Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 549 It’s rude to come and not return.

When Li Shouzhong announced the final result of the competition, the entire Imperial College was instantly filled with jubilation, with the young scholars and students being the most enthusiastic.

They all cheered towards Baochai on the high platform and shouted loudly "Mr. Hengwu". The waves were almost the same as the scene when the top scholar was paraded through the streets.

Not to mention Baochai, even Jia Cong did not expect that a competition would lead to such a wave of admiration.

On the contrary, the "Gambling Saint" Fang Jingyan touched his bulging purse with a smile, and said to Master Zheng who had just arrived beside him: "The world has suffered from the study of the aristocracy for a long time, and this niece of Master Zheng is amazing!"

Mr. Zheng had heard the term "academic clique" countless times from his nephew Jia Cong.

He once really didn't think that there were any academic cliques in Daxia. He regarded those famous scholars as academic authorities and never doubted their words as if they were golden rules.

It was not until he went to Zhejiang to serve as an educational official that he realized the horror of the academic cliques.

A so-called great scholar can label any student who dares to express a different opinion as Shao Zhengmao, and use the method of a sage to cut off that person's path to study.

At that time, Zhejiang seemed to be flourishing in culture, but it was a place of factionalism and no room for freedom. It was not the heyday of the holy way, but the heyday of the academic clique.

The world has indeed suffered from academic tycoons for a long time!

Today, my niece Baochai defeated Sun Shenxing, a scholarly tycoon in mathematics, in front of everyone.

For the young men in the audience, this means that they have their own light that breaks through the darkness that suppresses them.

If Mr. Hengwu can do it, then they can do it too!
"Mr. Hengwu! Mr. Hengwu..."

The cheers and shouts from the young men in the audience were like an overwhelming tidal wave, forming an unmatched momentum that completely suppressed those despicable people who still wanted to cause trouble.

Jia Cong quietly got down from the platform and ran to the left stand to get close to Daiyu.

"Now, Sister Bao can be called a master of her generation. To be honest, I never thought Sister Bao was so good at mathematics!"

As God knows, Jia Cong thinks he has memories of his past life and he can beat everyone in math.

But when he saw Baochai use her abacus to solve a problem, he was really scared!

As expected, the upper limit of the abacus's computing power depends on the people who use it.

If you meet someone like Baochai, it's almost like a computer.

Daiyu looked at Jia Cong in surprise: "Daddy said that Sister Bao spent only half a month to review and audit the tax accounts of thirteen provinces last year without any mistakes. She was already playing with these questions in the competition when she was eight years old."

Play?
Who is playing with "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art"?

That is a situation that only a top student can have...

Huh?
Damn, the boys and girls he knew seemed to all have their own strengths, and most of them were academic geniuses.

Not to mention He Chong’s friends of the same age, those who were able to pass the imperial examination were all top students.

Take the sisters in the family for example. The second sister Yingchun, who usually keeps a low profile, is actually a bookworm and has recently started studying the "Daxia Law".

The third sister, Tanchun, and Baochai seem to be cut from the same cloth. They are both proficient in mathematics and good housekeepers.

There is no need to talk about Daiyu. If Jia Cong didn't have the advantage of nine years of compulsory education, he would have been beaten in all aspects.

There was also a Yuanchun in the palace. She was a great devil who fought her way out of the harem. Her title of the most talented woman in the capital at that time was not an exaggeration.

(Xichun: What about me? What about me?

Jia Cong: You are good at eating! )

Xiangyun has a pair of skillful hands. She has mastered both Suzhou and Sichuan embroidery, and has begun to create her own embroidery method.

It turns out that Jia Cong is the only student in the family!
Feeling that his heart had been hit hard, Jia Cong wanted to throw himself into Sister Lin's arms for comfort.

Daiyu stood on tiptoe with amusement and raised her hand to touch Jia Cong's head.

"Sister Bao has always been a person who refuses to admit defeat. She is proficient in mathematics not for fun, but to make Mr. Xue happy..."

Seeing that his only son was a useless person, Mr. Xue's biggest worry when he was seriously ill was that there was no one in the Xue family who could build a family business.

Baochai can endure loneliness and devote herself wholeheartedly to mathematics, isn't it just to make her father happy and relieved?
Alas, this is also Baochai’s helplessness.

Otherwise, why would a daughter of the Xue family in Jinling study so hard? Wouldn't it be better to be a spoiled girl?

Looking at Baochai who had already walked down the platform and was talking and discussing with many officials and students accompanied by her husband He Chong, Jia Cong and Daiyu were happy for her.

"This can be considered an alternative top scholar, even better than the top scholar."

"Yes, Sister Bao has truly realized her life ideal!"

In terms of understanding Baochai, Daiyu dares to say that He Chong is not as good as her. It can be said that Baochai and she are of the same kind.

"If I were a man, the first name on the imperial list would be Lin!"

Daiyu hummed softly, and Jia Cong smiled: "Who in the world doesn't know you? This is countless times more powerful than the roll call in the Golden Palace."

With the implementation of compulsory education, Princess Wen'an is almost becoming a blessing to thousands of families.

Any scholar who graduated from public school would call Daiyu "teacher" when they saw her.

If this task was done by someone else, the emperor would probably be very uneasy. Even if he didn't find a reason to kill him, he would be demoted to the ends of the earth to go fishing.

……

The competition in the Imperial College was just as Jia Cong had planned. It was not a quick battle, but it was definitely a quick decision.

Mr. Hengwu Xue Baochai became famous in one battle and defeated the divine fortune teller Zisunshan with a complete victory, becoming a master of mathematics admired by many young men.

It is said that the doormen in the He family's hands were sore from receiving visiting cards, and what old man He Yaomin said most often in the cabinet was to praise his eldest grandson's wife.

Sun Shenxing lost, and lost badly.

The position of Minister of Revenue naturally fell into the hands of Wen Lian, another person who received the highest number of votes in the court nomination and was said to be returning soon.

Before Wen Lian returned to Beijing, Sheng Yihong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, temporarily took charge of the Ministry of Revenue and was in charge of the overall financial affairs of the country.

Baochai's outstanding performance in the competition won the appreciation of the emperor and the entire central government.

Although she was a woman and did not enter the officialdom through the imperial examination, she was very talented. She was specially promoted from Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Revenue to Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue and granted the title of Chaofeng Daifu, assisting the Shangshu in presiding over the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue.

Baochai was not assigned to a specific province, but was directly assigned to work in the Zhongtang with the power to supervise various departments, which clearly meant that she was being focused on training.

For a time, countless officials in the court were interested in their daughters.

Although romance is nice, it can only earn you the reputation of a talented woman.

You still have to learn mathematics. Even if you can't become an official in the court like the daughter of the Xue family, you can at least be more proficient in managing the family business by moving the beads on the abacus in the future.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same experience as Baochai in her childhood. Mathematics is boring, and most of the noble ladies cannot even finish reading "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art", let alone devote themselves to it wholeheartedly.

"My second brother actually wrote to me!"

In the midsummer, people often come back covered in sweat after going out.

As soon as Jia Cong entered the room, he stripped himself naked, causing Daiyu's pretty face to turn red. She spat, but then asked with concern, "What should I do if I catch a cold from the alternating hot and cold?"

As she spoke, she picked up the thin shirt that she had prepared long ago and put it on Jia Cong, poured him some cold tea, and then handed him the letter that Jia Lian had sent back from the Western Regions.

"I've already sent it to my grandmother's place, as well as those things..."

When a large army goes on a campaign, the custom is to give 30% of the spoils to the public, 30% to the army, and 30% to each individual.

Unless the emperor wants to deal with you, those censors who criticize everyone and the emperor will not say anything.

Jia Cong took out the letter and laughed as he read it: "It seems that my second brother has won the battle...Huh? I didn't expect that my second brother would come to the rescue of Zhao and march straight into the territory of Luosha."

The commander-in-chief of the imperial army in this Western Expedition was Zhang Kelu, the eldest grandson of Duke Zhang of Yingguo.

But in fact, Jia Lian secretly left the capital to the west as a surprise force.

The original plan was for Zhang Kelu to command the Beijing camp and border troops in the Western Regions to block the Rakshasa army at the Western Regions pass and prevent it from interfering with the U-Tsang army that was suppressing the rebellion.

However, both the emperor and the bigwigs in the central government felt that this was too easy for the Rakshasa ghost.

To do it once and for all, let Jia Lian lead the most elite cavalry of Daxia, the Imperial Mausoleum Guard, bypass the Western Regions, and leave the country from Beiting Protectorate. He can either launch a surprise attack on the Rakshasa army that has invaded the Western Regions, or attack the Rakshasa affiliated territories, or directly invade the heartland of the Rakshasa. It all depends on Jia Lian's own analysis and planning, and the capital will not interfere too much.

"I originally thought that my second brother would attack the Timurid Khanate and force the Russian Empire to return to rescue them, but I didn't expect that my second brother would directly charge into the heart of the Russian Empire!"

Jia Cong took out a map from the bookshelf, unfolded it, and marked it one by one according to what Jia Lian said in the letter.

My goodness, my second brother is so powerful. He has an army of 20,000 and has invaded the richest hinterland of Rakshasa. He has moved back and forth and is approaching its capital, Moscow.

This letter was written in February, when the country of Rakshasa was at its coldest.

The people of Luosha Kingdom wanted to use the cold weather to force back the Celestial Empire's army that was about to reach the city of Holy Winter, but they didn't expect that this elite cavalry of Daxia had no intention of fighting with them at all.

In the blink of an eye, they captured Astrakhan, an important town on the Caspian Sea. The accompanying craftsmen from the Ministry of Works were stunned by the towering trees in front of them.

They renovated the city, built offensive and defensive weapons, and even started to build warships. These craftsmen from the Ministry of Works were like fish in water, and built Astrakhan into a tortoise shell with thorns. The Rakshasa Kingdom mobilized an army of 100,000 troops, but failed to defeat the Celestial Empire's army. Instead, they suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat to Holy Winter City for repairs.

Jia Cong studied the map for a long time before he finally understood his second brother's thoughts.

This is to drive a nail into the Rakshasa Kingdom and expand the territory!

"It's a bit far, but this is indeed a fertile land, located at the mouth of the Volga River and backed by the Caspian Sea... Therefore, Astrakhan has been an inseparable part of our Celestial Empire since ancient times!"

Jia Cong slammed the table, picked up his pen and drew a circle on the map.

It is impolite not to reciprocate. If the Rakshasa Kingdom can march eastward, why can't our Celestial Empire march westward?
By controlling the Caspian Sea and continuing to march westward, the Celestial Empire will be able to gain an estuary on the Black Sea coast. At that time, it will be much easier for the Celestial Empire to travel south to the Western Ocean or from the Black Sea to the Western Ocean.

Besides, there is the mouth-watering black soil nearby, and those barbarians in the West don’t know anything about farming.

The Chinese are the best at farming!

"My second brother wants the capital to send some firearms. He wants to build a strong city on the Caspian Sea as a base for our westward expedition. It seems that the masters of the Ministry of Revenue are going to curse again..."

Jia Cong seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps joking with Daiyu.

He took out paper and pen and began to write the memorial.

"Five hundred large and small artillery pieces, fifty thousand latest-model flintlock rifles..."

……

"Five hundred guns?"

Sheng Yihong, the left vice minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, howled like a groundhog, and his hands were shaking as he pointed at Jia Cong.

"Marquis Yongfeng, why don't you go and rob them? Five hundred cannons have to be sent to the heartland of Luosha Country thousands of miles away. Have you ever thought about how much silver it would cost?"

Land routes are not as good as sea routes, so it is not too difficult for large ships to use any number of cannons when going out to sea.

But pulling it across land, or into the heart of the enemy country, the losses and risks involved were so unrealistic that Sheng Yihong thought it was a fantasy.

However, Jia Cong also had his own considerations. Traveling by land was very troublesome, but who said that to go to Astrakhan, one must travel by land.

"Isn't our third batch of official ships going to the Western Ocean about to depart? Let them take it aboard and send it over through the Ottoman Empire. I think the Ottoman Empire will not reject the goodwill of the Celestial Empire. At most, we can give them some sweet treats."

The Russian Empire borders the Ottoman Empire. Given its hunger for land, it has had many frictions with the old power, the Ottoman Empire, over the years.

In this case, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

It is not impossible for the two families to join forces and sell some firearms to the Ottoman Empire.

When Jia Cong expressed his idea in the Qinzheng Hall, the emperor and other bigwigs, who were worried just now, were suddenly enlightened.

What a good idea! It is said that the Ottoman Empire does not have a very good relationship with the Western countries. If Daxia wants to tear off a piece of fat in the West, it should find some allies.

One country is France, which is at odds with England, and another is the Ottoman Empire, which is at odds with Russia.

"That's a good idea. We can give it a try."

The emperor agreed, and most of the cabinet also agreed. Naturally, the old generals in the Five Military Commanderies would not object.

Fight a war, fight a big war quickly, I've been so bored lately!

Sheng Yihong shook his head and said, "No, the Ministry of Revenue only has that much money. With going to sea and fighting wars, tens of millions of taels of silver will flow out at any time. How can we survive like this?"

The cry of the groundhog is mainly about grief, anger and grievance.

However, Jia Cong clearly saw a hint of cunning calculation in the look that Sheng Yihong gave the emperor.

Well, well, well, among these officials in the Ministry of Revenue, none of them is not a Pi Xiu.

Set their sights on the Emperor’s purse again!

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is out of money! How about we wait until next year when we have enough silver and then go fight this war?"

"Sheng Yihong, you..."

The emperor was almost laughing out of anger. How could the Ministry of Revenue be out of money?

"Don't think I don't know. Your Ministry of Revenue dug out a secret vault of the same size under the silver vault, which contains 20 million taels of silver!"

Sheng Yihong spread his hands and said, "I don't know. I have only been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for a few days. Even if there is money, it was done by Wen and Lin. What does it have to do with me? Anyway, the Ministry of Revenue has no money, no money!"

Wen Tongxuan and Lin Ruhai looked at each other and nodded slightly.

As the former Minister of Revenue and the founder of the secret library, Wen Tongxuan had to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, unless the country is in danger of extinction, the secret library can only take in and not take out!"

Wen Tongxuan's words moved the emperor.

He had known about the secret treasury for a long time. From the initial 500,000 and 5 million taels, he slowly saved up to 20 million taels. This was a crisis system first created by Wen Tongxuan and perfected by three generations of the Minister of Revenue.

This system is indeed necessary. After all, no one knows when natural disasters or man-made disasters will occur, and how great the disaster will be.

Ugh!
The emperor sighed and said, "Forget it. I will take out 5 million from my inner treasury and the Ministry of Revenue will pay another 5 million to purchase military equipment and food and send them to Jia Lian as soon as possible."

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

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