Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 546 Jia Party
Taking advantage of the last two days before the New Year, Jia Lian spent a day in the south of the city, where the families of the grassroots officers in Shenji Town gathered together, forming a place similar to a residential area.

Few of the grassroots officers were not promoted after following Jia Lian in battles. It can also be said that they were all promoted by Jia Lian alone. According to modern society, the company commander, platoon leader, and squad leader.

Lord Jia invited everyone to drink out of gratitude for their hard work in escorting him along the way. There is no problem with that at all.

Anyway, the highest ranking target for the treat is the battalion commander, and I think the regiment commander will not accept it.

Of course, Jia Lian would still communicate with these senior military officers in private, but that is another matter.

Whether Jia Lian leads this army or not, he will not give up easily.

Did the emperor have any precautions against military commanders? Of course he did. For example, Yang Xiaowei, who was previously promoted to commander (division commander, general), was transferred to Taiyuan as general the year before last. The two assistant commanders (brigade commander, lieutenant general) were also transferred to Xuanhua and Datong. In other words, all officers above the rank of commander of the Shenji Town were replaced.

After being busy with work all day, You Erjie turns into the octopus in Red Alert at night. Without a dolphin to save him, Jia Lian is forced to indulge in it.

Fortunately, You Erjie would not accuse Jia Lian of rape.

At noon on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, snow was still falling from the sky, and Jia Lian's carriage returned from the south of the city.

Wang Xifeng was waiting anxiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him coming back, and hurried forward to greet him. He had not been home for two days, and knowing that he was in the south of the city, Wang Xifeng did not dare to go to his house.

The whole family gathered together for the New Year's Eve dinner, which was half an hour later than in previous years. The reason was naturally that Jia Lian came back late.

But it doesn’t matter. No one thinks there is anything wrong with it. After all, this whole family relies on Jia Lian for their rich and peaceful life.
Even Jia She wanted to curse a few words, but in the end he shut up in disappointment.

Mrs. Xing's attitude towards Jia Lian was much more affectionate than before. Jia Lian said a word, and before the New Year his younger brother joined the Wucheng Bingmasi to do odd jobs, and he also took a share of the New Year's benefits.

If Ping'er hadn't been following her closely, Mrs. Xing would really like to mention that her brother had a very beautiful daughter.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone went out to have fun, but Jia Lian was not idle, so he walked to the East Mansion. Youshi and Qin Keqing each brought their children out to pay New Year's greetings, and Jia Lian naturally gave each of them a big golden lock, each of which had a secret hidden inside, which could be opened by pressing a button, and inside was a silver note worth 10,000 silver dollars.

The gifts given to Youshi and Qin Keqin separately had already been given in private. They were a dressing box containing a mercury mirror and a full set of jewelry, all carefully selected and made by famous craftsmen.

Jia Lian made a lot of similar dressing boxes, and everyone had one. In terms of value alone, the one given to Guixiang was naturally the most valuable, because there were more silver bills hidden inside.

After talking to the two children in the East Palace, Jia Lian had to go back to join in the New Year's Eve party before dark. He is no longer the willful young man he used to be.

Jia Rong, imitating his father, set up a gambling party near the ancestral hall and invited clansmen to gamble. Winning or losing didn't matter, the important thing was to have fun.

Although Jia Rong was gambling heavily at this time, he usually didn't touch it. It can be seen that he still had some B knowledge in his heart, but many memories from his childhood still affect him today.

On the Jia family side, Jia Lian unexpectedly discovered that Jia Quan was the one who was bullied the most. The problem was that Qiaojie supported the two sisters, and Jia Quan was suppressed by his bloodline.

Jia Lian naturally watched the children playing happily and did not care.

When no one was around, Jia Lian asked his son, "Just now your sisters took your snacks and toys, why didn't you take them back?"

"My sisters will all get married in the future. I want them to not fight with me for the family property after they get married. I should give in a little."

To be honest, this answer gave Jia Lian a UC, and I wanted to put dozens of exclamation marks on it.

"Who taught you that?" Jia Lian was very curious. Jia Quan shook his head and said, "No one taught me that. I just think so."

Jia Lian felt mixed emotions, and he reached out and touched his son's head: "You are right, no one will compete with you for the family property in the future, it is all yours. Remember, if something is yours, you can only ask for it if you give it to others. If you don't give it to others and they take it without permission, what should you do?"

The young Jia Quan was stunned, staring at Jia Lian blankly, and after a long while he shook his head: "I don't know!"

Wang Xifeng, who had come in earlier and stood at the back to listen to the conversation, was delighted at first when she heard Jia Lian's promise, but then she saw her son in a daze and wanted to answer for him anxiously, but she was afraid that Jia Lian would be unhappy, so she could only stamp her feet anxiously. Ping'er stood aside and stretched out her hand to tug at Wang Xifeng's sleeve, signaling her to calm down.

Hearing his son's answer, Jia Lian couldn't help but sigh that this silly son was still quite honest. Fortunately, he was still young and could still be taught.

"Remember, if someone takes your things without your consent, you must not let him off easily. Don't be soft-hearted, not even once. Remember?"

Jia Lian suddenly raised his voice. Jia Quan was still a little confused, but he nodded vigorously: "A powerful answer, I remember it."

In fact, when Jia Lian saw Wang Xifeng and Ping'er coming, he just pretended they didn't exist and continued to teach his son. They didn't interrupt him, nor did they dare to.

What can I say about the system of primogeniture? It is difficult to tell the pros and cons, but the advantage is that there are fewer internal disputes.

Each family has limited resources, so they must pool their efforts to find one heir. If this heir fails to live up to expectations, the consequences will be...

The purpose of Jia Lian's teaching was to enable his son to be a little more ruthless when necessary.

In this cannibalistic society, one cannot stand firm unless he is ruthless.

Early the next morning, Jia Lian got up in the dark. Wang Xifeng, who was beside him, got up earlier and, together with Ping'er and Guixiang, helped Jia Lian get up and change his clothes.

The grand court meeting on the first day of the lunar year had to be attended. In the past, Jia Lian could blend in with the crowd, but now he had to stand in the first three rows.

After the formalities, the court meeting ended and the officials dispersed. However, Jia Lian was unable to leave as he was stopped by Qiu Shian.

Then they arrived at the Qianqing Palace. Emperor Chenghui had already changed his clothes and invited Jia Lian to sit down and have tea and talk.

"Mr. Jia, now that the work report is over after the New Year, do you want to stay?" Emperor Chenghui was testing Jia Lian's attitude.

"Your Majesty, what can I do if I stay in the capital? I can't be the minister of any of the six ministries, let alone join the cabinet." Jia Lian's words silenced Emperor Chenghui.

Yes, Jia Lian is now the governor, acting governor-general, and his fief is Anshan. If he stays in the capital with this status, he can only serve as a minister in one of the six ministries, or directly join the cabinet. Any other position would be a humiliation to Jia Lian.

"Yes, my dear minister, your age is really..." Emperor Chenghui shook his head speechlessly. Jia Lian smiled and said, "It's good in Guangdong and Guangxi. Things in Nanyang are not settled yet, and I am worried."

With this step, Emperor Chenghui gave up the idea of ​​keeping Jia Lian. What Jia Lian didn't know was that, at a deeper level, Emperor Chenghui asked the secret guards about the time of Jia Lian's conversation with Zhang Tingen.

You see, this is the emperor. No matter how much he trusts you, he will still leave room for you.

Jia Lian expressed his intention to continue staying in Guangzhou, which indirectly proved that Jia Lian's act of entertaining the grassroots officers and soldiers of Shenji Town was simply out of nostalgia.

"Then you can go back. Many people are waiting to wish you a happy new year today." Emperor Chenghui did not keep Jia Lian for long. It was the New Year, and talking about work would be a real bummer.

After seeing Jia Lian off, Emperor Chenghui walked alone in the palace. The snow on the road had been swept away and was piled on the side of the road, looking a bit dirty.

It can be imagined that Zhang Tingen wanted Jia Lian to stay, but he refused. This is very telling.

Emperor Chenghui was not unaware of the importance of civil governance, but the resistance to the reform was too great. He was a little anxious before. This year, he could take advantage of the opening of the situation in Nanyang to focus on promoting the equalization of land tax. If all goes well, he could put the gentry's unified tax payment on the agenda next year. In short, in Emperor Chenghui's view, the reform cannot be rushed and must be carried out step by step.

In Kunning Palace, Yuanchun and other concubines were hanging around the queen. The 40-year-old Queen Zhou was beginning to look old. In addition to the bad things that the uncles had done, Queen Zhou was under a lot of pressure and looked a little haggard. In contrast, Yuanchun was only in her early 30s, in her prime. Emperor Chenghui liked her very much and stayed at Yuanchun's place at least five days a month.

After the empress led a group of concubines to meet the emperor, Emperor Chenghui paused for a moment and said, "I just met Jia Buqi, and I remembered that Yuanchun has been promoted to concubine for many years. She is virtuous and kind, and is truly a model for the harem. I specially promoted her to Concubine Yuan."

Yuanchun was just an ordinary concubine before, and suddenly a big pie fell on her head. Naturally, she was surprised and happy, and immediately stepped forward to express her gratitude.

After sitting here for a while, a eunuch came to report that the father-in-law of the emperor was outside asking to see him.

It was New Year's Day, and in front of the Queen, Emperor Chenghui really couldn't lose face, so even though he was very reluctant, he still agreed to let Xuan Jin go.

After the father-in-law entered, he knelt down and refused to get up. He cried and wiped his tears and told how his children were not doing well and that it was all his fault that he, as a father, did not educate them well. If His Majesty wanted to beat or punish them, the old man would take it all on his own.

Emperor Chenghui asked him to get up, but Zhou Guozhang refused to do so. The eunuchs went to help him up, but he still couldn't get up. Empress Zhou got up and went forward to help him up, threatening him in a low voice that if he didn't get up, he would never be able to enter the palace again.

Only then did Father-in-law Zhou get up!

Emperor Chenghui felt very uncomfortable when he saw this whole process. He left without saying a word.

Empress Zhou was so anxious that she almost cried. She couldn't say anything unpleasant in front of all the concubines. Fortunately, Yuanchun led the others to leave, thus saving the Empress's face.

After everyone left, Queen Zhou angrily scolded Zhou Guozhang: "Father, do you want your daughter's life?"

Zhou Guozhang made a sullen face and said in defense, "Your elder brother and younger brothers are still ordered to reflect on their mistakes behind closed doors. I am old, but they are still young, and their future cannot be ruined."

Queen Zhou said angrily, "How many bad debts have these three brought out? Selling the Zhou family to pay off their debts, can you agree? If you can't agree, don't say this nonsense."

It was the first time that Zhou Guozhang saw his daughter so angry that her voice trembled. He was also scared at the time, but he still refused to admit defeat and muttered for a while that a married girl is like spilled water.

Empress Zhou did not waste any more words and had someone escort Zhou Guozhang out. Zhou Guozhang refused to leave, so Empress Zhou took off her belt and threw it over the beam, crying, "Okay, father wants to force his daughter to death, so I have no choice but to oblige."

The surrounding palace maids were so frightened that they rushed forward to stop them. Zhou Guozhang was also frightened and could not stay any longer, so he had to leave the palace cursing.

When Emperor Chenghui learned what happened in Kunning Palace, his face turned black with anger. You have to make things difficult for others during the New Year, right? Okay, let's see who can beat who?

As soon as Zhou Guozhang entered the house, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict arrived. The whole family went out and set up an incense table to receive the imperial edict. The original punishment for the three uncles was to be dismissed from office and confined to reflect on their mistakes for half a year. The new punishment was to confine themselves to reflect on their mistakes for a year. After a reprimand, they said that if they did not repent, they would be sentenced to at least ten years.

Well, there is another item in the decree, which is for all Zhou family members, no one is allowed to ask for an audience without notification. The implication is that you are not allowed to actively ask for an audience, you can only passively wait for the call. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences yourself.

The eunuch who announced the decree left without even taking the silver that was stuffed into his pocket. He really didn't dare to take it. If he took it now, he would probably be thrown into a dry well by Qiu Shian when he returned.

After Jia Lian left the palace, he was stopped by someone on the way. Jia Lian looked at the person and signaled his attendants to let him in. The person who stopped him did not come over, but just stuffed a note into the attendants' hands and turned around and left.

Jia Lian was not in a hurry to read the contents of the note. Instead, he went home first and unfolded the note after entering the study. There was a time and place on it, but no signature.

"Damn it, you're getting more and more cautious." Jia Lian knew it was Li Heng's work as soon as he saw the messenger and the handwriting. This guy is really mature, and the entire R&D hall is well protected by him.

Others may not know the details, but Jia Lian knows them very well. The R&D Department has been investing a lot in scientific research over the years, with an annual investment of no less than one million silver dollars. There is also investment in education and technical schools. When Jia Lian left, the annual investment was 500,000. After Li Heng took over, the annual investment increased, and now the annual investment in technical schools has reached one million. The technical school, which is managed in a military manner, has 2,000 students, all of whom are 15 or 16 years old. As long as each person is given a gun, it will be an army that can be deployed at any time. This does not include the many students who graduate every year, as well as the workers in the factory.

This shows that Li Heng really continued Jia Lian's policy and had no intention of changing it. He never interfered with the management and production of technical schools and factories.

Li Heng's only attitude is to ask the heads of various departments to be responsible for Jia Lian. If you make a mistake, Jia Lian will come back to settle the score with you in the future. You should think about it yourself.

Of course, Li Heng did not do nothing. He was very strict with the annual audit and budget. If similar factories appeared in the private sector, Li Heng would knock on their doors without hesitation.

In Li Heng's opinion, everything in this research and development hall can be shared with Jia Lian.

Ping'er came over to report that a visitor had come to the gate to pay New Year's greetings, and asked Jia Lian if he wanted to let someone in.

Jia Lian looked at the list. The first group of people who came were all technical bureaucrats who had defected from the Ministry of Industry to the Research and Development Department. They are now an important part of Jia Lian's base.

Jia Lian was naturally very polite to these people and let them come in together, regardless of order. After a lively moment, everyone said goodbye.

Everyone was very happy. Lord Jia did not forget everyone and could clearly call out everyone's name.

Then a group of imperial censors came to visit. None of the original five imperial censors who patrolled the city were still in their positions. They had been replaced by a new group of people, and all those in the capital came.

When these imperial censors talked about their past in the Wucheng Military Department, they all sighed that although they earned little at that time, they had great power and bullied others wherever they went. Now that they have changed their office, they have to act like grandsons again.

Although Jia Lian didn't say it, he knew very well in his heart that the Five Cities Military Department had changed a lot in the past few years. Without Jia Lian's presence, Li Yuan had been in charge for two years and the law enforcement was not as good as before.

Since one is not in the position to do so, Jia Lian could only say a few words to accompany the conversation, hinting that they had worked in the same government office in the past and had a good relationship, and they would still be friends in the future.

Many people echoed in agreement, and everything was self-evident. Many people actually knew very well that even if they didn't say it, people outside this circle would label them as Jia's party.

That's right, in the officialdom today, some people have already mentioned the term "Jia Party". Even some young officials from Qingyun faction have publicly said, "What's wrong with Jia Party? I want to join but I can't."

The news of the so-called Jia Party naturally reached the emperor's ears, but Emperor Chenghui just laughed it off and treated it as a joke.

Jia Lian was well-known for not forming cliques. If former colleagues formed a clique just by having some contact with each other, then everyone in the court would be in a clique.

If there is a party, it must be Li Yuan's Xianwang Party. This group of people is still working tirelessly to get Li Yuan back.

In the congratulatory messages at the grand court meeting, most people mentioned Li Yuan, saying that he was of noble status and should not be in the wild and malaria-ridden land of Southeast Asia. He should be recalled to preserve the reputation of His Majesty's benevolence and so on!

After receiving the visitors for half a day, Jia Lian quietly went out under the cover of night and arrived at a secluded courtyard in the south of the city.

Li Heng had been waiting here for a long time. After a few pleasantries, Li Heng said, "Did you know that during the New Year's greetings, almost half of the officials asked Lao Er to come back?"

Seeing that he was anxious, Jia Lian laughed instead: "How can a minister know?"

Li Heng hoped that Jia Lian would take the initiative to say that he could help keep Li Yuan, but Jia Lian had no awareness of this. Li Heng felt that if he took the initiative to say it, Jia Lian would think he was cruel, so he held back. He took Jia Lian to drink and talk, mainly reminiscing about the past and asking for advice.

It is easy to understand that you are reminiscing about the past, but the question is about the R&D Department.

"The R&D Department's factories are doing so well that the money keeps increasing no matter how we spend it. Now there are 30 million yuan on the books, and many people are jealous. Brother Qi, can you think of a way to deal with it?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness is the superior of the Research and Development Department. It should be Your Highness who should decide how to deal with it. How can I interfere?"

The tone of this sentence was calm, but Li Heng seemed to be very excited after hearing it, and his face turned red with excitement.

(End of this chapter)