The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Yuanchun, who was sitting nearby, knew that Concubine Beijing was a little upset because her sisters had left, so she said softly, "Mother, after a while, I will go and invite my sisters to stay at the mansion for a while."

When Princess Beijing heard this, the gloomy look on her brows disappeared, and her heart felt warm. Her son was filial and her daughter-in-law was considerate. Her life was truly complete.

However, as the Beijing Concubine, how could she show her joy? She just sat up straight, straightened her slightly messy collar, looked at Yuanchun, and said unhappily: "Instead of thinking about these, you might as well think about how to continue the royal family's offspring."

Shui Rong looked away from Princess Beijing, looking a little strange. She was still a stepmother. The so-called "mother avoids her children", how could she be so ignorant!

Yuanchun subconsciously touched her smooth belly after hearing this. She knew that the Concubine was not scolding her, but urging her. If the palace had an heir, it would not seem lonely. However,

Yuanchun felt helpless. Her belly only grew slightly each time, and should have shown results in a month or two. However, after quite a while, her belly just didn't seem to be getting bigger. Not only did she feel ashamed of her mother's high expectations, but she also let down her husband's hard work.

Thinking of this, Yuanchun said sadly: "My daughter-in-law knows."

Concubine Beijing noticed something strange about Shui Rong, she raised her eyebrows slightly, her heart felt a little cramped, and she got used to it for a while, forgetting that the monkey was still there.

However, Concubine Beijing was a broad-minded person after all. She recovered as usual in the blink of an eye. She looked at the dejected Yuanchun with her beautiful eyes and said in a slightly gentle tone: "I don't blame you, but our palace is small in number. As the mistress of the palace, your first priority is to expand the palace."

Shui Rong saw Yuanchun was depressed, so he smiled and comforted her: "Mother, this matter can't be rushed, don't worry."

Sometimes, having a baby is a matter of fate. The more anxious you are, the smaller your belly may grow. As for strange things, who can predict them accurately?

Hearing this, Concubine Beijing raised her eyebrows, and anger flashed in her beautiful eyes. She immediately scolded, "You monkey, I haven't told you yet, but you're protecting your wife. Look at what you've done. Keqing and the third girl have been in the mansion for quite some time, but have you ever touched them? I don't care if you think about your wife, but expanding the family for the palace is the top priority, how can you mess around like that?"

Although Concubine Beijing had always stayed in Ning'an Hall and all household affairs were handed over to Yuanchun, she was not completely ignorant. As Keqing was the first person to enter the mansion, although they had some intimate behavior, she did not lose her virginity.

There is also the third girl, Tanchun, who was married as Teng's concubine and is also a virgin.

Shui Rong didn't care. He wanted to drill into Yuanchun's belly, but what was the use? It was still useless.

Yuanchun, who was sitting on the side, lowered her head and remained silent. Concubine Beijing was openly scolding Shui Rong, but in fact she was pointing a finger at her. Yuanchun knew that Shui Rong's behavior was a manifestation of respect for her, but she was just not up to the standard.

After a pause, Yuanchun said softly, "Mother, how about letting your husband "marry" Sister Qin into the mansion first?"

Yuanchun knew that Shui Rong intended to marry Keqing into the mansion, but was just waiting for her to get pregnant so that she could take care of everything. This way, Yuanchun would not be gossiped about by outsiders and would not fall out of favor. Secondly, it would also elevate Keqing's status. Now that she knew that her husband respected her as the mistress, it was enough. Everything else was not worth mentioning. Even if Keqing got pregnant first, she would have nothing to say.

If the worst happens, it would be the same to let the third sister serve you first.

Shui Rong, who was sitting next to Concubine Beijing, groaned for a moment and said, "Mother, I know what's going on with this matter, so don't worry about it."

Although Yuanchun doesn't mind at the moment, since Shui Rong wants to respect Yuanchun, he must respect him to the end. Only in this way can the back house be worry-free. Moreover, for some reason, Princess Beijing seems to be a little angry today. Is it possible? Is it the age?

Upon hearing this, Yuanchun looked at Shui Rong with her starry eyes, her heart moved. Although she didn't mind her husband marrying Keqing, she was not pregnant yet, and her husband took a concubine. If it got out, there would still be some gossip. Now her husband insisted, after all, he still cared about her. With a husband like this, what else could a woman ask for?

Concubine Beijing gave Shui Rong a cold look with her beautiful eyes. She was thinking about the monkey, but she never expected that she would be blamed. She was truly a heartless person.

With a sigh, Concubine Beijing leaned lazily on the couch again, and said helplessly: "You can do whatever you want, but when Yuanchun gets pregnant, you should step up your game and bring more popularity to the palace. When your father was your age, he had countless people around him."

Shui Rong raised his brows slightly when he heard this. By mentioning the old Beijing County Prince, wasn't he just pointing them out? The subtext was asking him to spread his fishing net widely?

But then again, Shui Rong's cheap stepfather had so many women when he was young, so how come he ended up without any children? Was it an internal fight in the harem, or was there some other hidden story?

There is no need to think too much for now. Shui Rong glanced at Yuanchun and saw that her brows were slightly frowned. He felt helpless in his heart. Although he knew that Concubine Beijing was thinking about him, how could she talk about such things in front of Yuanchun? He really admired this stepmother.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, "Mother, it's too early to discuss this matter."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Beijing snorted in her heart, and her eyes gradually became unfriendly as she looked at Shui Rong. "You monkey indeed did not negotiate, but you have already taken action, with sweet words but a sharp tongue."

After a pause, Concubine Beijing ignored Shui Rong, looked at Yuanchun who was lowering her head, and said in a gentle tone: "You are the mistress of the house, you can't be petty about this matter, and don't be jealous of Rong'er's concubine."

Yuanchun nodded slightly when she heard this and replied, "Don't worry, mother. I'll save it. If my husband is interested, I won't be stingy."

Yuanchun knew very well that it was common for royal family members to have many wives and concubines. Moreover, her husband loved her deeply and if he took a fancy to one of them, he would just take her into the palace. This would make her position as Princess Beijing as stable as a rock.

Concubine Beijing was pleased to hear this. She was afraid that her daughter-in-law Yuanchun would be jealous, but it seemed that she was quite reasonable at the moment.

She glanced at the peaceful Shui Rong with her beautiful eyes, secretly spat a few times in her heart, and then said: "I think the sister from the Xue family is good. She looks like she is good at giving birth. Yuanchun, what do you think?"

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows when he heard this, his eyes flickered, and he remained silent.

Yuanchun was stunned when she heard that. She looked at the smiling Concubine Beijing with her almond-shaped eyes wide open, with surprise between her brows. The younger sister of the Xue family, that must be Xue Baochai. Her mother has taken a fancy to Bao sister and intends to let her enter the palace.

But then again, Sister Bao has a plump figure and full buttocks, and looks like she is good at giving birth. No wonder her mother likes her. It's just that Sister Bao was chosen by her own mother, who wanted her to be a matchmaker for Baoyu. How could her mother like her?

After a moment of silence, Yuanchun glanced at Concubine Beijing with her starry eyes and said softly, "If mother likes it, I will go back and talk to aunt about it."

Since Concubine Beijing has taken a fancy to him, there is nothing I can do but agree.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Beijing raised her lips slightly and responded, "This is the style of a mistress of the house. You can handle this matter as you wish."

At this time, Shui Rong came back to his senses and looked at the lazy and contented beautiful woman. He felt strange in his heart. No wonder the Beijing Concubine was abnormal today. He thought that the Beijing Concubine was complaining that Yuanchun had no children. He never thought that she had laid so much groundwork just to let Baochai enter the mansion.

My goodness, Concubine Beijing is really my mother. The feeling of being held in her mouth is wonderful.

Concubine Beijing glanced at Shui Rong and couldn't help feeling proud. This monkey had taken a fancy to the girl from the Xue family. As a mother, how could she not think about him? Now it was she who had spoken up, and it was clear that she wanted to have more children for the royal palace. Even if Baochai was Yuanchun's aunt's cousin, it wouldn't matter.

She spent a lot of time and effort on this monkey.

Yuanchun sighed quietly in her heart and had already accepted this matter. Suddenly, she was shocked. She remembered that her husband had taken a fancy to Sister Lin and would take her into the palace sooner or later. Now her mother had taken a fancy to Sister Bao and she must not disobey. According to this, both sisters would have to enter the palace. Then, what would happen to Baoyu?

Chapter 228 Shui Rong: Why don’t you look directly at your brother-in-law

Imperial City, Qianqing Palace.

At today's court meeting, most officials above the fifth rank in the capital were present. The spacious hall was filled with civil and military officials of all ranks.

Emperor Yongkang was dressed in a bright yellow crown and sat upright on the golden dragon throne. His expression was calm as he listened quietly to the officials' reports on government affairs. Everything in the palace was in order, but this peaceful atmosphere was like the eve of a storm.

Shui Rong, wearing a dragon robe and a jade belt around his waist, stood calmly at the first seat on the right. He knew that the focus of today's court meeting was "the distribution of land tax", and was just waiting for Emperor Yongkang to start this storm.

As time passed, most officials had finished their reports. Some officials who were just going to work, like Shui Rong in the past, were already ready to leave the court.

At this moment, the eyes of Emperor Yongkang on the throne flashed with a gleam of light. He picked up the memorial from the imperial desk and said in a clear voice: "The governor of Shandong secretly reported that the areas under his jurisdiction have suffered from drought for many years and people's lives are difficult. He requested that the silver for capitation be included in the land tax to alleviate the people's difficulties. My dear ministers, please circulate it and tell us what you think."

As he said this, the eunuch respectfully took the memorial and first passed it to the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Zicheng.

Yan Zicheng looked at the memorial handed over by the eunuch, and a gleam of brilliance flashed in his cloudy eyes.

The so-called secret report does not need to go through the cabinet and can be reported directly to the emperor. Therefore, even the chief minister of the cabinet does not know the content. However, "the silver for male census is included in the land tax", one can tell it is not simple.

After he read the memorial, his pupils shrank slightly, and he understood in his heart that Emperor Yongkang intended to implement the new law.

Although it was said to be circulated, in reality it was only circulated to officials who were qualified to stand in the hall, so it was completed in a short while.

Let's not talk about the civil officials for now, but the military officials, to be more precise, the military heroes of the Daqian Dynasty, all had grim expressions on their faces, and were obviously extremely resistant to the "tax distribution based on land area", because all of them were big landowners. If this method was implemented in Shandong, and once it was effective, it would be implemented nationwide. They would have to pay more taxes every month, which would be like taking money out of their pockets, and it would harm their interests.

The Prince of Nan'an was not happy at first, and he immediately came out to report, and said, "Your Majesty, the court has its own laws for taxation. How can you change the laws of our ancestors just because of a disaster? I hope Your Majesty will think twice."

Following the opposition of Prince Nan'an, many of his military heroes came out one by one to echo him in order to show their support.

As the Right Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commandery, Feng Qing was naturally also in the court. He wanted to agree, but just as he took half a step, he saw Shui Rong standing still. He was slightly startled and then retreated.

Emperor Yongkang, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at the scene in front of him with an indifferent expression. It was reasonable for the Prince of Nan'an, who was a military hero, to take the lead in opposing it.

However, Emperor Yongkang glanced at Prince Beijing Shui Rong who was calm and composed. He had discussed this matter with him earlier and thought that he would inform Prince Nan'an, but this was unexpected.

As the military heroes came out to report on the matter, the civil officials were also not idle. Many of them opposed the matter, but there were only a few supporters.

Shui Rong watched this scene quietly, and he understood it in his heart. The military heroes had a lot of land, but the civil officials were not bad either. It should be known that the officials of the Daqian Dynasty did not need to pay taxes, so most of the common people under them donated their land and served them as tenants. It can be said that some of these civil officials were landlords, so if their interests were violated, they would naturally oppose it.

From this scene, we can see that it would be extremely difficult to implement the "taxation system based on land area", which is why Emperor Yongkang was so cautious.

Emperor Yongkang sat on the dragon throne with the same expression as before. He looked down at all the ministers with sharp eyes. When they landed on Shui Rong, he said in a deep voice, "What do you think, Prince Beijing?"

Shui Rong understood what was going on when he heard this. He was asked to come out and show support. However, Prince Zhongshun, a die-hard supporter, had not yet expressed his stance, yet Emperor Yongkang wanted him to come out. It was obvious that he was being used as a pawn.

Without hesitation, Shui Rong stepped out of the class and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, if it can help alleviate the suffering of the people in Shandong, I think it might be worth a try."

Emperor Yongkang looked at Shui Rong with sharp eyes. Although his words seemed supportive, they were ambiguous. How could one talk about the pros and cons of a policy when it has not yet been implemented?

How should I put it, a bit slippery.

Not long after, the court meeting ended. Emperor Yongkang did not make a decision, but sent the memorial to the cabinet, where everyone in the cabinet discussed the proposals and made a decision.

The Governor's Mansion was crowded with people. Shui Rong sat in the first seat, and next to him was the Prince of Nan'an.

The Prince of Nan'an glanced at Shui Rong, and seeing him sipping tea calmly, he couldn't help but frown. From Shui Rong's previous behavior, it seemed that he was not opposed to the policy of "equalizing the land tax and the land tax". Now he looked as if it had nothing to do with him. Maybe he had forgotten his identity.

After a pause, the Prince of Nan'an asked, "What do you think of what the Shandong Governor reported?"

Following the words of Prince Nan'an, everyone's eyes fell on Shui Rong. After all, their group of military heroes was currently led by the four princes.

Hearing this, Shui Rong calmly put down his teacup and said in a gentle tone, "What else can I think of this? It is beneficial to the country and the people, so I will naturally support it."

Everyone was silent after hearing this. Prince Nan'an frowned, his eyes fixed on Shui Rong with an unclear expression. What he said was the same as if he hadn't said anything.

Seeing this, Shui Rong placed the teacup on the table and said solemnly, "We are all founding heroes and have a close relationship with the country. Only when the court is strong and the country is peaceful and the people are safe can we continue to prosper. Getting rid of the old and bringing in the new is the normal way of governing a country. Since Your Majesty intends to implement the new law, why should we oppose it and make Your Majesty unhappy? We should just keep silent and watch the new law being implemented."

Some things are not convenient to say in the court, but Shui Rong can still speak freely to the noble group. Although he knows that "equalizing the land tax" is beneficial to the people, it is beneficial to the people but not to the gentry and the powerful. Most of the power is in the hands of this group of gentry and the powerful. If the new law is to be implemented, there will be countless obstacles. Whether it can be implemented smoothly is still unknown.

The policy is good, but it must be in line with national conditions. If the steps are too big, it is easy to cause trouble. This is one of the reasons why Emperor Yongkang did not make a final decision. He probably sent the memorial to the cabinet mainly to see how strong the opposition in the court was before making any arrangements.

Everyone understood what Shui Rong meant when he heard it. He simply wanted them not to get involved in the new law.

It's just a matter of reason, but knowing it is one thing, let them pay their own money and harm their own interests.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Shui Rong also knew the details and said, "What you care about is nothing more than your own one acre and three fen of land. To be honest, according to my estimation, even if the policy of "taxation is distributed among acres" is implemented, the tax on each acre is estimated to be only about three fen. I own about 100,000 acres, and at most the tax is only three or four thousand taels of silver. It's not a big deal, so why worry too much? Can you not live without these few thousand taels? Or do you feel uncomfortable because you have fewer concubines?"

Although this policy is beneficial to the people, it ultimately harms its own interests. Therefore, Shui Rong also thought about it carefully. According to his calculations, he would only have to pay a few thousand taels of taxes every year, which is indeed not a big deal.

What's more, the Beijing Palace, the prince's mansion, has 100,000 acres of land. Could they be richer than the Beijing Palace? It is estimated that they pay only about 1,000 taels of tax every year.

In the original novel, Jia She of the Duke of Rong's Mansion spent eight hundred taels of silver to buy a seventeen-year-old girl named Yanhong and brought her into the house. When calculated, it was only the value of one or two concubines, which was indeed not much.

When everyone heard this, many of them smiled knowingly, obviously fully understanding Shui Rong's metaphor. In their hearts, she was probably not even worth as much as a concubine.

Shui Rong didn't say anything more after he finished speaking. That was all he had to say. If they continued to be ignorant, that was their own business. He had done what he could.

As for the implementation of the new law, this is something that Emperor Yongkang, as the Son of Heaven, should worry about. As the saying goes, one should do his job well while in office. If Shui Rong, a man of great military merit, gets too deeply involved, it would be disadvantageous to himself. Now he is showing support by not causing trouble. Emperor Yongkang would not want him to take the lead, would he? He is dreaming!

After discussing for a while, Shui Rong did not stay any longer and went back to the palace and went straight to the study.

As I stepped into the study, I saw the graceful Tanchun standing in front of the pear wood desk. She was wearing a thin green skirt and holding a briefing in her tender hands. Her eyes were upright and focused, and she exuded a charm similar to that of a working woman, which was very impressive.

Suddenly, the focused girl noticed something and looked up. Seeing the boy's warm gaze on her, her pretty face blushed slightly. She put down the briefing in her hand, with a bit of joy in her bright eyes, and said, "Brother-in-law is back."

Shui Rong nodded, moved closer, looked at the girl standing in front of him, and asked with a smile: "Third sister, what are you looking at?"

Shui Rong had earlier allowed Tanchun to enter and leave the study, and even to read official documents. He intended to train Tanchun so that she could become a competent secretary.

Tanchun replied, "It's a briefing on firearms. It seems that my brother-in-law is quite interested in firearms."

Shui Rong sat down on the rosewood chair behind the desk, glanced at the pretty girl who was asking questions, reached out and took the girl's hand, nodded slightly and said: "The power of firearms is extraordinary, I really like it."

Tanchun's cheeks were slightly drunk, and her bright eyes were looking around with a spirit under her erect eyebrows. She said softly, "Brother-in-law, I have read a lot of briefings on firearms. Although firearms are powerful, they have many disadvantages. The loading time is too long, the aim is not accurate, and the firing frequency is slow. Isn't it a waste of manpower and material resources to go through so much trouble?"

There were many briefings on firearms in the desk, and Shui Rong even set up a special department to study firearms, so Tanchun knew more details.