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

Chapter 121: Various rewards, both open and covert. The Emperor rewards Lu Bing and Prince Yu (-character chapter)

Just as Lu Fang expected, Lin Shisan encountered many dangers on his way back to Beijing.

First, in the Suqian section of the canal, an official ship encountered boat bandits who chiseled the bottom of the ship.

The boat robbers were not fools, they had always only robbed civilian ships, not government ships. This time they must have been instructed by someone.

The navy led by Chen Lin was good at swimming and had the advantage in numbers. They killed 16 water ghosts and captured 11.

The captives confessed that it was a wealthy man from Suqian who hired them to do this for a huge sum of money.

Lin Shisan sent the Royal Guards to the shore to arrest the Suqian gentry. However, before the Royal Guards arrived, the gentry's family was attacked by "Japanese pirates" and all 48 members of the family were killed.

The Japanese pirates had been active along the coast. How could they go so far inland as Suqian?

It is obvious that someone is using the guise of Japanese pirates to kill people and silence them.

When the official ship reached the Xuzhou section, someone on the shore used Portuguese cannon to bombard the official ship. Fortunately, the gunner's shooting skills were not very good, and the shells missed the target.

By the time Lin Shisan sent his men ashore, the gunner had already run away.

However, the Portuguese cannon was engraved with the date and the name of the craftsman. Lin Shisan followed the clues and found that the cannon belonged to a guarding thousand households of Xuzhou Guard.

As a result, the Jinyiwei who came ashore were a step too late. The captain, deputy captain, and pacification officer of the Qianhu Office all committed suicide by taking poison.

All three of them left suicide notes saying that they were confused and greedy for money and sold the Portuguese gun to a group of bandits. Knowing that they had committed serious crimes, they committed suicide to apologize to the world.

Another unsolved case.

When the official ship reached the Jining section, a barrel of gunpowder was hidden in the vegetable basket of the ferry boat that delivered vegetables to the official ship.

After being discovered, the vegetable vendor on the ferry boat bit the collar of his clothes and died. The local coroner performed an autopsy and found that the collar of his clothes had been soaked in crested red.

There are even more amazing things when you arrive in Liaocheng.

Someone actually set off a firearm from the Song and Yuan dynasties - the Divine Fire Flying Crow - from a high place near the Liaocheng wharf, in an attempt to use it to attack the government ship.

There was a reason why the Ming army abandoned the use of the Divine Fire Crow: its accuracy was too poor. None of the six Crows hit the official ship.

Lin Shisan sent people ashore to arrest people, but found nothing.

When they arrived in Dezhou, the Beisi comrades who were guarding the white deer used sheep to test whether the vegetables were poisonous. The sheep ate the vegetables and died.

The runner from the Dezhou prefectural government who was delivering the vegetables died of a "sudden illness" as soon as he reached the shore.

Lin Shisan had no choice but to order that those who sent vegetables on board from now on must taste the vegetables themselves to prove that they were not poisonous, in order to prevent someone from poisoning the white deer.

At the same time, troops from the capital who were heading south to welcome the white deer also arrived in Dezhou.

There were three groups of soldiers and horses. One group was led by the military commander Ma Fang, a 2,000-strong elite force from the Five Army Battalions. This group was sent by the Imperial Horse Administration.

One group included 300 comrades from the Northern Pacification Division, led by Liu Shouyou, a captain of the Northern Pacification Division.

Along the way were two hundred Dongchang servants sent by Chen Hong, the governor of Dongchang.

Lin Shisan and the leaders of the reinforcements gathered together and began to discuss matters.

Lin Shisan said: "We have arrived in Dezhou now. There are many dangers along the way."

"The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. If we continue to take the water route from Dezhou back to Beijing, it is inevitable that something will go wrong."

"I think it's better to do this. Madam Wa leads the wolf soldiers to continue to board the official ship. Two thousand soldiers from the five military camps will guard both sides. Enter the capital with great fanfare."

"Bai Lu disembarked secretly, escorted by five hundred men from the Imperial Guard and the Eastern Depot, and took a land route to the capital."

"When we travel by land, we will not stay in cities, but camp in the wild. At night, we will send many sentries and guards to the camp to prevent our whereabouts from being exposed and attacked."

Mrs. Wa said, "Well, it's feasible. I'm good at fighting, but I'm only dealing with enemies in the open. Dealing with enemies in the dark is really a headache. The art of war says to use the false and the real. I might as well do as Lin Chuanfeng said, use the false all the way and the real all the way."

Liu Shouyou said with a smile: "Lin Shisan, it is said that a man should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence. You have really improved your skills since your trip to the southeast. This method is feasible!"

Ma Fang said, "Eunuch Huang, the seal holder of the Imperial Horse Administration, has told me to follow Lin Chuanfeng's orders. Just as you said, our five military camps will escort the empty official ship northward."

Lin Shisan nodded and said, "Thank you, Marshal Ma. Please go and assign the coastal protection matters to the brothers in the Beijing Camp first."

Ma Fang leaves.

Sun Yue said, "Master, I don't understand. The Fifth Army Camp has 2,000 elite soldiers. Wouldn't it be safer to let them escort us by land?"

Lin Shisan said, "The Beijing camp has many people and they are mixed. Who knows if anyone has been bribed by those big families in Jiangnan?"

"The Imperial Guards are different from the Eastern Depot. The guards have strong fences and iron doors. They are all my brothers, I can trust them."

Liu Shouyou said: "You have thought it through. Everything will be as you said. Oh, by the way, Governor Lu asked me to bring you two things."

Lin Shisan asked: "What is it?"

Liu Shouyou clapped his hands.

A flagman came forward, holding a red lacquer tray in his hand. On the red lacquer tray was a flying fish suit and an embroidered spring sword.

Liu Shouyou smiled and said, "There is an imperial decree to promote Lin Shisan to the position of a centurion of the Northern Pacification Division, and grant him the Feiyu Clothes and the Embroidered Spring Sword!"

Lin Shisan stood there in a daze.

Every member of the Jinyiwei hopes to wear flying fish and embroidered spring on his waist one day.

In the Jinyiwei, many people spent their entire lives pursuing these two things but failed to obtain them.

Eleven months ago, Lin Shisan was just a captain without a position in the elephant training center. Now he has become the majestic Beisi Feiyu.

From a lieutenant to a registered lieutenant, a small flag, a general flag, a trial centurion, and a centurion. Within eleven months, Lin Shisan was promoted five levels in a row!
This... The ancestral tomb was struck by lightning. You can't make fun of it like that. Be careful, maybe the ancestors are angry and have brought down some natural disaster.

Liu Shouyou reminded: "Captain Lin, change into the Feiyu uniform. Now you are only one level away from me, the deputy captain."

Lin Shisan said: "No!"

Liu Shouyou frowned: "Are you showing off? Are you going to disobey the order?"

Lin Shisan said, "Captain Liu has misunderstood. Not only can I not wear the Feiyu suit, but all the Jinyiwei and Dongchang comrades must change into ordinary people's cloth clothes. We have to enter the capital in a low-key and secret manner."

Liu Shouyi clapped his hands and said, "Hmm. Great idea. Or what about what I said just now: a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence?"

There was a hint of jealousy in Liu Shouyou's voice. Which Jinyiwei comrade would not be jealous of Lin Shisan's astonishing promotion speed?

However, Liu Shouyou will not slack off in the slightest when it comes to escorting Bai Lu to Beijing.

Lu Bing gave him a death order: If Bai Lu gets into trouble on the road, you, Liu Shouyou, must bring his head to me.

Lin Shisan arranged everything, and that night, he used a small boat to quietly bring Bai Lu to the shore. That night they set off.

At dawn, the official ship also set sail from the dock, but it had become an empty bait.

It was six hundred miles from Dezhou to Beijing. Eight days later, Lin Shisan and his companions, who had traveled day and night, finally arrived at Beizang Posthouse in Daxing County, a suburb of Beijing.

If you go to Beijing by water, you must pass through Tongzhou Wharf. If you go to Beijing by land, you must pass through Beizangyi.

There were more than a dozen local officials of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh ranks in Beizangyi.

Liu Shouyou drove all the local officials out in the name of Jinyiwei. The entire Beizangyi was surrounded by 500 factory guards.

That afternoon, Huang Jin personally came on a fast horse, accompanied by a dozen minor eunuchs and fifty Han generals to deliver the imperial edict.

When Huang Jin saw Lin Shisan, his fat face turned orange peel with a smile: "Little monkey, you are rich now!"

Lin Shisan hurriedly bowed and said, "Eunuch Huang, you are joking. I was just lucky enough to have made a small contribution."

Huang Jin's eyes narrowed into slits: "Micro-merit? The emperor praised you three times! You were promoted to centurion, and you have Feiyufu and Xiuchundao, but that's not all."

"The Emperor said that when you escort the white deer to the capital, you will receive a huge reward!"

"Let's put it this way. From now on, you can walk sideways in Xiyuan."

Lin Shisan joked, "The one walking sideways is a crab. If I were a crab, I'd be swallowed up by the golden turtles in Taiye Lake as a snack."

Huang Jin smiled and said, "Forget it, let's talk business. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory has calculated the auspicious time for the white deer to enter the capital. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 pm, you will return to the capital via Anding Gate."

According to the Ming Dynasty system, military generals would go through Deshengmen when going to war and Andingmen when returning victoriously.

Huang Jin added: "The Emperor will lead all the civil and military officials to personally go to Anding Gate to welcome the White Deer Immortal!"

Lin Shisan said "good guy" three times in his heart!
You know, in these years no one could let Emperor Jiajing leave the Yongshou Palace in the Western Garden.

Even the annual visit to the Temple of Heaven to worship heaven and earth in the first month of the lunar year was done by the Prime Minister or Prince Yu.

Since he ascended the throne, the repeated arson and assassination attempts he encountered over the decades forced Emperor Jiajing to become the number one otaku in the Ming Dynasty.

This time, Emperor Jiajing actually went to Anding Gate to welcome the white deer? It was unprecedented!
Lin Shisan was surprised and asked, "Eunuch Huang, the emperor attaches so much importance to Bailu?"

Huang Jin nodded: "What do you think? This is a white deer, a Taoist immortal! Which immortal didn't ascend to heaven riding a white deer?"

Huang Jin lowered his voice and said, "You are lucky. Although you lost the merit of finding the deer to Hu Zongxian, you have the merit of escorting the deer. Plus two great military merits. Hey, I dare not imagine what the emperor will give you as a reward."

Talking about Hu Zongxian, Lin Shisan quickly asked, "Has Governor Hu been promoted?"

After Lin Shisan disembarked from Dezhou, he traveled by land in secret and did not see the latest court bulletin.

Huang Jin smiled and said, "Now we have to change it to Hu Bu Tang. The emperor promoted him to the governor of Zhejiang and the title of left assistant minister of the Ministry of War."

Lin Shisan asked again: "Where are General Yu and General Qi?"

Huang Jin replied: "Marshal Yu was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Zhejiang, and General Qi was promoted to the deputy commander of Zhejiang."

Lin Shisan breathed a sigh of relief: "It's not in vain that so many of the Northern Division's comrades died on the way south." Huang Jin said: "The court will certainly provide generous compensation to the martyrs of the Northern Pacification Division who died."

"Tonight I will stay with you beside the white deer. Tomorrow at 9:00 pm, the white deer will step into the Anding Gate, and your mission will be complete."

As the sun set in the west, Lu Yi arrived at Beizang Posthouse. With him came three hundred Han generals.

Lin Shisan hurriedly greeted him: "Greetings, Young Shopkeeper."

Lu Yi said, "No need to be polite. Oh? Eunuch Huang is here too. My father was afraid something might go wrong tonight, so he asked me to bring three hundred Han generals to protect Bai Lu."

Huang Jin nodded: "Well, it's better to be careful. After taking ninety-nine steps, you have to be careful with the last step."

The three of them entered the room where the white deer was placed. Lu Yi was amazed at the white deer.

Lin Shisan laughed in his heart: It's just a sick deer with white spot wind. There are plenty of them on Putuo Island.

Lu Yi said: "Lin Shisan, you have made great contributions this time. I will promote you to a centurion and give you Feiyu and Xiuchun. These are the obvious rewards."

"My father also gave you a big reward in secret."

Lin Shisan was a kowtow lover, and he knew that there was nothing wrong with kowtow more often. He bowed down and said, "How could I have received the three great rewards of promotion, clothing, and sword, and still want to receive rewards in secret?"

Lu Yi said, "Okay, get up quickly. Your trip to Jiangnan not only helped the fight against the Japanese pirates, but also greatly increased the reputation of our Jinyiwei."

"The upright people in the court usually say that our Jinyiwei are a bunch of scoundrels who only know how to kill, frame, beat, and kidnap."

"This time you have proved to them that Jinyiwei are also brave men who can fight on the battlefield and kill enemies!"

"Just for this reason, you deserve all the rewards."

Huang Jin said, "Mr. Lu, please stop keeping us in suspense. What kind of secret reward did Governor Lu give him?"

Lu Yi asked Lin Shisan: "You have an ice cellar at home, called Fuyuanhao?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Yes."

Lu Yi said, "My father said that the elephant training center needs ice every summer, and from now on half of the ice will be given to your family's ice cellar."

Lin Shisan was ecstatic!
The elephant training center uses ice every year, which costs 30,000 taels of silver. Half of that is 15,000 taels of silver. There is at least 6,000 to 7,000 taels of silver in profit!
With such a big business, the family would definitely have to add ten times the number of ice cellars, which would require a large amount of money to turn over.

Hey, I brought back 30,000 taels of silver from Jiangnan this time. No matter how many ice cellars we have, our family can afford it!

Although he was happy in his heart, Lin Shisan's face remained expressionless: "Young Shopkeeper. As far as I know, the ice used for elephant training has always been supplied by the salt industry under the name of Yan Maoqing. I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to live well if I take away half of his business."

Lu Yi said, "Don't worry, kid. If someone else takes away Yan Maoqing's business, Yan Maoqing will fight him to the death. But you are different. The high officials of the Yan family now regard you as a meritorious official and a lucky star!"

"Besides, the commander of the Jinyiwei is surnamed Lu. Why should the Lu family consider who else they want to give the Jinyiwei's supply business to?"

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "I would like to thank the Chief and Junior Manager for their kindness!"

He could already imagine his father Lin Youniu's delighted look when he heard the news and praised his "good son who has great potential".

He got promoted and made a fortune, and a bunch of high-ranking officials in the court and the localities owed him favors. This trip to Jiangnan was really fruitful.

Lu Yi looked at Sun Yue again: "You and your master went south to do business and fought against the Japanese pirates. You also made great contributions. I will promote you to a general flag."

Sun Yue knelt down and said, "Thank you very much, young shopkeeper."

Sun Yue followed Lin Shisan on his trip southwards this time, and received five thousand taels of Chengyi from Lin Shisan, and was promoted to the general flag, which also meant a promotion and wealth. More importantly, he had just divorced his wife at the beginning of the year.

Lu Yi said: "If you want to thank someone, thank your master."

At this point, Lu Yi paused, and then said meaningfully: "In the officialdom, the most important thing is to follow the right person. Your master followed the right person, and you followed the right master."

This statement seemed to be addressed to Sun Yue, but in fact it was a reminder to Lin Shisan: The people you are following are our Lu family father and son, not Yan Song or Luo Longwen.

You have made a contribution this time, but don't be complacent and forget who you are.

Lin Shisan understood what he meant. He cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, young shopkeeper. I am a member of the Jinyiwei in life and a ghost of the Jinyiwei in death. And the Jinyiwei's surname is Lu."

Lu Yi nodded with satisfaction: "Well, you are a smart man. Come on, serve the wine and food."

Two big generals brought up two food boxes, opened them, and poured wine and served dishes.

Lin Shisan hesitated: "Young Shopkeeper, I'm scared tonight."

Lu Yi said: "Don't worry. We have tested the poison. The Royal Guards are experts in poisoning and testing poison."

Let’s talk about Prince Yu’s Mansion in the capital.

The nineteen-year-old Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui was sitting in front of an ice mirror in his study.

His ministers Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng sat respectfully opposite him.

Xu Jie said: "This time, the Yan Party got a white deer from somewhere, and used the imaginary stories of immortals and ghosts to deceive the emperor and steal the power of the southeast. It is really abominable."

Gao Gong said, "You can't say that, Prime Minister Xu. Is Hu Zongxian a capable minister? Are Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang good generals? Is resisting the Japanese pirates a big deal?"

"A white deer promoted capable officials and generals and gave us hope for fighting against the Japanese invaders. How did it become a hateful thing?"

Xu Jie said: "They are all Yan Song's men."

Prince Yu closed his eyes and said nothing.

At this moment, a woman's voice came from outside the study: "This is exactly where we should reflect on ourselves."

After a while, a dignified and noble woman walked in. This person was Li, the concubine of Prince Yu.

Although Concubine Li was a woman in her early twenties, her wisdom and insight were not inferior to those of the court officials. She had always been a good wife to Prince Yu.

Concubine Li walked into the study room with light steps: "Who has Yan Song used in recent years? Who do we use?"

"Yan Song used Hu Zongxian to control the southeast. Hu Zongxian also brought together famous and capable generals such as Lu Tong, Yu Dayou, and Qi Jiguang."

"What about us? We have a bunch of crows that can only chirp in the court. Apart from Taizhou prefect Tan Lun, how many people are there who can do practical things?"

"Shouldn't we reflect on ourselves?"

Zhang Juzheng cupped his hands and said, "Princess, that's a good idea."

Concubine Li continued, "The southeast is the southeast of my father and the southeast of the Zhu family. Your Majesty is the only crown prince. Isn't it a good thing for Hu Zongxian and his men to build a stable southeast for Your Majesty?"

"Why did I hear from Zhu Xixiao, who is in charge of secret missions in the palace, that Bai Lu was attacked repeatedly on his way to the capital?"

"Xu Xiang, you didn't send those attackers, did you?"

Xu Jie said quickly: "Princess, you misunderstood. Perhaps it was sent by those people from Jiangnan, but I swear to heaven that I have absolutely no knowledge of this."

Zhang Juzheng quickly changed the subject and covered up for Xu Jie: "Just now the princess mentioned employing people, which is the key to doing big things. A few days ago, someone in the southeast gave me some gifts, and it seems that he intends to lean towards our side."

Princess Li asked, "Who?"

Zhang Juzheng replied: "The new deputy governor of Zhejiang Province is Qi Jiguang."

Concubine Li nodded: "He gave you a gift, it would be disrespectful for you to refuse it. Win him over for the prince."

It was Hu Zongxian who suggested Qi Jiguang to give gifts to Zhang Juzheng.

Hu Zongxian told Qi Jiguang about Yu Dayou's life: he was repeatedly not rewarded for his merits, punished for his mistakes, and his merits were falsely claimed. Although he was "a lieutenant general four times and a general six times", he was also "humiliated seven times and demoted four times".

"Suspension of salary due to accident", "awaiting trial while guilty", "seizing hereditary title", "seizing hereditary title again", "being guarded by Nanjing Jinyiwei". These inexplicable misfortunes occurred throughout Yu Dayou's military career.

Ultimately, it was because Yu Dayou had no backing in the court.

A local general without support is like a tree without roots or water.

I, Hu Zongxian, have leaned on the Yan Party. As long as the Yan Party does not fall, I will be able to protect you, Qi Jiguang.

But what if the Yan Party falls one day?
You, Qi Jiguang, are a rare general. But if you want to fight for your country for a long time, you must learn to find a backer.

You should try to curry favor with Zhang Juzheng in secret. He is from Xu Jie's side. If you curry favor with Zhang Juzheng, you will have the support of Xu Jie's party and Prince Yu.

In this way, if Yan's party gains power, I will protect you. If Xu's party gains power, Zhang Juzheng will protect you.

Foolproof!
Hu Zongxian planned the future for his trusted and beloved general Qi Jiguang.

In the study of the palace, Concubine Li said again: "Bai Lu came to the capital. First of all, it made the emperor happy. Which son in the world doesn't hope that his father is happy?"

"It entered the capital, and promoted loyal officials and generals to higher positions, enabling them to better fight against the Japanese invaders."

"No matter how you calculate it, it's good for the prince."

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng nodded repeatedly: "What the princess said makes sense."

"The princess's insight is truly embarrassing for me."

Princess Li continued, "I heard from Zhu Xixiao that there is a messenger named Lin Shisan who has been favored recently. He was instrumental in escorting Bai Lu back to the capital. When he went south, he also killed Japanese pirates and made military achievements."

"We cannot allow such a person to completely turn to the Yan Party."

"When this man surnamed Lin returns to the capital, Your Majesty must reward him well."

"Your Majesty cannot treat everyone that Father likes as an enemy."

Prince Yu finally opened his eyes and said, "Well, you are right. Let Feng Bao handle the reward for the messenger."

Gao Gong thought to himself: What a world! The crown prince is trying to win over a lowly imperial servant.

　Ten thousand words, so tiring. I had a seizure a while ago, and I have a cough and weakness due to various aftereffects. Yesterday I went to the reservoir to walk and exercise, and a tree fell across the road. I was not paying attention when I was looking at my phone, and I hit my head. Oh, it's so damn difficult.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)