Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 410 Hearing Trouble
The next day, another cabinet meeting was held to discuss Wang Ziteng's issue.

Kong Zhao still had the same attitude. If Wang Ziteng refused to give him money, he would intercept the tax money from Guangzhou and start a rebellion.

Emperor Chenghui took out Jia Lian's memorial and showed it to the ministers for circulation. Then the ministers stopped calling for war and killing.

It all comes down to money. If the cabinet could approve the money, why would Wang Ziteng do this?
"Isn't Wang Ziteng smuggling opium? How could he be short of money?" There are still people who dislike Wang Ziteng, such as Liang Daoyuan.

Emperor Chenghui turned around and asked Ning Ke, who was sitting in on the audience, "How much money did the Ministry of Revenue give Wang Ziteng after he arrived in Guangzhou?"

When it comes to work, Ning Ke did not let down his guard and gave the data immediately: "Approved by the cabinet, recorded by the Ministry of Revenue, there are three payments of Guangzhou tax advances, totaling 800,000 taels."

Emperor Chenghui did not speak. After a while of silence, he said, "The Nanyang Navy is related to the safety of the empire's seas and rivers. Approve one million taels and let Wang Ziteng think of a way to buy three ships."

"Your Majesty, is it one million taels or one million yuan?" Ning Ke confirmed that after one million taels of coins were minted, it would be more than one million yuan, 30% more, which is one and a half million yuan.

Emperor Chenghui made a decisive decision on this matter: "One million taels!"

When ordinary people took one or two taels of silver to the bank to exchange for money, they could only get one silver dollar. The annual taxes were calculated based on the number of taels of silver, and the funds allocated were all yuan. This was the imperial court.

In other words, paper money is not popular now, otherwise it would be more expensive to play.

"How far has the three courts reached in the trial of the Imperial College case?" Emperor Chenghui changed the subject and gently criticized the cabinet ministers.

"Some details of the people involved have not been explained clearly and they are still being interrogated." At this time, only Kong Zhao can take over, as no one else is qualified.

Emperor Chenghui said expressionlessly: "Draft an imperial decree to have Jia Lian go to the Dali Temple to supervise the trial. Why has the trial lasted so long? What is the point of it?"

The cabinet ministers knew that the emperor knew that they wanted to save the students, at least their lives, but they could only pretend that the emperor didn't know that they knew.

"Yes!" Kong Zhao stood up and responded. The Secretary of the Central Secretariat quickly drafted the imperial edict and submitted it. After Emperor Chenghui glanced at it, he passed it to the cabinet officials for circulation. If there were any objections, it could be rejected.

Obviously, no one would sing a different tune at this time. The example of Li Chi was right in front of them. The cabinet had no objection. After Emperor Chenghui used the seal, he asked Qiu Shian to go there in person.

Jia Lian felt a little dizzy after receiving the imperial edict: "Am I not on vacation?"

Qiu Shian said earnestly: "Go and listen when the case is being heard. You can just sit there and not say anything. It won't delay your vacation."

Jia Lian sighed and clasped his hands towards the palace: "I obey your order."

Qiu Shian then said, "At today's cabinet meeting, His Majesty approved one million taels for Wang Ziteng."

Jia Lian played dumb: "What does this have to do with me?"

Qiu Shian smiled, did not expose him, and turned back to report.

Even if others didn't know, how could Qiu Shian not know that Jia Lian advocated easing domestic conflicts by expanding immigration overseas?
The registered population of the Great Zhou Dynasty was 26 million households, and if each household had five people, that would be 130 million, not counting slaves. With the current level of agricultural production, it was too difficult to feed a population of 100 million. In addition, due to land annexation, several provinces along the eastern coast went out to sea to make a living during the Ming Dynasty.

If these people remain in the country, they will be like a pile of dry firewood. If there is a spark of natural disaster or man-made calamity, it will cause a chaos with far-reaching impact and great destruction.

The Qing Dynasty’s approach to maritime ban was to block, while Jia Lian’s approach was to ease.

There are many disadvantages to land annexation. Landlords only collect rent, but farming is a very troublesome thing. Landlords have no motivation to spend money to build necessary agricultural facilities such as water conservancy projects. And the tenants who farm the land are scattered and even if they have the motivation, they don’t have the ability.

Most officials are fine as long as they don't cause any major problems and make money. When serving as officials in other places, what does the life and death of the lower class have to do with the officials?

Is Jia Lian's suggestion useful? Yes, it is useful, but it does not solve the root cause. Even equal distribution of land does not solve the root cause. For such a large country with a high population growth rate, industrialization is still necessary to solve the problem.

That's it. It can only solve the problems of our own country. What about foreign problems? What does it have to do with me?
The meaning of Jia Lian's memorial was very clear. It reminded Emperor Chenghui that building a navy was your will, and you can't just talk about it. Those people in the cabinet and the officials in Beijing will not work without a whip behind them.

If you think about it carefully, with such a huge investment every year, this money would be wasted if spent on other things. There is no benefit in building a navy for Wang Ziteng, so where would the enthusiasm come from?

So, they had to delay it as long as possible. The previous 800,000 taels seemed a lot, but the country was so big and there were so many navies, so it wouldn't be much if they were divided. You know, Wang Ziteng was also the commander of the naval office.

Xue Pan came to visit, and Jia Lian met him in the study.

"Is your marriage the idea of ​​the Wang family or of the Grand Commandant Wang?" Jia Lian got straight to the point. Xue Pan confessed, "It should be the Grand Commandant's idea."

Jia Lian understood that Wang Ziteng was indeed unwilling to give up the Xue family and wanted to use the Xue family as a money bag.

"General Wang is going to Annan to be a real marquis in the future. Do you want to move there too?" Jia Lian went straight to the core of the problem. Xue Pan hesitated and said, "The Xue family is rich, but money is a curse."

What else is there to say? Isn't it just that I, Jia Lian, can't protect the Xue family?
Jia Lian smiled faintly: "Okay, let's do this."

After Xue Pan left, Jia Lian sat in the chair in a daze for a while. He was not disappointed, but he just felt it was boring.

A little later, the maid Baozhu came over and said that Jia Rong wanted to host a welcoming banquet for Jia Lian.

Jia Lian went to the East Mansion. As soon as he passed the small gate, he met Yin Die, who was waiting to talk to him: "Grandma, please ask the Second Master to come over for a moment."

Jia Lian followed him to Youshi's courtyard. Youshi was waiting in the courtyard. When she saw him come in, she came forward and said, "Greetings to the Second Master."

Jia Lian was silent. Are you paying your respects?
Yu Shi pretended not to notice Jia Lian's expression, and still warmly invited him to come in and sit down, then she continued, "My stepmother's letter came, saying that my father has passed away and the funeral has been held. According to the calculation, we will reach the capital in three to five days. I have already told Jin Shi to send someone to wait at the city gate. I asked you to come here to make a decision, whether to let them live in the East Palace or find a place to live outside."

"Live in the East Mansion first, and move out if you think it's not suitable." Jia Lian gave an ambiguous suggestion. Youshi rolled her eyes and said, "Be more reserved in everything and don't let people gossip."

A light remark was just a tickle to Jia Lian!
Baozhu came over again, and Youshi didn't want to keep her anymore, so Jia Lian got up and went out.

The banquet was held directly in Qin's yard. Jia Rong was not there, and only Qin was there shyly to keep them company.

Looking at that delicate face, how could he drink the wine? Jia Lian stood up and grabbed her hand and pulled it in. Qin Shi whispered, "The wine and food should be cold."

"Just heat it up again when it's cold." Jia Lian couldn't wait, mainly because it was too exciting.

(There is a view in the Redology community that Cao Xueqin actually wrote two versions, one is the first eighty chapters of The Story of the Stone, and the other is A Dream of Red Mansions. The former may also be called A Dream of Red Mansions. Those who often read Ming and Qing novels must have a similar feeling, that is, Ming and Qing novels are very romantic. It is estimated that A Dream of Red Mansions is also a pornographic book. There are very few love scenes between Baoyu and Daiyu. Later, Cao Xueqin deleted and revised it. Before the deletion and revision were completed, the people were gone. What people see now is a revised and incomplete version. What can be bought on the market are all deleted and revised by modern people on the basis of multiple versions. As for why it is necessary to write about romance, my personal guess is that it should be due to realism. After all, the atmosphere in the Ming and Qing dynasties was like this. It is recommended to read light pornographic books such as Sanyan Erpai, and you will know that I am not talking nonsense. After all, there are more H.)
For Jia Lian, the easiest pleasure to obtain is sex.

Jia Lian still had some sense of shame and returned to the West Mansion in the middle of the night.

The bolt on this side of the door had fallen off. Xiren, who had been waiting, opened the door with her shoes. She sniffed and smelled someone else's scent.

"Where are they?" Jia Lian did not forget to ask before he lay down.

Xiren put on her coat and went into bed: "Everyone is asleep!"

After blowing out the lights, Xiren whispered in the darkness: "Master!" Jia Lian hummed in the darkness: "What's wrong?"

Xiren changed from lying flat to lying sideways, twisted and rubbed, giving enough hints.

Jia Lian said, "She is still young, wait two years."

Jia Lian really didn't want to get involved in something like the Three Courts' trial, but Emperor Chenghui would not let him go, so he had to come.

A deputy censor came to the Inspectorate. When he saw Jia Lian, he smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. He even took the initiative to speak: "You just came back from Liaodong. I'm sorry to trouble you again, Lord Jia!"

A vice minister from the Ministry of Justice came, and the chief judge of the Dali Temple appeared in person. When they saw Jia Lian, they just clasped their hands in greeting and said hello, without saying much.

No one would say anything against Jia Lian's supervision of the trial, nor would anyone dare to say anything. Apart from anything else, Jia Lian was an imperial censor, and a censor of the fourth rank.

If he continues on the path of being an imperial censor, he will be promoted to the position of assistant imperial censor.

Fortunately, Jia Lian was not doing his job properly, and his mind was on the Research and Development Department and the Five Cities Military Department. These two government offices, one by one, were not up to par in the eyes of the literati.

In the eyes of the literati, no one is better than the scholars. The farmers are more important and are not derogatory when mentioned. In fact, farmers are the most miserable beasts of burden.

As for other industries, such as doctors, they are also not mainstream and have a low social status.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

To be honest, Jia Lian really can't understand the thinking of the ancients. The profession of doctors is not valued. Perhaps, it may be because doctors come from witches.

"Who is being tried today?" Jia Lian approached Chief Censor Fang Song and asked in a low voice.

"The chief judges are the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, and they didn't say. I am also the supervising judge." Fang Song replied in a low voice.

The Dali Temple official coughed, attracting everyone's attention, then he raised the gavel and slammed it hard: "Bring someone to arrest Shen Lie!"

Soon Shen Lie was brought to the court. Because he had made great achievements, he did not need to kneel before the officials, nor did he need to wear shackles. He looked clean and looked fine, so he did not suffer in prison.

"Shen Lie greets all the gentlemen!" Shen Lie clasped his hands and greeted the officials as a student.

All the officials present folded their hands in greeting, but Jia Lian looked at him calmly. Shen Lie, who did not receive a greeting in return, showed a flash of shame and anger on his face and asked, "Are you humiliating me, Lord Jia?"

Seeing his righteous look, Jia Lian knew what he was thinking, but he didn't say anything. He turned to the Supreme Court Minister and the Ministry of Justice and asked, "You two, how can he stand here?"

The Dali Temple Minister replied as a matter of course: "Shen Lie is a juren!"

Jia Lian finally understood and said sarcastically, "Don't try him today. That's it."

After saying this, Jia Lian stood up and left, leaving everyone in shock.

Everyone looked at each other, thinking that today would be a sad day, but they didn't expect it to be like this?

Fang Song coughed and said meaningfully, "Let's try him again tomorrow. I'm afraid tomorrow won't be so easy."

Where was Jia Lian going? He went straight to the palace and asked to see the emperor.

Emperor Chenghui was very considerate and had someone lead him into the Palace of Heavenly Purity. When they met, he was curious: "Isn't the case of the Imperial College being tried today? Is it over already?"

Jia Lian did not hide his displeasure at all: "Trial? How to trial? My fame is all there!"

Emperor Chenghui was stunned, and it took him a while to react: "Didn't I say to abolish the imperial title at the cabinet meeting?"

Jia Lian said nothing and stood quietly aside.

Emperor Chenghui stood up and said, "Qiu Shian, go and call the Prime Minister."

Kong Zhao came in a little while later. When he saw Jia Lian, his brows slightly frowned. This guy is here, no good. The two of them have a long-standing grudge! Kong Zhao seemed to be generous about the teacup incident, but in fact he had always remembered it.

After Kong Zhao greeted him, Emperor Chenghui said to Jia Lian, "You speak!"

After Jia Lian told the truth, Kong Zhao explained: "How can you dismiss someone from his position if the case is not fully investigated? The court favors scholars, so we should still maintain the proper respect before the case is closed."

Emperor Chenghui angrily rebuked: "I once said that those who caused trouble would be dismissed from their posts. Why, my words don't count?"

Kong Zhao looked embarrassed: "When you all begged for mercy, didn't His Majesty revoke the order?"

Emperor Chenghui was amused: "Great! All the loyal ministers of the court have put their wisdom and talents into this."

Kong Zhao bowed his head and said nothing. Emperor Chenghui sneered and said, "Okay, I will issue an imperial decree to revoke the honors of those involved in the case. By the way, Ding Lian neglected his duties and caused an important official of the court to be injured, so he was demoted to a commoner."

Kong Zhao looked up in horror: "Your Majesty, you must not do this!"

Emperor Chenghui glared at Kong Zhao and said, "Why, do I need the cabinet's permission even for this?"

Kong Zhao knelt down and said, "I dare not!"

Emperor Chenghui could no longer suppress his anger. He pointed at Kong Zhao and shouted angrily, "Don't dare. What are you afraid of?"

Seeing Kong Zhao remained silent, Emperor Chenghui remained calm and said to Qiu Shian, "Go, call Guo Yan."

When Guo Yan arrived, he saw Kong Zhao kneeling on the ground, and immediately knelt down as well: "Your Majesty, what is your will?"

Emperor Chenghui was very straightforward: "Go to the Ministry of Rites and convey my oral order to revoke the merits of those involved in the case in the Imperial College!"

"Your humble servant obeys the imperial order!" Guo Yan was very straightforward and stood up and left.

Emperor Chenghui said to Kong Zhao, who had been kneeling, "Prime Minister Kong, please step down as well."

Kong Zhao knelt for a long time and struggled to get up but failed. Qiu Shian stepped forward and helped him up.

After standing up, Kong Zhao silently folded his hands and said goodbye, looking lonely when he turned around.

Emperor Chenghui waited for Kong Zhao to leave, then asked Jia Lian, "Do you know why I didn't deal with the situation in the Dali Temple prison?"

Jia Lian thought without hesitation: "Your Majesty is kind and kind, and cannot bear to see the officials in the prison lose their livelihood."

(End of this chapter)