I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 90 Nephew, You Are a Sensible Person
Very quickly, very quickly! The banknotes in Lin Shisan's sleeves went from sheets to stacks. His sleeves were so big that they could hardly hold them all.

Lin Shisan witnessed how wealthy the eunuchs were.

They would easily give away three to five hundred taels of silver. According to the Ming Dynasty's gift-giving rules, if they could give away three to five hundred taels, it meant they could be greedy for three to five thousand taels.

The highest rank of the people who came to give gifts today was no more than an ambassador. He was only the fourth rank among the eunuchs. Not to mention the eunuchs above him, the deputy eunuchs and junior eunuchs.

These are the people who are in charge of keeping the pets. The people in the Hat Bureau and Needle Work Bureau who are in charge of the royal clothing, the people in the Imperial Kitchen who are in charge of the royal food, and the people in the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Horse Department who hold great power. How much could they have been greedy for?

It is said that a clean official can earn 100,000 silver coins in three years. Now, the eunuchs in the palace are not much better.

No wonder Lu Fang is so troubled that he even has to assign someone to check when purchasing pets.

It was nearly 2:30 pm. Lin Shisan had already received gifts from dozens of people. He roughly calculated that he had received more than 20,000 taels of silver tonight, as well as a bunch of gold, jade and other treasures.

This number is too big. It is so big that it is frightening.

But Lin Shisan had no intention of keeping it all to himself. He knew his own limitations and didn't have the appetite for it.

Gao Xiaoqi had to share the profits from helping him find his favorite. What about the gift of 20,000 taels of silver?

He planned to send all the banknotes to Lu Fang. While the Minister of Internal Affairs ate meat, he thought he could have a sip of soup.

Whether Lu Fang accepted the money or not was a question of whether he was honest or not. Whether Lin Shisan gave the money or not was a question of his attitude.

Chun Ge'er came in yawning, "Master, there is still one attendant left outside."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Let him in."

The long-servant was the seventh rank among the eunuchs. The long-servant who came to give the gift was named Zheng.

Not long after, Zheng Changsui walked in and introduced himself.

Lin Shisan asked: "What job do you do in Xiyuan?"

Zheng Changsui replied: "I am responsible for buying radishes for the royal rabbits in the rabbit room."

The breeding of the imperial rabbits in the palace was very particular. There were more than 20 kinds of food, including bitter endive, comfrey, Chinese cabbage, rapeseed, soybean meal, etc. Radish was just one of them.

Lin Shisan nodded and said "Oh". That night he talked to the recipients until his throat was almost smoking.

He thought to himself: A servant who is in charge of buying radishes for Rabbit shouldn't give any real money, right?

At most, we can send some local specialties.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Shangsui stepped forward and handed a silver note to Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan took a closer look and saw that it was a 100-liang note. How could a radish buyer be so generous?
Lin Shisan asked calmly, "What kind of radish do the royal rabbits in the palace eat? How much is one pound?"

Zheng Changsui talked about it: "There are two kinds of radishes that the royal rabbit eats. One is the white-skinned and white-fleshed water radish from Shicao Village in Tongzhou. The other is the green-skinned and green-fleshed jasper radish from Qianyangge Village in Daxing County."

"These two kinds of radishes are famous in the capital. The water radishes from Shicao Village are sold for 190 wen per jin. The jade radishes from Qianyangge Village are sold for 310 wen per jin."

Lin Shisan was stunned and didn't know what to say.

These guys are so bold, they dare to speak with a big mouth! They dare to grab with a big hand!
What does a rabbit know about the water radish from Shicao Village and the jade radish from Qianyangge Village? When the radish goes into the rabbit's stomach, it turns into rabbit excrement.

There is no evidence for shit.

Ordinary radishes cost only a few cents per pound. Even if they are really top-quality radishes from these two regions, better than pears, they will not cost more than twenty cents per pound.

No wonder a servant who buys radishes is so generous. Because he can make ten or even dozens of times the profit.

Lin Shisan said: "Okay. It's getting late, you should go back first."

Zheng Changsui said, "Please Lin Chuanfeng take good care of me from now on."

After Zheng Changsui left, Biyun walked in.

Biyun looked at the table full of gold, jade and other treasures and asked in surprise, "Why did they give so many things?"

Lin Shisan said: "Not only these things. They gave more than 20,000 taels of silver notes alone."

Biyun was stunned, thinking she had heard wrongly: "How much?"

Lin Shisan replied: "More than 20,000 taels."

Biyun looked worried: "It's not a blessing to have so much silver in my hands, it's a disaster." Lin Shisan nodded: "Who said it's not? If it's a few hundred taels, I'll take it. But for twenty thousand, I have to go to the palace and find Eunuch Lu."

Lin Shisan now had the ivory token that allowed him to enter and leave the imperial city, and the eunuchs in the Western Garden all knew that he was the nephew of the Minister of Internal Affairs. If he encountered an emergency, he could go to the Western Garden and find Lu Fang directly.

At midnight, Lu Fang met Lin Shisan in the small building in Xiyuan.

Lin Shisan said, "My nephew came here late at night and disturbed your rest. He deserves to die."

Lu Fang said, "It's okay. I feel I don't have enough gifts now that I'm old. Have you received all the gifts?"

Lin Shisan opened the three rattan boxes beside him and placed a thick stack of banknotes on the table.

Lin Shisan said, "My nephew received a total of thirty-six items of gold, jade and treasures. He also received a total of twenty thousand nine hundred taels of silver."

"The nephew dare not keep anything to himself, so he gives everything to his uncle."

Lu Fang showed a satisfied smile on his face: "More than 20,000 taels of silver, a bunch of gold and jade treasures, but you don't even want them. Well, you are not a greedy person."

Lin Shisan said: "Just now your nephew's wife said something that makes a lot of sense."

Lu Fang asked: "Oh? What did you say?"

Lin Shisan replied: "She said that keeping so much money in hand would not be a blessing but a disaster for a small person like my nephew."

Lu Fang clapped his hands and said, "You are indeed a blessed man. A virtuous wife will not ruin your family. A loyal minister will not destroy your country."

"My nephew's wife is a sensible person. You are also a sensible person."

Lin Shisan knelt down and kowtowed: "I dare not keep so much silver. I will give it all to you, uncle."

Lin Shisan looked down on the virtuous eunuch Lu Fang.

Lu Fang frowned, "Lin Shisan, who do you think I am? Do you think I want you to make money for me and my disciples?"

"I am a rootless person. What's the point of having silver? Many eunuchs don't understand this, so they usually don't have a good ending."

"People only have three meals a day and only one bed to sleep in. If I wanted to be greedy, why would I have to extort these 20,000 taels of gift from them?"

"If the eunuch in the hall is a bit more corrupt, he might make a million taels a year."

Seeing Lu Fang's displeasure, Lin Shisan quickly said, "Uncle, my nephew is wrong."

Lu Fang nodded: "You are wrong. You underestimated me."

After that, Lu Fang counted out three thousand nine hundred taels from the banknotes and handed them to Lin Shisan: "Here."

Lin Shisan hesitated: "This..."

Lu Fang said sternly, "If I tell you to take it, then take it."

Lin Shisan took the banknote with both hands.

Lu Fang added, "The statues of the Three Pure Ones in the East Hall of Chaotian Temple should be painted in gold. It will cost exactly 17,000 taels of silver. This money can be used as a token of your filial respect to the emperor and to honor the heaven on his behalf."

"The three thousand nine hundred taels belong to you. Don't be in a hurry to thank me. This is the money for being scolded."

Lin Shisan was puzzled: "Silver for being scolded?"

Lu Fang stood up and said, "Help me walk to the front of the building."

Lin Shisan supported Lu Fang and came to the front of the small building. The bright moon shone on the snow like a mirror, as bright as dawn.

Lu Fang said: "Shall I tell you a joke?"

Lin Shisan hurriedly said, "Uncle, please speak."

Lu Fang said, "Tell me, there is a Cuju team in the South City Sea Cucumber House. Those Cuju players get paid a lot of money every month, but they always lose no matter how they play."

"Once, seven or eight Cuju players from Hai Shen Fang were eating wontons at a stall. They were pointed at and scolded by the people who knew them."

"The leader of the Cuju said to his brothers, let them scold us. We don't make money from the Cuju, but from the scolding."

(End of this chapter)