Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 360 Need to be protected
Wang Xifeng was in a very good mood, not because she could go out for some fresh air, but because the day that was supposed to come had not come yet. If it still didn't come after a few days, she could see a doctor.

Jia Lian rode his horse to Mantou Temple. Although someone came to report the fake nun's itinerary regularly, Jia Lian still wanted to go and see it in person.

The Zhen family itself is a big trouble.

Hey, why hasn’t the emperor died yet?
When the old nun in Mantou Temple saw Jia Lian, her face smiled like a chrysanthemum.

They are all surnamed Jia, but none of them is as generous as Mr. Lian. They all spend fifty taels or more.

Zhen Huan should change his name to "Zhen Huan is great". It would be best if he could live here forever.

Zhen Huan, with her face covered with a veil, also came out. She stood in the yard, letting the wind blow the flowers away. She lifted a corner of the veil, revealing a stunning look.

It's because Jia Lian has seen a lot of beauties, such as Wang Xifeng, Daiyu, Qin Keqing, Baochai, and even Xiangling, who are no less beautiful than him, otherwise he would really be confused.

If they could be put together...? This thought flashed through my mind, it would be a top-notch Shura field! Thinking about it any more would be foolish!
Having a high immunity threshold to beauty is sometimes not a good thing.

When I went to get a foot massage, I was very satisfied if I had a technician with a score of 70 or so, as long as he was not a middle-aged woman.

Now..., I can even hold back while hugging Xiren at night.

Well, you can try to put Xiren, Xiangling, and Qingwen together, since they are all maids. In this way, the kang seems a little small. After all, it is a study room, and you can expand the next room. You can't always sleep in the study room.

Zhen Huan was nervous when facing Jia Lian. This guy was probably the most complicated person she had ever met. Seeing that he was silent, his expression kept changing, sometimes frivolous and sometimes deep, he must be distracted.

When facing me, you are distracted? Isn't it a waste of effort to pose so carefully?

Zhen Huan felt a little frustrated!

After the Shandong rebellion, various troops dispersed, and the remaining elite in the capital were transferred to Liaodong in time and saved from disaster.

If you want to grow and develop in the Great Zhou without being coveted by others, you need a solid backer. In the past, there was a backer, but it was completely destroyed.

After a period of observation, Jia Lian was considered a good backer. With the idea of ​​riding a donkey to find a good one, he stayed in Mantou Temple. He never thought that he would not succeed. Jia Lian would not eat a bite of the fat meat that was delivered to his door? A few days ago, I received news that there were new changes in Liaodong and Monan. It was spring and flowers were blooming. I was ready to pack up and go to Liaodong. After meeting today, I was not sure whether we could meet again in the future.

Having spent some time in the capital and secretly observing Jia Lian, he unexpectedly felt a little reluctant to leave.

Jia Lian really just came to take a look and found that she was fine. After signaling Zhuzi to give him a reward, he looked at the fake nun for a few seconds, feeling surprised, and turned his horse around and left.

[Why is there regret in her eyes? Anyway, there is no threat, so if you can't figure it out, just forget about it. ]

After going down the hillside, Jia Lian walked back along the road. In the distance, he could see the Xuanzhen Temple halfway up the mountain. When the peach blossoms were in full bloom, the entire hillside was covered in blooming colors.

It seems like a good place from this perspective, but unfortunately it is a den of filth and dirt.

Shaking his head, Jia Lian turned around again. When he returned to the vicinity of the farm, he heard laughter in the wind.

Jia Lian smiled and thought that in this new life, there would always be something to protect.

Wang Xifeng was also very happy. Jia Lian’s barbecue skills were pretty good, and no one knew where he learned it. Usually, it was the fault of the female members of the family when Master Lian touched some Yangchun water.

Today, Jia Lian prepared barbecue for everyone amidst the smoke and fire. Wang Xifeng thought that even if he had poisoned them, they would die immediately after eating it and could close their eyes.

"Why would Brother Lian do this?" Tanchun approached, stood aside and watched, and couldn't help asking. When she was at Jia's house, Tanchun soon discovered a secret: as long as she played with Yingchun, her mother and her own mother would not teach her a lesson. Tanchun was very smart and knew the reason. She envied Yingchun for having a brother like Jia Lian. After spending a few times together, she found that Brother Lian was actually very easy to talk to.

"That's nothing. When leading the troops and herding horses, it's good to have a bite of hot food." Facing Tanchun, Jia Lian still tried his best to give a reasonable explanation.

A fragrant breeze blew over, Ping Er took a hot towel and wiped Jia Lian's face: "If you are tired, you can rest. It doesn't matter."

Jia Lian looked up and smiled at her. Seeing the three cooks and maids following behind Ping'er, he immediately understood what Ping'er meant and sighed, "That's good!"

Who would have thought that grilling food yourself was a sin? Several servants trembled in fear, fearing that they would lose their jobs.

Isn't it true? If a person is useless, what's the point of keeping him? Aren't the servants in the Jia Mansion afraid of becoming useless and working like slaves?
After Jia Lian left, servants brought a recliner and a coffee table, so Xiren and Xiangling could finally get close to him and serve him.

Wang Xifeng was dozing off, her daughter was sleeping in her wet nurse's arms after having eaten, and not far away, Yingchun and Tanchun were having fun in the wild with Siqi and several maids.

After eating the grilled pork chop, a cup of tea of ​​perfect temperature was brought to his mouth. He looked over and saw that it was Xiren. Jia Lian smiled. Guixiang and Ping'er were near the oven, giving instructions.

The spring breeze blew on Jia Lian's face, and he felt a little sleepy. He leaned back in the recliner without moving, and didn't want to move.

The sunshine is so warm!

When they woke up, it was already past afternoon. Wang Xifeng stood on a high place and took in the overall situation. Ping'er and Guixiang were directing the servants to pack up and prepare for retreat.

This was a really good day. Jia Lian recovered from his previous fatigue and was motivated to work hard for Emperor Chenghui.

..............................

The high-level transfers and adjustments in the six southeastern provinces did not cause much waves in Beijing, but the fact that the second prince's position in the central bank remained unchanged brought quite a shock.

The rumor about the Second Prince being favored by the Emperor spread quickly in the official circles of the capital!
There are many related interpretations, the most widely circulated one is [Your Majesty has always attached great importance to finance, and the Second Prince is able to continue to be in charge of the central bank, which shows the great favor of the Emperor. ]

This is a very convincing rumor. After all, Emperor Chenghui has been working hard to solve financial problems since he ascended the throne.

Initially, the debt collection was resisted by the nobles. Later, under the pretext of Li Ni's case, many nobles who owed money were arrested. Those who paid back voluntarily were better off, with their property confiscated at best. Those who could not pay back were exiled 3,000 miles away at best, and those who were unlucky were directly killed, with their wives and children imprisoned in the Jiaofangsi.

Although Emperor Chenghui did not take the initiative to mention the matter of paying off debts, many officials took the initiative to go to the Ministry of Revenue to repay the money. If they could not pay it off in one go, they would pay it back in several installments.

Emperor Chenghui did not expect that after he had spent so much effort to resolve the issue, many people would now voluntarily pay back the money without saying anything.

The biggest debtor, the Zhen family of Jiangning, did not make any move and had no intention of paying back the money. As for the Zhen family's inability to pay back the money, Long Jinwei reported that the Zhen family was still living an extravagant life.

Emperor Chenghui was very dissatisfied with this. He looked at the report of Long Jinwei and looked towards the direction of Xishan again. Father is still here, so let's do this for now. He carefully put the report of the Zhen family at the bottom to make it easier to find it in the future.

What Emperor Chenghui is most concerned about right now is the war in western Sichuan. Since he ascended the throne, there have been constant internal strife. After dealing with the Western Regions, Yunyang, Shandong, and now only western Sichuan is left.

The border conflict in Yunnan is just a minor problem. There is no need to worry about it for the time being.

"Qiu Shian, what's wrong with Long Jinwei? Whenever there is chaos in a place, the intelligence cannot be reported in time? Even if it is reported, it is not detailed and is not helpful for the war."

Qiu Shian had no way of answering Emperor Chenghui's question. He couldn't say that because of the joint attack by the retired emperor and the civil officials and nobles, the Dragon Guard's ability to gather information was not as good as before, right?

"Your Majesty, I believe that Captain Long Jin has indeed tried his best." Qiu Shi'an could only be vague. Emperor Chenghui snorted unhappily. In fact, he already knew most of the truth.

The Dragon Guards were short of funds, and it was already very difficult to ensure that the capital was well-informed. Western Sichuan was remote, and unless the chieftains were in turmoil, Emperor Chenghui would not be able to find the Big and Small Jinchuan even if he looked at the map.

"It's just a small Jinchuan, and it hasn't been pacified for almost two years." Emperor Chenghui rubbed his forehead a little tiredly, raised his hand and gently hit his forehead a few times, muttering to himself helplessly.

【Jia Qing said that we should not be impatient and hoped that his words would not come true.】

"By the way, what has Jia Lian been busy with recently?" Emperor Chenghui asked when he thought of it. After March, Jia Lian was not as active, and the serials in the newspapers were written by different people.

"Master Jia has been busy with the affairs of the R&D Department recently. It's such a big business with nearly 10,000 people, and the monthly expenses are not small. The court has no other funding except for the official salaries, so it's difficult for Master Jia."

Qiu Shian was not speaking well of Jia Lian, but was being realistic.

Emperor Chenghui sensed something was wrong with this: "Why, has the Ministry of Revenue stopped paying the craftsmen's salaries?"

"Not really. It's just that Lord Jia made some small concessions in order to take over the craftsmen and workshops. Now that we have the transparent glass business to support us, we can get by, but it's a bit tight."

Emperor Chenghui hummed and didn't ask any more questions, indicating that he understood. In theory, the craftsmen were supported by money and food from the court, but in reality, half of the money and food was lost in the process of distribution.

Jia Lian snatched people and workshops from the Ministry of Works, so the Ministry of Works would of course ask for benefits. Qiu Shian meant that the benefits were the money and grain allocated by the Ministry of Revenue.

Emperor Chenghui knew very well that the excellent craftsmen who provided Jia Lian with dry goods could become officials, and those who behaved well could be paid enough money and even receive bonuses under various pretexts.

The censors said that he created many excuses, abused public power for personal gain, and used court craftsmen to do private work to make money. Both the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue said that they got along well with Lord Jia and there was no conflict between them.

"What is this kid doing?" Emperor Chenghui was suspicious. Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, he quickly stood up and said, "Leave the palace and go to the Research and Development Department."

Qiu Shian was about to say something but stopped himself, swallowed the words "It's almost time for lunch", and quickly gave orders to organize security.

Emperor Chenghui was in a good mood as he left the palace in casual clothes. The scene in his mind emerged when the retired emperor was often blocked by Fang Baiyi at the palace gate. It was very difficult for the emperor to leave the palace at that time.

After ascending the throne for several years, the emperor successfully centralized power and lived a carefree life for fifteen years. During this period, he went to the south of the Yangtze River three times, spending countless money. Later, the people were in chaos, the prince rebelled, and the attitude of the censors gradually became tough. Under the pretext of the safety of His Majesty, they first prevented the emperor from leaving the city, and later it became difficult for him to leave the palace.

The political balance at that time was balanced. Fang Baiyi, the head of the civil servants, was also very powerful. Although the nobles opposed the emperor on other things, they agreed with the civil servants on restricting the emperor from leaving the palace.

There were many stubborn officials among the civil servants who would threaten to die for their crimes at any time. The emperor was in dire straits and had to have a suitable reason to leave the palace, let alone go out of the city.

It is easy for Emperor Chenghui to leave the palace now, and he can also leave the city if he wants, but he is worried that the civil servants will be in an uproar when he returns.

Speaking of which, the current cabinet has done a good job in this regard. They did not argue with the emperor over the trivial matter of leaving the palace. Kong Zhao is still good.

If you think about it carefully, the only emperor who could leave the city whenever he wanted and go to the south of the Yangtze River whenever he wanted during his lifetime on the throne was Taizu of this dynasty.

Looking through the history books, it is actually the same. The founding emperors were very free in their actions. The emperors were more and more restricted as time went by.

Emperor Chenghui probably didn't know about the Qing Dynasty, otherwise he wouldn't have expressed such emotion.

…………

In the Research and Development Department, the best craftsmen were gathered together. Even though they all held official positions, they all responded to Jia Lian's words.

After a month of hard work, two new rifles were finally made.

After two loud bangs, a bunch of craftsmen gathered around the shooting range to see the result.

"Your Excellency's idea is ingenious, but it is beyond our capabilities." A craftsman in an eighth-rank official uniform looked at the locking mechanism corroded by flames and felt ashamed.

"The range is not good either. A target at 50 steps can barely penetrate three layers of leather armor. It's not as good as a muzzle-loading rifle." Another eighth-rank craftsman added.

"The barrel was also bad. The gun exploded after adding more powder."

"The thickened barrel is too heavy. The earlier French matchlock guns could withstand it, but it was inconvenient to hold the gun. It needed a wooden fork to support it to shoot."

"There are too many areas that need improvement. Take your time and don't be in a hurry." Jia Lian looked at the two sample guns. He really had no emotions at all and was very stable.

To be honest, you shouldn't have any illusions. It's not that easy to make a breech-loading rifle, even with a percussion hider.

Top craftsmen gathered together and were able to process firing pins and paper cartridges, but the rest was hard to describe.

The first is the material of the barrel, and the second is the process problem. The current processing technology is simply unable to ensure an airtight locking mechanism.

"Don't be discouraged, let's focus on solving the material problem of the gun barrel. The current technology is not good enough, and the barrel can only fire 300 rounds at most. If it can fire more, there is a risk of explosion. Let's first think of a way to improve the quality of the steel so that we can fire 500 rounds or even more. And the processing technology, try to solve the problem of drilling holes in solid steel to make gun barrels. Let's do this for now, and divide the work to solve these two problems."

Emperor Chenghui came closer and heard this, and found it quite interesting. Jia Lian was the top scholar, and he got together with a group of craftsmen, speaking in plain language, with the goal of making a better fire gun.

Oh, I’m hungry. Let me call Jia Qing and go out for a good meal.

(End of this chapter)