The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 206: Madam, Don’t Look Back, I Am Lin Chong
After sobering up the next day, Lin Chong became weak again.

The limited-time skin expired, and he turned back into his original middle-aged office worker.

After he sobered up, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Why would he leave Beijing and wander around the world when he was fine?
Even when he was doing badly in the past, he never resigned from his post and left the capital. Now that he has finally been appreciated by an important person, it is time for him to realize his ambitions. How could he leave now?
It is true that the comings and goings in official circles are quite annoying, but hasn’t the situation improved a lot now?
Now he is no longer the insignificant person who had to bow his head to others. He is also looked after by noble people. Moreover, he knows his own background, and his inferiority complex has dissipated a lot. Now it is others' turn to curry favor with him, and it is time for him to start enjoying himself.

What's worse is that Tianzun said before that he was the reincarnation of a demon star. I was very excited and proud to hear that at the time, and felt that I finally had someone following me. But now that I have come to my senses and think about it again, I can't help but feel a little scared.

This demon star... doesn't sound like a good thing!

Moreover, instead of being an official, he wanders around the world. Is he going to rebel in the future?

The evil star was suppressed by Zhang Tianshi back then. So after reincarnation, will he rebel and be beheaded?

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, and naturally he began to regret it.

But I had already promised Tianzun after drinking. If I regret it now, wouldn’t Tianzun look down on me?
He can't afford to offend the imperial court, let alone the immortals!

"Alas, drinking will cause trouble!"

Lin Chong shook his head, climbed up from the bed and went out. The maid and servant were already waiting at the door. When they saw him get up, they hurried over to serve him.

"Master, do you want to take a bath and change clothes?"

"Let me practice my martial arts first. Prepare some hot water."

Nowadays, the Lin Mansion is no longer just a few people like before. From the housekeeper to the guards, servants, and maids, there are dozens of people. It is no longer an ordinary small family.

Of course, the Lin family did not have this kind of background. These people were given by Manager Li to his goddaughter, and Lin Chong just benefited from them.

He did some boxing to warm himself up, then practiced swordplay and gunplay for a while. After half an hour, he stopped, returned to the backyard, washed and bathed, changed his clothes, and came to eat.

Now that she has a dedicated cook, Mrs. Lin no longer needs to cook by herself. Not only is she away from the smoke and fire, but she also has more free time every day.

This person just can't sit still. When he is busy all day long, he will feel very fulfilled and won't have any random thoughts. But now that he has some free time, his restless brain starts to automatically think about things that only idle people are qualified to consider.

For example, love!
So it cannot be said that those who love to read storybooks are all rich girls. It is not only because they can read, but more importantly, it is because they can have enough food and clothing and have the soil to pursue love.

We can’t blame the heroines in the books for being all from wealthy families. Ordinary women, no matter what they think, will eventually face reality and put filling their stomachs before pursuing love.

In the past, Mrs. Lin would get up before dawn every day, cook, and then help her husband get up, wash, and eat. After Lin Chong went to the yamen, she had to wash and clean the room, and mend clothes. It was already very good if she could have some time to take a nap during the day. She had no time to think about random things.

As for the fact that my husband is unromantic and a rude man, that's no big deal. Every woman lives like this, right?

But the situation is different now!

All the work in the past was done by maids and servants. Every day she could sleep until she woke up naturally, and after getting up, she would just stretch out her hand for clothes and open her mouth for food. Whenever she wanted to do something, she just had to give an order and the servants would do it neatly.

This is life!

Mrs. Lin finally realized that not all women live like she did before. The gap between women is really huge!

People are always dissatisfied. When material needs are met, spiritual needs become urgent.

In the past, she never thought that there was anything wrong with her husband, but now she suddenly recalled that when she was still a boudoir, the person she wanted to marry was a scholar, not a warrior.

If we talk about the background of this Madam Lin, she has a very impressive background.

Zhang Ruozhen's grandfather was Zhang Zeduan, the painter of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", and the court painter. However, his son Zhang Shang offended the Grand Tutor Cai Jing because of a woman and was beaten and forced to serve in the army as a bandit.

When Zhang Ruozhen was just born, Zhang Zeduan was still alive. With his secret help, the Zhang family lived a pretty good life. They didn't have luxurious clothes and delicious food, but they didn't lack anything either.

Later, because his painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was stolen, Zhang Zeduan became so angry that he died soon after. After that, his family's financial situation took a turn for the worse.

Later, as life became unbearable, Zhang Shang had no choice but to let his wife Li sell herself to Cai Jing as a concubine, so that he could return to officialdom. However, he was fooled by Cai Jing and promoted to a spear and stick instructor, and he no longer used a paintbrush but a sword.

However, Zhang Shang still required his children to be from a scholarly family when educating them. Zhang Ruozhen had learned music, chess, calligraphy and painting since she was young. Although she was not proficient in everything, she at least knew a lot, which is why she developed such an unconventional temperament.

But later on, the family's financial situation became worse and worse, and they could no longer afford to educate her, so they stopped investing any money in their second daughter, Zhang Ruoyun.

Therefore, the two sisters are similar in appearance and figure, but the younger sister is not as good as the older sister in temperament, and there is a big difference.

Zhang Shang deeply hated that he was young and ignorant, and offended the powerful and influential people, which led to the disaster later. Therefore, when choosing sons-in-law, he did not dare to choose those young and energetic ones. He only carefully selected Lin Chong and Lu Qian, two mature men. He also often warned them not to offend the powerful and influential people and get into trouble.

Zhang Ruozhen could not become the scholar's wife. Although she was unwilling to do so, the two families were well matched and she had no right to express her opinion, so she could only accept the blind marriage.

After marriage, she had repeatedly advised her husband to ask Lin Chong to curry favor with his superiors and make friends with his colleagues. However, Lin Chong had a military temperament and looked down on those who were incompetent and lucky enough to get promoted. As a result, for many years he was just a small instructor of the imperial guards and could not be promoted.

She had already given up hope, but suddenly an immortal descended from the sky and disrupted all peace.

First, she was molested by Gao Yanei and saved by an immortal. Then, her husband was valued by the nobleman, and she was adopted as the nobleman's daughter, who sent her so many properties and servants.

It all seemed like a dream, happening too fast and too unbelievably, making her feel dizzy and extremely uneasy.

When she turned around and looked at her husband again, she suddenly felt that her husband seemed out of tune with these things, as if he was not worthy of his position.

Although when she persuaded Lin Chong, she said that he had caught the nobleman's attention and was valued because of the immortal, but in fact she knew in her heart that what the nobleman valued was not Lin Chong's so-called martial arts ability, but the immortal behind him.

It is said that if one's virtue does not match his position, there will be disasters. If the immortal no longer cares about his husband, his husband will probably lose his power immediately. Then, won't all the wealth and enjoyment be gone?
There was no need for anyone to say it explicitly. Madam Lin understood everything just by looking at the two maids instigating her with various words from time to time.

The godfather Li Yan wanted to offer her to the immortal because of what the immortal said that day: "Let me come!"
He was just afraid that she would be unwilling and going to the immortal's side would have side effects, so he never forced her.

When Madam Lin first heard the reason from the two maids, she was extremely ashamed and furious. She scolded the two girls and almost kicked them out of the house.

But even if it is a future girl, with her best friend instigating and persuading her all day long, I am afraid that few people can escape the fate of changing their hearts, not to mention that Madam Lin is just an ignorant woman.

The charm of this immortal is not something that an ordinary woman can withstand.

What's more, as the heroine of a moderator's article, how could Mrs. Lin be a chaste and heroic woman?

As time went by, her resistance became less and less, and she even slowly turned it into a secret expectation, and she no longer scolded the two maids for their verbal provocations.

Today, Madam Lin slept until she woke up naturally again. After getting up, washing and dressing, she came to the front hall to accompany her husband for dinner. Seeing Lin Chong's sad face, she was also unhappy and asked indifferently:

"Did the lord encounter any difficulties in the yamen?"

"If you don't know how to solve it, why not go to Li's house and ask godfather for advice."

Lin Chong shook his head and sighed:

"It's not the matter of the government office, but I was drunk and talked nonsense yesterday. I promised Master Zhan that I would resign from my post and venture into the world."

"What?" Madam Lin's heart trembled, and the chopsticks in her hand fell on the table. "Master, you have finally got this opportunity to make a name for yourself, how can you abandon your official position and leave the capital?"

"It was all because of drinking that I messed up everything!" Lin Chong said with deep regret, "The wine was too fragrant and I drank too much without realizing it. Thinking about the unhappiness I experienced in the officialdom over the years, I somehow had the idea of ​​quitting my job and venturing into the underworld."

"It was mainly due to Master Zhan's instigation. He said that I..."

Before Lin Chong could finish his words, Mrs. Lin was startled and quickly covered his mouth with her hand, shouting nervously:
"You are drunk if you want to, but how can you put the blame on the immortal?"

"Also, how can you call that immortal so casually?"

Lin Chong was also startled, realizing that he had spoken out of turn, and quickly slapped himself in the face, saying with a wry smile:

"That's right. The main reason is that I found that I am not cut out to be an official. These days, the reception and sending off are really too annoying. It is completely different from what I thought before. I am always busy with empty talk every day and can't do any practical work at all."

"But the title of Master Zhan was not my own decision. It was purely the request of the Heavenly Lord."

Mrs. Lin then sat down with peace of mind, rolled her eyes unhappily, and said angrily:

"Then you can't resign! If you resign and leave the capital, what should I do?"

"This is quite simple. Master Zhan said that after I leave the capital, he will help take care of you and will not let outsiders bully you."

"I was thinking that you had a good relationship with Fairy Lin, and she was kind and beautiful. She had saved you that day. If anything happened to you, she would surely lend a helping hand."

"So when Master Zhan told me that you can move in and live with the fairies, I agreed without thinking." "But now that I'm sober, I think there are many things wrong with this matter."

"What kind of place is that fairy palace? It's not a place we can just live in casually."

"Also, although there are too many social events in the officialdom, I will have to make progress here sooner or later, so it makes sense to get used to it as soon as possible. If I leave the capital now, I will still have to adapt when I return in the future..."

Lin Chong kept talking there for a long time, but Mrs. Lin beside him was already a little distracted.

There was only one sentence in her mind now, which was what Lin Chong said. If he left the capital, she could enter the Fairy Palace and live with the fairies. Wouldn't that mean she could see the fairies every day?

Doesn't that mean she has... a chance to pursue love?

Could it be that this opportunity was specially prepared for her by the immortal?
Mrs. Lin's heart began to beat wildly and her breathing became rapid.

"Ahem... that..." Madam Lin suddenly interrupted Lin Chong in a hoarse voice and said hesitantly, "Sir, since this is what Master Zhan wants, I think you'd better not act on your own. Otherwise, if you anger Master Zhan, I'm afraid, I'm afraid our whole family will suffer."

"...No, Mr. Zhan has a kind personality. He won't blame us for such a small matter." Lin Chong was completely unaware of his wife's abnormality and was still trying to make excuses for Mr. Zhan.

Mrs. Lin lowered her head and stirred the porridge in the bowl with a spoon. She looked away, not daring to look at Lin Chong. She just whispered:
"Even the Buddha has a fierce look in his eyes, let alone the immortals?"

"Sir, you have never offended him before, so of course you have never been punished, but now you are going to go against his wishes, aren't you?"

"For such an important matter, you may as well go and ask my godfather. He is knowledgeable and should have an opinion."

"Uh..." Although Lin Chong's personality has changed after being enlightened by Master Zhan, the cautious habits he has developed over the years are not so easy to change. Now, after listening to his wife's persuasion, he lowered his head and thought about it, and then agreed. "Well, since Manager Li thinks so highly of me, I should go and let him know."

After breakfast, Lin Chong went out and rode to Li's house on horseback.

Before this, Li Yan had already learned all the news through the spies in the mansion, and he was immediately overjoyed.

It turned out that Zhan Tianzun was attracted to this Lady Lin, otherwise how could Lin Chong be worthy of his attention?

Now that Tianzun has already set up the ladder, he has to weld it firmly to a high enough level to force Lin Chong to get out of the capital and not get in the way of Tianzun.

After Lin Chong arrived at Li's house and met Li Yan, he briefly explained the situation. However, he had some doubts about the matter of the evil star, so he didn't dare to mention it at all. He just stated the words that Master Zhan taught him.

After listening to this, Li Yan immediately clapped his hands and shouted with a smile:

"This is a good thing!"

"Master Lin, since the immortal has given the order, why don't you just follow it?"

"But..." Lin Chong frowned and wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Li Yan's wave of hand.

"I know that you care about the country and want to serve it loyally and make achievements."

"But you have to understand that since the immortals came down to earth, all achievements in this world cannot be separated from the immortals."

"I don't know how many civil and military officials want to serve the immortals, but they have no way to do so. Now that you have the opportunity, how can you not cherish it?"

"It just so happens that the imperial court intends to cancel the 'birthday gift' and change it to the 'treasury medicine gift'. They are also afraid that the local people will be perfunctory and disobey their duties, so they intend to set up a position of 'world traveler', who is responsible for traveling around the country and secretly investigating the situation in various places. If they encounter any local atrocities, they can act according to their own circumstances and directly put things right."

"This position is very powerful and carries a lot of responsibility. It is not something that ordinary people can handle, so I recommended you. The officials in the court have also agreed. All that is left is the official imperial decree."

"Now that you are also planning to leave the capital to venture into the world, don't talk about resigning. You might as well take up this position."

"With this position, it will be convenient for you to do anything in the martial arts world. Whether you need money or manpower, you can directly go to the local government to draw them. Isn't that great?"

"After you have traveled around the country, you can return to the court to report on your work. The court will then reward you based on your merits and promote you."

After hearing what Li Yan said, Lin Chong's heart was immediately moved.

What he feared most was that after going out for a wandering, he would lose his job as a government official and become a poor man. If he did something inappropriate while drunk in the underworld, he might become a thief and a soldier, which would be even worse.

Now that he has received an assignment from the court, he is traveling entirely in compliance with the emperor's orders. As long as the Song Dynasty court still exists, no one dares to deny his identity.

Seeing that Lin Chong was moved, Li Yan laughed and finalized the matter.

"The imperial edict will come down soon, Master Lin, just go back and wait."

"Even if you have any dissatisfaction, you should at least give the emperor some face. Go out for a walk and then return to Beijing to report on your work in a few years."

"As long as our family is still the chief eunuch, there will always be a good position for you."

Lin Chong did not dare to disobey the order, so he had to thank Li Yan, say goodbye and go back home to wait for the imperial edict.

Li Yan hurriedly wrote letters to several other people, asking them to help get him a so-called "Walker of the World" position. The official rank could be higher. After all, he was just a military general and not worth much. If the position was to be cancelled at any time, it would only take a word from the court.

As for what Lin Chong would do outside, they didn't care.

Lin Chong is a cautious person. As long as the scope of his power and responsibilities is properly defined, he can be restrained. The worst that can happen is that some money and food will be wasted, some local evil gentry and powerful people will be killed, and some corrupt officials will be arrested. In the end, whether he will be convicted or not will be decided by the court!

A few days later, the imperial edict came down, and Lin Chong was appointed as the "Personal Guard Doctor" of the fifth rank, the eleventh official rank, and the official title of "Walking the World". He was given a goldfish bag and a white jade waist badge. With the waist badge, he could mobilize gold and silver materials and a small amount of imperial guards support in the local area. Memorials could be reported to the central government directly, and his power seemed to be extremely great.

Lin Chong excitedly took the imperial edict, thanked the eunuch who delivered it, and then held a grand banquet, inviting all his relatives and friends to come, and had a great time.

Everyone envied his situation, and no one cared about the minor flaw that he had to leave the capital to do business.

These days, many people serve as officials in other places. What’s the big deal?
After dealing with some trivial matters, Lin Chong bid farewell to Mrs. Lin, rode out of Tokyo, and headed straight for Shandong.

As soon as Lin Chong left, Mrs. Lin could not help but start dressing up by drawing her eyebrows and applying lipstick. After carefully making herself look good, she went to the Zhan Mansion with her maid Jin'er.

Although the two new maids understood her feelings better, they were too beautiful for her to like. She felt more at ease with Jin'er, who grew up with her.

In these days, she often traveled between the two mansions, shopping, playing, playing cards with many concubines of the Zhan Mansion... and they had a good relationship with them. Now that she came again, the people in the mansion were not surprised and directly took her into the mansion to find people they knew.

Madam Lin has become familiar with the other ladies these days, so she can naturally tell that some fairies are jealous and don't want her to have a relationship with Mr. Zhan, such as the celestial being Miss Lin, while some are generous and tease her with words from time to time, trying to bring her into the mansion, such as Lady Xichun.

So this time she didn't go to find Lin Daiyu, but came to the heroine Xichun, hoping that she could help her to make the connection.

Xichun and Xiren were practicing yoga there. Although it was no longer of any use to them, the habit they had formed in the past still made them persist. Every day they exercised and reviewed their past experiences. It would be even better if they could develop some new ways to play on this basis.

Xichun was very happy to see Madam Lin coming, so she stopped doing yoga and came over to talk to her.

After the two chatted for a few sentences, Mrs. Lin blushed and said hesitantly:

"My husband received an imperial edict a few days ago and has left the capital today. I can go back later in the evening."

Xichun glanced at her rosy face and saw through her thoughts. She immediately looked at Xiren and said with a smile:

"Oh, so you just need to go back late. I thought Sister Ruozhen was feeling lonely and wanted me to warm your bed!"

Mrs. Lin was immediately embarrassed and quickly shook her head and waved her hands:
"No, no, I just heard that the fairy palace is brightly lit at night, just like daytime, so I wanted to take a look. I have absolutely no other intention."

"No?" Xichun pretended to be surprised, put her arms around her waist and tickled her, "I thought Sister Ruozhen wanted to live with us forever!"

"No...it's not true...Fairy, please don't tease me..." Madam Lin gasped and dodged, begging for mercy again and again, but Xichun refused to let her go. She chased her and teased her for a long time, making her sweat profusely and sticky all over, and then she stopped.

"Aiya, Sister Ruozhen is so sweaty, you must be feeling uncomfortable. Why don't you go take a good bath in the big bathtub in my room and relax. Then we can talk slowly."

Madam Lin was not expecting him and was also curious about what the bathing pool in this fairy palace looked like, so she agreed.

Xichun gave Xiren a look, then took Madam Lin to the bathroom upstairs, turned on the faucet, helped Madam Lin take off her clothes, and then they stepped into the constant temperature bath together.

This bathtub is made entirely of white porcelain and looks like a treasure. It even has its own water flushing and massage function, allowing Mrs. Lin to lie in it and enjoy the comfort of the waves. She soaked in it for a while longer without realizing it.

When Madam Lin was leaning against the wall of the pool with her eyes closed and enjoying it, she suddenly felt a heat coming up from behind. A pair of big and strong hands suddenly appeared in front of her, pressing down on her towering breasts.

Madam Lin was startled and was about to scream, but the person behind her leaned close to her ear and whispered with a smile:
"Don't look back, ma'am. I am Lin Chong!"

Thanks to the book friend "Little White Boat No. 2" for the reward!
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(End of this chapter)