Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 517 Lin Daiyu Cracks the Yellow Pear Tree with Her Palm~
"Senior brother~"

"I don't quite understand this part, can you teach me?"

"Senior brother~~"

"Do you think my posture is correct?"

"Senior brother~~~"

The repeated calls of "Senior Brother" gave Lin Dao a headache.

He has never been a patient person.

Perhaps at the beginning, they would explain a thing or two to Lin Daiyu.

But as the number of times increased, Lin Dao simply became impatient and let her figure it out on her own.

Later on, he simply used seclusion as an excuse to avoid being seen.

On this day, Lin Dao returned from the late Yuan Dynasty.

As soon as the door opened, Lin Daiyu, who had been waiting for a long time, barged in.

"Brother!"

With a stern face, Lin Daiyu lightly stamped her little foot and asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I need to cultivate," Lin Dao said calmly, making up a lie. "I don't have time."

"I do not believe!"

Lin Daiyu, whose mood had noticeably brightened, raised her delicate chin and looked at Lin Dao, saying, "You're just avoiding me~"

Based on his extensive experience, Lin Dao immediately realized that Lin Meimei was looking for trouble.

He raised his hand to wipe his face and put on a smile.

"I have important things to do. We can talk about it tomorrow."

This is the strategy of procrastination~
When faced with an unreasonable woman, stalling or running away is the best option.

Lin Daiyu bit her lip, about to say something.

However, Jia Lian's voice could be heard coming from outside the door.

"Brother Lin, save me... uh?"

Suddenly seeing Lin Daiyu inside, standing very close to Lin Dao as if they were arguing, Jia Lian's mind went blank for a moment.

what's the situation? !

Lin Dao stepped aside and beckoned Jia Lian inside.

Lin Daiyu's expression changed instantly.

She put away her previous petulance, adopting her usual calm and composed expression, and even raised the round fan in her hand to half-cover her face.

This rapid change of expression left Jia Lian speechless.

Turning back to the bookshelf, Lin Dao took out a heavy bag of silver and handed it over, saying, "Three hundred taels."

"Brother Lin~"

Jia Lian burst into tears, "Not enough~~"

"How could that be?" Lin Dao frowned. "Even the most beautiful courtesan would only receive a few dozen taels of silver."

"You booked out all the top courtesans at Slender West Lake?"

"Brother Lin~" Jia Lian was truly in tears, his voice choked with sobs, "I...I've been framed~"

You're a perfectly healthy person standing here, without missing any limbs. What do you mean by being murdered? Are you some kind of vengeful spirit?

Ignoring the embarrassment in front of his cousin, Jia Lian tearfully recounted the whole story.

Because the Grand Canal was blocked, bandit suppression was still ongoing throughout Huai'an Prefecture.

Jia Lian, who was preparing to return north, had not yet had time to set off.

He remained incorrigible and went to enjoy himself on a pleasure boat on the Slender West Lake.

I drank too much last night, and in my hazy state, I passed out drunk.

When he woke up, he saw a young woman crying and hugging a quilt beside him.

This was not a big deal. Jia Lian was always generous on the pleasure boats; he could just pay a little more money.

Unexpectedly, the door was kicked open, and a group of burly men with bare chests and hair rushed in.

That young woman wasn't from the pleasure boat; she was actually a respectable person who delivered wine to the pleasure boat!
The man's elder brother came looking for him and dragged Jia Lian towards the yamen.

As the son of a noble family, and with his uncle being the Salt Commissioner, Jia Lian was naturally not afraid of the government.

The problem is, he cares about his reputation.
Once the matter is exposed, he himself will definitely be fine.

But if word gets out, he'll lose face.

Although this is nothing to the sons of noble families, if it gets back to the Rongguo Mansion...
You should know that Jia Lian has a shrew in his household!
The thought of Wang Xifeng losing her temper sent chills down Jia Lian's spine.

He offered to settle the matter with money, but the other party immediately asked for five thousand taels!

Where did Jia Lian get five thousand taels of silver? He could only run back to Lin Dao for help.

You've been set up.

After hearing the story, Lin Dao immediately asserted, "Moreover, the method was very crude, more like a hastily rushed and forced implementation."

"Have you offended anyone?"

Jia Lian immediately cried out in protest, "I spend my days either sleeping at the Salt Administration Office or visiting friends on the Slender West Lake. How could I possibly offend anyone?"

“Then they weren’t after you.” Lin Dao pondered for a moment. “They probably wanted to use you as a pretext; their real target was the Salt Administration.”

"It can't be that bad," Jia Lian said, skeptical. "It could be a honey trap."

"No, that won't happen." Lin Daiyu, who had been listening quietly, spoke up to explain, "Brother Lian, the Hundred Flowers Boat you often visit is said to be the most famous boat on Slender West Lake."

“Such boatmen must value their reputation very much.”

"If something like a honey trap happens, it will ruin your reputation."

"Absolutely not."

How much money can you make from a honey trap?

How can it compare to the most famous pleasure boats that rake in money every day?

Looking embarrassed, Jia Lian first realized what was happening, then turned his head shyly and said, "You knew too~"

His daily trips to the pleasure boats on Slender West Lake were known to almost everyone in the Salt Administration Office.

“It’s not that complicated,” Lin Dao blurted out. “Just investigate the owner behind the pleasure boat.”

"It seems that this is inextricably linked to the matter of Imperial Censor Lin."

"Senior brother, do you mean—" Lin Meimei's heart tightened, "that they're in cahoots with the people who poisoned Father?"

"That is true."

Lin Dao disagreed, saying, "They must have known that Liniang had been dealt with and that the poisoning plan had failed."

"I was thinking of making a fuss about Brother Jia."

"But knowing that Brother Jia and Sister Lin were about to return to the capital, he acted hastily in a hurry."

Lin Daiyu nodded repeatedly, agreeing with her senior brother.

Jia Lian was completely stunned.

"Senior brother?!"

He frequents brothels and has no idea about this. "You can't shout," Lin Dao said calmly, waving his hand. "You don't have the right."

Inside Lin Ruhai's house.

After listening to the story, Lin Ruhai, who was still in bed, thought for a moment and then made a decision: "You don't need to concern yourselves with this matter. Just return north as soon as possible."

The meaning is simple: they're coming for me.

He wants to handle it himself and doesn't need the younger generation to interfere.

Lin Daiyu and Jia Lian and the others left one after another, but Lin Dao stayed behind.

He stepped forward and looked at Lin Ruhai lying on the bed.

"Even though he has recovered from his illness, he still lies in bed pretending to be sick."

Who are you planning to frame?

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai, lying on the bed, trembled violently.

His condition has indeed improved a lot; he can even get out of bed and walk, and write memorials to the emperor.

But he never mentioned it to anyone, not even Yu'er knew.

As for the reason, it's quite simple.

Just as Lin Dao said, he planned to feign illness to deceive people.
Lin Dao saw through this secret matter at a glance.

This child~
What a pity~
If born into royalty, one would surely be a wise and capable ruler, with absolute control over the court.

If one is born into a noble family, one must surely restore the family's glory.

If one is born into a scholarly family, the imperial examinations offer a smooth path to officialdom and a promising future.

Yes~
Its origin is unknown.
Lin Ruhai simply closed his eyes.

Lin Dao touched his nose, then turned and left.

As expected, Lin Daiyu came looking for her after dinner.

"Senior brother, I'm worried about Father~"

"Although I don't know who it is, Father is in danger!"

Lin Daiyu, her eyes reddening, looked at Lin Dao with tearful eyes and pleaded, "Please, Senior Brother, help Father!"

Even after spending several years in the capital, Lin Daiyu's soft, melodious Wu dialect remained unchanged.

"How to help?"

Lin Dao remained unmoved. "He has his own plans. Don't cause trouble."

"Senior brother~" Lin Daiyu's tears fell like pearls onto a plate, "Please~"

Lin Ruhai was Lin Daiyu's closest relative in the world, and he had just been pulled back from the brink of death not long ago.

Her usual aloofness and intelligence vanished completely when it came to her father's safety.

My senior brother has great supernatural powers; if he could save my father once, he can definitely save him a second time.

"Actually," Lin Daosu replied solemnly, "have you ever considered that those who are currently living in fear are actually your father's enemies?"

To reiterate, Lin Ruhai is no ordinary person.

There's nothing you can do when you're being assassinated.

But now that the matter had been brought to light, his health had returned to normal.

That would absolutely warrant a furious revenge.

He possessed outstanding personal abilities and had the emperor as his patron.

What we should truly fear now is the enemy who is about to suffer retaliation.

The position of Salt Inspector, who oversees hundreds of millions of taels of salt tax annually, is not one that just anyone can hold.

Now that he's alive, someone else has to die.

Therefore, there is no need for help; Lin Ruhai can handle it himself.

"Senior brother~~~"

As the saying goes, caring leads to chaos.

With her father's safety at stake, she lost all her intelligence and could only desperately seek Lin Dao's help.

Lin Dao frowned, then asked seriously, "Then tell me, how can I help?"

One sentence was enough to leave Lin Daiyu stunned.

She just wanted to ask for help, but she didn't know how to help.

"How about we skin and dismember all of Imperial Censor Lin's enemies?"

Lin Dao's words made Lin Meimei's face turn pale.

"How about we behead their entire family?"

Lin Daiyu's petite body began to tremble.

"They pour boiling water on the ant nests, shake the egg yolks until they break, slaughter the guard dogs and cook them, dig up the earthworms and split them in half vertically, uproot the trees and flowers, and then pour mercury into the pits."

"Our family's house and courtyard will also be completely razed to the ground and turned into a mass burial ground."

Do you think this is okay?

Lin Daiyu raised her hand to cover her mouth, lifted the hem of her skirt, and turned to leave.

Lin Dao swept his eyebrows, giving off a feeling of bullying a little girl.

"Girl~ Girl~"

Zijuan chased after her, her expression extremely anxious.

The girl is frail; I hope she doesn't cause any trouble.

But as she ran, Zijuan was dumbfounded.

Miss Lin, who used to be out of breath after walking just a few steps, actually ran all the way back to her room in one breath!
If she hadn't confirmed that the figure in the back was indeed Miss Lin, she would have suspected that the person running ahead was Siqi.

Exhausted, Zijuan leaned against the doorframe, panting.

She was exhausted from running all the way here.

After catching her breath, Zijuan stepped forward and came to the side of Miss Lin, who was sobbing at her desk.

"Young lady, please don't cry. If you cry and harm your health, Master Lin will worry."

She was clever; she knew what to say to persuade Lin Daiyu.

Sure enough, Miss Lin's sobs quickly subsided.

A moment later, Lin was heard humming.

"You naughty senior brother~"

"You always bully me~"

She subconsciously looked up and slammed her hand on the table.

'boom! '

With a muffled thud, the rosewood tabletop was cracked like a spiderweb by Lin Daiyu's small hand!

Zijuan'(°ー°〃)'

(End of this chapter)