Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 736 Anti-Book, Forbidden Book

The world is material; money is just a pile of waste paper if it can't buy anything. The banking industry belongs to the service industry; it serves the manufacturing industry and aims to produce more goods.

In reality, it's easy to get things backwards, with the pursuit of money becoming the top priority.

Capital is a terrifying thing; it can turn anything into a commodity with a price tag.

A booklet has been circulating quietly in the market recently, and it contains some very scary things.

Jia Lian rarely went to the office and preferred to wander around. The other cabinet ministers were used to it and would not disturb the Grand Secretary's quiet life unless there was something important. The emperor was also used to it and would not bother him unless there was something important.

On this day, Jia Lian came to check in. After finishing a cup of tea, the Grand Secretary would leave during this time unless there was something urgent.

Unfortunately, the cabinet was on high alert today. As soon as Jia Lian appeared, he was surrounded by everyone. The Second Grand Secretary Fei Yun looked grave, as did Ou Zhendong and others.

"Something happened?" Jia Lian asked curiously. Fei Yun handed Jia Lian a booklet with both hands: "Prime Minister, please take a look at this."

Jia Lian took it and glanced at it; it was a white paper without a title: "What?"

"Sir, please open this and take a look." Fei Yun's tone was serious. Jia Lian didn't rush to look at it. He slowly entered the office, sat down, and opened the book.

Make sure you understand the title "A Brief History of Social Development," and then look at the author: Xibei.

Jia Lian remained expressionless, but his heart skipped a beat. How did this stuff leak out?

"What's wrong with this book?" Jia Lian put down the booklet and asked.

Fei Yun said, "Sir, please read carefully before you speak. We'll all wait here."

Jia Lian nodded helplessly: "Alright, everyone, please wait a moment. Someone, bring tea."

Jia Lian read it quickly. He was the one who wrote it, so how could he not know? The only question was how it got out. Wasn't it supposed to be the Jia family's secret manual, the Dragon-Slaying Technique?
After spending an hour, Jia Lian finished reading it and put down the book, saying, "The author of this book is very talented. He uses plain language, and anyone who can read can understand it."

Fei Yun panicked: "My lord, this isn't about great talent or lack thereof, this is a seditious book!"

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "That's an exaggeration! What do the slave system, feudal system, and capitalist system mentioned in the book have to do with our country? Our country is a unified, centralized system."

Fei Yun said, "This book clearly states the exploitation and oppression of peasants by landlords and the exploitation and oppression of workers by capitalists. What is this if not a book of rebellion?"

Jia Lian sneered, "Ridiculous! Have all your sage's writings rotted in your belly? What did the sage say? 'Great harmony under heaven, a world for all.' As ministers, shouldn't we assist His Majesty in achieving a prosperous era where everyone is well-fed and clothed? When we assist His Majesty in governing the country, shouldn't we help the weak and poor, crack down on the powerful, and uphold fairness and justice? What, you always say that landlords and capitalists get rich through hard work? This only fools the ignorant masses, and you yourself believe it? Now that someone has come out and explained the reasoning clearly, shouldn't we first find ways to protect the interests of the common people and ensure the dynasty's lasting stability? If the people in this world have food to eat and a place to live, why would they rebel? The Water Margin's story of officials forcing the people to rebel—is that wrong? What was the intention of the three sage rulers in reforming the bureaucracy?"

Fei Yun was speechless after being berated by Jia Lian. What Jia Lian said made sense, but it also seemed absurd.

No, sir, whose side are you on? We are the ruling class! We are on their side.

Of the five ministers in the cabinet, four were terrified after reading the book, but Jia Lian remained calm, which the others could not understand.

Seeing his stunned colleagues, Jia Lian said calmly, "Submit it to His Majesty for review and see what he says. Gentlemen, do not be prejudiced and do not influence His Majesty's judgment."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that this was the only way to proceed. Their main concern was Jia Lian's influence over the emperor; otherwise, they should have sent him in first, rather than waiting for Jia Lian to review his case before making a decision.

Thinking of the author's name, Xi Bei, Fei Yun had some doubts; he wondered if Jia Lian had written the book. But upon closer examination, it seemed impossible—how could Jia Lian have written this book? He was the main antagonist.

After the book was delivered to the emperor, Jia Lian invited everyone to sit down: "Gentlemen, please stay calm. Let's first find out where this book came from and who the author is. Don't make a fuss. You are all cabinet ministers; you should be able to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before you."

Now that you mention it, everyone feels a little embarrassed. They were genuinely panicked after seeing it. If this thing spreads widely, it could cause serious problems.

"I have told you all many times that the people's livelihood is the cornerstone of a country's long-term stability. What you all think is clearly written in the history books. Zhao Kuangyin deserves much credit for bringing the country back to normalcy from the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. However, the Song Dynasty's suppression of military power and emphasis on civil administration sowed the seeds of the country's decline. When Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, rose from humble beginnings to rule the country, why did the gentry in Jiangnan still yearn for the Yuan Dynasty? Didn't they know that Han Chinese were considered fourth-class citizens in the Yuan Dynasty? Don't talk about loyalty or anything like that; they are not worthy of such praise. What they yearned for was the Yuan Dynasty's decentralization of power to the grassroots and the implementation of the tax farming system. From then on, the seeds of the problem of imperial power not reaching the countryside were sown. You are all well-read; I don't believe you haven't seen these principles."

These words left all the cabinet ministers present dumbfounded. What was that? How could he say such a thing?
"I know you're not convinced, but these things should be kept private within the cabinet and not spread around. In my opinion, so-called theories are always secondary. The court controls the most resources. As long as it focuses on improving people's livelihoods and gives them hope, they will never harbor thoughts of rebellion. Besides, the literate population is always a minority. Even if they get a book, they won't understand it. What I fear is that someone will take the principles in the book and preach them to the people, inciting them to rebel."

At this point, Fei Yun suddenly realized: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Everyone else nodded vigorously in agreement; Prime Minister Jia had finally hit the nail on the head.

"In any case, this book should be banned and its dissemination among the people should be prohibited. If the government discovers it, the person should be exiled immediately! Anyone who possesses this book privately can be spared if they voluntarily hand it over for destruction."

There's something like this: whenever a book is banned, people's curiosity is heightened, and even more people want to find it and read it.

Jia Lian estimates that the fact that this book has now reached Fei Yun and others means that it has been circulating among the people for a long time.

"Furthermore, the distribution of this book is prohibited within all schools. Students are young people who lack the ability to distinguish right from wrong and cannot understand the difficulties we face."

The crowd nodded repeatedly, like chickens pecking at rice.

"Gentlemen, in the future, when you encounter problems, you must remain calm and not panic. You represent the face of officials across the country. If you panic in the face of problems, how can you set an example for officials across the country? I am getting old and can't serve for many more years. In the future, I will still have to rely on you all."

His words made everyone look ashamed. When they first finished reading the book, they were shocked to think that if it could even reach the cabinet, it would spread all over the country.

Looking back now, it's truly shameful. But this book was indeed extremely harmful; its analysis of so-called class truly stripped away the layers of social reality, revealing its bloody cruelty to everyone.

This entire article is telling the same story: society is cannibalistic!

With so many people in this country, there are bound to be some who, after reading this book, want to do something to change everything.

Thinking about it carefully, it's still quite terrifying. Li Wan spent a long time reading it, becoming increasingly terrified. This is a book of rebellion! And not just any book of rebellion, but a book about the art of slaying dragons.

The author is no longer just an ordinary rebel; we must strike hard!
Jia Lian and others lost interest in official duties and waited in the cabinet for the emperor's summons.

After waiting for two hours, and having drunk too much tea, Jia Lian had to go to the toilet three times before the emperor's summons finally arrived.

Li Wan remained calm, and after gesturing for the officials to take their seats, she slowly asked, "What are your thoughts, everyone?"

Jia Lian closed his eyes to rest again, and Fei Yun coughed and said, "Just now, the Prime Minister read it, explained the reasons, and set a few guidelines..."

After briefly explaining Jia Lian's meaning, Fei Yun stopped.

Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "What you see is the same as mine. As long as people's livelihood is guaranteed, the people will never rebel. What this book says is treasonous and should be banned! You are all my trusted ministers. This world belongs to all the people. I trust you all."

Jia Lian opened his eyes and said, "First, we must set a clear tone, letting the world see that His Majesty is benevolent. Even if the author is found, at most he will be exiled! Second, we must explain the reasons to the world. Our dynasty's dominance in the world is due to centralized power, which allows us to concentrate resources on major tasks. The court's efforts to rectify official corruption, crack down on powerful clans, and combat land annexation are all for the sake of the people's livelihood. During the reign of the late emperor, relevant laws were enacted to protect the interests of workers. Doesn't this fully demonstrate that His Majesty is truly thinking of the people of the world?"

Some fallacies will certainly be said, but how to put it, the world is not lacking in idealists who will always strive for the truth.

Since these principles have been sown like seeds, they will surely bear fruit in the future.

At this point, Jia Lian suddenly changed the subject: "We still haven't made it clear where this book came from?"

Fei Yun said, "My son brought back a copy from a private bookseller on campus. I don't know where it came from, or who the author is."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian sighed and said, "Let's ban the books first! Then, officials at all levels should send people to all booksellers to strictly prohibit printing. Once discovered, they should be confiscated and destroyed."

So where did this book come from? Jia Lian racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. The only thing he was sure of was that it must have been spread out by the Jia family.

Of the Jia family members, only a few sons had read this book; none of the grandsons had.

To Jia Lian's utter surprise, the book had two disseminators: one was Jia Shi in Anxi, who secretly had it printed and distributed among the people; the other was Jia Zhi, who did the same. As for their initial intentions, perhaps only the two of them could explain it clearly to each other face to face.

When Jia Lian got home from get off work, he saw Jia Quan waiting at the door, holding a book with a white cover. Jia Lian sighed and said, "It shouldn't be you!"

Jia Quan laughed and said, "Of course it's not me! I guess it's Jia Zhi!" Jia Lian shook his head: "I think it's Jia Shi!"

Jia Quan asked with a smile, "Father, things have come to this, how should we deal with it?"

Jia Lian recounted the events of the imperial council, and Jia Quan couldn't help but laugh, saying, "The thief is crying 'stop thief!'"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "There are many kinds of truths in this world, and all sorts of fallacies and heresies exist. There will always be people who believe in any kind of truth. Who knows what the future holds? Let's just do our own thing."

Jia Quan asked with a smile, "Father, can socialism, as described in the books, really solve the problem?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "I don't know, but in any case, it's still much better than it is now for ordinary people."

A campaign against banned books was launched across the country. Governments at all levels were on high alert and mobilized to take action.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the book was mainly popular in coastal provinces, and pirated copies were selling extremely well.

In contrast, some books were also found in inland provinces, but the number was not very large. Statistics from various provinces indicate that the total number nationwide could reach over a million.

After the book was banned, handwritten copies began to circulate, and some small booksellers, eager to make money, secretly printed and sold them.

There's no way around it; things in this world are just that strange. The more forbidden a book is, the more people want to find out about it.

Privately, many young scholars who read this book felt that it was the art of slaying dragons.

Countless people lamented that they didn't know which great sage had written it.

Some international students treasured the book because its contents resonated more closely with phenomena in Western society.

Many people were jolted awake by this and secretly hid the book, bringing it back to China after graduation to translate it into various languages, making a considerable amount of money from piracy.

These are all things for later!
That winter, North America was hit by a severe cold spell, the worst in a century. New York was covered in snow several meters deep, and in the East, countless people suffered from hunger and cold in the freezing wind.

The situation in the Great Lakes region is no better. Despite a bumper harvest last year, countless people in the cities surrounding the Great Lakes are starving.

On one side, ships in the port were loaded with grain and cotton, continuously transporting them to Europe. On the other side, countless people were struggling in hunger and cold, completely unseen by the rulers.

In contrast, both the south and the north of Donghua Kingdom are actively engaged in disaster relief efforts.

In São Paulo, a work-for-relief program was launched to build a railway. The goal was to complete the railway from Moorhead to São Paulo within a year.

Countless refugees fled from Chicago and Detroit to St. Paul, hoping to survive. It wasn't that they couldn't escape to the South, but rather that they would be enslaved there.

Don't assume that the South only had Black slaves; there were White slaves too. Slave owners didn't discriminate against any slave they were.

The São Paulo garrison urgently requested assistance from Jacques, as the influx of people was overwhelming. At least 300,000 people poured into São Paulo.

(End of this chapter)