Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 280 You Don’t Know Who You Are Facing Now
How to say it, actually many people now only know Xia Lin’s talent and ability, but few people know what level he is at in the dynasty.

First of all, Xia Lin is the son-in-law of Prince Teng, which means he is a royal relative. This is secondary. There are too many royal relatives, and because the Tuoba family had been completely sinicized long ago, the royal relatives did not receive much preferential treatment.

The status higher than that of a son-in-law is naturally his status as a new minister of the crown prince, which is a very special status. This is a super talent prepared by the old emperor for the new emperor. Basically, if he does not cause any big trouble, he can retire peacefully, and he will retire as one of the three highest officials.

The crown prince or minister is not someone that anyone can take down. It requires the test of two generations of kings. There are many people who can fool the new king, but not many who can fool the old emperor.

A higher status than this is that Xia Lin is a real powerful official. Although his official position is not high, he controls the military and political power of a place. The combination of two powers makes him a powerful official. And do you think he is a powerful official with only three or five hundred local militiamen? Wrong, the quota under his name is three thousand elite heavy cavalry, which is a force enough to subvert the national regime.

And how big is Fuliang County? Just look at the map and you will know that it is the largest county in the entire Wei Dynasty. It is connected to Huizhou in the north and Qianzhou in the south, Quzhou in the east and Jiangzhou in the west, with a large area in the middle being Fuliang. Although it is under the jurisdiction of Raozhou, just ask anyone if the governor of Raozhou dares to manage Xia Lin.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Emperor of Wei was investing in the State of Wei. What was he investing in? He needed a young unicorn from Wei who could sustain the last glory of Wei. It would be best if he could extend the life of Wei. Even if he couldn't, he would have a chance to make a comeback and not be killed off all at once.

The entire north had a total quota of 7,000 heavy armors, and Jiangnan Road alone was given 13,000. Need I say more about what this meant? If the current trend continues, guess who will get the 13,000 heavy armor quota in the end?
What else could Xia Lin be if not a powerful official?
If such a person were placed in the imperial court, those above the third rank would have to think twice before handling him, and those below the third rank would not have to get involved.

After all, even Gao Shilian regarded Xia Lin as a political resource and bargaining chip, or even an opponent and partner in interest.

Let's talk about Lao Zhang again. He doesn't have any special abilities, and his connections are mostly a group of upright people plus Xia Lin. But he is the leader of the current literary world. He doesn't have to do anything. Just constantly updating his "Sparks Can Start a Prairie Fire" is enough to maintain his voice. His reputation is extremely penetrating, and his influence among the people far exceeds that of Xia Lin.

Of course, the idea that a single spark can start a prairie fire is romantic, subjective, and youthful. When a person grows older and encounters setbacks everywhere, his beliefs will eventually waver. After all, no one in the world can stay seventeen forever, but there will always be someone who is seventeen in the world.

Besides, some beliefs, even if ten, twenty, or fifty years have passed, as long as the spark is still there, will eventually burst into dazzling sparks.

Otherwise, why is his collection of essays called "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire"? He is the sower of seeds and the leader of faith.

So why is it said that the Lin family's young master's opportunity is unparalleled in the world? Even the current crown prince does not have such support as him. Two geniuses who are rare in a century have appeared in Luoyang's thatched cottage at the same time, and now these two people are teaching the same person in the small pavilion. What kind of blessing is this? He must have done something in his previous life to become a Buddha in the flesh to have such good fortune today.

The minor official from the Ministry of Rites in front of him, whose name sounded very fierce and whose words were also very fierce, obviously did not understand the situation. But now Xia Lin heard that Ma Zhou would soon be transferred from the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The transfer was because the court would soon carry out a civil service reform to form a real three-province system. Ma Zhou would enter the Ministry of Shangshu and become the assistant official of Shangshu Zuo Pushe Gao Shilian by July next year at the latest, which means that the person who came out from Xia Lin's hands, or even Xia Lin's younger brother, would soon become a big boss that the older brother in front of him could never even look up to.

Ma Zhou's lightning-fast promotion is naturally inseparable from Xia Lin. Xia Daosheng personally joined the game to help Ma Zhou run all the way. He gave money and people, and paved the way for him smoothly. It can even be said that he has reached the limiting speed of promotion in the entire Wei Dynasty. If he goes up any further... then he will really become the prime minister.

So when Xia Lin heard this minor official from the Ministry of Rites, whose name might not even be mentioned in the team-building activities, say that he had no hair on his lips, he couldn't help but smile, and then he sat down.

"If you really want to study, I have some connections and can place you in a better academy. Don't let those swindlers cheat you again. Money is a small matter, but the time you have lost can never be recovered."

Oh, here you come again.

Xia Lin didn't say anything at this moment, but Lao Zhang beside him laughed out loud: "Oh, I wonder which academy this gentleman wants to place Young Master Lin in?"

Lin Chong chuckled softly: "There are only a few good academies in the world. If you ask me, it's definitely Yuzhang Academy."

"No, no." Old Zhang waved his hands quickly: "Yuzhang Academy's behavior is old-fashioned, which makes people laugh. Besides, Yuzhang Academy, a place where you can enter by paying money, is not worthy of the status of the young master and Lord Lin."

Lin Chong thought about it and thought that was true, so he changed the subject and said, "Then it won't be difficult to go to Ehu Academy."

"Ehu Academy? No way." Old Zhang waved his hand and said, "Ehu Academy has all kinds of people, including those who herd cattle and cut grass for pigs. How can I let my nephew go to such a place? It's not right."

At this time Lin Chong also heard some sarcasm. He frowned, thinking that his uncle and aunt would be able to read their expressions and drive these two swindlers out. However, not only his uncle and aunt were indifferent, even Young Master Lin, who should have been the most aware of the situation, was unmoved.

While they were fighting over here, a family of three sat over there and showed off their food. Losing temper? If he lost temper, he would lose his composure. If he lost his composure for these two liars, then wouldn't his position as an official be in vain?

So Lin Chong smiled arrogantly and said, "Do you two have any tricks?"

"It's not a wonderful method, but I heard that the son of Prime Minister Gao Shilian once invited two famous scholars, Kong Yingda and Yan Shigu, to teach his son the classics. Hey! I think that's good. The young master's talent can only be taught by the likes of Kong and Yan."

Lin Chong was choked by Lao Zhang's words and rolled his eyes. He held the chopsticks tightly in his hand. Kong Yingda, the doctor of the Imperial College, and Yan Shigu, the minister of the Central Secretariat, were they people he could invite? This man's words were obviously mocking.

At this moment, Xia Lin smiled and said, "You are asking too much. Those two are not people that ordinary families can hire."

At this moment, Lin Chong glanced at Xia Lin and had a slightly higher opinion of him in his heart. After all, he said something fair.

But the next second he wanted to pick up the chopsticks and poke Xia Lin right through.

"If you ask me, besides Kong and Yan, there are other people in the world who can teach the young master of the Lin family. And with Lord Lin's status, it is easy to invite them. If you can't invite them, you can take them to the prison and beat them up until they agree."

At this moment, the old man put down his chopsticks and said, "Oh? I haven't asked who it is yet."

"Of course it's Zhang Shuo from Hongdu Prefecture and Xia Lin from Fuliang County. One is a candidate for the imperial examination and the other is a dismissed county magistrate. They are both people with no connections and no official foundation. Just arrest them." Xia Lin said with a smile, "It is said that when an official from Beijing goes to the local area, he meets an official two levels higher. As an official from Beijing, wouldn't it be easy for you to catch those two people? Besides, I believe that Lord Lin has a wide network of contacts in Jiangnan Dao and his words are his. Even if we think we are scholars and don't use rough hands, you can just say hello to Guo Minghuai, the governor of Guozhou, and then these two weak scholars will be easily captured. Could it be that Lord Lin is kind to women?"

Lao Zhang, who was standing nearby, almost spit out the food he had just eaten from laughing, so he quickly covered his mouth and nose: "Sorry, sorry..."

Lord Lin's face was already a little red, but what could he say? He could say "Zhang Zhongchun and his ilk are pedantic and pretentious and cannot be used" or "Xia Lin and his ilk are lowly and vulgar and cannot be used."

Would he dare? Xia Lin had almost become a taboo word in the court. Anyone who mentioned this name would be immediately locked in by dozens of eyes. Even if they mentioned it in private, they had to speak quietly.

Zhang Zhongchun was even more untouchable. He was half the spiritual leader of the literati and students among the folk, and the other half was Confucius. Any word he said would be drowned in spit.

And they arrested the two of them... If he had the heart, he had to have the courage. He didn't know what a candidate for the imperial examination or a dismissed county magistrate was. He only knew what a skinny camel was.

There is no need to mention Zhang Zhongchun. Just look at Xia Lin's power in Jiangnan Road. With him being a small fry in the Ministry of Rites, when Xia Lin was removed from his post, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice were unwilling to send anyone down. In the end, they had to use the excuse of the Ministry of Rites to dismiss him.

Why didn't they send someone to investigate him? They were afraid. What if he got angry and chopped him to death? Who would be responsible? You know, Xia Lin had chopped someone from the Xue family before, but the Xue family still hadn't found a reason to punish him. Didn't the Xue family want to?
That's because he has someone in the court protecting him! From the right-hand ministers to the provincial governors, they all protect him. If I catch him, I will beat him up.

That's really... I can't even be buried in the ancestral tomb.

Now that he was being bullied, his entire face flushed, but he still had to maintain a respectable demeanor and said with a stiff smile: "It seems that you two are quite eloquent. You have deceived me. I can't deal with Xia Lin and Zhang Shuo, but can I deal with you two liars?"

After saying this, he stood up and walked away without even eating, heading straight for the provincial government office.
Xia Lin looked back at him and said, "Master Lin, your nephew is a sparrow. He has a really bad temper."

At this moment, Master Lin hadn't said anything yet, but the young master slapped the table and laughed: "Well, well, I finally got rid of my anger today."

But Mrs. Lin said worriedly at this moment: "It is said that the people should not fight against the officials. What should we do if he reports to the police and has the two gentlemen arrested..."

Lao Zhang waved his hand and said, "Let him arrest us. As long as we are in the right, why should we be afraid of him arresting us?"

(End of this chapter)