Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 345 Big Moves One After Another

Xiren left with the silver dollar in her hand, feeling very mixed emotions, but overall it was pretty good. She was worried when the old lady arranged for her to come here, fearing that Jia Lian would be difficult to serve, but now it seems that there is no need to worry.

In a place like the Jia Mansion, maids are worthless, and there are countless people outside who want to send their daughters here.

Serving people? You have to serve people everywhere. If you enter the Jia Mansion, you can have enough food and clothes, and you will get a monthly allowance.

If you meet a master like Jia Lian, he can give you extra help if there is something going on at home.

But what can I say? Looking at Jia Lian's attitude towards Xiangling, Xiren is really envious. When will it be her turn to have such treatment?
Jia Lian had no intention of caring about what was happening in the backyard. He was in the study, holding a book and daydreaming, his mind filled with predicting what Emperor Chenghui would do next.

The emperor certainly does not want to see the decline of the Zhou nobles and the rise of the civil officials. How to solve this problem is very simple, we need fresh blood.

There is a limit on the continuous demotion of the nobles in the Great Zhou version. If peace lasts for a long time, the nobles will quickly fall into depravity without fresh blood.

If they want to continue to maintain a balance between civil and military affairs, external expansion is almost inevitable. The problem is that expansion from land has reached its limit for the Great Zhou.

After the pacification of the Western Regions, the existence of the Pamir Plateau cut off the possibility of a large-scale advance into Central Asia. The southern and northern deserts are now barren lands. Liaodong has been working hard for many years, but now the total population is only two million. In the direction of Myanmar in the southwest, there are several huge mountains, hot climates, and incurable malaria, all of which are tigers that rot on the road to advance.

If we really want to fight, few people will die in battle, but most will die from illness. No matter how you calculate the cost, it will be a loss.

Therefore, don’t think that the Central Plains dynasty did not think about external expansion. The cost was simply too high and the gains would not outweigh the losses.

There is a question that Jia Lian never had a clear answer to. When Zheng He sailed to the West, sepsis could be solved by using bean sprouts to supplement vitamins. How was malaria solved?
If malaria cannot be solved during the seven voyages to the West, many people will die. If it can be solved, there should be relevant records in medical books. If it is the former, then the number of deaths is not recorded in the official records. If it is the latter, then you have to ask the doctor. Jia Lian knows that the cold extraction process can extract artemisinin from Artemisia annua, or use quinine. The difference between the two is that quinine is a natural bark, and the problem can be solved by finding the place of origin. The disadvantage is sequelae and drug resistance. It is certain that quinine is not produced locally, and the rest is to ask the medical officer.

The topic of whether traditional Chinese medicine can cure diseases will not be discussed here. Jia Lian is more concerned about how to promote it on a large scale in an institutional manner.

To solve this problem, we must improve the social status and income of doctors.

Even though Jia Lian has been clamoring for overseas expansion via the sea, the problem of disease has not been solved, and the labor cost remains high. How can we afford to have only half of the people on a ship go back when they return?

If the people of the Great Zhou had a way to survive, they would not choose to go to sea. The opening of the Western voyages was driven by huge profits.

Therefore, on the one hand, they are driven by huge profits, and on the other hand, they are trying to improve the medical system for sailing and prepare for malaria, the most lethal disease.

The Great Zhou had been late for many years in heading towards the sea. Now that there was an opportunity before them, they had to catch up. Otherwise, if things went wrong, industrialization would crush agriculture again.

"If I hadn't come, it would have been fine, but now that I'm here, I have to make changes."

Why was the Qing Dynasty hated? For more than a hundred years, how much precious metals flowed out, how many treaties were signed that humiliated the country, and yet the Japanese were able to bully China for half a century and kill so many people.

Once a country or even a nation kneels down, it is very difficult to stand up! From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty to the present more than a hundred years, there are still many people kneeling.

Jia Lian stood up in anger and once again felt a sense of mission.

The curtain was raised, and Ping'er came in and said, "Master, it's time for dinner."

Jia Lian suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath to calm his emotions, then turned around and asked, "Didn't you give the old lady a good beating?"

Ping Er curled her lips slightly and said, "There are too many rules over there. Second Madam, Grandma Zhu, and Grandma Rong left after serving the elders. It would be uncomfortable to stay for dinner."

Jia Lian came over and put his arm around her slender waist and asked, "Madam, does your meal consist of no less than thirty-six dishes?"

Ping Er calmly endured the brief embrace, then gently pushed Jia Lian away and said, "Master She, Master Zheng, and Madam Wang are all of this standard, and Master Zhen of the East Palace is no different. It's as if people look down on you if you miss a dish. If it weren't for Master taking the lead in being frugal, the whole family would have to laugh at you."

Jia Lian smiled and walked out without any explanation. Without these insects, how could the Second Master be so good?

Wang Xifeng was obviously tired and occupied Jia Lian's recliner and didn't want to move. When Jia Lian came in, she wanted to get up, but Jia Lian held her down, pinched her shoulders with both hands and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble at home."

With just these kind words, Wang Xifeng's blood recovery accelerated, and with just the right amount of strength in her hands, she was instantly revived to full health.

At the dinner table, Wang Xifeng talked about previous events and family matters. Jia Lian listened patiently and gave some advice from time to time, showing his recognition of Wang Xifeng's hard work in housekeeping.

"I'm still fine. Grandma Zhu is really having a hard time. They say that grandparents are close to each other, but I've never seen Uncle Zheng and his wife care about Jia Lan."

Jia Lian did not comment on this. Li Wan was probably neglected because of her character and inability to please others. In addition, she was angered by Jia Zhu's death. In the original novel, Wang Xifeng and Li Wan were also fake sisters. Now it seems that Wang Xifeng took the initiative to ask Li Wan to help with the housekeeping, which made Li Wan's status in the family much better, and the relationship between the two became much closer.

"Sir, please take some time to say a few words to Rong'er. I see that Rong'er's wife looks unhappy and seems to be forcing a smile." When Wang Xifeng mentioned Qin Keqing, it seemed that the relationship between the two was really good.

Jia Lian has always suspected that Wang Xifeng knew Qin Keqing's background, so she had a good relationship with Qin Keqing. It is also possible that they were both the eldest daughter-in-law.

"Although I am the elder, I can't say much. Master Jing and Brother Zhen from the East Mansion are here. Is it my turn to make decisions?"

When Wang Xifeng heard Jia Lian say this, she leaned closer and whispered, "The dirty things going on in the East Palace are so terrible! Father and son..." Wang Xifeng shut up in time, after all, there were servants around.

Jia Lian didn't know how Jia Rong's problem came about. This guy seemed to be keen on taking over for his father! Was this also considered revenge?
After Youshi gave birth to a son, Jia Zhen at least proved his virility. You bastard, you have slept with so many women, but not a single one of you was successful.

Maybe he was exposed to women too early, which damaged his vitality. Jia Lian could only guess this way. In short, it must be Jia Rong's problem.

He still slept in the study at night, and Wang Xifeng could not find any fault with this. Whenever Jia Lian did not spend the night in the main house, he would definitely sleep in the study.

Xiren was still alone in the study. Seeing Jia Lian come in, she reported nervously, "Just now, Sister Xiangling sent someone to tell her that she was staying at her mother's place overnight."

Jia Lian nodded to show that he understood, sat down at the desk, took out a small notebook and began to record some things to do, of course, all of which were the background of the grand narrative. It seemed that for decades, the grand narrative had been abandoned, and the focus had always been on the ups and downs of individuals in the tide of the great era, and even seriously downplayed the grand background.

When I think of Jia Lian, I feel the self-centeredness and contradiction of human nature. On the one hand, he emphasizes how a speck of dust in the times is, and on the other hand, he emphasizes how the individual is.

No one can escape the background of the grand narrative. Without this background, the individual story will be empty. Xianxia novels also need a setting.

Cases that can be brought out for public viewing, regardless of success or failure, are often individual cases. The vast majority of people are ordinary people, and their fate is the true reflection of the wheel of history.

It is because of the vast majority of ordinary people, as participants and onlookers, that survivor bias has become a hot topic.

When Jia Lian came back to his senses from his wandering thoughts, he saw Xiren standing aside and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Second Master, are you going to take a rest?" Xiren's eyes were a little eager.

Jia Lian hummed and wondered in his heart what was going on.

After washing up and lying down, he discovered the problem. Xiren did not leave, but imitated Xiangling and crawled in from under the quilt. Jia Lian wanted to stop her but gave up, fearing that she would be upset.

Forget it. When Xiangling was around, we just slept together, nothing more.

Jia Lian was used to it, so he fell asleep quickly, but Xiren was different. She leaned against a solid chest, breathing rapidly, her heartbeat violently. When she heard the even breathing, she realized that Jia Lian was asleep. It was not what she thought! No wonder when Aunt Guixiang or Sister Ping'er were around, there was a lot of noise and the time was long. When Xiangling was with them, it was very quiet.

In any case, Xiren was relieved. At least the master had no intention of resisting. She could continue to stay in the future.

It was not until the next day when Jia Lian arrived at the new yamen that he learned that the cabinet meeting lasted until midnight. This group of new censors were very well-informed and knew about it early on.

Jia Lian also soon learned the specific results of the meeting, and the Ministry of Public Security sent him a handwritten record.

When he saw the first decision, Jia Lian was shocked, really shocked.

【The performance evaluation system is of great importance. In order to smoothly implement the pilot project, Guo Yan was appointed to be in charge. Therefore, Guo Yan resigned from the post of Minister of Rites and was replaced by Cheng Hao, the Vice Minister of Rites.】

Jia Lian thought he had seen it wrong, so he read it carefully several times again. After confirming that he had not seen it wrong, he could not help but sigh in his heart: [Your Majesty is good at protecting his shortcomings! ]

Guo Yan was directly dismissed from his post as Minister of Rites. This was too harsh. Now, of the five cabinet ministers, only two of them are no longer concurrently serving as ministers.

There is a default rule that whether a cabinet minister concurrently serves as a minister determines the stability of his position and whether he can be re-elected.

If you don't hold the concurrent post of Shangshu after five years, it means you have no chance to serve in the next cabinet. This is the situation now. Li Chi and Guo Yan are still in charge of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, but the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of War has not been filled. Everyone knows that they will wait for Sun Huazhen to return. Guo Yan is even worse off. He was directly appointed as Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites.

The new Minister of Rites, Cheng Hao, also has the Qingyun label.

If you continue reading, the content is much more normal. Xia Shouzhong, the seal holder of the Dragon Guard, was ordered to go to Sichuan in person to comfort the soldiers on behalf of the emperor. (In fact, he went to investigate the cause and details of the incident.)
In view of the war in western Sichuan, Sichuan has received a lot of support from all parts of the country and the people are exhausted, so we will exempt the entire province from taxes until the war in western Sichuan is settled.

In the military field, the emperor and the cabinet asked the front to cooperate with each other to stabilize the front line and prevent the overall situation from deteriorating.

In terms of finance, in addition to exempting taxes, an imperial decree was issued to Sun Huazhen in Nanjing to transfer one million taels of this year's autumn tax to Sichuan, and to hand it over to Xia Shouzhong for supervision of its use and compensation for casualties.

Finally, there was an official document from the cabinet, similar to a letter to the soldiers on the front line. The content was quite informative, just to stabilize the military spirit and isolate the morale in preparation for another battle next year.

From the emperor's perspective, fighting a war is not complicated. First, there must be sufficient food and money, then the right strategy, and finally, the right people.

These three seemingly simple things often lead to many problems when they are actually implemented. Many things that seem fine at ordinary times will gradually be exposed once a war breaks out.

Looking at this meeting record, Jia Lian could clearly feel that the actual situation might be much more serious. Otherwise, why would Sichuan, a wealthy place, need to go through Nanjing to transfer one million taels to Sichuan?

The emperor should have more intelligence, but it has not been made public. The cabinet must know about it. Jia Lian did not attend the meeting this time and no one tipped him off, so of course they don't know.

Jia Lian spent the whole morning reading the meeting minutes and analysis. He found that time passed so quickly. It was just a small thing, but he spent the whole morning reading it.

Even more exciting things happened in the afternoon. When Jia Lian was slacking off and taking a nap, Qiu Shian came in.

"Imperial edict!" Qiu Shian's sharp voice made Jia Lian's ears uncomfortable. He wiped the corners of his eyes and said, "Wait, let me wash my face first!"

Qiu Shian did not urge him. He waited until Jia Lian washed his face and sobered up before he announced the order: "The three camps and the nine gate garrison troops have been reorganized. The Third Prince Li Heng is ordered to review them on behalf of the Emperor. Jia Lian will accompany him. I decree this!"

Jia Lian, who was still a little confused, suddenly became completely sober. This news was too explosive. There would be many good people around Li Heng in the future.

The Great Zhou Jingying had three major camps, namely Tongzhou Camp, Xishan Camp, and Nanyuan Camp. There were also three armies directly under the emperor, namely Shenji Camp (formerly under Jingying, but changed after the Li Rebellion), Jiumen Town Guards, and Imperial Horse Administration. The three camps had a total of more than 35,000 soldiers, which was originally superior in terms of numbers. After the Shenji Camp was changed, the army directly under the emperor was close to 40,000, exceeding the three major camps of Jingying.

Among them, the Shenjiying was located between the inner city and the outer city as a mobile force.

This change is very particular, of course Jia Lian would not make a fuss. Li Heng had the opportunity to review the three major camps and the nine-gate garrison troops on behalf of the emperor, but he had no chance to touch the Shenji Camp and the Imperial Horse Administration, which was also very particular.

If we look at this matter from the perspective of the ministers, there is a lot to learn.

Jia Lian's situation was rather special. He just did the work he was assigned to do and kept quiet about everything else. He wouldn't say a word unless asked.

"Eunuch Qiu, why is there no specific time?" Jia Lian asked with a smile after receiving the order. Qiu Shi'an always smiled but didn't smile: "Just wait for the notice from the Third Prince!"

After Qiu Shian left, Jia Lian was very emotional. The current emperor was making big moves, one after another!
(End of this chapter)