Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 199: Once You Meet the Marquis, You Will Be Ruined for Life
"Hoarding goods for profit is not a serious crime, and it is difficult to convict them. If we accuse them of hoarding goods for profit, they will find the account books they prepared earlier to prove that this batch of goods was not hoarded, but purchased at a high price. This will inevitably cause us to argue with them, which is very troublesome."

"Even if the crime is determined, the confiscation of the dirty things, caning and imprisonment are considered severe."

"But disobeying the imperial envoy is a serious crime that can be considered treason, and confiscating their property is a light punishment. How convenient is it to punish them legitimately?"

"Although this is all a trap set by me, there is no need to be polite to them for their actions. I will naturally use whatever means necessary."

"Besides, didn't they earn all that money by setting up traps for others? Today they are just not as good as others, so what else can they say?"

After returning to the government office, Yue Ling sat down at the desk and explained to Jia Yun who was making tea beside him.

Feudal society has its own methods.

In the past, hoarding and selling goods at a high price was a serious economic crime and would be severely punished. But today, the imperial envoy is an important official appointed by the emperor himself and is on a tour of inspection. If he disobeys the emperor's authority, he is deceiving the emperor.

Compared to disobeying the imperial envoy, hoarding goods at high prices is nothing.

Jia Yun smiled as he served tea and said, "All the wealthy merchants in Cangzhou have been expelled today. Thirty to four out of ten have been imprisoned, and the rest will have to leave the city to avoid disaster, just like the common people. As for the Huang family alone, they can still hold on for a while, but I don't know how much confidence they still have."

Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, "Let's report today's accounts. The Huang family is nothing but dead bones in a grave."

Jia Yun responded by unfolding the booklet in his arms. "Today, the total amount of grain stored in the warehouse is more than 50,000 dan, and the silver is 800,000 taels. Currently, there are still nearly 60,000 dan of grain and 1 million taels of silver in the warehouse."

The more Jia Yun spoke, the more excited he became. Cangzhou City was now completely rich and confident.

Yue Ling felt like he had dug out a squirrel's nest in winter.

Nowadays, the annual tax revenue of the Dachang Dynasty is only about two to three million taels. Of course, there are also various kinds of grain, silk and other items stored in the warehouse, and the economic value is more than this amount.

But in comparison, Cangzhou City’s current situation can be described as excellent.

While feeling relieved, Yue Ling couldn't help but worry about Emperor Longyou who was far away in the capital.

From Shi Ding, we learned that the capital was in chaos. Emperor Longyou was not satisfied with the current tax system of collecting both in-kind and in silver, and wanted to eliminate the chronic disease, rectify the administration, and promote reform.

The country had gone through two world wars before, and economic downturn was inevitable, but as an emperor who was determined to rectify the country and create a prosperous era again, Emperor Longyou naturally had to think of various ways.

However, most of the people in the court today are corrupt scholars who believe that "the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed", so there are naturally many difficulties.

With the vision from his previous life, Yue Ling naturally knew that it was good to keep pace with the times. If one blindly followed the old rules, he would naturally be eliminated.

However, now is definitely not a good time to introduce new reforms.

Even though Yue Ling did not have a very detailed knowledge of history, he had been able to comprehend a thing or two from his dealings with local minor officials in recent days.

The quality of today's local officials, or county magistrates, is really mixed.

There is only one good official like Chen Youmin, the magistrate of Nanpi County, in the eight counties. Yue Ling thinks it is good enough if the others do not fall behind.

When it comes to reforming politics and laws, no matter how perfect the policy is, the key lies in its implementation. With just this group of people, can we expect them to achieve any good political achievements?
After Enke, there may be more opportunities.

While thinking, Yue Ling wrote a letter to report the latest situation to Emperor Longyou.

Yue Ling was concentrating on writing the letter, but he didn't notice that Jia Yun beside him had already quietly left the room. A pair of bare hands were trimming the wick of the candle beside his desk, making the candlelight brighter.

After taking a sip of tea, Yue Ling stretched his waist before coming back to his senses.

Looking forward, I saw a girl with almond eyes, rosy cheeks and a beautiful face standing under a desk.

Yue Ling was startled at first, then smiled and asked, "Miss Xue, why are you here? Today, your Fengzihao should be very busy."

Xue Baochai bowed gracefully, then retreated to a guest chair beside her, rolled up her skirt and sat down, "Now that I'm almost done with my work, I came here to ask the Marquis what to do next."

"Nowadays, most of the shops with good locations in Cangzhou are under the name of Feng. The Xue family does not have the financial resources to take all the benefits, so they also gave them to some foreign merchants who heard the news."

"But don't worry, sir. Everything is under our control now."

Yue Ling nodded slightly. Developing business does not mean monopolizing. It will be a good thing for Cangzhou City if the market is revitalized and more foreign merchants flock in.

After collecting the pen, Yue Ling said, "You can take back all the money from your Fengzihao after converting it into the grain sent. As for the rest, your Xue family is in need of business now. I have two things to do next. One is to build the river bank and dredge the river silt. I plan to hand it over to the gentry along the coast. This is not something that can be done by one family alone."

"The second is to dry salt on the coastal mudflats and make salt."

Xue Baochai was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, can you sell salt in Cangzhou?"

Yue Ling nodded, "Your Majesty has agreed. Cangzhou has a flat terrain and can produce sea salt. The main livelihood of the city will come from this in the next step."

"You can choose some of the shops you have and set up some businesses yourself. For example, grain shops, clinics, cloth shops, etc., which can meet the needs of the people in the city. The rest can be rented out first to recover some funds. Even with my guidance, don't rush. Just keep some shops for salt shop business."

"There's no need to place all your bets on Cangzhou. When your business is doing well in the future, you'll naturally have to go to the capital." Xue Baochai nodded slightly, keeping Yue Ling's words in mind.

After a moment, Yue Ling sighed again: "Silver piled up in the silver vault without being used is no different from dead things. Only when it can flow into the market can the entire city be revitalized. I am not stingy with this silver, but your Xue family must do some decent business."

Xue Baochai replied, "Don't worry, my Lord. I will not let your efforts go to waste."

Yue Ling glanced at Xue Baochai and saw that she looked good and her eyes were bright. This made him feel relieved. He still trusted Xue Baochai.

His eyes focused on the letter again, and Yue Ling read it from top to bottom, examining it carefully.

And below, Xue Baochai looked at Yue Ling with eyes that seemed even more eager.

In Xue Baochai's view, Yue Ling, who was concentrating on his official duties under the candlelight, was very touching.

Isn't this what a brilliant young man should be like?

In a state, he was wieldy and powerful, and with a wave of his hand he wiped out the rebellious merchants, and was admired by thousands of people.

Even the prestigious Marquis Anjing made her feel comfortable when they were together, and he was so gentle and kind that it didn't seem like someone of his status should be like him.

I have heard of many dandy deeds of young men from aristocratic families in Jinling, and when compared with my brother, the difference is obvious.

Originally, Yue Ling was even younger, but he is as capable as he is now. How can Xue Baochai not admire him?

Now that you have seen Yue Ling, can those young men who claim to be heroes be compared to him?
Gradually, Xue Baochai's view of Yue Ling began to change.

From the Marquis, a man of high power, to a young boy not much different in age from her.

When she realized her state of mind, Xue Baochai couldn't help but touch her cheek, which was very hot.

Taking a deep breath, Xue Baochai withdrew her gaze and secretly complained, "Could it be that I have been influenced by my mother? What kind of nonsense is going on in my mind?"

"When we first met, the Marquis seemed to be quite interested in Xiangling. Do you want to send Xiangling here to help the Marquis?"

Shaking her head, Xue Baochai continued, "It is a taboo to speculate on Shangguan's thoughts. Next time there is something that needs running errands, send Xiangling over here to find out what the Marquis is thinking."

Xue Baochai's heart was beating like a gong and a drum. Yue Ling looked up and asked, "Miss Xue, do you have anything else to say?"

Xue Baochai hurriedly shook her head, "No, it's just that the Feng shop is packed with people today. I actually came here to thank the Marquis."

Yue Ling waved his hands and said, "Why thank you? I'm the one who earns the most. You just earned some hard work money."

"If you have nothing else to do, go back first. It's getting late."

Xue Baochai nodded slightly, bowed to Yue Ling, and walked out of the door. She couldn't help but envy Lin Daiyu again.

"Ah, everyone has their own destiny. I heard that she has been raised by the Marquis since she came to the capital at the age of six. The two have lived together since the Marquis was still a personal guard. To this day, with the Marquis's personality, he dotes on her even more."

After shaking her head again, Xue Baochai walked away from the yamen.

Jia Yun went and came back. He glanced out at Xue Baochai's dejected back, then looked up at the master above him. He couldn't help but wonder, "After seeing the master, which young man can these girls still be interested in?"

"If I were a woman, I would naturally admire you, too."

"But the master seems to have never had any thoughts about men and women, and has never talked about marriage. The master should be a few years younger than me. As a marquis, it is time for him to get married."

If one has a title, it is usually never too late to get married.

After all, in the clan house, the title can be passed down only if there is a son. If you get married late and can't give birth to a son, it will be a disaster.

But when he thought of Lin Daiyu, who was not the eldest wife in the room but was better than the eldest wife, Jia Yun thought again: "Now that everyone in the mansion respects Miss Lin so much, there is no room for another eldest wife. When Miss Lin grows up a little, the marriage will naturally be settled, and there is no need to arrange the marriage."

"Miss Xue, it's not that you are not good enough, but compared to Miss Lin, you are still a little behind."

Seeing Jia Yun standing outside the door, reluctant to come in, he didn't know what he was thinking with his head down.

Yue Ling frowned and said, "What are you doing sneakily? Go buy me some green tangerines."

Jia Yun was puzzled, so he walked in and asked, "Master, what do you want the green oranges for?"

Yue Ling shook his clothes and asked, "Do I have a strange fragrance?"

Jia Yun leaned in and sniffed, "It seems to be a little bit."

Yue Ling nodded, "Okay, then go buy it quickly, and I can go back to my room after you buy it."

(End of this chapter)