Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 267 Unpredictable Risks

Jia Qiang is from the Ningguo lineage. He is not one of those descendants who are about to be out of the fifth degree of mourning. He is the legitimate great-great-grandson of the Ningguo lineage and is very much loved by Jia Zhen. They have a special relationship.

However, Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were eliminated by him because they were trying to seize Xiuniang's perfume shop and coveted and threatened Keqing.

Just because of this relationship, he would never get involved with Jia Qiang, and this guy is not a good person either...

"Second brother, you may not know that the emperor is very concerned about the firearms workshop. It involves military and national affairs, and anyone who enters the workshop must report to the palace for review.

Moreover, those who enter the workshop must be familiar with the art of firearms. I wonder how much Brother Qiang knows about firearms, and what specialties does he have in firearms?"

When Jia Cong said this, Jia Lian and Jia Qiang were dumbfounded.

Everyone who entered the workshop had to report to the palace for inspection. In Jia Lian's opinion, Jia Qiang was worse than himself and was useless. He was not able to find any trouble even after being inspected by the emperor.

Don't fail to complete your mission and at the same time cause trouble and commit sins.

People like Jia Qiang can only hang out together for a while, but he is not capable of handling big events.

Jia Cong also said that people entering the workshop should be familiar with the use of firearms. It is estimated that Jia Qiang has never even touched a musket.

As for his expertise in firearms, it's even funnier. He is actually good at listening to operas and drinking wine...

When Jia Cong heard what he said, Jia Lian and Jia Qiang just stared at each other, unable to say anything.

"If Brother Qiang is not good at firearms, then I am sorry that I can't help you. If you want to find a way to make a living, a firearms workshop is not a good place to go.

With the Jia family's connections in Shenjing, it shouldn't be difficult to find a convenient place, right?"

Jia Lian smiled bitterly. If it were in the past, it would not be difficult for Jia Qiang to find a job to make a living.

But now that the Ningguo Mansion has been stripped of its title and its property has been confiscated, there is no one to rely on. Who will give face to the descendants of the Ningguo lineage? They are not even in the mood to avoid suspicion.

The Ningrong Jia family has already declined by half, and even he, the eldest son of the Rong family, now lacks the aura when he goes out.

Not to mention Brother Qiang, everyone knows that he and Brother Zhen have always been close...

……

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Jia Qiang had no choice but to leave in frustration.

Jia Lian was a man who did not mind flirting with women, but he was not used to being strong. Although his request was rejected by Jia Cong, he did not take it to heart when he heard that Jia Cong had his reasons.

But now the Jurchens in Liaodong have started a war, musket arrays are showing their might on the battlefield, firearms workshops are producing firearms on a large scale, and he himself, as the Director of the Firearms Bureau, is about to follow the nine provinces to patrol the borders.

At this juncture, a seemingly lazy and dissolute young man in the family wants to get a job in the firearms workshop.

At first glance it seems like a coincidence, but upon closer inspection it seems too much of a coincidence.

Jia Cong couldn't help but feel suspicious...

"Second brother, why did Brother Qiang suddenly want to seek a job at the firearms workshop? I am a little surprised."

Jia Lian said nonchalantly: "What's so strange about this? When Ningguo Mansion was in power, these young men would receive ancestral gifts during the two annual sacrifices and at the end of the year.

Whether it is for personal use or to be sold, the sum is not small. This is also the intention of the clan to enrich and benefit their fellow clan members.

But now that Ningguo's title had been stripped and his property confiscated, these people have lost a large amount of income every year, and their lives are naturally tight.

I just helped Qiangge to find a job, so I didn't have the courage to tell my third brother.

When Qiang'er left home, Brother Zhen gave him a house and two shops, which were enough for him to live on.

But this kid is a loser. Some time ago, he was instigated to gamble and lost both of his two shops. Life is getting hard now, so he went to the master for help.

He wanted to get a job at the firearms shop, and it was the master who reminded him... "

When Jia Cong heard that this matter was actually related to Jia She, his heart suddenly jumped.

……

Ever since Jia She forced Zhishao to jump into the river that year, the father and son had completely fallen out, and he moved to the West Mansion to live.

Apart from the necessary annual courtesy visits, the father and son hardly had any interaction with each other. They couldn't even be described as cold to each other, but only as disliking each other.

It was actually Jia She's suggestion that Jia Qiang get the job at the firearms workshop, which made Jia Cong feel a little uncomfortable.

Jia Lian added, "Originally, Brother Qiang asked the eldest master to speak, but you and the eldest master..., haha, I had no choice but to come forward."

Jia Cong sneered in his heart, but said, "Second brother, you don't know that it is a good thing for Qiang'er not to work in the Firearms Workshop. The Firearms Workshop is responsible for making firearms, which are important military weapons. The emperor attaches great importance to it. The craftsmen in the workshop are transferred from all over the country, and even their families are moved to the capital."

Jia Lian asked curiously, "Why do you want to move all your family members to the capital?"

Jia Cong sneered and said, "This is a matter of military affairs. The purpose of moving the family is to restrain them. Once the craftsmen leak the secrets of firearms manufacturing, the whole family will be in vain..."

Jia Cong didn't finish his words, but made a chopping motion with his right hand.

Jia Lian understood everything and turned pale with fear. He really didn't expect that the firearms workshop would be so intimidating.

He quickly said: "If I knew the truth, I would not speak for him.

A fellow like Qiang Ge'er is very capable. If he really goes into such a place, he might cause trouble, and then his third brother will be implicated.

The master is the same, why did he give him such a bad idea... "

"Third brother, as an elder brother, I don't know my background and I got into trouble for no reason. Please don't be offended."

Jia Cong looked at Jia Lian's expression quietly and did not see any possibility of falsification, so he felt slightly relieved.

He had no good feelings towards Jia Lian, but he had no bad feelings towards him either. Although his second brother was lustful and liked to hook up with women, at least he would not use his power to force them.

He is a playboy with basically normal values.

He opposed Wang Xifeng's lending at high interest and also opposed privately keeping the property that was removed when the historian's house was searched. This shows that this person at least has some sense of right and wrong and is basically sober.

Jia She ordered him to seize Shi Daizi's ancient fan, but he simply went to the other party and begged him to give it up. When the other party refused, he gave up.

Jia Yucun beat Shi Daizi half to death on the pretext that he owed government silver, took away his fan and gave it to Jia She.

Jia Lian would also say: It is not a great achievement to make someone lose everything for such a small matter.

Compared with Jia She and others, he has some bottom line as a human being and even a sense of justice.

Therefore, Jia Cong did not want Jia Lian to have any secret plans in this matter, but only came to him for help because of Jia She's request.

And judging from Jia Lian's expression and words just now, this should be the case.

……

However, Jia She knew very well that he and his son did not get along well, but he still suggested that Jia Qiang work under him.

Even if he cared about Jia Qiang, a junior, this behavior was unreasonable.

Moreover, nothing can be kept secret in a big mansion. Jia Cong heard that in the past two years, Jia She asked Jia Lian to go to Ping'an Prefecture several times. As for what they did, only they and their son knew.

Moreover, Jia She has had no shortage of money in the past two years, and he has taken in several concubines.

In the past, Jia Cong didn’t know where Ping’an Prefecture was. After asking others, he found out that Ping’an Prefecture was a border prefecture and the location of Datong Town, which was one of the nine borders.

Duke Rong was once the commander of the Nine Frontier Towns, and he still has many old friends under his command in the Nine Frontier Towns.

Therefore, the Jia family has basic connections in Ping'an Prefecture.

Now Jia She asked Jia Lian to travel back and forth to Ping'an Prefecture many times, and it seemed that he had made quite a profit.

If it were just some ordinary business, it would be fine.

In order to dispel the royal family's fears, the Ningrong Jia family completely separated themselves from military power since the literati generation, and all they held were idle noble positions.

However, there are still a lot of old friends and connections accumulated in the Beijing camp and border towns, which can't be replaced and can only be slowly eroded by time.

But what if Jia She sent Jia Lian to travel frequently to Ping'an Prefecture and the business he was doing was not ordinary business?

That is, the nobles of the Jia family made friends with the border generals and revitalized the old forces, which was tantamount to seeking death!
This is a more serious crime than Jia Zhen's plundering of civilians.

On the surface, Jia She's connection with Ping'an Prefecture and Jia She's instigation of Jia Qiang to get a job in the firearms workshop seem to have nothing to do with each other.

As for the underlying reasons, how can outsiders tell for sure?

In terms of his ability to cause trouble, Jia She is definitely the number one in the Ningrong Jia family.

To be on the safe side, Jia Cong decided to prepare relevant countermeasures before going to the Nine Frontiers, at least to clear himself in front of the emperor.

(End of this chapter)