Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 279 Who is Time
When Pan Jixun met the official who came to complain, he asked with a smile: "Please tell me about the distribution process of the equipment produced in normal times." The people from the Yuhengsi quickly reported in detail, production-warehousing-the military took the order from the Ministry of War to collect the equipment out of the warehouse.

It was a simple three-step process involving three departments. Pan Jixun was also an old official, so of course he knew that Jia Lian's actions had seriously harmed the interests of the Yuheng Division. What specific interests? Let's put it this way, even if you come with an imperial edict to pick up the goods, you may not be able to get them in time. Not to mention the official documents from the Ministry of War, otherwise how could you say that Jia Lian was excessive? The Ministry of Works was not rich to begin with, and this little bit of oil and water was about to be cut off. It was considered well-educated to be able to bear not to beat Jia Lian at the time.

From the perspective of the military, it is true that receiving equipment is free, but whether it is the warehouse of the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Industry, you cannot just go there and get the goods. The official documents of the Ministry of War need some benefits to be delivered in time. If you want to get the goods in the warehouse of the Ministry of Industry in the end, you still need to give benefits. If the benefits are not given in place, the goods you get may still be defective. Who can bear this?

The military was not very enthusiastic about transferring equipment, and the quality of the products from the Ministry of Industry was hard to say. The good stuff in the warehouse was not wanted by the military, so it naturally flowed into the civilian population. This is why the flintlock rifle, although good, has not been fully promoted. One reason is the high cost, and the other is that the military can make do with the matchlock rifle, so why spend money and suffer? The Ministry of Industry didn't care at all. Anyway, it was profitable to make the matchlock rifle with the cost of the flintlock rifle.

After asking about the situation, Pan Jixun quickly completed the vein map in his mind, and said earnestly to the doctor of Yuhengsi who came to complain: "Lord Jia directly skipped the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War will trouble him. Everyone, please be patient. We will talk about it after the Ministry of War does not respond."

This is a very meaningful statement. Anyone with a brain will quickly understand what it means for Jia Lian to directly skip the Ministry of War.
Now it's just a matter of the new muskets, what if he takes over the entire warehouse? Don't think he can't do it, what if?
This kind of thing makes my scalp tingle just thinking about it, but money can move people's hearts, and destroying someone's wealth is like killing their parents. I'm sure I'll be unwilling to accept it!

The head of the highest department has spoken, so the people from Yuhengsi can only endure it for the time being, but they still have to take some small actions.

Just then, Jia Zheng was not off work when someone came to see him. Seeing that it was a colleague from the Yuheng Division, Jia Zheng, who was always upright, greeted him politely. After some pleasantries, the other party insisted on inviting him to dinner. Jia Zheng was not stupid, so of course he politely declined, saying, "Brother, if you have anything to say, please talk. We are all colleagues, and I will help you if I can."

The groom had to politely express his wish to invite Jia Lian to dinner, but as he was worried that his connections were not good enough, he asked Jia Zheng to pass on a message.

Jia Zheng said that he could help and pass on the message.

On the way home from get off work, Jia Zheng was in mixed feelings. His career had a bad start, as he was promoted to the fifth rank. It was difficult to move up any further. The resources at home were of no help at all. He worked in the Ministry of Industry, and his colleagues were all nice, and his superiors were not bad either. But every time there was an opportunity for promotion, he was definitely not on the recommended list. That was the reality!

It can be said that Jia Zheng has no future if he wants to advance on the path of becoming a Beijing official. The only way to advance is to be sent out! It is no problem for a Beijing official of the fifth rank to be sent out to become a fourth rank official. Forget about being a local official, but you can still think about the deputy chief official. Compared with Jia Lian, the difference is as big as that between a man and a dog.

Jia Lian's official position is the head inspector of the city, a fifth-rank official, a newly created position. He has many other part-time jobs, including the secretary of the Central Secretariat, the research and development department of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Revenue. No matter which part-time job, the salary is paid in full, but Jia Lian does not collect it, and the salary is directly delivered to him in cash. The most annoying thing about Jia Lian is that he can lead troops, and he has both civil and military skills!

Uncle Jia Zheng's salary was half in silver dollars and the other half in kind. Sometimes he gave out rice or sometimes he gave out cloth. The most outrageous time was when he gave out corn flour. Isn't that infuriating? Does anyone in your family need that corn flour?

But you can't reason with the Ministry of Revenue. Who knows you outside the Ministry of Works? You are a privileged official, so you should behave yourself. If you can't stand it, go back and lead the troops to fight. If you don't have any skills, just be obedient.

At the door of his house, Jia Zheng met Jia Zhen and saw a familiar face beside him. Before he could remember, Jia Zhen took the initiative to introduce him: "I am the steward of the Zhen family. I am here to deliver the invitations. I want to invite my two uncles, me, and my second brother Lian to the banquet."

Jia Zheng angrily led Zhen San into the inner hall and sat him down. After serving tea, Jia Zheng took the initiative to ask Zhen San: "What did elder brother say to Lian'er?"

Putting Jia She in front is just a courtesy; what we really care about is Jia Lian's attitude.

"Mr. Lian hasn't come back yet, and Mr. She is ill and can't attend." Zhen San smiled and didn't flatter. After all, in a sense, the status of the Zhen family is higher than that of the Jia family. At least in the past thirty years, the Zhen family has suppressed the Jia family.

Jia She is ill? This is a lie, Jia Zheng certainly doesn't believe it, otherwise if you go and see, he must be drinking and playing with women.

"Leave the note here first. I'll reply after I meet Lian'er." Jia Zheng was somewhat politically sensitive. Today's grand court meeting was very exciting. He was not blind or deaf, so he knew that he had to be careful about everything recently.

If it were in the past, Zhen San would probably have just walked away in anger without any good look on his face. He only invites you because he thinks highly of you.

Now, Zhen San could only smile and stand up to say goodbye. Jia Zhen was escorted out, and he went back to the East Mansion yawning.

The new bride is indeed very attractive, but after being frightened by Jia Lian, Jia Zhen restrained himself a little. If he can't stay alone with her, it won't hurt to take a closer look. Recently, Youshi has always been lazy and has no energy for anything, and she doesn't even stare at him.

But to be honest, Jia Zhen really didn't have the courage to do so for the time being, so he just called Qin Keqing to have a one-on-one conversation with her whenever he had nothing to do.

As for Jia Rong, who was infected with the plague, he went out early and came back late every day, doing a lot of business outside.

Jia Lian sent the equipment to the Shenji Camp and handed it to Deputy General Yang. He was very emotional and said, "Why did the Ministry of War give you trouble?"

Deputy General Yang laughed arrogantly and said, "Dare you? My achievements were earned with my life. Isn't this just following the procedure? For the time being, I am still in charge of the Shenji Camp. Someone privately asked me if I want to be sent out as a general. I thought that it might be good to be able to skip the deputy general, but when I really go out, I won't be able to do anything, so I declined. I wanted to tell you about this a long time ago, but I was worried about disturbing your vacation. I didn't dare to come to your house."

Jia Lian naturally knew the seriousness of what Deputy General Yang said, and nodded with satisfaction, "You should send someone to the Ministry of War to investigate. The territory of Shenjiying was not easy to obtain, so don't let someone steal it by mistake."

Deputy General Yang, who was smart, understood immediately and whispered, "I understand. No matter what, I will keep a close eye on this piece of land of Shenjiying for you, sir."

Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction, met with the captains and other officials below, asked about the preparations for the New Year's benefits, and met with the soldiers. Then he left the Shenji Camp and saw that it was getting late, so he headed for the Lin family.

Upon learning that Jia Lian had arrived, little Daiyu volunteered to go and greet him, trotting along, a little out of breath.

When she saw Jia Lian, although she tried to remain calm, her face still rose and fell slightly, with blushing cheeks.

"Brother Lian is such an honored guest, we can't even invite him. Sigh, it's all because the Lin family has such a low threshold that we can't attract honored guests!" Daiyu started to talk like a Yin-Yang master, and Jia Lian's hair stood on end. He raised his hands and rubbed his arms vigorously, saying, "Stop, put it in plain words! I have goose bumps all over my body."

"I know about Brother Lian's affairs, but mother misses him and father often mentions him. Today I have the audacity to ask you to visit me more often in the future to fulfill my filial duty." Daiyu rolled her eyes and changed her tone and words. Jia Lian naturally wanted to fight back after hearing this. He looked up and sighed, "I thought it was just because I missed you, but I was just being sentimental."

Daiyu's little face was instantly painted red. She stamped her feet lightly, twisted her waist and turned her head: "Brother Lian is not serious, he bullies me!"

Alas, Sister Daiyu is no longer the crying little beauty in the original novel. In Jia Lian’s eyes, she has a different flavor.

Jia Min appeared with a crab-like belly. Looking at this scene, she sighed silently in her heart. Not only was the age gap a bit big, but Lian'er was also a married man. Don't create a grievance! Unless there is no one in the East Palace, Jia Lian will shoulder it all.

Jia Lian put away his scoundrel face, stepped forward and stretched out his hand to support Jia Min, saying: "Aunt is not feeling well, please do not neglect her. If you hurt the fetus, your nephew will be guilty of a great sin."

Jia Min felt a slight warmth in her heart and raised her hand to touch her head, but not only was she out of reach, it was also not appropriate.

"It's so rare that you remember to come and see me, aunt!" This was also a question from an old Yin-Yang master. Jia Lian didn't dare to fight back and smiled along. "Aunt is teaching me that I was totally wrong. I will definitely come often in the future."

Daiyu came over and kicked him in the calf with an invisible kick, but unfortunately it was an embroidered shoe and had little killing power, so Jia Lian didn't even try to rub it.

He even asked out of concern: "Sister Daiyu, don't hurt your feet!"

Daiyu went in angrily. Jia Lian supported Jia Min and walked in slowly. Just as they sat down, Lin Ruhai came back. Jia Lian had to stand up to greet him again. Lin Ruhai asked curiously, "Anything else?"

Jia Lian nodded: "I came here mainly to see my aunt and ask a question."

Lin Ruhai invited Jia Lian to sit opposite him, and the servants brought wine and banquet, and they talked while drinking.

"What's going on with the Censorate regarding the grain transport? There can't be no movement at all, right?" Jia Lian asked a question of concern. Lin Ruhai made a face as if it was impossible. "Hundreds of memorials were sent back without even being approved by the Ministry of Public Administration. The Cabinet has not even seen them, let alone sent them to His Majesty."

"That shouldn't be the case. How could the Tongzhengshisi get the courage to do that?" Jia Lian became even more curious. Lin Ruhai said, "The Third Prince!"

Oh, Li Laosan is getting angry. Jia Lian finally understood and asked, "It's impossible to suppress everything. The Ministry of Public Security can't suppress much. The ministers of the various ministries and the cabinet ministers can't just pretend that nothing happened, right?"

"I heard from Minister Pan that this issue is raised every time during the cabinet meeting, and His Majesty pushed it back because the rebellion has not been quelled. Otherwise, why would those people impeach Lord Sun? Isn't it because Lord Sun is in Liangjiang, forcing the grain transport to be shipped by sea? The newly appointed Governor of the Grain Transport, Zhang Ru, has submitted several memorials to impeach Lord Sun. The livelihood of millions of grain transport workers depends on it, so if there is a problem, it will be a big deal."

After Lin Ruhai said this, Jia Lian understood that it was not that the incident did not happen, but that it was suppressed by the emperor. It is still in the accumulation stage, and the next rebound will be more violent.

"So, when I was in Shandong, the price of grain in the capital was still reasonable."

Lin Ruhai nodded: "Of course, but it also increased by 20% at that time. Later, the grain was transported to the capital and was pushed back. Don't you think about it? The most profitable business is grain and salt. Which merchant doing these two businesses doesn't have a big shot behind him? Otherwise, the business can't continue. Not to mention the cabinet, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Clan Affairs have also made trouble."

Hearing this, Jia Lian slapped his thigh and said, "This is trouble. Something is going to happen to Lord Sun."

Lin Ruhai was also surprised when he heard this and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jia Lian said, "With so many interested parties, their ability to accomplish things is not great, but their destructive power is enormous. After the grain is transported by sea, each interested party will definitely consider their own interests first. If pressure from above fails, then they will have to go below. It is normal for such a large ship to leak at sea, right? In addition, the cabin of a grain transporting ship is very particular. Ordinary ships transporting grain will capsize in the slightest wind and waves. As for Lord Sun, even if you guard against thieves for a thousand days, there will always be a time when you are careless."

Lin Ruhai nodded slightly after hearing this: "Nothing went wrong with the early sea transportation of grain, and it arrived in Tianjin smoothly. If the people below slack off, if something goes wrong again, they will have an excuse to cause trouble, and if things go wrong, Elder Sun may have to retire early."

"Yes, there are too many interested parties involved in the grain transport. I'll have to trouble you, uncle, to meet His Majesty tomorrow, explain the pros and cons, and notify Lord Sun as quickly as possible." After Jia Lian finished speaking, he immediately asked for pen and ink to be prepared and to write down some possible guesses.

"When I see His Majesty tomorrow, I will tell His Majesty what is written above. Even if there are some problems in the future, my status in His Majesty's mind will be different. Good luck, uncle. One term is three years. I will strive to join the cabinet after two terms." Jia Lian made no secret of his arrangements. It would be very nice to have his own people in the cabinet. Unlike now, there are no his own people in the cabinet.

As for Guo Yan, he can't really be considered one of us. It's unrealistic to entrust the right to speak to him.

Lin Ruhai understood Jia Lian's judgment. If the grain transport was changed to sea transportation, something would definitely go wrong and Sun Huazhen would definitely be implicated.

At this moment, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but sigh, "The shipping you won by hitting the Prime Minister with an inkstone was hard to come by, but it's easy to destroy. If you flip two boats, the government and the public will be in turmoil, and then it will all depend on who has more people."

Jia Lian added silently in his heart, that may not be the case. Judging from the power structure of the Great Zhou, it still depends on the emperor's mind. If Emperor Chenghui is forced into a corner, he can really revive the Dragon Guard and monitor and suppress all officials by using the ancestral law.

Of course, before that, Emperor Chenghui must overcome the difficulty that is likely to occur next.

Next it depends on his willpower. Jia Lian predicted that it would happen in the next two months. If nothing happens in the twelfth month, something will happen in the first month. Anyway, it won't take too long. The emperor is old and he may fall down at any time. The time is right with Emperor Chenghui.

(End of this chapter)