Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 359: Observing People and Using Them
Jia Lian ate the noodles made by the imperial kitchen. The taste was hard to describe, neither good nor bad, so he reluctantly swallowed it.

Alas, the emperor's food was still cold. Thinking about the scene carefully, it was miserable! No wonder he liked to sneak out to eat.

Emperor Chenghui wore glasses. The last time the emperor didn’t wear glasses!

Being a diligent emperor is so tiring!
Jia Lian ate noodles while Emperor Chenghui read the specially prepared official documents.

After reading it, Emperor Chenghui raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. He didn’t know the details, but there was definitely a problem.

Not to mention Ningbo Prefecture, Songjiang, Tianjin, Fuzhou and Guangzhou, all open ports, have annual tax revenues adjusted up and down within a small range.

The officials of the Ministry of Personnel did nothing wrong. This is an outstanding political achievement. Perhaps the officials in charge of the specific review had no experience in financial work and took things for granted.

Chili was added to the noodles, and Jia Lian was sweating while eating. Qiu Shian was very considerate and brought him a hot towel to wipe his face.

After Qiu Shian left, Emperor Chenghui asked, "How do you think we should deal with this, Mr. Jia?"

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Personnel's appointment is legal and compliant, and there is no problem. Whether to investigate Yuan Dingguo is the business of the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Department."

Jia Lian’s answer was confusing, but Emperor Chenghui was not an ordinary person and he understood it.

When they went to work in the afternoon, Liu Sheren and others saw that Jia Lian had arrived earlier and hurried to greet him.

Jia Lian folded his hands in return and knocked on the official document on the table. "Your Majesty has used the seal. Send it to the cabinet. Do you have anything else to do? If not, I will leave first."

Liu Sheren was stunned. How could it be so fast? However, he responded very naturally: "I will deliver it right away!"

The other three people were all confused, but Lao Liu was okay, he was able to humble himself and call himself a lowly official.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Jia Lian left the palace on his own.

Liu Sheren sent the official document on the appointment to the Ministry of Personnel. Liang Daoyuan felt very pleased when he knew about it.

The next day, Jia Lian's self-boasting story appeared in the newspaper, and Liang Daoyuan laughed even more happily.

Brat, I know you're too shameless and can't keep your cool. You've been fooled, right?

Liang Daoyuan was so happy that he ate an extra bowl of rice every night, and he also regained his confidence at night when he heard the calls of his young concubine.

A few days later, at the routine cabinet meeting, Guo Yan advocated that in order to better implement the three major policies at the local level, the governors and three officials of the tax-intensive provinces should be disrupted and rearranged.

Liang Daoyuan firmly opposed it, and Emperor Chenghui advocated a vote to show fairness. In the end, the resolution was passed by a vote of 2.5 to 2, with Pan Jixun abstaining, Liang Daoyuan and Li Chi opposing, and Prime Minister Kong Zhao supporting.

After finishing his shift and returning home, Liang Daoyuan closed the door of his study and yelled at the air: "Pan Jixun is an old fox who only cares about himself. Kong opposes just for the sake of opposing. He only talks about position and not principles. He knows he is going to step down, but he still wants to trip me up." After scolding for half an hour, Liang Daoyuan finally opened the door of the study and came out. He felt a little better, but his face was still gloomy.

After venting his anger, Liang Daoyuan seemed to understand one thing: it would be difficult for the other four people in the current cabinet to take the position of the Prime Minister. The man surnamed Kong must have seen something to oppose him so unscrupulously, and he was not afraid of retaliation from the second assistant of the cabinet after he stepped down.

Thinking about the three former cabinet ministers who were away, Liang Daoyuan couldn't help but feel a little desperate. At this point in life, just one step away from reaching the peak, it was too painful to feel that he couldn't get over it no matter how hard he tried.

I cannot blame anyone else for this. I can only blame myself for not understanding His Majesty's intentions and failing to gain His Majesty's appreciation in the position of Second Assistant.

I originally thought that after the five-year transition period in the cabinet, I would be able to smoothly become the Prime Minister and lead a team for two to three years before being sent out. But now it seems that I have lost this opportunity.

The specific reason is very simple. With the successful suppression of the Li treason case, His Majesty's control over the court has reached an unprecedented level.

In this case, the transitional cabinet becomes less important. Now that His Majesty has added a quota for the Zhongshu Sheren, it may be another inner court system of Emperor Wu of Han. If the cabinet still cannot satisfy the emperor, it is possible that the system of the Silijian wearing red clothes will reappear. After all, His Majesty is only one person, destined to be unable to do everything, and decentralization is inevitable.

In order to centralize power, Emperor Wu of Han created an inner court to bypass the outer court and establish the prime minister, three dukes and nine ministers. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty directly opened an inner study and let the eunuchs help them fight against the cabinet.

Liang Daoyuan, who was well-versed in history books, felt more and more disappointed the more he thought about it! Should I kneel down and learn from Yan Song, or should I kneel down and learn from Yan Song? Cai Jing must not be imitated, after all, there are six thieves who share power.

When Liang Daoyuan was lost in thought, his eldest son Liang Fengnian came to pay his respects. Liang Daoyuan looked at him and said, "Fengnian, I have delayed you in the past. Start studying hard today and prepare for the next imperial examination."

Liang Fengnian was confused. Did my father make a mistake? I was not good at studying. I barely passed the provincial examination and failed three times. I was admitted to the Imperial College by the emperor's favor. I never thought about passing the imperial examination. When my father asked me not to take the imperial examination, I was quite happy.

"Son knows!" Liang Fengnian didn't dare to tell the truth to remind his father, for fear of upsetting him.

Liang Daoyuan calmed down a bit, looked at his disappointing son angrily, and sighed: "If I had a son, I would want him to be like Jia..." How could this crappy name only have two characters? Jia Lian didn't even have a single character, damn it!
Fortunately, nothing went wrong with Yuan Dingguo's affairs, otherwise it would be another big trouble.

The script that slandered Jia Lian has been abandoned. The author said that he had inherited a fortune and was financially free, so he would not write anymore.

Jia Lian was shocked when he read it, and thought that the author was also speculating in stocks!

Since his opponents were gone, there was no point for Jia Lian to brag about himself, so he sent someone to tell Li Heng that he was tired, did not want to write anymore, and would stop writing.

Li Heng asked someone to tell the newspaper that because the serial was so exciting, the newspaper subscription had increased recently, so please allow him to find a replacement for the serial.

Jia Lian replied that the newspaper was his and he could do with it as he pleased.

Li Heng said, the newspaper belongs to my father, and I am just an employee.

Jia Lian said, we are all working in the same field, so you can do whatever you want and I won’t charge you any copyright fees.

The two of them found the conversation very interesting. The newsboy who was responsible for delivering the message made a lot of money from this and happily treated his friends to a big meal.

As March approaches, Wang Xifeng always recalls the past in front of Jia Lian, how they first met in the suburbs, when the spring breeze blew for ten miles, the grass was green on the ground, and the willow branches were swaying.

Jia Lian said that on the day off, the whole family should go out for an outing!

The higher the social status of a woman, the more time she spends in the backyard. If she wants to go out to play, she has to wait for special days. The literal meaning of the four words "a lady of a noble family" is that she should not leave the front door or go out of the back door.

Jia Lian agreed straightforwardly, but Wang Xifeng turned her kindness into revenge and pestered her until midnight that night. Jia Lian suppressed her several times before Wang Xifeng finally gave up.

The next day, Jia Lian had to hold his waist when he got up and moved around in the yard for a while so that his qi and blood could be dispersed and he would feel less sore.

This shows the necessity of persisting in exercise!
When Jia Lian was handling official business in his office, six subordinates from the special inspection team came in to report on their work.

"We have received instructions from the cabinet to supervise the implementation of the three major policies, starting from Zhili. Please give your instructions, sir!"

The supervision work in the capital went quite smoothly. Under the emperor's nose, no major problems occurred. The performance evaluation system significantly improved the work efficiency of various government offices.

Jia Lian was deeply moved when he looked at his six subordinates, and he was once again confirmed that Emperor Chenghui's way of employing people was to use them to the best of their ability.

What Jia Lian hopes most now is to be sent out to work. If he had not been proficient in the art of slacking off, he would have been exhausted to death from having to juggle so many duties!
"I'm not Heshen, and I don't want to take power!" Jia Lian muttered to himself, saying strange things. His subordinates couldn't understand him, but when they heard that he didn't want to take power, they secretly praised him for being a master. He was so steady at such a young age, and knew not to take power, so as not to make too many enemies.

The official career is difficult, and the higher you climb, the narrower the path becomes. Jia Lian, who does not like to seize power, has many enemies, but not many ugly ones.

Even the Fang family didn't hate Jia Lian too much. Of course, the main reason was that they couldn't afford to offend him.

In fact, Jia Lian knows better than anyone that at his level, there is no such thing as not having enemies. If you want to move up, and he wants to move up, the road is narrow and they are bound to encounter enemies.

It's okay if you meet an enemy who is more particular and open-minded, but if you meet an unpartisan and vindictive one, it's really hard to get rid of him.

"Well, colleagues, thank you for your hard work. When you go down, the old rules will still apply. Just bring your eyes and not your mouth." Jia Lian repeated it, and then thought that the Governor of Zhili was... not a close relationship, so it was okay.

The six subordinates said goodbye, and after completing their business in the capital, they all got promoted to a higher level as they wished.

Looking at the office space where only a bunch of clerks were left, Jia Lian was in a particularly good mood. There would be nothing to do here in the future and no one would come to disturb him. It was a great place to slack off.

Before Jia Lian could be happy for too long, a eunuch came and called Jia Lian into the palace.

Emperor Chenghui looked at Jia Lian with a melancholy look on his face and threw him a document. Jia Lian took it skillfully and a thought popped up in his mind, [Is it so natural? Practice makes perfect! ]

When he opened it, he found it was the audit report from the central bank. Jia Lian was greatly relieved. As long as it wasn't a war in western Sichuan, the sky wouldn't fall.

During the implementation process, the National Audit Office conducted a large-scale audit of the central bank. Ning Ke, the Minister of Finance who presided over the work, was really ruthless.

The audit found that there have been too many violations since the establishment of the central bank, some of which were very serious.

"The Dragon Guard has intervened and is arresting people all over the street. Second Prince, I am so disappointed." Emperor Chenghui said this with a clear conscience. This is a new thing. How can we expect a layman not to make mistakes? Besides, Prince Zhongshun was in charge of the central bank affairs before. The second prince was just acting in the position and did not bear the main responsibility.

Also, Your Majesty, don’t you take a look at the people in the central bank? They’re from the Imperial Household Department, the Ministry of Clan Affairs, and even the emperor emeritus. Huge interests are involved. It would be strange if nothing goes wrong.

"Your Majesty, I think that banks are new things, and there are often no clear regulations during the implementation process. There are too many loopholes, so naturally there are many mistakes. Although the Second Prince has responsibilities, he has done a good job in grasping the overall situation, at least there is no chaos. In my opinion, mistakes should be corrected and loopholes should be filled. A person's growth requires experience. Take me as an example. I have made many mistakes. It is because of your majesty's magnanimity and my mentor's patient explanation that I have made a small and insignificant contribution. Your Majesty, you should not be too strict with the Second Prince. The Second Prince has too little experience."

Emperor Chenghui felt very uncomfortable with Jia Lian's words. This was a frank admonition! Honest words are unpleasant to the ear!

Jia Qing was still relatively polite. He was indeed too impatient at the beginning. He had no choice but to do so as he was too short of money. He did not consider things carefully when hiring people, which caused a lot of trouble for the second son.

With this in mind, Emperor Chenghui said seriously: "In any case, the second brother must be responsible for not supervising his subordinates properly."

"Your Majesty is wise. This matter involves the Second Prince. You may as well use it as an opportunity for training and let the Second Prince be responsible for the rectification of the central bank and all private banks. Your Majesty should draw a clear line first. The Second Prince will not go beyond the limit. No one is perfect. You cannot conclude that the Second Prince is incompetent just because of a little bit of joint responsibility."

Emperor Chenghui listened to Jia Lian's words for a long time, then waved his hand and said, "Go and get busy!"

After Jia Lian left the palace, Emperor Chenghui turned around and asked, "Did you hear everything?"

The compartment door opened, and the second prince came out with a face full of shame. He knelt down in front of Emperor Chenghui and said, "I am narrow-minded and have wrongly accused Lord Jia."

Emperor Chenghui, with a smug look on his face, snorted softly and said, "When it comes to judging people, you are far behind. Look at the people around you, most of them are flatterers. Why do I value the study of practical achievements? Go back and think about it carefully, go back to the central bank tomorrow, cooperate with the Dragon Guard to investigate, and come up with a plan for improvement after the rectification is completed!"

After hearing these words, the second prince looked grim and kowtowed three times, saying, "Please rest assured, father. I will keep my eyes open and be cautious in employing people in the future. I will value ability over flattery."

Emperor Chenghui nodded with satisfaction after hearing this. The second son was very intelligent and knew the key point of the teaching just now.

For a leader, the most important thing is to observe and employ talents.

Even if a person has three heads and six arms, how much can he do?

On the day off, Jia Lian took his whole family out, including Yingchun and Tanchun. Upon hearing the news, Baoyu also wanted to go along, but Jia Zheng ordered him to stay at home and not go out.

The spring breeze is blowing, and there are thousands of willow trees on the branches.

Jia Lian, riding on horseback, wanted to take a nap facing the east wind, but he had to force himself to stay awake for fear of falling off the horse.

Oh, I'm so tired lately. I've been having sex with three women in a row and haven't had a good rest at night.

The farm outside Jia's city has changed a lot. The original wall has been expanded outward. Tiekan Temple can be seen on a small hill not far away. Xuanzhen Temple can be seen on a hillside a little further ahead.

At the intersection of Zhuangzi Road, Zhang San and others were here, greeting everyone. Everything here has been arranged. There was enough green grass on the ground and curtains were erected to ensure that outsiders could not see.

Jia Lian was in no hurry to dismount. He subconsciously glanced at the small hill not far away, then turned to Wang Xifeng and the others who had gotten off the carriage and said, "You guys go ahead and have fun. I'll be back soon."

Wang Xifeng didn't think much about it and said, "If you have something to do, just go and remember to come back for lunch."

(End of this chapter)