Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 538 The bloody reality

As a junior, Shen Yan stood aside and listened to the conversations of important figures whom he would not normally come into contact with.

The consequence is that my three views are a bit shattered.

These hypocritical bigwigs talk about interests all the time.

From what they said, Shen Yan got a vague idea that what these people were most worried about was the government's audit, which would involve them.

Now it seems that if Jia Lian targeted everyone and only checked the accounts, these local celebrities in Suzhou City should not be implicated.

The conclusion of everyone's analysis and the intention of the imperial envoy are that if you cooperate with his audit and everything goes well, then you are a respected local celebrity; if you don't cooperate, then you are an evil gentry who leads the people to oppose the government.

"Everyone, in my opinion, we should wait and see for a while. The imperial envoy has brought troops to Suzhou, he will not give up so easily, it is better not to confront him head-on." Uncle Shen said something to everyone, and got everyone's approval, and they all agreed and dispersed.

Shen Yan followed Uncle Shen to see off the guests. When he was about to leave for home, Uncle Shen stopped him and said, "What else did the Imperial Envoy say that you didn't relay?"

Shen Yan was startled, and said with hesitation, "Didn't my nephew interpret for the imperial envoy? The imperial envoy meant that if anyone wanted to retaliate, he could help resolve it."

Uncle Shen sneered, "What revenge? The people who beat the gang were the ones sent by those people to cause trouble. The prefectural government collected taxes several times this year, and they participated in dividing the money. When the imperial envoy came to check the accounts, they were anxious and afraid of being implicated, so they sent people to cause trouble. Don't be afraid, uncle can protect you, but you and the imperial envoy, don't miss the chance easily."

Shen Yan wanted to tell him everything, but he heard something even more explosive, and he felt mixed emotions. This meant that his uncle was also a participant in the money distribution. No wonder he rarely cared about him, but suddenly called him to ask about his well-being.

"Thank you, uncle!" Shen Yan was still very smart and didn't reveal any flaws. Uncle Shen didn't notice anything wrong with him either, and his face looked grim, probably because he was worried about being retaliated against.

Shen Yan, with mixed feelings, left the Shen Mansion at night. He was struggling fiercely in his heart over whether he should completely side with the Imperial Envoy.
When he returned home, his wife was still awake, mending the child's clothes under the lamp, waiting for him to come back.

Shen Yan took a look at his wife's clothes, and felt guilty when he thought that she was reluctant to change into new clothes even during the New Year.

Running errands for Uncle Shen and others, he didn't get any benefits, just verbal benefits. Lord Jia said straightforwardly that he could help transfer his household registration and go to the north to take the exam.

Putting down the work in her hands, Mrs. Shen went to fetch water for Shen Yan to wash his feet. The couple had a very good relationship. In order to support Shen Yan's studies, most of the family's income was spent on Shen Yan. The wife never complained, but became more frugal, making sure her husband was respectable outside and the children were well fed at home.

"Tell me something!" Shen Yan couldn't help but whispered to his wife.

The lady who was washing his feet with her head down looked up and said with a smile: "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"It's like this, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy..." After talking about changing the household registration and taking the imperial examination in another place, Madam Shen was pleasantly surprised: "You, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy, are really kind to others. This matter cannot be publicized."

"That's right. I haven't told anyone except you. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Imperial Envoy to help run errands and get the matter settled."

It was late at night and Jia Lian had not yet had time to sleep. He had to finish reading an investigation report sent by his adjutant Fan Ping before he could go to bed.

The content of the report is about fighting. In Suzhou, a city with developed industry and commerce, there are naturally many conflicts of interest. In order to resolve the conflicts of interest, there will naturally be groups that help people settle disputes.

Daxing is such a group!
Never underestimate this organization that exists in the gray area among the people. They have done many illegal and shady things.

Just in the past three years, Suzhou Prefecture has recorded more than 100 civil dispute cases involving fighting gangs, and there will be even more that are not recorded.

Moreover, the cases recorded in the case are mainly about disputes with merchants from other places. Some merchants from other places came to Suzhou to do business and had disputes with the dealers. The judgment of the Suzhou prefect seemed fair, but it was not. People who often do business know that a batch of goods shipped to other places for sale was delayed because of disputes with local authorities. The shelf life of the goods is one problem, and the time cost of the delay is another problem. Missing the price window is another problem.

Let's put it this way: the same batch of goods may have a price today, but it may drop drastically tomorrow. It is not uncommon for a business to lose money because of a dispute that misses the price window.

High-end business wars are often plain and simple. Competitors are enemies. When they cannot reach an agreement with each other, they have to bribe the other companies to help them start a war.

Another type of case is fighting between cities over protection fees for water transportation.

If you don’t understand, just watch old Hong Kong movies. The gangsters don’t dare to ask Li Huanggua for protection money, but if you run a small business, they will smash your shop if you don’t pay.

To put it bluntly, the Dahang is a criminal gang, but it exists in the form of a guild. Behind the Dahang are the major forces in Suzhou.

The reason is simple. Without the support of the government and local tycoons, these black and gray forces would have been killed many times ago.

Jia Lian was still very cautious about the local elites in Suzhou. The handicraft industry here was very developed, and a small half of the population in the city made a living from workshops. If there was a mess, the unlucky ones would only be the workers at the bottom. But he couldn't just let it go. Jia Lian had to make them pay a price, and he didn't allow them to pass on the price, otherwise this lesson would be meaningless.

According to the report before us, these so-called local sages in Suzhou can be divided into two categories: one is that the main industry is land, and industry and commerce account for a small proportion, and the other is that the main industry is industry and commerce.

In Jia Lian's view, the former is a target that must be taught a lesson, while the latter can be won over.

Of course, before officially doing anything, we must make some noise to give these local tyrants and evil gentry some deterrence from Shenji Town.

In the early morning, before daybreak, there are already many people on the streets busy making a living.

The dense sound of footsteps shattered the tranquility of the early morning. An old couple in the breakfast shop looked at the soldiers from Shenji Town in horror as they lined up in neat rows, quickly approached, passed by, and continued forward.

The frightened old couple finally came to their senses and hurriedly removed the firewood. The bottom of the pot of dumplings had already been burnt.

"It's really harmful for soldiers to run around without sleeping so early in the morning."

"Why worry so much, just take the pot off the stove and let the kids eat it."

The old couple's complaint did not cause much stir, and ordinary people just complained a few words.

If one day ordinary people can’t even complain and have to post notices in teahouses saying “Don’t talk about state affairs”, that would be a real problem.

In general, Suzhou locals were able to get by because of the developed industry and commerce. The hardship was for those who came from other places to work in the city, renting a narrow space in a straw hut outside the city and working more than fourteen hours a day. After deducting all expenses, most people could not earn more than ten taels of silver in a year.

When Shenjiying passed by, some residents on the roadside were still awakened. Many of them opened their windows and cursed, but they all closed the windows and shut up after taking a look.

This is not the muddy yamen runners in the government office, this is the most elite army of the imperial court, the Shenji Town that defeated the grassland barbarians. You know, although the southerners have never seen the grassland tribes, they have listened to the stories of storytellers. Whenever there is a story about border wars, the villains are extremely cruel, killing people like crazy, and eating a child for every meal. This kind of ruthless people were defeated by the Shenji Town, and their heads were chopped off and piled up into a tall Jingguan.

The entire Shenji Town was mobilized, and based on the intelligence they had obtained in advance, they surrounded dozens of residences and arrested thirty or forty people in one go, all of whom were the leaders of the Suzhou Daxing. During the arrest, the sound of gunfire rang out for a long time, and it was not until dawn that it was completely quiet.

Many residents peeked through the cracks in the doors and windows and saw an exciting scene. Those guys who used to be rampant in the city were arrested and tied up and taken away. There were also horse-drawn carriages carrying corpses and wounded people. Many people were caught or killed in a hurry without wearing shoes. The blood of the corpses fell from the bottom of the carriage, trailing on the ground. And it continued to spread far away.

Before people could figure out what had happened so early in the morning, the runners from the prefectural yamen were rushed to the streets like ducks, posting notices and cleaning the streets.

Soon the whole city's citizens knew about the announcement. Shenji Town suddenly took action to eradicate the number one evil force in Suzhou City. Go!

The crimes committed by the gangs were clearly written on the notice, such as bullying, rampant violence, malicious injury, disrupting public order, human trafficking (stealing children), etc.

And at the end of the notice, it was emphasized that this anti-gang operation was just the beginning.

Jia Lian was not just talking. After launching a thundering attack on the fighting industry, he also carried out targeted strikes against the so-called "tyrants" in all walks of life in the city. Whether it was the fishing tyrant, the vegetable tyrant, or the dung tyrant, as long as they were close to using violent means to integrate the industry, they were all eaten by the iron fist of Shenji Town. There were many resistances during this period, but they were crushed to pieces by the rifles and bayonets of Shenji Town.

The public security in Suzhou City has improved greatly, and the local situation has been deeply felt. After those people who used to bully them have been eliminated, the burden on them has been significantly lightened.

Not only did the bullies in all walks of life stop collecting protection fees, but the bailiffs in the yamen also dared not go out on the streets to collect money.

The common people feel it the most. After all, a few cents a day may seem like a waste of time to the rich, but in the eyes of ordinary small business owners, it can increase their monthly income significantly.

When the imperial envoy arrived in Suzhou, the accounts had not been checked yet, and the people did not feel much about it. However, the cancellation of the city entrance fee and the dispatch of troops to crack down on local evil forces brought too many benefits to ordinary people. The ordinary people in Suzhou City quickly became more favorable to Jia Lian.

Furthermore, recently many foremen in the workshops are afraid to pump water, and porters on the docks no longer have to pay commissions.

For minor officials such as yamen runners, they were also pleasantly surprised to find that although there was a lot less gray income, their income was not greatly affected.

The reason is very simple. The taxes collected from the normal water gate alone are far more than the daily commercial taxes in the past, and can also make up for the holes caused by previous random charges.

In other words, according to the rule of 20% tax, the commercial tax collected every day can make up for various holes. The yamen runners also heard a rumor that the imperial envoy seemed to think that 20% tax was too low and wanted to raise it to 15%.

Anyone with an average IQ can see clearly the fact that the rich do not pay taxes or even pay less taxes, and when they cannot meet the figures required by the court, they turn to the lower classes for money.

After a series of attacks by Jia Lian, the local public security improved greatly, but the so-called wise men were frightened. Many of them felt guilty and packed up their belongings and hid in the countryside on the day their gangs were busted. They sent people into the city every day to gather information and try to smooth things over with their connections.

The richer a person is, the more he fears death. The so-called local powerful figures, let alone any threat to Jia Lian, even if the prefect is really determined to deal with them, it is not particularly difficult.

In any peaceful year, any civilian force is nothing but trash when facing the state apparatus.

And Jia Lian represents the state apparatus!
Shen Yan has been very popular recently, and has been invited to banquets one after another. Shen Yan, who knows the situation well, politely declined them one by one. He would go to Jia Lian every day to meet him. If there was something he had to do, he would do his best to get it done. If there was nothing he had to do, he would sit quietly and wait, ready to be called at any time.

Shen Yan actually knew very well that he had no choice. Ever since his gang was busted, the label of "Jia" had been stuck on his forehead and it could not be washed off.

Fortunately, Shen Yan did not resist. Who would resist a bright future? Not to mention, working hard for Master Jia, he could get a salary of two silver dollars a day.

At dusk that day, it was time to get off work, so Shen Yan left the yamen and walked home.

On the way, he was stopped by Uncle Shen's regular attendant and had no choice but to follow him into a restaurant.

In Suzhou today, the most prestigious family is the Lin family. The reason is, of course, because of Lord Lin. Although everyone knows that Lord Lin does not have a very good relationship with the Lin family, in terms of heritage, the Shen family is more profound than the Lin family. Although Uncle Shen has no fame, he also donated a seventh-rank official position. In addition, he is one of the elders of the Shen family and has great prestige in Suzhou.

Of course, this prestige is built on Shen's many years of operation. He himself is just an ordinary person without any achievements.

How can we describe Shen Yan's situation? He is just an ordinary member of the clan. Because he has the title of scholar, he can receive 30 kilograms of rice from the Shen family every month, as well as rice from the government school.

"Now you're here, sit down quickly." Uncle Shen was very enthusiastic, a kind of enthusiasm that Shen Yan had rarely felt in the past twenty years of his life.

After the greetings and some pleasantries, Shen Yan sat down awkwardly.

"Is there any news from the imperial envoy recently?" Uncle Shen asked him slowly after taking Shen Yan to eat and drink.

"The Imperial Envoy is of such high status that I, your nephew, cannot see him whenever I want. I only have some contact with his adjutant, Brother Fan." In fact, Shen Yan sees Jia Lian every day. The reason is very simple. Jia Lian also needs a local person by his side to understand the local situation at any time.

Ever since he decided to cling to Jia Lian, Shen Yan has been completely frank and confessed everything, even who ordered him to cause trouble.

Jia Lian had a calm reaction to this. Is there any need to think about such things? Which city is not like this? Big cities like Guangzhou and Suzhou are better, but the towns and villages below are terrible. The saying that the imperial power does not go to the countryside is really not nonsense. It is not that the emperor does not want power to reach the grassroots level. It has been done in history. For example, during the Qin and Han dynasties, Liu Bang was a pavilion chief, and the grassroots had a set of teams.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, after the grassroots power was eroded by the aristocratic families, it never returned to the hands of the emperor. As the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang actually had the best chance to change this situation. Unfortunately, he was a peasant at heart, and in order to save the court's expenses, he came up with a bunch of systems that brought endless disasters to future generations.

(PS: There are a lot of Ming Dynasty praisers on the Internet now, which is really too exaggerated. Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor who had clear rules on how to arrange seats at meals. Do you understand what I mean? Don't deny Zhu Yuanzhang's achievements, but don't praise him too much. Especially on DY, there are simply no bottom line for Ming Dynasty praisers. Most of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were unqualified. For example, the Ming Dynasty started the great voyages, but missed the great voyages. Even Zhu Di, who started the great voyages, was obsessed with his own martial arts, which indirectly laid the seeds for the annihilation of the great voyages.)
"Have you found out what the Imperial Envoy likes?" Uncle Shen was not too disappointed. After all, it was Jia Lian. The more he knew, the more he respected Jia Lian.

There is no way. Jia Lian has too many halos. He is the youngest No. 1 scholar in this dynasty, the youngest governor, and the youngest acting governor. Even if he runs a workshop, the most successful businessman in Suzhou is still a country bumpkin compared to Jia Lian. Now many of the glass used in the homes of wealthy people in Suzhou were made by Jia Lian when he was in the R&D department. As for martial arts, let alone, he is the best fighter in this dynasty, no one else.

"Preferences? My nephew doesn't particularly care about this." Shen Yan was well prepared and spoke in a reserved manner.

"You really don't understand anything at all?" Uncle Shen was a little unwilling. He had been sleeping restlessly at night recently and had dark circles under his eyes.

There was no way. Faced with the bloody reality, all the "wise men" in Suzhou City, big and small, fell into panic.

This time, Jia Lian's anti-crime operation was really cruel. He punished people severely and swiftly. He arrested people on the first day, tried them on the second day, and took them to the execution ground outside the city for shooting on the third day.

Uncle Shen did not go to the execution ground to see the scene. After the people he sent out came back to report, he had nightmares every night.

You know, Jia Lian had only arrived in Suzhou for eight days when he killed thirty-three people and exiled more than three hundred people. All these exiled people were shipped to Southeast Asia.

That is, the family members of the executed people could collect their bodies, which was considered to be intact, and no additional fees were charged. They were not put on display for several days, so the matter was not carried out to the extreme.

(End of this chapter)