First, the cost of large-scale construction is too high.
The styles of Ning Guofu and Guo Rongfu in A Dream of Red Mansions are unusual: "Ning Guofu is in the east of the street, Guo Rongfu is in the west of the street, and the two houses are connected, so that they occupy more than half of the street. Looking through the fence, the halls and pavilions inside are magnificent ... "Building such a deep house compound is not affordable for ordinary people. Especially later, Jia Yuanchun, Jia Zheng's eldest daughter, chose Fengzao Palace. In order to prepare for her relatives in Yuan Fei, she started a huge project, that is, building the Grand View Garden. How big is the Grand View Garden? From the east, through the East Foley Garden, turn to the north, a total of three and a half miles. Gardens, pavilions, pavilions, Zhu Lou Hua Lou, rockery and hidden water, everything. After it was completed, Jia Zheng took a group of people to see it and swam for a long time. Famous ones are Garden, Garden, Zhou, Daoxiang Village, etc. It is a small villa built in a big park, as well as a convex blue hall for climbing the mountains and enjoying the moon, a concave crystal hall near the mountains and rivers, and so on. It is impossible to count how much it costs to repair the Grand View Garden, but just look at one of the expenses. The sixteenth time, when the Grand View Garden was built, it was arranged for Gusu under Jia Qiang to hire teachers, buy girls and run a first-class musical instrument store. Jia Lian asked where the money was used, and Jia Qiang said, "Grandpa Lai said he didn't have to bring it from Beijing. The Zhen family in Jiangnan still receives our 50 thousand silver. We will write a letter and bring it tomorrow. We will pay 30,000 yuan first, and the remaining 20,000 yuan will be reserved for the cost of placing candles, lanterns and curtains. " We can imagine how much money it will cost to build the whole Grand View Garden.
Second, welcome to send a strong facade.
Jia Fu invested heavily in the construction of the Grand View Garden, but in terms of reception and courtesy, it was impossible to make do with frugality and be generous and powerful. For example, in the seventy-second time, Jia Lian said to Yuanyang because he was short of money: "In the past two days, thousands of dollars have been spent because of the good luck of the old lady. Several rents and local taxes were paid in September, and they cannot be collected for the time being. Tomorrow, I will send gifts to Nan 'an House and prepare the Double Ninth Festival for the Empress. There are also a few red and white gifts, at least 3.2 thousand silver, which is difficult to borrow at the moment. As the saying goes, it is better to ask others than to ask yourself. Hard, the elder sister took the blame, temporarily secretly moved the gold and silver guy that the old lady couldn't find out of a box, and temporarily put thousands of taels of silver in the past. …"
Of course, the biggest expense in reception is to receive Yuan Fei's mother-in-law. The scene is extremely luxurious and unprecedented. In order to receive Yuan Fei, in the Grand View Garden, we bought all kinds of ancient Dong Wanwen for decoration, and also bought cranes, peacocks, deer, rabbits, chickens and geese for breeding. Rehearsal training again. The troupe is ready to sing. The landscaping and lighting works in the park are also timely: the stone fences on both sides of the road are decorated with crystal glass lanterns of various colors, just like silver flowers and snow waves; The willows and apricots in the garden are all paper silk made of hay silk, with Ye Jia on the branches, and each plant has several chandeliers; There are also many herons and wild ducks made of lotus leaf plants and snail feathers in the pool. On the fifteenth day, a large number of candles were picked out and lights were on everywhere. Lights strive for glory, really a glass world, jewelry dry goods. It can be seen how much money it costs to receive the princess's mothering at a time. Therefore, Mammy Jia said that the Jia family was only going to pick up the coachman once in Yangzhou, Suzhou, and spent all their money in the sea.
Third, daily extravagance is wasted.
Usually Jia is very particular about food and clothing. Let's look at Jia's clothes first. Back to the third "Jia Yucun Yuan Huan reinstated Lin Daiyu from her father to Beijing", the stroke sister debuted "I saw a group of daughter-in-law and girl holding a person coming in through the back door. This person's dress is different from other girls, colorful embroidery is brilliant, just like a fairy princess: wearing a golden silk eight-treasure beaded bun and hanging beads on the five phoenix in Chaoyang; With a red gold plate around his neck; The skirt is tied with a bean green palace sash, and the roses are double balanced; Wearing a golden butterfly, wearing a narrow coat of red satin, wearing a colorful carved azurite silver mouse jacket; Under the jade crepe skirt. " Take the current market as an example, it is estimated that this suit will cost hundreds of thousands.
In terms of food, both quality and ostentation are emphasized. For example, when Granny Liu entered the Grand View Garden for the second time, Grandmother Jia asked Xifeng to give Granny Liu some "eggplant" to taste. And through the mouth of Xifeng, it introduced its practice: "First peel the eggplant, cut it into pieces, fry it with chicken oil, then cut it into Queena Ding with fragrant chicken breast, new bamboo shoots, mushrooms and spiced dried fruits, simmer it with chicken soup, collect sesame oil, mix it with bad oil, put it in a porcelain jar, and take it out if you want." Granny Liu shook her head and spat out her tongue and said, "My Buddha! Poured a dozen chickens to match him. What a strange smell! " In addition to eating well, the Jia family is also very beautifully dressed. When Jia's family was having dinner, many maids were waiting outside, and the maids kept dusting, washing dishes and wiping towels. After dinner, a maid brought tea with a small saucer, washed her mouth and hands first, and then changed into the tea she drank.
In addition, Jia Fu has many chariots and horses. The fourteenth time, when Jia Jing was buried, the women had more than a dozen carts, thirty or forty cars, and cars and cars under the house for more than a hundred times. Even the deacons and furnishings of various colors in front are colorful and magnificent, and Fiona Fang is three or four miles away. These profligacy in food and clothing is also one of the reasons for the continuous deficit of Jiafu official bank.
Fourth, people are overstaffed and cannot make ends meet.
It is difficult to accurately count the number of people in Rongning House in A Dream of Red Mansions. But let's look at a few personnel arrangements first and get a general impression. The third time, when Lin Daiyu entered Jia's house, she suddenly saw two big stone lions squatting in the north of the street and three animal heads. A dozen people were sitting in front of the door, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, showing that Jia's house was responsible for guarding the door and running errands. The fourteenth time, after Qin Keqing's death, Wang Xifeng went to Ningfu to assist in the funeral, assigned work by name, and arranged 134 people in one breath, and the rest worked separately according to the room. It is inferred that there are two or three hundred people in Ningfu alone. For the third time, Grandmother Jia saw that Lin Daiyu had only brought two people, one was Sister Wang, a wet nurse since childhood, and the other was a ten-year-old girl named Xueyan. Seeing that Xueyan was very young and childish and Mammy Wang was very old, Grandmother Jia expected that Daiyu would not work hard, so she sealed a second-class maid beside Daiyu. Another example is Yingchun: "In addition to being a wet nurse since childhood, the first man has four godmothers, two maids are responsible for the personal care and bathing of the maids, and five or six little maids clean the house and run errands." It can be seen that in the style of Jia Fu, a dozen or twenty people served one person.
Five, the lack of financial chaos system
Jiafu's financial operation is like this. Take Fu Rong as an example, there is a kind of collective finance called official money, which is used for all public expenditures such as project construction, personnel salaries and courtesy exchanges in the name of the government. However, there are many shortcomings in public finance management.
First of all, the chief financial officer illegally misappropriated public funds for profit. Jia Zheng doesn't care about housework in Fu Rong, and Mrs. Wang doesn't care about things when she is old, so the real power figures in charge of Jia Fu's finance are Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng. Jia Lian is a prodigal son, and Wang Xifeng is a greedy person. Anyone who wants to get some engineering affairs in Jiafu will ask Wang Xifeng to send money as a gift, especially in the end, Wang Xifeng embezzled officials' money, went out to lend usury without permission, and often defaulted on his servants' monthly cases. Later, when the Jinyijun raided Jia's house, they found no less than 70,000 yuan in cash at Xifeng's residence, and also found two boxes of deeds and a box of borrowed tickets.
Secondly, middle managers extort money. Wu, general manager of Baiyin Warehouse, and Dai Liang, head of the warehouse, often extort money from others. Back to the fifty-sixth "Min Tanchun promotes the advantages and eliminates the disadvantages. Xi' an Baochai and Xiaohui are both average, which makes it very clear. Because Xifeng was ill, Tanchun came out to help with the housework. Tanchun and Baochai discuss the contract for operating the Grand View Garden. After the distribution of fruit trees and vegetable fields was finished, Tan Chun said with a smile: "I remembered another thing: I will settle accounts at the end of the year and naturally return to the government, but I still need to add another layer of managers and peel off another layer. Since I sent you this thing, we passed their heads, and we were angry, that is, we couldn't say it; At the end of the year, if you go to settle accounts, they won't play tricks on you ... "So Tanchun agreed to stay in the Grand View Garden, so as not to be detained by the person in charge of money and accounts. On the sixty-second occasion, Sister-in-law Liu, who was in charge of the kitchen, sent some rose dew to her daughter Wuer because of the girl Fangguan in Baoyu's room, which made others misunderstand that they stole it, so the family immediately set out to arrange a replacement for Sister-in-law Liu, named Qin Xiangu, and as soon as Qin Xiangu came, she set out to settle old scores. "At the same time, he gave Lin a gift and quietly prepared a basket of charcoal, 500 kilograms of firewood and a load of japonica rice." And the talent of accounting; And prepare a few vegetables to invite a few colleagues ... "It can be seen that the phenomenon of Jia layer deduction is more serious.
Third, the comprador at the lower level harms public interests and private interests. Those compradors also seized the opportunity of purchasing to gain benefits. For example, women in the government spend 20 taels a month to buy hair oil powder, but the comprador often buys something that is not genuine, so the girls have to entrust someone they trust to buy it outside. It can be seen that under such a management system, everyone wants to make a fortune and lacks supervision. How can it not collapse?
Sixth, the pursuit of pleasure is getting worse.
Up and down the Jia family, especially Ningfu, the wind of eating, drinking and having fun is getting stronger. Jia Zhen and his son are not only addicted to drinking and gambling every day, but also often gather friends to gamble in the name of practicing Xie Jian. Moreover, Jia Zhen's father and son have a disorderly life style, and the two fathers and sons have an ambiguous relationship with two sisters-in-law (aunts). Back to the sixty-third "Shouyi Hongfang Group gave a banquet to die, and then died alone." Jia Jing cultivated immortality and longed for the way to swallow Dan, and Jia Rong followed Jia Zhen to the Tiexi Temple for a funeral. As soon as he came back, he flirted with his second aunt. The maids couldn't stand it any longer. They all smiled and said, "I slept because of filial piety. Although young, it is actually my aunt's house. You are so proud of your grandmother. Come back and tell me that you are overreaching. " In fact, his father Jia Zhen also came back to hang out with two sisters-in-law. So once, Jiao Da, an old family member of Ningfu, refused to listen to orders after drinking and shouted, "I'm going to the ancestral temple to cry. I don't expect to give birth to these animals until now! Every day, I steal dogs and play with chickens at home, climb the ashes, and raise my brother-in-law's brother-in-law. I don't know anything. Let's hold our arms and hide our sleeves! "
In Fu Rong, Jia also likes to have fun, and those women have a serious gambling tendency. Mrs. Wang also ordered people to check it carefully several times, and it was always forbidden. It is common for the government to go to the opera house for drinks from time to time. Under the influence of such an atmosphere, there are as many rich and powerful people in the Jia family, and none of them have a plan. As we all know, the pursuit of pleasure has long forgotten the ancestral motto of frugality and housekeeping.
Seven, external extortion is more severe.
Although the Jia family is rich and powerful, it is often "missed" and "demanded" by some outsiders. For example, in the fifty-third session of "Ning Guo Fu's New Year's Eve Sacrifice Ancestral Hall and Guo Rong Fu's Lantern Festival Banquet", Jia Rong went to the Ritual Department to receive the Spring Festival silver. When he came back, Jia Zhen asked him how he got there. Jia Rong said with a smile: "Today he is not in the Ministry of Rites, but in the library of Guanglu Temple, and he only got it when he arrived at Guanglu Temple. All the officials in Guanglu Temple say hello to their father. I haven't seen him for many days and I really miss him. " Jia Zhen smiled and said, "They don't miss me. After this year, I either think about my business or think about my wine. "
There is also the seventy-second time that "Wang Xifeng said that she was ill and rich, and her wife married by virtue of power." Jia Lian discussed with Xifeng how to raise money to buy some gifts. At this time, Xia Taifu sent a small supervisor to speak. Jia Lian frowned at this. "What is it? They have moved enough in one year. " The little eunuch came in and said, "Grandpa Xia happened to see a house today, and now he is short of 200 taels of silver. He sent me to ask my aunt's house. I have one or two hundred taels of ready-made silver to borrow temporarily, and I will deliver it in a day or two. " Hearing this, Feng smiled and said, "What did you give me? There is plenty of money. Let's change it first. We are short of it another day, and it is the same to borrow it again. " The little eunuch said, "Grandpa Xia also said that 1,220 pieces of silver have not been delivered in the last two times. By the end of this year, they will all be sent together. " Xi-feng said with a smile, "Grandpa Xia is so stingy, which is also worth remembering. Let me say something, I'm not afraid of his oversensitive. I remember this clearly, and I don't know how much I can pay back. I am afraid not; If there is, take it. " Jia Lian sent the little eunuch out and said with a smile, "When is this happy event?" Yesterday, eunuch Zhou came to talk. I should slow down, he is not feeling well. There will be a lot of offence in the future. At this time, it would be nice to earn another three or two million. "For Jia Fu, the government of the imperial court often listens for news through them and speaks well through their mouths. In addition, when Empress Jia Fei is in the palace, she still depends on the care and protection of eunuchs, so she should always take care of these people.
Eight, offend the villain to make too many enemies.
Jia Fu, relying on his power, often bullies the weak and fears the hard. There are many little people bullied by the Jia family in the novel, and there are three obvious ones: one is called a stone nerd. Jia Jing took a fancy to someone else's ancient fan, and others didn't sell it at any price, so he arrested him through Jia Yucun's fabricated charges and finally caught the fan; One is Zhang Hua. This Zhang Hua had an engagement with Second Sister You when she was a child, because the Zhang family lost their property in a lawsuit and could not afford to marry a daughter-in-law. Jia Lian forced him to break off his marriage with Second Sister You in order to marry her. Although Zhang Hua didn't want to, he was afraid of Jia's potential flame and dared not disobey. He had to write an engagement and break off his marriage, but he was always dissatisfied. And a drunken king kong Neil. One day, because he drank too much wine, he slept in the street and happened to meet Jia Yucun passing by. He wouldn't let the road say, "I drank my own money and lay drunk in the emperor's land, even the adults couldn't control it." So Jia Yucun arrested him, and Neil's family invited Neil's friend Jia Yun to help and intercede with Jia Fu, but failed several times. Neil was very angry when he came out. He told his wife that he knew some friends and knew a lot about Jia's prison. If Jia Er is ungrateful, tell some friends how his family bullied others, exploited the king and married men and women. Because Jia Fu has offended many such little people, they often spread some bad news to Jia Fu intentionally or unintentionally, and some may suggest it directly. In the 106th time, after the Jia family raided his house, many relatives and friends came to see him, and some said, "There were too many people making trouble, and I didn't see any suggestions. It's not that Boss Zhen offended his friends. How can it be? " Someone said, "This is not a suggestion. We heard that your family was shouting outside with some mud legs. "
Nine, the political struggle backfired.
The decline of Jiafu was the result of long-term accumulation of various factors, but the reason that directly accelerated the collapse of this building was that the emperor ordered the looting of property. Why did the emperor make up his mind to attack Jia Fu? On the surface, the reason is that the news of Jia Jia's daily life habits reached Yushi, who asked Jia's family to find out the situation before sending someone to survey the property. In fact, the little things we mentioned above will not make the emperor angry and determined to kill Jia Fu. According to the analysis of Redology, Cao Xueqin's original work actually wanted to say that Jia Yuanfei participated in the power struggle in the palace and caused the emperor's anger, so he wanted to suppress Jia Fu. This is based on Baoyu's judgment of Yuan Chun, which he saw in his fifth dream: "For twenty years, a bright future has blossomed out of a willow tree. In the third spring, the scene of the early spring is fascinating, and the tiger meets the dream. " Among them, the Tigers refers to the fierce struggle between the two factions, which shows that Yuan Fei was later involved in the political struggle between the two factions.
Ten, lax discipline, lack of successors.
As a big feudal family, Jiafu failed to master education management. Although there is a private school, few young people are interested in learning and progress. No one in Ningfu, from Jia Jing to Jia Zhen to Jia Rong, is interested in economic career. Jia Zheng, who is in charge of Baoyu, always forces him to study hard, but Mrs. Jia, Mrs. Wang and others spoil Baoyu. Only Jia Lan is ok, but he is still young, so Jia Fu has not escaped the rule of "being rich for three generations". In addition, the Jia family is also lax in discipline. For example, Jia Zheng asked Jiangxi to provide foodstuff, but he didn't dare to accept gifts, and the coordination was not good. Those servants who followed him didn't get benefits, so they set obstacles everywhere, and Jia Zheng couldn't help it. Later, he had to let those people fool around. After all, because of the lax discipline of his servants, he was branded by our ambassador as "neglecting his subordinates, re-requisitioning grain and rice, and killing people", and was demoted to three levels, still walking in the Ministry of Industry. Because of the above ten problems, it is only a matter of time before Jiafu Building collapses.