Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 104: The cabinet ministers are all insects, but your Majesty is a sage.

People with ideals are the most annoying thing to Jia Lian!

Why fight when you can just lie down?

Hate them, hate them, but figures like Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng deserve no less respect.

Jia Lian, who has three dates but no dates, does not have a strong purpose. At least there is no purpose in doing things now.

Zhang Ting'en didn't take Jia Lian's words about making money seriously, so he drove him away with a smile. If there was nothing important, he might as well spend more time with the maid who had just taken over the house. Zhang Ting'en, the cabinet minister and the Minister of Household Affairs, has a lot of things to do.

There are many people who hate Zhang Ting'en, including many officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs.

The reason is also very simple. After Zhang Tingen took office, he began to focus on work efficiency. In the past, a job that could be delayed for three days now has to be completed in one day. If it is not completed, you will be punished. If you are not convinced, you will have to endure it!

Following Jia Lian's suggestion, Zhang Ting'en decided to revise it and then report it to Emperor Chenghui.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Chenghui immediately called Zhang Ting'en to come and report it.

"I think Aiqing's suggestion is very good. Imperial officials are not allowed to have sex with prostitutes. This is Taizu's policy. Those people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate are not clean themselves, so let Long Jinwei supervise them. If you find one, record it and punish it. One month's salary is too little, depending on the severity of the case, it ranges from three months to half a year. The leader of a group prostitution activity with serious circumstances will be demoted!"

At this time, it was obvious what it meant to be forced to a dead end.

Officials who have money to visit brothels, do they still need a little salary? The corruption of officials in the capital is not something that happens in a day or two.

But why did Captain Long seize power?

As soon as this memorial came out, the censors were very excited and wrote memorials one after another to refute the inappropriate actions of the cabinet.

Li Qing took the initiative to ask to be a swordsman, so he couldn't let his ministers feel cold. Therefore, Li Qing got the opportunity to draft a memorial based on the oral content of Emperor Chenghui, and completed everything at the cabinet meeting, and then the cabinet ministers approved it with a seal. The matter was discussed and approved by the cabinet ministers. The initiator was Li Qing, cabinet minister and minister of rites.

The emperor only acquiesced to the collective opinions of the cabinet ministers, and he did not say a word!

The first step was to announce it, and the second step was to reprint the full text of "The People's Voice of the Capital"!

What is important is the effect that everyone in the capital knows. Officials are not allowed to enter or leave the land of romance.

Emperor Chenghui changed it again very directly. This was not asking for opinions, but unifying thoughts beforehand.

Li Qing, who had reached a dead end and could not turn back, stood up and expressed his stance: "Your Majesty, please stop paying attention!"

Jia Lian's casual suggestion had been completely distorted, and Zhang Ting'en still understood Emperor Chenghui's current needs better.

Although officials in Beijing would complain endlessly, from the perspective of Emperor Chenghui, this was a necessary means to further centralize power.

Emperor Chenghui looked at Li Qing and nodded. The living commentator stood up and stepped down very wisely, and the records left behind were taken away and destroyed by Qiu Shian. No records will be taken of today's meeting.

Li Qing [I have made all preparations, why can’t I know this in advance? Your Majesty, please believe that I am willing to do anything. 】

After completing the cabinet reorganization and initial centralization of power, Emperor Chenghui was not satisfied with the status quo, so he wanted to do something.

After ventilation, go to the cabinet meeting. Emperor Chenghui was still very good at protecting his ministers, so he didn't need Zhang Ting'en to speak. He said it himself: "Long Jinwei reported that after the Autumn Period, all the children from all over the country came to the capital to prepare for the examination next year. Business in the capital's Fengyue Land suddenly boomed. Talented man I can understand the romance. However, there are quite a few officials who ignore the court's laws and frequently go in and out of brothels after they are off duty. I don't know when this trend took off, and there is no way to find out. I think that if you let the past go, you won't be able to do it in the future. The court's laws cannot be for decoration. The cabinet will draft a notice and report it to the world, lest anyone accuse me of not teaching and punish me."

The common people just watch the excitement, but the officials are more concerned about the supervision and execution department in the announcement.

There are five ministers in the cabinet: Liang Daoyuan is also the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Sun Huazhen is also the Minister of the Ministry of War, Li Qing is also the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhang Tingen is also the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. There are no cabinet ministers serving as ministers of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate expressed that the mood is stable. The left and right censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who were responsible for supervising all officials, were not high enough to join the cabinet, so they had nothing to say.

A royal censor reported this announcement, [The Metropolitan Procuratorate supervises all officials, and Long Jinwei has exceeded his authority. 】

And there was a fierce reaction to this announcement soon.

After the monarch and his ministers exchanged glances, the first and second assistants who were watching looked solemn, while Sun Huazhen and Zhang Ting'en seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

The development of the matter started with attacks on the announcement, and then escalated, directly targeting the cabinet. The first person to bear the brunt was Li Qing, the instigator. The number of memorials to impeach him reached hundreds on the second day after the announcement. The second is Kong Zhao, the chief minister of the cabinet. As the head of a hundred officials, how can he let Li Qing do whatever he wants?

Other cabinet ministers were also impeached, but they were neither minor nor serious and were not criticized.

I'm not distracted when I go to work, but I feel full of energy in the Qin Lou Chu Pavilion at night.

How could Captain Long be involved in matters between civil servants? Long Jinwei is a warrior and a spy agency. If they are allowed to implement the law, do they still need the dignity of a civilian official?

Emperor Chenghui was patient enough and kept all memorials silently, waiting for things to continue to ferment.

All in all, things are still under control, and the ministers made it clear in the impeachment memorial.

[The cabinet ministers are all insects, but your Majesty is a sage! 】

Rongguo Mansion, East Cross Courtyard, another day of polishing the pen and making money.

"It's selling like crazy, it's selling like crazy." Jia Rong danced with exaggerated movements.

A thousand taels of retouching pens were delivered at one time, which made Jia Lian deeply puzzled. Is it selling so well?

The reason for the confusion is also very simple. The capital seems to have a large population, but what proportion of scholars are there? Sales outside other places are basically out of the question. After all, transportation is inconvenient. Covering Tongzhou is very good. It can be sold to Tianjin against the odds.

"This month's sales have exceeded 6,000 copies and are still growing. I thought it was possible to sell more than 10,000 copies."

After listening to Jia Rong's report, Jia Lian, who had been paying attention to the changes in the court recently, finally turned his attention to selling books.

Jia Rong has been really happy recently. Li Heng's attention is on the newspaper, unlike before, which was focused on making money. Jia Rong is in charge of the bookstore full-time. Despite his young age, he seems to have a good talent for doing business.

"I was thinking that since the place is too far to reach, I should be able to capture the sales within Shuntian Prefecture. So, I asked people to deliver books to surrounding counties and prefectures. What I wanted was a sneak preview. Bookstores in other places would deliver them first. Go and pay after selling. Also, Tongzhou is a very important place. I suggest to you, set up a point in Tongzhou to sell newspapers for free, and use this point to sell books."

Hearing this, Jia Lian couldn't help but nodded: "It's a good idea. Tongzhou is really important."

The end of the Grand Canal is Tongzhou. Bulk cargo transportation these days must go through the Grand Canal. Do you think it matters or not? "Normal sales in the capital reach a maximum of 3,000 copies. I have people deliver them to all counties in Shuntian Prefecture, and as far south as Baoding. In total, we can sell 800 more copies per month. But it is different in Tongzhou. It was the Tianjin merchants who came to buy the books, and then the owners of the freight ships going south took some books with them and tried to sell them in various important places along the canal. I never expected that the effect would be very good. Only ten days have passed this month. Over there in Tongzhou The sales volume reached 3,000 copies, but I gave up fifty cents per copy on the price."

Small profits but quick turnover, evolving from retail to wholesale. This is talent!

"Well done, sir, can you tell me something?" Jia Lian expressed his great approval and thumbs up, not forgetting to remind him.

"The profit every month has doubled, and the noble man is smiling so hard that he can't even see his face, just..."

Seeing the hesitant expression on this guy's face, Jia Lian was secretly wary, and his tone became colder: "What is it? Are you hiding it with me?" Jia Rong was startled and quickly shook his head: "No, the noble man is looking for it. A few failed scholars learned to write storybooks and serialize them, no, they have already been decided to be published in the next issue of the newspaper."

Oh, so that’s what happened. Jia Lian was relieved. Jia Rong was worried about their income.

"In this case, don't take the new manuscript back. Just say it was delayed because of the provincial examination." When it comes to his own interests and money, of course Jia Lian has to react and cannot let Li Heng manipulate him at will.

The main purpose was to let Li Heng see if other authors could support the newspaper's sales after stopping the serialization of "The Condor".

Jia Rong showed an excited expression: "Yes, that's it. Let him see who can't live without whom?"

Jia Lian looked at this kid speechlessly. After so many years of experience, his abilities have improved, but his brain has not improved much.

"You, whenever you are in front of him, you must show that you are facing him. Do you understand?" Jia Lian must give it a beating. I don't need to sneer at Li Heng, but you are not qualified. You have to wear someone else's tiger skin. In Ningguo Mansion, the fox pretends to be the tiger's power.

"Ah?" Jia Rong was stunned, and it took him a while to react: "I remember, this is what my second uncle taught me."

It doesn't matter whether he understands or not, Jia Rong, who blindly worships Jia Lian, now believes in one thing, just do what Uncle Lian says.

The importance of being noble or not in Jia Rong's mind is no longer what it used to be.

What I am today is not due to noble people, but to the support of Uncle Lian. Without Uncle Lian’s prodding, would you know who I am? Without Uncle Lian's plan, the noble man would not be in the current good situation.

As a person who has experienced it personally, Jia Rong's mind is particularly clear at this moment.

Jia Rong, who came out of Jia Lian and returned to the newspaper office, quickly put away the smile on his face and went in to see him with a heavy expression.

"What's wrong?" Li Heng, who had been visiting the palace frequently recently, was enjoying the spring breeze. Seeing Jia Rong like this, he had a bad feeling in his heart. The book Emperor Uncle had just bought in his hand had no content. So wonderful.

Jia Rong glanced at the cover with the corner of her eye, "The Strange Tales of Dongxuanzi", what kind of ghost book is this? The printing is very rough!

"Second uncle is sick and has no energy. He didn't bring back any new manuscripts. The series will be discontinued next issue."

Hearing what Jia Rong said, Li Heng suddenly became anxious, stood up and said, "What should we do?"

Jia Rong also spread her hands: "I can only think of ways to deal with it. I see that my second uncle's face is blue, his eye sockets are sunken, his walking is unsteady, and his voice is weak. This means he is seriously ill."

[Complexion turned blue, eyes sunken] Why does it sound so familiar?

Oh, this is what I look like when I look in the mirror in the morning. Alas, it's all because "The Strange Tales of Dongxuanzi" is so well written, and its moves are so exquisite that people can't help but study and practice them.

Li Heng really wanted to send someone to capture Jia Lian, lock him in a small dark room and let him write, and would not let him go until he wrote the ending.

It's a pity that Li Heng doesn't have the strength, let alone the courage. I can only complain silently in my heart, you Jia Lian, you started to wander after you won the prize, right? If you wake up, you will try again next year.

Jia Lian squinted in the study and trembled. Guixiang had made great progress in musical instruments.

"Don't look at me like that, it's all for your own good. My belly got pregnant before I came in. Do you still want to live?" Jia Lian saw Guixiang's eyes were too sad, so she waved to sit on her lap.

When Jia Rong arrived in a hurry, he stood at the door and waited for a while before seeing Guixiang staggering and coming out to open the door with a flushed face.

"Wait a minute, I'll wash my hands first!" Jia Lian's breath was steady and his expression was calm, signaling Jia Rong to calm down.

When Guixiang went out with the basin, Jia Lian turned back and asked with a smile: "So fast? What did you say over there?"

"After some instructions, I told my second uncle to take good care of himself and don't work too hard at night. He also asked me to bring back some supplements, which are kept outside." Jia Rong told the truth.

Jia Lian felt something was wrong when he heard this: "Wait, what did you tell him?"

"I felt that the delay in the provincial examination was not enough. A few days ago, I saw Uncle Zhu's face was blue, his eye sockets were sunken, and his steps were sloppy, so I copied it on my second uncle and told the noble man. By the way, when I saw the noble man, he praised him. I was reluctant to let go of "The Strange Tales of Dongxuanzi", so I had someone buy it back, and wow, it's really good. I was wondering if I could find someone to write some and sell them in bookstores."

Jia Lian couldn't help but become curious. The title of this book sounded unfair, so he came over and opened it for a while and read it. That's it?

After reading a few more pages, Jia Lian threw it back casually: "If it's just at this level, forget it. Besides, this book is sold to the public. Since the bookstore has a bad reputation, it's better to be cautious."

"Second uncle, don't worry. I plan to hide this book and sell it. Regular customers will take it out and go to the yard behind to look at the goods before deciding whether to buy it or not. I will never sell it openly." Jia Rong's expression was so vivid when he spoke. , the image in Jia Lian's mind was strong.

I recall those green years when I went to Beijing to study. One day, I met a man by chance, wearing a green military coat, wandering on the street. His eyes wandered. When he saw someone, he walked up to him and asked, "Brother, do you want to bid?"

Selling the complete collection of Calabash Brothers for ten yuan is really disgusting!

Jia Lian, who was troubled by the long memory, was somewhat angry. It also aroused a new round of creative desire!

"What I'm worried about is not how to sell books. This kind of work requires excellent writing skills. How can you have the nerve to sell such a simple and crude writing style like "The Legend of Dongxuanzi"? Shame on you, shame on you!"

Jia Rong was suddenly confused and asked hesitantly: "What does the second uncle mean?"

"Details, let me tell you that the author I found must pay attention to details and the writing style needs to be delicate."

After thinking for a moment, Jia Lian gave up the plan of going into battle in person. I can't have a pen name called Rosen, right?

That’s too unlucky!

(End of this chapter)