Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chen Jun has been very worried at home these past two days. As the third master in the family who is in charge of the financial industry, he has suffered a heavy loss this time.

When the grain tax case was exposed, the Empress Dowager and Chen Ji both scolded him. The whole court was keeping an eye on him, the emperor's uncle, to see whether he would return the stolen money.

The corrupt officials now put all their hopes on him. If he can get away with forging secret fans and pretending to collect grain, then what's the point of us just eating a little in the granary?
"Master, this case must be the work of Prince Jing. The Imperial Guards were investigating the grain tax a few days ago, and we had already cut off all the clues that should have been cut off. But the Imperial Guards suddenly stopped investigating, and Lao Bao suddenly submitted a report. How could a good-for-nothing like him from Shuntian Prefecture find out those confidential matters?

Eunuch An also said that Prince Jing must not want to offend the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's uncle, so he ordered the Royal Guards to secretly tip the case off to Lao Bao, hoping to use his knife to kill people. "The chief steward reported.

Chen Jun frowned and said, "That doesn't make sense. I have worked with Jia Cong for many years and we have always been in harmony. Moreover, he has also made a lot of profits from the grain transport. How could he shoot himself in the foot? Will he not return the money? What's the point?"

"This... Prince Jing might be just a name for himself."

Chen Jun shook his head and said, "He doesn't look like someone who seeks fame. If he does, why would he take his sister-in-law and nephew's wife into his room? And they are still in mourning. Just for this reason, his reputation will not be good."

"My Lord is right. Prince Jing often acts unexpectedly. But this case...if we really withdraw it...it will be a bit tight for the time being." The chief minister said.

Chen Jun nodded, feeling annoyed. Although they were greedy, the big family spent money quickly. The silver they had embezzled from the grain tax over the years had been almost used up. It would be quite difficult for the Chen family to come up with nearly 10 million in cash at one time, given their financial situation.

"Master, people from the Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard came with an arrest warrant, saying they want to arrest Han, Li, Zhang, Zhou and seven other managers and... and the chief steward." The servant hurried in to report.

"Master..." The chief steward was startled.

"What?! Coming to my house to arrest someone?! Who gave them the courage?" Chen Jun was furious. He slapped the armrest and stood up to walk out.

When he arrived at the gate, he saw an official from the Ministry of Justice standing at the door with a group of constables and a group of imperial uniform officers.

"Which sir wants to arrest someone?" Chen Jun glanced around and said lightly.

"Your humble servant Wen Mingrui, Langzhong of the Zhili Qingli Division of the Ministry of Justice, is here to greet the Emperor's uncle. Because the manager of your residence is suspected of embezzling grain, here is a warrant signed jointly by three officials. Please have a look." The official smiled and bowed to present the document.

Chen Jun sneered, "I have heard about this case. I am also angry about this evil happening in the mansion. I am sincerely happy that your company wants to arrest these people, but why do you come to my humble abode to arrest people?

Are you saying that I am harboring a wanted criminal? To tell you the truth, I haven't seen these officials for years, and I don't know where they have fled to. Please search for them somewhere else."

"This..." Wen Mingrui was embarrassed and smiled: "My Lord, I have heard that these people have disguised themselves and hid in your house. Why don't we..."

Chen Jun raised his hand to interrupt him and sneered, "Why, do you think I am protecting the criminal?"

"No, no, no, I have absolutely no such intention."

"If the Lord wants to search my humble abode, your warrant won't be enough. Go to the palace and get an arrest warrant. Humph!" After Chen Jun finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and prepared to go back.

"Sir... look at this..." Wen Mingrui looked at Jing Can, the captain of the Southern Cavalry who was accompanying the inspector, with an embarrassed look on his face. His superiors only ordered him to arrest people, but they did not allow him to search the residence of the king's uncle.

Jing Can was carrying Jia Cong's secret order, but he didn't take Chen Jun seriously, so he shouted coldly: "Wait a minute!"

Chen Jun turned around and asked, "What advice do you have, sir?"

Jing Can said with a fake smile: "Let the prince know that this arrest warrant is signed by the three officials. Except for the palace, you can go to other places. Now the prisoner is hiding in your house, and the prince may still be in the dark.

I think the prince should send someone to find them and hand them over to us. This will be good for everyone. If we wait until we go in and search them out, it will be bad."

"How dare you! Do you know where this place is! How many heads do you have?" Chen Jun pointed angrily.

Jing Can said with a smile: "This is the residence of the uncle of the emperor. I know this, but His Royal Highness Prince Jing has issued a strict order to thoroughly investigate the case. Even if it is the residence of the prince, we may search it. Does the uncle of the emperor not allow it?
If an official abuses his power for personal gain and perverts the law, he will be beheaded without the need for the uncle to do anything." After saying that, he glared at Wen Mingrui and said, "What are you still standing there for? Search him!"

"Yes, yes." Wen Mingrui waved his hand and ordered the constable to go in.

"How dare you!" Chen Jun shouted. A dozen servants nearby came up and blocked the door, stopping the constable and scolding him.

"Master Wen..." The detectives turned their heads with innocent looks on their faces, feeling aggrieved. If it were someone else, they would have been beaten to death long ago.

Jing Can couldn't stand it anymore, he sneered and waved his hand gently. A captain in brocade clothes rushed forward, drew out his embroidered spring sword with a clang, and instantly chopped down four or five servants. The rest screamed and fled.

"You...you...want to rebel!" Chen Guojiu looked at the blood on the ground and took a few steps back.

Jing Shen said: "I dare not. Your servant obstructed the Jinyiwei's official duties. We had no choice but to take action. I hope the uncle will forgive me.

Your mansion is different from other families. We will use courtesy before force. Within one stick of incense, please hand over the person, otherwise we will be offended. If we offend the women of your mansion, please forgive us." Then he led people into the gate and occupied the front yard.

The detectives seemed to be aroused by the strong smell of blood. They drove their servants around like wolves and tigers and occupied various important roads.

Seeing the cold light in Jing Can's eyes, Chen Jun dared not say anything more and hurriedly ran into the inner hall. After pondering for a while, he decided not to suffer a loss and handed the person over first, so he ordered the servant to take the person away.

When the chief steward found out, he ran out and begged.

Chen Jun comforted her, "Don't worry, just go with them first. I will go to the palace to meet the Grand Empress Dowager and will definitely get you back."

The chief steward cried, "Thank you very much, sir, for your grace. Please hurry up, my body cannot bear the torture."

"Don't worry, go ahead."

After sending Jing Can and the other little ghosts away, Chen Jun became angrier and angrier. He thought to himself that he had gone to his second sister for no reason and was scolded again. He might as well go to Jia Cong to sound out the matter first, so he hurriedly drove to Prince Jing's Mansion.

Jia Cong was waiting for him at home, and hurriedly ordered someone to bring him to the main hall.

"Oh, the king's uncle has arrived, I hope you can forgive me for not welcoming you from afar." Jia Cong bowed and said with a smile.

Chen Jun didn't have the heart to exchange pleasantries. He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, Your Highness. I've come here to ask for your help." Then he told him what had just happened.

Jia Cong said angrily: "Assholes! Lawless! How dare they come to the prince's mansion to cause trouble and hurt people? I will definitely punish them severely!"

Chen Jun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The most urgent thing is how to understand the case."

Jia Cong sighed, "This case is also bothering me. You know Lao Bao, he is stubborn and will not let go like a mad dog. Moreover, this case has attracted much attention from both inside and outside the government. Since Lao Bao submitted the memorial, many impeachment memorials have been submitted to the Military Affairs Office like snowflakes.

I thought that I could avoid disaster by spending money, so I ordered people to sell everything they had to return the money. It was more than 1.8 million taels of silver. Alas..."

Chen Jun was startled. Wouldn't that mean I would have to pay for my life? He said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, I can't afford so much money. Can you please be flexible?" Jia Cong waved his hand and said, "Uncle, if it were any other case, I would have said something. But I am also involved in this case. I am afraid of being suspected. How dare I say hello?"

When the Empress Dowager summoned me the other day, I had already thought of a way to extend the time limit for returning the stolen goods to three months, so that the emperor's uncle can also have an easier time. As long as he returns the full amount, he will not be held accountable. Even if someone is to be punished, it will not be your fault."

Chen Jun cursed inwardly, in the end you still have to retreat, what the hell, save your ass, save your ass, I'll ask you to take out 10 million silver, let's see if you're willing to save it or not.

But he said, "Your Highness, those servants did this without telling me. I really had no idea. Why don't we punish them and recover as much of the stolen goods as possible?"

Jia Cong sneered in his heart and said calmly: "Uncle, although it was done by a servant, it was for the master's sake after all. In my opinion, it is better to bite your teeth and retreat. Otherwise, how can other corrupt officials keep their temper when they see that you do not retreat?
The Empress Dowager has only been in power for a short time. If people mistakenly believe that she is unfair in her judgments, biased towards the royal family, and harming the public interest for her own benefit, how will the people of the world view her?

Even if the uncle escapes today, it will still plant a huge hidden danger for the family. When the emperor takes power in the future, he will investigate... The Zhen family in Jiangnan is a lesson for us, so please think twice."

When Chen Jun heard him mention the Zhen family, he was shocked, because the Zhen family was the one that Jia Cong personally raided, and the threat was self-evident.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness's words have awakened me. I will go back and raise the money now." After saying that, he stood up and said goodbye.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I'll see the uncle off."

"Your Highness, please stay. Please stay." Chen Jun bowed and walked away quickly.

Jia Cong stood in front of the steps, pretending to be there, looked at his back with a cold smile, and waved slightly. Cheng Lingsu quickly moved over.

"Give orders to the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on the Chen family and not allow them to return even a penny less."

"Yes."

Just as Jia Cong was about to turn around and rest, he suddenly saw Wangcai leading Liu Xianglian in, along with another person. He stood on the steps and asked with a smile, "Brother Xianglian, how are you these days?"

Liu Xianglian smiled and bowed: "Greetings to the prince, I am very humble and I have come here today to report something."

When Lu Chengan saw Jia Cong, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Student Lu Chengan pays respect to the Prince Jing."

"Stand up." Jia Cong raised his hand and looked at Liu Xianglian.

Liu Xianglian hurriedly said, "It is this Brother Lu who has something important to report."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Let's go to the study and talk."

Pang Chao was working in the outer study room. When he saw Jia Cong coming, he hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Please sit down, sir. I have something I want you to listen to." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Pang Chao nodded, greeted Liu Xianglian, and ordered the boy to pour tea.

Liu Xianglian first told Lu Chengan about how he had no place to file a complaint in Beijing, and said, "Brother Lu, the prince is here in person, so you can speak freely about your grievances."

Lu Chengan was so excited that his whole body was shaking. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, I am a juren from Jiangxi in the seventh year of Xifeng. My family is relatively well off. However, the grain transport policy is too harsh and the people are suffering day and night. I cannot bear the hardship. Therefore, I have repeatedly written to the prefectures and counties to request a reduction in the harsh taxes.

Unexpectedly, this angered the government, which accused the students of inciting unruly people to resist paying grain taxes. Not only did they send people to beat the students, they also confiscated their property and even intensified their oppression of the government, levying heavy taxes on our hometown.

The common people saw that the local government was dark, corrupt, tyrannical and oppressive, so they gathered some money and asked the students to go to Beijing to file a complaint.

Jia Cong looked him up and down and said, "You said you were a juren..."

"Yes, it was before..." Lu Cheng'an was a little embarrassed and said, "Before I came to Beijing, my reputation was revoked by the governor's office."

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "You are quite courageous, but I cannot listen to your one-sided story. Since you claim to be a juren from Jiangxi, I will test you to see whether you are sincere or not."

Lu Chengan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty's poetry is the best in the world. If I am not proficient in this art, I will never be able to catch up with him."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Poetry is a minor subject, so naturally we should test the sages' scriptures that students are best at."

Lu Chengan perked up and said, "Your Majesty, please ask the question."

Jia Cong casually picked up the "University" from the bookshelf, turned to the tenth chapter and took a look, then said with a smile: "You should be quite touched by this sentence, 'As if protecting a baby, seek it with a sincere heart, even if you don't get it, you are not far away', how do you solve the problem?"

Lu Chengan said: "This sentence comes from the Book of History, Kanggao, and is quoted from the Great Learning. In the past, students did not understand the profound meaning of this sentence, but now they have a better understanding of it.

I will answer with the words, 'If one seeks sincerely, he will surely succeed. The Book of Documents says that this is the basis of the teaching.' Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Jia Cong smiled awkwardly. How could he understand this nonsense? But Pang Chao clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! Good solution. You have the whole topic in your hands. You have a bird's-eye view and can fully understand the essence of sincere inquiry. You are worthy of being a Jiangxi Juren."

"Sir, what's good about it?" Jia Cong asked hurriedly.

Pang Chao smiled and said, “This sentence in The Great Learning means that we should care for the people with sincerity in our hearts, just like parents care for their newborn babies. Although it may not be perfect, it is not far off.

"Those who seek with sincerity will surely succeed" breaks the last three sentences, the two words "from the Book of Documents" break the first sentence, "it can clarify the foundation of the religion" single point of "sincerity" reveals the original intention of the sage.

As long as you can be honest, you will naturally develop virtues such as benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and filial piety. There is no need to learn them specifically, just like parents carefully caring for their babies. No one teaches them. This is human nature.

Jia Cong nodded and praised: "You are indeed quite talented and knowledgeable. Well, please tell me in detail what grievance you have."

Lu Chengan hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, now the local officials are arbitrarily increasing the grain tax and robbing people by trickery. The people have worked hard for a year and cannot even feed themselves.

Take the grain payment as an example. According to the rules, we should only pay one stone, but we have to pay two stones and five or six dou. In addition, there are various fees and silver. The people can hardly afford it. Please make the decision, Your Majesty." After saying this, he knelt down and kowtowed.

Jia Cong woke up and asked, "If we calculate the total cost, how much does it cost to transport one dan of grain to the capital?"

Lu Chengan said: "It depends on the distance of the place, at least three or four stone of grain is needed."

Jia Cong was shocked: "Doesn't it mean that more than 10 million shi of grain are wasted on the road every year?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Damn it!" Jia Cong was furious and snapped the Huanghuali armrest. (End of this chapter)