Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 88 How to legally cut leeks in the Zhou Dynasty

"What a big change!" Jia Lian in the courtyard glanced around and sighed.

"Second Master, how has there been any change?" Xiao An asked curiously from the side, his eyes clear and silly.

"You don't understand, forget it, ignorance is a good thing for you." Jia Lian was really not mocking, but he didn't dare to explain.

Because, the master’s wife appeared in front!

The master's wife's surname is Wu, and she is a lady in the true sense of the word. Compared with those like the Jia family who made their fortune through military exploits, they are much better. People go back hundreds of years and can trace it back to their ancestors who were prime ministers in the Song Dynasty.

Regarding changes, Jia Lian can only say that things have changed and people have changed. After the mistress came, many people in the room changed. The servants must have gone back to the palace. There were originally four maids. I used to see one or two every time I came, but now I can't see them anymore. The chamberlain can go back, but the palace maid certainly can't. It is probably arranged by the master's wife.

Jia Lian didn't dare to talk nonsense about this matter. The master's wife saw that she was a master housekeeper who was smart on the outside but hidden in the skin.

"Student Jia Lian, I have met my teacher's wife and I wish to say hello to my teacher's wife." Jia Lian stepped forward quickly, with all manners and without squinting.

The master's wife, Mrs. Zhang Wu, had a kind smile and her eyes were full of admiration. The maid next to her was called Huan'er, and her eyes were quite bold. It can be seen that she was loved by the master's wife at home every day.

"You're welcome. I heard from your teacher that it's a pity that you are engaged." Mrs. Zhang Wu expressed regretfully.

"It's neither a pity nor a pity. No matter how much rich clothes and food you enjoy when you are born, you have to give them back."

After hearing this sentence, Mrs. Zhang Wu sighed slightly and said: "You have the temperament of a young old man. Go in, it's in the study."

Jia Lian didn't dare to stay longer and hurried in. In the study, Zhang Ting'en was sitting on the recliner with his eyes closed and concentrating. There was a maid beating her legs beside him.

Seeing this scene, Jia Lian came in and stood with his hands down, without disturbing him. I silently drew a picture of the teacher in my heart, tsk tsk, she is also a person who enjoys it. I have never seen this maid before. She should be brought by the teacher's wife. The teacher has a son, but he did not come with the teacher's wife. This is what he left behind Do you study in your hometown?

When the maid saw Jia Lian, she quickly put down her legs in front of her. When she stood up, her face turned red and she bowed slightly to show her blessing. Well, is this a substitute for those palace ladies?

Zhang Ting'en also felt the movement. When he opened his eyes and saw Jia Lian coming in, he couldn't help but cough twice to cover up his embarrassment.

The maid quickly helped Zhang Ting'en up and retreated silently. Only then did Zhang Ting'en regain some of his dignity as a teacher. He turned around with his hands behind his back and pondered for a while before speaking: "The "Jie Ting Lun" is well written, and the subsequent operation can be described as You cleverly and successfully guided the direction of public opinion. I didn't realize that you still had this ability."

"Teacher, it's not me. I didn't do it. I didn't do anything. The person named [Nonsense Mengyu] in the newspaper has nothing to do with me." Jia Lian firmly denied that [Nonsense Mengyu] could only be three Prince Li Heng.

Well, the author of "Jie Tie Lun", whose pen name is [Hu Yan Meng Yu], is also a column commentator for "The People's Voice of the Capital".

"Okay, I have wronged you. Do you know how Chongwenmen came to raise taxes?" Zhang Tingen asked Jia Lian with bright eyes.

"How do I know this? How about you tell me?" Jia Lian kept smiling, knowing that the teacher would not ask questions for no reason.

Zhang Ting'en then briefly explained the proceedings of the cabinet meeting. After hearing this, Jia Lian couldn't help but clasped his hands and sighed: "What a good method!"

"What's so good about it?" Zhang Ting'en became interested. This is how teaching students is. When you meet someone who is smart and has a high level of understanding, you will naturally become happier the more you teach him. When you meet someone who is stupid, the more you teach him, the more you want to die.

Jia Lian did not speak immediately, because the maid from before came in, served tea and left. Jia Lian waited for the curtain to fall, then stepped forward and whispered: "Students have heard such a saying. If you want to give someone a closed door on all sides, If you ask to open a few windows in your house, the people in the house will definitely object collectively. If you ask to tear off the roof directly, and when everyone objects, you will express your desire to open the windows, and everyone in the house will agree."

After hearing this, Zhang Ting'en looked at the student with gratified eyes and said, "Yes, you are well versed in the golden mean. In that case, why don't you get along well with your noble disciples?"

"Hey, this is it!" Jia Lianben said with a smile, then stopped suddenly and changed to a serious face: "Don't say it!"

Zhang Tingen laughed in anger, raised his hand and nodded at him and said: "Slippery, but this is a good thing. Do you think Li Rushui's method can solve the current financial dilemma of the imperial court?"

Jia Lian couldn't answer the previous question because the game between the Xungui Group and the emperor ultimately failed. You can't predict it in advance, so you have to bite the bullet [can't tell].

Now, Jia Lian answered this question without hesitation: "It's a drop in the bucket. If I were the leader of Li Shan, I might as well do the best."

"Oh, why do you do something extraordinary? Selling an official position to win a title?" Zhang Ting'en's curiosity was aroused, and Jia Lian smiled: "Simple, if an official commits a crime in the future, depending on the seriousness of the case, he will spend money to forgive the crime. After all, no official is corrupt. Just call it Yin Gui Yin."

Zhang Tingen was stunned as if a thunderbolt struck him directly on the forehead, his fingers trembling slightly. The previous joke about selling an official position and getting a title was already too much in Zhang Ting'en's opinion, and Jia Lian even directly came to discuss the crime. As soon as this was said, the country was on the road to destruction, and it was considered to be a wild horse that could not be restrained.

The reason is very simple. If an official commits a crime and pays for forgiveness, what else does the official have to be afraid of? Scraping three feet from the ground is considered a master of the sky. The search that knocks the bones and sucks out the marrow is relatively bottom-line. It is not like being an official to plunder the people to the extreme and sell their skinny bodies to make ashes and fertilize the fields. Can't do it.

The tax collection period lasted until 99. This is not an exaggeration, it is a real thing that happened in history.

The crows in the world are as black as black. This is not nonsense. No matter China or foreign countries, they are ruthless in plundering the people. Ordinary people, can they be considered human beings?

What to do when the country runs out of money? There are two ways. One is to target one percent of the population, and the other is to make the people suffer even more. You are an official and what choice will you make when the emperor asks you to make money? Some people also boasted that Heshen's crime-discussing silver had obtained enough money, but little did they know that this was one of the concrete manifestations of the rotten roots of the Qing Dynasty.

For Qianlong, Heshen was definitely a meritorious minister, and the money he brought maintained the normal operation of state institutions.

Looking at He Shen from the perspective of an ordinary person, can this be considered a person?

What is even more sad is that even though he is a poor commoner, he insists on looking at the problem from the perspective of the powerful.

Zhang Ting'en, who was struck by the thunder, was breathing rapidly, and it took him a while to recover. Looking at Jia Lian's face with a joking expression, he couldn't help but raise his finger and point at Jia Lian and said angrily: "With this strategy, the country's destruction is not far away."

Jia Lian listened but didn't care at all and said: "That's not necessarily true. When there is really no rice to put into the pot, this method can still survive. Drinking poison to quench thirst is better than dying of thirst directly."

Zhang Tingen did not remain angry, and quickly put away his anger because he knew that Jia Lian was telling the truth. When the imperial court's finances are really exhausted, won't we have to resort to any means?

Corrupt officials can do things you can't even imagine. He Shen can get the money to negotiate. When Feng Guozhang left office, all the fish in the pond were drained and sold for money. That is to say, the official residence cannot be sold. If it can be sold, you can see whether Feng Guozhang can sell it.

What kind of official Zhang Ting'en has not seen? That's why I think Jia Lian is telling the truth. Since it is the truth, there is no need to be angry. The truth doesn't sound good, but it's better than telling lies and being deceived.

"Why is this? This plan is out of the question, and you are not allowed to mention it again." Zhang Ting'en decisively warned Jia Lian. This guy seemed to be quite humble and honest, but in fact he was extremely arrogant. The more he got in touch with him, the more he discovered that people who could catch Jia Lian's eyes Not much. It seems that when asked before why he didn't have a good relationship with the noble disciples, the answer was probably "a bunch of insects", or "thinking they are dirty" or something like that.

"The students just casually said that Mr. Li Shan probably couldn't think of a way to increase taxes on luxury goods. Even if he thought of it, he wouldn't take the initiative to propose it. Who was the former Shilang Li? The students don't know. Now Mr. Li Ge is obsessed with climbing up and rushing forward at all costs. Everyone can see this. The students have to remind you, sir, there was a Yan Song in the previous dynasty!" Jia Lian said again. Started to smile.

When Zhang Ting'en heard [Yan Song], his expression suddenly changed and he shouted in a low voice: "Shut up, be careful of trouble coming from your mouth."

"Okay, okay, student. I am a son of a powerful person. The most correct choice is to eat and wait for death. However, I am really scared. Teacher, can you understand that when I open my eyes every day, my mind is full of what happened in my dreams?" Is it the scene of Jia's house being ransacked?" Jia Lian felt it was necessary to create a character so that Zhang Ting'en could understand him.

"Okay, I understand." Zhang Ting'en could indeed understand Jia Lian. After all, he knew a little about Emperor Chenghui's character.

"Getting back to the subject, since increasing taxes on luxury goods, that is, increasing taxes on Chongwenmen tax cards, cannot solve the problem, do we have to share the land with the gentry? Do we need to pay the rations to all the gentry?" Zhang Ting'en looked serious, and it seemed that he really wanted to discuss this issue. , and is determined.

"Absolutely not!" Jia Lian immediately expressed his opposition. Can this be done? Anyone can do it, but Zhang Ting'en can't do it. Who made Zhang Ting'en and Jia Lian like grasshoppers on the same rope?

"Why not? Please tell me carefully?" Zhang Ting'en really didn't hide anything from this student and treated him with sincerity.

"What I probably want to do now is just waiting for a suitable opportunity. However, students believe that even if I do it now, it will ultimately be the result of my personal death from politics. The reason is very simple. The opposition force is too strong. Unless all the gentry in the world are Knock them all down and redistribute the land, otherwise we won’t be able to solve any problems, and we will have to involve ourselves and future generations. If we do it now, if someone else sits on the chair in the future, the first thing to do is to make the chair stable under the buttocks. Get rid of this government."

Of course Jia Lian's words are not nonsense, this is what Qianlong did. Doesn't Qianlong know the consequences of doing this? I also know what the truth is. But looking at the problem from the emperor's perspective, in order to get the throne under his butt, he must first do something to appease the world's powerful and gentry. For something like an emperor, the first consideration is always whether the position under his butt is stable. Since there are so many people who oppose it, let's abolish it first. As for the consequences, at most it means "I believe in the wisdom of future generations." 】

"The imperial court is already starving for food. If His Majesty had not reduced the palace expenses and allocated funds from internal funds, the northwest rebellion could no longer be sustained. The imperial court's expenses are increasing year by year, but the income is decreasing year by year. This is the current situation. , we always have to solve problems. As a teacher, as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, I can't avoid it!" Zhang Ting'en may not be asking for advice. It's just something he's holding back in his heart. He wants to find someone to talk to. It will make him feel better if he speaks out. No Speaking out will sooner or later make you sick.

Could Emperor Chenghui not know what happened to Zhang Tingen? Why give him sick leave? I just don't want this powerful general in my hand to get exhausted and have no one to help charge forward. Emperor Chenghui was very ambitious and wanted to do many things. However, there are only a few officials in the court. There are many officials and few people doing things. Those who are dedicated to themselves and can do things should be more economical.

"Although the controversy between the government and the public caused by the diversion of people into the family has been led astray, many people remember it. Sooner or later, they will have to find the teacher to settle accounts. You can hide it for a while, but you can't hide it for a lifetime, unless the teacher puts it aside permanently while he is alive. As a student In the meantime, if you want to make money, you must try to make money from as many sources as possible, first the easy things and then the hard ones. The peasants work together with the gentry to pay the grain, and it must not be touched unless it is a last resort."

Jia Lian's attitude was very firm. He must not let Zhang Ting'en fall into the quagmire of being besieged, and he must not be implicated in these things.

"What you said is easy, increase revenue and reduce expenditure. It's just four words. If you don't talk about reducing expenditure, how can we increase revenue?"

Faced with Zhang Ting'en's question, Jia Lian smiled and said, "Students don't mention old things again!"

Zhang Ting'en frowned, remembering what Jia Lian had said before, and couldn't help but ask: "Really can't solve the problem from within?"

"No, at least it cannot be solved in this dynasty. If we have to solve it forcefully, the result will be that the more we solve it, the more serious the problem will be, the greater the pressure, and the greater the backlash. Teachers should understand this truth. In short, since conflicts cannot be resolved internally , then look for ways to transfer the contradiction externally. To put it bluntly, it is very simple. If it is not enough, go out and rob it first, then rob the internal money. However, use violent means and mild business methods to rob the internal money. , can only be covered with a gentle veil, it can be a robbery or a lie."

Hearing this, Zhang Ting'en suddenly paused and raised his hand to interrupt: "Wait, lie? How?"

How to cheat..., bah, how to legally cut leeks in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Jia Lian has thought about countless solutions to this problem.

Of course, Jia Lian will definitely not come forward to do this.

"If people are not greedy, they will not be cheated! How to cheat, and lure them with huge profits." Jia Lian said it very easily, after all, he had no intention of doing it himself. Zhang Tingen was shocked: "Tell me carefully."

(End of this chapter)