Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 227: Qi Disease
Judging from the original work, there was no overly violent coup, or it was not at a level that ordinary people would know about.

This shows Emperor Chenghui's ability to control the situation. In terms of political strategy, even as a modern man, a grassroots bureaucrat, compared with Emperor Chenghui, Jia Lian really has no confidence at all.

You know, the current situation is not as simple as it sounds. There are two suns in a day. Although the emperor has gradually reduced his edge because of the strength of Emperor Chenghui, who can guarantee that he will not be like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark, spraying venom at any time?

Jia Lian knew that Emperor Chenghui was the final winner, but others didn't know.

If Yuanchun were to give birth to a prince, that would really add variables.

With these ambitious but incompetent guys in the Jia family, who knows what they can accomplish.

Jia Lian was in a very bad mood, and naturally he didn't look very happy when he faced D'Artagnan. Of course, it was mainly because of the bad first impression, bullying the people of Da Zhou who didn't understand Western customs, and using a prostitute to pretend to be a noble lady.

"Go and do your thing." Jia Lian waved his hand casually. He didn't know where D'Artagnan got the courage to talk to him so shamelessly.

D'Artagnan's expression was also very interesting. When Jia Lian chased the fly away from him, he did not show any humiliation. He was just stunned, as if he was a paying customer who did not receive the corresponding service.

Jia Lian casually asked the Honglu Temple official beside him: "Why don't I see the Third Prince?"

The official from the Honglu Temple explained hesitantly in a low voice: "I'm learning a foreign language!"

Jia Lian... huh? Wait! Why does this line sound so familiar?

Thinking about d'Artagnan's expression, Jia Lian suddenly realized something and couldn't help but slap his forehead. Li Heng was still a little naive and couldn't resist the coquettishness of the Western lady.

No wonder, Jia Lian waved to d'Artagnan, motioning him to come over and talk.

D'Artagnan came forward and asked, "What can I do for you, sir?" There was a translator, who translated quite well.

Jia Lian asked him, "How many years has His Excellency the Sun King been on the throne?"

D'Artagnan said, "When he ascended the throne two years ago, he sent me here as an envoy because he had always longed for the ancient empire in the East."

Since Li Heng was not around, Jia Lian chatted with him first to get a better understanding of the current situation in the West.

I remember that Louis XVI and Qianlong were pen pals, which shows that the Qing Dynasty leaders knew about the changes in the world. Because of the special nature of their regime, it is speculated that the death of the pen pal may have been the root cause of the more thorough policy of isolation. As a power creature, what they always consider is the stability of their personal rights.

The transfer process of the highest power in ancient times was never smooth.

There will definitely be some twists and turns, the alternation of the old and the new has always been like this.

At first, d'Artagnan looked down on this young nobleman, thinking that the information he had might just be hearsay, and that he just happened to guess Esmeralda's identity.

As the chat went on, d'Artagnan began to sweat. Where did this young noble get so much information?

When I talked to him about sailing, he knew about the doldrums. He also asked about the triangular trade, the colonies in the New World, and the so-called Thirteen States.

Isn't it said that the Seris people are isolated from the outside world and don't know the specific situation in the outside world?
The severely wounded D'Artagnan could only respond carefully and dare not brag recklessly. The main reason was that this young noble knew too much and his knowledge was too diverse. He knew about the Renaissance and even mentioned "The Decameron", saying that this book was very interesting.

Of course, France did not do well in the Renaissance, and only caught up later.

(PS: I strongly recommend The Decameron. Go read it. This book will destroy your worldview in many ways.)
Thanks to the memory repair function of the plug-in, Jia Lian firmly grasped the initiative in this two-hour conversation.

D'Artagnan's mental journey went through ups and downs, from his initial fear to his subsequent joy.

The topic mainly turned to the power struggle, Louis XVI's dissatisfaction with the Vatican, etc. D'Artagnan frankly expressed his envy of the Zhou Dynasty monarchs and threw dirty water on the accompanying Vatican staff. He even dared to talk about things like the little boy.

This reminded Jia Lian of the Tianjin Incident! Most missionaries, once they gain power, are really inhumane.

Jia Lian expressed his approval of D'Artagnan's instigation and slander. You can't always hit people, you have to give them some hope.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, if you say which sect can participate in the struggle for secular power, the emperor's knife will definitely come to your neck. There is absolutely no room for error on this issue. Jia Lian clearly expressed his support for the orthodox monarchy. He believed that the emperor's monopoly of power was the will of heaven, and he said that he would definitely report it to the emperor and be vigilant against the church.

Frye, as the translator, was terrified for a while, but he did not dare to do anything and translated seriously. Having stayed in the capital for a long time, he knew what Jia Lian was like. This man wanted to kill him, but he didn't even need to say anything. He just gave a hint and there were plenty of people to do it.

As the translation progressed, Frye couldn't help but interrupt and asked a few cultural questions.

In order to create a persona that he knows about the West, Jia Lian took the opportunity to invite Fry to join the conversation.

They were just sitting around doing nothing, and when the three of them were chatting, Li Heng showed up. Fortunately, he didn't show any signs of being a wise man, but was very excited. Jia Lian was relieved. It seemed that he was really learning a foreign language. He was quite rational and didn't have any lust in his mind, so he went to the port immediately.

He stood up and greeted him, and asked a few questions seemingly casually, making it clear that this guy was accompanied by officials from the Honglu Temple, supervising the members of the delegation to learn etiquette and foreign languages ​​at the same time. Jia Lian was more relieved. If this guy's lower body dominated the behavior, he could just throw him into the pit and there was no need to rescue him.

"To show my respect for the Kingdom of France, I would like to invite the envoys to the palace for a banquet. Lord Jia, do you think this is possible?"

Li Heng's words brought Jia Lian back to reality. This guy was really crazy.

Forget it, I can't stop him, so I can only perfunctorily say: "How dare I make the decision for the prince?"

Li Heng didn't notice the change in Jia Lian's expression, and Jia Lian wouldn't persuade him. This is the case with many things, and forcing persuasion will have the opposite effect.

Women who are bound by etiquette and women in France are completely different from each other. Not to mention Li Heng, Jia Lian would not be able to handle it if he did not have some strategic determination. From another perspective, it is something that is popular to see and hear.

It's really the kind of thing where I can do whatever I like, but you can't do it, and even check your phone to see if there are any hidden photos. This is the real shameless double standard behavior. If someone wants to check my phone, I will definitely ask her first, and what to do if the check doesn't show it. This kind of people just look at others honestly, and simply want to bully them to satisfy some perverted desires.

(Why did that uncle accept the settlement? He is so kind. It is really a good man being pointed at with a gun.)
This is getting off topic. Jia Lian doesn't care about Li Heng's thoughts. As a person, you have to bear the consequences of your actions.

Li Heng also explained: "Yesterday, my father issued an edict that they are a major Western country and their delegation should be treated with courtesy to demonstrate the etiquette of the Celestial Empire." Jia Lian was stunned for a moment. It seemed that Emperor Chenghui attached great importance to this matter, far beyond his expectation.

Jia Lian quickly realized that he was afraid of the first time for everything. This was the first time that Western envoys had formally sent a delegation to visit. Although the number of people was small, this was a formal delegation from thousands of miles away.

This was at least the first time since the Zhou Dynasty that such a delegation visited after Emperor Chenghui ascended the throne. This just demonstrated the wisdom of Emperor Chenghui, which led to the visit of the French envoys.

It seems that the long-term instillation of the idea that the West is developing rapidly has played a role.

Emperor Chenghui should hope to use this incident to promote something, for example, the navy?

Jia Lian was just guessing and didn't dare to make a decision. After all, it was really hard to guess the emperor using common sense.

At night, in the inn of the Honglu Temple, d'Artagnan danced with excitement: "The gentlemen of the Celes Empire do not like the Church and think that their actions are beyond the will of heaven. The great Sun King is indeed far-sighted. He made the right move to send me to Celes. Esmeralda, the prince is in your hands. You must make him fall in love with you. Maybe he can stay and become your princess."

Esmeralda was not too excited. She held a sandalwood folding fan in her hand and fanned it gently. This was a gift from the prince. With this trip, she could enter the upper class society when she returned to Europe. As for staying, she had never thought about it. If she was unfamiliar with the place, she would be easily manipulated by others. Even if she returned to Europe, it would not be much better. But at least the environment was familiar.

"The key is the trade volume. If you get enough benefits, you can return to Europe and get promoted. Don't forget me then."

"You are right. Only by severely striking a blow to the British trade can we win the favor of His Majesty. Don't worry, when we return to Europe, I will make you shine in Paris. Let those noble ladies' eyes turn red with jealousy." D'Artagnan was very skilled in making cakes for sale, but unfortunately the cake this time was not to his liking.

Esmeralda shook her head and said, "I hope the tribe can have a place to stay in France, and hope to get some distribution benefits. Of course, this is short-term, and the tribe can stop after France is settled."

D'Artagnan agreed immediately: "No problem, leave it to me."

In fact, whether D'Artagnan would keep his promise after returning to Paris, only God knows.

In the dead of night, Esmeralda said to herself: "I came here hoping to make money, but I didn't expect that a greater hope was waiting for me. I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse. Crystal ball, tell me the result..."

Li Heng made his attitude clear when he hosted a banquet for the French delegation and did not invite anyone from the Vatican.

Jia Lian did receive the invitation, but he declined it, saying, "Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall."

Jia Lian naturally guessed what Li Heng was thinking, but there was no point in stopping him.

Even if Esmeralda was taken into his room, it would not be a big deal in Jia Lian's opinion, as long as d'Artagnan did not protest.

When they returned home, the Jia family was in great joy and the excited Grandmother Jia was about to hold another grand banquet.

Of course Jia Lian would not stop it, but when he saw Mrs. Wang's chin raised again, he almost couldn't help but do something.

Wang Xifeng stood in the middle of the crowd, and Li Wan stood on one side. From her failure to save Qiao'er, Jia Lian knew that this woman could be very cruel. There was no need to hate her for this.

Having something to do instead of taking care of the children at home, Li Wan's mental state is much better.

Jia Lian and Jia Zhen were sitting at the same table. This fellow came closer and tried to get close to them, asking, "Brother Lian, it's been a while since you came to my place for a drink."

Jia Lian asked back with a smile: "Why, is there any business that can make money?"

"I heard that the French delegation is coming to Da Zhou. Will they make a lot of purchases when they leave? Someone asked me to ask if I can help them with something?" Jia Zhen asked in a low voice. Jia Lian secretly despised him when he heard it.

"The biggest players in overseas business today are actually the English, with the French being slightly inferior. This time it's mainly an embassy, ​​so if you want to do business, you'll have to wait until next year. You're asking for the Zhen family, right? Listen to me, have less contact with their family in the future." Jia Lian wasn't really advising him out of kindness, he was just afraid that he would bring new trouble.

"The Zhen family controls the Jiangning Weaving Factory. In the past, if they wanted to do maritime trade, they had to go through other people. Now they want to contact Westerners directly. I just want to be a middleman and not be too close to them." Jia Zhen explained. After all, he knew that Jia Lian disliked the Zhen family.

Jia Lian lowered his voice and said, "The Zhen family is in debt of more than two million taels. It would be fine if they didn't mention paying back the money. Just go and see how extravagant their family's lifestyle is. It's far better than mine. Lord Sun was rectifying the tax arrears in Liangjiang, and the Zhen family stood up for the gentry for a little money. Brother Zhen, this family is a big pit that will bury people. If you want to jump in, don't drag me with you."

Jia Zhen was shocked and took a sip of wine to calm himself down, but he choked and started coughing. His breathing became difficult and his face turned red. Jia Lian was shocked and said, "Don't cough to death in front of me."

He quickly stood up and helped him breathe. After a while, Jia Zhen gradually got better. After breathing smoothly, he sighed and said, "Since I came back from Liaodong, my health has been getting worse day by day. I have been coughing a lot recently, and my chest is always blocked."

Jia Lian really didn't know about this, so he quickly pretended to be concerned: "Have you seen a doctor?"

"The imperial physician examined me and said something about a so-called qi disease, saying that the trip to Liaodong had damaged my foundation, which was why I had this symptom."

Jia Lian didn't say anything, but he was thinking in his heart, it's summer now, how can you say you have a respiratory infection? If it were spring, it would be understandable, it might be a pollen allergy.

"No more talking. I'll take you home first. If you're not feeling well, don't run around and drink less." Jia Lian stood up and apologized, and then took Jia Zhen home with a brotherly and respectful attitude. Jia Zheng, who was sitting, nodded with satisfaction. He had the upper hand in today's banquet. He was flattered by his clansmen, but he tried his best to be reserved.

How should I put it? After all, relatives by marriage are inferior to the regular officials who take the imperial examinations.

To put it bluntly, according to history books, the reputation of relatives by marriage has never been good.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing are among the very few.

Upon hearing the news, Youshi also came up, and Jia Rong arrived soon after. They sent Jia Zhen back and he fell asleep soon after lying down. Jia Lian saw a flowerpot on the windowsill, and he had never seen anything planted in it before, so he became a little curious, wondering why Jia Zhen liked this.

Youshi had been paying attention to him, and when she saw his gaze, she noted it. When she came out, she explained, "I don't know where Rong'er got these exotic flowers from overseas. He heard they were valuable, so he took all of them. There are several pots, and there is also a pot in the study."

Jia Lian went looking for Jia Rong to ask him clearly, but unexpectedly, this guy disappeared and no one knew where he went.

"Where is Rong'er?" Jia Lian asked casually. Youshi said, "I don't know. He has been elusive recently."

Jia Lian felt more and more that something was wrong. This guy used to like joining in the fun. Did he do something wrong?
Before Jia Lian could think about it, Youshi pulled him into a secluded courtyard. After Lai Er's death, Youshi's power increased greatly, and she basically had the final say in the backyard.

(End of this chapter)