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

Chapter 109: Yi and Cheng Nu (-character chapter)

Lu Fang did not deceive Lin Shisan. Being a envoy out of the capital was indeed a great job. There was food, drink, status, and beautiful women to sleep with.

Lu Fang said: "Thirteen, do you know why the civil officials are against the system of passing on the official title?"

Lin Shisan knew it very well, but he shook his head slightly and pretended not to know.

In the officialdom, if a boss wants to teach his subordinates and show off his knowledge, the subordinates must pretend to be ignorant.

The more ignorant the subordinates pretend to be, the more their boss's knowledge will be highlighted.

Lu Fang took a sip of tea and said, "Actually, there is no difference between sending an imperial envoy out of the capital and sending a civil official out of the capital."

"Civil servants and imperial envoys also receive money wherever they go, making a fortune and sleeping with beautiful women."

"But all the civil officials and imperial envoys are from the two lists of Jinshi. Most of the civil officials have no official titles."

"These civil servants think, I studied hard for so many years to get to where I am now, with food, drink, status, and beautiful women to sleep with."

"Why do you illiterate messengers get the same treatment as me?"

Lin Shisan nodded repeatedly: "Ah, listening to uncle's words is better than reading ten years of books. After uncle said this, I understand."

"Ordinary people laugh at those who don't have anything and hate those who have something. Civil officials hate those who are the same as them."

Lu Fang said with satisfaction: "Well, the boy is teachable. This time when he leaves the capital, it doesn't matter if he collects some money or sleeps with the beautiful woman sent by her. It's harmless."

"But I want to set a principle for you."

Lin Shisan poured Lv Fang a cup of tea: "Uncle, what principle?"

Lu Fang stared at Lin Shisan and said, "You must support anything that is beneficial to the cause of fighting against the Japanese pirates. You must not participate in anything that is not beneficial to the cause of fighting against the Japanese pirates."

Lin Shisan immediately cupped his hands and agreed: "My nephew will remember this."

Lü Fang said, "I haven't finished yet. A bunch of officials in Jiangnan all say that what they do is beneficial to the cause of resisting the Japanese pirates. It's hard to tell who is right and who is wrong."

"Just remember one thing. Trust Hu Zongxian. He is the real pillar of the country in the southeast, and he is also a person who truly fights against the Japanese invaders."

After saying that, Lu Fang stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go back to Yongshou Palace to serve the emperor first."

The Lin residence is particularly lively tonight.

As soon as Lu Fang left, Luo Longwen came.

Luo Longwen smiled and said, "Master, congratulations. I heard that you are going to go out of the capital on business. I used to be a messenger, and I know the benefits of being a messenger outside the capital."

Lin Shisan was surprised: "My benefactor, you are so well-informed? Eunuch Lu just gave me an order."

Luo Longwen smiled but said nothing.

Lin Shisan understood in his heart: It seems that there are also spies of the Yan Party in Yongshou Palace.

Luo Longwen said, "I came to you this time to pass on a message from Lord Yan. Lord Yan said that Lin Shisan is a smart man. He should know who is loyal in the southeast and who is treacherous but seems loyal."

Lin Shisan blurted out: "Those who truly work for the people are loyal. Those who hide their heads in fear and do nothing are treacherous and loyal."

This is what Lin Shisan really thought in his heart.

Luo Longwen clapped his hands and said, "Hey! You are indeed worthy of being me! You really understand the greater good. We have been in a relationship for more than half a year. We are both honest people and sensible people."

"Let's not beat around the bush. You have to help Hu Zongxian when you go to the southeast. You have to listen to him about finding the white deer."

"In fact, the White Deer is just a cover. Helping Hu Zongxian to please the emperor and fight against the Japanese is the real thing."

Lin Shisan said a few more words that impressed Luo Longwen: "How could I not know that the real white deer of the Ming Dynasty is not in the Zhoushan Islands, but in the Zhejiang Governor's Office in Hangzhou City."

"Hu Zongxian is the real White Deer of our Ming Dynasty!"

Luo Longwen held Lin Shisan's hand and said, "You can say something like this. Your insight is far better than those noisy crows in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Six Departments Corridor."

After saying this, Luo Longwen took out an envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan asked: "What is this?"

Luo Longwen said: "The envelope contains the names and official titles of thirty-six officials in Jiangnan. They are all students and old friends of the Grand Councilor and Junior Councilor."

"If you are in trouble, you can ask any of them for help. They will definitely help you."

Lin Shisan put away the envelope and said, "Thank you very much."

Luo Longwen said, "You are wrong. We are the ones who should thank you. When you help Hu Zongxian, come back from Zhejiang. The young minister will personally host a banquet for you."

Lin Shisan saw Luo Longwen out the door.

Luo Longwen suddenly remembered something: "When an official is sent out of the capital, he can bring his family with him. But I advise you not to bring them. First, the southeast is still not peaceful. It would be dangerous for your family to follow you."

"The second one."

Lin Shisan asked: "How about the second one?"

Luo Longwen smiled and said, "Second, having a good wife at home is like having a precious tree. If you travel with a precious tree, you will miss an entire forest."

Lin Shisan nodded: "I understand."

Luo Longwen had just left. Tonight, the Lin family had another important person, Jinyiwei's young manager Lu Yi.

Behind Lu Yi followed a young servant who was less than twenty years old.

Lin Shisan invited Lu Yi into the study and asked him to sit at the top of the table. Lu Yi said, "I won't say polite words. I'll let you meet someone."

After saying this, Lu Yi pointed to the servant beside him and said, "This man is called Shen Weijing. He is the general flag of the Southern Pacification Division and is responsible for the military affairs of the Japanese pirates. He is from a prominent family in Jiaxing and can speak Japanese."

"He is going with you to Zhejiang this time. In name, he is your servant. In reality, you are not subordinate to each other. Don't interfere with his work."

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "Mr. Shen, I have long admired you."

Shen Weijing bowed and said, "General Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lu Yi added: "You, Lin Shisan, are very popular in Xiyuan now. You are much more famous than Shen Weijing."

"But to be honest, in terms of your contributions to the court, you are far inferior to Shen Weijing. Shen Weijing went deep into Japan to gather intelligence many times and survived many dangers."

"You are traveling together to Jiangnan this time. You must not take advantage of your favor and become arrogant and bully your colleagues."

Lin Shisan was not a snob who liked to bully others. He said, "I will remember the young shopkeeper's teachings."

Lu Yi added: "There are no outsiders here. I will say a few words, and only heaven and earth will know, you will know, I will know, and Shen Weijing will know."

"In fact, the illusory white deer is not the most important thing."

Lin Shisan asked tentatively: "May I ask Young Shopkeeper, what is the most important thing?"

Lu Yi replied: "Fighting the Japanese is the most important thing."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Young Manager's teachings, I will keep them in mind."

Lu Yi stood up and said, "We have finished talking. I am going home. Lin Shisan, I will not see you off when you leave."

After saying this, Lu Yi, as the young shopkeeper, bowed to Lin Shisan and said, "The road is long and the mountains are high. Take care along the way."

Lin Shisan quickly returned the greeting: "Thank you, young shopkeeper."

The third big shot of the night had just left, and the fourth big shot came tonight: the Minister of Works, Zhao Wenhua.

Zhao Wenhua was followed by an official, Tang Shunzhi, a doctor of the Military Department. The upright members of the Xu Party always said that apart from forming a clique to attack dissidents, taking bribes, and persecuting and killing people, senior officials of the Yan Party such as Zhao Wenhua were not good at doing two things.

It can't do this, and it can't do that.

In fact, they are completely throwing dirty water.

Anyone who can write a book of Shangshu must have his merits.

Zhao Wenhua himself was not very capable, but he had one great skill: promoting those who were more capable than him.

Promoting people who are better than yourself often requires a great mind.

Needless to say, Hu Zongxian was brought to the capital from Jiangnan by Zhao Wenhua and introduced to Yan Song.

The doctor Tang Shunzhi in front of him was able to take charge of the Zhifang Division because of Zhao Wenhua's recommendation.

Tang Shunzhi and Zhao Wenhua were both Jinshi in the eighth year of Jiajing. Tang Shunzhi was the first in the second class, while Zhao Wenhua was the 87th in the second class.

The two men had a huge difference in ranking, but their official careers were just the opposite.

Zhao Wenhua was good at currying favor, and later he recognized Yan Song as his adoptive father. He rose to prominence quickly and became a minister in a ministry.

Tang Shunzhi wasted ten years in officialdom, wandering between several ministries as a chief. Later, he lived in seclusion in the mountains for sixteen years.

The reason why Tang Shunzhi failed to get promoted was simply because he did not focus his energy on official socializing, flattery, and scheming for promotion.

He spent all his free time practicing martial arts and studying mathematics, military tactics, military formations, firearms and even astrology.

Tang Shunzhi can be considered a miniature Wang Yangming. I will elaborate on this later.

Last year, Zhao Wenhua went to the southeast to "inspect defense." He himself did not know much about military affairs, and suddenly thought of his classmate Tang Shunzhi.

He knew that Tang Shunzhi had the talent to manage the country and save the world, was familiar with the coastal defense of Jiangnan, was proficient in military affairs, and had the ambition to govern the country and bring peace to the world.

So before leaving, he went to visit Tang Shunzhi in the mountains of Yizhou where he lived in seclusion, and asked him about the strategy of resisting the Japanese pirates in the southeast.

Zhao Wenhua was amazed by Tang Shunzhi's answer. He submitted a memorial to the court and wrote a letter of recommendation to the Prime Minister Yan Song, strongly recommending Tang Shunzhi to be a Langzhong of the Military Affairs Department.

The Military Affairs Department was responsible for formulating the military strategies of the Ming army. This was where Tang Shunzhi was able to display his strengths.

It should be said that Tang Shunzhi was a genuine member of the Yan party.

Unfortunately, some historians in later generations adhered to the principle of black and white - there can be no good people in the treacherous party. They said that Tang Shunzhi was just pretending to be with Yan Song for the sake of the great cause of resisting the Japanese pirates, and was not really attached to Yan Song.
Closer to home.

Zhao Wenhua brought Tang Shunzhi to visit. This was the fourth group of people to visit the Lin family tonight.

Zhao Wenhua said, "Xiao Shisan, this is Tang Shunzhi, a military officer from the Military Affairs Department. He has been ordered to go to the southeast to supervise the war and will go with you."

Lin Shisan said quickly: "Ah, I am honored to be able to travel with Doctor Tang."

Zhao Wenhua asked: "Don't you want to ask why I let him go with you?"

Lin Shisan replied: "To answer what Zhao Butang said. If you want me to know, you will tell me. If you don't want me to know, why should I ask?"

Zhao Wenhua gave him a thumbs up and said, "You are a very clear-headed person. Well, I just said hello to you. You two can set off together in a few days."

Four groups of guests are coming to visit tonight. Lin Shisan has confirmed two companions for the trip, one is Shen Weijing, the general flag of the Southern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei, and the other is Tang Shunzhi, a doctor of the Military Affairs Department.

Lin Shisan also wanted to bring his apprentice Sun Yue with him. They have always been two little grasshoppers on the same rope.

As for his family, Lin Shisan did not plan to bring them along. That was the southeastern part of the country, where the Japanese pirates were rampant. Some imperial censors were hacked to death by the Japanese pirates when they returned home. What about the officials' families?
At night, he asked Biyun to take good care of the family. Needless to say, they were in love again.

The next morning, Lin Shisan came to the West Garden and told the eunuchs who kept pets not to take advantage of his absence to make money.

Afterwards, he went to the headquarters of the Jinyiwei Guard to say goodbye to his superior Liu Shouyou.

Liu Shouyou was very generous in this regard and gave him two Beisi general flag teams to protect him along the way.

He finally went to the elephant training school, said goodbye to his old boss Chang Qingyun, and then found Sun Yue and asked him to follow him to Jiangnan.

Sun Yue was happy to go to Jiangnan with Lin Shisan to broaden his horizons. The master and the apprentice hit it off immediately.

On June 18, the 35th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, Lin Shisan, an imperial official, left Beijing and headed southeast to look for a white deer auspicious sign for Emperor Jiajing.

This time, Lin Shisan and his companions took the water route and headed south along the canal.

Three days after leaving Beijing, the official ship stopped at Cangzhou Prefecture in northern Zhili. The prefect of Cangzhou led all the officials to welcome him.

The prefect of Cangzhou was named Xu, and was one of the minions of Yan's party.

Prefect Xu first bowed to Lin Shisan and asked how he was.

Then Prefect Xu said with a smile: "Lin Chuanfeng has come to our Cangzhou. Our Cangzhou officials and gentry have already agreed to treat you well and make you feel at home."

After saying this, Prefect Xu lowered his voice again and said, "My wife's sister is Doctor Luo Longwen's seventh concubine."

Lin Shisan said: "Ah, so he is one of our family members."

Prefect Xu clapped his hands.

Two people came to Lin Shisan holding two red lacquer plates, which were covered with a red cloth.

Prefect Xu said, "A few dozen taels of silver is not enough to show respect. One is for you, Lin Chuanfeng. One is for Doctor Tang Shunzhi. Why can't I see Doctor Tang?"

Lin Shisan replied: "He said he stayed on the ship to study military books and maps. He would not get off the ship to wander around with us."

Prefect Xu nodded: "Okay. Someone, take this one to the boat."

After saying that, Prefect Xu made a "please" gesture to Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan understood and lifted the red cloth on the red lacquer plate. There were six silver ingots on it, each weighing ten taels, a mere sixty taels.

This is the superficial "ritual".

Under the silver ingot was a silver note with "Silver One Thousand Taels" written in large letters on it.

Lin Shisan rubbed his hands and said, "Ah, I'm just passing through Guizhi. How can I accept such a heavy gift?"

Prefect Xu had a look of deep fear on his face: "If you don't accept it, the officials and gentry of Cangzhou will probably have trouble sleeping and eating."

After saying this, Prefect Xu lowered his voice again: "The money was collected by the gentry of Cangzhou. It was not paid out of my own pocket. Please don't be polite, Lin Chuanfeng."

At this point, Lin Shisan no longer refused: "Well, since you gentlemen are so kind, I have no choice but to decline your offer."

After a while, the clerk from the government office who had boarded the boat to send Cheng Yi off to Tang Shunzhi returned to the shore.

The clerk said, "My Lord, Doctor Tang does not accept the gift. He specifically requested a few other things."

Prefect Xu asked quickly: "Oh? What is it?"

The clerk replied, "Doctor Tang wants Botou duck pears, Cangzhou hot pot chicken, Huangmahua shrimp paste, and Qingxian lamb horn crisps. He also wants the successor of Cangzhou Mengcun Bajiquan to come on board and have a fight with him."

Tang Shunzhi wanted Cangzhou specialties, which were famous but not valuable.

Prefect Xu did not dare to neglect it: "Come here, quickly do as Doctor Tang said."

After that, Prefect Xu said, "Lin Chuanfeng, please stay in my back hall tonight. Our local gentry has already prepared a banquet in the back hall, waiting for your presence."

"Besides, hehe, I'm on a business trip without my family. How are you going to get through the long nights? I've prepared a gift for you - Miss Cheng."

(End of this chapter)