Chapter 649: Prosperity Hides Deep Danger

Rongguo Prefecture, Fengjie Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng said that the public mansion of Rongguo Prefecture would only pay 2,000 taels for Baoyu's marriage.

Wu'er naturally wouldn't talk too much. Now Wang Xifeng is in charge of the family. Besides, she is saving silver for Cong Sanye, so Wu'er naturally has no opinion.

However, Ping'er has followed Wang Xifeng all her life and knows her temperament very well, knowing that these 2,000 taels of silver must have another explanation.

Although the second branch has now fallen into a side branch, perhaps it will inevitably fail in the future.

But now Grandmother is still alive, and the second branch's Uncle is Grandmother's legitimate son, and Baoyu is Grandmother's most favored legitimate grandson. Relying on these two, the second branch's dignity can still be maintained for many years.

So using 2,000 taels to handle Baoyu's marriage, from the scene and actual expenditure of the Jia family, is not enough no matter what.

Ping'er said: "Since Grandmother has this plan, but Grandmother and Lady don't agree, what should we do?"

Wang Xifeng smiled: "I expected that the public mansion would only pay 2,000 taels, and someone would definitely be unwilling. If they don't say it themselves, they will instigate Grandmother to speak."

"Although Third Brother was not treated well at the beginning, and Baoyu was favored, now the situation is different. The Jia family's two branches have been divided, and some rules must be established."

"Third Brother handed over the West Prefecture's family property to us to manage. If we don't live carefully, we will sooner or later sit and eat the mountain."

"Second Lady is also used to managing housework and knows the twists and turns of the family's expenses best, especially now that she has encountered the vain expenditure of Baoyu's marriage."

"We tie our pockets tightly first. Even if people come to tear open the opening, they won't be able to tear much."

"According to what Ping'er said, cutting it to 5,000 taels according to the old rules can stand up to some truth."

"But we can open it to 5,000 taels ourselves, but Grandmother and Second Lady will likely still think it is too little. By then, the added code will definitely be 6,000 or 7,000 taels, and then some losses will be made, and we won't have to pass this year."

"So I just bit the 2,000 taels to death. Even if there are more losses in the follow-up, it will only be a few hundred taels more, which cuts off the source."

"Silver is just one thing. The important thing is to use Baoyu's marriage to knock the mountain and shake the tiger, and tell everyone that the first branch's family business is managed by the first branch, and there should be rules, and no one can mess around."

Ping'er and Wu'er naturally understood the meaning of Wang Xifeng's words. The first branch's management of the family was obvious to all, and the most unconvinced was the Second Lady in the East Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng was establishing prestige by using the matter, first scaring people's courage. Even if they instigated and played with right and wrong in the future, they would have misgivings in their hearts, so they wouldn't be able to make a climate.

Wang Xifeng smiled again: "I also know in my heart that Baoyu's marriage, 2,000 taels is likely not enough, but don't forget Grandmother."

"Grandmother was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Minister Ling Shi old master, and she married into a top-notch Duke's household."

"I heard from the old people in the family that Grandmother was a ten-mile red makeup back then. We juniors have never seen such a scene."

"Over the years, the rewards from the palace, festival gifts, and Grandmother's own belongings, added together, are more than a Rongguo Prefecture."

"Grandmother has only loved Lin sister and Baoyu in her life. Lin sister is still young, and according to me, it is a matter of three years later. Now it is Baoyu's marriage. Grandmother will definitely take out her own money to subsidize."

"Grandmother's hair is thicker than my waist. If she sweeps some scraps from those treasure chests, it will be more than 2,000 taels, so Baoyu's marriage will not lack dignity."

"And Second Lady is the legitimate eldest daughter of our Wang family, and her foundation is also very solid. When she went out, she brought two dowry shops in addition to her dowry, and her waist is not soft at all."

"The Miss Xia she took a fancy to for Baoyu is the only daughter of the Guihua Xia family. The Xia family is full of gold and silver, which is thicker than Aunt Xue's family background. Baoyu is marrying a golden Bodhisattva."

"Second Lady has taken such a big advantage, so she can't suck blood from the West Prefecture's public mansion when her son marries a wife. She has to pay for it herself, otherwise how can it be justified."

"You two just calculate it like this. Baoyu's marriage, after gathering from east and west, is not a cost of nearly 10,000 taels of silver. He is very dignified and won't suffer at all."

Ping'er couldn't help but burst into laughter when she heard Wang Xifeng's teasing words, and said: "According to what Grandmother said, I feel that the public mansion paying 2,000 taels of silver is also generous."

Wang Xifeng smiled: "You two don't dislike me for being stingy. This family is big, and it is not easy to manage it with eighteen hearts."

"After you two take the seal and take the helm in the future, every money of silver that comes in and out will be your man's, I'm afraid you will be more iron-rooster than me..."

Wu'er and Ping'er were teased by Wang Xifeng's words and blushed, wanting to laugh but embarrassed to laugh.

Wang Xifeng asked: "Wu'er, you go back and mention this to Third Brother. Tomorrow I will talk to Grandmother about this. Maybe Grandmother will talk to Third Brother, so Third Brother will have a count in his heart."

Wu'er smiled: "Cong Sanye handed over the West Prefecture to Second Grandmother to manage. Naturally, Second Grandmother decides such family affairs. Besides, Grandmother wants to find Cong Sanye these days, I'm afraid it is difficult to meet him."

Wang Xifeng asked: "You mentioned it, and I thought of it. Since Cong Sanye was promoted, I haven't seen him come to the West Prefecture, and I haven't seen his shadow. What is he busy with?"

Wu'er replied: "Cong Sanye is very busy these days. He goes out early every day and often comes back when it is dark, as if he is busy with important official business in the workshop outside the city..."

Shenjing Chengdong Suburb, Firearm Workshop.

Within a few hundred steps of the workshop, there are Imperial Guards patrolling and guarding with bright swords and guns. Several small hills and soil slopes near the workshop have been occupied and guarded by Imperial Guards in plain clothes.

In the suburbs, any passing merchants, hunters, woodcutters, and other idlers who approach the workshop will be questioned by the soldiers.

The scene for several consecutive days has made the people near the East Suburb of the city feel awe, and whenever they enter or leave, they bypass the location of the firearm workshop from afar.

In the tight guard circle of the Imperial Guards, only one checkpoint was opened. Large carts loaded with goods often travel back and forth at night to avoid people's eyes and ears, entering and leaving the important place of the firearm workshop.

Occasionally, there are carriages carrying personnel, under the leadership of unknown officials, who are released after multiple checks and school comparisons, and finally enter the firearm workshop.

Since Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao personally visited the firearm workshop to watch the test firing of the new rear-loading gun and discussed the construction of 500 rear-loading guns, which would be completed by the end of this year.

When this matter was determined, the court was still shrouded in the haze of the Spring Examination fraud case, and Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was also full of anxiety and anger.

But even so, the Emperor still regarded the construction of the rear-loading gun as the most important political affair at the moment.

After returning to the palace from the workshop, he summoned the main officials of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, and asked them to draw reliable and loyal officials to immediately start coordinating the construction of the rear-loading gun.

According to the construction material list issued by the firearm workshop, the Ministry of Works mobilized various high-quality refined iron, wood, charcoal, grinding tools, etc., and transported them into the firearm workshop continuously.

The Ministry of Revenue mobilized capable personnel to run around the country, select skilled blacksmiths, carpenters, and fireworks pharmacists, and transport them to Shenjing in batches.

However, after these people arrived in Shenjing, not everyone could enter the workshop, and they had to be personally questioned and assessed by the Firearm Division Supervisor and the workshop master craftsman.

In the process of screening these personnel, the meticulousness of Jia Cong, the Supervisor of the Firearm Division, opened the eyes of the Ministry of Revenue officials who were in charge of the matter.

This young, excessively fifth-grade Supervisor required the Ministry of Revenue to screen craftsmen from all over the country, not only with basic documents such as name, native place, household registration, residence, and technical characteristics.

Even the daily reputation of each person, whether their close relatives were kind or not, and whether they or their blood relatives and friends had any previous records of committing crimes, etc., had to be known in detail.

After all, the Ministry of Revenue is a common government office, and the things Jia Cong required to know belong to the private privacy of the common people, which is probably only known by the local county yamen runners, local security, and township heads.

This is completely beyond the scope of the Ministry of Revenue in Shenjing, and it has entered the inner yamen methods like the Embroidered Uniform Guard secret agents.

At this time, Xu Liangxiong, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was convicted and imprisoned, the Ministry of Revenue lost its secondary official, the internal affairs were shaken, officials were uneasy, people were panicked, and many officials of Xu Liangxiong's line were isolated and squeezed out.

After the Minister of Revenue and others received the imperial decree, facing the turmoil in the government office, they were able to urgently draw reliable personnel and select dozens of excellent craftsmen from the two nearby states within a few days, which was considered a very capable move.

Asking the Ministry of Revenue to investigate the ancestors of these craftsmen and their relatives and friends to the end was really beyond their scope of duty.

The Minister of Revenue also had some criticisms about Jia Cong's secret agent style, feeling that it lacked the spirit of being open and aboveboard.

He thought that this young Supervisor had secretly investigated major cases in Jiangnan several times, and his actions had long been unexpected and unpredictable, and compared to the present, it seemed to have traces to follow...

The importance of craftsman selection was reported directly to the palace by Jia Cong. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao issued an oral decree that day, and all craftsmen screened by the Ministry of Revenue were temporarily placed by the Ministry of Revenue, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard guarded them on the spot.

After that, less than two days passed, and the craftsmen screened by the Ministry of Revenue were eliminated by four or five out of ten, among whom a few were directly thrown into the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison. The remaining craftsmen were questioned and assessed by the Firearm Division, and some were eliminated again. Finally, only three or four out of ten entered the firearm workshop.

After the incident, the Minister of Works and officials who participated in the matter learned the shocking news from other channels.

Just when this batch of craftsmen was placed and guarded, it was rumored that the Emperor mobilized a large number of Zhongche Division secret agents to run around the country overnight to check the private privacy of all craftsmen.

This was able to timely eliminate people with improper identities, among whom a few craftsmen thrown into the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison were said to have improper plots, but it was not known what they were...

Firearm workshop area, Jia Cong took the deputy supervisor Liu Shizhen and steward Qian Huai to inspect the construction progress of each workshop in the workshop.

The personnel entering and leaving each workshop were obviously more than a few days ago, and they were all new faces, and their expressions were different, either excited, uneasy, or peaceful.

These new craftsmen were strictly screened, and although they were finally able to enter the workshop, they had to sign a contract with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works before joining.

Before the end of this year, without the permission of the Ministry of Works Firearm Division, they could not leave the firearm workshop, and all food and housing were in the workshop. Once violated, they would be severely punished by national law.

Such a contract was somewhat harsh and terrifying for these skilled craftsmen who lived at the bottom of the city.

!

But the generous salary of the firearm workshop, stable food and housing, and the name of the official workshop were very attractive to craftsmen who were not well-off.

Therefore, most of the selected craftsmen accepted the contract and chose to join the workshop.

At present, this batch of new craftsmen needed time to verify, and their families had not yet moved to Shenjing.

The workshop would make special arrangements to send part of their monthly salary back to their original native place, so that they could support their families.

The reason for sending part of the salary back, rather than most or all of it, was also a measure specially set by Jia Cong.

Because the salary given to the craftsmen was far higher than what they earned outside, once the full amount was sent back to the native place, and it had been a long time, it would surely attract the attention of interested people.

It was inevitable that there would be hidden dangers of being followed, and even the risk of implicating the craftsmen's relatives.

After experiencing the theft of fire guns in the Liaodong Firearm Camp and the private firearm workshop in the suburbs of Jinling.

Jia Cong had fully realized that sophisticated and sharp firearms would cause such turmoil and shock to this era, which was originally dominated by swords, guns, arrows, and crossbows.

Once the sharpness of the rear-loading gun was shown to the world, Jia Cong could fully imagine how much crazy and desperate covetousness it would trigger. Wouldn't the things in Liaodong and Jinling happen again?

Everything he did now, whether it was the cruelty of screening craftsmen or the caution of various detailed measures, was just to delay this process to the maximum extent.

So that the time gained by this maximum delay could allow him to always occupy the first opportunity...

Jia Cong inspected the workshop all the way, flipping through a volume of documents in his hand, recording in detail the new craftsmen assigned to each room, as well as descriptions such as name, age, skill, and character.

While flipping through the documents, he casually ordered the training, apprenticeship, management, performance appraisal, rewards and punishments of the new craftsmen to Liu Shizhen, Qian Huai, and others around him, in detail, which was thought-provoking.

Although Liu Shizhen and Qian Huai were used to the strange and extraordinary nature of their young superior.

Liu Shizhen was a third-rank Jinshi, and Qian Huai was also a scholar, neither of whom lacked knowledge and insight.

But every time they listened to Jia Cong, they still felt amazed, feeling that every word he said had deep meaning upon careful consideration.

I don't know where he got these strange knowledge and insights. The classics are not seen, the sages have not passed them on, and there are no traces to follow...

Jia Cong walked all the way and saw many newly transported construction materials piled up in the open space of the workshop, making the originally not-so-spacious space look a bit cramped.

The workshop originally had a special warehouse, but with the increase of newly entered construction materials, it was already full, and in addition to arranging accommodation for new craftsmen, the workshop space was not enough.

Jia Cong said: "According to the construction needs, the workshop needs 50 new craftsmen. At present, it is not even half of the number, and our place is not enough."

"Two days ago, I submitted a request to expand the workshop. The Emperor's decree has been issued to the Ministry of Works. I don't know how the construction work is being connected?"

Liu Shizhen said: "Yesterday I informed Qin Physician of the Ministry of Works Construction Division. He knew it was the matter ordered by the adult, and his words and deeds were very enthusiastic."

"He said that it would take one day to mobilize craftsmen and building materials, and they could enter the venue to ram the ground and build houses early tomorrow morning."

Jia Cong heard Qin Physician of the Construction Division, and his heart moved slightly. I don't know how Keqing and Xiujie are doing in Jinling recently...

Shenjing Chengdong, Hongde Gate.

The night curtain hung low, the sky was dark blue and deep, the starlight was flickering, and the shops near Hongde Gate were bright, noisy, and noisy, just like daytime.

The flow of people and carriages in the city gate hole was endless, but there were more people entering the city and fewer people leaving the city, because in less than an hour, the nine gates of Shenjing would be closed.

At this time, Jia Cong's carriage merged into the flow of entering the city and slowly entered the city. In front of his carriage was a large two-horse carriage loaded with goods from the Ministry of Works.

The Ministry of Works had many such two-horse carriages, all rented from car companies in Shenjing City, but the drivers were not car company drivers, but carefully selected Imperial Guard soldiers.

According to Jia Cong's suggestion, in order to reduce the momentum, the Ministry of Works only transported three carts a day, and the vehicles were transported after nightfall and returned to the city before the city gate was closed.

By the time Jia Cong's carriage slowly drove into the city gate, he half-lifted the curtain, browsed the scene outside the car slightly, and soon put down the curtain.

Near the city gate, in a Baxian restaurant, a middle-aged man with a clear appearance on the second floor was drinking and drinking, looking at the noisy and lively city gate, his eyes focused on the two-horse carriage loaded with goods.

He had set up fine wine and delicacies, and added a pair of chopsticks, as if he was waiting for a distinguished guest.

At this time, the door of the private room was pushed open, and a man in his thirties entered, wearing an indigo dark-patterned flower long shirt, with a strong figure, but slightly hunched back, sallow complexion, and quite haggard.

After this person entered, he turned around and closed the door of the private room, saying: "Liu my lord, long time no see."

The middle-aged man with a clear appearance was surprised and said: "Zhao Shopkeeper, why are you in such a look? I was strange when I received your letter yesterday. Did something happen in Jinling?"

Zhao Shopkeeper had a bitter face and said: "After I returned to Jinling at the end of last year, the first few months were calm, and then the wind and waves in Jinling City were endless."

"The newly appointed Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander Wang Zhangjiang, compared to his predecessor Ge Ge Zhi Cheng, has more old-fashioned and shrewd means, and is a quite extraordinary person."

"After he took office, he kept chasing the private firearm workshop case of last year and never stopped flipping through it, but we eliminated the hidden dangers in time, and he couldn't find any traces for a while."

"Later, I received news that Wang Zhangjiang took another path, changing the direction of the investigation from outside to inside, and screening the private workshop craftsmen and guards imprisoned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison."

"It is said that he did not torture these people, but sent a large number of secret agents to various places, with unknown purposes."

"When I recruited these people at the beginning, in order to prevent accidents, I never came forward myself, and introduced these people into Jinling through twists and turns."

"So, these people don't know of my existence at all. I heard this wind, and I didn't feel too worried."

"But starting last month, I found that dark piles were buried around the pharmacy, and every time I went out, someone seemed to be following me, so I knew something was wrong."

"That day I arranged for manpower, taking the opportunity of attending a friend's wedding banquet, and escaped from the city halfway. I didn't expect the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be very alert, actually following all the way outside the city, wanting to force an arrest."

"Helplessly, the two sides fought, and several confidants around me all died under the Embroidered Uniform Guard's sword. The subordinate was stabbed, and luckily escaped."

"After the incident, I originally wanted to flee south, but the roads south were strictly blocked. I thought that if I went south, the Jinling matter would be broken and no one would know, which was quite risky, so I turned north."

The middle-aged man with a clear appearance listened to Zhao Shopkeeper's words, his expression was slightly cold, and asked: "You said the roads south were strictly blocked, so you could only go north, are you sure it is safe..." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 650 =====

The middle-aged man with a dignified appearance felt a slight chill upon hearing Manager Zhao's words and asked, "You say the road south is strictly blockaded, so you could only head north; can you be certain there is no danger..." (End of chapter)