Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 423 Insufficient people
Sensing the ambition in Emperor Chenghui's tone, Zhang Tingen was also infected. He pounded his fists and was in high spirits: "Time waits for no one! Your Majesty has this ambition, and I will do my best until my death."

The response made Emperor Chenghui very happy, and he could not help but sigh: "Among the officials in the court, many cherish their lives, but you and Jia Qing, the master and disciple, never cherish your lives for the country."

Zhang Ting'en quickly thanked him and said politely, "I see that Brother Ruhai doesn't look well. I'm afraid he's tired."

Emperor Chenghui waved his hand and said what was in his heart: "In terms of deeds and not heart, Lin Qing is also good."

Zhang Tingen understood that Emperor Chenghui's attitude towards Lin Ruhai was obviously on another level.

Thinking of some of Jia Lian's words and some of the information he had, Zhang Tingen couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

If the emperor wants to reform, the cabinet must be united. If this is the case, the emperor will be afraid. This scale must be grasped very well.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Sun and I have always had a tacit understanding in our cooperation. May I ask when Prime Minister Sun will return to Beijing?" Zhang Tingen sincerely hoped that Sun Huazhen would come back. It would be much easier to get things done if the cabinet had someone who knew him well.

Emperor Chenghui said: "The situation in Liangjiang is complicated. Sun Qing has reported that if there is no suitable replacement, he will not be in a hurry to come back."

Zhang Ting'en understood that half of the taxes in the country came from Liangjiang. Without a decisive and decisive official in Liangjiang, it would most likely lead to chaos.

This is how it was in the agricultural era. In prosperous areas, there were many educated people, and with many educated people, there were many unexpected things.

The emperor and his minister had another conversation. It was getting late, so Emperor Chenghui asked him to go back and rest for two days. After Zhang Tingen left the palace, he returned home and met Jia Lian. After having dinner together, he went to the study and talked with Jia Lian. When they were alone, Zhang Tingen told Jia Lian about the things that happened in the palace. He spoke carefully and listened attentively.

"The problem of the gentry in Liangjiang should not be viewed in isolation, but from the perspective of development. The industry and commerce in Liangjiang are developed, which is a good thing. Although there are problems of one kind or another, it is generally good. If all parts of the country were as prosperous as Jiangnan, would the court still have to worry about insufficient finances? The most important problem for the court is not the economic development of the local areas, but how to clean up the bureaucracy while developing. If the bureaucracy is clean, even if there is only one Jiangnan, the court will not have to worry about financial shortages; if the bureaucracy is corrupt, even if the whole country is Jiangnan, the court will still not be able to collect taxes."

Jia Lian’s words went straight to the heart of the matter, how could Zhang Tingen not know that?
Knowing is one thing, but how to do it is another question.

Of course, Jia Lian's words did not fully explain it. In essence, the economically developed Jiangnan pursues a social status that matches its wealth.

Human nature is the same. When businessmen become rich, they always think about improving their social status to protect themselves from being slaughtered like pigs.

Not to mention businessmen, even some gentry, after being targeted by officials, were still framed with crimes and their families were destroyed.

There are many similar incidents, and rent-seeking is naturally everywhere.

It is the same in any era. The problem of official administration cannot be solved fundamentally, it can only be improved.

In the era of imperial power and agriculture, due to the lack of information flow, local officials had too much power and the problem of administration was more serious.

If the imperial court strengthens supervision over officials, the cost of governance will increase significantly.

The Great Zhou inherited most of the systems of the Ming Dynasty, and the institutional design of the Ming Dynasty was aimed at a structure of further savings from the very beginning.

You can't say that Zhu Yuanzhang treated officials harshly, because the salaries of Ming Dynasty officials were enough to support their families.

The problem is, I am an official now, but if I still have to live a tight life like Hai Rui, then wouldn’t it be a waste of my career as an official?
After all, all problems are still problems of development. Once we enter an era of competition for existing resources, all the ugliness of human nature will be infinitely magnified.

Some people, deep down, want to be superior to others and enslave others. Not only do they not do any work, they also take credit for other people's achievements.

Not only do they take away other people's credit, occupy their position, but they also throw dirty water on them and discredit them.

In modern society, with the existence of the Internet, individuals who have been wronged can still make their voices heard. But in this era, where can ordinary people go to seek justice?

Especially when the people sued the officials, Yang Naiwu's sister went to roll nail boards and beat drums to appeal for justice. With such a program design, how could the imperial power consider the lives of the lower-class people?
The Zhou Dynasty continued some bad rules of the Ming Dynasty. Common people did not have to kneel when meeting officials on a daily basis, but they had to kneel when entering the court for the so-called majesty of the court.

With such a system design in place, how could officials, gentry and powerful people not oppress the people?
I just want to bully you and you have no way to resist.

To trace back to the source, the imperial power hopes for national stability.

Jia Lian has thought about this question countless times since he traveled through time. To put it bluntly, even in modern times, there are still many problems. In the Zhou Dynasty, thinking about system problems is simply overestimating one's own capabilities. No matter how much you think, it's all useless. It's better to think about how to develop the economy. If the national economy is well developed, many problems will not be problems and will not have much impact on the country as a whole.

Therefore, Jia Lian is not very interested in the issue of official administration now. Telling this to Zhang Tingen is also a reminder for him not to waste too much energy on this issue.

Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer kill people, so he forced officials to go to work wearing shackles.

Emperor Chenghui could be killed and wanted to be killed, but at the cabinet meeting, after several ministers opposed it, didn't they give up?
Why did the imperial era emphasize morality? Because officials and gentry lacked this.

"Your Majesty has been on the throne for ten years, and you have also worked hard to govern the country for ten years. The situation of the court is now much better than before. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take it slow and do it bit by bit."

Zhang Tingen was not discouraged, but comforted Jia Lian instead. He understood that Jia Lian lacked confidence in the future of the court.

That's true. Even though Jia Lian always puts the emperor's interests first, it's not because he is loyal, but because he is trying to survive!
After reading the original novel, Jia Lian knows what the situation of the Jia family is. The biggest boss of this dynasty is bent on suppressing the Jia family. How can they live like this?

Of course Jia Lian did not hate the emperor, nor did he dare to hate him!

As I said, do as much as you can, and don't do things that will put yourself at risk if you can avoid it.

Jia Lian thought many things were nothing, but in the eyes of the emperor and court ministers, this young man was evil.

As for what Jia Lian did, passing the imperial examination and becoming the top scholar was actually the most dependent on luck.

As for other matters, such as maintaining public order in the Wucheng Bingmasi, the emperor could not have imagined at first that this broken government office could be so powerful in Jia Lian's hands.

Who could have thought that Jia Lian, who came from a noble family, would be so ruthless and greedy for money when dealing with the children of the powerful.

Actually, this is nothing. It is like this in many cases. If the boss is not tough, the subordinates will not be tough either.

"What will my mentor do next?" Jia Lian asked in advance, feeling more confident.

Zhang Ting'en did not hide his intentions and said directly, "The situation of land annexation is becoming increasingly serious. In addition to taxes, the people have to bear various local levies and taxes. If there is any natural disaster or man-made disaster, and the court does not provide relief in time, or the relief does not reach the people, there will be big problems. It is imperative to re-measure the land in the world. After the measurement, the land tax will be distributed according to the land, and the gentry will pay taxes together."

Jia Lian didn't say anything after hearing this. If he had to say something, he could only say that it was a good idea.

"Teacher, I think that the most urgent task for Your Majesty in promoting the performance evaluation system is to focus on its specific implementation. Use the performance evaluation system to eliminate a group of incompetent and lazy officials, and then consider the matter of land survey. There is one thing I must remind you of. The performance evaluation system emphasizes political achievements. We must be wary of officials who, for the sake of political achievements, are divorced from local realities and impose more burdens on local people. This will be counterproductive."

Jia Lian is not talking nonsense. There are precedents in history books. During Wang Anshi's reform, there were similar cases. Officials collected more local taxes for political achievements. For example, there were 5 million acres of land in a place. Officials did not measure the land, but collected taxes in vain, collecting 6 million acres of taxes from 5 million acres. Because of the retention system, local officials were transferred after a few years. Whether they had achieved political achievements or made enough money, they were motivated to do these things.

As for the next person in office, it's just like passing the parcel around. As long as nothing goes wrong while I'm in office, nothing will be blamed on me.

As for the lives of the people, who cares?

People’s hearts are very dirty!

(PS: This is inspired by a disgusting thing that happened recently. I wrote this book purely for my own pleasure, and the results are terrible. If it weren't for the support of old readers, this book would not even be on the monthly ticket list. Even so, someone reported my book, saying that it was written by AI. The editor talked to me, and I really don't know how to complain. I can understand the report, but you should at least show some evidence. Whoever questions it should provide evidence. I can only say that people's hearts are really fucking dirty.)
There was a curfew in the capital. When walking on the streets, there was not a single ordinary citizen to be seen. Occasionally, one could see soldiers patrolling the streets, and sedan chairs carrying lanterns and moving in a hurry.

Isn't it about curfew? Well, at any time and in any place, there are always privileged people.

Jia Lian is one of the privileged people. The curfew is aimed at ordinary people and has no effect on Jia Lian.

When patrolling soldiers met Jia Lian on the way, they would not stop him but would even hold lanterns to light the way for him, fearing that Lord Jia would be dissatisfied and come back to settle accounts with them.

As I said, most people are dissatisfied with privileges, not because privileges are not good, but because I am not the privileged one.

When they arrived at the Jia Mansion and went home, Wang Xifeng had not yet rested and was checking the accounts with Lin Zhixiao.

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Seeing Jia Lian coming back, he tried to struggle to get up. Jia Lian asked hurriedly, "Why are you getting up?"

Wang Xifeng was of course doing it on purpose. She sat there smiling and gestured with both hands, saying, "Greetings to the master!"

Jia Lian knew that she must have something to say, so he sat opposite her and asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"

Wang Xifeng said, "The money from the winter vegetable sales has not been seen at home. I just calculated the accounts and found that we spent 50,000 taels during the New Year. Last year, we made only this much from tobacco sales. At the end of the year, there is no income at home. I am worried."

Jia Lian understood and explained with a smile: "I didn't tell you about this. I really can't tell you. Just keep it in mind. Don't worry about the money for the winter vegetables."

Wang Xifeng was obviously disappointed. She hesitated for a moment and looked around. After the servants left immediately, Wang Xifeng moved her buttocks and sat down next to Jia Lian. She leaned in and asked in a low voice, "But it's about the incident with Master Jing of the East Mansion."

Jia Lian said nothing, but just looked at her calmly. Wang Xifeng felt a little uncomfortable being looked at, and muttered, "There is an extra person in Mantou Temple. When the abbot came, he mentioned it and said that it was arranged by Master Jing."

Jia Lian was silent for a moment before he said, "Even if you hear or see what's going on outside, don't get involved, and don't ask about it."

Wang Xifeng was not afraid of Jia Lian, but she respected him, so after hearing what he said, she did not say anything else. However, she felt sad because she had lost the money.

This matter can be asked to Jia Lian, but Wang Xifeng cannot ask Lady Jia.

Wang Xifeng knew everything about Miaoyu, which meant that almost everyone in the Jia family knew about it.

Jia Lian was helpless about this, but he couldn't blame the old nun for being nosy. The family temple was there and people lived in it. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew about it.

Fortunately, the matter was remedied and no root of trouble was left. After all, it was Jia Jing's greed that brought trouble to the Jia family.

The more Jia Lian thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He felt that he should increase his support for Jia Rong. Although his XP was not so glorious, he felt much better when he thought about this.

In Jia Lian's courtyard, Xiren, who was guarding the door at night, sat on the fire bucket in a daze. Jia Lian didn't even react when he came in. Fortunately, Qingwen heard the noise and looked out; "Second Master is back."

Xiren immediately came back to her senses, got up, and helped Jia Lian wash and change clothes. Qingwen was holding a lantern nearby, and Jia Lian asked casually, "Where is Xiangling? Is she asleep?"

Xiren said, "Xiangling heard that Feng had a leg pain and couldn't walk, so she went over to take care of her."

Jia Lian nodded and asked her, "Why were you distracted just now?"

Xiren bit her lip, looked at Qingwen, and shook her head: "It's okay."

The temperature was still very low at night in early spring, so Jia Lian stopped reading at night. He lay down in the bed warmed by Qingwen and hummed comfortably.

Qingwen returned to the compartment, watched Xiren, who had been keeping her company all night, get on the bed, then she shrank back into the quilt and shuddered.

Why was Xiren distracted? It was because she heard others say outside today that Musk Moon had a quarrel with Nanny Li, and Nanny Li cursed her in a rather unpleasant way, saying that she did not look like a girl and that the vixen had ruined the Second Master's vitality.

Xiren also did the maid climbing onto the bed, but she didn't go to the last step.

Xiren really wanted to, but the Second Master was insistent. She was not disappointed at all and wondered how long she would have to wait before her dream of becoming a concubine could come true.

The next day, Jia Lian got up early, did his daily exercise, changed his clothes and went to work.

Yue Qi came to Jia Lian again and handed him a memorial, saying, "Take a look at it first. If you think it's ok, we can submit it jointly."

Jia Lian looked at him calmly and said calmly, "What's the big deal about dragging me into your memorial?"

Yue Qi did not insist, took back the memorial, said goodbye and left.

Jia Lian sighed and said, "Man, you are the Minister of War now, but you are still unwilling to take risks?"

There are gains and losses. You can't always think about gaining without taking responsibility.

Jia Lian also realized that Yue Qi was not satisfied with being the Minister of War and was thinking about further advancement.

Otherwise, when Jia Lian suggested that he submit a petition to open a royal military academy, he should have refused on the spot instead of doing such a thing.

Jia Lian didn't think much about Yue Qi's affairs, as he was also very busy. In the morning, he dealt with the miscellaneous affairs of the Wucheng Bingma Division, and in the afternoon, a group of technical officials from the Research and Development Division came uninvited every day to do research together.

These people dare to think and act. For them, doing experiments is very interesting.

In other words, the R&D department has money, otherwise the funds would be burned and it would be impossible to sustain it.

(End of this chapter)