Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in the fourteenth year of Jiazhao, night was falling.

At sunset that day, heavy snow fell in the capital. In less than an hour, everything was covered in white.

Although it was dark, Ningrong Street was not empty as usual. Instead, it was bustling with the sound of people shouting and horses neighing.

The east and west mansions of the Jia family were not closed at this time of day as they usually were. Instead, the two east corner doors were open, and the housekeeper and many servants were busy at the door.

A large number of horse teams came from faraway Liaodong, transporting various New Year goods, and finally stopped at the corner gates of the east and west governments.

Last year, Jia Zhen and his son were convicted, and the Ningguo Mansion was stripped of its title and its property was confiscated. The eight or nine farms that Ningguo Mansion originally had in Heishan Village were also confiscated by the court because they belonged to the Ningguo estate.

The Rongguo Mansion also had eight farms and properties in Liaodong, which were no more than a hundred miles away from Heishan Village. Because Jia Cong was demoted to a lower rank and inherited the title, the eight farms were reduced to six.

Although the farms and properties of the two eastern and western prefectures were both in Liaodong, they were not in the same place. When they went to Beijing at the end of the year to pay the harvest proceeds, they unexpectedly arrived at Ningrong Street around the same date.

……

Earl's Mansion, side hall in the outer courtyard.

Jia Cong was talking to a boy of similar age, named Zhou Guangcheng, who was one of the five orphans raised by Qu Hongxiu.

The five people are Zhou Guangcheng, Jiang Liu, Wang Dequan, Liu Ping and Baozhu.

Among these five people, Zhou Guangcheng and Wang Dequan were arranged by Jia Cong to work in a perfume workshop outside the city of Shenjing, where they learned the perfume extraction technique created by Jia Cong.

Liu Ping followed Yinglian's mother Feng and managed the business of Shenjing Xiuniang Incense Shop.

Xinchun began to develop in Jiangnan, and Wang Dequan was sent by Qu Hongxiu to be in charge of the Xinchun branches in Suzhou and Yangzhou.

Jiang Liu has been hanging around in the streets since he was a child. He is smart and quick-witted, good at listening and exploring secrets. He follows Jia Cong as his personal servant.

Among the few people, Zhou Guangcheng is the most courageous and careful, and he is also the most decisive in doing things.

At that time, under the order of Jia Cong, he entered the Palace of Prince Beijing alone and wrote the poem that was beyond his control.

This caused Prince Beijing Shui Rong to lose the opportunity to compete for the command of nine provinces, and from then on he was disliked and rejected by Emperor Jiazhao.

Jia Cong also realized that among these five people, Zhou Guangcheng had the greatest pioneering talent and the potential to stand on his own.

At the beginning, Zhou Guangcheng needed to hide his tracks and go to Jinling because of the incident at Prince Beijing's Palace. Finally, he was sent outside the Great Wall by Jia Cong to take charge of the Liaodong Xinchun branch.

Jia Cong's two farms in Liaodong, worth one thousand shi, were also managed by Liaodong Xinchunhao.

……

Zhou Guangcheng said: "Third Master, since your two farms in Liaodong were converted into noble property, Xinchunhao has hired capable housekeepers and farmers to manage them.

Every once in a while, I would bring people to patrol the village and screen the people in the village for those who are diligent and lazy. Now, the remaining people are all capable of working diligently.

This year's harvest included 800 dan of rice, various types of poultry, including chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, roe deer, bears, pigs, wild birds, furs, medicinal materials, river and seafood, etc., totaling 3,635 taels of silver.

This winter, the weather in the Jiubian area was strange, and it was even colder than in previous years. Many cattle and sheep on the farm froze to death. If there is good weather next year, the harvest will be better. "

Zhou Guangcheng took out the account book again and asked Jia Cong to read it. It contained the detailed accounts of the year-end harvest.

Jia Cong was quite surprised when he heard that the two farms owned by the nobility had a harvest of 3,600 taels.

When he was first conferred the title of Earl of Weiyuan, he could have chosen superior property in the prefectures and counties near the capital, or in the wealthy areas south of the Yangtze River.

However, he was granted a hereditary honorary title, which was so great that it shocked the court and the public and attracted the attention of thousands of people.

For various reasons, he kept a low profile and chose to locate his property in the newly opened territory outside the Great Wall of the imperial court.

This move showed the intention of not pursuing wealth, honor and luxury, but to make achievements in a wild place and to establish oneself with a humble attitude. At that time, there was an imperial censor who praised this matter in a report.

Jia Cong's settlement outside the Liaodong Pass was somewhat like a model of noble honor, and Emperor Jia Zhao was happy to do him a favor in this matter.

He asked the Ministry of Revenue to select the best farmland in the newly opened territory as Jia Cong's residence and property.

When the Ministry of Revenue granted the property, it stated that the two farms could produce 5,000 taels of silver a year. Taking into account the normal annual losses, the harvest would probably be more than 4,000 taels.

It has only been more than half a year since Jia Cong was granted the title. According to the Ministry of Revenue's estimate of the two farms, the harvest would probably be no more than two thousand taels of silver, so the harvest amount reported by Zhou Guangcheng has far exceeded Jia Cong's expectations.

……

According to Jia Cong's inference, the most important reason why the farm had such a harvest in just half a year was Zhou Guangcheng's proper management of the farm.

Zhou Guangcheng was an orphan with limited food and clothing in those days. With the education of Qu Hongxiu and the support of Jia Cong, he was loyal and trustworthy, and acted decisively.

Only with trustworthy talents could these two farms have such excellent harvests.

Also, the Ministry of Revenue's harvest estimates for the two farms were, for some unknown reason, much lower than normal output...

According to this output estimate, the annual harvest of the two farms in a normal year should be around 6,000 taels.

Zhou Guangcheng added: "In the past six months, the imperial court has set up towns and counties thousands of miles outside the Great Wall, sent civil officials and military officers to stay there, and the business outside the Great Wall has become increasingly prosperous.

Thanks to the foresight of the Third Master, he asked me to lead people to set up a branch in Liaodong early. Now the branch has set up two workshops in the local area, recruiting local women and children of appropriate age to process the self-produced products shipped from Jiangnan.

The Liaodong branch sold Xinchunhao's own products such as perfume, soap, toothpaste, etc. in the local area, and purchased local products such as furs, medicinal materials, and timber from Liaodong and sent them to the south for sale.

According to Third Master's suggestion, Sister Xiu has selected twenty boys and girls aged thirteen to eighteen from the orphans adopted from Shenjing and Jinling, and sent them to the Liaodong branch in batches for training.

These young men have already stayed in Liaodong for more than three months at the latest and have adapted to the climate and soil there. The smart ones among them have become the backbone of the group.

Although the branch has only been established for half a year, the profits it has earned are already equal to 40% of the revenue of the Jinling Jiangnan head office. I think in another two years, the business of the Liaodong branch will not be inferior to that of Jiangnan. "

Jia Cong smiled and said, "The world is like a chess game. The so-called grass belly with gold corners and silver edges is exactly this principle.

The area outside the Liaodong Pass is considered a remote and dangerous place in the eyes of ordinary people, but once it is recovered and opened up by the imperial court, it will be a place with great potential.

All of you have been friends of mine since childhood. When Sister Xiu and I opened a perfume workshop in Shenjing, you all contributed greatly. It is vital to the success of the Liaodong branch that we have established.

As long as I have the opportunity, I will try to help you guys get a job in the Ministry of Internal Affairs so that you can have a decent background. "

Zhou Guangcheng stood up, bowed to Jia Cong, and said solemnly: "I was taught by Sister Xiu and trained by Third Master, and that's how I am today. I will definitely help Third Master to take care of this family business in Liaodong!"

Jia Cong asked again: "I heard that recently in the Nine Borders, the Tuman tribe's Anda Khan's army has been harassing the borders?"

Zhou Guangcheng replied: "I have met merchants from all over Liaodong and have heard about the Tuman tribe disturbing the border.

In recent years, the climate in various states of the Great Zhou and the nine border areas has been very abnormal. Every deep winter, there are constant snowstorms on the Mobei grasslands, making life difficult.

According to rumors from merchants in the Nine Borders, Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe has been conquering many tribes scattered across the country in recent years, and now controls more than 100,000 households and has an elite force of 200,000 soldiers.

Their strength has surpassed that of the remaining Mongolian tribes such as the southern desert and the Haoqi Special Tribe. In the past few months, Datong, Xuanfu and other places have been invaded by grassland cavalry many times, and it is said that they are all scattered warriors of the Tuman tribe. "

Jia Cong said: "You are in Liaodong, so pay more attention to the movements of the remnant Mongols outside the Great Wall. Since we are doing business in Liaodong, it is said that it is difficult to gather merchants when there are chaotic soldiers, so we cannot turn a blind eye to such movements.

If something happens, you can use the flying feathers to send a message to me in time. When you go back this time, I will ask Aili to prepare more domesticated birds for you to take back to Liaodong in case of emergency."

……

At the west corner gate of Rongguo Mansion, a group of people gathered and frequently went in and out of the west corner gate.

A middle-aged man wearing a coarse fur coat, with a rough face and a warm hat on his head was standing at the door, greeting Lin Zhixiao with a flattering look on his face.

At that time, Wu Jinxian's elder brother Wu Jinxiao was in charge of eight or nine farms owned by the Ningguo Mansion in Liaodong. In the past, the two brothers would go to Beijing together to pay tribute to the farm's harvest every year.

Ever since the Ningguo Mansion was raided and all his property was confiscated by the court, Wu Jinxiao has been living in luxury at home. This year, only his younger brother Wu Jinxian came to Beijing alone.

The servant next to him was counting the New Year's harvest sent by the farm. After a batch was counted and delivered to the mansion, he would report it and check it.

Although the singing voice was not loud, it was heard by passers-by who occasionally passed by, and they all envied the luxury and decency of the Rongguo Mansion.

"Twenty large deer, thirty musk deer, fifteen roe deer, fifteen Siamese pigs, fifteen wild boars, ten cured pigs, twenty wild sheep, twenty blue sheep, and two hundred catties of various fish."

"One hundred live chickens, ducks, and geese each, fifty roosters, ducks, and geese, twenty pairs of bear paws, twenty kilograms of deer tendons, fifty kilograms of sea cucumbers, forty deer tongues, fifty ox tongues, and twenty kilograms of dried razor clams."

"The best quality silver frost charcoal is 800 kilograms, the medium quality charcoal is 1,000 kilograms, and the firewood charcoal is 2,000 kilograms."

"Ten dan of rouge rice from the imperial fields, sixty hu of green glutinous rice, sixty hu of white glutinous rice, fifty hu of each of various sorghum and millet, and one thousand two hundred dan of ordinary rice..."

Lin Zhixiao flipped through the account book submitted by Wu Jinxian, read page by page, frowned and asked: "Master Wu, this year's harvest is worth a total of 5,000 taels of silver, how come it is more than 2,000 taels less than last year.

How did such a huge deficit come about? "

Wu Jinxian smiled and said: "What the great housekeeper doesn't know is that the harvest in Liaodong Farm has been getting worse this year. God is not giving us food.

It started to rain in late spring and continued until late summer. There was not even five sunny days in a row. The fields were all waterlogged. In the past, we had to water the fields, but for most of the past six months, we have been thinking about how to drain the water from the soil. In September, a bowl-sized hailstorm covered an area of ​​more than a thousand miles, killing thousands of people, houses, livestock and food. Until the end of the year, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow.

Life is really hard these days. These harvests are all scraped together and it took us so much effort to buy them. We would rather suffer a little than let the master of the mansion lose face.

Please, butler, say a few good words to the master, so that our efforts will not be in vain."

Lin Zhixiao did not believe at all Wu Jinxian's bitter complaints and just thought that the old beheader was singing a folk song.

He has been dealing with the Wu Jinxiao brothers for more than ten years, but he still doesn't know what tricks they have.

News has recently come from the north that the farm purchased by the Wu family in the local area is not much worse than the farm of the Jia family. The wool comes from the sheep...

……

Lin Zhixiao said: "Master Wu, in the past, you always talked to Steward Lai about the harvest of Hei Liao. This is the first time I have taken on this task, and I am not sure for a while.

Whether the harvest is good or not, whether it should be done this way or not, my opinion has no final say. Now that the Third Master Cong has inherited the title of nobility and is in charge of both the East and West Palaces, his opinion has the final say.

I heard that the Third Master's East Palace's estate is also in the Heiliao area, and he came to deliver the harvest today. He is more familiar with the situation there than I am. I will report the account book to the Third Master and ask him to make the decision."

Wu Jinxian's face changed when he heard this, and he stepped forward and said, "Although I am in Liaodong, I have heard of the reputation of the Third Master along the way, and I think he must be a master who cares about me.

Please ask the butler to speak for us in front of the Third Master."

As Wu Jinxian spoke, he shook Lin Zhixiao's hand and stuffed a silver note into Lin Zhixiao's hand. This routine was something he had used on Lai Da before.

He thought to himself, could it be that Lin Zhixiao is even more capable than Lai Da? Every person has a price, it's just a matter of how much silver he has.

Lin Zhixiao found something stuffed in his hand. He looked down and saw that it was a silver note for five hundred taels. He was slightly startled and thought that this old beheader was ruthless and wondered how much of the harvest he had embezzled.

But Qian Linzhixiao would never dare to accept it. He had not forgotten, and had seen with his own eyes, who had dealt with Lai Da and Lai Er.

Besides, Jia Cong promoted his daughter Xiaohong from a third-class maid who was driven out to a second-class maid in charge of Rong Xi Tang. This favor and respect was worth far more than five hundred taels, and he was not senile yet.

He only had a daughter, so what was the point of spending so much money that could cause trouble?

Now everyone in the mansion is saying that the Third Master has taken a fancy to his little Hong, although it is not confirmed.

But maybe his daughter will have a bright future in the future, and Lin Zhixiao will not lose the watermelon while picking up sesame seeds.

Lin Zhixiao stuffed the banknote back to Wu Jinxian and said, "Master Wu, you don't have to do this. I can't afford this relationship. I'll let the Third Master make the decision. You just wait for my news."

Wu Jinxian was dumbfounded to see that Lin Zhixiao didn't fall into his trap at all. He felt panic in his heart as he watched Lin Zhixiao going all the way to the East Palace.

The Rongguo Mansion has become so weird now that there are still accounts that cannot be settled with money. This Third Master Cong is so powerful that Lin Zhixiao doesn't even dare to leave any handle on him.

……

Rongguo Mansion, side hall of the outer courtyard.

Jia Cong flipped through the account book handed over by Lin Zhixiao. He frowned slightly after reading only a few pages. Then he listened to Lin Zhixiao's retelling of Wu Jinxian's words, and handed the account book to Zhou Guangcheng.

He said, "Guangcheng, these are the six manors of the Western Mansion in Heiliao. Please check if there are any problems with the accounts."

Zhou Guangcheng looked through the account book carefully and said, "Third Master, although the six manors in the West Palace are not as good as the two in the East Palace, they are also of medium quality.

Although I only arrived in Liaodong in early July, the climate there is indeed a bit bad this year, but even if the weather is not good, the harvest of the six farms in a whole year cannot be only 5,000 taels.

Even if we take into account the necessary losses, there is still a shortfall of nearly 40% of the revenue!"

Lin Zhixiao, who was standing by, was shocked when he heard this. This Zhou guy was an expert on the market. He could tell the situation almost exactly by just flipping through the account book. The Third Master must have some capable people around him.

Although Jia Cong had never paid attention to the harvest problem of Xifu Farm before, these matters had always been managed by Lai Da in previous years. Anything that this cunning servant was in charge of was bound to be subject to corruption and embezzlement!

Therefore, even if Jia Cong did not look at the account book, he knew that there must be black accounts and bad debts in it.

Adding the harvest from the farms in the East Prefecture reported by Zhou Guangcheng, the two farms earned 3,600 taels in half a year, and the six farms in the West Prefecture in Liaodong earned 5,000 taels in the whole year. Even a fool could see that there was something fishy.

How much wealth have the Wu brothers taken away from the Ning and Rong families over the years? It is roughly estimated to be a huge amount. These two old beheaded men deserve to be killed!

……

Jia Cong asked coldly, "Lin Zhixiao, how old is Wu Jinxian this year?"

Seeing Jia Cong's stern expression, Lin Zhixiao felt a little daunted and quickly replied, "Both brothers are over fifty years old this year."

Jia Cong said: "Tell Wu Jinxian what I said. He is old and it is time for him to take a rest.

I was not in charge of the affairs of the mansion in the past, so I will not pursue it for now. From now on, he will not be in charge of the Xifu Farm. I will hand it over to Manager Zhou to manage it.

Ask him to count and register all the wealth and people in the farms and estates in the West Palace after he returns this time, and hand them all over to Manager Zhou. If the accounts are not clear, I will find a way to settle with him...!"

……

Rongguo Mansion, west corner gate.

After hearing what Lin Zhixiao said, Wu Jinxian couldn't believe his ears. He didn't even see whether this Third Master Cong was square or round, and he was kicked away just like that.

In the past, when the farm harvests were handed over to the capital every year, Jia Lian, Jia She and others were not without complaints.

But Hei Liao's farm is too far away from the capital. Who of the gentlemen in the mansion who enjoy wealth and luxury all day long would go to the farm to inspect it in person? It's just that the Wu family has to decide how much the money is.

Even though Jia Lian and Jia She had some doubts, it was the second house that was in charge of the estate after all, and there was Lai Da to mediate. Usually, they would just listen to a few complaints from the first house, and in the end, big things would be reduced to small things, and small things would disappear.

Wu Jinxian never imagined that this Third Master Cong would be so ruthless and fire him without even meeting him.

His face flushed as he said, "Butler, we are servants born in the Wu family. We have been managing the farm for our family for our whole lives and have always been conscientious. How can we fire us just because we are not allowed to manage it?

Please ask the butler to help me plead with the Third Master. If you think the harvest this year is insufficient, I will go back and sell everything I have to make up for the shortfall that the Third Master wants."

Lin Zhixiao said: "Master Wu, we have known each other for more than ten years, so we all know each other's background. Let's not beat around the bush. Third Master said that we will not pursue the past accounts for now. I think you should just stop while you can.

You and Lai Da have been in charge of planning the farm's harvest over the years. You know best whether the facts behind this are clear or not.

Do you know what happened to Lai Da?"

Wu Jinxian thought of Lai Da, his face turned pale, and he said, "I heard that he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice and was executed in the autumn..."

Lin Zhixiao sneered, "He was found out by the Third Master that he had been embezzling and plundering the Jia family's assets for many years, which is why he ended up like this!

I believe you must have heard of the reputation of the Third Master. He has extraordinary abilities, a mind as clear as a mirror, and he cannot tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes.

If you think he is as easy to fool as the eldest master and the second master Lian, then your life will come to an end.

Now that the Third Master has not let you go to a dead end, you have to fend for yourself. This time when you go back, make sure to take inventory of Hei Liao's farm and belongings, leave no room for criticism, and hand them over as soon as possible to avoid leaving any trouble for yourself.

The Third Master made great contributions in Liaodong, was awarded the title, and built up a family business. The civil and military officers in Liaodong may all be his comrades-in-arms. How many eyes do you think he has over there?

You must not do anything foolish, leave yourself a way out... "

After Lin Zhixiao finished speaking, he sighed at Wu Jinxian, turned around and walked into the west corner gate leisurely.

Only Wu Jinxian, with a pale face, was left standing there like a rotten wood or a stupid chicken, as if he would fall down at the slightest breeze.

……

Rongguo Mansion, side courtyard.

Although Mrs. Wang moved out of Rong Xi Tang, her food, clothing, housing and transportation were still very luxurious.

At one dinner, there were six or seven exquisite hot dishes on the table, as well as a large bowl of black chicken, sea cucumber and eight-treasure soup. The whole table was filled with the aroma.

Jia Zheng had already eaten in a hurry and returned to his Mengpo Zhai study. When he went to bed later, he would most likely stay in the study or go to Aunt Zhao's room.

Even though the table was filled with delicacies, Mrs. Wang didn't have much of an appetite. She just ate half a bowl of rice and considered it to fill her stomach.

Suddenly, a dowry maid came in hurriedly, looked at Yuchuan and Caiyun who were cleaning up the dishes, and seemed to be hesitant to say something.

When Mrs. Wang saw her expression, she frowned slightly, then stood up and went into the inner room, and the old woman followed her in.

When Mrs. Wang sat down, she asked, "Is there anything urgent?"

The old woman said, "Madam, there is news from outside the second gate that Wu Jinxian was fired by Master Cong because the harvest he handed in was not up to standard!

The Third Master Cong also gave the Liaodong estate to a man named Zhou to manage.”

Mrs. Wang's face changed and she said in surprise, "What did you say..." (End of this chapter)