Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 284: Feeling Something is Wrong

【Guo】It’s just one word, and I’ll only say it once.

Jia Lian couldn't say directly that the New Year was coming and things were not peaceful. He could only hint at it and see how you understood it.

Li Heng was not stupid. He was quick-witted. When he thought about the things he had encountered in the past few months, he felt a little uneasy. Of course, he did not think too far ahead. He just felt that he was being targeted by the second brother. They were brothers from the same mother. In fact, the second brother did not think highly of the third brother before. Later, with the rise of the third brother, he began to suppress him.

The Confucian system of respecting the young and the old in order is implemented in most cases. No matter what family it is, there are exceptions. The royal family is the place where the most exceptions occur. Not to mention brothers, even fathers will not show mercy when facing the highest power.

Li Heng accepted Jia Lian's kind reminder, but did not think too much about it. It was nothing more than adding some manpower. He was not short of money anyway.

Emperor Chenghui was also a very thoughtful father. He first punished Li Yuan and asked him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. After two months, he was released and assigned a new job. This time he was assigned to the Ministry of Personnel as an assistant. Although there was no clear rank, his power was very broad. Li Yuan could intervene in any matter of the Ministry of Personnel. This depended on the character of the chief officer. Some chief officers said, "No matter what you suggest, I will lose if you listen to one word." Some chief officers were willing to follow the advice.

The current Minister of Personnel is Liang Daoyuan, who has served two terms and is still the Second Assistant Minister. Although he does not always obey Li Yuan's every word, he accepts most of his suggestions and takes action on them.

This is not because Liang Daoyuan is timid, but because many officials in the court support Li Yuan. After all, he is the eldest son. In terms of probability, he is also very likely to succeed to the throne.

For Li Heng, this was not a good thing. A strong competitor had influence in the Ministry of Personnel, and this threat was too great.

Li Heng, who felt that "Dad no longer loved me", started his response in the position of Tongzhengshisi. To put it nicely, this is called screening out worthless memorials, and to put it bluntly, this is called isolating the inside and the outside.

A department that originally handled communication from top to bottom was played with new tricks by Li Heng. I just suppressed your memorial, not that I stopped you from submitting it. With so many memorials every day, of course I have to pick the most important ones and upload them. Don't rush into impeaching the Nine Gates Commander or Sun Ge Lao. Wait and see.

I'm not saying I won't pass it on to you. Things have their priorities.

In fact, there are not many things that need to be submitted to the cabinet. After all, many things are handled within the department. No one will complain about too much power, only too little power.

"The New Year is coming soon, so write something happy in the newspaper instead of arguing with others all day long." Jia Lian said again.

Li Heng did not simply accept it, but shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Try your best."

Li Heng does not have the final say on this matter. If you don't attack others, others will attack you.

Ever since Jia Lian supported Li Heng in publishing a newspaper, the power of public opinion has been so great that whoever uses it will say it is good. How could it be stopped easily?

I have always been the one to advise Jia Lian, and whether you listen or not, I won't bother you too much.

Who wouldn't be annoyed by repeating the same thing over and over again?

After reminiscing about the past at Li Heng's place and talking about some trivial matters and drinking a cup of tea, Jia Lian stood up and said goodbye.

It's not that the relationship between the two has changed, but if there is any change, Jia Lian really can't say it. Even a subtle reminder is not allowed.

Li Heng didn't think much about it. After all, it was almost the New Year. Jia Lian came to sit down and say a few words in a light tone, which was in line with Jia Lian's usual character. It was really the kind of thing where it didn't matter whether he listened or not. Anyway, I reminded him.

When Li Heng was alone, he thought about it and felt that although Jia Lian's suggestion was harmless, it was a good idea to take the initiative to change the situation. The New Year was coming soon and everyone was busy preparing for the New Year. The endless quarrels should really stop.

As for strengthening security, Li Heng felt that it made sense. Who knows what bad intentions the second brother might have.

On the 14th day of the twelfth lunar month, the King of Dongping, who had taken the initiative to go to Shandong, returned to Beijing on the pretext of being ill. He also reported that the military affairs of Shandong were entrusted to Yue Qi, and the 3,000 Dongping cavalry were settled in Tongzhou. They were all old subordinates for many years, so they were celebrating their 60th birthday together.

There is nothing wrong with this matter, and it is not without precedent, so it is not worth making a fuss about.

On the contrary, Minsheng Daily has recently stopped arguing with people and started to focus on publishing some festive texts. For example, during the Chinese New Year, the imperial army basically quelled the Jining rebellion and the grain transport was restored. Winter is coming and the canal is frozen. In order to ensure the grain transport, the new governor Zhang Ru organized people to break the ice and dredge the river. The cabinet suggested, and His Majesty approved, to allocate 500,000 taels to provide relief to Shandong. The Wucheng Bingmasi organized fire prevention training, and swooped to rectify public security before the New Year to crack down on robbery, theft, and human traffickers. The results were remarkable, and the public security in the capital was greatly improved, and the people praised it unanimously, etc. The cabinet also suggested that the Jinwu would not stop the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month this year, and a large lantern festival would be held.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, what people care most about is the return of food prices and the improvement of public security.

In previous years, the east and south of the city were both crime-prone areas. There were many high-end entertainment venues in the south of the city, and the young masters of the capital liked to go there, and they would often fight each other if they didn't like each other. Now I really don't dare to do that. Jia Lian said, whoever doesn't let me have a happy New Year, I will make him unhappy every year. Without these young masters who fight cocks and ride horses, wouldn't the public security be better?

As for the east of the city, Jia Lian just asked the censors to crack down on the gangs. It was the New Year, so they should keep an eye on their subordinates and not make trouble, so as not to embarrass everyone. Then Jia Lian continued to be lazy and slack off. He seemed to be busy every day, but in fact he was just strolling between the various government offices. He also submitted a memorial, saying that the production of military equipment should be separated and a separate department should be established. Either it should be under the Ministry of Works or the Imperial Household Department. In short, the phenomenon that both the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department can produce military equipment is too chaotic.

Jia Lian's memorial immediately caused quite a stir and attracted a lot of attention.

Emperor Chenghui directly ordered Jia Lian to be summoned into the palace, and also summoned Pan Jixun and Prince Zhongshun. The three of them asked Jia Lian together why he was still restless when the New Year was almost approaching and why he had to cause trouble.

To be honest, the production of military equipment was indeed quite chaotic. Both the Ministry of Industry and the Imperial Household Department had relevant departments, which made things a bit confusing.

Seeing Jia Lian being called to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Prince Zhongshun was furious and asked directly: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs has set up a military department, which is the ancestral system. Lord Jia suggested integrating it into one department. Are you dissatisfied with the ancestral system?" Prince Zhongshun was not a pushover, he knew how to put a hat on others. No matter whether he was really asking for accountability or just acting. Jia Lian knew very well that even if he and Prince Zhongshun were in the same boat, they could still pee in the same pot. Creating friction for no reason, and fighting when the contradictions intensified, was good for physical and mental health, and could lead to promotion and wealth.

"If you have something to say, say it nicely instead of making accusations. As the saying goes, this is a different time and this is different. I was young and didn't know why the Military Equipment Bureau was set up in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Your Highness is old, so don't you know either?" After saying this, Prince Zhongshun's face suddenly changed drastically, and he secretly groaned in his heart: Oh no, I said the wrong thing.

This matter dates back to the beginning of the reign of the retired emperor. The military power was relied on by the nobles. It would not do without any weapons. So the retired emperor reorganized the Imperial Horse Administration and established the Military Equipment Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It bypassed the Ministry of Industry's Yuheng Division and produced equipment specifically for the Imperial Horse Administration and the Dragon Guard. But how to say it, the scale of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Dragon Guard was so large, but the scale of the Military Equipment Bureau was not inferior to the military equipment production department of the Yuheng Division. Within a few years, the products of the Military Equipment Bureau had nowhere to go, so they had to grab the business of the Yuheng Division. Because of the favoritism of the retired emperor, a lot of the business of the Ministry of Industry's Yuheng Division was swallowed up, and they began to switch to the production of civilian farm tools and kitchen knives.

To clarify the origin of this matter, it was due to the unstable position of the retired emperor when he first ascended the throne.

In fact, Jia Lian knew very well that he could not have a monopoly. His original intention was not to have a monopoly, but to separate the Armament Bureau of the Ministry of Works and the Armament Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from each other and set up a new department to govern them, so as to form a healthy competition, and not to make it a competition between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Works. In addition, after decades of peace, the scale of the two departments was a bit large, and there were too many officials and too few people working, and the organization was bloated. Jia Lian also wanted to take the opportunity to rectify the two departments, eliminate some people, and streamline the organization.

King Zhongshun did not dare to easily accept Jia Lian's point of view. He knew very well how many people were being supported here.

The relationship between the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Clan Court was very unclear, and the Armory Bureau itself was also financed by the government. As long as it was a department that was financed by the government, there would be many positions that would support idle people. The two people's ideas did not match.

Jia Lian's idea is that the enterprise department should be run according to the enterprise's idea, and King Zhongshun is worried that too many people will break the windows of his house at night if they lose this salary. People will not blame Jia Lian, after all, Jia Lian is just suggesting that you, the person in charge, have failed to protect the interests of everyone, so of course they have to find you.

The most crucial point is that Jia Lian is too arrogant and has too much power. If you are not careful, you will fall into his hands. You can't afford to offend him.

Prince Zhongshun quickly made amends, "You are a young man, how can you understand the difficulties of the Armoury Bureau. I don't want to interfere in the affairs of the Armoury Bureau. You are capable, so just take it." These words were half true and half false. If he really didn't care about the Armoury Bureau and the Mint Bureau under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, his power would be greatly reduced, and his status in the Ministry of Clan Affairs would also drop sharply.

The reason is very simple. If there is no place for everyone to benefit, who will support you?

Emperor Chenghui is relatively familiar with the situation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The various departments and forces under it are intertwined and difficult to clean up. For the time being, it is better not to worry about the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Let it go for now and wait until the most important things are settled.

"My dear Lord Pan, please say something." Emperor Chenghui, who was in a good mood, tried to smooth things over. There was no point in continuing the argument.

Pan Jixun would never fall into a trap, so he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I can still say a few words about the Ministry of Works, but I dare not overstep my authority in the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I cannot understand Lord Jia's thoughts for the time being, so let me think about it before speaking."

Emperor Chenghui had no choice but to bring the topic back: "Lord Jia, it's almost the New Year. If there is anything, we can talk about it after the New Year."

Jia Lian responded, "Your Majesty, what I am worried about is that the military preparations of the court are like sailing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind. Especially for the new-style firearms, there is no high threshold. Once the management is not strict, once they are leaked, insiders will know what to do with them at a glance. There have been related incidents before. I think that even if the two departments are not integrated, there should be a strict control process. For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not allowed to produce new-style firearms. They should be produced by the Ministry of Works for easy management."

Emperor Chenghui understood what Jia Lian meant. The various production departments under the Ministry of Internal Affairs were infiltrated like a sieve. It was difficult to ensure that the technology of the new fire gun would not leak out. Strengthening management now would be too late to mend the fold.

In particular, Emperor Chenghui had seen the range and power of the new fire guns, and he knew very well that once they were released on a large scale, the advantages of the Shenji Camp would be greatly weakened. There were many smart people, and Jia Lian was not the only one who realized the power of the new fire guns.

In connection with the recent plot, Emperor Chenghui also understood in his heart why Jia Lian did not greet privately first, but directly submitted the memorial, just to show it to others. It was meant to alert the enemy, what if someone really made a fuss about it?
"Well, it's a good idea. Let's do it after the New Year. After the New Year, the Armory Bureau will stop producing new muskets. By the way, how much inventory does the Armory Bureau have in its arsenal?"

Emperor Chenghui seemed to have a somewhat unconventional idea, but Prince Zhongshun took it up: "I don't know, I will check it out right away."

Emperor Chenghui nodded in satisfaction: "This matter is very important and we must not slack off. Don't make too much noise before the New Year and do a normal inventory."

Emperor Chenghui turned to Pan Jixun and said, "The same goes for the Ministry of Works. We should do the normal inventory and we will talk about it after the New Year."

After both agreed, Emperor Chenghui kept Jia Lian and asked when they were alone: ​​"Jia Lian, what did you notice?"

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, then said with a distressed expression: "I don't really understand some of the relationships involved, but I just felt that the atmosphere was not right, so I came up with the idea of ​​integrating the production of military equipment to see if I could shock some people and things."

Emperor Chenghui's expression suddenly became serious: "Tell me in detail."

Jia Lian first talked about how he met Wu Chen by chance and felt that this person had an unrighteous background. He then discovered that this woman had contacts with the Zhen family's steward. Combined with the fact that Prince Dongping claimed to be ill and returned to Beijing to celebrate his birthday, he finally came to a guess: "What if these people and things are really connected? Combined with your majesty's arrangements, I always feel that things are not far away."

Emperor Chenghui thought secretly that the fact that 3,000 cavalrymen had stationed at the Tongzhou camp was not unusual in previous years, but it was hard to say this year.

Jia Lian knew little, so his judgment was unclear, but Emperor Chenghui had his own judgment.

【It is hard to say whether the Prince of Dongping and others have completely turned to the Emperor, but they are definitely waiting and watching. Once something happens in the capital, they will go to Tongzhou to mobilize troops to the Emperor, wait a little, and see how the situation develops before deciding on the next step. With troops in hand, they will not panic. This is thinking in a positive way. If it is thinking in a negative way, then all parties have united and want to make a big move around the New Year. This is also in line with expectations. After all, in many previous incidents, both the Emperor and the Prince of Loyalty have felt the pressure of being pressed step by step, and the possibility of fighting hard is also very high. If it is the latter, the Zhen family's contact at home will be of great use. 】

Looking at Emperor Chenghui with his head down in deep thought, Jia Lian did not say anything to influence his thinking and judgment.

Finally, Emperor Chenghui raised his head, looked at Jia Lian and said, "When you go back, be more careful and relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside."

(End of this chapter)