Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 334 may not be a good thing

Hide in the small building and become one!
This is Jia Lian’s mentality!
He watched the ups and downs outside without saying a word.

The main function of the canal transport was transportation, and the transportation of grain from the south to the north accounted for a major part of the flow.

In order to maintain the canal, a special governor of the canal transportation was appointed, with tens of thousands of officials, soldiers and countless people who made a living from the canal. In order to maintain the normal operation of the canal, the court allocated up to 3 million taels of silver every year.

There is always a logic of interest behind the promotion of anything in the court.

Historically, after the Yellow River burst its banks in 1855, the Qing government was unable to recover and sea transportation became inevitable.

Therefore, the so-called livelihood of millions of water transport workers is just an excuse. Yes, the livelihoods of many people have been affected. Doesn't this precisely reflect the inaction of court officials?
As grain is transported by sea, the role of the canal is greatly reduced. What is the significance of the continued existence of the system of grain transport governors?

The Ministry of Revenue calculated that the cost of transporting grain by sea was reduced by 60%. The cost of maintaining the normal operation of the canal would depend on whether the budget submitted by the Governor of the Grain Transport Bureau could be approved.

A memorial from the censor Gu Ning triggered a major case of the canal transport. Starting from Yangzhou, hundreds of officials from all over the country were arrested, including officials from the canal transport and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It took two months for the heat to slowly subside. Emperor Chenghui overruled all opposition and formed a joint case-handling team consisting of the Dragon Guard, the Supervisory Office, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dali Temple. They attacked from multiple directions without stopping and arrested more than 200 officials within two months.

Among them, Long Jinwei was responsible for the house search, and other departments jointly handled the case. Of the proceeds from the house search, 30% went to the Neiku, 30% went to the Ministry of Revenue, and the remaining 40% was equally divided among the four departments that jointly handled the case.

Being able to participate in the money sharing, the efficiency of the joint case-handling team was greatly improved. Cases that previously would not produce results within half a year were now all resolved in three months. The officials involved in the cases were either killed, exiled, or imprisoned, and the worst-hit were their families, who lived in fear that the court would implicate them.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the temperature dropped. Without the torture of the heat, the entire backyard of the Jia Mansion became much more lively.

That day, Wang Xifeng went to the front yard in a good mood. Unexpectedly, Jia She was also in front of Jia Mu. He said something to make Jia Mu smile, which was a rare sight compared to the usual practice of always making Jia Mu angry.

Wang Xifeng stepped forward to greet everyone. Jia She waited for her to step back before saying, "Wife, the You family in the East Palace had another child a month ago. The Jia family is small in number, so you need to be more generous."

In the hall, Jia's mother sat still, watching Wang Xifeng's reaction expressionlessly. This incident caught Wang Xifeng off guard. She looked around and saw no one to help her. She could only grit her teeth and bow her head and said, "I know!"

Jia She said, "The maids that the old lady has trained are all excellent. Judging from Xiren's figure, she is a good childbearer. You can take her back. It is a gift from the elders, so I dare not refuse it!"

These words were spoken with such earnestness that Wang Xifeng was about to explode with anger, but she had no emotion of resistance and could only endure it.

Jia Lian, who handled official business in the yamen in the morning and slacked off in the afternoon, had no idea about this. When he returned home after finishing his shift, he saw Yingchun and Tanchun both hanging around their daughter, and thought to himself: They must really like Qiaojie.

After greeting the two sisters, Jia Lian did not see Wang Xifeng, so he asked, "Where is Feng'er?"

Yingchun and Tanchun said they didn't know, but the nurse explained: "Madam said she was feeling depressed and was resting in the room."

Jia Lian said to the two sisters, "You guys play here, I'll go to the back and take a look."

Walking through the hall and the courtyard, I heard Wang Xifeng's full-throated voice cursing: "It's all your fault that you two haven't laid an egg in more than a year, and you've made me suffer."

Jia Lian took a look and saw Ping'er and Guixiang standing there with their heads down and being scolded. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
"The nurse said you were in a bad mood, but I don't think so." Jia Lian came in with a smile. Ping'er and Guixiang found their backers and quickly got up to greet him and helped him change his clothes.

Wang Xifeng also stood up from her chair, took the hot towel from the maid, and held it with both hands to wipe Jia Lian. The capital city is dusty, and even if the official uniform is thin, one will still be sweaty after a day. Every day after work, the first thing to do is to wipe and change clothes. The women in the backyard, as strong as Wang Xifeng, will personally serve Jia Lian. Well, it is mainly because of Jia Lian's strong rise, and the Jia family is as powerful as the Wang family.

After cleaning up, Jia Lian sat down and asked patiently, "What happened?"

Wang Xifeng looked around and saw that the maids had left, leaving only Ping'er and Guixiang. She then spoke and told her everything that had happened at Grandmother Jia's place. Finally, she sighed and said, "I don't know what benefit my father-in-law got from helping Grandmother. Sister Zhen from the East House has not finished her confinement, and Qin is waiting on her. For a while, no one spoke for me. It's as if the lack of a large number of people in the Jia family is my fault alone."

Jia Lian was actually quite speechless. If you want to say that the family is not prosperous, is that Jia Lian's only problem? As an elder, he is unreasonable and there is really nothing we can do.

Fortunately, Wang Xifeng just wanted to talk and vent, and after Jia Lian listened to her patiently, his anger almost subsided.

After having dinner together, Jia Lian took a bath and changed his clothes, and Wang Xifeng did not mention the matter again.

That night, Wang Xifeng repeatedly provoked Jia Lian, who was enraged, stood up and kicked, and the suppression effect was very good.

After getting up early and exercising, Xiren carried a bag and followed Lai Dajia's appearance with her head down.

Jia Lian, who was eating breakfast, took a look and asked, "What did Feng Er say?"

Lai Dajia responded, "Second Madam Lian said that Second Master will make the arrangements."

Jia Lian called Guixiang over and said, "Send it to the study. Xiangling should have a companion."

After the explanation, Guixiang led the people to the study room. Ping'er helped them put on their official uniforms. Before Jia Lian left, Ping'er asked, "Does the Second Master like her?"

Ping'er's buttocks were hit. Jia Lian said calmly, "It's messy enough, don't join in the fun. It's better for her to be in the study than to be in front of Feng'er all the time."

In fact, everyone knows the reason why the old lady put people around Jia Lian. Isn't it just that damn desire for control?

Jia Lian didn't care, he was not Baoyu, Jia Mu wanted to drive away Xiren who had taken refuge with Lady Wang, Baoyu didn't dare to say a word. Jia Lian certainly wouldn't buy it.

On the way to work, Jia Lian couldn't help thinking in the carriage, I'll ask Lai Dajie to bring Qingwen over as well, eh!
You really don't say it. After Lai Da finished her job and left Jia Lian's yard, Lai Da came out from the corner and asked her, "Did you accept the person?"

Lai Da nodded and said, "Send it to the study." Lai Da stroked his chin and said, "Like father, like son. Second Master Lian is also a lustful man. From now on, you just need to please him."

"Why, are you still thinking about Shang Rong?"

"Whether the Lai family can get back on their feet or not, they still have to rely on Second Master Lian to lead the way."

In the Qianqing Palace, before another busy day began, Emperor Chenghui listened to Qiu Shi'an report important news from the capital.

After the cabinet compromised, the case of the grain transport was handled smoothly, and no one mentioned the issue of abolishing sea transport. The right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue was also an old minister, and Emperor Chenghui showed him special favor. After his good attitude of admitting his guilt, he was fined and his property was confiscated, and no other criminal responsibility was pursued, allowing him to return home to retire. The reason was simple. He was employed by Zhang Ting'en when he was in office, and Emperor Chenghui needed to save face for Zhang Ting'en.

The situation of other ministers was not so good. The various departments insisted on dealing with them according to the law and sentenced them accordingly.

Qiu Shian's report focused on the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The eunuchs and officials were easy to deal with, but the difficult part was the clan elders. "King Zhongshun meant that we are all clan members, so we should be lenient. Just confiscate the family property. You can't force the whole family to beg for food on the street, right?"

Emperor Chenghui paused for a moment while holding the teacup, and asked, "How are the second and third brothers doing?"

"The Second Prince has submitted a memorial, and I have placed it on the table. The Third Prince has stayed indoors except for his normal shifts."

Emperor Chenghui flipped through Li Yuan's memorial and looked at it. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered what he was thinking. After a while, he said, "Keep the memorial in the palace!"

Then he asked, "How is Jia Lian doing recently?" While speaking, Emperor Chenghui's mouth corners were raised without any concealment, and he almost laughed out loud.

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, Qiu Shian smiled and said, "Everything is normal, but I heard that he often said in private: The sun is shining!"

Emperor Chenghui smiled even more and said, "This lazy fellow just needs a whip."

Qiu Shian added: "Jia Lian should be grateful for the saint's whip. There has been an incident in the Jia Mansion recently..."

When Emperor Chenghui learned that Jia Lian's backyard was in turmoil, he laughed even more happily, undisguisedly gloating over his misfortune, and even sarcastically said, "If you can't even clean up your own house, how can you clean up the world?"

Seeing Ni Er at the gate of the yamen early in the morning, Jia Lian got off the car immediately. Ni Er stepped forward and greeted him: "Second Master, the fake nun went to the Zhen family three times this month and went out the back door. She left the city early this morning."

Jia Lian was stunned. Is it still the Zhen family? It seems that the Zhen family can really hold on. As long as the emperor is alive, the Zhen family will not perish, right? Where can the fake nun go after leaving the city?
"Lead the horse!" Jia Lian ordered, and Zhuzi behind him immediately led the horse over. Jia Lian jumped on the horse and said, "Lead the way!"

Ni Er brought a mule, climbed on it and led the way, Jia Lian followed on horseback, and more than ten family generals followed closely.

After exiting the west gate, a man on the street came forward and reported: "Second Master, someone followed us, and it seems to be heading towards Xuanzhen Temple."

Jia Lian immediately dismounted and said, "Send someone to keep a close eye on her and see if she really went to Xuanzhen Temple."

To be honest, after reading the original novel, Jia Lian naturally thought of Miaoyu. Jia She did not interfere in many matters of the Jia family, and it was the father and son of the East Palace who were doing all the work.

Jia Lian is currently unable to determine the origins of the fake nun. Judging from the current situation, she is definitely related to the Zhen family, and may even be a connecting link.

There was one thing that Jia Lian was very curious about, and that was how this fake nun could escape the eyes and ears of Guardian Long. You have to know that this was the capital, unlike other places, Guardian Long was everywhere.

Did Xia Shouzhong know about it but didn't report it? Or was the person in Longjinwei who was responsible for monitoring the Zhen family a spy?

If it's the latter, then the problem is simple.

"Keep watching from a distance and don't get discovered." Jia Lian decided to play it long game and not deal with it in a rush.

The main reason is that the emperor is still alive, so the Zhen family will not fall. If the Zhen family does not fall, many things cannot be done, and it will instead alert the enemy.

This clue can be concealed from the eyes and ears of Emperor Chenghui, so no matter what method is used, Jia Lian dare not be careless.

As for Jia Jing, Jia Lian didn't have any good ideas for the time being, so he just had to keep an eye on him. If that didn't work, he would kill him!
On the way back to the yamen, Jia Lian thought about it and decided to take a look at the shop in the Jia Mansion. Jia Yun, who was already able to work on his own, saw Jia Lian coming and hurried out to greet him.

The shop is located in the commercial district of Dongcheng District. It looks to be about 100 square meters in size, with a yard at the back.

"I'm on a routine inspection. If nothing else, please go." The officers from the Five Cities Army in East City hurried over to see him, and Jia Lian gestured that everyone should do their job.

The shop was doing very well, so Jia Yun apologized and went back to work. Jia Lian sat under the awning at the door drinking tea and looking around for a while. Jia Yun had almost finished his work and came over to talk.

"The period after the Mid-Autumn Festival is the best for business. Yesterday, a merchant from Liaodong came and said he wanted to place some goods in the store for sale. This matter has been reported to Rong Ge'er."

Jia Lian did not meet Jia Rong, nor did he ask about the business in Liaodong. He waited to see whether Jia Rong would report.

"What are the main products that sell well?" Since this concerns the family's income, Jia Lian cannot just ignore it and be a hands-off boss.

"First, cigarettes are selling well. We sell almost as much as we produce. Secondly, we sell the various southern goods sent by the Xue family. Finally, we sell books printed with movable type. It's a low-profit, high-volume business. Yesterday, Rong Ge'er also said that he would buy the shop next door and expand it into one."

Speaking of Xue Pan, Jia Lian couldn't help asking, "The Xue family has plenty of shops in the capital, so why are they selling southern goods at my place?"

Jia Yun looked around and whispered, "Second Master, are we talking in the backyard?"

"Yes!" Jia Lian nodded and went to the backyard. There was one jujube tree in the yard, not two.

A tea table and chairs were placed under the tree. After Jia Lian sat down, Jia Yun personally brought tea and stood aside and whispered, "The Xue family's own shop also sells southern goods, and the price is a little lower than the market. Rong Ge'er didn't explain it clearly. I guess Xue Pan wants to use the power of the Jia family to sell at a low price and hit his peers. I heard that half of the Xue family's goods are shipped by sea, and with the protection of the Wang family, this is probably true. If this is true, there will inevitably be conflicts."

Seeing that Jia Yun was still not satisfied, Jia Lian said with a sullen face, "Don't say half of what you are saying."

"There are naval escorts in Tianjin, so there shouldn't be any problems. What we are worried about is Tongzhou. The southern goods will be transported to the capital first and then stored in the warehouse in Tongzhou. These are just minor alarmist remarks, and it's just a matter of a fire."

At this point, Jia Lian understood that part of Xue's southern goods were transported by canal to conceal their tracks, while most of them were transported by sea to reduce costs and then shipped to the capital to compete with others on price.

After killing their competitors, the Xue family almost monopolized the business route.

What a bold idea! This is clearly an attempt to drag the Jia family into the water, or to tie the Jia family tightly with interests.

"Well, I haven't seen Xue Pan for a while. Has he returned to Jinling?" Jia Lian asked casually. Jia Yun said, "He went back a month ago. He rushed back to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Hearing this, Jia Lian changed the subject: "What's the latest news in East City?"

Jia Yun said, "There are more goods in Liaodong. We are rushing to ship them to Tianjin before winter comes. They will be transported to Tongzhou by water. I saw some samples yesterday. Ginseng and oriental pearls are all top-quality goods."

As he spoke, Jia Yun bent down again and lowered his voice, "Second Master, if you ask me to sell the best Liaodong goods without paying cash, the profit may be huge, but it may not be a good thing!"

(End of this chapter)