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

Chapter 694 Using the pseudonym Lin Musheng is quite dashing.
Xia Lin, being a commoner, is actually the most relaxed right now, but the various factions in the capital are so tense that they could practically squeeze a coin between their legs.

Xia Lin, as an official, still had to abide by the rules, but Xia Lin, as a commoner, was a damn wildcat...

Fortunately, this festival did bring them a period of peace, after all, it was a major event, not just for one country, but for the whole world.

The letters of state sent out have been receiving responses one after another. About 80% of the leaders will come in person, while those who are unwell will send envoys. So these days, Jinling City is quite lively.

At this point, some curious people asked, "With such a big fuss, why didn't we see any tax increases? Not only did we not increase taxes, but we actually reduced them quite a bit. So where did all this money come from?"
Hehe... Where else could they come from? Of course, they came from the noble families in the capital. The officialdom is in chaos now. No one understands deterrence better than Xia Lin. The Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger is still there. How could they not obediently do as he says?
The old-fashioned approach of fundraising and donations is outdated. The new trend is investment, which means they spend money to buy the pie in Xia Lin's picture. If these pie-in-the-sky promises come true, they will benefit greatly. But if they don't, how can you do business without losing money?

These people aren't stupid; they know this is most likely a trap, but there's nothing they can do. They themselves don't know why the roles of offense and defense have suddenly reversed. They, who used to stick together for warmth, seem to have been separated by some force overnight. The people they need to guard against most are not their former enemies, but their former allies.

Now, it's the enemy who gives them a sense of security, so they have to think twice before giving up on that security. After all, power requires attitude, not strength.

So, this family contributed a little, and that family contributed a little, and in the end, Xia Lin managed to save up 20 million taels of real money. With these 20 million taels, all kinds of work sped up instantly. Whether it was infrastructure construction or renovation, Jinling City was bustling with activity. The first batch of beneficiaries of the city's expansion and renovation even emerged. Now, everyone knows that if you wake up in the morning and find the word "demolish" written on your house, it means that the family is about to become rich.

"I never imagined that one day I would be paired with a pageboy, Qi Dou'er."

"This servant is here." A young eunuch quickly approached Xia Lin's side: "What are your orders, Master?"

"How old were you when you entered the palace?"

"I entered the palace when I was twelve years old."

"Tell the master, did it hurt when you were cutting him?" Xia Lin's question was sharp and sarcastic: "It's fine if you don't tell me."

“Master… I didn’t cut it, I tied it with thread. I wrapped the thread tightly around the base, and it only took two days.”

"Stop! Don't say anymore." Xia Lin waved his hand: "You're making my mouth hurt..."

After saying that, he stood on the street and looked around. Suddenly he sighed and said, "I remember when I first came to Jinling City, I would always see some middle-aged people standing on the street, not knowing where to go. At that time, I laughed at them in my heart. I never thought that the people I laughed at back then would become me today."

This left the pageboy speechless. He could only whisper, "Why don't you go find a young lady? His Majesty said that you are now a commoner, so you can do whatever you want and eat whatever you want."

Xia Lin turned her head and glanced at him: "You... he..."

But just then, the street suddenly became noisy, with women screaming in the background. This noise made Xia Lin immediately recall the little eunuch's mother.

Xia Lin hurried forward, wanting to join in the fun, but as soon as he got there, he saw a handsome man standing in front of a building, and the women's screams were directed at him.

"He's so handsome, almost as handsome as me," Xia Lin muttered, then turned to Qi Dou'er and asked, "Dou'er, do you recognize this person?"

“Sir, I recognize him. This man is one of the seven great talents of the capital, known as the Gentle Breeze in the Forest. He is skilled in calligraphy, painting, poetry, and music composition. His name is Shang Anshan.”

"Hey! That's a nice name." Xia Lin nodded repeatedly. "How does his painting compare to Lao Zhang's?"

"Master, with whom?"

"Old Zhang, oh...Prime Minister Zhang."

Dou'er revealed a very obvious disdainful expression: "Zhang Xiang's calligraphy and painting are unparalleled in the world. I've heard that the high-ranking officials in the capital would even exchange a beautiful concubine for a piece of Zhang Xiang's calligraphy or painting. They all say that Zhang Xiang is still alive, but if he were dead, any one of his characters would be priceless."

Xia Lin turned and glanced at Dou'er: "Now I know why Brother Jing sent you to my place. You have such a sharp tongue. This is revenge, to get back at me for putting Old Zhang in his place. Sure enough... he's still that petty prince."

At this moment, Shang Anshan was talking to someone. The weather was getting hotter, and he was sweating a lot. Unexpectedly, a beautiful girl immediately stepped forward to wipe his sweat. Just like an idol, he just tilted his head and smiled, which still drew screams from a group of girls.

“New talents emerge in every generation.” Xia Lin waved his fan and prepared to continue walking forward.

But at this moment, Dou'er said inappropriately, "Master, I think his writing and drawing skills are just so-so, and his poetry is so rambling and annoying. Why don't you show them your skills?"

Xia Lin happened to walk past Shang Anshan when he spoke, and his voice was clearly audible, not only to the young idol but also to his fans.

Shang Anshan looked up and saw that Xia Lin was a scholar in his thirties with an excellent demeanor, so he politely asked, "Senior, may I ask for your guidance?"

He was very polite, after all, youth brings confidence, but his fans were not happy, and in a short time they said all sorts of sarcastic things to Xia Lin.

Some people say Xia Lin is pretentious and pedantic, saying he looks like a nobody without official rank, probably even a penniless person. Others say he's just trying to gain fame and fortune by trying to scam their brother; they see hundreds of these middle-aged scoundrels every year.

Some even said that his ridiculous outfit was a complete imitation, and who was he imitating? Naturally, it was the aloof Xia Lin and Xia Daosheng.

"Dou'er, you son of a bitch," Xia Lin cursed under his breath, "You're just trying to cause me trouble, aren't you?"

Qi Dou'er refused to admit defeat. He raised his head, stepped forward, pointed at the women who were cursing Xia Lin, and started cursing back.

It's important to know that Dou'er wasn't some lowly eunuch who worked hard and was bullied in the palace. He entered the palace from the East Palace and was later taken in as a godson by the old eunuch Delu. Not only did he learn a lot of killing skills, but he was also extremely eloquent and unbeatable when it came to cursing. In addition, he was literate and could even translate scriptures and book excerpts for others.

He could easily argue with a group of women while walking around in circles. When they called him a man arguing with women, he said they were saved by the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty. If the law didn't care, it wouldn't be arguing anymore; he'd just stab them to death and be done with it.

"You little brat, you don't know any manners." Xia Lin stepped forward, grabbed Dou'er back, and smiled as she cupped her hands to Shang Anshan, saying, "Please don't take offense."

Shang Anshan didn't say anything, but just smiled and said, "This gentleman is clearly a man of great talent. It is a pity that I cannot meet him."

Xia Lin smiled and was about to walk out, but Shang Anshan's fans were not happy and several of them blocked Xia Lin's way.

Upon seeing someone blocking his way, Xia Lin's face instantly darkened, and he scanned the area with his distinctive fox-like eyes.

No kidding, the people on the other side were frozen in place as if they had been hit by the Uchiha clan's eye technique. Despite the sweltering heat, they were suddenly drenched in cold sweat and didn't even realize what had happened until Xia Lin had passed by.

“Sir, you should let me go. I’ll go up there and slap them all across the face, and tell them to stop talking nonsense.”

"You better behave yourself and don't cause me any trouble. Do you think I'm still the same old guy who's always ready for a fight?"

"But the master clearly intended to kill me just now."

"I managed to restrain myself!" Xia Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "How about I treat you to a cold drink? Just shut up."

"As you command, sir."

Actually, the cold drinks of this era were quite good. Making ice with saltpeter was not a secret recipe. Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty recorded it. Some large teahouses and restaurants also had their own cellars to store winter ice for making cold drinks in the summer.

Street vendors would buy a large block of ice from the ice merchant every day, enough to last them all day. They would also buy some mung bean, red bean, and bellflower root water, which were also considered good for cooling off in the summer.

The cicadas chirped loudly in the trees. Xia Lin and the ignorant young page sat under the shade of the tree, their trousers rolled up, each holding a bowl of cold mung bean soup.

"Master, sir! That woman has a slender waist but a large penis; she is truly a rare gem, a slender body bearing a large fruit!"

Xia Lin nearly spat out his mung bean soup upon hearing this: "You're a eunuch, what are you doing here?"

"This has nothing to do with eunuchs; it's simply a matter of appreciation."

After Dou'er finished speaking, she whistled a long, drawn-out whistle at the woman, clearly with a hint of flirtation. The woman turned around and glared fiercely at Dou'er and Xia Lin. Dou'er laughed loudly without any regard for the consequences, while Xia Lin almost buried her face in the bowl.

"Stop embarrassing me!" Xia Lin scolded, "If you keep this up, I'll send you to the border camp. Those are all wild men who haven't seen a woman in a long time. With your delicate skin, you'll probably die there."

"Thank you for your generous gift, sir."

"Tsk...you son of a bitch..."

But just then, Xia Lin suddenly sat up and looked into the distance. Dou'er followed his gaze and nodded repeatedly: "Oh dear, Master has such good taste! Although that girl is a bit young, she is stunningly beautiful. However, judging from her appearance, she must be a barbarian. I've heard that barbarians smell bad."

"All you ever do is stare at pretty girls, huh? Why don't you check who's next to her?"

Dou'er then noticed this, and upon seeing it, she shuddered and drooped her head: "Quick... Master, quickly lower your head. Today, you and I, master and servant, are out having fun. If the Grand Princess sees us, she will surely beat me to death."

"Oh, so you've got someone you're afraid of now? You're going to die!" Xia Lin raised his hand: "Wife, over here!"

(End of this chapter)