Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 404 Schrödinger’s Cat

"The perpetrator will be imprisoned awaiting trial, and Ding Lian, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, will be dismissed!" With gritted teeth and ruthless heart, Prime Minister Kong Zhao gave what he thought was the harshest punishment.

The remaining three cabinet ministers stood up and echoed in tacit understanding.

Emperor Chenghui sat upright and glared at the ministers, his face solemn and stern: "Humiliating and beating a second-rank official in the street is tantamount to treason. The evidence is irrefutable, and the death penalty is imposed!"

The ministers were all horrified, and the secretary's pen stopped writing, with ink dripping onto the paper.

"Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot do this!" Liang Daoyuan was the first one to kneel down and beg for mercy. He was really scared. Kill someone for such a small matter?
"Your Majesty, the crimes of the students do not deserve the death penalty!" Guo Yan also knelt down solemnly.

Pan Jixun sighed and said, "Your Majesty, just deprive me of my honors and exile me."

Everyone turned their eyes to Kong Zhao. The Prime Minister closed his eyes, his beard trembling slightly as he looked up, and he slowly knelt down: "Your Majesty, do you want to put Minister Yue in a hopeless situation?"

At this time, the experience of Prime Minister Kong Zhao was undoubtedly demonstrated, and he was undoubtedly a level higher than the other three.

Seeing that Emperor Chenghui's expression had eased slightly, Kong Zhao said again: "Your Majesty, the overall situation is more important!"

What is the overall situation? Kong Zhao understood that Emperor Chenghui wanted to have both civil and military achievements and a good reputation after his death. This was the overall situation.

After a long silence, Emperor Chenghui's anger subsided a little, and he said coldly: "Everyone, get up! The death penalty can be avoided, but the living punishment cannot be escaped!"

It can only be said that Emperor Chenghui, who was ready to kill someone, frightened the ministers in the cabinet. After hearing that he had let go, everyone tried to get up but found that they had no strength left.

Fortunately, the eunuch came over, helped the gentlemen up and returned to their seats.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that the three courts will hold a joint trial and impose fair punishment without any leniency!" Kong Zhao quickly confirmed this conclusion to prevent Emperor Chenghui from changing his mind and killing again.

Although there was no so-called "literati and officials sharing the world" in the Great Zhou Dynasty, people who had made great achievements would not be sentenced to death unless they committed extremely serious crimes.

This has been the inertia of the imperial examination system since its inception, and is one of the concrete manifestations of the privileged class.

Jia Lian's departure did not delay his knowing what happened in the capital. The news arrived when he was meeting with the General Staff and generals at all levels in the camp to summarize the gains and losses of the day's march.

On the surface, Jia Lian didn't take it seriously and signaled everyone to continue summarizing. In fact, Jia Lian, who seemed calm on the surface, was silently judging the meaning behind this incident.

The four cabinet ministers knelt down before they could beg for a way out. This shows how terrifying the emperor's wrath was at that time.

Judging from the result, Emperor Chenghui compromised, but it also meant that the next storm was brewing. Based on Jia Lian's understanding of those literati, they would definitely not give up.

Don't believe it? Take a look at the tombstones of the five people! Legally speaking, the mines in China are all the emperor's assets. Not only do private mining companies not pay taxes, but they also violently resist tax collection.

After gaining the benefits, the mastermind behind the scenes still wrote articles to throw mud at others.

From a modern perspective, what would happen if we didn't pay taxes?
It was these same people who knelt so neatly in front of the Qing Dynasty’s knives.

It's all for the sake of profit, but they have to use the banner of "righteousness".

This time was no exception. The matter was obviously very simple. The Minister of War recommended by the cabinet and appointed by the emperor was beaten up in the street. He did not fight back, or else they would have fought back.

The development of the matter was not much different from what Jia Lian had judged. Shen Lie and others who were transferred to the Ministry of Justice's prison were accommodated in clean single rooms at night and a banquet was also delivered to them.

What's even more outrageous is that someone outside paid a singing girl to go to the prison to serve as a drinking companion.

The newspapers in the public also spread that Shen Lie and others were so-called heroes. Their actions were against injustice, not only were they not guilty, but they were meritorious, and the court should reward them.

There was also a special report in the influential "Minsheng Daily", and the background of these people was exposed. The leader was Shen Lie, whose father was a local landlord and his family had 30,000 acres of fertile land. His two uncles were the Jiangxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and the Jiangbei Provincial Education Commissioner. These two were good friends with the current second assistant. Such a person, who enjoyed the convenience brought by the national system, put his personal rights above the national law and led the crowd to beat the current second-rank official in the street. Let me ask, if everyone is like this, where is the national law? Let me ask again, if the second-rank officials of the current dynasty dare to beat in the street, what about the common people?
A student who has not yet become a formal civil servant dares to interfere in the country's personnel appointments and dismissals and to use violence to obstruct them, which is tantamount to treason.

Such a person was locked up in a big prison, lived in a single room, had banquets, was accompanied by singing girls, and was caught red-handed by the Dragon Guard.

For such a person, there are actually people singing praises for him outside.

Because of the report of Minsheng Daily, the public opinion in the capital changed and it was no longer one-sided in whitewashing Shen Lie and others.

All we can say is that the vast majority of ordinary people still have simple and correct values.

The discussions among the people in the market gradually developed in a direction unfavorable to the students.

The trial by the three courts should have been conducted as quickly as possible, but it was delayed by some officials.

Emperor Chenghui did not express his opinion on this, but quietly watched the performance of the ministers below.

Jia Lian, a modern man, can easily see this situation clearly. Isn't this just waiting for the heat to pass? Just drag it out first, and after a while, the people will forget about it.

There was no movement among the people, but there was a lot of commotion in the officialdom. Officials from various provinces kept submitting memorials to plead for Shen Lie and others. Shen Lie's two uncles did submit memorials to apologize.

The civil officials did not hold on to Yue Qi's case any longer, but instead submitted memorials one after another, pleading for Shen Lie and others. The general meaning was that scholars should be treated preferentially.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, another night of Emperor Chenghui's life came. Facing the mountain of memorials, he sneered, "Qiu Shian, have you seen everything?"

Qiu Shian put away the memorials very neatly and signaled them to be taken away. He said, "Keep them in the palace and don't distribute them, right? Keep them for a while so that they can be used as kindling in the winter."

Qiu Shian speaks with his actions, neither pleading for Shen Lie nor adding insult to injury. Having no attitude means that whatever the emperor says is right.

"Hmph, I'd like to see how the three courts handle this case." The way Emperor Chenghui gritted his teeth showed that the matter was not over.

"By the way, where is Jia Lian?" Seeing that Qiu Shian still did not respond, Emperor Chenghui changed the subject.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jia has led his troops away from the capital for three days. Yesterday, the news reported that the Shenji Camp can travel a hundred miles a day. According to the calculation, it will take at most two days to reach Luanzhou." Qiu Shian did not pretend to be dumb this time. Emperor Chenghui nodded with satisfaction: "It is worthy of being a team led by Jia Lian. Qiu Shian, do you know what it means for a team to travel a hundred miles a day?"

Qiu Shian smiled and said, "How would I know this? I only know that the Shenji Camp did not stay in any cities or towns along the way, and did not harm the people or cause any disturbance to the local area."

Emperor Chenghui twisted his mouth and said, "Forget it, old slave. You don't know anything about soldiers. Just remember that any army that can march 60 miles a day without getting in disorder can be considered an elite. Think about the Shenji Battalion. Its infantry, artillery and cavalry are fully equipped and manned. There are nearly 20,000 troops. They march 100 miles a day in an orderly manner without getting in disorder. This means that they will not get in disorder even if they encounter the enemy in a hurry! This is the elite among the elite."

Qiu Shian smiled and said, "I understand. The purpose of Lord Jia's trip is to intimidate Shanhaiguan and force Xuanli to submit. I just want to see what Lord Jia will do!"

Emperor Chenghui listened to these words and scolded with a smile: "You old slave, don't you see it clearly?"

When Luanzhou was right in front of him, seeing the Luanzhou prefect and the commander of the Xishan camp and others standing at the Shili Pavilion to greet him, Jia Lian ordered the entire army to rest on the spot and set up camp outside the city.

After arranging the troops, Jia Lian led his followers to meet them. He dismounted in advance and walked forward quickly: "Thank you for your trouble in coming to meet us."

Zhao Wu, the prefect of Luanzhou, stepped forward to pay his respects and said hesitantly, "General Jia, we have received the imperial decree. The people of Luanzhou should have fully cooperated with Lord Jia. However, the 20,000 soldiers of the Xishan Camp have been stationed here for several months, and the local area of ​​Luanzhou cannot afford to support the Shenji Camp. Not only that, there is no suitable place for them to be stationed in the city. I hope General Jia will forgive me for this matter."

Seeing that Zhao Wu didn't know whether he was acting, Jia Lian didn't care and said simply: "The Shenjiying will not enter the city. Please go back. We can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything."

Zhao Wu's face lit up with joy after hearing these words. Han Long, the commander of the Xishan Camp, who was a little behind, had a slightly gloomy expression on his face. He stepped forward to greet them and said, "Han Long, your humble servant, greets the governor."

Jia Lian folded his hands in return, motioning him to go aside and talk alone: ​​"Where is the Ministry of Revenue's allocation for the expenses of the Xishan camp?"

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Han Long didn't expect Jia Lian to ask so directly. He turned around to look at the people in Luanzhou and lowered his voice and said, "We received one month's salary when we went to war. After we arrived in Luanzhou, the first month's salary was paid on time, but later it was not so fast. We only paid it once. It's been half a year, and the brothers still owe three months' salary."

Jia Lian asked again: "Have the salaries of Liaodong and Shanhaiguan been paid on time?"

Han Long said with indignation: "Of course, it is paid in full and on time, and it is paid every six months. The court means that these two places need to be appeased! Lord Li also ordered us not to make trouble! The court has its own arrangements."

"In other words, all the military pay for Liaodong and Shanhaiguan in the second half of the year has been distributed? Can the Ministry of Revenue be so happy?" Jia Lian said he didn't understand.

Han Long nodded; "As far as I know, it is true!"

Jia Lian understood now: "Write a petition for salary and send it to me so that I can seal it and send it to the capital overnight."

Han Long was overjoyed. He was an official of neither rank nor position. Although he was the commander of one of the three major camps of the Beijing Camp, he actually had no say in the court.

Not every military commander is called Jia Lian, and not every civil servant dares to hit the prime minister with a teacup during a cabinet meeting.

"Thank you, sir! I will write it right away!" Han Long thanked him loudly, his body slightly bent at the waist. Jia Lian patted his shoulder very smoothly and said, "A bunch of fence-sitters can get the full salary, while the brothers who are loyal and diligent in the king's affairs have to owe the salary. How can this be justified in the world? I will fight this lawsuit for you. If you are short of a penny, I will smash the Ministry of Revenue when I go back."

Han Long thanked him again and again, but the Luanzhou prefect had not left yet, and he brought the local elders to meet him, presenting him with ten slaughtered pigs and sheep and fifty jars of wine.

Jia Lian thanked the elders and said that he would accept the pigs and sheep, but not the wine and drinks, because there was a military discipline that prohibited drinking in the army when on a campaign.

Zhao Wu said with concern: "I would like to ask on behalf of the local elders, if the governor leads his troops here, will there be a fight?"

Jia Lian, who always gave people a good impression of speaking, immediately frowned when he heard this. He looked at Zhao Wu coldly and asked, "Are you trying to spy on the military secrets, sir?"

This is a very subtle statement. If someone is not tactful, he will ask you how much money you received from Xuanli to gather information for him.

Zhao Wu apologized profusely and retreated back to the city. Han Long brought the written memorial to him. Jia Lian used the governor's seal in front of him, attached a memorial, put it in an envelope, sealed it with wax and used a small seal. Send someone to set off immediately!
After seeing Jia Lian finish all these things, Han Long whispered, "Zhao Zhifu must be asking for Li Gelao."

Jia Lian was slightly startled, as if something was wrong, but he quickly came to his senses and clasped his hands, saying, "Thank you!"

Han Long said goodbye and returned to the city. Jia Lian sat down to rest in the Shili Pavilion, and the people in the General Staff Office immediately began to make arrangements and start work.

The wind in Luanzhou was not as strong as that in the capital, and it felt a little damp. Jia Lian faced the direction of the Bohai Sea and seemed to smell the fishy smell of the sea water.

"Draft a military order!" Jia Lian started working immediately without waiting for a break. The significance of walking a hundred miles a day is to show the military might. Walking four hundred and fifty miles in four and a half days, with infantry and artillery, will scare you to death.

The chief of staff immediately prepared pen and ink, and Jia Lian dictated: "Imperial Commissioner, the military commander has issued the following order. This time, he is on an eastern tour, with the intention of training the Beijing camp and inspecting the various armies. Three days later, the Shenji Camp and the Xishan Camp will hold an autumn drill in Luanzhou. Shanhaiguan will guard Xuanli, and the commanders of the various departments in Liaodong must be present to observe. This is the military order! Jia Lian, on the afternoon of August 30th."

After the military order was issued, it was carried out immediately without any intention of stopping.

As for the autumn drill site, the staff had already arrived and selected a large piece of wasteland not far from the sea. They were hiring laborers to make grass as targets.

At Shanhaiguan, the messenger entered the city overnight and met Xuanli.

Xuan Li, who received Jia Lian's military order, was shocked and hurried to see Li Chi.

During the time he was in Shanhaiguan, Li Chi felt pretty good. He thought he and Xuanli had formed a tacit understanding and as long as Xuanli didn't cause trouble, he could guarantee Xuanli's interests.

Li Chi's purpose was also very simple. The court needed him to stay in charge and stabilize Shanhaiguan. He just needed to achieve his goal. As for the means, they were not important.

Li Chi had no idea when he could return to Beijing, nor whether he could continue to stay in the cabinet. As for Jia Lian leading his troops to come, Li Chi decided to wait and see and not express his opinion yet.

Li Chi knew what was happening in the capital, but he had no intention of getting involved. He knew that it would be unwise to go against the emperor at this time!

Xuan Li came to visit, and Li Chi, who was at the dinner table, put down his chopsticks and stood up to greet him. It was originally a rhythm of good things for everyone, but Xuan Li's sudden visit could only mean that something had happened.

After Xuanli explained his purpose and handed over the military order, Li Chi tried very hard to find any information related to himself in the order, but there was really not a single word about him.

Could it be that Jia Lian forgot that there was a cabinet minister in charge at Shanhaiguan? Did he just give orders to Xuanli and ignore the cabinet minister?
Xuanli thought so too and expressed his doubts.

What these two people didn't know was that when Xuanli claimed to be ill and refused to go to the capital, Li Chi could no longer be considered a cabinet minister, and Xuanli was also in a Schrödinger state, possibly a loyal minister or a traitor.

(End of this chapter)