The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 286

Wisps of white mist emerged from the ice jar, making the room cool and pleasant.

Mrs. Wang sat upright on the couch, counting the rosary in her hands and reciting Buddhist scriptures silently.

Suddenly, a maid's voice came from outside: "The master is back."

Jin Chuan'er, who was standing by, hurried forward and opened the curtain, and Jia Zheng walked in.

Mrs. Wang: "The master is back." She stood up and went to greet him, and personally helped Jia Zheng take off his outer robe.

Jia Zheng was slightly stunned, but did not dodge.

At this time, Jin Chuan'er wrung out a wet towel from the washbasin and handed it to Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng took the handkerchief and wiped his face, then turned around and sat down beside the couch. He asked Mrs. Wang, "How are the preparations going?"

Mrs. Wang sat down on the other side of the couch and replied, "Everything is ready."

Yuchuaner came in with a cup of tea.

Mrs. Wang personally handed the tea to Jia Zheng and said, "Master will be leaving tomorrow. I have a few things to discuss with you."

Jia Zheng took the tea, took a sip, put it down, and looked at Mrs. Wang: "Go on."

Mrs. Wang: "First, the garden project has reached a critical juncture. The master is not at home, and the eldest master does not care about it. Lian'er has an errand in the government office. It's such a big thing. No one can take charge. I want Baoyu's two cousins ​​to come and help take care of it."

Jia Zheng hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.

Mrs. Wang: "Secondly, Baoyu is getting older day by day, and I don't know what his future will be. What should I do? I beg the master to teach him again and force him to be more focused. If one day he can study and make progress as hard as Zhu'er did when she was alive, then I will..." As she said this, she wiped the corners of her eyes.

Jia Zheng sighed, "No one knows a son better than his father. Baoyu is ten times smarter than Huan'er. But if we talk about the eight-legged essay, he might not be the right material!" At this point, he shook his head, "I'm afraid he's not the right material!"

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face turned a little unhappy.

Jia Zheng: "What else?"

Mrs. Wang picked up the rosary on the table and rubbed it while saying, "The queen in the palace is about to give birth, and I can't enter the palace now. I feel uneasy. I want to hold a three-day peace ceremony at Qingxu Temple from the first to the third day of next month, sing operas and offer tributes, and ask Lian'er to lead the men from all over the capital to kneel and worship Buddha and pray for the queen and the little prince."

Jia Zheng pondered for a while and replied: "Too ostentatious. Or..."

As he was speaking, a maid came from outside to report: "Master and Madam, our uncle is here. Please go and talk to him."

"Clothes!" Mrs. Wang was busy arranging changes of clothes for Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng frowned.

Mrs. Wang: "It's so hot today, it's impossible that Uncle Baoyu is here to talk about housework. He must have something to teach you. Why don't you take this opportunity to ask him some questions about the river?" As she said this, she straightened his robe for him.

Jia Zheng snorted, turned and walked out.

Mrs. Wang came to her senses and realized that she had spoken rashly. She suddenly remembered what Jia Zheng had not finished saying. She turned her eyes and said to Jin Chuan'er, "I was distracted for a while and didn't hear clearly what the master said. Does the master object to the peace ceremony at Qingxu Temple?"

Jin Chuan'er hesitated for a moment and replied, "No, the master didn't say anything against it."

Madam Wang nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Go and tell Feng to bring people to clean up Lixiang Courtyard so that it will be convenient for brothers Wang Li and Wang Ren to move in and supervise the work."

Jin Chuan'er: "Those little actors"

Mrs. Wang: "Just find an empty room to put it there."

Jin Chuan'er: "Yes." She answered and walked out.

Madam Wang turned around and walked to the couch and sat down. She slowly turned the rosary in her hand and chanted, "May the Buddha bless me and I must give birth to a prince."

On the other side, Wang Ziteng sat in the living room, drinking tea slowly, and sighed in his heart: "God is really unfair! If the emperor's trust could fall on me, alas..."

The door curtain was lifted and Jia Zheng walked in.

Wang Ziteng put down his tea bowl and stood up with a smile: "What a great joy!" Jia Zheng smiled and returned the greeting, then sat down at the top table, took the tea brought by the servant, drank a sip, put it down, and said to Wang Ziteng: "I just came back from the palace, and I haven't had time to pay my respects to the old lady yet."

Wang Ziteng's smile froze for a moment, then he smiled again, sat down on a chair, and said, "Before I came here, I asked the river officials, and they said there are a lot of hidden treasures here. If you just check, you will find a lot of merits."

Jia Zheng interrupted him directly: "The people from the Imperial Household Department have already gone south with the imperial edict. All officials of the Henan River Administration Office will be beheaded on the spot, their property will be confiscated, and their families will be exiled to the Hetao area."

Wang Ziteng's heart skipped a beat. Things were going to change in the River Administration Office!
Jia Zheng: "My job is simple. I will record what I see and hear and report it to the emperor truthfully."

This task is indeed very simple!
Wang Ziteng was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "If that's the case, I'm relieved." At this point, he coughed and said, "Um, you know about my situation, right?"

Jia Zheng understood that Wang Ziteng was talking about what Baoyu's aunt had said, so he didn't say anything but just nodded.

Wang Ziteng sighed and said, "The common people in Zhili have already paid the summer tax according to the acreage of land. If the royal family and nobles do not pay taxes according to the acreage of land, the summer tax paid by Zhili this year will be nearly 70% less than in previous years."

Jia Zheng was shocked. He knew that the common people were burdened with heavy taxes, but he didn't expect them to be so heavy!

Jia Zheng picked up the teacup and took a sip. After thinking for a while, he asked, "What if I hand it over?"

Wang Ziteng paused and replied, "Nearly 70% more than last year."

Jia Zheng was startled at first, then he started coughing violently.

Zhou Rui rushed in and was about to rub his back.

Jia Zheng waved his hand and said, "Get out."

"Yes." Zhou Rui stepped out.

Jia Zheng: "Why are there so many?"

Wang Ziteng: "Almost all the land in Zhili is in the hands of the royal family and nobles. Most of the common people are tenants. Even if they have land, it is low-grade land that the royal family and nobles do not value."

Jia Zheng was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll ask the housekeeper to go to the government office to pay the tax."

Wang Ziteng stood up and said, "On behalf of the millions of people in Zhili, I would like to thank the father-in-law!" Then he bowed deeply to Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng blushed and quickly stood up and returned the greeting.

The two of them flattered each other for a few words and drank half a cup of tea.

Jia Zheng: "You don't really intend to take force, do you? The nobles may take the palace into consideration, but it's hard to say about the princes of the royal family."

Wang Ziteng: "First courtesy, then force."

Jia Zheng: "What do you mean?"

Wang Ziteng: "From tomorrow on, I will visit every household and explain the emperor's will to them. As long as they agree to pay taxes, I will not hesitate even if they ask me to kowtow and kneel!"

Jia Zheng was shocked.

Wang Ziteng's eyes sparkled: "If this doesn't work, don't blame me!" At this point, he looked at Jia Zheng again: "I came here to ask you a favor. I also need your help in passing a message to the Li and Shi families. These two families control a small part of the military forces in the capital and have great influence. As long as they pay taxes, it will be much easier for other noble families."

Seeing Jia Zheng hesitate again, Wang Ziteng said hurriedly: "I am the Majesty's uncle, and only I will sincerely support the Majesty and the little prince!"

Jia Zheng stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go to the study." Then he turned and walked out.

Wang Ziteng curled up the corner of his mouth with a smile and followed him out.

Everything that happened in Rongxi Hall soon spread to the upper study.

Emperor Yongchang threw the paper in his hand onto the imperial desk and closed his eyes: "Spread this news early tomorrow morning."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang: "Keep an eye on each family, and send us any news immediately."

(End of this chapter)