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

Chapter 185 The Imperial Envoy and the Governor Are Good at Double Acting

Lin Shisan settled down in the Jiagu tribe. He and his comrades-in-arms would shoot rabbits and play with pheasants at the foot of the mountain every day, which was very pleasant.

He did not return to the Xianshan Thousand Households Office, but instead stayed with the Jurchens, waiting for Cha Dashou and Sun Yue to succeed in Liaoyang.

If he was busy hunting and having fun at the foot of the dangerous mountain when Xingde Commercial Company was robbed, Liang Wude and Lu Xing, those two bastards, would never have suspected that it was their godfather Lin Shisan who was bullying them.

Twelve days later.

A fast horse entered the Jiagu tribe. On the horse was Sun Yue, who was as strong as a black bear. The horse was almost suffocated by him.

Sun Yue dismounted, and Lin Shisan came forward to greet him: "Have you settled the matter in Liaoyang?"

Sun Yue nodded: "It's done."

Lin Shisan asked: "Where is the account book?"

Sun Yue replied: "I took him back to the Xianshan Qianhu Suo."

Lin Shisan asked again: "Did all the 100 people sent by Li Chengliang retreat safely back to the dangerous mountains?"

Sun Yue nodded: "Everyone has been evacuated safely. Lieutenant General Li really wasn't bragging. Those guys in the dangerous mountains are really good at setting fires. You didn't see how big the fire was..."

Lin Shisan felt relieved. The secret mission assigned by Governor Lu had been completed. The Hundred Flowers Immortal Wine had also been found.

Now all that was left was to capture six black bears and bring them back to Beijing to show Emperor Jiajing a wonder.

He not only completed his business during his trip to the capital, but also brought back rare items for the emperor. This is what a competent messenger officer should be like.

As for the Hundred Flowers Wine, Lin Shisan could keep a jar for himself and present it to Emperor Jiajing to please him, but he would not do so.

Zhang Bo was a wise man. A year ago, he told Lin Shisan, "As a court official, it is your duty to offer any rare things to the emperor. But don't offer three things."

"First, don't offer elixirs, second, don't offer food, and third, don't offer alcohol."

"The emperor has been taking elixirs excessively for many years, and his health is already not good. There are also people in the outer court who have been planning to assassinate him."

"If the emperor suddenly passes away one day, if you have offered him elixirs, food ingredients, or wine before, you will be suspected of poisoning the emperor."

Lin Shisan kept Zhang Bo's words in mind. For his own safety, it is better to have less trouble than more.

It was another night with a new moon. Fuman asked the tribe's shaman to pray to the gods. The oracle said that the black bear demon's anger had subsided. Everyone went into the dangerous mountains again to capture the black bear.

This trip into the mountains was very smooth. Lin Shisan and his companions spent 20 days capturing six black bears.

The black bears had been captured. Lin Shisan returned to Liaoyang City from the dangerous mountain. He did not go to the governor's office, but went directly to the two elder sons' councilors' office.

As soon as they entered the yamen, Liang Wude and Lu Xing felt as if they had seen their savior.

The two men burst into tears and bowed their heads, "Foster father, please save us! If you don't save us, we will never be able to get through this hurdle."

Lin Shisan asked: "What are you talking about? Get up quickly. What happened? Don't panic, speak slowly."

Liang Wude choked up and said, "During the time you were in Xianshan, someone robbed the Xingde Commercial Bank. Not only did they rob countless treasures, but they also set it on fire before leaving!"

Lin Shisan was surprised: "Oh? Who did it?"

Liang Wude said angrily: "Those thieves speak Tatar and wear Tatar boots. They look like Tatar spies who have sneaked into Liaoyang City."

"But I know it very well. They are not Tartars at all! One of the clerks at the firm saw them carrying away all the books from the counting-house."

"The Tatars sneaked into the city to rob. Why did they take away the merchant's account books? They are only interested in silver, cloth, food and women."

"Could it be that they are like Zhu Bajie, playing with an abacus and looking at the account books, pretending to be the accountant?"

"I concluded that someone must have disguised himself as a Tatar and seized our account books as evidence to harm us at court."

Lin Shisan said, "Oh? Is this true? Damn it, looking at the entire Liaodong, who dares to touch my adopted son? You are pissing on the head of Tai Sui, right?"

Lu Xing insisted: "It must be Governor Hu Zongming!"

Lin Shisan asked: "Oh? Is there any evidence that he did it?"

Lu Xing replied: "There is no evidence. But think about it, father. More than a hundred Tatars sneaked into the city, robbed the merchant house and set it on fire. How could they all leave the city safely?"

"Could it be that the Liaoyang City defense garrison is just for show?"

"The defense of Liaoyang City is under the control of Hu Zongming. Only with his help from inside and outside can we get all the thieves out of the city."

Lin Shisan sat on the chair and drank a sip of tea: "How important are those stolen account books you mentioned?"

Liang Wude said with a sad face: "Over the years, we have earned the difference in the price of military rations and the interest on military salaries. All the detailed accounts are recorded in those account books."

Lin Shisan deliberately took a deep breath and said, "This is bad news. If it is true as you said, the thieves were ordered by Hu Zongming, then all these account books must be in Hu Zongming's hands."

"If he accuses you two and hands over the account book as evidence, then there will be no end to the matter!"

"You are too careless. Didn't you expect someone would dare to mess with you? Such an important account book is placed so openly in the company."

Liang Wude was at a loss: "Foster father, now that things have come to this, how do you think we should deal with this?"

Lin Shisan said, "It doesn't matter. There has never been a day when no one has reported someone in the court, and there has never been a day when no one has been reported. The key is whether there is anyone to protect you."

"If the Grand Secretary and Junior Secretary come to your rescue personally, even if Hu Zongming has irrefutable evidence, he won't be able to do anything to you two."

Liang Wude was in deep sorrow: "Father, I am a councillor. I am still an official in Liaodong. But I am nothing in the imperial court."

"I am just a disciple of the Lord. I have not even met the Lord a few times. I am afraid the Lord will not personally protect us."

Lu Xing cried bitterly, "We can't count on you, Lord. We can only count on you, my foster father! My foster father, our sons' lives depend on you."

Lin Shisan said, "That's easy. You can't talk to the elder, but I can. I'm not exaggerating, but the elder won't give face to others, but he should give me some face."

"After all, I am the younger brother of the young elder, and I have helped the Yan family a lot in the past few years."

"Nothing"

Liang Wude asked tentatively: "May I ask, godfather, but what?"

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Well. You have all been in the officialdom for many years. You should know that if you want to save your life, you have to be willing to spend a lot of money!"

"I can't just go to the old cabinet and talk to the young cabinet minister about this matter without any words. I have to give the old cabinet minister a valuable gift on your behalf before I can ask him for help. You know what I mean."

Liang Wude said, "I know. How much do you think is appropriate?"

Lin Shisan thought for a moment and said, "You are a third-rank councilor, so you should get more, say 30,000 taels. Lu Xing is only a fifth-rank doctor, so you should get less, say 20,000 taels."

Taking money out of corrupt officials' pockets is more painful than cutting their flesh.

But saving lives is the most important thing. The two had no choice but to agree. They immediately went back to get the banknote and handed it to Lin Shisan with both hands.

In Lin Shisan's eyes, these two people were already dead. It would be a waste if he didn't take their money.

Isn't it a pleasure to take ill-gotten gains and do righteous things?

Lin Shisan said, "Don't worry, my two good sons. I will never let you give this money away for nothing. I will definitely give you an explanation."

"Oh, by the way, you guys are going to the governor's office with me now." Liang Wude asked, "Excuse me, godfather, what are you going to do at the governor's office?"

Lin Shisan said angrily, "What a joke! Hu Zongming made my two adopted sons suffer such a great loss. I must give him back some color."

"Yes, the group of people he ordered escaped from the city successfully, leaving us no evidence."

"But as the governor of Liaodong, you watched the Tatars enter Liaoyang City, loot and then leave. This is dereliction of duty!"

"As an imperial envoy, if I don't scold him like a fool, I'll have to stuff my face into my crotch."

Liang Wude and Lu Xing were greatly encouraged, thinking that Lin Shisan wanted to vent their anger.

In fact, Lin Shisan went there to perform a double act with Hu Zongming.

Lin Shisan led his two grown sons and entered the governor's office in a threatening manner.

Hu Zongming came forward and asked, "Lin Chuanfeng, when did you come back?"

Lin Shisan ignored Hu Zongming and sat down on the chair without any hesitation. Liang Wude and Lu Xing stood behind him, like Dharma protectors, the two generals Heng and Ha.

Lin Shisan took a sip of tea, then smashed the teacup to the ground.

Hu Zongming asked, "Lin Chuanfeng, what do you mean by this? Why are you throwing things around as soon as you enter the room?"

Lin Shisan angrily asked, "Hu Zongming! May I ask what your official position is?"

Hu Zongming replied: "The Governor of Liaodong. Why did Lin Chuanfeng ask when he knew the answer?"

Lin Shisan cursed, "What a Liaodong governor! A hundred Tatars swaggered into Liaoyang City, robbed and burned a business, and then left safely."

"The defense of Liaoyang City is like a layer of window paper, which can be broken with a poke. What do you do as a governor? What do the Liaoyang Guards do?"

"Although you are not a big territory, you are still a small territory. Do you understand that you have the responsibility to defend the territory?"

Hu Zongming knew that Lin Shisan was acting. He responded well: "Lin Chuanfeng, you keep saying 'one hundred Tatars'. May I ask, how do you know that the group of people who entered Liaoyang City were Tatars?"

"Perhaps it is the thieves in the city who are disguised as Tatars?"

"Thieves in the city robbed and burned down a business. This is not a military matter, but a civil criminal case."

"The civil affairs and criminal cases in Liaoning are all under the jurisdiction of the Councillor's Office, not my Governor's Office. If you, as the Imperial Commissioner, want to investigate this matter, please hold Councillor Liang accountable."

We are all old hands in the officialdom. When it comes to passing the buck, quibbling, and shirking responsibility, who isn't an expert?
Lin Shisan was so angry that he was shaking all over: "Okay, okay, okay. What a silver-tongued governor. I'm going to report you!"

Hu Zongming laughed and said, "It's not that I'm eloquent. It's just that I can't bear the accusation you put on me!"

"Some hats weigh less than 100 kilograms if not weighed. If weighed, they weigh more than 1,000 kilograms. Good fellow, you watched the Tatar invade Liaoyang and then left safely. You should have killed me twice."

Lin Shisan said sarcastically, "Oh, I heard Eunuch Yang from the Weaving Bureau say this in Hangzhou. Could Eunuch Yang be your father?"

"That's not right. Your ages don't match. Besides, Eunuch Yang is a rootless man. Where did he get a son as big as you?"

"Oh, I see. You must be Eunuch Yang's adopted son."

Hu Zongming immediately started to talk nonsense: "Lin Shisan, I'm going to kill you! You are a lieutenant from a distant family, and you got to be a fifth-rank official by flattering others. Why do you have the right to show off in my governor's office?"

Lin Shisan was unequivocal! He jumped up like a nimble toad, rushed to Hu Zongming, and stretched out his hands to strangle him.

Hu Zongming fought back and strangled Lin Shisan's neck with his hands.

Now it was Liang Wude and Lu Xing's turn to be dumbfounded: "Father is really a righteous man, standing up for us, but he shouldn't resort to violence, right? If the governor and the imperial envoy rolled around on the ground, or threw turtle fists at each other, it would be too disgraceful if it got out."

The two of them hurried to separate them.

Liang Wude said: "You two, you two, a gentleman should use his mouth instead of his fists."

Lin Shisan cursed, "If you don't move, you're a cuckold! He wants to harm my two adopted sons. If I swallow my anger, wouldn't I be a coward?"

The four of them struggled for a while before Lin Shisan and Hu Zongming finally let go of each other.

Lin Shisan said: "In the officialdom, the most important thing is to learn to compromise with each other. Hu Zongming, how about we negotiate?"

Hu Zongming said: "Let's talk. Who is afraid of who?"

Lin Shisan ordered Liang Wude and Lu Xing: "You go out first. I will have a good talk with him. I don't believe that he would not give me a bit of face as a popular person around the emperor."

Liang Wude warned: "Godfather, negotiations are negotiations. Don't do it again."

Lin Shisan sneered, "Oh, the young are better than the strong. I am thirty years younger than him, so I can't stand the loss. You guys go down."

After the two of them left, Lin Shisan lowered his voice and said, "Hey, Hu Chenyuan, you're really good at pinching me."

Hu Zongming complained with a smile: "You are the same, aren't you? You were really ruthless. You pinched me so hard that I almost fainted."

Lin Shisan said, "The job has been done. The account book is in my hands now. I will return to Beijing tomorrow."

Hu Zongming cupped his hands and said: "To defeat the parasites on the border, it all depends on Lin Chuanfeng."

Lin Shisan shook his head: "Don't rely on me. The border army termites have formed a big network. It is connected to the Yan Party's big network in the capital."

"I don't have the ability to uproot this web. We have to rely on our Governor Lu."

"I'm just an errand boy for Governor Lu. Oh, by the way."

Lin Shisan took out the silver notes that his two adopted sons had just handed over from his sleeve and said, "This fifty thousand taels of silver is for you. Along the way, the difficulties faced by the Liaodong border troops are simply shocking."

"Fifty thousand taels is not much. If it's exchanged for food, it can at least allow the Liaodong border troops to have a few more full meals."

Hu Zongming asked, "How can I take your money?"

Lin Shisan said, "Don't get me wrong. This is not my money. I am not so bold as to give money to the border troops as a close minister of the emperor. Wouldn't that be considered as winning over the troops and plotting something bad?"

"This money belongs to Liang Wude and Lu Xing."

After that, he told Hu Zongming how he was going to blackmail Liang Wude and Lu Xing.

Hu Zongming smiled and said, "This money was taken from the soldiers and used for the soldiers. Then I won't be polite."

Lin Shisan said, "You're welcome. You and your cousin Hu Zongxian are in charge of the southeast and Liaodong respectively. You are truly the two heroes of the Hu family."

"After returning to the capital, I will report your achievements in Liaodong to the emperor truthfully."

Hu Zongming cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much, Lin Chuanfeng."

The next morning, Lin Shisan and Sun Yue set off on their journey back to Beijing with six black bears, two jars of Baihuaxian wine, and a box of account books.

They didn't know that in the capital, a huge storm against the Yan Party was brewing at the emperor's instruction.

The 38th year of Jiajing was destined to be the year when the Yan Party went downhill.

Those who do too much evil will eventually perish, and it is time for the Yan Party to suffer the consequences.

(End of this chapter)