Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 220 Health Campaign
Approaching the gate of Wucheng Bingmasi, Jia Lian silently did psychological treatment, [I am now a government official, and there are rules for doing things. I must follow the rules, concentrate on fishing, and get by until retirement. I wish you a smooth landing. ]

The treatment was very successful, and Jia Lian found the feeling of going to work. As long as he could deal with the formalism this time, he could do less or less official work in the future and do more private work. That would be great!
The news that the head censor, Lord Jia, had convened a meeting of five censors was like a thunderclap!
Here he comes, here he comes!
I said, a new official has to make three big moves when he takes office, and he can’t be quiet.

You see, everyone has been behaving themselves to the best of their ability recently, and there have been rewards.

In order to get the lucrative positions under their butts, the five censors had a very proper attitude. Never mind that this boss was fabricated. Since it was arranged by the higher-ups, there must be a reason for it. They should not ask why too much and should pretend to be busy even when they have nothing to do. They should be active in the meetings with the leaders.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the five imperial censors gathered in the hall. Jia Lian was very surprised. Are they all so idle? They are all here after just one call. Don't they need to go on an inspection?

Well, never mind, let’s start the meeting first.

"Everyone, the work of the city inspector is very important. His Majesty has high hopes for us. I am young and inexperienced. I only have the opportunity to be your superior because of my ancestors' influence and my own efforts. I am really ashamed."

Jia Lian's opening remarks were very modest, and the more so, the more everyone felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Such modesty might have caused a big explosion. The minds of the imperial inspectors were all racing, wondering what had happened recently that this gentleman had taken a fancy to? There was a new opera troupe in the south city, but this gentleman didn't like to watch operas. I've never heard of him going to watch operas.

There was no big commotion in West City. The sons of nobles were no different from usual. Even if something happened, it was just a fight.

Just when the censors were puzzled, Jia Lian saw that everyone was not reacting at all, so he continued helplessly: "It seems that my words are boring, and you have no reaction at all."

Wow..., the applause started again, it had to be Jian Renda, his reaction was so quick, he got the lead again.

Jia Lian then nodded in satisfaction. Now it looked like a meeting.

He pressed his hands a few times, and the applause continued for a while. Lord Jia could no longer hide the smile on his face, and then it stopped.

"Since taking office, I have been examining how to do this work well to satisfy His Majesty and the people. After much thought, I finally found a breakthrough point. Today's meeting is to discuss with everyone and see how to proceed."

The five imperial censors were on high alert, thinking about what benefits Lord Jia had set his sights on, how to compromise, and how to divide the spoils. Eating alone would make one die of bloating. We had already prepared a portion, but the time had not come yet, hadn't we?

Seeing that everyone was paying close attention, Jia Lian nodded with satisfaction and continued: "After much thought, I have decided to launch a hygiene campaign in the capital." Well, this is Jia Lian's breakthrough point. Doing other things may easily offend people, but if I call on everyone to pay attention to hygiene, there will definitely be no problem and it will not offend anyone.

Jian Renda immediately raised his hand: "Excuse me, sir, what is hygiene?"

Huh? There's no such word yet? It's out of place, let's fix it right away.

"Well, this is a good question. What is hygiene? It's very simple. It means being clean in daily life, not defecating or spitting anywhere, washing hands before and after meals, boiling water before drinking, and cleaning up the streets and doorways. Markets, residential areas, and crowded places should all be kept clean at all times. The significance of doing so is to prevent diseases. I won't go into specific medical theories today. I'll talk about how to do it. First, the hygiene of public areas. Wucheng Bingmasi should build some public toilets. It will be convenient for people to urinate and defecate, and the waste can be collected for fertilizer."

At this point, Jian Renda raised his hand again: "Sir!"

Jia Lian frowned slightly in dissatisfaction: "Speak!" This guy interrupted his speech and wrote it down in his notebook first.

"What I mean is that some residents in the capital use toilets on a daily basis, and some also use dry toilets. There are diligent people who collect them every day and sell them to those who need them. There are many people in this industry, and there are also guilds and bosses. If you think they are not doing a good enough job, you can call them in to give them a lecture."

[Fuck], this is the consequence of not doing research in advance. Jia Lian awkwardly picked up the teacup and took a sip, looking at Jian Renda meaningfully, "No wonder you are in Xicheng. Why didn't you tell me about this kind of thing in private after the meeting? You are offending your leader like this!"

Do you still want to make progress in the future? I understand!
The first shot went silent, and Jia Lian was embarrassed, but he quickly adjusted his mentality and continued: "This is a good suggestion. We'll talk about it later." In fact, Jia Lian misunderstood what Jian Renda meant. If the adults were not satisfied with the amount of tribute, it could be adjusted.

Jian Renda also realized that his hint didn't work, so he quickly made amends: "Your Excellency is far-sighted, and I am not as good as you. It's like this, the bosses of various industries recently learned that you have taken up your new post, and they all want to come and listen to your instructions. Everyone knows about this, but we don't know when it will be convenient for you."

Hmm? Jia Lian obviously sat up straight. I got this question wrong! It’s still because I didn’t do enough research.

"Well, let's put this aside for now. I'll notify you later when I'm free. Let's continue the meeting!"

Jia Lian did not say whether he accepted the tribute or not, and of course it was not appropriate to say so in this occasion.

If real guns and swords don’t work, then let’s try something fake.

"I suggest that we should first keep up with public opinion, publish articles in newspapers, paint slogans on walls, and put up billboards on the streets. We should publicize why we should pay attention to hygiene. Good hygiene can prevent plague..." When it came to the stage of empty talk, Jia Lian was like a fish in water. He spoke for a long time and only stopped to drink a sip of tea when his saliva ran dry.

The five censors also understood that Jia Lian was not interested in anyone's personal gain, at least he did not point it out explicitly.

Well, it should just be a reminder. Don't forget, I can see clearly what you make privately.

"Propaganda alone is not enough. There are so many people in Bingmasi. They take turns to go out on the streets. If anyone is found urinating or defecating in public, they will be fined! Well, two cents, which makes these people feel distressed. Those who refuse to change after repeated admonitions and are dealt with many times will be arrested and locked up for one to fifteen days. Well, we need to form a system and let everyone discuss how to deal with behaviors such as urinating or defecating in public and littering at will."

The five imperial censors were all annoyed. Sir, we are the Five Cities Military Command. If we take on such a complicated task, how can we do other work?

Jia Lian continued: "Shuntian Prefecture should also be invited to come over to discuss this. This matter was initiated by the Wucheng Bingmasi, so naturally we will take the lead, and Shuntian Prefecture will cooperate in the implementation. In short, if the system is introduced, no matter officials or civilians, they are not allowed to violate it. Violators will be dealt with according to the corresponding system. In the near future, please take the trouble to visit and investigate on the spot and come up with a feasible system. Well, I think you should come up with a health management regulation within five days, and then launch a health campaign."

After the meeting, Jia Lian went back to his office. The remaining five censors looked at each other in bewilderment. None of them had any idea about this job.

The main reason is that we don't know the real purpose of Jia Lian's doing this. For example, Gou Qian, the Imperial Censor of Dongcheng, is now regretting it. Yes, before the time comes to collect the membership fee, I won't take the initiative to pay it first?

Dongcheng is a prosperous commercial city, a place that is rich and lucrative. After a year of tributes from various sources, apart from the money in the public pool, the income from the various gods can reach at least 5,000 taels every year. Who would be willing to give up this position?

What if the new boss feels that he is not self-aware and does not respect him enough, so he makes things difficult for him, gets rid of him and then sells his position?
Hiss, ...it was really a breath of cool air.

"Everyone, stop being in a daze. Since Lord Jia has made the decision, we should execute it. I'm leaving first." Gou Qian immediately got up and went out. After he went out, he called his long-serving servant and gave him some instructions. The long-serving servant quickly went home and took out three thousand taels of silver notes. Gou Qian, who was sitting in the teahouse drinking tea, took the silver notes and put them away, then got up and went back to the Wucheng Military Command.

Just as he was about to go to Jia Lian's place, he saw Jian Renda coming out. He was immediately annoyed. Damn Jian Renda, he got there first again.

In fact, Jian Renda did not go to give money, but to ask Jia Lian if it was convenient for him after get off work. He was the boss of a business in the capital and wanted to invite him to dinner.

Jia Lian said that one should be grateful for what one has received, so there was no need to treat them to a meal, and everything could just go on as usual.

Jian Renda immediately understood the implication. It was just about the money, not the business.

Why do you care where I got the money from? I picked it up from the ground, okay? Anyway, Jia Lian only promised not to cause trouble for everyone. If something goes wrong, he will take the responsibility himself. It has nothing to do with me. For such a small amount of money, you still have the nerve to expect me to take responsibility for you?

Seeing Jian Renda's expression as if he had seen a ghost, Gou Qian secretly groaned, is this too little?

Take a look first, if it doesn't work I'll come back and add more.

Jian Renda was actually very puzzled. Jia Lian was so young, yet he was so ruthless. As for the share money, give it as you see fit. It's up to you to decide how much to give. Who knows how much he wants, and who knows how much information he has? Damn, such a boss is too difficult to serve.

Seeing Gou Qian, Jian Renda clasped his hands in greeting. Gou Qian returned the greeting and asked with a smile: "What's wrong? Did you hit a snag?"

Jian Renda was also very bad, he shook his head: "You will know when you go in."

Gou Qian..., you bastard! It turns out that the nickname was not wrong.

After entering, Jia Lian was about to start his private work for the day, but when he saw Gou Qian coming in, he had no choice but to stop and ask, "Master Gou, what do you have to say?"

This was very rude. Gou Qian thought that he was dissatisfied with him, but in fact he just found him annoying.

"This is a little gift from some big merchants in East City. Take a look..." Gou Qian put down the envelope in his hand. Jia Lian glanced at it and said, "Put it away. Don't do such a favor for others in the future."

Why didn't he dare to accept the money? If Jia Lian accepted it, it would be like being used as a tool. This is not like the money in the public pool, which is owned by everyone. Just take it and no one will cause trouble. This is like offering ice or charcoal. If you don't take it, you will appear to be different. This kind of business is equivalent to dividends in the form of dry shares. If you accept the money, you have to stand up for others. Jia Lian thought, I don't need this little money.

Gou Qian had no choice but to say goodbye and ran into the next colleague. Gou Qian shook his head calmly, and the man's face suddenly lengthened. Was this because his appetite was too big?

All five imperial censors hit a snag. The new censor only took the money from the public pool and did not want a penny of other money.

It’s confirmed. We are here to achieve some political achievements, not to ask for money.

If the new Lord Jia wants to stir up some trouble and make some noise, it will be very troublesome.

Jia Lian read the newspaper the next day with great interest. It was an exaggeration to say that the streets of Paris in the Middle Ages were full of feces, but it was certain that the sanitation was poor. Otherwise, the Black Death would not have spread in Europe. There was also cholera in Britain.

Although it is something I wrote myself, it is described in a very exaggerated tone that the poor sanitation in Europe led to the plague, the deaths of many people, and the shaking of religious rights. Only then did the consciousness of the modern nation-state come into being.

This type of article introducing the situation in Europe has been discontinued for a long time. Now that Jia Lian has restarted it, Minsheng Daily will naturally not reject it.

This issue focuses on the plague, using the theory of traditional Chinese medicine to make far-fetched claims. The term "disease qi" is used repeatedly. The diversity of disease qi is introduced, and various transmission channels are also introduced. When drinking water is contaminated by feces, disease qi enters the water. It also talks about the tactics of using catapults to throw corpses into the city during the Mongol invasion to the west, causing the plague.

It probably starts with the plague in China, starting with Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and then slowly moves on to the Mongols, and then Europe. There are quite a few words, and there are no difficult words throughout the article. It is about being simple and easy to understand, and not showing off the words. When writing, especially for the general public, it must be simple and straightforward.

The article also mentioned why Europeans like to wear wigs. Jia Lian specifically brought it up to create some dirty talk. The European royal family and aristocracy, especially the French, like to mess around, and thus contracted the most vicious disease among all the venereal diseases, syphilis!
After getting sick, a lot of hair fell out, and when he went to court, he was a bunch of bald people. In order to hide his ugliness, he had to wear a wig. Just because France is the fashion capital of Europe, many countries followed suit and it spread to all walks of life. The British judicial system is the main representative.

(PS: When I watched Hong Kong dramas before, I always disliked lawyers and judges wearing wigs. Now, after so many years of handover, they are still wearing wigs.)
The public opinion in the newspapers paved the way first, and then the results of the discussions among the censors came out. Jia Lian took a look and thought it was pretty good, but he decided not to write about it in the future, as it was too damn fancy and not down to earth at all.

Pulling out a prepared health regulation from the drawer, Jia Lian threw it to the censors and said, "Take a look. The words must be simple, straightforward, and vulgar. This is for the people of the capital to read. It is full of literary and noble words. If someone reads it, do we need a translator?"

"Take it back and rewrite it according to my method."

A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. Several imperial censors went back and simply copied Jia Lian's regulations, and that was it. They didn't change a word. What else can you say? Jia Lian really had nothing to say, and just ordered: "Propaganda first, then execution. In short, make it louder and louder!"

(End of this chapter)