Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 176 It’s hard for me
There are many out-of-town guild halls in the capital, and they are found in every province. The guild hall mainly provides help to fellow villagers. It seems to be for public benefit, but in fact it is not. You must know that people in this era need a road guide (similar to a letter of introduction from an employer) when leaving the county.

In a farming society, people must be bound to the land. It is illegal to leave the county without permission under normal circumstances.

Who can leave his hometown and go to the capital? There are two kinds of people, one is a businessman and the other is a scholar.

Let’s look at the fellow villagers’ association at this time. Do you understand? Look at those well-dressed people who come in and out of the club. Which one is not looked down upon by others?

For three days in a row, every guild hall in the capital was visited by officials.

The officials were very polite and invited them to the Criminal Department one by one according to the list provided by Long Jinwei.

In order to show the importance of the case, Liang Daoyuan, the deputy minister of the cabinet, was voted out to supervise the case.

At first Liang Daoyuan refused to come. The person who wanted to come was Zhang Ting'en, but His Majesty vetoed it. Kong Zhao proposed a vote.

As a result, Zhang Tingen voted for himself, Li Qing voted for one, Liang Daoyuan voted for him, and Liang Daoyuan voted for two, reaching half of the vote.

This is called a struggle within the rules. The first assistant Kong Zhao made full use of his vote to roast the second assistant Liang Daoyuan.

As for Lieutenant Long, he is only responsible for cooperating in providing information and must not be involved in the specific investigation of the case.
The civil servant group's strict defense against Long Jinwei has its roots. When Taizu founded the country, whenever there was any movement, Long Jinwei would come to arrest people. After Taizu, the civil servant group joined forces with the nobles to suppress Long Jinwei crazily.

Most of them had pale faces and numb expressions and followed the officials out of the hall.

This case was so serious that Liang Daoyuan, together with the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple and others, held a meeting to set a tone. No one involved would be allowed to leave the capital, and all persons involved would be invited to the Ministry of Punishment for investigation. In order to protect the dignity of scholars, official officials are not allowed to use force unless the other party does not cooperate.

Some were rolling around on the ground, some were crying for their fathers and mothers, and some were holding on to the pillars and refusing to leave the hall.

The first three days were the busiest. Countless people in the capital saw how ugly the so-called scholars were.

Why did the cabinet support Emperor Chenghui? Wasn't it because they were worried that the beast Long Jinwei would be released?
Despite this, while the second assistant was sitting in the clinic and the three courts were interrogating, Long Jinwei still sent a few people to stay at the scene. I didn't say anything, but I had the right to intervene in everything. This right was given by the emperor, who dares to stop it?

Jia Lian was injured. In addition to relatives, a few close friends made an appointment and came to visit him together.

They are all respectable people, and no one wants to think that Captain Long will break in the door one day and put the whole family in jail.

Taizu could do this because he would conquer the world immediately, and his strength and prestige were sufficient.

Except for major treason cases, Long Jinwei has no law enforcement power. This was a tight curse placed on Long Jinwei by civil servants and nobles during the reign of the Supreme Emperor. The two companies have joined forces, with one manipulating funds and the other manipulating personnel.

The person involved, Jia Lian, could only stay at home obediently, but this did not prevent him from getting the latest news as soon as possible.

Lin Ping showed no sympathy at all, and sneered: "I think he deserves it! He thinks that the law does not punish the public, so he does not dare to provoke His Majesty, but he comes to embarrass Brother Jia. After all, Brother Jia is also an official who observes politics. He was temporarily suspended. Your Majesty has arrested Ding to do some work. The officials also objected to His Majesty's doing so, so they should file a petition to stop it, not asking for the matter to be abolished, but asking for the prohibition of wine sacrifices in the Imperial College and the officials in Beijing from various provinces in the future. Who among us doesn’t know how to go about the process?”

Li Dong and Lin Ping specially asked for leave and visited the house together.

Seeing that Jia Lian was fine, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to drink tea with peace of mind.

In order to take the lead in this case, the four cabinet ministers fought against His Majesty for the rights that the civil servant group had fought for. If Liang Daoyuan failed, the civil servants would bury him with an impeachment memorial without the emperor having to say anything.

Li Dong, who was observing the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, was very well-informed. When he mentioned the excitement in the capital in the past three days, he couldn't help but clasped his hands and sighed: "Sweep the floor gracefully, sweep the floor gracefully!"

With Taizu gone, Long Jinwei's good days have come to an end. He was so domineering back then, but now he is so cautious.

Liang Daoyuan did not dare to neglect at all. He first drafted a notice to calm the people and posted it everywhere. Only then did Long Jinwei at the city gate return the power of inspection to the soldiers at the city gate. This was what Jia Rong saw when he returned to Beijing. Long Jinwei did not interfere. , just watching. We only took over the investigation when we found that there were doubts.

We had to go and deal with it, because the emperor attached great importance to this case and almost went to war.

In three days, more than a hundred people from all over the country were invited to the Ministry of Punishment Prison. Whether they were guilty or not will be decided after the investigation is completed.

With such a battle, the people in the capital watched a lively drama and were completely addicted.

Li Dong nodded after hearing this and said: "Yes, you have to blame yourself. I don't understand this matter as well as Brother Lin."

Lin Ping said calmly: "These people have always been like this. They oppose something and feel that it is difficult to achieve the goal through normal means, so they will do something. The bigger the noise, the better. There are more than a hundred people, what a momentum this is. It wasn’t Brother Jia who was assassinated that day, they escaped unscathed, and more scholars will be involved. By then, all scholars in the capital will be involved.”

When they saw Jia Lian smiling and saying nothing, they both stopped and looked at him. What do you mean, why didn't you say anything?
Jia Lian laughed, not too angry. After all, the direction of things was really beyond his expectation.

At first, I directed and acted myself, but later I found out that the actors I arranged did not appear on the stage, and someone else took advantage of the opportunity.

"Walk before the gate of hell. If it weren't for the secret skills of the Jia family to save your life, you would have come to the Jia family for a feast. It will be the seventh day in two days." Jia Lian spoke with a smile, deciding not to speak too clearly in his heart. They had better stay out of the imperial power struggle.

Seeing him like this, Li Dong couldn't help but praise: "Brother Jia is so open-minded, Dong is sincerely convinced."

After a simple test, Lin Ping saw that Jia Lian was unwilling to talk in depth, so he decisively gave up questioning. Lin Ping regarded Jia Lian as a friend very seriously. Everyone is like this. After experiencing ups and downs, many things become particularly clear.

People have to care about interests in this life, but if you have a friend who values ​​affection and does not care about interests, you must cherish it especially.

When the three of them were chatting enthusiastically, the disciple informed him that Student Xia was asking for a meeting.

Jia Lian stood up to greet him. Classmate Xia saw him and shouted, "Living Ancestor, why are you up? Just let the servants lead the way."

Jia Lian smiled and said: "The poison has been removed, but the wound still hurts a little. It doesn't prevent me from walking, sitting or lying down. It's too uncomfortable to lie down all day."

Classmate Xia followed carefully all the way in. When he saw there were guests inside, his expression was a little abnormal.

After Jia Lian introduced him, classmate Xia was very enthusiastic. They were both officials, but Yin Guan and those from imperial examinations sat together, so they were naturally suppressed. That is to say, Jia Lian is a weirdo who never talks about these things. Classmate Xia could feel that Jia Lian really treated him as an equal.

Li Dong and Lin Ping were also a little surprised that Jia Lian actually had such a brother-in-law friend, whose identity was rather embarrassing.

When Jia Lian introduced each other, he emphasized: "They are all friends who can enter the house. There is no need to be restrained by me."

What does it mean? When you come to visit, you don't need to send a greeting card in advance to make an appointment, you can just come when you want.

Being of similar age, and the owner being so determined, the relationship between the four people immediately became closer.

It was getting late, so Jia Lian ordered some food and wine to be prepared to receive his friends. During the dinner, Jia Lian held up a tea cup and said, "I am ill and cannot accompany you all to enjoy yourself. I will substitute tea for wine. Please forgive me for any inconvenience." Classmate Xia said with a smile: "Have you met each other? You just said we were friends."

Li Dong and Lin Ping agreed one after another. After three cups, the four of them passed through a brief state of sorting out.

Classmate Xia put down his wine glass and said, "I have something to do today. I want to ask Brother Jia what he means."

Because of his special status, Xia's words immediately attracted the attention of the other three people, who all put down their chopsticks to listen.

"Someone died in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment! A Juren who was the leader of the trouble hanged himself with his belt. The Ministry of Punishment is suppressing the news. Lieutenant Long already knows about it and has reported it. Does Brother Jia have anything to say about this?" Open the door and the indoor air drops by three degrees.

Jia Lian, who said he would not drink, picked up the flask and poured the wine himself. After drinking it slowly, he said slowly: "I heard about a case before. A man was stabbed eight times in the back. The official went to Later, it was considered that the person committed suicide and the case was closed.”

The three audience members all showed expressions of sudden realization. Classmate Xia said excitedly, "That's the truth. Let's see what explanation the three inquisitions can give."

Jia Lian couldn't help but remind him: "You'd better not be too happy too early. It's far worse than shirking the responsibility of Long Jinwei."

After hearing this, Classmate Xia immediately sneered and said, "Why, if someone dies in the prison of the Ministry of Punishments, can the responsibility be put on Lieutenant Long?"

Jia Lian looked at him and smiled without saying a word. Classmate Xia subconsciously touched his cheek, which still hurt a little.

"Do you want to go back and let me know?" Xia Xia asked awkwardly after regaining consciousness.

Jia Lian shook his head: "Are you thinking too much? What kind of monsters and ghosts has Mr. Xia not seen before? You don't need to worry about this matter."

Li Dong and Lin Ping both showed strong curiosity and looked at Jia Lian like students waiting for instructions from their teacher.

"All I can say about this is that the dead are more valuable than the living. Let's just watch what happens next."

When Jia Lian said this, it was hard for others to ask further questions. If they asked further questions, it would be a matter of IQ.

Emperor Chenghui in the Qianqing Palace looked at Xia Shouzhong in front of him and smiled after a long silence.

Qiu Shi'an watched anxiously from the side, stepped forward and whispered: "Sage, do you want to pass on some pavilion elders?"

Emperor Chenghui did not answer him, but said: "Xia Shouzhong, continue checking, check slowly."

At this time, the little boy was looking around at the door. Qiu Shian came out immediately when he saw it: "When?"

"Mr. Zhang Ge, please see me." Xiao Guizi replied in a low voice. After Qiu Shi'an came back to report, Emperor Chenghui waved his hand: "No, I'm not in the mood."

Qiu Shi'an hesitated for a moment and then persuaded: "Sage, Mr. Zhang Ge..." Emperor Chenghui raised his hand to interrupt: "Okay, let's declare our meeting."

Xia Shouzhong was standing by, his eyes almost falling with envy. The saint really didn't treat Qiu Shi'an as his slave.

Zhang Ting'en entered quickly. After being greeted, he was very straightforward and went straight to the point: "There must be something fishy about the suicide case of Mei Nian, a Juren from Huguang. The entire Ministry of Punishment bears unshirkable responsibility."

Emperor Chenghui frowned slightly after hearing this; "What do you mean, is it limited to the Ministry of Justice? The Dali Temple of the Metropolitan Procuratorate has no responsibility? I originally meant that Long Jinwei would investigate the case, and it was the insistence of all my dear friends that led to the current situation. situation. Now that a life has been lost, we can’t continue the investigation?”

In front of Qiu Shi'an and Xia Shouzhong, Zhang Ting'en did not hesitate at all: "The situation that your Majesty has worked hard to manage only needs to be stabilized for three years, and there is no possibility of the overall situation being shaken. Now that you are showing kindness to the Ministry of Punishments, everyone else will see it. The ministers are grateful for your majesty's kindness, and Prince Teng, who is far away in the Western Regions, will feel at ease. I will go to Jia Lian in person and explain my interests."

Emperor Chenghui couldn't help but sigh after hearing this: "I haven't had time to reward Jia Qing for her contribution. Well, I haven't eaten your food for a few days. Let's take a rest early today and go out to get some fresh air."

Zhang Ting'en felt relieved after hearing this, and left with arms folded: "Rong Chen, take a step first, go back and prepare."

Kong Zhao and others were present at the cabinet. Seeing Zhang Ting'en, Liang Daoyuan couldn't wait to ask: "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Zhang Ting'en did not try to figure out what he meant, and said very directly: "The higher-upon intention is unknown, so Prime Minister Liang should return to the Ministry of Justice and keep an eye on it. Come up with a conclusion that satisfies His Majesty as soon as possible, otherwise the Emperor will be furious and out of control."

Neither Kong Zhao nor Li Qing spoke, they just lowered their heads in thought.

When this incident came out, everyone was neither surprised nor surprised. People in the imperial court were all well-informed about people and things, and they had long expected that something like this would happen. I knew it, but I didn’t warn him in advance. Isn’t this a dereliction of duty?

How to say it? Sometimes it's not a bad thing to take someone's life.

At least for people other than Liang Daoyuan, it's not a bad thing. Where is Liang Daoyuan himself?
It's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, it just depends on what His Majesty thinks.

Fang Baiyi had a cabinet of five people at the time. As the chief minister resigned, two more people left with him. The remaining two were Kong Zhao and Liang Daoyuan. Sun Huazhen and others came in from behind. Keeping these two people was originally to save face for civil servants. Later, it became quite easy to use, and I gradually became more comfortable with it.

When Liang Daoyuan encounters such a situation, his future may be lost in the short term, but he must be stable and don't lose what he has.

Kong Zhao said from the side: "I will give you an apology note when I get back."

Liang Daoyuan regretted immediately after hearing this. Why didn't I think of this?

Sure enough, Li Qing and Zhang Ting'en expressed their support one after another. This matter cannot be shouldered by the chief minister alone. Everyone has the responsibility.

Zhang Ting'en's status was detached. He could see it most clearly at this time, and thought to himself: "No wonder Mr. Kong is the chief minister! His surname is Liang, so he wants to pass the blame."

In this country, with rights come responsibilities. As long as you have rights but no responsibilities, and you try your best to shift the blame when something happens, it will not affect ZZ's life. This is the characteristic of a voting country.

Being in one's position, planning for one's affairs, and shouldering one's responsibilities are the governance concepts of this country that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Jia Lian, who sent away his three friends, did not live in peace, because someone from the Zhang family came and asked him to come over.

Along the way, he was still thinking about whether Zhang Ting'en was [not considerate of the wounded] at this juncture, so he should make a trip, and how to bargain later. When he arrived at the place and saw Captain Long in the yard, Jia Lian knew why he was asked to make a trip.

My heart suddenly felt mixed, and I was a little bit touched.

After Emperor Chenghui waited for Jia Lian to greet him, he got straight to the point: "Jia Qing, it's very difficult for me!"

(End of this chapter)