Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 393 Silver is Innocent
The summer in the capital was dry and hot, and Henry, who came from London, could not adapt well to it. Fortunately, because of the emperor's attention, he was treated well by the Honglu Temple, and there was an ice basin in the room when it was hottest in the afternoon.

There are only three days left until the grand court meeting to pay homage to the emperor. An official from the Honglu Temple has recently been teaching him a sentence in Chinese: Brandon Henry, envoy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Zhou.

This long sentence was so difficult to learn that it almost drove Henry and Sassoon crazy.

Well, the Honglu Temple didn’t say that you have to speak it at that time. If you can’t learn it, you can speak English. There are interpreters.

But what can I say? Before getting feedback from Jia Lian, Henry just kept learning.

One can imagine how difficult it is for British people to learn Chinese. Wu Tongyi felt that before Henry went crazy, he would have gone crazy first because he taught him this Chinese sentence every day.

"Da Balie ordered the chicken from Northern Ireland, Lanlian and Wangguo..." Henry started again. The professional smile on Wu Tongyi's face disappeared, and his eyes were always on the knife for peeling fruit, fearing that he would not be able to control himself.

[Should I stab this bastard to death first, or should I stab myself to death first? This is the question. ]

Just as Wu Tongyi began to lose his concentration, a knock on the door brought him back to his senses.

"Open the door quickly, Master Jia is here to inspect our work." The receptionist knocked on the door and called out. Henry seemed to have heard a holy voice and rushed to the door and opened it: "Where is he?"

"Follow me to the main hall! Lord Jia has already arrived. It would be impolite to be late." Even though the receptionist was only charged for the service, Jia Lian undoubtedly had a much higher status in his eyes.

When Henry arrived, Sassoon was already inside. Seeing Sassoon fawning over Jia Lian, Henry was very unhappy. Squid opium dealer, do you think Lord Jia would like you?

It is obvious that Jia Lian was just trying to please Sassoon out of politeness, and the compliments he received were very dry. Alas, when it comes to the beauty of language, English is really too poor.

Jia Lian was very polite when he saw Henry, and took the initiative to speak in English: "It seems that Sir Henry has adapted to the weather in the capital, and he looks good."

"Aha, if I wasn't afraid of being rude, I would take off this damn tuxedo." Henry looked helpless, shrugged and sighed.

"The climate determines the clothing culture of a region. On the streets of London in summer, gentlemen still cannot do without an umbrella. Although you don't need it, I'm sure you have seen it many times."

There's nothing better than chatting with Londoners and complaining about the weather.

Jia Lian and Henry got together and started chatting, ignoring the others. Sassoon's eyes turned red as he watched. Obviously I was here first!
"Master Jia, would you mind chatting with me in private for a few minutes?" Henry, who found it interesting, took the initiative to propose a one-on-one chat.

"No problem!" Jia Lian agreed readily. Beating around the bush with the foreigners was tiring for the foreigners and himself as well.

Jia Lian's name was very popular in the Honglu Temple, and soon a separate room was prepared and an ice jar was arranged.

After they sat down opposite each other, the tea was served and the moment the clerk left, Henry couldn't wait to ask, "Did Lord Jia see my letter?"

Jia Lian nodded: "In fact, I think that Lord Henry has no need to worry. The Great Zhou is vast and rich in resources. His Majesty the Emperor has no shortage of anything. As long as the gift is thoughtful, it will be fine."

Upon hearing such polite words, Henry became anxious. What do you mean His Majesty the Emperor lacks nothing? Isn't it just that he thinks the gifts are not good enough?

"Ten thousand gold coins, please help me, Lord Jia." Henry made a direct offer. Jia Lian leaned back slightly, the smile on his face disappeared, and he became serious.

"It must be said that Her Majesty the Queen made a wise choice to let you be the envoy. Excuse me, Minister Zhou brought back a letter of credence signed by His Majesty Louis XVI, confirming that the two countries would send permanent envoys to each other and strengthen trade and commerce." This is true. When Zhou Songtao made his report, he reported it to Emperor Chenghui alone. The reason for not making it public was that Emperor Chenghui did not sign it and the matter was still uncertain. Jia Lian knew that it was of course the emperor who told him and asked for Jia Lian's opinion.

Jia Lian meant that someone really needed to be stationed in Europe to keep abreast of local conditions. The candidate could be selected from officials who had been working at the grassroots level for a long time, and replaced every three years.

Henry's hair stood up when he heard this. If France took a leading role in trade with China, Britain, even as the maritime hegemon, could not afford such a loss. This visit must achieve a good result, otherwise Henry's political career would be over when he returned to Britain.

"Your Majesty the Emperor doesn't like England?" Henry instinctively asked a stupid question and completely gave up the initiative in the conversation.

"I can't say I don't like it. I think I ignore it. After all, we have normal and equal diplomatic relations, not a vassal state. Our dynasty has an obligation to treat it well. In contrast, the smuggling of opium by English merchants has made His Majesty the Emperor very embarrassed. You know, the court has enacted laws to prohibit opium smoking. Once an official is found, he will be dismissed and never reappointed. Your country's opium smugglers, their ships are on the sea, colluding with local smugglers. However, due to the long coastline, it is inconvenient for the court to crack down on them, and some local officials cannot perform their duties. In short, after the ceremony of paying homage to the emperor, I am not optimistic about the negotiations between the two countries."

Jia Lian stopped talking here. Henry's eyes widened. He heard the interruption halfway through and immediately understood. He took out an envelope and handed it to Jia Lian: "This is my handwritten letter. Lord Jia, have someone take it to the Nelson and give it to the first mate who stayed behind. He knows what to do."

Jia Lian took the envelope calmly, put it into his sleeve, and smiled: "There is only one way, add a warship to the gift. I think even if the French envoy arrives, they won't bring a more sincere gift. This move can change the emperor's view of your country in one fell swoop."

This time it was Henry's turn to lean back, his expression struggling. After all, it was a warship. It was fine to sell it out, but was it okay to send it out? Well, it was not impossible, if there was a good result in the negotiation?

“Excuse me, Lord Jia, who will be responsible for the follow-up negotiations?” Henry’s shrewdness returned, although he didn’t know he was being tricked.

"It could be me or someone else." Jia Lian's expression was indifferent, and Henry felt that he was unfathomable.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"If I fight for it, no one can beat me." Jia Lian answered confidently, and Henry's brows relaxed immediately: "I have no problem, I will add a warship to the gift list today."

"No, no, no, don't add it now. Wait until after we pay our respects in the great hall and when the gift list is read out. To show solemnity, a temporary addition will produce the best effect." Jia Lian [gives advice].

Henry looked confused and said he didn't understand.

Jia Lian sighed, "You should do this. At the last moment, you should say that in order to express respect for His Majesty the Emperor, the Queen privately instructed to present a warship to His Majesty the Emperor. Remember, it is the Queen who presents it, not the English government. There is a big difference here, because Her Majesty the Queen's private identity is more valuable. You should know that your country's cabinet system is fundamentally different from ours. In our country, the emperor is the country, and the cabinet serves the country in the form of serving His Majesty the Emperor. In your country, the cabinet actually holds the vast majority of state power. His Majesty the Emperor doesn't like it very much."

At this point, Henry finally understood and took a deep breath. It was hard to change. Although France also had a parliament, Louis XVI had a better grasp of national power. With this factor, plus the damn opium dealers breaking taboos, the Emperor of Da Zhou would behave like this. He was isolated and learned etiquette. It took almost a month after landing to decide the date for the worship ceremony.

After a series of imagination, Henry finished and felt that he finally found the correct answer.

No wonder Jia Lian suggested sending warships. If they didn't send some hard goods, they really couldn't express their sincerity. The emperor of Zhou was a dictator, so it was normal for him to dislike the British system.

Regardless of the system, Henry would definitely risk everything for his personal mission and future. "I know what to do!" Henry nodded vigorously.

After the private chat, Jia Lian got up and went out. After Henry saw him off to the door, Jia Lian continued his journey. Although the people in the Honglu Temple were very curious about what Jia Lian and Henry had talked about in private, no one dared to ask.

From top to bottom, the Honglu Temple was still very grateful to Jia Lian. After all, it had removed the huge mountain that towered over the Honglu Temple, and in the future it might even be upgraded to be on par with the Ministry of Rites.

After leaving the Honglu Temple, Jia Lian went to the Research and Development Department, took out the revolver that was worked on overnight by several top craftsmen, put it in a bag, held it in his hand, and went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Qiu Shian came out to greet him personally, his eyes fixed on the bag in Jia Lian's hand, meaning, I know about you.

Jia Lian was not surprised at all, he had never covered himself up, after handing the bag to Qiu Shian, he raised his hands and asked, "Do you want a body search?"

Qiu Shian was not embarrassed at all, and gestured with a smile on his face: "Please!"

Although he was showing goodwill, Qiu Shian would never be careless when it came to the emperor's safety.

After meeting the emperor, Jia Lian described in detail the process of the secret talk with Henry. Emperor Chenghui nodded with satisfaction and emphasized: "Yes, the English cabinet and parliament are indeed treasonous. It can be seen that barbarians are barbarians!" Jia Lian immediately nodded and agreed: "Your Majesty is very insightful. I am in awe. Although the English are treasonous, their silver is innocent."

Jia Lian took out an envelope and handed it to Qiu Shian: "Please send someone to contact him and bring back the gold coins for His Majesty."

Emperor Chenghui looked at him with a smile, and Qiu Shian smiled along, feeling in his heart, "Fortunately you are not a eunuch, otherwise there would be no place for others to flatter you."

"Let's go find a place to try out Jia Qing's new gadget and see how powerful it is."

Emperor Chenghui stood up and walked out, Jia Lian hurriedly followed him, and Qiu Shian followed with the bag.

The shooting range and the open space had been prepared long ago, which showed that Jia Lian's actions had been under his watch. Emperor Chenghui did not hide it, and Jia Lian did not care. There was a tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects, and no one mentioned this.

It is not objective to say that they were under surveillance. It can only be said that any new things related to Jia Lian that happened in the R&D room were reported to Qiu Shian as soon as possible.

After testing both revolvers to ensure their safety, Jia Lian personally loaded the ammunition, raised the gun, and aimed.

Bang, bang, bang. After firing twelve consecutive shots, he put down the gun and looked back.

Emperor Chenghui came forward impatiently, picked up the revolver and fiddled with it for a while, then exclaimed: "It is a work of art beyond compare. With this thing, personal bravery is useless in close combat."

Jia Lian had no intention of taking credit for himself, and said calmly: "It is still being improved. We are striving to achieve the automatic return of the hammer and continuous firing. We will equip the cavalry first, one long and one short, with two muskets to cooperate with each other."

Emperor Chenghui got interested and loaded the gun himself, firing six rounds. He put the gun down and rubbed his hands, saying, "It's quite powerful!"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "I will never allow Your Majesty to have the opportunity to shoot and kill the enemy yourself!"

Emperor Chenghui looked at Qiu Shian and said, "First, equip the trusted eunuchs with twenty revolvers!" Qiu Shian agreed quickly. The emperor liked to go out of the palace for private visits, and with the presence of revolvers, safety was greatly improved.

"Saint, after the large-scale deployment of muskets, it is better for you to leave the palace less often." Qiu Shian gave a subtle reminder.

Jia Lian immediately took over the conversation: "Your Majesty's security still needs to be strengthened and more professional. Any problems should be thought of in advance."

Security matters were not something Jia Lian could interfere with, but there was certainly no problem in giving suggestions.

Emperor Chenghui smiled and shook his head: "Not many people have seen me in person, so you two don't have to worry about it."

The main point of this statement is [What you said is all right, I just won’t change].

Confining the emperor to the palace was the goal that the ministers worked tirelessly for.

Otherwise, how could it be said that the ministers hated the secret agencies like Jinyiwei? No one was watching the ministers, so they were even more unscrupulous.

Similarly, from the emperor's perspective, if these ministers are not kept under a close watch, they will be able to cause great unrest.

Even with the Dragon Guard keeping an eye on the ministers, the country was still in tatters, which was why the emperor insisted on leaving the palace.

In fact, Jia Lian really wanted to say, Your Majesty, what you saw with your own eyes was very likely prepared by others, specially for you!
This cannot be said. If this were said, Jia Lian would be the first person to be suspected.

After trying the gun, Emperor Chenghui was very interested and wanted to continue, but was stopped by Qiu Shian. He had to ask people to put away the guns and turned back.

"A few days ago, the third brother went to see the second brother and told him about one of his housekeepers secretly growing opium. Did you know that?" Emperor Chenghui's question came suddenly. Jia Lian was well prepared and answered calmly, "I have heard about it, but I don't know much."

"The third brother doesn't trust me!" Emperor Chenghui sighed dejectedly. Jia Lian secretly complained in his heart, Li Heng wanted to complain to you, that was another explanation.

"Your Highness may have other concerns!" Jia Lian answered carefully. Emperor Chenghui nodded and said, "I know! Brothers are friendly and respectful to each other. If there is something to say, speak openly instead of attacking each other. I am very pleased."

Jia Lian was speechless and could only remain silent. Emperor Chenghui continued to talk to himself: "The Queen is also very happy!"

"I congratulate your majesty and the queen!" Jia Lian flattered him in time, and Emperor Chenghui smiled with satisfaction: "The situation in Sichuan is very urgent. The cabinet has already come up with a plan. Let's go and listen to it!"

Jia Lian paused for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, the cabinet has its own difficulties! Some things are not formed overnight!"

Emperor Chenghui was speechless for a moment, and looked at Jia Lian in astonishment, saying, "I never expected you to be so conceited. This bunch of old men must be ashamed to hear this!"

(End of this chapter)