Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Jia Cong was too lazy to pay attention to him. He turned his head and said a few words to Wen Youfang.

"Just now, many wise men have generously donated money and strongly supported the great cause of the country. Cong is grateful and admires it.

About half of the gentlemen are still considering it. If they are unable to make ends meet or are not interested in it, Cong will never force them. After all, a forced melon is not sweet, and everything is better done voluntarily.

By the way, taking this opportunity, Cong has also prepared a small gift for you all, please accept it."

Everyone stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, young master."

Jia Cong waved his hand and smiled, "Don't be so quick to thank me, not everyone has it." After saying that, he waved his hand and Wen Youfang came up with a large plate with dozens of thin booklets neatly stacked on it.

"Those whose names are called now, please come up and claim your place. Zhang Hequan, Li Liren, Chen Yuantao..."

Merchants were all smart people and they soon discovered a problem: the names that were called were those who had not made any bids just now, and there was no one who made any bids.

Because he was secretly thankful that he could avoid disaster by spending money, how could the "gift" from the Jinyiwei be easily accepted?

Sure enough, those who received the booklet broke out in cold sweats and turned pale after just a quick glance at it. The booklet recorded all the crimes committed by various families, including those that violated the law and disrupted government governance.

Any one of them can lead to the destruction of a family. Even if some of them are inaccurate, the Jinyiwei will punish you, so who cares whether you are accurate or not?
If there is anything wrong with it, it will be allowed after being punished twice.

The merchants who received the gifts tightly covered the books, looked at each other in panic, and then looked at Jia Cong with pleading and regretful expressions.

"Young Master... I'll wait..."

Jia Cong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don't panic, many of the things written above are hearsay, which are not true, and it is unfair to accuse good people, so please check it.

This supervisory case has always been about solid evidence and the presumption of innocence. If you feel that there is nothing wrong after reading it, please return it to me."

"Yes, yes, young master, your mirror is hanging high."

"Thank you, Young Guard, for your keen observation."

"Thank you, Young Guard, for enforcing the law with integrity."

……

The merchants breathed a sigh of relief and swarmed up to hand the booklets back to the plates before carefully returning to their seats and sitting down.

Jia Cong waved his hand, and Wen Youfang took the "gift" away. He smiled and said, "Let's get back to the point. It's getting late. Is there anyone else who wants to contribute? If not, let's eat."

"Yes, I, Fang Jingwei, will pay 10."

"Wei Xuan, a commoner, offers 10 yuan."

"Grassman..."

Soon, everyone had made their bid.

The merchants who had taken the initiative to invest laughed. These idiots actually wanted to come to the Shao Bao's banquet empty-handed? They were too naive.

"Your Excellency, a total of 1415 million taels have been raised."

Jia Cong felt relieved. Together with the previous 500 million, he had almost achieved his goal. Moreover, Jiangnan would surely be able to raise a lot more. It should be easy to raise a total of more than 2000 million.

Yin smiled and said, "Thank you all for your generosity. The military situation is urgent and speed is of the essence. Please hand over the cash to the Five Military Commandery within one month.

It's too late... You will be punished for delaying military operations, so please don't make the mistake."

Everyone was shocked, and they deeply felt that this was not an ordinary business. If they were not careful, something serious would happen. They hurriedly bowed and said, "Don't worry, young master. We dare not delay."

"Well, you may be a little confused today, but I believe that in one or two years, you will all thank me." Jia Cong said.

When everyone heard him say this and thought of Jia Cong's battle record, they suddenly felt a lot of confidence in their hearts. Since the young guard said they could win, they would definitely win. The reason they lost before was only because Prince Nannan was too stupid.

"Sir Feng, shall we start the feast?" Jia Cong asked with a smile.

"Let's eat. I've been hungry for a long time." Feng Yuan said with a smile. He watched Jia Cong make so much money in an instant, and he felt itchy in his heart.

He couldn't help but whispered: "If you come to the Ministry of Revenue, I am willing to give up my position and let others do the work."

"Let me take the blame for you?"

"I'll take the blame, and you go get the money."

……

When Jia Cong came out after dinner, Wen Youfang hurried up to report.

"Sir, the Nan'an Palace has been searched and confiscated. The men have been imprisoned and will be executed in the autumn. The women have been sent to the Jiaofang Bureau."

"Anymore?"

"As you instructed, I have informed the brothers from our guards, the Infantry Commander's Office, and the Five Cities Military Department to take care of the business of the old Concubine Nan'an." Wen Youfang said with a smile.

Jia Cong smiled coldly and said, "Okay, let the brothers let Wan'er go, I will be the host. There is only one thing, she must not die."

"Don't worry, my lord. I have ordered the Minister of Imperial Music to take good care of the old concubine and ensure her longevity." Wen Youfang said, "I have ordered the storyteller to compile a storybook to spread the deeds of the Nan'an Palace."

Jia Cong smiled and nodded: "Okay, let me also remind everyone in the capital of the consequences of going against me."

"Also, after interrogation, Concubine Nan'an has confessed that the concubines from the three royal palaces in the east, west, and north came to her house together to offer a suggestion to use Miss Li from the Zunfu as a substitute, and she agreed in a fit of anger." Wen Youfang whispered.

A fierce look flashed in Jia Cong's eyes and he nodded.

Wen Youfang bowed and quietly retreated.

Qiu Zhixin and Liu Jiezheng came over and bowed, smiling, "Today we know the Shao Bao's powerful methods. I admire him. If we win this battle, Shao Bao will take the first credit."

Jia Cong smiled and said humbly, "Now that the situation has been decided, when will you two set out?"

"Let's do it tomorrow." Qiu Zhixin said.

"I have been eager to return home." Liu Jiezhen bowed.

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Take Fatini back to the Western Regions for me when you leave."

Qiu Zhixin's eyes lit up with surprise, and he asked curiously, "Does the young guard not like beauties from the Western Regions?"

Jia Cong sighed: "On the contrary, I like it very much."

"Then why treat it like a worn-out shoe?" Qiu Zhixin said with a smile.

Jia Cong said honestly: "I don't want him to spend his whole life in sorrow to ruin my one day of happiness."

Qiu and Liu smiled at each other. They didn't believe this. They shook their heads and said, "Young Master, don't joke. It's no problem for a beauty to be given to a hero. It's a blessing for her to serve you."

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Well, I can't hide it from you two. It's because there are too many tigresses in the family, and the inner house is in turmoil, so I have to reluctantly give it up."

The two laughed. They didn't expect that Jia Shaobao, who was fearless and dared to be a bully in the Golden Palace, would be afraid of his wife. So they said with a smile, "In that case, let's take her back and keep a good look at her. It won't be too late to favor her when he visits the Western Regions."

Jia Cong smiled and bowed, "Thank you very much."

"you are welcome."

Jia Cong returned home and exchanged views with Pang Chao first.

Pang Chao thought for a long time and said, "Let's not bother with the three kings for the time being. Now that we have offended the New Party, I'm afraid the emperor will also look askance at us. We should not create any more complications, but should consolidate our foundation first."

Jia Cong said coldly: "I have long felt that Shui Rong is not a good person, and it turned out to be true. At first, he secretly helped Baoyu to cheat in the Chinese style, and last time he cleared up the deficit, and tried to win over the Shi family and several dukes' mansions to frame me. He also used the beauty trap on me, and this time he stabbed me in the back again.

Humph, I have a feeling that the idea of ​​using someone else's power to kill someone else was probably his idea."

Pang Chao nodded and said, "With the scheming of Prince Beijing, he can indeed come up with it, and his plans are far-reaching. These conspiracies seem to have been resolved by you, but in fact, the disaster has already been created.

Although Master Bao's affair was covered up in the cheating case, it still left a legacy of trouble. The cheating in the imperial examination was not a big deal, but it was not a small deal either. At a critical moment, it could involve some personnel issues.
Although the matter of clearing up the deficit is no longer mentioned, the three families of Qi, Zhi and Shan were eventually won over by him, and are now drifting away from you;
This time, you destroyed Nan'an and sent troops again. It seemed that you had won a great victory and were at the peak of your career, but you offended the New Party and made Your Majesty even more wary. "

Jia Cong said, "It's okay to offend the New Party, but the emperor gave Concubine Yuan a lot of gifts a while ago, saying that it was a reward for my idea of ​​a good way to recover the Western Regions."

Pang Chao shook his head and said, "The Art of War says, when something is near, pretend it is far; when something is far, pretend it is near.

You were able to control the situation in the court, turn the tide, destroy a royal family with a wave of your hand, and change the established national policy in the blink of an eye. All the court officials were terrified and fearful.

Don't you think that the emperor is too deliberate in showing favor to Consort Xiande at this time? Does the emperor trust you so much? He is just trying to reassure you."

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said, "Sir, you are right. What should we do now?"

"You should remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing situations. You don't need to think about making progress for now. You just need to bide your time and defend your city until the right opportunity comes. With all his attacks, it won't be easy for him to take you down."

"Well, when is the time?"

Pang Chao smiled faintly, a hint of wisdom flashed in his eyes, and said: "The emperor is over fifty years old. Whether he likes it or not, the position of crown prince has been vacant for so long, it is time to discuss it.

Even if he doesn't want to mention it, many people will make the choice openly or secretly. Look at the war in the Western Region this time, didn't it reveal some clues?
The eldest prince was eager to gain merit and raise his reputation, so he joined forces with the four great princes, but the queen seized the opportunity and ruined his future in one fell swoop. Don't the other princes have any thoughts at all?"

Jia Cong said, "The news has spread from Changchun Palace that the emperor intends to appoint the second, third, and fourth princes as military supervisors. If the second prince achieves this feat, who else can compete with him?"

Pang Chao waved his hand and smiled, "No, no, everything is excessive or insufficient.

The Second Prince is not only the eldest son, he also has a good reputation, his family is well-established and has a deep foundation, he is also a close friend of you, the military leader, and he has made such a great contribution.

It seems that he has everything right, and he must ascend the throne. But in fact, in the emperor's mind, the more this is the case, the more he cannot pass the throne to him."

Jia Cong asked curiously, "Why?"

"It's because the Second Prince is kind, virtuous, and loyal. If he takes over the divine weapon, what right do he have to suppress the Queen and you?

I can almost imagine that in the future, the government will be controlled by the relatives of the emperor's wife and the powerful families, while Ziwei will be weak and become a puppet. This situation will be better than that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, because you and the queen will not allow the eunuch group to rise.

"The emperor is so wise and resolute, how could he tolerate the loss of imperial power?" Pang Chao said.

Jia Cong was silent for a while, and it was true. He said in a deep voice: "If the emperor does not pass the throne to the second prince, will he pass it to the eldest prince? With Sun Qiu's ability, can he sit firmly on the throne?"

Pang Chao shook his head and said, "That is unknown. Perhaps the emperor is still observing the princes, so it remains undecided.

But what is certain is that he will remove obstacles for the successor and ensure that he can inherit the throne smoothly."

Jia Cong said: "Then I must be one of the obstacles."

Pang Chao smiled and nodded, saying, "And the Queen."

"The Queen is going to be unlucky too?"

"Think about it, if the emperor does not establish a legitimate wife but a concubine, will the queen let it go? When he is gone, who can check and balance the queen?"

Pang Chao said: "The queen can contact the ministers and forge an imperial edict to depose and establish a new emperor."

Jia Cong nodded: "The emperor really has to be on guard."

“So the next big storm in the court is the dispute over who will be the crown prince, and all parties are secretly accumulating strength for this purpose.

Because the forces supporting the Second Prince are already large enough and are firmly controlled by the Queen and you, others will definitely do the opposite and support other princes in order to gain greater benefits. "

Pang Chao said slowly: "If the illegitimate son wants to take the throne, he must first overthrow the legitimate son, so the second prince will become the common enemy of other princes who aspire to the throne.

This is also what the emperor would like to see. In this process, he will find a suitable candidate for the crown prince."

Jia Cong thought about it and felt that the situation was too complicated and really troublesome, so he smiled and said, "Fortunately, you have me to plan and strategize, otherwise I would be exhausted to death, and I would not even know how I died.

Putting these things aside, how do we decide who will go to the Western Regions?"

Pang Chao waved his feather fan and said, "Let's assign them according to family background. The Duke's Mansion recommends three, the Marquis of Wu recommends two, and the next one. Take a look at the list."

Jia Cong took a look and said, "Let's do it this way."

As he was speaking, Du Dapeng suddenly came to report that the Queen had summoned him.

Jia Cong glanced at Pang Chao and said, "It must be about the military supervisor."

Pang Chao smiled and said, "It's as expected."

Jia Cong went to Changchun Palace and listened to the Queen talk about the principles of brotherly love and respect, and repeatedly assured the safety of his three brothers-in-law. Only then did he come out of the palace gate after the key was locked.

When he got home, he saw the girls were still waiting for him to eat, so he smiled and said, "Why are you waiting? Just eat when it's time to eat. It's not like we can't afford it."

Ruyi smiled and said, "How can we dare to eat when the head of your family is not back?"

Jia Cong asked curiously, "Yan'er, the sun rose from the west today? Why is it so gentle?"

All the girls covered their mouths and laughed. Ruyi spat, "You bastard, you just like me to scold you, don't you?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "It's a pleasure to be scolded by a beauty like Yan'er."

Seeing that she was shy and unwilling to comply, he continued, "Let me guess, well, you must be grateful to your husband for raising his arms and fighting for the country, so you sincerely admire him and are so polite."

Baochai smiled and said, "Even if it's not right, it's not far off."

Ruyi said shyly, "I wrongly blamed you the other day, please don't be angry."

Jia Cong hurriedly took advantage of the situation, shook off his clothes and sat down, snorting, "You two slandered a loyal and honest person, and you can expose it with just a few words? What kind of person have I become?"

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "I knew you were not a generous person, so I have already prepared an apology gift for you."

Ruyi said angrily, "That's right, a man of seven feet tall doesn't know how to be more generous."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "I hate it most when people advise me to be more magnanimous. Do you know what I've been through?
He stabbed you in the heart, and before you could wipe the blood clean, he came over and said, "You should be more generous. Do you want to die or not?"

Phew... All the girls laughed so hard at his winking manner that they fell down all over the place. Only Ruyi and Daiyu wanted to laugh but were embarrassed and angry at the same time, so they hit and pinched him.

"Okay, let's put the previous things aside and look at the gifts first." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Ruyi wrinkled her nose at him, snorted, raised her hands and clapped, and several beautiful women immediately came out from the back hall.

"Wei'er..." Jia Cong was surprised and happy, and hurriedly stood up to greet them, "When did you come?"

"Today, Her Royal Highness the Princess and all the ladies have graced us to come into the palace to serve you." Lan Wei Fuli said with a smile.

Jia Cong was delighted and hurriedly asked the four girls to sit down. He said with a smile, "Yan'er, Bao-jie, and Pin'er, you are so virtuous that your husband Zhenzhen will never be able to repay you even if he dies."

Ruyi smiled reservedly and said, "I am not like some people who must fulfill their promises.

You have been busy with military affairs these days and have not taken care of this matter, so we will take care of it for you and bring the four sisters in first, so that you don’t have to think about it today and tomorrow, and if it gets out, I might even throw dirty water on me.”

The girls laughed, and Lan Wei, Ren Shu and the other four bowed their heads in shame. They had never expected that Jia Cong could actually make the princess give in. (End of this chapter)