Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 340 If you don’t give up, I’d like to be your father-in-law!

"Marquis Anjing?"

"I've met the Marquis!"

"Your subordinate, meet... meet the Marquis."

At the Yanyuan Yamen, Lin Ruhai, who was supposed to be in court, unexpectedly did not show up. Instead, Marquis An Jing strode into the classroom with his hands behind his back.

Maybe it was because he had just arrived and was not familiar with anything in the room, so he was looking around curiously.

All the legal advisers and clerks who were handling official business were dumbfounded. They stood up nervously and bowed respectfully to Yue Ling.

What makes them uneasy is Yue Ling’s special identity.

As the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who has not yet stepped down, Yue Ling has the right to inquire into all government affairs under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the Yangzhou salt administration is no exception. However, because the salt administration system is relatively independent, few people usually interfere.

Moreover, Lin Ruhai was the official of Lantai Temple and was the Censor of the Salt Court. In terms of rank, he was only half a rank lower than Yue Ling, so they could not be considered to be in a subordinate relationship.

But apart from this official identity, the fact that Yue Ling wanted to be the son-in-law of Lord Lin of the Yangzhou Salt Bureau had already been known to everyone in Yangzhou, women and children. It was not impossible that he came today to convey a message on behalf of Lord Lin.

Everyone stood there, waiting for Yue Ling's next arrangements.

Yue Ling looked around. There were several large bookcases in the classroom, with documents piled up more than a person tall. There were five large tables and chairs on the floor. On each table and chair, there were two people checking the accounts, one holding a pen and the other an abacus. It was obvious that they had been busy for a while.

Seeing everyone at a loss, Yue Ling smiled warmly and said, "Lord Lin is not feeling well today and is recuperating at home. The examination for the Salt Academy is approaching and we cannot afford to slack off. I will temporarily replace Lord Lin to take charge of the salt business."

"I see you are checking the accounts and following Lord Lin's instructions. If there is anything that needs to be decided, please submit it to me for approval."

"You guys are all busy, don't worry about me being around."

A few words made people feel refreshed, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This Marquis An Jing was not as cruel and ruthless as the rumors said. He was easy to get along with, so everyone sat down again.

"My Lord, is the old man seriously ill?"

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows and thought for a while. He felt that Lin Ruhai did not look well. He must not have had a good rest last night. His breathing was also even and he did not look like he had any big problems.

"Master Lin drank a lot with me last night. He was hungover all night. Today he has a headache and backache. I'm afraid he needs to rest for a day. He is fine. You don't have to worry."

Everyone calmed down and went back to their work. The sound of abacus clacking could be heard again in the room.

Yue Ling didn't think it was noisy. He had handled government affairs quite a few times and was used to it.

He picked up a verified account book and opened the title page, and saw the following words: "On the fifth day of the fifth month in the fourth year of Longyou, five Jinhu grain ships were dispatched, carrying 500,000 catties of salt, and consuming 5,000 salt permits. The general merchant was the Bao family, and the salt permit number was..."

A whole article was written, all of which recorded the Bao family's delivery of salt everywhere.

Yue Ling said with emotion: "As expected of Yangzhou, this business is really good. I believe that after the salt tax is passed this year, Lord Lin will be as stable as a rock."

The Shaoxing lawyer standing by said in his hometown dialect, "Your Majesty is wrong. Ever since you started producing Changlu salt in Cangzhou, Yangzhou's salt has not been selling so well. The tax revenue from the salt department has been declining year by year."

"The road to Beijing is blocked, and there is a faint trend of moving south. This is really a headache for us."

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly and said, "We are all contributing to the court, but the division of labor is different. Moreover, Yangzhou takes the water route, and it will take at least two months to reach the capital, and transportation is not very convenient. It is just right for Cangzhou, which is closer, to share the burden."

"I have also heard that many of you have gone to work for the Cangzhou Salt Transport Bureau. Is that true?"

Yue Ling successfully changed the topic, and the others nodded, "We are small officials who were passed down from our ancestors. We have no chance to make a name for ourselves. But many of the first batch of people who went to Cangzhou have been given important positions."

"They wrote back saying that Cangzhou has a strong academic atmosphere. Even officials have to attend classes in the academy. They said that they have to take some certificate from the academy in every field to be considered credible in that field."

"It doesn't sound like the imperial examination. I don't know what it means."

"Anyway, those who have been there have settled down there. They say Cangzhou is fun and they don't miss Yangzhou. Apart from Yangzhou's skinny horses and West Lake boat girls, there is nothing else they can miss."

The people below told some dirty jokes, and Yue Ling didn't put on airs and laughed along with them.

Normally, when doing work in this room, there is not such a cheerful atmosphere. Lin Ruhai is a meticulous person, but he also likes quietness. If anyone makes noise, he will definitely look down on them.

This made the people around him more familiar with Yue Ling.

After laughing for a while, Yue Ling flipped through a few account books. Just when he was feeling bored and wanted to go out for a walk, someone walked in hurriedly.

The man who came was big and strong, wearing leather armor and carrying a machete on his waist. He was a soldier.

Yue Ling was shocked. This was the field he was more proficient in. "What happened? Are we going to crack down on smuggled salt?"

The soldier who entered the hall looked up and saw that it was Marquis Anjing sitting in the hall. He was surprised for a moment, then he recovered his composure and shook his head and said, "Reporting to Marquis Anjing, it is not private salt. The general merchant of the Bao family wants to send salt to Jinhu Lake and asks our salt soldiers to help escort it."

"Oh? According to the usual practice, the Salt Bureau should also send people to escort them, right? I just looked at the account book and found that when the Bao family ships out, the amount is more than hundreds of thousands of kilograms."

The soldiers nodded repeatedly, "Your Majesty is right. What do you mean?"

After several years of working in the officialdom, the soldiers saw Yue Ling sitting in the position that Lin Ruhai once held. They knew that it was Marquis An Jing who could make the decision now, so they did not ask about Lin Ruhai's whereabouts.

His colleagues in the room nodded to him secretly, which made him feel more at ease.

Yue Ling thought for a moment and said with a smile: "It's almost the New Year, I think they want to be more stable, so they can send more people to maintain law and order."

"Oh, by the way, if your salt soldiers are short of manpower, you can ask the Cangzhou troops I brought with me to send some people to help."

"Anyway, they have nothing to do in the camp outside the city all day, so we might as well help them out."

The soldier's face showed surprise. "That's great. Many people don't want to go on business trips during the New Year holidays. I was worried about the people's work. The Marquis really helped me out of my urgent need."

All the soldiers of Dachang knew about the military achievements of Marquis Anjing. As salt soldiers, they only managed salt affairs and fought against salt smugglers, but they also had a heart to defend their country.

Seeing the famous Marquis Anjing at this moment, he couldn't help but chat with him for a few more words, and changed the subject and asked, "My Lord, please forgive me for being so presumptuous, but I wonder if you could tell us about the situation when the Northern Barbarian Army surrounded the capital and the battle was at its most intense."

"I am ashamed to hear all these rumors, which are like storytelling. I don't know whether they are true or not, and I don't have any details. I really want to know the inside story."

"I wonder if the situation in the capital was really that critical when the Marquis raided the camp? Are the northern barbarians really not afraid of arrows?"

Yue Ling smiled and asked, "Your duties are not easy, are they? You are escorting the salt ship out to sea, aren't you in a hurry? Do you still want to listen to my stories in the court?" The military household nodded, "Don't worry, my lord. The salt ship will be dispatched near nightfall. Going west is against the current, so we have to ride the wind."

The secretaries and clerks around him also stopped working and gathered around Yue Ling, joining in the fun. "My Lord, just tell me about the work today. At most, we can just work a few more hours in the government office."

Unable to refuse such a kind invitation, Yue Ling took a sip of tea, smiled and shook his head, "Well, it's okay to tell me about it. I'm also very curious about what kind of rumors are circulating in Yangzhou..."

……

"Let's check these two accounts again. If, as you said, Yangzhou's salt industry is not doing well, the increase in sales during the off-season is probably due to something fishy."

"Are these the ones we checked today?"

"Exactly!"

Yue Ling left behind a few books of accounts that he had read through and gave instructions to the clerks around him.

Everyone was satisfied with the story, and now they gladly accepted Yue Ling's arrangement and started to work on the abacus in the classroom again.

As for the military household, after Yue Ling finished telling them about his exploits along the way, they looked up to him even more and praised his virtues. After leaving the classroom, they turned back and said to Yue Ling: "I forgot the time when I was chatting with the Marquis. I really regret not meeting the Marquis earlier. If I could have received some advice from the Marquis earlier, I would have benefited a lot."

"I have to go sailing now. My Lord, take your leave."

The soldier folded his hands, clasped his fists and bowed deeply.

Yue Ling walked out of the hall with him and saw him off for a long distance.

Standing at the gate of the Salt Courtyard, looking at the setting sun in the sky, Yue Ling slowly exhaled.

"The work at the Salt Court is not as busy as one might imagine. Lord Lin has been working in the Salt Court for more than a decade, and his subordinates are all very smart."

For some reason, everyone in the Salt Courtyard respected Yue Ling very much and wanted to be close to him.

Even though he holds an important position, few people associate with him.

Having become famous at a young age and being very domineering, people generally believed that Yue Ling was not easy to get along with.

What's more, the difference in official rank between him and me is too great. Even though Yue Ling is kind and friendly, most people don't dare to come and talk to him.

The atmosphere in Yanyuan was quite good, at least it made Yue Ling feel comfortable.

"I wonder what Sister Lin is doing in the mansion."

Thoughts drifted back into the house, and Yue Ling raised his feet and headed back to the inner house.

After asking around along the way, Yue Ling finally found out that Lin Daiyu was still in the main hall, Lin Ruhai's courtyard, so he went straight there and asked about Lin Ruhai's recovery.

But as soon as he entered the door, Yue Ling was shocked by the scene in front of him.

Lin Daiyu was seen sitting miserably beside the table, holding a small soup bowl in her hand, tasting the soup with a spoon, her face full of sorrow, as if she found it difficult to swallow.

Two concubines were standing by her side, and they seemed to have just persuaded her to drink more soup.

When the felt curtain sounded, Lin Daiyu thought it was Lin Ruhai who had returned, so she immediately sat up with a serious expression and put the soup spoon to her mouth.

But when she found out that it was Yue Ling who came in, she immediately threw the soup bowl on the tea table, stood up and cried to Yue Ling: "Brother Yue, please save me, Daddy, Daddy is going to poison me."

Yue Ling was left at a loss whether to laugh or cry by Lin Daiyu's words, so he rubbed her head, comforted her, and asked the two aunts what had happened.

Aunt Zhou smiled and told the whole story, "We heard from Xueyan that the Marquis is very good at cooking, and he helped the girl get better."

"Lord Lin wanted to be better than the Marquis, so he started from here and learned a day's worth of medicinal food and cooked it for the young lady."

"Look, that was made the fifth time, and it tastes a little better than the previous times."

Yue Ling thought to himself, "Master Lin actually thought this way, and he persisted in doing it five times in a row."

Lin Daiyu held Yue Ling's arm tightly with tears in her eyes, shaking it and begging, "Since Brother Yue left, I have been testing medicine for my father in my room. I can't even eat. Brother Yue, if you don't save me, I will be poisoned to death!"

Yue Ling patted Lin Daiyu's hand twice and said, "Save you, of course I have to save you."

Coming to the table, Yue Ling picked up the teacup and smelled it. He said, "This can't really be called a medicinal meal. It's just some soup made with some nourishing ingredients. But the taste is a little hard to compliment. The heat is not right."

Yue Ling smiled and said to the two concubines, "Xueyan is the most greedy. If you ask her what she remembers, she only remembers eating. In the old days, we only made soup and porridge, and rarely made pure medicinal food. The taste of medicinal food is not very good. Sister Lin has such a sensitive sense of smell that she will definitely not be able to eat it."

Yue Ling picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. "This tastes pretty good. If you use less Chinese medicinal herbs to flavor it and remove the medicinal taste, it will be pretty good."

Lin Daiyu blushed, and came to Yue Ling, hesitating and asking, "Brother Yue, these two concubines are here, why did you drink all the soup I used?"

Yue Ling scratched his head and looked left and right at the two aunts. Both aunts seemed not to have noticed Yue Ling's actions just now, and their heads were tilted to look elsewhere.

"Uh... I'm used to it. I've drunk it all. It will be easier for you to report to the boss later..."

Lin Daiyu sighed softly, knowing that Yue Ling understood her good intentions, and she had nothing more to say.

After a while, Lin Ruhai returned to the room, carrying another bowl of soup. "Yu'er, Daddy will definitely make it this time. The cook just now praised Daddy for his talent in this area."

Lin Ruhai walked briskly past the screen, but saw that Yue Ling was already in the room, and his face looked a little embarrassed.

Putting the soup aside first, Lin Ruhai shook his sleeves and said seriously, "Yu'er left home when she was six years old. She has lost a lot of family affection over the years. From today on, I want to do more for her. What do you think?"

Yue Ling nodded repeatedly, "Brother is right."

"But... I have a few words that I have kept to myself for a long time and I want to reveal them to you, brother."

Changing the subject, Yue Ling hesitated for a moment, his face somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Lin Ruhai knew that it was not a good thing and wanted to interrupt, but this time Yue Ling spoke first resolutely, catching Lin Ruhai off guard.

"My dear brother, I have not met a good man in 24 years..."

Yue Ling tilted his head and gritted his teeth, then continued to bow and plead, "If you don't mind, I'd like to be your father-in-law!"

(End of this chapter)