Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 124 Zhou Sheng

As Jia Lian lowered his stance and toasted with the officials, the banquet gradually became lively.

When everyone heard that Jia Lian was the owner of Juxianlou Restaurant, they immediately expressed that they would definitely bring their brothers to patronize Juxianlou Restaurant more often in the future.

Jia Lian smiled and said he was very grateful for the brothers' kindness.

To win over these lower-level officials, a combination of kindness and severity is essential.

Inviting everyone to drink together is the quickest and most effective way to build rapport.

Of course, it's only natural that he would have his subordinates come and patronize his business in the future.

Although he had long realized that there was no future in business in this bureaucratic world, he never thought about making any inventions or expanding markets to make money, mainly because he didn't have the time or energy. Anyway, as long as he held onto his official position and title, and his career progressed smoothly, fame and fortune would surely come rolling in.

There's no need to deliberately pursue it; that would be putting the cart before the horse.

However, one shouldn't be so aloof as to reject wealth that can be easily acquired.

With nearly two thousand people in the military command, if a portion of them were diverted to Juxianlou, Juxianlou would no longer have to worry about customers...

Once he secures his position as commander, he believes Sun Zai Ren will soon ask him for permission to expand his business.

The current three-tiered layout with dozens of tables is simply not enough.

The military headquarters was full of men who indulged in wine and women. After a few drinks, many of them revealed their true colors. They were especially pleased to see that Jia Lian did not seem to mind, and they drank heartily.

For a time, the sounds of flattery, boasting, and idle chatter filled the air.

Suddenly, they heard arguing and wailing coming from the street below, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

At the prompting of others, the person sitting on the side opened the window facing the street and stood up to look out.

It turned out that a young nobleman on horseback had bumped into a vendor pushing a cart. The vendor's goods and cart were blocking the street, obstructing the young man's path, so his servants went up to whip and drive him away.

Such things are very common in the world, and everyone just watched it as a spectacle. But a scholar suddenly jumped out and rebuked the young nobleman's behavior.

His righteous and eloquent words, while drawing cheers from the crowd, also left the young nobleman utterly humiliated. Enraged, he decided to beat him up as well…

After listening to the reports, Jia Lian asked the officers, "How do we usually handle such situations in our military command?"

Commander Xie Jun hurriedly said, "My lord, our military command has officers and soldiers specifically responsible for patrolling the city, who are in charge of these kinds of matters."

According to the usual practice of our Military Command, in this situation, the outcome depends on the identities of both parties involved in the disturbance...

If ordinary people are caught fighting in the street by our patrolling soldiers, they will be punished with caning in the street as a form of admonishment, or they will all be taken back to the military headquarters for further investigation.

If there are children of officials among them, we usually just disperse them. If... if they are powerful figures whom even our military command cannot afford to offend, we will decide on a case-by-case basis..."

Hehehe, what a fine "it depends on the situation" statement.

Jia Lian laughed.

He finally understood why so many people said that being an official in the Military Affairs Bureau was difficult!

"What about the current situation? As officials appointed by the imperial court, we are paid by the emperor and should be loyal to him."

If we stand idly by and do nothing about what's happening right under our noses, wouldn't we be ashamed of the official hat we wear?

Everyone agreed, and some even asked to go down and handle the matter personally.

One of them reminded, "Reporting to the Commander, I recognize the two men below. They are Zhou Sheng, the son of Zhou Hongchang, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. As for the scholar who was beaten, he is Gu Danfeng, the third son of Gu Tingju, the Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

The Gu family is alright, they're just ordinary officials, but the Zhou family is no ordinary family.

Zhou Sheng is the younger brother of Consort Zhou in the palace, making the Zhou family true relatives of the emperor. Our military command cannot afford to offend such people. In my humble opinion, we should simply step in and persuade them to leave.

Usually, young masters from prominent families like these give our military command some respect, and they'll stop and leave when they see our men. As for what happens next, let the Zhou and Gu families handle it themselves; we don't need to get involved..."

The reason Jia Lian did not issue the order immediately was simply to test the military command's control over the western city and to see how long it would take for the patrolling soldiers to arrive.

As for the scholar, since he's already been beaten, a few more lashes probably won't make a difference...

Hearing the words "Lantai Temple" surprised Jia Lian. Since it was the son of an official under Lin Ruhai, he felt even more obligated to help.

Therefore, he smiled at the official who had spoken and said, "What if I think we should get involved in this mess?"

The official wanted to offer his opinion, but Fan Jin quickly said, "We will do whatever you command, Your Excellency."

On the street, Zhou Sheng seemed to have calmed down and realized he had caused some trouble, so he wanted to slip away.

Suddenly, a gruff voice shouted, "Stop!"

Then he saw several burly men come out of a restaurant, seemingly trying to stop him.

"Who are you, daring to meddle in my business?"

Without needing to answer, a group of soldiers from the military headquarters finally arrived after hearing the news. Upon seeing Xie Jun and the others, they immediately stepped forward to pay their respects.

The local people were delighted to see that these ordinary-looking men were actually officials from the military command.

Zhou Sheng was also taken aback. He never expected to be so lucky as to bump into a group of military officers who had come out for a meal.

But the Military Commandery—the common people feared this government office that controlled everything from the heavens to the earth to the air—was nothing special to him.

Seeing that these people were determined not to let him leave, he became furious and said, "Do you know who I am? If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of my way right now!"

Xie Jun and the others' faces also darkened.

No matter what, they were proper officials of the imperial court. To be insulted like this by a mere brat in front of the common people was naturally intolerable.

Thinking that since Jia Lian was in charge, he decided to take down these people first.

The junior officer leading the group glanced at his superiors with surprise before leading his team forward to arrest the man.

"You've gone too far! How dare you, a mere soldier, arrest me? I am the younger brother of Consort Zhou in the palace! Who among you dares to touch me?"

Upon hearing that he was the younger brother of a concubine in the palace, the soldiers who had just arrived at their horses dared not make a move.

If they act forcefully and injure the nobleman's health, they will be in deep trouble...

Seeing this, the scholar Gu Danfeng, who was standing by and speaking out against injustice, cursed inwardly: No wonder everyone says that the soldiers of the Military Command are a rabble. They are indeed bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. They only know how to bully ordinary people. They are truly hateful.

But for now, they could only rely on these people to uphold justice for them. So, ignoring the pain all over his body, he stood up and said to the leaders, "This man rode his horse recklessly in the street, and after injuring people, he not only showed no remorse but also allowed his servants to beat us. Everyone present witnessed this. We implore you gentlemen to uphold justice!"

Those around Zhou Sheng knew that the matter would likely be dropped the moment he revealed his identity.

Most ordinary people in the capital know exactly what kind of people the Military Commanders are. It's absolutely impossible for them to stand up for a peddler and a scholar and offend the imperial relatives.

Even so, many people couldn't help but chime in, echoing, "We urge the officials to uphold justice..."

Even if it's useless, it's still a good thing to shout and embarrass the soldiers of the Military Garrison.

Jie Jun and his group were in an awkward position. While dealing with Gu Danfeng and the others, they signaled to the soldiers to arrest the people.

Zhou Sheng, however, had already sensed the lack of confidence among Xie Jun and his men, and became even more unwilling to back down. Seeing the soldiers trying to seize him, he drew his sword from his horse and drew it against them. He threatened Xie Jun and the others, "You wait, after today, I'll make you pay..."

Just when it seemed that the Military Command was about to lose all face, a clear and authoritative voice rang out from behind the crowd.

"Those who commit violence in the street and are arrested with weapons shall be executed without exception, according to the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty."

Then, a handsome young man walked up, surrounded by the crowd.

Even more shockingly, the officers of the Military Command, all dressed in civilian clothes, bowed and greeted the newcomer, saying, "Sir!"

A big shot has arrived...

This was the first reaction of the common people, so they all consciously stepped back to give Jia Lian and others enough space.

At a glance, Jia Lian saw more than a dozen soldiers from the Military Command, dressed in armor and carrying swords and staffs, completely helpless against a young man on horseback. One can imagine how Jia Lian, the head of the Military Command, felt in this situation.

I knew that the soldiers in the Military Command were all wealthy soldiers who dealt with the people of the capital and couldn't be compared to the border troops, but their incompetence was still quite speechless.

"If you cannot subdue this man within three breaths, you will all be disarmed and go back to farming. The court does not need such useless people, and neither does my military command."

Most of the soldiers were young men in their twenties and thirties, and they all guessed that Jia Lian was the newly appointed commander.

The soldiers, their pride severely wounded by their superior's scolding and belittling, could no longer bear it. They exchanged glances, their anger flaring, and together they raised their spurs and stabbed Zhou Sheng hard on his horse. In just a few blows, they threw him off, and the soldiers swarmed forward to subdue him.

Zhou Sheng was merely bluffing. Although he drew his sword, he dared not actually assassinate the soldiers in the street, and thus he was helplessly captured.

However, he was still as imposing as ever, raising his head and shouting at Jia Lian, merely reiterating his identity and making some threatening remarks.

Jia Lian ignored him and asked Fan Jin, "According to the law, how should this person be dealt with?"

Fan Jin hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, according to the law, anyone involved in a violent fight in the streets of the capital will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane, and those with serious offenses will be punished with forty strokes. They will then be taken back to the yamen for detention..."

When the scholar Gu Danfeng saw Jia Lian, he was also surprised.

This person is about the same age as him, but unexpectedly he already holds a high position!

Observing Jia Lian's actions and words, he was not like the incompetent person who flattered others. He felt both jealousy and envy, as well as some admiration.

Therefore, he hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "My lord, this man rode his horse and committed violence in front of us, and then ordered his servants to beat us. Just now, he used his status to arrest us with weapons. His attitude is so arrogant and domineering, and the impact is extremely bad. I beg you, my lord, to punish him severely and uphold the law."

Jia Lian glanced at him and thought, "That's right, a good scholar is one who can hold a grudge."

He glanced back at Zhou Sheng and his five servants, who were pinned to the ground, and calmly ordered, "All of them, get forty strokes on the spot, then take them back to the prison to await interrogation."

"grown ups……"

Fan Jin, who was standing nearby, wanted to advise Jia Lian not to really offend the Zhou family, but seeing Jia Lian's expression, he held back.

Very well, given your status, you need not fear the Zhou family's retaliation... In this light, it is a good thing that the Military Command has transferred such a noble scion of the Xun family. Perhaps, in the future, the Military Command will not have to be so timid when dealing with such matters.

……

(End of this chapter)