Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 516 The Dividing of Spoils between the Ruler and His Ministers

After a shaky journey of nearly a month, we finally arrived in the capital.

With the assistance of officials and carriages dispatched by the imperial court, Jia Lian returned to the capital in great fanfare with a large amount of silver and valuables.

After making clear the handover with the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, Jia Lian went directly to the Southern Study of the Daming Palace to report back to the imperial decree.

"Your humble servant Jia Lian greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise."

Emperor Ningkang still looked thin and dignified. He looked at Jia Lian, whom he hadn't seen for three months, nodded with satisfaction, and then said, "You have worked hard and made great contributions in this investigation of the salt administration and the punishment of corruption. Thank you for your hard work."

"To serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty is the greatest honor for this humble subject."

After a few simple pleasantries, Emperor Ningkang picked up several memorials that had been prepared beforehand and had Dai Quan hand them to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian seemed puzzled. He picked up two books in succession, glanced at them briefly, his expression changed slightly, and then he immediately knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, these people are purely slanderers. Since I received the imperial decree to go to Jiangnan, I have kept Your Majesty's instructions in mind and devoted myself to the task. I am afraid that I have failed Your Majesty."

These ministers, however, are making baseless accusations against me based on these unfounded accusations. Their intentions are truly sinister and utterly despicable!

Your Majesty, please be wise and do not listen to the words of these scoundrels.

They had no idea how vicious and difficult those salt merchants and officials were! Had His Majesty known this earlier, he should have sent these people to Yangzhou, letting them experience firsthand what it's like to constantly rack their brains against salt merchants and local officials, while also constantly on guard against assassination attempts. Then, let's see if they'd still be able to stand by and make sarcastic remarks, maliciously accusing others!

As Jia Lian spoke, his face was filled with hatred, as if he would have punched the person who wrote these memorials if he were here.

As Jia Yucun had predicted, before he even returned to the capital, many ministers in the court had already begun impeaching him. Some of these memorials were even written before he left Yangzhou, and their content was mostly protests and impeachments against his "arrogant behavior" and "disregard for the law" in Yangzhou.

Some have questioned whether he took the opportunity to amass wealth for himself, but these are all baseless speculations and not worth mentioning.

Emperor Ningkang carefully observed Jia Lian's expression. After Jia Lian had vented his emotions, he said calmly, "I have read every memorial you sent back to the capital. I know your predicament, and naturally I will not believe these people's unfounded speculations about you."

The reason I'm showing you these things is simply to let you know what shortcomings and inappropriate aspects of your actions are, so that you can try your best to avoid them when you serve the court in the future.

Furthermore, although I trust you, I cannot completely disregard the opinions of my court officials. Go back and rest today, and attend the morning court session tomorrow. If any ministers still make things difficult for you then, you should confront them and clear your name.

Get up.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree. Thank you for your trust and favor, Your Majesty..."

"As for your reward, I will have it delivered to your residence after the court assembly."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty..."

"Is there anything else?"

After Jia Lian expressed his gratitude, he remained standing in the same spot. Emperor Ningkang seemed somewhat puzzled and asked a question.

"Well, Your Majesty, I do indeed have something else to report..."

As Jia Lian spoke, he glanced at the few eunuchs in the hall.

Dai Quan understood, glanced at Emperor Ningkang, and noticed that Emperor Ningkang raised an eyebrow. He then waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs to leave.

"Speak," Emperor Ningkang said somewhat impatiently, as few ministers dared to order him to dismiss their attendants.

However, Jia Lian, with his keen eyes, easily noticed the hint of expectation in Emperor Ningkang's eyes.

So he took out a brocade box that he had prepared beforehand from his sleeve, and without letting Dai Quan present it to him, he bent down and presented it directly to Emperor Ningkang's desk, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is a gift from the salt merchants of Yangzhou City, which I have entrusted to you to pass on to Your Majesty."

They said that they had failed the court's high expectations and His Majesty's trust, so in addition to voluntarily donating four million taels of silver to the court to atone for their sins, they also took the initiative to offer three million taels of silver to His Majesty to express their gratitude for His Majesty's mercy in sparing their lives.

"Here are one million taels of silver notes from various banks, and another two million taels of cash. I have already ordered people to combine these with local specialties from various prefectures in Jiangnan that I purchased for Your Majesty and the ladies of the palace, and send them all to the Imperial Household Department."

Even though he was prepared, Emperor Ningkang was still moved by the figure of three million taels.

Even for him, this number is not small.

Excluding the expenses of the retired emperor, the amount of silver drawn from the national treasury for his private treasury each year would not exceed this amount. Of course, the palace's expenses did not rely entirely on the national treasury; there were also incomes from the various imperial estates.

As the emperor, he had to reward his officials, hold state banquets, and maintain the palace's expenses every year, which was very costly.

Emperor Ningkang was quite satisfied with Jia Lian's move.

Although he was the emperor, it didn't make a significant difference whether the silver went into the national treasury or his personal funds. After all, the money in both places was his money.

However, he had to consult with his court officials before spending the money in the national treasury, and he would be subject to their control. If he spent too much, his court officials would accuse him of wasting national resources.

In contrast, the money in the imperial treasury was much more flexible; he could use it however he wanted, and no one could interfere.

After casually glancing at the brand-new silver notes, Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Lian with increasing satisfaction.

Regardless of whether the money was truly a tribute from the salt merchants or embezzled by Jia Lian from the national treasury, the fact that Jia Lian fully understood his original intention and relieved his predicament of lacking funds in the imperial treasury shows that he is a capable minister who can share the emperor's burdens!

Yes, he handled things very well. Even if the silver were directly transported to his Imperial Household Department, no one would dare to intercept or inspect it. However, Jia Lian's idea of ​​using local specialties as a tribute to transport the silver to the Imperial Household Department averted suspicion from the court officials.

However, despite his joy, Emperor Ningkang frowned and asked Jia Lian, "Are those salt merchants really this wealthy? Can they casually produce millions of taels of silver?"

Emperor Ningkang was, after all, a peaceful emperor, and after ascending the throne, he never left the vicinity of the capital.

In his view, the amount Jia Lian had previously reported to the Ministry of Revenue was already considerable, and the silver, along with various rare antiques and paintings, was worth between seven and eight million.

If we add this three million taels, wouldn't it exceed ten million taels?

Even he was taken aback by the amount. After all, Jia Lian had only been away for three months, and had actually been in Yangzhou for just over a month. Regardless of whether his methods were cruel and brutal, the fact that he could plunder more than ten million taels of wealth from Yangzhou in just one month was still unbelievable to Emperor Ningkang.

Jia Lian immediately replied, "It's more than just wealthy. Your Majesty doesn't know, although Yangzhou is a prefecture in Jinling Province, in terms of prosperity, it is no less than Jinling City."

Not to mention the wealthy salt merchants; which one of them didn't own seven or eight luxurious estates? Take the Zhao and Wang families, who dared to assassinate me, for example; their silver was piled up like mountains. When my men and I went in to search and confiscate it, we were almost shocked!

Emperor Ningkang frowned upon hearing this, but then relaxed.

Firstly, he doesn't have much energy to focus on salt administration right now, and secondly, the profits from the salt trade are what they are; even if he kills this group and replaces them with a new batch, they might not be any better than the current group.

Emperor Ningkang then glanced at Jia Lian and smiled knowingly, "Oh, since these salt merchants are so wealthy, haven't they offered you, the Grand Imperial Envoy, any special gift?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian remained calm and glanced at Dai Quan.

Dai Quan immediately turned to Emperor Ningkang and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. When Marquis Zhenyuan entered the palace earlier, he mentioned that he had several treasures he wished to present to Your Majesty. I thought that since it was Marquis Zhenyuan's intention, it must be a surprise for Your Majesty, so I did not inform Your Majesty beforehand."

Emperor Ningkang glanced at him and said noncommittally, "If that's the case, why don't you have it brought up?"

A short while later, the eunuchs filed in and unfurled four paintings and calligraphies.

Emperor Ningkang immediately knew that Jia Lian was trying to please him, so he did not pretend to be reserved. He stepped out from behind the dragon desk and began to examine and comment on each item.

Although Emperor Ningkang was not as fond of collecting objects in his old age as the retired emperor, he was skilled in calligraphy and therefore had a good interest in calligraphy and painting.

Emperor Ningkang merely nodded slightly at the first few paintings, thinking they were quite good. No wonder Jia Lian dared to present them to him in such a pretentious manner.

When his gaze swept over the fourth painting, Emperor Ningkang's eyes suddenly froze, and he immediately took two steps closer to examine it carefully.

Seeing this, Dai Quan quietly gave Jia Lian a thumbs up.

As a close confidant of the emperor, Dai Quan certainly knew that serving the monarch sometimes meant that presenting the emperor with something he liked was more useful than making many great contributions to the court!

Judging from Emperor Ningkang's reaction, it's clear that Jia Lian succeeded.

Emperor Ningkang bent over and examined the work for a long time before raising his head. Then, seemingly realizing that his behavior had been unbecoming of an emperor, he coughed lightly and asked Jia Lian in a respectful voice, "Is this... an authentic piece?"

"Your Majesty, I am not very knowledgeable about calligraphy and painting, so I cannot give you a precise answer. However, this was indeed presented to me by someone when I was in Yangzhou."

I've also had some people authenticate it, and most of them say it should be genuine.

Because this calligraphy is so famous, I dare not make a hasty judgment. I also recall having the privilege of witnessing Your Majesty's exquisite calligraphy during a previous audience, so I present it to Your Majesty today for your appreciation.

Jia Lian said with a smile. Actually, this copy of Wang Xizhi's "Ping An Tie" was copied from the Zhao family. However, since it was said to be copied, his interception and presentation to the emperor would naturally have the suspicion of using someone else's work to present to the emperor. It would be better for someone else to give it to him, and for him to present it back to the emperor, which would be considered "commendable loyalty."

Emperor Ningkang nodded, finding Jia Lian's words to be reasonable. After all, even he, a fan of Wang Xizhi, dared not be certain at a glance whether it was an authentic work, because there were simply too many imitations of this famous calligraphic masterpiece.

Many high-quality replicas are quite valuable.

But he felt that what he saw in front of him was very likely true!

If that's the case, then it would be a treasure for him.

After having Dai Quan accept the four paintings and calligraphy works, Emperor Ningkang, who had returned to his throne, looked at Jia Lian with a gaze that defied description.

"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal the truth. After things were settled in Yangzhou, the salt merchants did indeed give me many benefits in order to get me to speak well of them in the court and before Your Majesty."

This included 100,000 taels of silver and more than ten antique items.

Your humble servant thought that if I didn't accept it, the salt merchants would feel uneasy and might cause trouble, so I accepted it.

However, this humble subject dared not embezzle these items. Apart from the four paintings and calligraphies that were just presented to Your Majesty, the rest, including 100,000 taels of silver and various treasures, were all placed into the 2 million taels of silver and sent to the Imperial Household Department.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ningkang laughed and said, "Oh, if that's the case, then you've made a wasted trip and haven't gained anything at all?"

"Your Majesty, please don't tease me. I serve Your Majesty and the court, and as long as the task is accomplished, there is no such thing as a wasted trip."

Furthermore, I know that as long as we do our best to serve Your Majesty, Your Majesty will certainly not treat us meritorious officials unfairly!

If one is blinded by petty gains and does something that would damage His Majesty's trust, then it would truly be a case of losing more than one gains.

"I can understand this situation perfectly well."

As Jia Lian spoke, he even revealed a hint of self-satisfaction, as if he considered himself quite shrewd.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Ningkang couldn't help but scold, "Pedantic!"

Although he did scold him, the expression on Emperor Ningkang's face clearly showed his satisfaction with Jia Lian's enlightenment.

Therefore, he raised his hand and handed the brocade box that Jia Lian had just presented to Dai Quan, instructing, "Give him 100,000 taels."

Emperor Ningkang's words were quite generous.

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Your Majesty is responsible for the fate of the nation and has many needs for funds."

"This humble subject dares not accept it. Besides, how could this humble subject possibly need so much silver..."

Emperor Ningkang snorted, "Take it if I tell you to. This isn't entirely for you. I heard your family practically emptied their treasury to build a garden for the Imperial Concubine's visit home. This is my special compensation to your family."

At the opportune moment, Dai Quan counted out 100,000 taels of silver notes and stuffed them into Jia Lian's hand, laughing, "Lord Zhenyuan, the Emperor told you to take it, so take it. Hehe, this old servant has served the Emperor for so many years, but this is the first time I've seen the Emperor bestow such a heavy reward upon a subject alone. Lord Zhenyuan is truly the first."

Thus, Jia Lian reluctantly accepted the silver note and bowed to Emperor Ningkang in gratitude.

But deep down, I knew perfectly well what was going on.

Don't be fooled by Emperor Ningkang's criticism of his pedantry. If he were to openly admit to skimming profits while helping him with his affairs, Emperor Ningkang would hold a grudge, even if he didn't punish him.

As the old saying goes, "An emperor will not starve his soldiers." Therefore, when his subordinates are busy with their duties, they will often try to skim some profits. How could the emperor not know this?

This was even something that was tacitly approved by both superiors and subordinates.

However, tacit approval is one thing, knowing that you are secretly taking things is another!

After all, all land under heaven belongs to the emperor; what the emperor bestows upon you is yours. If you take it yourself, that is called disloyalty.

He could rightfully take the 100,000 taels, because it included the emperor's reward for his loyalty.

As for whether rewarding officials with 100,000 taels of silver is too much...

It's definitely too much. In any other scenario, unless Emperor Ningkang had gone mad, he wouldn't have rewarded his subjects with so much cash!

However, it's easier to understand if you put it another way.

The younger brother helped the boss get more than three million yuan in "stolen money," and he gave 100,000 yuan to this younger brother who would be important to him in the future. Is that too much to ask?

It even seemed a little stingy.

After Jia Lian accepted the silver notes, Emperor Ningkang's attitude was noticeably warmer than before. He even personally inquired about some of the matters mentioned in Jia Lian's memorial, and in particular, he expressed anger when Jia Lian was mentioned as someone daring to assassinate him one after another.

However, since the culprit had already been executed and his property confiscated by Jia Lian, Emperor Ningkang expressed his concern and then dismissed him.