Chapter 312 Eighteen Dishes
The eyes of all parties in Jiangnan were focused on Jinling, but they did not expect that after the three families of Shi, Wang and Xue were turned upside down by Jia Zhen, they did not say a word. Except for a few old ladies from the Wang family who came to the door of Jia's house and cried, nothing else happened.
Seeing that Wang Zipeng, Wang Ziqi and others were sentenced to confiscation of their property and exile to Hami, and that there was no movement in the capital and Annan, those who had some ulterior motives all started to take action.
The Japanese in each prefecture were either imprisoned or expelled, but their previous connections... had some influence in each prefecture.
In the past, people had strong connections, so they couldn’t get something real that would hit them with one strike and completely knock them down, so no matter how much they hated them, they had to endure it.
But now it seems different! Wang Zipeng’s biggest problem is that he is colluding with the Japanese, so even if Wang Ziteng is conquering cities and territories outside, he will still suffer the consequences.
The Wang family didn’t dare to say a word.
So can they also follow the example of the Jia family? For a while, even though Yangzhou had already been plowed by the emperor and Lin Ruhai because of the collusion between the salt merchant Li and the Japanese pirates, there were two families that escaped and were reported and brought down by people with ulterior motives.
When a whale dies, all things come to life.
Although the bulk of the property had long been divided up by the government and several other big families, some common people still took advantage of the situation and bought some of the scattered land.
For example, after Wang Zipeng fell, all small farms and shops were turned into pawnshops by the government.
There were big manors and shops, but as long as Wang Ziteng was still alive, the Wang family's foundation was there. Even if it was listed in a pawnshop and people were very envious of it, few people dared to take a chance.
However, Jia Zhen, taking advantage of some fines previously imposed by the ninth and tenth houses, gathered his clansmen together again and finally took over a large farm, which he registered with the government as a sacrificial field.
This is something that cannot be taken away even during a house search.
As the patriarch, this is considered a political achievement within the Jia family and must be written into the family tree.
After finishing everything, Jia Zhen came to see Chen Ning with brisk steps.
"Mother, look, this little hill, this river bend, and the 632 acres of land around it are all ours again."
"From the clan."
Shen Ning looked at this thing that looked like a map, and her mood was not so good.
Land annexation became more and more serious as time went on.
Even if the Jia family prospers for a few more generations, they will have so much money that they won't know where to spend it, and it's unknown how much land they will buy.
Chen Ning now only hopes that the negotiations between the court and the Luosha people will end. After getting what they should get, the emperor can implement the unified tax payment system for officials and gentry earlier.
Although this does not solve the fundamental problem, it provides a new source of tax revenue for the country. When a disaster strikes, the emperor can increase disaster relief efforts or even simply reduce or exempt taxes for a few years.
Ordinary people may not have to sell their children if they tighten their belts.
"Hey, my son knows."
Jia Zhen didn't know that his mother was thinking about how to make the Jia family pay taxes. He was just happy that his family would get one third of the income from the sacrificial land.
"The clan's affairs have been settled, son..."
He rubbed his hands and said flatteringly, "My son intends to buy another farm for our family. Do you think it is convenient for you?"
Jia Zhen had no money, but he knew that his mother had brought a lot of banknotes just in case.
"Still?"
Chen Ning frowned, "Forget it! The sacrificial fields are guarded by the tribesmen here, so no one dares to mess around. But do you know how many people are watching the Wang family's farm? If you eat the meat, you have to give others some soup.
Besides, our goal has been achieved, so don’t think too much about the rest... ”
"……yes!"
Jia Zhen was a little dejected.
Now that Youshi had her second child, she wanted to save more money for the child.
It is very difficult to find a continuous farm nowadays, and finally the Wang family has one.
"Some things are too much or too little."
Seeing him like this, Shen Ning could only remind him again, "The emperor is probably watching this place too. You overturned the tables of many families in Jinling because they were colluding with the Japanese. But after you suppressed them, you bought up their land and shops. It's suspected that the Jia family wants to dominate Jinling. This matter...it has changed its taste."
What? Jia Zhen really hadn't thought about this.
"My son knows about this and he won't buy anything anymore."
When he backed away honestly, Shen Ning couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
What is the land here?
The sky outside is so big, and there is so much land.
pity……
Shen Ning is considering returning to Beijing.
Although Dazhao has an absolute advantage in the negotiations with Luosha Kingdom, what if some self-righteous guys in the court look down on the so-called bitter cold land...
"Let your uncle find someone to calculate an auspicious day for returning to the capital. Yu's belly is getting bigger, so it's better for us to go back early."
"yes!"
Xiaodong hurriedly caught up with Jia Zhen again.
It was almost a month in Jinling, and they could finally leave.
Jia Zhen was also worried about Youshi's belly and had originally planned to buy another farm, but now, of course, the sooner the better.
…
Capital city.
The emperor finally summoned the Rakshasa envoys, but before they could say a few words, an urgent report came on horseback that a joint envoy from the Tumed, Uriankhai and Khalkha tribes of Mongolia would soon arrive in Beijing to ask for help from the Zhao.
Luosha Deputy Prime Minister Bazel Ackerman and Admiral Iris Roberts saw that Emperor Dazhao first frowned, then smiled, and then many of the ministers around him looked ecstatic and could not help but look at their own translator.
But even without translation, they still had a vague idea of it.
The reason they are so anxious to broker peace talks right away is not because of Mongolia, right?
The Emperor of Dazhao has been waiting for them for so long, right? He is also waiting for Mongolia, right?
The translator once accompanied Admiral Iris Roberts on a day trip to the prison cell in Shuntian Prefecture, and was a little frightened. Now, in front of many ministers of Dazhao, he did not dare to say anything, and only responded with sighs and eyes.
Deputy Prime Minister Bazel Ackermann's eyes dimmed.
This operation to the east failed.
It was previously said that the person in power in Dazhao was not a young and strong emperor, but an old and decrepit emperor.
Most elderly people like stability and will not take risks easily.
But now...
Bazel Ackerman thought they had chosen the wrong timing.
If I had listened to him a few years earlier, things might have been completely different.
But it's too late to say anything now.
Although Mongolia was not a monolithic entity and even its various tribes often fought against each other, when they faced them, the people also helped each other.
Originally they thought they could use guns and cannons to defeat the descendants of the Golden Khan, but they didn't expect that Dazhao was better than them in guns and cannons.
Bazel Ackerman learned from some missionaries that Dazhao had developed a new thing called a grenade.
The missionary took great pains to make one, and they secretly set off fireworks when it exploded.
That power...
Bazel Ackerman sighed softly in his heart.
They had never seen a revolver, but he saw the grenade easily. Although he suspected in his heart that Emperor Dazhao had intentionally let him see it, the feeling of frustration still followed him.
He could almost foresee that their defeat in the ensuing negotiations would be even more tragic than their defeat on the battlefield.
After a while, his translator finally told him that the Emperor of Dazhao thought that May 18th was a good day and that Dazhao was willing to start formal peace talks with them on that day.
May 18th! Today is only the seventh day of May.
That means it will take eleven more days.
Bazel Ackerman knew that Dazhao was still stalling for time and wanted to gain a greater advantage on the battlefield.
He and Admiral Iris Roberts returned to Huitong Hall dejectedly and did not speak for a long time.
But the emperor rushed to the harem happily after leaving court to share his joy with the queen.
"Hahaha! I want to eat eighteen dishes today."
Although he has been in power for almost half a year, he has not eaten eighteen dishes.
The emperor was so happy, "Queen, you don't know how cunning Mr. Liu is." Speaking of Mr. Liu, he remembered something and said to Liu An, "By the way, tell the imperial kitchen to send ten dishes to Mr. Liu today."
"What did he do?"
The queen's eyes sparkled.
Looking forward to good news from my husband.
"Isn't the Weapon Manufacturing Bureau manufacturing grenades in large quantities?"
The emperor said: "He spared no expense to have several masters make a few iron-clad grenades. Although the iron was beaten very thin, it was indeed more powerful. You don't know that the deputy prime minister of the Rakshasa country, Bazel Ackerman, and their general Iris Roberts secretly tested it with some missionaries. An Yi said that when they returned, their faces were frosted.
It’s a pity that I didn’t see it at that time. ”
The emperor slapped his thigh and said, "Luckily I saw it today." At this point, his eyebrows flew up again. "I knew yesterday that the joint delegation of Tumed, Wuliangha and Khalkha would come to Beijing, but they acted it out again today. Hahaha, you don't know, their backs were even a little bent at that time."
This is also a battle!
A bloodless battle, but more effective in capturing cities and territories.
The emperor was so happy.
When he first became emperor, he only thought about not being deposed and keeping the throne for his son.
He never thought of himself as capable.
I have to endure bullying from both sides every day, but I have to hold my anger in and not let my father see even a little bit of it.
Although he had several concubines, he knew very well what they were like.
Including Concubine Wu, who had already given birth to a prince, they were all just people placed by someone's side.
Whenever the emperor was extremely angry and felt he could not bear it any longer, he would come to the queen.
"Cai Cai, you are the first person I want to thank for today."
The emperor grabbed the queen's hand and called her by her nickname, "Thank you for your hard work over the years."
"I am suffering, isn't the emperor suffering too?"
The queen leaned against the emperor and said, "I know that during those years, the emperor suffered ten times or even a hundred times more than I did."
She only had to deal with Concubine Zhen and those difficult sisters-in-law.
But no matter how difficult the sisters-in-law were, the number of times they could enter the palace could be counted in a year.
Although Concubine Zhen often made her angry, she was a cautious person and did not dare to embarrass her in public.
So relatively speaking, she has it much easier than the emperor.
"It's great that we have made it through now."
"Um!"
The emperor hugged his wife and said, "From now on, I will let you live a good life."
He doesn't have to worry about being deposed, and he can leave his name in history.
At this moment, the emperor didn't even want to use the word "I" in front of the queen.
"Cai Cai, just wait. I will fulfill all the promises I made during our wedding."
They have always supported each other.
He would never be like his father.
"I trust you!"
The queen stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "When the eighteen dishes are served, we can feed me and I feed you like we did before?"
"OK!"
The emperor's eyes lit up.
At that time, they lived their lives behind closed doors, and the couple was very comfortable.
Even in his dreams, he was smiling.
Because he jumped from the cold place of the palace to an extremely warm place.
"Since leaving home and entering this palace, we haven't had such an easy life."
Now it's finally possible again.
He and the queen were very happy. After receiving the reward, Mr. Liu quietly carried the ten dishes out of the palace and took them to the small courtyard awarded to him by the emperor, where his family also lived.
There are his parents, sister, nephews and nieces.
Of course, there is also a sign without words besides them.
In Mr. Liu's mind, this man is his brother-in-law.
It's a pity that my brother-in-law is unlucky.
"Come on, let's try today's delicious food together."
When he left home, he said that he would achieve fame and success and return home to give his sister a grand wedding.
But in the end, the whole family suffered from him.
Mr. Liu knelt there and cried bitterly.
He felt sorry for his parents, his sister, the prince, and his two nephews and nieces.
"sorry!"
Mr. Liu burst into tears and said, "If I had known my family would be like this, I would never have come to Beijing."
If he had not come to the capital and helped Prince Jin, the Crown Prince might have been able to hold on for a few more years.
With Jia Jing's help, his path is easier than the emperor's.
How many lives could be saved! The prince burned everything with a fire, and the emperor was furious, and the butcher's knives at Caishikou never stopped.
At that time, King Jin finally gave him half a day off and asked someone to take him to see the rolling heads.
"Wow, Dad! Mom! Your son misses you so much!"
He hugged each spirit tablet, tears streaming down his face.
After following the emperor for several months, Mr. Liu finally realized that this invisible man, who was once ignored by the emperor and any of the princes, was able to get to where he is today because the prince intentionally cultivated him after his brothers grew up.
He was involved in that fire and burned the trust of the retired emperor in all his sons, and finally chose to be the emperor who was not valued by anyone.
Jia Jing's second fire directly made the emperor stupid.
Compared to them...
Mr. Liu's tears dripped onto the spirit tablet, and he reached out to wipe them away.
He did not hold the last blank plaque, but just looked at it. After a while, he said, "I'm sorry. I will watch over the emperor. You should watch over him too. Don't let him become confused when he gets old."
If that happens...
He doesn't mind being a poisonous scholar again.
…
In Jinling, May 12th is a good day for getting married, praying, seeking offspring, consecrating ceremonies, and traveling.
After paying homage to the ancestors of the Jia family and 'Jia Jing' at the ancestral tomb once again, Shen Ning picked up her daughter, got on the carriage, and walked back along the way they had come.
She had read about the affairs of the Japanese and Russian envoys, as well as recent events in the capital, from letters from home.
To say I'm not happy would be a lie.
I just hope she is not the only one struggling in this world.
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