Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 415: Fight in the street or be beaten up, choose one!
In the eyes of the cabinet, Lin Ruhai's handling of the matter was very appropriate and in line with the dynasty's principle of honoring and nurturing scholars.

After Lin Ruhai arrived in Sichuan, he adopted lenient means to treat the rebellious people. A large number of officials were dismissed, and after the court's tax exemption policy was fully publicized, public sentiment gradually stabilized.

After seeing the specific files, the cabinet members had complicated expressions. The officials promoted during Fang Baiyi's era were really bold in their greed. A Sichuan governor embezzled 2 million taels in one term. The governors and the three officials below were not clean either. They embezzled 70% of the local military funds, and the rest was for the military.

All told, from top to bottom, Sichuan alone embezzled eight million taels. With such ruthlessness, it is not surprising that the people were forced to rebel.

At the cabinet meeting, in front of Emperor Chenghui, all the cabinet ministers chose to remain silent, and everyone had a blank expression.

In this case, the emperor would not feel satisfied unless he executed a few people, but the cabinet would certainly not agree.

Emperor Chenghui could only name him: "Ning Qing, tell me."

Ning Ke felt bitter. Why did they pick me? I was just an attendee, a substitute.

Helpless Ning Ke could only stand up and say: "It is clearly written in the memorial of General Lin that some of the corrupt officials took the initiative to confess their crimes and actively returned the stolen money, while others did everything they could to obstruct the investigation. In my opinion, the former should be punished leniently, while the latter should be punished severely." Ning Ke stopped at this point and did not say what was lenient and what was severe.

Emperor Chenghui frowned as he listened, but did not reprimand him. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that the minister he had promoted himself did not have the same ideas as him.

"Prime Minister Kong! Speak!" Emperor Chenghui continued to call out names, bypassing the other cabinet ministers, not wanting to say more.

Kong Zhao naturally had a plan in mind, and he knew that the emperor would not be satisfied, so he could only bite the bullet and slowly said, "Lin Ruhai handled it properly and maintained the dignity of the court. We can learn from it!"

It was fortunate that Jia Lian was not present, otherwise he would have complained in his heart.

Officials protecting each other is said to be maintaining the dignity of the court, oppressing the people is said to be the majesty of the government, and privileges cannot be spoken of openly, right?

It has been similar in every dynasty. As the rentier class continues to grow, the foundation of the imperial court has been constantly shaken.

What happened in Sichuan was just a coincidence of the Jinchuan Rebellion and the people's rebellion. Otherwise, it might not have been possible. If this is the case in Sichuan, what about other places?

Emperor Chenghui was a little terrified, but also felt deeply powerless. At this time, the emperor thought of Jia Lian's so-called transfer of contradictions, and combined with reality, he found that it was the only feasible strategy.

After knocking on the table to attract everyone's attention, Emperor Chenghui said, "Since the cabinet has made up its mind, it will be responsible for handling this case. Those who should be exiled should be exiled, those who should be dismissed should be dismissed, and those who should be demoted should be demoted."

After Emperor Chenghui finished speaking, all the ministers in the cabinet breathed a sigh of relief. This set the tone: no killing!

As long as they don't kill, there will be more room for maneuver, and you will feel confident when accepting gifts.

Well, during this period of time, many people have gone to Beijing to build relationships, and those who have the means at home are trying their best to get people.

"Your Majesty is able to understand the feelings of the people and practice lenient policies. This is a blessing for the country." Kong Zhao immediately took the lead in praising the emperor. Emperor Chenghui did not smile when he heard this. He suppressed his intense nausea and said lightly: "I have something else to say. All the results of the disposal will be submitted to the Zhongshu Sheren for review before submission."

Jia Lian's name was not mentioned, but everyone knows that Jia Lian is the foreman of the Secretariat. Oh, he resigned, but the emperor hasn't approved it yet, right?
Even though they knew the emperor was being disgusting, the ministers could only bite the bullet and praise him: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we will obey your orders."

When Qiu Shian delivered the message, Jia Lian was completely dumbfounded. What was the emperor going to do?

Jia Lian blurted out: "Does His Majesty have any order?" Qiu Shi'an smiled but did not say anything and shook his head.

Riddler, right? Qiu Shian slowly recounted the process of the cabinet meeting. Jia Lian stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before speaking: "They are greedy for the people's blood and sweat, and also your majesty's money."

Qiu Shi'an's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked in a low voice: "What's the plan?"

When it comes to money, the eunuch chief's face is so wrinkled that he can't count the wrinkles on it.

"Don't they like to be greedy for money? On the premise of recovering the stolen money, add a fine. The amount of corruption is determined by the amount of fine. If you pay more, your crime can be mitigated. If you don't pay the fine, your clan members and descendants will be implicated. In short, go after their vital points, and you won't be afraid that they won't pay. Mr. Qiu, go back and report to His Majesty, and I will write a memorial now."

After hearing this, Qiu Shian left happily. After watching him leave, Jia Lian sighed and said to himself: Heshen used the same trick again.

Jia Lian saw the answer on Qiu Shian's face as to whether the emperor would agree. No? How surprising, he was the emperor.

Spreading out a pen and paper, thinking over and over again, Jia Lian finally felt that the name "Negotiating Crimes with Silver" was the most appropriate, and Heshen was truly a talented person.

After Qiu Shi'an's report, Emperor Chenghui fell silent again and sighed for a long time, "No matter what countermeasures Jia Qing comes up with, he will put my interests first. You go and tell him not to let him submit this memorial. I will recruit someone else to submit it." Well, this kind of memorial is destined to be infamous in history books, and Emperor Chenghui really doesn't want Jia Lian to dirty himself.

Qiu Shian hurried to find Jia Lian again. After delivering the message, Jia Lian burst into tears again. This time he was really moved. Neither of his own fathers in two lifetimes were as good to him as the emperor.

After Qiu Shian delivered the message, he saw the tears on Jia Lian's face, sighed, and turned back. When facing Emperor Chenghui, he described it vividly: "After Lord Jia received the letter, tears flowed down his cheeks! The sage said that the monarch and his subjects get along well, and I am happy for the sage from the bottom of my heart."

Emperor Chenghui also felt a little sad, and waved his hand and said, "Stop talking!"

Who was the person favored by the emperor? Jia Lian knew him: Fang Song, the chief censor of the Inspectorate.

Under the pretext of inquiring about the Imperial College case, Fang Song was summoned to the palace and had the opportunity to make a private appearance.

When Fang Song was called, he was completely dazed, as if he was seven-tenths drunk, feeling dizzy and floating.

No, it's impossible. Didn't they say Jia Lian was a jinx and that there was no benefit in being associated with him? When I was forced to sign the Imperial College case, I thought I would be dragged down and my future would be bleak.

Or is it because the signature was seen by His Majesty that he remembered me?
Those who often serve as officials know that the closer you are to the core of power, the more resources and information you get. Fang Song, who is nearly fifty years old, has only met the Right Censor-in-Chief in his life. He has never had the opportunity to talk to Lin Ruhai, the Chief Censor, alone. It was because of the unfortunate case of the Imperial College that he was sent by the Right Censor-in-Chief because others did not want to get involved.

It is said that Jia Lian wanted to defeat those higher-ranking officials, but the Inspectorate was not defeated. Could it be because of Lin Ruhai?
The delusional Fang Song was brought into the Qianqing Palace. Only when he paid homage with great ceremony did he regain his composure and not behave disrespectfully.

Emperor Chenghui gestured to Ping behind him and coughed, saying, "I have seen your signature and seal on the case in the Imperial College. You did a good job by not following the mistakes of others! Now I have something I want to entrust to you." After hearing this, Fang Song was shocked. Isn't this the opportunity he has been waiting for?

"Whatever your majesty commands, I will go through fire and water without hesitation." Fang Song quickly expressed his feelings. He really wanted to make progress.

Emperor Chenghui explained Jia Lian's words in his own tone and said in the end, "I can't say anything about this matter. When you go back, think about how to submit a memorial to explain the matter of the silver. Those corrupt officials, if they want the court's preferential treatment, should show some sincerity."

Fang Song was shocked as if he had been struck by lightning. How could they think of me? I thought it was a good thing.

But I spoke too quickly just now and said I was willing to go through fire and water for him. If I don't agree, I might be sent back home for some reason if I have any problems in the future.

For the sake of his future, Fang Song pinched his nose, endured the sadness, and gritted his teeth: "I accept your order!"

After returning home, Fang Song sighed and could not sleep at night. He wrote over and over again, but he was still not satisfied after revising it again and again. In the end, he just picked a manuscript at random, copied it, and put it away.

Looking at the sky again, it was already slightly white. I hadn't slept the whole night just for this memorial that was destined to go down in history. Unfortunately, the name left behind by this memorial was not destined to have a good reputation.

Once again, he felt the deep malice from the emperor. As long as he could get promoted, it was not impossible to take the blame for the emperor. After thinking about this memorial, he would probably be promoted to a higher position, and Fang Song became energetic again.

Before leaving the house in the morning, Fang Song slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, a jinx is a jinx. It's not that I haven't been affected by the disaster, but I have been affected in a different way. I must be careful when I go out next time and stay away from Jia Lian."

If you think about it carefully, it is better than being the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, the Minister of Justice, and the Left Vice Minister. These three brothers have all retired. Fortunately, they still retained their dignity because they retired instead of being dismissed.

The power of a jinx is evident from this.

Two days had passed since Jia Lian learned of the incident. Fang Song's memorial had caused a great uproar in the court, with voices of opposition overwhelming. The label of treason was thrown at Fang Song without cost.

Jia Lian sighed deeply. It felt so good to be protected by His Majesty. Originally, he was labeled as a traitor. But he thought that he had been accused of this before. It was okay. This time was not a big deal.

Jia Lian was in a good mood. He returned to his loyal Wucheng Bingmasi for the first time after the New Year. At the gate of the yamen, the doorman shouted, "Master Jia has arrived!"

People were coming out of all the doors in the courtyard. The censors, officers, and clerks all came out to greet them.

"Tomorrow is the fifteenth, have all the benefits been distributed?" This was the first thing Jia Lian asked.

Jian Renda, the foreman, stepped forward to answer: "Mr. Jia, it was sent yesterday."

"Okay, as long as I haven't delayed everyone's celebration, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year!" Jia Lian clasped his hands and bowed in a circle, and everyone clasped their hands in return, piling up auspicious words.

Just as the party was getting lively, the doorman rushed in and shouted, "Someone is being beaten up in the street! They are all officials, wearing official uniforms."

When Jia Lian heard that there was melon to eat, he hurried out to look, but saw a sedan chair overturned and an official who looked familiar was being beaten by four or five young officials.

Speaking of which, the fights among officials are not exciting at all. They are not as good as the women who know how to grab hair, fight, kick people and make them dodge, and then hold them down and beat them.

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Hey, who is this unlucky official? The more I look at him, the more familiar he looks. His hat has been knocked off and his official uniform has been torn apart.

"Oh, no, it's the Censor-in-Chief Fang Song. Come on, this is our responsibility. Fighting in the street is not allowed even for officials. I heard magpies chirping in the yard when I went out today!"

The officers and soldiers of the Five Cities Military Division, who had been hiding far away and watching, rushed forward upon receiving the order and took everyone under control.

The weak officials were held by several big men. It was a scene...

Off topic, Jia Lian coughed and stepped forward: "As an official of the imperial court, how can you fight in the street? You are breaking the law knowingly, which is an even greater crime!"

Fang Song, with a bruised face and nose, whimpered and spat out two teeth. [He didn't even try to avoid Jia Lian. He forgot to check the almanac before leaving.]

A young official struggled to break free from the soldier's hand, glanced at Jia Lian, and folded his arms, saying, "Greetings, Censor Jia. It is wrong to beat someone in the street, but Fang deserves to be beaten. I hate to beat him to death just now!"

The other four officials also echoed this, saying that a traitor like Fang Song deserved to be beaten to death.

Jia Lian listened to what they said, waved his hand to signal Fang Song not to speak, pulled out a knife from the waist of the soldier beside him, and handed it to the official surnamed Xu: "Here, use this, stab him to death! It will be considered as eliminating harm for the people!"

This operation made it impossible for the official surnamed Xu to step down. He subconsciously took two steps back and defended himself by saying, "Killing someone with a knife is murder!"

Jia Lian then put away his knife and said to the official named Xu: "Fighting in the street is also a crime. Come, take them back and deal with them according to the law."

They were all officials, and they knew that even if they entered the Wucheng Bingmasi, it would not be a big deal, so they walked in with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, without the need for escort.

Fang Song fell last, looking at Jia Lian with a sad face: "Master Jia, can you explain to the people to get rid of harm?"

This guy has lost two teeth and his speech is a bit lisp.

Jia Lian didn't tolerate him and threatened him directly: "Wucheng Bingmasi is my government office. Think carefully before you talk to me."

Fang Song knew that one had to bow his head under someone's roof, so he whispered, "What do you think?"

"If you can talk, they will attack you in the street. If you can't talk, you will just fight each other. Do you understand? Do you know how to talk to Mr. Jia?"

Jia Lian had a face full of smugness. Fang Song knew that he had no chance of winning by arguing with him, so he said angrily, "Didn't I just submit a memorial to discuss the silver? I was also thinking about the financial affairs of the court!"

Jia Lian, who knew the truth, looked at him silently. Are you thinking about the court's finances? You want to get promoted! To make money!

"Whether you are thinking about the court's finances or not, I don't know. I only know that you are going to lose money today. According to the Beijing Public Security Management Punishment Regulations, fighting in the street will result in 15 days of detention and a fine of 50 taels."

Fang Song got anxious when he heard this and started yelling, "What are you talking about? I was beaten!"

Jia Lian continued to taunt: "Being beaten is an honor. Do you want me to spread the word for you? You need to understand the consequences of speaking loudly when asking for help."

Fang Song softened immediately. He was really flexible and forced a smile: "Master Jia, we supervised the trial together, so we are friends. I will help you. It's ok for Fang to be beaten, but you can't let me be locked up after being beaten, right?"

Seeing that he had given in, Jia Lian smiled and put his arm around his shoulders as they walked in: "That's right, we are all friends, so let's talk nicely. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Fang Song stopped and said, "Wait a minute!" Jia Lian's expression changed instantly: "What, you don't want to drink the toast?"

His expression changed so quickly that Fang Song didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Boots, my official boots fell off!" He raised one foot as he spoke!

Jia Lian quickly jumped away: "Hey! How long have you not washed your feet?"

Fang Song didn't want to argue with him anymore. He quickly took the boots the soldier brought and put them on. When he touched the wound, he grimaced in pain and asked, "Can you help me vent my anger?"

"Give me a reason!" Jia Lian did not refuse directly, but asked back.

"Corruption continues despite repeated bans. From Shaanxi and Gansu to Sichuan, these are the cases that have been discovered. How many more cases have not been discovered? That's why I came up with the idea of ​​negotiating the silver for the crime. At least some money can be recovered for the country, and future officials will have room to be corrupt if they want to." Fang Song said this with a ferocious expression, and it was unclear whether he was in pain or his heart was twisted.

Jia Lian looked at him speechlessly for a while before he spoke: "These people who read the books of sages, they want money, they want to be high-ranking officials, they want to keep a good reputation, they want it all, they have two sets of standards for themselves and others. They say one thing, do another, they have all the good things in the world, and yet they are not satisfied."

Fang Song was speechless. The truth was too hurtful and too heartbreaking. I was so angry and wanted to refute, but I thought that this was Jia Lian's territory, so I endured it. Han Xin suffered humiliation under the crotch, so today I will endure the slander for a while.

When they arrived at the government office, Jia Lian separated the two parties and went to face the senior officials in person.

"Everyone, tell me, what's going on?" Jia Lian asked knowingly.

Everyone looked at each other, but now they had calmed down, knowing that this was not a good place, and at the very least it was a law enforcement agency.

No one spoke. Everyone looked at the official surnamed Xu. Jia Lian also looked at him: "Name, age, position."

"Xu Lin, also known as Youlai You, is 25 years old and a seventh-rank censor of the Inspectorate." Xu Lin spoke with his neck stiff, with a mighty and unyielding attitude.

Jia Lian raised his hand and pointed at him: "Why did you beat up an important official in the street?"

"Fang Song submitted a criminal complaint for silver, which ruined the current atmosphere and destroyed the century-old foundation of the country. He deserves to die!" Xu Lin's attitude was very arrogant!
Jia Lian stared at him fiercely: "You should be thankful that you are wearing an official robe. With your attitude, I would give you thirty lashes to intimidate anyone."

Xu Lin sneered twice, straightened his clothes, and said, "Come on! I'm afraid of you!"
Jia Lian was not angry either, and said calmly: "The prisoner has a bad attitude, so he will be locked up for three days!" He turned and left. Xu Lin reached out to grab him, but Jia Lian dodged and slapped him in the face, causing him to tilt his body and walk out quickly. When everyone was about to make a scene, the door had already been closed with a bang.

"Asshole, how dare you hit me? Let me out!" Xu Lin roared madly. Jia Lian stood at the door and sneered, "When you beat up the Chief Censor in the street, you should have thought of this moment!"

(End of this chapter)