Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 527: This Business Is Well Done [Happy Tangyuan Festival]

In the summer of the eleventh year of Yuanyou, the money in the Ministry of Revenue came and went quickly.

The prosperity of maritime trade contributed to the commercial prosperity of this Central Plains dynasty and also brought the court a huge amount of tax silver that far exceeded the land tax.

But the imperial court had many needs for silver, especially for the laying of railways and the replacement of imperial guards' equipment. Each project was a gold-devouring beast, and the silver in the treasury was being pulled out in carts like water. Anyone who saw it would feel distressed.

Lin Ruhai inherited the Pi Xiu nature of the former Minister of Revenue Wen Tongxuan. No matter how much the Ministry of Revenue earned or spent, there would always be 18 million taels of silver left in the treasury in case of emergency.

After the father-in-law and the son-in-law calculated the silver needed to buy the war horses, they picked up their pens and wrote a petition asking for the silver. Then they straightened their clothes and went to the palace in a heroic manner.

Jia Cong mourned for three breaths for the emperor's purse, thought for a while, and felt that it was not appropriate to stay in the imperial city.

What if the emperor ran out of money and got angry and beat Jia Cong with a stick? It would be better to consult a professional about buying a horse first.

With the return of the grassland, the source of war horses was no longer limited to horse households or Taibusi’s own horse farms.

Jia Cong drove to a magnificent mansion with five courtyards. On the eaves of the door hung a red-background gold-painted imperial plaque - Built by Imperial Order for the Prince of Shunyi.

As soon as he got off the car, a tall and burly man came up to him.

"I am here to see Master Xiao Jia. Please wait for a moment. I have sent someone to pass a message to the master..."

Before he finished speaking, the middle door of Shunyi County Prince's Mansion creaked open.

Yi Lan, dressed in casual clothes with several buns on her head, came out holding a little girl.

"I didn't expect you to come here today. Please forgive me for my negligence."

Jia Cong pointed at the open door of the palace, then at the hair on Yi Lan's head, and laughed: "The prince of the county opened the door to welcome me into the palace, can this be considered as neglect?"

The central door of the prince's mansion is rarely opened unless it is a visitor from the king.

Jia Cong came to visit suddenly, and Yi Lan obviously didn't have time to change clothes and put on makeup, so she directly asked someone to open the middle door. This shows that the Shunyi County Prince's Mansion attaches great importance to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong stretched out his arms toward the little girl in Yi Lan's arms. The two-year-old girl was exceptionally delicate, with a pair of brown eyes and fair skin. She looked nothing like Yi Lan, the rough man.

Maybe it’s because Jia Cong is good-looking, and people with good looks will be liked wherever they go.

The little girl successfully fell into Jia Cong's arms, and stared at Jia Cong with both of them grinning.

"Prince, this child is destined to be with me. How about letting her be my daughter?"

Yi Lan became anxious when he heard this and reached out to snatch the child back from Jia Cong.

But Jia Cong would never let him have his wish. He dodged Yi Lan's counterattack and walked into the gate of the palace with a loud laugh.

When Jia Cong was sitting in the main hall of the palace playing with the little girl, Yi Lan kept staring at him with a bad look.

"Since Master Xiao Jia likes children, then he should quickly marry Princess Wen'an and have her own child instead of always staring at other people's daughters!"

Jia Cong could feel this resentment even from several feet away.

He tied the warm jade on his waist to the little girl's clothes, smiled and said, "The prince won't have to wait too long. In July, Rongguo Mansion will definitely invite the prince's family to the wedding! But, I really like this girl. I've decided to make her my goddaughter!"

"It is a blessing for my Lu'er to be loved by Master Xiao Jia. With the blessing of Wenkui Star Lord, Lu'er will surely have a smooth life!"

"Mom~"

The little girl shouted in a repetitive voice and stretched out her hands towards the main hall door.

Jia Cong looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person coming was Yi Lan's first wife, Princess Choros Lanqiduo of Shunyi County.

This noble lady from the Choros family has a more far-sighted vision than her husband Yilan.

The reason why the imperial court can now give their family such preferential treatment is, firstly, to appease the people of the grassland, and secondly, because of the person sitting in front of them, the future Prime Minister Jia of Daxia.

The Oirat Mongols are already a thing of the past. As the imperial court's control over the grasslands continues to grow, the role of the Shunyi Prince's Mansion will become increasingly smaller.

Although Yi Lan now holds the position of Grand Protector of Anbei, everyone knows that almost all the power in Anbei is in the hands of the Deputy Protector.

The Grand Protector of Anbei was just a sinecure, and it was impossible for Yilan to enter the center of power in his lifetime.

If you want to live in the Central Plains for a long time, you have to be loyal to the royal family so that you can be valued by the court in the future.

Yi Lan once thought about marrying into a prominent family in the capital, but was stopped by Lan Qiduo.

Marrying into a powerful family can indeed enable the Shunyi Prince's Mansion to quickly integrate into the circle of the capital to a certain extent, but you are a surrendered minister and a former Khan of the grassland.

Who dares to marry you? Who will marry you? Will the court trust you to marry into a powerful family?
In contrast, marrying into the Ningrong Jia family would definitely not make the current emperor doubt the loyalty of the Shunyi County Prince's Mansion.

A goddaughter is still a daughter. As long as Jia Cong is willing, he can let his own maid become his biological daughter!

"Lu'er? You are as tall as the clouds, and you are covered by the bright moon and wear the precious Lu. Lu means beautiful jade. It is true that we are destined to be together!"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Since the princess agrees, then it's settled! Tomorrow I will go find the people from the Imperial Observatory and find a good day to send out invitations. I must let everyone in the capital know that I, Jia Cong, have a daughter!"

The two of them sang in unison and almost cooperated to decide the matter, leaving Yi Lan, who was left aside, dumbfounded.

Lan Qiduo stopped Yi Lan from speaking and knelt down to bow to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong did not avoid it either. Since the seventh year of Yuanyou when the Oirat Mongols surrendered, Yilan's family had not had a good life in the capital.

They had enough food, clothing and money, but it was difficult for their family to integrate into the circle in the capital.

Lan Qiduo is worthy of being the pearl of the Choros family. Her vision is much longer than that of Yi Lan, this rough man.

Opening the door to the capital's circle through the Jia family is probably the most convenient shortcut.

……

"Let's get down to business!"

Jia Cong invited Lan Qiduo to discuss business together and told him about the court's plan to purchase a large number of war horses.

"Prince, according to your understanding, how many war horses can the Anbei Protectorate provide to the court?"

Yilan was not very proficient in interpersonal relationships, but when it came to warfare, this former Oirat Khan was extremely talented.

Although the power of the Oirat was almost entirely controlled by the Choros family at the beginning, Yilan still had channels to learn about the situation of the Oirat.

He just pondered for a moment and gave a rough number.

"If it's the heavy cavalry that needs war horses, the Anbei Protectorate can provide at least 20,000 horses at one time. The light cavalry needs no less than 200,000 horses. There are countless other horses as well!"

The "Horse Quality" in "The Book of Zhou: Xiaguan" states: "There are three types of horses: the first is a war horse, the second is a farm horse, and the third is a slow horse."

The Central Plains dynasties and the grasslands have been fighting for thousands of years. One of their disadvantages is horses. Whether it is war horses or slow horses, the grasslands have a great advantage.

According to the records of the Imperial Household Department, in the seventh year of Yuanyou, the country had no more than 300,000 soldiers and horses, and with the slow horses, the number barely exceeded one million.

Listen to Yi Lan's arrogant words. He can provide no less than 200,000 war horses at one time. He doesn't even need to tell you the number of slow horses. In one sentence, just tell him how many you want to buy.

"Three hundred thousand war horses and a million inferior horses!"

Jia Cong thought for a moment and gave a figure: "War horses are priced at 60 taels of silver, and slow horses are priced at 20 taels of silver. The court will pay the money over two years and ask the herdsmen in Anbei to send their horses through the pass as soon as possible."

In fact, if you purchase from horse merchants, the price of a high-quality military horse, or war horse, is at least eighty taels, and it is easy to even exceed one hundred taels.

But Yi Lan did not hesitate. He lacked nothing now. What he lacked was the opportunity to make contributions to the court and be loyal to the emperor.

Sixty taels, it’s already a profit!
"This price is not good..."

Ok?
Jia Cong looked at Yi Lan and gritted his teeth and said, "Sixty-five taels for a war horse and twenty-five taels for a slow horse. No more!"

Yi Lan held up five fingers and said, "Fifty taels, fifty taels for a war horse, fifteen taels for a slow horse. I will arrange for someone to return to the grassland right away. Lord Jia, remember to send someone to Datong Town to prepare for the handover! As for the silver, if the Ministry of Revenue is tight, you can pay it in two or three years."

ha?
This time it was Jia Cong's turn to be shocked. In this business, how could the seller voluntarily lower the price?

By the time Jia Cong left the Shunyi County Prince's Mansion in a daze, leading a chestnut pony, he hadn't yet figured it out.

After a long while, he finally said to Jia Shiyi who was standing beside him, "Uncle Shiyi, I have thought of a good way to solve the problem of the lax horse administration!"

……

Although Yilan was no longer the Khan of the Oirat, the influence of the Borjigin family still remained.

With Yilan as the middleman, the large and small tribes in the Anbei Protectorate were enough to provide the imperial court with 300,000 war horses and tens of millions of slow horses.

Without middlemen to make a profit from the price difference, the herdsmen benefit and the imperial court suffers less unnecessary losses.

Lin Ruhai took out 10 million taels of silver from the emperor's pocket, but did not send it directly to Datong. Instead, representatives of the major tribes in Anbei, under the organization of Yi Lan, sent a trade order to the Ministry of Revenue.

The lives of the people on the grassland have been getting better and better in recent years. Without war, as long as the people are willing to endure hardships and herd sheep, horses and cattle, every wool they earn can be exchanged for silver.

But there is no chance to spend money on the grassland, and all kinds of goods from the Central Plains are their favorites.

The huge trade between Jia Cong and Yi Lan brought a new way of trading to the grassland.

Without middlemen to make a profit from the price difference, both the people of the grassland and the cargo owners in the Central Plains seem to be able to get greater discounts and benefits.

This also provided Jia Cong with a way to resolve the horse politics crisis...

"The horse administration strategy needs to be re-planned. Before that, we can sign a contract with the herders on the grassland."

In the main hall of the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Liu Hong, Chief Minister of the Cabinet Zhou Jiong, Minister of Revenue Lin Ruhai, Prince of Shunyi Yilan, and Jia Cong, the Minister of the Imperial Household, discussed government affairs over the aroma of tea.

Jia Cong handed out new orders to several people: "These are orders from the Ministry of Industry and major workshops in the Beijing North Industrial Zone. Almost all the tribes in the Anbei Protectorate need a lot of things that need to be purchased from the Central Plains. It just so happens that we also need to buy cattle, sheep and horses from the grassland. The horse administration is now in disarray and it will not be able to return to the previous state in a short period of time. So..."

"Raising horses, cattle and sheep is a skill that we grassland men are born with. Besides, it would be a waste to raise horses and cattle on the fertile land of the Central Plains. Let us grassland men raise horses for the court. The court only needs to provide grain and salt to the grassland herdsmen!"

Yi Lan eagerly took over Jia Cong's words. He didn't want to give up this opportunity to make a contribution.

Besides, he felt that this was a good opportunity to deepen the relationship between the grassland and the Central Plains, and it must not be wasted.

The Crown Prince, the cabinet elders and Minister Lin in the hall looked at each other and nodded secretly.

This is indeed a good idea, even though it is impossible for the imperial court to keep military supplies such as soldiers and horses in just one place.

"Your Highness, the Prince is right. I think this policy can not only solve the imperial court's horse policy crisis, but also benefit the people of the grasslands and the merchants of the Central Plains. It is a best of both worlds and has great potential!"

Zhou Jiong's words have almost set the final tone for this matter.

Yi Lan was so happy that he looked at Jia Cong with even more affectionate eyes.

He wanted to lower the previous price even more, but Lin Ruhai stopped him, saying that he did not want to disappoint his fellow countrymen on the grassland and that fifty taels was already a low enough price.

When the emperor and his ministers had reached an agreement and Jia Cong was about to take Yi Lan away, he saw Yi Lan suddenly take out a memorial and bowed to hand it to the prince.

"Your Highness, I request your permission to lead the troops to fight for Daxia!"

The main hall of the East Palace fell silent instantly. Liu Hong looked at Jia Cong and saw him shaking his head in confusion. He then took the letter and asked, "Prince Shunyi, there is no war in our country right now. Why do you say that?"

Yi Lan did not hide anything and replied directly: "I had not thought of this at first. It was my princess who analyzed this with me after Master Xiao Jia left the day before yesterday..."

It turned out that when Jia Cong proposed to purchase a large number of war horses from the Anbei Protectorate, Lan Qiduo had already keenly noticed the mystery behind this move.

A major war must have occurred or is about to occur, and the imperial court is secretly preparing for it.

It is impossible to need so many war horses to conquer Japan. The imperial court had already made a plan for the matter of U-Tsang.

Then, it means that there is another direction that needs a large number of war horses for preparation...

"No matter who the imperial court is preparing to fight, I am willing to put on my armor and fight to the death for Your Majesty and Daxia!"

Lan Qiduo couldn't guess who the imperial court was planning to fight, but when it came to horse battles, the men of the grassland were the best at it.

As Yilan was once the Khan of the Oirat Mongols, his horse riding skills were naturally not bad.

By taking advantage of the merit of raising war horses for the imperial court, as long as Yilan was willing to sacrifice his face, even if he was to be a vanguard in the battlefield, the Shunyi Prince's Mansion would begin to emerge in the imperial court.

"Master Zhou, what do you think?"

Sure enough, Liu Hong found it difficult to refuse Yi Lan's request.

For the sake of the imperial court, they lowered the price of military horses to fifty taels, and did their best to contact channels for the imperial court to raise funds for the horses.

Liu Hong, the crown prince, was somewhat moved by such a minister.

He looked at the cabinet chief Zhou Jiong and asked for his opinion.

Zhou Jiong looked at Jia Cong meaningfully, pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "Prince Shunyi is devoted to the country and is proficient in battle. I think he can be the vanguard in front of the battle."

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)