Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 331 Brother Yue, why are you feeling guilty?
In the twelfth month, in the Imperial Palace,
Emperor Longyou was handling state affairs in the Qianqing Palace just like yesterday.

Since the prime minister was dismissed, more memorials need to be submitted to the emperor.

Before, Emperor Longyou still had some free time every day to visit the Kunning Palace, visit the empress, and chat. But now, he has to stay up late by candlelight and handle government affairs until late at night.

Although he was physically tired, Emperor Longyou felt much more relaxed mentally.

Firstly, Yue Ling was in charge of Jiangnan and brought back a lot of good news. Even the captured soldiers from Shuangyu Island were sold for a good price in the peace talks with Japan. Japan even resumed the tribute that had been interrupted for decades, which really made Emperor Longyou proud.

Secondly, without the prime minister, the representative of the civil service group, Emperor Longyou could do whatever he wanted when he was in power, and it was difficult for people in the court to hinder him, which cleared a major obstacle for the implementation of the new policy.

Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. How can Emperor Longyou not be excited?

No matter how much you overdraw your body, your spirit is limited.

After entering middle age, Emperor Longyou felt that his health was not as good as before. The hidden illness he had acquired in the military camp in the past also caused him to suffer dull pain in his body on rainy days.

Under the dual pressure of state affairs and health, even his desires had diminished a lot, except for his favorite thing of counting the memorials from the Ministry of Revenue, that is, checking how much silver was left in the national treasury.

On this day, the warm sun first appeared, the morning light was dim,

The climate in the capital is so mild that this year can be considered a warm winter.

Looking at the sky through the window, Emperor Longyou was in a pretty good mood.

Since the Northern Barbarian Disaster, the impact of the war on the areas surrounding the capital has not been completely eliminated.

Such a climate is not too unbearable for the homeless poor people. As long as they can survive this winter, the days to come will surely be better.

At least, that's what Emperor Longyou thought.

Sitting back at the imperial desk, Emperor Longyou covered his hands with a hot cotton towel, smoothed the jade paperweight, picked up a memorial and asked Xia Shouzhong who was standing beside him, "Is there any urgent matter outside today?"

Xia Shouzhong shook his head. "I haven't heard of any important matters. All the memorials that His Majesty didn't finish dealing with yesterday are here."

Emperor Longyou nodded slightly, "Now that Prime Minister An is no longer in charge of government affairs, you should keep your ears open and ask more questions to Mr. Dongfang. If there is anything unresolved, please report it to me as soon as possible."

Xia Shouzhong nodded, "Yes, I will inform the outside world right away."

Emperor Longyou sighed secretly, picked up the memorial he had put down yesterday, picked up the red pen again, and began to read it at a glance.

He picked up one book and frowned three-tenths, then picked up another one and frowned three-tenths more. He threw the previous two books away and randomly pulled out a book from the wooden box where memorials were piled under the imperial desk. The word "Chuan" appeared between Emperor Longyou's brows.

Xia Shouzhong asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, do you have any problems? Otherwise, call a few ministers in to ask them?"

Emperor Longyou slammed the imperial table on the desk and said, "After I was dismissed from my position as prime minister, I did not give An Jingzhong any more titles. They are having a quarrel with me in the court."

"You only know how to ask me difficult questions every day, and ask them to come in and answer them by themselves?"

"Gansu is suffering from a severe drought. We need the imperial court to allocate funds for disaster relief. But where is the money in the treasury now? Who can do it?"

"And as the Jianzhou Jurchens become more powerful, Liaodong needs to station troops for war preparations. Who will pay for such a huge expense?"

"What's even more infuriating is the last one, which actually advises me to repair the mausoleum as soon as possible. Do I not want to repair it? Isn't it because there is no money in the national treasury and the imperial treasury?"

Emperor Longyou raised so many difficult questions at once, and Xia Shouzhong didn't know how to comfort him. He just vaguely saw the figure of a man in his mind.

Emperor Longyou also thought the same thing as him, and sighed, "It would be great if Yue Ling was by my side. Even if he can't answer, I can send him away and I will feel at ease."

"He has been running around for me for five or six years now. It's time to call him back to the capital."

Shaking his head slightly, Emperor Longyou asked again: "Is there any new news from Jiangsu and Zhejiang recently?"

Xia Shouzhong thought about it carefully and said, "There is no new news, but I heard something and I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Emperor Longyou's brows relaxed a little, but then they frowned again and asked, "Is there anything else I cannot bear to hear?"

Xia Shouzhong knelt down hurriedly and kowtowed, saying, "It's not that Your Majesty can't bear to hear it, but I'm afraid that if I tell you, Your Majesty will think that I'm slandering Marquis Anjing."

Emperor Longyou was stunned. "What's going on? Why is Yue Ling involved?"

Xia Shouzhong secretly apologized to Yue Ling who was far away in Yangzhou. In order to make Emperor Longyou happy, he decided to tell him about Yue Ling's embarrassing stories.

"Does your majesty still remember the Xue family?"

Emperor Longyou pondered and said, "Is it the Xue family, the descendant of Ziwei Sheren, who is known as the imperial merchant?"

Xia Shouzhong nodded repeatedly, "Your Majesty's memory is indeed good, it is this Xue family."

"The Xue family published a gazette in Suzhou Prefecture, imitating the imperial city, but this gazette was not distributed for free, but sold for one penny."

Emperor Longyou blinked and said, "One penny? Let's not talk about whether this price can cover the profit and loss. A copper coin is despised by the rich, and the poor are reluctant to spend it. The scholar has not gained anything from reading the court newspaper. How can this business be successful?"

Xia Shouzhong clapped his hands and said, "I thought it would be impossible, but they actually succeeded."

Emperor Longyou became slightly interested. "Then there must be something extraordinary in this palace report?"

Xia Shouzhong smiled awkwardly and said, "It's interesting to say that this court newspaper contains mostly rumors and trivial matters. If there is anything special about it, it is the corner of the court newspaper. There are some unsightly articles that are very popular."

"Unsightly?"

Emperor Longyou widened his eyes, and when he saw Xia Shouzhong's slightly obscene smile, he suddenly realized, "Wouldn't it be immoral to write this? And would it attract people's attention?"

Xia Shouzhong shook his head. "I don't know the fun of this. It's just that it's really popular because of this incident."

"Because later on, many people followed suit, but they couldn't compare because their articles were not as good as the Xue family's."

Emperor Longyou nodded. Perhaps there was not much fun among the people, and when they had nothing to do, this newspaper could be considered a good pastime.

"Then tell me, how did Yue Ling get involved?"

Xia Shouzhong replied, "This court bulletin was later incorporated by Marquis Anjing, and it has been publishing government affairs."

"Because it is first-hand information, it is much more convenient than the notice board under the city gate. It has become a must-read for Suzhou citizens every day. Even the surrounding prefectures have been greatly affected."

"Also, the Xue family is now managed by a young lady, who lives where Marquis Anjing stayed. The Imperial Guards suspected that the article was actually written by Marquis Anjing to attract attention."

"Moreover, it was later learned that the Xue family's business in the capital was the idea of ​​Marquis Anjing. This speculation is not groundless."

Emperor Longyou was startled. "Huh? Isn't it Lin Ruhai's daughter who is living with him? When did a girl from the Xue family appear?"

Xia Shouzhong shook his head and said, "I don't know about that... However, Marquis Anjing is young and capable, and has made many military achievements. I'm sure he is popular among many women."

"Didn't the Marquis of Anjing send a memorial before saying that he had left behind a troupe of twelve actors? I heard that they were all skinny people from Jiangnan, and each of them was outstanding."

Emperor Longyou held his forehead slightly, "This... No one is perfect. If he is perfect, wouldn't he be a saint?"

"When you are young, your blood is strong and lustful, which is not a wrong thing. But you have to take care of your body. You can't be so young that you lose your vitality and show your weakness on the battlefield."

"It's just that I don't understand his habit of writing about his romantic affairs for others to see."

Xia Shouzhong smiled awkwardly.

Emperor Longyou sighed lightly and smiled: "Just think of it as him having fun with the people. After all, he made money. Although the means were not glorious, it can't be considered a bad thing."

"He always opens my eyes in every aspect. No matter it is war, court affairs, or daily trivial matters."

"This is really hard for the girl from the Lin family. If the Queen hears about this, she will definitely speak up for the girl from the Lin family. It is better not to let the Queen know about this."

Xia Shouzhong knew very well that the empress hated promiscuous and undisciplined people the most. Even Emperor Longyou himself was unable to fill the three palaces and six courtyards. It was only because of the reports and joint wishes of all the officials that he selected a single concubine after he ascended the throne. And she was not a concubine with a title.

"I understand."

"Yue Ling is not young anymore, it's time for him to get married and focus on his life. If he keeps doing this, how can he do things?"

The two were just thinking about Yue Ling's matter when a eunuch came hurriedly in to report.

"Your Majesty, it's urgent."

Emperor Longyou retracted his smile and frowned, "What's the matter?"

The eunuch below knelt down and reported: "The silver sent by Marquis Anjing to the capital is about to arrive at the imperial city. I don't know what to do with it."

"silver?"

Emperor Longyou widened his eyes, and there was some ripple in his heart.

After coughing lightly and calming his breath, Emperor Longyou said, "This is all official business. Let the Ministry of Revenue come and count it and put it into the national treasury."

After hearing the order, the young eunuch knelt on the ground and refused to get up. Xia Shouzhong asked anxiously, "Didn't you hear what Your Majesty said?"

The young eunuch shook his head repeatedly. "Marquis An Jing sent a message, asking Your Majesty to personally count the inventory and then add it to the national treasury after the inventory."

Emperor Longyou frowned, "Oh? There is such a thing? What else did you say?"

The young eunuch said, "No more."

Emperor Longyou smiled and said to Xia Shouzhong beside him, "This is Yue Ling preparing a surprise for me. I want to see how much silver he has collected."

Emperor Longyou had a clear understanding of the amount of silver. After all, the Ministry of Revenue was a very important department for the operation of the country, and he had personally checked many of the accounts.

But for the emperor, he had everything he wanted, but he never used money or handled cash. After hearing Yue Ling's words, he found it strange.

Emperor Longyou, who was originally in a bad mood, suddenly became quite interested. He stood up, waved his sleeves, and told the eunuchs below: "Let the carriage carrying the silver be sent to the imperial city. I will count how much there is in total."

"As ordered."

Xia Shouzhong took the long gown and put it on Emperor Longyou's shoulders. Then Emperor Longyou asked with a smile, "Let's guess how much silver he can give us."

Xia Shouzhong was a little embarrassed for a moment. If he said too much and Yue Ling failed to achieve his goal, it would seem that he was despising An Jinghou's ability.

But if you say it is too little, it would seem that he knows too little about what is happening outside, and that the Jinyiwei is not very competent in control.

Xia Shouzhong tried to find out: "The Japanese pirates can pay 5 million taels as compensation. I think the Marquis of Anjing can at least make it an even number for Your Majesty and send another 5 million taels."

Emperor Longyou shook his head and said, "Five million taels is not worth him showing off this time. I think it should be at least ten million taels."

Riding on the imperial sedan chair, they arrived outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

As soon as Emperor Longyou stood on the white marble steps, he saw carriages lining up to enter from Xuanwu Gate, and the line was so long that he could not see the end. Fortunately, the gate of Xuanwu Gate was wide enough to allow four carriages to pass in and out at the same time, so it did not seem too crowded.

Soon, under the command of the palace servants, wooden boxes were placed on the open space.

Emperor Longyou was a little stunned for a moment, "How much silver can this wooden box hold?"

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly ran down the stone steps with his trousers lifted up, and asked the eunuchs in the field. He came back panting and reported: "I... I asked around, and a wooden box weighs a hundred kilograms."

"One hundred pounds?"

"One thousand six hundred taels of silver for a wooden box?"

Xia Shouzhong nodded and said, "Your Majesty, it should be correct."

Emperor Longyou looked from afar and saw that the area from the wall next to Zhengyang Gate to the stone steps where he would go for the morning court session, a total of dozens of steps, was filled with wooden boxes.

"One, two... thirty-six, thirty-seven... there are more than eighty in a row."

"Vertical..."

Emperor Longyou looked into the distance, and because the front was covered with wood and there were wooden boxes placed in the distance, he had no idea where the end was.

Emperor Longyou stopped where he was, stunned for a long time without saying a word, as if he already had the answers to the memorials he had just read.

After working for nearly an hour, all the wooden boxes were finally arranged neatly. When the top covers of the wooden boxes were all opened, a vast expanse of white came into view.

Under the warm sun, the silver snowflakes are even more colorful and dazzling.

After countless palace servants opened the wooden boxes, they realized that the boxes were full of silver, not the salt blocks and bricks that had been delivered before.

Everyone stood there in a daze, complete silence.

Emperor Longyou walked down the stone steps unconsciously, came to the front of the silver mountain, bent down, took out a piece, and squeezed it hard.

It's real silver, not a crudely made fake.

This was not because Emperor Longyou did not trust Yue Ling, but it was just an instinctive action under the circumstances.

No one had ever thought that one day they would really be able to see the Silver Mountain.

"How much silver is there?"

Xia Shouzhong heard that Emperor Longyou's tone had become urgent, and he quickly came to his senses and asked people.

"Come on, tell me how many there are in total?"

An eunuch rushed out, knelt down in front of Emperor Longyou, and began to pay his respects.

Emperor Longyou said excitedly: "Tell me how many there are first!"

The eunuch replied: "Your Majesty, according to the accounts, the total amount here should be 56,810,000 taels."

"Five thousand...ten thousand?"

Emperor Longyou could not help but take a few steps back. Fortunately, Xia Shouzhong was quick-witted and supported the staggering Emperor Longyou.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, don't worry, Your Majesty, we will count the number right away."

Emperor Longyou took a deep breath, straightened his expression, and said, "The silver here can cover at least three years of taxes for Dachang. I come from an imperial family and have lived a life of luxury since I was young, but seeing this scene, it is really hard for me to remain calm."

Xia Shouzhong nodded repeatedly. Coming from the Prince of Qin's Palace, he knew best the difficulties that Emperor Longyou had experienced in the past.

When the army was marching outside, food and fodder were always scarce. If there had been so much silver at that time, it is hard to imagine what kind of achievements Emperor Longyou could have made.

"I was even more shocked. This fifty million taels is right in front of me. The national treasury doesn't even have it. Even if there is a surplus every year, including the old money, it is no more than twenty or thirty million at most."

"My vision is too narrow. Marquis Anjing is not a human being."

Looking at the spirited Emperor Longyou, Xia Shouzhong could not help but lower his head to look at the patched dragon robe inside, and asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, now there is so much silver, what should we do with it? Even if we keep part of it in the treasury, no one will know it until it is reconciled with the Ministry of Revenue."

"Marquis An Jing asked His Majesty to come and take inventory, probably for this reason."

Emperor Longyou was still somewhat hesitant about adding public funds to the imperial treasury.

After all, if one takes money from the treasury to the national treasury, he is a wise ruler, but if he does the opposite, he is a tyrant who corrupts the government. If the censors get to know about it, there will be no peace in the court.

Now is the time when he is in opposition to all the officials, so he is going to make a big fuss about this matter.

Emperor Longyou changed the subject and said, "Yue Ling is indeed good at business. He must have his own intentions when he wrote that kind of article. I will just ignore it for now."

“This silver…”

Thinking that his mausoleum had not been built yet and was still a wasteland, Emperor Longyou closed his eyes and said, "Move 10 million into the treasury... No, 20 million, 20 million."

"Your Majesty, here is a note from Marquis Anjing."

Emperor Longyou opened his eyes and asked in surprise: "What is written on it?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it says 'I beg Your Majesty to reduce Suzhou's taxes for one year to help keep the people safe.'"

Emperor Longyou laughed and said, "One year? You really underestimate me. Three years, give Suzhou three years of grace to take good care of its people."

"Also, after Yue Ling has settled the affairs of the Maritime Customs, he can return to the capital."

Xia Shouzhong also laughed along with Emperor Longyou. It was true that people would become generous when they had money.

At that time, a group of uninvited guests came outside the Meridian Gate, and the Yulin Army immediately came to report: "Your Majesty, officials from the Ministry of Revenue heard that there was silver sent to the capital by Marquis Anjing, and now they are coming to the palace and asking to see Your Majesty."

Emperor Longyou glared and said, "These dog-like creatures came here just because they smelled something. Hurry up and stop them. When all the money in the treasury is saved, the rest will be returned to the national treasury."

"As ordered."

The Yulin Army clasped their fists and left, but Emperor Longyou rolled up his sleeves.

Seeing that Emperor Longyou was about to go down to move the boxes, Xia Shouzhong hurriedly stopped him, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't do this. Your Majesty is worth a lot of money, how can you do such rough work?"

"Shut up! Come with me and move. Once those people come in, none of this will belong to me anymore!"

……

Spring goes and winter comes, another year has passed.
It is now difficult to find any trace of the disaster in Suzhou. There are thousands of acres of fertile fields around Taihu Lake, and on the Yangtze River, due to the rise of the Maritime Customs, countless cargo ships seem to be able to block the river.

All these changes came from one person, a great man who was loved by the people of Suzhou - Marquis Anjing.

Canglang Garden,
Two old women were standing in front of the door. They both had gray hair and were not dressed luxuriously, just coarse linen clothes. They each carried a small bag on their backs.

"Excuse me, is this the residence of Marquis Anjing?"

The two hesitated for a while before asking the guard at the door.

"Yes, but Marquis Anjing does not receive outsiders, please forgive me."

The two men shook their heads, and one of them said, "We are not here to look for the Marquis. We are here to look for a maid in the room. I, I am her mother, her name is Xiangling. I wonder if the official can help to tell her?"

As she said this, the woman was about to stuff the money she had taken out of her pocket into the guard's hand, "Sir, please be kind..."

The guard hurriedly asked for help and replied, "Are you asking about the maid who serves the Marquis? I can tell her for you, but whether she will come out to see you is another matter."

"Thank you, sir."

Canglang Garden is also very busy at the moment.

The little girls went in and out, picking up things from various places, and packed them up in the courtyard, waiting for the carriage to take them out.

The reason is simple. Everything in Suzhou is now on track. The Maritime Customs has greatly increased the tax revenue in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There are no Japanese pirates and even pirates are rare. Even if Yue Ling continues to stay here, he will be a hands-off boss, so he wants to return to Beijing.

"Sister Lin, can you please count the gifts you brought to Lord Lin? If there are any mistakes, it will be a real loss of face."

Yue Ling rubbed his hands and went to look in the box again.

Lin Daiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She said, "It's been less than an incense stick's time and Brother Yue has already looked for me three times. Why do I feel like Brother Yue is really afraid of seeing my father? He's so flustered. It's really unlike you."

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly, feeling a little guilty.

It was indeed Lin Ruhai who handed Lin Daiyu over to him and told him to take good care of Lin Daiyu. Yue Ling never broke his promise, but he took care of her too well, and now they are inseparable.

"Why should I feel guilty..."

With his hands behind his back, Yue Ling walked back to his room, thinking to himself, "We just touched hands and slept together, we didn't do anything else. Even the kiss was only once by Sister Lin on my cheek, so why should I feel guilty?"

At the same time, in the west wing,
Ying'er, Xiangling and several maids from the troupe were also busy tidying up.

Xue Baochai was the most difficult to deal with. Although there was not much furnishings in her room, she still had to carry out some bottles and jars that she had to take with her very carefully.

Xiangling was busy when a servant girl came in and said, "Miss Xiangling, there's someone outside who claims to be your mother looking for you."

Xiangling's face froze. She was already a little dazed, and became even more stunned when she heard the news.

The last time she saw her mother was in the Xue family's teahouse. At that time, her aunt was severely criticized by the girl, who made her prostrate herself in admiration. Later, she even helped the Marquis to serve as a witness.

After that, because her identity was too sensitive, Xiangling never went out to look for her aunt and mother.

According to the previous verdict, my uncle was sentenced to death, my cousin was sentenced to three years in prison, and my aunt was spared by acting as a witness.

It is not easy for two elderly women to live at this time.

Xiangling was afraid that the two men came to her because they wanted her to follow them, or wanted to enter the residence of Marquis Anjing.

She was the last person to know how to deal with such matters, and the first thing she thought of was to ask Xue Baochai for help.

But then she thought, after all, this is her blood relative, and she should face it herself.

The Marquis came south to accompany me in searching for my mother, and now he is about to set off back north. It is time for me to put an end to all this.

(End of this chapter)