Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 280 Worthless Conscience
Emperor Chenghui, who had the time advantage, deliberately revealed a flaw, hiss...

It was already dark when we left the Lin family. We returned to the Jia family and walked through the front yard. Jia Zheng in the middle yard came out and asked, "Is Lian-ge'er back?"

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment. This was rare. Given Jia Zheng's personality, he would not wait for him like this unless something happened.

With a plan in mind, Jia Lian smiled and asked, "Second Uncle, is there something wrong?"

Jia Zheng looked around and whispered, "The Zhen family wants to host a party. The housekeeper Zhen San has sent an invitation and is waiting for a reply."

Jia Lian understood what he meant, he was asking for advice. Well, it shows that Jia Zheng is still a bit of a talent.

In fact, Jia Lian was really overthinking it. The fact that the Jia family was ransacked and Jia Zheng was able to survive alone is very telling.

"Second Uncle Zheng, since the Zhen family has sent a notice, and the two families have an old relationship, you can just go and deal with it by yourself. But don't make promises easily. You can drink wine, but don't drink too much."

After all, they are family, and Jia Lian, who does not want to be implicated, gives his opinions very objectively.

Jia Zheng nodded and expressed his own thoughts: "Now that the two generations of emperors are competing with each other, the Zhen family relies on the retired emperor. Lian Ge'er is favored by the current emperor, and there are some things that the Jia family is not suitable to do."

Jia Lian was shocked by these words. If you had this awareness, how could you bring Miaoyu home? Jia Lian soon realized that the Jia family in the original novel had no one who could hold up the facade, and Emperor Chenghui was not as strong as it is now. It was normal for the Jia family to waver, and betting on multiple parties has always been a common tactic. Today, the Jia family, with the rise of Jia Lian, has supported the declining family situation. When facing the Zhen family, they naturally have to be tougher. Jia Zheng's attitude has also become, I won't offend you, but I won't get involved either.

After receiving Zhen San's reply, the eldest brother of the Zhen family had no expression on his face, but he was still thinking a lot. He realized that Jia She was the boss of the Jia family, so Jia Zhen, Jia She, and Jia Zheng did not dare to make decisions on their own. If he made decisions on his own, he would be attacked by the whole family.

"You should go and have a rest first." Zhen Qin, the eldest of the Zhen family, sent Zhen San away, feeling a little uneasy. But the Zhen family is not the Jia family, and the Zhen family has no choice. The Zhen family rose to prominence because the 83-year-old old lady of the Zhen family had been the wet nurse of the emperor. Relying on this, the Zhen family prospered in Jiangning. When Jia Lian went to Jinling, the Zhen family was much more prosperous than the Jia family.

Because of this inertia, Jia Lian was not taken seriously at the time, which was not a big deal for the Zhen family.

Who would have thought that the Jia family would rise so quickly? Not to mention Jia Lian, Yuanchun in the palace is about to give birth. As one rises, the other falls, isn't this the current situation? The emperor is getting older day by day, and the Zhen family has to follow him to the end. For a family like the Zhen family that has not continued to rise even if they struggle, the rich life has buried not only their fighting spirit, but also their IQ.

As Jia Lian was walking back, Yin Die, who had been with You Shi, flashed out from behind the rockery. Jia Lian was startled and took a closer look before saying, "Why are you here?" Yin Die lowered her voice and said, "Grandmother asked me to tell her that she will go to the family temple tomorrow."

After saying this, Yin Die left in a hurry. Jia Lian looked at her receding back and thought of the white steamed buns from Mantou Temple.

The next day, Jia Lian got up and went to the Shenjiying to show his face, then returned to the Wucheng Bingma Division. Jian Renda came to report that everyone had been deployed. After Jia Lian encouraged him, he went to the R&D Division. These people did not idle away, but kept an eye on the production of new firearms and worked on optimizing the bronze field guns according to Jia Lian's requirements.

The reason why bronze was chosen is that the material is stretchable. The Zhou Dynasty did not lack cast iron cannons, and the craftsmanship was relatively advanced, but the material was poor. This resulted in cast iron cannons being heavier, which was the result of adding more water to the surface and more flour to the surface.

If you want to make a suitable field artillery, you must first solve the problem of materials. On the road, it is not like on the sea. Large-caliber artillery on warships is not a problem at all, but how to transport it on land is a problem. The heavy artillery has no mobility. It is okay for defending the city, but it is useless for field battles. The following are the reasons for the poor material quality. One is the sulfur content of coal, and the other is the phosphorus content of iron ore. As for the iron content in the ore, this problem cannot be considered a problem, because you have no choice. You can't go to Shilu iron ore, right?

In fact, there is a good quality iron ore in the suburbs of Beijing, in the Shijingshan area, but it has not been discovered yet. Although Jia Lian knows about it, he is not a science and engineering major, and he does not have the skills to find the mine. He can only rely on the little knowledge he has learned and hope to make some small technological innovations in smelting.

The sulfur problem is solved by washing the coal first and then coking it. The phosphorus problem is a chemical problem, so add some neutralizer. In any case, this land is not short of iron ore, but it lacks rich ore. Even if you know that Brazil and Australia have rich iron ore these days, you can only stare blankly.

The reality of transportation, with no ships or trains, was before us, so if we wanted to make steel we had to do it nearby.

Of course, if Jia Lian were really to be in charge of this aspect, he would be able to meet the needs of this era.

Isn't this the main problem of this era, or an internal problem of the Great Zhou? To put it bluntly, the emperor didn't even understand the internal problems, so how could he have the mind to expand abroad.

After looking at the newly cast bronze field gun, Jia Lian did not comment, but told the craftsmen to use more experimental data. There were two requirements: weight reduction and power.

It was getting late, so Jia Lian quietly left the city. He asked his servants to keep a close eye on the outside of Mantou Temple, and then he walked into the courtyard alone.

The little nun Zhineng has grown a little taller. Girls grow up quickly. In a few years, she will be able to roll around with Qin Zhong.

Thinking of Qin Zhong, Jia Lian couldn't help but think of Baoyu. It had been a while since he last saw Bao Yu. One Rongguo Mansion, two Yu Yus!
Well, you'll be beaten up by Baoyu later. Don't you dislike studying? I'll definitely arrange it for you.

There was not only Youshi in the west wing, there was also another woman coming out from behind the side courtyard door. Jia Lian had never seen her before and could not help but frowning slightly.

Jingxu, who had rushed over, saw Jia Lian had discovered that there was an outsider, and immediately came forward in panic to explain: "Amitabha, this poor nun greets the second master. This monk Wuchen, who is practicing with his hair untied, is an outsider and is staying here temporarily."

The strange woman in the west wing was wearing a veil, and her loose black clothes could not hide her graceful figure. She felt a little alert.

Jia Lian exchanged a glance with Youshi in the main room of the west wing, and said to Jingxu, "I have something to ask you."

After saying this, she turned around and came out. Jingxu hurriedly followed. Jia Lian stopped when they were alone and asked her, "How much money did you take from them?"

Jingxu was so frightened that she trembled like a sieve, and confessed repeatedly: "It's all my fault that I took her in because I was greedy. If you are dissatisfied, I will chase her away. I will also return the two hundred taels of silver to her."

Jia Lian did not respond and continued to ask: "Did she tell me where she came from?"

Jingxu was delighted to see that Jia Lian was not angry, and quickly explained: "She is said to be the daughter of a convicted official, with an old woman and a maid by her side. She usually stays quietly in the nunnery and only goes to the capital once every ten days. I didn't have the courage to ask which father she was."

Taking money to do things is also Jingxu's style. Jia Lian said coldly: "Take the man to your room and come out after I leave."

Speaking of which, Shuiyue Temple (Mantou Temple) is not a good place, and Jingxu is not a serious practitioner. To put it bluntly, as long as Jia Lian gives a hint, this middle-aged nun doesn't mind arranging some VIP services.

Of course, Master Jia was not a good guy either, so he could only warn Jingxu: "If a word of my affairs gets out, I will bury you in the backyard as fertilizer." Jingxu knew that he had escaped a disaster, and he kept saying that he dared not. Jia Lian returned to the gate of the west wing and stood outside. Jingxu went in and led out the monk Wuchen. Jia Lian had been observing carefully. He saw that the woman's walking posture was quite like a lady from a noble family. He did not doubt that she was there. After all, many unlucky officials in the capital were now waiting to be dealt with in the South Courtyard Prison. It was estimated that the case might not have a result before the New Year.

When the monk Wuchen was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and raised her head, lifted her veil with both hands, glanced at Jia Lian, and then put it down.

Although he knew that the woman did it on purpose, Jia Lian was still amazed and almost called out "Sister Jiuyi". Some women's faces can make men have primitive thoughts. In ancient times, this was called fox charm, and it was often accompanied by the idiom "bringing disaster to the country and the people". As a modern person, Jia Lian does not like this kind of view that characterizes people based on their faces.

It is obvious that the atmosphere is one where male power holds absolute dominance and the country has been ruined, but they blame women. It is hilarious.

People like Bao Si, Xi Shi, and Yang Guifei were all accused of similar things. So, men who hold this kind of view need a Wu Zetian or Cixi to teach them a lesson. A bunch of grown men! Nothing to say.

Jia Lian thought that this woman must have something going on. He would know the answer when he turned around.

When Youshi saw Jia Lian coming in, she couldn't help but say, "He's good-looking, isn't he?"

Jia Lian hummed, raised his head and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Youshi led him into the house, lowered the curtain and got on the kang, whispering, "You left in a hurry to go to Jining at the beginning, so I couldn't tell you. Later, I wanted to write a letter, but I was afraid that someone would read it, so I delayed it until today when you were about to show your pregnancy. I couldn't hide it anymore, and Jia Zhen also knew about it."

Yu-shi was touching her belly while she was talking. Jia Lian understood what she was saying and his face trembled slightly. He asked in a low voice, "What did Jia Zhen say?"

Seeing that he was nervous, Youshi burst out laughing and said, "Look at how nervous you are. He didn't think it had anything to do with you. I just said that I didn't have any reaction, so I didn't pay much attention to it. I felt unwell recently, and I found out after seeing a doctor."

"He has no doubts?" Jia Lian didn't quite believe it. Jia Zhen couldn't be so stupid, right?
Youshi explained, "Tiankui didn't come after you left, so he took advantage of his drunkenness and slept with me all night. Don't worry, I haven't let him touch me since the first time I was here, and he thought I got pregnant after drinking."

Jia Lian naturally believed Youshi, because it didn't matter whether it was true or not. Cao, a thief who was not worthy of his name, had no face to ask for too much.

"What do you think?" Jia Lian felt that Youshi might have other thoughts, so he asked another question.

Yu said, "What else can I think of? I just want to tell you that I hope you can take care of me from now on."

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, thinking that Youshi had suggested to Jia Zhen that Dalang drink the medicine, but he didn't expect that it was just that.

Youshi seemed to have thought of something, and said to herself: "Rong'er has been a little weird recently. She has secretly looked at Jia Zhen several times with a look that is creepy." As she spoke, Youshi asked Yindie to go out to guard the courtyard door and lifted the quilt on the kang...

An hour later, Yindie came in carrying a copper kettle for boiling water and looked at Jia Lian eagerly.

Yu raised her hand and hit her, saying, "Don't you see where you are?"

Jia Lian said he saw nothing about Youshi's double standards.

Yu Shi, who was in a good mood, talked about the East Mansion again: "After Qin Shi came in, she was quite clever. She made the old lady very happy, and Jia Zhen became very irritated when he didn't see her for a day. Rong'er broke in twice and took Qin Shi back with a sullen face. Jia Zhen smashed some things. If you hadn't held Jia Zhen down for a while after you came back, I'm afraid it would have been even more difficult to clean up."

Jia Lian understood that Jia Rong would rebel now, which was a good thing, but also not a good thing. He was overthinking.

Yu Shi continued, "Jia Zhen scolded Rong'er several times, saying that he drank your father's pot-washing water and so on. It was really unpleasant to hear."

Jia Lian felt uncomfortable after hearing this, because this boomerang was meant to hit Cao Cao. But Jia Rong was indeed like this, always liking to put a hat on Jia Zhen. Jia Zhen was also like a bear trying to break a stick, dropping it along the way, and Jia Rong really had to take over a lot of it now.

This father and son are truly a miracle created by the excellent matching mechanism of Ningguo Mansion.

Perhaps sensing Jia Lian's awkward expression, Youshi quickly changed the subject and said, "I received a letter from home a few days ago saying that my father was not feeling well. I was thinking about letting him come to the capital to see a doctor. If he can be transferred to the capital, it would be worth spending some money."

Yu's father was a low-ranking military general in the northwest, and it was not easy for him to go to Beijing. Of course, the main reason was that Jia Zhen was unwilling to help.

"I'll think of a way to deal with this matter. Just tell me the name." Jia Lian looked at Youshi's belly and agreed. The Ministry of War was a bit troublesome. After all, they had just made enemies. It would not be difficult to transfer them to the Beijing camp because of the relationship with Yue Qi.

After getting the confirmation, Youshi left with a smile on her face. Jia Lian did not leave in a hurry, but went to the middle courtyard. He felt that the monk Wuchen was not right, so he took the initiative to come to the door. It was definitely not because she looked like a mature version of Jiuyijie.

When Jingxu saw Jia Lian, she naturally flattered him, but she had received money and dared not say a word. After all, Jia Lian was not the ruthless character who dared to break into the palace, and a single look from him could scare her to death.

Jia Lian was not polite and said directly: "Where is Wu Chen? Let her come. I have some questions for you."

Jingxu immediately smiled flatteringly, leaned closer and whispered, "Master, I have something good in my hand. Even if that chaste woman is deceived, I will make her lie down and listen to you."

Jia Lian was stunned. This Jingxu was really a "talent", a talent who did immoral things.

"Don't mind my business!" Jia Lian scolded unhappily and threw a silver note over. Jingxu took the note, looked at the boy, and went down with a smile.

After a while, Jingxu brought Wuchen over, served him tea, took a look at the teacup, and left with a smile.

Wu Chen sat down quietly. Jia Lian looked at her without saying anything. Wu Chen was wearing a veil, so no clues could be seen. When she reached out to take the teacup, Jia Lian said, "I advise you not to drink that tea." After saying that, Jia Lian felt a little regretful. [My damn worthless conscience! ]

(End of this chapter)