Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 322 The dream is broken
"Jingzhou itself has achievements to be made everywhere!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the hall immediately began to murmur.

Wu Yong's eyes also lit up, and there was a little more approval and appreciation in his eyes when he looked at Lin Wenxu.

Finally, someone could understand his thoughts and meaning.

He nodded and said, "Yunwen, please continue."

"is teacher."

Lin Wenxu was greatly encouraged by Wu Yong's affirmation, and spoke more confidently: "Although Jingzhou is the smallest among the nine states, it ranks among the top three in terms of wealth!"

"This is the land of abundance, the granary of Daqian, where the people used to live and work in peace and contentment. But now the Salvation Cult is wreaking havoc in Jingzhou, causing shocking bloodshed, and corrupt officials are rampant, causing the people to become homeless, and a large amount of fertile land has been abandoned and no one is cultivating it. Even the most fertile Tianyuan County has almost become a deserted city."

"Your Majesty has sent angels to resolve the scourge in Jingzhou. Although the Salvation Church is like a maggot on the tarsal bone and has not been completely eradicated, at least all the bureaucrats in Jingzhou who colluded with the Salvation Church have been taken down. However, this has also led to the fact that Jingzhou is now almost unmanaged."

"General Ling is a man of great talent. In terms of martial arts, he is at the top of the world. In terms of commanding an army, he is also a talented commander."

"But pacifying the bandits is an achievement. Isn't governing the local area, comforting the victims, and restoring order in Jingzhou also an achievement?"

"Does General Ling know how to contact the gentry to help the disaster victims? Does he know how to resettle the disaster victims? Does he know how to save the fields?"

"He is just a military man. How can he know how to govern a place better than scholars like me who have studied the art of governing a country for decades?"

Lin Wenxu's words immediately awakened everyone in the hall.

Yes, we are not good at suppressing bandits and leading troops to fight.

But governing the local area and restoring order, isn’t this the job of us civil servants?
I was only thinking about how to eradicate the Salvation Church in Jingzhou, but now I think isn't that just comparing my own shortcomings with other people's strengths?

Wu Yong looked at everyone who seemed to be thinking about something, and without further ado, he said to Lin Wenxu, "Bring me my list."

“The students were well prepared.”

Lin Wenxu was already prepared. He took out a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Yong.

Wu Yong opened the roster, which was filled with names written one by one.

This list has a name, called "The Book of Talents".

To be included in this list, in addition to being inclined towards the Wu Party, one must also have some real talent and knowledge.

If it is an incompetent person with only a reputation, even if he is loyal enough to lick Wu Yong's shoes, his name will not be included in this book.

According to rumors, once one is included in Prime Minister Wu's "Talent Book", it means that one has embarked on a successful career path and will be on a meteoric rise from then on.

Although everyone present was the core member of the Wu Party, only a few of them had actually seen the Book of Talents. At this moment, they all craned their necks to take a look out of curiosity.

Wu Yong kept his eyes on the names on the list of talented people. He circled a name from time to time and said, "You are all important officials in the court. You hold high positions and have great power. You are busy with official duties and cannot be easily moved. The task of temporarily governing Jingzhou and governing the local area should be handed over to the younger generation. But we are still lacking a coordinator. Do you have any candidates?"

Everyone in the hall became interested after hearing this.

Everyone knows that this trip to Jingzhou represents the merit of following the dragon.

Now that the third prince has lost power, it is a foregone conclusion that the second prince will become the crown prince.

As Wu Yong said, everyone was in high positions and had official duties to attend to, so it was impossible for them to leave and go to Jingzhou.

But they also have disciples, former officials, relatives and friends, and they are all still moved by the merit of following the dragon.

However, everyone looked at each other, but all of them tacitly remained silent.

Even if there were some brainless people who wanted to speak, their colleagues next to them would quickly pull their clothes and signal them not to speak.

Soon, someone suggested: "Prime Minister Wu, I think Lord Lin can take on this task."

Wu Yong smiled immediately and turned his head to look at Lin Wenxu beside him: "Yunwen, what do you think?"

Lin Wenxu turned sideways to face Wu Yong, bowed and said, "I am not a talented student, but I am willing to help you."

"Okay, since everyone has no objection, Yunwen will be the coordinator of this trip to Jingzhou."

This greatest achievement should naturally be reserved for the person whom Prime Minister Wu trusts the most.

The meeting ended and everyone stood up to leave.

After Wu Yong sent the people away, he looked a little tired.

He said to Lin Wenxu: "Yunwen, there are only a few red pills left in my hand..."

Lin Wenxu immediately said, "Teacher, don't worry. After I go back, I will ask the elders in my hometown to bring some back."

Wu Yong nodded with satisfaction: "You should also go back early and pack your things. We will go to Jingzhou in the next two days."

"Yes, students are resigning."

……

After coming out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Lin Wenxu took a carriage back to his own mansion.

As soon as I got back to the mansion, I heard a lot of chaotic sounds, including the sound of metal clashing, the crying of a baby, and the panic-stricken voice of a maid.

"Your Highness, the young master peed again."

Lin Wenxu showed a helpless look on his face as he walked into the courtyard. He saw his wife, Princess Deling, changing the diaper of her infant son. Not far away, two boys, about seven or eight years old, who looked very similar, were doing horse stance with bitter faces.

When the two boys saw Lin Wenxu, their eyes lit up immediately, as if they had seen a savior, and they shouted in unison: "Dad."

Princess De Ling changed her son's diaper, turned her head to look at Lin Wenxu, and sneered, "Oh, you still remember to come back? If you don't know, you would think that Xiangguo Mansion is Lin Sheren's home."

Lin Wenxu smiled bitterly and stepped forward and said, "Madam, why do you do these dirty jobs yourself? Just leave it to the servants."

"There are only a few people in the mansion. If I don't do it, why do you, the master, do it?"

"How about taking a break for two days, and I'll accompany you to the pawnshop to pick out a few smart maids?"

"Come on, the good days are only a few days long. Besides, I have to take care of my own son myself!"

Although Princess De Ling was a princess and Lin Wenxu was the runner-up in the imperial examination, their life was not very good at the beginning after they got married.

Lin Wenxu was born in a poor family and his family had little money. He relied on donations from his fellow villagers to support his studies.

But Princess De Ling was born to a concubine, had no maternal family to rely on, and was not favored in the palace. Just to buy this three-story house in the inner city of Kyoto, all of Princess De Ling's dowry had been emptied.

In this princess's mansion, there are only some elderly people who came with the dowry from the palace to serve her.

The lives of the two did not improve until Lin Wenxu became a disciple of Prime Minister Wu and resumed his official career.

But Princess De Ling still couldn't change her frugal nature from the hard days. When she heard that Lin Wenxu wanted to buy a few maids, she shook her head immediately.

"Come."

Lin Wenxu took the young son from Princess Deling, lowered his head and teased him with his fingers, a smile appearing on his face.

Princess De Ling said, "Long'er and Hu'er are old enough to learn martial arts. You have served Prime Minister Wu for so many years, so can't you use his connections to introduce him to the Sword Immortal of Donghua?"

"And that Zhao Qi'an... He's really abominable. He promised so well on the day of my father's birthday banquet, but he didn't help introduce me. There's not even a message from him in the past few days. I thought he was a good person. Now it seems that he and his wife are both equally annoying. It's true that there are two kinds of people in the same bed." Lin Wenxu listened to his wife's complaints and felt helpless: "How can I trouble the teacher for such a small matter?"

"A small matter?!"

Princess De Ling put her hands on her hips and glared. When Lin Wenxu saw her like this, he immediately begged for mercy: "It's a big deal. It's a big deal. I'll go talk to the teacher about it tomorrow."

"That's pretty much it."

Princess Deling was satisfied.

Just then, an old maid ran out of the room, shouting, "Your Highness, please go and have a look! The Third Miss and the Fifth Young Master are fighting, and the Fifth Young Master is being beaten to the ground and is crying!"

"What?! Are these two guys itching for trouble again?"

Princess De Ling's eyebrows suddenly raised, and she rolled up her sleeves and angrily followed the old nanny to the backyard.

Lin Wenxu held his young son in his arms, looked at his wife's departing back, sneered and shook his head.

To be honest, when he and Princess De Ling had just married, he was extremely dissatisfied with her and disliked her very much.

He came from a poor family and studied hard for twenty years to get his name on the imperial examination. This was a time when he should have been on the fast track to success. Who would want to ruin his own future and become a royal consort?
But after so many years, his heart knot has gradually been untied, and now he has become accustomed to the temperament of his prince.

Although my wife is a princess and comes from a noble family, she does not have the temperament of those young ladies from rich families. She can endure hardships and be humble. She can do dirty and tiring work, is hardworking and never complains, and is thrifty in managing the household.

And they are very fertile.

Compared to most other royal family members who had no children, Princess Deling was very fertile. Since her marriage, she had given birth to nine sons and three daughters for Lin Wenxu.

This big family lives in this house. Although there is chaos every day, it also makes people feel warm.

He didn't want to live the hard life he had before, and now the opportunity to rise to prominence was right in front of him, and he had to grab it!
……

After dinner, Lin Wenxu went directly to the study, picked up the pen and thought for a moment before putting it on paper.

"Brother Makino, you can see the words as the face..."

This is a letter written to one of his good friends.

Lin Wenxu's good friend, whose surname is Xu, given name Huawen, and courtesy name Muye, is an old friend from the same hometown. The two studied together in a school when they were young, passed the examination for scholars together, and then passed the examination for juren in the same provincial examination.

However, compared to Lin Wenxu's talent, who passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in one go, Xu Huawen failed in the examinations many times and hadn't been able to pass the examination for several years in a row. So he simply gave up the exam and began to search for immortal sites in all over the world to seek immortals and the way to the Tao.

After passing the imperial examination, Lin Wenxu suffered many misfortunes and was unable to take care of himself, so he lost contact with Xu Huawen.

It was not until the fourth or fifth year of Tianwu, nine years after Lin Wenxu won the second place in the imperial examination, that Xu Huawen sent him a letter.

The letter said that he had been seeking immortals and had gained some opportunities over the years, and had made great achievements in the art of alchemy. Along with the letter, there was also a "longevity elixir" that Xu Huawen claimed to have refined himself.

It was with the "longevity elixir" that Lin Wenxu used as a stepping stone to impress the left prime minister Wu Yong, and he became Wu Yong's disciple, thus changing his destiny.

It is for this reason that Lin Wenxu is full of gratitude towards Xu Huawen. The two have been exchanging letters for more than ten years, and Xu Huawen would send him an elixir of longevity every year.

He had also thought about asking Xu Huawen to return to officialdom, and was even willing to introduce him to Prime Minister Wu, but Xu Huawen was no longer interested in an official career and politely declined.

In Lin Wenxu's eyes, Xu Huawen is a person with a hermit style.

Now that the teacher no longer has the "longevity elixir", Lin Wenxu has no choice but to write a letter to Xu Huawen, hoping that his good friend can send some more.

……

After writing the letter, Lin Wenxu waited until the ink on the paper dried, then he put the paper into the envelope and put it into his sleeve.

Only then did he leave the study and return to his room.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Princess De Ling sitting by the window, holding her young child and breastfeeding him.

Lin Wenxu coughed lightly and raised his hand to cover his face with his sleeve: "My lady, you should be more cautious."

Princess De Ling rolled her eyes at him and said, "You hypocrite, don't come to lift my shawl at night!"

Lin Wenxu's face turned red, and he hesitated for a long time before he could say a word: "My lady is a princess, how can you say such vulgar words?"

Princess De Ling chuckled a few times. She liked the most to see her own husband, Mr. Lin, bewildered like a young wife.

Although the couple often quarrel like this, they actually have a very good relationship.

Lin Wenxu coughed lightly and said seriously, "Let's not talk about this. I have something important to tell you today."

He looked at Princess De Ling and said, "I will leave for Jingzhou in two days."

"Help the second brother to fight for the throne?"

Princess De Ling frowned immediately: "The Salvation Sect is rampant in Jingzhou, why send you, a scholar who can't even lift anything, to do that? Is Wu Yong crazy?"

Lin Wenxu said: "Jingzhou has a lot of things to be rebuilt, and the people are displaced, which is also a hidden danger. The teacher sent me there not to wipe out the Salvation Sect, but to restore order in Jingzhou. This time, it is a merit of following the dragon, and the teacher is paving the way for me to enter the cabinet in the future. I must go."

He was a little worried that Princess De Ling was concerned about his safety and was unwilling to let him go.

But unexpectedly, Princess Deling said, "Just go, when are you leaving? I'll pack up."

"What are you packing?"

"Of course I'll go with you!"

Princess De Ling said as a matter of course: "Jingzhou is a damn place, there is no guarantee that you will not encounter any danger, there must be someone to protect you, right?"

Lin Wenxu frowned and said, "There are so many children in the family, not to mention you are a princess, how can you..."

Princess De Ling said stubbornly, "I can't win the argument with you. I won't talk to you. If you don't let me go, I will go by myself. My legs are on my own body."

Lin Wenxu tried to persuade Princess De Ling, but he could not persuade her at all. In the end, he shook his hands and looked helpless.

He had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being, took out the letter from his sleeve, and asked, "Let's not talk about this for now. I have a letter to send to Brother Muye, but Brother Muye's whereabouts are uncertain, and I don't know where to send the letter. I remember that in the letter he sent me last year, he mentioned where he would stay later. Where is the previous letter?"

"How would I know about last year's letter?" Princess De Ling said unhappily.

But she thought for a moment and then said, "But I remember a letter came to your house yesterday. It seemed to be sent by your classmate. The concierge should have delivered it to your study."

Brother Makino happened to write to him in the past two days?
Lin Wenxu was overjoyed and hurried back to his study to look for it.

After searching the study, he finally found it in the crack between the desk and the floor.

"No wonder I didn't see it before. When did it fall here?"

Lin Wenxu dusted off the letter, then tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

He had been expecting Brother Makino to tell him in the letter about his bizarre experiences in seeking the immortal way over the years, but when he opened the letter and read its contents, it was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

He felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and he was completely stunned.

“How…how could this be?!”

(End of this chapter)