Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 373: The Crisis of Lianghuai Salt Production

August, early morning, Guazhou Port, Yangzhou.

There are many summer rains in Lianghuai. The sky cleared up in the morning. A rain last night washed this thousand-year-old city as clean as new.

The streets are quiet, the buildings are beautiful, the willow branches are swaying, and the crowds of people are bustling. Although Yangzhou is located in the north of the Yangtze River, it has the warm and elegant style of the south of the Yangtze River.

A carriage drove out from the ferry, and the blue printed curtain was lifted, revealing a pretty and delicate face. She looked at the moist and transparent streets with a curious expression.

Jia Cong led the Firearms Department's attendant clerks and fifteen firearms soldiers from the Fifth Army Battalion and sailed south on an official ship.

In summer, the water is abundant and the current is fast. In just a few days, the official ship arrived at Guazhou Port in Yangzhou.

That year, I brought Zhishao back to Shenjing from Gusu. Although they were still together every day, they had never been together for thousands of miles like they were now, alone facing each other. There was a kind of charming and warm feeling in it.

Jia Cong did not waste his time on the boat. Apart from thinking about the affairs of Jinling, he spent the rest of the time on his homework.

He would spend two hours every day studying the two books edited by Liu Jing'an. Even though he was extremely talented, the path to success was like a thousand people trying to succeed alone, and it would take a lot of effort to persevere and endure.

This morning, when the ship arrived at the dock, Jia Cong arranged for his clerks to go directly to Nanjing to connect with the Nanjing Ministry of Works and take care of the miscellaneous affairs of the Nanjing Firearms Division branch.

He had to go to the Yangzhou Salt Administration Office to visit his uncle Lin Ruhai on behalf of Daiyu, and the next day he had to send Zhishao to Suzhou.

In the eyes of outsiders, he went to Nanjing to preside over the opening of a branch of the Firearms Bureau. It was a non-urgent and idle job, so he always had to have the leisurely look of someone doing an idle job.

No matter the four clerks of the Firearms Department or the fifteen firearms soldiers who accompanied him, they were all dressed in the ostentatious attire of a fifth-rank Firearms Supervisor, who was granted the title of Earl of Weiyuan, when he went to Nanjing.

It's just a cover for others to see. He needs to rely on the power in Jinling City, so he naturally can't rely on these alone.

……

The Lianghuai Salt Inspection Office.

The front hall was where the Imperial Censor of Salt handled his official duties, and the backyard was the home of successive Imperial Censors of Salt.

There was a faint smell of medicine in the study room in the backyard. There were several piles of documents arranged in categories on the desk. Lin Ruhai was reading through the documents at his desk.

Every day at noon, he got up to deal with salt affairs documents, and at noon he received officials from the government office to handle daily salt administration, or visited the official salt fields in the city to understand the official salt market, receive salt merchants, and approve salt permits.

Every evening he would review the salt affairs documents and would not go to bed until the hour of Hai. He worked so hard and devotedly for ten years.

A woman in her thirties came in from the study door. She had a pretty appearance and dignified manners. She was Lin Ruhai's concubine, Chen.

Chen was originally a personal maid of Lin Ruhai's wife Jia Min. She followed Jia Min into the Lin family as a dowry since she was a child. Later, she became Lin Ruhai's maid. After Jia Min's death, Lin Ruhai never remarried.

Perhaps out of concern for his deceased wife, or because Chen was kind and considerate by nature, he raised the status of the maid who came with his dowry to become his concubine.

The Lin family has been a family of marquises for five generations in Suzhou. Lin Ruhai is the only direct descendant of the Lin family. Although not as wealthy as the four great families in Jinling, his family is also very wealthy, and he has more than one concubine named Chen around him.

But Chen took care of daily living and eating by himself, which was very different from others.

Every hour, Chen would go into the study, open and close the windows to ventilate, and add or change the soup or tea. Although she was a concubine, she still did the careful chores she did as a maid.

Chen changed the hot tea for Lin Ruhai and asked, "Master, the other day I heard that the eldest girl's cousin would come to Yangzhou. I guess the date is about to arrive."

Lin Ruhai said, "I received a letter from Yu'er three days ago, saying that Cong'er will leave in early August, so he should arrive in the next few days."

Chen smiled and said, "I did as the eldest lady said and arranged a residence for the women in the back house. The room for the Earl of Weiyuan is also ready. I went to see it myself and everything is ready.

Our eldest daughter has really grown up. She used to ignore these trivial matters, but now she writes about them in such detail and thoughtfulness in her letter."

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "Yu'er and him grew up in the Jia Mansion, and they have a very close brother-sister relationship. She has always admired Cong's ability and character, and it is not surprising that she cares about his affairs."

Chen smiled and said, "The eldest girl has been taught by the master and his wife since she was young. She is a talented woman with a wealth of knowledge. To be favored by her, this Weiyuan Earl must be an outstanding person."

Chen also had her own girlish feelings, so she naturally understood what it meant that Daiyu was so delicate and considerate towards others. However, she had always been responsible for her duties, knew what was important and how to advance and retreat, and did not say anything else.

She also grew up in the Jia family. On the eve of Jia Min's marriage, she still remembered that pregnant Du was carried into the mansion by the eldest master and caused an uproar in the house.

Her young lady's wedding was scheduled for those few months, so Chen was deeply impressed by the incident. She also knew that Old Lady Jia despised the biological mother of Earl Weiyuan.

After his young lady got married, Mrs. Du gave birth to a child not long after. The Jia family also heard that many things had happened, and even the Duke had died of anger.

At that time, my master was working as a doctor in Lantai Temple. Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he suddenly moved my master to Yangzhou to take charge of the salt affairs. Otherwise, our family might still be in the capital now.

Ever since Jia Cong was awarded the title for his merits, his reputation has spread throughout the world, and naturally, stories about him in the Jia Mansion have also been circulated among the people.

Chen was a member of the Jia family back then. Having experienced all the past events, she was naturally not surprised at all that Lady Jia always disliked Jia Cong.

The eldest daughter is the old lady's favorite granddaughter, and the Jia family also has a young master who was born with a jade in his mouth. It is said that he is the old lady's favorite and there have been talks about marriage since he was a child.

I’m afraid that the young lady’s thoughts will cause many twists and turns in the future.

……

At this time, a servant came to report outside the second gate that there was a guest visiting the outer hall and asked to see the master. He said it was Jia Cong from the Jia family in Shenjing.

After hearing this, Lin Ruhai's face lit up with joy. He asked Chen to arrange for the maid in the house to go to the second gate to arrange the women and luggage, and asked the servant to invite Jia Cong to meet him in the study.

When Jia Cong was on official business in Nanjing, he once broke into the Salt Administration Office late at night and asked him to borrow 800 salt soldiers to enter Nanjing. In one fell swoop, he captured Zou Huaiyi and others, the main culprit of a major case in the Water Inspectorate. This was what a young hero was like.

Now, less than two years have passed, and he has made great contributions to wiping out the Jurchens in Liaodong. At a young age, he was awarded the title of Weiyuan Earl. I am afraid that there is no one else in the world who can match his heroic talent.

No wonder my daughter is so picky and has admired her cousin since she was a child. This girl has good taste.

After a while, Lin Ruhai heard footsteps outside the study and a tall and handsome young man walked in.

She has grown a lot taller than she was two years ago, and is as beautiful as jade, with an extraordinary demeanor, even better than before.

Lin Ruhai said with a smile: "Brother Cong, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are really young and proud, and the younger generation is formidable."

Jia Cong said modestly: "Uncle, please forgive me for making fun of you. If the younger generation has any achievements, it is mostly due to luck. It is your talent as the third place winner and your ability to govern the world that deserves admiration."

The two chatted for a while, and Jia Cong took out Daiyu's letter and the gift she brought for her father.

Then he asked, "I heard from Sister Lin that my uncle has been in poor health this year. Sister Lin is very worried. She asked me to ask after him before I came. I wonder if my uncle has invited a famous doctor to treat him and if he is feeling better now?"

Lin Ruhai smiled bitterly: "I have already invited famous doctors to see me, and I have never stopped taking medicine, but my condition is sometimes better and sometimes worse. It is just a case of exhaustion, and medicine cannot work immediately."

Jia Cong said, "Cong does know a famous doctor with extraordinary medical skills. I originally wanted to invite him to go south with me to diagnose my uncle, but he has been away visiting friends recently. If my uncle can ask a local famous doctor to record the detailed medical records, although the famous doctor cannot see the patient in person, he can still infer the cause of the disease based on the medical records. It will always be beneficial to have one more famous doctor to diagnose the patient."

Lin Ruhai sighed, "When I was young, my family lost its inheritance and was about to fall into decline. I was determined to study and study hard. Although I gained something in the end, I lost more than the average person, which left me with some shortcomings.

Usually, you should also pay attention to maintenance and consultation. Here are the medical records written by several famous doctors in Yangzhou. Although they cannot cure the disease, the medical records are very detailed. Brother Cong can take them to the famous doctor for consultation. "

Then he smiled at Jia Cong and said, "It's hard to believe that Cong is so concerned about this matter. No wonder Yu'er always speaks well of you in her letters."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Lin lost her mother when she was young, and the person she cares about most is her uncle. Although she has been loved by the old lady and accompanied by her sisters in the Jia family over the years, she misses her uncle the most.

Uncle, for the sake of Miss Lin, you should take good care of yourself. I am just helping to find some diagnosis methods, which is nothing."

Lin Ruhai felt deeply moved when he heard Jia Cong talk about Daiyu. He naturally knew his daughter's personality very well. Even though the Jia family was rich and the old lady doted on her, she would probably still miss home every day.

He said: "When I was an official in Lantai Temple, it was fine. After I came to Yangzhou to act as the salt administration, the emperor had just ascended the throne and was diligent in government affairs. The world was already showing signs of great peace.

Therefore, in the past few years, although there were some disturbances in the Lianghuai salt business, no major incidents occurred.

However, in the past two years, illegal salt has been rampant in Lianghuai, and compared with previous years, it has been much more severe. It is really complicated and worrying.

The salt administration in Lianghuai has always been complicated. Since I took office, I have been overwhelmed with many things. When Yuer's mother passed away, I had no choice but to send her to her grandparents' home.

My daughter has a grandmother who has a royal decree to raise her, which will be good for her in the future. It is better for her to go to the capital to live a safe and comfortable life than to stay in Yangzhou, a place of troubles... "

This time, Jia Cong vaguely understood why Lin Ruhai was willing to send his only beloved daughter to the Jia Mansion for upbringing.

After her biological mother passed away, according to the custom of aristocratic families, being raised by her noble grandmother was a kind of respectable endorsement for her future marriage, not to mention a family like the Rongguo Jia family.

The salt administration in Yangzhou was stable and peaceful. However, once private salt trafficking disrupted the administration, Yangzhou would become a dangerous place. This was probably another reason why Lin Ruhai sent Daiyu to the Jia family.

……

Jia Cong asked again: "Uncle, the last time I went to Nanjing on official business, the Lianghuai salt business was under your management and was stable.

My uncle borrowed 800 Lianghuai salt soldiers to eliminate illegal salt trafficking at one time, and the remaining soldiers were enough to handle daily salt affairs. How could they become so exhausted in less than two years? "

Lin Ruhai sighed, "In the past seven or eight years, the climate in the Great Zhou has become increasingly severe, with extremely cold winters and molten gold in summers, and natural disasters occur from time to time in various places.

In the past two years, the climate in the Huai River region has become increasingly abnormal, with continuous floods in spring and droughts in summer. The harvests have been poor, farmers have fled, and all businesses have been sluggish. Compared with previous years, the people's livelihood has been much worse than in previous years.

The imperial court did not reduce the salt tax in Lianghuai, and the price of official salt remained the same as two years ago, without any reduction.

The common people were forced to make a living and in order to save money, they tried every possible means to buy cheap and high-quality private salt, and the government could not stop doing so despite repeated bans.

If there are buyers, there will be sellers. Moreover, private salt is the most profitable in the world. In the past two years, the private salt trade in Huaibei and Huaibei has gradually become a war. If it continues, it will definitely cause disasters... "

Jia Cong did not pay much attention to the salt administration on a daily basis, so he was not so sensitive to this matter for a while.

But seeing that Lin Ruhai had a deeply worried look on his face, one could imagine that as the Imperial Censor of Lianghuai Salt, in charge of the Lianghuai salt affairs, he would feel deeply painful about the rampant smuggling of salt.

Once the low-priced and high-quality private salt sells well, no one will buy the expensive official salt, and the court’s salt tax will lose its source of collection.

The Lianghuai salt tax has always been an important part of the Great Zhou national tax. Once a large amount of salt tax gap occurs, it will be a major event. As the chief official of the Lianghuai salt affairs, Lin Ruhai will definitely be to blame.

Under such anxiety and pressure, it is no wonder that he had health problems during this year.

He must have been working hard every day to try to reverse the decline, but there was no improvement. Overwork and anxiety made him not a strong person, so naturally he became ill.

……

Jia Cong recalled what he had heard about the salt administration in later generations, but he had just heard about this matter and was a little unfamiliar with it, so he couldn't make sense of it for a while.

Seeing Jia Cong frowning slightly and seeming to be lost in thought, Lin Ruhai suddenly felt that it was inappropriate to talk about this topic with a half-grown teenager, so he changed the subject.

He said, "Don't blame me, Brother Cong. I was just overthinking. You finally came here, but you told you these disappointing things. I heard from Yu'er in her letter that you will take the imperial examination next year?"

In Lin Ruhai's opinion, the young man before him was a rare genius, proficient in classics, poetry, calligraphy, martial arts, military affairs, firearms and Western studies. He was truly amazing.

But no matter how outstanding human power is, after all, we are human beings and there will always be times when our talents are insufficient.

Jia Cong excelled in literary affairs, probably because he was gifted and had the guidance of a world-renowned teacher like Liu Jing'an since he was young, which led to his extraordinary fame.

He was excellent in military affairs. Perhaps because he came from a family of military merit, he was influenced by his family tradition when he was young, and combined with his own talents, he achieved outstanding results later.

But I have never heard that he has been involved in salt affairs. Such political affairs are definitely not something that can be acquired through talent alone. It is of no use telling him all this.

But when it comes to taking imperial examinations, that's Lin Ruhai's strong point.

When Jia Cong first entered the imperial examination, Daiyu copied Lin Ruhai's notes on scriptures and gave them to him as gifts, which played a great role in Jia Cong's success in getting the first place in the Yongzhou Academy Examination.

Jia Cong also wanted to ask this senior who had passed the imperial examination for advice, and the two chatted for two full hours. They got along very well, and Aunt Chen went in to change the tea several times.

……

That night, Jia Cong and Zhi Shao stayed in the backyard of the Salt Administration Office.

Jia Cong entered the room prepared for him. All the items were arranged very properly. Even the purple mist tea that he often drank at home and the green soul incense that he often lit were prepared in the room.

Even when he was having dinner with Lin Ruhai just now, several dishes on the table were his favorites.

This doesn't seem like something the Lin family had hastily prepared when I just arrived in the morning, and it's impossible for the Lin family to know my preferences.

Only my sisters who spend every day with me at home know my daily preferences so well.

Jia Cong had a smile on his face, he naturally knew what was going on.

Daiyu must have known that she would go south and pass by Yangzhou to visit her father, so she wrote home early and arranged the house according to her preferences so that she could live better.

Even if she can't come back herself, she has to be a good host. I think she must want to come back very much.

Although she sometimes acted like a spoiled brat and said strange things, she was truly attentive to herself. Even her luggage when she went out was packed by herself with Yingchun, and she took every single thing to heart.

Although Daiyu spent a lot of time and effort at home, she did not dare to delay too long as Jia Cong was in Nanjing to manage the affairs.

After staying at the Lin family for one night, he set off for Suzhou and made an appointment with Lin Ruhai to visit him again on his way back.

(End of this chapter)