Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 389 Pan Jixun Opens

The half-month quarantine period is not long, and the returnees and the British mission staff are mainly resting and recovering their strength.

Sailing in this era was a very difficult thing. Even though the routes were basically mature, it was common for ships to have problems at sea. People on the ship could not eat or sleep well, and they might even encounter pirates if they were not careful.

In this environment, we drifted on the sea for more than half a year, from faraway Europe to China, and encountered too many difficulties and risks during the journey.

All we can say is that modern Europe did indeed make its fortune through plundering, but, looking at it from another angle, have we found the root of Darwinism in modern European and American society?

Officials from the Ministry of Rites were responsible for teaching the delegation members etiquette, but they ran into trouble on the first day.

The matter was very simple. The doctor in charge of the Ministry of Rites required the English delegation to perform the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows when they met the emperor at the grand court meeting.

Henry exploded immediately and expressed strong protest, believing that this was an insult to foreign envoys and a disrespect for the relationship between the two countries.

The attitude of the doctor of the Ministry of Rites was very tough. He believed that the emperor of the Celestial Empire should enjoy such ceremonial treatment. If the English could not do it, then the subsequent matters would have to be abandoned.

Jia Lian had only been away for two days. When he came back and learned about this, he was a little confused. No, this is the Great Zhou, not "my Great Qing". The one in power is Emperor Chenghui, not Emperor Qianlong.

Wei Zian, who came to report, also had a helpless expression. Normally, the Ministry of Rites was involved in this matter and should accept the leadership of the Honglu Temple. This doctor of the Ministry of Rites, Yuan Qinghe, seemed to be very stubborn. He said that if he didn't follow his method, he would not care about it. What happened in the future had nothing to do with him or the Ministry of Rites.

"Lord Jia, would you like to meet Yuan Qinghe and have a good talk with him in person?" Wei Zian still wanted to be with Guang Tongchen, to reduce disputes and work together to get the job done.

"See a bullshit! Let the Ministry of Rites send someone else." Jia Lian made the decision very decisively. Wei Zian immediately smiled. With Jia Lian supporting him in front, he felt much more relaxed.

"Also, please put aside the matter of meeting His Majesty at the Grand Court for now. Allow me to write a memorial to His Majesty and continue teaching other etiquette courses. Please go and talk to the envoys. I will not show up."

Wei Zian naturally obeyed Jia Lian's subsequent arrangements completely. The most fearful thing about doing things is that orders are issued to too many people and the servants don't know what to do.

The reception work was under the charge of Jia Lian, who was nominated by His Majesty and approved by the Cabinet. Jia Lian still had some authority, so he did not take the Ministry of Rites' actions to cause trouble to heart.

When Yuan Qinghe learned of Jia Lian's order, he was so angry that he trembled all over and his face turned purple.

What can we say about this person? He passed the imperial examination at the age of 22, and was extremely conceited. Later, he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar-official. He served as a Hanlin for three years, and was later sent to serve as a Tongpan in a lower state. He lingered in the sixth rank for a long time. It was only after Emperor Chenghui ascended the throne that he was transferred back to the capital to serve as a Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Personnel. He caught up with the great purge caused by the Li treason case and was promoted to the next rank. He is now 49 years old.

In other words, Yuan Qinghe's previous political career was not smooth, and it can even be said that it was very bumpy during Fang Baiyi's administration. The new trend and new atmosphere gave him the opportunity to be promoted, and he regarded himself as a loyal minister.

Jia Lian did not summon Yuan Qinghe, but unexpectedly, after he finished washing and changing his clothes, someone came to the door to report that Yuan Qinghe wanted to see him.

Is this an active visit to show goodwill, or is it a knock on the door?
In any case, out of courtesy between colleagues, Jia Lian did not neglect him and came out to meet him immediately.

As Jia Lian's superior, there was no problem with etiquette. When Yuan Qinghe saw Jia Lian, he folded his hands and said in a very stiff tone: "Master Jia, the Western countries are all barbarians. The delegation is visiting this time, and we should educate them so that they can understand etiquette and morality. May I ask why you let me leave, Master Jia?"

Despite the other party's bad attitude, Jia Lian still explained patiently and politely: "The quarantine period is only half a month, during which time we need to teach the other party the necessary etiquette to avoid any taboos. According to Lord Yuan's intention, all work must be stopped. I am ordered to do the job and I am fully responsible. If there is any delay or mistake, I am the one responsible. Besides, it is right to seek common ground while reserving differences in foreign affairs."

It can only be said that Jia Lian was very polite to a subordinate. Wei Zian, who was accompanying him, nodded secretly and praised: "Jia Lian is a reasonable person."

The reason why Wei Zian had such a feeling was that many superiors in the officialdom were unreasonable. They acted completely according to their personal preferences and made decisions based on their own intuition.

As a result, many things that seem simple end up with a weird result.

What no one expected was that after Jia Lian's explanation, Yuan Qinghe suddenly shouted fiercely: "What nonsense! All the land under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. England is a small country, and it has been blessed by the emperor, but it has not thought of being respectful and respectful to show its submission. This is the greatest disrespect to the emperor. Lord Jia, you are seeking common ground while reserving differences. I'm afraid you have accepted money from others, right?"

Jia Lian was stunned, and Wei Zian was completely confused. Where did this mental illness come from? Jia Lian, as the boss, explained it very clearly, and you could still find an angle to attack?
In fact, Jia Lian understood it instantly. There was nothing wrong with this guy's brain. It was just that when he read the Four Books and Five Classics for the imperial examinations, he took the principles in the books as the truth.

Seeing the expressions of the two men, Yuan Qinghe felt secretly proud of himself, thinking that he had done a good job and taught Jia a good lesson.

For a moment, Jia Lian really didn't know how to deal with this guy. Beating him up and throwing him out would be the most satisfying and in line with his character. But things are different now. Jia Lian has already planned to run a school. He has to tone down his past behavior, lest it be too strong and scare away young people. You know, scholars in this era all study the Four Books and Five Classics.

Under the imperial examination system, normal people used the Four Books and Five Classics as a stepping stone to enter the government, and once they became officials, they would just talk about them and forget about them when they were doing things. People like Yuan Qinghe were relatively rare.

"However, I have the king's order and dare not delay my mission. When Lord Yuan returns, he will write a separate memorial to the emperor, and I will also write a memorial to the emperor for instructions."

Jia Lian still used a negotiating tone, and his attitude was very good, without any sign of anger. After all, Yuan Qinghe was just stubborn, not a bad person.

"Hmph! Just wait for my impeachment!" Before Yuan Qinghe turned away proudly, he left with these words and went back as a winner.

Wei Zian watched from the side, stepped forward and whispered: "Master Jia, if this matter gets out, it will damage your reputation."

This was not just a hint, it was an explicit statement. Wei Zian was certain that after Yuan Qinghe returned, he would brag to his colleagues about teaching Jia Lian a lesson.

"Alas, this is how people who want to do things are. The more they do, the more mistakes they make; the less they do, the fewer mistakes they make; and if they do nothing, there are no mistakes. It doesn't matter. I'm used to it. No matter whether you are right or wrong, there will always be someone who will give you advice." Wei Zian said goodbye and left, continuing to carry out Jia Lian's instructions.

Jia Lian started writing a memorial. Regarding the grand ceremony of worship, Jia Lian suggested that the envoys of foreign missions should use the highest etiquette of their country when facing His Majesty. This is acceptable to both sides. England is the most powerful country in the West. Regardless of its purpose and original intention, it has been respected enough for the court and His Majesty. It is true that there is no problem with the enmity with England for the time being, but it is not in the long-term interests of the country. Strengthening exchanges with England and understanding the true strength of the world's powers today is the most in line with the national interest.

In his memorial, Jia Lian once again stressed the national security strategy of strengthening naval construction and seizing the Strait of Malacca. He also stressed that this level of expansion could transfer population internally, ease domestic conflicts, demonstrate strength externally and prevent covetousness, while not touching the bottom line of England's national interests - India.

In short, everything should be based on the actual national interests and we should not turn good things into bad things.

After the memorial was written, Jia Lian immediately sent someone to deliver it to the capital, and then he waited patiently.

Instead of receiving a reply from the emperor, three days later, Lin Ruhai’s letter arrived, telling him about the secret opium planting.

The Second Prince did not make any unusual moves, but Shuntian Prefecture's government officials were mobilized in large numbers to eradicate the tobacco fields. This did not cause much commotion in the court or the country.

Lin Ruhai said in the letter that this incident showed the Second Prince's sophisticated style of doing things, and that the Second Prince's huge potential in competing for the throne in the future must not be underestimated.

Lin Ruhai also hinted in the letter to Jia Lian that he should not exclude himself from the reorganization of the Beijing camp. One's birth cannot be determined. Since one is a noble, military power is a natural thing.

It can only be said that Jia Lian agrees with this view, but he is not in a hurry at this stage. It is almost certain that the less Jia Lian seems to touch the military power, the more the emperor will trust him when he is old, and he is destined to hand over the military power to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian would not tell his true thoughts to anyone, let alone Lin Ruhai, not even to his wife and children.

Jia Lian did many things secretly, such as the Wucheng Bingmasi and Ni Er's Black Tiger Gang, which were all intelligence agencies. In the future, only one department was needed to organize intelligence, and anything in the capital would be hard to escape Jia Lian's eyes and ears. Therefore, in Jia Lian's opinion, the second prince had no chance of becoming the emperor. In any case, for the safety of himself and his family, Jia Lian would not agree.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to lead troops to war many times, Jia Lian has actually placed many family generals as grassroots and middle-level officers. These people all have real military merits and others can't find any faults. There is also the Wucheng Bingma Division, Jia Lian also stuffed more than a dozen family generals into it. This kind of thing seems to be done easily by others, and there is nothing wrong with it. Any boss will do this.

Therefore, as long as Jia Lian does not touch the Nine Gates garrison troops and the military power of the three camps, he is a pure minister in the emperor's mind. Well, he is not so hardworking and likes to be lazy.

After reading Lin Ruhai's letter, Jia Lian burned it directly without leaving any trace. He even told the messenger to tell Lin Ruhai that it would be better to express himself verbally in the future instead of leaving any written messages.

Jia Lian opened the letter and burned it in front of the messenger. Jia Lian hoped that this would remind Lin Ruhai of the importance of keeping secrets.

At the same time, this action also hinted to Lin Ruhai that Jia Lian did not do nothing, but just did it very secretly.

Emperor Chenghui saw Jia Lian's memorial first. After all, Jia Lian could go through a special channel and come faster. After reading it, Emperor Chenghui agreed with it. He was a pragmatist and did not think much of some face-saving projects. It was not reliable to base the emperor's authority on mysticism. Without real power, the White Lotus would still rebel, and the King of Dongping and the King of Xining would still secede.

England is thousands of miles away, and its maritime power is the best in the world. When you can't do anything to others through practical means, don't put on airs, unless you are a paraplegic.

It can only be said that from the Yunyang Rebellion to the White Lotus Sect in Jining to the invasion of the grassland, combined with the work of the Liangjiang gentry, the grain transport problem, the salt problem, and a series of other events, the already pragmatic Emperor Chenghui became even more pragmatic. In Jia Lian's theory, when national development stagnates and incremental competition enters stock competition, contradictions must be transferred outward, otherwise they will explode over time.

After all, the tragedy of the late Ming Dynasty lasted only a hundred years, and the faces of the gentry in Jiangnan were clearly recorded in the Veritable Records of Taizu.

Over the past hundred years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, many problems have accumulated. As the ruling group continues to expand, it will inevitably squeeze the people downwards even more until they can no longer bear it, thus starting a new round of dynasty change.

Therefore, emperors of every dynasty would think about the cycle of order and chaos. The reason is very clear, but how to solve it is a problem.

There was really no solution before, but now Emperor Chenghui has seen a new solution, which is the external transfer proposed by Jia Lian.

The resistance will be great, so it is necessary to centralize military power and strengthen the combat effectiveness of the army. This is also the reason why Jia Lian did not show any interest in military power at this juncture.

Emperor Chenghui took Jia Lian's memorial and directly invited the four cabinet ministers to a small meeting to let everyone express their opinions.

No one else had any objections, and they thought Jia Lian's viewpoint was very pragmatic and practical. But Guo Yan jumped out and spoke with Yuan Qinghe's memorial.

Guo Yan said: "Some officials insist on etiquette. Their original intention is to maintain your majesty's dignity and to educate the people. I think that even if their views and opinions are wrong, they should give a reasonable explanation from the perspective of appeasing people's hearts."

There seems to be nothing wrong with this statement, but if you think about it carefully, it's all nonsense.

Even without Liang Daoyuan, his rival, having to speak up, Pan Jixun stood up and retorted: "It's not painful to watch others carry loads! Everyone can find faults, but do you still want to do the work?"

After confronting Guo Yan, Pan Jixun folded his hands and said to Emperor Chenghui: "I started my career in flood control. During the process of flood control, I was most afraid of those outsiders pointing fingers. If you don't accept their opinions, you will cause trouble. If you accept their opinions, you will find that these people are after the money for flood control. This time when Jia Lian received the delegation, the court allocated funds directly to the account of the Honglu Temple without going through the Ministry of Rites. This is the source!"

Guo Yan's face suddenly changed when he heard this. He pointed at Pan Jixu and said, "Pan, stop slandering me! The officials of the Ministry of Rites are also trying to protect His Majesty's reputation."

Pan Jixun pointed back and cursed: "Bullshit, do you think I don't know? The Ministry of Rites is looking for trouble to seize the power to handle affairs. After seizing the power, it will be convenient for you to embezzle and extort bribes from the envoys."

All I can say is that Pan Jixun has been patient for a long time, and he started fighting as soon as he came up!

(End of this chapter)