The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 245: Royal relatives!

Sunny June
Jia Rong has been on the throne for a month and a half and is extremely bored.

The place for holding court has changed from the Golden Throne Hall to the State Council Building.

Coolness is the only reason.

Jia Rong is afraid of heat, so this reason outweighs all rules.

Sitting on the throne that was two meters higher, he looked around at the court that looked like a conference hall.

All the civil and military officials sat behind the podium, more than a meter apart. Herbal tea, paper and pens were placed on the platform, and many palace guards stood near the air outlet of the outer circular hall.

Sitting below Jia Rong were the left and right prime ministers facing all the officials, while Jia Rong himself sat alone on a throne that looked like a bed, with palace maids on both sides fanning him.

Bored Jia Rong decided to find something to do to make his rule more difficult.

"Aren't you hot? I think short hair is good, and the clothes can be changed to short sleeves like mine. It's hot in the summer, and short hair is clean and hygienic."

The Minister of Rites quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Yes! Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong frowned, "Would you like to have your hair shaved? Shaved short like mine?"

The Minister of Rites agreed, "The emperor has granted us the same privileges as you, and it must be a great favor!"

Jia Rong looked at the beardless Minister of Rites, and then looked at the many beardless men nearby.

Seeing this, Jia Rong couldn't help but touch his beardless chin.

It turns out that it has already been pushed...

"Forget it, there's no need to start this with you. Ask the craftsmen not to have long hair. Firstly, it gets in the way, and secondly, it's uncomfortable in the hot weather."

"Minister of Industry."

Jia Zheng quickly stood up, bowed his head and said, "I am here."

Jia Rong casually said, "Tell the craftsmen on duty that anyone who is willing to shave their heads will be rewarded with one tael of silver. No need to force it. Each person has only one chance. Only those craftsmen without official positions will be counted, and it will only be in May."

"You are free to grow your hair and beard, but from now on, the clothes you are given will be made according to the work clothes I design."

Jia Zheng said: "As ordered!"

Jia Rong felt bored, "What else?"

The Minister of Rites continued, "Your Majesty, the Rakshasa Kingdom in the north has sent envoys to pay tribute, bringing with them 10,000 cattle, sheep, camels, and high-quality horses, 500 muskets and armor, 50,000 taels of gold, 3 million taels of silver, and 1,000 slaves. They are also willing to cede 1,000 miles of land in the Far East in order to establish friendship with our dynasty."

Jia Rong thought about it and realized that the neighbors around him had discovered that the giant next door was going to have a meal, so they were more or less willing to give in.

Especially in recent years, the border troops have been constantly adjusted, and it is obvious that the rhythm is ready for war.

"Take it." Jia Rong agreed casually.

The Minister of Rites said: "As ordered, please let the emperor know about the return gift."

Jia Rong said disdainfully: "Just allow their nobles to study in the capital. There is no need to give any other gifts in return. It's not like we are visiting relatives, so what gifts should we give in return?"

The Minister of Rites said respectfully, "I obey your order."

After the Minister of Rites sat down, the Minister of War stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenxi has sent a letter saying that he has suppressed the rebellion in Tianzhu and has now returned to the Prince of Zhenxi's Palace. Please send an official to take charge of the Tianzhu Palace. The Prince of Zhenxi has sent his son to escort the spoils and beauties here, and they should arrive in August."

Jia Rong said casually, "You decide on the arrangements. The weather over there is hot, so send twelve young men, six chiefs and six deputy chiefs, to take charge of the six departments. Don't send an old man who will die before five years."

"As ordered." The Minister of War continued, "The fifth son of the King of Donghai led his troops to attack the Japanese island, but they are not familiar with the terrain there, and have not yet found the leader of the bandits."

Jia Rong said, "Don't worry. Tell them to proceed step by step and take it slowly. If there is anything, they can handle it on their own. There is no need to ask me about everything."

The Minister of War bowed his head and said, "I obey your order."

Next, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Revenue also reported a lot of things.

After the six ministers finished speaking, the Grand Secretary stood up and said, "Your Majesty, now that all four quarters have submitted and the world is at peace, I ask Your Majesty to establish a queen and a crown prince to stabilize the government."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "My son is not fit to be the crown prince. He has not received any education to be an emperor since he was a child. He can just be a craftsman in the future. You don't need to worry about him."

The left prime minister stood up and knelt down facing Jia Rong, "Your Majesty! If you don't appoint a crown prince, what will you do if something goes wrong in the future?"

Jia Rong said casually: "If I die, you will be the emperor."

The left prime minister was frightened and kowtowed hurriedly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I am loyal to you and have no second thoughts!!"

Jia Rong said casually, "If you don't want to, let Zongzheng take over."

Zong Zheng also knelt down quickly, "Your Majesty! I dare not do that!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "If you are all incapable, what good is my son? Anyway, I am not afraid of the assassin, so why are you afraid? Let's talk about it after I turn 30. It's only three years away. Now that I haven't even sat down to work, isn't it too early to talk about the Queen or the Crown Prince?"

When everyone heard Jia Rong say this, they stopped trying to persuade him.

It is true that just one and a half months since he ascended the throne is a bit short.

However, after Jia Rong ascended the throne, the country was peaceful and the people were prosperous. Both the foreign ethnic groups and the nine border areas were ten times better off than when the emperor was in power.

We had clearly planned to use up the silver in the national treasury this year, but we didn't expect that the proceeds from foreign wars and the commercial taxes, salt taxes and iron taxes in various places would already exceed the head tax.

Even the capital city began to build a large number of cement houses, and several high-ranking officials also rode rickshaws.

The most amazing thing is that drinking water has been connected to several office areas. In addition to Jia Rong and the imperial palace, dozens more households have access to tap water.

After leaving court, Jia Rong felt increasingly unhappy.

From the State Council Building, we went directly to the Prince Zhongxiao's Palace. Now it was no longer the Prince Zhongxiao's Palace, so it was naturally not the Prince Zhongxiao's Palace.

Holy Palace!

The Holy Palace was being expanded, and there were many vacant lots nearby where people had been relocated. After Jia Rong ascended the throne, this area naturally became Jia Rong's land.

The palace has been expanded fourfold, and a sacred palace is now being built next to the imperial Forbidden City.

It is much smaller than the Forbidden City, and Jia Rong doesn't like to use too many people.

The road from the Imperial Palace to the Holy Palace is exclusively for Jia Rong's use. In order to prevent anyone from burying explosives, there are patrols here day and night.

When Jia Rong returned to the garden, Wang Xifeng, wearing a white bamboo-leaf cheongsam, came to greet him with the palace maids.

"Welcome the Emperor!"

Jia Rong walked over and said casually, "Yeah."

There are many women in the house, and when they have nothing to do, one of them comes out to greet the guests every day. Today is Wang Xifeng's turn.

"Your Majesty has worked hard today. It's hot outside. Would you like to go to Nuanxiang Palace or Tianxiang Palace?"

Jia Rong said directly: "Nuanxiang Palace."

A nearby palace maid held an umbrella for the two of them, using the shadow of the large canopy umbrella to block out the hot June sun.

When they arrived at the former Nuanxiang Tower, now Nuanxiang Palace, a group of women quickly knelt at the door.

"Welcome the Emperor!"

"Ah."

Jia Rong didn't bother to ask to stand up and went straight in.

The others also stood up with a smile and went into the house to do their own things.

The room was much cooler, and Jia Rong was already wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, so he didn't need to change clothes much.

Sitting on the mahjong mat, Qiaojie soon handed over a popsicle.

"Your Majesty, eat a popsicle~"

Jia Rong took it and said with a smile, "You can eat it too. Today, foreign countries have sent us rare animals as tribute. I plan to build a zoo in the open space in the northwest. We can go there once a month to see elephants, lions, tigers and other fierce animals."

Qiaojie sat next to Jia Rong and ate a popsicle, and Ling'er, who was the same age as her, was with her.

Lin Daiyu asked curiously, "I haven't seen a live tiger yet, but isn't it a waste of money and effort to build a zoo to keep these beasts?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "No, on the contrary, we can have fun with the people and make some money at the same time. We go there at most three or four times a year. We don't accept outsiders when we go there normally, and we just go there for fun. When we don't go there, we open the door for business and people come in to visit with tickets."

"It only costs two hundred coins per person to visit the Royal Zoo. The money earned can be used to feed those rare animals and to pay it into the national treasury."

Shi Xiangyun said happily: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Jia Rong felt a little unhappy. Wang Xifeng, who was standing beside him, smiled and said, "You should call me big brother, Rong brother, brother-in-law, etc. Just keep calling me that. We don't have so many rules at home, but you must know some rules when you are outside."

Lin Daiyu could also feel that Jia Rong didn't like being the emperor.

"Brother Rong, you have worked hard~"

Jia Rong is not the kind of man who can be happy with just this little comfort.

After eating, bathing, and playing with women, Jia Rong lay on the bed alone, still feeling uncomfortable.

Empty, lonely, uncomfortable, and tormented.

The emperor's death was outrageous and had nothing to do with Jia Rong.

It would be fine if there was some connection, at least it wouldn't be so painful now.

The dragon slayer finally becomes the evil dragon!
Jia Rong racked his brains to think of things he could do and tossed and turned in the big bed.

"I remember now! Wang Xifeng's brother has come to the capital to visit his sister who is now a concubine!"

Jia Rong stood up suddenly, and his whole body felt relaxed, as if a hundred thousand pores were breathing happily, he felt indescribably refreshed!
That night, Wang Xifeng's brother Wang Ren and his family, as well as hundreds of officials' children living in the same concrete building, were killed or injured.

Among them, Wang Ren’s family died with their eyes open, as if they had encountered a very terrifying ghost.

Some of the survivors were also frightened to the point of insanity. They all saw the mysterious assassin that was said to be seen only by the royal family and relatives of the emperor!!

At 4:30 in the morning, Wang Xifeng burst into tears when she received the news.

"My father!"

"Oh my god!"

"My brother!"

"My sister-in-law!"

"My poor nephew!"

Jia Rong, who was sitting nearby, almost laughed out loud.

There is no need for a survey. It happens once or twice a year anyway and everyone is used to it.

The murder case detection rate in Beijing is...zero percent!!
(End of this chapter)