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

Chapter 120: A trip to Jiangnan, Lin became a wealthy man in Beijing and a new noble in the imperial court (-word chapter)
Lin Shisan's secret memorial, Hu Zongxian's report of achievement, and Xu Wei's ghostwritten "Petition to the White Deer" were urgently sent to the capital over a distance of 800 miles.

Lin Shisan was not in a hurry to return to Beijing.

Hu Zongxian ordered the Wolf Soldiers to escort Lin Shisan back to Beijing, and Mrs. Wa was leading the Wolf Soldiers from northern Jiangsu to Hangzhou.

During the time of waiting for the wolf soldiers, Lin Shisan was not idle. As an imperial envoy, he was busy meeting with local officials in Jiangnan all day long.

When the presenter from Yongshou Palace arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, the local officials naturally presented all kinds of rare treasures to him and asked him to present them to the palace.

Local officials are very good at political speculation.

Lin Shisan was only 21 years old at the time. He was the "close" nephew of the official in charge of the Imperial Household Department. He had a close relationship with the leader of the Yan Party. He was also the favorite of the head of the Jinyiwei. This time he went south and made great contributions to killing the Japanese. He must have a bright future.

Local officials naturally tried their best to curry favor with him.

While presenting rare treasures to the emperor, they also gave Lin Shisan a large sum of money.

After staying in Hangzhou for seven days, Lin Shisan received about 30,000 taels of silver in Chengyi alone. With the military pay returned by Hu Zongxian and the remuneration of 10,000 taels of silver, Lin Shisan had become a wealthy man during this trip to the south.

Lin Shisan deeply understood why all the officials in Beijing wanted to be sent as imperial envoys. A trip out of Beijing would bring in a lot of money.

Just ten months ago, Lin Shisan was looking for pets for rich people and would be happy for a long time if he earned ten or twenty taels of silver.

Nowadays, he would easily collect thousands of taels of silver. And because there were so many people, people had to queue up outside the governor's office for a whole day to send him money.

Lin Shisan found Hu Zongxian again, wanting to give this huge fortune to Hu Zongxian as military pay for the anti-Japanese war.

However, Hu Zongxian refused again and gave four reasons.

First, the emperor's close ministers donated military funds to the local area, which was suspected of having ulterior motives.

Second, the military pay needed to fight against the Japanese was in the millions or tens of millions. These 55,000 taels were just a drop in the bucket.

Third, if you, Lin Shisan, say a few good words in front of the emperor for the cause of resisting the Japanese pirates, it will be worth a million military pay.

Fourth, there are many local officials who gave you, Lin Shisan, silver. But the amount given by each person was not large, ranging from a few hundred taels to a thousand taels. The gift of money is a shady practice in the officialdom and is not considered corruption or bribery.

Lin Shisan had no choice but to stuff the pile of banknotes into his own pocket.

As long as he could successfully bring the white deer back to the capital without any problems, he would become a truly wealthy man in the capital.

In the study of Lin Shisan's imperial envoy's office.

Sun Yue sipped his tea and said, "Master, you are really showing off your power this time. This morning, even the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture rushed from Nanjing to Hangzhou to give you some money."

Lin Shisan said, "I was just about to tell you. In the two battles in Huai'an Prefecture and Zhoushan Sea, 55 of our Beisi comrades died, and another 18 were seriously injured. I plan to take out 20,000 taels of silver to distribute to their families."

"You followed me out of the capital on this mission and it was a life-threatening situation. We had an agreement before that we would share the good times together and run away separately when disaster strikes."

"I can't keep the rest of the fortune to myself."

After saying that, Lin Shisan took out more than ten silver notes from his sleeve: "Take these five thousand taels."

When Sun Yue heard the number "five thousand taels", his fat body was shaking with excitement: "So much money? Master, I don't want to accept it without any merit."

Lin Shisan said, "How come you have no merit? You made merit in fighting the Japanese pirates, and you also made merit in finding Bai Lu."

"Also, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Don't be fooled by the high officials in Beijing and the local areas who praise me. In their eyes, I am just a tool."

"In such a big officialdom, how many people can I trust? Fatty Sun has been through thick and thin with me. I can't trust others, but I can trust you."

"Who else can I give the money to if I don't give it to you?"

Sun Yue rubbed his hands: "Hehe, Master has said so much, then I won't be polite!"

After saying that, he stretched out his fat hand and grabbed the banknote.

Lin Shisan still had 30,000 taels of silver left in his hand, which he could not spend even if he lay down for three lifetimes.

At this moment, a middle-aged man walked straight into the study without being announced.

The man who came was wearing the uniform of a third-rank civil official. He turned out to be the Yan Party’s god of wealth, the Salt Administrator Yan Maoqing.

Yan Maoqing laughed and said, "Lin Shisan, you are both successful and wealthy!"

Lin Shisan bowed his head and said, "This subordinate greets General Yan."

Yan Maoqing sat down on the chair without any hesitation and picked up a cup of tea: "You are an imperial envoy, how can you kneel down and salute me?"

Lin Shisan was so shameless that he even feared himself. He said seriously, "You and Doctor Luo Longwen are brothers who burn yellow paper and chop off chicken heads."

"Doctor Luo is the benefactor who saved my life. Since ancient times, benefactors are like reborn parents. Doctor Luo is like my biological father."

"He is my biological father, so you are my biological uncle! Isn't it only natural for a nephew to kneel down and kowtow to his uncle?"

"Uncle, please accept my nephew's greetings!"

After saying that, Lin Shisan gave Sun Yue a wink.

Sun Yue had been following Lin Shisan for so long that he had also learned the basics of being a shameless person. He kowtowed and said, "You are my master's uncle, and you are my grandfather! Grandfather, I kowtow to you!"

"Puff", Yan Maoqing spit out a mouthful of tea. He laughed so hard that he couldn't catch his breath: "Lin Shisan, your master-disciple recognition skills are really first-class."

"You look shameless, oh no, smooth and sophisticated. You look a lot like me, Yan, when I was young."

"Hurry up and get up. You are now the heroes of Lord Yan. We are family. Family members should not engage in such empty flattery."

Lin Shisan and Sun Yue stood up.

Yan Maoqing said, "I was inspecting the salt fields in Lianghuai. I heard that you brought back the white deer, so I hurried over to see the excitement. I also sent some tributes over, and you can take them to the emperor."

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "What uncle presented to the emperor must be a rare treasure in the world."

Yan Maoqing said: "The white deer you gave to the emperor is a fairy item. What I gave to the emperor is just a vulgar item - a total of one hundred pieces of brocade, every inch of brocade is worth gold."

Lin Shisan suddenly stopped smiling and said, "Uncle is wrong. It was Hu Zongxian and Futai who sent the white deer to the emperor. I was just accompanying him."

Yan Maoqing gave a thumbs up and said, "Well said! For the great cause of the emperor and Lord Yan to pacify the Japanese, open the customs and open the sea, you can give up the great credit to others. This is something I never expected."

Yan Maoqing took a sip of tea and said, "But there is one thing I want to remind you of."

Lin Shisan understood what he meant: "Don't worry, uncle. The thirty Northern Pacification Division comrades I brought with me will take turns guarding Bai Lu day and night."

"Did you smell a mutton smell when you entered the governor's office?"

Yan Maoqing said: "It seems to have a smell of sheep."

Lin Shisan explained: "I got ten sheep and kept them in the governor's office. Every day, the fresh fruits and vegetables that the white deer eat are tested for poison by the sheep first."

Yan Maoqing exclaimed: "Sure! Not only are you good at flattery, but you are also good at getting things done. You are simply a smaller version of Hu Zongxian."

"I came here to remind you to be careful of people with ulterior motives who might attack Bai Lu. I didn't expect you to have thought of this."

"You are only twenty-one years old, and you have thought so carefully. It's amazing!"

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "Uncle, you are too kind. I am a dull nephew, but it is all thanks to the good teaching of my elders that I am able to make a good decision even if I make many mistakes."

Yan Maoqing said: "Hu Zongxian is also very righteous. You gave him the great merit of hunting down the deer, and he gave you two great military merits."

"If you can return to the capital smoothly this time, you will be promoted to a higher position. Apart from other things, you will definitely get a Feiyu suit and an Embroidered Spring Sword."

"The cabinet minister and the younger cabinet minister will also regard you as a great contributor. Half of the governors and officials of the six ministries are the cabinet minister's men. We will all support you in the future."

"With us supporting you, what's left to say about your future? It's more beautiful than brocade!"

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "Thank you for your support, uncle."

Yan Maoqing said, "You have come to where you are today without any help from anyone, it's all your own doing."

"I never thought that a pet could become a popular figure in the court. Oh, things in the world are really unpredictable."

As the two were talking, Chen Lin rushed in anxiously: "Lin Chuanfeng, something big has happened!"

There was a cry in Chen Lin's voice.

Lin Shisan asked: "What happened? Did something go wrong with Bai Lu?"

Chen Lin replied: "It's not Bai Lu, it's Master Yuekong. Master Yuekong died in the battle!"

Lin Shisan was stunned: "What?"

Chen Lin recounted how Yuekong died in battle.

A group of Japanese pirates landed in Chuansha, and the local garrison troops were defeated. The Japanese pirates took advantage of the victory and attacked Nanhui.

Master Yuekong led the Shaolin monks to reinforce and fought fiercely with the Japanese pirates in Baisha Bay. The Shaolin monks were extremely brave and attacked the Japanese pirates' main camp, killing more than 300 of their elite warriors with sticks.

Originally, the vanguard attacked the enemy's main camp, and the Japanese pirates were in chaos. As long as the garrison troops followed closely, they could kill the Japanese pirates without leaving a single piece of armor.

However, the 5,000 guards around were afraid of the enemy and stood still, resulting in the Shaolin monks being surrounded.

Master Yuekong fought fiercely and died a heroic death. Only a hundred Shaolin monks managed to break through the encirclement.

Chen Lin said, "Master Yuekong's remains are about to be transported to Hangzhou. Hu Butang plans to lead Hangzhou officials and people to the city gate to welcome the remains of the master." Lin Shisan said solemnly, "The Jinyiwei is the royal guard. I will take ten comrades from the Northern Pacification Division to lead the way for Master Yuekong!"

Sun Yue hesitated a little: "Master, is it taboo to do this?"

Yan Maoqing on the side said, "It's okay. Yuekong was a Shaolin master who died fighting against the Japanese invaders. His soul returned to the Buddhist kingdom, and the Jinyiwei served as his honor guard. Even if this matter were to be reported to the palace, the emperor would not pursue it."

"Not only will the emperor not pursue the matter, he will even praise the Jinyiwei for doing a good job."

Lin Shisan said, "Sun Yue, go pick ten Northern Division comrades immediately, put on Jinyiwei official uniforms, and follow me to the city gate."

"Also remind the twenty comrades guarding the white deer to keep a close eye on the Immortal."

Two hours later, in front of the city gate of Hangzhou.

More than a hundred wounded monks were escorting an ox cart which was carrying a coffin covered with a monk's robe.

Hu Zongxian cried out in a tearful voice: "Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang, leads the officials and people of Hangzhou to welcome Master Yuekong!"

"Hualala", hundreds of officials and tens of thousands of civilians along the way knelt down, their cries shaking the sky!

Lin Shisan led ten comrades from the Northern Pacification Division forward.

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "I am Lin Shisan, the general flag of the Northern Pacification Division, and I will lead the Jinyiwei comrades to lead the way for Master Yuekong!"

After saying this, he led his comrades to the front of the monk army.

An old man with white hair and beard on the side of the road shouted at the top of his lungs: "Master Yuekong, farewell!"

"Wuwuwu!" The people cried even louder.

One of Yuekong's disciples stood up and said, "Amitabha! Master Yuekong left a last word before he died of his serious injuries."

As soon as these words came out, the crying stopped. Everyone was waiting to listen to Master Yuekong's last words.

Yuekong's disciple said every word in a sonorous voice: "Master Yuekong's last words said - exterminating demons is the duty of Buddhist disciples. Killing the Japanese and protecting the people is a great mercy."

"To die for the sake of killing people in accordance with the Bodhisattva Path is a worthy death."

"I only wish that the Buddha will bless our country of China with peace and prosperity, and that the bloodline of Yan and Huang will be passed down for thousands of years, and live as long as the sky, and shine as brightly as the sun and the moon. Good wishes!"

A commoner on the roadside shouted: "Master Yuekong, the Buddha on earth!"

Lin Shisan took the lead and shouted: "Officials and citizens of Hangzhou, welcome the Buddha on earth!"

The people followed suit and shouted in unison: "Welcome to the Buddha on earth!" The unified shouts shook the heavens and the earth!

Hu Zongxian walked to the ox cart and supported the coffin himself.

He shouted loudly: "We should inherit Master Yuekong's will and kill the Japanese! Kill the Japanese! Kill the Japanese!"

The people were excited and shouted: "Kill the Japanese! Kill the Japanese! Kill the Japanese!"

Lin Shisan had no doubt: it was only a matter of time to pacify the Japanese pirates. No matter how many hardships and obstacles they had to overcome, the Han people would definitely win the final victory.

With one heart and one mind, the mountains can be shaken. What more can a mere Japanese pirate be?
The crowd escorted Master Yuekong's coffin into the Jingci Temple in Hangzhou, where the people could pay their respects and hold memorial services for seven days.

Seven days later, the Hangzhou government will send a special person to escort Master Yuekong's coffin back to Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan.

Just as the people said, Master Yuekong killed the Japanese and protected the people, he is truly the Buddha on earth!
Five days later, Mrs. Wa led the wolf soldiers to Hangzhou.

It’s time for Lin Shisan to return to Beijing.

Hu Zongxian came to the city gate to see him off. He held Lin Shisan's hand and said, "I want to tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Yan Maoqing said you look a lot like me."

"We are all slick and even shameless in our behavior."

"But in you and me, there is still some conscience left. It's not much, but it's enough."

"For a noble purpose, what's wrong with groveling and currying favor with the powerful?"

Lin Shisan said: "How can I compare with Hu Futai?"

Hu Zongxian sighed: "Historical books are like a rolling torrent. You and I are just leaves in the torrent and dust in the river."

"Life is only a hundred years long. It is a blessing for you and me to be able to do something for the country and the people."

"Although the political situation is turbulent and the road to resisting the Japanese is difficult, I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people!"

After saying this, Hu Zongxian waved his sleeves and bowed to Lin Shisan as a final farewell: "Success and failure come and go, but you must not lose your will. The road ahead is long and the mountains are high, I wish you will rise straight to the top!"

He said this to Lin Shisan as well as to himself.

Lin Shisan returned the greeting by bowing: "Take care, Governor Hu! I will be in the capital, waiting for the news of the pacification of the Japanese invasion in the southeast!"

The team escorting Bai Lu to Beijing slowly set off.

The sky is high and the clouds are light.

At the same time, inside the main hall of Yongshou Palace.

Lu Bing knelt before Emperor Jiajing, while Lu Fang, Huang Jin and Chen Hong stood on either side of the green gauze curtain.

Emperor Jiajing inside the curtain roared: "Lin Shisan, good, good, good!"

Lu Fang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Lin Shisan, as a close minister of the Emperor, led a great army in the southeast, killed the Japanese pirates, and won a great victory. He did not bring shame to the palace! He did not bring shame to the Emperor! He is a tough guy!"

Huang Jin echoed: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Today we have three good news. The first is that Hu Zongxian, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and others found the white deer for you."

"Er Xilin Thirteen fought two battles against the Japanese pirates and won great victories. He brought honor to the palace and the emperor!"

"I am very happy to have obtained another masterpiece like "Presenting the White Deer Memorial"."

Emperor Jiajing loved to play charades. He handed a peanut to Lü Fang.

Peanuts were introduced to the Ming Dynasty in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign by Portuguese merchants from the coastal area of Fujian.

Lu Fang took the peanut and walked in front of Lu Bing.

Lu Fang whispered, "Does Commander Lu understand how to reward Lin Shisan?"

Lu Bing took the peanuts and thought to himself: The living are ascending. Flowers. The flying fish gift clothes of the Jinyiwei were full of flowers.

Thinking of this, Lu Bing cupped his hands and said, "I request the emperor to promote Lin Shisan to the rank of a hundred households of the Northern Pacification Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Grant him the Feiyu uniform and the Embroidered Spring Sword. Also, promote him to the rank of General Chengxin as an exception."

In the green gauze curtain, Emperor Jiajing spoke: "Approved. I have another reward for you. I will give you the reward after Lin Shisan escorts the white deer back to Beijing."

Lu Bing kowtowed: "On behalf of your subordinate Lin Shisan, I kowtow to thank God for His grace!"

Emperor Jiajing said again: "Lü Fang, tell Yan Song to draft three edicts. I am very pleased that Hu Zongxian, Yu Dayou, and Qi Jiguang have made great contributions in finding the white deer."

"Hu Zongxian was promoted to Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili, and was given the title of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He was in charge of military affairs, civil affairs, and food and salary affairs in Zhejiang, Nanzhili, and Fujian."

"Yu Dayou was acquitted and promoted to the commander-in-chief of Zhejiang."

"Qi Jiguang was acquitted and released, promoted to the position of assistant governor of Zhejiang, and concurrently the assistant commander of Ningshaotai."

"Yan Song has drafted the decree, and you, the Imperial Household Department, must approve it immediately."

As soon as this decree was issued, Zhao Zhenji became Hu Zongxian's subordinate, and it was no longer possible for him to strangle Hu Zongxian with military pay and food.

Lu Fang deliberately asked: "May I ask Your Majesty, after consulting Lord Yan about this matter, do you need to consult Lord Xu as well?"

Emperor Jiajing sneered, "Lord Xu is very busy. He has to teach Prince Yu, handle cabinet affairs, and manage his own 170,000 acres of land. Such trivial matters don't need to go through his hands."

Lu Fang shouted, "Your Majesty, you are wise!"

Emperor Jiajing looked at Lu Bing and said, "The Imperial Guards and the Ministry of Revenue should send a few people to Hangzhou to check the accounts of the Salt Transport Bureau. Give Yan Maoqing a warning. Don't let him get too rich by using the excuse of raising funds for the anti-Japanese war!"

Emperor Jiajing lived in a side palace for a long time, and the affairs of state, family and the world were as clear as a mirror in his mind.

It's just that there are some things he doesn't want to take care of, and some things he has to take care of out of necessity.

Lu Fang and Huang Jin left the Yongshou Palace and went to the Cabinet to meet with Yan Song.

As they walked, Lu Fang instructed Huang Jin: "The weather is too hot. When you have time in the evening, find three rolls of fine summer cloth from the Zhen Gong Bureau's warehouse and send them to my nephew's wife. Ask her to make some cool summer clothes for the family."

Huang Jin was stunned: "Your nephew's wife?"

Lu Fang nodded: "She is Lin Shisan's wife. He found the white deer in the southeast. For the sake of the great cause of resisting the Japanese pirates, he did not want such a great contribution and gave it to a loyal minister and general. We should take good care of his family in Beijing."

Huang Jin smiled and said, "Second Senior Brother is right. This kid has great potential. We should really take good care of his family."

Lu Fang lowered his voice again and said, "Also, your Imperial Horse Administration must send a group of elite soldiers from the Beijing Camp to the south to pick up Lin Shisan and Bai Lu. This will prevent someone from causing trouble along the way and ruining the whole thing."

Huang Jin said: "Are those people so bold?"

Lu Fang sighed: "How did the late emperor die? Those people are so bold that they can swallow the sky. You can't go wrong if you are careful!"

　There is another chapter tonight, and I will try my best to write 10,000 words today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)