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

Chapter 233 Red-eared Snow Fox

After Gao Gong left, Lin Shisan carefully pondered what Gao Gong had said that night.

So many soldiers in the southeast sacrificed their lives, risking their lives to drive out the Japanese pirates, all for two purposes.

Firstly, to ensure the safety of the people in the southeast.

Secondly, only by pacifying the seas can maritime trade be opened.

These two objectives complement each other. Trade is peace. If the Ming government were to lift the maritime ban and allow trade with foreign vassal states, who would still engage in smuggling?
Without smuggling, there would naturally be no more Japanese pirates.

The loyal ministers and generals Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang, and Yu Dayou, along with the brave and righteous soldiers of Qi's troops, Yu's troops, and the Shaolin monks, had finally quelled the Japanese pirate threat. However, the matter of opening up the seas was firmly obstructed in the imperial court.

Wouldn't the martyrs' blood have been shed in vain?

Alright, then let me be a dagger and stab the leader of the Forbidden Sea Faction in the weak spot.

To strike a snake, strike its vital spot; to capture a thief, capture its leader first. If we can bring down Xu Jie, opening the seas will be the only way forward!
Lin Shisan made up his mind.

The following day, Lin summoned his two most trusted confidants to his office: Deputy Commander Sun Yue and the Emperor's brother-in-law, Commander Li Gao.

Lin Shisan said solemnly, "You have been following me for quite some time now. Today I have a task for you."

Sun Yue patted his two large chests, which were as big as flour sacks: "Master, it's the same old story. Even if you ask us to climb mountains of knives or plunge into boiling oil, we will never complain."

Lin Shisan said, "I want you to assign your spies to investigate someone."

Li Gao asked, "Who?"

Lin Shisan replied, "Young Grand Secretary Xu Fan, investigate him thoroughly, down to the smallest detail. I need to know exactly how many bowls of rice he eats each day, how many times he defecates and urinates, and even the color and smell of his excrement and urine!"

"Even if he sleeps with his concubine late at night, I need to know what position he uses."

"Bang!" Li Gao slammed his hand on the table, startling Lin Shisan and Sun Yue.

Lin Shisan asked, "Your Excellency, what is this?"

Li Gao said indignantly, "Master, you're finally going to deal with the Xu family! I've had enough!"

“A few days ago when I went to the palace, my sister complained to me about how that scoundrel Xu Jie abused his power!”

"His Majesty needs money to repair the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which is a great act of filial piety. Xu Jie is stubbornly holding back the Ministry of Revenue from allocating this money."

"The Ministry of Revenue won't provide the funds, so His Majesty is considering using the Imperial Treasury. You, Xu Jie, an outsider, can't possibly complain about using the Emperor's private funds to repair the ancestral temple, can you?"

"Xu Jie led a group of censors to kneel and remonstrate, using the argument that 'diligence and frugality are the most important tasks for wise rulers throughout history' to pressure the emperor."

"To put it bluntly, Xu Jie prevents the emperor from doing whatever he wants. This is how he demonstrates his power in the court!"

Li Gao took a sip of tea and continued to complain, "And then there's the matter of opening up the seas. It benefits the court and the people. The Emperor supports it. But Xu Jie managed to block it from being implemented!"

"Xu Jie submitted three memorials resigning from office this year. He claimed to be resigning, but in reality, he was trying to blackmail the Emperor!"

"My sister once said something quite insightful. If things continue like this, will the world ultimately belong to the Zhu family or the Xu family?"

Lin Shisan exclaimed in admiration, "Consort Li's words are insightful. As the Emperor's personal guard, our duty is twofold: first, to uphold the Emperor's authority; and second, to work for the well-being of the people."

"I've already told you. This time, I'm going to start with Xu Fan and bring down the Xu family. This will ensure the smooth opening of the sea route."

"If this matter succeeds, the three of us dare not say that we will be remembered in history, but at least when we are old, we can proudly tell our descendants that we did something great that benefited the people when we were young."

"If we are defeated, Sun Yue and I may find ourselves in dire straits. But your brother-in-law is different; you are a staunch member of the imperial family, and the Xu faction cannot do anything to you."

Lin Shisan played a trick, deliberately leading Li Gao astray with his words.

Li Gao was a straightforward and righteous man. He patted his chest and said, "Master, don't worry. If it's necessary to take the lead openly when dealing with the Xu family, I, Li Gao, will step forward."

"You and my senior brother Sun only need to offer advice and strategize behind the scenes."

Lin Shisan grasped Li Gao's hand: "Imperial Brother-in-law! From now on, we no longer need to address each other as master and disciple. We are now brothers, though not from the same father!"

After saying that, Lin Shisan took Sun Yue's hand and said sincerely, "Although we have been master and disciple for more than ten years, we are about the same age. Although we are master and disciple, we are brothers in reality."

“From now on, the three of us will be brothers in private!” Sun Yue and Li Gao were both moved by Lin Shisan’s words.

"Big brother!"

"Big brother!"

"Second brother, third brother!"

"Third brother!"

"Second brother!"

The three of them burst into hearty laughter, "Hahahaha!"

For the next two weeks, Lin Shisan's office as the garrison commander became Xu Fan's temporary private archive.

Almost all of the intelligence and surveillance resources of the Northern Garrison Command were used to deal with Xu Fan.

Gao Gong kept his word and sent his trusted confidant, Master Shao, to secretly assist him.

That evening, Lin Shisan sat facing Sun Yue, Li Gao, and Shao Daxia in the duty room.

Dozens of scrolls of Xu Fan's private files were laid out in front of them.

Shao Daxia said, "From the 43rd to the 45th year of Jiajing's reign, during the period when Xu Fan returned to his hometown to maintain his estate, he amassed a total of 80,000 mu of land in Songjiang."

"Two years! Eighty thousand mu of land! That's equivalent to the fiefdoms of several princes!"

"However, this person is skilled in this field and quite cautious. When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, he always operates behind the scenes."

Sun Yue nodded: "Yes, yes, yes. If we want to punish Xu Fan by annexing land, Xu Fan will deny everything and say that his clansmen and servants did it behind his back."

Li Gao said, "Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of beautiful women. I was originally thinking that Xu Fan had sixteen concubines, and surely one or two of them were forcibly married."

"Who would have thought that after investigating, it turns out that Xu Fan is quite popular with women. All sixteen of his concubines are willing."

Lin Shisan rubbed his temples.

Xu Jie was a cunning old fox, leaving no trace of his wrongdoings. Xu Fan was at least a cunning young fox, and the same was true.

Just then, an informant entered the guardhouse carrying an envelope. This man was one of Sun Yue's subordinates.

He handed the envelope to Sun Yue and then left.

Sun Yue took the letter out of the envelope, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it onto the table.

Lin Shisan asked, "What is it?"

Sun Yue said, "It's nothing. Just a trivial matter in the Xu household. It's not of any great importance."

Lin Shisan walked to Sun Yue's side, picked up the letter and looked at it.

It records the following event: Six red-eared snow foxes were newly purchased for the back garden of the Xu family.

This is indeed a small matter.

In the past two years, raising foxes has suddenly become popular among wealthy families in Beijing.

Fennec foxes, northern foxes, marble foxes, silver foxes, red foxes, Tibetan foxes, and sand foxes have all become new favorites among pet owners.

Xu Fan also liked to keep some pets in the back garden of his mansion, including foxes. As a high-ranking official, second only to the Grand Secretary, it wasn't surprising that he would follow a trend.

Lin Shisan said, "Red-eared snow fox? As far as I know, red-eared snow foxes live in the deep mountains of Liaodong and are extremely difficult to catch."

"Xu Fan managed to get six at once? I'm quite curious about the origin of these six red-eared snow foxes."

"Second brother, have your men investigate where Xu Fan purchased these six foxes."

(End of this chapter)