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

Chapter 132 Bait ( words)
When Lin Shisan asked the demon Taoist Yan Hao what he cared about the most, Zheng Baihu was very confused: "What? I really don't know."

Sun Yue interrupted: "Why bother about him? We are going to catch him, not to give him a gift."

Zhang Bo seemed to have guessed what Lin Shisan was thinking. He scolded Sun Yue, "Fat boy, just keep quiet and listen to your master. Don't interrupt."

Lin Shisan patiently explained to everyone: "Capturing people and finding a favorite are actually very similar. There are two ways to find a favorite, one is to look for it, and the other is to lure it."

"Since we can't find Yan Hao's trace, why don't we think about how to lure him out? We can use whatever he cares about the most as bait."

After saying that, Lin Shisan picked up a piece of pork ribs, dipped it in chive sauce, and wrote four words on the table: "Home, Wealth, Trust, Career."

Captain Zheng asked: "What are these four words?"

Lin Shisan talked freely: "There are only four things a person cares about most: family, money, faith, and career."

"Captain Zheng, does Yan Hao have any family?"

Captain Zheng replied, "Yan Hao's ancestral home is Weizhou. The Southern Pacification Office has already visited his hometown. His parents died long ago, and no one has ever heard of him marrying or having children. All his relatives are dead."

"Before he became rich through his shady ways, he was a bachelor and idler in his hometown who was hated by everyone."

Lin Shisan picked up the pork ribs and drew a line through the word "home". "Then it won't work to lure him out by using his family members."

He knocked the word "money" on the table with a pig's rib: "Where is the money? This man is desperate to make money, and even sold military intelligence to the Tatars. He must be a man who values money more than his life."

Captain Zheng said, "That's right. He has been defrauding people of their money for so many years under the guise of the Yin-Yang Sect. He must have accumulated a fortune."

"Whether it's the Southern Pacification Office or the local government, they have made great efforts over the years to investigate the whereabouts of his amassed wealth."

"But it is much harder to find the money hidden by a miser than to find the miser. So we and the local authorities got nothing."

Lin Shisan said: "The money I'm talking about is not what he has accumulated. It's ours."

Captain Zheng asked, "You mean, to lure him out with huge rewards?"

Lin Shisan nodded.

Captain Zheng asked, "But how do you lure him with money?"

Lin Shisan said: "I haven't thought about it yet, we can think about it in the long run."

Lin Shisan pointed at the word "faith" with his pork ribs again: "Does he really believe in faith?"

Zheng Baihu shook his head like a rattle: "What the hell! How can a person who truly believes in the Tao use what he believes in as a cover to deceive and harm the people?"

Lin Shisan picked up the pork ribs and drew a horizontal line on the word "信".

Lin Shisan said: "The last bait is 'Ye', which means career. It is also his 'Yin Yang Sect'."

Captain Zheng said hurriedly: "You are not planning to mobilize a large number of people to strictly prohibit the Yin Yang Sect and uproot the Yin Yang Sect from the border areas in order to force him to show up? Absolutely not!"

"In the Xuanda area, there are more than 100,000 poor people who believe in the Yin Yang Sect. The poor people are not only bullied and oppressed by the border troops, but also exploited by the local government. Their lives are miserable."

“Although the Yin-Yang Sect is an evil sect, it is their only hope for survival. They firmly believe that as long as they believe in the Yin-Yang Sect, the Three Pure Ones will one day come down to earth to save them from danger.”

"If we rashly ban the Yin Yang Sect, it will definitely cause a civil uprising. This is why the Yin Yang Sect has grown increasingly powerful at the border in recent years, and the government is helpless."

"Neither the Southern Pacification Office nor local officials want this incident to lead to a civil uprising."

Lin Shisan picked up the pork ribs and wanted to draw a horizontal line on the word "业". But he hesitated for a long time and never put down the pork ribs.

Lin Shisan said: "We have to think of a way to prevent the people from rebelling because they have lost hope, but at the same time threaten Yan Hao's career and force him to show up."

Sun Yue asked: "Master, do you have any good ideas?"

Lin Shisan laughed and scolded: "I am not Zhuge Kongming or Liu Bowen. There is no ready-made good method. But I can think of a method slowly."

After saying that, Lin Shisan dipped the pork ribs in chives and circled the words "wealth" and "career".

Lin Shisan said: "Everyone, work together and think carefully about how to use the two baits of wealth and business to lure Yan Hao to show up and fall into our trap."

Sun Yue said, "Ah! I get it! We lied and claimed to be disciples of the Yin Yang Sect, and wanted to pay tribute to the Sect Master with a sum of gold and silver. The Sect Master Yan Hao is so greedy, he must be running to us, right?"

Captain Zheng immediately denied it: "This method has already been used by Inspector Lu Kai!"

"He found a local wealthy man and asked him to claim that he would donate 10,000 taels of silver to Yan Hao. He wanted to lure Yan Hao to show up."

"It turned out that Yan Hao was an old fox. He only sent two of his men to take the offering. The road patrol only caught those two men."

"Then the road patrol tortured the two men and forced them to accuse each other of lying, saying that Yan Hao worshipped Shen Jingli from our Jinyiwei as his master and that he and Shen Jingli sold military intelligence to the Tatars together."

Zhang Bo interrupted, "Lu Kai'an has a lot of accusations. The Jinyiwei have two most unforgivable charges. One is treason, and the other is treason."

"Shen Lian was imprisoned in Bao'an Prefecture and farmed there, dealing with carrying poles and manure every day. What could he use to rebel? It's hard to find any evidence."

"Treason is different. The two men of Yin Yang Sect fell into Lu Kai's hands. He only needs to use torture to get a false confession, and then he can put the big hat of treason on Shen Lian."

Lin Shisan said, "It seems that Yan Hao is a difficult insect to deal with. He is much smarter than the short-winged mountain green katydid I caught in Liuxinju. He even knew to send out his insect soldiers and generals to test the bait before taking it."

Captain Zheng said, "In my opinion, the word 'wealth' can be crossed out with 'pork ribs'."

Lin Shisan hesitated again and again, and did not listen to Captain Zheng. He said, "Let's think about it again."

Everyone discussed until midnight, but no good idea was thought of.

Lin Shisan said, "Forget it, we should go back to the Governor's Office. Oh, by the way, what is the name of the most famous brothel in Xuanfu City? Where is it?"

Captain Zheng blurted out, "Soft Jade Pavilion. It's on Maoshifang Hemorrhoid Street."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Okay. Captain Zheng, we'll take our leave first. We'll come back tomorrow night."

Sun Yue's eyes lit up: "Master, you are really vigorous. You just had a fight with a skinny horse in the afternoon, and now you want to take your disciple to a brothel in the middle of the night to enjoy yourself?"

Lin Shisan glared at Sun Yue and said, "What the hell! We have to have a reason to go back so late. Otherwise, the people in the Governor's Office will get suspicious."

Lin Shisan and his companions returned to the Governor's Office. Inspector Lu Kai came to greet them immediately.

Lu Kai asked: "Yang Bu Tang held a dinner for you three tonight. But I waited and waited but didn't see you three. I wonder if you three are going."

The imperial court appointed inspectors to supervise the frontiers. However, Lu Kai and Yang Shun were in the same boat. This was naturally done by Yan Song. The Yan Party wanted to completely control Xuanda, so they had to hold all the frontier officials and inspectors in their hands.

Lin Shisan said perfunctorily, "Ah, we finally came to Xuanfu from Beijing, so we naturally have to check the customs. Tonight we went to Maoshifang Hemorrhoid Street and visited the Soft Jade Pavilion." Lu Kai said, "Hey, Lin Chuanfeng, there are women in the mansion who don't spend money, why go to a place that spends money? How can the women in the brothels in the border areas compare to the skinny horses in Yangzhou?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Since ancient times, a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a maid, a maid is not as good as a prostitute, and a prostitute is not as good as a secret lover. How can a domestic flower be as fragrant as a wild flower?"

Lu Kai said with a smile: "Lin Chuanfeng is so elegant! If I had known this, I would have accompanied you tonight to enjoy the elegant atmosphere."

Lu Kai didn't suspect Lin Shisan and the others. He just felt that Lin Shisan was very popular, so he had to curry favor with her during this trip to Xuanfu.

The three returned to the bedroom. Lin Shisan lay on the bed and pondered how to use "wealth" and "karma" to lure Lu Kai, the demon insect, out.

The next morning, he led more than thirty Beisi comrades on horseback out of Xuanfu City and searched for short-winged stove crickets near the Sanggan River outside the city.

In fact, crickets are caught at night rather than during the day.

Lin Shisan wanted to use this as an excuse to leave the city and get in touch with the poor people outside the city. Because Xuanfu was a town, most of the people living in the city were military households and their families. Most of the poor people lived outside the city.

Lin Shisan instructed, "Everyone, short-winged stove crickets like to hide under wet rocks by the river. According to the Insect Classic, the best short-winged stove crickets are found by the Sanggan River in Xuanfu."

"Look carefully along the river. If you encounter any common people, ask them about the Yin Yang Sect."

More than thirty comrades received the order and acted separately with spider silk jars, pole cages, and long and thin nets.

Lin Shisan, Zhang Bo and Sun Yue rode on horseback and headed south along the Sanggan River.

After walking about two or three miles, Lin Shisan saw a ragged old man standing by the river, holding a small stone in his hand and constantly hitting another big stone. Every time he hit it, he shouted "Wulian Tianzun".

Wuliang Tianzun is a folk honorific for the founder of Taoism, which is derived from "infinite life and happiness". It is equivalent to "Amitabha" for monks.

This is a title arbitrarily given by some people who do not understand Taoism and is not recognized by orthodox Taoism.

The old man in front of me was saying "Wulian Tianzun" and doing strange things like hitting stones with stones. I think he must have been deceived by evil ways.

Lin Shisan got off his horse and said to the old man, "Wulian Tianzun! Elder, I am honored."

The old man put down the stone in his hand, made a strange gesture, and asked: "Are we from the same clan?"

There are always some strange hand gestures among folk evil ways, which can be regarded as a kind of secret signal for contact between people of the same clan.

Lin Shisan didn't know what gesture to use to respond, so he said perfunctorily: "I am not a Taoist. I am a merchant from the capital who came to Xuanfu to buy sheep."

The old man seemed a little disappointed. He picked up a small stone and prepared to continue hitting the big stone.

Lin Shisan said quickly, "My father believes in Taoism. I heard that there is a most authentic Taoist sect in Xuanfu. He asked me to come and inquire about it. If it is really the direct descendant of the Three Pure Ones, he is willing to come here to practice Taoism."

The old man's eyes lit up when he heard this: "You have come to the right place! Our Yin Yang Sect is the direct descendant of the Three Pure Ones! We are the most authentic Taoist sect!"

Lin Shisan asked: "I saw you were hitting other stones with rocks just now, what does that mean?"

The old man spoke eloquently: "You don't know. Our Yin Yang Sect's Sect Master Yan is the reincarnation of a fairy child under the seat of Daode Tianzun, who came to the world to save people from suffering."

"Sect Master Yan said that there are tens of millions of demons in the world, all of which have been killed by the Three Pure Ones and refined into stubborn stones by the river. Using stones to hit stones is to continue to punish demons for the Three Pure Ones, and it will bring great blessings!"

"Hurry up and ask your father to come to Xuanfu and join our Yin Yang Sect. The world is full of suffering, and the Three Pure Ones will soon come down to save mortals! As long as you are a member of the Yin Yang Sect, you can be saved by the Three Pure Ones."

Lin Shisan secretly laughed in his heart: Oh, Yan Yaodao is the fairy child of the Lord of Morality? I was possessed by the Lord of Morality!

Anyone who believes in evil ways and tries to recruit people for the evil ways will talk incessantly like a possessed person.

The old man spitted and said, "Look, of my three sons, one was exhausted to death by the government's corvée labor. One was beaten to death by the county tax collector. One starved to death."

"Why did they die? Because there was no Yin Yang Sect at that time!"

"I came at a good time and joined the Yin Yang Sect. I am already seventy years old. Although I have little food and clothing, I am still very healthy!"

"If your father joins the sect, not only will he have more blessings and a longer life, but his descendants will also be saved by the Three Pure Ones and live a good life with white flour to eat every day!"

Lin Shisan said, "Ah, so that's the case. I'll bring my father to Xuanfu in a few days."

But I was thinking: The people at the border are really suffering. They think they are being saved by gods just because they have white flour to eat every day.

Lin Shisan changed the subject and asked, "Do I need to pay an offering to join the sect?"

The old man nodded and said, "Of course! How many copper coins, cow and sheep skins, and grains do you have at home? Take out 30% and offer it to the sect master, who will then pass it on to the Three Pure Ones."

Sun Yue interrupted and asked, "Why is it 30%?"

Lin Shisan explained: "Why ask? The Lord of Dao and Virtue said, 'One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things.'"

The old man was surprised: "Oh, you are a person with a predestined relationship with Taoism! You actually know the truth! I think you should join the sect. If your whole family joins the sect and is saved by the Three Pure Ones, not only can you eat white flour every day, but you can also eat meat every three days!"

Lin Shisan suddenly felt a little sad.

To the poor people, the days of being "lived by gods" meant eating white flour every day and meat every three days.

Then wouldn't the poor people in the capital city regard him as a living god as he lives every day?
Lin Shisan asked: "Okay, I will join the sect. How do I join?"

The old man replied, "There is a fasting ceremony in our village tonight. You can follow me and make offerings, and then you can enter the sect after the fasting ceremony."

Last night Captain Zheng said that the Yin-Yang Sect is composed of five levels: village temple, township temple, county temple, prefectural temple, and general temple.

Lin Shisan said: "Oh? I wonder where the old man's village is?"

The old man pointed to the south and said, "It's four miles away. It's called Huangtangzi Village. You are really destined to be a Taoist! You are here in our village to offer maids to the Three Pure Ones tonight."

Captain Zheng also mentioned the maid last night. The Yin-Yang Sect cheated the ignorant people of their money. If the ignorant people had daughters, they would also cheat them and sell them for money.

These so-called "maids" would be sold to frontier soldiers as wives if they were average looking, and those with outstanding looks would be sold to brothels.

Lin Shisan has made up his mind. This time, he must catch the monster Yan Hao, not only to clear Shen Lian's grievances, but also to help the people at the border get rid of this evil.

In the capital, he lived a life of luxury, and whenever he went out, he always did something for the people.

In the Ming officialdom, having a conscience is a taboo. Lin Shisan doesn't have much conscience, but it's enough.

He said to the old man, "Then I will go to your village tonight. I will offer a few taels of silver as an offering and join the Yin Yang Sect."

The old man was stunned: "You are offering silver? Oh! Then your affinity is too great! No one in our entire village has ever offered silver as an offering. They all offer copper coins, cow and sheep skins, and grain."

(End of this chapter)