Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 150 Yangzhou Meets the Sea

In Fenglefang, Jinling, in that unremarkable three-courtyard house.

The warm afternoon sun shines into the study, the antiques and jades on the shelves reflect the bright light, and the bronze tripod on the table burns with expensive goose pear fragrance, which is refreshing.

A dignified middle-aged man sat behind his desk, sipping a cup of freshly brewed fragrant tea. A young man stood below him with a respectful expression.

"Sir, our informants in the government office reported that Jia Cong and Yang Hongbin, the judge of the Dali Temple, took several prisoners to the Yingtian Prefecture Prison yesterday. They were all covered with hoods, and their faces were difficult to identify.

Not long after, Yingtianfu Prison tightened its security and strictly prohibited people from entering or leaving. Prince Ning also sent a large number of personal guards to guard the prison. Our people were unable to find out any news from inside, and the situation was very strange.

This morning, our spies stationed near the residence of Prince Ning discovered that Jia Cong led two of Prince Ning's personal guards out of the city through Chaoyang Gate and disappeared.

The middle-aged man frowned, put down the teacup, walked back and forth in the room, and asked, "Where did they arrange those ronin?"

The young man replied, "The construction site of Da Ci'en Temple in Qixia Mountain."

“Recently, Prince Ning seems to have come to his senses. He suddenly found out about Zhou Suqing, forcing us to get rid of Wang En. Now, I don’t know who he has caught, and the government prison is guarded so strictly.

This action is getting bigger and bigger. We have to be on guard. Keep an eye on the Water Monitoring Bureau. As long as there are suitable ships, let them send the Japanese out to sea to avoid the limelight."

"Also, I heard that Jingxuan's wife and daughter went to Gusu to visit their relatives. If necessary, send someone to take care of them..."

……

Yangzhou was founded by King Fuchai of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period, more than 2,000 years ago.

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Yangzhou has become the exclusive place for purchasing salt in Lianghuai and the hub of north-south trade, and the income from salt tax is almost equal to that from grain tax.

The ten-li Yangzhou is rich in resources and has a thriving population. Its markets are filled with pearls and jade, and its prosperity is no less than that of Nanjing.

When Taizu first came to power, the Inspector General of Salt in Lianghuai was initially assigned as a temporary official.

During the Hongxuan period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the salt industry developed in major salt-producing areas such as Lianghuai, Liangzhe, and Changlu, and salt tax revenue increased day by day, accounting for almost three or two tenths of the country's tax revenue.

The sale of private salt became increasingly rampant, and the profits were extremely high. In order to make huge profits, private salt dealers often took risks and killed officials and rebelled from time to time.

In order to strengthen local salt administration and protect the source of taxation, the imperial court transferred the Salt Inspector to a permanent position and had him sit in the local area to preside over salt administration.

Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Changlu and other places each had a salt inspector who was in charge of collecting salt taxes, supervising salt merchants' monopoly, investigating private salt sales, and managing salt administration officials.

Although the Salt Inspector of the Great Zhou Dynasty had the title of Censor, he was not selected solely from the Censorate, but anyone with outstanding talents and achievements from the six ministries could be selected.

Moreover, after being transferred to the position of Salt Inspector, he would still be assigned the original rank. Therefore, throughout history, the Salt Inspectors in various places included both eunuchs of the fifth rank and senior officials of the second rank.

But no matter the rank, the power in their hands is the same.

The Lianghuai area is the most important location for salt affairs in the world, and the Lianghuai salt tax is an important source of taxation for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Therefore, the Lianghuai Salt Inspector held an extraordinary position in the local officialdom, and it was no exaggeration to say that he was in a high position with great power.

Lin Ruhai, the Imperial Censor of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, was once a world-famous scholar who won the third place in the imperial examination. He served as the Imperial Censor of the Lianghuai Salt Administration for many years and enjoyed a high reputation among the local officials in Lianghuai.

The reason why King Ning sent Jia Cong to meet Lin Ruhai was because Lin Ruhai was his uncle.

Ever since the whole story was uncovered during the interrogation in the Yingtian Prefecture Prison, it involved a wide range of people, and the Jinling Guards, the Water Supervision Department of the Guards, the Jinyiwei and others were all confused.

There was a hidden danger in Jinling City. If the people behind the scenes knew who was imprisoned in the Yingtian Prefecture Prison, they might escape and take risks. What could the 100 guards of Prince Ning do? Jia Cong knew the danger well, so he did not dare to delay for a moment and set out early in the morning without stopping.

It was not until deep night that he, holding the imperial edict and Prince Ning's token, ordered the city gates to be opened and led two of his personal soldiers into Yangzhou City.

……

The Lianghuai Salt Inspection Office.

Although it was late at night, the lights in the study in the back government office were brightly on, and Lin Ruhai was still reviewing the official documents that had accumulated over the past two days.

At this time, the family servant came to report that Jia Cong, the head of the Rongguo Mansion in Shenjing, was outside the door asking to see him.

Lin Ruhai was surprised when he heard this. Why was it him? Why did he suddenly come to visit at this time?

In recent years, my daughter's letters often mentioned her cousin, saying that he was good at poetry and literature, superior to ordinary people, and a smart and kind person, and was the most outstanding son of the Jia family.

My daughter has been smart and clever since she was young, full of poetry and literature. She has always been arrogant and modest. It is rare to see her say such good things about someone.

The son of my second brother Cunzhou, who was born with a jade in his mouth, was named Baoyu. I heard that he was also an outstanding person. However, my daughter never mentioned him in her letter, let alone praised him so much.

Another news came a month ago that this young man won the first place in the Yongzhou Academy Examination and was specially conferred an eighth-rank official title by the emperor. He was indeed an outstanding person. My daughter really has some vision.

These days, he heard from colleagues who traveled to Nanjing that his younger relative-in-law was now, under the order of the Emperor, copying Buddhist scriptures and praying for Empress Dowager Xianxiao at the Da Ci'en Temple in Nanjing.

Lin Ruhai had been in the officialdom for a long time and had seen many ups and downs. He knew that Jia Cong had come from Nanjing and asked to see him late at night, and that he must have something important to tell him, so he quickly asked his family to invite him to the main hall to meet him.

After a while, a servant brought in a young man. Although he looked tired, he had a graceful figure, a charming temperament, and a handsome and intelligent appearance. He was unforgettable on sight. He was indeed a rare talent.

He suddenly remembered his daughter's compliments. Just looking at the boy's appearance, he was rare in the world.

Jia Cong had long heard of this rare third place winner among the sons of noble families, who came from a family of marquises that had been in existence for five generations. When he saw that he was in his thirties, he was elegant, handsome, graceful and had an outstanding appearance.

It’s normal when you think about it, otherwise how could they give birth to such an outstanding daughter like Daiyu.

"Jia Cong has met Uncle Lin. Please forgive me for visiting you so late at night."

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "This must be Cong, right? Yu'er often mentioned your cousin in her letters. I've heard that Cong is the most outstanding disciple of the Jia family. He is indeed outstanding."

Jia Cong also laughed and said, "Sister Lin is smart and talented, and she is the best among the sisters. A few years ago, Sister Lin even copied a book of her uncle's reading notes as a gift.

It has been a great help to Jia Cong in his studies and imperial examinations. Although I have never met Uncle Lin before, Uncle Lin has been very kind to me in giving me books and papers."

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "So there is such a reason. I haven't heard Yu'er mention it. Yu'er brought the notes with her to the north. It would be great if it could be used as a reference for Cong."

Jia Cong added: "This time Jia Cong came to visit late at night on the orders of King Ning. He has something important to ask for help from your uncle in Jinling!"

When Lin Ruhai heard Jia Cong suddenly change the topic and the urgency in his words, his face also turned serious. He had long guessed that Jia Cong's late-night visit must be unusual, but he didn't know what the big deal was.

Jia Cong took out a bright yellow scroll of imperial edict and a wax-sealed and plastic-printed letter from his bag.

Lin Ruhai stood up, straightened his clothes slightly, unfolded the imperial edict, and read it carefully. Suddenly, his eyelids twitched and his attention was focused on one sentence:
The major case of Longtan Port in Nanjing involves doubts from various officials. Prince Ning is granted the power to make arbitrary decisions in case of emergencies. He can mobilize soldiers and civilians from Suzhou and Yangzhou to fulfill the important task.

Then he took another letter, checked the wax seal before opening it, and read through it carefully, his expression becoming more and more solemn.

(End of this chapter)