The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 285: Disaster in Suzhou
Suzhou is the hometown of Lin Daiyu and also the hometown of many people.

Lin Daiyu's relatives...

Jia Rong had already...

Of course Jia Rong would not go to Lin Daiyu's relatives for help, because Lin Daiyu had no relatives at all.

Jia Rong, who had nothing to do, quickly found a rickshaw parked outside a shop.

The rickshaw driver was sitting at the door smoking and taking a rest, so Jia Rong went straight over and sat on the rickshaw.

"To the Holy Church."

The driver quickly stood up, bent over and said with a smile: "Sir, please get off quickly. I have hired a car. The guests are drinking tea in the house now. I will need to drive the car later. Can you find another driver?"

Jia Rong asked curiously, "How much does it cost to charter a car?"

The driver held up three fingers and said with a smile, "Three taels a month."

Three or two taels are not a small amount, at least I have money to smoke.

Even the cheapest cigarettes cost fifty cents a pack, and twenty packs would cost one ounce.

The driver was dressed simply and cheaply, but he also had on a layer of cotton trousers and a cotton jacket. He looked to be of strong age, and he was not that cold if he had eaten well.

Being able to smoke can roughly indicate one’s economic level.

Jia Rong had nothing to do and was in no hurry to do anything. After sitting down, he didn't want to move for the time being, so he just asked casually.

“How much can you earn in a day?”

The driver knew he couldn't afford to offend Jia Rong when he saw him looking for trouble.

He himself was a person who did not like to cause trouble, and he saw that although the man in front of him spoke arrogantly, he did not mean to curse or insult anyone.

It is true that he is looking for trouble, but it is not the ordinary kind of looking for trouble.

Like... owed...

The driver smiled and replied, "It's all hard-earned money. Excluding the charter fee, we can earn a hundred coins a day. During the New Year, the master who chartered the car often uses the car. Although it is a charter, the master is kind and will give some tips, a little more than usual."

If an ordinary person asked, the driver would probably not answer in such detail, for fear of losing his business.

The person in front of me is different. He looks like someone who is not short of money.

Jia Rong continued to sit in the car and asked casually, "How much does it cost to get to the nearest church from here?"

The driver smiled and said, "Eight cents is enough. It's not far, just three blocks away. What are you going there for? Men are not allowed in there. Do you live near the church?"

Jia Rong had nothing to do, so he said casually, "I'm a doctor passing by. My hometown is Hebei. This time I'm going south to work as a doctor in Luzon when the weather gets better. It's almost the New Year and I have nowhere to go, so I'll stay at the church for a few days and help people see a doctor to earn some money for my trip."

After hearing this, the coachman looked at Jia Rong with a puzzled look.

Soon the driver said with a smile: "Sir, stop joking. How old are you? How can you be a doctor?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "My family's old Chinese medicine practitioner studied modern medicine for four or five years in the capital before graduating. You don't understand, so I won't tell you. I'm not treating you anyway. I advise you to smoke less. This thing is not a good thing."

Jia Rong rarely reminded him that smoking is harmful to health, but it was mostly because he thought of those ministers in the capital who smoked several packs of cigarettes every day. He felt very happy and reminded him with a smile.

"I definitely don't smoke much. I can't afford it." The driver didn't take the cigarette issue seriously. He smiled and said quickly, "Sir, please wait. My master is in the house. I'll go ask him."

Jia Rong said with a smile: "What does your master have to do with me? I have sat here long enough, I am leaving now~"

Jia Rong stood up casually, planning to find a place to stay for the night.

The driver quickly went to the house to call for help, but Jia Rong didn't care about that and just strolled around casually.

There is no rush to go to church. The last time I came to Suzhou was five or six years ago, when I escorted Lin Daiyu back to worship her ancestors.

Most of the shops on both sides are silk shops and rouge shops, as if one has entered a special female consumer market.

As Jia Rong was walking, a rickshaw driver quickly came running up behind him.

Sitting on the seat of the rickshaw was an old man in his sixties.

The old man looked in good spirits. He was wearing a thick black fur cloak with a green cotton jacket underneath. He looked like a wealthy man.

Old man Yao looked at the tall and straight young man, who looked energetic even in a few thin long gowns in the middle of winter, and he immediately showed his appreciation for his talent.

"Happy New Year, young master. May I ask your surname? I am Yao Qiming from the Yao family in the east of Gusu. You look very handsome, so I think you must be from an extraordinary family."

Jia Rong casually took out his fake ID and said with a frivolous smile, "This is my business card. I'll give you one or two taels of silver. Do you want to see it?"

Seeing that the man looked arrogant and wanted money, Old Man Yao quickly took out a silver coin from his pocket with a smile.

He handed the silver coin to the attendant beside him, and the attendant quickly handed it to Jia Rong.

Jia Rong didn't waste any time. He took the dollar and handed over the fake certificate.

Old man Yao sat in the car and looked at Jia Rong's identity. He felt relieved when he saw that he was indeed a doctor appointed by the court.

This is an identity card issued by the imperial court. Anyone who dares to forge it will be sentenced to death. In addition, each industry has its own special certification.

Officials definitely need multiple people to work together, and some are even escorted to the local area by people sent by the court, and they are also equipped with official uniforms and seals.

It is even more difficult to falsify a doctor's words, and those who don't know will be exposed in just a few words.

No capable person would pretend to be this person, and you can verify it.

Behind the ID card, there are also recent medical records.

On September 20th of the third year of the Shengchao Dynasty, a baby girl was born in Ms. Wu’s Shengyang Inn in Junma County, Liaodong. The seal of the Junma County Medical Clinic was given.

On September 26, the third year of the Shengchao Dynasty, Liu, the wife of a Qinhuangdao military soldier stationed in Hong Kong, gave birth to a baby boy, and the governor-general of Hong Kong, Lu Guangsheng, gave birth to the seal.

"Have you finished reading it? Give it back to me." Jia Rong reached out to get his fake certificate back.

The fake certificate is fake, but the medical record is real.

Yao Qiming got out of the car and personally handed over the fake ID. The young man in front of him was not a commoner, but an official.

It is very important whether or not one has an official position. Even an official of the ninth rank is still an official, and one who is personally certified by the imperial court. He can come into contact with many more people than ordinary people.

"It turns out to be Doctor Huang. I am sorry for my rudeness. I hope you will forgive me."

Jia Rong took back the fake certificate and said casually, "It's okay. Is there anything fun in this city?"

Yao Qiming smiled and said, "It's almost the end of the year, and Suzhou City is selecting this year's most beautiful woman. If Mr. Huang is interested, you can go and have some fun."

Jia Rong became interested and was curious about this kind of thing.

"How is the selection made here? If the brothel owner points at a woman and calls her the oiran, does that mean she is the oiran?"

Yao Qiming smiled and said, "Of course not. The one with good business will naturally be the one to choose the most beautiful woman." Jia Rong thought about it and said with a smile, "If the business is good, can they choose the most beautiful woman?"

Yao Qiming didn't expect Jia Rong to be so arrogant.

This is not reasonableness, it's argumentativeness.

"Of course not. How can ordinary prostitutes be considered as the Oiran? The largest brothels in the city are naturally for the business of scholars and elegant guests, not the flesh trade on the street."

Jia Rong nodded. "Now I understand. The selection of an Oiran still depends on the level and circle of the customer."

Yao Qiming recommended: "If Mr. Huang is interested, you can go and have a look yourself. The result will be announced on the 28th day of the lunar year. At that time, everyone will gather at the largest and busiest house to jointly recommend the most beautiful lady."

"Young Master, you can go to Wanhua Tower. This year's Oiran will definitely be here."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Okay, okay, how much does it cost to sleep with the top girl there for one night?"

Yao Qiming smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Not to mention you, even the prefect can't do that. The girls there only sell their art but not their bodies. If you don't have literary talent, I won't accept you even if you're offered 10,000 taels of silver. But if you can write well and speak eloquently, I'll pay you back."

Yao Qiming stroked his beard, looking like a cultured man.

Jia Rong frowned and thought for a while, then quickly said, "I'd like to go and take a look."

Seeing that the man was young and energetic, Yao Qiming didn't talk to him any more.

Although he is a doctor, he is just a doctor. It is enough to just know him. Since he does not know what is good for him, there is no need to make close friends with him.

Jia Rong quickly went to find his men. Although his men were very shocked as to why Jia Rong was here, they did not ask much.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"Go and gather three hundred people to seal off Wanhualou. When I enter the brothel, have someone guard the door. Don't go in. People inside can only leave, not come in. And only men can leave. Don't let women out. If anyone dares to cause trouble, no matter who he is, it doesn't matter if you shoot a few perverts who can't control their lower body!"

Jia Rong's orders were still as incomprehensible as ever, but as a loyal servant of Suzhou's thousand households, he had done many such things over the years.

They also did a lot of dirtier things, such as secretly eliminating some people who had committed unknown mistakes. Since Jia Rong wanted to kill them, they did it.

Now he has become a general with thousands of men under his command. His status is above that of local civil officials and he is only responsible to the court.

He had done a lot of things in the past that were not worth mentioning, but after Jia Rong became the emperor, he was no longer afraid of those things.

Nowadays, it’s just a small matter like closing down a brothel. There’s no need to think about it at all. Just keep doing it.

Jia Yuanchun, Wang Xifeng and those people in the cabinet had no idea how many people were under Jia Rong, and they were even less aware of the operation of the organization under Jia Rong.

***
While Jia Rong was messing around, several women in the Holy Palace in the capital were also worried.

Wang Xifeng, Jia Yuanchun and the prince were discussing matters in the room.

Jia Yuanchun asked: "Hasn't the emperor been found yet?"

The prince replied, "The Royal Guards said no."

Jia Yuanchun was extremely anxious. Jia Rong had been on the run for nearly four months and the New Year was approaching. If Jia Rong didn't come out, something bad would happen.

"What did the princes say?"

The prince answered honestly, "Your Highness is in seclusion and cannot see anyone, but several princes have asked if something has happened to him."

Jia Yuanchun immediately asked, "What did you say?"

The thirteen or fourteen-year-old prince found it difficult to cope with this situation, and said aggrievedly: "I said what my mother said, saying that my father was fine and was just busy with his own affairs, but they didn't believe it."

Wang Xifeng felt that the prince was about to have a problem, so she said directly: "Okay, okay, the prince should go back to rest and prepare for the New Year. In the future, let them talk about such things in the court, and you should not meet with them privately."

"Yes!" The prince also wanted to relax.

Jia Yuanchun sighed and said, "Go down and have a rest. Don't tell your brothers about this."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." The prince quickly breathed a sigh of relief and left the dull room.

After the prince left, Jia Yuanchun couldn't help but sigh and became even more worried.

"Why hasn't the emperor come back yet..." Jia Yuanchun was about to cry, "How can this book handle this kind of thing? None of those princes and ministers are easy to deal with. The emperor is so cruel that he abandoned us, an orphan and a widow, and left us alone."

Wang Xifeng comforted her, "Don't worry, sister. The emperor has been away for quite some time. I think he must be lonely now and is thinking about coming back soon."

Jia Yuanchun wiped her tears and could only hope that this was the case.

However, these women had no idea how to use the intelligence agencies and ministers under them, and soon the top Jinyiwei officials in the Beijing camp and some top-level relatives all knew that the emperor had run away.

Although he knew it, he would not rebel. Jia Rong's reputation was still there, so whoever rebelled would die.

Even the princes did not dare to act rashly. They dared to ask when they did not know what was going on with Jia Rong. But after they knew that Jia Rong did not want to be the emperor and ran away, they were too embarrassed to stay in the capital any longer.

It is not easy to be an emperor. The entire court will not allow the original royal family to take back the throne, especially the meritorious nobles promoted by Jia Rong, who will naturally oppose them.

Jia Rong's wife and children also live in the Holy Palace. If there is a rebellion here, if Jia Rong goes back, it will be a real nine-clan elimination game.

Moreover, if the capital was in trouble, with Jia Rong's prestige as the Holy Emperor, he could quickly gather hundreds of thousands of troops to surround the capital with just a single order.

There is no way out of rebellion, and neither is usurping the throne. The power of the civil and military officials in the court is relatively equal. In particular, the Jia family has been running the military (Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp) and engineering (Ministry of Works) systems for generations. These two are huge forces that the cabinet cannot control.

Military officers and generals from all over the country were promoted from the Beijing camp. The talents promoted by the Ministry of Works in recent years also served as chief officers in county governments across the country.

Border army officers were all promoted during Jia Rong's period. Internally, Jia Rong's followers were distributing eggs for vaccination to contain the smallpox virus. The military and the people did not support those people in usurping the throne.

Apart from Jia Rong, no one can clean up the current mess, and Jia Yuanchun and others can barely hold on to their positions because of their relationship with Jia Rong.

The Left Prime Minister and the Right Prime Minister simply did not have the ability to drive this speeding, flaming machine alone, and had to rely on the strength of others. Moreover, both of them were old and had been promoted by Jia Rong himself, so they were also looking forward to Jia Rong's quick return.

The court is not short of loyal and capable officials.

Even though Jia Rong laughs all day long and doesn't want to talk when he attends court, he does have a lot of loyal ministers under him, more than the previous seven or eight emperors combined.

There were dozens of loyal ministers that Jia Rong personally won over by sending cigarettes, not to mention that he always asked about the ministers' conditions and sent them medicine when they were sick.

Even when a minister died from drinking, Jia Rong considered it as a work-related injury and sent a lot of compensation to the minister's family.

When many ministers' wives gave birth, Jia Rong helped them deliver their babies, and he also provided care.

In Jia Rong's view, these people's loyalty is not worth mentioning.

If Jia Rong from the Jia family gave cigarettes and gifts to these people, they would definitely look down on them.

Only if Emperor Jia Rong gives them cigarettes will they remember it for the rest of their lives.

Just like being cared for by an ugly girl will only make you feel disgusted, but being cared for by a gentle and beautiful woman who is as good as a goddess will make you remember it for a lifetime.

Jia Rong doesn't care about the affairs of the court. At this moment, he only thinks about how to make himself happy.

(End of this chapter)