The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 244 Past Life Knowledge Used in This Life

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng nodded and said,
"Since Prince Su will be attending the eldest daughter's wedding, our previous arrangements were indeed somewhat inappropriate. Brother Jing, what do you think we should do to make amends?"

Jia Jing pondered for a moment and then said;
"There aren't many days left until the eldest daughter's wedding, and it's too late to hold a belated ceremony. How about this, we just send invitations to the families we usually visit, and we don't need to bother with the others."

Logically speaking, as the eldest daughter of the two Jia families, Jia Yuanchun's wedding banquet should have been a grand affair.

But for various reasons, this is the only way for now.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng understood Jia Jing's decision and nodded, saying:
"This is much better than before. I'm sure the eldest girl will feel better knowing this."

Although Jia Zheng, as the biological father, was a bit old-fashioned, he still loved his daughter dearly.

Now that things have turned out this way, he feels much better.

After finishing discussing Jia Yuanchun's matter, Jia Jing continued to ask:
"You said you had two things to report. What is the other one?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian said, "The other thing is what Prince Su did outside the city today."

As he spoke, Jia Lian gave a brief account of what Tu Chengyu had done outside the South City.

Finally, he emphasized this point.
“Prince Su dislikes anyone who tries to take advantage of the disaster victims. The old ways of the nobles will definitely be punished by Prince Su. So I think it’s best if our family doesn’t get involved.”

In the past, when disasters struck other places, the refugees who fled to the capital would be exploited by the local nobles and thugs using various means.

The day of suffering for the disaster victims was also the day when people in the capital made their fortunes.

Without these benefits, why do you think these people in the capital would so easily agree to let disaster victims come to the capital to beg for food?

Don't be fooled by the fact that the refugees have no money and are even poorly clothed.

But as long as there are people, the people in the capital can find a way to extract oil.

Just like those vacant lots now used to resettle disaster victims, would you, the landowner who owns these lands, simply give them away to the imperial court to resettle disaster victims?

Don't joke around. All these lands were rented by the imperial court with its own money.

This type of business, known as the "answering business," was generally controlled by nobles and officials.

The Jia family was also one of those who profited from the suffering of disaster victims in the past.

However, now that Tu Chengyu, the Prince of Su, has come out to resettle the disaster victims, the Jia family, as nobles who have already pledged allegiance to the Prince of Su, has a different approach from the Prince of Su's ideas, so the Jia family has to make a decision.

Faced with this decision, Jia Jing did not hesitate at all and said directly:
"Since Prince Su dislikes others doing this, then our two families should not try to take advantage of the disaster victims. When you return, please explain this clearly to your servants and the people in your respective villages."

They were told not to make any moves, otherwise, if caught, they would be punished more severely.

A family like the Jia family has many servants and many people who can make decisions in various places.

If instructions are not given properly, and these people start following others and doing wrong things as before, that would be bad.

Jia Zheng was naturally aware of this, and of course immediately agreed.

Then, Jia Jing asked Jia Lian, "Is there anything else we should be careful about?"

Jia Lian said, "After Prince Su arrested those people, he did not punish them too much. He only made each of them hand over fifty dan of grain, and said that these people had voluntarily donated it to the disaster victims. So I was thinking, should our two families also donate some grain as a way of supporting Prince Su?"

After hearing Jia Lian's words, Jia Jing and the other two exchanged glances, and then Jia Jing continued:
"We've already considered the matter of grain; there's no need for a grand donation like others. Tomorrow, go to Prince Su and tell him that our two families have stored some grain on their estates outside the city. If Prince Su needs it, he can simply send someone to collect it."

The Jia family is quite meticulous in handling matters; they even managed to think about the grain issue for Tu Chengyu well in advance.

Having said those two things, Jia Lian had nothing more to add.

So Jia Jing gave them a few instructions and then told them to go back and rest.

The three men, Jia Jing, Jia Jing, and Jia Jing, remained in the study to continue their discussion.

……

Tu Chengyu, after returning to the Prince An's residence, did not remain idle.

Today, he saw the state of the disaster victims outside the city and realized that so many people were after them.

He kept thinking about how to effectively protect the disaster victims and prevent them from being devoured by the wolves and tigers in the capital.

So, after returning and having dinner, he sent everyone else away, leaving only Quan Wenwei in the Fengsheng Temple.

Under the cover of night, the two discussed whether there was a good solution.

After discussing it late into the night, the two of them came up with some ideas.

However, these ideas are not yet perfect and need further refinement.

The next day, Tu Chengyu did not rest, but led everyone to continue working outside the South Gate.

When he arrived, Quan Xu, Su Xuanbao, Jia Lian, and Jia Rong were already there.

The four of them not only arrived on their own, but each also brought a considerable number of people with them.

Quan Xu and Su Xuanbao were naturally accompanied by the several hundred soldiers assigned to them by the Emperor.

These soldiers were not allowed to go into the capital during the resettlement of disaster victims, but coming outside the city had little impact.

Jia Lian and Jia Rong, on the other hand, brought dozens of servants from their household.

Tu Chengyu was very satisfied to see that they had taken the initiative to bring their own people over.

He thought he would have to wait until he arrived before instructing them to call for help.

Now that everyone was present, Tu Chengyu stopped dawdling and started assigning them tasks.

As the two had agreed on last night, Quan Wenwei took out a large piece of paper from his pocket.

This piece of paper contains a topographical map of the area where disaster victims were being resettled.

This drawing is somewhat rudimentary, but it captures the essentials we'll be using today.

Quan Wenwei took the paper and handed it to Quan Xu, Su Xuanbao, Jia Lian, and Jia Rong, explaining the arrangements for the day to them in detail.

Tu Chengyu stood aside and listened, ready to fill in any questions that Quan Wenwei hadn't mentioned.

Because everything was discussed very clearly last night, Quan Wenwei can now recall very few details.

In this way, Tu Chengyu basically had no chance to speak.

However, in the end, Tu Chengyu still discovered the flaws.

It's not that Quan Wenwei's statement is problematic, but rather that there are shortcomings in other aspects.

That is, he has too few capable people under his command.

Currently, the only people who can lead others to work are Quan Xu, Su Xuanbao, Jia Lian, and Jia Rong.

There are many who are willing to work, so it seems like there will be quite a few left.

In this way, the current staff cannot be fully utilized, and some time will be wasted in doing things.

Tu Chengyu stood to the side and looked around, then said to Xiao Xuanzi and Lao Yao:

"You two listen carefully too, and then go and work with another team later."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the two were taken aback at first, and then each had a different reaction.

As Tu Chengyu's body double, Lao Yao was naturally very happy to have such an opportunity to train.
He said excitedly, "This humble servant thanks Your Highness for your cultivation." Compared to Lao Yao's excitement, Xiao Xuanzi was much calmer.

He was Tu Chengyu's chief steward, and his status was different from others.

Everything he achieved depended on whether Tu Chengyu valued him or not, and had little to do with merit or anything like that.

Therefore, in his mind, doing this kind of work and making contributions was just following orders, no different from anything he would encounter in ordinary times.

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Quan Wenwei also said:

"Your Highness is very thoughtful. With the two of them joining us, we have more manpower, and this job should be finished today."

Old Yao and Xiao Xuanzi were listening nearby, so there's no need to explain it to them again now that they're involved.

So Quan Wenwei continued speaking, picking up where he left off.

After he finished speaking, he explained some things they didn't understand and then sent them off to do their own work.

Today, we're going to have them do what Tu Chengyu planned yesterday: divide the resettlement area for disaster victims into smaller plots, essentially creating a large, unfenced courtyard.

After the area was planned, Tu Chengyu numbered each of the drawn areas.

Then, one or two people were assigned to each plot of land as team leaders to take charge of the lives of the disaster victims.

In this way, once the disaster victims arrive, he can disperse them to each area and register and assess them immediately.

This approach not only prevents disaster victims from wandering around the capital, but also prevents others from taking advantage of them.

This method was an arrangement made by Tu Chengyu based on his experience from his previous life.

When he first mentioned it yesterday, Quan Wenwei thought it was very feasible, but the specific results still need to be seen.

Watching the six men, each leading a group, they marked lines and dug holes in the open space.

Quan Wenwei said in a low voice:

"Your Highness, I still think we should consult with the Crown Prince first, and then proceed after he has made his decision."

Tu Chengyu knew what Quan Wenwei was worried about, and said with a smile:
"Mr. Quan, there's no need to worry. The Crown Prince and Prince Xing are busy investigating the granaries right now; they don't have time to deal with these things."

If this matter is reported to the Crown Prince, he will surely come to investigate, and this back and forth will definitely take up a lot of time.

"It would be better if we finished it first and then reported it to the Crown Prince. That way, he won't blame us."

Tu Chengyu understands the Crown Prince and has confidence in him.

Moreover, the task of resettling the disaster victims was something the Crown Prince took the initiative to undertake.

What he cares about most is how to do his job well, rather than worrying about these trivial matters.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was still saying the same thing as last night, Quan Wenwei sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

Just as the two were talking, the old man who had been forced by Huang Zhi to sell fake vases yesterday walked over, hunched over.

However, before he could get close, he was stopped by the guards beside him.

Tu Chengyu turned his head and saw it, so he waved to the guard and told him to let the person over.

When the old man came over, Tu Chengyu asked curiously:
"You've come to see me, haven't you?"

The old man bowed his head and said, "This humble subject is indeed looking for Your Highness."

"What business do you have with me?"

"Your Highness, we see Your Highness's men working here, which must be to help us disaster victims. So our families have discussed it and decided to work with Your Highness's men."

"You want to work?" Tu Chengyu asked in surprise.

"Yes, these jobs are all done for us disaster victims. We can't just stand by and watch. Besides, we are all ordinary people who are used to doing farm work, so we are quite good at these jobs."

Tu Chengyu had actually considered arranging work for the disaster victims.

Furthermore, based on the work-for-relief methods he knew from his previous life, he was preparing to develop some detailed plans.

Before he could even finish his plan, the disaster victims volunteered to work.

In this way, Tu Chengyu can make arrangements in advance to let them put their ideas into practice.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu asked:
"May I ask your name, sir?"

The old man said, "Your Highness, my surname is Du, and everyone in the village calls me Old Du."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu said, "Then I will call you Old Du."

"Your Highness may address me as you wish; it is my honor."

"Old Du, if you want to work for my people, I am naturally willing. However, providing relief to disaster victims is the responsibility of the imperial court."

I shouldn't have made you do these things, so I've decided that all you disaster victims who work for me will be given work points.

"Your Highness, what are these work points?" Old Du asked, still confused.

Tu Chengyu patiently explained to him:

"These work points are a record of how much work you have done. Once you have accumulated enough work points, you can come to me and exchange them for food and money."

"Really?" Old Du's eyes lit up when he heard that the points earned from working could be exchanged for food and money.

These disaster victims, who had left their homes, came to the capital to make a living.

Originally, all I wanted was a bite to eat so that I or my family wouldn't starve.

As for anything else, they didn't even dare to think about it.

But now, judging from what Prince Su said, they can still earn extra grain or silver by working here.

If this wasn't a lie told by Prince Su, then all of this is wonderful.

If we work hard then, we might even be able to earn some money for next year's seeds.

In this way, when I return home next year, I won't have to borrow money at high interest rates to sell seeds at high prices.

Thinking of all this, Old Du couldn't help but tremble. He mustered his courage and asked again:
"Is what Your Highness said true?"

Tu Chengyu chuckled and said:
"Do you think I, a prince, would lie to you for no reason?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Old Du grinned and laughed out loud.

Yes, why would a prince favor an old man like myself?

Let alone the fact that he is now just a refugee fleeing disaster, even before the disaster, all his belongings were not worth anyone favoring him.

Thinking about all this, Old Du was completely convinced that Prince Su was not lying to him, and that what he said was true.

So Old Du was very happy and knelt down on the ground again to kowtow to Tu Chengyu several times.

This time, Tu Chengyu did not have anyone stop him.

(End of this chapter)