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

Chapter 35: Granny Liu accidentally enters Cybertron
In the Jinyiwei, the Northern Pacification Division was in charge of the Qin case and the imperial prison.

The Southern Pacification Division had two responsibilities: in addition to managing the laws and discipline of the garrison, it also managed foreign intelligence.

The "foreign" in foreign intelligence affairs includes various Mongolian tribes, vassal states, and Japan, as well as the "small Jinyiwei" Criminal Department's Supervision and Investigation Department and the "small Dongchang" Dali Temple's Left Temple.

Lin Shisan was very nervous. Liu Shouyou comforted him first: "You don't have to be afraid. The young shopkeeper knows that you are not a traitor."

Lin Shisan breathed a sigh of relief. He asked tentatively, "What is the job that the young shopkeeper has given me?"

Liu Shouyou said: "You go to Luo Longwen's house and attend his insect appreciation party. Yan Shifan and a group of high-ranking officials of the Yan Party will be there. You just need to write down what they say and report it in detail when you come back."

Lin Shisan suddenly realized. It turned out that he wanted me to be the spy who infiltrated Luo Mansion. He bowed and said, "I obey your orders."

Liu Shouyou added, "You have to bring insects with you to the insect appreciation party. You are a small family, so you may not be able to raise any good insects."

After saying this, Liu Shouyou took out a silver note from his sleeve and said, "I've inquired about it. The price of a first-class, medium- and low-quality insect is about 100 taels. You can use this 100 taels of silver note to buy one."

Being an eye and ear does have its benefits!
With Lin Shisan's previous income, he wouldn't even dream of spending a hundred taels to buy a good insect of first-class, medium or lower quality.

Now Liu Shouyou took the initiative to give him silver notes and asked him to buy good insects. This really achieved both official business and personal gain.

Lin Shisan reached out to take the banknote: "Thank you, Captain Liu."

Liu Shouyou withdrew his hand and said, "I'll give you a hundred taels of silver, but you have to bring back information worth far more than a hundred taels."

The Zhenfu Division often spent a lot of money when collecting intelligence. However, if the spies spent money but did not bring back valuable intelligence, they would definitely be punished by the family law.

Lin Shisan had no choice but to say, "I will do my best."

Only then did Liu Shouyou hand him the banknote.

After Lin Shisan received the banknote, he immediately went to the flower, bird, fish and insect market on Diaobeng Street in South City.

The water of selling fighting insects is very deep, and most people can't grasp it at all. It is common to be cheated by the seller.

Lin Shisan was an expert, so he bought a purple-yellow grass fish that was worth the money.

This purple-yellow grass croaker is a low-grade croaker among the four grades and ten products. It comes from Kunshan, Nanjing, and is called "Jinling Deputy General". Compared with Luo Longwen's Golden Winged General, it is inferior.

In the evening, at Fulu Street in the north city, at Luo Longwen’s residence.

Lin Shisan changed into casual clothes, carried the insect can and walked to the door of Luo's house to take a look. He thought to himself: Doctor Luo is indeed one of the backbones of the Yan Party. He is really ostentatious.

Those who were born and raised in Beijing all know a saying: "For civil and military officials, look at the doorpost; for high-ranking and low-ranking officials, look at the bumps."

The gate pillars of civil officials' residences are square, while the gate pillars of military commanders' residences are round.

The doorposts of Luo Mansion are one square and one round.

Only the pillars of the Ming Dynasty who were generals or prime ministers were worthy of having square and round gateposts for their mansions.

For example, Yang Bo, a powerful figure in the court who was not dared to be offended by the Yan Party, the eunuch party, the Xu Party, and Lu Bing, was in charge of the military affairs of Ji and Liao when he was out, and served as an official in the Ministry of Personnel when he was in. The gate pillars of his mansion were square and round.

Luo Longwen was a fifth-rank doctor. He made two doorposts, one square and one round. To put it mildly, it was ostentatious; to put it more seriously, it was exceeding the rules.

According to the Ming Dynasty etiquette, the number of curly bumps on the stone lions at the door of an official corresponded to the official's rank.

The stone lions in the mansions of first-rank officials have thirteen curly hair bumps on their heads. The second-rank officials have twelve, the third-rank officials have eleven, the fourth-rank officials have ten, and the fifth-rank officials have nine.

As for officials of the sixth and seventh ranks, they were not even qualified to erect a lion in their mansions.

Luo Longwen was only a fifth-rank doctor, so he should have nine curly bumps. But Lin Shisan counted the stone lions in front of him and found that there were twelve bumps.

This is a status that only a second-rank official can have.

At this moment, many official sedan chairs were parked at the gate of Luo Mansion.

When the Luo Mansion doorman saw Lin Shisan walking over, he immediately stepped forward and asked arrogantly, "What do you do?"

Lin Shisan replied, "I am Lin Shisan. Doctor Luo asked me to come to the insect-viewing banquet." Luo Longwen seemed to have asked the gatehouse in advance and wanted to be more respectful to his "master" Lin Shisan.

The doorman's expression immediately changed after hearing this: "Oh my! It's the Thirteenth Master! Our master has told us that you don't need to wait in the tea room when you come. Please go directly to the living room. Please follow me into the mansion."

Lin Shisan followed the doorman into the mansion. He was shocked by the grandeur of the Luo Mansion.

The land in the northern part of the capital was very expensive. Most of the officials of the six ministries, hereditary nobles, and royal relatives only lived in houses with three entrances and three exits.

Luo Longwen was an official of the Six Departments. Most officials lived in courtyard houses in the north city.

But the Luo Mansion is a formal four-in-four-outdoor residence, with pavilions, rockery, and waterside pavilions.

Lao Luo is not only powerful, but also rich.

He was originally the largest ink merchant in Anhui. After he married into the Yan family and became an official, he became even more powerful, and directly monopolized the supply of ink and paper to various government offices in the capital and the three local government offices.

Even the ink used by the Imperial Household Department in the palace was She ink supplied by his Luo family.

Just from this, he could earn 100,000 silver dollars a year. Not to mention that as a doctor in the Supervision Bureau, he could receive countless bribes.

Lin Shisan was like Granny Liu in the later generations who had entered Cybertron. As he walked, he expressed his feelings such as "That pavilion is so magnificent" and "This waterside pavilion is so exquisite".

The doorman smiled and said, "Is this your first time entering the mansion, Master Thirteen?"

Lin Shisan replied: "It's my first time here."

The doorman said, "Our master said that although you are not an official, you are his teacher and belong to the top three among the distinguished guests. Let us treat you with the courtesy of the top three."

Lin Shisan was stunned. It seemed that in this world, not only insects were divided into different classes, but humans were also divided into different classes.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived at the living room of the Luo Mansion.

The doorman shouted, "The Thirteenth Master is here!"

Luo Longwen responded from the living room: "Master is here. Please come in!"

Lin Shisan entered and bowed, "My benefactor!"

Luo Longwen didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Master, although we agreed to discuss our own affairs. But you kowtow to me when you see me, so as your disciple, I have to return the greeting."

"When we meet, master and disciple, we can't become a pair of kowtow bugs, right? From now on, we can skip this empty formality."

There were already quite a few officials sitting in the living room.

When the officials saw that Luo Longwen treated Lin Shisan respectfully and called him "Master", they all speculated about his background.

This young man doesn't look very old. A scholar with a promising future? No, there is no such person in the Hanlin Academy.

A noble duke, a marquis, or an earl? That's not right. The gatekeeper didn't call out the title when the message was passed.

Which high-ranking official gave him the title of Yanei? Not at all. There is no one with the surname Lin among the officials above the third rank in the court.

Luo Longwen introduced Lin Shisan to everyone with a smile: "Lin Shisan is my master in the insect fighting business. He was the one who cured my Golden Winged General."

The officials in the living room suddenly realized that he was actually a commoner. When Lao Luo was showing off, he was more arrogant than anyone else. When he made friends, he made friends with all kinds of people. He was really a funny guy in the officialdom.

Luo Longwen said, "Everyone, today the young minister, Yan Qianyuan, and Zhao Butang will come. Once they arrive, we will go to see the insects. Let's drink tea first."

The young cabinet minister that Luo Longwen referred to was naturally Yan Shifan.

"Yan Du Yuan" refers to the Left Censor-in-Chief Yan Maoqing, a well-known immoral person in the officialdom - "Mao Qingyan".

Zhao Butang refers to Zhao Wenhua, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Yan Song's godson.

Like Luo Longwen, these two are also core members of the Yan Party.

(End of this chapter)