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

Chapter 95: Second Budget Cut

The censor's kneeling remonstration had nothing to do with Lin Shisan for the time being.

He first went to the ambassador's duty room in the Leopard House and summoned all the eunuchs.

The eunuchs all looked downcast. They had already figured out Lin Shisan's background. He was an expert in keeping pets. The account books filled with East China Sea water could not fool him at all.

This raises a problem. If Lin Shisan were to investigate further, all these eunuchs would be in big trouble.

Lin Shisan cleared his throat and said, "My Lords, let's discuss this matter."

Today he planned to give a slap in the face and then a handful of sweet dates.

Lin Shisan said: "I have read all the accounts written off yesterday. I also checked the pets in the three rooms. Alas, your hands are too dark."

"Everyone loves silver. But you have to know how much you should give. If the higher-ups give you 10 taels, it's no big deal if you give 2 or 3 taels, and you can get away with 4 or 5 taels."

"But you only kept one ounce for practical work. Where did the remaining nine ounces go? God knows!"

"Even if I wanted to cover up for you, I don't know where to start."

Ambassador Hu of the Bird House said, "Lin Chuan, please accept my request. We have difficulties as well."

Lin Shisan nodded: "I understand your difficulties. Someone above you has given you a lucrative position. If you don't take it, how can your superior take it? If your superior doesn't take it, how can the superior above take it?"

"In the palace and in the officialdom, it's all the same."

"But now the court is in trouble, the emperor is in trouble, and my uncle is in trouble too."

"We, the people below, must work together with the court, the emperor, and my uncle to overcome difficulties, right?"

Ambassador Cao of the Insect House said, "But you are holding the account book and not writing it off for us. You can't let us make up for the deficit. You also know that we are not the only ones who took the silver."

"We can't afford it. We can't ask the higher-ups for money, right?"

Lin Shisan said, "Everyone! I'm going to tell you the truth today. I can write off last year's account for you!"

After hearing this, all the eunuchs' eyes lit up.

Lin Shisan changed the subject: "But, this year's budget has to be reduced."

Ambassador Hu asked: "How much will it be reduced?"

Lin Shisan stretched out five fingers.

Ambassador Hu was delighted: "Reduce 50,000 taels? Allocate 400,000 taels? Oh my! Lin Chuanfeng is really an honest man!"

Ambassador Cao echoed: "Yes, yes, yes. Now that Lin Chuanfeng has come to Xiyuan, we have a chance to be a judge!"

Lin Shisan shook his head: "Wrong. This year, a total of 50,000 taels will be allocated to you."

The eunuchs were stunned.

Ambassador Hu was crying: "Lin Chuanfeng! If you don't allocate 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, we will have to live a hard life. If you don't allocate 400,000 yuan, we won't be able to carry out our mission."

Lin Shisan's expression changed. "Okay. Then let's sort by five and ten and check last year's expenses item by item."

Ambassador Hu fell silent immediately.

Lin Shisan continued, "Yesterday my uncle summoned the eunuchs and junior eunuchs from the twenty-four government offices to discuss reducing the expenses of the palace."

"Reducing expenses is not just for the West Garden, which has sixteen pet houses, one city and one garden. All prisons, bureaus, and departments must also reduce expenses."

"It's still the same four words, 'weather the hard times together'. If you don't understand me, you should at least understand my uncle, right?"

Lin Shisan always brought up the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, calling him "my uncle". What else could the eunuchs say?

Ambassador Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it! We will listen to you. Fifty thousand taels is fifty thousand taels. As long as you write off last year's account. This year we will be frugal in buying and raising pets."

Lin Shisan said, "That's right! Working in the government is like living life. The rich have their own way of living, and the poor have their own way of living."

“Nothing is impossible.”

The eunuchs handed in their old account books one after another.

Lin Shisan picked up an account book and raised it: "Everyone, you came to my house to give me gifts a few days ago. I didn't accept those gifts in vain!" "I covered up the old account from last year for you! Let's settle it once and for all."

"But I want to warn you. Don't try to give me gifts or embezzle the money for my pets in private."

"I am the biggest bastard in the world. I have sores on my head and pus on my feet. I am a bad person. I always accept gifts but don't do anything."

All the eunuchs hated Lin Shisan. But he had an uncle who was the internal minister. They couldn't show their anger in public.

But as Lü Fang said, the eunuchs always bully people by tripping them up, setting traps, and beating them up secretly.

Lin Shisan will suffer in the future.

The eunuchs left. Chen Ju walked in.

Lin Shisan asked: "Eunuch Chen, why are you here?"

Chen Ju said, "Eunuch Lu and Eunuch Huang said that they will let you take care of the golden tortoise in Taiye Lake. They asked me to be your assistant in the future."

Lin Shisan nodded: "In fact, it is very simple to serve the golden turtle. The golden turtle loves to eat small clear shrimps."

"It's the end of the first lunar month, and the Yongding River has thawed. Many fishermen are catching small shrimps in the Yongding River and selling them at the fish market."

"You can buy some and keep them in wooden barrels. Whenever the emperor goes boating, you can row a boat in advance to sprinkle the shrimps with water."

Chen Ju nodded: "Okay."

Lin Shisan said, "Alas, today I have offended all the dozen ambassadors of the Western Garden. Brother Chen, I am now the public enemy of the eunuchs of the Western Garden."

Chen Ju frowned: "This is not good. I know my brothers, uncles, and uncles. They are vindictive. And their means of revenge are very sinister."

"My brother Lin, you have to be careful."

After finishing his work in Xiyuan, Lin Shisan returned to the elephant training center.

Chang Qingyun met Lin Shisan and his apprentice.

Chang Qingyun said: "The chief treasurer promoted you to be the chief flag of the Northern Pacification Division. Logically, you should be given a command of the Northern Division's chief flag team."

"But the chief manager thinks that you have never done any secret work and you are staying here to work at the elephant training institute. Therefore, he only gives you a general flag team of the elephant training institute."

"In any case, you now have a hundred men. You have become a true general."

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "Thank you for your cultivation."

Chang Qingyun said: "I didn't cultivate you in anything. Everything you have now is up to you. Oh, by the way, Sun Yue."

Sun Yue cupped his hands: "Yes."

Chang Qingyun said: "You have done a great job following your master. Now our flag officer Gao Weixian has retired. You can take his place."

Sun Yue was a man who always showed his emotions on his face. After getting promoted, his fat face turned into orange peels with a smile: "Ah, thank you for the promotion, Qian Hu."

Chang Qingyun shook his head slightly: "You are wrong. Your promotion is all thanks to your master. Forget it, you can go down."

Lin Shisan and Sun Yuezhi left the duty room with great pride.

Sun Yue smiled and said, "My ancestors have accumulated virtues, so I can recognize you as my master. I would never have dared to dream of being promoted to the small flag of the elephant training station three months ago."

Lin Shisan said: "I have said it before, we are two little grasshoppers on the same rope. We share the good times, but when the disaster comes, we each fly away."

"Why are you telling me these official polite words?"

Sun Yue smiled and said, "Hey, Master, I have another happy event!"

Lin Shisan asked: "What's the happy event?"

Sun Yue said, "My tigress threw a tantrum and scolded my father the other day! She's crazy! It's a great rebellion for a daughter-in-law to scold her father-in-law."

"My father was so angry that he wanted to tie her up and send her to the government. But I begged for mercy and he only divorced her and gave her 100 taels of silver as compensation."

"Hey, get promoted, get rich, and divorce your wife. If this isn't a happy event, then what is?"

(End of this chapter)