Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 699 Teaching the Dragon-Slaying Technique

The idea that university graduates could directly become officials was limited to the Imperial University of Peking. Even so, it caused a huge uproar at the time, as many scholars considered it absolutely unacceptable.

But it was no use; the emperor supported it, the chief minister advocated for it, and it was forcibly passed.

This result threw both the successful candidates in the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations into a panic. Even those who had already become officials were alarmed. Promotion now required a master's degree obtained through correspondence courses.

Being an official is just too difficult, isn't it?

As I said before, opposition is futile.

After the Qianlong era began, the country's fiscal revenue was booming, and the situation was excellent both domestically and internationally. Some scholars were already advocating that the golden age was coming one after another, and that the students were surpassing their predecessors!

Emperor Li Yuan also felt that his achievements had actually surpassed those of his father, though he acknowledged that his achievements were built upon the foundation laid by his father.

He wasn't Emperor Qianlong; he was spending the wealth that Emperor Yongzheng had painstakingly accumulated, and he was constantly boasting about being a perfect old man.

Li Yuan was well aware of the reasons for the country's rapid development, so when Jia She died, he gave Jia Lian a seven-day leave. As a result, many officials secretly went to crickets, which was inhumane.

In fact, at that time, the military reform and the population census were at a critical juncture. Any problem could have led to failure.

After three years away, the changes in the family were enormous. Jia Quan accompanied Wang Xifeng to offer incense to Jia She. When they returned, Daiyu and Baochai had arrived. They chatted until Jia Lian returned home, and then went out together to greet him.

Jia Lian remained calm upon seeing his eldest son, and nodded slightly in response to his greeting, saying, "You performed well on this round-the-world voyage."

And then there were no more compliments.

Jia Quan remained calm about this, since although her father wasn't particularly strict with her growing up, he was also stingy with praise and compliments.

It's not that Jia Lian is bad at education; it's just that in his previous life he saw too many children who grew up with praise, mostly privileged second-generation rich kids who were useless.

If a person doesn't experience some pressure during their growth period, they really won't be able to handle things as an adult.

The environment in China isn't like in the West; good performances to garner votes are useless.
Those who talk big are often seen as immature.

Silence is worse than a hundred words!
The father and son sat facing each other in the study. Jia Quan initially said he could stand, but Jia Lian insisted without expression, so Jia Quan finally sat down.

The father and son talked about their round-the-world voyage, saying that it went relatively smoothly overall, mainly because the route was well-established and there were plenty of supply points along the way.

The so-called well-established shipping routes were mainly due to the fact that Spain and Portugal simply couldn't afford to offend the Zhou Empire. They also maintained strict vigilance around the fleet, constantly monitoring Zhou's forces along the way, hoping to force them to leave quickly.

When asked about the British response, Jia Lian said, "After more than a year of negotiations, the British expressed their willingness to take responsibility for the safety of the Indian Ocean shipping lanes, and only then did we give up and allow the fleet to return."

Jia Quan was quite qualified to speak on this matter, so he continued, "Britain's current focus is on France. When the fleet headed to Marseille, the British Navy followed closely behind. The French navy was not good, but the army really swept across Europe. The France we knew when we were in Britain and the France we knew after landing in Marseille seem to be two different countries."

"That's normal. Britain and France are sworn enemies and will continue to be hostile as long as a common enemy does not emerge. Britain pursues a policy of continental balance. Right now, Britain is supporting Prussia. The day Prussia achieves unification with the German Confederation and becomes fully powerful, the British will join forces with France to suppress Germany."

Jia Quan was quite surprised to hear this, after all, he was still young and inexperienced.

"Does Father mean that there is no such thing as friendship or treaty constraints among the European powers?"

Faced with this question, Jia Lian clearly told Jia Quan: "Remember, even if there are treaties, clearly written in black and white, the European powers may tear them up at any time. They follow the law of the jungle, social Darwinism. What we need to do is to be constantly wary of them, and if they dare to cross the line even slightly, break their legs. Only then will they behave. If you show even the slightest compromise when facing them, they will think of putting maximum pressure on you. In short, as long as we remain strong, they will remain rational. After all, East Asia is still too far from Europe."

Jia Quan silently remembered these words and would write them down in her notebook when she got back. She had been taught this since she was a child, and this was always on her mind.

"Jia Zhi's younger brother is now a local lord in Donghua Kingdom. When I arrived, he had even led his army to conquer a small American city and forced them to sign an agreement."

Jia Lian listened with great interest: "Oh, tell me in detail."

Jia Quan recounted his experiences in Donghua Kingdom in detail. Jia Lian listened attentively without interrupting him, waiting until Jia Quan finished speaking before speaking himself.

"Neither Xue Fang of the Xue family nor Jia Zhi are as courageous as Prince Li Heng of Donghua." Jia Lian's words stunned Jia Quan. How could he make such a comment?

Seeing Jia Quan's expression, Jia Lian continued calmly, "Right now, Latin America and South America are in a state of great chaos. If we don't seize the opportunity to take over territory now, when will we? Li Heng did the right thing; I would have done the same. Of course, once these countries are liberated and independent, we should immediately change our attitude, ease tensions, and avoid making too many enemies. I will write to Li Heng later, warning him not to be greedy. Donghua's main adversary is the United States. After taking over two Mexican provinces, we should stop immediately, and perhaps even return one province to unite with Mexico against the United States."

Jia Quan never expected that Jia Lian would attach so much importance to the United States.

"European powers are destined to enter an era of capital-dominated countries, which we can call capitalist countries for now. Capital has been inherently appreciating since its inception, and it abhors all risks and uncertainties. As you have seen in Europe, constant wars will bring a large number of immigrants and capital to the United States."

Seeing Jia Quan's blank expression, Jia Lian hesitated for a long time before saying, "Wait!"

After speaking, Jia Lian turned around, took out a key, opened the drawer, took out a handwritten copy, carefully locked the drawer, and then turned back.

"Take it home and look at it secretly. Don't tell anyone, not even your wife. If your son turns out to be a good person, don't show him this either."

Jia Quan suppressed his curiosity and took the handwritten copy. Jia Lian waved his hand, indicating that he could go back.

After Jia Quan got up to say goodbye, he carefully put the copy away and returned home. His wife looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Ignoring his wife's gaze, Jia Quan first put the copy away in the study and locked it before returning to the bedroom.

Another sleepless night passed, and the next day Jia Quan woke up late. After washing up, he went to see Wang Xifeng. Only after returning to his study did he finally have a chance to close the door, unlock it, and take out the copy. He hesitated for a while about whether to circulate it, but in the end, Jia Lian decided against it. After a private conversation between father and son, Jia Lian felt that Jia Quan indeed had a certain level of cognitive ability, so he took it out, but forbade him to tell anyone else.

Thinking of her father's serious expression last night, Jia Quan took a deep breath and continued turning the page.

A whole new world appeared before Jia Quan.

Yes, this is still a basic version, intended for middle school students. But for Jia Quan, what he saw was a world filled with fear.

Jia Quan spent the entire day in the study, eating simple snacks for lunch there. The book seemed to possess a magical quality, explaining all the principles of human life.

Of course, this is on the premise that you can understand it and it's not just for passing an exam.

That's how many things are; of course, it's an advantage of the education system.

The principles are all in the book; once you've learned them, it's up to you to apply them.

Aside from sleeping, Jia Quan stayed in the study for three days straight.

When Jia Quan walked out of the study, his eyes were glazed over, which startled the maids and servants, who thought he had gone hysterical.

Fortunately, Jia Quan quickly regained his composure, preventing the situation from escalating. This reaction was quite normal, given his upbringing in the Jia family, especially in the capital. With his high status, broad perspective, and ample information, reading this book was simply a matter of mastering the art of dragon slaying.
This book at least solves a problem that has puzzled Jia Quan for a long time: why Jia Lian has a bad reputation among the gentry.

Jia Quan was very curious about one question: Did his father have a way to solve the cycle of dynastic change and the cycle of order and chaos?

After taking a bath and changing clothes, Jia Quan greeted the Grand Secretary as he returned home from get off work.

Seeing the confused look in his eldest son Jia Lian's eyes, he nodded in satisfaction. At this age, at this level, and after circumnavigating the globe, if he wasn't confused after reading a copy, then he was completely oblivious.

In short, chaos is the way to go.

After patiently waiting until after dinner, when only the father and son were left in the study, Jia Quan couldn't wait to ask, "Father, why is the subtitle 'A Summary of Research on the Current State of European History and Society'?"

Jia Lian looked at Jia Quan in silence, because this thing was a summary of observations of European society—European experience and conclusions.

"China is unique in the world, which is determined by its geographical environment and the course of its civilization. Europe is still a feudal system, as you have probably seen in Europe. China, on the other hand, has been on the path of monarchical centralization since Qin Shi Huang unified the country, reaching its peak in the present dynasty. This is why Chinese civilization has always been ahead of the world. Europe's electoral system is essentially about who can win votes, which ultimately leads to a situation where the elected government lacks the ability to govern the country. This results in the country being controlled by a few people who control capital."

Jia Quan seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to understand, but it didn't matter; he picked up his pen and carefully took notes.

"Father, why do you say that wars are destined to break out between capitalist countries? Can't the issue of market distribution be resolved through negotiation?"

"This is a good question. We need to go back to the previous definition of capital. The pursuit of ever-increasing capital is destined to drive conflicts between countries over their respective market share of capital..."

Jia Lian wasn't sure how much Jia Quan actually understood, since even he himself couldn't say he had fully grasped the theory.

Of course, Jia Quan's thoughts were very simple. Especially considering what his father had done, Jia Quan was certain that a wave of capitalism belonging to the country would definitely break out in the future.

As for now, the imperial court still maintains a control and suppression over capital, and the status of businessmen within the overall national atmosphere is still not high.

Jia Quan understood why merchants were ranked last among the four classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants: it was because once a merchant became too powerful, their destructive potential was astonishing.

My father's involvement in state-owned enterprises was aimed at keeping capital in the hands of the state. As the last sentence in the book says, capital should be a supporting force for developing productivity, not a beast that only pursues value appreciation.

The idea that capital should be regulated by the state is a concept that Jia Lian conveys in his book, and he hopes that Jia Quan can understand it.

After confirming that only he had seen the copy, Jia Quan asked Jia Lian with great confusion why he hadn't shown the copy to the other brothers.

Jia Lian replied, "I don't even know if I should show it to you." Jia Quan immediately shut up.

Several days later, Jia Quan learned that Jia Shi had returned from the military camp and immediately went to visit him.

Lady You lived in a corner of the East Mansion, and Jia Shi's courtyard was right next to it. When Jia Quan arrived, Jia Wei was also there, and the three brothers naturally drank and chatted.

Jia Shi was the oldest, so when the three of them were together, he first recounted his experiences in Anxi. Then Jia Quan talked about his round-the-world voyage, which moved the youngest, Jia Wei.

"What my two elder brothers have seen is what I yearn for, but my parents are reluctant to let me go, so I am confined to the capital. Now I am learning to manage the family business from my father, and I am afraid I will never be able to travel far in this life."

Jia Quan smiled and comforted him, saying, "Brother Wei, don't be discouraged. Nowadays, technology is advanced. It only takes two days and three nights to get to Pukou by train. After you come of age, you can travel far by train. If you're still not satisfied after traveling all over the country, you can take a ship to Europe. Let me tell you, sailing at sea is really too tiring. If you're unlucky, you might even have to drink rotten water."

Jia Shi also laughed and said, "The ancients said that traveling ten thousand miles is a journey, but they didn't tell you how arduous the journey was, and marching is even more arduous. Marching on the edge of the desert is even more unbearable. On our way to Anxi, our army often went for half a month without bathing, and many soldiers had scabies. It's not so bad that we were exhausted from the long march, but after we settled down, the pain at night made it impossible for us to sleep, which was really terrible."

Jia Quan added, "It's good to want to broaden your horizons, but there's no need to make things difficult for yourself."

Jia Wei felt much better after hearing these words of comfort, and the three brothers continued drinking and boasting without mentioning anything else.

When it comes to the Jia family's upbringing, what is most praised in the capital is that the Jia family sons rarely went to brothels. Even if they did go, they would only visit briefly and then return home, never staying overnight.

What Jia Shi didn't know was that the report he brought back mentioned a piece of information that Jia Lian was quite concerned about: within the former Prince of Anxi's sphere of influence, there was a sect that believed in the Unborn Mother.

(End of this chapter)