Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 640: Whoever flirts first is cheap
So flexible, so incredibly flexible!
This is the attitude of a scholar. If I make a fuss and you ignore me, I can still learn practical skills, as long as it doesn't hinder my progress.

The Shandong governor who accompanied the delegation confirmed the railway school's statement.

Jia Lian believed that organizing training courses, even short-term ones, was a good thing.

Well, human nature is a very complex thing. In most cases, people's thoughts and behaviors are driven by self-interest.

Of course, Jia Lian did not approve of this matter immediately, fearing that if he agreed too quickly, it would be worthless.

"Last month, we sent a letter to Beijing, expressing our lack of qualified teachers and requesting their assistance. Now that we're going to hold training courses, do we have enough teachers?"

As Jia Lian spoke, he didn't look at the Shandong governor and the principal, but instead turned his head to look around, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

The Shandong governor was a sensible man. He stepped forward and said in a low voice, "There are no other places with teachers of practical learning. The local area is facing difficulties, and we ask for your support, Your Excellency."

Every official knows that Jia Lian's word is law when it comes to modern education. In the past, it wouldn't have mattered, since they weren't competing on the same track. But now, things are different. Li Yuan directly forced education departments at all levels to include practical learning content in the provincial examinations, and then added practical learning to the palace examinations and the examinations for junior officials. Educational institutions that couldn't provide the corresponding qualifications would find their status difficult to guarantee.

Speaking of the most ruthless and studious people, aren't they the education officials at all levels under the Ministry of Rites?
Despite the commotion, it was useless. Firstly, no one at the top took the lead, and secondly, the emperor and the court were currently in a position of power, so the cost and benefit of the protests from below were disproportionate.

"Since the governor has said so, let's set up a training course. But the cost must be high, and the teachers can't work for free."

With a smile, Jia Lian's words sealed the deal, and the officials following the Shandong governor turned green with rage.

You used to disdain practical learning, but now you have to spend money to learn it, and then you have to say thank you.

Jia Lian couldn't help but recall the famous scene from the White House negotiations and the classic line: "Did you say thank you?"

Fortunately, Mr. Jia only charged tuition fees and didn't ask for your family's wealth, so he didn't lose much of his conscience or need to be shameless.

After inspecting the school, as he was preparing to leave, the Shandong governor leaned closer and asked, "I just received news that the Duke Yansheng has arrived! Would you like to take a look...?"

Jia Lian looked at the Shandong governor with a forced smile and said, "What? Are you trying to intimidate me with the Duke of Yansheng?"

The Shandong governor smiled awkwardly; such bluntness was hardly befitting of someone in officialdom. In truth, the Shandong governor understood that Jia Lian's current position allowed him to act as he pleased.

It's like someone with a Fenghua accent saying, "Why don't you speak more clearly?"

The underlying logic is the same; if I care, I'll admit defeat.

"My lord, this... practical learning is also a branch of Confucianism." The Shandong governor stammered, unable to find the right words. He couldn't very well use the Duke of Yansheng to pressure Jia Lian.

Jia Lian chuckled upon hearing this, then turned to the principal and asked, "What? Didn't you invite the Duke of Yansheng to the start of the semester?"

The dean of the engineering college calmly replied, "We invited him, but he didn't come! He even said he was ashamed to be associated with him!"

Jia Lian laughed heartily and said, "You're implicated because of me. Back when I was suppressing the rebellion in Jining, I didn't get to pay my respects to the Duke Yansheng. But how should I put it? Even if I went to Qufu, there wouldn't be much to see. We've been reading the sage's books since childhood, and there are statues of the sage in the Confucian Temple. If I had to name a special product of the Confucius family in Qufu, it would be the surrender document to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. That would be truly unique."

Jia Lian's words in front of everyone terrified them, and no one dared to speak again.

Many officials looked angry and glared at Jia Lian, but dared not step forward. They just stood there and watched him get into the car and leave.

The Shandong governor in the carriage trembled violently, filled with deep regret. What could have driven him to mention the Duke of Yansheng in front of Jia Lian, only to hear such horrifying words?

It's a pity he wasn't Jia Lian, otherwise he would have known that there was more than one letter of surrender to the foreign tribes.

"Your Excellency, haven't you gone too far?" the Shandong governor asked cautiously. Sitting diagonally opposite him, Jia Lian replied calmly, "A sage is a sage, and the Confucian family is the Confucian family. I, Jia, respect the sage, but what does it have to do with the Confucian family? It's said that the virtue of a gentleman lasts for five generations. The sage has been gone for two thousand years; how many generations of Duke Yansheng have passed since then? The sage is indeed a teacher for all ages, but what about the Duke Yansheng? What contributions has he made to the court and the people? Should I, a high-ranking official of the court, condescend to meet him? What a joke!"

Because of the flourishing of private newspapers, there are several newspapers in Jinan.

Those who understand the nature of the media know it all. They seem to dare to publish anything, but in reality, they know best who they can't afford to offend.

Jia Lian's words spread quickly, but the newspapers didn't mention them at all. Even after Jia Lian's special train departed, not a single word was mentioned.

Did they not want to earn this money? Not at all, they simply didn't dare. The reason was simple: Jia Lian was someone they could discuss physics with.

There were still many officials who were indignant. Sure enough, no sooner had Jia Lian left than officials from all over Shandong submitted dozens of memorials impeaching the traitor Jia.

When the memorial arrived in the capital, Fang Songren, who was in charge of this area, was dumbfounded. "Brother, you're too stubborn! You know it in your heart, but why didn't you just say it in public?"

After thinking it over, Fang Song took a piece of paper and wrote a sentence: "[Just kidding!]" Looking at it, he felt it was inappropriate, so he changed to another piece of paper: "[An inappropriate joke!]"

Now they're satisfied. They couldn't be stricter. Last month, the Fang family's housekeeper reported that they made tens of thousands of yuan selling gravel.

After handing it over to Lin Ruhai, Fang Song quickly left, saying he wasn't feeling well and went home.

A moment later, Lin Ruhai rushed out of his office looking for Fang Song. Upon learning that he was feeling unwell and had gone home to rest, he angrily cursed, "Damn it!"

Lin Ruhai's outburst alarmed Li Qing and others, who came out to inquire what had happened. Lin Ruhai knew that the matter could not be kept secret, and after everyone saw it, they all fell silent.

Pan Jixun grimaced, forcing back a laugh, and said, "Prime Minister Fang is truly a remarkable man!"

Yue Qi remained silent for a while before saying, "It's not too much."

After a moment's internal struggle, Li Qing decided that this was all the information he had and couldn't get Jia Lian under control, so he simply nodded and said, "Prime Minister Lin, there's no need to be angry. Just present it to the Emperor like this."

Lin Ruhai never expected that a group of people who were usually outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds would be so harmonious at this moment.

"Alright, then let's present it like this." After Lin Ruhai finished speaking, he immediately sent someone to deliver it to the Emperor. The Secretariat received the memorial forwarded by the Cabinet and Fang Song's reply. After reading it, they dared not do anything and immediately sent it to Li Yuan.

Li Yuanzheng was annoyed by two things: the Crown Prince's tutor and the unsatisfactory initial draft of the "Veritable Records of Emperor Renzong".

The Ministry of Rites provided a list, but Li Yuan was dissatisfied with it, as it consisted of pedantic scholars who had spent their lives studying the classics, which he feared might corrupt the Crown Prince. As for the latter, the Hanlin Academy had produced a major report, offering considerable criticism, even vehement, on some of Emperor Chenghui's reforms. The reform of merging the poll tax into the land tax was particularly criticized, with some allegations of it driving gentry to suicide. Therefore, when the memorial was presented to Li Yuan, he opened it with the intention of clearing his mind, and his headache, chest tightness, and even a smile appeared on his face.

"Hu Min, go and fetch the 'Emperor Taizu's Notes'."

The "Taizu's Notebook" is kept in the Secret Guard Archives. It contains very little content, just a single notebook, which is sealed in an envelope. Every time it is opened and read, it is put back and sealed again.

After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he specially invited it out for a look, and it has not been returned yet, but is kept in his palace.

Hu Min left in a hurry and returned quickly. Li Yuan opened the Emperor Taizu's notes, turned to a page, and indeed found the sentence: "The Dongping Iron Cavalry was ordered to guard the Kong Mansion thoroughly."

After confirming that he hadn't misremembered, Li Yuan had Hu Min send it back. Upon reading the memorials impeaching Jia Lian again, his mood was completely different.

Without a doubt, Emperor Taizu was dissatisfied with Qufu. And let alone Emperor Taizu, even the Emperor's father was dissatisfied with Qufu. It's likely that anyone with a sound mind would be dissatisfied with any emperor.

Upon reading Jia Lian's original words, Li Yuan chuckled, took out paper and pen, and wrote a reply: "[A high-ranking official of the court, speaking without regard for the occasion and the gravity of the situation, is hereby punished with three years' salary.]"

After the reply was forwarded to the Cabinet, Lin Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief and indicated that the original document should be kept on file and multiple copies of the reply should be made.

It's nothing serious!
The Ministry of Justice, which relayed information up and down the chain of command, was relieved to receive the reply and knew that there would be no trouble. They were also relieved that they wouldn't have too much work to do recently and could relax for a few days.

Near the end of the workday, a memorial from the Shandong Circuit Censor arrived. After reading it, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review was utterly dismayed.

This memorial is quite serious. The Shandong Circuit Censor impeached the Prefect of Qufu, the General of Shandong, the Provincial Treasurer of Shandong, and the Governor of Shandong for serious dereliction of duty as their principal officials.

The reason given was also clear: to indulge the Duke Yansheng and allow him to leave his fiefdom without imperial decree.

Whether they were princes or those with real titles, there was a clear rule that they could not leave their fiefdoms without imperial decree.

The same applies to the Duke Yansheng; he cannot leave his fiefdom without an imperial decree. When Jia Lian went south on an inspection tour, the Duke Yansheng arrived in Jinan, but the Shandong officials ignored him.

This is undoubtedly making a mountain out of a molehill. Could the Duke of Yansheng possibly rebel? So, as long as he doesn't leave Shandong, officials generally won't care about this. At most, they'll send people to protect him to prevent any trouble.

The problem is that this time it's different. If what Jia Lian said in Jinan was just circulating privately, it wouldn't matter. But if it's used as a charge to impeach Jia Lian, then the nature of the matter is different.

I'll say it again: you think you're the only one who can impeach, huh?
Jia Lian was not without supporters; in fact, he had many, especially a group of officials with similar interests.

Coincidentally, the Shandong Circuit Censor was an official who approved of and supported Jia Lian.

Why didn't the Shandong governor and the three provincial authorities suppress the impeachment of Jia Lian for disrespecting and speaking disrespectfully to the Empress Dowager?
Do you really think all members of the Jia faction are good-tempered? Do you really think they won't fight back after being attacked?

The memorial was delivered to the cabinet before the end of the workday. The Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, forced to work overtime, sat in his chair and sighed helplessly. This job is truly inhuman. Especially lately, it's been terrifying!
It's bad enough that the emperor is constantly causing trouble, but now the officials below him are also becoming unruly. Could you please have some sympathy for this old man responsible for relaying messages from top to bottom?

On the cabinet side, Fang Song claimed to be ill, and his memorials were sent directly to Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai, who was about to get up and go home after get off work, also felt like dying when he saw the memorial.

You won't settle down unless you stir up some trouble, right?

Alright, let me show you that the Grand Secretary is not someone to be trifled with.

Lin Ruhai sent someone to the Ministry of Justice to confirm whether the previous reply regarding the impeachment of Jia Lian had been issued. Upon learning that it had not been issued, Lin Ruhai immediately called a halt to the process.

He took Li Yuan's previous reply and the memorial from the Shandong Circuit Censor and went directly to the palace to see Li Yuan.

This made it even harder for the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs to leave work, forcing him to continue his miserable overtime work.

Li Yuan was completely unprepared for Lin Ruhai's request to see him and was quite surprised, but he still allowed him to have an audience immediately.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has been negligent in his duties. It is thanks to the timely report from the Shandong Circuit Censor that we were able to avoid making a mistake."

Li Yuan was a little confused: "Prime Minister Lin, why did it have to come to this?"

After Lin Ruhai presented the memorial to the Shandong Circuit Censor, he explained, "Your humble servant has already stopped the Office of Transmission and halted the previous reply process."

After reading the memorial, Li Yuan fell silent. His thoughts differed slightly from Lin Ruhai's; his feelings were as follows: ["The one who starts it is the one who's shrewish!"]

You're already being kind by not finding fault with yourself, and yet you go and try to play the victim. Well, now you've been caught red-handed!
Even if some regulations are no longer taken seriously or are not enforced, it does not mean that the regulations no longer exist.

"What does Lin Qing think?" Li Yuan knew that things couldn't be resolved peacefully, otherwise Lin Ruhai wouldn't have come in person, walking several hundred meters.

"Those who leave their fiefdoms without authorization must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others. Their titles shall be revoked and replaced with those of higher rank. The Shandong governor and other officials who neglect their duties shall be dismissed as a deterrent."

Li Yuan was well aware that since the founding emperor, successive emperors had not been so strict in their control over the Confucius Mansion. As long as it didn't go too far, they would usually let it slide. After the Prince of Dongping was forced to flee to the northeast, the Shandong local army's control over the Confucius Mansion now seemed to be merely nominal.

If everyone behaves and acts honestly and conscientiously, this is not a big deal.

But things are different now. You dare to use the Duke of Yansheng to pressure a high-ranking official of the first rank. Will you dare to use the Duke of Yansheng to pressure a high-ranking official of the first rank tomorrow?

This is a matter of subjective judgment; I don't need to know what you think, I only need to know what I think.

“Yes, let’s do as Lin Qing wishes.” Li Yuan agreed to Lin Ruhai’s suggestion without any hesitation.

When Lin Ruhai returned to the cabinet, no one else left either. It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but that they couldn't, since the Grand Secretary hadn't left work yet.

"Gentlemen, the imperial edict..." After Lin Ruhai "transmitted" the emperor's message, the crowd's emotions were extremely complex and varied. Some were heavy-hearted, some were indifferent, and some were just watching the show.

No one dared to speak out against it at this time; even if they wanted to offer an explanation, they wouldn't dare, as it would be a serious taboo. If you support the Duke of Yansheng leaving Qufu without imperial decree today, will you support the Prince of Luo leading troops into the capital tomorrow?
(End of this chapter)