Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Chapter 208

Once again, Jia's mansion was full of joy.

Who would have thought that the Jia family, which was about to gradually decline, would be revitalized.

Perhaps in the eyes of civil servants, a third-class noble is nothing, but to nobles, it is the foundation of their family.

Wu An world, Wen ruled the world.

When expanding the territory and conquering the world, the emperor needed the nobles to shed their blood and die, but after the peace reigned, the imperial court would raise the nobles like pigs and slaughter them when they were fat and strong.

The world is at peace, so why do Wu Xun need to fatten up the rebellion?
Because of this, looking at ancient and modern history, most of the most glorious moments of the noble family are the first dynasty of the founding of the country. After a few generations, they can only lie on the merits of their ancestors. Everyone is not as good as the next generation. , No one should laugh at anyone.

At this time, a strange figure suddenly appeared in the Jia family, which naturally attracted people's attention and the family was prosperous.

Regardless of whether it is a hereditary title or not, it is better than nothing, at least they see the hope of re-emerging.

Mother Jia naturally wanted to congratulate the two houses, but this proposal was rejected by Jia Ying.

No matter what outsiders think about it, Jia Ying knows in her heart that he didn't come to Beijing to pursue wealth and power.

What's more, the mansion has just built a garden, which cost Dabi's money, and even sold several villages at a low price for this.The last time I returned to Beijing, I already had a feast, so there was no need to do it again.

It's no wonder that Sister Feng scooped up money everywhere. For a family as big as the Jia family, the expenses in the mansion were really too high. Except for the renting work of the Zhuangzi and Lutian in the two mansions, there was no extra income. There are hundreds of people in the family, and the food and clothing are all picked up for good use. No matter how much money you have, if you don't know how to spend it sparingly, it won't be able to fill this big hole.

The old lady and all parties naturally have their own private money, but it can't cover the public account of the mansion.

This bad trend of throwing banquets at every turn has to be changed no matter what.

The old lady saw that Jia Ying was unwilling to hold a feast, so she couldn't hold on any longer. She only asked the young and old in the family to go to the ancestral hall to offer incense to the ancestors.

When the male heirs of the family got together again, everyone's attitude towards Jia Ying also changed significantly.

Jia Zheng looked at Jia Ying, recalling that this nephew had reached such a height in less than a year since he returned to Beijing, he was relieved, but also a little bit sad.

Especially seeing Baoyu, comparing the two, life seems to have a deeper understanding of "gold and jade, and ruins". I made up my mind that after returning home, I must discipline Baoyu well.

Baoyu seemed to be aware of her father's unkind gaze, and felt a chill in her heart.

Jia Zhen on the other side was also deeply moved. It seemed that her goal of suppressing Jia Ying as the head of the patriarchal family in this life would be impossible to achieve.

Lian Er has a big heart. Apart from being happy for his brother, he doesn't think there is anything wrong. So what if he is named uncle, he still has to be a younger brother.

The other generation of jade and cursive characters are mostly envious and awed in their hearts. They all know that Jia Ying's title is the same as their ancestors, in exchange for martial arts. In their hearts, Jia Ying's figure has become more than tall One step, even almost standing on the same height as the grandfather and grandfather.

Jia Ying naturally felt the subtle changes in everyone's attitude towards him, and this was exactly what he wanted to see.

His position in the mansion has always been in an unembarrassing position. Although the two mansions belong to one family, they are divided into two branches. Jia Zhen is also the head of the Jia family. He wants to do many things. To change, but suffer from no status.

Compete with Jia Zhen for the position of patriarch?

Jia Ying shook his head, Jia Zheng didn't even dare to think about it, let alone him, Jia Zhen's first house is the head of the Jia clan's head house, under the constraints of patriarchal etiquette, even if Jia Zhen was from the patriarch's house, It is not his turn to step down from the seat, Jia Rong is the next legal successor.

Since this way is blocked, we can only find another way. When your status is high enough and the whole family depends on you for protection, what does it matter if you are the patriarch?

After the ancestor worship was over, Jia Ying first went to the household department.

"Uncle Jingning, do you think you are choosing a mansion from the existing mansions of the Ministry of Hukou, or building another one?" A secretary of the Ministry of Hukou accompanied Jia Ying to inspect the existing mansions of the Ministry of Hukou , asked.

"Can I build it myself?" Jia Ying asked suspiciously.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs smiled and said: "It is said that it is a new building, but it is actually an expansion on the basis of the original mansion. After all, some adults are used to living in the original mansion and do not want to move out. Basically, another piece of land can be granted, and craftsmen can be assigned to build it for the adults, but the household department is only responsible for the wood needed to build the mansion and the money for the craftsmen.”

Jia Ying nodded a little hungry, and asked again: "What about the neighbors around the original mansion?"

The neighbors in Luogu Lane are all acquaintances, and they are more or less related to the Jia Mansion. Living in the two mansions can be regarded as an old friendship of several generations. Jia Ying does not want to do that kind of thing that seizes other people's houses.

And also have to guard against someone setting him a trap, don't end up being impeached by the censors of the Inspectorate for land invasion.

"Don't worry, Boss Jingning, the household department will naturally give them some money to move them out of their original residences. With this money, they can either buy new buildings, or the household department can designate an area to rebuild."

"Oh, by the way, there is an open space on the east side of Ningrong's back street. If they are willing, the household department can decide to use this land for them to build houses, and will also subsidize some labor costs."

While talking, Si Wu led Jia Ying to the side of the wooden map of Gyeonggi, found Ningrong Back Street, pointed to the blank space on the side and said.

Jia Ying finally chose to expand on the basis of the original stockade. After all, the old house was left by his father, and the several houses provided by the Ministry of Households for him to choose were all too far away from Ningrong Street. I don't want to move out of here easily.

After finalizing the matter of the mansion, the secretary personally sent Jia Ying out, and said on the way: "In a few days, the household department will send people to measure the land, and then send the title deed to your mansion, but the house needs to be built. Alright, I'm afraid I have to ask Uncle Jingning to wait for a while."

"It's okay, then there will be labor." Jia Ying thanked him.

"Uncle Jingning is being polite, it's the job of a subordinate." Siwu replied with a smile.

When he was about to leave the gate of the household department, by coincidence, he bumped into Yang Yi who came in a hurry.

Jia Ying was slightly taken aback, this was something he did not expect.

Although Yang Yi said that his life span will be in charge of the household department, but as a prince and the second son of the emperor, it is reasonable to say that there is no need to go to the household department to check in on duty in person. It is not necessary to alarm him for small things, and the household department will naturally send officials to the household department for major matters. He went to the house for advice.

But I didn't expect Yang Yi's attitude to be so positive.

It is estimated that they want to make the Ministry of Households their own base camp.

"Chen Jia Ying, pay homage to the prince." The other party is the prince, so Jia Ying can't pretend not to see it.

When Yang Yi saw Jia Ying, she was also slightly taken aback.

A few days ago, he had been waiting for Jia Ying to come to visit him, but he was told to wait and see, but no one came to the door, and he was secretly annoyed that this person really didn't know good from bad.Until the day before yesterday, news came from the Shangyi Bureau that Dai Quan specially greeted the Shangyi Bureau for Xu Wenyu's affairs, telling them not to intervene, and even vaguely mentioned His Majesty.

Yang Yi regretted in her heart that she hadn't been tougher at the beginning, and at the same time she had finalized the matter earlier, she also understood that this matter must have been written by Jia Ying, no wonder she couldn't wait for someone to come.

Brightly repair the plank road and darken Chencang.

This is because Yang Yi didn't take Yang Yi seriously at all, and they joined forces with Yang You to play tricks on him.

Seeing Jia Ying at this moment, Yang Yi felt even more angry, but she still kept the demeanor of a prince on her face, and said in a warm voice: "So it's Jia Ying, this is the second time we met, I still remember that day Uncle Jingning's bravery in the palace, it's a pity that the palace was so hasty, you and I have no chance to see each other again, and I don't want to meet here. A few days ago, this king mentioned you to Yang You. If Uncle Jingning doesn't dislike you, there is Come and sit in my house when you are free."

Regarding the matter of Xu Wenyu, he didn't mention a word, as if there was no such thing.

"Thank you, my lord, for your thoughts. If you have time, I'll bother you a little more." If you don't reach out your hand to hit the smiling person, and the other party doesn't mention it, Jia Ying won't find those boring people.

"Well, I still have official duties, so I won't gossip with you."

"My lord, go slowly." Jia Ying said with a bow.

Yang Yi nodded with a smile, brushed past Jia Ying, her face gradually became gloomy, but returned to normal in an instant.

Jia Ying took a deep look at Yang Yi's leaving back, turned and left.

"Second Master, where are we going?" Xi'er asked, helping Jia Ying to mount the horse.

"Go to the Bingmasi Yamen in Zhongcheng first."

Jia Ying whipped the whip for a while and galloped away.

The gate of Zhongcheng Bingmasi Yamen was closed tightly, and there was not a single person on duty outside the gate.

"Second Master, the gate is closed, maybe they are patrolling the streets." Xi'er turned to Jia Ying and said.

Jia Ying looked at the time, got off the horse, and said to Xi'er, "Go and knock on the door, don't reveal your identity, just say you're here to report to the officials."

"Hey." Xi'er turned around and walked to the door, knocking on the knocker.

After a long time, I only heard a lazy voice from inside the door:

"Who is it? It's cold, why are you knocking!"

Squeak, the door opened a gap, a head poked out from inside, and looked at Xi'er: "What's the matter?"

"We are here to report to the officials. My son and I just entered Beijing not long ago. We met some bad guys on the street, and all our belongings were robbed. Please be the master for the common people."

Hearing this, the yamen servant impatiently waved his hands and said, "No time, no time. This is the Bing Ma Si, not the yamen. Go to the two county yamen of Wanda to report to the officials. If not, you can go to Shuntian Mansion."

With that said, he slammed the door shut.

Xi'er turned her head to look at Jia Ying.

"Knock again, and say you know the whereabouts of those culprits, and ask them to send troops to arrest them." Jia Ying said calmly.

Xi'er turned around and knocked on the door knocker again.

"It's not over yet!"

The door was opened again, and it was still the same yamen servant who looked at Xi'er and said viciously: "Knock again, and you will be locked up, get out!"

After all, he closed the door again.

"Second Lord, these yamen servants are too presumptuous, listen to what they say." Xi'er muttered.

"Knock again!"

This time the yamen servants got impatient, the gate was half opened, and several soldiers came out with sabers, and approached the master and servant viciously, one of them shouted: "Where is it that you don't open your eyes, it's uncomfortable to come here!" , took it for me."

Several yamen servants responded and were about to come up to arrest the two of them.

"Wait." Jia Ying said.

"We are here to report to the officials, and it is the opening time of the yamen, why should we be taken?"

"Hehe, you still dare to go against the officials. Now you have to take someone. Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving. You're just doing something in a daze, and you don't do anything yet."

"Wait, since the official is unwilling to accept the certificate, then we will leave." Jia Ying pretended to be a little scared.

But the yamen servant refused to let go and said: "Where do you think this is, come if you want, leave if you want, you can leave if you want, and bring the money."

"What money?" Jia Ying asked with a puzzled expression.

The yamen servant and his companions sneered and said: "You are really a foreigner, so I will tell you what money, travel expenses, do you understand? You alarmed the officials, disturbed the order of the yamen, and contradicted the officials, trying to get rid of the crime , you have to pay the travel fee, so that you can remember it long. After all, should you stay in the shift room, or pay for the money?"

Jia Ying's face suddenly changed, and she smiled coldly: "Xi'er, show them the badge."

Xi'er took out a waist card and handed it in front of everyone.

Several yamen servants were stunned for a moment, and then trembled after seeing the words on the waist tags.

The yamen servant who was the first to speak turned into a flattering expression in an instant, and laughed and said: "Damn the little one, the little one really rolled his eyes, I didn't see that it was the master of the Ministry of War, I don't know what the master ordered, the little one is here Take the brothers to do it."

Jia Ying couldn't help but sneered, he was arrogant and respectful, he was really a villain.

It's not that Jia Ying is going to engage in the trick of private visits in micro-services, he just wanted to test the quality of people like Bingmasi on a temporary basis.

He has been in the capital for a while, and he has some understanding of what kind of urine the soldiers and horses and the patrol battalion are. There are rules.

Among the many yamen in the capital, Bingmasi belonged to a small person, and it was very immoral to cut off people's livelihood for no reason.

"What master, our lord is Uncle Jingning, a member of the Ministry of War, and a member of the Ministry of War. His Majesty has ordered the admiral of the army, Ma Si. You are in command, and you still don't come to see him!"

The guards were so majestic that they were even more shocked. Yesterday they received a document from the Ministry of War, knowing that His Majesty had reassigned the five cities of soldiers and horses to the Ministry of War, and appointed a new admiral, but they did not expect that this admiral Adults will be on duty the next day.

The soldiers and horses are just a sixth-rank yamen, the temple is small and humble, there are too many monks and little porridge, and there is no oil and water. In the past, the governors of the five armies also appointed admirals, but they rarely came to the yamen. Let alone admirals, they were their commanders. less than people.

On weekdays, the deputy commander is in charge, and when the deputy commander is absent, there are officials in charge.

For a while, let them go to find the commander himself.

"See my lord. If you return to your lord, command your lord to leave the Yamen."

"Where's the deputy commander?"

There are four deputy commanders in each city.

"this, this"

Xi'er frowned and said, "Hurry up."

"The deputy commander is not here. Deputy commander Zhou led people to patrol the streets. The other three haven't been to the office today."

Jia Ying, who was on the side, said, "The officials are always here."

"Yes, I'm here, I'm going to invite the official, no, I'm calling." The yamen servant hastily changed his words, an official, an official who has not entered the ranks, also uses the word "please" in front of the superior.

"No need, take me to see him." Jia Ying said lightly, and stepped into the door.

"Huh? What's the smell?" At the gate, Jia Ying asked about a strange smell.

The yamen servants on the side laughed and said, "Go back to your lord, yes, it's the little ones who have nothing to do, and smoked a few puffs of tobacco leaves."

Tobacco leaves?
Speaking of which, I kind of miss cigarettes.

Jia Ying's hands moved slightly unconsciously, and then shook his head again.

But what kind of tobacco leaf is this, with such a strong taste?
Jia Ying glanced at the valet, but didn't pay attention any more, turned around and walked into the yamen.

When the officials heard about Jia Ying's arrival, they hurried out to greet him.

"No, let's go in and talk." Jia Ying said lightly.

"How many people are there in Zhongcheng Bingma Division?" Jia Ying asked while looking at the lobby of the government office.

"Returning to your lord, according to the establishment, there are three hundred soldiers and horses in each city. In addition, some helpers will be recruited to do odd jobs. The number is about 200. Including the officials in the yamen, the total is 520 people."

Limu is a middle-aged man in his 40s. He looks like a master. He was also a scholar, but he spent most of his life and only earned a reputation as a scholar.

"Is it the same in other cities?"

"There won't be much difference."

Jia Ying nodded.

Counting the helpers, the soldiers and horses of the five cities have a total strength of more than [-] people, which is not a weak force in the capital.

Jia Ying was not worried that the soldiers and horses would be empty-handed, and there was not much money to be made, and those big men didn't care about such things.As for those low-level officials, it is impossible to eat alone.

There is nothing else in the capital, but there are many idlers. These idlers may have some kind of relationship with some mansion. No matter how little soldiers and horses there are, they are still meat. It is not a problem to feed thousands of people.

As a result, some of these idlers with connections poured into the Bingma Division, and the patrol battalion was similar.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to catch up with Zheng Ding.

"There are two hundred more helpers, is the food and salary allocated by the Ministry of War enough for the soldiers and horses?" Jia Ying asked casually.

The official smiled and replied: "If you only rely on those salaries, it is naturally not enough."

"Oh, so there are other gains?"

The official glanced at Jia Ying, and said in his heart: "This new admiral is here to make money, right? You won't let this little soup go?"

However, he was just a low-level official, and the other party was an adult from the Ministry of War, so he had no choice but to answer truthfully.

"My lord, on weekdays, the merchants and shops in the jurisdiction area have filial piety, and Guanglu Temple will be cleaned every month, and a sum of money will be allocated. In addition, if someone commits a crime, the crime is minor, and they can pay some fines. It seems that the name is different. Not much, but in fact there is not much money, after all, the imperial court will not order the payment of more than 200 helpers."

"Just in this name, how much more can you say?"

After all, Bingmasi is also the police station in the capital, is it just a small income?
Here, the filial piety of vendors and shops should account for the majority. After all, this is a stable income, but there are too many mouths and little flesh. This is the Embroidered Clothes Guard, the Patrol Battalion, and the arresters of Wanda County and Shuntian Prefecture. Quick, after such a point, how much is left.

The official's eyes looked at Jia Ying in astonishment, as expected, this guy was here to make money, and he thought it was too little.

"Well, my lord, our Bingma Division is a small yamen, and we can't get on the stage. It's already very good to have these incomes."

Next, Jia Ying asked some more questions, and the officials answered them one by one.

Not long after, the commander and deputy commander of the Bingma Division hurried in, and when they saw Jia Ying, they hurriedly bowed down.

"I'm under the command of Zhongcheng Bingmasi, and Yu Shiyou will see your lord."

"See my lord." The three deputy conductors followed suit.

There was also a deputy conductor surnamed Zhou who didn't come, and he was probably still patrolling the streets.

Yu Shiyou and the three second-in-commands felt a little uneasy. The superior officials inspected, but they, the chief officers, were not on duty.

Jia Ying glanced at the four of them and said calmly, "Get up."

"Yu Shiyou."

"The subordinate is here."

"Go and gather all the people under your command, and call back all the people on the street, and don't leave behind those helpers. I want to order the school soldiers."

"Yes, my lord."

After Yu Shiyou clasped his fists in response, he looked at Jia Ying hesitantly and said, "My lord, Zheng Ding under the subordinate's command can be summoned right now, but those helpers don't come to the Yamen for appointments on weekdays, and they will only be called when needed." They came, the adults came in a hurry, and these people are scattered all over the place, and they still have their own business, so I'm afraid they couldn't get together all of a sudden."

After Jia Ying listened, she pondered for a moment and asked, "How much money can I get for a year of help? I must listen to the truth."

"Returning to my lord, the regular silver is three taels of silver a year. If there are major events such as flooding, arrests, and court ceremonial trips to clean up the streets, they will also give some big money, usually ranging from a dozen to a hundred. .In addition, if there is a surplus at the end of the year, a pack of red money will also be sealed. Adding up, one helper is a little more than four taels of silver a year." Yu Shiyou replied.

A little more than four taels is enough for a common household for a year, and it should be more than that, no matter what, it should be about five or six taels.

This is just helping out, Zheng Ding's salary must be higher than this, there are still ten taels of silver.

For a low-level official, the annual salary and silver taels are a little more than 36 taels. If there are fewer soldiers below, there will be no one to use.

The frontier army of Daqian is 20 to 20 taels a year. Don’t think it’s too little. After all, their frontier soldiers are all supported by the imperial court. Except for board and lodging, it’s about [-] taels of silver, but it’s completely a deposit of silver. , without cost.

Of course, whether it is the frontier army or the soldiers and horses, there are other incomes, and after a year, they can also get a lot of money.

If the households of the lower class can earn an income of ten taels of silver a year, not to mention enough food and clothing, they are almost well-off. After all, the current purchasing power is still very strong.

"It's only 200 people. Send out all the people under your command and notify them from door to door. Today, the officials will wait for them. If they don't come."

"You should inform me first."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)