Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 576 Dark under the lamp

Jia Lian knew very well that people should not be spoiled. The reason for doing this was simply to reassure Li Heng and stop him from causing trouble.

The next day, after Jia Rong replied, Li Heng heard the answer from his trusted eunuch and nodded with satisfaction: "Good! He still has me in his eyes!"

The deeper meaning is that Li Heng thought Jia Lian still had higher hopes for him, otherwise, given that guy's bad temper, it was not impossible for him to slap the prince in person.

As for worrying about how Jia Lian would change his attitude in the future, Li Heng didn't have too many thoughts.

Jia Lian’s image in the court has always been fixed: His Majesty’s loyal dog and lone minister.

If a minister of low birth had this character, there wouldn't be much of a problem. But Jia Lian is different. He is one of the few people who can achieve this with his family background.

He dares to do things, is capable of doing things, and is not afraid of offending people. If it were any other minister, he would have been beaten to death long ago.

The reason why Jia Lian could stay alive and well was that he was good at fighting and that he was protected by the emperor.

Li Heng's matter came to an end, and the work on the construction site was completely underway, so Jia Lian had no time to think about anything else.

I get up early every day and inspect the construction sites. It seems that everything is normal, but those who know the details know that most of the people who undertake the projects have relatives of officers. Many of these people's relatives and clansmen can find a job in various factories. Shenji Town is even more special, and ordinary soldiers can get a recruitment quota.

Through interests, Jia Lian has firmly bound Shenji Town, and a large number of middle and low-level officers in the three major camps in the capital know whose care the extra income comes from.

For example, the cement factory and the glass factory, which are destined to make money, would they normally be the ones to take over? Wasn't it because Young Master Jia couldn't bear to see the hard life of the soldiers that he gave them a hand?

All I can say is that Chinese people know how to make a fortune in silence. Many things cannot withstand investigation, so someone has to investigate, right?
The officers and soldiers of Xishan Town have been with Jia Lian through thick and thin. What's wrong with the young master taking care of them? If you're not convinced, why don't you follow him to the battlefield and try?

The key point is that Jia Lian never takes care of the high officials, but only the low officials. This is hard to explain, as anyone with ambition will try to bribe high officials.

For example, Li Heng did not even look at officials below the fourth rank. Li Yuan was also like this before.

In addition to Shenji Town, the First Town of the Nanyang New Army and the Nanyang Navy are probably of the same model.

It can be understood that Jia Lian’s words are more effective than those of his immediate superiors among the middle and lower-level officers in the army.

The reason why Jia Lian did not develop his power in the traditional civil service team is very simple: they cannot pee in the same pot.

In contrast, technical bureaucrats and military officers are different. They value ability more and will obey whoever has ability.

The key is that the combat effectiveness and cohesion of this group of people are obviously stronger than traditional civil servants.

It can only be said that Jia Lian made many painstaking arrangements for the sake of his own and his family's future.

Wasn't there a Dragon Guard keeping an eye on Jia Lian? Of course there was. The emperor had to take precautions, but Jia Lian never made friends with high-ranking officials. Even if there were two cabinet ministers, one was his mentor and the other was his father-in-law. You can't say he was forming cliques or forming a party for personal gain, right?
People of this era have blind spots in their thinking. They simply cannot imagine that as long as Jia Lian is willing, he can raise an armed force of tens of thousands of people in two or three days.

All I can say is that it is dark under the lamp, and what happens is unexpected.

Jia Lian was building the road and needed all kinds of raw materials. It was such a huge deal that many people were jealous, but no one dared to take a chance.

It is definitely not possible to eat alone, so Qiu Shian still got some benefits, and he generously shared them with his subordinates. Eunuchs cannot come out, but family relatives can come out.

You can make a lot of money by organizing some people to do transportation. The largest carriage and horse business in the capital is an industry started by a group of eunuchs.

Jia Lian has to take care of the local forces. The roads will be repaired, drainage ditches will be built on both sides of the roads, and trees will be planted. These are all benefits to the local area.

I still say that, why should others follow you and work hard? Even if they are cheering for you, you still have to pay for their food, drinks and running errands, right?

The project lasted a long time, and it was impossible for Jia Lian to go to the construction site all day. It took him a month to get everything basically sorted out. After getting into the state, Jia Lian returned to the yamen-the central axis of the family.

In July, the emperor was still staying in the imperial estate in Xishan to escape the summer heat. He did not go far, unlike some emperors who went directly to Rehe.

"Master has become tanned these days." Wang Xifeng looked at Jia Lian, feeling distressed. This was a support for her and the Jia family. Judging from his age, he still had at least another 30 years of glory.

Leading the maid to come in, Wang Xifeng pushed him onto the recliner and refused to let Jia Lian move.

Ping'er and Guixiang helped her change clothes, Yuanyang and Xiren helped her take off her shoes, Qingwen served her tea, and Xiangling brought her hot towels.

This level of enjoyment is incomparable to that of the pirates who came ashore in Europe.

"Where are Daiyu and Baochai?" Jia Lian leaned comfortably, squinting his eyes and feeling drowsy. He felt sleepy after being served so comfortably.

"They feel too hot and stay in their respective courtyards. Let's send someone to call them back." Wang Xifeng felt sad. The master's heart had been taken away by these two.

"How is your family doing lately?" Jia Lian had been away for twenty days, traveling from the capital to Tianjin under the wind and sun, which was indeed very tiring. Even more tiring was the distribution of benefits, which was hard to describe in a few words.

"Everything is fine, except that a few female relatives from the Shi family came recently and complained a little while chatting." It seemed like a casual chat, but in fact Wang Xifeng was complaining without making a sound.

"What are you complaining about? Tell me I'm happy." Jia Lian almost sneered. Those useless people from the Shi family wanted to ask for benefits. The Wang family and the Xue family were not allowed to get involved.

"What else can I complain about? It's just that the master made such a big fuss, but the Shi family didn't have anything to do with it. The old lady was unhappy when she heard it, and she immediately scolded them. It's nothing to blame the master for the failure of your own man." Wang Xifeng was still angry when she talked about this, thinking that this family was really ignorant. Jia Lian didn't let the people of the Jia family get involved, so who do you think you are?
Well, it's no wonder that historians complained. The total funding for this project was 10 million. If Jia Lian had relaxed a little, he could have earned tens or even hundreds of thousands.

"A third-rank official has emerged in the Shi family, and they are getting excited again." Jia Lian couldn't help but say something sarcastic. Wang Xifeng smiled with her hands covering her mouth, and thought to herself: I have been promoted to the second rank.

"By the way, a girl from the Shi family came over and said she wants to stay for a while. She's already sixteen years old, and all she does all day is wield swords and spears. She gets along well with Tanchun." Wang Xifeng mentioned Tanchun cautiously, to see how Jia Lian would react.

"Tanchun, I haven't seen you for a while. Yingchun hasn't been back to her parents' home for a while either." Jia Lian couldn't help but feel dazed. There was also Xichun, whom he rarely saw on weekdays.

"Madam Rong of the East Mansion is looking for a reliable in-law for Xichun and asked me to help ask. But where should I ask? We still have to rely on the master for this matter." Wang Xifeng deliberately mentioned Xichun, which showed that her mentality had changed a lot.

After mentioning Tanchun, Jia Lian immediately thought of Baoyu and sat up straight: "Where is Baoyu? What are you busy with recently?"

"What else can he be busy with? He's out all day and his wife rarely sees him. Recently, he's been obsessed with a girl named Pingping, and he's been a hardworking son every day. His wife is always worried."

Jia Lian could not help but raise his eyebrows at this complaint: "Where did he get so much money? Who took him there?" Wang Xifeng hesitated for a moment and stammered: "Qin Zhong, the eldest lady's brother in the East Palace, is very close to Baoyu and often invites him to go out and play together."

Jia Lian's first impression was that this bastard Jia Rong was setting a trap for Baoyu, but after careful consideration, he realized that this was really unnecessary.

After Jia Zhen passed away, Jia Rong took charge of the East Palace. In the West Palace, the second house seemed to be invisible, and Jia Zheng had not been home for many years.

It can be seen that when no one is watching over him, Baoyu lets himself go. Spending money is a small matter, but the only thing is that he is afraid of being led astray by others.

"As a sister-in-law, you have to pay attention to Tanchun's marriage. By the way, where is Second Uncle Zheng doing now?"

Just from this one sentence, we can see how much Jia Lian doesn't care about the second wife.

"He wrote at the beginning of the year. He is now serving as an education official in Shandong. He said that his term of office is about to end and he will be able to return to Beijing in the fall to report on his work. The main reason is that Huan Lao San has reached the age of getting married, and Second Uncle Zheng is worried about him."

As Wang Xifeng was speaking, she discovered that Jia Lian had actually fallen asleep, which showed how little he cared about the second wife.

Signaling to irrelevant people to leave, Yuanyang and Xiren took turns fanning themselves.

Jia Lian woke up after dark. He had a comfortable sleep. Wang Xifeng personally served him while he washed and dressed. Jia Lian suddenly asked, "How about bringing Uncle Zheng back to the capital?"

Wang Xifeng was stunned for a moment, but did not ask any more questions: "Master, if you think it is appropriate, then let's do it."

Jia Lian reached out and took a look, then patted his back: "Don't think too much, I just think that Uncle Zheng's return will be less troublesome than being outside."

How can we explain this? Jia Lian himself said that his relationship with the second wife was just average. Would outsiders see it that way? Would they believe it?
Everyone knows how big families play. If someone can't curry favor with Jia Lian, is it okay to curry favor with Jia Zheng?

Wang Xifeng let Jia Lian's hands do what he wanted, twisting her body slightly more, panting: "Master, it's still early, let's eat first."

Jia Lian ignored what she said and continued to increase his efforts.

When Jia Lian came out, Ping Er looked back curiously, but didn't see Wang Xifeng, so she asked, "Where's the young lady?"

"She said she wanted to lie down for a while so that she could have another son." Jia Lian's explanation was straightforward. Ping'er spat, "Fortunately I was watching outside, otherwise someone would have heard it."

"Well, good Ping'er, you are so considerate." Jia Lian was not honest again, Ping'er twisted her waist to avoid him: "Sir, don't make trouble, I am not a lady, I can rest whenever I want."

Yuanyang and Xiren were serving at the table. During the meal, Ping'er whispered, "According to the old lady, Rongguo Mansion needs to be renovated and the north side needs to be expanded."

"The Duke's Mansion has its own rules and regulations, which cannot be violated. Let Madam Lai give up this idea." Jia Lian said it very bluntly, for Yuanyang and Xiren to hear.

"What the old lady meant was that Baoyu has grown up! There will be more people in the family in the future, and they are worried that there won't be enough room to live here." Ping'er tried to be as tactful as possible.

"Hmm!" Jia Lian continued to eat without stopping his chopsticks, and did not say anything, which meant that he would not change his mind. Repair and renovation were no problem, but don't even think about expanding it.

After dinner, Jia Lian left and went to Daiyu's place. Zijuan welcomed him in and sniffed: "You smell like the Second Madam all over you. Why don't you wash yourself before coming back?"

"If you continue to insult the Second Master, I'll make you accompany the servant." Jia Lian's threat had no harm value, so Zijuan didn't care. She wiped his face with a hot towel and complained as she wiped: "Madam Yu is very thoughtful, so it's better for her to be more careful."

"Well, Madam Yu is a good name. She really looks like a piece of jade." Jia Lian was talking nonsense. Daiyu got up from the room and listened as she went out.

Daiyu blushed when she realized what was happening and spat, "You told everything to others. You don't act like a master at all."

Jia Lian smiled and stretched out his arms to hug her. Daiyu tried to dodge but failed and was forced to sit on his lap.

"My Lord, I am not talking nonsense. It is warm in winter and cool in summer. Isn't it like a piece of jade?" Jia Lian continued to tease. Daiyu was anxious: "Are you still talking nonsense? I don't know who is trying to insult others."

Zijuan couldn't stand it anymore, so she turned around and left with the hot towel. These two really have a good relationship, and they always sleep together without a single thread. I don't know if it's the lady's preference or the master's.

"What are you looking at? Go out and wait." The two maids in the room were chased out by Zijuan. This couple really didn't know how to avoid people. It was all because of the bad habits brought by the master.

Inside the house, Daiyu sniffed and said, "Hey, go wash up."

Later, when they were lying together, Daiyu whispered to Jia Lian, "Father and mother are very worried and have asked several times."

Jia Lian smiled bitterly and said, "Let's work hard together. By the way, how is your brother's academic performance?"

"My father wanted to send him to Qingyun Academy, but my mother was reluctant. She also said that he couldn't learn any real skills there, so it would be better to send him to a technical school."

The two chatted like this, without any desire to sleep. After a while, the sound of talking died down, but the noise that had never been eliminated started up again.

Zijuan in the compartment heard it clearly and got up to prepare hot water and towels. What about the servant? I know it's a joke, but it's also inconvenient for the lady.

Looking at Xueyan who was still sleeping, Zijuan sighed. She thought that fools have good fortunes. She was really not worried about the future and felt that it was good to stay like this.

It was also luck. There were many maids watching the master in this room. If the master was a little loose, there would be twice as many maids in the backyard. If you don't believe it, look at the master in the east courtyard. There is not a single fish that escaped the net in the room. Even with such efforts, Master She did not send any good news.

The master is good in every way except that he is a little ridiculous sometimes and doesn't know how to avoid people.

This time it was exceptionally long, and Zijuan even dozed off, and only then did the room finally become quiet.

Zijuan carried the basin in. Daiyu was covered with a thin blanket and did not move. But Jia Lian got up and asked Zijuan to come over.

After a while of busy work, Daiyu was also asleep. Zijuan looked back at Jia Lian, who was smoking and daydreaming, not knowing what he was thinking.

Zijuan went out and came back with a new basin of water. Jia Lian wiped it himself and went back to lie down to rest.

Zijuan was finally able to sleep, but this didn't happen every day. When Jia Lian didn't come, she was very free.

(End of this chapter)