After the establishment of the Internal Affairs Department, officials in the DPRK and China opposed it for a while in the early stage, but seeing that it had no substantive operation, they threw it into the background and stopped paying attention to it.
But Jia Cong was always very wary of him, especially after Xia Jiang recruited a large number of ruffians to serve as spies, he became even more wary of the Internal Affairs Department.
A biting dog never barks, this is Jia Cong's evaluation of Xia Jiang, the head of the Internal Affairs Department.
Every inch of land in the capital is at a premium, and the Imperial Household Office, which is as big as three houses, is divided into multiple areas. As soon as Jia Cong walked in, he discovered that Xia Jiang was very capable, and it had nothing to do with the quality of the person. People are definitely good at doing dirty work.
The Internal Affairs Department had only been established for half a year, but it was already quite large. From entering the door to sitting down in the main hall, Xia Jiang's men reported several cases intentionally or unintentionally.
All kinds of things in the court, among the people, in the central government and even at the local level. Xia Jiang did not avoid Jia Cong. Instead, he smiled and asked Jia Cong for advice.
After a cup of tea, Jia Cong looked at the main hall of the Internal Affairs Bureau where a plaque of loyalty was hung, and said leisurely: "I didn't expect that the little-known Internal Affairs Bureau would be so busy."
Xia Jiang was now also a third-rank official in the court, wearing a purple robe. His words were less humble than before, and he smiled magnanimously. He stood up and handed over his hands in the direction of the imperial city in the west: "Our family eats the imperial food, so naturally we must be loyal. State affairs."
"What Mr. Xia said is right, of course you have to be loyal to the state when you eat the royal food, otherwise you will be no different from the mediocre officials who sit on their bodies and eat nothing."
With that said, Jia Cong took out the dragon-patterned edict from his sleeve and stood up with a smile: "Xia Jiang, Chief of the Internal Affairs Department, please accept the edict."
The first thing Jia Cong did after returning home was to go to Rongxi Hall. This trip to Shandong would take at least more than a month. If it weren't for the fact that Jia Jing was still at home, he wouldn't have gone to the palace to ask for orders. .
The old lady pursed her lips tightly, very dissatisfied with Jia Cong's self-assertion.
"The White Lotus Sect is causing a lot of trouble in Shandong, and others are trying to avoid it. It would be better for you to go and show your loyalty to Baba. Are you stupid because of your studies?"
"Where is that place in Qufu? You dare to plot. It is a place that no one has ever wanted to touch in the past dynasties. Do you really think that the Yanshenggong Mansion can be broken by just the White Lotus Sect bandits?"
"Look at all the ministers in the court, who are not just sitting on the sidelines? It just shows that you are capable, right?"
Jia Cong waited until the old lady had vented her anger, and then explained with a wry smile: "My grandson has to go on the trip to Shandong. The teacher is trapped in Yanzhou, so my grandson has to go. And you can see that." Well, this matter in Qufu is very strange. Do you still remember the new annotations of the Analects of Confucius that my uncle presented to the court? The Kong family is the roadblock for our family to enter the officialdom. My grandson cannot miss this good opportunity no matter what."
"this……"
The old lady has been through a lot, and as long as she doesn't fall into confusion, there are not many people in the capital who can compare with her.
A light flashed in her eyes, and she asked with a hint of worry: "But the reputation of the Kong family in the officialdom is too high. They are descendants of saints. If you take action against the Kong family, no matter whether what you do is correct or not, you will be punished. Abandoned by Shilin."
Jia Cong laughed. He took out the imperial edict he had given to Xia Jiang from his sleeve and handed it to the old lady.
"My grandson is not stupid, so how could he not be prepared? Do you think this person is suitable to stand in front of my grandson?"
The old lady shrank her eyes when she saw the name on the edict.
Others may not know what the Internal Affairs Department does, but she knows it very well. Yuanchun secretly reminded her during the wedding ceremony that Xia Jiang is a poisonous scorpion that eats people, so the old lady must be careful.
She raised her eyes to look at Jia Cong, who was full of confidence, and reminded: "This man is extremely shrewd. Have you ever thought about what to do if there is a backlash?"
"My grandson is waiting for his counterattack!"
Jia Cong took two steps closer and whispered a few words in the old lady's ear, which made the old lady's eyes widen in shock.
The old lady asked in surprise: "This... this... how is this possible?"
Jia Cong smiled slightly: "There is nothing impossible. When the Internal Affairs Department was established, the eunuch in charge was Xia Shouzhong, and Xia Jiang was just a bait thrown by His Majesty. So, you can rest assured, maybe this time when you go to Shandong, Sun Son
It can also make one more big contribution. "
In Yanzhou, Shandong, Jia Cong is inevitable.
Early on the next morning, snowflakes started to fall from the sky. Jia Cong was wrapped up like a bear by the spring greetings, so he got into a carriage and drove to Yongding Gate.
This time when he left the capital, the emperor ordered the capital camp to select three thousand elite soldiers to accompany him. Liu Ke, the loyal and shun king, looked reluctant. After ten miles out of the capital, he abandoned his horse and got into the Jia family's carriage.
He took the hand stove from Jia Cong's arms and complained again and again.
"On a cold day, if I insist on going to Shandong to clean up the mess caused by the Kong family, the fourth brother must think that I am an eyesore and don't want others to live a comfortable life..."
"And you kid, I don't know what the civil and military officials in Qufu are like, but you just rushed forward stupidly and even got into trouble with me."
"Your teacher is as smart as a monkey. What could happen to him? He might be sitting in a warm room shaking his feather fan, scheming people."
Jia Cong dug into the carriage and found a wooden box in his hand. After opening, it is full of various snacks and fruits.
He handed it forward and said, "Thirteenth Master, try it. This is my second sister's craftsmanship."
Uh~ahhh~
"Well, it tastes good, but it's a pity that she is a concubine..."
What words? Did the concubine eat your food? I won’t let you eat!
Jia Cong closed the wooden box, full of resentment.
Liu Ke took the opportunity, glared at Jia Cong with dissatisfaction, stretched out his hand to grab the wooden box containing snacks, curled his lips and said, "I am telling the truth. In this world, the difference between direct descendants and concubines is like a chasm. I'm not talking about you." You can change whether you agree with it or not. Look at how difficult it was for the fourth brother when he succeeded to the throne. This is still the royal family."
This is indeed true. The royal family values concubines, not to mention the common people.
Liu Ke threw a plum into his face, chewed it a few times and said with satisfaction: "I will teach you a way. If your legitimate mother has no children, let your sister be recorded in her name and raised as her legitimate daughter. In this way, your status will not be too bad in the future. Even you can also be recorded in the name of your aunt..."
"I'll forget it, my father has no shortage of legitimate sons."
Jia Cong looked at Liu Ke gratefully. The biggest old dude in the capital had indeed given him a good idea.
He could care less about his concubine, but not Yingchun.
The difference in status between the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion and the concubine was evident at home, not to mention that Yingchun had already reached the age of marriage.
Over the past year or so, many people have inquired about the Spring Festival, intentionally or unintentionally, but even the old lady said that most of the people who said they were relatives were concubines of various families, or they were from mismatched family backgrounds.
Jia Cong once thought about finding a way for his sister to succeed in a poor family. He thought that with the support of the family, the other party would not dare to bully his sister, but in the end he was scolded by the old lady.
"The second girl is a noble girl raised in our family. Do you want to marry her off to a small family and serve her as a maid?"
"Which of the things your sister eats, uses, and wears when she is at home is not first-class? Do you think the poor person you talk about can afford Su embroidery or Shu brocade? Why should the granddaughter who was raised by an old woman like jade be given away? Go to his house and suffer?"
"As the saying goes, a thirty-year-old Ming Jing scholar and a fifty-year-old Jinshi. Are you a scholar in the world like your teacher, a young genius with six victories in six battles?"
"What if the young talent you selected fails to pass the test? In the future, the third and fourth girls will all be wearing imperial decrees, and the second girl will still be wearing a sarong and a jingle hairpin. If she doesn't care, how can you not care?"
"You said that the sons of high-ranking families doted on concubines and killed their wives. How could a poor family suddenly become wealthy and protect their lives for your sister? Which man wouldn't take concubines? As long as our family doesn't collapse, which family would dare to spoil your concubines and kill their wives and bully you? elder sister?"
Some of the words the old lady said were very direct and realistic. She had seen many weddings in her daughter's family, and there might be a lot of fights in the high-class inner house, but with the support of her mother's family, her daughter's family would not have a hard time.
But if a scholar from a poor family suddenly becomes rich and powerful, unless he has a good character, if the woman's natal family has troubles, even if she abandons her wife and children, it will be considered a minor offense, and the good person may one day "die" of illness.
"I do have a good candidate..."
Um? The old dude wants to be a matchmaker?
Jia Cong put away his memories and asked tentatively: "Who is it? Do I know him? Don't say it's His Royal Highness."
Liu Ke rolled his eyes: "Chong'er is engaged. Do you want your sister to come to my house as a concubine?"
Jia Cong shook his head hastily, this is not possible, the prince's second concubine is also a concubine, and he would not be happy to have Yuanchun enter the palace, let alone the prince's palace.
"It's someone you know, Liu Xianglian Liu Erlang, a branch of Duke Li's Mansion."
Jia Cong was in a daze as the carriage crunched over the gradually thickening snow on the road.
The name Liu Ke mentioned surprised him, but Liu Xianglian was indeed a good candidate.
During the hunt at Tiewang Mountain some time ago, Liu Xianglian's prowess caught the emperor's eye, and she ranked first in the competition. She was given a fifth-grade official position and entered the Shenwu Camp of the Three Imperial Guards.
It's just that Liu Xianglian is a bit older, almost seven or eight years older than Yingchun...
Liu Ke happily ate fruit snacks, lay on the thick blanket, and hummed a ditty leisurely.
It wasn't until Jia Cong came back to his senses that he continued: "Liu Xianglian, I think, was a person who wandered around the Chu Pavilion in Qinlou in the past few years, and his reputation was spread by people in the Liguo Palace. But his character is definitely not bad. Otherwise, you won’t catch Fourth Brother’s attention. You should think about this matter carefully and talk to your father when you return to Beijing. Regardless of whether it works or not, you can give me a happy word then."
"How come you take care of this?"
Jia Cong asked curiously, and Liu Ke suddenly sighed.
"Liu Xianglian's father once saved my life. Before he died, he entrusted Liu Xianglian to me..."
Liu Ke did not reveal the specific details, but Jia Cong finally understood the reason why Duke Li had suppressed the Liu family for so many years, but never dared to actually harm Liu Xianglian.
It turns out that Liu Xianglian was able to live happily in the capital for so many years after losing her father and mother because she had this giant Buddha supporting her.
This winter has been extremely cold and the northern section of the canal has been frozen for two months. From Tongzhou to Dongchangfu, the ice is so thick that it is impossible to pass.
It was snowing all over the sky again. Yanzhou was in a hurry but did not dare to rush too fast. The time spent on the road was more than twice as long as before.
Fortunately, news from the Long Imperial Guard was continuously sent to the imperial envoy's headquarters. Based on this information, Liu Ke and Jia Cong had a general understanding of things in Yanzhou and even Qufu.
"Jia Xiaosan, your teacher should be hiding in some corner of Qufu. Look here, some kind of guardian Dharma King has appeared in the White Lotus Sect in Yanzhou, which actually caused the White Lotus Sect to split into two groups to attack each other. No matter how Wang looked at it, he felt that there was something fishy in it."
After several days of bumpy carriage, Jia Cong's originally chubby cheeks lost a lot of weight. Of course, Jia Cong is still a chubby little guy.
The post station in Dongchang Mansion was very large, and the fire in the room was burning brightly. The two of them used the fire to read the secret notes sent by the Dragon Imperial Guard.
The White Lotus Sect in Qufu was like a spark, igniting a raging fire in Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Jinan.
The number of people quickly increased from more than a thousand to six or seven tribes totaling 40,000 to 50,000 people. This frightened the commander of the Shandong capital to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to attack the bandits.
Of course, in the eyes of Liu Ke and Jia Cong, the mighty-sounding White Lotus Banditry was not a big threat at all.
Forty to five thousand people are rebelling. There is no specific program and no unified command. What can be accomplished by gathering chickens and dogs close to the cult to deceive the people?
"laugh……"
Jia Cong looked through a sealed memorial and couldn't help laughing.
"Kong Renxuan probably didn't even think about it. He lit a fire to cover up his family's sins, not wanting to be unable to deal with it in the end. At least half of those who followed the White Lotus Sect were poor people who couldn't survive without the land. Common people, and isn’t the biggest landowner in Shandong named Kong?”
Liu Ke threw the secret music in his hand on the table and became unusually solemn.
If it were just a rebellion in Yanzhou, the three thousand forbidden troops he brought from the capital would be enough to deal with it. But now that chaos has spread to the three prefectures, heavy troops need to be mobilized to encircle and suppress them.
Moreover, suppressing bandits and quelling chaos cannot be stopped with a knife. Relieving the refugees caused by the war is the top priority.
"Kong Renxuan, that bitch, has caused misery to the people of Shandong. The land of Sanfu has been invaded by bandits, and it is a time of drought. I don't know how many people will suffer."
Liu Ke asked someone to get the map and think about it carefully.
The army is well-positioned. There are garrisons in Dongchang Prefecture and the nearby Daming Prefecture. In Xuzhou to the south, there are also thousands of cavalry soldiers under the command of the Governor of Water Transport. What is lacking now is food and things to keep out the cold.
He expressed his worries, and Jia Cong couldn't help but frown.
The canal is still frozen, water transportation has been suspended for two months, and when we collect food from the capital, the water from far away cannot quench our thirst.
He asked tentatively: "There should be some food in the Dongchang Hou Mansion. Should we stop by and borrow some food?"
Liu Ke shook his head: "It's just a drop in the bucket. I estimate that at least one hundred thousand people will have enough food to feed them for two months. What's the use of 1,800 shi of food?"
"Then we can only mobilize food from the Sakon Prefecture..."
Jia Cong opened the official documents from the table and muttered in his mouth: "But these official documents come and go, plus the time required to adjust the food. How can the people withstand the cold and hunger under the heavy snow? Maybe they will be killed." The Bai Lian gangster coaxed him and turned into a demon with a butcher knife."
Huh?
Liu Ke heard Jia Cong's surprised voice and turned to look.
I saw Jia Cong staring at an official document in his hand, grinning.
"Master Thirteen, look..."
Liu Ke took the official document and browsed it quickly. It turned out that it was sent by the Yanzhou government office. It said that Yanshenggong's mansion was burned down by fire. Most of the Confucius mansions in the city only lost some money, but all the villages outside the city were safe. The government office had already Send soldiers to garrison. ..
At the same time, he also talked about the general situation of the Kong family, money, food and other items. Although there is no statistics, in general, the most indispensable thing for the Kong family now is the food that is piled in the warehouse and is about to go moldy.
Jia Cong grinned and whispered in Liu Ke's ear: "I think Eunuch Xia Jiangxia is a loyal person to the country. It is an excellent idea to send him to Yanzhou to raise food for disaster relief. Thirteenth Master, what do you think? Woolen cloth?"
?Monthly ticket??Recommended ticket?
