Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 202 Preparation
"That's what the imperial edict says. The Holy One is sympathetic to the concubine and allows the concubine to go home to visit relatives. Please ask the old lady to get a charter for this matter!" Jia She said with a smile.

Since Jia Yuanchun became a concubine, although he did not become the head of the country like Jia Zheng, his worth has also increased significantly.

"What do you think, Mr. Zheng?" Jia Mu looked at Jia Zheng and asked with a smile.

Jia She's expression changed slightly, and she was secretly annoyed. Jia's mother favored Jia Zheng too much.

"I've also heard that other families are planning to build a separate courtyard for provincial relatives. Our family cannot be worse than others, otherwise Yuanchun will lose face in the palace!" Jia Zheng had already thought of his words.

The other families he mentioned were the natal families of the other concubines.

Since the imperial edict came down from the palace, the natal families of several concubines have taken action and selected sites to build provincial villas.

"It is necessary to build a provincial hospital, but where should it be built?" Jia She asked with a frown.

Although the cost must be huge, this matter must be done, otherwise it will affect Yuanchun's status in the palace if the other companies are allowed to compete.

The only person the Jia family relies on now is Yuanchun, and everyone present knows this.

"Why don't we buy all the land around the house so that we can build a large enough garden!" Jia Zheng said the plan.

What he didn't say was that his fifty thousand taels of silver were borrowed from the Xue family.

When it comes to money, Jia She is not very willing.

"What should we do? Half of the area in the mansion is too small, and it is difficult to build a provincial residence!" Jia She shook his head and said.

Most of the silver in his hand was exchanged for antiques. This was his hobby, and he didn't have much cash in hand.

"I'll give you fifty thousand taels of silver!" Jia Zheng replied, having already prepared.

They discussed their intentions here, but as for the actual operation, it was left to the stewards and stewards, so they didn't need to worry about it.

Different from the original trajectory of "A Dream of Red Mansions", because the Jia family was unable to obtain Lin Ruhai's inheritance from the Lin family, they had to raise the money to build the garden themselves.

"I'm afraid it's hard to say!" Jia Zheng hesitated and said.

For the Xue family, Xue Baochai's marriage to Baoyu was definitely a high priority. Baoyu was the uncle of the state, so borrowing some money should not be a big deal.

Speaking of his calculation method, he came up with it after discussing with several Qingke.

"Can you discuss it with Jia Qiang? This is also a matter for Jia Qiang to take advantage of. I guess he won't refuse!" Jia She suggested.

"This..." Jia Zheng was a little undecided.

"Listen to the old lady!" Jia Zheng was filial. Once he heard Jia Mu's decision, he nodded in agreement.

"I can come up with 30,000 taels here!" He carefully calculated his family's wealth and finally said hesitantly.

The money borrowing went very smoothly. After confirming the marriage between Xue Baochai and Jia Baoyu, Mrs. Xue took out 150,000 silver.

"Only thirty thousand taels?" Jia Mu asked with some dissatisfaction.

When he heard that Lin Ruhai and Jia Min were in poor health and were in big trouble in Yangzhou, he was concerned about the Lin family's property.

"The house behind the mansion is the home of the servants, so they can move out. The house next to it can be bought with some money. It's not a problem!" Jia She thought for a while and agreed.

"Even with the Xue family, the money is still poor!" Jia Mu continued.

"Where are you, Master Zheng?" Jia Mu looked at Jia Zheng again and asked.

Thirty thousand taels is too little compared to five hundred thousand taels, and it feels like a drop in the bucket.

He is also optimistic about Baoyu and Xue Baochai. They are old relatives, and the Xue family has a lot of wealth, so they can provide financial support to Baoyu.

Lin Ruhai's mother Jia came forward. Lin Ruhai couldn't refute his ancestor's face and took one hundred thousand taels of silver.

"The second half of the mansion can be demolished to build a garden. If the Ningguo mansion is still owned by the family, the second half of the two mansions can be connected into a courtyard, which will save a lot." Jia Zheng said with some pity.

"This is also a way. Ask Uncle Lin to come over tomorrow and I will tell him personally!" Jia Mu said with a smile.

As for whether the calculation is accurate, it is unknown.

"The cost of the land should be about 100,000 taels of silver, and the cost of building the garden should be 400,000 taels of silver, for a total of 500,000 taels of silver!" Jia Zheng replied.

This is only three hundred thousand taels of silver, and there is still a shortfall of two hundred thousand taels.

"Why don't you borrow some from Mr. Lin? He was a salt patrol officer in the south of the Yangtze River, so he has a lot of money in his hands!" Jia She suggested again.

In the end, there was still a shortfall, so Jia Mu took it from her private treasury, and finally collected five hundred thousand taels of silver.

"There's no need to speak. Jia Qiang has always remembered being expelled from the family. Normally, even servants don't interact with each other between the two houses!" Jia Mu helplessly stopped her.

According to her judgment, it would be good to be able to borrow one hundred thousand taels of silver from the Xue family.

"It's five hundred thousand taels of silver. My father-in-law doesn't have that much silver. You two brothers should contribute some and see how much you can get together!" Jia Mu still had a good idea of ​​how much money the father-in-law had. She said.

"Master Zheng, have you calculated how much money it will cost?" Jia Mu asked at this time.

In her opinion, the money borrowed from two relatives was not much different to build a garden.

"The Xue family has an idea. Mr. and Mrs. Zheng will discuss this matter!" Mother Jia said firmly.

He was headed by Mrs. Wang, but most of the money Mrs. Wang embezzled from the father-in-law was sent to her brother Wang Ziteng.

"The Xue family just lives at home and borrows some money from the Xue family." Jia She's eyes flashed.

"What's not good to say? The Xue family has taken a fancy to Baoyu. I think Miss Baoyu and Baoyu are very compatible. It's better to get engaged first and borrow some money from the Xue family!" Jia She doesn't know how to do that! Said, letting go of this opportunity.

"My father-in-law can give me 100,000 taels, but the total amount is not even 200,000 taels. What should I do?" Jia Mu shook her head.

The next step was to build a garden, and Rongguo Mansion began a big move.

What happened in the Rongguo Mansion did not affect the Jiahou Mansion next door. The Jiahou Mansion was large enough. Although the movement next door was big, it had little impact on this side.

Recently, sergeants from the south have been arriving in Beijing and living in Zhuangzi on the outskirts of the country.

Jia Qiang would go there every day to help fifty soldiers practice the 'Jia's Hundred Turns Refining Technique'.

Although the war in Yunnan was still going on, Jia Qiang's management of the southern army did not stop, but accelerated.

At court that day, Jia Qiang found that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Jia Qiang regretted coming late. He didn't even go to Jiuqing's room this time. When he arrived at the palace, it was almost time to go to court, so he went directly to court.

"Bring Niu Jizong to the palace!" Xia Shouzhong declared loudly.

Two guards escorted Niu Jizong into the hall. Niu Jizong was wearing shackles.

When Jia Qiang saw Niu Jizong's appearance, she knew that Niu Jizong was found guilty, otherwise it would be impossible to put him in chains before he passed through the court. This situation meant that both Emperor Jingwen and the Supreme Emperor agreed to strictly deal with Niu Jizong, and this signal was also received by the ministers in the court.

All the officials belonging to the four kings and eight princes became nervous.

"Niu Jizong, where are the troops and horses you are leading?" Emperor Jingwen looked at Niu Jizong and asked in a deep voice.

"I will feel guilty in the end!" Niu Jizong replied with despair.

He took Yiwei Jingying to Yunnan. He hurriedly and slowly arrived and finally arrived. As soon as he issued the order to summon the Yunnan army, he was attacked by the chieftain.

The chieftain's attack was too sudden, and the place where he summoned his troops was a military camp.

But he didn't know why, the sergeant in charge of the military camp's defense didn't sound the alarm. It wasn't until the chieftain's army surrounded the training ground that he realized something was wrong.

After returning to Beijing, he learned that everything was done by King Beijing when he arrived in Yunnan.

But no matter what, as a leading general, it is unjustifiable to escape alone.

"Since you also know that you are guilty, then..." Emperor Jingwen was about to give his opinion on punishment, but he saw Liu Fang standing out from the queue.

"Please have mercy, Your Majesty. Things in Yunnan are complicated. With that water-soluble arrangement, General Niu was just inattentive. It was not a crime of war!" Liu Fang bowed and said.

"Your Majesty, General Niu's crime lies in the failure of intelligence investigation and has nothing to do with General Niu!" Chen Ruiwen, who was behind Qi Guogong, stood up and bowed.

Then one official after another stood up, all interceding for Niu Jizong.

Jia Qiang looked at the officials who jumped out one by one, with a hint of sarcasm on her lips.

If Niu Jizong died in battle, even if his entire army was wiped out, he would still have merit and no fault.

But Niu Jizong escaped alone and abandoned all 5,000 soldiers from the Beijing camp. Just for these 5,000 soldiers from the Beijing camp, Emperor Jingwen had to give an explanation.

In the capital camp, there are not only ordinary sergeants, but also many generals who will serve in it.

Among the five thousand soldiers lost this time, there were nearly ten generals, and these generals would not let Niu Jizong go.

Sure enough, before Emperor Jingwen could speak, many military attachés from among the generals came out to refute the claims of the powerful officials.

Above the court, these officials argued.

"Quiet, what do you think this is?" Emperor Jingwen looked at it for a moment and shouted in a deep voice.

Suddenly there was silence in the palace, and all the officials did not dare to make a sound.

"General Niu Jizong is incapable of dragging down the entire army. He will be demoted to a baron and relieved of his military duties!" Emperor Jingwen announced calmly.

The officials of the four kings and eight princes present felt as if they were mourning for their heirs. They were suddenly reduced from a superior rank to a second rank. In addition, they lost their positions in the military. This was a heavy punishment.

In the past, the title of the Niu family could be passed down to at least three generations, but now after the punishment, the title of the Niu family can only be passed down to one generation, and the next generation will have the lowest title.

The Niu family lost power and once again attacked the forces of the four kings and eight princes.

While some people were worried, others were happy. The Niu family disappeared from the army, and the position vacated by Niu Jizong was targeted by many generals.

And because Niu Jizong lost a general in his family, he was thinking about how to take revenge on the Niu family. A toothless Niu family is still easy to handle.

In the afternoon, Jia Qiang returned home and was greeted by the newly appointed housekeeper Lu Xun.

Butler Lu Xun was recommended by Butler Lao Shuntou. Due to his old age, Butler Lu Xun had gone to Zhuangzi in the suburbs to rest in peace after Fei Cui's persuasion.

Originally, Jia Qiang's intention was to let Lao Shuntou stay in the house.

But Lao Shuntou stubbornly wanted to go to Zhuangzi for retirement. He felt that a life with fields and land was the most suitable life for retirement. This was probably the Han people's natural farming gene.

"Master, there is Mr. Lang Li'an waiting for you!"

Butler Lu Xun is relatively young and is Lao Shun Tou's distant nephew. He has been following Lao Shun Tou for a while and can directly take up the position of housekeeper.

"Introduce the young master to the hall, I will change my clothes and go there!" Jia Qiang nodded and ordered.

He first went to the main hall to change into a Confucian shirt, and then came to the hall.

"Brother Lang, long time no see!" Jia Qiang saw Lang Li'an and greeted him with a smile.

Lang Li'an was his classmate in the Imperial College and a friend he rarely talked to.

"I've met Lord Jia!" Lang Li'an said in a somewhat reserved manner.

"Don't be nervous, we are friends!" Jia Qiang couldn't help but said when she saw Lang Li'an's appearance.

"No need to be nervous, Mr. Jia Hou, I have something to ask for!" Lang Li'an was still restrained and unable to let go, he bowed and said.

Jia Qiang couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She couldn't go back. This friendship could never return to the days of unrestrained communication.

He also didn't want to think about it. Lang Li'an was still just a scholar, not even a scholar. As for him, the title of Chaopin Marquis was the same as that of Lang Li'an's father, and he was a member of the first rank and nine provincial governors. This official position was much higher than that of his father.

The most important thing is that Jia Qiang also has the official position of serving in the fifth-level cabinet, which makes Lang Li'an nervous the most.

As long as he thinks that Jia Qiang associates with cabinet bachelors and the like every day, Lang Li'an will feel inferior.

"Brother Lang, tell me what you have to say!" Jia Qiang could not change Lang Li'an's attitude and could only say.

"My father is currently fighting the rebellion in Yunnan, but the situation is not ideal. I would like to ask Lord Jia for help!" Lang Li'an bowed and begged.

Jia Qiang understood that Lang Li'an came here because he saw Niu Jizong being demoted and dismissed, and was afraid that his father would do the same.

Lang Li'an really thought so. When his father was not at home, the only thing he could think of was Jia Qiang.

Jia Qiang is a famous general recognized by the Supreme Emperor, and his legendary achievements are rumored in the market.

The legend of five hundred to one hundred thousand, when Lang Li'an thought about it, as long as Jia Qiang was willing to take action, it would be easy to solve the Yunnan rebellion.

"Brother Lang, you didn't discuss this matter with your family, did you?" Jia Qiang asked, slightly startled.

"I thought about it myself, and only Mr. Jia Hou can help my family!" Lang Li'an nodded.

"It's not that I don't want to take action, but the dispatch of troops requires the consent of both the Supreme Emperor and the Holy One. Marquis Lang is already in Yunnan. Where should I be sent to relocate Marquis Lang?" Jia Qiang shook her head and said.

"But the situation in Yunnan is not good. If it continues any longer, I'm worried that my father will lose!" Lang Li'an expressed his true thoughts.

"If you really want to help your father, then persuade your father to ask the DPRK to send troops for reinforcements instead of coming to me!" Jia Qiang said in a deep voice.

At this time, he felt the gap between Lang Li'an and himself. Originally, there was not much difference in talent and learning between him and Lang Li'an, but he had experienced many wars and many practical experiences, so that his vision was no longer limited to books.

On the other hand, Lang Li'an still looks at issues from the perspective of an ordinary scholar.

(End of this chapter)