The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Jia Rong rarely killed people, at least in the eyes of princes and ministers.

Even those who ordered the killing were the ones who committed heinous crimes and deserved to be mutilated.

Since the founding emperor of this dynasty, there has been no lack of murderous intent. Even the short-lived emperor who took office for more than a year killed many people.

Those people that Jia Rong ordered to be killed were all corrupt officials who had embezzled at least over one million yuan, and some even had embezzled tens of millions yuan.

This kind of person would be killed in any dynasty, as not killing him would not be enough to appease the public anger.

The previous emperors were particularly anthropomorphic, always liking to betray their subordinates who had made contributions and then pass the blame on to them.

It's not just one or two people doing this.

Because the more than ten emperors before him were not human beings, the contrast during the years since Jia Rong ascended the throne is particularly prominent.

In the eyes of the world, Jia Rong's hobby is still studying medicine, elixirs, and some technical stuff.

As for women, he only dabbled in them briefly. Except for some concubines he recruited before he ascended the throne, even though there were many women in his harem over the years, there was no rumor that he favored any one of them exclusively, because women would interfere with state affairs.

The two queens in the harem got along well with each other. The Empress Shenggong was in charge of domestic affairs, while the Empress Shengren was in charge of foreign affairs. However, Jia Rong was in charge of both domestic and foreign affairs, which did not affect the operation of the government.

As long as it does not affect national affairs, court officials will not interfere in the affairs of the Holy Palace. This is the emperor's own family affair, and it would be very dangerous to rashly get involved.

The King of Dongying's subordinates quickly said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty probably just despises the beauties here, and he probably has no other intentions."

After hearing what his staff said, the King of Japan was still very nervous and frightened.

It's like you could scare yourself to death.

Actually, it’s almost the same.

"This is the first time that His Majesty has sent a message to me. He has never said anything about tribute before."

The King of Japan sat on the seat not because he wanted to, nor to maintain his authority, but because he was so scared that his legs could not stand up, his heart was beating faster, and he was extremely nervous.

One dissatisfaction from the Holy Emperor is enough to scare the princes from all over the place so much that they cannot sleep and break out in cold sweats.

Several staff members were also a little scared.

Although the Holy Emperor has always been known for his kindness and generosity, he has eliminated three princes, the King of Zhou, the King of Yunnan, and the King of Western Xinjiang, since he ascended the throne.

The three of them brought it upon themselves. They were mentally abnormal, just like the former emperor's family, who were determined to commit suicide.

The staff didn't dare to talk about this.

No one spoke. Several staff members and silent generals looked at the performance of the King of Japan.

They definitely wouldn't dare to rebel.

If the Holy Emperor issues an imperial edict ordering the death penalty, then this prince must die.

If he doesn't die, everyone will die.

Even a few loyal subordinates did not dare to talk about rebellion. As soon as this thought came to their mind, they quickly suppressed it.

There is no way out of rebellion. The people below will never follow you. They will just gather together spontaneously and kill them to seek credit.

For Jia Rong, killing the King of Japan is easier than killing a dog.

The King of Japan was also the military commander who led troops to fight and suppress the island country's population of tens of millions. He served as a local emperor here for several years.

But at this time he completely lost the confidence and dignity of a local tyrant, and could not maintain that demeanor in front of his subordinates.

"What should I do?" The King of Japan urgently needed confidence. "If I send some beauties over now, maybe I can ask for forgiveness from the emperor?"

Jia Rong is the true emperor in the eyes of the people of the world.

He rose from obscurity to the supreme throne, received the mandate from heaven, and conquered the world.

All attacks are invincible and all battles are invincible.

He is a man of both civil and military talents.

Anyone who objects and refuses to comply will be killed on the spot without the need for imperial troops. The antidote will be available within seven steps.

The King of Japan seriously suspected that the person who would kill him would be someone close to him. As long as he displeased the Holy Emperor, he would be like a candle that could be snuffed out at any time.

The cousin of the King of Dongying whispered, "Your Majesty, isn't the princess studying in the palace? Has there been any message?"

The King of Dongying quickly shook his head and said nervously, "My father just sent a message, the rest is not yet available."

My cousin said, "In that case, let's wait and make plans after the emperor's decree comes down."

The Japanese king nodded and quickly clenched his fists, "Just wait here for a while."

Everyone knows that this is a serious matter.

More than ten minutes later, the official document sent by Jia Rong arrived.

Because it was an official document, it was rather troublesome to draft and write, especially since Jia Rong's motives were unclear. The palace maid who wrote the document needed to be clear about the specific situation in order to write a good document.

The King of Japan quickly took over the text recorded by the telegraph recorder.

After reading it carefully, he still frowned.

"Your Majesty, what did His Majesty say?"

The staff wanted to know the details more than the King of Japan.

Because if the Holy Emperor is really unhappy, they should also deal with the aftermath.

"The emperor said that I shouldn't have selected beauties from Jiangnan as tribute, but he understood that there are no beauties in Japan, so he just sent four Japanese beauties every year. He didn't blame us anymore."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had escaped a disaster.

The Shogun said: "Your Majesty is unparalleled in benevolence and magnanimity. It is a blessing for us, your subjects."

The King of Japan’s wife belongs to Jia Rong, and Jia Rong can pick her up and play with her at will.

The subordinates of the King of Japan are also Jia Rong's. There are no followers or confidants of the King of Japan. If Jia Rong wants to be transferred, he must obey the arrangements.

Correspondingly, the garrison here is also paid by the imperial court, which also organizes merchants to transport grain here for sale. They do not rely on this poor and remote area that is short of food and meat.

If killing the King of Japan could allow one to return to his hometown, the King of Japan could be cut into 40,000 pieces now.

Because they couldn't go home, the soldiers soon began to have fun with the women on the island to relieve their boredom, which led to a population explosion on the island in recent years.

Also because of the need for beauty pageants, young girls and girls are very caring, and the King of Japan will also take the initiative to distribute food to feed some orphans who are presented as tribute.

The King of Japan has already sent his wife up to him, and has even prepared himself mentally to become a father, just to continue being a prince.

The reason why we offered tribute this time, women from Jiangnan instead of local beauties, was not because of money, but because there really were not many beautiful local women.

Otherwise, the King of Japan really doesn't have the courage to deceive the emperor.

The King of Japan has no way out. This time, the Majesty has shown mercy and does not care about the tribute. If he still cannot produce something to satisfy his parents next year, being demoted is a small matter. The most important thing is that he will lose the Majesty's trust.

"Give the women more food, buy more grain, and give meat to the pretty little girls."

The staff also knew the importance of the matter and suggested, "There should be a million people around Kyoto. It is not difficult to find beautiful women. The difficult part is to get farmers and samurai from all over the place to willingly send their daughters here. It would be a drop in the bucket if we just rely on ourselves to find them."

The Shogun quickly became furious and said, "These people have lived and worked peacefully under the Holy Emperor's rule for these years. Even the food they eat and the food grown in the fields are the credit of the Holy Emperor! Their lives belong to the Holy Emperor, and they are unwilling to even sacrifice their daughters. Damn it!"

The King of Dongying frowned and scolded, "These unruly people are shameless and ungrateful! Pass the order down, the school must be well managed in the future. If anyone is disloyal to the Holy Emperor, their entire family will be killed!"

Soon the King of Japan's order was passed down.

The palace seems to be the representative of this island country, but in fact the officials appointed by Jia Rong are the ones who really do things, and they have the right to disobey the palace and even supervise it!
In addition to the royal palace, there is also the general's palace.

The shogun was the general of the royal palace, because the prince had certain military power and was in charge of the army. The real military power was in the East Military Region, which was the navy.

The Navy's headquarters is on Kyushu Island, bordering the East China Sea to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the East China Sea to the west, and the Luzon Sea to the south.

The East China Sea Military District was established overseas to radiate the East China Sea.

Liaodong, Goryeo, Japan, the southeast coast, Bohai Sea, and the territories of several princes are all within the radiation range. Anyone who dares to rebel will be suppressed immediately. Usually, they are responsible for supervising ocean transportation, governing merchant ships and fishing boats, and rescuing people who fall into the water.

Soon the military and government offices also began to educate people about loyalty to the emperor and set up schools, especially girls' schools.

The boys' school was just a supplement; the real purpose was to select beautiful girls as tribute to the girls' school.

The King of Japan is willing to spend money on girls' schools!
Even if I have to spend less money, I can’t let the children in the girls’ school go poor!

***
With the help of the war machine of the telegraph, princes, dukes and powerful earls from all over the country soon received the news.

The success of King Liao in suppressing the rebellion did not cause any disturbance.

That's what he should do.

You can replace it with anyone.

Not only can the King of Liao be replaced by anyone, but the rebels suppressed by the King of Liao can also be replaced by any prince, marquis, or general.

Neither the naval commander nor the army commander had the strength to rebel.

A guy who has just taken office for a few years and has never been heard of before is going to lead the entire army in rebellion?

The King of Liao was sitting in the car on his way home, reading today's newspaper, feeling worried.

But it was just worry, not the kind of fear that the King of Japan had.

The Liaodong area has been at a truce for more than ten years, and especially in recent years, the area has been used for farming and reproduction, and corvée and taxes have been reduced, and education has been carried out.

Firstly, the people had a very high degree of recognition of the Holy Emperor, and some people in villages and counties became rich by serving Jia Rong, which attracted more people to participate actively.

Secondly, there is enough food and clothing here, and there is no shortage of tall and plump beauties. Also, because of the long-standing tribal culture, people have a stronger sense of obedience.

They were very cooperative in offering beautiful women as tribute to the Holy Emperor, and some even rushed to pay bribes in order to send their daughters to the palace.

Even joining the army requires bribery, because Jia Rong will not recruit soldiers starting this year, and will only recruit some technical soldiers, such as military doctors and craftsmen.

We no longer need simple physical soldiers. We don’t want to support so many brainless people.

If there is someone in the family who eats the imperial food, it will be easier for the rest of the family to eat the imperial food. This is the unspoken rule of the Holy Dynasty. Whether it is selecting beauties or conscripting soldiers, family background is taken into consideration.

If there is a woman in the family to serve Jia Rong, it will be easier for the men and children in the family to become workers and soldiers.

If there are men in the family who work as workers or soldiers, then the women in the family are more likely to become palace maids.

These are all clear rules for employing people. Jia Rong has never been afraid of being scolded. When recruiting people, he always asks his subordinates to write the rules clearly.

There was not only the King of Liao in his car, but also his son.

The Liao prince asked, "Why is my father so worried? Are you worried about the tribute of beautiful women?"

The prince had already read the newspaper, and this time when he was fighting in the army to gain merit, he paid close attention to the developments in the imperial court.

The King of Liao shook his head and looked at his son who was less than sixteen years old.

"No, there is no need to worry about beauties. We have prepared many from a few years old to teenagers. We will not be short of them for several years to come."

"What I am most worried about is that we will be implicated by the other princes."

The King of Liao sighed and expressed his concerns to his son.

The prince was puzzled. "The King of Dongying and the King of Tianzhu are both heroes. They both expanded their territory and were crowned kings. Father often asked me to learn from them. Why would he still worry about them?"

The King of Liao did have the idea of hoping that his son would achieve great things and be granted the title of another king in the future.

There is no change now.

"The Shu King's Concubine Dowager caused trouble in the palace a few years ago, and instigated the other women to force the emperor to take out the elixir to reward them. Although the Shu King's old Concubine Dowager has passed away, the emperor has always had a bad impression of the Shu King in recent years."

"The woman of the King of the East Sea also participated in this life-threatening incident. She had already been given a lighter sentence. This time, the King of the East Japan deceived His Majesty on such a major matter as paying tribute."

"Sometimes, as a father, I also feel that the people in our family are hopeless. We are giving up our good life and insist on incurring the wrath of Thunder."

The prince said, "Isn't it just that they sent the wrong beauty? They didn't choose a beauty from their own fiefdom, but didn't they send a few beauties from Jiangnan?"

The prince thought this was a small matter. After all, the beauty had already been given to him, and the emperor also allowed him to give less in the future.

The King of Liao felt a pang of fear in his heart, and suddenly felt a sense of sadness that his clan’s death in the future would be in vain.

"What did your teacher teach you?" The King of Liao looked at his son, who had placed great hopes on him, and gasped in anger.

The prince could hear the King of Liao's breathing, and could feel his anger even more.

"Father! I know I was wrong! Please teach me, I am willing to accept the punishment!"

The King of Liao was very angry. "You will be punished! But I will also tell you why I punish you and your teacher!"

Paying tribute is a way to show loyalty. All people's status and power come from the emperor's grant, and paying tribute is necessary to show submission.

The purpose of paying tribute is to maintain this long-term relationship at all times. Being deceitful and perfunctory about the tribute is equivalent to not caring about the other party's reaction, not being afraid of him getting angry, and thinking that he can't do anything to you.

Even deliberately testing his reaction and making it worse!

The King of Liao spent half an hour explaining the significance of tribute from various aspects.

Jia Rong only asked for an annual tribute, and it would be sufficient to pay it before the end of the year, not on his birthday.

Lantern Festival, Enthronement Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year, in short, pick a time, or just give it at any time.

Even though the tribute requirements have been lowered, if they are still unwilling to show some sincerity, they will continue to be perfunctory even after being forgiven by the King of Japan.

The next one won’t need to be merciful anymore.

The princes from all over the country knew that whoever continued to be perfunctory about this matter would be punished.

Right now, Holy Mountain is furious because of the assassin incident. Anyone who dares to continue to be blind at this time deserves to die!

Beautiful women alone may not be enough. After all, everyone thinks that the emperor is just appreciating beautiful women and has no special intentions.

In order to cater to the Holy Emperor's hobbies, princes from all over the country quickly invested money in art, medicine, craftsmanship, chemistry, architecture and other aspects. After all, Jia Rong gave people the impression that he liked these more.

***
Baicao Palace

Jia Rong, who had just finished using the toilet, was reading the letter from the British princess while allowing the palace maids and female officials to help him clean his butt and other parts of his body.

After washing with warm water, the Princess of the King of Japan used a warm towel to wipe the front of Jia Rong's face, while the Princess of Jinling helped to wipe the back.

Jia Rong squatted on a chair specially used for washing buttocks, thinking about how to receive the team of scientists from Britain.

Although I don't know what their specific abilities are, it would be nice to meet them. After all, they started earlier in science.

The Princess of the Dongying King raised her head and looked at Jia Rong, smiling and said, "Your Majesty, today the King of Dongying sent a message to me, asking me to serve you well and calm your anger~"

Jia Rong was a little angry, "Then I'm going to shut you up."

The Princess of Dongying smiled and lowered her head, "As you wish~"

Jia Rong has no shortage of beauties and he hasn't favored any of the women in Nuanxiang Palace for three months.

Give them a little sense of crisis!! (End of this chapter)