Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"The Grand Secretary who was dismissed from office in the eighth year of the Jiajing reign was surnamed Zhang."

Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"Miss Yunxiang, the Grand Secretary Zhang you mentioned, could it be Grand Secretary Zhang Cong?"

"Young master, you are indeed knowledgeable and learned; you are indeed Grand Secretary Zhang Cong."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Yun Xiang's eyes lit up.

"Before my father was convicted, I stayed in my room all day and knew nothing about the affairs of the court."

It wasn't until after he was confined to the entertainment industry that he learned about his late father from some of his guests.

Whether it's true or false, I have no way of verifying it.

Some of the guests who had achieved official rank said that my father had once taken a gamble in his early years by publicly supporting the memorial submitted by Zhang, who was then only the head of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing, entitled "Memorial on the Establishment of the Ceremony".

After Grand Secretary Zhang became the Grand Secretary in the seventh year of the Jiajing reign, my father was appointed as a Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

This young lady also doesn't understand what kind of official this is; she only knows that it's a seventh-rank official.

Before that, my father was already a seventh-rank official, but he was not actually promoted that time.

However, my father seemed very smug at the time, which was obvious even to a young woman like me.

Moreover, before long, the family's food, clothing, and daily necessities became very good.

My two older brothers and I were also very happy at the time.

My mother died early, and there was originally only one concubine in the family.

In the short span of six months after he became a Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, my father took four more concubines.

Unfortunately, his good fortune did not last long. In August of the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, Grand Secretary Zhang was impeached for "abusing his power and being domineering" and "colluding with eunuchs." The emperor issued an edict to dismiss him from his post and order him to return to his hometown to live in seclusion.

Just a few days later, the fierce and ruthless Imperial Guards came to our door and arrested my father, throwing him into the imperial prison.

However, there is something I have never understood all these years: Zhang Ge Lao was reinstated just a few months later, but he did not step forward to save my father from prison.

He allowed his late father to be sentenced to death and have his property confiscated in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign.

It seems that Yunxiang's father did not die unjustly!

Lu Chen shook his head secretly.

It's obvious that this official in Beijing got arrogant after being appointed as a censor in the Ministry of Rites!

Although the Six Ministries of the Ming Dynasty were only seventh-rank officials, they were typical examples of officials with low rank but great power.

Moreover, his future is bright, and he may even have the opportunity to join the cabinet and become a high-ranking official.

Naturally, many people will invest in such high-potential stocks.

Many people give gifts, and it's only natural that their quality of life improves rapidly.

Not only did he accept gifts, but he also showed no restraint and took four concubines in six months.

He was not wrongly accused of corruption and arrogance.

Of course, it is also possible to be framed.

However, even if it is a frame-up, it is not a simple false accusation, but a sting operation.

In other words, the people who gave him lavish gifts and encouraged him to take a concubine might be the same group of people who reported him!

After all, supporting Zhang Cong's rise to power would really offend a lot of people.

With such irrefutable evidence of corruption, how could Zhang Cong dare to bail him out after his reinstatement? Did he want to be dismissed by the Jiajing Emperor again just after returning to the cabinet?

Moreover, this official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was immediately imprisoned after Zhang Cong was dismissed.

It could very well be one of the pieces of evidence used by political enemies to impeach Zhang Cong.

If Zhang Cong were to actually bail him out, wouldn't that confirm his own guilt?!

The most unfortunate ones were probably the four concubines that Yunxiang's father had recently taken.

His good days didn't last long before he was forced into prostitution.

As the female relatives of convicted officials, they had no chance of reforming their ways.

When Lu Chen first heard that Yunxiang's father had been a supporter of Zhang Cong, his heart skipped a beat.

It should be noted that after Zhang Cong was reinstated, he served as Grand Secretary until the fourteenth year of the Jiajing reign, when he retired due to illness.

It is only the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign. Zhang Cong must still have many protégés and old friends in the court. If this former Grand Secretary feels guilty towards his former supporters and really wants to overturn his case, it is possible that he can do so.

But nowadays, all I can say is "heh heh".

Back then, this official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was probably already considered a pawn by Zhang Cong.

"I never imagined that Miss Yunxiang's father had served as a Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites. Even with the connections of Grand Secretary Zhang back then, he wouldn't have been able to hold this position if he hadn't been a graduate of both the Imperial Examination and the Imperial Examination."

Lu Chen looked at Yun Xiang and began to get down to business.

"To be honest, Miss Yunxiang, my Lin family travels all over the country doing business, and we have quite a bit of money on hand."

Now I plan to settle down in Biyang County, buy a big house, and acquire some farmland and shops.

However, my family's businesses are all in other provinces, and I need to take care of them personally, so I probably will rarely have the opportunity to return to Biyang County.

These industries need a reliable person to look after them.

"Miss Yunxiang, you are the most suitable candidate."

"My lord, you mean..."

Yunxiang's voice trembled slightly.

"After redeeming me, I will not be a regular concubine, but will also be put in charge of my husband's property in Biyang County."

"Excuse me for asking, but will your wife, the old master, and the old lady agree to this?"

"Miss Yunxiang, you've thought of everything very thoroughly."

Lu Chen chuckled softly.

"You don't need to know what business my family is in. Just know that the Lin family is large and powerful."

You've also experienced family misfortunes, so you should know that even families of officials and nobles can encounter unexpected disasters one day, let alone businessmen.

My decision to settle and buy property in Biyang County was simply a precautionary measure by the Lin family to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.

The property here is merely a villa belonging to my Lin family.

Moreover, I, Lin Chaoxi, am not yet married, so where would I get a wife?

Even if she marries a proper wife in the future, she will not live here.

Although I cannot remove you from your social status and can only take you as a concubine, in this Biyang County, you are the stewardess of my Lin family's villa.

. . .

After accepting the promises Lu Chen made to her, Yunxiang quickly completed a psychological shift in her identity.

He completely sided with his wealthy out-of-town son, "Lin Chaoxi".

He told me all the tricks of the trade for redeeming women from brothels without reservation.

Lu Chen quickly negotiated a price with the brothel owner and bought Yunxiang's indenture for only eighty taels of silver.

In the following days, with Yunxiang, who had lived in Biyang County for several years, around, Lu Chen's efficiency in handling matters increased dramatically.

Yunxiang knew almost everything about who to contact for what kind of task, and even if she didn't understand something, she knew who to ask.

Lu Chen easily found a middleman who had connections in the county government and could handle the registration procedures.

He spent nearly one hundred taels of silver and successfully obtained a household registration in Biyang County under the identity of "Lin Chaoxi".

After obtaining their household registration, the two immediately went to the local government broker and bought a three-courtyard house in the county town for just over four hundred taels of silver. The house covered an area of ​​over a thousand square meters and included a back garden of several hundred square meters.

Of course, due to the rules of etiquette, although the courtyard was not small, it had no fancy decorations and looked very simple.

But in this small county town, this was already the best house that an ordinary person without official rank could own.