Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

When Jia Cong returned home from the government office, he first told Pang Chao about what had happened and asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Pang Chao twirled his beard and said, "Your Highness' move is very good. First, you have captured the nobles in the capital. With this momentum, the civil officials will not dare to act rashly. Originally, they put forward this proposal without expecting Your Highness to accept it in its entirety. They just asked for a high price and paid it back on the spot."

"Sir, do you think the price I offered is high or low?" Jia Cong asked with a smile.

Pang Chao smiled and said, "Very good, but you can ask for 30% of the military expenditure. When the Military Affairs Office protests, Your Majesty will reduce it to 25%. I think no one will dare to take advantage of it.

If the system of equal duty and equal tax payment is implemented, the revenue of the national treasury will be greatly increased, and I think you will have nothing to say."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Hearing what you said, sir, I suddenly feel that 25% is too little."

Pang Chao waved his hand and said, "This amount is already a lot in peacetime. It won't be too late to add more in wartime. If the military expenditure is too heavy, it may be suspected of warmongering, which may not be a good thing for the country and the people."

"Sir, you are right. In the future, if the country is to prosper in all fields, it will still need a lot of money." Jia Cong bowed.

Pang Chao laughed and said, "Your Majesty, are you so sure that the country will be revived?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "We have caught up with the wave of the Industrial Revolution, so we can develop rapidly. The Chinese are not stupider than the barbarians."

Pang Chao nodded and said, "When I have time, I really want to go and see what the prince said about industrialized production."

Jia Cong said, "Cong must stay with you, sir. When the factories in Liaodong and other places are built, sir, you can take a boat to visit them."

"Good." Pang Chao said with a smile.

"Speaking of factories, Cong is having a headache."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"The other day I agreed with the ministers to open factories and run businesses. As for civilian factories and mines, Feng Yuan and Zhong Xin will be in charge, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be responsible for the specific matters.

The military industry is under the jurisdiction of the General's Mansion, but now it lacks a reliable person who is proficient in economics to take charge of this matter. Jia Yun, Xue Ke and others also have important tasks and cannot spare time. It's difficult." Jia Cong sighed.

Pang Chao twirled his beard and smiled, "What a coincidence! I would like to recommend someone."

Jia Cong asked hurriedly: "Who is it?"

"My nephew."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "One should not avoid relatives when recommending people. Cong believes in your judgment. As long as you can trust it, I can trust it too."

Pang Chao said, "My brother sent me a letter the other day saying that my nephew would go north to seek food and asked me to take care of him. The date is almost here. I just didn't know how to arrange a place for him. It just so happened that the prince was short of one person. Isn't this a coincidence?"

"Is your nephew good at business?"

Pang Chao nodded and said, "My nephew's name is Ban, and his courtesy name is Shigong. He doesn't like contemporary literature, but prefers business. He has some talent, so he is in charge of the clan's economic affairs. In the past ten years, the clan's assets have quadrupled.

He is a carefree person, and he likens himself to Guan Zhong and Bu Wei. He often laments that he was born at the wrong time, and that the world despises merchants, leaving him no place to use his talents. The other day, I heard that the prince was not bound by rules and was engaged in business, so I came to the capital to try my luck. "

Jia Cong clapped his hands and laughed, "Great, great, great! Pangban, Pangban, what a great name! Just hearing the name gives me a strong and imposing aura."

Pang Chao waved his hand and said with a smile: "Your Highness, you are really praising me too much. My nephew is only seven feet tall and has no physical strength. How can he be so majestic and imposing?"

Jia Cong said with a smile: "How can one tell a person's temperament from his appearance? Sir, please write a letter and ask him to come quickly. Cong is eager to recruit talented people."

"Yes." Pang Chao agreed with a smile.

After saying goodbye to Pang Chao, Jia Cong returned to the inner quarters and found that Ruyi, Baochai and Daiyu were not there, so he asked about Qingwen.

Qingwen smiled and said, "The princess has gone to the palace to talk with the Grand Empress Dowager. The Second Madam, the Third Madam, and Miss Feng are playing and laughing with the Old Madam and Granny Liu in the West Mansion."

Jia Cong suddenly asked, "Are Baojie, Fengjie, and Ping'er also full-term? When will they give birth?"

Qingwen smiled and said, "Mr. Ye estimates that within the next ten days or half a month, our family will have three more children."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Okay, the next step is to arrange for you and Qianxue and the others."

Qingwen blushed slightly and said, "How can I serve you when I'm pregnant?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You can get pregnant and have a baby sooner while you are still young so that you can recover faster. You take care of my daily life and it is very tiring. You should take some time to rest."

Qingwen said shyly, "I am not tired of serving you, Master."

Jia Cong held her in his arms and said softly, "It's okay. Even if you are pregnant, you can still be by my side. Just watch Liu Wu'er and the others do their work."

"Yeah." Qingwen nodded gently and leaned into Jia Cong's arms.

After a moment of tenderness, Jia Cong said, "Come with me to the West Mansion. I have something to say to the old lady."

"Yes."

Soon, Jia Cong brought Qingwen to Rongqing Hall and saw that everyone was there, listening to Granny Liu and the old lady telling stories. After greeting them, he smiled and said, "Granny Liu rarely comes to Beijing, so you should stay for a few more days. You are a blessed person, and you can just watch the birth of my three children."

Baochai, Fengjie and others all smiled and wanted to stay.

Granny Liu smiled and said, "That's great. I'll also take advantage of the good fortune of all the ladies, grandmothers, and girls. When I go back to the village, I'll tell people that a brother and sister who are like gods have let me stay in the heavenly palace for a while."

Everyone laughed.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "If grandma misses Ban'er, you can ask them to write a letter for you and send it to him."

Granny Liu said happily, "Isn't this too much trouble?"

Baochai smiled and said, "It's no trouble. It's no use sending a letter. I'll write it for you later."

Granny Liu thanked him repeatedly and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong at home. I just don't know how Ban'er is doing in the army. Everyone in the family misses him."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't worry, grandma. I just received a letter from Huan'er the other day, saying that everything is fine. Ban'er is now proficient in both civil and military affairs and can take charge of his own affairs."

Granny Liu was overjoyed and was about to stand up and kowtow to Jia Cong, but was supported by the maids.

"Thank you, Third Master, for changing Ban'er's fate."

Jia Cong smiled and waved his hands, saying: "This is also Ban'er's own progress. By the way, I have already talked to several senior officials in the court about the heavy taxes you mentioned the other day, and they will be changed immediately.

From now on, only five cents of silver will be collected per mu of land. If you collect one cent more, the county magistrate will be beheaded. The extra money collected this year will be returned to you. Go back to your hometown and tell your fellow villagers that they don’t have to sell their fields and land.”

"Oh my God! Good days are coming for us farmers. Third Master is really a Bodhisattva who has come to save people from suffering. Every household will set up a longevity tablet for you, and bless you with good fortune, longevity, and many children and grandchildren." Granny Liu was overjoyed.

All the girls covered their mouths and laughed, for they knew best that Jia Cong did not believe in gods or Bodhisattvas.

Jia Cong looked at the women and smiled, "Since ancient times, the common people have never been thinking of ambitious emperors or famous ministers, but people who truly work for them and make profits, because only such people would be willing to offend a large group of gentry and powerful people for them." The women all smiled and agreed.

Only Sister Feng curled her lips secretly and gave Jia Cong a cold look, saying, "You vulgar fellow, it's easy for you to say that. If you don't manage the household, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. By this calculation, won't our family have to spend a large amount of money again?"
Daiyu smiled and said, "Brother Cong often has profound opinions on history."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's not a profound theory. The principle is simple and everyone understands it. I just happen to be able to do it. By the way, Sister Bao and the others are about to give birth. Is there any preparation at home?"

Daiyu said, "I'm still waiting for your reminder. The midwife, the palace maid, and the imperial physician have already prepared everything."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Well, my Yu'er has grown up and is getting better at handling things."

Everyone laughed and said, "It's also because the old lady took good care of him since he was young."

Jia Cong saw Li Wan secretly giving him a slightly resentful look, as if blaming him for ignoring her, so he quickly returned an apologetic smile, but heard a light snort from the side, and it was obvious that Daiyu was a little unhappy.

"What's the matter, Pin'er?" Jia Cong asked hurriedly in a low voice.

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself." Daiyu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered.

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said, "How do you know everything?"

Daiyu was a little proud and said, "If I don't know anything, how can I manage the household?"

Now that she was in charge of the palace's internal affairs, which of the maids and servants in the palace would not rush to please her? Especially the matter about Jia Cong, it would definitely reach her ears first.

Jia Cong sighed, "I never thought that the little girl who was obsessed with poetry and books back then would become a secret agent now. I am convinced."

"Bah, I was forced to do this by you. Do you think I would care about your trivial matters?" Daiyu said coquettishly.

Jia Cong coughed dryly and said, "I've calculated that there are enough people in the mansion. I won't add any more people in the future."

"Hmph." Daiyu rolled her eyes at him, obviously not believing him.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Jia Cong laughed and said, "The weather is good today, let's go to the garden with grandma to play. Sister Bao, you are pregnant and it's not convenient, go back and rest."

"Okay." Everyone smiled and nodded, helping Granny Liu up.

"The old lady is tired too. I'll take you to bed for a while." Jia Cong hurried to help Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia glanced at him and said with a smile, "Okay, you can accompany me to the garden for a walk. We will have dinner in the garden tonight. I will go to sleep first."

"Yes."

Back in the upper room, Jia's mother glared at Jia Cong and said, "What are you up to now, you monkey?"

Yuanyang smiled and glanced at Jia Cong. She helped Jia's mother sit down before saying, "Madam, the master must be in trouble. Who else in our family can help the master except you?"

"Yes, yes, Sister Yuanyang is right." Jia Cong smiled and walked over to sit down.

Grandmother Jia was very pleased and said with a smile, "Well, now you are the only one in the mansion that I have to worry about."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, old lady. It's not a big deal... Cong thought that my sister-in-law had been a widow for many years and was still young. Would she be left alone for the rest of her life? So..."

"So you want to accept it?" Grandmother Jia looked at him unhappily.

"Hehe, the old lady is wise and guessed it right at once."

Grandmother Jia glared at him with a look of dismay, curled her lips and said, "You are a prince now, you should pay attention to your reputation. Is Youshi so attractive?
If you really want her, you can just do it in private, no one can say anything, but why do you want to bring her into the palace openly and honestly? What will the censors say about you? What will the court and the people say about you?"

Jia Cong was stunned and laughed dryly: "What the old lady said is right. The matter with Sister-in-law You is an old story. Cong is not talking about her..."

"Huh? You..." Grandmother Jia laughed angrily. Apart from Li Wan, there was no other sister-in-law in the mansion.

"What a filthy fellow! When did you hook up with Zhuge's daughter-in-law? You are destroying people's reputation for no reason, and you are not afraid of retribution!"

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "Madam, Brother Zhu has been dead for so many years, and it is not easy for Sister-in-law to raise Brother Lang alone. Isn't Cong reluctant?

"Bah, you are such a perverted bastard, don't forget that you still have several sisters who are not married. What will others say about the family tradition of the Jia family in the future?

"The younger brother inherits the throne after the elder brother's death. How dare you say that? Are we barbarians?" Jia's mother scolded.

Jia Cong said embarrassedly: "The old lady is right to blame, but the grandfather once taught Cong that people should be upright and honest, keep their word and value righteousness. Now that things have come to this, what do you say we should do?"

Seeing that he actually used Jia Daishan as a shield, Jia's mother became even angrier and scolded, "Bah! Did your grandfather ask you to be 'honest and upright, trustworthy and loyal' only to your sister-in-law?
Last year, Yin Lian was also at fault for Feng Jie'er's incident, so I didn't argue with her. But you are so focused on getting involved with your sister-in-law. Are you going to let go of all the sisters-in-law in your family? You are not ashamed."

Jia Cong was scolded so harshly that he just hung his head and said nothing.

Yuanyang couldn't bear to see this, and hurriedly whispered to persuade: "Old lady, what shouldn't have happened has happened, you should think about how to deal with it. If one day... one day the two grandmas get pregnant, it will be even more difficult to say.

What's more, if the two ladies enter the East Palace, it will at least be a marriage approved by the old lady, so they will surely take care of Master Bao in the future.

Besides, the prince is now second only to the emperor, and he is so noble that who dares to gossip about him? There are so many wives and grandmothers in the East Palace, and outsiders can't tell them apart, and they may not stare at the two grandmothers. "

She knew that Grandmother Jia cared most about Jia Zheng and Baoyu, so she made this plea.

When Grandmother Jia heard this reminder, she felt a chill in her heart. If Li Wan or Youshi got pregnant one day, Jia Zheng and Baoyu's reputation would be ruined. So she simply gave them both to this bastard. At least only his reputation would be ruined, and the West Mansion could remain peaceful.

Jia Cong secretly praised Jin Yuanyang for being Jia Mu's sweetheart, and quickly agreed, "Sister Yuanyang is right. Cong is also thinking about the family."

Grandmother Jia spat, "How dare you say that? Well, I'll give it all to you. There are only a few of you in the family. You can rest assured now that you have done all the harm."

Jia Cong laughed dryly and said, "Old lady, please calm down. I won't dare to do it again."

Grandmother Jia said angrily: "If you dare, there will be no one left."

"Yes Yes."

"How are you going to place them? Do Ruyi, Baoyatou, and Yu'er know?"

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "I plan to make her a princess. I haven't told Ruyi and the others yet. What do you think?"

Grandmother Jia said, "Should I go and say it? How can I say it?"

Jia Cong said, "I have thought about it for you. You said that you feel sorry for the two widows who are unemployed and helpless. Why not give them all to me? I can still enjoy the salary and rank of the court, which is also glamorous and respectable..."

"Bah, I'm ashamed for you. How can it be glorious and respectable to give your sister-in-law to your brother? Not only are you shameless, but you can't even bear to sacrifice my old face. Aren't you afraid that the ancestors will show up and punish you?" Grandmother Jia spat.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Cong has the old lady's love. If the ancestor comes back to life and wants to punish him, the grandson will just crawl into the old lady's arms."

Grandmother Jia was also amused and scolded with a smile: "You have no shame and bring shame to our ancestors. Well, I will think of a way for you..." (End of this chapter)