Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 724 Ask for advice
Li Wan is the type who can be brainwashed, but people born into this environment certainly have some knowledge and perspective. So after realizing something was wrong, she immediately turned to Jia Lian for advice, believing that listening to both sides leads to clarity!
The essence of governing a country is the distribution of wealth, and the right to distribute wealth comes from violent institutions such as the military.

If you have power, you must learn to use it in the right way.

Jia Lian patiently and methodically explained things to Li Wan in response to her question.

"Fei Yun is from Shanxi. What does Shanxi have? In the past, it had Shanxi merchants. Now, due to the rapid industrial development, the value of Shanxi's coal mines has greatly increased. Why does the imperial court station 10,000 troops in Taiyuan and Datong respectively? The official explanation is to guard against the uncertainty of the grassland tribes. Does Your Majesty know what the various grassland tribes' attitudes are towards the imperial court now? They're probably too busy dealing with them to bother with the border."

"Shen Lei is from Jiangnan, and the most powerful group of people in Jiangnan are the local gentry. They are still the mainstream people today. Behind Jiangnan's industry and commerce are mainly these people."

"The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more than enough and give to those who have less than enough; the way of man is to take from those who have less than enough and give to those who have more than enough. To govern a country, one must follow the way of Heaven and go against the will of the people, which is why it is so difficult."

"Finance is the foundation of national stability, and the lifeline of finance must never be handed over to the private sector. Industries that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood must be controlled by the imperial court, otherwise chaos will inevitably ensue in the long run."

"The railway appears to be primarily for freight transport, but it can be used to transport troops whenever the imperial court needs it. If it's handed over to private operators, who can guarantee that the trains will operate normally in critical moments?"

"When Your Majesty observes your ministers, you should judge them by their actions, not their intentions. Do not look at what they say, but at what they do. And see who benefits from what they do."

"The Grand Historian Sima Qian said, 'All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit. Your Majesty should always be focused on the direction of profit.'"

"The balance within the court is important, but not the most important thing. The most important thing is to ensure that the people at the bottom of society do not starve to death and are forced to take desperate measures."

Jia Lian sat in the Imperial Study all morning, while Shen Lei and Fei Yun waited outside all morning. These dignified cabinet ministers were like ants on a hot pan while waiting, completely losing their usual composure.

The eunuch Huang Jin glanced at the two imperial tutors and cabinet ministers several times, secretly comparing them in his heart, and the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.

They are all cabinet ministers, but where are Jia Xiang's sons? One is in the navy, one is in Donghua State, and one went to Liaodong. Why is it that none of them have entered politics?

Is it that Jia Xiang's son is not worth cultivating? That's nonsense. It's not difficult to cultivate him! If Jia Xiang wanted to make money, the Jia family would definitely be richer than a country, instead of being noble but not wealthy as they are now.

It just goes to show that Huang Jin is still inexperienced. He has no idea that the investments made in Australia and Donghua are truly extravagant. These are things that only a state can afford to do.

Jia Lian finally took his leave, politely declining the emperor's banquet. Li Wan, preoccupied with her own thoughts, did not insist that he stay.

When Huang Jin came in and mentioned that the two imperial tutors were away, Li Wan waved his hand and said stiffly, "Tell them that I am not feeling well and will not see them."

Having never had the chance to hear Jia Lian's teachings in person before, Li Wan found that many of his words matched up with Li Yuan's teachings after listening to him for a whole morning.

Previously, I thought I could break free from the emperor's constraints and exercise power myself, but now I realize that being an emperor is truly not easy. Only six months have passed, and the new year has only been underway for two months, yet two eloquent imperial tutors have already emerged. Tax reductions and allowances for the people to rest—what high-sounding rhetoric!

The world is one. If rich provinces don't pay more taxes, what about poor provinces? The places are there. If the imperial court doesn't occupy them, other forces will. Once they occupy them, they will threaten the security of the imperial court.

For thousands of years, the central government's worries have always come from the north. With two emperors in succession, the battle line has now been pushed to Anxi, Beihai and the Far East. Are those soldiers and civilians guarding the border just asking for trouble?

To avoid new threats from the sea, our ancestors even blocked key sea routes. How did they come to be described as a desolate wasteland that wasted the people's resources in the mouths of these two teachers?
The ancients' emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce was indeed not without reason. Merchants valued profit above all else, not just separation; perhaps they cared little for anything else.
After being turned away, Shen Lei and Fei Yun felt extremely flustered and had no choice but to leave.

They simply couldn't understand what kind of spell Jia Lian had cast on the emperor, that he would refuse to see them at all.

What kind of magic did Jia Lian possess? The two had no idea; they simply felt fear.

In terms of governing the country, these two men felt they were not much worse than Jia Lian. Jia Lian was able to serve as a veteran of three reigns simply because of the emperor's trust and good luck.

It's normal that they don't understand, because they're used to taking what's readily available, rather than creating new sources of profit like Jia Lian did.

Jia Lian has said everything he needed to say; the rest is up to Li Wan to decide, and this is not something anyone else can help with.

If an emperor doesn't understand the foundation of his imperial power, he will surely bring chaos to the land.

If that day ever comes, Jia Lian wouldn't mind learning from Huo Guang. After all, the current world's most powerful nation owes much to Jia Lian's efforts, and it shouldn't be disrupted because of one person.

One thing Shen Lei and the others were right about was that Jia Lian truly controlled the government. So why didn't Li Yuan take action against Jia Lian? The reasons are simple: firstly, Jia Lian didn't show any signs of rebellion; secondly, by the time Li Yuan realized what was happening, he was old and in poor health, and dared not take any risk.

There's something Jia Lian never said: he was loyal to the country, not to any particular person, even if that person was a symbol of the country.

It's a pity that out of all the people in the world, not a single one could understand Jia Lian.

After his afternoon nap, as Jia Lian got up to wash and dress, Zhang Zhuzi, who was beside him, said, "Vice Minister Shen and Vice Minister Fei have come to see you. Master is taking a nap."

After a hint of disdain on Jia Lian's lips, he gave a faint "hmm" and said nothing more.

After a while, Shen Lei was led in. After entering, he bowed and said, "This humble servant greets the Prime Minister."

Calling him Prime Minister instead of Jia Xiang is simply implying that he is also a prime minister, and that the cabinet is not a one-man show by Jia, as the law of the country dictates.

In reality, after Li Wan ascended the throne, Jia Lian basically relinquished control over cabinet affairs, seemingly ignoring everything and just waiting to retire. I really don't know what Shen Lei's mindset was when he said that?
It was clearly your unseemly behavior that alerted the emperor, yet you still try to shift the blame?
Jia Lian stared blankly at the person opposite him, neither moving nor returning the greeting: "What is it?"

Shen Lei instantly felt the pressure of a veteran of three dynasties, and what it meant to be disregarded.

Jia Lian was deliberately messing with his mindset. This guy was so clumsy; it was clear he was far from being able to control his emotions. "At the morning meeting, regarding the tax reduction, I hope to get Prime Minister Jia's support." Shen Lei's mind was indeed in turmoil, and he spoke without thinking.

Jia Lian smiled slightly, his face full of disdain: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

"This is a good thing for the country and the people, Prime Minister Jia..." Shen Lei lost his composure and was about to argue when Jia Lian interrupted him, "Enough! Get out!"

Although the voice wasn't loud, it was enough for several people standing outside to hear it, and they could also feel the chill in Jia Lian's tone.

Shen Lei slunk out, and Fei Yun didn't dare go in to make a fool of himself. No one in the cabinet mentioned the matter again.

Although Jia Lian didn't say anything excessive, the content of the morning's meeting had already spread throughout the official circles of the capital.

Without prior notice, they launched a surprise attack at the meeting, but failed to gain the emperor's support. Tsk tsk tsk.

Some people were still able to meet the emperor, such as the cabinet minister surnamed Li.

This man, having aligned himself with Shen and Fei, met with the emperor in the imperial study, then went straight home and requested sick leave. The emperor isn't stupid; why would you express your opinion on such a matter in a meeting?
If you say you haven't conspired with Shen and Fei, and haven't received any benefits from them, can the emperor believe you?
The fourth-ranked cabinet minister, Prime Minister Lee, who represents the military and is also a member of the royal family, taking sides on this issue shows that he's not just bad-minded, he's utterly brainless.

They didn't understand why he was allowed into the cabinet, nor did they understand what the emperor wanted him to do in the cabinet.

Li Wan quickly found out why this man acted this way through the Imperial Guard, and reached an agreement with Shen, Fei and others to share the profits of state-run enterprises.

It's not hard to see how it was divided: the royal family representatives took the military industry, while the rest was divided among the scholar-officials led by Shen and Fei.

Jia Lian was still in the position of Grand Secretary, yet they were already so impatient, which infuriated Li Wan when she saw the truth.

The only reason they didn't hang themselves on the spot was because of the respect they still had for each other in the past.

What is an army? It is the foundation of imperial power!

The following day, the budget meeting remained stalled, and Li Wan invited Jia Lian in again for advice.

He handed Jia Lian a report from the Imperial Guard, and changed his form of address: "Sir, please take a look at this!"

Under the tutelage of two emperors, the Imperial Guards had indeed become quite adept at intelligence gathering. The report clearly stated that the three men had met secretly on numerous occasions, and their private conversations were all recorded.

This is where these people are inferior to Jia Lian. If Jia Lian were to do something secret, he would definitely do it in the safest place, a place where not a single word could be revealed.

After reading it, Jia Lian laughed: "It's all old news. Back when Emperor Chenghui was alive, some people had this idea. At that time, there was only one research and development department, which is now the Ministry of Science and Technology. There weren't as many subordinate enterprises, and the profits weren't as huge as they are now. During the reign of the late emperor, they also pulled this stunt. They just kept their original intentions unchanged. It's just that their appetite was as big as ever, and their methods were as despicable as ever. There are many people like this. Their thinking hasn't changed. They just want to take what's readily available."

Li Wan said indignantly, "Since I ascended the throne, have I ever mistreated them?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "Your Majesty is mistaken. It's not a matter of whether or not they are being treated unfairly, but rather that their greed is insatiable. Today they're dividing up state-run enterprises, tomorrow they'll be eyeing other things. In fifty years, someone will be shouting that Shanxi belongs to the people of Shanxi, and Jiangnan belongs to the people of Jiangnan. This has been the case throughout history. There will always be such people, and many of them. Their initial intention may not be to become a regional power, but the result is the same. The Zhou dynasty enfeoffed its people, the Qin dynasty unified China, and the Han dynasty had powerful clans. Once local power grows too strong, it will inevitably compete with the central government. What Your Majesty needs to do is prevent this from happening and nip it in the bud as soon as possible."

Li Wan was silent for a while: "Neither my grandfather nor my father killed ministers."

Jia Lian laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty misunderstands. What I mean is to reduce the probability of such things happening through institutional reforms. I take Shanxi as an example. According to the laws of the court, mines are the property of the court. Why are private mines in Shanxi so difficult to eradicate? It is simply because the profits are too great and collusion between superiors and subordinates is rampant."

Li Wan sensed something was amiss and immediately pressed, "How will you teach me, sir?"

Jia Lian said, "Your Majesty holds the reins of justice, so the matter is not difficult to handle. Shanxi is surrounded by mountains and rivers, making it inconvenient to enter or leave. The court only needs to send troops to guard the key points and allow only state-run coal mines to enter and leave."

Li Wan understood instantly, but still had doubts: "Why doesn't Father Emperor do it?"

Jia Lian said, “During the reign of the late emperor, private coal mines were banned many times, but with little success. The only reason he didn’t do so was because of long-standing friendships. Your Majesty doesn’t have that concern, so there’s no need to be lenient. In fact, there’s no need to go too far. Just blocking the railways and waterways will basically achieve the goal. People will naturally stop doing things that are illegal, risky, and unprofitable. What Your Majesty needs to do is to use good people to prevent private coal mines from profiting too much through state-run channels.”

Li Wan said indignantly, "The imperial court has a law that clearly stipulates that all mineral resources in the country belong to the imperial court. These people have already broken the law, so why should I be lenient with them?"

Jia Lian remained silent for a moment before saying, “The coal is underground, and there is sufficient market demand. Shanxi has complex terrain, and it is impossible to completely eradicate private mining. We can't just send troops to be stationed in the mountains indefinitely, can we? Besides, if we regulate too strictly, the price of coal on the market will rise, and it is the common people who will suffer. Everything should be done in moderation. We shouldn't make a big deal out of things that don't cause much harm. Even if members of the royal family are not up to great use, His Majesty should still use them. Things in the world should not be a matter of one thing or the other, nor should they be a matter of black and white.”

Li Wan understood this time, but still asked indignantly, "What about Jiangnan?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "The situation in Jiangnan is not unique to Jiangnan province; it's just that Jiangnan is more prominent. As long as His Majesty holds firm to his principles, keeps things within limits, and ensures they are under control and do not affect the overall situation, then let it be."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan remained stunned for a long while before sighing, "This is truly too difficult for me!"

Jia Lian smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty should look at the overall trend and not get fixated on specific matters. Doing everything personally will exhaust you."

After listening in silence for a long time, Li Wan asked, "In that case, what should we do with Shen and Fei? Are they unusable?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "Is there anyone in the world who is unusable? As long as they do not rebel, Your Majesty can use them. However, when Your Majesty uses people, you must make them understand what they can and cannot do. If you have to point out the shortcomings of Shen and Fei, it is nothing more than their bookishness. They think they know everything about the world after reading a few books, but in reality, they are wrong without realizing it. Your Majesty can correct them."

(End of this chapter)