Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 637 Pre-New Year Inspection
The questions for the palace examination were set by the emperor, so Li Yuan caught the candidates for the special examination, and even the entire civil service group, off guard.

A heated argument ensued among the cabinet ministers afterward, and Li Qing faced strong dissatisfaction from many, who believed he had colluded with the emperor to cause trouble for personal gain.

Li Qing cried out that he was wronged, arguing that the questions for the palace examination were always set by the emperor, and the Ministry of Rites had no say in the matter.

Besides, the printing of examination papers is not like it used to be. The emperor doesn't need the Ministry of Rites to do the work; the eunuch system can find places to print examination papers.

This explanation made perfect sense, so everyone had no choice but to give up.

Putting everything else aside, there are so many newspapers in the private sector, but there are only a dozen or so in the capital alone. They used to be printed using woodblock printing, but now they're all printed using movable type and machines.

Newspapers have evolved from being published monthly to now being published at least once a week, with several newspapers offering bi-weekly publications.

The efficiency gains brought about by technological advancements are obvious. When discussing the progress of printing technology, we cannot ignore the application and promotion of practical knowledge.

The most familiar change is the horse-drawn carriage. In the past, cabinet ministers rode in sedan chairs, but now they all ride in four-wheeled carriages.

The profession of sedan chair carrier still exists in the city, but it is not as prevalent as it used to be.

The main reason for switching to horse-drawn carriages was actually that there was no shortage of fine horses now. After the opening of the Western Regions, a large number of fine horses were transported back to the mainland, and the horses from the Western Regions were far superior to those from the grasslands.

Grassland horses are characterized by their endurance, but they are small in stature and cannot compare to the large horses of the Western Regions. The military values ​​the sprinting ability of the Western Regions horses more.

All these changes seem inseparable from technological advancements. The new rifles produced by these advancements, and the new army personally built by Jia Lian, defeated the northern threat that had persisted for two thousand years.

Now, the various tribes of the grasslands have returned to their state of singing and dancing.

The real changes brought about by practical learning are reflected in economic development, which in turn leads to an improvement in national finances.

These are all tangible things, legacies left by the late emperor.

The new emperor, Li Yuan, clearly told all scholars in the land, through the questions of the special imperial examination, which direction they should strive towards in the future.

Would the common people protest? Of course they would, but it would be useless. Scholars are just that cowardly; even when the imperial examination system was abolished at the end of the Qing Dynasty, they didn't cause much of a commotion.

In any era, no weapon of criticism can be more direct and effective than the criticism itself.

It was another workday, and the laborers in the Ministry of Works, with no interest in their work, gathered together to discuss the hottest topic of the day: the questions for the imperial examination.

"The front page of the Shilin Daily published an article by the old man from Yanshan, arguing again that a gentleman is not a tool. It subtly satirized the so-called practical learning, saying that it cannot be judged by reason."

"The Way is ever-changing. With so many people in this country, there can't be only one Way, can there?"

"For ordinary people, the so-called Daozhen is not as important as a bushel of millet."

"Is the philosophy of mind the Way, but practical learning is not? The former is so mysterious and profound, can it really lead to the goal of everyone becoming a sage?"

“Even sages need to eat; only when they are full can they study the Way. Therefore, the practical study of all things in the world is the foundation of all the Way.”

The Ministry of Works had many technical bureaucrats, so their discussions were somewhat unorthodox. Some agreed, while others naturally opposed.

"Haha, if you want to flatter someone, go do it in front of Master Jia. He can't hear you here."

"Bullshit! I genuinely value practical knowledge."

"Hey, hey, don't hit me!"

Jia Lian stood on the steps, watching the martial arts performance unfolding in the courtyard. Two officials were being pulled apart by their colleagues, exchanging insults about each other's immediate female relatives.

"Keep fighting! Keep fighting!" Jia Lian said with a half-smile, addressing the scene that had stopped.

Both sides hunched over and lowered their heads, neither daring to confront Jia Lian, despite being a few years older than him.

"What are you all standing around for? If you have nothing better to do, go clean the toilets." Jia Lian shouted, and everyone scattered like birds.

The atmosphere within the Ministry of Works has changed significantly, with a focus on practical work becoming the norm. This is mainly due to personnel changes. Jia Lian, on the other hand, shows absolutely no mercy to those who try to cheat or shirk their duties.

After summoning two vice ministers and giving them instructions, Jia Lian rose and went to the palace to bid farewell to the emperor.

Next, there will be a long inspection tour, and I will be back before the end of the year.

"Sir, I have reviewed the report on the Royal Coal and Iron Group's Phase II expansion project. Once completed, it will add 70,000 tons of annual production capacity to meet the growing demand for railway construction. The funds raised from the stock market are sufficient; it seems the stock market is a good thing. Unlike before, when we had to use the imperial treasury to do anything."

Li Yuan was very friendly and pulled Jia Lian to sit down for a chat. Jia Lian, seeing this, played the role of a good listener.

"I have an idea. Most of the imperial relatives are not very capable, and I can't just ignore them. Should I find them a way to make a living?"

Jia Lian couldn't avoid answering this question, but he still chose to counter with, "Why doesn't Your Majesty listen to their demands first?"

Li Yuan sneered repeatedly, "They want far more than that. They want important positions in the central bank, and they also want the royal vegetable (winter vegetable) base. They stole the glass factory's technology, but they can't make qualified glass, so they're eyeing taking over the glass factory directly. Not counting the central bank, just the vegetable base and the glass factory alone bring in three million taels of silver to my imperial treasury every year. If we give in to them, when will we ever be satisfied? You may not know, but they're also eyeing the sales channels for grain from Southeast Asia. The current stability of grain prices in the capital is entirely due to the import of grain from Southeast Asia. If we hand it over to them, the people will go hungry."

Jia Lian thought for a moment and said, "Those who are capable should be employed. As for those who are truly incapable, let's set up a special office for them. They don't need to do anything normally, but we'll find them something to do during holidays."

Being an emperor wasn't easy. He had a whole host of imperial relatives, and as long as they didn't rebel, he couldn't treat them harshly. In a sense, Jia Lian was also a member of the imperial family, albeit during the reign of Emperor Chenghui.

Of course, Jia Lian didn't need this identity.

Li Yuan sighed, "That's all we can do. I'm planning to set up a Royal Policy Research Institute and throw all the useless people in there to do nothing. We'll just support them. That Baoyu from the second branch of the Jia family has been getting quite close to Prince Bei Jing lately. The two of them are making arrangements to build a large theater. He certainly knows how to enjoy life."

"In the past, the late emperor gave Prince Bei Jing a monthly salary of 50,000 yuan, which was 600,000 yuan a year. If he spent it sparingly, it would be enough. As long as the main performer did not show up, opening a theater would not be a big deal."

Jia Lian did not understand Li Yuan's meaning, so he spoke rather cryptically.

Li Yuan said calmly, "Operating in theaters is ultimately a lowly profession. I'm afraid some people will say that I'm mistreating the descendants of the founding nobles."

Jia Lian understood and chuckled, saying, "These princes' annual salaries are all accounted for. If they want to cause trouble, it won't be attributed to Your Majesty. As for Baoyu, I will ask him." Li Yuan then smiled and said, "I'm worried that his misbehavior might damage the Jia family's reputation."

Having confirmed that nothing serious had happened, Jia Lian took his leave of the palace, as he was to inspect the construction progress of railway schools and engineering colleges across the country early the next morning.

In principle, officials in the capital were not allowed to leave the capital without a valid reason, so they needed the emperor's approval.

Upon returning to the Jia mansion, Jia Lian asked Wang Xifeng, "With things so busy at the end of the year, how is everything at home?"

As an old married couple, they rarely sit down to talk, so Wang Xifeng was quite happy to sit down and chat with them.

"Master recently took another concubine, and she drinks and makes merry every day. Her health is still pretty good. The old lady likes excitement, and with the end of the year approaching, Baoyu arranged for a theatrical troupe to come back. They've been setting up the stage these past few days. My aunt returned home yesterday." Wang Xifeng told Jia Lian about family matters, and Jia Lian listened patiently to her rambling.

"How is Baoyu now? I haven't heard from him for a while," Jia Lian asked casually.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Baoyu is unwilling to serve in the government, so he stays at home to help handle external affairs. It's more convenient for him to handle all aspects of things."

"I heard he's going to build a theater?" Jia Lian asked directly.

Wang Xifeng said, "That's true. He also wants to do something, but he doesn't know what to do. He thinks setting up a theater would be good. As his sister-in-law, I can't stop him."

Jia Lian thought to himself, "If your smile were any more sincere, I would have believed your lies. Well, so you're involved too."

It's acceptable for the second son of the wife to engage in a lowly profession.

"Stop the theater business. Tell him it was me who said it. Don't force me to take men and shut it down." Jia Lian coldly said, looking at Wang Xifeng with an unfriendly gaze.

Wang Xifeng lowered her head in fear and hid. She didn't stop Baoyu from fooling around, and the reason was simple: she just wanted to see the second wife's family make a fool of themselves.

"You shouldn't keep dwelling on the past affairs of the second branch. Things are different now. With my current status, I have to consider the reputation of the Jia family in every move I make. So what if the second branch lives in the middle courtyard? As long as the old lady is happy, that's all that matters. How many more years can she live? Just ignore what they say in the east wing. She's almost sixty years old and still doesn't know how to cultivate her character."

Jia Lian gave her a few words of advice, and Wang Xifeng nodded hurriedly, but she was not entirely convinced, saying, "After Second Uncle returned to the capital, the second branch of the family started to act arrogantly again."

"Harmony in the family brings prosperity in everything; we're all family after all. Don't be like my dad; he's just a good-for-nothing who doesn't know what good things he could possibly say."

Only after explaining things to Wang Xifeng did Jia Lian finally breathe a sigh of relief. In this era, the emphasis was on self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. Mishandling family matters and causing a public scandal was extremely shameful and damaged one's reputation.

In this era, a person's reputation is still very important.

Of course, Jia Lian's reputation in official circles was mixed, but he had a generally good reputation among the common people.

As for Prince Bei Jing, he was still young before, and although he has grown up now, he no longer has a political stage to play as a noble.

Jia Lian deserves a lot of credit for this.

To be honest, Jia Lian never took the Prince of Beijing seriously. The Prince of Dongping and the Prince of Xining, who once held great military power, had been forced to retreat. What was he compared to them?

That night, while sleeping at Wang Xifeng's place, he learned that Jia Lian was going out on an inspection tour. Wang Xifeng naturally asked him to bring a few close confidants with him, so that outsiders would not be able to take good care of him.

The real concern was that Jia Lian might bring back a few people from outside. Fortunately, Jia Lian's criminal record was relatively clean. Even the You sisters were people he had hooked up with from the East Mansion, so they couldn't be considered as people he brought back from outside.

When it comes to women, Wang Xifeng is quite satisfied. It's truly remarkable that Jia Lian, with such a high-ranking official position and noble background, has such a clean record.

At the age of thirty, when one is considered to be in a strong position, one is naturally more proactive after lying down. After some intimate moments of humming and moaning, while lying down to rest, Wang Xifeng started talking about the Jia family again.

"Yesterday, Rong-ge'er's wife came over and mentioned Master, saying that it's been a while since he went to the East Mansion, and Rong-ge'er keeps talking about it."

Jia Lian hummed in agreement, thinking to himself, "Is it Jia Rong who's been talking about it? Or is it Qin Keqing?"
Ugh, this mess is all Jia Rong's fault.

When Jia Lian got up in the morning and was washing up, Xi Ren came over and asked him which item he should take with him when he went out.
Jia Lian looked at Xixi's figure, which was much fuller after giving birth to a girl, and said, "If you want to come, then come. Just don't be afraid of hardship on the road. Let's make this clear first, you can only bring a maximum of four people with you this time."

Under normal circumstances, Jia Lian would need at least dozens of people with him when he went on a long trip, so bringing a few more maids wouldn't be a problem.

When Jia Lian went out, Xi Ren, Yuan Yang, Qing Wen, and Si Qi were waiting at the door.

In terms of age, they were no longer an advantage within the Jia family. Wang Xifeng had suggested adding a few more younger maids, but Jia Lian refused.

Escorted by dozens of mounted servants in two four-wheeled carriages, Jia Lian arrived at the train station, where a special train was ready to depart.

Railway officials were waiting there, and when Jia Lian arrived, a group of people went to greet him.

Although Jia Lian disliked ostentation, the train station was still under the control of the railway protection soldiers. When it came to Jia Lian's safety, his faction was more concerned than Jia Lian himself.

Jia Lian was aware that the railway patrol soldiers had switched to breech-loading paper rifles. The new rifles were now in mass production, and the wealthy railway bureau was the first to equip them.

Although the railway maintenance team appears small in size, it actually numbers around 6,000 people across numerous locations along the railway line. As the railway continues to extend, the team's size will likely grow even larger in the future.

The most advanced rifle at the Ordnance Research Institute isn't actually a breech-loading paper cartridge rifle; they've also developed a rifle with metal cartridges. This is top secret, and it's not currently in mass production—not because they lack the funds, but because it's unnecessary. Jia Lian wants to keep this, to give the enemy a surprise should an external war break out in the future.

The first stop on this inspection tour was Tianjin. After boarding the carriage, Jia Lian had some free time. While he was drinking tea and reading by the carriage window, several of his former maids were not idle. There were always people waiting to serve him.

All the enjoyment we experience in this era is created by people.

Looking at the women, Jia Lian's mind drifted to historical events. Without World War I and the White Feather Movement, the progress of many things would have been greatly delayed.

Industrialization and modernization are the inevitable path to a strong nation, and the many social problems that arise from them are also inevitable.

As time went on, the conflict between the Zhou Empire and the European powers was inevitable.

People today might not think that far ahead, but Jia Lian had to seriously consider this issue.

Geographically speaking, the Zhou Empire posed little threat on land; the real threat came from the sea. As for Japan and Korea, they would be quite suitable as cannon fodder.

(End of this chapter)