Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 905 Who dares to dismiss this official?
Rongguo Mansion,
In Rongqing Hall,

Master Song had already drawn the blueprints and was explaining them to the old lady and the ladies.

"Old lady, please take a look at the hall in the middle. I think that one floor is a bit too wasteful, so I raised the middle floor and built a two-story hall. It can be used for reception and for viewing the scenery from the attic. The left and right sides can be used to build gardens for viewing. As for the other courtyards, there are no attics. In this way, it will cost more than 400,000 taels of silver."

inside the house,

Everyone was staring at the blueprint intently. The hall in the center was indeed majestic, especially the attic, which was exquisite!
When the time comes, it will be very pleasant to invite the young ladies in your house to enjoy the flowers and drink together.

Grandmother Jia was particularly happy, as she loved lively atmosphere the most. This way, she would not be like in Rongqing Hall, where she had to stay in the room and feel bored and depressed.

"Thanks to the skilled craftsmanship of Master Song, but how long will it take to complete the project after this modification?"

Wang Xifeng also liked it, but the construction period might change, after all, there were also movements in other people's houses.

When Song Zhen heard that it was Second Mistress asking, he was quite confident.

"Second Madam, as long as there are enough people, we can work from morning till night, building during the day and cutting wood at night. The construction period will be shortened. But it costs money. You can't save money by working at night. It costs more."

It is also a reminder that the recruits need to be paid silver. Those who work during the day and at night should be paid extra according to the rules.
How could Wang Xifeng not know about this? As long as the construction period was not changed, the money would not be much more. However, Mrs. Xing did not understand. She spent money on the work at night, and had no place to spend the extra money.

"Oh, why are you in such a hurry? Just do it slowly. Why bother at night?"

When Song Zhen heard this, he kept silent. It was the master's business, and the master had the final say. If they wanted to shorten the construction period, there was no other way. Jia's mother was also a little puzzled, and looked at Wang Xifeng with doubts.
"Feng girl, do you have to be so anxious?"

Wang Xifeng smiled, stood up and walked forward, sat down on the kang beside Jia Mu, and whispered:
"Madam, the Wu family has already started construction, and the Guo family has also started recruiting workers. The other families have also made some moves. I don't know if they have made preparations in advance. Should we ask the second master to go to the Ministry of Works to buy some wood and stones?"

Grandmother Jia's face darkened, a little surprised. The families of the main wives also acted so quickly. The Wu family and the He family were both aristocratic families in the capital, so it was not excessive for them to be prepared. But how could the Guo family act so quickly? Thinking of the fact that there was still a big craftsman in the Ministry of Works, how could this be divided?

As for the wood and stone materials, we can't delay in going to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"Send someone to inform the second master to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to buy some stones and wood first, and don't be afraid to spend money."

Wang Xifeng paused, obviously a little surprised. She had not expected that Jia's mother would actually ask the Second Master to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to buy it. The Ministry of Works could just ask the Second Master to buy it. She asked hesitantly:

"Madam, why don't you buy it from the Ministry of Industry? It's cheaper there. I'm afraid it will cost a lot more money to buy it from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Grandmother Jia's expression eased slightly, she sighed, and patted Wang Xifeng's hand.

"You should learn more. It is precisely because Jia Zheng is in the Ministry of Works that you cannot go to the Ministry of Works to make purchases. You should know that the emperor's grace is great, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is within the palace."

The hidden meaning in his words was obvious. He wanted to please the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but this would cost him a lot more money.

After struggling, he asked;

"Madam, how much should we buy? After all, we don't need that much. Those waste materials are enough for most of our needs."

Hearing this, Jia's mother frowned, and looking at Master Song who was keeping his head down and saying nothing, she asked in a friendly manner:

"Master Song, how much more wood do you need for the garden?"

Song Zhen raised his head, thought about it, and did some calculations in his mind. He didn't need too much.
"Replying to the old lady, the required stone and wood are short of one third, which is about 150,000 taels of silver. Considering the current price increase, about 200,000 taels should be enough."

Song Zhen still added a little more to the two hundred thousand taels of material. After all, he had to consider the wear and tear. Buying more would provide sufficient backup. If it was not enough, it would be inconvenient to buy more.

When Wang Xifeng heard that so much silver was needed, she was a little reluctant. If she were to arrange the 200,000 taels of silver, she wouldn't know how much she would be able to keep. If she sent it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, she wouldn't get a penny.

"Otherwise, Madam, let's buy some from the Ministry of Industry and some from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and split them in half. That would be much better."

By this calculation, it would not cost 200,000 taels at all, and it could save a lot of labor costs. But Grandmother Jia was unmoved and shook her head.

"Don't discuss this matter. All of them were bought at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Feng girl, you need to look further ahead on some things. These silvers are all considered filial piety."

There was an inexplicable look in Jia's mother's eyes. How could she not know the twists and turns here? It was because she knew it clearly that she wanted to do this. Everyone knew that the wood and stone materials in the Ministry of Works were cheap, but who would dare to buy them from the families of the concubines?

Looking at Feng's reluctant eyes, it's hard for her to bear the expenses of a whole family.

"Remember, it's not just Rongguo Mansion, everyone else is the same,"

After hearing the old lady's explanation, Wang Xifeng also understood the meaning of her words. She was just feeling aggrieved. After calculating, there were still 200,000 taels of silver left. No matter how good she was at calculating, she couldn't get much silver out of it. Her work was in vain.
"I know, old lady, but I wonder if the second master can negotiate the price down a bit,"

But no one in the room responded to this. Thinking of the Second Master's temper, Wang Xifeng smiled bitterly and said nothing more.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Jia's mother did not delay any longer. Seeing that Master Song was still there, she said:
"Master Song, I'm leaving the garden to you. If you need anything, just ask."

"Yes, old lady, in that case, I will arrange the division of labor. Today, I will first level the middle ground, and at the same time send people to split the east and west courtyards. This way, the progress will be much faster."

This is also the method they used when they built the mausoleum in the Eastern Emperor's Mausoleum. They started the construction at the same time and finally combined the two into one, which saved a lot of time. Therefore, the construction of a garden would not be that difficult.
Grandmother Jia smiled slightly and said, "That's good.
"Thank you, Master Song,"

After the conversation, Song Zhen took the blueprint and left the house. The problem of renovating the garden was finally solved.
The heavy stone in Jia's mother's heart was finally put down. Seeing this, Wang Xifeng could no longer sit still. Since the stone and wood were not oily, she would need to do other things herself. The buffet at Sister Liu's place could not be stopped, but the dishes could be reduced and more rice could be added.
Thinking of this, I stood up and said goodbye.

"Old lady, since it's already been decided, I'll keep an eye on it. We have to make arrangements for the food for hundreds of people a day."

"Well, go get busy. By the way, go to the East Mansion and discuss with the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family whether the areas in the backyard of Ningguo Mansion need to be rebuilt. Take this opportunity to do it all at once. The accounts will be kept here."

While Jia's mother was drinking her tea, she mentioned it casually. The people in the room looked at each other, and no one knew what the old lady meant. Wang Xifeng responded and left the room with a flickering look in her eyes.

When we got outside,

He walked out of the yard quickly, then slowed down his pace, Ping'er followed behind him and asked in a low voice;
"Grandma, why do you want to renovate the yard over there? Hasn't Grandma always lived in the West Garden?"

"Hmph, what else could it be? My eldest sister-in-law is from the East Mansion. Since the family has been divided, she still needs to take care of the affairs of the East Mansion. The clan has a lot of industries there. It's almost summer, and several clan elders are going to come to the mansion to ask for money. These titles, including the position of clan leader, are all in Ningguo Mansion."

Wang Xifeng thought a lot, it should be these things. The reason why Rongguo Mansion pushed these things out was probably because they didn't want to get involved in these troublesome things. None of the Jia family elders were worry-free, and I didn't know how the eldest sister-in-law would deal with it.
"Okay, these are things we shouldn't ask about, so don't get involved. Let me ask you, how many people have you recruited?"

"To answer grandma, there are more than 400 people who have already started working today. Most of them are clansmen from the alley, and there are also many people from outside. However, the managers of the mansion have to be selected."

Ping Er calculated that there was enough food to prepare today, just enough for the number of people.
"Well, go check it out, don't look for anyone else, there are enough of us," "Yes, grandma."

After the master and servant had finished their discussion in front of the courtyard gate, they went straight to the outer courtyard, only to hear a burst of shouting from outside, which came in in a noisy manner.

Jiangnan,

In the prefectural government office in Jinling County,
Still sitting upright, the eyes of many officials were focused on the prefect Jia Yucun. Whether to transport the grain out to continue disaster relief or to maintain the grain price in the city, they had to come up with a plan. Time was running out.

In fact, now

Even Lord Jing had not expected that such a big incident would occur. He had originally planned to flood two counties, but now that the incident had gotten out of hand, he naturally had to find a way to avoid suspicion.

He squinted his eyes and glanced at Ma Tongpan. He thought that this man was brave but not wise, and he was not careful in his work, so he would not accomplish anything great.

Jia Yucun looked troubled. Inside and outside the city, there were victims crying for food. How should he choose? Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught sight of Xu Changwen who was sitting at the bottom. Perhaps he could give some advice.
"Xu Changwen, tell me how to provide disaster relief?"

This question,
The eyes of the crowd followed the voice and fell on Xu Changwen. Xu Changwen remained calm, stood up, clasped his fists towards the officials around him, and said;

"My Lord, this matter is nothing more than disaster relief. There are disaster victims everywhere outside the city. The most important thing now is disaster relief. We cannot delay for a moment. Once people's hearts are settled, things will be easier to handle later."

As soon as the firm words fell, whispers were heard from all around.
"That makes sense."

"What's reasonable? How to appease the people in the city? What about the price of food?"

"Yeah, you can't have it both ways,"

"Ahahaha, Lord Shen, that's easy for you to say. There are so many people in the city, they also need food. Now the price of rice in the shops outside has tripled. If my rice shops are closed, County Magistrate Xu, tell me how many times the price should be increased. If the city is in chaos, how will I explain it?"

Shen Wanhe sneered. Apart from those noble families, who else could store so much food? These were life-saving things. If the people made a fuss, everyone present would be in trouble.

The whispers stopped immediately. These were obvious, but they couldn't say them in public. They were in a dilemma.
"Hmph, Lord Shen, what you said is wrong. Disaster relief cannot be delayed. The people in the city are not going to be without food right away. And the government has issued a document immediately regarding the price of grain. Anyone who dares to raise the price will be investigated immediately. The court is in trouble, and those profiteers actually ignored the court and the emperor's kindness. What's the point of keeping them around? Lord Shen, don't you think so?"

Xu Changwen bowed and performed a great salute towards the direction of the capital.

Even if Shen Wanhe wanted to say something, he could only swallow his words, his face flushed. Many officials in particular looked a little flustered. Who would be responsible for setting the grain price, which would offend people?

Jia Yucun was also secretly troubled, but this method was the safest. As long as the situation stabilized, Lord Du from the Imperial City would call on the Yangzhou Prefecture Army to block the gap in the Xinbei dike, and the matter would be settled after that. Thinking of the fact that Jinling defender Leng Dandong had refused several times, it was unknown whether it was instructed by the Zhen family. Fortunately, the water receded.

"Lord Jing, Magistrate Shen is not wrong. When the imperial court is in trouble, we must do our best to help. Now we should allocate grain for disaster relief. General Xiang, when will the gap in the Xinbei dike be closed? What other supplies do you need?"

Xiang Zhengsu, who was sitting in the first seat, suddenly looked up. How could it be his turn to speak? Now he was summoned to Jinling by Lord Jing for meritorious service. He dared not get involved in these things, but he did have some experience in repairing the levee. After all, they were stationed on the river levee in Yangzhou.

"Replying to the prefect, the necessary materials and bricks have been transported to the river bank, and laborers have been recruited to repair it. However, the breach is too wide, at least four hundred feet wide. Fortunately, the water has receded, and it will be repaired within a month."

"One month is enough. Well, in that case, please take the trouble to repair it firmly. If there is anything missing, please inform the government in time."

Jia Yucun breathed a sigh of relief. The dam was blocked, so even if it rained heavily again, it would not matter.
"Lord Jing, disaster relief is urgent. I think Magistrate Shen's method is acceptable. What do you think?"

The matter has been said. Whether or not to agree depends on what Lord Jing does. Jia Yucun is rarely happy. As for the imperial decree in the future, they are all grasshoppers on the same rope. Whoever gets into trouble will be unlucky. As the saying goes, if you pull out a radish, it will be muddy. Who can escape it?
Still with a normal expression, Lord Jing, who was sitting in the main seat, smiled slightly.
"Since the prefect has made a decision, we should transport the stored grain in the city to provide disaster relief, and have the government post a notice that anyone who dares to raise the grain price will be defying the government. Mr. Jia, the prefect's government should send someone to monitor this matter."

"Yes, sir, I will obey your command."

Jia Yucun did not shirk his responsibility. Since Lord Jing had spoken, the disaster relief was a sure thing.

"Okay. In addition, officials from all departments should also take people to inspect and see how many acres of land have been affected. They must make sure to check it out. General Xiang, you will be responsible for repairing the levee. You must not slack off."

Jing Cunliang glanced at all the officials in the room and found that they were all mediocre. They had to be employed even if they were not needed now because they were short of manpower. As long as the number of acres of land was found out and the disaster relief was completed, they could all be converted into mulberry fields. As for how to convert them, he needed to talk to Eunuch Yang in detail.

"Yes, the general will take your orders."

Xiang Zhengsu sat upright and quickly stood up to respond. Just as everyone was about to leave,
Xu Changwen, who was sitting at the door, stood up and shouted righteously;

"Wait! Your Excellency the Inspector General, Your Excellency the Prefect, I think there is one most important thing that has not been mentioned. Why are you disbanding?"

This shout came so suddenly that the officials who were about to leave stood up immediately, then sat down again, looking at the somewhat lonely figure in front of the door with complicated expressions in their eyes. Even Xu Dong slowly stood up and stood beside Xu Changwen. The two of them stood at the door, blocking the way.
Jing Cunliang turned around and saw that the two men had strange expressions. He was startled. Could they be causing trouble again? These two men were just small county magistrates. How could they be so bold?

Perhaps Judge Ma, who had remained silent the whole time, sensed something and immediately reached out and slapped the table and chair, scolding;

"You two are just newly appointed county magistrates. There has never been a precedent for county magistrates to participate in provincial meetings. Let them do what has been decided. If you don't want to disperse, go down."

His face darkened, revealing his authority. His gloomy eyes stared at the two people in front of the door, but the two still stood there straight, looking up, with indescribable aloofness.
The atmosphere in the hall seemed a little strange. Seeing that the two were so ignorant, Ma Guangcheng continued to scold them harshly.
"Why, you two don't understand what I'm saying, why don't you get off!"

Xu Changwen moved his body, not only did he not go down, but he walked forward a few steps and asked with a smile;

"Your Excellency the Inspector General, Your Excellency the Prefect, and all the gentlemen present here, before I came here, I heard that the Xinbei Levee was dug up secretly, and the people who dug it up happened to be patrolmen from the prefectural yamen, named Feng San, and Li Si, who brought a group of people and were close friends with Ma Tongpan. It is obvious that someone wanted to destroy the levee and flood the fields. This is a serious crime that will lead to collective punishment. Shouldn't you gentlemen investigate it thoroughly?"

The sound was deafening, and all the officials changed their expressions, especially the judge Ma Guangcheng, whose face turned pale. This matter was a thorn in his heart. He thought that no one would dare to mention it because of Eunuch Yang and Lord Jing. Unexpectedly, it was actually said by two fools. How dare they do this?

"How dare you, Lord Jing! A county magistrate is so disrespectful to the law and disrupts social order. Our Dawu Dynasty has laws and regulations. How can we allow a small county magistrate to make random accusations? Whether I am guilty or not is up to the court to judge. Lord, I will definitely report them."

Ma Guangcheng became a little anxious and stood up and shouted harshly.

The rest of the officials all lowered their heads, but there was a hint of watching a show in their eyes, which showed that people's minds had changed. How could they dare to commit the serious crime of destroying the dike and flooding the fields, and implicating three generations of the family?

Jing Cunliang raised his eyes at this time, looking at them straight in the eye. It was obvious that these two people came with bad intentions. Lord Nan or Marquis Luo Yun?

"No need to report, Master Ma, you can dismiss me now,"

"And I, too, will be dismissed as an official."

Xu Changwen and Xu Dong looked calm and talked as if it had nothing to do with them.

(End of this chapter)