Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"To be honest, my brother, since the new emperor ascended the throne, there have been many spies around my mansion. People are watching my every move, and I really can't move. Today, I was able to escape by using a trick. It's obvious that someone is worried about me and is probably going to take action against me."

Jia Cong glanced at him and said, "Does Your Majesty know who this person is?"

"Who else could it be except the Eastern Depot? I don't think your brother would waste the manpower of the Imperial Guards to keep an eye on a useless person like me day and night." Sun Shuo said self-deprecatingly.

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said, "Your Majesty has a special status, so it's not surprising that he attracts attention."

Sun Shuo smiled bitterly and said, "My fifth brother was inexplicably stripped of his title and imprisoned for life just because he was virtuous. What about me, the son of the deposed crown prince?"

Jia Cong said, "Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. The Fifth Prince was deposed because he formed a clique and plotted something illegal. How can you say it was inexplicable?"

Sun Shuo apologized, "Brother Wang is right. I was wrong. If my life is in danger in the future, I hope you can save me for my sister's sake."

Jia Cong's eyes moved slightly, staring into his eyes, and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am the imperial consort after all, and I am also your brother-in-law. I will do my best to take care of you."

Sun Shuo waved his hand and smiled: "I have more than one sister."

Jia Cong's expression turned cold, and he asked, "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Sun Shuo said slowly: "The prince's newly appointed concubine Qin was originally named Sun Yu, and she is Shuo's biological sister.

Before the great change that year, someone was sent to secretly send her to Yangshengtang just in case, and she was arranged to marry Dai Huagong early on. There are two star-shaped brands on the inside of her left ankle, which I saw my father brand them with my own eyes.

I think Brother Wang should have known her background a long time ago."

Jia Cong was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did your father choose to send the baby girl away instead of sending the prince away?"

Sun Shuo smiled bitterly and said, "I was already twelve years old at that time. If I disappeared, how could I hide it from others?
It was only because I was there that no one questioned the baby girl. My sister was still in swaddling clothes at the time, and she was replaced with a baby girl from a farm who was bought, so no one noticed. "

"Where is the replacement baby girl?"

Sun Shuo sighed, "He disappeared in the chaos of war that night. Maybe he died, or was picked up by someone. I don't know."

Jia Cong said: "So, Qin Ye's adoption of Keqing was also arranged long ago?"

Sun Shuo nodded and said, "But he himself doesn't know about this. After all, Yangshengtang is not a good place. Father must find a family for his sister where she can have enough food and clothing and study."

Jia Cong said coldly: "Keqing is not aware of this matter, and I don't want her to know, which will only cause her trouble."

Sun Shuo hurriedly said, "I will keep my mouth shut and follow the prince's instructions."

Jia Cong nodded, stood up, and said, "For Keqing's sake, if someone wants to attack you without reason, I will take action."

Sun Shuo was overjoyed, and he bowed to the ground, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I have something else to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

Jia Cong glanced at him and said, "Just say it."

Sun Shuo said: "Now my brother has made great achievements in the world, has great prestige, and is in charge of the army of the world. He is the most powerful official in the country and is in the prime of his youth.

As long as my brother is alive, the royal family will not be able to achieve their goals, and the Empress Dowager will not be able to truly rule the world. She will also worry that her brother will be persuaded by others to ascend the throne, put on the yellow robe, and depose and enthrone the emperor.

Just like fire and water, they cannot coexist. Sooner or later, they will attack you. You must be on guard, my king."

Jia Cong said calmly: "Your Highness, what you said is quite interesting. I wonder how Cong should guard against it?"

Sun Shuo said: "Shuo has a method that can eradicate the worries of you and me."

Jia Cong said with a half-smile, "I'd like to hear the details."

"Abolish the young emperor and help me ascend the throne. When the situation stabilizes, I will abdicate the throne to my brother. This way, I won't have to worry about the Empress Dowager taking action against me, and I won't have to live in fear every day.

Brother Wang can also soar into the sky and realize his ambitions, wouldn't that be wonderful?" Sun Shuo said.

Jia Cong was shocked and asked, "Your Majesty is willing to give me all the land and territory?"

Sun Shuo sneered: "I am just a useless person in the imprisonment palace, what does the vast country have to do with me?
Compared to that, my own life is more important. Moreover, if I abdicate to my brother-in-law, I believe my brother-in-law will not treat me badly, let alone be suspicious of me, and my sister and I can be reunited and recognize each other.

It's better than living like a prisoner now, right? Don't you see, in ancient times, none of the deposed princes had a good ending? "

Jia Cong said: "It is reasonable for your Highness to have such an idea, but I am not interested in being the emperor. Goodbye."

When Sun Shuo saw that Jia Cong's tone was frank and not pretending, he immediately realized that he had miscalculated. He had expected that Jia Cong would immediately cooperate with him after hearing this, or at least express great interest. After all, the two of them were already married, and he had nothing and could only rely on him.

The disparity in strength between the two sides made it very easy for them to build mutual trust, but I didn't expect that he would reject it outright.

"Your Majesty! Forgive me for being so presumptuous, but everyone in the world wants to sit in that position, why do you treat it like a worn-out shoe?
"With your talent, it won't be long before the glory of Han and Tang dynasties is restored. Don't you think you are interested at all?" Sun Shuo asked anxiously.

Jia Cong shook his head and smiled, "I love the country, but I love beauty even more. Goodbye, Your Majesty." After saying that, he opened the door and left.

Sun Shuo frowned and watched Jia Cong leave without saying a word.
-
The Liangting Hall, located in Tongzhou City, is the most important institution directly managed by the Cangchang Yamen under the Ministry of Revenue. It is managed by a capable doctor sent by the Ministry of Revenue, who is replaced every two years.

Under him were 18 managers who were in charge of various affairs, including the four departments of East, South, West and North, as well as the river tax department, revenue and expenditure department, copper department, and white grain department. They were responsible for the acceptance of grain and the water and land transportation from Tongzhou to Beijing and the engineering of the North Grand Canal, and were in charge of the cashiering of silver in the Tongji Treasury.

It is definitely a government office of low rank but extremely powerful, otherwise its chief officer would not need to be replaced every two years. The starting point is of course to prevent corruption, but the more important meaning is to take turns to be the boss so that everyone can benefit equally and avoid conflicts.

At this time, in the restaurant diagonally opposite the vermilion gate of the grain hall, three men in black flying fish uniforms were feasting and chatting in a private room on the second floor facing the street. Seven or eight captains in brocade uniforms were sitting scattered in the lobby outside. They had cold expressions and looked as if they wanted to keep strangers away. The diners were so scared that they hurriedly paid the bill and left.

"Old Zhao, where do you think we should start with this case?"

"Since the village boss has assigned us this task, we have to put in some effort and not let those brats from the Northern Division look down on us. This is what I think."

"Okay, let's do it!"

"Well, this method is feasible. It can find out the trick without alerting the enemy."

"Let the brothers fill their stomachs quickly. Once they are full and satisfied, we will start our work."

"Don't worry, the soldiers who came with us this time are all elite soldiers. It won't be easy to investigate this matter, right?"

"Although the matter is not serious, we must not be careless. You don't want to retreat and become a small flag or a captain, right?"

"Of course, this mission must be done beautifully and flawlessly to show the skills of our brotherhood."

"That's exactly what I said."

Soon, everyone paid the bill and went out, heading straight to the grain hall.

"The Jinyiwei is investigating a case and has asked officials below the rank of doctor to come and see him." Captain Zhao loudly flashed the ivory cards.

"Yes, yes, please come in, sirs." The doorman was so scared when he saw the Jinyiwei coming to his door that he hurriedly sent someone to report it.

Soon, officials of all ranks from the Grain Office rushed to the main hall upon hearing the news.

Doctor Zhu smiled and said, "I wonder what orders you gentlemen have for me?"

Although he had a high rank, he still had to bow down and scrape in front of the Jinyiwei captain who held the power of life and death, not to mention that he himself had a dirty record.

Captain Zhao bowed slightly and said, "I have received a report that there is corruption in Tongcang. I am here to investigate under the order of my superiors. I hope you will forgive me for any inconvenience I have caused you."

Zhu Lang was slightly relieved. He didn't think the tone was too serious, so he said righteously, "Your Excellency is too kind. I hate corrupt officials the most. Since I took office, I have been very careful about the grain supply. I have never heard of any corruption. Have you heard about it?"

The last sentence was addressed to the subordinates.

Everyone shook their heads like rattles and said, "I have never heard of this."

Doctor Zhu nodded and said, "If there is any malpractice in Tongcang, it is really my fault. Please investigate thoroughly, and we will fully cooperate."

Captain Zhao said, "With Lord Zhu's words, we are relieved. Lao Zhou, Lao Liu, you go check the money and grain income and expenditure account books first, I will go to the warehouse to check." "Yes."

Doctor Zhu said hurriedly, "I will go to the warehouse with you, sir."

Captain Zhao said with a fake smile: "Thank you very much, Master Zhu, please."

"Please come in, sir. There are warehouses in the city, such as the West Warehouse, the Central Warehouse, and the East Warehouse. I wonder which one you would like to see first?" Doctor Zhu said.

Captain Zhao said, "Let's go take a look at something nearby first."

"Okay, let's go to the West Warehouse first."

In less than an incense stick's time, we arrived at Dayun West Warehouse, where we saw warehouses and granaries lined up on the mountains in an orderly manner.

Captain Zhao asked, "Are all the grain stored here for the imperial court? How much grain is there in total?"

Doctor Zhu said hurriedly, "All the grain stored in Tongcang is for the imperial court. Every year, 40% of the imperial grain that arrives in Beijing is stored in the Beijing warehouse, and 60% is stored in Tongcang. Wang Jingcheng, how much grain is there in the West Warehouse?"

"My lord, there are now more than 372,600 dan of official grain in the West Warehouse." Wang Jingcheng said hurriedly.

Captain Zhao walked into a granary first and saw that the grain bags were piled up neatly. There were at least hundreds of dan in this granary alone. He took the dagger from the captain and casually slashed the grain bag.

Crash...the golden and plump grains poured out instantly, and the same happened to several bags on the left, right, up and down.

Captain Zhao smiled and said, "It is indeed top-quality rice."

Doctor Zhu said with a smile: "We are entrusted with an important task, so we dare not be careless. Any grain that does not meet the sample will not be stored in the warehouse."

"Oh? What is Yangmi?"

“Your Excellency may not know that before the grain is shipped from various places, one stone of grain must be sealed and transported to the warehouses in the capital by fast horses. This is called sample rice.

If the delivered grain does not match the sample, it means that it has been swapped on the way. This is also to ensure the safety of the grain. "

Captain Zhao said, "I see. That's a good idea. Let's go check out other granaries."

"My lord please."

They went to seven or eight granaries in a row, and all of them were full.

Captain Zhao praised: "With so much food, I wonder how long it will take to finish it?"

Doctor Zhu smiled and said, "This grain may seem like a lot, but it's still not enough for the common people. It's all for the civil and military officials, nobles, and various government offices in the capital, as well as the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the capital. It may seem like a lot, but it's still not enough."

"If all the warehouses are filled, how much grain can be stored?"

"About three million koku."

Captain Zhao nodded and said, "I took a preliminary look and found nothing unusual in the grain in the warehouse. However... we can't just be careless when we are on duty. We have to be more careful, so as not to get caught if the superiors ask about it."

Doctor Zhu's expression changed slightly, and he laughed dryly, "What do you mean, sir?"

"Let the laborers move the outer grain bags away so I can see if the insides are the same." Captain Zhao said.

When everyone heard this, their faces turned pale and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Doctor Zhu forced himself to remain calm and said, "That's all well and good. Wang Jingcheng, why don't you go and call someone?" As he spoke, he winked at him.

Wang Jingcheng understood and said quickly, "Yes, I'll go right away, please wait a moment, sir." After that, he ran away.

"Sir, how about we sit outside?"

"Okay, please, Master Zhu."

"please."

Not long after, Wang Jingcheng came back and quietly handed a package to Doctor Zhu.

Doctor Zhu nodded, put his hand back in his sleeves, and said in embarrassment: "Sir, the laborers in the city have all gone to the dock to unload the grain. It is difficult to find them in the city now. How about checking again another day? Here is the warehouse account book, you will know at a glance." After saying that, he presented a cloth bag.

Captain Zhao smiled slightly. He was naturally familiar with these routines. He stretched out his hand and touched it, and he knew it was a light stack of papers. It was not an account book, but clearly a banknote.

Yin smiled and said, "That's unfortunate. Never mind. You all are busy with official duties, so we won't waste your time. The same goes for looking at the account books." As he said that, he stuffed the cloth bag into his arms.

When the officials saw that he had accepted the bribe, they all breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily.

Doctor Zhu smiled and said, "Thank you for your consideration, sir. How about we go back to the yamen and have a seat?"

"Well, now that I'm here, I'll ask you gentlemen about the ins and outs of the warehouse." Captain Zhao said that checking the warehouse was just a trick so that he could take advantage of the opportunity to question the officials.

"Don't dare, please."

Back at the government office, Captain Zhao said, "Two people will work together to question the gentlemen. Doctor Zhu, please prepare a few empty rooms. We will leave after we have finished questioning."

"That's easy." Doctor Zhu agreed readily and quickly asked someone to make the arrangements.

In the duty room, Captain Zhao looked at the experienced Mu Jingcheng and asked him a few trivial questions as a matter of routine. Mu Jingcheng answered politely.

"Sir Mu, I heard that your government office is quite lucrative?" Captain Zhao asked with a smile, as if he was chatting casually.

Mu Jingcheng hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, who told you that? It's all rumors. Our government office may seem to have a mountain of money and grain, but we can't use it. It's all the court's public funds. There are also warehouses and the Ministry of Revenue in charge. We can't get any benefits, but the responsibility is as heavy as Mount Tai.

Every day when I go to the government office, I am walking on thin ice, fearing that something might go wrong. Not to mention embezzlement, even a leak or a fire would be a huge sin. Even if there are more rats in the warehouse, we would be worried. "

Captain Zhao said with a smile: "You are too modest, as the saying goes, live by the mountain, eat by the mountain, live by the water, eat by the water. You are sitting in the grain hall, living by mountains of gold and silver, how can you still starve?

I only regret that I have not received much education. My monthly salary used to be only a few taels of silver. Fortunately, thanks to the prince’s grace, I can now receive twenty or thirty taels of silver, and I am already quite satisfied.

I wonder how much you earn a year? Just a few words of gossip, not related to official business, no need to record. "

Mu Jingcheng smiled cautiously and said, "I dare not compare with you, my Lord. All my money added up to only a hundred or so taels of silver a year. To be honest, a lot of it is from the tributes from below."

These are the unspoken rules that are known to everyone in the officialdom, and there is no need to hide them.

Captain Zhao said, "Well, I think the annual salary of the eighteen Jingchengs sitting in the grain hall should be roughly the same."

"Your Excellency is right. My colleagues are all much the same."

"Who in the granary is in charge of the secret symbols?" Captain Zhao suddenly asked.

Mu Jingcheng was startled and dared not not answer, saying, "It is you, Zong Jingcheng, and Doctor Zhu who jointly manage the three secret keys."

Captain Zhao asked, "Can other people touch the secret talisman?"

"No. To take out the secret talisman, you need three secret keys to open the three locks on the secret box at the same time."

"Okay, this is pretty tight."

"This is a matter of great importance to the grain transport, how dare we neglect it?" Mu Jingcheng said.

"Now, back to the question just now. Sir Mu, please help me solve this puzzle. Since the incomes of the eighteen Jingcheng in your hall are similar, why are you and Zong Jingcheng the only ones with rich family wealth, far exceeding your peers?

Is there some magic method to turn stone into gold?" A hint of evil smile suddenly appeared on Zhao Baihu's mouth. (End of this chapter)