Chapter 20 My Salary! My Salary! My Farmland! ...
Lin Yan slumped against the velvet cushions of the carriage, his eyelids so heavy they could hold two buckets of water. His head bobbed up and down with the carriage's swaying, and several times he almost fell into his father's arms.
Lin Chengji frowned deeply as he looked at his son's face.
His official robes were brand new and crisp, and the scarlet color of a fifth-rank official's robes gave the young man a certain air of authority, but his soul... was clearly still in the Duke of Zhou playing chess.
"Ahem." Lin Chengji cleared his throat, trying to rouse his son's wandering mind. "Today is your first time attending the morning court session. It's different from the past. You are now a proper fifth-rank physician. You must not be as lax as before."
Lin Yan mumbled a "hmm" in his sleep, then his head lurched forward, jolting him awake. He blinked blankly, "Huh? Dad, what did you just say?"
Lin Chengji's temple throbbed, and he resisted the urge to flick his son's forehead.
He lowered his voice, almost squeezing it out through clenched teeth: "You better pull yourself together! Disrespecting the Emperor is no joke! If His Majesty sees you like this, all those previous favors..."
The words were left unsaid, but the threat was palpable.
Lin Yan jolted awake, struggling to open his eyelids a crack and forcing himself to sit up straight: "Father, don't worry, I understand."
But Xiao Che wasn't as scary as his father made him out to be. As long as you didn't go against Xiao Che's wishes, he was clearly a very good boss.
Even so, Lin Yan still tried to widen her eyes and make herself look more energetic.
The sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the cobblestone road was particularly clear in the quiet morning.
Finally, we arrived at the palace gate.
As the carriage curtain was lifted, a biting chill mixed with a solemn atmosphere rushed out, finally jolting Lin Yan mostly awake.
He got off the car with his father and mingled into the silent and orderly line of officials.
The scarlet official robes stood out prominently in the dim morning light and the flickering lantern light.
Lin Chengji was a fourth-rank official, wearing a scarlet official robe. Lin Yan was a fifth-rank official, also wearing scarlet, but the color was slightly lighter than his father's, and the patterns were different.
Lin Yan tried hard to recall the court etiquette he had crammed for the past two days, lowering his eyes and trying to keep his steps steady.
The Taiyi Hall was brightly lit, and the sandalwood incense mixed with a cold, metallic scent.
The officials filed in according to their rank and took their places.
On his first time attending the morning court session, Lin Yan couldn't help but glance around.
One can see the scene above the imperial steps, and even vaguely feel that invisible majesty.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Li Defu's familiar voice rang out, and Lin Yan, following the example of his colleagues, kept his eyes down and tried his best to play the role of a qualified pillar of the palace.
Xiao Che sat down on the throne, his crown tassels swaying slightly, his gaze sweeping across the area below as usual.
Everything seemed the same as usual, except that people's gazes lingered on Lin Yan for a little longer.
Perhaps everyone had guessed that the emperor was going to settle scores today, so they were all extra cautious, afraid of displeasing the emperor, and even their breathing was barely audible.
Li Defu's distinctive high-pitched voice rang out as he began to pronounce names.
One by one, the names of officials, whether familiar or unfamiliar, were called out, and they stepped forward to receive the imperial decree and express their gratitude.
The process was so tedious it was like listening to a monk chanting sutras.
Lin Yan was getting drowsy listening until—
"Former Minister of Personnel Wu Hongzhen failed to properly educate his son, allowing him to commit violence, form cliques for personal gain, and engage in embezzlement and dereliction of duty... The evidence of his crimes is conclusive. He is hereby stripped of all his official positions, his family property is confiscated, and he and his son Wu Haimin are exiled three thousand li away, with no possibility of pardon!"
Lin Yan jolted awake, instantly sober.
The Wu family is finished.
Lin Yan subconsciously raised his eyes and quickly glanced at the steps.
Xiao Che sat upright on the dragon throne, dressed in a black court robe, with a twelve-tassel crown hanging down, obscuring most of his face. Only his cold, hard jawline and tightly pursed lips could be seen, and he exuded a suffocating aura of power.
[Exiled three thousand miles? With Wu Haimin's physique, he probably wouldn't even make it that far.]
However… that's to be expected!
Xiao Che's lips curled up under his crown. He thought Lin Yan was right. Wasn't the Wu family father and son the one who should be?
Li Defu's voice continued, announcing the new personnel appointments.
Sure enough, the young and capable former Vice Minister of Personnel was promoted to the new Minister of Personnel.
Lin Yan remembered that Xiao Che had mentioned this person, so it seems that His Majesty had made arrangements in advance.
Immediately afterwards, his own name was also mentioned.
"Lin Yan, the Director of the Department of Rites and Sacrifices, is diligent and conscientious in his duties and selfless in his public service. He has made great contributions to the investigation of long-standing malpractices. Effective immediately, he is hereby appointed as the Director of the Department of Rites and Sacrifices. This is the imperial decree."
As the voice faded, several ambiguous gazes swept over Lin Yan.
Lin Yan quickly stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "Your humble servant accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your great favor. I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."
[I was actually granted... my salary! My salary! My official land! My official land!]
Lin Yan tried hard to suppress the urge to smile and returned to the queue.
Next came another long list of people to be dealt with.
Those officials who were more or less involved with Wu Haimin, Zheng Jing, or the ordination certificate case were either demoted and sent to other posts, or stripped of their posts and reduced to commoners. Some were even thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison to await trial.
Lin Yan was terrified as he listened, once again deeply experiencing the ruthlessness of imperial power and the swiftness of His Majesty's methods.
After the personnel changes were dealt with, the atmosphere in the court became even more stagnant.
Xiao Che finally spoke, his voice coming through the crown.
"This year's cold wave arrived early and is unusually severe, which worries me greatly." His gaze slowly swept over the silent officials below. "All prefectures must closely monitor the prices of grain, charcoal, and firewood. If any unscrupulous merchants take advantage of the weather to hoard goods and drive up prices, once verified, the ringleader will be executed immediately, and their property will be confiscated. Local officials who fail to supervise effectively will be punished in the same way!"
Everyone lowered their heads even further.
"The Ministry of Revenue shall coordinate the management of the official granaries and, if necessary, open the granaries to sell grain at a stable price to stabilize public sentiment. The Ministry of Works shall inspect the winter protection conditions of post roads and official residences in various regions, especially the northern border towns, where no mistakes are allowed. If any freeze to death or starvation occurs, I will hold you responsible!"
The orders came one after another, clear and stern, making the ministers of each department sweat and repeatedly respond with "Yes."
Throughout the morning court session, Lin Yan acted like a quail, trying his best to minimize his presence.
It wasn't until Li Defu announced "The court session is adjourned" that he numbly followed the crowd out of the main hall.
A gust of cold wind brought him back to his senses.
Is that... the end?
Lin Yan touched the heavy new official certificate in his arms, which represented his position as a fifth-rank official, and felt as if he had just woken up from a dream.
Returning to the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Sacrifices office, which he hadn't visited in a long time, Lin Yan almost thought he had gone to the wrong place.
The air was filled with an overly positive atmosphere.
Wang Jian, the master of slacking off in the past, now stood ramrod straight, his brows furrowed, muttering to himself as he looked at the dossier in his hand, as if it were some kind of peerless martial arts manual.
The colleagues next to me were in a similar state, all sitting upright and writing furiously, even taking a sip of water carefully, as if afraid of disturbing something with a big movement.
The entire government office was so quiet that the only sounds were the rustling of paper turning and the scratching of pens.
Upon seeing Lin Yan enter, everyone instantly stood up in perfect unison, their faces displaying a complex mix of awe, obsequiousness, and fear. Their voices were so loud they could lift the roof off: "This humble official greets Lord Lin!"
Lin Yan was so intimidated by the scene that he took a half step back, almost stepping on the hem of his new official robe.
Have these people been traumatized by His Majesty's treatment?
Lin Yan coughed lightly and waved his hand, "No need for formalities, colleagues. Let's all get back to our work."
Everyone sat down as if granted a pardon, but their tense tension did not ease at all.
Lin Yan walked to her original spot, only to find that the old table piled with junk documents was gone. In its place was a brand new, separate office area further inside, partitioned off by a screen.
A new table, a new chair, and all the necessary writing materials, including a small bookshelf.
Wang Jian rubbed his hands together, a very cautious smile plastered on his face as he approached: "Lord Lin, this was just prepared by our subordinates yesterday. We don't know if it suits your taste. If there is anything lacking, please feel free to give the order!"
Lin Yan looked at the private room, her feelings a mix of emotions.
Who would have thought that he would one day be served so carefully by his subordinates?
He nodded, his tone flat: "Thank you for your trouble, Master Wang. Very well."
Throughout the day, the atmosphere at the Sacrificial Office exuded an eerie peace and diligence.
The official documents delivered to Lin Yan, while still full of nonsensical nonsense, were at least more properly formatted and had fewer typos. Those blatant attempts to shirk responsibility or budgets that looked like they were being robbed of the Ministry of Revenue had completely disappeared.
Even Wang Jian's request for instructions regarding the repair of a small temple in a certain place was written in a clear and logical manner, citing classical texts.
Lin Yan was even a little unaccustomed to it.
It can only be said that Xiao Che's act of making an example of someone was effective.
As soon as it was time to leave work, Lin Yan immediately made his escape.
With a new official in office, no one dared to trip him up with trivial matters.
Stepping out of the Ministry of Rites gates just in time, I felt the air was much freer.
Cool!
Upon returning to the Lin residence, as soon as they entered the second gate, a strong and domineering aroma of meat wafted over.
"Yan'er is back?" Mother Wen Yun greeted her with a smile, still wearing an apron. "The estate sent over a fat sheep today. Your father said it's cold, so a pot of mutton stew is a good way to warm you up."
On the dining table, a steaming hot pot of mutton was bubbling away, with large chunks of mutton swirling in the milky white broth, and several refreshing side dishes were placed on the side.
Father Lin Chengji had already sat down and was slowly serving soup.
The family of three sat around a table for a meal, their warmth and affection palpable.
Lin Yan was starving, so he buried himself in his food and ate until he was covered in sweat.
The mutton was stewed until tender and melted in your mouth, with a faint medicinal aroma. After a bowl of hot soup, your frozen limbs and bones felt warm and relaxed.
"My mother's cooking is so good, I can eat her cooking every day," Lin Yan exclaimed.
Wen Yun smiled and said, "You."
Halfway through the meal, the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, came in with a large red invitation card and respectfully handed it to Wen Yun: "Madam, this is an invitation card from the Marquis of Changping's residence."
Wen Yun took the letter, opened it, and looked at it with a mixture of surprise and hesitation.
"The Marquis of Changping's residence sent an invitation, saying they're hosting a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet on the Double Ninth Festival and inviting us to their home." She looked at her husband and son, her brows furrowing slightly. "This has never happened before, husband, Yan'er, what do you think..."
Lin Chengji put down his soup bowl and wiped his mouth: "The Changping Marquis's Mansion... although it is not as prosperous as in previous years, it is still a noble family. The sudden invitation is probably not what it seems."
Wen Yun nodded: "That's what I think too. I'm afraid it's because Yan'er is now favored by His Majesty. So, should we go or not?"
Lin Yan swallowed the soft mutton in his mouth, wiped his mouth, and said in a calm tone, "Go, why wouldn't I go?"
“The invitation has already been delivered to our door. If we don’t go, it would seem like we’re being pretentious and lacking manners.” Lin Yan picked up another piece of mutton with his chopsticks. “The Changping Marquis’s mansion is not what it used to be. They can crush a small family like ours with ease. There’s no need to offend them for no reason. Let’s just go for a meal and admire the flowers. We’ll deal with whatever they plan to do.”
Lin Chengji pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Yan'er is right, then let's go."
Seeing that her husband and son both said so, Wen Yun felt reassured: "Alright, then I will reply to the invitation tomorrow."
With the matter settled, the atmosphere at the dinner table relaxed again.
The mutton hot pot continued to simmer, filling the air with its aroma.
Lin Yan sighed contentedly.
The best food in the world is either cooked by his mother or cooked in Xiao Che's imperial kitchen; he has both.
A note from the author:
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May you get promoted, become rich, and have a husband. [doge emoji]
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