Second Master Bao couldn't walk due to pain in his buttocks, so Jia Cong took over Zhen Baoyu's affairs.
It wasn't that Jia Cong had a heart attack, it was mainly that he noticed something strange from this incident.
Jinling is thousands of miles away from the capital, and it has been unstable recently. Zhen Baoyu was able to arrive safely alone. Even Jia Cong would not believe it.
Moreover, Zhen Baoyu also said one thing in that letter of report: Jia Yucun had interests with several silk merchants in Jinling Prefecture, and took advantage of the confiscation of Zhen's house to sell thousands of acres of fertile land originally under the name of the Holy Lady at a low price. To those businessmen.
Jia Cong arranged for people to secretly search for Zhen Baoyu's traces. He went to Longjing Guard early the next morning and asked Cao Jiugong for all the official documents sent from the south of the Yangtze River since last winter.
After he roughly read through these official documents, he finally found a clue.
"Sister Lin, Sister Bao, how much has the silk production in Jiangnan states increased in recent years? Are there many people growing mulberry and raising silkworms in various places?"
Jia Cong rushed into the yamen of the Ministry of Rites holding the compiled official documents. Daiyu, Baochai and Tanchun who were working in the yamen were startled by him.
Daiyu looked at Jia Cong, whose face was covered in sweat. She asked someone to bring him a basin, soaked his handkerchief, and rubbed it on his face.
Tanchun also brought him a few pieces of cold melon to quench his thirst. Baochai flipped through the pile of official documents and gradually frowned.
"Why do I feel that the output of this silk is too amazing? Based on last year's quantity, it would be impossible to weave so much silk unless most of Jinling Prefecture planted mulberry and raised silkworms. Of course, the silk merchants of Jinling Prefecture can also We purchase goods from other state capitals, but the silk production in Suzhou and Yangzhou has also increased several times, so where do they get the raw silk?"
The Xue family itself had a silk business. Baochai was extremely sensitive to these numbers and could tell something was wrong at a glance.
Daiyu also became curious, and went over to take a look, frowning.
"I have heard a rumor that overseas barbarians like silk from the Central Plains. The price of silk has increased more than twenty times after it went overseas. Therefore, the large families in Jiangnan and Shu who are good at producing silk often plant mulberry trees on the fertile fields for food cultivation. . And people will give up growing food and plant mulberry and raise silkworms because of huge profits."
"I thought of someone..."
"I also thought of someone..."
Daiyu and Baochai looked at each other and smiled, and said together: "Jia Hua, the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture!"
Um?
"Why do the two sisters talk about this person at the same time?"
Baochai motioned to Daiyu to speak first, but Daiyu did not refuse and replied: "It's a coincidence. When my father was serving as the salt inspector in Yangzhou, he also had the responsibility of supervising the south of the Yangtze River. I helped my father organize official documents and saw a letter The official document was about the summer tax sent by Jinling Prefecture to the north. At that time, the court mainly collected taxes in kind, but Jinling Prefecture paid them directly in silver. At that time, I was quite surprised. There were fertile fields all over the south of the Yangtze River and thousands of miles of fertile fields. Just after the summer harvest, Food is cheap and silver is expensive in the south of the Yangtze River, so why does the Jinling Mansion use silver to deduct taxes?"
Jia Cong slapped his thigh and exclaimed: "Unless Jinling Mansion cannot collect food!"
"More than that, the imperial court was severely short of money in those years. Jinling Mansion was worried about the imperial government's needs and thought about what the imperial court wanted. Using money to deduct taxes, whether it was the chief envoy Si Yamen or the central government, would definitely treat the officials of Jinling Mansion The impression is very good. Jia Fucheng has served two consecutive terms and has great plans, otherwise he would not have the opportunity to serve in Beijing."
Baochai didn't know the origin of Jia Yucun, the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture, and thought he was reused by the officials because of his superior plans.
She just remembered something her mother told her when she was at home.
"In fact, raising sericulture and planting mulberries in Nanzhili is also an important achievement of officials. The first thing every local official does when he takes office is to encourage students to teach mulberry farming. But the most important thing in Jiangnan is food. Only the specialty silk can We can exchange a lot of money for Jiangnan. As for the lack of food for planting mulberry trees on the cultivated land, we can just buy it with money from Huguang."
Food is cheap and silver is expensive. Those big landowners who want to make money use their cultivated land to plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms and weave silk. Is there anything wrong with that? No!
But Jiangnan is one of the important granaries of Daxia. If all mulberry trees are planted, whenever there is a natural disaster, a great famine will wipe out the seemingly prosperous scene.
Jia Cong was breaking out in a cold sweat. Baochai took up his pen and began to calculate the changes in silk production and grain production in several prefectures in the official document in his hand. Daiyu and Tanchun assisted.
After about half an hour, an extremely obvious comparison chart was placed in front of Jia Cong.
At this moment, the three women on duty also covered their mouths in horror.
Those gentry and wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are really crazy. A rough calculation shows that at least 70% of the cultivated land in the five prefectures of Jinling, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Ningguo, and Zhenjiang is planted with mulberry trees...
Otherwise, they would not be able to support the silk business worth tens of millions of silver every year. This is just the amount of trade that goes out to sea from the Shipping Department.
Daiyu's thinking became more agile. She grabbed Jia Cong's arm and said worriedly: "No wonder Mr. Qingteng is having difficulty in promoting the land clearing in Nanzhili. The interest in this is not to mention an imperial envoy, but the Second Saint himself." If you go south, you may become the target of public criticism.”
"Needless to say, Sister Lin is so tactful. With such huge profits, I'm afraid even if Your Majesty goes to South Zhili, he might accidentally fall into the water or collapse due to the cold."
It’s not like there were no emperors killed by their ministers in history. In the previous life, the Zhengde Emperor who slashed Tatars with a sword fell into the water for no reason, caught wind and cold, and died suddenly?
"The three sisters will keep this matter secret for the time being. I will go and find out more about it..."
Dong dong dong~
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation of several people, and the maid's voice came from outside the door.
"Uncle, your family's soldiers are here and waiting for you outside the Yamen."
…
Zhen Baoyu was found, but it was not found by the soldiers of Rongguo Mansion, but someone sent him to Ningrong Street.
Jia Cong looked at Zhen Jia Baoyu who was unconscious on the bed, and asked Er Gouzi beside him: "When you found him, were there anyone else around?"
Ergouzi shook his head: "No, after my subordinates changed shifts, they accidentally found a beggar sitting under a tree not far from our house, so they took notice. Later, I saw him sitting there for more than an hour, motionless. Yes, I stepped forward to check. Unexpectedly, I saw Second Master Bao..."
Uh~
Er Gouzi secretly glanced at Zhen Baoyu who was cleansed, and his expression became even weirder. It’s so similar!
"Okay, they just look alike. Brother Bao is still lying on the bed right now."
Jia Cong waved him off and quietly told Jia Shiyi to go to Longjing Guard to ask for someone.
Zhen Baoyu's identity is very sensitive. Madam Feng Sheng's most beloved grandson, even if the Zhen family is rejected by the saint, he can still allow the old man to show mercy outside the law and keep this single seedling, and let him keep the gift given to him by Lady Feng Sheng. legacy.
Before the Dragon Guards arrived, Zhen Baoyu woke up first.
The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to touch his chest. The originally smelly and tattered beggar's clothes had turned into exquisite silk, which made Zhen Baoyu sit up in shock.
"Brother Zhen still remembers my younger brother?"
The sunshine outside the window poured into the room, making Zhen Baoyu, who had just woken up from a coma, a little confused.
His pupils narrowed and he finally saw clearly the person sitting at the table next to him.
"Jia Cong?"
Jia Cong closed the book in his hand and looked at Zhen Baoyu with a smile: "We said goodbye a few years ago. I didn't expect to see Brother Zhen again under such circumstances."
Zhen Baoyu blushed, then saw the booklet in Jia Cong's hand, raised her hand and pointed: "This... this..."
"Don't worry, you still have this booklet, you are safe in Rongguo Mansion!"
Jia Cong shouted outside the door and asked his soldiers to bring rice porridge. He said to Zhen Baoyu: "Brother Zhen, eat something first. I have sent someone to invite the Dragon Guard Cao Governor. Your grievances will be brought to the saint. Let him make the decision for you."
…
The first meeting between the two Baoyu made Jia Cong sigh. The two people who looked very similar and had almost the same personality now have completely different fates.
Second Master Bao looked at Zhen Baoyu as if looking in a mirror.
He endured the strange feeling in his heart and carefully asked Zhen Baoyu about his experience in Jinling Mansion and his journey north to the capital.
Not to mention, Second Master Bao is an extremely attentive person. After asking, he quietly gave a gesture to Jia Cong.
The two brothers stepped aside, and Baoyu said to Jia Cong: "It is impossible for Zhen Baoyu to reach Beijing from thousands of miles away by begging. Someone is secretly helping him. Every time he is facing life or death, there will always be a mysterious kind person. This Who is the kind person? We have to check it out."
Just as he was talking, there was a sound of footsteps outside the house.
Jia Cong looked at the sound, smiled and said, "The professionals are here, let's ask Cao Dudu for his opinion."
When Cao Jiugong learned that Zhen Baoyu was in trouble, he immediately dropped his official duties and rushed out.
It is true that the Zhen family fell, but that was Madam Feng Sheng's favorite grandson. He actually begged all the way to the capital to complain. He really wanted to go south and beat the Dragon Guards of Jinling City to death right now.
They are a bunch of trash. If the saint learns about this, he, Cao Jiugong, will definitely get a beating with a military stick.
When Jia Cong told the whole story, Cao Jiugong immediately noticed something strange.
"This mysterious man went to such great lengths to escort Zhen Baoyu to the capital to sue Jia Hua. What is his purpose? To seek justice?"
"I also find it strange. Apart from Hai Bijia, a kind and virtuous person, who else in this world can be selfless to this extent?"
Jia Cong couldn't figure it out. He glanced at Mr. Bao who was chatting happily with Zhen Baoyu, and solemnly said to Cao Jiugong: "Dudu, my teacher is afraid that he has stirred up a hornet's nest this time. This is tens of millions of taels of silver every year." Huge profits, I'm afraid someone will even join the Thirteenth Master..."
He raised his hand and gestured at his throat, which shocked Cao Jiugong.
Not to mention, this may not happen.
Cao Jiugong immediately planned to enter the palace to report to the emperor, but was stopped by Jia Cong.
Jia Cong thrust the booklet he took out from the lining of Zhen Baoyu's tattered beggar uniform to Cao Jiugong and warned, "No matter whether the content in this booklet is true or false, Cao Dudu, you must be careful."
"Understood, Zhen Baoyu will stay at your house temporarily. I will ask people to find the mysterious man. I will let you know as soon as there is news."
Cao Jiugong took the booklet and was about to leave. When he walked to the door, he turned back and said, "By the way, I can't hide the news that Zhen Baoyu is in your house. It's best to report it to the saint. Lady Feng's shadow will be enough to keep him alive for the rest of his life." No worries. This time, someone is causing big trouble."
…
Someone indeed caused big trouble. As the Supreme Emperor grew older, he missed the old minister Zhaowu more and more intensely.
The status of Mrs. Feng Sheng in the old man's heart was like that of his biological mother.
The emperor was ruthless but also affectionate. Because of his status, he could not recognize a foster mother and godmother, but the title of Feng Sheng already showed the special nature of the old lady.
It was learned that the old lady’s favorite grandson had not only been extorted of all his property, but also endured the tragedy of being unable to appeal, begging from thousands of miles away and coming to the capital to complain, and finally “fainted from hunger” in front of the gate of Rongguo Mansion.
Now the old man is really angry!
"You don't take me, the Supreme Emperor, seriously! When the emperor is angry, he will bleed for thousands of miles. If I don't kill a few people, will you not remember that I, the Supreme Emperor, exist?"
The old man swept the tea cup on the table to the ground with a flick of his sleeves. His face was as cold as ice in winter. He only glanced around the main hall of the Grand View Garden, and frightened the servants serving in the hall to the point where they knelt on the ground and did not dare to move.
Jia Cong waved them out of the palace and stepped forward to support the old man who was about to kill someone.
"Saint calm down, the holy body is important. Now that Zhen Baoyu has settled down, with me here, the grandson of the sainted lady will definitely live a happy life!"
The words "Fengsheng Madam" fell into the old man's ears, and he finally regained some sense.
He snorted coldly and let Jia Cong support him back into the palace.
"So what's going on with Zhen Baoyu now? I remember Jia Hua. Isn't he the one recommended by your family for reinstatement?"
Jia Cong cried out in his heart that he was lucky enough to have confessed the matter about Jia Yucun to the emperor before, otherwise his family might have been implicated this time.
"Don't worry, saint, Zhen Baoyu is living in my guest house now. He has suffered a lot this time coming to Beijing from a thousand miles away, and his body is severely deficient. I have asked the imperial doctor to prescribe a prescription, and he will take care of it first. As for Jia Hua, it’s like this…”
Jia Cong recounted his earlier arrangements with the loyal and shun king Liu Ke, including his views on Jia Hua and his original plans. He told the old man everything.
"This man is indeed a talented person, but he has talent but no virtue. Being an official will only bring disaster to the people of the country. Since you and Cao Jiugong have made a plan, go ahead with it according to your ideas."
The old man nodded and said: "But you have forgotten one thing. When the Zhen family was raided, it was the fourth son who ordered it himself. The three divisions were tried together and the female family members of the Zhen family were exiled. Where did Jia Hua have the confidence to dare to use it? Are you using the guarantor as an excuse to extort Zhen Baoyu's money? No matter how stupid Zhen Baoyu is, she's not that stupid, right?"
Uh~
Jia Cong wanted to say that Zhen Baoyu was really that stupid, especially when it came to matters related to her elder sister.
But he suddenly remembered how much Zhen Baoyu had changed now, and he was shocked to realize that he was really careless this time.
He thought for a moment: "This is indeed strange. How did Jia Hua convince Zhen Baoyu that he had the ability to protect the Zhen family's female relatives?"
The old man spoke again and warned: "There should be someone behind Jia Hua. I have a feeling that this incident may be an opportunity to open up the matter of clearing the land in Nanzhili. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, we will conduct a secret investigation first and do not touch Jia Hua for the time being." At least, we can’t do anything in the name of this matter.”
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I’ll stop updating this tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
(End of chapter)
