Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 255 A Bad Battle of Words 3

Liaohai Guard, garrison Yamen

Rong Liu took the newly arrived official documents and hurriedly found Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was practicing martial arts in the backyard. Seeing his serious expression, he asked what was going on.

Rong Liu told the superior about his intention to present his case and defend himself, "This matter is of great importance. I suggest that I invite the chiefs of each room, department, and department to discuss it."

"can."

In the flower hall, all the old writers from the garrison yamen gathered together and expressed their opinions on how to demonstrate their merits and defend themselves.

Jia Cong sat at the top and drank tea with a smile on his face. He was not worried at all. When it came to bickering and bickering, this was the strength of the Chinese people. These old border officials were not necessarily inferior to the court officials when it came to wielding swords and pens.

"Everyone, let us defend ourselves today. Don't be too honest and stupid. Just defend yourself and get beaten without fighting back. As the saying goes, if you defend for a long time, you will lose, so you should use offense as defense. How many crimes did the King of Liao participate in me?" Jia Cong said.

"Sir, there are three large sums of money, twelve items in total." Rong Liu said.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Okay. If he interferes with me, I will also interfere with him. You have been in Liaodong for a long time. You know better than me what the King of Liao is. You can interfere with me to death. Regardless of whether it is true or false, give it to him first. Put your hat on and talk about it!"

"I'll understand later." Everyone said with cupped hands.

Rong Liu said: "Comrades, how should we deal with the three major crimes of Liao Wang Shen Da's self-importance of soldiers, domination of business, and corruption and cruelty?"

Zhaomo Xiaoli said: "Today our guard plus the local braves actually have less than 20,000 soldiers and horses. According to the military system, a full guard should have 30,000 soldiers. Now that we have not even reached the imperial quota, how can we talk about supporting troops and respecting ourselves?"

On the other hand, the Liao Palace deducted military pay, amassed wealth for personal gain, and raised tens of thousands of private soldiers, far exceeding the court's quota. This is a self-respecting and evil plot. "

Everyone nodded in praise.

Experienced Gu Xin said: "The so-called control of the discussion field is really absurd. They tortured the people, causing them to become alienated. The adults are generous and kind, and the people only follow the scenery. This means that there is too much help for the right way, and there is little help for the wrong way. How can we talk about 'control' Two words? If you insist on controlling it, it is only the way of a saint."

"Well said!" Everyone nodded.

Fan Ming was afraid of being finished, so he hurriedly said: "The so-called corruption and tyranny are even more nonsense. A large number of people implement benevolent government, and children under the age of 16, regardless of gender, will receive rice every month; rural education Even if you don’t study, it’s free, and you’ll also have lunch;

The official schools in the city have meat every day, and paper, ink, tuition, and money are freely available; the widows and widowers are supported by the Yangji Hall; with the implementation of the new law, the taxes of the vast number of people who have no land and little land are getting lighter day by day.

Nowadays, among the common people in our country, who is not enshrining the immortal tablet at home? Let me ask, have there been such corrupt and violent people throughout the ages? Is there anyone who is greedy and cruel and wins people's hearts like this? "

"This is a great thing to say!" Everyone clapped their hands and praised.

Jia Cong smiled and nodded, and said: "Everyone has made my matter clear. Now let's talk about the crimes of King Liao."

"It can be seen that he is self-respecting in supporting troops, has a big tail, and interferes in military affairs with evil intentions."

"It can be seen that his desires are hard to satisfy, he deducts military pay, harms the public and enriches his private life, and raises private soldiers."

"It can be seen that he appoints cronies, installs cronies, sells officials, and collects bribes."

"It can be seen that he is afraid of the enemy and fights cowardly. He does not seek merit but seeks no fault. He clearly knows that the tenth prince is in danger and does not rescue him quickly. He has ulterior motives!"

……

Finally, Rong Liu smiled sinisterly and concluded: "This morning I had the intention to cut down the feudal vassal. You can use it to cover the sky with one hand and use your power and fortune for your own use. Millions of soldiers and civilians in Liaodong only know the King of Liao and not the court!"

Hiss, everyone took a breath. This was to punish the King of Liao to death. Even though they knew that this was just a false accusation, once the seeds of suspicion were planted, they would take root and sprout in the future.

Jia Cong laughed and said: "Okay, okay, just write it like this! Rongzhu is here to write, Fan Ming, you can learn from it. Do it to your death."

"Yes, yes, yes." Fan Ming hurriedly bowed and agreed.

Rong Liu was a serious two-ranked Jinshi, so writing an excerpt was a piece of cake. He accepted the order happily and said: "It is disrespectful to come and not to go back. It will definitely give the King of Liao a headache for a few days."

Everyone laughed, it was nothing more than killing people with swords and pens.
-

Recently, the officials of the Beijing Internal Medicine Department and officials from various ministries and agencies have been quarreling over Jia Cong's murder case. At first, several imperial officials heard about the incident and impeached Jia Cong for killing innocent people indiscriminately.

It gradually evolved into Jia Cong forcing the new law, killing the gentry, and becoming greedy and cruel. How could the new law officials give in? They cited scriptures, stated the truth and reasoned, criticized mulberry trees and Huaihuai, and quarreled with the old party.

As a result, Jia Zheng and other neutral factions could not get in the conversation. Seeing that all the officials of the ministries and courts were personally punished, Jia Zheng did not even have the courage to speak up to defend Jia Cong, for fear of causing harm to his family.

Fortunately, the Duke's line headed by Niu Jizong now relies on Jia Cong's fairy wine to survive. They dare not let him fall. They all expressed their opinions and complained for Jia Cong. As for the new law, it was impossible for them to support it. Seeing that everyone in the mansion was You don't have much potential, just pay the land tax and drink the northwest wind?

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall

I heard that there were several large boxes of ginseng Jia Cong's books piled up at the military aircraft. It was very impressive. The old lady couldn't eat for three days in a row and only drank black-bone chicken and old ginseng soup to replenish her energy. She was afraid that her family would be implicated by this bastard Jia Cong.

Mrs. Wang, Aunt Xue, Wang Xifeng and other sisters sitting next to her tried their best to comfort her with all kinds of gentle words, but to no avail.

That day Jia Zheng came to court. He didn't even have time to change his clothes before he was called by Jia's mother.

"How is the situation today?" Jia Mu asked weakly.

Jia Zheng shook his head and said: "It's still the same, the quarrels are endless, but I think your Majesty is very fond of brother Cong. Both Prime Minister Huo and Dong have spoken up to defend brother Cong. I think it's very suitable for brother Cong to implement the new law in Liaodong. Holy will." Jia Mu sighed: "It's all the family wealth saved by the ancestors. I did a favor for him and bought him an official hat. I don't feel bad about selling my land."

Jia Zhengdao: "Today, Mr. Huo called me to the court and gave me some encouragement. He said that Brother Cong is devoted to the public service, and he is both civil and military. He is a model official. Evil will never prevail over good. Please rest assured, old lady."

Jia Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. Now that Huo Xiang has spoken, he should be confident.

Everyone smiled and expressed relief.

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: "With Huo Xiang's guarantee, our ancestors can rest assured now? It's strange that people say that the grandson is a treasure and the granddaughter-in-law is a piece of grass, but after being scolded a few times, Brother Cong didn't even lose a hair." Well, our ancestors were so worried that they starved for three days and lost several kilograms.

There is no day when I am not scolded by others in the house, and I do not see my ancestors missing a bowl of rice for me. It can be seen that I am an outsider, and I am really incomparable to my grandson, Brother Cong. "

Everyone laughed.

Jia Mu also laughed: "Tear her mouth apart with me. You monkey head, you feel unhappy when you see me. Instead of comforting me, you come to make me angry."

Jia Zheng suddenly remembered something and said: "Brother Cong's self-defense paper has been delivered today. It is written in a sensible and well-founded way. He also defeated the Liao King's army. Huo Xiang also nodded in praise." He took out a copy. Di Bao, read it once.

Jia Mu was also very understanding. She waved her hand and said, "Whether an official is guilty or not, it is not up to him to decide."

Jia Zheng nodded and said: "Huo Xiang said, brother Cong must be fine. First, he has the merit of promoting the new law, second, he has the merit of retreating the enemy and protecting the territory, and third, for the sake of Concubine Yuan, Your Majesty will not be too harsh. .”

Jia Mu smiled and nodded, feeling completely relieved. Then she felt hungry in her belly and said, "I won't talk about this anymore. How about just let him go? I'm hungry too. Please pass on the food."

Everyone chatted and laughed for a while.

Aunt Xue took Baochai home and called Xue Pan. She said with an angry look on her face: "Brother Pan, girl Bao, why did Brother Cong come down from the heavenly death star? Yesterday, there was a report from Liaodong that our manager was arrested again. He chopped down four or five people, including Xue Chan from the sixth room. How should I explain to his mother?

He keeps ignoring the Xue family, which I don't think is a good thing. Is the life of our Xue family so cheap? "

Jia Cong had already written to explain this matter, and both Xue Pan and Baochai knew about it.

Xue Pan rarely looked serious and sighed: "Mom, don't be sad. Brother Cong said that Xue Chan and the others did not follow the rules. They secretly collected goods, did not enter them in the account books, and poached corners of the business. There was still 10% of them. It's General Yang's advantage.

For the sake of the long-term interests of the business, Ma Su had no choice but to kill Ma Su in tears. And he has said it first, if you want to cooperate with him, you must abide by his rules, otherwise the military law is ruthless and you will be killed without mercy. There is a precedent, Brother Chan still insists on hitting his knife edge, who is to blame? "

Aunt Xue said angrily: "Bastard! Is your surname Xue or Jia? You always helped him speak, but the one who was killed was your cousin. Do you know this is a slap in the face of the Xue family?"

Xue Pan chuckled and said: "Mom, you are making too much of a fuss. We are cousins, we are separated by several generations and have been on the fifth server. I promoted him to be a manager, but he didn't say that he would do things for me, and even ate a bear He was so brave that he dared to disturb Tai Sui.

He only cheated my money, he also cheated Brother Cong and General Yang’s money. Who do you think Brother Cong is? He and His Royal Highness are brothers, but a mere Xue Chan dares to fuck a ghost under his nose. , not looking for death? "

Aunt Xue hesitated and scolded: "No matter what Brother Cong does, you shouldn't kill him on the spur of the moment. It's just a business matter. We can pay whatever amount we have to pay. It should be a certain amount to save some face for the Xue family. Not only for your sake, but also for Bao Yatou’s sake.”

Baochai lowered her head and said nothing. It was not easy for her to speak about this matter. After all, the dead people were considered her brothers, even though they had hardly met.

Xue Pan said: "Mom, you are really confused. Do you know how much the Liaodong business that Brother Cong led us to do is worth a month? It's three hundred thousand taels of silver. In addition to the wine shop business that he led us to do before, you said we accounted for it. How cheap.

What to pay for? Let me tell you, this matter ends here. I don't care who wants to hit Brother Cong's knife. Anyway, our business cannot collapse. "

As he spoke, he softened his tone and said, "Mom, our family's future is getting less and less, and we can no longer support it. You know this.

Son, there is nothing I can do. Fortunately, thanks to Brother Cong's two businesses, Feng Zihao has come back to life again. Could it be that Xue Chan's life is more valuable than Feng Zihao? If we forget how the business came about and disrespect Brother Cong, and he takes back the business in anger, who will suffer? "

Aunt Xue opened her mouth but was speechless. The consequences were indeed heavy and she couldn't bear it.

Xue Pan added: "Don't think that our family can be unscrupulous in front of Brother Cong just because of our sister's dignity. I saw it with my own eyes last time I went to Liaodong. Brother Cong had a cold face, but he didn't recognize anyone.

Not to mention a mere Xue Chan, even a relative of his Jia family, it would only be a matter of one blow if he fell into his hands. Otherwise, why should he be in charge of the First Guard? "

Aunt Xue frowned, looked at Baochai and said, "Bao girl, what do you think?"

Baochai said softly: "My mother and brother are naturally responsible for family affairs. I just think that when we are doing business together, we should act according to the rules and treat each other honestly. Although Cong'er's methods are a bit cruel, after all, it is our family who is in the wrong first, Cong'er." If you let it go lightly, how can you convince the public?

Why should I explain to General Yang? Cong'er said in his letter that a gentleman can pass away but cannot be trapped; he can be deceived but cannot be ignored. "

Xue Pan said: "That's the reason. Mom, the overall situation is more important. I'm going out first. I have to write a letter to brother Cong to apologize and send a few more stewards." After that, he left.

Aunt Xue took Baochai's hand and sighed: "Son, it's not that Mom cares about these stewards indifferently. It's just that Brother Cong's behavior is extreme and violent, and it's easy to break if it's too strong. It's not a long-term phenomenon. This time You can see it by being involved. Mom needs to think carefully about your matter, so as not to harm you."

Baochai turned pale and said, "Didn't Mom say that uncle also likes Cong'er?"

Aunt Xue smiled bitterly and said: "Silly boy, Brother Cong has made some achievements, but life is not about fighting. He is a good general, but not necessarily a good husband. Do you understand?"

Baochai was silent.

(End of this chapter)