Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 414: A New Era

Winter vegetables were picked on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. The first batch of vegetables was not sold to the public, but given away as gifts. Five carts were sent to the palace. When Emperor Chenghui found out, he asked Qiu Shian to tell those who had received rent not to send any more. Jia Lian would not listen to this, and threatened Qiu Shian instead: "This is a forged imperial edict!"

Qiu Shian smiled and did not intend to refute. Jia Lian still insisted on sending vegetables every day, but the number became one cart. After knowing this, Emperor Chenghui pretended that nothing happened and privately told Qiu Shian that Jia Lian was just disobedient. Qiu Shian smiled and agreed, yes, he was disobedient. He silently added in his heart that the more disobedient ministers like this, the better.

After the emperor was dealt with, it was the turn of the Jia and Lin families. Because they were going to sell them, they each had one car. The R&D Department and the Five Cities Army Department were their own people, and each person was limited to buying two kilograms of affordable vegetables.

The people below couldn’t bear to eat it, so they sold it for double the price!
After the benefits were distributed, the time for buying groceries officially began. Jia Rong, along with Jia Yun and others, watched over the business of this stall every day.

Leeks were sold for two silver dollars per pound, and cucumbers were sold by the root, at two silver dollars per piece.

This is not buying vegetables, this is robbing money.

There were many wealthy people in the capital, and this amount of food was not enough to sell. Many officials were very unhappy and complained that the Jia family's food was too expensive and no one could afford it. This was sucking the blood of officials.

Complaints aside, this is an exclusive deal, Jia Rong will definitely not lower the price, with so many people to support, and the emperor's 1 million taels of rent. After a winter, it's hard to say how much he can earn.

Off-season vegetables do not cheat the poor. Farmers on the farm can get some cabbage stalks and rotten leaves to cook and eat.

It's not that Jia Lian hadn't thought about promoting it, but the problem was that he hadn't made back his investment yet. If he wanted to make enough money first and then promote it, Jia Lian was not a saint. Besides, the land in the north was not enough to grow food.

After the Little New Year, the prices of off-season vegetables rose again. This time, the officials in the capital could no longer tolerate it and submitted impeachment memorials, saying that Jia Lian paid less taxes by trading off-season vegetables and that tax evasion should be severely cracked down.

Emperor Chenghui read these memorials, smiled coldly, and patiently replied one by one: [Have you paid your taxes? ]

Qiu Shi'an brought the eunuchs and carried these memorials to the cabinet in baskets and handed them over to the cabinet for disposal.

The cabinet ministers read through the reply patiently one by one and found that Emperor Chenghui's reply contained the same sentence, which made all the cabinet ministers feel annoyed.

At least Jia Lian paid his taxes. If we really investigate the land, shops and mines owned by these officials carefully, no one will be spared.

The cabinet officials divided up the work and called all the officials who had submitted the memorial to impeach Jia Lian to have a talk with them one by one. The process was very consistent, throwing the memorial in the other party's face and angrily scolding: "How dare you impeach Jia Lian for tax evasion?"

The officials who submitted memorials came to the cabinet with great enthusiasm, but left dejectedly along the wall.

The matter just passed, and no one mentioned Jia Lian's making money again. The conjunctivitis was cured without any medicine, and a medical miracle was born.

After knowing all these things, Jia Lian just laughed it off and came up with a new trick!
In order to grow vegetables, Jia Lian built a lot of coal stoves that burn honeycomb coal. The raw materials of honeycomb coal are all broken coal, which can't be sold and takes up space. Jia Lian controls the coal mine under the R&D department and built a coal court. He mixes broken coal, yellow mud and sawdust and puts them into molds to produce honeycomb coal.

It can only be said that Jia Lian knows how to anger people. Before the New Year, he gave coal stoves and fifty honeycomb coals to all the people in the Wucheng Military Department and the Research and Development Department for free. In the poor areas in the north of the city, every household was given coal stoves and fifty honeycomb coals for free under the banner of the emperor. This caused a huge sensation. For a time, the lower-class people praised His Majesty for his wisdom. Upon hearing the news, Emperor Chenghui specially called Jia Lian to question him.

"Mr. Jia is thoughtful for giving stoves to the people! Do you want me to waive some of the rent for you?" Emperor Chenghui looked at Jia Lian and liked him more and more.

Every winter, many people freeze to death in the capital. This year, with Jia Lian's coal stove, many lives can be saved.

Jia Lian smiled and explained, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will not make a loss. The stove is a one-time gift, but coal briquettes will be purchased later. There are so many households in the capital, and ten coal briquettes for one penny are not expensive. As long as everyone uses the coal stove, coal briquettes will cost almost nothing except the labor cost. After one winter, I can still recover my investment."

Emperor Chenghui felt a little embarrassed after hearing what Jia Lian said. Jia Lian said it easily. Emperor Chenghui, who had sent people to understand the situation, still knew that Jia Lian had invested a lot of manpower and material resources.

The emperor waved his hand and said: "From now on, only you are allowed to sell honeycomb coal in the capital. Anyone else who sells it will be banned."

Jia Lian was very grateful, but he still persuaded the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, there is no need to do this. I am doing this to benefit the people during the winter. Now that Your Majesty is in power, some new trends are necessary. If the Jia family monopolizes the business, it will be detrimental to Your Majesty's wisdom."

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a while and sighed, "You!" Emperor Chenghui, who was not good at making promises, silently remembered one thing in his heart. When Jia She died and Jia Lian inherited the title, he would restore the title of Duke Rong to the Jia family.

People outside the north of the city also had to use coal stoves. When the Jia family's shop sold coal stoves to the public, they gave them away for free, and coal briquettes cost ten yuan per penny. Because of sufficient preparation in advance, in just a few days, before New Year's Eve, every household in the capital used honeycomb coal for heating.

Before this, some people wrote sour articles in folk newspapers, implying in a sarcastic tone that Jia Lian was sucking the blood of the people in the capital by selling vegetables. After this incident, many people ran to the door of the newspaper office and threw clods of earth. Because there were so many people throwing dirt, the entrance was piled up into a small hill, blocking the door.

What's even worse is that they would pick up feces at night and go directly to the door of the newspaper office.

This incident spread widely in the capital and became a good story for a while.

Before New Year's Eve, the staff of Wucheng Bingma Division, R&D Division, and Shenjiying Division can buy one pound of cheap vegetables for only ten coins each as one of the benefits before the New Year.

There were many other benefits as well. All three departments distributed benefits, including flour, pork, peanuts, melon seeds, maltose, and sea fish shipped from Tianjin after the winter, to ensure that everyone could have a good year.

The R&D department had the best treatment, and the Shenjiying was second only to the others. No one in the Shenjiying had a bad temper, after all, they had earned a lot last year.

In comparison, the people of the Wucheng Bingmasi felt a little regretful. They always felt that Lord Jia no longer loved them and had not generated any income for a long time.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, when everyone was gathering in the Jia family ancestral hall, Jia She walked up to Jia Rong and asked him, "Where is Brother Jing? Why don't you see him?"

Jia Jing claimed to be a retreatant for spiritual practice, but in fact he would come back every year to preside over the ancestral worship. If he gave up the power of the secular world, how would he get the money to practice?
Jia Rong said to Jia She, "My grandson was also surprised. Yesterday, my grandfather sent someone to tell me that I would preside over the ancestor worship this year."

Jia She wanted to speak again, but was pulled back by Jia Lian, who whispered, "Aren't you uncomfortable living a comfortable life of drinking and playing with women every day?"

Jia She still wanted to scold Jia Lian for being an unfilial son, but when he met his eyes and found that Jia Lian had an unfriendly expression, he gave up and cursed in a low voice, which was almost inaudible.

After the ancestor worship ceremony was over, Jia Lian poked Jia She and whispered to him, "Go and suggest that Rong Ge'er officially take over as the clan leader."

Jia She was immediately furious, but when he saw the banknote between Jia Lian's fingers, he calmed down immediately, took it with a smile, stood up and coughed, "Everyone, I have something to say."

Everyone in the clan immediately looked like they were waiting to see a good show, and people like Jia Dairu were particularly delighted.

Well, as long as Jia She competes for the position of clan leader, everyone will support him, and then they will have an excuse to share the benefits.

Unexpectedly, Jia She said, "Zhen Ge'er has had a stroke and is unable to manage affairs. The clan leader has always been the legitimate son of the East Palace. I suggest that Rong Ge'er officially take on the responsibility of clan leader and seek benefits for the whole clan."

Everyone was stunned, only Jia Lian raised his hand to applaud. When the others heard the applause, they reluctantly followed suit. The applause went from sparse to enthusiastic.

Jia Rong stepped forward to speak, feeling a little excited, after all, it had not been formal yet.

According to what he had discussed with Jia Lian in advance, after some tricks, Jia Rong announced that every household in the clan would be given ten silver dollars and other benefits.

After a series of combined punches, Jia Rong, who had previously relied on Jia Lian's coercion to become the clan leader, now had the support of most clan members. Some old guys were not convinced and dared not say a word in front of Jia Lian.

Since he failed to resist this time, he would have basically no chance to resist in the future. Jia Rong’s position as the clan leader was completely secured.

After the ancestor worship, Jia Lian returned to his residence. Wang Xifeng was spending money lavishly. Each servant in the courtyard received five silver dollars for the New Year. Outside the courtyard, the other servants only received two dollars each.

In previous years, the Jia family gave a servant a maximum of 500 coins during the Spring Festival. This year, they were given two coins. According to the official exchange rate, this was 1,400 coins. It was all because of the Japanese devils, who sold a large number of domestic copper coins to Japan every year, and the price of copper coins in exchange for silver dollars rose again.

In order to obtain enough copper, Jia Lian submitted a memorial a few years ago, requiring that each ship carrying 10% of its cargo of copper ingots be carried when trading overseas in the future. This regulation was officially implemented in the 11th year of Chenghui. It was not that the Great Zhou did not produce copper, but there were not many copper mines, and the largest existing copper mine was still in a remote area of ​​Yunnan.

The purpose of introducing the new foreign trade policy was naturally the result of Jia Lian's careful planning, because in order to make metal bullet casings, copper is essential.

As for the outflow of copper coins, Jia Lian did not intend to stop it. It was impossible for a country to use the currency of another country. Jia Lian could not stop the use of silver as currency. He could only watch as the foreigners exchanged the fruits of their labor for silver that was neither edible nor drinkable. Next year, Jia Lian decided to submit a memorial to increase the proportion of gold payments in foreign trade.

The price of silver is destined to fall, but the same cannot be said for gold.

The whole family in the He family celebrated the New Year with great joy and excitement. Jia Lian got up early in the morning on the first day of the first lunar month. He had to get up, as he had to attend the grand court meeting.

Not only do you have to go, but you also have to present a congratulatory message to the emperor.

Jia Lian had written it in advance, put it in his sleeve, and took his people out in a carriage. It was too cold, and riding a horse was painful.

Jia Lian had been dozing off at the New Year's Day meeting. Last night, the East Palace was holding an event, and Jia Lian also went there. On the way, he slipped away and went to Qin's place, and was attacked from both sides. When he left in the middle of the night, Jia Rong was still hosting an event, and a group of people were shouting and playing Pai Gow. No one knew who won or lost, but Jia Lian lost hundreds of millions.

Fortunately, other people at the court meeting were not in high spirits, so Emperor Chenghui kept the meeting brief. After Kong Zhao spoke on behalf of the cabinet, Emperor Chenghui delivered a five-minute New Year message, then adjourned the meeting and officially began.

There are not many rules for dining at a banquet. Those who want to eat can eat, and those who don’t want to eat can pack up and leave.

Before leaving, the emperor prepared a New Year gift package for each minister. Each person took a basket of vegetables home as an extra dish on the New Year's table. In addition, each minister was given a gold coin as a prize.

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When leaving, Jia Lian deliberately walked with Yue Qi and handed the basket of vegetables in his hand to him.

Although he was the Minister of War, Yue Qi insisted on wearing the clothes of a military officer, as a representative of the military in the court. On the contrary, Jia Lian, as an invincible general, wore the clothes of a fourth-rank civil official.

Yue Qi took the basket of vegetables and thanked Jia Lian. As he walked away, he said, "The petition for the Shenji Battalion to change uniforms has been approved by the Ministry of War and has been submitted to the emperor. It should be approved after the new year. Speaking of which, it would be difficult to change uniforms for so many troops all at once."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "I am not in a hurry. The Shenjiying will be replaced first. When others see the good, they will naturally take the initiative to follow."

"Aren't you afraid that others will say you are worshipping foreigners?" Yue Qi still reminded him. After all, only Westerners dress like that.

Jia Lian said: "The military uniforms are meant to facilitate military travel, but you should still wear them as you wish in daily life."

Yue Qi paused for a moment before saying, "Lord Jia should take it easy. You are already the target of public criticism."

Jia Lian stopped and stared at Yue Qi, saying, "Master Yue, this is how the world is. Some people won't reason with you. Whether you do something or not, it's wrong in their eyes. Because our existence itself is a huge threat to their interests. What they want is a court like the Northern Song Dynasty. Go back and think about it carefully. The one who is called out outside the Donghua Gate is a good man. As a warrior, don't belittle yourself!"

Yue Qi looked at the fellow's civilian uniform and thought: Can you change your clothes before talking to me like this?

On the second day, they went out to pay New Year's greetings. On the third day, the ladies of the Jia family entered the palace led by Grandmother Jia, and the Queen hosted a banquet for them.

After returning, Mrs. Wang looked unhappy, while Wang Xifeng looked rosy-cheeked and in a very good mood.

On the eighth day, work resumed. Jia Lian was called into the palace, and Emperor Chenghui asked him, "There will be a provincial examination this year. Where do you want to be the chief examiner?"

Jia Lian exclaimed: "Can I still choose a place?"

Emperor Chenghui smiled and said, "Others can't do it, but Jia Qing can."

Jia Lian lowered his head. Fortunately, he had soaked his hands in ginger juice before going out. He only needed to rub his hands a few times before tears started to flow.

Emperor Chenghui saw that he was wiping his eyes all the time, and he felt deeply moved. He was young after all, and his emotions were outwardly expressed. Unlike those old men, who were very good at hiding their emotions.

After sighing, Emperor Chenghui said softly: "Okay, don't cry!"

Jia Lian raised his head, thanked him with red eyes, "Your Majesty, I cannot repay your kindness even if I die."

Emperor Chenghui nodded, his nose a little sour. If someone else said this, the emperor would believe 30% of it. If Jia Lian said this, the emperor would believe 90%. The remaining 10% was the emperor's instinct. He absolutely could not trust any minister completely. After sniffing, Emperor Chenghui looked up and said, "You and I are both fine. Let future generations see that the monarch and minister get along well and work together to create a prosperous era."

The provincial examination was held in the autumn, and there was still early time, so Jia Lian took out a loan in advance from the chief examiner of the provincial examination.

Don't underestimate this matter. If you become a teacher for the provincial examination, you will have a group of students. The relationship between students and teachers is the basis of a natural alliance.

The cabinet term is five years. This year, the terms of Kong Zhao and Liang Daoyuan have expired. Whether they can continue to serve depends entirely on the emperor. It also depends on whether there are any ministers below who are tactful enough to take the initiative to raise this matter in the memorial.

After the New Year, the working morale of the cabinet was unprecedentedly high. Kong Zhao dragged his elderly body to hold a series of meetings to allow all departments in the capital to get into work mode as soon as possible.

But how can we say it? In ancient times, the New Year was not considered over until the first month of the lunar year was over.

As a result of the cabinet's actions, it was difficult for each department to get out of its lazy state. For a time, people were angry and resentful, and officials complained constantly when they were having fun at night.

The Dragon Guard was dispatched promptly and searched all brothels early in the morning. Officials were not allowed to visit prostitutes, and violators would be fined fifty taels.

Well, Long Jinwei also wants to generate income. The officials were very panicked at first, but later they found that as long as they paid the money, no one would stop them from continuing.

In this way, the officials who were caught would not panic. It was just fifty taels of silver, right?
They don't know that all of them have their records kept, and this will be a deduction in the comments when the Ministry of Personnel conducts inspections in the future.

When Jia Lian learned about this, he couldn't help but sigh: The emperor has also become a bad person.

Just after the first month of the lunar year, good news came from Sichuan. After adopting the strategy of surrounding the enemy on all sides while advancing steadily and step by step, Niu Jizong's progress was not fast but steady.

Roads were widened along the way, and roads were built where there were none. Anyway, there was no rush. Solid military stations were built along the way to store soldiers, food, and ammunition. Each military station only needed a team of musketeers and two French cannons, and thousands of rebels would find it difficult to shake it. The straight-line distance between each military station was only two miles, and they responded to each other and rushed to help. Although the rebels were familiar with the terrain, they had no way to deal with this tactic.

Years ago, they had conquered Xiaojinchuan, killing and wounding more than 1,000 rebels and capturing 1,500. The rebel leader led the remnants to retreat to Dajinchuan to resist stubbornly.

Niu Jizon, who had achieved some initial results, submitted a memorial to the capital. At the same time, Lin Ruhai's memorial was also submitted to the capital.

The case in the Sichuan officialdom has basically been tried, involving 130 officials above the seventh rank.

Lin Ruhai had the power to do things at his own convenience, but he did not use it to the fullest extent. Instead, he only dealt with officials below the fourth rank. The most severe punishment was to dismiss officials from office and remove their honors, confiscate the proceeds of corruption, and impose a certain amount of fines. Lin Ruhai did not deal with officials above the fourth rank, but sent the case files to the capital for the emperor to deal with.

Not only memorials were returned to Beijing, but also Xia Shouzhong who was on the way. Because he was carrying a large amount of dirty silver and fines, he had to go downstream. Fifty ships were loaded with 5 million taels of silver, including people and silver.

When the memorial arrived in Beijing, Xia Shouzhong was still in Yangzhou.

Lin Ruhai's memorial adhered to a principle, which was not to kill anyone. This principle was not initiated by Lin Ruhai, but was one of the manifestations of the dynasty's preferential treatment of scholars.

How to say it, if it's not treason, then the conviction means stripping of one's honors and reputation and demoting him to a commoner.

(End of this chapter)