Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 501 The New Year is Coming
After the cabinet reached a consensus, the full text of Jia Lian's memorial was published in the new issue of the official gazette, and the full text was also published in a prominent position in major newspapers in the capital.

Jia Lian, Jia Buqi, this name immediately reminds readers of many not-so-pleasant past events.

A heated discussion about Jia Lian's past started among the people in the market, and because of this discussion, the public security in the capital improved.

It was published in the court newspaper and circulated throughout the country. Jia Lian felt disgusted by this treatment and sighed in his study: "This is really inhumane!"

The trend of agitating to establish a crown prince was quelled just like that, as if it had never happened.

Did these people correct their mistakes? No, it was just that Jia's past achievements were too brilliant.

Normally, I would always have a war of words in the newspapers, but I didn't this time. It's not that I don't want to, but I don't dare.

I can only say that this is not the way to commit suicide. Even some young and foolish people will have their family and friends to stop them from doing stupid things, so as not to get implicated. In the end, the newspapers dare not publish it.

The origin of the nickname "Flower City" can be seen from the Spring Festival. The streets are full of flowers and flower sellers are everywhere. In this season, the only place where you can still see flowers is here.

Barefoot newsboys ran all over the street, shouting: "Newspapers for sale! Hai Longtou has accepted the amnesty. From now on, there will be peace on the sea."

Before Jia Lian came, there were newspapers in the local area, but they were newspapers with little influence and were only used for the entertainment of ordinary scholars.

After becoming the governor of Guangdong, Xue Pan, at the instruction of Jia Lian, funded the publication of a newspaper called Yangcheng Times.

With funds, experience and technology, we specially made a piece of metal movable type, which greatly reduced the printing cost, and the first few issues were given away for free.

In a very short period of time, Guangzhou Times swept away other newspapers in the city, and its printing volume quickly grew from the initial 3,000 copies to 5,000 copies.

Of course, the credit also goes to the officials of the states and counties below, who would order fifty or a hundred copies of each issue just to curry favor with the government.

As the New Year approached, the circulation of the new issue of Guangzhou Times reached 8,000 copies. Wang Ziteng took advantage of the situation and subscribed to 1,000 copies of the newspaper to be sent to Jiaozhi.

Basically, the circulation has reached its limit. This place cannot compare with the capital, let alone the prosperous areas in the south of the Yangtze River.

In the new issue of the newspaper, there is an enrollment notice, and the enrollment unit is a vocational and technical school.

That's right, Mr. Jia's technical school has been opened in Guangzhou. It's still the same old routine, with a three-year curriculum, the first year is for learning theory, and the last two years are for learning practice.

It’s hard to say how much theory you can learn, but there will definitely be no problem in learning technology.

Just when Jia Lian was running the technical school with great fanfare, he received an official document from Niu Jizong stating that the operation of his Naval Academy was hampered due to a lack of teachers.

After the establishment of the Navy Office, the Navy School was set up in Tianjin. After everything was in place, it was suddenly discovered that there was a serious shortage of teachers. Although the British and French envoys had been asked to hire Western teachers, distant water could not quench immediate thirst. It was not difficult to find teachers for local ships, but it was difficult to operate Western warships and some navigation knowledge, which local teachers could not teach at all.

For example, how to identify the direction on the sea, the old fisherman will tell you to look at the stars, the moon, and the sun. The problem is that these methods can be used in the near sea, but how can a navy built for the purpose of ocean-going use this method? Niu Jizong ignored it before, and when he found out, it was a bit too late. After all, he was a general who came from infantry warfare and lacked relevant experience. Now, Niu Jizong asked Jia Lian for help and sent a few teachers to start the course.

This letter was brought back from the second trial voyage of Jia Lian's clipper ship. The sailor who was driving the ship had to rush back to celebrate the New Year.

After reading the letter, Jia Lian could only smile bitterly and shook his head. He had persuaded Niu Jizong to go to the frontier, but Niu Jizong chose to stay in the Navy Office. To be honest, he was still unwilling to leave Beijing. Now he came to ask for help.

It would be a difficult task to refuse such help, so Jia Lian had to write back to him, saying that he would talk about it after the New Year. It would be difficult to find anyone now, and since he had already wasted time, it wouldn't matter if he waited a little longer.

In the letter, Jia Lian stated that Sun Shaozu, deputy admiral of the navy, was not suitable to continue serving in the Nanyang Navy due to acclimatization problems, and asked the navy office to arrange for his transfer back to the Beiyang Navy.

Yes, now the Dengzhou Navy and Tianjin Navy in the north have merged and changed to Beiyang Navy. Just this name, Jia Lian felt too disgusted.

With the Beiyang Fleet, should there be Zhenyuan, Dingyuan, Jiyuan, and Zhiyuan? I hope Niu Jizong will not come up with these names.

There was another wave of gift-giving before the New Year. The New Year gifts that Jia Lian sent to the capital had already been sent back through the Xue family's channels. As the governor, Jia Lian now mainly received gifts.

Regarding the Huizhou incident, officials across the province have now reached a unanimous understanding that he brought it upon himself, and actually went against His Majesty. As a loyal dog, how could Jia Lian forgive you?

Speaking of which, Huizhou prefect Lao Hu is indeed unlucky. It would have been great if the so-called succession wave had appeared earlier. Just look at the latest issue of the court bulletin to know how loyal Jia is to His Majesty.

Who would dare to take the difference if they had seen this memorial earlier? Now, along with this memorial, the court report also contains the verdicts on the Huizhou prefect and other officials. Exiled for eight thousand miles.

The only place that could reach this distance was the newly established Anxi Protectorate; no other place could meet the requirements.

All I can say is that His Majesty hates the officials' ban on the circulation of silver coins to a great extent.

In any case, it was not the first time that officials were killed. However, Jia Lian chopped off the heads of more than a dozen gentry in Huizhou.

A few days before the New Year, Jia Lian was running around outside during the day, visiting all the places from the Naval Academy to the garrison camps in various places.

Finally, he returned to Guangzhou the day before New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, Jia Lian went out in plain clothes and saw the newsboys on the street barefoot. He felt very unhappy.

Damn Xue Pan, can't you do good deeds properly? How much is a pair of shoes?

Before the New Year, all government offices were closed for holiday except the patrol battalion. The whole city was still on alert, not to prevent rebellion, of course, but to prevent various accidents, such as public security and fire prevention.

The young men from the boat families of the navy finally got a holiday, but it was not long, only two days, and they did not take a holiday together, but took turns to rest. According to Jia Lian's request, the army was required to ensure that it had the ability to be deployed to fight at any time, and to ensure that at least ten warships could be sent out to fight.

There were so many people on the street that Jia Lian turned around after walking for a while.

During the New Year, some people are happy and some are sad.

There was naturally great joy in the governor's office, but the atmosphere in the provincial government office and the Guangzhou prefect's office was less festive.

The reason, I learned through connections in Beijing, is that their annual evaluation was below average.

Generally speaking, if there is no major bad incident, such as extremely poor tax collection and local people making trouble, the most common evaluation during the Beijing inspection is "medium".

That is to say, no matter how badly you do your job and no matter how dissatisfied the local people are, as long as there are no problems with taxation and the people do not cause trouble, you can get a medium evaluation.

The current evaluation is medium-low, which means that the governor and the prefect of Guangzhou will face demotion in the next term. The governor will be transferred to a lower province, and the prefect will be transferred to a lower state. In short, these two people will not be able to continue to serve as officials in Guangzhou. If it is fast, it will be after the new year, and if it is slow, it can wait until the end of their term.

Jia Lian really doesn't care, as long as they don't make trouble, he can tolerate them. The problem is that the bigwigs in the capital can't tolerate them. In Guangdong, those who can't help Jia Lian are all hindering him. When Lin Ruhai is also the Minister of Personnel and Zhang Ting'en is the Prime Minister, how can they be good?

Look, when Jia Lian returned to the governor's office, these two were waiting.

Jia Lian still had some basic etiquette and invited the two to go to the study to talk.

What the two said was very obscure, and the general meaning was that if there were things they had done poorly in the past, please don't mind, Governor. From now on, everyone will serve in the same court, so they should tolerate each other and not worry about past unpleasantness.

Jia Lian didn't understand, because he didn't know the fate of the two brothers, so he could only play dumb and maintain a polite smile.

After they felt they had achieved their goal, they said goodbye and left together. When Baochai came in to give the gift list, Jia Lian realized that they had each given a valuable gift.

How much was it? The governor gave five thousand taels of gold, and the prefect of Guangzhou gave three thousand taels of gold.

According to the current market conditions, one tael of gold can be exchanged for eighteen silver dollars. This gift is too expensive.

As the leader of the noble ladies in the city, Baochai also mentioned that the governor and the prefect of Guangzhou would most likely be transferred, and the ladies of these two families said that it would be very difficult to meet in the future.

Because the gift was too expensive, Baochai didn't know whether she should return it.

Jia Lian immediately understood that the two were not unwilling to be transferred, but were afraid that Jia Lian would bear a grudge. The transfer would not hinder them from continuing to serve as officials and living happily. Once Jia Lian bore a grudge, if anything went wrong in the future, the two would not end up well. At least their future path to advancement would definitely be cut off.

After understanding the reason, Jia Lian naturally knew that it was the power in the capital. If that was the case, it would be a waste if he didn't accept the gift.

The people's money is in our own hands and can still be of some use.

"Where is your brother? Why haven't I seen him recently?" Jia Lian quickly put the matter of the two officials aside and thought of the newsboy running around barefoot.

Baochai was shocked when she heard this: "Why, he made a mistake again?"

Jia Lian glanced at his bulging belly and smiled to comfort him: "What are you thinking about? I just want to ask him what his plans are for next year."

"I see. I'll ask someone to invite him over right away. Speaking of which, my brother has been in Guangzhou for a long time, and my mother doesn't have any children around her now. This year has been..."

Jia Lian understood something. After the Xue family's business moved south, there were too many things to do and Xue Pan really couldn't take care of Aunt Xue for a while.

"If you want, just have someone take it over. Besides, your uncle is ill, so I am taking over the governor's office. After the three-year term, I am afraid I will not be able to return to Beijing and will have to continue serving as an official outside."

When Jia Lian said this, Baochai immediately showed joy: "I will take it over after the New Year, so that I can see my mother more often." She paused halfway through her words and changed her expression to sympathy: "It's just that Sister Feng in the capital has suffered a lot, managing the Jia family all by herself."

Jia Lian naturally didn't care about the fake love between women and directly skipped the topic.

Xue Pan arrived before dinner. He had gained a lot of weight and was covered in sweat. He wiped his sweat as he walked and spoke: "Brother Lian summoned me. Is there anything you want me to do?"

Baochai, who was worried about Xue Pan, also appeared later.

Jia Lian waited until Xue Pan sat down before he said, "Do you have any other ideas after the New Year? Baochai just said that she wanted to invite her mother-in-law over."

Xue Pan said without hesitation: "In the future, I will have to keep going back and forth. The Xue family's industry will definitely focus on Guangzhou. I received a letter from the capital before the New Year, and my status as an imperial merchant was preserved. If I hadn't been unable to leave, I should have returned to the capital before the New Year. Alas, I am such an unfilial son."

This was half true and half false. The true reason was that Xue Pan's business was so good that he was busy making money. The false reason was that the journey was too far and he was unwilling to make a trip before the New Year. Although it was a little hotter in Guangzhou, his identity and status had undergone a fundamental change, and he found the feeling of being a little tyrant in Jinling. If he returned to Beijing, he would have to be humble and act like a grandson again.

"Let's send someone to pick up my mother-in-law after the New Year. This is one thing, and there is another thing that must be done as soon as possible." Jia Lian put away his smile and became serious.

Xue Pan immediately sat up straight, ready to listen to the lecture.

"I went out for a walk today and saw those newsboys running around barefoot. Go and ask them if the people working there are corrupt. These kids are pitiful enough. Would the people working there be corrupt for a pair of shoes? Also, you should keep an eye on the newsboy literacy class. Don't underestimate these kids. More than a hundred of them running around the city is like having a hundred more pairs of eyes. If you treat them better, it won't cost you much, but the effect you get will be excellent."

Jia Lian's tone was flat, and Xue Pan began to sweat as he listened. Xue Pan knew how Dai, the newspaper boy, was treated in the Minsheng Newspaper. Jia Lian asked him to copy the homework, and he did so. He just didn't expect that he had overlooked such a small matter after all his calculations. What if Jia Lian suspected that he was not doing his job well? No, he was already not doing his job well. No matter whether it was the people below who did it, Jia Lian would only find him.

"I see. I'll go ask right away. It just so happens that I asked someone to get two pigs and send them to those children so that they can have something good to eat during the New Year." Xue Pan was anxious to leave, but Jia Lian stopped him and said, "Don't worry. There are other things. I haven't told you what to do after the New Year."

Xue Pan quickly sat down again, and Jia Lian continued: "Is Lai San settled down?"

"He has settled down and found a school for his children. His parents, wife and children all live in the city."

"After the New Year, have him organize a batch of goods and go to Southeast Asia on behalf of the Xue family's business and set up a branch there. He will have to stay in Southeast Asia for the next two or three years. Don't neglect his family."

"Speaking of Lai San, he told me yesterday that he decided to go to Manila. This guy is a daring person, he is a talent. By the way, Brother Lian, the Xue family's property in Jinling is now taken care of by my uncle. I want to write him a letter and ask him to go to Beijing to pick up my mother and go to Guangzhou after the New Year. If I want to send this letter quickly, I can only use the official sea route."

Xue Pan was referring to the Clipper Boat, so Jia Lian naturally had no need to stop him. He nodded and said, "No problem. I'll have someone deliver it after it's finished. This communication channel must be maintained and developed, and it will become a supplementary channel for official communications in the future."

Xue Pan made sure that there was nothing else before he got up and left.

When Baochai personally escorted her to the door, Xue Pan stopped and turned around and said, "Sister, you must try your best to get pregnant. It is very important for the Xue family to be able to follow Brother Lian back to the capital and give birth to a boy."

Baochai rolled her eyes at him and said, "Is this something I can decide? Oh, by the way, my uncle has a younger sister at home, she's very pretty, I want to bring her over to stay with me for a while, what do you think?"

Xue Pan gave a thumbs up and said, "Good idea! I'll arrange it when I get back. If you ask me, don't be so pushy in the future. You should put aside your pride and stop being so pretentious. Ying'er is not bad, wash her and peel her and send her in. Brother Lian won't be polite." Baochai was so angry when she heard this nonsense that she glared at me and said, "You'd better take care of your own business. When you give birth to a nephew, you can talk to me about this again."

Xue Pan was not angry at all. The future hope of the Xue family depended not so much on Xue Pan as on whether Baochai's belly would be fertile.

As long as she gave birth to a son, wouldn't all the Xue family's assets in Baochai's hands belong to the child? No matter how you look at it, the Xue family won't lose out.

Seeing Xue Pan about to leave, Baochai gave him another warning: "Master hates people who treat servants harshly. Brother, please control your temper and stop beating and scolding servants."

Unconsciously, Baochai has already regarded Jia Lian's words and actions as the Xue family's future code of conduct.

(End of this chapter)