Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 342: Father-in-law and Son-in-law Investigate a Case
As the sun sets,

The ancient streets of Yangzhou are bustling with people coming and going.

The shops lining both sides of the street slowly lit up their lights, illuminating the river that stretched across the city with their glow, emitting a brilliant and dazzling brilliance.

Near the night market, Yangzhou city becomes more lively even in winter.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from afar and two figures hurriedly passed by on the official road.

When they learned that the problem might occur in the Bao family, Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling immediately decided to go to the Bao family first.

While on the road, Lin Ruhai explained the recent situation of the Bao family to Yue Ling.

"Yangzhou has always had eight major merchants, but now it is slowly becoming six major merchants."

"Among them, the increasingly prosperous Bao family has always been a righteous merchant family. They rarely commit crimes and have a clean family tradition. They are very active in making donations every time."

"For example, last year, when Suzhou was in urgent need, it was his family who handled the matter."

"You have also implicated several salt merchants in the Shuangyu Island case, and his family was not among them."

"However, because the two salt merchants you punished suffered business losses and their financial resources have been declining, they have handed over part of their salt trading land to the Bao family. There is a reason why their sales have increased."

"In a moment, we will use courtesy before force, and let him check himself first. The power of the salt merchants is intertwined, and the Bao family has a tendency to be pushed to the head of the Chamber of Commerce. This fact will affect the whole body, so we must not be careless."

Lin Ruhai, who had been in officialdom for a long time, was always known for his maturity and stability. He did not want to stir up too much trouble, unlike Yue Ling, who just hacked and killed his way forward, which was understandable.

It was just as he said. If the Lianghuai salt merchants were shaken, half of the people in Dachang would be affected in their salt consumption.

Stability is the first priority for an official.

Yue Ling nodded slightly and said, "Let's go meet the Patriarch of the Bao family first and see what kind of person he is."

The two men came without informing each other and rushed to the Bao family garden. They did not want to give the head of the Bao family time to prepare. Even if there were spies in the Salt Courtyard who he had bribed, they were still no match for their two fast horses.

Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling also deliberately chose the government road where there were not many people, passed through the city center, and went to the south city to the salt merchant's garden.

But when passing by the gate of the government office, I saw that there were three circles inside and three circles outside, surrounded by people, forming a black mass and making it impossible to pass through.

Yue Ling frowned slightly. Logically speaking, it was already time for the government office to close, but there were still so many people blocking the gate to watch the fun. It was really unusual.

I couldn't help but think about it a little more.

Lin Ruhai also frowned as he watched. After asking around, he found out that someone had come to the government office to appeal to a higher level and was being sentenced to fifty lashes in front of the government office.

Yue Ling led his horse through the crowd and looked at a woman in front of the hall. She was tied to a long table with hemp ropes, with cotton wool stuffed in her mouth. Her coarse linen clothes were torn to shreds, and the red and swollen scars were visible to the naked eye. He couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Lin Ruhai sighed secretly, shook his head and said, "This is the rule of law. If you see this peasant woman, she should come from the countryside. She did not go to the county government to report the case, but came to the government office. In order to avoid disrupting the criminal case, she must first receive fifty lashes."

"There are also many cases in "Xiyuanlu" where people deliberately go beyond their authority to disrupt the punishment."

Yue Ling whispered, "If she came to the county government to report to the authorities, she would have known the rules, but she was still willing to be punished. Moreover, the punishment was not light. A woman's skin was torn to pieces just to seek justice. I think she must have been wronged."

"You really shouldn't hit me so hard."

Yue Ling took a step forward, trying to stop the executioner, but Lin Ruhai grabbed his arm again and persuaded him, "You are compassionate to the poor and weak, you are just like Yu'er."

"But this government office also operates according to the rules. If you use your status as a governor to bully others and disregard the law, you will inevitably bring disaster upon yourself."

"Besides, our salt business and the government office are clearly separate and have nothing to do with each other. You are a retired governor who is about to return to Beijing, so you should not interfere with the government office's work."

"Don't forget why we came here."

Yue Ling's heart sank. He thought that this situation might be a deliberate show by someone to intercept the two men's actions.

In terms of how to be an official, Lin Ruhai was indeed much more mature and steady than himself. Yue Ling followed his advice and asked people around him to find out what grievance this woman had suffered.

"My Lords, I have only heard a little bit of what happened just now. It seems that the peasant woman's child went to Yangzhou to take the provincial examination in April, and then disappeared."

"This peasant woman is from Hengyang. Because she left the county government, the government couldn't find her, so they kept putting it off. Now that it's almost the New Year, she must be missing her child, so she came to the government office to file a complaint."

Yue Ling sighed softly and secretly noted: "He is indeed a pitiful person."

"You can tell at first glance that the official is a good one. There are many more pitiful people in the world than this one..."

……

Bao Family Garden, South City, Yangzhou
In the main hall, eight mica screens engraved with "Salt Law Diagram" separate the two worlds.

On a rosewood tea table in the center, there is a panoramic silver-thread inlaid painting of the Lianghuai Salt Field. The carving is so exquisite that it is comparable to the scenery in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

The columns, the flying eaves and brackets, and the salt crystal chandeliers hanging from the dome are the unique furniture of this giant salt merchant.

No matter how kind a salt merchant is, his life is extremely luxurious, which is unimaginable to outsiders.

At this moment, Bao Zhidao, the head of the Bao family, was extremely furious and was venting his anger in the hall.

He folded the bamboo sticks under the door and hit his son Bao Lin with them again and again.

"You unworthy son, if I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm not your father!"

Bao Lin knelt in front of the hall, motionless, allowing the bamboo sticks to fall on his body like raindrops, and his clothes were gradually lifted up by the red stripes.

The woman who rushed over after hearing the news threw herself on her son as soon as she entered the house, crying, "Master, please don't hit him. If you want to kill him, why not kill me first, so that we, mother and son, will have someone to accompany us on our journey to the underworld."

Wiping the tears from her son's eyes, the woman choked up and said, "Silly boy, your father beat you, why didn't you hide or leave?"

Bao Lin turned his head away, not looking at his poor mother. The pain that spread throughout his body made him gasp for air. "I did something wrong, and I should be punished."

These words did not make Bao Zhidao feel good, but made him even angrier.

"Knowing the mistake and making it is aggravated! Get out of here first, or I'll beat you up too!"

The woman knelt down and cried, and the servants around her hurried to stop the fight, allowing Bao Lin to escape. He picked up his torn clothes and wanted to leave the hall quickly.

"stop!"

Bao Zhidao shouted, leaned back heavily on the chair, sighed, lowered his head and glared at the woman who fell to the ground, "He made a big mistake today. The root cause is that you spoiled him. Didn't you hear the rules of our salt merchants? How can a legitimate son who is useless take on such a big family business?"

The woman wiped her tears and explained in a low voice: "Lin'er is still young, how can he not make mistakes? When the master was young, he also made many of these mistakes."

Bao Zhidao raised his eyebrows, still angry, "Punish him to stay in his ancestral land for half a year to reflect on his mistakes, and he is not allowed to return during the New Year holidays, and no one is allowed to visit him!"

Bao Lin bowed and said, "Thank you, father. I know I was wrong."

"Go away! Go away now! Clean the graves of your ancestors every day and repent!"

Bao Lin was walking outside with his aching body when he ran into two men with extraordinary bearings, striding across the threshold. He was shocked by their vigorous and decisive momentum.

After all, this is the Bao family's residence. How could anyone come straight into the hall without notifying others?

He naturally bowed and stepped aside to salute, but the two men didn't even notice his presence and ran straight towards his father.

Bao Zhidao was drinking tea with his head down, trying to suppress his anger. But when he raised his head again, he saw the person coming, and it turned out to be Lin Ruhai, the Inspector of Salt. He jumped up from his chair, kicked away the woman crawling on the ground, and walked down the white jade steps.

"Sir, what brings you here today? I hope you can forgive me for failing to welcome you."

Bao Zhidao bowed down and was shocked.

It was almost night, and the Salt Court Censor was visiting the salt merchant's house, probably not to have dinner.

"You're welcome, Master Bao. You and I have known each other for more than 10 to 20 years. I have always believed that we know each other well. I came to your house today because I have some doubts."

"By the way, this is the Marquis of Anjing, Yue Ling, whom you have always wanted to meet."

Bao Zhidao immediately raised his head. He was surprised to see a man who was about the same age as his son. He bowed again and said, "I greet Marquis Anjing."

Yue Ling raised his lips slightly and said, "How can a commoner be so extravagant? This garden is much bigger than my Anjing Marquis Mansion."

This picking tone made Bao Zhidao sweat on his forehead. He said awkwardly, "Shame on me, shame on me."

Yue Ling and Lin Ruhai sat calmly, picked up the glass teacup with interest, turned it in their hands, and asked casually without raising their eyes: "I don't know why Master Bao was so angry. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but he is so angry with his son."

Hearing the voice, Bao Zhidao knew that he had just been raging in the hall and had been overheard by the two people who had rushed over. He knew that he could not hide it, so he sighed and said slowly: "It is all because of this useless son of mine that the two adults have laughed at me."

Seeing Bao Lin still leaning on the gate railing, Bao Zhidao raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "Why don't you go to the ancestral land to accept the punishment? Are you waiting until tomorrow to set off?"

Bao Lin left in a hurry and timidly.

Bao Zhidao turned his head and said with a wry smile, "It's really hard to talk about this family scandal. My son was delivering salt on a ship a few days ago and met a woman there. We were so attracted to each other that we had sex with a prostitute."

"But this morning, the girl's parents came to our house, saying that he had raped a decent girl. In order to calm the situation, we had no choice but to spend money to avoid disaster."

Yue Ling frowned slightly, "Debauching a good family is punishable by law."

Bao Zhidao had a bitter look on his face. "My Lord is right. I will escort my son to the government office and hand him over to Lord Cui for judgment."

Salt merchants in Yangzhou are rich and powerful, so even if they report to the government, there is a high probability that they will not go to jail, let alone the Bao family, which is one of the best salt merchants.

Moreover, the girl's parents did not go to the authorities to file a complaint first, but instead came directly to the Bao family. They must have wanted to make some money as well.

Yue Ling didn't want to bother with this mess anymore. It was a two-way fight, and it would only bring trouble if he got involved.

Lin Ruhai, who had not spoken for a long time, put down his teacup and said bluntly: "Master Bao, the Bao family's business has been booming in recent years. Have you seen the accounts?"

After hearing the first half of the sentence, Bao Zhidao still had a look of joy on his face, but the second half was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

"Your Excellency means that there is something wrong with the accounts?"

As the examination was approaching, a problem arose with the salt tax, which concerned Lin Ruhai's official hat and the lives and property of the salt merchants.

Bao Zhidao's heart trembled, and he immediately called out, "Come here, quickly fetch all the accounts for this year, and all those who can count should come here to verify them!"

Yue Ling stood up and raised his hand, saying, "Wait, Master Bao, I have something to check first."

Bao Zhidao bowed and said, "My Lord, please speak."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "First, check how many new employees have come to the Bao family this year, and how many have left, especially the people who are in charge of the accounts, and find out the details."

Lin Ruhai nodded secretly beside him.

Yue Ling turned back and said to Lin Ruhai: "Brother... Yue... Lord Lin knows more about the account than I do. My foolish... son-in-law, no, I will go to the salt depot to check first."

Lin Ruhai's eyebrows immediately raised slightly, and his expression changed from admiration to displeasure. "Go ahead, you are an expert in solving cases, go and investigate thoroughly."

Bao Zhidao was even more nervous, and he quickly asked someone to lead the way, "My Lord, please."

Yue Ling shook his robe and shook his head, saying, "Master Bao can accompany Master Lin in the hall. I have always been a loner."

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai hoped that Yue Ling would be the same in the Lin Mansion.

He gently rubbed his brows, and then heard Bao Zhidao approach him, pouring tea for him, and asked very cautiously: "I hope you can tell me clearly what went wrong with the Bao family, so that we can check it ourselves, right?"

Even though the issue of salt tax was closely related to his official position, Lin Ruhai still had a calm face at this time.

After taking a sip of Biluochun, Lin Ruhai spoke in a deep voice, "The Bao family has a good management style. They have almost merged the two general merchants to become one of the most powerful in Huaibei and Huainan. This year, the salt output in the off-season has increased by 50% compared to the flood season. I have read the salt tax records over the years and found that this kind of wonder is the first time in history."

This sentence, which was apparently a compliment but actually an insult, made Bao Zhidao feel extremely pressured.

"This... the merger of the two general merchants has indeed caused the Bao family to be in a mess, but I really haven't carefully investigated the reason for the salt sales in the off-season. Don't worry, sir, I will give you an explanation after they check the accounts."

Lin Ruhai nodded slightly, exerting pressure, "I remember that Old Master Bao once worked in the Ministry of Revenue. You should know what happened to the salt merchant family in the salt tax case in the 13th year of Yuanqing, right?"

Bao Zhidao swallowed his saliva and lowered his head, saying: "For the case of forging salt permits, the principal offender shall be sentenced to death by slicing, and all nine clans shall be exiled for 3,000 miles..."

"But, sir, rest assured, my Bao family will never commit such a crime."

Lin Ruhai remained noncommittal. "Given the character of Patriarch Bao, I don't want to believe this, but let's check it out first."

In just a few minutes, the lobby was quickly filled with long tables. Mountains of accounts were brought in from the warehouse and assigned to each table.

The abacus was clattering on the field. Bao Zhidao's forehead was covered with sweat, which he wiped with his sleeves from time to time.

Even if he had done nothing wrong, with such a scene happening, with the Salt Court Censor and Marquis Anjing personally investigating, no one would be able to remain calm.

At this moment, Bao Zhidao was even more worried that some ignorant servants on Marquis Anjing's side might offend him.

After an incense stick of time had passed, only 10% of the accounts had been calculated, but the statistics on Bao's employees came out first.

By comparing the old and new rosters, you can know who has left and who has come, which is quite convenient.

After copying the names onto paper, he presented them to Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai frowned slightly, took it and looked at it, pointed at the first name in front of him and asked, "Hmm? Isn't this Liu Sheng an old friend of the Bao family? He has always been the one who takes care of the Bao family's accounts and checks with the Salt Court. How did he leave the Bao family?"

Bao Zhidao smiled and explained, "Old Liu has indeed been working hard for the Bao family, but he is too old and wants to enjoy his family life. He doesn't want to be supported by us in the mansion, so we let him go home."

At this moment, a man suddenly ran up to the hall and said in surprise, "Master, it's bad. A dead body was found in the salt warehouse!"

"dead body?!"

(End of this chapter)