Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 196 Jia Jing: What’s wrong with me asking for some money?
……

"Your humble servant pays respect to the Holy Emperor."

After Wen Ting entered the hall, he bowed politely.

The emperor on the dragon throne smiled and said, "My dear Lord Wen, please don't be polite." Then he stood up and walked downstairs and said, "I came to you today for no other reason than to ask you when can the Ascension Pavilion be completed as soon as possible?"

Wen Ting thought a lot on the way. He even thought that the emperor might not be satisfied with Emperor Anping's performance in the past two days, but he didn't think it was about Dengxian Pavilion.

How to build in ice and snow?
"Well." Wen Ting hesitated for a moment, "Reporting to the Holy Emperor, if the weather turns warmer in the spring of next year, at the latest in May or June..."

“What if we start construction now?”

The Emperor interrupted.

"This……"

Wen Ting's face changed. How could it be possible?
"Holy Emperor, it's too cold. I'm afraid..."

The emperor waved his hand and said, "I am not a cruel and tyrannical ruler. It will be ok to use a honeycomb coal stove to make a fire, right? I only ask that the Ascension Pavilion be built as soon as possible!"

Talent!

Wen Ting sighed in his heart.

Seeing that the retired emperor had become obsessed, he originally wanted to persuade him, but then he thought that Jia Jing had been much more favored than him recently. If he didn't know better, he would probably be marginalized, and then he would no longer have the chance to be the prime minister.

"I will go down to prepare today and start construction tomorrow morning. However, the cost of building the Dengxian Pavilion will probably be higher..." Wen Ting looked a little embarrassed.

Overall this is a good thing for him.

If the emperor doesn't spend money, how can he make money?
"OK!"

The emperor was not disappointed when he heard this, but was overjoyed: "I really didn't misjudge you, Wen Aiqing, just go ahead and do it, don't worry about the money, I have my own way."

Jia Jing will definitely find a way to get him money!

The emperor was convinced of this.

Not long after, Wen Ting left the palace, went to the Ministry of Works to explain some things, and then hurried back home.

The emperor is obsessed with cultivating immortals to such an extent that it is obvious that he is already terminally ill. He must make preparations early.

I just went home and had a cup of tea. Before I had time to plan carefully, the old housekeeper came again and bowed and said, "Master, Mr. Liu Zhiyi from the Ministry of Personnel is here to visit."

Wen Ting frowned for a while and said to himself, "He is very well-informed."

"Forget it. Invite him to the main hall for tea and tell him that I am busy with official business and will be there soon."

The old butler quickly agreed and went down.

Wen Ting casually called out the dancers and watched them dance in the hall.

At his age, he can only appreciate it. If he could be twenty years younger... Wen Ting daydreamed while pouring himself two bowls of tea. Then he waved away the dancer, stood up slowly and walked towards the main hall.

"Oh, my Lord Wen, you have finally finished your official duties. Are you tired? Do you want to ask your dancers to come out for a walk and relax?" Liu Zhiyi said with a smile.

"Cough cough."

Wen Ting coughed lightly and said with a straight face: "Master Liu, be careful with your words. What dancer? I have been entrusted with an important task by the Emperor, and I am too busy with my daily duties. I don't have the time to spare like you!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Yi hurriedly apologized with a smile, "I made a mistake. Elder Wen has been working hard to help the retired emperor. I admire him very much."

Wen Ting waved his hand and said, "Lord Liu is an official in the Ministry of Personnel. He has as much to do as I, a cabinet minister. How come you are free today?"

"hehe."

Liu Yizhi took a sip of tea and smiled, "I heard that your Ministry of Works is going to start building the Dengxian Pavilion tomorrow? Using a stove to heat the house in the ice and snow... Old Wen, tell me, did some treacherous people give the emperor a bad idea?"

Wen Ting also took a sip of tea and said calmly: "I don't know about this. I am just following the emperor's orders. I don't know anything else, and I won't try to guess the emperor's mind."

Wen Ting's attitude was strict and businesslike, and his words and expressions gave off a distant feeling. After he finished speaking, he even picked up the teacup, as if he was seeing someone off.

Although Liu Yizhi was not very satisfied, he almost got what he wanted to know, so he stood up and said goodbye.

Wen Ting looked at Liu Yizhi who walked out of the house and frowned deeply.

Originally, he planned to support Liu Yizhi to join the cabinet as his powerful assistant, but the situation has changed. He gradually discovered that Liu Yizhi was a little too ambitious, and as a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, his power would undoubtedly increase greatly once he entered the cabinet. At that time, he would most likely become the master and threaten his position.

So... not only can I not help him enter the cabinet, I also have to suppress him at the appropriate time.

This is how the officialdom works. Someone who was your friend not long ago may be your enemy now.

This is normal.

……

On this side, Liu Zhiyi didn't care about Lord Wen's attitude.

How can one accomplish great things if he is so cautious? No wonder he has not become the Prime Minister after serving as a cabinet minister for 20 years.

If he were a cabinet minister, he would have pushed Prime Minister Ye off the throne long ago.

Not long after returning home, Liu Yizhi got up again and went to Li Minzhi's residence.

"It was not Lord Jia's idea."

"The Emperor...I'm afraid he's going to make things worse. He's really obsessed with cultivating immortals!"

Li Minzhi felt emotional but also a little expectant.

……

Ningguo Mansion, Jia Jing's study.

Zhuge Lan said with a hint of worry: "The emperor seems to be getting more and more obsessed with cultivating immortals. This is not a good sign. The elder should speak frankly and give him more advice."

You know, Jia Jing was able to step by step reach the position of cabinet minister today and reach the highest realm of being almost second to none. This was certainly due to his extraordinary abilities, but it must be said that the preference of the retired emperor also played a big part.

As for Emperor Anping...

There was even some dirty stuff because of Yuanchun. Although she would not be neglected because of this, there was no doubt that only the emperor liked her would have more room for promotion.

Facing everyone's gaze, Jia Jing shook his head and sighed, "I know this, but the emperor's temperament... Well, don't worry for now, although the emperor seems a little obsessed, he still knows what's going on in his heart, and it's not to the extent you think."

Ouyang Chi said, "Why don't you try to get ahead? Now that Elder Wen's prestige is insufficient and Prime Minister Ye is unable to stop you, this is the best time."

Jia Jing looked at the others and asked, "Do you all think the same?"

Nangong Lu stood up and said, "I don't think it's that simple. First, you have only been in the cabinet for a short time. If you want to go further, you will inevitably conflict with Elder Wen and even Prime Minister Ye. It is inevitable that others will take advantage of you and laugh at you. Second, the opportunity now seems rare, but in reality... it's hard to say. It is a situation where opportunities and risks coexist!"

"That's right." Zhuge Lan also pondered and said, "Seemingly good opportunities often contain immeasurable risks. Instead of taking a risk, it is better to play it safe. After all, you are still young."

Everyone laughed at the last sentence.

Among the cabinet ministers, Jia Jing was the youngest, yet he managed to hold the position of Prime Minister.

"Has there been any news from Lord Lin? If Lord Lin returns victorious, it will be of great help to you, and you may want to take advantage of the situation." Zhuge Lan added.

Jia Jing shook his head: "It's very difficult to fight over there in Ruhai. Although Daxia has the advantage in terms of military strength, it is at a disadvantage in terms of the situation. Many of its artillery and warships are not as sharp as those of the Netherlands."

"Ugh!"

Nangong Lu sighed: "I didn't expect that my great country, Daxia, would be inferior to the cannons made by the tiny Netherlands."

Jia Rong listened for a long time, then finally stood up and said solemnly: "We must not look down on the barbarians in the West, nor show weakness. Now that we have started the fight, we must go all out and never give up halfway. If we are considered weak and bullied by the barbarians in the West, there will be no peace forever."

After saying this, Jia Rong added: "To friendly nations, Daxia is naturally a country of etiquette. To the barbarians, only by hitting them hard can they submit."

Everyone agreed.

Throughout history, whenever the Han people became slightly weaker, foreign barbarians would rebel and invade.

Jia Jing nodded and said, "Of course I know this. I will report this to the emperor tomorrow and mobilize the Penglai navy to support Lin Ruhai!"

This time, the Great Xia navy went south to promote the country's prestige. If they were defeated by the Netherlands, it would be a disgrace and would seriously affect the prestige of Great Xia and the prestige of the court.

This cannot be tolerated.

Especially for Jia Jing, the initiator of this war. …

Early morning on the second day.

Jia Jing was the first to step out of the class and said, "The Westerners occupying the South China Sea have sent reinforcements. Daxia must be on guard. I suggest that the navy of Penglai be transferred to Nanyang to support the overseas governor Lin Ruhai."

At this time, everyone had received the news that the war in the South China Sea was not going well, and most of them were watching the fire from the other side of the river with gloating attitude.

Especially the second assistant Wen Ting.

He thought Jia Jing was courting death!

If Lin Ruhai were to be recalled urgently now, at most he would be dismissed from office and stripped of his title, but it would not have a big impact on Jia Jing.

However, if they choose to increase troops at this time, it will not only consume national strength, but if they are defeated, not only will all Jia Jing's previous achievements be destroyed, but he may also become a sinner of Daxia.

and so……

Elder Wen did not say anything to stop him, but smiled and said, "Sending more troops to Southeast Asia at this time will undoubtedly consume a huge amount of national strength. If Lord Lin is still defeated, the consequences can be said to be disastrous. Has Lord Jia considered this?"

Jia Jing said solemnly: "I have never thought that Daxia would be defeated by a mere barbarian. The occasional defeat in the past was just because Daxia had not experienced naval battles for a long time and was not used to it. Now that we have regrouped, we will surely win the battle!"

"I agree with what Lord Jia said."

"I second the proposal."

"Master Lin will surely defeat these barbarians and return victoriously!"

Jia Jing now has considerable power in the court, and many people stood up to agree with what Jia Jing said.

Wen Ting smiled and said no more.

It is enough for him to add these few words.

The eyes observe the nose and the nose observes the heart.

He won't interfere with anything Jia Jing does recently.

The defeat was due to his impatience and lack of patience, which led to his failure at the last moment.

Winning would only further increase your prestige and be icing on the cake, but it wouldn't actually be of much help.

Emperor Anping nodded and said with a smile, "Mr. Jia is right, but this matter is of great importance. It is difficult for me to make the decision. I have to ask the Holy Emperor for advice."

"My emperor is wise."

Jia Jing bowed.

The court was dismissed at once.

Jia Jing entered the inner palace and met the emperor.

"I pay my respects to the Holy Emperor."

Jia Jing bowed politely.

The emperor had something to ask Jia Jing, so he said happily, "My dear Jia, please excuse me. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Holy Emperor."

Jia Rong sat on the brocade stool brought by the eunuch and said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, the war in Nanyang is not going well, and we need to send more troops to Lin Ruhai."

"In this battle, Daxia must not lose!"

The emperor frowned slightly. To be honest, he didn't want to fight anymore.

First of all, in his opinion, Nanyang was a completely useless place, even worse than Jiaozhou. It would be a waste to conquer it and abandon it.

Secondly, increasing the number of troops would cost money, and he was short of money right now.

However, he still had to give Jia Jing some face.

What's more, he now needs Jia Jing to give him money to build the Dengxian Pavilion.

"Lord Jia, it's not that I don't want to agree, but the treasury is really out of money. If you can get some money... it's not impossible."

Jia Jing thought for a moment and said, "We can borrow two million from this year's taxes first, and pay it back before the Dragon Boat Festival next year so it won't have any impact."

At the end of each year, the imperial court would set aside millions of taxes in case a province suddenly suffered a natural disaster or famine the next year.

The emperor hesitated and asked, "What if we still can't win?"

Jia Jing sighed, "If we still lose, we in Daxia will have to think carefully about how to strengthen our army, otherwise we will be spied on by the barbarians!"

"For barbarians, etiquette is useless."

"Only by fighting can the four barbarians submit!"

The Emperor thought for a moment and said, "Then let's follow what Elder Jia said. However, I am in a hurry to build the Ascension Pavilion and I am in great need of silver. Where can I get some?"

Jia Jing: “…”

He did not recommend building it now. Although it might be feasible with the use of a furnace, it would undoubtedly increase the expenses greatly!

However, the emperor had already agreed to send more troops to the South China Sea, so he couldn't make any excuses on this matter.

"I will try to borrow one million taels from the Ministry of Revenue and pay them back when the time comes."

"it is good!"

The emperor was overjoyed: "I knew that Lord Jia would have a solution!"

……

Household Department.

Liu Yan was about to cry.

"Lord Jia, you can't do this."

"You haven't paid off the money you borrowed some time ago, and now you want to borrow another two million. The Ministry of Revenue will empty your bank account."

Jia Jing waved his hand and said, "Don't complain about being poor. I got the extra three million taels of salt tax for you every year. That's thirty million taels in ten years. What's wrong with me asking you for some money now?"

Liu Yan: “…”

This is simply rogue!
He almost wanted to curse.

"Sir, can you do this?"

"What?" Jia Jing glared, "Hurry up and sign for me and get the money. I'm waiting for it. Also, the emperor wants to build the Ascension Pavilion and is currently short of one million. You lend it to him first. I guarantee that he will pay you back when he has the money."

Liu Yan cried.

"My Lord, this is really not okay!"

Jia Jing: "If I say yes, then yes."

"I'm doing this all for the country!"

Liu Yan: “…”

It would be fine if the Minister of Revenue didn't do the job.

It’s so bitter!
"Give it all!"

"You have emptied the Ministry of Revenue. I wonder what you will do next year!"

Liu Yan signed the note, turned his sleeves and left.

Jia Jing smiled slightly.

As long as we win the war in the South China Sea, let alone three million, we can even get ten million!

……

(End of this chapter)