Chapter 1535 Extra Chapter: Lin Feng (Part 1)

February of the fourth year of the Yanhuang era.

Auspicious clouds swirled above the capital hall of the Ministry of Personnel.

The dragon, carrying a fiery pearl, soars into the heavens; the phoenix, displaying its rosy feathers, exudes a thousand auspicious wisps.

Heavenly music filled the air, white cranes danced in harmony, and golden ears of grain sprang from the earth.

Officials from the left and right wings of the capital and the six ministries noticed the commotion and quickly put down what they were doing. Just as they stepped out of the corridor, a fine, dense rain of golden energy began to fall from the sky. The energy of heaven and earth was so abundant that they could absorb it into their dantian without any additional refining.

"Who triggered this extraordinary celestial phenomenon?"

"Such an auspicious scale is truly remarkable."

As soon as the auspicious omen appeared, officials set out to report the extraordinary phenomenon to the heavens. However, this was entirely unnecessary. An official leaped onto a rooftop to look out and was astonished to discover that the auspicious golden rain had spread far beyond the reach of sight, covering the entire capital city.

The capital city and its surroundings were abuzz with speculation about who had orchestrated this auspicious omen.

Ordinary people bathed in the golden rain felt light and refreshed, and even some hidden ailments were greatly alleviated. Those who could cultivate benefited even more, with some even achieving enlightenment on the spot and breaking through their bottlenecks. The auspicious signs lasted for a full quarter of an hour before ceasing.

The clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, but the afterglow still outlined a faint golden edge.

"What...what is this?"

When everyone awoke from their meditation, they were all horrified—the entire hall, inside and out, was covered with plump, golden ears of rice, piled up almost a second higher than the roof. If these people hadn't been exceptionally strong and able to save themselves, they would have been buried alive.

"Help! Help me out!"

After finally reaching the top of Daosui Mountain, the sight before us was even more astonishing. Houses within a hundred feet radius were surrounded by rice stalks, a vast expanse of golden sea. Every now and then, we could see colleagues emerging from this golden sea, their hair ornaments adorned with golden rice stalks that had bent low from the rice stalks.

"Quickly, save the government residence—"

Some people realized what was happening and hurriedly called for help.

The Ministry of Personnel's main hall is located in a prime location within the outer court, with the six ministries and other departments situated on either side. Normally, there are ample personnel, but recently something has happened—the Emperor is leading all officials, both civil and military, in the field-planting ceremony. This ceremony isn't just a formality; it usually takes ten days to half a month. If they return to find the outer court collapsed by the suddenly sprouting rice stalks, then it's all over!

Fortunately, the buildings in Xindu were of high quality and there were no shoddy construction projects. Therefore, the anticipated mass collapse of buildings did not occur. The officials who remained did not dare to destroy these auspicious objects, and hurriedly found tools and containers to clean and pack them away basket by basket.

"Who exactly caused this auspicious omen?"

Harvesting these golden ears of rice is no easy task.

They had no idea how many baskets they had filled, yet the water level of the vast expanse of golden sea seemed to have barely dropped. Just as they were fretting, a man who appeared to be a chief of the four departments, carrying several books wrapped in paper, recovered from his shock and asked, "Where is Vice Minister Lin now?"

What are you doing?

"We received a letter from Vice Minister Lin today."

Actually, it was the royalties from the publishing house. Normally, it should have been delivered to Lin Feng's residence, but Lin Feng had recently moved, and the publishing house hadn't updated the address, so it could only be delivered to the capital. There's a small house outside the capital that specifically stores officials' packages, and when she went to pick up her own things, she saw Lin Feng's package and delivered it to him on the spot. If she hadn't delivered it, Lin Feng probably wouldn't have remembered.

The cleaning official: "..."

Did they forget something?

"Minister Lin? Has anyone seen Minister Lin?"

Lin Shilang, one of the three tutors of the Crown Prince and the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, has not yet received his official appointment document, but it has been formally approved by the court and is expected to be finalized within the next few days. For some reason, Ji Tianli did not accompany the emperor this time, leading some among the people to worry that she had offended some powerful figure in the court, and that the emperor was intentionally treating her coldly.

I'm a little worried about the stability of the appointment of the Right Minister.

Rumor has it that Vice Minister Lin has been frowning these past few days.

However, none of this matters.

The important thing is that they didn't see Minister Lin.

"Ah—Don't be afraid, Your Excellency, I'm here—"

A subordinate official let out a bloodcurdling scream, almost scrambling and crawling towards the sea of ​​fire... no, towards the sea of ​​golden rice ears, to save people. Minister Lin had been favored by the Emperor for years, having followed him in his childhood on campaigns across the land; in a way, she was practically the Emperor's daughter.

In the early years, there were even some rumors in the court that if Chu Ling and others had not been unwilling, the emperor would have even intended to appoint Vice Minister Lin as the crown prince.

Such a person, even if he is ignored, will not be treated coldly for long.

If the emperor's anger subsides, won't his favor towards Minister Lin return? If Minister Lin were drowned by the auspicious omen and they, his subordinates, failed to rescue him immediately, wouldn't the emperor's return and the resulting bloodshed be devastating? For a moment, the word "saving lives" filled everyone's minds.

What are you yelling about?

A melodious female voice entered their ears—they couldn't even discern where the voice came from, as if it were directly imprinted in their minds. They didn't have time to figure it out immediately; instead, upon recognizing the voice's owner, they wept with joy.

"Minister Lin, you are still alive."

"Waaah, thank goodness, you're not dead."

A soft, peach-pink aura, like a delicate hand parting the mist, revealed a narrow path, just wide enough for one person to pass through, amidst the golden waves of rice. Lin Feng, dressed in a deep crimson official robe, stepped out.

The young woman stood tall and straight, like a pine or bamboo, unmoved by the wind. An exquisite gold belt cinched her waist beautifully, with a silver fish-shaped pouch and a peach-pink monogram on either side. A traditional Kangguo civil official's hat completely covered her long hair, revealing only her full, smooth forehead. Her brows were high and straight, her eyes slightly upturned, and a half-smile played on her lips, giving her a gentle and approachable air.

It's beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

However, some officials have raised doubts about this.

Normally, Lin Feng could wear a purple robe and a goldfish-shaped pouch.

She also had a part-time job at the Eastern Palace.

However, Lin Feng has his own aesthetic sense.

Purple official robes make one's skin appear darker, while deep scarlet makes one's skin appear fairer.

Shen Tang's casual remark back then was taken to heart by Lin Feng, who deeply agreed with it. Furthermore, the royal court was extremely poor during the years following the change of reign, with the Ministry of Revenue struggling to even budget for new official robes. Lin Feng learned to be frugal, continuing to wear his robes as long as they were still wearable. This year, the economic situation has improved, and the royal court has paid the overdue salary compensation to the former Qu Kingdom. The emperor intends to redesign the official robes, so Lin Feng simply decided not to change them and wait for the new ones.

Do it in one step.

Lin Feng frowned in confusion: "What died?"

"There was a strange phenomenon just now; both sides of the main hall were flooded."

Lin Feng looked up and saw the disheveled state of everyone, and felt a little embarrassed: "I already know about this matter. Let's collect these rice ears first. The grains are plump and can be used as seeds. We can talk about the rest later."

Everyone continued their work.

The person in charge handed the item in his arms to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng glanced at the address information above and understood.

"Give me the things, please."

By the time they finished tidying up, dusk had fallen.

Lin Feng returned to her new home with the sample books from the publisher and the royalties sent at the same time. The new home was closer to the royal court, which would shorten her daily commute. She hadn't originally planned to move, but her eldest brother had returned from his post in the countryside and had nowhere to stay. Her father had come with her brother and asked Lin Feng if they could stay for a few days.

After all, it's a new city, so housing costs are a bit high.

Although my father and brother have accumulated some savings over the years, it is only enough to settle a few people.

My great-grandfather said, "This is something your father and brother find difficult to bring up, and I'm worried you might overthink things if we come here abruptly. If you're unwilling, that's fine too; let them rent a place in a quieter area. Your brother is young; he can get up early to go to court every day."

Lin Feng said, "What's so difficult about this? If anything is difficult, it's my father and brothers who are in trouble. Oh well, let's go."

She is now the head of the Lin family.

If her father and brothers were to move in, she would be the one in charge.

Since they didn't mind, Lin Feng naturally didn't mind either.

What outsiders perceive as sibling rivalry and fratricide only occurs when the offspring are evenly matched. Her brother is no match for her, and if the siblings were to fight, it would be him, not her Lin Feng, who would be devoured. Her great-grandfather is also getting old, and she is busy with official duties every day and doesn't have much time to spend with the old man. If her father could come and fulfill his filial duties on her behalf, Lin Feng would naturally be happy to see it happen.

My great-grandfather sighed: "You've worked so hard."

Lin Feng then applied for a larger residence.

Actually, this should have been hers.

At the beginning of the relocation, Lin Feng considered that she was not bringing many people with her, so she chose a smaller house. Now that her father and brothers have come to stay temporarily, the original small house is no longer enough for them. Because there were many trivial matters, the move took more than half a month.

It was mainly my great-grandfather and his family who were busy.

Lin Feng only needs to move into the existing house.

He had just returned home when he took off his official hat and handed it to the maid who served him personally.

"Where are Father and my eldest brother?"

He left home at noon and has not returned since.

Did they say what it was about?

The maid said, "A matchmaker from the Ministry of Rites has come to propose marriage."

Lin Feng was about to drink his tea when he nearly choked.

"Huh? What matchmaking?"

This matter is rather complicated.

In short, when Lin Feng's father and elder brother were ordered to go to Xindu to report on their duties, someone took a liking to her elder brother's appearance and couldn't sleep at night because of it. They asked the official matchmaker of the Ministry of Rites to help inquire and hoped that someone could mediate between them. The woman's side also showed sincerity.

Now it all depends on whether Lin Chun is willing or not.

Lin Feng: "...What did the Ice Man say?"

The maidservant had been serving in the hall during the day and overheard quite a bit. The woman's side raved about Lin Chun's appearance, saying she was completely smitten with his delicate, poor, and innocent charm. Upon learning that he was Lin Feng's elder brother, the woman's side hesitated for a long time.

Their family background is simply too high.

Lin Chun's political achievements were mediocre, but his sister was exceptionally capable.

If we were to rashly visit their door, we might be turned away.

but--

She was really smitten with Lin Chun's face.

Beauty is captivating, and after much hesitation, I gritted my teeth and made the move.

If you get kicked out, you get kicked out. At least you tried your best.

To everyone's surprise, the Lin family treated them with great gentleness. They didn't get angry when the matchmaker explained his purpose; instead, they were extremely courteous, which gave the woman hope. Lin Feng took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and downed his tea in one gulp: "What do you expect from my brother's reaction?"

The maid shook her head: "I don't know."

Lin Feng clicked his tongue: "Let's leave that for now."

She instructed the maid to carefully put away and arrange the sample books she had received.

The maid opened the package, and upon seeing the title on the cover, she paused in surprise. The cover bore four large characters: "The Pig Castration Manual," authored by Shen Tang and Lin Feng. Originally, Zhai Le's name was also included, but he had paid to have it removed.

Shen Tang disliked Zhai Le for having too many faults.

What's so shameful about being ranked alongside me?

Zhai Le broke down: [It's not because of the name.]

Is it because the book is called 'The Pig Castration Manual'?

Is there anything shameful about this?

Shen Tang didn't think so, and neither did Lin Feng.

Zhai Le didn't think so either, but he really didn't want Qu Guo's former subordinates to know that he had such a dark history from his youth. He was so desperate that he wanted to throw a tantrum and threaten suicide to force the publisher to remove his name and only add a thank-you note at the end of the book.

Yes, it's a classic case of trying to cover something up only to make it more obvious.

Lin Feng thought that such a dry manual would not have much of a market.

Even if it were printed, only a few copies could be produced.

Who would have thought it would sell out as soon as it hit the market!

Despite multiple printings, the book remains in high demand and short supply.

Its total sales volume surpassed that of the new book "The Five Elements of Morality".

Lin Feng: [...]

How could she not know that there were so many people in Kang Kingdom interested in pig castration? She had read the compiled booklet, and apart from the master's rambling, off-the-cuff scientific explanations, it was mostly dry, explanatory texts, occasionally interspersed with pig-raising tips summarized by Shen Tang and Lin Feng over the years. These included, but were not limited to, how to breed pigs and how to make them grow fat like crazy.

The royalties for the pig castration manual were split 50/50 between the Lord and her.

After inquiring further, I discovered that all the officials and civil servants in the court had bought it.

_(:з」∠)_

They neither raise nor castrate pigs, but they were curious about how the Lord and Minister Lin raised and castrated pigs. Of course, Lin Feng suspected that these people would at most glance at the books they bought, and probably wouldn't even open the rest. The Lord, however, was quite optimistic: "It's a good thing that they're willing to read and buy books. As long as they pay, there's no need to worry about whether they'll actually read them. Number one on the sales charts! Wang Chao must be furious."

Lin Feng: [...]

Besides the "Pig Castration Manual," Lin Feng also wrote several other agricultural books in his spare time. These books cover hundreds of crops from breeding and germination to cultivation and maturity. The content is detailed and is revised every now and then. Although the sales are not as high as the "Pig Castration Manual," they are textbooks that every farmer in Kangguo has a copy of, and the sales are stable.

Lin Feng ordered the lamps to be lit and the teaching materials to be prepared.

His Highness is still young, and his current studies are mainly introductory, which can be handled by some of the tutors from the Crown Princess's residence. Lin Feng, as an important official in the court, is also busy and does not need to be supervised every day. As one of the three tutors of the Crown Prince, she only needs to give lectures to the Crown Prince on a regular monthly basis.

After looking at only a few rows, a clear bird song rang out.

Then came a few beeps.

Lin Feng got up and opened the window. A super-heavy bluebird hopped back and forth on the windowsill, seemingly confirming her identity. After confirming her identity, it turned to Lin Feng, revealing a small golden bamboo tube on its back, indicating that Lin Feng should sign for the letter.

The bluebird transformed into a wisp of literary energy, unfolding into a letter.

When Lin Feng arrived at the address, he could vaguely hear a commotion.

"They're here! The main character has finally arrived!"

"Move aside, don't push me!"

As Lin Feng passed through the crescent-shaped archway, colorful fireworks cut into pieces suddenly shot out from both sides, scattering all over Lin Feng's head—she already knew that someone was lying in ambush on both sides, so she neither dodged nor avoided them.

The gaze remained fixed ahead.

The young lord stood in the center of the crowd, stretched out his arms to Lin Feng, and gave her a big bear hug without hesitation: "Congratulations, my servant, you have gone through many hardships and reached the pinnacle of the way of the scholar!"

|ω`)

Hehehe, starting today, I'll be serializing side stories.

(End of this chapter)