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

Chapter 49: Pigeon Wrapping Race

Lin Shisan first checked in at the Jinyiwei, and then took Sun Yue to the Criminal Department's Supervision and Arrest Division.

He was not familiar with Wang Baozi, the leader of the thug gang in Dazhalan, so he went to the Supervision and Inspection Office to seek help from Luo Longwen and send someone to eliminate Xu Da's mark.

A real man keeps his word. If you promise to Master Zuimao, you must do it.

After hearing about this, Luo Longwen only sent a low-ranking and low-ranking constable from the Police Investigation Bureau to Dazhalan, which was more than enough to intimidate Wang Baozi.

Then Lin Shisan came to Xianliang Temple and found Hu Zongxian.

Hu Zongxian was like a drought-stricken woman looking forward to a rainbow, or a widow seeing a rain shower when she saw Lin Shisan. He asked anxiously, "Have you found the pigeon?"

Lin Shisan cupped his hands and said, “It has not been found yet.”

Hu Zongxian was very disappointed. After a moment he asked, "Any clues?"

Lin Shisan answered straightforwardly, "There is a clue. But I need money."

Hu Zongxian had just borrowed another 3,000 taels of silver from a Huizhou merchant in Beijing to use for socializing in Beijing. He knew very well that he couldn't be stingy with small money when doing big things. So he asked, "How much silver do you need?"

Lin Shisan replied: "One thousand taels of silver."

Hu Zongxian said, "To be honest, this is not a small amount for a seventh-rank imperial censor like me. Can you tell me what it is used for?"

Money is just a tool for Hu Zongxian to realize his ambitions. He is not a miser. But he doesn't want to be a sucker either.

This year in Zhejiang, he was cheated out of nine hundred taels of silver by a Shaoxing lawyer in order to get in touch with Zhao Wenhua.

Therefore, Hu Zongxian first asked about the purpose of the silver.

Lin Shisan told about his plan to find the pigeons.

If they wanted to find the white-feathered bow-tailed pigeon within two days, they would have to mobilize four or five hundred pigeon-wrapping thugs in the city to wrap the pigeon at night using Zhang Bo's method.

These ruffians would not do anything without profit. Even if they had Pigeon Liu's face, they might not be willing to help if they were given only two taels of silver each.

If he gave too much, Lin Shisan was afraid that Hu Zongxian would not be able to bear it.

Therefore, Lin Shisan planned to hold a "pigeon wrapping competition" in the capital, under the name of a competition of the hooligans' pigeon wrapping skills, but in fact it was to find the white-feathered bow-tailed pigeon.

The rules of this pigeon wrapping competition are simple. Whoever can wrap the white feather bow tail and hand it to Lin Shisan will be the winner.

The prize for the winner is eight hundred taels of silver.

The ruffians love gambling. If you give them two taels of silver, they won't take it seriously. But if they have the chance to win eight hundred taels of silver at once, their eyes will be as big as copper bells.

Besides, the local hooligans love to show off their strength and fight fiercely. Whoever can wrap the white feather bow tail will be the leader in the pigeon wrapping business and can earn a lot of face.

This "pigeon wrapping competition" not only offers money but also face. I'm afraid they will fight to get in.

The value of the white feather bow tail was three thousand taels, far more than the eight hundred taels of prize money. But Lin Shisan was not afraid at all that the ruffians would take it and keep it for themselves.

He would let Pigeon Liu spread the word in advance: the white feather bow tail of the winning pigeon was borrowed from a nobleman in the capital.

If the ruffians took it and kept it privately, it would become stolen goods. Firstly, no one in the pigeon business in the capital dared to spend money to buy such dirty goods; secondly, the Criminal Department would investigate it strictly. Anyone who kept it privately would have his hands and feet cut off.

Since it can't be exchanged for silver and there is a risk of breaking one's hands and feet, only a fool would wrap it up and keep it for himself. I will definitely take it out and exchange it for the prize of 800 taels.

As for the remaining two hundred taels, they were used to purchase a large amount of pea cakes.

After Lin Shisan finished speaking, Hu Zongxian said, "Okay, I'll get you the banknotes."

Hu Zongxian took out a stack of silver bills from the drawer of the desk, counted out ten, and handed them to Lin Shisan.

These notes were all from the Shanxi merchant bank "Shihechang". On the front was written "Shihechang; With this note, withdraw 100 taels of silver; Name: so-and-so; Date: so-and-so year, so-and-so month, so-and-so day, Jiajing reign".

On the back of the banknote is a complex pattern used by banks to prevent counterfeiting.

Hu Zongxian said, "One hundred taels each, a total of one thousand taels."

Lin Shisan did not take the banknote. He cupped his hands and said, "Even if you spend the money, you may not be able to find the tail of the white feather bow."

It is better to say the ugly words in advance, so as to avoid the money being wasted and Hu Zongxian resenting him.

Hu Zongxian said: "Even if there is only a 10% chance, I am willing to spend the money." Since his future was at stake, Hu Zongxian had no choice but to cut his losses.

From the time he attached himself to Zhao Wenhua in Zhejiang to the time he followed Zhao Wenhua to Beijing, he deeply experienced the old saying "A penny can make a hero fall."

As an afterthought, after Hu Zongxian came to power, he often embezzled public funds to finance his own affairs, and was nicknamed the "Governor of Silver Mountain" because he had suffered from a lack of money before he became successful.

Lin Shisan took the silver from Hu Zongxian's hand and said, "Yushi Hu, please wait for good news in Xianliang Temple."

After getting the silver, Master Lin Shisan and his apprentice came to Pigeon Liu's flying slave shop.

Pigeon Liu asked: "Have you found your white feather bow tail?"

Lin Shisan replied: "I came here to look for pigeons."

He told Pigeon Liu about the plan of the "pigeon wrapping race".

Pigeon Liu immediately gave a thumbs up: "Good idea."

Lin Shisan said, "Please, Master Liu, tell all the pigeon wrappers and brothers in the capital city."

Pigeon Liu smiled and said, "Don't worry. The pigeon wrapping competition is a grand event in the pigeon industry. It's a rare opportunity for colleagues to get together and compete with each other. There's also a prize of 800 taels to be won. They will definitely come enthusiastically."

Lin Shisan said: "It's a pity that you care so much about this matter. I have nothing good to give you."

Pigeon Liu said meaningfully: "It is a benefit in itself to be able to work for the noble who lives in Xianliang Temple."

"I have been in the capital for more than 20 years, doing a job that is not worthy of being mentioned in public. I have never failed because I have made myself useful to the nobles."

Pigeon Liu's words "make yourself useful to the nobles" made Lin Shisan feel like he had been enlightened.

Lin Shisan thought to himself: Yes, I am now the messenger between the Yan Party and Governor Lu. I may be killed at any time. The only way to save my life is to make myself useful to them.

The word "useful" is my amulet.

Pigeon Liu called over thirty disciples and ordered them to go door to door to inform the brothers who wrapped pigeons to come to the Feinu inn.

Lin Shisan handed him another two hundred taels of silver notes and said, "Change these two hundred taels into small change and have your disciples go to various places in the capital to purchase pea cakes."

Pigeon Liu took the banknote and said, "Okay. I'll ask them to do it right away."

Noon.

The twenty-eight pot gangs in the capital and the thirteen pigeon-wrapping gangs of the thugs gathered in the backyard of the Feinu Inn. There were at least four or five hundred of them.

The originally spacious backyard was now crowded with people, and it seemed a bit crowded.

Lin Shisan had asked Sun Yue to exchange 800 taels of silver. Pigeon Liu's concubine "Big White Pigeon" wore a fitted shirt and skirt, and with her big butt sticking out, she piled up 40 20-tael silver ingots into a small mountain.

One of the hooligans watching exclaimed, "So white!"

The thug next to him laughed and scolded: "We have to follow the rules. If you covet my sister-in-law, you will be put into the oil pan, head down."

The ruffian hastily defended himself: "I was talking about silver being really white."

Lin Shisan shouted, "Brothers, everyone likes white things! White silver can buy white women, right?"

The ruffians laughed: "That's right. With so much silver, I can have five concubines!"

"Look at what you have accomplished. If I had so much money, I would sleep in Yihonglou every day and be a bridegroom every night."

Lin Shisan said: "Master Liu should have told you about the pigeon wrapping competition."

The hooligans replied, "I told you. You want to wrap the white feather bow tail, right? That thing is not easy to wrap!"

Lin Shisan said, "It's difficult to wrap pigeons because you don't know their habits. I'll tell you two tricks. First, you have to release the pigeons at night."

"The second one."

Lin Shisan held up a bag of pea cakes and said, "Secondly, Baiyu Gongwei likes the taste of peas the most. You need to boil the pea cakes into a paste and brush it on the pigeon's tail."

(End of this chapter)