The news of his return to Beijing was far more important to Lin Ruhai than the arrival of an unknown nephew in his clan.
The court is currently in turmoil, with the retired emperor and the current emperor vying for power. Both are exceptional rulers with extraordinary abilities.
This is where the dilemma lies. If the two are too different, it's easier to choose. But it's precisely when they are so evenly matched that it's so difficult to decide.
The retired emperor has the title of sovereign and father, and he has also held power in the court for many years. He is still doing well now, and he has one major asset—youth!
A new emperor brings a new court. Who would dare to offend the emperor rashly? To put it bluntly, even if the retired emperor passes away, he is still the current emperor's father, and one must kneel down and pay homage during festivals.
After that, dealing with his ministers was a piece of cake; a mere charge of sowing discord between the emperor and his son was enough to subdue them completely.
The retired emperor wanted to transfer Lin Ruhai to the capital, and in his opinion, the position would not be low, at least a third-rank official.
This also signifies that Lin Ruhai has stepped into this struggle between the Tian family father and son.
"Sigh, what's the use of thinking so much? Just deal with whatever comes our way."
Lin Ruhai sighed, put the letter away, waved his hand, and instructed his subordinates to spread the news: he, Lin Ruhai, was going to withdraw from the salt transport!
He gave me a soft laugh, saying, "May the Goddess of Wealth bless us; I might just make a fortune this time."
This is really serious.
Soon, salt merchants of all sizes caught wind of the scheme, and Lin Ruhai was the boss who held them by the throat.
This Lin Tanhua appears refined and gentle on the surface, but he is ruthless in his actions. He is both resourceful and able to resist temptations, making him quite a character.
They intervened in the intricate salt trade, turning the salt merchants into docile and obedient ones.
"Isn't Lin Ruhai going to die? What a waste of the thousand taels of incense money I donated to the temple!"
A wealthy salt merchant slammed his fist on the table, his teeth clenched, startling the person next to him who trembled and cautiously said:
"Master, please calm down. Imperial Censor Lin isn't dead, and he's about to leave, isn't he? Think about it, once Imperial Censor Lin is gone, the people the court sends next won't have the same capabilities. At that time..."
"You know nothing!" The supposedly most cultured salt merchant swore.
"Lin Ruhai's dispersal of this news is a warning to us that even with the arrival of a new censor, we cannot go too far."
At the very least, underhanded methods should not be used.
"Then... what should we do?"
"Wait, Lin Ruhai knows what he's doing. If that new censor can't control us, he won't interfere for long," the salt merchant said calmly.
"Oh, right, I need to set aside some money to send a gift to Imperial Censor Lin."
Similar conversations took place among salt merchants of all sizes.
For each salt inspector who successfully completed his term, the salt merchants would present him with a gift, the amount of which varied depending on the inspector's competence during his tenure.
It's like playing an extremely difficult dungeon, and you get rewards based on how well you complete it.
Lin Ruhai's fortunes turned around and he made a fortune, and Ling Xiao also began to consider whether to take the initiative to expand his business.
"Come, come, host, look. This is a map I painstakingly drew based on your 'Dream of the Red Chamber' rich list, plus some other information."
A huge map was unfurled with great ambition, dotted with different colored dots, in white, red, and black.
White light spots were the most numerous, followed by red, and black light spots were the fewest.
What do these dots of light represent?
To outsiders, the beautiful and elegant young girl swung her legs and asked curiously.
"White indicates a family fortune of over 10,000 taels, red indicates a family fortune of over 100,000 taels, and black indicates a family fortune of over 1 million taels!"
Ling Xiao stood up and gently tapped the nearest black dot on the map with her fingertip, revealing a line of text:
"The Lin family, whose members held the official position of Salt Commissioner, accumulated wealth over generations. Although their descendants were not wealthy, their assets exceeded two million taels of silver."
"Very good, host. With this map, the Goddess of Wealth's great undertaking will be accomplished."
Ling Xiao was generous with her praise.
Feeling incredibly smug, Ling Xiao quickly purchased a deluxe electronic display screen, entered his "hard work" into it, and took it out.
What... is this supposed to be?
Thinking this way, he asked the question aloud.
“The Grim Reaper has the Book of Life and Death, so of course I, the God of Wealth, must have something similar,” Ling Xiao said with great interest on his jade-like face.
System: This is at best a super rudimentary version of the ancient Forbes list!
"Death uses the Book of Life and Death to take people's lives one by one, while I, the God of Wealth, use... let's call it the Golden Book, to find them and take their wealth."
Ling Xiao muttered to herself, "Maybe in the future, the 'Golden Book' will become a standard accessory for the God of Wealth."
After thinking about it, I came up with an idea:
"Then this map isn't detailed or accurate enough," the system explained casually, noticing Ling Xiao's gaze.
"Many of the news is hearsay, and there are also rumors that powerful families like to hide their assets and individual private savings."
“It’s okay,” Ling Xiao’s inspiration struck, or rather, she had a strong talent for being unethical.
"I, the God of Wealth, am recording the wealth of the world and perfecting my natal magic weapon—the Golden Book. I need kind-hearted people to provide assistance."
"As for those who aren't kind-hearted—" the girl's full lips curved into a smile, "I'll be kind to them."
System: After finding out how much money the "kind person" has, then swindle them... a one-stop service.
After finalizing her plans, Ling Xiao adjusted the gemstone tassel hairpin she was wearing that day. The tassels, strung with dazzling gemstones, cascaded down, adding color to her fair face.
It's the Goddess of Wealth, brimming with wealth, once again!
She went to find Lin Daiyu, and the moment she saw her, her expression turned distressed.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
