Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 562 Appearance
For a while, whenever the Ming Dynasty was mentioned, someone would always bring up the saying: no marriage alliances, no tribute, the emperor guarded the national border, and the king died for the country.

Hot-blooded, right?
indeed!

Let’s just assume that Zhu Di thought the same way at the beginning. Chongzhen, the emperor who killed Yuan Chonghuan who had secret negotiations with the Later Jin Dynasty and also killed a minister who he had instructed to negotiate privately, was an unfilial descendant.

It can be confirmed that the capital is a border city, and the so-called Ji-Liao Governor is in charge of the defense line from the Yanshan Mountains to Shanhaiguan.

As the grassland alliance fell apart, the tribes in the Rehe and Chahar areas all declared their submission and became the main suppliers of the wool textile industry in the capital.

We are currently negotiating with the British to introduce British sheep. I don’t know where they got the news.

Domestic sheep breeds do not produce much wool, but they produce cashmere. The British sheep produce a lot of wool, but not cashmere.

The cotton mill in Tianjin used steam engines to drive the production of textile machines, which required a large amount of high-quality coal. After the Kailuan Coal Mine was put into production, it not only met the high-quality coal needed for industrial development, but also had a great impact on the private coal market in Beijing.

Another major coal consumer is the steel mills. There are coal mines in the capital, but production will disturb the imperial tombs in the Western Hills.

Therefore, Emperor Chenghui has been planning that once the coal production in Kailuan has been fully increased, he will directly close all the coal mines in Xishan on the grounds of affecting the feng shui dragon veins.

They don’t pay much tax anyway!

Why don't they pay taxes? Because those who can open coal mines in Xishan are either members of the royal family or relatives of the emperor. Some of them have many ways to evade taxes.

On the way back to Beijing, when Jia Lian got off the boat at Tongzhou, he looked up to the west and saw thick smoke billowing out of huge chimneys in the distance, as well as rows of chimneys on the roofs of the houses where people were coming in and out.

In the eyes of modern people, this scene is called environmental pollution, PH2.5 and so on.

But in the eyes of people of this era, industrialization is the foundation of a strong country and a real benefit to the lives of ordinary people in Beijing.

After the Zunhua Iron Works was government-supervised and privately-run, its output was much higher than when it was state-run. But this was not enough. With the commissioning of the Shijingshan Royal Steel Works and the application of new technologies, steel production grew explosively, requiring a large number of workers to mine and make steel.

The people had jobs, and the price of iron products in the market dropped again. In addition, grain from Southeast Asia impacted the market, and grain prices remained stable at a low level for a long time.

Otherwise, how could Emperor Chenghui dare to call it a prosperous era and call it the Chenghui Reign?

At least in the capital, he saw a significant improvement in people's living standards.

Seven things to open the door, firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea.

Coal has replaced firewood and its price has been brought down. The price of rice has also been brought down. With these two major expenditures reduced, how can the people's living standards be bad?

In order to guard against royal family members and external relatives, although the Shijingshan Iron and Steel Plant was a royal title, its actual operation was handed over to the Research and Development Department.

Because the emperor knew very well that if royal family members and external relatives got involved, they would become the next royal central bank.

During the years of Emperor Chenghui's reforms, a large number of royal family members and relatives were dismissed. Emperor Chenghui would rather spend money to raise a group of pigs than let them get involved in legitimate industries.

Of course, in order to maintain their "benevolent" persona, royal family members and relatives by marriage will still be given preferential treatment as long as they can take the imperial examination. If they have outstanding personal abilities and develop industries, they will still be supported.

However, such people are extremely rare.

From the information obtained by Jia Lian, it was learned that the Shijingshan Iron and Steel Plant was essentially a joint enterprise of the royal family and the court.

Jia Lian welcomes this model. For enterprises related to national economy and people's livelihood, there should still be some state-owned enterprises.

It can only be said that Emperor Chenghui's reforms have shown initial results, but are still a long way from success. Speaking of which, the emperor still seems to have opened champagne at halftime.

But it doesn't matter, as long as the overall development is positive. The country is so big, and there are so many stakeholders. As far as steel companies are concerned, Sugang in Jiangnan is a collective name for a group of private enterprises, while steel companies in Guangdong are semi-private and state-owned, competing with each other. Competition is a good thing.

When he got off the boat at Tongzhou Wharf, Jia Lian saw many familiar faces.

Three cabinet bosses came, Lin Ruhai, Yue Qi, and Pan Jixun. The one directly in the palace was Qiu Shian. The leader was the third prince Li Heng, and the officials of the Research and Development Department were not ranked well at all.

After some greetings and thanking the gentlemen who came to greet him, Jia Lian left his family behind and got on Li Heng's carriage.

This four-wheeled carriage, built by top craftsmen, is extremely spacious and is pulled by four horses.

Li Heng could finally travel with Jia Lian openly.

"There is a dispute between my father and the cabinet about where Brother Jia should go. The cabinet wants Brother Jia to be the cabinet's representative and tour the country to supervise the implementation of the land tax system, paving the way for the next step of the reform of the unified tax system for all gentry. My father wants Brother Jia to be good at industry and commerce, so the Research and Development Department can be upgraded to a department on par with the six ministries, led by Brother Jia. Also, the Honglu Temple should be raised to the same level as the six ministries, with Brother Jia as the minister. In this way, Brother Jia will serve as the minister of two departments, and the six ministries will become eight. Do you think my father's idea will be approved?"

As he spoke, Li Heng handed over a cup of tea that he had brewed himself!

Jia Lian took it and turned to look at the palace-dressed woman fanning herself beside him. Li Heng smiled, leaned closer and whispered, "No problem! This is the princess's cousin."

Damn! Can it be more shameless? This woman is posing as if she is ready to be picked by you. Does she not care about the face of the princess? Jia Lian cursed silently in his heart.

"I don't ask what the future holds." Jia Lian decided to keep his distance from this guy who had no bottom line. This was not a honey trap, it was a lie, a failed version of the Datong case.

Li Heng couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. As long as Jia Lian showed a little interest, he would be willing to do it even if it meant just asking her to be a maid.

Of course, there is no hope of success.

There is also a subtext, we can be brothers-in-law. As long as you agree!

Jia Lian found that Li Heng was a little bit arrogant! Since Li Yuan was trapped in Nanyang, it seems that Li Heng's status has improved rapidly, and there are many people around him who flatter him.

"How long has it been since Your Highness last left the workshop? How long has it been since you last walked around the market?" Jia Lian asked the question calmly.

Li Heng didn't care, he shook his head and said, "I'm really too busy right now, how can I have the time?"

Jia Lian smiled and said nothing, and he didn't plan to continue talking. Thanks to the fact that he had kept a hand in Guangzhou and Nanyang, maybe Emperor Chenghui didn't care. After Li Heng ascended the throne, it was hard to say if other people instigated it.

As people's status changes, their words and deeds will quietly change. Li Heng, who was generally pressed to the ground by Li Yuan before, hopes that he can adapt as soon as possible and not forget his original intention.

Perhaps realizing that Jia Lian was not very flexible, Li Heng felt a little embarrassed and tried to find a topic to talk about.

"How is the second brother doing in Nanyang?"

"Your Highness is doing well in Southeast Asia. That place is not small. Its total area is the size of five or six provinces in the mainland and it is rich in resources. Now that you have taken over the concession in Burma, you have a foothold into the Indian Ocean." Jia Lian warned him calmly, hoping that he could completely wake up from his current state of confusion.

"Brother Jia, you don't know what kind of life I've been living since the second brother became the Minister of Nanyang. All kinds of people come to me and say nice things to me without asking for money. Only Brother Jia remains the same as before."

At these words, Jia Lian's face changed slightly, he seemed to hear these words: My position as crown prince is secure now, why do you have to put on airs?
Jia Lian pulled aside the curtain and took a look: "Why hasn't it arrived yet? The car is going a little slow."

Li Heng was stunned, as if a little bit unbelievable. After a while, he put down the teacup in his hand with a wry smile.

Putting down the teacup with a forced smile, Li Heng lowered his head and remained silent, looking out the window, not knowing what he was thinking.

Even if you are the emperor, you cannot do whatever you want and get whatever you want in the Great Zhou, let alone you are not the emperor yet.

This is Jia Lian's truest thought. Even if Li Heng became the emperor, Jia Lian would still be a collaborator. He would not do what he did to Emperor Chenghui. Otherwise, wouldn't all these years of forbearance be in vain? Once Li Heng succeeded to the throne, the first thing Jia Lian would do was to limit the monarch's power and restrict it from a legal perspective.

In Jia Lian's view, the current legal status of the emperor's unlimited power is very unfriendly to the country's development.

The new class, which had been created through the efforts of these years, had expanded and exerted a considerable influence on society. Once Jia Lian took over the cabinet, these would have to be promoted.

The whole society should try to develop towards fairness under the rule of law. Otherwise, with the process of industrialization, there will be a few decades of rapid development, which will definitely lead to the polarization of the rich and the poor, the intensification of contradictions between the old and new classes, and internal thunderstorms are almost visible. The Chinese have the gene of "Are kings, princes, generals and ministers born with a special breed?"

The reason for thinking this way is very simple. The current bureaucratic system can ensure that every cabinet minister is an elite, but it cannot guarantee that every emperor is a wise ruler.

History has proven that the highly centralized power of the emperors, which began in the Ming Dynasty and ended in the Qing Dynasty, was bound to lead the country into trouble.

If necessary, let's have a revolution.

The carriage finally stopped. Jia Lian got off the carriage immediately and stood by the door. When he saw Li Heng getting off the carriage, he said calmly, "A man who has shared his hardships with his wife should not be divorced!"

Li Heng was not embarrassed when he was found out, but he was a little overwhelmed after being exposed.

But there was no way, Jia Lian had to make his attitude clear.

There is a question that Jia Lian suddenly thought of before getting off the car. Could it be that the emperor's health is not good, so Li Heng is so arrogant? Qiu Shian happened to be approaching and heard Jia Lian's words, but pretended not to hear them.

After meeting up with the three cabinet ministers, they all came to the Qianqing Palace. Jia Lian saw the ruddy-faced Emperor Chenghui, who looked like he could live to at least seventy years old.

He is only in his early fifties, and he still has twenty years to live. Jia Lian could not help but feel relieved, and suddenly felt a little sorry for Li Heng. If Emperor Chenghui lived to be seventy, it would mean that Li Heng would have to stay on the throne of the prince for another twenty years. With the current medical level, it was unclear who would live longer.

"Your Majesty, I am Jia Lian, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to you!" Jia Lian stepped forward and paid his respects in front of everyone, not caring about the slightly frowned faces of the other people in the cabinet.

After all, as long as there are two civil officials on the scene, they will not perform the kneeling ceremony. This is a tacit understanding.

Jia Lian didn't care about this tacit understanding. He had already prepared himself mentally to be a powerful official. Damn Li Heng, there was something wrong. He had to prepare early.

Zhang Tingen and Li Qing, who were standing on one side, probably didn't expect Jia Lian to perform such a great ceremony in front of the cabinet ministers. They hoped that he was just excited and couldn't control his emotions.

After all, the bond between Emperor Chenghui and Jia Lian is really difficult to understand.

"I am very pleased that you have returned. In front of all the ministers, I would like to ask you if you have any position you like when you return to the capital. Even if you don't have one, I can create one for you."

Emperor Chenghui did not expect that Jia Lian would break the old rules and give such a big gift. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could not suppress his excitement and said something a bit outrageous.

The cabinet ministers turned green with anger when they asked this question. Your Majesty, do you still have a cabinet with your vision?

Of course Jia Lian did it on purpose. Regardless of whether it was Zhang Tingen's suggestion or not, he was asked to implement the tax distribution system based on the amount of land he owned, and the next step was to make all the gentry pay taxes together.

This is a really unfair thing to do.

Hasn't Jia Lian done enough for the court? Why must he be put in a position where he is the target of public criticism?

Don't talk about the truth, you are just kidding me.

It was nothing more than a deviation between the emperor and the cabinet on the future development path. He wanted to drag Jia Lian into the water and stand on the side of the cabinet.

Zhang Ting'en didn't object, that was his acquiescence. But he didn't hold out much hope. This matter should be a temporary cooperation between Zhang, Li, and Pan.

Lin Ruhai and Yue Qi will definitely not get involved, their opposition is just futile.

The first three cabinet ministers were all civil officials, and they all had their own bottom line.

That is, the direction of national development should still be led by civil officials.

Jia Lian even saw that there were some tiny cracks in the close cooperation between the emperor and his subjects in the past.

After all, in recent years, the cabinet has been too weak compared to the imperial power. If you want to keep your position as a cabinet minister, you must show your strength.

Who is Jia Lian? I am a nobleman too!

Do you understand the value of living with the country?
In addition to the current world situation, Jia Lian still hopes that the emperor will continue to maintain centralized power, which will be more efficient.

As for decentralization and democracy, it is better to leave it to me to achieve.

Another point is that Emperor Chenghui's prestige is too high. The cabinet's resistance is doomed to be fruitless.

Of course, we cannot say that the cabinet is just for show.

The higher you go, the more complicated the struggle becomes.

Being enemies one moment and friends the next is a common occurrence.

Jia Lian was determined to stick to his principle that as long as Emperor Chenghui was still alive, he would definitely be a staunch supporter of the emperor's party.

"I haven't thought about what to do. If I have to find something I want to do, it is to ask Your Majesty to give me a year's vacation so that I can rest at home."

Jia Lian's answer really surprised everyone. It was a bit too pretentious.

But Emperor Chenghui just fell for it. What is a loyal minister? This is the role model.

"No, that won't do. I still have a lot of things to do, and you will have to work hard to help me divide the land." Emperor Chenghui said with a smile, and he wiped away tears while being moved.

Jia Lian was still kneeling, and Emperor Chenghui quickly called out to Qiu Shian: "What are you standing there for? Help him up."

Qiu Shian personally stepped forward to help, and the look in his eyes that showed him admiration for Jia Lian was unspeakable.

"I know what you mean. So, I will give you a half-year vacation. Go back and wait for the emperor's order. I haven't forgotten our original agreement." Emperor Chenghui said with a smile. He felt very happy, as if the two of them were communicating in a secret language. No one else knew but he was secretly happy.

Jia Lian took out the golden arrow and presented it with both hands: "Your Majesty, I haven't handed over the order yet."

Emperor Chenghui looked at him and smiled: "Okay, I'll take it back first!"

Only when he left the palace did Jia Lian have the mood to watch the changes in the capital. It was late autumn, the branches were withered, and the autumn wind blew up the fallen leaves.

The weather in the capital is still good in autumn and summer, but the most feared season is winter and spring, because the wind either does not come at all, so the smoke in the air cannot be dispersed, or it comes in large force, bringing with it rolling sand and dust.

Now there is still some vegetation in the mountains and forests, unlike the Republic of China when the mountains and forests were bare after years of war.

It would be a meaningful thing to take advantage of the holiday time to start planting trees.

Lin Ruhai caught up with him. Jia Lian stopped and turned back to greet him. Lin Ruhai asked, "What was your agreement with His Majesty?"

Jia Lian nodded: "I have delayed Sister Lin for so many years, and it is time to give her an explanation."

Lin Ruhai finally let out a long sigh and nodded in satisfaction: "You still have some conscience."

In fact, Lin Ruhai also understood that the emperor actually agreed to his proposal to send Jia Lian away, which was very telling.

When Lin Ruhai returned to the Qianqing Palace, he heard a fierce argument.

"You can set up new departments under the six ministries and appoint more assistant ministers, but you absolutely cannot set up new ministries."

"If Your Majesty insists on doing what he wants, then I beg for my bones!"

"After the rapid expansion of the court, it is time to stop and consolidate. Focus on domestic affairs and stabilize the internal affairs, then you will have the energy to go out. As the saying goes, you need to keep your fists in reserve so that you can have strength to strike out."

"There are so many officials in and outside the court, including the Minister of the Honglu Temple and the Vice Minister of the Research and Development Department. Why must Jia Buqi be appointed?"

"I am old, so let Jia Buqi be the Minister of Works, so I can retire in my old age."

When Lin Ruhai heard this, he stopped and refused to move forward, just paced outside the door.

Qiu Shian appeared like a ghost: "Why is Prime Minister Lin hesitating?"

Lin Ruhai smiled calmly and responded: "There are some things I haven't figured out."

"Your Majesty, first the tillers have their land, then the world can be united." This is Li Qing's voice.

Lin Ruhai guessed that this guy must have had private contact with Zhang Tingen and reached a tacit understanding.

The reason is very simple. Jia Lian advocated relaxing restrictions on industry and commerce. Although the fiscal revenue effect is obvious now, the cabinet officials still want to emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce.

The clearly defined social classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans were not allowed to be disrupted by the civil officials who came from a Confucian background.

In fact, this issue had caused a fierce conflict during the reign of Taizu because craftsmen were allowed to become officials.

If craftsmen can become officials, that is acceptable. However, if merchants can also become officials, that is absolutely unacceptable.

As for businessmen donating money to get official positions, that is not considered good enough. People with good family backgrounds can get real vacancies, but businessmen have no chance at all.

Therefore, how to arrange Jia Lian is just an appearance!

(End of this chapter)