Red Mansion Beijingwang

Yanzheng Yamen, in the study room.

Sitting on the huanghuali wood chair was a middle-aged man wearing a crimson official robe. His eyes were closed, and he looked like an old man who was outside. The tea cups on the table were already cold, and he had obviously been waiting for a long time.

Suddenly, there was a sound outside the house, causing the man to open his closed eyes, stand up, and stare at the door of the house with a clear gaze. When a luxurious young man walked in, a bright color flashed in his eyes, and he said respectfully: " I went to Jiayu Village, Jinling Prefecture, to pay my respects to the prince."

Shui Rong nodded and walked straight towards the big case. After Shi Shiran sat down, he looked at Jia Yucun in front of him. He saw that he was born with a round waist and a thick back, a broad face and a square mouth, sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. The nose is square and the cheeks are square. At first glance, it seems that he has a decent appearance and a dignified appearance. If you don't know his nature, you will subconsciously think that Jia Yucun is a square person.

He really is a "grooming" talent.

After a pause, Shui Rong Zhanran said: "I couldn't get away before, so I kept Jia Fu Yin waiting for a long time."

Speaking of which, since Jia Yucun asked to meet, Shui Rong first finished playing chess with Daiyu, and then ran into a good show. They went back and forth for almost an hour. Even if he didn't like Jia Yucun, he still had to behave appropriately. some.

But in a society with strict etiquette, it doesn't matter how lustful Jia Lian, Jia Rong and others are, but if they lose their etiquette outside, do you think Jia He and Jia Zhen will beat them to death.

The so-called dandy is not a street kid.

When Jia Yucun heard this, his heart relaxed slightly. Although he was sitting calmly before, he was actually not sure in his heart. Which official would take it calmly after being excused for an hour?

After cupping his hands, Jia Yucun said respectfully: "Your Majesty, as an imperial envoy, is busy with disaster relief matters. I am a lowly official who has taken the liberty to pay you a visit. I hope your Majesty will not blame you."

Shui Rong didn't say anything when he heard this, it was just official polite words, so he asked: "Did Jia Fuyin's visit this time help raise money for disaster relief?"

Jia Yucun took out the book from his arms, held it with both hands, and said respectfully: "Back to the prince, after receiving the imperial envoy's bank note, the official summoned the merchants to donate. Now, two and a half million taels of silver have been raised for disaster relief. Please also ask the prince." Check it out.”

Shui Rong's eyes moved slightly when he heard the words, and he looked at Jia Yucun with a strange look. Although Jinling in the Qian Dynasty was not as good as that in the Ming Dynasty, it was said that "the world's wealth comes from Jiangnan, and Jinling is where it will be." status, but it is also extremely prosperous, with merchants like koi across the river. In the Jiangnan area, the economy is second only to Yangzhou, which accounts for salt profits. It is easy to raise 500,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.

It's just that prosperity is prosperity, but donations are equivalent to gifts. Businessmen are mostly profit-seeking. It is not easy to get free money from them. Jia Yucun can quickly raise 500,000 taels of silver for disaster relief in Jinling, which shows that he has the ability. of.

Although Jia Yucun has a bad temperament, his abilities are real. It is described in the original work. Jia Yucun has excellent talents and outstanding literary talent. The reason why Zhen Shiyin, Lin Ruhai, Jia Zheng, and Wang Ziteng helped and recommended Jia Yucun was not just appreciation. If they don’t have real talents and practical skills, do you think they are all good people?

Shamelessness does not mean incompetence. If a pie falls from the sky, you have to reach out to catch it.

After taking the book, Shui Rong flipped through it and raised his brows slightly. There were many merchants recorded in the book, and the amount of money donated was uneven. Most of them were a few thousand taels, with a minority of 10,000 and two.

I originally thought that Jia Yucun was looking for donations from the largest merchants in Jinling, and it would be done all at once, but I never thought that Jia Yucun would find another way.

Generally speaking, donations are a matter for large merchants, such as salt merchants. They benefit the most from the court's salt affairs, so they naturally contribute more. On the other hand, those small merchants usually follow behind to pick up the leftovers and let them use it. Donating to them is equivalent to killing them, which is thankless. Therefore, the implicit rule of donating is to fight the "big tigers", and these little shrimps are usually not among them.

Of course, small shrimps are also relatively speaking. They don’t cost much, and they are not even shrimps.

Shui Rong put the book on the big case and calculated in his mind. The Yangzhou salt merchant had promised to donate 500,000 taels. Adding the 500,000 taels from Jinling, so far, one million taels of silver had been raised. Get up, most of the fundraising is completed, and there are eight prefectures and one continent in the south of the Yangtze River. No matter how bad the other prefectures are, they will not be left with nothing.

Looking up at Jia Yucun, Shui Rong said in a clear voice: "Yes, Jia Fuyin is interested. I will report your achievements to the court truthfully."

How should I put it? It is a good way to be non-pedantic and win by quantity. The difficulty lies in how to convince those merchants to "willingly" spend money. It is their ability to get things done well. If officials are as efficient as Jia Yucun, they can raise money. You can have peace of mind about disaster relief funds.

Shui Rong did not doubt that Jia Yucun used his power in the donation process. Many of the merchants were backed by people who had backers. If Jia Yucun dared to use his power to oppress him, there would be no good consequences.

The governor of Jinling looks like a high official, but in the final analysis he is just a fourth-rank official.

When Jia Yucun heard this, he felt a little happy, and a shrewd look flashed through his deep eyes. The young man in front of him was the Prince of Beijing County, the Zuo Governor of the Central Army Governor's Mansion. He had a high position, and more importantly, he was Rong Guo. The son-in-law of a government official can be involved.

Knowing that Shui Rong came to Jiangnan to raise funds, Jia Yucun keenly realized that this was an opportunity, so Zhou Xuan went to Jinling merchants to raise disaster relief silver as quickly as possible, and immediately came to Yanzheng Yamen to pay a visit.

Jia Yucun was convinced that his results would definitely satisfy Shui Rong.

As expected, the prince was quite satisfied with this, and his hard work was not in vain.

Thinking of this, Jia Yucun said respectfully and humbly: "This is the duty of the lower official, not to mention merit. The prince has defeated the lower official, and it is also a great blessing from the emperor. Jinling is still prosperous, so the donation will go smoothly."

Shui Rong raised his eyes and looked at Jia Yucun, with a bit of amusement in his eyes, as if he was "fairly prosperous" and he was here to brag about his political achievements.

But you also need to have the ability to brag. Without this diamond, you can't get the porcelain job.

After groaning, Shui Rong said in a deep voice: "Now that we have raised money for disaster relief, we will buy grain from wealthy households and merchants in Jinling and send it to the disaster area to help the victims."

The purpose of raising money is to buy food, how to fill the stomach with yellow and white food.

As an imperial envoy, fundraising is one aspect, and he cannot ignore other matters related to disaster relief.

When Jia Yucun heard this, his heart moved slightly. It was indeed natural to raise money to buy food, but the scene in front of him was a bit beyond his expectation. During this trip, he not only successfully completed the fundraising task, but also showed that he was responsible for governance. Jinling's prosperity is so low. Logically speaking, as a superior, Shui Rong should appreciate his talents. How can he be mediocre?

Not to mention Shui Rong's abnormal attitude, now that Shui Rong has given the order, Jia Yucun must respond. Jia Yucun bowed with a look of embarrassment and said, "Your Majesty, the disaster is imminent. There is a shortage of supplies everywhere. I'm afraid that for a while. It’s hard to buy the food you need.”

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and stared at Jia Yucun. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyebrows. He snorted coldly and said, "It's not necessarily true that supplies are scarce."

Jiangnan has always been known as the land of plenty. Floods occurred in Henan and Shandong. The Jiangnan area was not greatly affected, and there was definitely no shortage.

Jia Yucun was not panicked by Shui Rong's cold look. He only saw his face straighten and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty is wise and I will tell you the truth. In Jinling under the rule of Xianguan, all the wealthy families have food reserves. It's just that Henan, A large number of disaster victims from Shandong have poured into the Jiangnan area, and prices have skyrocketed in various places. The price of rice in Jinling has reached a sky-high price of 120 yuan per bucket. It has even gotten worse. The price is set every day. Merchants are only interested in profit. How can these rich households and grain farmers The grain will be sold to us.”

After saying that, Jia Yucun raised his eyes and glanced at Shuirong cautiously, and added: "It's not that I haven't considered suppressing these profiteers, but once suppressed, the grain dealers will definitely be discouraged, and the people will have no food to eat."

Shui Rong was silent when he heard the words. In the event of a disaster, rising prices are inevitable. He knew that Jia Yucun was suspected of excusing himself, but he had his own reasons.

In Shangqiu County, Shui Rong's method was simple and crude, but it was different in Jinling. In Jinling City, there were countless clues behind the wealthy families. Once the killing started, even the prince Shui Rong might not be able to bear the criticism from the court, and just like Jia Yucun As he said, if the suppression is excessive and they are discouraged, the price of food will come down, but what's the point of not having food.

Jia Yucun saw that Shuirong's expression was gloomy and uncertain, and he knew it in his heart. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have a little insight. Maybe I can use this to suppress the price of food and buy enough food to help the victims." Shuirong frowned. He stared at Jia Yucun, a strange color flashed in his eyes, leaned back on the huanghuali wood chair to relax his body, and said Zhanran: "Tell me and listen."

Jia Yucun's heart eased slightly, his slightly bowed back straightened up a little, and he said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, the grain merchants are just here for profit. As long as there is profit, grain merchants will flock to it. I think I can make a profit first." After suppressing, the first step is to double the price of grain in Jinling, attracting grain merchants from all over the country who want to make huge profits to gather in Jinling. When the time is right, the second step will be carried out, releasing cabins for disaster relief, so that the people have food to eat, and the rice merchants The rice will no longer be sold. If the rice cannot be sold for one day, it will be a loss. The impatient grain merchants will sell it at a reduced price, and then the grain merchants can buy the grain at a low price. "

Shui Rong's face was slightly startled when he heard this, and he began to think about it. If he followed Jia Yucun's method, he could indeed suppress food prices and at the same time purchase a large amount of food at a low price for disaster relief. It could be said that it was killing two birds with one stone.

However, Shui Xiong also understands the disadvantage of this method, that is, it takes time. However, disaster relief is like putting out fires. During this period of time, a large number of victims will starve to death.

The disaster relief errand has been completed, but many victims will starve to death, putting the cart before the horse.

Jia Yucun seemed to understand Shuirong's idea and added at the right time: "Your Majesty, the prerequisite for this method is to have enough food in hand to set up porridge sheds to ensure that the victims will not starve to death. According to the official's knowledge, Jinling wealthy families have a lot of food reserves. , enough to keep the victims full, and if we can convince them, they will have nothing to worry about.”

Hearing this, Shui Rong understood clearly that this was the intention of Jinling's wealthy families. Among the wealthy families in Jinling, they had a large amount of land in their hands, and naturally they had a lot of food hoarded. Among them, the four major families in Jinling, Jia, Wang, and Xue and Shi, the four families, one prospered and the other suffered losses. The sum of the four families was definitely a huge amount.

Although Jia Yucun is the governor of Jinling, he does not have such a big reputation to invite them. On the other hand, Shui Rong is now married to the Duke of Rongguo and is a natural political ally. With him coming forward, how can the wealthy Jinling family turn a blind eye.

If you think about it carefully, this may not be the reason why Emperor Yongkang accepted Shui Rong, who was stranded in Henan, as an imperial envoy.

He tapped the big case with his finger, Shui Rong thought for a moment, and said seriously: "I will personally go to the wealthy Jinling family."

It has to be said that Jia Yucun's method is very good and worth pursuing. Jia Yucun, the wealthy family in Jinling, cannot solve the problem, so he can only sell his favor.

Just being soluble in water does not ensure that everything is foolproof. Political allies are political allies, but "people die for money and birds die for food." In the face of interests, father and son may turn against each other, let alone allies.

Moreover, among those who drive up food prices, nine out of ten Jinling wealthy families are involved. Cutting off people's financial opportunities is like killing their parents.

Jia Yucun lowered his head, a hidden light flashed in his deep eyes, and respectfully agreed.

Shui Rong sat behind the big case and looked at Jia Yucun. Jia Yucun's words were fiery. At first glance, it seemed that it was not a temporary display, but it was probably planned long ago. He thought that this time he was showing off his talents in front of Shui Rong in order to gain recognition. .

"Suppress first and then raise" is not only a method of disaster relief, but also to attract the attention of Shuixin.

I have to say that it is indeed as described in the original work that he is good at observing the situation and judging the situation. Despite Jia Yucun's cold nature, he is indeed very talented. It is no wonder that Lin Ruhai, Jia Zheng and others will appreciate him one by one.

After pondering, Shui Rong asked: "Jinling is quite prosperous under Jia Fuyin's rule. I believe Jia Fuyin's evaluation this year should be top-notch."

Local officials have an inspection department or inspection branch within them. They are responsible for the regular supervision and inspection work of local governments. They are equivalent to a research team. They write detailed inspection reports by reviewing documents, on-site inspections and verifications, and interviewing local officials and people. Reports and inspections written at the end of the year will be submitted to the court, from which officials' performance will be judged.

Hearing this, Jia Yucun said humbly: "Thanks to the great blessing of the emperor, the weather in Jinling is going well this year, and the grain harvest is good again. It is also my luck that I will get a good evaluation."

Shui Rong smiled and said nothing, luck is luck, but without talent, no matter how good luck is, it is in vain. For example, the God of War Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, 200,000 Ming Dynasty elites plus the entire Wuxun Group, Tianhu started, abruptly He can be defeated in a straight fight. No matter how lucky he is, his luck will be in vain.

After a moment of silence, Shui Rong said, "Jiafu Yin, please go and work on disaster relief first. If you do well in your errand, I will recommend you to His Majesty."

Since Jia Yucun is asked to do things, the benefits must be indispensable. For Jia Yucun, Shui Rong also means to appoint him. Not to mention Jia Yucun's cold-hearted nature, for the superiors, what matters is their ability, and it is true if they can create benefits.

Moreover, Jia Yucun's behavior is nothing more than extreme egoism, which is very common in official circles, that is, his bad character does not hinder his abilities.

All in all, Jia Yucun should be the epitome of officialdom.

Although Shui Rong did not want to get involved in civil affairs, Jia Yucun was different. It was recommended by Jia Zheng. No matter how Shui Rong tried to distance himself from the relationship, in the eyes of everyone, Jia Yucun was a member of the Rongguo Duke family.

The civil service group cannot get involved too deeply, but it cannot even dare to get into the water.

Of course, because of Jia Yucun's character issues, it can be used but cannot be reused. How to use it is a science.

Jia Yucun looked happy when he heard this. The reason why he worked so hard was not to gain the appreciation of the young man in front of him. It was obvious that he had succeeded now. He had been the governor of Jinling for three years. How could he be transferred to the center of the imperial court if there was no one behind him to promote him.

He can sit on his back against a big tree to enjoy the shade. The towering tree in Beijing Palace is enough for him to climb up.

Thinking of this, Jia Yucun said seriously: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, my subordinates will definitely work hard to share your worries for Your Majesty."

This statement is equivalent to surrender. In fact, there is no need to surrender, it is just a statement.

Shui Rong heard the words and said nothing more, waving his hands and saying: "Okay, let's go down."

Jia Yucun bowed and suddenly said: "Your Majesty, this time the official came here, firstly for official business, and secondly for personal reasons. Mr. Lin was kind to the official in the past, and he never expected to hear the bad news suddenly, and he was so sad that he couldn't control it. , However, I am busy with official duties and have been delayed so far that I have not been able to come. Now that I am here, I would like to offer incense in front of Lin Gong’s soul to express my sincere feelings.”

When Shui Rong heard this, it was clear that when Jia Yucun was in decline, it was Lin Ruhai who recommended Jia Zheng in a letter so that Jia Yucun could serve as the prefect of Jinling. It was indeed a kindness, but was Jia Yucun a person who cared about kindness?

In the original work, Jia Yucun misjudged the Gourd case and wronged the Feng family. He sentenced his former benefactor's daughter Zhen Yinglian to Xue Pan, and then sent his disciples to the army. In order to please Jia She, he forced the Shiduzi family to die. After the Jia family lost power, , Jia Yucun was afraid of being implicated, so he stepped on the Jia family severely, and even the Jia family was completely ransacked.

Is this kind of person a person who cares about gratitude?
It's nothing more than setting up a character. After all, in this era, how can a person without reputation be an official?

However, Shui Rong didn't care. He originally planned to use Jia Yucun as a tool, as long as it was easy to transform. But when he said this, Shui Rong thought of Xiang Ling.

Forced by Xiangling's soft fragrance, Shui Rong agreed to Nuo Xiangling's search for relatives. However, in order not to arouse suspicion, Shui Rong first sent people to Jinling to inquire, but did not take the initiative to mention Zhen Shiyin, so he still has no clue at the moment.

I originally planned to put off mentioning this matter for a while, but now I happened to meet the person involved in Jia Yucun, which might be a reasonable way to find Xiang Ling's relatives.

By the way, I will try to see how useful Jiayu Village is.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong stood up and said, "It just so happens that I am going to offer incense to Uncle Lin. Jia Fuyin should come with me."

Jia Yucun was shocked when he heard this, and he was a little stunned. He knew about Shui Rong's relationship with Rong Guo's in-laws, but he didn't expect that Shui Rong would "respect" Lin Ruhai so much that he would condescend to lead him the way ( End of this chapter)