The Agricultural Tycoon of the Red House

Jia Lian was still hiding in the west of the courtyard patting the soil, because he was standing in the corner of the room, and the servants walking back and forth did not see him.It just so happened that the only insider, Second Mistress Lian, went to Mrs. Xing's room.

Jia Lian poured water on the newly planted hibiscus, wiped off the mud around the basin with a rag, and then came out with his muddy hands raised, and ordered the servant girl to prepare water.

When Mei Guo saw it, she ran over out of breath, "Second Master told us to look for it. Someone came from the front yard. King Li, Uncle Lin, and Uncle Jiang are all here. The Prime Minister also sent a follower over, saying that there is someone here. Let me tell you."

Jia Lian wiped her hands, and seeing this posture, she presumed that something had happened, so she hurried to Rongxi Hall.

Jia Amnesty was sitting at the head of the room patting his thigh, howling how could this happen.As soon as Jia Lian entered the room, everyone looked over.Without waiting for the first-ranked Prince Li to speak, Jia Amnesty was the first to jump up and rush to Jia Lian.

"My dear son, something serious has happened!"

Just now, Jia Lian wanted to salute the two elders, Prince Li and Lin Ruhai.

The King of Li County was also as impatient as Jia She, and hurried over, took Jia Lian's arm and made him sit down, "What time is it, don't salute, let's get down to business."

Jiang Zining came over and nodded.

"What happened? It's such a coincidence that you came together?" Jia Lian asked puzzled.

"The emperor met with several ministers in the Huibin building." Lin Ruhai was straightforward, her voice was much calmer than others.

Huibin Building sounds familiar.

Jia Lian's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he suddenly remembered that after he had an audience with the emperor yesterday, a young eunuch said that he was from Prince Qin's mansion, and sent a message asking him to go to Huibin Tower to gather today.

The time said seems to be noon.

Since ancient times, Jia Lian has not been very clear about the concept of time. People in ancient times looked at the sky and the sundial to guess the time.Jia Lian was not very good at it, so he got a western clock, which saved a lot of trouble, but he couldn't carry the clock everywhere when he went out, and he still had to rely on his attendants for help.

"What time is it now?" Jia Lian asked with his head turned.

Jiang Zining replied on his behalf: "It's almost time for the application."

Jia Lian gave Jiang Zining an admiring look, and at the same time she understood.Calculating from the time, the time of the incident should be around noon, that is to say, the little eunuch who sent the message yesterday was actually set up by someone else. Of course, this 'other person' is very likely to be the emperor.

"We all just got a general news. It is said that the emperor invited all the ministers who are close to the fourth prince to meet in the Huibin building, and later invited those people into the palace. There is no news so far, and no one knows the specific situation. .The fourth prince was also declared into the palace after that, I'm afraid there will be more bad luck than good luck." Li Junwang explained.

Lin Ruhai added: "We were all worried that you were among these ministers, so we came to verify it ourselves in a moment of anxiety."

"Please worry about my father-in-law and uncle, this junior is fine." Jia Lian bowed solemnly, what happened today was indeed beyond his expectation, and he was very grateful for making Prince Li and Lin Ruhai worry about him so anxiously.If something happened, someone would miss him, which means that his past few years in ancient times were not in vain.

"Don't say those polite words, tell us what's going on today." Prince Li asked.

"I don't know much," Jia Lian recounted how he met the little eunuch after meeting the emperor yesterday. "The eunuch did not say who invited me to the Huibin Tower, but said that he was from the Qin Palace. He Talking like this naturally makes people think that it is an invitation from the fourth prince. Now it seems that the person who actually sent the invitation should be someone else, and the emperor wants to use this name to see how many courtiers are related to the fourth prince. "

"This kind of investigation method is too sloppy! Even if someone who has a bad relationship with the fourth prince is specially invited, out of respect and face, he will still go. That is the fourth prince, the newly appointed Prince Qin, who would dare not give it to him?" His face?" Jiang Zining spoke quickly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he saw that the three adults in the room looked at him.Jiang Zining pursed his mouth, only to realize that he had made a slip of the tongue, covered his mouth, and looked to Jia Lian for help.

Jia Lian frowned and reminded him: "There are only a few people in the room. You have to be careful with your mouth in front of outsiders from now on."

"I know." Jiang Zining hurriedly agreed with a smile.

"Nephew Jiang Xian is right. The emperor did this, what can be tested? Is it useful?" Ye Lin clapped his hands, with an angry expression on his face, completely disapproving of the emperor's actions.

Jia Lian asked Lin Ruhai if he had the same experience.

Lin Ruhai shook his head, "I didn't, but I heard the rumor that the crown prince was invited."

"It's also a Cong Yipin." Ye Lin sighed.

Lin Ruhai thought quickly, frowned and said: "Actually, this method is applicable, but it depends on who the target is. For those incompetent officials, the fourth prince will definitely be indiscriminate if they give orders." .But what if they are all first-rank members? "

Jia Lian echoed: "Indeed, if the Holy Majesty dares to test, it means that he has his own reasons. As my uncle said, if all the people invited are from the first grade or above, such as the six ministers, the prince Taibao, the Taifu, etc., these people If they happened to be entangled in official duties deliberately arranged by the emperor, it would be reasonable for them to reject the fourth prince's invitation. But if they refused the official duties and wanted to curry favor with the fourth prince and accepted the invitation, the emperor would definitely not be able to tolerate it, no matter whether they really formed a party or not.

Now there are eight first-rank officials, and there are 20 first-rank civil and military officers. These people hold the lifeline of the court and adopt the strategy of grasping the big and letting go of the small. Just testing these people is enough to shock the entire court, "knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger".I was just promoted yesterday to the Household Li Shangshu of Congyipin, and I happened to be in his test, which is reasonable, no wonder..."

"No wonder why?" Lin Ruhai asked.

"No wonder I feel that my sudden promotion this time is a bit inexplicable. Although I have done something, but that little credit is not enough to be promoted to the position of Shangshu all at once." Jia Lian pondered.

"Seeing that you are a talent, the emperor wants to win you over, and also wants to test you by the way." Ye Lin rubbed his chin and sneered, "After what you said, I think it really seems like something he can do. That's it."

"The fourth prince this time—" Lin Ruhai deliberately didn't say the last part of the sentence, looking at everyone's eyes.

"No matter what, the only thing we can do now is to pledge our allegiance to the Holy One," Jia Lian said.

Both Ye Lin and Lin Ruhai looked at Jia Lian in surprise.

Jiang Zining didn't understand these things. Anyway, what Jia Lian said was right, so he agreed with all his strength and just nodded foolishly.

Lin Ruhai was the first to react, and said with a smile: "Nephew is right, we as courtiers should be loyal to the Holy Majesty."

"It's true, it's true." Ye Lin also understood.

The Holy Majesty is full of energy and the dragon is very healthy. It is too early to think about anything now.As long as these ministers want to be loyal to them obediently, they will be fine. This is the perfect way to protect themselves.

Several people finally breathed a sigh of relief.Ye Lin left first, and Jiang Zining left later.

Lin Ruhai stayed and had something to say to Jia Lian.

"When I entered the door, I saw a young man running over very anxiously to deliver a message. Go and have a look first. I'll wait for you."

Jia Lian then went to see the servant sent by Jing Yingguang.

Jing Yingguang didn't have anything else to do, he just asked if he was all right.

The prime minister deserves to be the prime minister, and Jia Lian knew all about whether the sound was all right or not.After rewarding the young man, Jia Lian thought about sending two pots of orchids to the prime minister to express his gratitude.After thinking about it again, Jia Lian, the pot of wood hibiscus, was also taken away.

Lin Ruhai laughed when he heard about it: "All the officials said that you have a strange temperament, aloof, high-minded, poisonous, and very difficult to get along with. They all said that you are a geek. However, this prime minister who is admired by thousands of people, and Everyone keeps a distance, only you are close."

Jia Lian smiled, "Prime Minister Jing loves flowers, and I just happened to fall in love with him. I'm lucky."

Lin Ruhai found that Jia Lian was genuinely smiling, and said happily, "You can think about it, don't you mind if people say you have a bad temper?"

"It's good to be a geek! I'm sorry, those people don't treat me as an ordinary person. They don't know my 'general knowledge'. It makes me feel at ease, and I'm happier."

Jia Lian can think about it, in fact, even if someone scolds him, he doesn't care, the purpose of his life is not to care about what those insignificant people say.

"But I'm still worried about you! The fourth prince has lost his favor now, and everyone in the court, even the whole world, knows that you were recommended by the fourth prince. From the emperor's side, to the civil and military side of the Manchu Dynasty, I'm afraid that you will be treated badly in the future." The attitude will change. In addition, once the eldest prince gains power, if you refuse to give in, life will definitely become more and more difficult." Lin Ruhai frowned deeply, expressing deep worry.

"I'll be fine." Jia Lian met Lin Ruhai's eyes, showing him his confidence.

In fact, even if the emperor feared that he would fall out of favor with the fourth prince, as the emperor, he would not openly suppress all the ministers who had contacts with the fourth prince.At best, make an example of others and apply some pressure.

Since the emperor promoted him to be Minister yesterday, he still wanted to use him.In the days to come, as long as he is not affected by the outside world and still does what he should do, he will still live the same as before.

"Hey, being with you is like being with a tiger. That's why I prefer to stay in Yangzhou these years." Lin Ruhai twirled his beard with a strong sense of crisis.

"It's good for uncle to be cautious, but sometimes thinking too much will affect your body. Besides, you shouldn't be worried about this matter, you should be happy."

"You child, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Actually, in terms of background, Uncle, you are the simplest and cleanest. You have just entered Beijing, and you are not involved in any powerful relatives, and you have no complicated old friends in the court. The only Rongfu is only related to marriage. Because your aunt has passed away, In the eyes of outsiders, this relationship can be regarded as weak. Therefore, in the eyes of the Holy Father, uncle, you, a new official in Beijing, is the best candidate to cultivate a confidant. Not surprisingly, this incident happened not long ago After that, my uncle will be promoted." Jia Lian reasoned.

Lin Ruhai was shocked, and looked at Jia Lian in amazement: "How could you say such a thing? Didn't you say that you don't understand the current situation of the court the most, and only know how to farm?"

"I don't understand, but I understand the simple reason for the vacancy of the candidate. The emperor will definitely demote those ministers who were caught by him this time. Who will take the vacant position?"

Lin Ruhai thought about it for a while, and felt that Jia Lian's words were reasonable.Maybe he will really be selected by the emperor and be promoted to some kind of official suddenly.

Lin Ruhai was worried, he didn't want to be like this, "I came to the capital just to get closer to Daiyu and live a good life, I don't want to get promoted at all."

"The more you are like this, the more the emperor likes you." Jia Lian said.

Lin Ruhai was surprised again, and turned to look like, their emperor seemed to have such a temperament.

"Uncle, don't feel embarrassed. Since the emperor likes you like this, you just need to be yourself, and you don't need to worry about it at all. As for Daiyu, uncle can give her a better choice by the way, can't you? In the future Even if she is low-married, as an uncle, she can still severely suppress her husband's family."

Lin Ruhai laughed warmly after hearing Jia Lian's explanation, "I think it's a good thing to hear what you said. Forget it, I'll just follow your suggestion."

Before leaving, Lin Ruhai stroked his beard and smiled all over his face: "I came here today to comfort you, but after talking about it, you came to comfort me in the end. Hahaha... Lian'er, you are really uncle By the way, Daiyu likes the flowers you brought over. They can bloom all year round, which is great. In the future, this child will no longer need to use a hoe to bury flowers, and feel sad about the flowers falling."

"Please ask my uncle to tell him that this flower blooms and falls, and it goes back and forth. It is just an objective process. It is the change that makes them more beautiful. Only when the flowers fall will they feel that the flowers are rare, just like the butterfly, from insects to insects. The cocoon finally emerges into a butterfly, and it is the process of change that is so beautiful. Tell her to just enjoy the process, so there is no need to sigh."

"Well said! That's the reason!" Lin Ruhai clapped his hands and praised Jia Lian, "Although you don't have many books, you have a high understanding and know how to live, which is a hundred times better than us pedantic bookworms."

……

After seeing Lin Ruhai off, Jia Lian went back to his room and saw Jingxin sitting on the couch with her head bowed, embroidering.Seeing that he was back, Jingxin poured tea for him with a smile, told him about the naughty things of the two younger brothers at home, and told the kitchen that all the dishes he cooked today were his favorite dishes.

Jia Lian guessed that she had heard the news and was worried about him, afraid that he would be upset, so she tried to make him happy in this way.

Jia Lian tapped her forehead and smiled: "I'm fine."

Jingxin was stunned for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief, "It's best if you can see it, I'm still worried, and I'm worrying about how to prepare a month's joke."

"One month? I'm so petty in your eyes?" Jia Lian pinched Jingxin's face lightly, ignoring her shaking her head to explain, bent over to her ear, and tickled her ears with her breath, "Wait until I come back to clean up at night." you."

After Jia Lian left the mansion, he took Xing'er and rode straight to Xiaoling Village.In name, it is to check the recovery of strawberry seedlings, but in fact it is just strolling around, pretending to be busy.

Not long after, Jia Lian saw Su Sheng galloping towards him on a horse. He dismounted and stood on the side of the road, looking up at Jia Lian.

This meeting was a long-standing agreement between him and the fourth prince. If something unexpected happens, it is not easy to meet directly, and we will meet at Xiaolingzhuang outside Beijing.

Jia Lian patted the dirt on his hands before walking over.

Su Sheng: "My lord should have heard the news?"

"Well, but I don't know the specifics." Jia Lian replied.

Su Sheng turned around angrily, smacked the saddle angrily, then gritted his teeth and said to Jia Lian, "My lord didn't do anything excessive, and he didn't have any conflicts with the Holy Majesty. He just came here suddenly without any warning. The Majesty Is it—"

"Shut up and watch your words." Jia Lian glanced around and scolded in a low voice.

Su Sheng kept silent, and nodded apologetically at Jia Lian, "I was impulsive. My lord, what should I do now? The prince hasn't come back since he entered the palace. Could it be any accident?"

"Calm down and wait," Jia Lian looked at Su Sheng, "You also said that the prince didn't do anything, so how can you add a crime? No matter how bad the final result is, it's just a reprimand. You should go back quickly. It's an extraordinary time. Stay safe and stay away from going out."

Su Sheng finally grasped a life-saving straw. With a backbone, he nodded and went on the horse.

Jia Lian washed his hands, took a rest in Xiaolingzhuang, drank two bowls of tea, and left.

……

The second day coincided with the day of the Great Dynasty.

All the guards gathered in the main hall, finished the kowtow ceremony in unison, and just stood still.

The emperor immediately announced in public that he would reprimand the scholar of the Wenhua Palace, the Prince Taibao and the new Minister of the Household Department.

When the eunuch read the words "Shangshu of the New Ninja Household Department", all the ministers all glanced at Jia Lian from the corner of their eyes.Jia Lian is a fresh minister, he has just been sealed for five days, and he has a close relationship with the fourth prince, which is a fact that the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty can't even hide from the emperor.

Geeks fell out of favor.

As expected, as expected, it should have been like this...

"—Zhou Qingyuan!" The eunuch said the last word.

All the ministers were shocked, and they all looked at Zhou Qingyuan, Minister of the Household Department, who was kneeling tremblingly with sweat profusely.

Everyone almost forgot that there was also a minister in the household department, Zhou Qingyuan.This fellow was just promoted a month ago, and he is actually considered a "new appointment", but he was not as good as Jia Lian in the court, so he has been forgotten.Thinking about the words again, the emperor announced that it was "Shangshu of the Ministry of Hubu", while Jia Lian was the "Shangshu of the Ministry of Hubu" issued by the imperial seal. There is a word missing here.

It's so strange that Jia Lian escaped unharmed!

All the ministers thought in unison.

And now everyone in the court thinks that besides Jia Lian, the most embarrassing thing is Qin Wang Yinzhen, who was so slapped in the face by the emperor.

Yinzhen kept a frozen face the whole time, expressionless, neither humble nor overbearing.But everyone can guess that at this moment, he must be cooking himself on fire.The prince making friends with foreign ministers and forming a clique for personal gain is the most serious crime that arouses the emperor's fear.It's such a pity that such a talented prince completely missed the throne just because of this incident.

After the ministers had finished slandering the fourth prince, they turned around to watch Jia Lian.This guy is even better, with a deadpan expression on his face, which looks more relaxed than that of the Fourth Prince.Or, originally Jia Lian was more handsome, with a handsome jade face, so he was pleasing?

The emperor sent those three officials who had been relegated to outside Beijing, changed their sitting positions, and continued: "Next, let's talk about the case of the Fujian Supervisor Li Chan's family being exterminated. Commander, but there is no clue. If this case cannot be solved, where will the court face it in the future! Besides, the post of military supervisor is very important and cannot be vacant for too long. I wonder which love minister in the court is willing to go? "

The sky is high and the land is far away in Fujian, and the climate is hot. Northerners are not used to living there.Besides, the job of the overseer was pretty good, but the most terrible thing is that the whole family of the previous overseer died there. It is scary to think about it. A family of more than a hundred people was wiped out overnight. It is said that the walls of the house They were all dyed red, and their miserable condition made people shudder.

So, who can guarantee safety this time?

Dear Beijing official, who is willing to travel thousands of miles to find bad luck? How can someone volunteer for this job?The emperor really knows how to joke!

All the ministers immediately shrank their heads, for fear that they would be named by the emperor unfortunately.

Seeing the reaction of the ministers, the emperor was very unhappy.

Jia Lian raised his head slightly and leaned forward.

The emperor had sharp eyes and said directly: "Jia Aiqing, stand still and don't sway."

"My son is willing to go and take this position temporarily." Yin Zhen suddenly stepped forward and cupped his hands.

The emperor was almost taken aback, he looked at Yinzhen in surprise: "You?"

Yin Zhen nodded.

"The battle in the Northwest gave you more experience. I think it won't be too difficult for you to go to Fujian, so it's settled, you go!" The emperor decided Yinzhen's whereabouts in a casual tone, and then asked the ministers what to do. Is there any major matter to report, "No major matter, small matters will be submitted to the Royal Study Room later, I am a little tired now, and I don't want to talk to you stinky old men."

The emperor rubbed his temples, showing a tired face.

After all the ministers retired, Pian Jialian was stopped by the eunuch and continued to see him.

Seeing this, the ministers sighed helplessly: Sure enough, they despise their old age!

In front of Jia Lian, the emperor didn't say a word about the fourth prince, but took the memorial and asked Jia Lian carefully about planting tobacco leaves.After getting a satisfactory answer, he released Jia Lian.

After finishing his official duties, Jia Lian hurried out of Beijing to Xiaolingzhuang, where the fourth prince Yinzhen had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that the fourth prince seemed suspicious of the people in his village, Jia Lian explained with a smile: "They are all reliable. The people in this village have stricter words than those in my courtyard."

Yin Zhen nodded, sadness was written on his cold face.After a long while, he sighed and said, "I don't understand why Father is treating me like this all of a sudden."

"A few days ago, King Beijing Jing deliberately approached me, as if he wanted to please me."

"You're saying that big brother has taken action against you, and he might have done something about me—" Yinzhen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood, and thumped the table bitterly, "I knew he was the one who framed me in front of my father, but It was in vain to make those three adults suffer. I really don't have any personal contacts with foreign ministers. Of course, apart from you, we talked relatively well, so we got closer. As for those few, they have shown goodwill to me, but I have always I was very cautious and didn't have too much contact. This time, I really deserve more wrong than Dou E! The most irritating thing is that my father didn't say this clearly, even if I wanted to explain it, I couldn't explain it."

Jia Lian: "Where is the imperial concubine?"

Yinzhen sighed even more, "Father hasn't been there for more than half a month, and a new favorite came out of the palace, a female officer next to the empress, who is gaining power, and I heard that he is going to be named concubine."

"Don't be impatient, my lord, let's get over this hurdle first. Please be careful with the imperial concubine and empress." The emperor was just suspicious by nature, and his temperament was a little unpredictable, but he was not a foolish king, so the fourth prince's Wrongs will always be cleared one day.As long as he doesn't give up on himself and waits quietly for the emperor to recognize the truth of this matter, Xianyu will definitely get more appreciation and affirmation the day he turns over.

"The rainbow will only appear after the wind and rain. If the prince can let the emperor see clearly that behind your patience and humiliation is the upright character of forbearance, filial piety, and serving the country and the people, then everything will come naturally."

Yinzhen nodded, admiringly said: "Suddenly I feel that you have the talent for governing the country, not only for farming."

"My lord praised it absurdly. In fact, it is because the subordinate officials only care about farming and don't care much about other things, so they can see more clearly from the perspective of a bystander. When it comes to the law of governing the country, I don't know a word. I If you don’t read well, you can’t explain things like that, the lord knows this best.”

"I'm afraid everyone in the world knows about it." Yin Zhen smiled, Jia Lian's words were true.

"However, there is a sentence recently that impressed me deeply. When I came out of Beijing just now, I saw the displaced farmers outside the city gate, and I was even more emotional. I used to only pay attention to farming, but I made a big mistake. .”

Yin Zhen squinted his eyes and asked him, "What exactly?"

"'The rich are connected to the fields, but the poor have no land to stand on'. Farmers can't eat, not only because of the low yield of crops, but also because they have little land, or even no land!"