Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 379 The closer to home, the more timid one becomes.

Lin Daiyu wandered outside Yangzhou for seven days, and Qiu Chuji taught her swordsmanship for seven days.

But in reality, he didn't teach much, only one sword technique.

The sword of the great river has its surging torrents, its tranquil murmurs, its thawing ice, and its deep, cracked depths. A single sword technique can have countless variations. At Qiu Chuji's current level, a thousand moves and one move are essentially the same. Naturally, when teaching Lin Daiyu, he focused on teaching her only one move.

If Lin Daiyu truly mastered this sword technique, she would be worthy of the title "Great River Sword God" even if she embarked on the path of the heavens.

Seven days later, having gained a basic understanding of the various uses and artistic conceptions of the Great River Sword, Lin Daiyu finally decided to step into Yangzhou City to see her father.

Escaping for a few days is already the maximum amount of willfulness she has allowed herself.

Of course, if Lin Ruhai were a feudal patriarch, then Lin Daiyu would have no choice but to leave after a short period of filial piety, go to a distant place, and start a new sword sect.

At that time, she needed to find another great river to accompany her, otherwise how could she live up to the name of the 'Great River Sword Sect'?
As dawn broke, the water stains on the bluestone streets of Yangzhou were still wet, yet the morning market was already bustling with activity.

Peddlers and laborers came and went like a weaving cloth, and carts and horses rumbled past the street corner in the dead of night.

Before the sound of the clapper from the fish stalls in the east of the city had even faded, the silk shops in the west market had already put up their gilded plaques. Along the street, wine flags fluttered, and the steam from the steamers, mixed with the fresh aroma of crab roe soup dumplings, wafted straight to the noses of passersby.

The copper bells on the eaves of the teahouse jingled softly, and the storyteller struck his gavel, startling the white-necked magpies perched under the eaves.

The canal docks were filled with masts, and the laborers, their backs bare and dark, shouted so loudly that the masts of the cargo ships trembled slightly.

Three drums sounded from the city wall, and the sun rose just above the spire of Daming Temple. The nine-tiered eaves, gilded with gold, reflected the morning glow, making it the most prosperous and fertile land in Huainan.

Wearing a bamboo hat that concealed her ethereal face, Lin Daiyu led her horse and followed the crowd into Yangzhou City.

"With ten thousand strings of cash around his waist, he could ride a crane down to Yangzhou. This Yangzhou city truly lives up to its reputation as one of the wealthiest places in Jiangnan. It's only early morning, and it's already so lively. I wonder how noisy it will be by noon." Lin Daiyu muttered to herself, fiddling with her jade pendant.

"Watch out, someone's watching you!"

“There are salt merchants’ spies everywhere in Yangzhou. You’re wearing a bamboo hat and have a slender, graceful figure, which makes you a suspect,” Qiu Chuji warned.

Although, in terms of current abilities, it's difficult for Lin Daiyu to falter.

However, the bandits of the martial world have all sorts of despicable methods. Even though Qiu Chuji's newly taught internal energy cultivation method has extremely high poison resistance, if many people join forces to throw a large number of poisoned hidden weapons, it is still possible to injure Lin Daiyu.

"I already knew that, let them be!"

"We've already arrived in Yangzhou, and they should have realized what's happening. If they don't want to completely break ties with my father, they won't attack me," Lin Daiyu said confidently.

Even so, she became even more focused and vigilant.

Most of the time, don't underestimate your enemies and rivals, but sometimes, don't overestimate them either.

The villains in novels can rationally weigh the pros and cons.

But in reality, villains might get carried away and get on the car without thinking.

After proceeding cautiously, Lin Daiyu's identity was completely confirmed not far from the residence of the Salt Inspector.

A wealthy-looking, gentle-tempered middle-aged businessman stood in front of Lin Daiyu, with a carriage following behind him.

"Miss Lin, may we have a private conversation?" the middle-aged businessman asked.

Lin Daiyu removed her bamboo hat, revealing her stunningly beautiful face: "How much silver did you put in your carriage?"

The middle-aged merchant was slightly taken aback, then quickly replied, "Three thousand taels of gold, all of which have been forged into gold leaves and gold beads for Miss's convenience. Ten bushels of the finest pearls have been woven into three pearl curtains, made by a master craftsman from Yangzhou. The craftsmanship alone is worth a thousand taels of silver. In addition, there are twenty shops in Yangzhou, Jinling, Jiangyin, Suzhou and Hangzhou, a three-courtyard mansion by West Lake, and a hundred acres of fertile land with an attached estate."

Even Lin Daiyu, who came from a wealthy family, couldn't help but be amazed by this display of wealth. The salt merchants were truly rich; no wonder the emperor always kept a close eye on them.

Of course, some people might wonder why the salt merchants were willing to pay such a high price to silence Lin Daiyu, but were unwilling to pay the taxes they owed.
The reasons are different!

Giving Lin Daiyu a gift is a one-off deal; no matter how much you give her, it will only hurt her a little.

Moreover, given the wealth of the salt merchants, this was not even a drop in the ocean.

The tax paid to the emperor was a long-term supply, and it could only be more, not less. For example, if 100,000 taels of silver were paid in taxes this year, the tax paid next year could only be more than 100,000 taels, not less.

Because salt trading is a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood, the profits are more stable. Without a reasonable explanation, once the tax rate goes up, it's unlikely to come down again.

This is why some large salt merchants, even with sufficient salt permits, still sold smuggled salt. This was because not only was it tax-free, but it also prevented the emperor from developing a taste for salt and turning the Jiangnan salt merchants into the emperor's personal cash cows, allowing him to take whatever he wanted.

“Miss Lin! This is only the first batch. If you can help persuade Lord Lin, we will reward you handsomely!” The middle-aged businessman smiled and cupped his hands, then made a gesture of three times the amount.

Lin Daiyu stepped forward, used her riding whip to lift the carriage curtain, looked inside, and then lowered it.

"I am just one person. No matter how luxurious my food, clothing, and daily necessities are, it's still just a little bit. My Lin family can more than support one daughter like me!" After saying that, he led his horse past the carriage and continued walking forward.

"Miss Lin! You are, after all, a young woman, and you will get married sooner or later! What does a woman rely on when she goes to her husband's family? Isn't it the dowry she brings with her?"

“If your dowry is substantial, your husband’s family will value you more. The servants and maids will be more obedient to you because they appreciate your kindness. You were raised in a wealthy family, so you should understand this principle!” The middle-aged merchant wanted to persuade him further.

Lin Daiyu, however, had already turned and walked away without looking back.

There's no need for her to explain her feelings and thoughts to someone insignificant.

The vermilion gate of the Salt Inspector's residence glowed a dark red in the morning light, and the bronze beast rings were gleaming from the fog of the previous night.

As Lin Daiyu approached, the door was opened first. Two servants saw Lin Daiyu, carefully looked her over for a few moments, and then cautiously asked, "Has Miss returned?"

This is because, in the past few days, quite a few women have come to impersonate Lin Daiyu.

This easily exposed disguise, though seemingly absurd, actually proves that the salt merchants were driven to desperation by Lin Daiyu and had no choice but to resort to any means necessary.

"it's me!"

"Should we have Xueyan and Zijuan come out to identify them?" Lin Daiyu had a wide circle of friends and had long heard about some of the outrageous changes in the mansion.

"No...no need! Master already had everyone identify the portrait!" the servant immediately said.

Then some old women rushed up and helped Lin Daiyu inside, while the servants ran quickly inside to inform Master Lin that the young lady had returned.

Seeing this scene, and hearing that her father had already had the servants examine her portrait, Lin Daiyu felt somewhat relieved.

This at least shows that the father was not pedantic. If he were a pedantic Confucian scholar, even if he mistook his daughter a hundred times, he would not arrange for someone to draw a clear portrait and give it to the servants to carefully identify her.

A breeze carrying the scent of medicine swept through the corridor, and hexagonal palace lanterns cast swaying shadows on the carved lattice windows.

The curtain of the east wing in the third courtyard was half-rolled up, and the agarwood incense in the bronze incense burner had accumulated half an inch of ash, with a few wisps of smoke clinging to the cracked pine ink on the table.

Led by the old women, Lin Daiyu stepped across the still-wet blue brick floor and gradually approached Lin Ruhai's study.

Before even entering, I could see my father sitting by the window through the dense bamboo shadows.

At this moment, Lin Ruhai was sitting on a boxwood chair coughing, and the white pheasant on his official robe seemed to have lost some of its color in the morning light.

Hearing the beaded curtain rustle, he hurriedly covered the reddish handkerchief in the spittoon with a book, but could not hide the faded satin edge of his sleeve.

The green parrot on the ebony shelf by the window suddenly flapped its wings, and half a crushed loquat fell from its beak, the bright yellow flesh landing on the official document reporting the salt tax.

"You've lost weight." A hoarse voice came through the sound of the water clock.

Lin Daiyu looked at her father, who was feigning illness, and even though she knew it was a delaying tactic, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"And he's even more handsome now! Just like your mother!" Lin Ruhai's voice was filled with laughter, but at the end, there was an inevitable hint of melancholy.

He waved his hand, signaling the servants to disperse.

Just as Lin Ruhai was about to speak again, Lin Daiyu took a few steps to the bookshelf next to her, reached out and took down a book. Sparks flew from her fingertips as she pulled out a wisp of dark gray smoke from it.

As the electric arc leaped, the smoke was shattered and completely dissipated.

“A listening ghost, willing to risk its soul being scattered, still wants to lurk in your study, Father. It seems they are really afraid of you!” Lin Daiyu turned to Lin Ruhai and said.

Lin Ruhai was not surprised at all, and instead of talking about the salt merchants, he said, "It seems that my son really has had a miraculous encounter!"

"Although I've lost weight, I'm very healthy...that's great!"

"After you come back this time, you won't leave again!"

“Father is in poor health and needs his daughter to be by his side to take care of him.” As Lin Ruhai spoke, he kept a close eye on Lin Daiyu’s expression and reaction.

In fact, he had always known something about the Jia family and some of the ways in which Grandmother Jia operated.

After all, Lin Daiyu and her maid Xueyan were not the only ones who were arranged to enter the Jia family mansion together; there were also some old women and servants who accompanied them.

Although these people were ostracized by the Jia family and gradually lost touch with Lin Daiyu, they were quite knowledgeable about matters related to Lin Daiyu within the Jia family. Every so often, they would send messages back to Yangzhou to inform Lin Ruhai.

However, Lin Ruhai was in a precarious situation, and the deaths of his wife and only son made him dare not harbor any illusions. Therefore, he entrusted Lin Daiyu to the Jia family, hoping to rely on the Jia family's power to protect his only daughter.

Jia Lian's actions after arriving in Yangzhou, along with the news he heard from Xueyan, further convinced Lin Ruhai that the Jia family was not a place to stay for long.

Now that Lin Daiyu has such abilities, and given the chaos in Yangzhou, he might be able to use this opportunity to extricate himself from the situation. Wouldn't it be better to call his daughter back and keep her by his side?
"Since Father says so, then I will obey!" Lin Daiyu said with a smile, without the slightest hint of reluctance in her expression.

In the past, she might have been reluctant to part with Baoyu and the sisters and cousins ​​in the courtyard.

Now, although there is still affection, she is no longer confined to the courtyard and always yearns for a higher sky.

"Good! Good!" Lin Ruhai's face lit up with a smile. He stepped forward and reached out to pat Lin Daiyu's head. He seemed to want to touch her cheek as well, but hesitated.

After all, daughters should avoid their fathers as they grow up!

Lin Daiyu, however, took the initiative to step forward and grab her father's arm.

After the initial awkwardness dissipated, the father and daughter's relationship quickly warmed up, and they started talking more and more.

Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.

Lin Ruhai ate an extra bowl of thin porridge with Lin Daiyu, still looking like he might die at any moment, but his condition improved somewhat because he saw his daughter return.

"Father! Now that you're much better, why are you doing this?" Lin Daiyu asked, somewhat puzzled, as she ate the chicken leg her father had put in her bowl.

Lin Ruhai thought for a moment and said, "In the past, although I had some disagreements with these salt merchants, we still managed to restrain each other. I would pay a certain amount of supplementary tax every year, and they would cooperate by paying more salt tax."

"But recently, these salt merchants have become even more audacious, and the Emperor has repeatedly written to me, ordering me to strictly investigate the salt tax and show no leniency whatsoever."

Lin Daiyu said, "Father has been so loyal to the country, how can the Emperor be so harsh on him?"

The salt tax problem cannot be completely solved by a mere salt inspector.

After all, this involves the retired emperor and many nobles and imperial relatives who share the fate of the country. Even if Lin Ruhai is impartial and incorruptible, he does not have the right or ability to investigate this matter thoroughly.

The emperor's order was tantamount to forcing Lin Ruhai to his death!

Lin Ruhai shook his head upon hearing this.

"With two suns in the sky, there are bound to be many twists and turns. The salt tax dispute is merely a reflection of this!"

"My involvement in this matter may not necessarily be about thoroughly investigating the salt tax; it could also be about paying a price to prove my loyalty!"

Lin Ruhai didn't delve deeper into the matter and changed the subject, saying, "Now that I have received the spiritual fruit you sent, my chronic illness has been cured, but if I want to extricate myself from this quagmire, I will have to continue to be ill."

"You have done your father a great favor. With the commotion you caused, I can give the Emperor some explanation. I can then take the opportunity to propose retiring. Even if the Emperor does not agree, I can still use the power of the salt merchants to transfer me away from this place, away from this vortex, and spend a few years of peaceful life with you."

Lin Daiyu frowned as she looked at her father, whose ambition had vanished and who now only possessed a few remnants of his former arrogance.

She knew these words came from her father's heart, but that heart might not be the same as it was ten years ago.

At that time, my father may have also been ambitious, wanting to amass wealth for the country and fill the national treasury. For this, he was separated from his wife and children and became a penniless and lonely official.

But was the father wrong at this moment?
Is his compromise in the face of reality wrong?
Lin Daiyu didn't know that although she was very intelligent, there were still many questions that she couldn't understand or comprehend at that moment.

"Wherever Father goes, Yu'er will accompany him!" That was all Lin Daiyu could say.

“Alright! My Yu’er will stay with you, but... she can’t stay for too long. When Father has some free time, he will find a good husband for my Yu’er!” Lin Ruhai said with a smile.

But as soon as he said that, the atmosphere grew colder.

(End of this chapter)