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

Chapter 1 Lin Shisan

In the early autumn of the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, the Jinyiwei elephant training ground.

The 20-year-old Lin Shisan, a lieutenant of the Tang Tie, sat on a piece of elephant-tie stone, lazily crossing his legs. Next to him was a pot of almond tea and a bag of watermelon seeds.

Lin Shisan was of medium build, and not handsome in appearance, but his appearance was pretty enough to attract Chunniang, who provided meals to the elephant trainer, to steal a glance at him from time to time.

He threw a watermelon seed into his mouth, and with a "pop", the seed husk came out. He took a sip of the sweet but not greasy almond tea, and this autumn afternoon seemed lazy and comfortable.

The almond tea and watermelon seeds were presented to him by his fat disciple Sun Yue.

Sun Yue had just joined the elephant training school, was two years younger than Lin Shisan, and was as fat as a movable meatball, weighing more than 200 kilograms. If you took off his underwear, it would probably be enough to use it as a table cover.

Lin Shisan sipped the almond tea and smiled at Sun Yue, "Do you know where the word 'pet' comes from? The Biography of Du Qin in the Book of Han. Now that you have entered the elephant training school, you will have to deal with your master and lost pets."

In the Ming Dynasty, the custom of keeping pets was prevalent. The Jiajing Emperor in Xiyuan kept a blue cat named "Meishhuang", whose salary was the same as that of a fifth-rank official. Following the example of the superiors, the powerful people in the capital all enjoyed keeping pets.

All birds and beasts can be pets.

The Jinyiwei Elephant Training Institute was for the royal family to raise pets, but the pets they raised were a little bigger, each weighing up to 10,000 kilograms.

If you keep a pet, it is inevitable that it will get lost. The lives of pets in the homes of the rich and powerful are more precious than those of ordinary people.

All the powerful people in the capital knew that when their pets were lost, they went to the elephant training center to find the captain Lin Shisan.

There are 360 professions, and every profession has its top talent. Lin Shisan is an expert in seeking favors.

Lin Shisan's boss, the white-haired Gao Xiaoqi, walked over quickly and said, "Shisan, you look so relaxed. It's time to do some work."

Lin Shisan jumped down from the elephant-tethering stone like an agile toad, smiling broadly, "Master Gao. Is this a business trip or a private job? Is there any money involved?"

Gao Xiaoqi is over 60 years old and is about to retire. He is a kind boss. Lin Shisan usually has a good relationship with him.

Gao Xiaoqi unceremoniously picked up the copper pot of almond tea and took a big gulp. "Private work, a lucrative job. Have you heard of Liuxinju in South City?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Yes, the pickles are more expensive than meat. The owners are three brothers named Zhao, who became very rich with their small pickle business."

Gao Xiaoqi said, "Boss Zhao Cunren raised a short-winged mountain green grasshopper named 'Gai Xiongji'. Hey, its call is really crisp, and it is said to be unrivaled in the singing insect world of Beijing. Unfortunately, it was lost three days ago."

Lin Shisan was a bit troubled: "Whether it's a singing insect or a fighting insect, they are all different from cats, dogs, hawks, and pigeons. It's not easy to find them after they've been lost for three days."

Gao Xiaoqi said, "It's not difficult for someone to come to you, the Thirteenth Master of the Elephant Training Institute." After saying that, he held up five fingers and said, "The boss of the Zhao family is willing to pay this amount. Fifty taels!"

Lin Shisan was a little surprised to hear this number. You know, fifty taels of silver is enough to buy five acres of fertile land in the south of the Yangtze River.

Lin Shisan asked tentatively: "Let's still follow the old rules, 20-80 split after the deal is done? I split 20-30, you split 20-30, the general flag split 300 households split 30-30?"

Gao Xiaoqi's old face smiled like a chrysanthemum: "Okay! I often tell my colleagues that you, Lin Shisan, the elephant trainer, understand the ways of the world the best. This year, a group of Tangtie Xiaowei will be transferred to the registered positions in the guard. Work hard, you young man have a bright future."

Gao Xiaoqi made promises to Lin Shisan, but Lin Shisan just smiled and didn't take it seriously.

During the Hongzhi reign, the Jinyiwei recruited people from the market to serve as their eyes and ears or to work for the guards by issuing "letters".

These "Tang Tie Xiaowei" had no quota, were not on the list, and were not issued badges. If they made achievements, the credit went to their superiors; if something went wrong, they took the blame.

In this dynasty, if you have connections and can pay two hundred taels of silver to a captain of the Jinyiwei, you can get a post of honor. The post of honor is to beg for food on your knees in the Jinyiwei. Even so, many people want to beg but have no chance.

Jinyiwei does have about ten people who are transferred from Tang Tie to the registered post every year. But it will never be Lin Shisan's turn to work in the elephant training station.

There is no other reason, the elephant trainer has the lowest status among the three divisions and fourteen thousand households of the Jinyiwei.

The most powerful official in the imperial court was the Northern Pacification Office, which was in charge of the imperial court's cases and the imperial prison. All officials were terrified when they heard about it.

The second is the Southern Pacification Division, which is responsible for the laws and regulations of the garrison and foreign military affairs.

The third is the Experience Department. If the literati in the Experience Department make a mistake in writing in the secret file room, countless ministers, provincial governors, and brave generals will have their careers ruined.

The fourth is the core five thousand households. They are responsible for the imperial palace garrison and the emperor's guard of honor. The emperor's entourage is dressed in brocade and looks majestic all day long.

The fifth is to add 6,000 households to manage military craftsmen and strongmen.

The sixth is the military settlement, which manages 100,000 mu of military farmland in the city. It is extremely fertile.

The seventh is Ma Jun Suo.

The youngest one is in the elephant training school - the one who raises elephants for the emperor.

There were hundreds of sharp-minded Tang Tielishi in the Southern and Northern Pacification Offices. They all stared at the transfer quota like black-eyed chickens. How could it be Lin Shisan from the elephant training school?
Although he knew that Gao Xiaoqi was just making empty promises, Lin Shisan did not reveal it. It is easy to cultivate in the government, but it is necessary to be manipulative in the ways of the world.

Gao Xiaoqi staggered towards the tea room.

Lin Shisan ordered Sun Yue: "Fat disciple, set out to Liuxin Residence in the south of the city."

The two of them left the elephant training center. Lin Shisan got on a dwarf mule, while Sun Yue walked and led the mule for Lin Shisan.

In the elephant training camp, the thousand households and hundred households traveled on horses, and the trial hundred households and the general flag officers traveled on donkeys, all of which were male animals. Mules were brought by the small flag officers and lieutenants with more affluent families and were private animals.

Sun Yue walked breathlessly and asked Lin Shisan, "Master, I have been here for three days. Why haven't I seen you leading me to serve the elephants?"

Lin Shisan said with a smile: "Serving elephants? You are so awesome!"

Sun Yue was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Lin Shisan talked freely, "An elephant eats 300 catties of tender leaves and 20 catties of wild fruits every day. The silver for fodder is 100 taels a year. A registered lieutenant has to take care of two elephants. If he uses his brain to make money on fodder, he can make 70 or 80 taels a year. They will never let a lieutenant like me get involved in elephant affairs."

Sun Yue looked as if he had suddenly realized something: "Ah, that's how it is. It really is like living off the mountain, living off the elephant. Really great."

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "That's right. The thinner the elephants at the elephant training center are, the fatter the registered lieutenants who raise them will be."

Sun Yue asked again: "So what do we do as master and disciple on a daily basis?"

Lin Shisan replied, "Looking for pets. If a pet of an official, noble, or even a royal family is lost, we go to look for it. This is an official errand, there is no extra pay. If a pet of a local tycoon is lost, we also go to look for it, there is money to be made."

Sun Yue raised the biggest question at the moment: "Can a tiny insect like a katydid be found if it's lost? How do you find it?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "You will see what I can do in a while. Han Changli once said that there are different levels of understanding and different specializations in different fields. That's all."

(Attached: Organization chart of Jinyiwei)
(End of this chapter)