Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 574 Finding a Crime

"The charge of treason is too worthless, let's change it!" Zhang Tingen broke the stagnant atmosphere.

Now six people decide the major policies of the empire. Although Jia Lian's memorial seems absurd, they actually all understand it.

"Your Majesty, please pay attention to this. I am willing to reason with them, but they do not know how to cherish it. I am afraid that Jia Bushi will soon lose control of his anger." Pan Jixun kindly reminded him.

Where did Jia Lian's anger come from? The emperor knew it, and so did the ministers.

"No matter what, the charge of treason cannot be used. Otherwise it would be disgraceful. Let him think of a solution himself." Emperor Chenghui made the final decision. The so-called solution meant thinking of a charge.

Zhang Ting'en added: "Let Shuntian Prefecture and Tianjin Prefecture cooperate and don't make things too big."

Emperor Chenghui nodded in agreement, and the matter was settled. In this case, the railway was built by the imperial court, and it would be easy to find a crime if the local government did not cooperate.

In this era, the power of the government is really great, and there is basically no binding force.

Jia Lian took a look at the reply and threw it aside: "Do you still want to think of the charges? Someone come!"

The emperor and the cabinet's intention was very clear, just let it go. It may also be that they wanted to let Jia Lian vent his anger.

After the incident in the hall that day, the emperor and his ministers all felt a little guilty towards Jia Lian.

Fan Ping went out to do some work. When he came back to meet Jia Lian, he said indignantly, "Shuntian Prefecture said that power should not be used lightly. Ask us for evidence."

"You want evidence, right? Okay, I'll give him some evidence." Jia Lian said nothing and wrote another memorial, attaching a piece of evidence.

When Emperor Chenghui saw this memorial, he was overwhelmed. The evidence was solid that Jia Lian impeached Shuntian Prefecture for favoritism, abuse of power, and handling of the lawsuit.

Who is Shuntian Prefecture? Only the emperor's confidants can sit in this position. Now he is targeted by Jia Lian. He will be in trouble if he doesn't die.

"Idiot, let Long Dingshan claim to be ill for a year, and Li Heng will be the agent of Shuntian Prefecture. When the railway is repaired, you can come back."

Emperor Chenghui was annoyed because Shuntian Prefecture was ignorant. Was this the time to compete for favor?

Do you really think that after that scene in the hall, Jia Lian kept a low profile because he was a coward?

Emperor Chenghui knew very well that if he dared to hold on that day, Jia Lian would lead his troops to purge all the powerful and wealthy.

What is the foundation of power? It is violence! From the emperor's perspective, the army is used only as a last resort.

The so-called rights do not mean that people will listen to you because you are in a position, but that you are in a position because people listen to you.

Shuntian Prefecture was a typical example of a city that could not distinguish the priorities. Even Emperor Chenghui had to hold his nose and temporarily suspend the tax payment by the gentry in the face of opposition from 80% of the officials.

It's not impossible to promote it by force, but who among the officials in this world will do it? We can't just find an illiterate peasant, right?
In fact, Emperor Chenghui still looked up to the scholars in the world. If he really pushed hard, maybe he would succeed. Unfortunately, he didn't dare to take the risk.

As for Jia Lian, he undoubtedly did it on purpose that day. From that day on, Emperor Chenghui was too embarrassed to let him go out and bite people again.

From then on, Jia Lian was free to bite people. He would not bite people because of the above intentions, but would bite people only when necessary.

Shuntian prefect didn't see the situation clearly and thought Jia Lian had lost power, so he couldn't wait to show his displeasure. As long as Jia Lian fell in his hands, he would become famous and become the pioneer of Jia Lian.

Just as they were happily thinking about good things, Li Heng came to Shuntian Prefecture and conveyed the emperor's intention like a stupid dog: "Governor Long, please say you are sick."

"Third Prince, what do you mean? I'm fine!" Long Dingshan didn't react and thought he had heard it wrong.

Li Heng looked at him with disdain and said, "The R&D Department is such a big piece of fat meat, but I don't even dare to think about it. How many people have been involved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Imperial Clan, and the nobles and relatives? Have you ever counted? Okay, go home and lie down. Announce to the public that you want to recuperate. Don't leave the house for a year. I can't afford to lose face with this person."

Li Heng walked away while talking, ignoring Shuntianfu's pleas. He thought: [Tens of millions of silver dollars in the R&D Department's account, do you think I am not tempted? I dare not, because that is my father's private money. ]

This understanding cannot be said to be right or wrong, it depends on the situation.

Jia Lian would definitely spend such a large sum of money, and he would think about how to spend it as quickly as possible. The problem is that the money is not spent as quickly as it is earned, unless it is used for a large project.

So Jia Lian had a two-pronged approach, one was to build railways, the other was to build roads. He was planning to dredge the canal as well. Isn't there a governor of the canals? It's not easy to snatch someone else's job.

The railway is relatively short, after all, it is experimental, from Shijingshan to Tianjin, and the highway is relatively long. It is planned to build the official road from Beijing to Jinan. Later, it will be built to Yangzhou.

As the road is repaired, local governments will all benefit from it, and this is Jia Lian's personal calculation.

After the road is built, people can walk on it for free, but vehicles and horses will be charged. Anyway, Jia Lian has submitted a report, so it depends on the emperor's opinion.

When Emperor Chenghui saw the report, he was also very troubled and had to consult with the cabinet ministers.

"Why does Jia Buqi come up with one thing after another? Can the money in the R&D Department's account dance? Can it run on its own? Can't it stay in the account?" Li Qing was the one who strongly opposed it. He was not targeting Jia Lian, but a traditional way of thinking. If there is no money in the account, the court will have a hard time. You know, it has only been a few years since the court completely got rid of its financial difficulties.

Pan Jixun said: "According to Jia Buqi, this is called fixed assets. The road is repaired, and the caravans pass through, so the toll is reasonable. After all, cement is not cheap, and we need to buy sand and gravel, and we also need to hire manpower."

"I think he found a good deal for the cement factory." Yue Qi said in a sarcastic tone. It seemed that the last arms incident had been exposed.

Lin Ruhai said coldly: "The orders for the R&D Department's cement factory are all scheduled for half a year later. Now, if a wealthy family in the capital doesn't have cement floors, they will be too embarrassed to go out. The provincial capitals, prefectures and counties below all need to purchase cement to repair the city walls, and the supply is simply insufficient to meet the demand. This is an exclusive deal. Do you know what an exclusive deal is?"

Zhang Ting'en said, "According to this plan, it will cost 2 million yuan to build the railway, and it will only cost 3 million silver dollars to build a highway to Jinan. This amount of money is not a big pressure for the R&D Department."

It’s not that the calculation was wrong, but the silver dollar of that era had extremely strong purchasing power.

"Ever since the imperial court cracked down on private money and destroyed coins and tools, one silver dollar can be exchanged for eight hundred coins. This is not a small amount of money!" Li Qing still emphasized that this was too much money.

Pan Jixun was knowledgeable and smiled as he continued, "The change in the copper coin exchange rate is mainly due to the surge in overseas copper ingots from Guangzhou and Fuzhou in recent years. This is also the work of Jia Buqi."

Speaking of money, Emperor Chenghui said, "Some time ago, Jia Buqi suggested that the court issue some small-denomination silver dollar exchange coupons for easy carrying."

Zhang Tingen objected: "The banknotes issued by various banks are sufficient for the time being, there is no need to do anything more."

The other ministers immediately followed up and echoed Zhang Tingen's words. On this issue, the ministers were very vigilant of the emperor. The court minted coins based on how much silver it had. Private banks issued silver bills based on their reputation. If they couldn't exchange them, they could still find a way to get them. Does the court have credibility in issuing paper money?
The Jiaozi of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Baochao of the Ming Dynasty are all lessons from the past. You can't ask the emperor to settle the account if the court's paper money depreciates, right?
Therefore, no matter what, the court must be prevented from issuing silver notes and paper money, and this must be strictly guarded against.

Otherwise, if the emperor runs out of money, he will just print more money, and the country will be doomed.

From another perspective, if the emperor printed paper money and used it to buy things but could not exchange it for an equal amount of silver dollars, then that was robbery.

Although it was common for the emperor to rob, he would try his best to prevent it if possible.

The topic was dragged off the topic, and finally Lin Ruhai said: "Building roads is not a bad thing. If the emperor is not willing to build them, then build them. It will not be a bad thing for the court. It is reasonable to pay attention to the tolls. If you want to save money, you can take the small roads instead of the main roads."

"Speaking of copper ingots, Fuzhou reported to the emperor a while ago that Guangzhou was doing too well and Western merchant ships were unwilling to go north, so the income of Fuzhou Maritime Customs has dropped sharply." Li Qing brought up the issue again.

"You blame others for being too good when you are incompetent? What kind of logic is that?" Zhang Tingen said rudely. You know, Guangzhou is Jia Lian's political achievement, and he must protect it. What kind of teacher is that if he doesn't protect it!

Lin Ruhai sneered and said, "It is rumored that there are many Western merchant ships in Fuzhou that smuggle opium. This matter should be investigated by the Dragon Guard."

Well, Lin Ruhai is no pushover either. If you keep targeting Jia Lian for no reason, don't blame your father-in-law for protecting him.

After hearing this, Li Qing's face changed slightly and he stopped talking.

Emperor Chenghui didn't care about the opium issue. It was normal to smuggle contraband occasionally. The people below also need to make money, otherwise who would be an official? It's better than corruption.

While they were still discussing Jia Lian's memorial, Jia Lian had already started taking action.

The government sent people to post notices everywhere, saying that bandits have been appearing in Baiyangdian recently, and relevant personnel in all prefectures and counties are advised to be extra careful.

Soon, a merchant went to Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint and appeal for justice, saying that his cargo ship was robbed by pirates when it docked at night.

After listening to the report from the Tongzhi, Li Heng felt that this method was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

By the way, when I was in the Ministry of Public Administration, I saw the memorial submitted by Yunyang Prefecture, which said that the people were living in misery, bandits were rampant, and local gentry were colluding with the bandits to commit murder for money.

Well, it’s best not to find similar cases in the near future.

Soon, three days later, the Shenji Camp, which was ordered to suppress bandits, set out and went south along the canal. It is unknown how many bandits were suppressed along the way, but dozens of landlords and gentry who were suspected of colluding with the water bandits were arrested.

Li Heng was very angry when he heard the news. How could he tolerate Jia Buqi making money without taking me with him?
Jia Lian was still a very good person. He sent most of the captured gentry to Shuntian Prefecture for detention and interrogation, and a few to Tianjin Prefecture. Only then did Li Heng smile.

This matter caused a sensation for a while. The family members cried out for injustice. The government came out to explain (threaten) that they were just suspected, but did not say that they were colluding with the water bandits. If you continue to cause trouble, you will be treated as colluding with the water bandits.

The case of the water bandits here has not been resolved yet, and many people from the counties along the way have gone to the county government to file a complaint.

It is said that the gate of the government office faces south. If you have a reason but no money, don't come in. These unruly people, don't they really know how powerful the government office is? After eating up the plaintiff, they will eat up the defendant. I guarantee that every last drop of fat in your bones will be squeezed out.

What, you said the law? I am the law. Even if you are hundreds of kilometers away, I can sentence you to rape. Just rely on your confession. If you are said to be strong, then you are strong. If you are not convinced and want to appeal, then I will lock you up first. At least lock you up for two years. Otherwise, these unruly people don't know how powerful the law is.

Awesome, isn't it? Even Zhang Zongchang would admit defeat. Even Marshal Zhang, who dared to use a cannon to attack the Dragon King, couldn't afford to offend them.

Shuntian Prefecture's dissatisfaction soon turned into great pleasure. These landlords and gentry were all rich people. You could still get some money from the poor. If you want to get rich, you have to deal with the landlords and gentry.

If you want to get out of the prison, the conditions are very simple. First, you have to sign an agreement and sell part of the land. Second, you have to make arrangements with Shuntian Prefecture.

Those who acted quickly were released in three days. Their suspicions were cleared and they even set off firecrackers when they left the cell. Thank you, my Lord.

Gradually, all of these suspects were cleared of all charges, but there were still a few stubborn ones who refused to give in.

To be honest, Jia Lian thought he had heard it wrong. Who could be so tough?

Okay, if there is no evidence of collusion with the water bandits, then it shouldn't be difficult to find some evidence of his crimes of running rampant and bullying the villagers, right?
As a result, people dared to file complaints.

Jia Lian couldn't produce any evidence of collusion with the pirates, so he thought of forging it. However, after the people filed a complaint, he discovered that none of the landlords and gentry had any intention of doing so.

They did not collude with the river bandits, but they colluded with local black and gray social personnel, and over a hundred cases of injury and five homicides were uncovered.

Now it’s better to just do it for real.

In order to create a deterrent effect, Jia Lian specially asked people to find an open space to hold a public trial.

The crimes of these landlords and gentry were announced in public, and after the verdict was passed, they were taken directly to the temporary execution ground for shooting. The main purpose was to declare to the public that the shooting was merciful and that the bodies would be left intact.

If the person is beheaded, the family members will have to find someone to sew up the body after collecting it.

On the day of the public trial, there were thousands or even tens of thousands of people watching.

After some extremely evil gentry were shot, the people really knelt on the ground and cheered, "Master Qingtang."

The effect of this series of moves was really good. The land acquisition work was as fast as the wind compared to before.

There are indeed some rumors in the community, such as abusing power for personal gain, taking the opportunity to torture and rob, and imitating the old tricks of thieves.

But it was just a rumor, and no matter how honest the censor was, he would not dare to report it to the emperor.

Jia Buqi, this is not revenge. Once you have taken revenge, giving you one is called mercy, and giving your whole family is called revenge.

Because there really was a family, a father and a son, who set out on the journey together. Who can guarantee that they will not plot treason next time?
The claim of treason is also a rumor, and the person who said it has repeatedly stated that it should not be taken seriously.

But anyway, many people have read that memorial.

Even if the matter was stopped, who can guarantee that Jia Lian would really accuse you of treason in his rage?
At that time, at the very least, they would be exiled to the three tribes, and their female relatives would be sent to the Jiaofangsi. Oh, there is no Jiaofangsi now, and they are all sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for sale.

(End of this chapter)