When Cui Yaosheng heard that the eunuchs from the palace were coming, he subconsciously thought that it was the Zhou nobles in the palace who persuaded the emperor to support the Zhou family.
Now, what will you do?
So Cui Yaosheng happily smiled at the officials around him and said, "Let's go out and see what good luck our newly appointed commander has brought to our Army and Horse Division..."
All the officials had different thoughts and came out of the lobby.
But they were soon stunned.
On the front road leading directly to the street outside, I saw an unknown number of eunuchs from the school gate, arranged in two rows, slowly walking towards them holding various trays. ,
At the front, a great eunuch wearing red and black robes with colorful patterns came over with a smile in his hand and a whisk in his hand.
Although they did not recognize this eunuch, they could guess just by looking at his clothes and appearance that he must be the most senior eunuchs in the palace.
Speaking of which, eunuchs are not ashamed to be associated with all civil and military officials, but that is only for those civil servants who claim to be clean and honest.
Because eunuchs are the emperor's envoys and have great authority, civil and military officials usually only dare to look down upon them secretly. When they see the eunuch in person, each one is more polite than the other. Because they all know that those eunuchs are usually very stingy. If they are offended, they may one day stumble on you behind your back...
Therefore, the officials of the Military and Horse Department, who had never been qualified to come into contact with eunuchs of such status, were a little cautious when they saw Qiu Shi'an, the general eunuch of the inner court, approaching, and were thinking about how to say hello to such a big shot.
They saw that the other party had come forward with a smile, and smiled at them with his hands raised: "Hehehe, Mr. Xiao Jia, we meet again..."
They suddenly stood up and turned their heads to look, only to realize that the other party was greeting their boss.
Everyone did not dare to hesitate and quickly moved their positions further out of the way.
Jia Lian also greeted him with a smile: "It turns out to be Mr. Qiu. I wonder what kind of wind brings you here today?"
"What else can I do? Of course I have to do errands for the emperor..."
Qiu Shi'an said, gave it a try, glanced at the lobby of the Military and Horse Department, and said with a smile: "This is a good place, hahaha, I have heard that Mr. Jia has been appointed here, and I haven't had time to congratulate you, please. Don’t be offended, Mr. Jia.”
In fact, Qiu Shian and Jia Lian were not familiar with each other at all, but had only met each other.
These eunuchs understood the emperor's thoughts best and knew that Jia Lian was in the emperor's heart at this time, so like Dai Quan, they wanted to leave a good impression in advance, so they showed such closeness.
Jia Lian naturally understood this truth, so he cooperated and exchanged a few words with him.
Sure enough, Qiu Shian turned around and explained his purpose: "Congratulations to Mr. Jia, congratulations to Mr. Jia, I am here today to deliver rewards to Mr. Jia according to the emperor's decree...
Lord Jia, please accept the order. "
Jia Lian and others hurriedly knelt down in front of the hall.
Qiu Shian did not take out the imperial edict, but sang loudly:
"The Emperor orally:
Jia Lian, the commander of the Xicheng Army and Horse Department, was given a hundred taels of gold, a thousand taels of silver, five royal horses, twelve palace brocades, and a green bamboo handle in recognition of his bravery in killing enemies on the battlefield and his repeated meritorious deeds.
Admire this. "
After Qiu Shi'an finished speaking, he asked Jia Lian to stand up, then handed over a simple list, and smiled at Jia Lian: "The emperor is very kind to Mr. Jia. The emperor said that Mr. Jia should continue his efforts and give Xicheng to the old man for him. If you manage it well, Mr. Jia will be put to good use in the future.
By the way, this is the list of rewards given to you by the emperor. Sir Jia, would you like to count them? "
"My dear husband, I was just joking. I'd like to invite you to the inner hall for tea..."
"Haha, good."
Jia Lian then welcomed Qiu Shi'an into the hall, leaving only the doorway where a group of officials from the Military and Horse Department looked at the well-behaved little eunuchs below, looking at each other.
Those fine royal gifts, all decorated with yellow silk, were shining one by one, so dazzling.
Fan Jin and others were all silent. They all looked at Cui Yaosheng, who was still proud before, but now his face was ashen.
Shaking his head, there was no time to mourn for Cui Yaosheng. They all had to consider how to get a place next to Jia Lian as quickly as possible, and maybe get some glory from him in the future...
…
Qiu Shian only sat for a while, vaguely revealed the emperor's intention to him, and then left.
Jia Lian sent it out in person. After coming back, he first asked Zhaoer and others to arrange to send all the emperor's rewards home. Then he returned to the lobby, looked at the officials surrounding him, and said with a smile, "Today is the day." During the Lantern Festival, there will definitely be a lot of people out for fun, and all of you adults have important responsibilities. Go ahead and arrange the arrangements according to our arrangements yesterday. If you find any problems, report them in time."
All the officials said in unison, those who had been arranged would naturally go down quickly to arrange the work, while those who had not been arranged stood in place, waiting for orders.
Jia Lian looked at Cui Yaosheng who was walking up behind him with a depressed expression, and said apologetically: "I didn't know that Mr. Cui would come to the Yamen today, so when I arranged everything yesterday afternoon, I didn't take Mr. Cui into consideration...
Well, anyway, there are enough manpower in the yamen. Why don't Mr. Cui take a rest today, go home and spend time with his family, and take good care of your wife. This is the only thing I can do for Mr. Cui. "
Hearing this, Cui Yaosheng raised his head and glanced at the hall, and found that no one except Jia Lian looked at him seriously.
Even those subordinates he had personally promoted turned a blind eye to his gaze.
Suddenly feeling sad in his heart, he bowed his hands to Jia Lian and left the hall without saying a word.
As expected by the officials in the Military and Horse Division, a document from the Ministry of War was sent directly to the Cui Mansion three days later.
Accused Cui Yaosheng of dereliction of duty, abuse of power, corruption and bribery, and was dismissed...
From then on, everyone in the army and horse department respected Jia Lian.
…
Let's say that that day, Jia Lian understood what the emperor meant when he saw that the last reward given to him by the emperor was a handle of bamboo.
Speaking of which, as an emperor, you need to know people well and assign them well. At the same time, as a minister, you also need to guess the emperor's intentions in order to handle the emperor's mission well.
When Jia Lian was just appointed by the emperor to be the commander of the Xicheng Army and Horses Division, he guessed that the emperor probably just wanted him to endure his qualifications here, and take the opportunity to manage Xicheng, where there are many powerful people, for his old man...
That's why Jia Lian scolded Zhou Sheng in public yesterday on the street, then arrested him and took him back to the Yamen. He refused to let him go no matter who tried to persuade him.
It was also to test the emperor's mind.
If the emperor wants him to be selfless and upright, then he will be selfless and upright.
If not, I will learn from my predecessors and be more wise in the future.
Obviously, the emperor gave him Ruyi Bamboo to clearly tell him to be disciplined...
Jia Lian could easily understand this, but then he thought, even if the emperor praised his actions, there was no need to do anything more for such a trivial matter. Silence was his attitude.
But the emperor sent the eunuch to contact him the next day on the pretext of commending him for his battlefield achievements. Obviously, the emperor meant that his cheap brother-in-law could be beaten or imprisoned, but he still had to Give Empress Zhou some face, give the palace some face, don't take it seriously and imprison someone for a year and a half according to the law.
This was confirmed from the conversation with Qiu Shian.
So, Jia Lian certainly knew what to do.
…
But the Zhou family waited for news for a day but did not get a reply from the palace. The next day they heard that the emperor sent someone to reward Jia Lian heavily.
Anyone who is not a fool can see what the emperor means.
For a moment, Mrs. Zhou and the old lady were crying so hard at home, they only felt that their good grandson (son) was hopeless...
Zhou Hongchang was also helpless. He finally put aside his luck and his pride as a young minister of Honglu Temple. He put on casual clothes and only brought two or three servants with him, and went to the Military and Horse Division in person.
Along the way, I saw people all over the city, wearing new clothes and going out to play, preparing to go shopping for the Lantern Festival. Everyone had smiles on their faces, and they felt even worse in their hearts.
When he came to the Military and Horse Department and asked to see the commander, he was not embarrassed and soon saw Jia Lian in the inner room.
"Hahaha, I don't know if Mr. Zhou is coming here, the younger generation may not be able to welcome you from afar, but sometimes you may not be able to welcome him from afar..."
Jia Lian walked in from the back hall and saw Zhou Hongchang sitting there. He immediately came forward to greet him with a smile on his face.
Zhou Hongchang also hurriedly stood up to return the gift, and then looked at Jia Lian, who had a handsome and airy look in front of him. Even though he hated him to death, Zhou Hongchang's eyes lit up. He was such a good-looking young man!
After some simple meeting etiquette, Jia Lian took his seat as the host and pretended not to understand the purpose of Zhou Hongchang's visit.
Zhou Hongchang did not criticize Jia Lian, "I am here with an unkind invitation...
The unscrupulous son was arrogant and rude, and violated the national law. Fortunately, Mr. Jia gave him timely warning, so that it would not lead to a catastrophic disaster. I'm here, thank you in advance. "
"Don't dare, don't dare, Mr. Zhou is so polite..." Jia Lian looked at Zhou Hongchang with a smile, feeling a little appreciative in his heart.
He is a flexible person.
"It's just that when my mother heard that her grandson had committed a crime, she became anxious and her old illness recurred. It was useless to seek medical advice. The only thing on her mind was her grandson.
I have no choice but to beg Mr. Jia shamelessly to let the child go home temporarily. If I can save my mother's life by this, I will not only be grateful, but also remember Mr. Jia's virtue of reinvention for the rest of my life..."
Zhou Hongchang spoke sadly and stood up to salute Jia Lian.
Jia Lian hurriedly stepped forward to support him and said equally sincerely: "Master Zhou's filial piety is very touching. It's just...
Alas, to be honest, what the Young Master committed was not a big crime at first, but so many people witnessed it with their own eyes that day, so I had no choice but to act in accordance with the national law.
However, I also know that your son is just impulsive, and for the sake of Empress Zhou, according to the circumstances of your case, your son should have been imprisoned for one year... I made the decision privately, and prepared to admit my mistake after two months. With a good attitude, let the son go home.
This is already my maximum authority.
But now that I heard that the old lady is seriously ill, I can't wait to send my son home to visit my grandmother. But if I do this, I will be ashamed of the people, and I'm afraid His Majesty will blame him... It's hard for me to do that too. "
When Zhou Hongchang heard this, he knew that the emotional card could not be played, and he immediately winked at the attendant, who then brought up a wooden case.
Zhou Hongchang took it and put it on the table, sighing: "I also know Master Jia's dilemma... But I have heard that the Military and Horse Division has rules. If the criminal who disturbs the public order is truly repentant and willing to pay the fine in full, Then you can be exempted from the criminal law of imprisonment.
I wonder if eight hundred taels of silver is enough to pay the fine according to Quanzi's crime?
Sir, please rest assured. After I return, I promise to teach the dog a good discipline and will not let him do it again and make it difficult for you..."
"There is indeed such a rule, but..."
Jia Lian pondered for a long time, then seemed to grit his teeth and said: "That's all, as we are officials in the same dynasty, I don't dare not give Lord Zhou this face. Even if His Majesty knows that he will be blamed, I will admit it.
Someone, please bring Mr. Zhou out..."
Zhou Hongchang sighed secretly in his heart, but still said sincerely: "In that case, I would like to thank you for your magnanimity. I would like to express my gratitude in advance for Quan Zi and Jia Mu."
"No, Master Zhou is so polite..."
After watching Zhou Hongchang lead Zhou Sheng, who was still lame, away, Jia Lian entered the room and opened the cover of the wooden case.
Sure enough, there were neatly arranged silver ingots. Jia Lian could see at a glance that they were indeed a total of eight hundred taels.
The Zhou family is spending a lot of money this week.
You know, when he donated a thousand taels of silver to a fellow official.
Have someone fill up half of it, and then bring the rest to the counting room of the Bingma Division.
There is indeed a lot of money in the Bingma Division. This kind of "blackmail" is only a small part, and the big part is the "management fees" of the vendors on the street.
Therefore, the Military and Horse Division distributes "welfare" every quarter to all employees from top to bottom. As the commander of the Military and Horse Division, he is naturally the leader.
After all, he has just taken office, so everyone should benefit from this first foreign deal.
If the water flows slowly, the future will be long...
