began to think alone about how to disrupt these people's meeting.

After thinking it over, he still felt that it would be better for him to go there in person than any other method.

"Prepare the sedan chair, I'm going to the Censorate!" Jia Yucun said in a deep voice.

Jia Yucun rushed over quickly, but as soon as he arrived at the gate of the Censorate, the people inside learned of the situation and everyone avoided him.

When Jia Yucun entered the conference room, he only saw Xu Xin'an.

"Master Zhongcheng, what advice do you have for me?"

Jia Yucun walked into the hall, looked around and said, "I don't deserve your advice, but I heard that you were having a meeting here, so I came to take a look!"

Turning around, Jia Yucun looked at Xu Xin'an and asked with a smile, "What are you discussing?"

"Just chatting about some trivial matters!" Xu Xin'an answered nonchalantly and evaded the question casually.

Jia Yucun then asked, "We just discussed the matter and said that we must return to our territory immediately to raise food and money. Everyone present signed and sealed it. Do you still have the time to chat about trivial matters?"

Xu Xin'an was choked for a moment. He realized that he should not admit that he was in the discussion, so that Jia Yucun would have no way to make trouble.

After a few breaths, Xu Xin'an replied: "What we are discussing is the details of raising food and grass!"

"So raising food and fodder is a trivial matter? The emperor's successive decrees are trivial matters?" Jia Yucun's tone became increasingly severe.

Normally, given his personality, he would always adhere to the principle of "leaving a way out in everything" and would never ask such a hostile question.

The reason is that Jia Yucun has now been promoted to governor. Although his position is high, the responsibilities are heavy. If he fails to do his job well, no one can save him.

In addition, he had offended many people in his previous work for the emperor. Once he was demoted or even dismissed from office, he would be attacked by everyone.

Simply put, although Jia Yucun is powerful now, he has actually been forced into a desperate situation, so he has the idea of ​​"going barefoot is not afraid of going with shoes".

At this moment, the other officials were all in the back hall, so Xu Xin'an certainly would not weaken his momentum, otherwise it would definitely affect the confidence of others.

"Mr. Jia, I will certainly remember the emperor's order, but you are a little too much..."

"Today, all the officials gathered to discuss the matter. Everyone wanted to do their job well. However, he took advantage of his position as governor and repeatedly abused his power. For the sake of the overall situation, we have to put up with it..."

"But important matters of the imperial court cannot be resolved by simply losing your temper and banging your head on the table. You must know..."

Xu Xin'an had not read so many books for nothing. Now he could give a long speech to defend himself, and it sounded reasonable and well-founded.

Even the people hiding in the back hall couldn't help but applaud.

As for Jia Yucun, he looked at Xu Xin'an coldly, already thinking in his heart how to "kill" this man.

The "death" here not only refers to the destruction of the body, but also refers to the end of one's political life.

"We are all loyal to the country and for the Ming Dynasty. What right do you have to dictate to us?"

Seeing Xu Xin'an put himself on the moral high ground, Jia Yucun was so angry that he could not hold back his anger, and he listened to him scolding: "How dare you talk to me about serving the country?"

"A war in the southeast is about to break out. We are trying every way to raise food and fodder, but you are shirking responsibility and blocking us. When have you ever thought about returning to your country? When have you ever considered our great Ming Dynasty?" Jia Yucun said this with true feelings, because what he said was indeed the truth.

Xu Xin'an also knew that what he did was to hinder Zhu Jinghong's plans and to protect the prince.

"Central Minister Jia, please don't slander me!" Xu Xin'an said solemnly.

"We just had a meeting. If I hadn't come to mediate, I don't know when we would have been able to reach an agreement on the food and fodder. Do you think it's okay for you to make trouble for me?"

"Central Minister Jia should think more about why many officials in the prefectures and counties of Jinling under your jurisdiction have recently raised doubts about the conscription."

"It turns out that it's not other officials who are wrong, but maybe it's Jia Zhongcheng who is wrong!"

Debates are like this, as long as you think quickly you can talk anything, but those who are doing practical things simply cannot handle it.

Staring coldly at Xu Xin'an, Jia Yucun felt even more murderous. Then his gaze moved towards the back hall. He knew those people were hiding behind it.

Then, Jia Yucun turned and walked out, sneering, "You are using others as pawns for your own selfish interests. Even if you don't consider the overall situation of the court, don't you consider the lives and property of your colleagues?"

Jia Yucun's words were intended to sow discord, but Xu Xin'an would never let him succeed.

"Do we have to follow the Zhongcheng's wishes to consider the overall interests of the court? Zhongcheng must know... We are officials of the Ming Dynasty, not Zhongcheng's servants!"

This remark was even more ingenious, forcing Jia Yucun to stop in his tracks. He turned around, pointed at Xu Xin'an and shouted, "Stir it up, stir it up... just go ahead and stir it up!"

"You have disrupted the collection of food and fodder, the stability of the frontline defense, and the defeat in the naval battle... I will die with you!"

At this moment, Jia Yucun was even more junior than the young minister. Most officials would feel ashamed when seeing his expression of worrying about the country and the people and caring about them wholeheartedly.

Xu Xin'an was an official of the Qingliu faction. He certainly knew that what he did was wrong, but he had to do so for the sake of the prince and the "overall situation."

So at this moment, even though he felt ashamed in his heart, he still stood there indifferently, with a calm and composed expression.

Jia Yucun turned away and waited for less than a minute before several officials who had gathered there showed up.

At this moment, all these people had sad expressions on their faces, and it was obvious that they were a little scared.

Everyone is willing to follow Xu Xin'an, or to be more precise, the prince, because it is profitable.

But right now, it sounds like the risks are particularly high, so it's normal for some of them to waver.

It doesn't matter if Jia Yucun doesn't want to die, but it's a pity that these people are so cruel.

Xu Xin'an also saw the people's worries, so he spoke to boost morale: "Everyone... as long as you act according to the law, you can rest assured!"

…………

Soon another seven or eight days passed, and the struggle between Jia Yucun and the local officials was still going on, while the storm at sea had already started.

The Spanish fleet unexpectedly attacked the coast of Guangxi, killing and injuring nearly 700 fishermen and burning down 16 villages.

From July 25th to mid-August, the coastal provinces were on guard everywhere. The continuous attacks by the Spanish left no merchant ships in the southeastern waters of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the stricter the defenses became, the fewer casualties there were, but in total there were still about 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and civilians, and the casualties were mainly among civilians.

In a house in Quanzhou City, Zhu Jinghong was reading a memorial.

There are problems everywhere, and the Ming Dynasty has not gained any advantage at all, which has made Zhu Jinghong a little anxious recently.

He had already heard the news that there was an undercurrent in the court, which wanted to dismiss him as the general on the grounds of poor command and delaying state affairs.

Of course, the emperor suppressed these rumors, but they still made Zhu Jinghong anxious.

The reason is that his invincible personality forces him to do something, otherwise it will reduce the confidence of his supporters.

"My Lord, have a cup of tea!"

At some point, Yang Jingting appeared in the house with a teacup in her hand.

Turning his head and looking over, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "You should take a rest, just let them do these things!"

In late July, Yang Jingting's menstruation stopped, which meant that Zhu Jinghong had successfully conceived, so he emphasized that she should rest.

After the Lin family's funeral, Yang Jingting took a boat along the coast to Quanzhou just to share the good news with Zhu Jinghong.

She was indeed very bold. The sea distance from Yingtian to Quanzhou was nearly two thousand miles, but she arrived in less than a month.

Zhu Jinghong specifically blamed her for this, but he also felt Yang Jingting's deep love for him, and their relationship deepened a lot.

Handing over the teacup, Yang Jingting said, "The prince has been in a bad mood recently. Who dares to come over at this time?"

This sentence has two meanings. One is to emphasize that she cares about Zhu Jinghong, and the other is to show that she sympathizes with the people below her.

"Alas...national affairs are difficult!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

No matter how many halos he has, it cannot change the fact that he is just a mortal. He is just slightly stronger than ordinary people.

Therefore, when encountering real difficulties, Zhu Jinghong would feel helpless.

But he is not someone who gives up easily, so no matter how difficult the situation is, he will try his best to do his best.

"Your Highness should also take a break. There are so many civil and military officials in the southeast, you should let them share more of the burden!"

"It's difficult for them too!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

Not to mention the generals on the front line of defense, people like Jia Yucun, Zheng Xianlin and He Gujin were also very busy in the rear.

Regardless of their personalities, they were currently doing real work, so Zhu Jinghong gave them recognition.

"Your Highness, please have some tea!" Yang Jingting reminded softly.

So Zhu Jinghong took the teacup, took a few sips, looked up and asked, "Did you put sugar in it?"

"The tea was already bitter enough, so I asked someone to add some brown sugar!" Yang Jingting replied.

Zhu Jinghong smiled, took Yang Jingting's hand and said, "Pay more attention to yourself. It is most important for you to take good care of yourself now!"

"I also want to help Your Highness share some of the burden!" Yang Jingting said in a half-coquettish tone.

Zhu Jinghong really laughed this time, and their relationship became more solid.

After chatting for a while, Yang Jingting left the study and returned to her room happily.

Since she learned she was pregnant, she has been in a good mood every day and is full of hope for the future.

"My lady, I'm waiting for you to play chess!"

"Yesterday Huizhen defeated me. Today you have to teach me how to put down her arrogance!"

The one who came forward was Zhang Xiaoyue, who went straight up to Yang Jingting and took her arm around her sleeve. The two of them had an extremely close relationship.

Li Huizhen stepped forward and bowed, then said, "In front of the queen, how can I be so powerful!"

"Sister Xiaoyue needs the guidance of the Empress. How dare I show off my little tricks!"

(End of this chapter)