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

Chapter 213 Father Released
The following day at noon, at the Huizhou Merchants Guild Hall.

Luo Longwen was resting with his eyes closed. Given how things had developed, he should have been sitting on the edge of a fishing hook, not remaining calm and collected.

His composure was an act for his subordinates.

As expected of someone who carried out secret missions for Yan's party for ten years, he truly has the demeanor of a great general.

His mind was in complete turmoil. If he didn't send a letter to the capital, and the people there killed Lin You Niu, then there would be no turning back.

If Lin Shisan reports the truth, Luo Longwen will be the first to lose his head. Moreover, his entire clan will be exterminated and their property confiscated.

Inciting a mutiny is tantamount to rebellion. That's no joke.

Just then, a subordinate stepped forward: "Master Luo, Lin Shisan is requesting an audience outside the guild hall. He has also brought a group of people with him."

Luo Longwen frowned: "Is it someone from the Military Command or the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Is he here to arrest me?"

His subordinate replied, "No. It's Fang Youshan and those Zhenwu Camp military officers."

Upon hearing this, Luo Longwen felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

He said, "Call Lin Shisan here, oh no, please come to the living room."

Before long, Lin Shisan met Luo Longwen in the living room. He greeted him with a broad smile, "Second Brother, I've come to apologize to you!"

Luo Longwen glared at Lin Shisan: "Stop pretending."

Lin Shisan grinned obsequiously, "Hehe. Second Brother, you've misunderstood me! Everything I've done these past two weeks has been part of a scheme. My body is in Cao's camp, but my heart is with Han."

Luo Longwen asked, "Oh? What's the purpose of this setup? Who are you trying to trap?"

Lin Shisan replied, "Naturally, it's to frame Xu Jie's cronies in Nanjing. I've told you before, I was born a member of the Yan family, and I will die a member of the Yan family. How could I possibly oppose the Yan family?"

"I pretended to be irreconcilably opposed to the Yan family and seriously investigated the cause of the mutiny. This was to mislead the Xu faction in Nanjing and make them mistakenly believe that I had been used as their tool."

"See, they were intimidated by me and didn't get involved, so as to avoid any unnecessary complications."

"You should know that Zhao Zhenji is the governor of Yingtian. He also has considerable influence in Nanjing."

Luo Longwen spat out a mouthful of saliva: "Pah! Lin Shisan, Lin Shisan. When it comes to lying through your teeth, you are truly a master."

"Do you think I, Lao Luo, am a three-year-old? You think I'm that easy to fool? Only a fool would believe your nonsense."

Lin Shisan covered his chest with his left hand, pointed to the sky with his right, and swore an oath: "If I have uttered even half a lie, may the heavens send down lightning to strike my ancestral graves! May my ancestors' corpses be burned to ashes!"

"Who in the world doesn't know that the Yan family wields immense power in the court? Even if I were the most foolish person in the world, I wouldn't dare to ride on the Yan family's neck and cause dysentery!"

“I truly did this to deceive Zhao Zhenji.”

Luo Longwen glanced at Lin Shisan: "Oh? Really? I just don't believe it."

Lin Shisan said, "Really! Look, I brought Fang Youshan and those Zhenwu Camp officers to my second brother. I also brought their confessions."

"Whether these people are killed or tortured is entirely up to you, Second Brother."

Luo Longwen knew that Lin Shisan was fooling him.

Lin Shisan also knew that Luo Longwen knew he was being fooled.

However, the witness testimonies from those perpetrators in the Zhenwu Camp mutiny were genuine, indicating that Lin Shisan had yielded to Yan's faction.

Luo Longwen said, "If we hadn't got your father under our control, would you have changed your attitude?"

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Second Brother, you have misunderstood me too much! You, the Young Grand Secretary, and I are sworn brothers. How could you do something to harm my father?"

"The reason I stopped pretending and handed Fang Youshan and the others over to you is because Zhao Zhenji's bastard father passed away. He wants to return to his hometown to observe mourning."

"The largest Xu Dang pumpkin in Nanjing has gone down the mountain—it's gone. I naturally no longer need to deceive them."

“My heart will always belong to the Yan family. If you still don’t believe me, I’ll take a knife and, like Bi Gan of Shang Dynasty, cut out my heart to show you.”

Although Luo Longwen knew perfectly well that Lin Shisan was talking nonsense, he still pretended to suddenly understand: "Oh, I see!"

"I knew it all along, you're two-faced. What kind of relationship do we have? I saved your life back then. How could you repay kindness with enmity?"

"Alright, enough of this small talk. I'd like to trouble you to go outside the clubhouse and have your men bring Fang Youshan and the others in."

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Alright! Second Brother, please wait for me a moment."

Following Luo Longwen's instructions, Lin Shisan handed over all the prisoners to the officers of the guild hall's arrest division.

He then found Luo Longwen: "Second Brother, I've handed over all of Fang Youshan's men."

Luo Longwen looked at his subordinate standing at the entrance of the hall with a questioning gaze. The subordinate nodded slightly.

A huge weight was finally lifted off Luo Longwen's shoulders.

Lin Shisan said, "Second Brother, these past few days I've been pretending to be your enemy, and it's been like my heart is being torn apart. I'm just afraid that you and Eldest Brother will misunderstand me."

"Now it's good. I've expressed my true feelings. With the wisdom of my elder brothers, I'm sure they can see through everything and understand my good intentions."

Luo Longwen nodded hurriedly in agreement: "Ah, yes, yes, yes. We actually guessed a long time ago that you were up to something."

"What's our relationship? We've burned joss paper together, drunk chicken blood together, and had diarrhea together. We're brothers, hahaha."

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Yes, yes, yes. We're brothers! Hahaha!"

Luo Longwen cursed inwardly: If the young Grand Secretary hadn't arrested your father, would we still be brothers?

Lin Shisan added, "Second Brother, what about my father's situation? It's a matter of life and death, please don't..."

Luo Longwen said, "Don't worry about that."

He walked to his desk, wrote a secret message in tiny characters, and handed it to his subordinate: "Tie the message to Blue Dot's leg and release it immediately."

The men took the order and left.

Luo Longwen then asked Lin Shisan, "How do you plan to report the cause of the Zhenwu Camp mutiny?"

Lin Shisan said, "Isn't that simple? The Zhenwu Camp is a Japanese pirate defense force, and its soldiers are not from the garrison, but from the civilian population. Therefore, their discipline is lax and they are unruly."

"The anti-Japanese garrison should never have existed!"

Lin Shisan said this to mislead Luo Longwen. He wanted to first coax Yan Dang into releasing his father, Lin Youniu.

Luo Longwen gave a thumbs up: "Brother, you've got a brilliant idea!"

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Ahem! It is my eldest and second brothers who have the best insight. They saw through the reason for the mutiny at a glance."

"What in this world can escape the discerning eyes of my eldest and second brothers?"

Luo Longwen stood up: "It's past lunchtime. Shall we two brothers go to the dining room, have some Anhui cuisine, and have a few drinks?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Second Brother, please."

Luo Longwen politely declined, saying, "No, third brother, please go first. As the elder brother, I should let my younger brother have his way."

Lin Shisan replied, "No, a younger brother should respect his older brother."

Luo Longwen waved his sleeve and said, "Hahaha, then I won't be polite!"

Three days later, in Yan Song's study.

Yan Shifan walked in excitedly, holding a secret message pigeon: "Father, you really have to use an iron fist to get things done!"

"Luo Longwen threatened Lin Shisan in Nanjing with Lin Youniu. Lin Shisan complied as expected." "Fang Youshan and dozens of soldiers and military officers who led the disturbance have all been handed over to Luo Longwen by Lin Shisan. The kid has given in."

"Luo Longwen must have already secretly dealt with all of these people. Dead men tell no tales!"

As Yan Song carefully considered the words on a piece of green rattan paper used for writing imperial edicts, he said, "That's good."

Yan Shifan said, "In my opinion, Lin Shisan has always been a spy in our household. Although we won't kill his father, we can't let him go either."

"We need to raise Lin Youniu. Otherwise, Lin Shisan might turn against us again."

Yan Song put down the prayer tablet: "Release Lin Youniu immediately and do not make things difficult for him anymore."

Yan Shifan's expression changed: "Father, didn't you always teach me that the most taboo thing in the court is to be soft-hearted like a woman?"

Yan Song replied, "This is not a matter of womanly compassion. Lü Fang came to my office in the cabinet this morning and hinted that I shouldn't push things too far."

"Now that Lin Shisan has backed down, the trouble has been resolved. We still need to give the Inner Minister face."

Yan Shifan said, "What if Lin Shisan betrays us again? How can we control him now that we no longer have his father?"

Yan Song stood up, and Yan Shifan quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Father, please slow down."

Yan Song said, "You just said that Lin Shisan is a spy in our mansion. That's true, but you didn't tell the whole story."

"I've figured it out these past few days. Lin Shisan is a spy sent by the Emperor to our residence!"

"He was neither Lu Bing's man, nor Xu Jie's man, nor Yang Bo's man, nor Prince Yu's man."

"From beginning to end, he was the Emperor's man!"

"By holding Lin Youniu hostage, you are using him to control the Emperor."

"In the past two years, the Emperor has become wary of our Yan family. Don't cause any more trouble."

Yan Shifan thought for a moment and said, "Father is right. I will send someone to release Lin Youniu right away."

Supported by his son, Yan Song walked slowly to the steps in front of the study and sat down directly on them.

Yan Shifan said, "Father, the ground is cold. I'll go get you a cushion."

Yan Song replied, "It doesn't matter. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was always the only constant in the court, while powerful ministers came and went. This was especially true during the Jiajing reign. The Yan family will not remain in power forever; sooner or later, they will lose power."

"Remember, what you should be thinking about now is not how the Yan family can maintain their power forever. Instead, you should be thinking about how to let the Yan family step down from the pinnacle of power with dignity."

"If you want to maintain a decent appearance, you need to buy time. At least five years."

"Did you write the letter I asked you to write to Ruzhen?"

Yan Shifan said, "He has written it. But he may not listen to you."

Yan Song, however, said, "If the Nanjing matter is resolved as we wish, the Qi and Yu departments will be abolished by the court. Ruzhen will no longer have the sword to destroy the Japanese pirates, so he will naturally have to listen to us."

Yan Shifan said indignantly, "Hu Zongxian is an ungrateful scoundrel. If it weren't for the Yan family, how could he have become the governor-general?"

Yan Song replied, “No. Ruzhen is not a villain, but a gentleman. It’s just that his aspirations are different from ours.”

"He is the most outstanding student in my life."

That afternoon, Lin Youniu rode his donkey back to the front of Goujibo Hutong.

Although Yan Shifan kidnapped him, he did not make things difficult for him. He was treated to good food and drink for the past few days.

Lin Youniu still believes he was kidnapped by bandits who entered the city. It was the staff of Fuyuan Shipping who paid five hundred taels of silver to ransom him.

Lin Youniu dismounted his donkey and entered the old house courtyard. There stood Chen Ju, one of Huang Jin's men.

Behind Chen Ju stood dozens of burly Eastern Depot guards.

Chen Ju cupped his hands in greeting: "Old Master Lin, you're finally back. I'm here on Eunuch Lü's orders to escort you to Nanjing."

"Please quickly explain the business matters to the staff and employees on board. We'll set off tonight."

Lin Youniu was surprised: "Eunuch Lü from the palace wants me to go to Nanjing?"

Chen Ju nodded: "If you go to Nanjing, firstly, your family can be reunited. Secondly, it will save you from the evil spirits in the capital from thinking about you."

“We will travel by official boat from Tongzhou, passing through forty-six post stations. In less than forty days, you will be able to reunite with the Thirteenth Prince.”

Lin Youniu waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no. I don't trust those shopkeepers and assistants with my business."

Chen Ju said, "Sir, Eunuch Lü has sent a scholar who is proficient in mathematics to manage your company's accounts. Every penny of your company's annual profits will be sent to Nanjing."

"Don't you trust Eunuch Lü?"

"Ming told you, if you had stayed in the capital, you would have been kidnapped sooner or later. You were lucky to escape this time."

"You don't want to never see the Thirteenth Prince again in this lifetime, do you?"

Lin Youniu was taken aback by these words, but then changed his attitude: "Okay, okay. I'll go to Nanjing with you."

Nanjing City, Zhenjianfu (township government office).

The Lin family, the Sun family, Uncle Zhang, and Li Gao all moved away from Dachanggan Street and moved into the town government office.

The town's administrative office was Yang Jinshui's territory, much safer than Dachanggan Street.

Yang Jinshui found Lin Shisan: "I just received a message from the capital. The Yan family has released your father. Chen Ju is currently escorting your father to Nanjing with officers from the Eastern Depot."

Lin Shisan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. Alas, I'm unfilial and have burdened him."

Yang Jinshui thoughtfully offered a suggestion: "Old people age very quickly once they have nothing to do and become idle."

"He'll be bored out of his mind once he leaves his business in the capital and arrives in Nanjing."

"I heard he's been in the ice cellar business for many years. Nanjing is a city of extravagance and decadence. There are countless wealthy families, and every summer they have to buy ice."

"And the hundreds of pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River also require a considerable amount of ice each summer."

"Why don't you let your father open a branch in Nanjing and continue the business of storing and selling ice?"

"I can't speak for other things, but your dad only makes money, he never loses, when he does business in my area!"

Lin Shisan clapped his hands: "Oh my! Eunuch Yang is so considerate of my father, he's practically my father's half-brother. Then you are my uncle."

"Uncle, please accept thirteen bows."

Yang Jinshui laughed and scolded, "Get out of here! Don't use those mushy words you use on outsiders on me."

"Besides, Eunuch Lü is my godfather. You are his nephew, how can you acknowledge me as your uncle? Wouldn't that mess up the generational hierarchy?"

"Oh, by the way, when do you plan to report the cause of the Zhenwu Camp mutiny to the imperial court?"

Lin Shisan said, “No rush. It’s not too late to report after my father arrives safely in Nanjing. My uncle sent a secret letter yesterday, specifically instructing me to postpone this matter.”

Yang Jinshui said, "Alright. Then you can just wait patiently for your father to arrive in Nanjing."

Lin Shisan returned to the back office of the town government and informed Biyun, Yun'er, Hu'er, and Wang Xiaochuan that Lin Youniu was coming to Nanjing soon.

Tiger jumped for joy: "Oh, oh! Grandpa's coming to Nanjing!"

Lin Shisan said, "You need to study hard these days. When your grandfather arrives in Nanjing, recite the Three Character Classic to him."

(End of this chapter)