Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

The back hall of the Yin County government office in Ningbo Prefecture.

"Young Master Yan, I have never met that Master Lin Chaoxi."

Shen Zichong, the magistrate of Yin County, bowed to Yan Shifan and said,

"As for Madam Lin, she came to Ningbo Prefecture in the autumn of the eighteenth year of Jiajing."

The Lin family has a powerful background. When Madam Lin came to Yin County to settle down, Xie Gen from the Xie family of Yuyao personally accompanied her.

In Ningbo Prefecture, who would dare to disrespect the Xie family of Yuyao?

The county government naturally made an exception and didn't delve into the matter of Lin Chaoxi's absence, directly processing the Lin family's household registration.

"Now that he's registered, this Mr. Lin couldn't have just popped out of a rock, could he?"

Yan Shifan pondered for a moment,

"Magistrate Shen, where was this person originally registered? Who else is in his family?"

Before leaving the capital, Yan Shifan originally thought that Chen Yunniang had directly attached herself to the Xie family of Yuyao, using her methods to bewitch a core member of the Xie family and take her as a concubine.

Yan Shifan even imagined that this woman might become Xie Pi's concubine in order to seek revenge.

After arriving in Ningbo Prefecture, I made some inquiries and found out that this was not the case at all.

Chen Yunniang never married into the Xie family of Yuyao. Her husband's family was the "Lin family," and it was this "Lin family" that was truly related to the Xie family.

The Lin family mansion is located in Ningbo city and is very easy to find.

Yan Shifan sent his followers to inquire everywhere, but no one knew what the background of the "Lin family" was.

If you don't find out more about the other party before meeting with this "Mrs. Lin", you will be in a very passive position.

Since he couldn't find out anything in the marketplace, Yan Shifan simply went directly to the county government office of Yin County, the county seat of Yin County, revealed his identity as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Seal Office, and asked the county magistrate, Shen Zicheng, in person.

"The Lin family's situation is so unique that it naturally left a very deep impression on me."

Shen Zichong nodded.

"Lin Chaoxi, the head of the Lin family, was actually born in the fifteenth year of the Zhengde reign, which is very young."

Before moving to Ningbo Prefecture, this person's household registration was in Biyang County, Nanyang Prefecture.

However, he was not from Biyang County. He was born in Queshan County, Runing Prefecture, and only settled in Biyang County in the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign.

According to household registration records, the patriarch of the Lin family was a scholar in Queshan County, and Lin Chaoxi was his only son.

Old Master Lin has passed away; Lin Chaoxi is the only male heir in the Lin family.

Magistrate Shen also had friends working in the capital, so he was quite familiar with the situation of high-ranking officials in the court. He had long heard of Yan Song, the Minister of Rites, who was deeply favored by the emperor.

Although Shen Zichong looked down on Yan Shifan, a second-generation official who entered the Imperial Academy through his father's influence and then served as a student of the academy, he was unwilling to offend him.

Many people in Ningbo Prefecture know about the Lin family's affairs, so if the other party really wants to investigate, they will definitely be able to find out.

There was absolutely no need for me to risk offending the Minister of Rites by concealing anything for the Lin family.

"In other words, the Lin family is now a single-member household."

Yan Shifan looked puzzled.

"And what about 'Madam Lin'?"

"Young Master Yan, to be precise, addressing her as 'Madam Lin' is actually against proper etiquette."

Shen Zichong waved his hand.

"This woman is named Chen Yunniang. She is a courtesan and not Lin Chaoxi's legal wife, but only a concubine."

However, this Mr. Lin never married a wife, nor did he take a second concubine, so no one competed with this woman for his favor.

Chen Yunniang thus became the de facto head of the Lin family.

The servants of the Lin family also presumptuously addressed her as "Madam".

Since even Mr. Lin himself didn't stop it, outsiders naturally wouldn't interfere.

Many people who were unaware of the truth assumed she was the matriarch of the Lin family.

"In that case, the 'Lin family' is very strange!"

Hearing Shen Zichong's words, Yan Shifan's doubts grew stronger.

"Queshan County and Biyang County are not wealthy counties, and I have never heard of any wealthy or powerful families there."

Given this, the Lin family was at most a small wealthy family in Queshan County, and couldn't possibly have had a large fortune.

Lin Chaoxi's father was just a scholar who didn't hold a high position.

How could a scholar's son from such a small county town, barely in his early twenties, possibly be connected to the Xie family and have amassed such a fortune?

Could it be that "Lin Chaoxi" is actually a fake identity?

Could this person not even exist, and was entirely fabricated by that "Madam Lin"?

"What you said, Minister Yan, is something I have actually thought about as well."

Shen Zichong chuckled lightly.

"In my opinion, the most likely explanation is impersonation!"

The place of origin and household registration of "Lin Chaoxi" should be real, but the person is definitely fake!

Isn't a lone individual with no relatives or friends, living far from their birthplace, the easiest target for impersonation?

If the physical descriptions on the household registration and travel permit are not too different, who can tell the difference between the real and fake if the person doesn't return to Queshan County?

However, Xie Geng from the Xie family of Yuyao personally led people to the Yin County government office to complete the registration procedures. How could I, as the county magistrate, dare to make things difficult for him?

Even if you know it's an impersonation, you can't embarrass the Xie family of Yuyao!

As for the "Lin Chaoxi" being a fabrication by that "Madam Lin," I do not agree.

When Yan Shaoqing first arrived in Ningbo Prefecture, he probably only went to see the Lin family mansion in the city.

The Lin family's businesses in Ningbo Prefecture were so vast that even I, the county magistrate, was somewhat alarmed.

That five-courtyard mansion was only a small part of the Lin family's business.

To manage these businesses, the Lin family employed many servants, with hundreds of guards and stewards alone.

It was impossible for a woman from a musical family to support the household and manage such a large business on her own.

I believe that the "Lin Chaoxi" Master Lin, although he is impersonating someone else, does indeed exist.

This person's true identity is likely that of a powerful and influential family member. Even the Xie family of Yuyao, which produced a prime minister and two top scholars (father and son) in the imperial examinations, would give him face and endorse his false identity.

"This Master Lin's true identity might be even more illustrious than the Xie family's!"

Yan Shifan nodded.

"Does Magistrate Shen know what businesses the Lin family operates in Ningbo Prefecture?"

"To be honest, Yan Shaoqing, although the court had already closed the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office after the two Japanese missions had a bloody conflict in Ningbo in the second year of Jiajing's reign over tribute, the court did not disclose the truth."

But in reality, maritime trade never ceased.

Shen Zichong laughed,

"Several powerful maritime merchants even built a private port called 'Shuangyu Port' on Liuhang Island and Fodu Island in Zhoushan, using it as a distribution center for goods and conducting trade with the East and West Oceans."

This matter was no secret in the Ningbo area.

Although very few local gentry and wealthy families organized their own fleets to go to sea, they either supplied goods to the merchants of Shuangyu Port or purchased imported goods from the merchants to sell to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty.

Very few gentry did not participate in maritime trade at all; even the officers and soldiers of Dinghaiwei and Guanhaiwei openly did business with maritime merchants.

The Lin family's businesses in Ningbo Prefecture are naturally also in maritime trade!