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

Chapter 196 The errand is here
Duke of Wei Xu Pengju was a very simple man.

As long as he had a horse to ride and fish to fish every day, he was happy.

Nothing can stop him from fishing. Five years ago, Japanese pirates broke into Nanjing. When the whole city of Nanjing was facing a great enemy, he, the Nanjing garrison, was fishing by the Qinhuai River.

It should be said that he is a fool, but at the same time he is a pure person who has escaped from vulgar tastes.

He had no interest in the things that the Nanjing nobles loved to do, such as corruption, bribery, bullying men and women, annexing land, keeping prostitutes and gambling, and occupying private houses.

Another way to say a straw bag is that it is harmless to humans and animals.

Only because of such a harmless person, Emperor Jiajing dared to hand over the hundreds of thousands of troops and horses of the Ming capital as well as the civil power of the city to him.

March is a good time to fish for crucian carp.

Xu Pengju and Lin Shisan were standing by the river, mixing the nesting materials. The nesting materials were simple, made of Gongtian millet, overnight Mingqian tea, thirty-year-old daughter red wine, pearl rice flour, and yeast dough, mixed together and stirred evenly.

The recipe for this nesting material was taught to Xu Pengju by Lin Shisan.

While mixing the bait, Xu Pengju murmured, "Although crucian carp is small, it is a treasure. It can be used to make braised crucian carp, steamed crucian carp, crucian carp tofu soup, dry-fried crucian carp, crucian carp with black beans, scallion-fried crucian carp, sweet and sour crucian carp, crucian carp stuffed with meat, medicinal crucian carp, crucian carp porridge, and crucian carp jelly."

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "The Duke knows a lot about food."

Xu Pengju carefully mixed the nesting materials and said, "Xiao Shisan, do you think this nesting material has fermented?"

Lin Shisan said, "There's not enough yeast. We need to add more yeast to make it rise."

The two of them were busy mixing the nest materials. Behind them stood eighty guards from the Duke's Mansion.

The family guards were a privilege only for princes. However, Emperor Jiajing made an exception and granted Xu Pengju 500 guards. This shows how much he trusted this idiot.

According to the rules for escorting the Duke when he goes out, the guards all wear armor and helmets, hold long spears, have long swords on their waists, and carry bird-beaked guns on their backs.

The fishermen along the Qinhuai River seemed to be used to this kind of scene. They were not afraid of the guards at all and came to Xu Pengju to fish casually.

An old man in cloth passed by the two and said teasingly, "Hey, isn't this the idiot Duke? The bait is mixed very well. Can you catch any fish?"

"Last spring, when I was fishing for crucian carp here, I saw that your bucket had been empty for twelve days! You are simply an empty bucket governor."

Xu Pengju raised his head and glared at the old man, "You old fool. You can call me a foolish duke, you can call me a useless garrison commander, you can also call me a stupid commander."

“I just listened with a smile.”

"But if you call me an empty bucket governor, I will get angry and curse you!"

"Can a fisherman's work be called empty? I can't catch any fish, but if I just pick up two small crabs and throw them in the bucket, it's not empty!"

The old man smiled and said, "Yes, yes. An empty bucket cannot be empty. Once I saw you pick up a smooth, straight stick and throw it into the bucket."

Xu Pengju said, "You old fool, shut up and go dig your nest. It's too late, and all the crucian carp will run to my place."

The old man stopped bickering with Xu Pengju and found a place about ten steps away from them to set up a nest and cast his rod.

Lin Shisan asked curiously, "Duke, which nobleman in the city was that just now? Or which official in charge of the six ministries? Which governor in charge of the governor's office? Why is he dressed so simply?"

Xu Pengju cursed: "That old man is a poor noble, a minister, and a governor. He used to sell fried cakes on Hongwu Street. He quit his job when he saved enough money for his retirement and went fishing in Qinhuai River every day."

Lin Shisan was stunned. He thought: Duke Wei is really interesting. You say he is humble, but when I, a captain of the Imperial Guard, went to pay my respects to him that day, he almost didn't even let me in through the gate.

You say he is arrogant. Any fried cake seller can have a quarrel with him.

You know, he is the most honorable and powerful person in the entire city of Nanjing.

Xu Pengju picked up the bait and threw it into the water one ball after another.

I didn't catch any fish. I threw half a catty of Nv'erhong, three catties of Gongtian millet, and three catties of pearl rice flour into the river.

Xu Pengju asked Lin Shisan: "Next swing?"

Lin Shisan nodded: "Next."

The two of them adjusted the chicken feather float and cast the rod into the water.

The old man next door has already caught a big crucian carp weighing more than half a pound.

The old man shouted: "Caught a fish!"

After shouting, the old man held up the fish and shook it towards Xu Pengju as if to show off: "Look, you threw the fine rice, flour and wine into the water, but you didn't catch any fish?"

"Look at me. I just threw a few ounces of bran into the water, and a half-pound crucian carp was caught on my hook."

"It can be seen that the crucian carp in the Qinhuai River are even cheaper than the whores in the Qinhuai River! They don't like to eat fine grains, they only like to eat coarse bran."

Xu Pengju cursed back: "Stop talking! Be careful, you're so happy about catching a small fish that you'll die by the Qinhuai River."

The old man laughed and said, "If I die, who will help you use the scoop net when you catch a big fish in the future?"

The two were cursing at each other when Lin Shisan's chicken feather float sank.

It's now!

Lin Shisan raised the rod, grabbed the fish's mouth and hooked it. He pulled it up. Wow, it was also a crucian carp weighing half a pound.

Xu Pengju said, "We both dug the same nest. The fish float is only three feet away. Why do the crucian carp eat yours but not mine?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Don't be anxious, Lord. There is a saying in the fishing circle in Beijing: Who doesn't have an old man die during the New Year? How can you not eat dumplings for a hundred years?"

Xu Pengju nodded first: "That makes sense."

After a moment he realized something was wrong: "Whose family has old men dying every year, and whose family only eats dumplings once every hundred years? You got it wrong."

Lin Shisan also laughed: "That's the opposite."

As the two were talking, Xu Pengju's fishing float tilted slightly.

He was quick-witted and raised the rod, but was greatly disappointed when he pulled it up. He had caught a fish, but it was a wheat ear weighing only a few cents. It was not even as thick as his little finger.

The old man started to tease again: "Oh, the fish that the Duke cooked is quite big! I can make a pot of soup with it when I get home."

Xu Pengju said, "I'll go home and ask the cook to wrap this fish in shit and fry it. It's none of your business."

The luck of a person is like the luck of a fish. Luck will not always be bad.

About half an hour later, the bait that was invested heavily in the pond finally sprouted.

Xu Pengju and Lin Shisan started to catch fish together, one after another. They were all large crucian carp weighing half a pound. Occasionally, they would catch a small carp weighing one pound.

Xu Pengju's face lit up with a childlike smile: "Ah! Great! I won again!"

The two fished until noon, when the servants from the Duke's Mansion came to deliver food.

The servant opened the food box and placed several plates of exquisite side dishes on a small square table.

Xu Pengju ordered the servants: "Take half of the braised pork and give it to the old coffin guy next to him. And give him a few cakes."

Lin Shisan poured wine for Xu Pengju.

Xu Pengju drank it all in one gulp: "Your bait recipe is really useful. We should fish together more often in the future."

At this moment, Sun Yue ran over in a hurry.

Sun Yue bowed and said, "I greet the Duke."

Xu Pengju nodded slightly. Sun Yue said again: "Captain Lin, your relatives have come to your house."

This is a code word.

Lin Shisan understood what he meant: "Ah? My second uncle is here so soon? Duke, my relatives are coming to my house, so I have to excuse myself."

Xu Pengju said, "Okay. If you have something to do, go ahead. Anyway, the fishing spot is already full. I can still catch a full bucket without you."

Xu Pengju turned around and ordered the servants: "Tell those idiots in the kitchen to prepare the seasonings for cooking crucian carp. The whole family will eat crucian carp tonight."

Lin Shisan carried the fishing rod and Sun Yue helped him carry the fish bucket, and they returned to their new house on Dachanggan Street.

Lin Shisan's new house was a spacious courtyard house. Although it was not as dignified as the house on Fushou Street in the capital, it was twice as big as the old house in Gouqibo Hutong.

There was a large water tank in the center of the courtyard. Lin Shisan poured the crucian carp from the fish bucket into the water tank to keep them.

Then he entered the main room.

There were two people sitting in the main room. One was the assassination expert of the Northern Pacification Division, Captain Xue Yanwang.

King Xue Yan took four members of the Northern Division's general flag team and lurked in Nanjing City, not revealing his true identity.

Old Xue had a basic knowledge of medicine, so he simply opened a pharmacy in Xinjiekou and practiced medicine under a lantern, specializing in treating difficult and complicated gynecological diseases.

The other one is Shen Weijing, a centurion of the Southern Pacification Division.

Shen Weijing was sent to Hangzhou by Lu Bing a few years ago to assist Hu Zongxian in fighting against the Japanese invaders. In the battle of Wangjiangjing the year before last, Hu Zongxian personally went to the front to supervise the battle. In the melee, he was separated from the main group and became alone.

It was Shen Weijing who risked his life to rescue Hu Zongxian from the siege.

His cover identity in Hangzhou city was the cloth merchant head of the Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce.

Xiao Shen and Lin Shisan are old acquaintances. They had sailed to Jiangnan on the same ship before.

Lin Shisan got straight to the point and asked Shen Weijing, "Did Hu Bu Tang run into any trouble?"

Shen Weijing nodded: "There is a traitor in the Zhejiang Dusi Yamen. The traitor recorded the detailed roster of the Zhejiang soldiers under General Qi, the configuration of firearms, and the mandarin duck formation. He gave it to a Japanese pirate spy."

"When the traitor was exposed and caught, the spy had already left Hangzhou."

"According to the traitor's confession, the Japanese pirates' intelligence network is very secretive. The route for transmitting intelligence is not directly heading east to the coast."

"Instead, they sent it to Nanjing. They have an intelligence relay station here. Military intelligence from all over Jiangnan is first gathered in Nanjing. Then it is passed from Nanjing to Yancheng to the Japanese pirates at sea."

Lin Shisan frowned: "The Japanese pirates' intelligence transmission base is in Nanjing?"

Shen Weijing nodded: "I rode the express horse to Nanjing. According to the time, the spy with the information about the Zhejiang soldiers should not have arrived in Nanjing yet."

"We need Captain Lin to take action and destroy the intelligence transfer den. Then we can set up a net to catch the spy."

"If the information about the Zhejiang soldiers is obtained by the Japanese pirates, the consequences will be disastrous."

Lin Shisan asked: "Any clues?"

Shen Weijing said: "The traitor confessed that the intelligence transfer nest was on the Qinhuai River. He didn't know anything else."

Lin Shisan said, "On the Qinhuai River? There are many flower boats on the Qinhuai River. Could it be that the Japanese pirates' secret agents used the flower boats as a cover to transfer information?"

Sun Yue, who was standing by, slapped his head and said, "I understand!"

Lin Shisan asked: "What do you understand?"

Sun Yue smiled and said, "Master, my visit to the Qinhuai River was not in vain! I heard from a popular girl that the popular girls on the Qinhuai River are often bought by foreign brands."

"The so-called buying foreign girls means that wealthy businessmen from other places spend a lot of money to invite them to various places in Jiangnan. They accompany them to eat, drink, and make erotic poems."

"In this way, Miss Hong has a reasonable reason to leave Nanjing and go to various coastal areas to deliver intelligence to the Japanese pirates."

Lin Shisan said approvingly: "Don't mention it, your visit to Qinhuai River was indeed not in vain."

"But there are 900 brothels on the Qinhuai River, and there are more than 300 procuresses alone. Where do we start?"

When it comes to finding and taming pets, Lin Shisan is an expert.

But when it comes to finding traitors and catching hidden agents, Lin Shisan is completely clueless.

He turned around and asked, "Senior Xue, Brother Shen, what do you think?"

Xue Yanwang spread his hands and said, "I am only good at arresting and killing people. I am not good at the work of the Southern Pacification Division."

Xue Yanwang was telling the truth. The Southern Pacification Division was in charge of foreign military affairs, but he had always worked for the Northern Pacification Division.

Shen Weijing said: "There are more than 900 flower boats, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There is only one stupid way, that is to investigate. That is to check them one by one."

Lin Shisan continued, "We can only investigate secretly, not openly. Otherwise, we will alert the enemy, right?"

Shen Weijing nodded: "That's right."

Lin Shisan said: "Let's all think carefully about how to investigate."

After saying that, Lin Shisan walked to the fish tank in the yard, looked at the crucian carps swimming in the tank, and fell into deep thought.

This is how it works when handling secret missions. Sometimes even if there are no conditions, you have to find ways to create them and get the job done.

Lin Shisan stared at the fish tank for two full quarters of time. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and he turned back to the main room.

Lin Shisan asked Shen Weijing: "How long will it take for the Japanese pirates to arrive in Nanjing?"

Shen Weijing replied: "It should be in three to five days."

Lin Shisan asked Sun Yue again: "When the red girls go out to play cards, should they close the door in advance and prepare for the guests?"

Sun Yue replied: "Of course! I heard that they have received money from outsiders, so they have to say goodbye to the guests five days in advance and prepare all the necessary things for the long journey."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Such important military information must be delivered to the intelligence nest as soon as possible. The intelligence nest will also transfer the information as soon as possible."

"If the red girl on the flower boat goes out to play cards, it is to cover up the transmission of information."

"Today is March 19th. We just need to find out which girls on the boats are going to play cards between the 22nd and 24th. No, let's postpone it to the 26th for safety. Find out which girls on the boats are going to play cards between the 22nd and 26th."

"This way, we can eliminate most of the Nine Hundred Flower Ships and narrow the scope of our investigation."

"We can also find out which girls on the flower boats are going to the coastal prefectures and counties. This way, the scope will be even smaller."

Shen Weijing gave a thumbs up: "Captain Lin is indeed a person that Governor Lu values. This is a brilliant idea."

Sun Yue raised a question: "But we have to have a reasonable reason to ask which girl is having an affair on Qinhuai River?"

"Otherwise, it would still alert the enemy."

Lin Shisan thought for a moment and said, "This is simple. In recent years, many Portuguese people have come to the coast to look for women. They brought with them a hidden disease called syphilis."

"The Nanjing Ministry of Rites Jiaofangsi not only manages official prostitutes, but also private prostitutes on the Qinhuai River."

"Let the Jiaofangsi send people to each flower boat to check in a big way to see who is going to go out recently. Record the time and destination of leaving the city."

"We told the public that it was to prevent syphilis from entering Nanjing."

Sun Yue gave a thumbs up: "Master, you are really smart!"

(End of this chapter)