The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Tian Liang and Zhou Xianming, acting on Jia Lian's orders, investigated and eliminated the remaining followers of Prince Yun.

With the support of Jia Lian's identity token, they quickly achieved remarkable results.

Unfortunately, Jia Lian was too busy, and they never had the chance to report to him.

With the Emperor Emeritus's funeral imminent, the two knew they could not delay any longer and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to Chonghua Palace to report and request an audience.

Fortunately, Jia Lian agreed to meet with them.

"Your Highness, these are the specific results of our investigation over the past two days, which we have compiled into a report."

It contains information about every person Prince Yun came into contact with after he was deposed and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, as well as his detailed whereabouts every day after he was released from the Imperial Clan Court by the Crown Prince.

We have attached a list of all the personnel involved to the letter for Your Highness to review.

In a side hall where people could rest temporarily, Tian Liang bowed his head and handed the note to Jia Lian.

As he got up, he couldn't help but glance at Princess Zhaoyang, who was sitting next to him drinking tea.

Although they all knew about the relationship between Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang, at this juncture...

These two even appeared together so openly...

It can only be said that they are all descendants of noble birth capable of great things; their mental fortitude is truly exceptional.

Although these strange thoughts flashed through his mind, he dared not reveal them at all.

He obediently retreated to Zhou Xianming's side, bowed his head and stood waiting for Jia Lian to read the notes.

Jia Lian knew from Tian Liang's account that they had done their job diligently.

After a quick glance at it and confirming that it was correct, I was actually a little perplexed.

There aren't many people or families involved, so it's not difficult to handle, but right now he doesn't seem to have the time to deal with it personally.

Moreover, given that this is during the period of mourning for the retired emperor, one must be careful in handling such matters, otherwise it may have a negative impact.

Therefore, we still need to find a suitable person.

Princess Zhaoyang, who was standing nearby, noticed Jia Lian's predicament and offered, "If you trust me, brother, then leave this matter to me."

My younger sister promises to have this matter completely settled by tomorrow morning, so as not to delay the funeral procession.

Jia Lian nodded upon hearing this.

It would be best if Princess Zhaoyang were willing to help.

The sooner we get rid of this recurring, volatile cancer, the better.

He's not the kind of person who likes to leave himself with hidden dangers.

So he instructed her, "I naturally trust my sister to handle things."

As for how to deal with these people, I believe my sister will make her own judgment.

I'll just say one thing.

Prince Yun is, after all, the Emperor's biological son. Even though the evidence is now conclusive, we still cannot go too far.

In accordance with the emperor's decree, he was imprisoned within high walls.

"Dispatch dedicated soldiers to guard the area in shifts of twelve hours a day."

Princess Zhaoyang nodded solemnly; she understood Jia Lian's unspoken meaning.

Being imprisoned within the high walls of the Imperial Clan Court meant being left to fend for oneself.

Why bother sending soldiers to guard it in shifts?
Ostensibly, these soldiers were there to prevent him from secretly contacting the outside world again.

Secretly, it might even hasten Prince Yun's death.

After all, it's never worthwhile to waste too much manpower on something that's destined to be worthless.

Die early, die early.

"Brother Wang, rest assured, I will arrange this matter personally."

Having accepted her assignment, Princess Zhaoyang looked at the two young officers beside her and asked with a smile, "What are your current positions?"

Unexpectedly, Princess Zhaoyang inquired about their identities, and Tian Liang and his companion quickly bowed in response.

When they first met Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang, they were both sixth-rank commanders of the Imperial Guard.

Now, more than a year later, Tian Liang has become a fifth-rank official, a commander of a thousand households.

Zhou Xianming was a deputy commander of a thousand households, a fifth-rank official.

As for why Tian Liang rose through the ranks so quickly, well, there's nothing he could do about it; he had an elder brother who died unjustly and had even shown his face before the emperor.

“Excellent, you two did a great job on this task and deserve to be commended.”

Well then, since I intend to establish the Imperial Guard Command Office, there are still quite a few vacant positions within it.

Are you two interested?

Tian Liang and Zhou Xianming could hardly believe their ears.

Who was Princess Zhaoyang?
It can be said that she is now the only person with power besides the current emperor, even surpassing Jia Lian.

He was not only one of the three prime ministers, but also had the power to decide the affairs of the court.

He also held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards!
The appointment of the so-called Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards caused an uproar in both the court and the public when it was first introduced.

Many people believe that such a powerful position should not exist in the first place.

Perhaps before long, Emperor Ningkang will abdicate the throne after being advised by his court officials.

However, the truth is that more than half a year has passed, and Princess Zhaoyang still holds the position of Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards.

In fact, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that she has already begun to take control of the entire Imperial Guard's seven major camps, and has achieved some results.

Now that things have come to this, everyone has no choice but to accept that the Imperial Guards will be under Princess Zhaoyang's control from now on.

Now that they heard that Princess Zhaoyang wanted to set up a general administration office, how could they not be shocked?
How could they not be overjoyed to hear that Princess Zhaoyang wanted to recruit them into her staff!

It is conceivable that once this Grand Commander's Office is established, Princess Zhaoyang will be able to truly solidify her leadership authority within the Imperial Guard.

Those who were the first to take up their posts in the government office naturally became Princess Zhaoyang's trusted confidants and close advisors.

Their future is limitless.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency. We are willing to serve you without hesitation."

"Alright, get up, everyone."

We need your assistance in dealing with the remnants of Prince Yun's faction.

"You two wait outside Linjing Gate; I'll be out in a moment."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

Princess Zhaoyang nodded and waved for the two to leave.

If she wants to take command of the Imperial Guards, she will definitely need a group of her trusted confidants.

These two happened to be somewhat capable, and they also came from the Imperial Guard.

She had previously served as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, so these two were considered her former subordinates.

If it is put into use, it will be perfectly legitimate.

After the two men left, Princess Zhaoyang smiled at Jia Lian and said, "It's clear that you value these two men quite a bit, Brother. I hope you won't blame me for doing this?"

"What's there to blame? They were originally my sister's people."

Jia Lian knew that Princess Zhaoyang had suddenly recruited these two people mainly to help him.

After all, they did something for me, so how could I not reward them?

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and was about to bid farewell to Jia Lian to deal with the remnants of Prince Yun's faction.

Cao Zhong entered and reported, "Your Highness, Minister Lu of the Ministry of Revenue requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang sat down silently.

Seeing Jia Lian hesitate, she took the initiative to say, "This Lord Lu is the kind of person who doesn't come to the palace without a reason. He must have something important to discuss with you, Brother Wang."

Brother Wang, you should still meet him.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian nodded and said to Cao Zhong, "Let him in."

It's no wonder Jia Lian was arrogant. He had returned from a great victory, and many people wanted to flatter him.

Not to mention, now that the news has spread that the Crown Prince wants to abdicate in his favor, there are countless people eager to pay their respects in advance.

Jia Lian generally avoided meeting these people, citing his busy schedule with the national mourning.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhong scurried off.

He was the chief steward of the Prince's mansion, chosen by the Empress for Jia Lian.

He had also heard the rumors that the crown prince was going to abdicate.

In other words, if this is true, he could very well become the Grand Eunuch of the Daming Palace in the future.

Under such circumstances, how could he not perform well?
Therefore, without being summoned by Jia Lian, he rushed to the palace early in the morning and volunteered to be on duty.

"Your subject pays respects to the Prince of Pingliao and the Princess."

"Lord Lu, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."

"May I ask what brings you to see me, Your Majesty?"

Lu Zhongxiang, the Minister of Revenue, was an old official in his sixties.

His abilities weren't particularly outstanding, but he excelled at math and was a master steward. So, after Zhao Dongsheng stepped down, Emperor Ningkang promoted him to a position in the Ministry of Revenue.

However, at this moment, Lu Zhongxiang faced Jia Lian without the stereotypical image of others.

He ignored Princess Zhaoyang and complained directly to Jia Lian: "Your Highness has won the battle, but it has been tough on our colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue."

It's only August, and our entire Ministry of Revenue is already feeling the chaos of the year-end tax reconciliation.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew that the spoils of war worth over ten million taels of silver from Tianjin had been brought back.

Of that, nearly ten million was paid out by the North Korean government.

The other several million were seized from the Japanese and belonged to the Korean people.

"Judging from Minister Lu's words, he has come to confront me and demand an explanation?"

But if I remember correctly.

Before I received the imperial decree to lead the expedition in the first half of the year, Minister Lu personally instructed me to carry forward the spirit of the campaign against Jianzhou and generate more revenue for the court.
"Now that I have truly generated revenue for the court, why is Minister Lu unhappy?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhongxiang's feigned complaining expression immediately vanished.

After giving Jia Lian a fawning smile that was out of character, he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me, this old minister is just too happy."

It had been several years since the Ministry of Revenue had been this bustling.

Seeing the numbers in the national treasury grow larger and larger, and seeing the money, grain and goods in the granary accumulate more and more, this old minister is truly happy for the court and grateful to Your Highness from the bottom of his heart.

"Please accept this old minister's bow, Your Highness."

After Lu Zhongxiang finished speaking, he indeed bowed to Jia Lian.

In his later years, although the country had enjoyed a long period of peace, the extravagant lifestyle among the emperor and his officials became increasingly rampant, leading to a depletion of the national treasury.

After Emperor Ningkang took office, he tried his best to make changes.

However, firstly, there was the supervision of the retired emperor, and secondly, reform was a matter that consumed a lot of manpower and resources.

Therefore, the imperial court's poverty only worsened.

This explains why even a strong-willed emperor like Emperor Ningkang wanted a peaceful resolution when the Jurchens invaded the border last year.

Because at that time, the imperial court truly couldn't afford to pay the military.

Until Jia Lian appeared, he told the court officials.

War is not necessarily a matter of spending money.

Although many ministers still do not approve of Jia Lian's practice of plundering foreign lands through war to make a fortune, this does not include Lu Zhongxiang.

He was genuinely happy.

I believe no head of household would dislike having money in the accounts.

But while I was happy, I was also genuinely busy.

It should be noted that even at the end of the year, most of the revenue submitted by local governments was cast into official silver ingots, which was relatively easy to account for.

However, the spoils Jia Lian brought back from the battlefield were quite varied.

The total accounting is indeed a very arduous task.

That is precisely why he has come here today.

After being helped to sit down by Jia Lian, he stopped with the small talk and got straight to the point: "This old minister has come to see Your Highness today to ask for your guidance."

"The money, grain, and goods that the prince brought back this time are not too difficult to handle. With some time and effort, the colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue can properly put them away."

However, our Ministry of Revenue really doesn't know how to settle the 10,000 Japanese slaves and more than 3,000 Korean women that the prince brought back.

Some suggested that those Japanese slaves be handed over to the Ministry of Works, since the Ministry of Works needed some labor every year anyway.

As for the Korean women, they were originally intended to be handed over to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) according to old customs.

However, the Jiaofangsi refused.

They said that it took them a great deal of effort to successfully resettle those Jurchen women last year.

In addition, the court confiscated too many houses and punished too many people last year. The female relatives and servants of the convicted officials filled the entire Jiaofangsi system.

They simply couldn't afford to accommodate these North Korean women any longer, and told us to figure it out ourselves.

Your Highness, what kind of mess have you made?

If you bring back only beautiful women, that's easy.

Even if I don't ask, the brothel will be scrambling to get me.

However, most of the women you brought back this time were of average appearance, so it's no wonder that the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) refused them.

Although I am their superior, it's not right for me to force them to do anything, is it?

Seeing Lu Zhongxiang, an old man, making such a fuss, Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing Lu Zhongxiang looking over, she quickly waved her hand: "I'm fine, you guys continue."

Jia Lian was not surprised by Lu Zhongxiang's complaints.

After all, people at that time still had very obvious limitations in their thinking in some aspects.

They haven't yet grasped his good intentions.

"Lord Lu's words make me worry about his professional competence."

Lu Zhongxiang raised an eyebrow: "I hope Your Highness will enlighten me?"

"Lord Lu, in your opinion, in what aspects does a country's strength manifest itself?"

Lu Zhongxiang was speechless, but still honestly replied, "Naturally, it requires a sufficiently vast territory, a sufficiently large population, and a sufficiently powerful army."

As he spoke, fearing that the young Jia Lian might not understand, he thoughtfully explained, "Only with a sufficiently large territory can a larger population be supported."

Only with a larger population can more wealth be created.

With wealth comes the inevitable attraction of those who covet it, and at that time, a powerful army is needed to protect the safety of the nation and its people.

Jia Lian nodded, then asked in return, "Since Lord Lu knows all this, can't Lord Lu see why I ordered Joseon to offer so many women?"

Lu Zhongxiang paused for a moment, then asked as if he understood, "Does Your Highness mean to have these Korean women create more population for our Great Wei?"

"It seems that Lord Lu is not ignorant after all."

"Since Lord Lu understands this principle, surely he can figure out how to settle these young Korean women?"

"This old minister does not quite understand, please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Lu Zhongxiang spoke hesitantly.

Everyone knows that women can give birth.

However, how to operate it presents a significant problem.

Surely we can't just take them out for breeding like cattle, horses, or mules, can we? (End of Chapter)