Lin Ruhai was summoned by the Emperor alone.
In fact, he was still quite confused. He was just an Imperial Censor. Why was he summoned alone?
Moreover, it was during this special period. After all, it was the Emperor who summoned him. He could not refuse the edict. Yang Sheng brought him to the Emperor's imperial study. Tu Chen began to talk to him about life, ideals, and ambitions.
He also talked about the current difficulties of the imperial court.
Then he told him about his high regard for him.
Lin Ruhai began to affirm himself. It turned out that he was so important.
Without him, how could the imperial court function normally? Finally, Tu Chen changed the topic and began to talk about the Salt Patrol Imperial Censor.
Tu Chen began to talk about the current difficulties of the imperial court.
The Ministry of Revenue had money.
The annual tax in Jiangnan was the biggest, and the biggest part of the tax in Jiangnan was the salt tax. However, there were too many selfish officials in the imperial court.
Although the position of Salt Patrol Imperial Censor was newly established.
However,
It was also very important.
Therefore, Lin Ruhai was given this heavy responsibility.
Lin Ruhai, who had been excited by the Emperor's words before, knew that he was so valued. He only felt that he had to sacrifice his life for the imperial court and for the Emperor. His brain twitched, and he immediately agreed.
If Xia Lu was here, he would understand the Emperor's methods clearly. It was like the boss of a company who refused to increase his employees' wages in order to let them work more. I talked to you about wages, you talked to me about ideals, looking forward to the past, looking forward to the future. As long as you worked harder and looked further, there would be bread. However, this bread would be available to you, not the employees. The immediate benefits were more important.
Lin Ruhai was now like a new employee in a company. He was motivated by the boss's words. After all, at this time, he was inexperienced and had not been a touring Imperial Censor. He had not become an old fox in the officialdom in Yangzhou. His career as an official was still quite short. He had been third place in the imperial examination, stayed in the Hanlin Academy for a year, his mother died, and observed three years of mourning. Then he went to the Ministry of Revenue to become a fifth-level Imperial Censor. Because of the protection of Jia Jing in the imperial court, his father-in-law died in a few years. After another year of mourning, he went to the Lantai Temple to become an Imperial Censor. After all, his official position was still low. With the protection of Jia Jing, no conspiracy could be found on him. Therefore, he was motivated by Tu Chen and agreed.
Of course, Tu Chen treated him like this because he knew him well. If Tu Chen was to deal with an old fox like Jia Jing, he would never use such methods. Because he knew very well that such methods would not work on an old fox like Jia Jing. To them, it was better to have some real benefits than to talk about ideals and ambitions.
However, Tu Chen did not dare to casually give the position of Imperial Censor to these old foxes. These old foxes were too cunning and the Imperial Censor was very important. It needed an official like Lin Ruhai, who was a little noble and capable, and was young and energetic, who was most suitable.
When Lin Ruhai came out of the Imperial Study, he went straight back to Lantai Temple. At this time, the Emperor's imperial edict came down. Lin Ruyi was appointed as the trusted Imperial Censor of Salt. After the fifteenth day of the month, he would go to Yangzhou to work on the first day of the next month.
When the imperial edict came down, the whole court was shocked. There were too many people in the capital who were eyeing this position, such as Prince Zhongshun and Tu Chen's concubines. What did this position mean? It meant money. Think about it. How long had it been since the appointed Imperial Censor of Salt went to Yangzhou? Within a year, he had plundered so much money. What did it mean to fight for the throne mean? It meant spending money. If you did not bribe others with benefits, who would be willing to work for you?
When Jia Jing heard the news, he was shocked. He knew that the imperial edict had been issued and nothing could be changed. However, he still had to make things clear. Since ancient times, salt was not a trivial matter. After Jia Jing came back, he asked someone to call Lin Ruhai over and asked him about the specific situation.
Lin Ruhai told Jia Jing what Tu Chen had said to fool him. Jia Jing did not know whether to laugh or cry. Sure enough, Lin Ruhai was a child from a scholarly family. He was more noble and ambitious than the average person. Now that things had come to this, he could not change anything. He said, "Go to His Majesty and ask for two people to help you. Also, you are very smart, but your methods in the officialdom are still a little immature. When you go to Yangzhou, you can't rush to punish anyone, okay? You can take action after you understand the current situation in Yangzhou. Also, take bribes. Our family is not short of money at all. However, when people send money to your door, you can't refuse directly. Take it and send someone to send it to His Majesty. "Jia Jing began to tell Lin Ruhai how to deal with the officialdom in Jiangnan.
"Why is that?" Lin Ruhai was puzzled. Why did he have to take bribes and send it to His Majesty?
"Now the Ministry of Revenue is short of funds, and there are signs of trouble in the north. We don't know when a war will break out. You can record the bribes and send it to His Majesty. First, it can relieve His Majesty's pressure. Second, it can also calm the hearts of the salt merchants in Yangzhou. After you calm the hearts of the salt merchants in Yangzhou, you can choose the salt merchants you think are good and support them. You can give them some unimportant benefits and let them stand on your side when necessary, such as the annual salt tax," Jia Jing reminded him.
Lin Ruhai's eyes lit up. He was not a stupid person. It was just that he was still a little naive and hot-blooded young man. He had not cultivated to be an old fox. His IQ was online.
"Thank you, Big Brother Jing, for your advice. In two days, when I pay my respects to His Majesty, I will tell him about the bribes."
"Mm." Jia Jing nodded. He did not blame Lin Ruhai for being careless and casually accepting this matter. Before, he did not understand why His Majesty suddenly sent Lin Ruhai to Lantai Temple when Lin Ruhai was doing well. He was afraid that His Majesty was preparing for this day. Perhaps from the beginning, His Majesty liked Lin Ruhai as the candidate for the Salt Patrol Imperial Censor. Besides, Lin Ruhai's situation was also the same. At that time, as the son of Ning Guogong, he grew up smoothly. When he took the imperial examination, he did not encounter any setbacks at all. It was only when he entered the officialdom that he slowly experienced and grew up.
Lin Ruhai was still young. It was good for him to experience more in the officialdom. Anyway, Jia Jing was watching from the side. He should take advantage of the current situation to gain more experience. When he left, they would also have to carry the Jia family.
"By the way, do you want to bring Jin Yu to Yangzhou this time?" Jia Jing asked.
"To be honest, Big Brother Jing, I do have this idea." Jin Yu was his only son. Although he was raised in Ningguo Province, he could still see him every month. Now that he was going to Yangzhou to work, how could he bear to part with his flesh and blood?
"This old man suggests that you keep Jin Yu. Firstly, Jin Yu's health is not good. When he was young, he was weak and sickly. If you suddenly go to Yangzhou, I am afraid that he will not be used to it. Secondly, let the higher-ups feel at ease. After all, your position is too special," Jia Jing said.
Lin Ruhai suddenly looked at Jia Jing in horror. If he was in the capital, let the higher-ups feel at ease. It was protection and also surveillance. "Big Brother Jing, don't worry. It seems that Jin Yu will continue to disturb you. As for Min 'er, I will explain it to her."
The position of the Salt Patrol Imperial Censor had been decided. She only found out when Jia Min came to say goodbye to her.
"What about Jin Yu? Will he go to Yangzhou with you? " Xia Lu asked. To be honest, Jin Yu had been with her since he was young. She was a little reluctant to part with him suddenly. However, Lin Ruhai and Jia Min were Jin Yu's biological parents after all. He would have to go back eventually.
Jia Min shook her head and said, "It's better to let you continue to raise him. We don't know what will happen when we go to Yangzhou. Let's talk about it after we settle down." She was also reluctant to part with Jin Yu. However, Jin Yu's appearance when he was young really made her afraid. Although Jin Yu looked like an ordinary child now, he was still a little lacking compared to Yao 'er and Lian' er, not to mention Rong 'er. Rong' er was only three years old and her martial arts were already very extraordinary.
In fact, Jia Min compared Lin Jinyu to the wrong person. Although Lin Jinyu could not compare to Jia Yao and the rest, it was purely because of the problem of talent. Jia family was a family of military officers and had a foundation in martial arts. As for Lin Jinyu, he was from a scholarly family. As the saying goes, "Weak in the hands of a scholar". Lin Jinyu should be able to rely on his martial arts to crush all the children of a scholarly family who were about his age. However, in ancient times, there was a lack of medicine and medicine. It was very common for children to die prematurely. Jia Min's concerns were also very normal.
"You are leaving at the beginning of next month. Do you want to bring Jin Yu back? You two can spend more time together these days," Xia Lu asked.
"Thank you. I have the same intention." Jia Min naturally thought so. This was also the reason why she came over this time.
"Then let's wait for a while. You can bring him back after he finishes school," Xia Lu said.
"Okay. By the way, you have finished writing Madam Sun's travel notes. Don't you plan to continue writing another one?" Jia Min asked.
"I don't have the time for this at the moment. You know, Brother Lin passed away. Brother Lin's wife is also getting older. However, she has been depressed. I have been taking care of her recently. How can I have the time?" Only Jia Zhen and Jia Min knew her identity. Jia Zhen naturally would not say it out. Jia Min was also not the kind of person who could not keep secrets.
Jia Min sighed and said, "Lin 'er's wife's condition is indeed not very good. It's been hard on you." Jia Min shook her head. Fortunately, Lin' er's wife was pregnant with a posthumous child. She did not let the first branch of the East Residence die off.
"It's not hard at all. Come with me to see her later. With one more person to comfort her, she might be able to accept it." Xia Lu was at her wit's end when it came to Jia Liushi. It was really difficult for others to persuade a woman who had walked into a dead end with guilt.
"Okay, I'll go later. However, it's a pity that I can't see your new novel. There are so many novels in this world, but only the one written by you is the most suitable for me," Jia Min sighed.
"Those who write novels in the world are all written by those pedantic scholars. They are all written from the standpoint of men. Even if they are written from the standpoint of women, they are about how to take care of their husbands and children, how to serve their in-laws, how to be a virtuous wife, and so on. How can they be compared with mine?" At this moment, Xia Lu became arrogant.
"You are now in high spirits. However, your novel has spread very quickly among the women of the imperial harem in the capital. It seems that everyone has a copy. When those noble ladies talk about this book, if they haven't read it, then they are simply outdated."
Xia Lu smiled. When the Third Princess took this book back, the Fifth Princess happened to see it. She also wanted to read it. The Third Princess thought that since the Fifth Princess also liked it, the concubines in the imperial harem would also like it. After asking Xia Lu, she engraved a few copies of this book. In the end, more and more madams saw it, causing this book to become available in all the bookstores in the capital. After all, in this era, there was no copyright.
Xia Lu and Jia Min sat for a while, then went to see Jia Liushi. They talked for a while, then returned to Ninggyeongdang to wait for Lin Jinyu to finish class with Xia Lu.
After Lin Jinyu's class, Jia Min took him back to Rongguo Province. Jia Min was still in her mourning period. Because Lin Ruhai was going to work elsewhere, she specially came out to pay her respects to Mother Jia and take her son back to stay for a short while.
Lin Jinyu was still young, so there was no reluctance to part. He had to experience it first to understand what separation was. "Are you taking Jinyu with you to Yangzhou?" Mother Jia asked as she watched Jia Min take Jinyu from the East House.
I don't know what's going on over there. Old Master and I only have one child, Jinyu. In the early years, he would not be able to survive. How would I dare to bring him along and risk his life? With the East Residence taking care of him, I will be at ease. "In order not to let Jia Min worry, Lin Ruhai did not tell Jia Min about the hostage matter. He would wait until they reached Yangzhou and settled down before talking about it.
"That's true. The Lin family has only one child for five generations. Jinyu must be well. Don't worry, I will take good care of Jinyu for you. You're leaving on the first day of next month. Have you packed your luggage in such a hurry?" Mother Jia asked with concern.
"I'm just packing some things that I'm used to. As for the other things, those that need to be stored in the warehouse will be stored there. The rest will be packed by the housekeeper and sent to Yangzhou. Master and I will travel light and go to Yangzhou first." They were suddenly going to a foreign place. By the time they settled down, it would probably be a year later.
"That's good too. Your family must be very busy these days. If it weren't for the mourning period, I would have wanted you to go back to Rongguo Province to stay for a few days. It's a pity that you're leaving in such a hurry and can't see your elder brother." Mother Jia shook her head.
"There's nothing we can do about it. The imperial court is more important. Since Elder Brother isn't working in the imperial court, I'll let Elder Brother send Mother to Yangzhou for a vacation after I settle down in Yangzhou, okay?" Jia Min said.
"Speaking of Yangzhou, I've been there when I was young. I grew up in Jinling City then. Later, I followed your grandfather to the capital. After I got married, I went back with your father to pay respects to the ancestors, but I've never been to Yangzhou again." Mother Jia recalled the past.
"Then can Mother tell me about the scenery of Yangzhou?" Jia Min asked curiously.
"It was a time of war, but the flames of war didn't seem to have spread. The Qinhuai River was still peaceful, and Yangzhou was as lively as ever. That's why your grandfather's generation hated scholars the most. They felt that those scholars only knew how to bicker in the imperial court, but in reality, they didn't have the strength to truss a chicken and were useless against foreign enemies. If your grandfather was still alive, I'm afraid he would have despised Ruhai to death." Mother Jia smiled. People of her father-in-law's generation were all straightforward farmers. In the past, when they were farmers, they felt that nothing was better than reading books. However, when the flames of war rose, they realized that scholars were useless. They were even slower than others in fleeing for their lives. Slowly, they felt that scholars were only good at talking.
"I didn't expect Grandfather to be like that." Jia Min smiled.
"Your grandfather's generation was the most upright, and their brains wouldn't turn. Back then, when Tai Zu raised an army in Jinling, your grandfather and the others followed Tai Zu without saying a word. That was a friendship that had gone through life and death. Your grandfather once angered a military advisor until he fainted in Tai Zu's tent. Tai Zu symbolically rewarded him with five military rods. To your grandfather, it didn't hurt at all." Mother Jia smiled as she recounted the past. At that time, she was very young. She sat on her grandfather's lap and listened to him talk about the matters in the military camp. Until his death, her grandfather still remembered that he could return to the military camp.
"It's a pity that I haven't seen Grandfather." Jia Min was only born after Rongguo Province's mourning period for the old Duke Rongguo Jia Yuan. Naturally, she hadn't seen him in person.
"Your grandfather doted on Little Sha very much. After Little Sha was born, he was raised by your grandmother. At that time, your grandfather handed over all the matters in the military camp to your father and retired because of his old illness. Don't look at these soldiers who fought on the battlefield. They look strong and muscular on the outside, but their bodies are full of hidden injuries. Especially when they get old, when the weather changes, the wounds they suffered in the past will start to hurt. After your grandfather retired, he even knelt on the ground and let your elder brother ride on him like a horse. Once, your elder brother accidentally fell off your grandfather's back and was scolded by your grandmother." Actually, she also started to feel indignant at that time. They were clearly the children in her womb, so why did she treat Little Sha like a treasure? Her Zheng 'er was just a blade of grass. After Zheng' er was born, the two of them didn't even see each other much.
"It's no wonder that Big Brother is so close to Grandfather and Grandmother." Jia Min sighed.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You're also busy now. Go back and pack your things. You don't have to worry about me. Your elder brother should arrive by May this year at the latest," said Mother Jia.
"Yes, but Mother still has to think about Second Brother. After all, Mother will rely on Big Brother to support you in the future." Jia Min was implying something. She was afraid that after the mourning period, Old Madam Jia would get close to Jia Zheng again. The most frightening thing was that she wasn't there to persuade her at this time. If mother and son fell out and became enemies, what would her mother do in the backyard?
"I understand. You don't have to worry. I'll take it that everything is for Little Sha 'er's sake. Before your father left, he said that Little Sha' er is the future of Rongguo Province. I still have to look after the entire mansion for Little Sha 'er," said Mother Jia.
"That's good." Seeing that there was no trace of reluctance on Mother Jia's face, Jia Min finally felt at ease. Just as Mother Jia had said, she had been a little busy recently and had to take inventory of everything in the residence. Thus, she took Lin Jinyu with her and left Rongguo residence.
On the 29th of the first month, Jia Min came again. This time, she sent Lin Jinyu back and said goodbye to Xia Lu. These two days, she would still be very busy. Not only did she have to say goodbye to Rongguo Province and Ningguo Province, but she also had to say goodbye to the Shi family and some of her former close friends. After all, this was the ancient era. It was really too difficult to meet them. She didn't know when they would meet again.
On the first day of the first month, the official ship to Yangzhou had already docked at the docks in the capital. Xia Lu and Jia Zhen brought the children to send them off.
Jia Min's eyes were red. She hugged Lin Jinyu. She really couldn't bear to part with him. However, the future was boundless. She hadn't settled down in Yangzhou yet. She couldn't guarantee her child's life in Yangzhou. If he fell sick again, wouldn't her heart be gouged out? Lin Ruhai stood at the side and looked at his son. His eyes were also red.
"Madam, don't worry. I will write to you. I can write a lot now," Lin Jinyu comforted.
"Yes, Madam will also write to Jinyu," Jia Min said with red eyes.
Although it was an official ship, it couldn't stay at the docks forever. It was time to board the ship.
"Okay, we should go. The boatman is already here to rush us," Lin Ruhai reminded Jia Min.
Jia Min reluctantly put Lin Jinyu down. Her tears flowed even more fiercely.
"Even if you can see him off for a thousand miles, he still has to part in the end. I'll have to trouble you to take care of Jinyu. Take care," Lin Ruhai said.
"Don't worry." Jia Zhen bent down and hugged Lin Jinyu. At this time, Lin Jinyu also realized what separation meant. He started to cry. Seeing Lin Jinyu cry, the children who came with him also cried. Because of the children's cries, the place suddenly became a sea of crying.
When Jia Min saw this scene, she was instead happy. Then, she looked back every few steps and reluctantly walked towards the ship with red eyes.
Xia Lu and Jia Zhen hurriedly comforted the four children. As they watched the official ship slowly sail away, getting further and further away from the shore, Lin Jinyu's cries became louder. It was as if she could already feel the pain of separation. As for the other three children, when they saw Jinyu crying even louder, they didn't want to be outdone. As if competing to see whose voice was louder, they cried with all their might.
Xia Lu looked around apologetically at the passersby who had come to send them off or pick them up. He repeatedly apologized. Xia Lu saw that the children couldn't stop crying. It was already seriously affecting the others. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He slapped each of the children's buttocks and said, "Stop crying. Everyone is laughing at you."
After being slapped by Xia Lu, the children immediately stopped crying. Then, they hid in Xia Lu and Jia Zhen's arms and refused to come out. Big Brother and Sister-in-law had said that they were already men. Men had to bleed and sweat and not cry. They were shy.
Xia Lu and Jia Zhen looked at each other helplessly. They sent the children back to the horse carriage and prepared to return home.
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