Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Since Keqing, Youshi and others who entered the mansion today were all "old acquaintances", Jia Cong went to Miaoyu's room first.

After drinking the wedding wine in a familiar way, Jia Cong couldn't help but tease, "It's rare that the Master has broken his vow of abstinence from alcohol."

Miaoyu blushed slightly, not daring to look at him. She turned away and spat, "You lecher."

When Jia Cong saw her in a bright red wedding dress, she looked even more charming under the light, without any trace of her former coldness.

Holding her in his arms, he said with a smile, "There is a beauty in Longcui Temple. If she is one inch taller, she is too tall. If she is one inch shorter, she is too short. If she is powdered, she is too white. If she is rouge, she is too red. Her eyebrows are like emerald feathers, her skin is like white snow. Her waist is like a silk ribbon, her teeth are like pearls. Her charming smile can confuse Yangcheng and enchant Xiacai. Cong has been watching her for three years and has been coveting her for a long time. Does the female Bodhisattva know?"

Miaoyu sneered, rolled her eyes at him and said, "I don't believe in your flowery words.

I know that I am not popular because of my lonely character. Many girls in the mansion hate me. I will live in Longcui Temple from tomorrow on."

Jia Cong said hurriedly: "How can this be possible? Who would hate you? It must be because they are jealous of your talent."

Miaoyu snorted and said, "Don't try to fool me. I know it. You are a lecherous person who can eat anything."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "There are so many women in the mansion. I don't even believe that there are no conflicts or quarrels. After all, no one is perfect. If others think you have problems, then she herself has problems too.

It is normal that some people don't like your arrogance, but some people regard you as their close friend because of this.

You don't have to worry too much. It would be best if the family can be harmonious. If not, it's also good for everyone to be well. I won't ask you to deliberately please anyone."

Miaoyu's eyes flashed with a strange light, and she said, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course." Jia Cong said, "From now on, if you want to live in the mansion, you can live in the mansion. If you want to live in Longcui Nunnery, you can live in Longcui Nunnery. You can hang out with the sisters you get along with more often. Um... you won't get along with no one, right?"

"Bah, you are the lonely one. I get along well with Baochai, Daiyu, Sister Chan, Qingwen, and the Wanyan sisters." Miaoyu said angrily.

Jia Cong said with a smile: "I thought you only studied Buddhist scriptures and didn't have any friends. Now I feel relieved."

Miaoyu leaned into his arms, gently patted his chest, and said, "You must have heard what others said and thought I was unkind and arrogant."

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "I have never heard of this."

Miaoyu smiled when she saw him denying it, then lowered her head and whispered, "Then...when did you become interested in a monk like me?"

Jia Cong smiled slightly. This was the question women liked to ask the most. Even talented women were not immune to it. He had rich experience in this regard.

Yin smiled and said, "The first time I got drunk, I accidentally went into your boudoir and slept there, which made you furious. At that time, I thought, since she loves cleanliness so much, will she never sleep with a man in her life?"

Miaoyu was very embarrassed, stamped her feet and spat, "A nobleman went to sleep in a nun's room, and you still think you are right."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "We are all disciples of Buddhism. Is it okay for me to stay with you for a while?"

"What do you mean by poor monk? I think you are just a chatterbox." Miaoyu scolded with a smile.

"Really? Some people say that I am the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha, which means I am of higher rank than you, the Bodhisattva. Among the monks, you are at most a first-rank official, and I am at least a cabinet minister." Jia Cong said with a smile.

"Bah, who said that you are blaspheming Buddha? Aren't you afraid of going to the hell of tongue-pulling?" Miaoyu said.

"Your congratulations."

"What are you celebrating?"

"For scholars, the same subject is called 'Tongke'. When you girls get married together, isn't it called 'Tongxi'?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

Miaoyu couldn't help laughing, and then said angrily: "Hateful! You are good at making up stories about us. Um... Is it Miss Bai?"

Jia Cong nodded.

"You...what are you still doing here? Miss Yuan, Miss Qin and Miss Bai are still waiting." Miaoyu rolled her eyes at him.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't worry about Keqing and the other two tonight. I just need to focus on you, Yuan'er and Qiuwei."

"Why?" Miaoyu asked curiously.

"I am too busy to handle everything, and I can't reach everything."

Miaoyu blushed and spat, saying, "You are truly the most lustful person in the world."

Jia Cong smiled and clasped his hands together, saying, "My name is Bujie, Master. Don't you know that? The so-called Bujie means I can do whatever I want."

Miaoyu covered her mouth and laughed, "Isn't your Buddhist name 'SeSe'?"

Jia Cong smiled evilly and said, "I will use this Dharma name later."

"Hate it, why aren't you going yet? Why are you nagging?" Miaoyu said angrily.

"How about I bring Yuan'er and Qiuwei along? It will be more lively with more people." Jia Cong said.

"You... bastard!" Miaoyu was extremely embarrassed. She had no idea what he was going to do.

Jia Cong smiled and pinched her cheek, saying, "You don't know how to appreciate a good person. You and Yuan'er are both inexperienced. Qiu Wei has experience, so she can teach you."

Miaoyu sneered and said, "Thank you very much. I think some people are just thinking about themselves."

"That's wrong. I never seek personal gain, but only benefit others."

"Bah, vulgar." Miaoyu said angrily, but then she was worried that Jia Cong would be angry, so she rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "If you can beat me in a game of chess, I will do whatever you want."

Slap! Jia Cong was so angry that he raised his hand and slapped her on the top of her buttocks, pretending to be angry and said, "You beat me by so many games last time, and I haven't settled the score with you yet, and you dare to mention playing chess."

Miaoyu pursed her lips and said aggrievedly, "Don't you call yourself the best fighter in Liaodong, nicknamed 'Northeast Tiger'? Are you afraid of a little girl?"

Jia Cong said with a smile, "I'm afraid of you? Well, I'll make you admit defeat tonight. Come on, bring the chess pieces."

Miaoyu hurriedly said, "You are not allowed to ask for help or to give way to others."

Jia Cong agreed immediately: "Let's settle it."

After a moment, red candles lit up and the chessboard was presented.

Jia Cong waved his hand and smiled casually: "Put down the chess pieces first, I'll be back soon." After saying that, he left in a flash.

Miaoyu smiled, sent him out, and came back to arrange the red and black chess pieces. She knew Jia Cong's chess skills very well. If she didn't let him beat her, he would never be able to beat her in this life. So she was confident and waited for him with a cup of tea.

Jia Cong came to Zhen Yuan's room first and saw her sitting on the bedside with a red veil on her head. He smiled and said, "Are you getting impatient?
If you ask me, getting married is troublesome. The imperial decree has already been issued. I can just get a marriage certificate. Why do I have to go through all these red tapes, making me run around like a headless fly? "

Zhen Yuan raised her hand to cover her lips, as if chuckling, and ignored him.

Jia Cong was surprised and said, "Huh? Is it fashionable for brides not to speak now? I don't know." Then he went over, picked up the weighing rod and lifted the veil.

"Yuan'er, you look even better today... look... you, you!"

When Jia Cong saw the bride's face clearly, the smile on his face froze immediately. He was horrified and took two steps back, pointing at the woman, speechless.

The bride smiled and said, "Why? Don't you recognize me?"

"You! Hey, how did you get in?! Ridiculous, ridiculous! Someone come here!" Jia Cong smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Suddenly, there was a chuckle from outside, and two girls in wedding dresses came in. Seeing Jia Cong's confused look, they laughed and said, "You can be fooled sometimes."

When Jia Cong saw the real owner, he spread his hands and smiled bitterly, "Yuan'er, what's going on? How can you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, play a prank?"

Zhen Yuan smiled and said, "Sister Yu said she was playing a joke on you, let her say it herself."

Yu Qianning slowly got up from the bed, walked towards Jia Cong step by step, and chuckled in his ear: "I am Madam Yuan's maid, and I entered the mansion openly, not sneaking in. I wonder if the prince has any advice? I think the princesses and wives have nothing to say."

Jia Cong was stunned, then laughed and said, "You are such a vixen, you are so cunning that I made you catch the last train."

After saying that, he looked at Zhen Yuan and said with a smile, "What kind of magic potion did she give you that you actually agreed to her?"

Zhen Yuan said shyly, "Sister Yu said that I was young and didn't know my limits. She was afraid that I would make you angry after entering the mansion, so she volunteered to accompany me in. I have to thank her."

Yu Qianning snorted complacently, rolled her eyes at Jia Cong, and said, "To tell you the truth, there are too many vixens in your house. Although Miss Yuan is well-read, she doesn't know how treacherous people are. As her sister, I am afraid that she will suffer if I don't stay with her."

Jia Cong glared at her, turned his head to look at another round-faced girl, and said, "Why is Chan'er here too?"

Zhen Chan blushed and shrank behind her sister, not daring to look at him.

Zhen Yuan smiled and said, "The ladies at home said that Zhen'er has a kind heart and was afraid that she would suffer if she went to another family. Knowing that you like pretty girls, they let me marry her to you."

Jia Cong burst out laughing, and finally understood that Zhen Yuan and Yu Qianning were a match made in heaven. Add in the pure, beautiful and adorable Zhen Zhen, and it seems that they are suffering from a fear of not having enough charm to win favor, and are afraid that they will not be able to keep the girl.

Yin smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, I didn't expect that it's fashionable to stick together even among the boudoirs now. What harm can we suffer with the three of you around?"

Zhen Yuan was already worried about the complicated situation in Jia Cong's inner house, and that she, as the daughter of a criminal, might suffer losses. So when she heard Yu Qianning recommend herself, she immediately agreed.

By the way, he also brought in his younger sister, who had always admired Jia Cong. He thought that with the knowledge of his own family, the sophistication of the Yu family, and the innocence of his younger sister, the three of them should be able to find a foothold in the inner house.

After hearing Jia Cong reveal her little thoughts, Zhen Yuan felt a little embarrassed and a little frightened, fearing that he would misunderstand that she was forming a clique.

She said coquettishly, "Brother Cong, Mr. Yu loves you so much that I can't bear it either. Why do you have to reject him so much?
This will not violate the oath you made in front of the princess, Baojie and Linjie, and it will also help everyone to achieve their goals. Why not do it?"

Jia Cong smiled at Yu Qianning, waved his hand and said, "I have no other intentions. As for Ms. Yu, I have admired her for a long time, but I was too busy with government affairs these days to pay attention to her.

I didn't expect that there would be such a good thing waiting for something, it couldn't be better. I was planning to introduce myself to you all after I was done with this busy period."

Yu Qianning covered her mouth and laughed, "How shameless! How can a man offer himself to someone else? Are you going to ignore your oath?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "In front of Master Yu, I just expressed the thoughts of all men. As for the oath? Alas, how can there be both in this world? Cong can only disappoint God."

Yu Qianning rolled her eyes at him shyly and said, "Zhenzhener is a talented and romantic man who knows how to make people happy. Lan Wei and the others were deceived by you, right?"

Jia Cong denied it immediately and said, "It is absolutely not true. It is all true love, which is truer than real gold."

Yu Qianning smiled and spat at him, then took the wine glass and served Jia Cong and Zhen Yuan the wedding wine.

Zhen Yuan said shyly: "Brother Cong, you..."

Jia Cong said hurriedly, "Brother has to go to the scene. I will go to Qiu Wei and the others first. Come with me to Miaoyu's room later. It's cold. Let's sleep together to keep warm at night."

Zhen Yuan was so embarrassed that she stamped her feet and said, "This... How can this be possible? This is ridiculous."

Jia Cong pointed at the three of them and said with a smile, "You are allowed to stick together, but your brother is not allowed to kill everyone. That's unreasonable. It's settled. I'll send someone to invite you later." After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Zhen Yuan was about to say something, but was pulled back by Yu Qianning, who whispered, "Silly girl, there are so many people in the mansion, and the prince is so romantic, will there be fewer things like this in the future?

Others are doing this, if you don't do it, won't you be outdone? It's also easy to be praised or criticized. Besides..." He smiled with his hands covering his mouth.

"What's more?" Zhen Yuan asked hurriedly.

"Besides, it's not that you don't know the goods, but that you have to compare the goods. As long as Miss Yuan knows how to serve him better than other concubines, wouldn't she outshine others in front of the prince? This is a good opportunity to win favor." Yu Qianning said with a smile.

Zhen Yuan shook her head and said, "I just want a place to live. I don't want to compete with my sisters for anything, and... I don't know how to serve... him." Her face blushed as she spoke.

Yu Qianning smiled and said, "I understand that Miss Yuan is a lady from a noble family, with high moral character. Even if she doesn't want to compete for favor, it's not good to be outdone by others, right?"

Zhen Yuan thought about it and nodded, "Sister Yu is right, but... I don't understand..."

"Don't worry, with my sister here, how can that lecher get away?" Yu Qianning said, patting her chest. When it comes to seducing men, except for a few sisters in the mansion who were also the heads of the guilds, who could be her rival?

Zhen Yuan knew her abilities and nodded with a shy smile.

"Sister, do I want to learn it too?" Zhen Chan suddenly leaned over and said cutely.

"You stupid girl, don't eavesdrop on adults' conversation." Zhen Yuan scolded with a red face.

Yu Qianning suppressed her laughter and said, "No need. It's best for the fourth young lady to remain true to herself. If she tries to learn it deliberately, she will fall behind."

"Oh." Zhen Zhen nodded with a smile, sat back in the chair and ate snacks in small bites. She hadn't eaten from morning to night and was already hungry.

Not long after, Jia Cong came with Zhen Yuan and Bai Qiuwei.

Miaoyu saw one person go and three people return, and asked in surprise: "What are you doing..."

Zhen Yuan smiled and said, "He said he wanted to play a round with my sister and asked us to be a witness."

Bai Qiuwei smiled and said, "Sister, please don't show mercy."

Jia Cong snorted and said, "I was afraid that you would default on my debt, so I called them over. It will be more convenient later, hehe."

Miaoyu said angrily, "It's freezing cold, won't the two sisters be cold when they go back later?"

Jia Cong sneered, "Do you think you have won me over?"

Miaoyu bit her lip, glared at him, and said, "How shameless! Let's see what you say later." She was determined not to show any mercy to avoid wasting the night. Jia Cong laughed and said, "Okay." Then he sat down at the table.

Miaoyu asked the two girls to sit down and said, "You can go now."

Jia Cong shook his head and smiled, "I said playing chess, but this is not the way to play it."

"What evil idea do you have? We agreed to settle it." Miaoyu spat.

"Don't worry, my method is absolutely fair. There are two witnesses here. If there is any unfairness, you can tell me." Jia Cong said.

Miaoyu pondered and said, "Tell me now."

But Jia Cong turned over the chess pieces one by one and placed them on the chessboard.

Miaoyu sneered, "You want to play blind chess? That's fine." She was confident in her memory, so it didn't matter whether she played blind or not.

Jia Cong smiled mysteriously: "Let's play a game of chess."

"What does it mean to reveal the chess pieces?" Zhen Yuan asked curiously.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "We just turn all the chess pieces over and shuffle them like playing cards, and then put them in their normal positions randomly. Only the general position remains fixed."

Zhen Yuan smiled and said, "I've never seen this method before, but it's quite interesting."

Miaoyu frowned and said, "The chess pieces are all covered and messed up, how can we move them?"

Jia Cong said, "This is easy. For example, you see the hidden piece in the middle pawn position. I don't know what it is now, so just treat it as a pawn and move forward one step according to the pawn's movement. As soon as you move, the piece must turn over. You see it is a horse, so move according to the horse's movement from now on."

"What if it turns out to be a scholar?" Miaoyu asked.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This is the subtlety of Jieqi. Except for the general, the rest of the pieces can cross the river and fight at will. The generals and elephants still move in the same old way."

Bai Qiuwei thought about it and said, "This adds a lot of variables."

Miaoyu also understood that Jia Cong wanted to use this method to offset the huge difference in chess skills between them, and said unhappily, "You only know some crooked ways."

Jia Cong smiled evilly and said, "So Miao'er also knows about 'evil ways'? I'll have to ask for your advice in the future."

"Bah, your method is evil, I won't give in." Miaoyu spat.

"That's perfect. It saves me a lot of trouble. Retiring is considered a loss. This is an international rule. So I'll be the winner. Hehe, thanks for letting me win."

"You, rascal." Miaoyu said angrily, "Then let's play another game, and don't cheat."

Jia Cong said hurriedly: "My master is upright and never cheats."

Miaoyu said, "I'll believe you just this once."

Bai Qiuwei smiled without saying anything. You knew he was a scoundrel but still made a bet with him. Isn't this like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth?

Sure enough, after more than a dozen rounds, Miaoyu was defeated by Jia Cong who took advantage of his rich experience because she was not familiar with the rules.

"I won!" Jia Cong laughed and said, "Did you all see it? I am the best fighter in Liaodong. I can easily defeat someone as strong as Miaoyu. Hahaha, come over here."

Zhen Yuan was so embarrassed that she wanted to escape, but was pulled back by Bai Qiuwei.

"Sister Bai, he's a bastard, why are you pulling me in?" Zhen Yuan said anxiously.

Bai Qiuwei whispered in her ear, "He's a beast. We should be more cautious if we fight him alone. Otherwise, won't you be at a disadvantage?"

Zhen Yuan thought to herself that the other person was willing to suffer this loss, but her face was red and she couldn't speak. She was half-heartedly pulled over by Bai Qiuwei.

Miaoyu was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look at Bai and Zhen, and hurriedly said, "Best of three games."

Jia Cong sneered, "When masters fight, the winner is naturally decided in one round. If you want to play two out of three, that's fine too. We can make the bet tomorrow. Let's finish tonight's business first. I'm a small business owner, so I won't give you credit."

"Bah!" Miaoyu knew she couldn't beat him, so she turned her head away resignedly. Jia Cong had already picked her up by the waist and put her on the couch.

"Wei'er, bring Yuan'er here and let these two girls know how powerful I am." Jia Cong said with a strange smile.

"Coming." Bai Qiuwei covered her mouth and smiled, pulled Zhen Yuan to the bed, and lowered the layers of curtains.
-
Hearing that some unruly citizens had filed a complaint with the emperor and that the court intended to reform the grain transport system, the Governor-General of the Grain Transport System, the Governor-General of the Rivers, and the governors-general of eight provinces, including Nanjing, Anhui, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Henan, were afraid that Jia Cong would "believe in slander" and punish him, so they hurried to the capital overnight to "petition".

In the past two months, the court had been arguing over the issue of river and sea transportation. Some ministers supported river transportation, while others supported sea transportation. Everyone served their own master and sought their own interests, and the dispute was becoming a mess.

As the matter concerned the national economy and people's livelihood as well as long-term plans, the Grand Council did not dare to make a hasty decision and had to report to Jia Cong again.

Jia Cong was helpless. He had not even had a good New Year, and had to go to court again to worry about these trivial matters. He couldn't help but feel powerless.

Even though he is now the uncrowned king and holds the highest power in the country, he still feels powerless to change these deep-rooted bad policies. If killing people could solve the problem, he would have done it long ago.

The knowledge we learned in history textbooks before said that the Grand Canal connected the north and the south, was conducive to the development of commerce, and promoted economic prosperity, and was so beneficial.

It seemed that Yang Guang had done all the wasteful and costly construction projects that harmed the people, and that later generations were enjoying the benefits. However, it seemed that this canal brought far more suffering to later generations than when it was first dug.

Only then did Jia Cong deeply understand that if something is beneficial, it must be based on the disadvantages of some people. The greater the benefit, the greater the disadvantage, and the disadvantages are often greater than the benefits.

For example, the salt law and the water transport administration were no different. They were all done at the expense of the majority of people to support a peaceful and prosperous era for a very small number of people.

Fortunately, the new law he promoted cut a lot of flesh from the powerful, otherwise there would be not much meaning in being the regent.

Jia Cong looked at the ministers in the court who were arguing with each other, and his anger gradually rose in his heart, and his expression became colder and colder.

The smart ones realized that the situation was not good and quickly shut their mouths and retreated. The rest of the idiots realized that the atmosphere was not right, took a peek and quickly retreated.

Jia Cong said coldly: "You are all well-educated and eloquent. You are arguing in the Golden Palace, talking about everything, and cursing people without using any dirty words. I am really enlightened.

After listening for a long time, everyone is criticizing the drawbacks of other people's methods, but they cannot come up with an irrefutable and appropriate method of their own. Although the truth becomes clearer the more it is debated, if we continue to argue like this, it will only waste time and will not benefit the country and the people.

The ministers bowed and said, "We are ashamed, please forgive us, Your Majesty."

"Forget it, let's talk one by one, just discussing whether the grain transport to the sea is possible. No one else is allowed to interrupt, otherwise the violator will be punished with a cane in the court!" Jia Cong said.

"Yes." The ministers said hurriedly.

"Governor of the Grand Canal, this is your job, you speak first."

"Yes." Tang Ying, the governor of the Grand Canal, hurried out and said, "Your Majesty, I think sea transportation is not feasible. There are three reasons:
First, it is difficult to disband the men who work on the canal transport ships. There are now a total of 120,000 men on the canal transport, and there are also hundreds of thousands of other boatmen and civilians. If they are displaced, they will surely spread rumors in an attempt to shock people and cause chaos.

Secondly, the sea route is long and dangerous, with high winds and rough waves, and is unpredictable. The previous dynasty had tried to transport goods by sea, but it was a four-tenth loss, which was not a good idea.

Third, rebuilding a seagoing vessel is very expensive. There are more than 8,000 large and small vessels on the canal. If they are abandoned, rebuilding a seagoing vessel will cost tens of millions of silver, and it will not be done overnight. Please understand, Your Majesty.

Jia Cong hummed, and said, "Governor of the River?"

"I am here." The river governor Su Ren hurried out and said, "Your Majesty, I think there is great potential for sea transportation.

First, the river has been in disrepair for a long time and is not conducive to transportation. Every year, a large amount of money and manpower of the country is wasted. It is difficult to sustain it for a long time by forcing the river to flow against its nature, and the people are complaining;

Secondly, although sea transportation has risks, it will only cause the loss of some people, ships and food. Even if the seagoing ships are rebuilt, it will probably be several times cheaper than the grain transport.
Third, on the river, there are many gangs and sects, which coerce porters, boatmen, and common people to solicit incense and set up halls. They are neither monks nor Taoists, and some eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha, some drink alcohol and eat meat, and some do evil things. If they are transported by sea, their roots will be cut off to avoid raising tigers and causing troubles.

The governor of the river is a thankless job. It is said that the most important affairs of the country are the water transport, and the water transport is on the river. However, the governor of the river and the commander of the water transport are typically killed by drought or flood.

The Caoshuai was in charge of the grain transport, with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses under his command, and tens to twenty million in money and grain passed through his hands every year. It was a lucrative position among lucrative ones.

Moreover, they only had to transport several million stones to Tongzhou every year. If they failed to transport them in time, they could say that the river was silted up and dry, making it impossible for ships to navigate. It was not their responsibility if there were any delays.

Although the River Governor was also a second-rank official and was in charge of several million silver coins a year, the responsibility of repairing the river was heavy. If it was repaired well, it would not be a credit, but if it was not repaired well, it would be unfortunate and it would easily arouse public resentment and lead to civil unrest.

It has to worry about where there is a flood, where there is no water in the river, and where the people's fields are flooded. It is definitely the most thankless government office in the country.

If transported by sea, the pressure on the canal would be greatly reduced and he would be much more relaxed.

"Well, next one." Jia Cong nodded slightly.

The newly appointed Liangjiang Governor-General Chen Zhongjian observed the situation and then said, "Your Majesty, I think sea transportation is a must. There are five disadvantages of grain transport and three advantages of sea transportation. It must be done."

He had served in the south for a long time and knew the grain transport system inside out. He had heard from his colleagues in the New Party that Jia Cong had the intention to reform, so he hurried out to wave the flag and shout slogans.

Jia Cong nodded slightly and said, "Tell me about it."

“Yes. The first drawback of the canal transport is that the transporters are in trouble and there is theft and smuggling.

The porters traveled back and forth on the river all year round, neglecting their crops, and were heavily in debt, making a living. Their monthly ration was approximately 12 to 15 dan, half of which was given as rice and the other half in silver, totaling no more than ten taels of silver, which was barely enough to make ends meet.

If they lose something here, they must gain something there, so the transporters would demand additional fees from the prefectures and counties, always using the excuse that the rice quality is not good. The items they extorted included the "bedroom fee" before receiving the grain, the "rice-colored silver" when the grain was loaded on board, the "customs clearance fee" when the ship left the country, and the "inspection fee" when passing through Huai'an.

If their demands were not met, they would claim that the rice was not pure enough and stop the exchange, and the prefectures and counties would not dare to refuse.

In addition to asking for help fees, stealing grain was also a common occurrence. Once stolen, they would use "mixing" methods to make up for it, one of which was to mix in sundries such as sand, lime, chaff, and rice crumbs.

The second method is to mix swelling drugs into the rice to expand the volume, such as Wuhu, Xiaxichuan, Jiulongsan, etc.

The third method is to soak the rice in water. Sprinkle lime on the rice, secretly pour warm water into the bottom of the boat, and then use a fire to steam the rice to make the rice grains swell. This way, several liters of rice can be left for each stone, so that the rice will easily become moldy after being stored in the warehouse.

Contraband transportation was also a remedy. In order to cope with the exploitation on the river and the extortion of military grain brokers, the transporters would carry contraband on the grain boats, carrying one stone of contraband for every five stones of grain.

For example, in the south they carried wood, paper, porcelain and other miscellaneous goods, while in the north they carried private salt, and the grain transport office was forced to acquiesce.

Disadvantage 2: Good and bad people are mixed together, which causes nuisance to the local area.

During the Qing Dynasty, the grain transport was divided into more than a hundred groups according to the grain transport areas. Each group had fifty to sixty ships, and each transport required about six to seven thousand ships.

Each ship is led by one porter, and the rest are hired sailors. In addition, temporary towmen are also needed, which are called "short fibers".

As a result, there were more than 100,000 sailors in the canal transport, most of whom were unemployed vagrants from Zhili, Shandong and other places.

In the early years of the founding of the country, sailors were guaranteed by captains and then reported to the garrison, so their quality was very good.

Later, the canal system became increasingly corrupt, and most of the sailors were scoundrels. After some bandits failed in their rebellion, they fled everywhere and became sailors. The canal system became increasingly corrupt.

In addition, they also gathered people to resist the delay and suspension of the exchange of grain, instigated and beat county officials, robbed official silver, tied up grain managers, broke into the gates without permission, and even robbed residents.

Disadvantage three: excessive local taxes and harsh oppression of the people.

The grain transport administration first banned floating collection. In the beginning, it was just a floating collection based on the face value of a bushel. Soon, a discount method was introduced. At first, the discount was only a few liters per bushel, and then it was 50% to 60% off. The floating collection became more and more serious.

In order to achieve the purpose of floating collection, the collecting officials would routinely make things difficult for the grain households when collecting grain, deliberately delaying and making things difficult for them, and forcing the grain farmers to pay bribes.

Although the rice was clean and round, the clerk always complained that it was ugly. When he tried to change the rice again, he was still difficult to deal with. He returned and exchanged it several times. He might even give it six or seven decimal places, but the rice would still be soaked and scattered on the ground, and the measuring cup and the plate would be kicked. Half of the rice in one stone was gone.

Along with the floating collection, there are various expenses that the grain households must pay. Clerks and officials ask for money for tea and meals, and granary servants ask for various expenses. In addition, there are also items such as pocket bonuses.

Some counties falsely reported that their granaries were full and sealed as soon as the tax was levied. They took advantage of the people's eagerness to pay the tax and deliberately made things difficult for them, forcing the people to wait for days and eventually pay the tax.

The fourth disadvantage is that the powerful and wealthy gentry demand excessive fees.

The grain transport department has always had the so-called "Jinmi", "Kemi" and "Songmi". The rice of the gentry is called "Jinmi", the rice of the tribute students is called "Kemi", and the rice of those who like to argue is called "Songmi".

The county officials were greedy and gave these people evidence to extort money. Not only could they not collect more rice than they handed in, but they also dared not object if the rice was not enough or the color of the rice was damp.

Not only did the gentry and landlords delay the payment of their own grain taxes, they also took over the grain taxes that the grain traders were supposed to pay, and even extorted "grain tax regulations" from the prefectures and counties.

The officials of prefectures and counties were corrupt in collecting the grain tax, and fearing that they would be sued by local lawyers, they would share the money with the local lawyers, and thus the practice of collecting the grain tax in bulk arose.

The evil gentry and even the instructors, historians and military officers, and some even officials at home, took advantage of the people's fear of paying the tax and colluded with the clerks to monopolize the business. The officials, who had excessive collections, were blackmailed by them and had no choice but to accept the tax.

Because the savings from paying the tax on behalf of others were much greater than paying it in person, the number of households paying the tax on behalf of others increased day by day. Not only did the unruly people follow suit, but even the good people gradually became bad.

In the ninth year of Xifeng, more than 300 people including Wu Jingxiu, a student in Wujiang County, Jinling Province, held the government hostage, disturbed the grain storage, and extorted fees. Because the county spent too much on grain storage fees, it embezzled more than 20,000 taels of public funds. This was a case handled by me personally. "

Jia Cong sneered and said, "It turns out that there are so many tricks in the grain transport. If Governor Chen hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known about it.

When I was promoting the new law in Liaodong, I knew that the powerful gentry had the problem of taking over land and monopolizing lawsuits and taxes, but I didn't expect that there were also some that monopolized the grain tax.

Humph! The local government has something to hide, bullying the good and fearing the evil, and they are actually being overpowered by the tyrants. How absurd! What is the fifth one? "

Chen Zhongjian hurriedly said: "Your Highness is right. The ancients said that a thousand-foot-high wall stands firm, and without desires one is strong. County officials extort the people, and if they are not upright, they will naturally be extorted.

The fifth disadvantage is particularly serious, and I think it should not be taken lightly. "

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."

Jia Cong suddenly felt a little admiration for this man. When he was working with Gu Tao to promote the new law in Nanjing, Chen Zhongjian was the governor of the southern province and a member of the old party, which caused quite a few obstacles. He was also placed under house arrest by Gu Tao for suppressing bandits. Now that he has come to rely on him, he seems so pleasing to the eye.

Putting aside factional struggles, Chen Zhongjian must have the talent to be promoted to the level of governor-general. (End of this chapter)