Chapter 2858 Four Kings and Eight Dukes, Confiscating the Property of Lai Da

The next day, at the grand court meeting, the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was solemn and dignified.

Emperor Yuankang, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, stood on the steps, glaring at the ministers below, his face full of green, his eyes flashing with anger. He never expected that the ministers would cry poor with him. Facing the heavy snow in the south and the situation of no money in the treasury, they were still unwilling to pay back the money, but just kept asking Emperor Yuankang to give them some time to wait for them to slowly collect the money.

"I can wait, but the people in the southern provinces can't. Do you really want to watch the people suffer and riot before you are happy?"

The ministers once again took out the big move of silence is gold, bowed their heads and kept silent, which made Emperor Yuankang furious and could no longer suppress it, and said angrily.

"You stay in the Hall of Supreme Harmony today. When you are willing to pay back the money, when you leave, I will not believe it anymore and I can't punish you!"

After that, Emperor Yuankang sat on the dragon throne, closed his eyes and said nothing, and he and the ministers continued to waste time to see who could outlast who.

It is easy to borrow money but difficult to repay it. The experience of Emperor Yuan Kang fully demonstrates a truth: the one who owes money is the boss, even if he owes money to the emperor.

Jia Chang stood in the hall with a calm expression. He was a new noble in the court. During the border war, he got a lot of good things, but he was not extravagant, so he did not write IOUs to the treasury. He was not concerned about it and kept it aloof.

Jia Chang had a martial arts spirit and a strong body. Not to mention standing for a day, even three days and three nights would be unusually easy for him.

But many ministers in the court were different, especially civil servants. On the one hand, some of them were old and could not stand the tossing. On the other hand, even if they were young, they were weak and could not lift or carry anything. After standing for a day, their backs ached and they were hungry. Some people begged for mercy and were willing to pay back the money.

It seems that it is the same in ancient and modern times. If you want people to pay back the money, you have to use some tricks to make the people who owe money uncomfortable, so that you can get the money back.

In the evening, the ministers spoke one after another. Most of the remaining ones were meritorious generals. They had great wealth and wealth for a long time, and they spent money lavishly. They owed the most money, and the least owed hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, including the Ning and Rong mansions.

Emperor Yuankang saw that these people were stubborn and unwilling to pay back the money. There was nothing he could do for a while. He couldn't really let them stand until they died. Many people couldn't bear it anymore. Their faces were pale and they fell to the ground. It didn't make much sense to continue.

Emperor Yuankang snorted angrily, got up and left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and thought of a way. Now that he had the silver that the civil officials wanted to return, it was enough for disaster relief, and there was also a small amount of 10 million taels.

On the third day, Emperor Yuankang convened a grand court meeting again. In addition to arranging disaster relief matters, he still forced the remaining ministers to pay back the money, and even sent a debt collection team. If they still didn't pay back the money after one month, they would be dismissed from office, their homes confiscated, and exiled to Lingnan.

For a time, the court and the public were in an uproar. Many timid ministers began to return the silver to the treasury overnight, but the four kings and eight dukes and the military merit group were still holding on.

Some of the nobles were unwilling to pay back the money, and some really had no money. In desperation, they had to go to the retired emperor, Emperor Taizhen, in a group, hoping that he could make the decision for them.

Emperor Taizhen was old, and thinking of the old relationship, he comforted the nobles a few words, saying that he would let Emperor Yuankang give them some time, but in fact he was just fooling them. After all, the nobles owed money to their Daqian Dynasty. How could he slap himself in the face and make it difficult for Emperor Yuankang?

Some of the four kings and eight dukes didn't understand, and really thought that they could rely on Emperor Taizhen to compete with Emperor Yuankang and go against him. They really didn't know how to live or die, and even got together with King Zhongshun.

Prince Zhongshun was the youngest son that Emperor Taizhen loved the most. He was born to the same mother as Emperor Yuankang and was expected to ascend the throne. However, he did not expect Emperor Yuankang to suddenly appear and become the emperor. He was not convinced and tried to win over the ministers in the court, hoping that Emperor Yuankang would not be able to sit on the throne and be abolished by Emperor Taizhen, so that he could sit on the throne he had dreamed of for a long time.

On this day, the Beijing Prince's Mansion sent a letter to invite the four princes and eight dukes to gather and discuss this matter. Both the Ning and Rong Mansions received the invitation. Because Jia Chang was born in Rongguo Mansion and was the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion, he was also invited.

The grandson of Duke Zhenguo Niu Qing is now the first-class baron Niu Jizong, the grandson of Duke Liguo Liu Biao is now the first-class son Liu Fang, the grandson of Duke Qiguo Chen Yi is the hereditary third-rank Weizhen General Chen Ruiwen, the grandson of Duke Zhiguo Ma Kui is the hereditary third-rank Weiyuan General Ma Shang, the grandson of Duke Xiuguo Hou Xiaoming is the hereditary first-class son Hou Xiaokang; the grandson of Duke Shanguo is the hereditary third-rank Zhaoyi General Shi Guangzhu, plus Jia Zhen and Jia She from the Ning and Rong mansions, and Jia Chang from the Wu'an Marquis Mansion. The other princes are not in Shenjing City, but only the younger generations in the mansions attended the party, so many people from the eight dukes' mansions also came to celebrate together.

It turned out that these four kings had the greatest contributions in the past, and their descendants still inherited the title of king. Unlike the eight dukes, they have a respected status, but now only Prince Beijing Shui Rong is in Shenjing City.

The current Beijing Prince Shui Rong is not yet twenty years old. He is beautiful and modest. Because the four princes and eight lords had a deep friendship and shared the same hardships and honors, they did not regard each other as different surnames, so he did not regard himself as a king.

A carriage was running on the official road and stopped outside the Beijing Palace. Li Hu jumped off the carriage, opened the curtain, and said to Jia Chang who was resting with his eyes closed.

"My Lord, we have arrived at Beijing Prince's Palace!"

Jia Chang stood up and slowly opened his eyes. A ray of light shot out, which was extremely terrifying. He looked calm, got off the carriage, and came to the main gate of Beijing Prince's Palace. At this time, the gate was open, and the chief of Beijing Prince's Palace stood outside the door to welcome the guests.

Chang Shi's surname was Liu. When he saw Jia Chang coming, he quickly walked down the steps with a bright smile on his face and said respectfully.

"Marquis Wu'an, you are the only one left, the prince and others are waiting for you!"

Although Jia Chang is only a marquis, his title is higher than that of many of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. Among the people gathered today, he is second only to King Shuirong of Beijing, and the others have a lower title than him. In addition, Jia Chang had outstanding military exploits, held military power, and his status was definitely not inferior to that of King Shuirong of Beijing. He was deeply trusted by Emperor Yuankang, so he was the last one to arrive as the finale.

"Please lead the way!"

Jia Chang nodded, his expression calm and without any fluctuations. Liu Changshi glanced at Jia Chang and led the way respectfully, secretly amazed in his heart.

"Sure enough, he is different from other people in Ningrong's second house. He is handsome and handsome, with deep majesty, calm eyes, steady temperament, and faint evil spirit. He is worthy of being praised as the white emperor of the world. Huo Qubing of this dynasty was awarded the title of Marquis at a young age. He is hard-edged. Block, different from the ordinary, a hero in the world!"

Jia Chang walked into the palace and met the people from the four princes and eight princes. After greeting him for a few words, he sat in the empty seat under Shuirong. That was the seat reserved for him alone. If the other three kings were all Now that he's here, he can't sit in this position, but he's only second to a few people.

Wang Shuirong of Beijing didn't have much contact with Jia Chang, but he had known Jia Baoyu of Rongguo Mansion for a long time. He had also heard rumors that he was born with a jade in his hand, so he looked at Jia Baoyu in a different light and made good friends with him.

"This is the first time I have such close contact with Marquis Wu'an. Our ancestors and I have a life-long friendship. We can get closer in the future!"

Beijing Wang Shuirong has a beautiful face and a gentle temperament, but he is not as frivolous as a young man. He smiled at Jia Chang and said that he wanted to close the distance between the two parties.

Jia Chang looked at the less powerful King of Beijing with a polite smile on his face. This man was a smart man. He knew how much he weighed and was very obedient to Emperor Yuankang. Unlike some people, he But he did not refuse to interact with him and said.

"Your Majesty, you're welcome. This is also my first time attending a gathering among four princes and eight princes!"

Jia Chang has already separated his house and is not a serious head of the Ning Rong House, so he has never attended such a gathering. He didn't want to come when he was invited today, but thinking about his background in Rong Guo House, he reluctantly did it.

Jia Chang exchanged a few words of greetings, and after meeting everyone else, he kept silent. He had a principle today, silence is golden, he would never talk nonsense, just listen.

Jia Chang listened quietly to everyone discussing the shortage of the treasury. As expected, most people were unwilling to pay back the money. Among them, Niu Jizong, the Duke of Zhenguo, was the most intense. He shouted that the Supreme Emperor had made the decision and that the loyal and obedient King could help. His Majesty could not do anything. Sample.

Jia Chang looked at Niu Jizong with a dead look. This first-class uncle couldn't see the situation clearly and actually wanted to use the mantis as a chariot. He really didn't know whether to live or die.

Beijing Wang Shuirong summoned everyone this time to share Emperor Yuan Kang's worries. How could he let Niu Jizong continue? He quickly interrupted and said with a smile.

"Everyone, we are all from a family that has a lot of money. Now that the country is facing a crisis, we should contribute our efforts. What's more, we owe money to the court. If we have money, there is no need to go against His Majesty for money and offend His Majesty. I'm afraid that It’s too late to regret it if you can’t eat it!”

When Niu Jizong heard this, his face was full of dissatisfaction and he said loudly.

"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. Why should we pay back the money? Even if King Zhongshun said it, he won't pay back the money. He has borrowed three to four million taels of silver from the treasury!"

When Jia Chang heard this, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face. Don't look at King Zhongshun jumping for joy now, that's because the Supreme Emperor is still here and Emperor Yuankang can't deal with his own brother.

When Emperor Taizhen dies in the future, the first person Emperor Yuankang will deal with is King Zhongshun. In recent years, King Zhongshun has relied on Emperor Taizhen's support to cause trouble for Emperor Yuankang. Your Majesty has the most vengeful temperament. How can I spare him lightly?

Jia Chang leaned on the back of the chair, looked at Niu Jizong with a deep expression, and said quietly.

"King Zhongshun, I am the emperor and my brother is the emperor. Do you think you can compare with him?"

"His Majesty has been on the throne for more than ten years. Some people still can't see the situation clearly. They are dreaming about their own dreams. Their minds are really unclear!"

Niu Jizong was blocked by Jia Chang and was speechless for a long time. Naturally, he could not compare with King Zhongshun, but he still refused to pay back the money.

Seeing this, Jia Chang shook his head slightly, saying that it was hard to persuade the damn ghost. If Niu Jizong wanted to die on his own, he could still stop him, so he said no more.

At noon, everyone walked out of the hall and came to the courtyard. The palace had already prepared a banquet and arranged songs, dances and operas.

Jia Chang immersed himself in cooking and didn't like opera, but he was very different. Jia Baoyu also came today. Shui Rong took a special look at him and was very close to him. He even took out the wagtail incense rosary given by Emperor Yuankang and gave it to Jia Baoyu. , and asked Jia Zheng and Jia She, who were accompanying him, to thank him again and again.

After the party ended, Jia Zheng invited Jia Chang to go back to Rongxi Hall to discuss the matter.

In the Hall of Rongxi, Jia She and Jia Zheng sat above, with heavy faces, staring at Jia Chang, and spoke.

"What do you think about repaying the money? Should our family pay it back?"

Jia Chang took a sip of tea, calmly and calmly, put down the tea cup in his hand, and spoke slowly.

"Your Majesty is determined to clear the national treasury. It is not advisable not to repay the debt. The government should make plans in advance!"

Hearing this, Jia Zheng nodded slightly and understood what Jia Chang meant. If they didn't pay back the money, they would be going against His Majesty. How dare they.

Jia She was impatient, and with a gloomy expression on his face, he spoke.

"You say it lightly, but my family owes three to four hundred thousand taels of silver. Now how can the father-in-law have so much money that we can't survive?"

Jia Chang was not surprised. There was a bad debt in the Rongguo Mansion. Everyone reached out, Jia She reached out, Mrs. Wang reached out, Wang Xifeng also reached out, and the officials and servants in the mansion also reached out. They had already reached out, leaving nothing but empty space. Shelled.

"It's fine if you don't pay back the money. Just wait for your majesty to convict you, remove you from office, and send your family into exile in Lingnan!"

Jia Chang would not spoil Jia She, so he sneered and said.

When Jia She heard this, his body stiffened and he no longer had the momentum he had just before, and he just spoke.

"Then what should I do? The government can't get the money, and it won't be paid back no matter what!"

Jia Zheng also nodded in agreement. He had already asked the three Tanchun sisters. Now there is only more than 100,000 taels of silver left in the house, which is not enough to repay the debt.

"Indeed!"

Jia She's eyes lit up slightly, and he thought of an idea. He looked at Jia Chang and said.

"Brother Chang, you have a lot of money in your house, why don't you come up with this money?"

Jia Chang's face turned cold when he heard this. Although his family was not short of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, he was not the heir to the Rongguo family and would never be taken advantage of.

"I didn't borrow the money, why should I pay it back?"

"I am not the head of the Rongguo Mansion. There is no reason for me, a member of the branch manor, to pay back this money!"

When Jia Zheng heard this, he also felt it was inappropriate. He stopped Jia She who wanted to say more and said helplessly.

"It's not your turn to pay back the money, but we really have no choice. Can you come up with an idea to help the family get through this difficulty?"

Jia Chang's face brightened slightly. This time he was talking seriously. He had already thought of the idea and said what he said.

"The Rongguo Mansion has long been stolen by the Shuoshu in the mansion. Although the master has no money, the slaves are rich. I heard that when the Lai family built the Grand View Garden in the mansion, they also built a courtyard. His son Lai Shangrong wanted to run for office. But if you spend tens of thousands of taels of silver, your family’s wealth will definitely be no less than 500,000 taels, so you can figure it out!”

Jia She and Jia Zheng were surprised when they heard this. They looked at Jia Chang in disbelief and asked quickly.

"Is this true?"

"Of course it's true. This was told to me personally by an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and he even borrowed his name from the palace!"

The corners of Jia Chang's lips curled up slightly. In the original work, the Rongguo Mansion was in trouble, but Lai Da's family was prosperous and lived a luxurious life. How could he tolerate such slaves.

When Jia She heard this, he leaned forward slightly, his eyes were red, and he said bitterly.

"This is really a poor master and a rich slave. I didn't expect Lai Da to have accumulated such a large fortune. It is more comfortable than the one in Rongguo Mansion!"

"Brother Chang, what do you mean?"

When Jia Chang heard this, he chuckled and said pointedly.

"If the Rongguo Mansion does not make a loss, it will be confiscated by Your Majesty. If you don't want to be confiscated, you might as well follow Your Majesty's example!"

A sharp light flashed in Jia She's eyes, his face was fierce, and he said through gritted teeth.

"Then we'll rob Lai Da's house and we'll have the money to pay back the money. We'll even have some money left over, which is enough for our family to get through this difficult time!"

"The elder is right, but this matter should be done sooner rather than later. If Lai Da hears the news and hides the money, it will be difficult for the family to get through this difficulty!"

Jia Chang saw the excitement and didn't think it was a big deal, so he made a few remarks.

When Jia She and Jia Zhen heard this, their expressions changed, they nodded repeatedly, it was true, and said.

"Then we will search the house today without giving Lai Da a chance to react. He is a slave and only earns a few taels of silver per month. How can he save hundreds of thousands of taels of family property? All of it is embezzlement from the house."

"It's just that the manpower in the mansion is not enough and the news will be leaked!"

Jia Zheng frowned a little. Lai Da had been the housekeeper for decades. Everyone in the mansion was fawning over him. If there was any trouble in the mansion, he would notice it immediately.

"This is a simple matter. I can lend you my manpower. They have all followed me to plunder the Jurchens. They are definitely good at ransacking houses. Even if Lai hides the money in a mouse hole, he can still find it!"

Jia Chang recalled the time when he raided the Jurchen tribe in Jianzhou. It was really a sky-high experience. He was amazed by the methods of his group of people. Every corner was plundered, and everyone was given a gift. pen wealth.

"That's good!"

Jia She's face was full of greed. He was inexplicably excited about confiscating his home. Thinking that he could make a huge sum of money from this matter, he couldn't help himself and was eager to try.

Jia Chang's reaction to Jia She had been expected for a long time. His uncle was ignorant and knew all about eating, drinking and having fun. He didn't have any money in his hands. How could he let go of such an opportunity to make a fortune? He couldn't wait to take it. All the servants in the mansion ransacked the house.

That night, Jia Chang mobilized 20 guards from the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion and handed them over to Jia She and Jia Zheng. The two led a mighty team straight to Lai Da's mansion, broke open the door, and tied up Lai Da and his wife. When they got up, the Lai Mansion suddenly fell into chaos. The maids and women were trembling with fear. The servants and stewards were all knocked to the ground by the guards of Wu'an Hou Mansion. They were all detained in the courtyard. A group of people swarmed into the house like bandits. , rummaged through boxes and cabinets, and plundered.

Lai Da saw that all the valuables in the house had been searched out and piled up in the yard. His face was full of anxiety, and he shouted loudly to Jia Zheng and Jia She.

"Two masters, what are you doing? Lai Da has done something to let down the mansion every day. Why do you treat me like this? It's really disheartening!"

Jia She looked at the gold, silver, jewelry, antiques and jades piled up in the yard. Most of them had the seal of Rongguo Mansion. Hearing Lai Da still complaining, he was furious. He kicked Lai Da and knocked him to the ground. He picked up a piece of gold and placed it in front of Lai Da, pointing at the seal of Rongguo Mansion on it and scolded.

"You are blind, what is this? How did the things of Rongguo Mansion run into your mansion? You are so bold that you actually stole it from your master!"