Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 207: Disgust in the Bones
When Yue Ling stepped into the back hall, he saw two people waiting in the hall drinking tea.

One of them seemed to be middle-aged, with a gaunt face, slightly yellow skin, and a slight beard. He wore a black square hat and a dark blue robe. Although the robe was not gorgeous, it was very neatly washed. Under the robe, he looked a little thin.

The other man was rather stout but not very tall. He was dressed in tight clothes and had dark skin, as if he had been exposed to the wind and sun at sea. His clothes were tight, revealing some lines on his arms, making him look like a martial artist.

The middle-aged man stepped forward, bowed and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Lord Marquis. I am Hou Yao, with the courtesy name Huizhi. I am a scholar and have been a legal advisor in Lord Lin's residence for more than ten years. This time I came north to assist Lord Marquis in running the Cangzhou Salt Industry."

"This is Brother Dehui, surnamed Li. He used to be a fisherman at sea. Now he is my guide and guardian to Cangzhou. Thanks to his help along the way, I was able to have such a smooth journey at the seaside."

Li Dehui stepped forward and bowed, bowing a little more than Hou Yao, who had made great achievements. "Greetings, Lord Hou. Your deeds are known all over the country. Seeing you today, I can see that you are as dignified as you are."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, without helping him up, and went straight to sit in the hall.

With his eyes narrowed slightly, he glanced at the two of them. Hou Yao gave Yue Ling the feeling of an ordinary Confucian scholar, but for some reason he had an innate disgust towards Li Dehui, which made him feel a little wary.

And according to Hou Yao, he is not from Lin Ruhai's house.

The two of them failed to guess Yue Ling's psychological activities. Before Hou Yao talked about business again, he asked first: "My Lord, when I entered the house just now, I heard the servants at the gate say that the inner house had just urgently summoned the imperial physician. Could it be that Lord Lin's daughter is ill?"

Thinking of Lin Daiyu who was out of breath, Yue Ling was somewhat helpless, "She was ill early in the morning, but the imperial physician examined her and said that she was fine. He didn't prescribe any medicine. He just asked her to have a good rest. It's not a big deal."

Hou Yao nodded slightly, "That's good. Your Majesty, you may not know that since Lord Lin sent his beloved daughter away, he has been thinking about her from time to time. He is really worried, and we all see it. Fortunately, she is in the Marquis's mansion and her health is getting better and better, which makes Lord Lin a little relieved."

Speaking of Lin Daiyu, Yue Ling smiled again, "When I first brought her to Beijing, she was indeed very weak and could not even go out. Now she is much better."

Hou Yao also breathed a sigh of relief and talked about the main business to be discussed today. "We took a tour along the coast of Cangzhou. It is indeed as the Marquis said. There are many places suitable for drying salt. It is also summer now, so it is a good time to dry salt."

"Once the site is determined, the salt fields are reclaimed, and the salt ponds are built to settle the impurities, salt can be produced quickly. Cangzhou may not have a larger output than Lianghuai, but at present, the profit is still considerable. If the Marquis wants to develop Cangzhou, this is indeed a good way."

Hou Yao handed the map he had drawn to Jia Yun and presented it to Yue Ling.

Yue Ling did not start the argument on the spot, but suppressed it and said to Hou Yao: "I can trust the people sent by Lord Lin. And I haven't conducted an on-site survey, so there is no need to check the location you chose. I will send people to build dams and reclaim salt fields as soon as possible."

"I wonder how many people came to Cangzhou with Master Hou?"

Hou Yao replied, "Besides me, there are more than a hundred people, all of whom are experienced salt farmers in Lianghuai. If there are salt fields, they can directly start production and make salt for you as quickly as possible. However, they have not followed me into Cangzhou City and are still waiting along the coast."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "Okay, Master, you are tired from the journey, so you can take a rest today. We can discuss this matter another day. I still need to think it over carefully."

Hou Yao had a slightly puzzled look on his face, but he didn't dare to ask any questions at this time. After all, Yue Ling's status and position were too high, and he didn't dare to speak carelessly when they were not close friends.

Hou Yao bowed and stood up, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, my Lord. I will wait for good news at the inn."

Yue Ling waved his hand and said, "Don't bother. We will have to discuss the salt issue later, so it's better to stay at the government office."

"Jia Yun, please vacate another house for the two of them to live in."

Hou Yao looked at Li Dehui standing beside him, as if to see his opinion. Li Dehui then stood up and saluted, saying, "My Lord, I am a country bumpkin, and I cannot live in this luxurious place in the government office. I will continue to live outside."

"If Master Hou has anything to do, you can just come and call me."

Yue Ling shook his head and said, "As the master's bodyguard, it is not reasonable for you to leave alone. You can also stay in the government office. The government office is very spacious and there is no shortage of rooms."

"Moreover, I value talent and will never look down on anyone. This has nothing to do with status."

"Jia Yun, make room for them in a quiet courtyard so they won't be disturbed."

Jia Yun agreed again, "Okay, both of you follow me."

Yue Ling invited them so warmly that Hou Yao and Li Dehui could not refuse, so they had to follow Jia Yun.

They came to a small courtyard in the northwest corner of the government office. Jia Yun introduced it to the two of them, saying, "This place is quiet and secluded, and no one has ever disturbed us. The closest place is the government office's experience department. On weekdays, some people come and go to move case files, but it is also far away through a door."

Hou Yao asked again: "Thank you very much, where does the Marquis live?"

Jia Yun replied, "The Marquis lives in the northeast corner, quite far from here. You have to go through several alleys to see him."

Hou Yao nodded and said, "That's good. Although I have the title of a scholar, I still feel a little nervous about living in the same mansion with the Marquis. As long as I don't disturb the Marquis, it's fine."

Jia Yun said with a smile, "You are worrying too much. There are guards from the Beijing camp living outside the Marquis's courtyard. How can we disturb the Marquis?" Hou Yao also smiled and said, "I am worrying about my own faults. I haven't asked for your name yet?"

Jia Yun replied, "My surname is Jia, my given name is Yun, and I don't have a courtesy name yet. I'll have to ask the Marquis to give me one. I'm now the housekeeper in the Marquis's mansion."

"Jia? Are you from the Jia family, which has four kings and eight dukes?"

In a casual conversation, Jia Yun also replied: "It is the Jia family, but a side branch. I can't make a living in the Rong and Ning mansions. Fortunately, the Marquis gave me a way out."

Li Dehui seemed to have a vision in his heart, "After all, the Jia family is a family with two princes, but you are relegated to being a servant."

Jia Yun shook his head and said, "That's not the case. When my mother was seriously ill, I went to the two mansions to beg for a living but couldn't get a living. I could only get some small change to send me off, and they even deducted it. After following the Marquis for the past two years, my horizons have really broadened a lot. I am no longer as naive as I was back then."

"Begging for mercy from others in exchange for food is not a sustainable way."

At that moment, a minor official came to the place and whispered something to Jia Yun. Jia Yun bowed to the two of them and said, "You two should take a good rest. If you need anything, you can ask the official for instructions. If you need anything else, you can ask someone to come to me. The master has something to do in the hall, so I have to go."

The two of them hurriedly responded, "Brother Yun, go and do your work."

After Jia Yun said goodbye and left, Hou Yao and Li Dehui entered the room together.

The two of them sat in the hall, brewing tea and pouring water. Hou Yao couldn't help but sigh in confusion, "Lord Lin once said that the situation in Cangzhou was urgent and asked me to go there quickly. I have been traveling by sea for more than ten days and have not stopped to come to the city to explain the situation to the Marquis, but the Marquis doesn't seem to be in a hurry. It's really strange."

Li Dehui interjected, "Does the Marquis have doubts about our identities?"

Hou Yao shook his head and said, "That shouldn't be possible. Lord Lin's token cannot be faked. Besides, what good can you gain by pretending to be us? We are just doing the work."

Li Dehui smiled and said, "So what? Judging from Brother Yun's appearance, the Marquis is not one who treats his servants harshly. If you leave Lord Lin and follow the Marquis, you may have a better future."

Hou Yao also smiled, "After all, Lord Lin has been very kind to me. This trip is mainly to fulfill Lord Lin's instructions. Once things are on track, I should go back. As for what happens next, the Ministry of Revenue should set up a salt transport department. It is not something you and I can care about."

Standing up and stretching his waist, Hou Yao yawned and said, "My Lord, what you said is true. I am really exhausted from the journey, so I am going to rest now. What about you? What are your plans?"

Li Dehui curved his eyes and gave a sly smile, an expression that every man could understand.

Hou Yao spat, "What's wrong with you boatmen? You can't forget about this kind of thing once you get ashore. It's better to be abstinent. Go, go. This is the government office, not the posthouse. Don't come back too late."

Li Dehui replied: "You don't understand. You are middle-aged and have no desire. I am young and energetic. I need to find a place to have fun. Otherwise, how can I sleep?"

"You have to endure it at sea and on shore, so wouldn't it be a waste of time to go ashore?"

Hou Yao shook his head, "It would be better to save some money and marry a good woman, so that we can live a stable life."

Li Dehui waved his hand and said, "In our line of work, we have to go through wind and rain. How can we have a stable life? Come on, come on, take a rest."

Looking at Li Dehui's back, Hou Yao seemed to be thinking about something. Then he shook his head and went back to his room to sleep.

……

In the back hall, in the classroom,

Yue Ling was checking maps and documents behind the desk, nodding his head repeatedly.

"It is precisely because of professional people that we need to do professional things. With the plan written by Lord Lin and the results of Hou Yao's on-site investigation, I only need to mention a few innovative ideas for the future, and most of them can be implemented."

"With the hundred or so salt farmers sent by Lord Lin, it won't be a problem to produce the first batch of salt. The most urgent task is to select people to go to the coast for construction. In a few years, we can build a small town based on the salt fields, specialize in the salt industry, set up a salt industry school, and cultivate talents. If we repeat this process over and over again, we will be able to develop."

At the right moment, Jia Yun returned and reported, "Master, both of them have settled down in the courtyard in the northwest corner."

Yue Ling put down the map and replied, "Did the two of them rest in the room obediently?"

Jia Yun shook his head. "Hou Yao is asleep, and Li Dehui has left the government office."

Yue Ling narrowed his eyes and ordered, "Go check the details of the two. If it's difficult to check here, go ask the Jinyiwei Qianhu of Hejian Prefecture and Yangzhou Prefecture. In addition, don't forget to strengthen the security outside the Huang family's gate, and set up secret sentries to watch the small courtyard in the northwest."

Jia Yun's expression was stern, and he replied, "Yes."

(End of this chapter)