Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 70 Things will definitely work out

"Go to the study and sit down and talk slowly." Jia Lian motioned to Li Heng to lead the way. The two went to the study and sat down on two chairs. The waiter promptly served tea. To be professional in serving people, one must be a waiter.

Jia Rong also followed in and found that there was no seat for him. He stood quietly behind Jia Lian and listened with his ears pricked up.

Jia Lian was very satisfied with this. This kid has not been led into a ditch yet, and he has a character that knows how to advance and retreat at a measured pace.

"Have you read the imperial newspaper?" Jia Lian found a clue and guided Li Heng bit by bit.

"Of course I have seen it. The general affairs envoy and the general secretary passed it down and handed it down, and the Di report plays a big role."

"The Di Bao is for officials, and its function is to report some important events. For officials, the content of the Di Bao is guaranteed by the General Affairs Department. Even if they don't know the specific details, the things must have happened and are credible. Take the cabinet adjustment as an example. The chief minister of the cabinet resigned on the grounds of old age. The officials who saw it all had their own interpretations and did not mention it. They all accepted this statement on the surface. If anyone saw the content of the Di newspaper, they would also recognize it. Official interpretation. This situation is called credibility, which can also be understood as the right of public opinion."

Jia Lian was very patient and taught me step by step.

Li Heng seemed to have heard something, and asked naturally: "In the capital, not to mention the interpretations among the market, the powerful and the officials, there are all kinds of interpretations, among which is the reputation of Brother Lian. It is quite evil, you know Those who knew the inside story didn’t take it seriously, and those who didn’t know the inside story thought the four kings and eight princes were so majestic. The chief minister of the cabinet did it as soon as he said it.”

"This is the crux of the matter. If no one deliberately guides such a thing, there will not be so many opinions. This type of remarks is called public opinion at best, and rumors with ulterior motives at worst. You If you want to do something, Your Majesty will take a look at your ability. It is difficult for you to make a difference when you are currently observing the government. If you want to make a difference, you must find another way. The way I found for you is to start with public opinion. .”

"Public opinion?" Li Heng fell into deep thought. He didn't quite understand the power of public opinion. In fact, the ancients did not fully understand the power of public opinion, but they just didn't know how to amplify the power of public opinion simply and effectively.

"Yes, public opinion is also a kind of right. It affects the world through public opinion. For example, if the capital has a population of one million, what you say at home will be heard by people around you and will leave an impression on you. But the imperial newspaper can It affects everyone who reads Di Bao. Di Bao is for officials. If there is a private tabloid, how much impact will it have on everyone in the capital?"

Jia Lian finally gave the final answer, which was to start a newspaper. Ordinarily Jia Lian can do it by himself, but it is determined by his background. Jia Lian cannot do this, but Li Heng can do it without any problem.

why? Because this newspaper must involve what happened in the court and related interpretations.

Jia Lian is a noble man. If he runs this newspaper, it can easily be understood that the noble group is using the newspaper to guide public opinion. This is very scary. Once the emperor really thinks so, Jia Lian's death will not be far away. The power of the elite group itself is already very powerful. Now it wants to influence public opinion in the capital and guide public opinion. What is its intention?

To put it simply, the emperor can easily make a judgment: Do the nobles want to rebel? In other words, serving the Emperor.

No matter which judgment he makes, Jia Lian will be pushed to a dead end.

Li Heng was different. When he came to handle this matter, the emperor thought at most that he wanted to express himself and add points to the throne.

"What do you mean, I also publish a newspaper for the residence?" Li Heng finally understood.

Jia Lian shook his head: "It's not a Di newspaper, it's a tabloid facing the people of the capital."

Li Heng looked embarrassed and said: "Isn't running this tabloid just to expose the posts? Just hiring someone to copy them is a big expense, as well as the cost of paper and pen. How can such a tabloid make money? Even if it sells the posts I can make money, but it’s not much money.”

(PS: A post, in layman’s terms, a handwritten leaflet.)

The dog was still thinking about making money. He turned to look at Jia Rong. His expression and eyes were full of disappointment and he also wanted to make money.

Jia Lian sighed secretly in his heart, what a bunch of pig teammates.

"You definitely can't use people to copy newspapers, because the efficiency is too low. It must be printed, and movable type printing is the best. The content can be richer, including important news from the court, various folk anecdotes about the market, serialized popular novels, and prices of people's livelihood supplies. Trends, etc. When the circulation reaches a certain number, you can make money by advertising. I think you should not think about making money for the time being, but think about expanding your influence. Once the newspaper you run can affect the entire capital, run Your Majesty will pay the reported fees for you. This is the most beneficial result for you."

When Jia Lian said something, Li Heng's eyes suddenly lit up. Yes, why didn't I think of this?

Li Heng was moved, but he didn't want to appear too eager, so he pretended to be thoughtful and said, "Let me think twice about this matter."

Seeing this, Jia Lian shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If you have a printing channel, you can also open a bookstore and print manuscripts to make money."

Li Heng did not continue to pretend, but said decisively: "The matter can be done, but the movable type is a bit troublesome. I will ask for details later. Let's have a discussion today to see what to do with the newspaper and how to finance it. implement?"

Facing Li Heng's eyes that said "Hurry up and pay for it", Jia Lian didn't notice it and responded decisively: "That's what it is. I'm the one who comes up with ideas. What exactly is the matter?" Just be yourself and take the trouble.”

Li Heng was very disappointed. He was still counting on Jia Lian to provide some money. Li Heng, who was not very willing, continued: "Why, you don't want to buy shares for the Jia family? If you make money in the future, you will also have an income."

Jia Lian immediately stopped his thoughts and said: "Where can I get money? How can I use the monthly money to run newspapers? You have opened a government, and you can have an income every month. You can save some money for your needs." If nothing else works, go and ask the Queen."

Jia Lian will never continue this topic without clarifying the issue of money.

Li Heng looked at Jia Rong, what do you mean, do you want to invest some money? Jia Rong was a little panicked. He didn't know the real details of Li Sanlang, so he had to look at Jia Lian, hoping that he could give an accurate answer.

"Don't count on Brother Rong, he is also a poor man that month. For a few taels of silver, Lai Sheng, the housekeeper of Ningguo Mansion, would look down on him. If you don't understand the situation in Jia Mansion, don't think too much. But that bookstore , I think I can start by getting a hundred and eighty taels of silver. This will also have to wait until you finish the movable type printing. As for the script, I can write it myself. "

When Jia Lian said this, Li Heng got something interesting and couldn't help complaining: "So you are still thinking about the bookstore. I have finished the movable type. Are you going to publish the storybook to make money?" Jia Lian was not used to him. He immediately responded: "What's the matter? You don't get a share of the money the bookstore makes?" "How do you guarantee that the bookstore can make money?" Li Heng was anxious, feeling that Jia Lian was deceiving him.

"Otherwise, Brother Rong and I will open the bookstore and we will be responsible for the profits and losses?" Jia Lian said to Li Heng that he was speechless. He looked at him blankly and said, "I haven't read the storybook you wrote. Besides, Bookstores can’t just sell your storybooks.”

Doing business is difficult, and doing business as a partnership is even more difficult. Jia Lian deeply understood the meaning of this sentence.

You see, there are just three people, let alone running a newspaper, and even before a bookstore is opened, the interests are not clear.

"Okay, that's all for today. You can think about it carefully when you get back and tell me if you can." Jia Lian got up and patted his butt and left. Jia Rong quickly got on. Li Heng sat on the chair. After thinking about it, he stood up and said : "Well done, brother Lian!"

Jia Rong was really patient. He didn't ask until he got out of the door and got on the carriage, "Uncle Lian, where did you sing today?"

Jia Lian said calmly: "The person just now, the third youngest in the family, is fifteen years old and has left the palace to open a mansion. On March 3rd last year, that person entangled me once and never got rid of it. This is not thinking about it. Are you looking for a backer? If your father hits you and scolds you later, you can use it as a shield. If your father asks you carefully, you can say that he asked you to keep it secret and you can't talk about it. "

When Jia Rong heard this, she was surprised at first, and then she was moved. She knelt down and spoke directly to Jia Lian: "Second Uncle Lian, I knew that you are the one who really does good for me."

Jia Lian smiled and waved his hand: "Okay, no matter what you do in the future, it has nothing to do with me. Even if you want to open a bookstore, you will open it, and I will write a few story books to earn some money. You must do it Remember, keep a distance from people in the royal family. Don’t get too close, don’t be too groomed, just normal friends.”

Jia Rong asked curiously: "Didn't the negotiation fail?"

Jia Lian responded with a confident smile: "Don't worry, this will definitely happen."

It's not that Li Heng didn't have a problem with start-up capital, it's that he valued money very seriously. The little monthly money he got every month was hard enough to support the people in a county prince's palace. How could he have money to run a newspaper? Li Heng would be very reluctant if his standard of living dropped due to running a newspaper. The original idea was that the Jia family would pay and tie the Jia family together to do business together.

Who would have thought that Jia Lian was a slippery master and could not be controlled at all. Li Heng was very dissatisfied at that time. Even when he returned to the palace to see the queen, Li Heng had a smile on his face.

Empress Zhou saw through her son's face at a glance, and immediately waved everyone to leave, and asked with a cold face: "Third brother, what trouble did you encounter?"

Li Heng was very honest in front of the Queen and explained everything clearly and clearly. After hearing this, Queen Zhou suddenly looked angry and cursed in a low voice: "Idiot, why did I give birth to such an idiot like you?"

After hearing this, Li Heng immediately knelt down and said, "Mom, calm down! If you are angry, you can scold and kick a few times. Don't be so angry that your body is broken." Queen Zhou continued to do this, and she suddenly became angry. Half gone, he raised his hand and tapped Li Heng's forehead fiercely and said, "What do you think you do with your brain? The thing is that you are asking others for help, why do you expect others to contribute money and effort? What's the matter, you really think that If you give Jia Lian a chance to cooperate, will he thank you profusely?"

After a lot of scolding, Li Heng also regained his rationality. In fact, the matter was not complicated at all.

It's true that Li Heng is the third prince, and it's true that he is one of the backups for the heir.

The mistake was that he didn't see clearly the current structure of the court.

The current structure of the imperial court can be described in one word, and that is "chaos."

Let’s talk about the chaos on the Emperor’s side first. During his reign, the Emperor created a situation where civilian officials suppressed nobles. This can be seen from the Jia family. Jia Jing and Jia Zheng gave up martial arts and followed civil servants. On the Ningguo Mansion side, Jia Jing embarked on the path of self-liberation before the Supreme Emperor took action. On the Jia Zheng side, the Supreme Emperor personally took action and cut off his path to the imperial examination.

Just when the civil servants were gradually able to compete with the powerful, the Supreme Emperor suddenly became seriously ill and retired to the throne. A few years after Emperor Chenghui ascended the throne, the Supreme Emperor recovered his health, but refused to be left alone and began to interfere in the government affairs. The most typical case was to use the hands of powerful groups to use The debt clearance incident taught Emperor Chenghui a lesson. The Supreme Emperor showed his presence fiercely.

In other words, under the current situation, the powerful group is the force that both the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Chenghui are striving for. Especially after Emperor Chenghui successfully completed the cabinet adjustment, the power of the elite group's tendencies was amplified. For Emperor Chenghui, the top priority was to stabilize the powerful group and prevent them from completely falling to the Supreme Emperor, who would then be able to control the court situation behind the scenes.

At this juncture, Li Heng's original intention to do something to help the emperor was good, but he failed to analyze the current situation clearly and did not fully realize that even the emperor's son was in a situation where he was asking for help.

Not to mention, Wang Ziteng, Jia Lian's cheap uncle, was currently leading the elite of the Beijing battalion to suppress the rebellion in the Western Region as a Taiwei. Do you really think that Emperor Chenghui doesn't want one of his own to be the commander-in-chief? It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t. If someone outside the powerful group is used as the commander-in-chief, the balance within the court will be broken.

Emperor Chenghui used Wang Ziteng to win over the powerful group, and after using the elite of the Beijing camp to suppress the rebellion, he sent border troops to Beijing to fill the Beijing camp. That was the next step, and everything had to wait until the counterinsurgency was over.

Empress Zhou knew Emperor Chenghui very well and knew the general steps of what he was doing and what he would do in the future, so she was very angry at Li Heng's stinginess, and could even be said to be angry with him.

Since you want to seize the heir, then take a long-term view and focus solely on a few taels of silver. What can you achieve?

Li Heng repeatedly kowtowed to the Queen and admitted his mistake. Queen Zhou finally calmed down her anger. After all, he was the youngest son she loved most. He was either stupid or grew up in a deep palace and lacked a clear understanding of the outside world. After a few years of wandering around, Enough.

"After you go back, take care of things first. I still have some money here. Wait until things are sorted out, and then talk to your father. Jia Lian, let's just deal with it like this for now. Don't If you try to be clever again, the relationship must be maintained. The day your relationship with Jia Lian ends, don’t come to see me in the future."

The truth behind it must not be explained clearly now. We can only wait for Li Heng to slowly understand it. If he still fails to understand it, this stupid son's path to becoming the heir will be completely cut off. Empress Zhou would not invest in him, and would even try to give him some suppression so that he could live until he died of old age instead of dying inexplicably someday.

(End of this chapter)