The Second Master of the Red Chamber

That night, Jia Lianzhen stayed at the Joseon royal palace.

It was not that he intentionally indulged her, but rather that he could not refuse the Queen's kind invitation.

So when he returned to the palace the following afternoon to convene a meeting of senior generals, the generals looked at him with barely concealed mockery.

"The prince went to the palace for a banquet last night and did not return all night, which made us generals very worried."

"May I ask, Your Highness, what did you do last night?"

Xie Jing was not Jia Lian's direct subordinate, nor had he received great favors from Jia Lian like Shi Ding and others, so he was the most daring to joke about Jia Lian.

Jia Lian glanced at the man and casually explained, "Last night was ostensibly a banquet, but in reality, Jin Shijia wanted to discuss the specific rewards for sending troops with me."

Because it was getting late, King Jin arranged for me to rest in a side hall of the palace.

"Oh, I understand. It's all about negotiating compensation. Your Highness has really had a hard time."

But one wonders whether it was the same Kim Yi-jung who spent the entire night discussing payment with the prince, or the legendary, incomparably beautiful Queen of Joseon?

Xie Jing's cheeky manner, and his deliberate emphasis on the words "all night," made all the generals laugh.

Everyone stared at Jia Lian, as if trying to imagine the allure of the Korean queen being pinned down by him.

Their unrestrained laughter caused You Sanjie, who was already feeling resentful for not being able to go to the palace with Jia Lian the previous night, to let out a soft snort.

The generals then calmed down and began to discuss serious matters.

The first thing to do was naturally to ask Jia Lian about the outcome of the discussions at the banquet last night.

When Jia Lian spoke frankly, and the North Korean side basically agreed, all the generals were astonished.

"Does Your Highness mean that Korea is truly willing to offer 50 million taels as compensation for our army's deployment?"

Jia Lian smiled and nodded, then added, "The total is this amount. Apart from the initial ten million taels which we can take directly, the remainder will be repaid by them over ten years, as I have granted."

After all, they couldn't possibly come up with the money all at once.

Even though it was just in installments, the generals felt their throats churning.

What does 50 million taels mean?
The Great Wei had a population of 200 million, and its annual revenue was not much higher than that.

In other words, their 50,000-strong army, deployed once, generated nearly a year's worth of revenue for the imperial court in less than half a year.

Oh my goodness.

No wonder everyone says that fighting alongside the King of Pingliao will make you rich; the world is truly not lying to me!

The generals were all filled with fervor.

Bringing this money back to China is not just about increasing the country's revenue; it's a glorious thing.

It is also related to everyone's interests.

The imperial court has money, and this money was earned by their military. Therefore, when allocating the annual budget, the Ministry of War will definitely be able to get a larger share.

With money, military equipment can be upgraded and the strength of the army increased.

With strength, it is easier to win battles.

Winning a battle can lead to promotions, titles, and privileges for one's wife and children!

Didn't you see that last year, when Jia Lian increased the court's revenue by more than ten million, even Emperor Ningkang, a notoriously stingy emperor, directly rewarded him with ten thousand taels of gold?

Then, he even made Jia Lian recognize the Empress as his mother, thus elevating him to the status of a prince.

If we compare the imperial court to a family, the emperor is the patriarch.

No parent would dislike a child who brings in income for the family.

Then someone interjected: "The news from Lord Shi's side is that the Japanese are unwilling to redeem the prisoners for eight hundred taels of silver, and are only willing to pay one hundred taels for each one."

Lord Shi asked the Prince whether he intended to agree to their demands.

Just by looking into the eyes of the generals, you could tell that most of them were willing.

One hundred taels each, that's already a great deal.

In this battle, they captured more than 10,000 Japanese warriors, both on land and sea.

Even if each one costs 100 taels, that's still over a million taels.

However, Jia Lian objected without hesitation: "The Japanese are not like Korea; they are very wealthy."

Tell Shi Ding the minimum price is five hundred taels each, not a penny less.

"What if they give up and don't want these Japanese slaves anymore? We'll only have them to build a naval port, and we'll have to feed and care for them every day."

"Don't worry, they won't."

As Jia Lian spoke, he explained to everyone: "The Toyotomi family had just ended the war in their country and couldn't wait to launch an invasion of Korea."

It is clear that he is a very ambitious person.

Their crushing defeat at the hands of our army will certainly affect their control over Fusang.

If they are unwilling to redeem even the soldiers who fought for the country, it will surely further incite public resentment.

In other words, it doesn't matter if they really don't care about the lives of their soldiers.

Using these 10,000-plus Japanese slaves to shake the foundation of the Toyotomi family will greatly help us in our future conquest of Japan.

Therefore, don't worry about these small, immediate gains.

Upon hearing this, all the generals nodded, understanding in their hearts the ambition of their prince.

Or perhaps it should be called great talent and strategic vision.

They haven't even conquered North Korea yet, and they've already started preparing to deal with Japan.

The key point is that everyone has a feeling that as long as Jia Lian doesn't fall from power, these things might actually be accomplished during his lifetime.

If it were to be accomplished, not only Jia Lian, but also all the senior generals who followed Jia Lian in his campaigns would be remembered in history!
"Haha, it seems we still need to have that kid Shi Ding take good care of these Japanese slaves and not kill them easily."

If the Toyotomi family still doesn't redeem them after we return home, we'll take these Japanese slaves to the southeast coast and kill them in batches every now and then.

Let those Japanese ronin who frequently harass our coastal people do our free propaganda.

Everyone laughed.

Because of the persistent threat of Japanese pirates along the coast for decades, every person in the Great Wei Dynasty harbored no goodwill towards the Japanese pirates.

After recounting this incident, someone reported to Jia Lian: "Last night, there were frequent troop movements in the city. At first, we thought the Koreans were desperate and preparing to fight us."

Later, when the prince sent a message, we learned that the Jin family had taken the opportunity to attack other powerful families.

That Kim Yi-jung is a ruthless man.

Last night, he surrounded at least seven or eight other noble families in Korea.

I heard they're still busy ransacking houses!

Jia Lian simply smiled at this.

Last night, when Jin Shijia took action, he was afraid that Jia Lian would misunderstand, so he gave him a heads-up beforehand.

Jia Lian even arranged for troops in the city to cooperate with Jin Shijia in his actions.

Jia Lian was not at all surprised that Jin Shijia would take the opportunity to eliminate his rivals.

The old king of Joseon died, and the new king was a five-year-old child, leaving the power of Joseon in vain.

At this very moment, the superior nation, taking advantage of the favor, demanded a large sum of money as payment.

The national treasury has long been emptied by Wang. Since we cannot turn against the superior country, who should pay this reward?

It can't be myself, can it?
Therefore, this is the best time to win over some, suppress others, and completely seize control of the dynasty's power.

Those who are willing to follow their lead can go out or go out less.

Those who are unwilling to follow their own side, or those who are hostile.

Sorry, but if I don't target you, who else should I target?

Jia Lian was naturally pleased with this outcome.

As long as Jin Shijia is willing to cooperate, he is the best partner.

After all, Jia Lian didn't want any trouble. He had just reached an agreement with the Jin family, but then the Jin family was replaced by other powerful families.

Then his talk was all for nothing.

The only thing Jia Lian didn't expect was that Jin Shijia would act so quickly and ruthlessly.

It seems the other party really hates me and wants to raise the ten million as soon as possible so they can get rid of me.

Just as Jia Lian and his generals had finished discussing various matters, Aqin came in and said, "Your Highness, someone from the Korean royal palace has come, saying that they are on the orders of their queen to invite Your Highness to a banquet at the palace."

"laugh……"

One of the generals couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly covered his mouth and looked at the others.

The other generals, of course, didn't hold back and burst into laughter.

At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder if the rumors were true, and if the Prince of Pingliao was really very strong in that area.
Otherwise, he had only left the palace that morning, and in just half a day, the Queen of Joseon was already so eager to invite him back.

Xie Jing, always the most mischievous, stood up and bowed deeply to Jia Lian, saying, "Your Highness, you've worked hard."

For the sake of the greater good, and for the sake of those fifty million taels of silver, Your Highness, please do not hesitate to sacrifice yourself.

"Serve the Queen of Korea well; that would be a service to the country!"

Jia Lian snorted coldly and kicked at him, but he dodged it with agility.

However, Jia Lian wasn't really angry.

To capture a queen and have her offer herself to him is a very prestigious thing, no matter how you look at it. Therefore, he stood up, instructed his generals to act cautiously, and then dismissed them.

Once there were no more outsiders in the hall, You Sanjie couldn't resist any longer and went up to Jia Lian.

"My lord, are you really going to go to the palace to accompany that queen?"

Upon hearing You Sanjie's words, Jia Lian pulled her over and slapped her on the buttocks where she was wearing armor.

You brat, what do you mean by "accompanying that queen"?
They can't distinguish between primary and secondary issues; they deserve to be punished.

Although Jia Lian didn't answer, You Sanjie could tell that Jia Lian was going.

So he immediately said, "I want to go too! I want to see what kind of celestial being that Queen of Korea is, that she could bewitch my soul and keep me from going to bed night after night!"

To be honest, Sister You was quite unhappy about it.

For the past few months, she had been following Jia Lian almost every day, going wherever he went.

Yesterday afternoon, seeing Jia Lian so leisurely, acting with the beauties in the backyard, she assumed he wouldn't go out, so she took off her armor, intending to spend some quality time with Jia Lian.

Jin Shijia came in a hurry to invite her, but she thought Jia Lian was just going to the banquet, so she didn't rush to put on her armor and follow him.

Who would have thought that such a big event would be missed?

That's why she stayed in her armor all day, following Jia Lian closely, just to guard against this.

"Go ahead and follow if you want."

Jia Lian was not afraid that You Sanjie would ruin things.

Although this girl has a bad temper, she is still very sensible and not difficult to deal with.

Moreover, although the chances of the Kim siblings harming him are very small, it is still necessary to take precautions.

Therefore, even though he stayed overnight at the palace yesterday, he did not mobilize his personal guards.

The female soldiers carried it close to their bodies.

……

It was the same grand hall, and the same two people.

This time, the Queen was not late. In fact, she stood up and approached Jia Lian the moment he entered the hall.

Judging from her appearance, it seemed she wanted to help Jia Lian herself.

Suddenly noticing You Sanjie beside Jia Lian, she paused, startled, and couldn't help but ask, "This female general is quite beautiful; I didn't see her yesterday?"

"Humph."

Sister You snorted softly.

However, the hostility he felt towards the Queen of Joseon unconsciously dissipated considerably.

The fact that the other person noticed her beauty immediately and didn't treat her like a random passerby satisfied her vanity to some extent.

"She is my beloved concubine, because I admire the customs and culture of Korea."

"I couldn't resist her pleading, so I brought her here to see it for herself."

Upon hearing that it was Jia Lian's beloved concubine, the Queen of Joseon immediately understood why he had been scorning her.

Therefore, she didn't mind at all, and instead laughed and said, "So you are the prince's beloved concubine. No wonder you are so beautiful."

"I am the Queen of Joseon, and I welcome my younger sister to visit Joseon."

Sister You opened her mouth, unsure how to respond, but eventually nodded politely.

The saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face," and when Jia Lian introduced her, he called her "beloved concubine" instead of using terms like "beloved maid" or "beloved concubine," which made her very happy.

So she decided that even if Jia Lian still wanted to spend the night in the palace, she would turn a blind eye.

Upon arriving at the palace, Jia Lian did not see the layout as it had been the previous night.

Above the steps, besides the throne, there was only one seat left below.

Moreover, after the Queen took on the role of receptionist, Jin Shijia left her side and was now walking towards the seat below.

Jia Lian couldn't help but stop and look.

The Queen of Joseon smiled and said, "King Pyeongryo, please."

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow, roughly understanding what the other party meant.

Since he sat on the throne and embraced the queen yesterday, let's just let him sit with the queen today.

light and spacious.

So he didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on the golden throne.

Sure enough, Queen Jin walked to his side immediately. Just as she was about to sit down, she remembered something and turned to Sister You behind her, saying, "Sister, would you like to sit as well?"

Yu Sanjie twitched her lips and said, "Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about me. I am now a guard of our prince, so I will just stand here."

As he spoke, he deliberately stepped aside.

Queen Jin looked slightly surprised, then glanced at the female soldiers who had followed Jia Lian into the palace, a number that was clearly larger than yesterday, and gave Jia Lian a meaningful smile.

Really good at playing.

Even though they had already accepted their sister's methods.

However, seeing her sitting so naturally next to Jia Lian, as if Jia Lian were truly the king of their Joseon, Jin Shijia still felt uneasy.

However, since things had come to this point, he wouldn't invite trouble for himself, and instead skillfully began his opening remarks.

"Last night, thanks to the Prince's assistance in mobilizing troops, the foreign minister was able to quell the rebellion and stabilize the capital."

Your Highness's great kindness will be forever remembered by this humble subject.

Jia Lian waved his hand and said, "You're too kind, Your Excellency. It was just a small favor."

Jin Shijia nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "After returning, the foreign ministers and our ministers discussed the prince's suggestion last night."

We have made some initial progress on the initial five million taels of silver and five million taels of goods, and we expect to be able to raise the required amount.

However, regarding the next ten years, with an annual income of four million taels, after we reconciled the accounts, we still felt it would be extremely difficult…

Seeing Jia Lian's furrowed brows, Jin Shijia immediately quickened his pace.

"Therefore, I humbly request Your Highness to grant me an extension of ten years, in consideration of the centuries-old friendship between our two nations."

"Within a twenty-year period, two million taels per year..."

Jin Shijia cautiously observed Jia Lian's expression and said, "In that case, I am confident that I can present this sum of money in full every year. I wonder what Your Highness thinks..."

The Kim siblings had already realized that the Great Wei had designs on Korea.

Unfortunately, North Korea is now so weak that even Japan dares to cross the sea to attack them.

Not to mention the neighboring and more powerful Wei.

Therefore, they dared not refuse to pay this military expenditure fee, otherwise the Great Wei would definitely send troops to attack.

Fortunately, the Great Wei has always been known as a land of etiquette and has never launched an unprovoked attack.

Moreover, the two countries are subordinate to each other.

Therefore, as long as they don't offend Wei to death, even if Wei has ulterior motives, they probably won't send troops to attack directly.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the Li dynasty was destined to perish...

Therefore, the Jin family also needs to seize more benefits before his downfall, in order to prepare for future changes.

Therefore, after returning home last night, he immediately gathered his cronies and devised a strategy.

This troop deployment fee can be paid.

They had already roughly raised the initial ten million.

As for the annual four million, although it's a bit troublesome, it's not too difficult if we can really trade with the Great Wei.

The reason he still requested that the division be carried out over twenty years was suggested by a minister he trusted.

It was said to be a test.

To test the true attitude of the Great Wei towards Korea.

As expected, Jia Lian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant after hearing North Korea's increasingly demanding requests.

The Queen Jin, who was standing next to him, quickly grabbed his arm and looked at him tenderly.

Jia Lian sighed, patted Queen Jin's delicate hand, and then said to Jin Shijia:

"Logically speaking, what I said last night was already the bottom line for our dynasty."

However, I also know that your Korea has gone through war and turmoil, and it has not been easy for you.

Twenty years it is.

However, for the next ten years, you will need to pay an additional 10% each year, which is 200,000 taels of interest.

If you can accept this, I, on behalf of the Great Wei Dynasty, can grant your request.

Jin Shijia considered for a moment, then stood up and bowed deeply to Jia Lian, saying, "Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness."

Ten or twenty years is not important at all.

The important point is that Jia Lian's willingness to so easily agree to repay the debt over twenty years demonstrates...

For a long time to come, the Great Wei probably had no intention of launching a military campaign against Korea.

After all, on one hand, there's the option of making money effortlessly, while on the other hand, there's the option of starting a war, with no guarantee of even earning tens of millions of taels of silver from Korea in the end… (End of Chapter)