I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 108: The Wonderful Effects of Chuan Feng Guan ( Words)

Hu Zongxian's advisor Xu Wei is making arrangements in Beijing, hoping that the bigwigs will send Lin Shisan to the southeast to witness the "auspicious appearance" of the white deer.

Lin Shisan was not idle every day. He was an official appointed by the emperor and had to present some strange things to the emperor every now and then.

That day, Lin Shisan led his fat apprentice Sun Yue to the Yongding River.

It was early summer, and the Yongding River was full of people fishing. No matter rich or poor, noble or humble, everyone had a rod, a line, a feather float, and an iron hook.

Whether the fish will take the bait or not does not depend on your identity, status, or wealth; it only depends on your skills and luck.

When we arrived at the river, we held up our fishing rods. Whether rich or poor, powerful or powerless, we are all anglers and all beings are equal.

The high-ranking officials in normal days would express their gratitude to the farmers and manure diggers for a few secret earthworms.

The well-read scholars, juren and jinshi can humbly ask the illiterate poor for advice on how to make a nest.

Sun Yue asked: "Master, what are you doing here at the Yongding River today? There are probably more people than fish here."

"If you want to go fishing, I have a new good fishing spot. Not many people know about that place. Crucian carp are usually over half a pound. Carp weighing more than ten pounds are common."

Lin Shisan said, "I came here today to find someone to present a treasure to our emperor."

After saying that, Lin Shisan walked along the shore, searching as he went. After walking for about half an hour, he finally found the person he was looking for.

Lin Shisan walked over and said, "Excuse me, old man, is this Mr. Wu Queti from Dazhicang Hutong, Donkey Ear Street, Yongefang, South City?"

The old man nodded: "Yes, I am Wu Quetuer."

Lin Shisan stated his purpose: "I am Lin Shisan, a junior. I heard that you can boil fish oil to make lamps. I came here today to buy it. I am willing to pay a high price."

After saying that, Lin Shisan took out a ten-liang silver ingot and said, "Uncle Wu, this is the deposit."

Wu Que'er's eyes lit up when he saw so much silver. But he didn't rush to take the silver. Instead, he told the truth: "My fish lamp oil has been used up for seven or eight days. If you want to buy it, it depends on your luck today."

"I dare not take the deposit. If I am unlucky, I may not be able to deliver the goods to you for ten days or eight months."

Lin Shisan likes to ask about strange stories. He asked, "Uncle Wu, please tell me why making fish lamp oil depends on luck?"

"If you're short of fish, I can just buy some from others."

Wu Quetiu asked back: "What color do you think the carp in Yongding River are?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Grayish white with a yellowish hue. If the size exceeds ten kilograms, the scales may even be golden yellow."

Wu Queti said, "Carp that is grayish yellow or golden yellow cannot be used to make fish lamp oil."

"Only a ten-pound black carp can be used to make lamp oil."

Lin Shisan frowned, "Ah? We all know that black carp grow up eating mud and dirt at the bottom of the river. They have a strong earthy smell and are not clean."

"Most people would throw away a carp like that if they caught it."

Wu Queti nodded: "That's right. Because the black carp can't be eaten, it's a pity to throw it away. That's why my ancestor wanted to try to use it to make oil for lighting lamps."

"You know what, the oil it makes is colorless and odorless for lighting lamps, and it works."

Most of the oil lamps in the palace used sesame oil. Compared with sesame oil, fish lamp oil actually has no advantages.

To put it bluntly, this thing is a poor way of lighting for the poor.

But in this world, what is rare is precious, and what is rare is valuable.

Fish lamp oil is rare and uncommon. The duty of the court messenger is to present strange and bizarre things to the emperor so that he can see something new.

Lin Shisan stuffed the silver ingot into Wu Que'er's hand and said, "Just accept the silver first."

Wu Que'er, the poor old man, was very kind. He said, "With these ten taels of silver, you can buy ten liters of the best rapeseed oil. Why bother buying fish lamp oil?"

"Fish lamp oil doesn't smell fishy or smelly, but it's not as bright as rapeseed oil."

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "I don't do it for the brightness, but for the novelty. My old man likes novelty things."

Lin Shisan did not reveal his official status to Wu Queti'er as he was afraid of scaring the old man.

Wu Queti said, "I see. You are a rich man who has nothing better to do than to eat too much. Alas, people really cannot eat too much."

"Look at my mouth. I'm not good at talking, don't mind it."

Lin Shisan said, "It's okay. What you said makes sense. People like us are just too full."

Sun Yue said at the side: "Old man, your nest material is quite unique!"

The nesting materials of the rich people are all made of grain powder soaked in wine, and the more luxurious ones will also mix it with pepper powder and sumac powder.

You know, pepper and sumac were the hardest currency in the Ming Dynasty, second only to gold, silver and copper. When the court's finances were most strained, pepper and sumac were even used to offset officials' salaries.

The second-best nesting material is wheat flour.

Once again, it's bran.

Wu Queti's nesting material jar is filled with emerald green sheep dung balls.

Lin Shisan was quick-witted and eager to learn. He asked, "Uncle Wu, why is your nesting material sheep dung eggs? What's so special about it?"

Wu Queti gave a bitter smile: "There's nothing special about it. It's just because we're poor. We can't bear to use bran as nesting material."

Lin Shisan and Sun Yue sat on the ground and watched Wu Quetui fishing.

The weather in early summer was neither too hot nor too cold, and it was very comfortable. Lin Shisan held a dogtail grass in his mouth, used his hand as a pillow, and crossed his legs, looking lazy and comfortable.

Sun Yue took out a piece of jerky and chewed it with big mouthfuls.

The chicken feather float that Wu Que'er had thrown into the river suddenly sank to the bottom. He raised his rod and said, "Got it!"

Lin Shisan's eyes lit up: "What fish? How big is it?"

Wu Quetiu fished a few times and said, "Ah, it's a big crucian carp weighing three taels. It's not a carp."

After saying that, he pulled the rod back sharply. It turned out to be a big crucian carp.

Lin Shisan helped pick the big crucian carp and threw it into the fish basket.

Wu Queti grabbed a handful of sheep dung and made a nest. He then hung another sheep dung egg on the hook and threw it down.

Sun Yue said, "Master, didn't you teach Gao Zhonggong two ways of making nests: using stinky bricks and cow dung buns?"

"The fishing buddies at our elephant training school haven't had a good time lately. I think they're getting addicted to fishing! Yesterday they were talking about using human feces to make bait. They also said they wanted to make it 30% soft and 70% hard."

Lin Shisan frowned: "These people have really fallen into the devil's way. How filthy!"

Wu Que Tui said, "I have learned something from fishing for so many years. If the fish don't bite well, it will be useless even if you use ginseng to stew duck to make a nest."

"If the fish has a good appetite, you can hang a piece of human feces on it and the fish will still eat it."

Lin Shisan nodded repeatedly: "You are an old fisherman, right? You are absolutely right."

As he was talking, Wu Que'er's chicken feather float sank to the bottom again. He lifted the rod and it instantly bent into a bow.

Lin Shisan exclaimed: "Big fish! Big fish!"

Wu Quetu'er held his breath and concentrated, holding the fishing rod tightly with both hands, gnashing his legs firmly on the green mountain without letting go, and pulling the big fish with all his strength.

After sliding for a while, the big fish finally ran out of strength. Wu Que'er pulled it to the shore, grabbed the fish's gills with his hands, and lifted it ashore.

Lin Shisan took a closer look and saw that it was a large carp weighing about ten kilograms, and its entire body was black. It was the kind of black carp that had an earthy smell that made you feel uncomfortable in your mouth but could be used as fish oil.

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Great! Uncle Wu, now we can make fish lamp oil, right?"

Wu Que Tui'er said, "It's OK. Let's stop fishing and go to my house."

Master and disciple Lin Shisan followed Wu Queti'er to a large courtyard in Dazhicang Hutong, Luerduo Street, Yongefang.

Wu Quetiu let the two into his shabby house. He picked up a knife, cut open the belly of the big carp, and took out the internal organs. Then he piled up firewood and placed five tiles on top of the firewood, stacking them one on top of the other.

He placed the big carp on the tiles and roasted it over a high fire.

Soon, drops of black substance flowed out of the big carp's mouth. That was fish lamp oil.

Wu Quetiu'er then placed a broken clay pot under the fish's mouth to collect the oil.

After roasting for about half an hour, the earthenware jar was filled with a large pool of fish lamp oil.

The big carp had been squeezed dry. Lin Shisan picked up the earthenware jar and said, "Uncle Wu, thank you very much."

Wu Queti said, "I should thank you for giving me ten taels of silver. This is my food and clothing for a year."

Master and disciple Lin Shisan left Dazhichuang Hutong.

After returning to Xiyuan, Lin Shisan handed the jar of fish lamp oil to the Imperial Household Department, which then presented it to Emperor Jiajing in Yongshou Palace.

That night.

Emperor Jiajing was meditating in a green gauze tent.

Suddenly he asked, "Why is the lamp oil dimming? There is no more fragrance."

Lu Fang replied: "The emperor is indeed a master of the immortal way, and is very attentive to everything around him. The lamp oil is not the sesame oil we usually use. It is the fish oil that Lin Shisan offered as a tribute."

Emperor Jiajing was a little curious: "Fish oil?"

Lu Fang replied, "That's right. According to Lin Shisan, this fish lamp oil is made from a hundred-jin carp. It has a fresh scent of grass and trees. The smell of it can calm your mind and the sight of it can soothe your eyes and invigorate your spirit."

Emperor Jiajing sniffed and said, "Hmm, it really has a fresh scent of grass and trees."

In fact, fish lamp oil is colorless and odorless. It can only be said that Emperor Jiajing ate too much, and someone casually said that he had a problem with his nose.

After a moment, Emperor Jiajing praised him: "This Lin Shisan is indeed very capable. No wonder you, Yan Shifan, and Lu Bing all praised him highly in front of me."

Seeing that Emperor Jiajing was in a good mood, Lü Fang took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor's Office submitted a memorial saying that a white deer was born on Zhoushan Island."

"This old servant suggests that Lin Shisan go to Zhoushan to look for the auspicious sign of the white deer."

It was unknown what means Xu Wei used, but he managed to persuade the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Jiajing said: "Yan Shifan also suggested to me today that I send Lin Shisan to the southeast to look for the white deer."

"Lu Bing also mentioned to me the day before yesterday that the white deer is a sign of good fortune that only appears once every thousand years. It would be a pity not to send someone to look for it."

"Then let's send Lin Shisan."

Xu Wei, the most talented scholar in Jiangnan, used some unknown means to persuade the eunuchs, Yan family and Lu family to help plead for Emperor Jiajing.

Lu Fang cupped his hands and said, "I will go and tell Lin Shisan about His Majesty's instructions right away."

Fushou Street, Lin Mansion.

The family was sitting around having dinner.

Biyun said, "The deposit bill at Ruifu Bank has expired. The interest rate at Detong Bank is higher. I plan to deposit our money at Detong Bank."

Lin Shisan reminded: "Take advantage of small gains or you may suffer big losses. Is the Detonghao you mentioned reliable?"

Biyun replied, "It's run by someone from Puzhou. Do you think it's reliable? I've already gotten to know the inside story of that place from several of my good friends."

Lin Shisan suddenly realized: "He has a Puzhou background. That's fine, he is very reliable."

Hu'er is already three years old, and his appetite has increased recently. Biyun feeds him green vegetables, and he chews them with big mouthfuls, like a fat little rabbit eating grass.

Six-year-old Wang Xiaochuan is not picky about food. He eats one big steamed dumpling in one bite.

Lin Shisan said with a smile: "Xiaochuan, you have to dip steamed dumplings in vinegar."

Mei Niang brought another bowl of jellyfish soup. This is the best way to cool down in early summer.

Lin Shisan asked: "Jellyfish? Where did it come from?"

Biyun replied: "Ambassador Wang of Xiyuan Hucheng has a sworn brother who is a captain of the navy in Tianjin. He sent someone to bring it here."

Nowadays, there is an endless stream of people sending gifts to the Lin family. However, those people suffered losses at the beginning of the year, so they only send local specialties to maintain relationships, and never send real money.

The jellyfish soup was sour, fresh and smooth, with an excellent taste. The whole family enjoyed it.

Suddenly Chun Ge'er ran into the dining room and said, "Master, Eunuch Lu from the Imperial Household Department is here."

Lin Shisan stood up: "Ah, my uncle is here. I'll go greet him."

A voice came from the dining room door: "We are family, why are you welcoming us?"

After saying that, Lu Fang strode into the dining room. Biyun and the others quickly stood up and saluted him.

Lu Fang said, "There is no outsider here, so please don't be polite. I am here to have a free meal today. Come on, give me a pair of bowls and chopsticks."

Biyun quickly set the table for Lu Fang.

Lu Fang didn't hesitate to sit down and directly served himself a big bowl of jellyfish soup, which he ate up in one gulp.

After finishing the meal, Lu Fang suddenly remembered something: "Could this jellyfish be caught with slop?"

Lin Shisan smiled awkwardly: "How could that be possible? I dare not feed you swill every time."

Lu Fang told Biyun: "Don't stand. Sit down and eat."

Lin Shisan thought to himself: The Minister of Internal Affairs is busy with many things. I'm afraid he came to me for more than just a meal.

Sure enough.

After the meal, Lu Fang said, "Thirteen, let's go to your study and talk."

Lin Shisan nodded and went into the study with Lu Fang.

Lu Fang began to paint a big picture for Lin Shisan: "Shisan, do you know what the best thing about being a messenger is?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Easy."

Lu Fang said: "Wrong. That is just one of the wonderful things, but not the greatest one."

"The greatest advantage of the Chuanfeng official is that he can go out of the capital to look for tribute."

"Because he is a close minister to the emperor, all local officials are eager to curry favor with him."

"If he went out of the capital, for example, to Jiangnan and then returned to the capital, not to mention extortion, corruption or bribery, he would have pocketed at least tens of thousands of taels of silver just from collecting illegal fees and gifts."

"Along the way, local officials will give you the best reception. You will eat the most delicious food, drink the best wine, and sleep with beautiful young women."

Lin Shisan asked tentatively, "Are you asking me to go to the southeast to look for the white deer?"

Lu Fang frowned: "You little monkey are really smart. I just started a conversation and you guessed the end of it."

Lin Shisan smiled flatteringly and said, "Such a good job should be left to someone else. I still want to stay in the capital, serve the emperor well, and be filial to you, uncle."

Lu Fang saw through Lin Shisan's thoughts at a glance: "You are afraid of the Japanese invasion in the southeast, which is dangerous. That's why you don't want to go."

Lin Shisan did not deny it: "My nephew just wants to live a risk-free life."

Lu Fang shook his head: "What a pity. This is the Emperor's order! Pass on the Emperor's order!"

Lin Shisan quickly knelt down: "Your Highness Lin Shisan kneels to listen to the imperial edict."

Lu Fang said solemnly, "The Emperor has ordered Lin Shisan to be the Imperial Envoy to go to the southeast to look for the auspicious sign of the white deer. I decree this."

(End of this chapter)