The head of the Red Mansion

Since Lord Lin has returned to the capital, he no longer needs to attend school?
Xue Baochai, who had long since moved to Baisui Street, felt depressed.

If she hadn't moved out of the Jia family, wouldn't she have been able to sit and chat with everyone at the banquet in the East Mansion?
Baochai sighed softly. She had always wanted to win over Madam Shen, Madam Xing, Madam Lin, or even just to have the third aunt, who had divorced and returned home, look up to her.

But none.

They were very polite to her, and seemed to be very close to her, but in fact they were quite distant.

This left Baochai feeling extremely frustrated.

As she repeatedly adjusted her mood and pretended not to know anything when she approached them, how could she not feel sad inside?

But there is no way.

If we don't maintain this superficial politeness, who knows what their family will be like.

Before my aunt was demoted from the head mistress of the Rongguo Mansion to live and eat on her own outside the city, she not only offended Madam Shen of the East Mansion, but also the head mistress of the West Mansion and the others.

These people can be lenient with Zhu Da's cousin, but with their family...

Baochai sighed softly. Her brother was better than before, but he was still too naive.

Without taking shortcuts, the Xue family, a merchant family, would only become a treasury for certain powerful and wealthy individuals if they were separated from the Jia family.

Moreover, in recent imperial gazettes, several censors wrote about land tax and commercial tax, debating the tax systems of different dynasties, and focusing on the harm caused by the previous dynasty's abolition of commercial tax and mining tax.

Baochai sensed that the emperor was about to make a major move regarding taxation, and that he might increase commercial taxes.

Unfortunately, even though she realized it, she couldn't change it.

Selling southern goods to the north and northern goods to the south can bring huge profits to merchants, but there are also risks involved!
In the past six months, the emperor has strengthened his control over the local areas. Some bandits who had been entrenched in the mountains and plundering everywhere were captured or killed, which allowed his family to make more money.

However, this additional business tax has essentially brought profits back to where they were before.

Baochai pinched the bridge of her nose. Just then, Ying'er rushed in, "Miss, your uncle and his men have conquered Kyushu Island."

what?
Baochai stood up abruptly, and her mother's joyful voice could be heard from outside.

"Quickly, go to Deshenglou and order two tables of food. Send one to the Wang family and the other to our home. We can have some fun too."

Her older brother has done another good deed.

So what if Lin Ruhai goes to Beijing?

Could Lin Ruhai be granted a noble title by the emperor?

But their Wang family is about to produce a Duke.

Aunt Xue was overjoyed.

Once her elder brother returns to Beijing, their family business will surely reach new heights.

While Aunt Xue was dreaming about the future, Baochai slowly sat down in the room.

My uncle's army entered Japan a month later than the vanguard.

If the emperor truly intended for his uncle to achieve great merit, he wouldn't have allowed the vanguard to arrive so early.

She didn't know where Kyushu was, but she knew that the vanguard had already taken Ezo (Hokkaido).

Moreover, I heard that there were almost no casualties in that battle.

Now that my uncle has taken Kyushu Island, his vanguard is probably attacking the imperial city.

Thinking of this, Baochai couldn't help but close her eyes.

The Emperor is already on guard against his uncle.

Of the four kings and eight dukes who founded the country, how many are still in the court today?
No wonder my uncle was so eager to send someone to the palace.

He must have realized this a long time ago, right?

Baochai frowned and gripped the abacus tightly in her hands.

The following day, Ningguo Mansion was bustling with activity all day.

Even Jia Yuanchun came over carrying her baby.

In the evening, after repeatedly thanking Shen Ning, Lin Ruhai bid farewell to Grandmother Jia and finally returned to the Lin family's old residence with his wife and children.

For him, a two-week vacation felt like a gift from heaven.

What is visiting relatives and friends?
nonexistent.

He has met all the relatives and friends he needed to see at the Jia family home, and now his heart and eyes are only on his wife and children.

Daiyu and Chang'an each took half a month off to spend time with their beloved father, whom they had been longing to see.

The family went to Deshenglou today, Baima Temple tomorrow, and Baiweizhai the day after...

Go wherever is fun, from east to west, north to south.

Lin Ruhai grew up in Beijing, and now that he has finally returned, he naturally wants to bring his wife and children to see everything he played with, ate, and loved in his childhood.

Only when he's having fun and in a good mood will he have the energy to help the emperor reform the tax system.

The idea of ​​"integrating land tax into poll tax, returning fire tax to the public treasury, and requiring gentry to perform corvée labor and pay taxes" is bound to face immense resistance in the future.

Leaving aside the first two, throughout the dynasties, the later the period, the more severe the land annexation became.

However, the gentry who owned large amounts of land did not pay taxes or paid less taxes, and the land tax collected by the court decreased year by year. In order to maintain the government, the court could only increase taxes again and again. This was a vicious cycle. It was okay in years of plenty, but in years of famine, it forced the farmers to rebel.

Lin Ruhai talked with the emperor for a long time and had already decided to do it.

He knows how busy he will be in the future, so now he can steal half a month of leisure.

These days seem like a lot, but in reality, they don't last long at all.

In the blink of an eye, it was gone.

He had to go to court, and the children needed to go back to the Jia family's place to study...

It was getting cold, and Lin Ruhai couldn't bear to see his children leaving early and returning late, so he could only tell Jia Min that they could stay at his mother-in-law's place for the time being.

He felt that time was passing too quickly, while the emperor felt that time was passing too slowly.

It was already the twelfth lunar month, and he was waiting for the first batch of copper and iron to be shipped back from Japan.

Jin Muchuan was a man who was rough but meticulous. As expected, he was more to his liking than anyone else. While fighting, he also worked on copper and iron for the Great Zhao.

The emperor liked people who were loyal and righteous.

Moreover, many of those who served as the vanguard were people who had gone to Heihe and fought several tough battles against the Rakshasa Kingdom.

Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron...

He should give these titles to these people first.

The emperor had already decided in his mind to bestow titles upon certain people.

Although Prince Teng's rank will not be low after returning from Japan, how he uses it and how he conducts it will depend on whether he knows what's good for him.

"Your Majesty, Prince Bei Jing has arrived."

Ok?
The emperor frowned.

He had once really hoped to get his cousin's support.

His brothers also wanted to bring him into their camp.

But my cousin, despite his young age, is incredibly good at fooling his brothers.

"Take him to see the Emperor Emeritus!" The Emperor waved his hand in front of the map. "Tell him I'm busy and won't be seeing him today."

He didn't come when we needed him, but now that we don't need him anymore, he's come.

ho~
The emperor snorted and refocused on the map in front of him.

Prince Bei Jing was not summoned, and had no choice but to follow the palace servants to Shou Kang Palace to see the retired emperor.

Unfortunately, the old man didn't even recognize anyone.

Whether we meet or not, it makes no difference anymore.

That's what he thought in his heart, but when he saw the Empress Dowager, he still personally fed her half a cup of tea in the Shou Kang Palace, shed a few tears, and then left.

"Your Highness, shall we return to the manor now?"

Inside the carriage, a guard asked in a low voice.

"Let's go... take a stroll on Ningrong Street!"

The carriage I rode in today was quite understated, but Prince Bei Jing was willing to take a look around.

"By the way, have someone check later to see where Jia Rong likes to go for fun."

He should arrange a chance encounter.

Prince Bei Jing sighed softly to himself.

From the time Jia Jing moved to the Taoist temple, what was the Jia family then?
Of the two ducal mansions, only Jia Zheng, that fool, received a real position.

Unexpectedly, their family prospered again in the blink of an eye.

Prince Bei Jing wanted to check the feng shui of that area.

A phoenix that has lost its feathers is no better than a chicken.

For example, the Liu family of the Duke of Liguo's mansion, the Shi family of the Marquis of Zhongjing's mansion, and so on.

The Jia family clearly fell down, so how did they climb back up?
Prince Bei Jing was displeased that he was not summoned by the emperor.

It was also clear that if the emperor did not change his opinion of him, it wouldn't be long before the Prince of Beijing's mansion would become a fallen phoenix.

He was unwilling, and he could not accept it.

He needs to regain the emperor's favor.

"Yes!"

The guards hurriedly agreed.

Judging from the prince's expression, his trip to the palace is not going smoothly this time either.

This is still while the Emperor Emeritus is still alive. When the Emperor Emeritus is no longer alive, it is likely that even the princes will not be able to enter the palace.

The guards were actually quite worried for Prince Bei Jing.

The carriage wheels moved slowly forward, and snow began to fall gently from the sky.

It's getting colder.

To prevent herself from getting sick again from the sudden change in temperature, Shen Ning dutifully practiced boxing indoors.

"Madam, today's official gazette has arrived." Qingzhu brought over the newly arrived gazette.

"Let's see if there's anything new."

Shen Ning didn't answer immediately; she followed the steps Wen Peilan had taught her.

"...The first batch of 10,000 dan of rice produced in Annam has been transported to Da Zhao."

what?
Shen Ning paused slightly while punching.

I almost couldn't resist running to watch.

"Madam, are grain prices going to be lower this year?"

Hmm, I think so!

Shen Ning was in a very good mood.

Considering the large amount of food, she decided that as long as Wang Ziteng didn't go too far, she would just turn a blind eye to him.

Ten thousand dan (a unit of weight) can support one hundred thousand soldiers for a month.

This is just the first batch.

The future will be continuous.

Moreover, as far as Shen Ning knew, Annam's bureaucratic system collapsed after Prince Teng went on a killing spree there.

What do ordinary people know?
They'll basically stick with whoever can make their lives good.

The taxes levied in Da Zhao were much lower than those set by the King of Annam.

Time heals all wounds, and in a hundred years, Annam, the granary of Vietnam, will likely be stable.

Shen Ning looked forward to that day coming soon.

……

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, with the Lunar New Year fast approaching, many people on the long street were making final preparations for the holiday.

"Quickly, make way! This is an urgent message!"

From afar, a fast horse charged straight towards them.

The people hurriedly moved to the sides of the street to avoid the crowd.

Fortunately, the horse passed by quickly.

"Is there going to be another war?"

"Let's fight!"

"That's right, we're not afraid of anything now."

War means that someone is going to make a fortune, and a fortune that will change the lives of future generations.

“Perhaps it’s not a war,” another old man interjected, “but rather good news has arrived.”

In fact, it's really good news.

Jin Muchuan led his vanguard and captured all the territories except for Kyushu and Shikoku.

Oops!

The emperor held the report of victory, looking at it from left to right, up to down, his face beaming with joy.

Jin Muchuan's first strike was secure.

While the emperor was pleased, Prince Teng felt an indescribable sense of frustration.

unacceptable.

He's clearly the head coach.

But now, he's become a laughing stock.

Wang Ziteng's eyes narrowed slightly. When he saw Jin Muchuan, he said congratulatory words on the surface, but in his heart he wished he could tear him to pieces.

He had calculated the time.

Although this guy arrived a month earlier than them, his forces were relatively weak.

It's simply not suitable to prolong the battle.

He had always thought that Jin Muchuan wouldn't dare to take such a radical approach.

After all, if the battle lines are stretched too thin and the troops are scattered, they could easily be divided and devoured by various forces in Japan.

He had hoped the vanguard would suffer, but he never expected these Japanese to be so cowardly.

That's how Jin Muchuan stole the credit from him.

After returning from Jin Muchuan's place, he kicked the door panel away.

With a loud 'bang,' followed by excruciating pain in his toes.

Oh no, did he kick my nail and break it?
Wang Ziteng couldn't care less about anything else for the moment and hurriedly sent someone to fetch the army doctor.

Sure enough, his toenails were kicked and two of them flipped over.

Son of a bitch!
When you're down on your luck, even drinking water can cause problems.
"General!"

Wang Jin rushed over and said, "I found out that Jin Muchuan was able to win so quickly mainly because he has a mysterious 'strategist' by his side."

military adviser?

Wang Ziteng narrowed his eyes. "Are they Japanese?"

If that's the case, then could he be impeached for colluding with foreign enemies?

"I only saw it from a distance and did not get up close."

"Then why are you still standing there?"

Wang Ziteng was furious. "Go look for it again right now!"

It can be taken by force, but not by force...

Then let's kill them!

Unfortunately, just as he made his decision, Jia Jing had already said goodbye to Jin Muchuan.

Won.

They won fair and square.

He was both proud and gratified to learn of the formidable nature of the Lady of the Capital from Jin Muchuan.

The lady is his.

Jia Jing cried out in his heart.

Countless times, he wanted to ask Jin Muchuan for help in sending a letter to his wife.

Unfortunately, he held back every time.

His original identity is long dead.

The coffin has already been buried, and now he's saying he's not dead? Who would believe that?

Without him, the Jia family would have truly been revived by his wife.

If he goes back...

All of this may be gone in an instant.

Jia Jing dared not gamble.

He feared that the imperial court would inspect the letters of generals and officers in various regions.

My grandfather and father were both investigated.

Jia Jing, accompanied by his guards who addressed him as brothers, made a large purchase before boarding a ship and heading to Nanghar Guard.

The work here is done.

Next, he wanted to go further north to take a look.

Let's see what's there.

If possible, he wanted to draw a better map and give it to his brother, so that his brother could lead a large army and conquer everything in his path, just like this time.

Upon hearing from his guards that the strategist had left, Jin Muchuan paused slightly as he wiped his gun.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't heartbroken.

Such a swift victory was inseparable from Jia Jing.

I thought he was already dead.

"My lord, the steward on Lord Wang's side is inquiring everywhere about the strategist."

The guard added another sentence.

"Oh?"

Jin Muchuan narrowed his eyes. "Has Lord Wang's foot healed?"

The night the military doctor examined Wang Ziteng's foot, he learned why he was injured.

"That's not true."

"Pass down the word: if Wang Jin inquires about the strategist again, he should ask for more money."

Jia Jing is quite different from before.

He's gotten darker, thinner, and his beard looks longer.

Unless you know someone very well, it's impossible for others to recognize you.

Especially since that guy even had a hairy mole on his face.

He wouldn't have recognized it if it weren't for the secret code.

"We will speak freely and without reservation."

How much could the lowly soldiers possibly know?

Jin Muchuan said, "Once we get the silver, we'll all split it together." (End of Chapter)