"Holy Father" Jia She of the Red Chamber

"Didn't you tell Yingchun to tell Yu'er to go back?"

Jia Amnesty laughed when he heard Shi Taijun's questioning words: "Mother, this Yu'er just came to Rongguo Mansion for a short stay, isn't it something that everyone knows? There's no fuss about it."

Shi Taijun's complexion became ugly, and he didn't look at Jia She, but just looked at Lin Ruhai: "Thinking of my age, Min'er, who is approaching old age, has gone, and finally has a lovely granddaughter, and she is taken away by others." Let’s go, what can I do with this?”

Lin Ruhai clenched his fists tightly without saying a word.

Jia Amnesty saw it and smiled.

Seeing Jia She's smile, Shi Taijun glared at Jia She: "You really have no eyesight, as long as Lin Ruhai opens his mouth now, this Yu'er can live as long as he wants, and in time the imperial decree will give Yu'er to the boss." , but this small residence is always justified, as long as Yu'er does not leave this Rongguo Mansion, Lin Ruhai will have to help Zheng'er.

Shi Taijun's calculations are good, and Jia She is not stupid, so he knows what Shi Taijun means without thinking.

Jia Amnesty glanced at Lin Ruhai's sleeve, and patted Lin Ruhai's shoulder with a smile: "Don't worry, stay here for a few days with peace of mind, maybe after a few days, if you don't leave by yourself, someone will drive you away."

Lin Ruhai gave Jia She a different look. Could it be that what Jia She meant had something to do with what he was going to do after he became the servant of the household department.

For a moment, Lin Ruhai thought about it.

This was also heard by everyone present, but Shi Taijun didn't understand it, and Jia Zheng didn't understand it, but Jia Zheng understood one thing, that is, letting Lin Daiyu and Lin Ruhai live in Rongguo Mansion would do him no harm.

Jia Zheng took a step forward: "Sister-in-law Lin, since the old lady has spoken, you can agree to it. You must know that filial piety to the elders is what every junior should do."

Lin Ruhai suddenly reacted to Jia Zheng, why didn't he think that Jia Zheng was such a person who couldn't read people's faces before.

Jia Amnesty smiled, looked at Jia Zheng's appearance and shook his head: "Sure enough, he is the head of the Rongguo Mansion now, but it's different. This speaks with more confidence," he said, tilting his head, asking himself and answering: "By the way, you seemed to be so upright before, second brother, sure enough, you still have advantages."

"You..." Jia Zheng angrily pointed at Jia She, and after a while he shook his sleeves: "It's really rotten wood that can't be carved."

Jia She frowned.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became weird.

Jia She looked left and right, stood up and straightened his clothes: "Looking at the situation, this dinner party can't go on anymore, mother, why don't my son go back now."

"Okay, let's go." It's good to go, without you here to join us, maybe she can talk to son-in-law Lin.

Jia She nodded and called Mrs. Xing to come out: "Then Yingchun can stay here for a few more days. When the mother wants to let Yu'er go back, then Yingchun should follow suit. After all, the two girls can also have a baby." Partner is not."

Shi Taijun stared at Jia She with wide eyes: "I have a lot of girls here, and Yu'er is not short of companions."

"But identity is not enough, isn't it?"

Jia Yingchun is the daughter of Jia She, a first-rank scholar of etiquette, and Lin Daiyu is the daughter of Lin Ruhai, a second-rank household servant. But Jia Tanchun is just the concubine of a third-rank general, and Jia Xichun is a third-rank general. She was born as a eldest daughter, but it's a pity that Jia Zhen is the elder brother who is in charge of the Ningguo Mansion now. As for the guest Xue Baochai, the daughter of a merchant, she has no status.

Jia Amnesty's words not only made Shi Taijun's face ugly, even the faces of the girls behind the screen turned red.

Jia She smiled, and really took Mrs. Xing to leave. Before leaving, she said to Lin Ruhai: "You are living in Rongguo Mansion these days, and you should be the father of Yu'er." Protect yourself."

Lin Ruhai cupped his hands and bowed to Jia Amnesty: "Thank you, brother-in-law."

This time, Jia Zheng's face was even more ugly.

But Jia Amnesty's seemingly unconscious words made Wang Ziteng's wife, Yan Shi, go back and tell Wang Ziteng. The third prince, Situ Zhi, that's right, now Wang Ziteng has followed a new master, and that is the third prince born out of Concubine Zhen Gui in the palace.

The third prince knows the news, are the other princes still far away?

But what if those princes knew?

While they were guessing, Jia Amnesty had already acted.

On this day, a red list was posted outside the Ministry of Household Affairs, on which the records of borrowing money by nearly [-] dignitaries or officials were rewritten. And how much money has been spent by the heirs and family members of the family in the past month.

Take Prince Zhongshun as an example, he owed 12 taels of silver to the Ministry of Household Treasury and never repaid it, but in this month, he spent a lot of money to buy an opera actor, let alone go to the Fengyue Hall to spend it.

Another example is that the minister of the Ministry of War owes 18 taels of silver to the treasury of the Ministry of Households, but his two sons, one spent 3000 taels in the Chunfeng Building to buy an oiran's first night, and the other went to Liulifang to fight against another powerful son. I paid 1 taels to buy a calligraphy written by the sage Wang Xi.

……

And so on, everything is clear, Jia Amnesty even sent someone to stand by the red list at noon every day, read the red list from beginning to end, and added a sentence at the end: Since your lords are so rich, Hurry up and return the money owed to the Household Department. The Household Department is still waiting for the money to go to disaster relief. If you don’t pay it back in three days, the Household Department will have to send people to your houses to ask for it.

This time, both the literate and illiterate common people know that the Ministry of Households has no money, and the money that should have been used to help the common people has been borrowed by those high officials and princes to enjoy. Are they going to die?

People are very strange animals. Even if they still have more than enough food and clothing, once they find that those higher levels than themselves are exploiting them, so that people of the same level as them may die because of lack of food, they will I feel that I am one of those who will die, but instead I start to fight against another class.

For a while, people looked at the red list every day and talked about those powerful officials, and many people came to the household department at noon every day. After hearing the red list read again, they began to abuse.

All of a sudden, the face of those dignitaries and high officials is not good.

Anyone who is stripped naked and exposed to the sun will not look good.

Therefore, people from the patrol battalion began to come here to drive people away, but the public sentiment was already indignant. When the patrol battalion chased people away, they clashed with those ordinary people. Together with the conflict, the situation got out of control and injuries were inevitable. People in the patrol battalion will be injured, and then civilians will be injured and taken away.

When the people from the patrol battalion leave, Jing Zhaoyin will come on the second day, Jing Zhaoyin will leave, on the third day, people from Shuntianfu will come, Shuntianfu will leave, and on the fourth day, people from Jiumen will come. He just came, and maybe someone from the patrol battalion or Jing Zhaoyin would come the next day.

Anyway, even if people from above sent people over to drive people away every day, people were injured and people were arrested every day.

For a time, the entire capital was in a state of chaos.

Immediately, the censors reported on this matter, denouncing the household department led by King Yongjun for deliberately provoking the relationship between the people and the court, and even named Jia Amnesty and Lin Ruhai. Some censors even bluntly said that the king of Yongjun had If there is suspicion of disturbing the hearts of the people, his heart can be punished.

Situ Xi read those papers and kept them all, making the officials of the Manchu Dynasty confused for a while.

No matter how chaotic the situation in the court was, or what the situation in Beijing was like, three days later, Situ Zhen, king of Yongjun, brought Jia She and Lin Ruhai to the mansions of the officials on the red list to demand the money owed.

The first one to go is the first one on the red list, Prince Zhongshun.

Lord Zhongshun looked at the few people invited in by the housekeeper, and smiled: "I never thought that I could see King Yongjun, Jia Shangshu and Shilang Lin, who are now very popular in Beijing, come. It's really a blessing."

Situ Zhen, king of Yongjun, sat down expressionlessly, without saying a word.

Jia Amnesty saluted, sat down with a smile on his hands, and didn't speak.

Only Lin Ruhai had to take out the account book after saluting, and said to Prince Zhongshun: "I think we are here today, and the prince already knows what is going on. The prince has borrowed 12 taels of silver from the household department one after another over the years. It’s almost the flood season, please return the money for the sake of those innocent people.”

King Zhongshun raised his eyebrows, and deliberately elongated his tone: "12 taels, I didn't expect this king to borrow so much money from the household department one after another. It's really unexpected." He turned to look at his big housekeeper : "Chang Gui, do you have so much money?"

The butler bowed his body and replied respectfully: "My lord, I don't know."

King Zhongshun looked at Lin Ruhai with a smile: "Lord Lin, how about waiting for the housekeeper, this king, to settle the account?"

Lin Ruhai pursed her lips: "My lord doesn't believe in the ability of the Ministry of Household Affairs?"

"It's not that I don't believe it." King Zhongshun shook his head and looked at Situ Zhen with an innocent face: "It's just that since the prince of the county made this matter known to the public, it must be fair and fair. The Ministry of Households has made statistics. This king has also counted, so it is fair, isn't it?"

Situ Zhen didn't speak, but looked at Lin Ruhai.

Some cold sweat broke out on Lin Ruhai's forehead: "Your Highness really made it difficult for the lower officials to say that. The lower officials have the lowest rating for today's ceremony. I can't make up my mind about this matter."

"That's why I didn't ask you." King Zhongshun gave Lin Ruhai a mocking look, and then looked at Situ Zhen: "Aren't you asking our King Yong?"

Situ Zhen pursed his lips, but still did not speak.

Lin Ruhai sighed: "Since the lord wants to settle the score, let's forget it. I just stay here and wait. I think the lord can still accommodate my quilt here." The implication is that you have to settle. , OK, I'll wait here, I won't leave when I wait, I'll wait until the time you count.

After listening to Lin Ruhai's words, King Zhongshun burst out laughing: "Lord Lin has been a patrolling censor in Jiangnan for so many years, but he never expected to have such a straightforward temper. This is really beyond my expectations."

Lin Ruhai blushed slightly, and remained silent.

Jia Amnesty laughed lightly, looked at everyone's eyes on him, and said: "The prince can find someone to settle accounts, and we can also come to collect the money. Listening to the tone of the prince, he didn't say that we should pay for this." It’s not about money.”

King Zhongshun narrowed his eyes: "Of course, this king will not renege on his debts."

"That's fine. The prince can find someone to settle the score. Just give us the 12 taels we want to charge." Jia She said with a smile.

King Zhongshun's face darkened: "Master Jia is really joking, this account is not clear, so there is no reason to give money first."

Jia She smiled, stood up and walked to Lin Ruhai: "My lord came to the household department to borrow money, but he wanted to sign an IOU?"

"Yes."

"This IOU has the prince's private seal on it?"

"Yes."

"That's right," Jia Amnesty stretched out his hand, and took a few pieces of paper from the hands behind him: "This is an IOU signed by the prince of the household department, a total of 12 taels. It’s fine if you don’t, or, just for these few IOUs, the prince will have to find someone to count for three days and three nights.”

King Zhongshun's face sank completely: "But the accounts at my house haven't been settled yet."

"The accounts in the prince's mansion are not right. It's the prince's inner house. What's the matter with the household department? How many IOUs are there and how much is the repayment? Isn't it fair?"

"Then how can you be sure that this king owes all this money." King Zhongshun looked gloomy and stared at Jia She.

"If I find the IOU from the prince in the future, I will naturally come to the mansion. I only found the 12 taels today, so I will only ask for the 3000 taels. The IOU will be returned on the spot. I paid 12 taels. If I find other IOUs in the future, it can only mean that the arrears of the prince are more than the 3000 taels, and will not be less than the 12 taels. The prince will not suffer any loss today. .”

King Zhongshun looked at Jia Amnesty's consistent smiling face and sneered, "You mean, this king can't afford it?"

"My lord is worrying too much. The whole capital knows that my lord is not someone who is short of money. My lord is not afraid of owing money, nor is I afraid of borrowing money."

King Zhongshun snorted coldly: "Nonsense, in the entire capital, who else would dare to owe me money from Prince Zhongshun's mansion."

"Then, do you dare to owe the emperor money?" Jia She's eyes froze and he smiled.

"Bold." King Zhongshun stood up from a row of tables and pointed at Jia Amnesty angrily.

Jia Amnesty looked directly at King Zhongshun with a smile like a spring breeze.

Situ Zhen, king of Yongjun, took a sip from his teacup and put it back.

King Zhongshun felt that his arm was sore from pointing at Jia She. He glanced at Situ Zhen, who was as immobile as a mountain, and put down his hand angrily: "Chang Gui, prepare 12 taels immediately."

Chang Gui took a look at King Zhongshun and ordered to go down to prepare.

Jia Amnesty smiled and cupped his hands: "Thank you, my lord, for thinking of the common people."

King Zhongshun glared at Jia She sternly, and said with a sneer, "Jia She, it's not as simple as you think about repaying the money. This king wants to see, even if you get the money from this king, what do you want later?" What should I do, do you really think that the King of Yongjun can protect you," he said, looking at Situ Zhen, and sneered, "I really admire the courage of the Prince of Yongjun."

King Yongjun sat on the chair, motionless as a mountain.

Soon, the servants of Prince Zhongshun’s mansion prepared the money, and the household department immediately sent someone to count the money face to face, and Lin Ruhai returned the IOU to King Zhongshun, and then, a large group of people carried the silver bag The big box left in a mighty way.

King Zhongshun held those IOUs tightly, looked at Jia She, and said with a sneer, "Marquis Jia En, you are amazing."

"Thank you, my lord, for your compliment."