Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 590 No no no, I like it very much!

Sometimes Jia Cong really wanted to report to the authorities, as the second and third generations of meritorious officials in the imperial dynasty were all weird.

He asked directly, wanting to bring the topic to the point, but Xu Youwei had already read the random reply, his eyes revealed clear stupidity, and he said in a daze: "Oh, this matter. Last year, I met Mr. Bao Er from your mansion and we had a good chat. Mr. Bao Er said that he was far inferior to Mr. Wenkui in the art of poetry. Even Princess Wen'an is far better than him. This makes me yearn for it. If I can get some advice from Mr. Wenkui today..."

Ah ~
Someone, drag him out! Drag him out!
Your father is hanging on a crooked tree right now, and you want to talk to me about poetry?
Jia Cong had no choice but to hold back his complaints and reminded him again: "Xu Shizi, your father, Lord Xu, is still in my hands... He is still imprisoned by Prince Zhongshun and is whipped every day. Are you sure you want to discuss poetry with me?"

"Ah? Oh, yes! Today, I am following the order of my ancestor. I would like to ask Wen Kuijun to be the middleman and ask Prince Zhongshun to spare my father."

They finally managed to talk to each other, but Jia Cong just felt tired.

After hearing Xu Youwei finally explain the reason for his visit today, his next action was even more bizarre.

He walked up to the box he brought with him and opened it in no time.

"This is what my grandmother asked me to bring to Wenkuijun as a reward. But in my opinion, Wenkuijun is the Wenqu from heaven who came down to earth, a fairy, so he naturally doesn't like yellow and white things, so he brought the most precious gifts when he came down. This is a legendary story that I have spent several years of hard work on. I personally think that the eight-part essay is useless for the country and the family..."

No no no, I like it very much!

After hearing the first half of the conversation, Jia Cong wanted to throw this weirdo out of the garden even more. But the book that Xu Youwei took out from a small bundle in the box caught his attention.

"Confucian Unofficial History?"

This book title... strange yet familiar!

Jia Cong took it and after flipping through a few pages, he basically understood the story line and central idea of ​​the book.

There was a similar novel in the past that satirized the corruption of officialdom, the malpractices of the imperial examination system, and the hypocrisy of ethic ethics. That novel was "The Scholars" by Wu Jingzi.

It's just that Xu Youwei's experience is more immature, and the stories he wrote are mostly written by him sitting in his study, relying on rumors and imagination. The characters still seem empty, and the criticism of reality is not profound enough...

Of course, these are not important.

The important thing is that Xu Youwei is the son of Xu Jinglong, a second-generation honorary fellow.

As a second-generation noble, why don't you just be a good lackey instead of writing a novel criticizing the imperial examination system?

Why does this guy make Jia Cong feel more like a human being?

"You said that you and my second brother, Jiabao, hit it off right away and had a great conversation?"

"That's true. Unfortunately, Mr. Bao was summoned back to the capital shortly after he finished attending to your family's funeral. I wanted to discuss my legend with Mr. Bao..."

I see. This man is an idealist who is dissatisfied with real-life problems such as ethics, imperial examinations, and officialdom.

He is exactly the same as Baoyu a few years ago, even more innocent than Baoyu.

Because this guy wrote a critical novel that directly targeted Confucianism, the imperial court, and the hypocrisy in officialdom.

Jia Cong looked into Xu Youwei's clear yet foolish eyes, and after thinking carefully, he asked tentatively: "Do you know what your father did? Your grandmother asked you to ask me to be the middleman, do you think I should be the middleman?"

Xu Youwei was stunned when he heard this, and then lowered his head.

Seeing that he had fallen into silence, Jia Cong did not urge him, but opened the book in his hand again and began to read with great interest.

It’s no wonder that the book “The Unofficial History of Confucianism” written by Xu Youwei is a unique and excellent work in the Qing Dynasty.

Putting aside the misunderstandings about the imperial examination system, his criticism of official corruption and human nature is enough to make people applaud.

You are such a talented person, it's a pity that you don't write novels. Why would you want to be a second-generation rich man?

"Marquis Yongfeng, my father has violated the law. I have tried to persuade him many times, but my father... Alas, I even thought about reporting his illegal behavior, but he is still my father after all... Relatives should protect each other, and I don't know what to do. I can only devote my feelings to poetry and books..."

Sure enough, Xu Youwei's descriptions of the extravagance of the marquis' family and the shamelessness and corruption in the officialdom in the book all have sources.

His father, Xu Jinglong, behaved in a way that was contrary to his own principles, but he had no choice but to remain silent because of the concerns of his relatives. Over time, this shaped Xu Youwei's current personality.

After many unsuccessful attempts at persuasion, Xu Youwei finally chose to put everything into words and wrote the book "The Unofficial History of Confucianism".

"I envy Second Master Bao very much. His reputation for integrity and honesty is known all over the world..."

"My grandmother ordered me to come here to ask Marquis Yongfeng to be the middleman, hoping to ask Prince Zhongshun to forgive my father. But I know that the crime he committed cannot be redeemed by money. But he is my father after all. If possible, I am willing to die on behalf of my father to apologize..."

He was also a pure person, and Jia Cong couldn't bear to lie to him.

Xu Jinglong was doomed to die. According to the law, all members of the Duke of Wei's mansion, except for Old Madam Xu and a few underage children, would be exiled to the border.

However, after reading Xu Youwei's "The Unofficial History of Confucianism" and his expression, Jia Cong had other ideas in mind.

Xu Jinglong must die, but if the Xu family can be used to break the control of the Jinling nobles and the aristocratic families over Jiangnan, then forgiving a few members of the Xu family who were not involved in the crime would be a very cost-effective deal no matter how you look at it.

Especially for Xu Youwei, since he can write a book called "The Unofficial History of Confucianism", he can also write other critical novels.

"Prince Xu, have you studied the law? You should know the final outcome of the Duke of Wei's Mansion due to the crime committed by your father Xu Jinglong. If I give you a chance to protect the innocent people in your family, are you willing?"

……

"The only person in Duke Wei's mansion who can see the world clearly is actually a young boy who has not experienced much of the world!"

Liu Ke looked at the large wooden boxes placed in the main hall with disdain.

One million taels of silver should be all the cash that the Duke of Wei's mansion can gather now. Liu Ke casually closed the box and pouted at Daiyu: "Niece, this is a reward from your uncle Wang."

uh~
Inhumane!
Daiyu stood up with a smile and bowed, "Then I will accept it. On behalf of the students in the impoverished prefectures in the southwest, I would like to thank Uncle Thirteen for his kindness. In front of the public schools in the prefectures in the southwest, there must be a tablet with Uncle Thirteen's name on it."

"This is good, this is good. I like my eldest niece's cleverness. Take this box too. It's free anyway."

Of the ten large boxes, two were given to Daiyu, and the remaining eight had to be sent to the capital, otherwise the people from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue would be annoyed to death.

As for the Thirteenth Prince himself, just kidding. He is the Prince Zhongshun, so which family in Jinling City would not curry favor with him?
The gifts he received these days numbered at least hundreds of thousands.

"By the way, Cong, what you mean is, to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, let Xu Youwei redeem himself and open the lid in person?"

Jia Cong was a little uncomfortable when he saw the always frivolous Thirteenth Master become serious.

He nodded: "Jinling's military honors are also useless. It's useless to keep them. We might as well take this opportunity to clean them up. Xu Youwei has actually noticed his father's problems a long time ago and has been paying attention to them. Although he may not know everything, as long as we can catch a few key people and follow the clues, we can at least find out more or less..."

Although Xu Youwei was immature, he could write a critical novel like "The Unofficial History of the Confucian Men". How could he be a stupid person?
Jia Cong gave him the opportunity to save the innocent people in his family, and he finally agreed to Jia Cong's request.

As long as Jia Cong made Xu Jinglong's crimes public, Xu Youwei would go to court and expose the Jinling nobles, officials and businessmen who had colluded with Xu Jinglong.

"Xu Youwei will become the common enemy of Jiangnan nobles and officials, so he can only rely on us in the end. From now on, he will be our mouthpiece in Jiangnan..."

"You don't plan to take him back to Beijing? I thought you valued his talent and wanted him to work under you."

Liu Ke found it difficult to understand Jia Cong's behavior. Xu Youwei's exposure of the corruption and lawlessness in Jinling would definitely make him a thorn in the eyes of the Jinling nobles.

It would be fine if they were still in Jinling, but if they left, Xu Youwei might have to go see his grandmother the next day.

Jia Cong shook his head and said leisurely, "I gave the Xu family a glimmer of hope, which is already a mercy beyond the law. I will have the old lady of the Xu family and those women and children properly placed. As for Xu Youwei, I will give him a chance to go down in history. It depends on whether he can grasp it."

……

Master She did not get involved in the Xu family's affairs, but instead focused his main energy on competing with Ji Chengming in a battle of wits and courage.

I have to say that Mr. She has great acting skills.

Three days. It only took Master She three short days to make Ji Chengming more convinced that the man sitting in front of him was frustrated and full of resentment towards the emperor.

The ship he was sitting on was slightly smaller than the main warships of the Imperial Navy. Outsiders might not be able to tell the difference between the cannons on board, but Master She could tell at a glance.

This is the Yuanyou Type 17 cannon used in the army, which was equipped to all main forces two years ago.

Xu Jinglong really should sell everything!
"This cannon shouldn't be used for commercial purposes, Old Ji, good trick!"

Ji Chengming did not continue to hide it, but flattered: "Mr. She saw it?"

"Isn't that nonsense? I used to be the commander of the Beijing Camp. I was the first to see the new firearms developed by the Ministry of Industry. Your Yuanyou Seventeen-style weapons are all left over from my play. But Old Ji, you have to know that if this matter gets to the capital, the heads of your nine clans will be in danger."

Master She was half threatening and half joking. Ji Chengming cupped his hands and said, "Isn't this only for Master She? Apart from Master She, is it possible for anyone else to board my ship?"

"You're treating me like one of your own? Old Ji, I recognize you as my friend!"

Master She also bowed as a return gesture, lay down on the couch, picked up the wine jug and took several gulps of the wine.

He cursed to the sky, "Damn it! I worked so hard for the Liu family, but in the end I was stripped of my official title and became a commoner without an official position. Tell me, where is justice?"

Ji Chengming's eyes lit up. Just as he guessed, Marquis Jia En had been dissatisfied with the emperor for a long time.

"That's right... Lord She has made great achievements in both the Northern Expedition and the Southern Expedition. If the old prince were still alive, Lord She would have been the pillar of the Xianrong Kingdom and the imperial court..."

As a high-ranking figure in the Maitreya Sect, Ji Chengming naturally knew about the past affairs of the former crown prince. He thought he had grasped the weak spot of Master She and used the past to make current arguments.

Master She was extremely annoyed and wanted to kick him away several times, but he relied on the wine in the pot to quench his anger.

"Don't flatter me. I am just a loser who relies on my son to make a living. This time I went out to sea, I just wanted to borrow your ship and satisfy my urge to have a naval battle. Let's just hang out on the sea for a while. No matter if they are pirates or foreigners, we will kill them!"

"Of course, we must let Lord She have his fill. It just so happened that when my family's ship was returning from Jiaozhi a few days ago, we encountered a group of pirates..."

Whether he was a pirate or not, Ji Chengming knew it himself.

Maitreya Sect was an allied branch of the White Lotus Sect, and the believers under Ji Chengming were actually all named Maitreya. They were actually the Holy Fire Light Sect that participated in the fight for the world with Emperor Taizu.

Now, several major evil cults in the country have been wiped out and defeated by the imperial court, and the rest are half-dead. Only Ji Chengming has a trick up his sleeve. He returned to Jiangnan as a maritime merchant and secretly expanded his strength.

If the White Lotus Sect that retreated to the island still wants to snatch the power of the Holy Church from him, then it can forget about living.

"Sir, please take a good rest first. I still have to arrange the flight route and other matters. When the time comes, please show your power and let me see the majesty of the great commander of the imperial dynasty!"

Ji Chengming obtained what he thought was the information from Master She and respectfully left the cabin.

Master She suddenly regained consciousness and nodded at Jia Jiu.

"Don't worry, sir. All the important positions on this ship are occupied by our people."

"This guy doesn't look like a good guy..."

Master She sat up, found a pen and paper, wrote a secret letter, and handed it to Jia Jiu: "After dark, use our falcon to send it out, and don't let Ji Chengming's people find it."

"My subordinate understands!"

Jia Jiu put away the secret letter and asked, "But General, if the Songjiang Navy fails to catch up, it will be difficult for us to surround Ji Chengming's men."

Naval warfare is different from land warfare. If it were on land, Jia Jiu was confident that five hundred people would be enough to wipe out this army of more than two thousand people.

But this was Jia Jiu’s first time at sea.

Many of the personal guards they brought with them were almost vomiting their gallbladders.

There are more than a dozen ships, all of which belong to Ji Chengming. Jia Jiu really can't guarantee that he can protect his own commander in the chaos, let alone take over this group of people.

But Master She laughed and said mysteriously to Jia Jiu: "Who said that only people from Songjiang Navy came back this time? Who told me that I have a good daughter-in-law?"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　Thanks to book friends 0812, sxkentlove, and a little orange cat for their rewards.

　　I have to go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow morning, so I will update in the afternoon. Sorry~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)