Chapter 380

Jinling, the offices of the Six Ministries of the Auxiliary Capital.

The previously quiet Ministry of Works office had suddenly become bustling in the last few days, with officials and soldiers frequently coming and going, among whom were even fair-skinned, blue-eyed Westerners.

This was because a new Firearm Office of the Auxiliary Capital had been established in a small, two-courtyard compound within the Ministry of Works.

Although the Great Zhou had moved its capital from Jinling to the Love Shenjing, Jinling remained the hub of the Jiangnan region and the place where the Great Zhou had risen to power, and it still held an extraordinary status in the eyes of the imperial family and the people.

Moreover, the Love Shenjing was located in the north, at the intersection of the Central Plains' agricultural civilization and the northern nomadic civilization, making its geopolitical situation extremely complex.

The Great Zhou had been established for over seventy years through several emperors, but its tug-of-war and struggles with northern remnants of the Mongols, Tibetans, Jurchens, and other foreign tribes, while not yet a major threat, had never truly ceased.

Therefore, it was highly necessary to establish a complete administrative system in the prosperous hub of Jiangnan to prepare for any contingencies in the rear of the nation.

Thus, even after moving the capital to the Love Shenjing, the imperial court still maintained the Six Ministries in Jinling to highlight its status as the vital hub of Jiangnan.

The official structure of the Six Ministries in the Auxiliary Capital was identical to that of the Six Ministries in the Love Shenjing.

But since the relocation of the capital, the political affairs of the nation were naturally lighter than in the capital, the Love Shenjing.

Therefore, although the structure of the Six Ministries in the Auxiliary Capital remained unchanged, except for the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Justice, which bore the heavy burden of Jiangnan's affairs and were fully staffed.

The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites, which were less busy, usually left the position of Minister vacant, with the Senior Vice Minister holding the highest rank, and other subordinate positions were also left vacant to reduce redundancy.

In addition, the Six Ministries of the Auxiliary Capital had a special function.

Many of those who failed in the political struggles of the Six Ministries in the Love Shenjing would be demoted to the Six Ministries of the Auxiliary Capital to wait in idleness until the situation turned and they could be re-employed.

Therefore, although the Six Ministries of the Auxiliary Capital were not as powerful as those in the Love Shenjing, they were never short of seasoned political veterans with deep strategies.

……

Ever since Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao issued the imperial decree ordering Jia Cong to go to Jinling to establish a branch of the Firearm Office.

Li Li Dekang, the Minister of Works in the Love Shenjing, had sent a notification to the Ministry of Works in the Auxiliary Capital, asking them to arrange the preparations for the establishment of the branch.

In fact, the so-called preparations were just to prepare a place for the branch to conduct its official business.

Jinling was originally the capital, so the offices of the Six Ministries were already spacious, and with the Ministry of Works in the Auxiliary Capital now having few people and many rooms.

It was quite easy for the Ministry of Works to vacate a small, two-courtyard compound to serve as the office for the branch of the Firearm Office.

Jiang Liu and four clerks from the Firearm Office arrived in Jinling first, and before Jia Cong arrived, they had already handled these administrative tasks, so Jia Cong had an office to sit in as soon as he reached Jinling.

Therefore, as soon as he arrived in Jinling, the affairs of the branch of the Firearm Office began immediately.

And the officials of the branch were all transferred by Jia Cong from the Firearm Office in the Love Shenjing, not selected locally in Jinling.

……

Although he was acting under a secret imperial decree, after arriving in Jinling, he met with Yang Yang Hongbin, a judge of the Court of Judicial Review, and Zou Min'er of the Central Vehicle Office as soon as possible to discuss relevant countermeasures.

But he still did a very thorough job on the surface regarding the affairs of the branch.

Although in the eyes of Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, Gu Guo Yankui, Wei Wei Guanyao, and others, Jia Cong going to Jinling to open a branch of the Firearm Office was just a pretext to facilitate his actions.

But he did not just put on a show for the Jinling officials regarding the affairs of the branch; he was truly working hard.

Over the past few years, he had been to Jinling twice to handle affairs and had a deep understanding of Jinling's uniqueness.

Jinling had always been called a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, a vital military location, where the Great Ancestor of the Great Zhou had relied on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to look north toward the Central Plains and unify the nation.

Since the imperial court promoted maritime trade, Jinling had driven the prosperity of the six prefectures and one province in Jiangnan, with wealth flowing in, surpassing all under heaven.

Its importance in the Great Zhou's national system no longer meant simply being an auxiliary capital.

The trends of the world are like water, having no constant shape, flowing from high to low, which is an inevitable occurrence.

As Jinling led the prosperity of the Great Zhou's maritime policy, while it created prosperity for the surrounding prefectures, natural and man-made disasters had never ceased; with advantages and disadvantages canceling each other out, and attacks and alliances intertwining, the situation was already like a pot of boiling water.

Under such circumstances, it was not strange that such a vital location would attract covetous eyes from both inside and outside.

Not to mention the stories of those sturdy ships and powerful cannons of later generations, the increasing prevalence of Japanese pirates in the East Sea over the past few years and the rampant illegal salt trade in the Su-Yang region were definitely not rumors without foundation.

Not to mention that throughout the ages, when the times and human forces changed dramatically, political struggles in the court, power struggles among heirs, and hidden societies in the underworld—who could say that these things, currently hidden, would not reappear?

Therefore, Jia Cong believed that promoting the study of firearms and other advanced technologies in Jinling was a vital matter that would strengthen its foundation and deepen its heritage.

It was absolutely not just a mere pretext for solving cases, as those in the know might think.

Since he had a clear imperial decree, he naturally acted even more openly and aboveboard.

As soon as he entered the temporary office of the Ministry of Works, he assigned duties to the four clerks he had brought from the Love Shenjing.

He had them retrieve the registry of Westerners who had entered the country for missionary work or technical skills from the Ministry of Revenue, and also retrieved relevant records from the Maritime Trade Office to check the names of Westerners who had entered Jinling by sea in the last three months.

He had his clerks screen these materials for Westerners with talents and specialties, visiting them one by one; Jia Cong would personally meet and negotiate with those who were outstanding.

He also sent half of the fifteen musketeer guards he brought from the Love Shenjing to the various prefectures around Jinling.

To investigate the actual situation and folk customs regarding iron smelting, sulfur, saltpeter, and other materials, and of course, he also assigned some other tasks...

Therefore, not long after, the Jinling officialdom and the aristocratic groups all knew that the Count of Lord Weiyuan was an extremely practical person, busy with the affairs of the Firearm Office every day, never tiring of it.

……

The Jinling officialdom was complex, with many people having intricate connections with the Love Shenjing, and quite a few were even people who had failed as officials in the Love Shenjing and were demoted to Jinling to sit on the sidelines.

Over the past few years, Jia Cong had gained a prominent reputation in the Love Shenjing, being the only choice among the aristocratic youths, and was already regarded by people as the future pillar of the Jia family.

So these people naturally knew his background very well.

Coupled with the fact that the Jia family was one of the four great families of Jinling, their old relatives and friends in Jinling were spread throughout the officialdom and aristocratic circles.

So when he came to Jinling to handle imperial business, the local Jinling figures who were on good terms with the Jia family could not avoid hosting banquets to welcome him.

Jia Cong also reversed his style of declining social engagements in the Love Shenjing; although he did not attend every banquet, he appeared in public frequently.

His behavior and demeanor were very much like those of a talented and successful young man of the capital.

Originally, some figures in the Jinling officialdom had some doubts about Jia Cong's arrival.

Everyone knew that Jia Cong had solved the major case of the Jinling Water Supervision Office, and now Zhou Zhou Zhengyang of the Jinling Guard was also involved.

He was ordered to Jinling to handle business at this time, which made people feel that there was some causal connection in it.

But Jia Cong not only arrived late after receiving the decree, but after arriving in Jinling, this series of behaviors and styles made those few doubts quickly fade away.

Those vigilant eyes hidden in the darkness also gradually relaxed...

……

Jinling, Mingde Ward, the Zhen family mansion.

The third young lady of the Zhen family, as usual, had finished reviewing the account books and documents of the business in her courtyard and was waiting for the stewardess from outside the second gate to come and report.

The morning sun was not yet hot, slanting in from outside the window, and the light was cut into fine, swaying spots by the crystal jasmine on the desk.

Some of those light spots projected onto the third young lady's graceful and slender body, and her jade-like face radiated a heart-stirring beauty.

Today, she wore a pine-green embroidered jacket with a white camisole underneath, a white pleated skirt on her lower body, and her black hair was neatly combed into a bun, inserted with a single phoenix-shaped hairpin with inlaid pearls.

A sweet fragrance drifted in the room, not knowing if it was the scent of the crystal jasmine or the intoxicating fragrance on the third young lady herself.

At this moment, a woman in her thirties entered from outside the door; she was the wife of Liu Linjiang Xian, who was the personal attendant of the third young lady's mother.

Her husband, Liu Linjiang Xian, was the companion of the third young lady's father, Zhen Zheng Yingquan, and was Zhen Zheng Yingquan's most trusted assistant back in the day.

Ever since Zhen Zheng Yingquan met with misfortune, the Liu Linjiang Xian couple had remained loyal to the third young lady, not comparable to the likes of the fickle Steward Chen.

Ever since that day when Steward Chen withdrew six thousand taels of silver to help the third young master of the Zhen family pay the fine for transporting contraband.

The third young lady had been worried about this matter, always feeling that something was wrong, so she asked Liu Linjiang Xian to inquire about the truth, and today she was waiting for Liu Linjiang Xian's wife to come in and report.

"Young lady, my husband asked me to pass on a message. He said that the third young master's ships have transported contraband twice in the past two months. The first time it was three Lu Mi muskets, and the second time it was four."

"Because the clerk at the port's Maritime Trade Office is an acquaintance of the Zhen family, they were not seized, but this third time, because a new person was changed at the pier, they were intercepted."

When the third young lady heard this, her face changed. This third brother was actually not doing this for the first time; the first time it was three, and the second time it actually increased to four.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou, privately transporting more than three muskets was suspected of treason and would be a serious crime punishable by imprisonment. His courage was too great!

Fortunately, the muskets he privately transported for the third time were only three; if it were still four, a major incident would have occurred.

One must know that the officials of the Maritime Trade Office at the port now were all newly transferred from the Love Shenjing; these people were unfamiliar faces and would not give the Zhen family any face.

It is not impossible that the third brother has already been imprisoned and convicted by now. By then, if the Zhen family wants to clean up the situation, it will be a great deal of trouble.

……

The third young lady had accompanied the Old Imperial Consort Zhen in the palace for many years and knew more about the internal struggles of the palace than ordinary people.

The current Emperor is resilient, decisive, and cold-hearted, not a kind person.

The Emperor and the Retired Emperor rule together, and although the Retired Emperor has retired to the deep palace and completely handed over power to the current Emperor.

But given the Emperor's temperament back then, I am afraid that his suspicion and precautions are not a bit less.

The Zhen family's wealth and power all depend on the Old Imperial Consort alone, and the Old Imperial Consort Zhen is the Retired Emperor's most trusted foster mother.

The current Emperor has always treated the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, who are supported by the Retired Emperor, with coldness and suppression.

Just look at the Ningguo branch of the Jia family; because of a small case of seizing someone else's property that did not cause any evil consequences, they were suppressed by the current Emperor until their home was confiscated and their titles were stripped. How ruthless and heavy-handed!

By analogy, to say that the Emperor has any concern or affection for the Zhen family, which bears the Retired Emperor's brand, is something even a ghost would not believe if it were said out loud.

……

The third brother of the eldest branch actually did such a taboo thing. If those who speculate on the Emperor's heart turn a small matter into a big one and give others a handle, the Zhen family might be in for a disaster.

The third young lady rubbed her temples and said, "Is the family short of money for him to spend? Is it worth it for him to take the risk to earn the profit from these few muskets? It's incomprehensible."

Liu Linjiang Xian's wife said, "It's not just that the young lady thinks so; everyone would say the same. My husband was also puzzled, so he found an excuse to invite Steward Chen, who handled this matter, to drink."

"But that person's mouth was very tight, and even after he was five parts drunk, he didn't explain the root cause."

"He only said that the third young master was not doing it for money, but that a noble person had asked for a favor, and it was really hard to refuse, and it could be considered as accumulating some incense for the family, so it would be easier to handle things outside in the future."

When the third young lady heard this, a cold smile appeared on her pretty face. Her third brother called this accumulating incense? Did he not know that a single spark could start a prairie fire? This little bit of incense might burn the Zhen family to the ground if he wasn't careful.

She asked again, "Besides privately transporting muskets, I heard that the third brother also brought a Westerner. Did Liu Linjiang Xian find out the background of this person? I don't know what mystery the third brother is playing at again."

Liu Linjiang Xian's wife replied, "My husband asked Steward Chen, and he said that the person is a silversmith from England."

"My husband was worried, so he entrusted an acquaintance to check the customs documents of the Maritime Trade Office, and it was also written on it that this Westerner is a silversmith, so there shouldn't be any mistake."

When the third young lady heard this, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and confusion appeared in her beautiful eyes. She muttered to herself, "The family has no silverware business, why did the third brother bring a silversmith back from so far away?"

Liu Linjiang Xian's wife saw her young lady stand up and walk back and forth in the room, her skirt swaying slightly, her gait relaxed.

She knew that her young lady was an extremely intelligent person, who usually knew three things from one, and ten men were not as shrewd and capable as her.

But sometimes she would encounter things she couldn't figure out, and she would usually walk back and forth in the room like this, which was also a rare occurrence.

Liu Linjiang Xian's wife was afraid of disturbing the third young lady's thinking, so she carefully said, "My husband also said that the sea ship borrowed from the young lady by the third young master suddenly stopped entering the port yesterday."

"He said that the business doesn't need the sea ship recently, and he wants to rest for a while before talking."

When the third young lady heard this, her eyes flickered.

The Zhen family had its own fleet of ships, which was created by Zhen Zheng Yingquan, and after Zhen Zheng Yingquan met with misfortune, it was managed by the third young lady.

In the past few years, the third young lady had passed the age of fifteen, and marriage was just around the corner, and the eldest branch began to covet the business of the second branch.

Including that fleet of ships of considerable scale.

But as long as the third young lady was not yet married and had the support of the Old Imperial Consort in the palace.

Whether it was the business of the second branch or this fleet of ships, it was still the property of the second branch of the Zhen family, and others could not touch it at all.

However, although the eldest branch could not touch the property of the second branch, it was difficult to refuse when they borrowed it.

Two months ago, the third young master of the eldest branch borrowed a sea ship from the third young lady, saying that he wanted to do some maritime trade business.

At that time, the imperial court was just pacifying the Jurchens in Liaodong, and the three thousand miles of land outside the pass were all included in the territory of the Great Zhou.

Many merchants with foresight rushed north to purchase local specialties such as medicinal herbs, animal skins, mountain treasures, and timber from outside the pass, and then transported them back to Jiangnan to sell for profit.

At that time, the third young lady thought that the third young master of the eldest branch borrowed the sea ship probably because he wanted to go to Liaodong to do some mountain goods business.

It was just that later things became a bit wrong.

The third young master of the eldest branch borrowed the sea ship, but he didn't use his own sailors, but hired a group of new sailors from outside.

Therefore, outsiders had no way of knowing what business he was doing with the sea ship.

This matter had always hidden worries in the third young lady's heart, and now some things had finally happened.

She regretted it in her heart; she shouldn't have cared too much about the face of the elders, and should have let Liu Linjiang Xian use his connections to investigate the root cause long ago.

The third young lady said to Liu Linjiang Xian's wife, "You tell Liu Linjiang Xian that starting from today, let him strictly manage the Zhen family's ships at the port, except for the ships used for our own business."

"All ships are strictly forbidden to be borrowed, including those from the eldest branch! If the third brother has anything to say, let Liu Linjiang Xian stick to his guns, and I will explain it to the eldest master myself."

"Also, even for the ships used for our own business, before entering the port, let Liu Linjiang Xian arrange for trusted aides to check the cargo on the ships to avoid collusion with outsiders and carrying unclean things!"

She thought for a while and said, "You go to the city again to find a silversmith with excellent craftsmanship; I have a use for him..." (End of chapter)