"The Song family presents a white jade and jadeite cabbage, a hundred bolts of brocade, and ten catties of pearl-embroidered beads..."
"Wan family, presenting twelve gold and jade zodiac animal figurines, a painting and calligraphy by Zhao Mengfu, and thirty boxes of various gemstones..."
"The Li family..."
The people chanting the ceremony at the entrance had lost their voices from shouting all the way down, and it took three people to take over before they could barely keep going.
There's no way that just any salt merchant could send a gift that would fill three sheets of paper, and it wasn't perfunctory at all; it was all real gold and silver.
Those who haven't witnessed this spectacle cannot imagine that worldly wealth could reach such a level.
Leaning on the shoulder of the person chanting the ceremony, drool was practically dripping from his mouth. He took a deep breath and silently recited:
"Don't worry, you'll get gold and silver."
Flying back to Ling Xiao's side, the system still gazed longingly towards the place where the gifts were placed:
"Host, isn't Lin Ruhai embezzling and accepting bribes? How can he do it so openly?"
"What kind of bribe is this? The fact that Lin Ruhai dared to do this shows that it's an unspoken rule. There are all sorts of strange things happening in officialdom. This is like sending away a plague god!"
Today, Ling Xiao changed into a fiery red dress, with a belt woven with gold thread and blood-red gemstones, outlining the girl's beautiful figure.
She was sitting upright, doing her makeup, replying casually, when suddenly she beckoned with her finger:
"Come here, and stick a row of small gemstones on the outer corner of my eye, preferably in a red tone."
"Understood!" The system orb willingly went to do the work. Since its superb aesthetic sense was developed by the host, it had found a new purpose.
Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow that obscured Ling Xiao's dark eyes. Suddenly, she spoke:
"System, you've absorbed that intruder system. What's the range you can probe now?"
After attaching a perfectly round, light red pearl, he proudly replied:
"Within a radius of fifty kilometers, this system can even draw the flight path of a fly."
"That's good. When you're dealing with Lin Zhen, don't forget what I told you."
Ling Xiao gave a meaningful reminder to his own system.
During this period, Lin Zhen, the protagonist of the world, went through a period of great hardship, but he felt relaxed and comfortable, perfectly transferring his stress.
I can't beat Ling Xiao, but I can't beat you little punk!
Not long after, the banquet began. Lin Ruhai spoke first, expressing his reluctance to leave the salt route and to everyone present. His once handsome face, weathered by time, now showed a hint of sadness.
"...If it weren't for the imperial decree, I would have loved to spend the rest of my life on the salt route!"
Some salt merchants in the audience were barely able to contain their laughter, inwardly cursing, "Bah! You'd rather die on the salt route than consider our feelings!"
Lin Ruhai glanced at the stiff expressions on the faces of many people below the stage and chuckled inwardly.
He stopped saying anything provocative to them. The salt merchants who remained under his command were considered "sensible."
The scene returned to calm, and the salt merchants sincerely congratulated Imperial Censor Lin on his promotion to the capital. Lin Ruhai wished them great wealth and a pleasant stay for all.
The atmosphere reached its peak, and they were in a state of feigned compliance when both sides reached a consensus: neither side should cause trouble.
As Lin Zhen prepared to enter the scene, a familiar beeping sound echoed in his mind, sending chills down his spine. It was as if a voice from the underworld was calling his life.
"Hey, you're dressed up nicely today, all dressed up like a proper gentleman. You look like a plagiarist, don't you?"
The sarcastic voice rang out, and Lin Zhen's smile instantly froze. A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth, saying:
"Dogecoin system, what are you doing here again? I've said before, I'm not a plagiarist; I'm just sharing the essence of Earth's culture with them."
"Ha!" After a loud laugh, the burly man disappeared, leaving Lin Zhen wondering what this garbage system was up to.
"Uncle, I'm late."
Lin Zhen entered with a smile and refined manner, bowing respectfully to Lin Ruhai.
The salt merchants present were all drawn to this young man, wondering who he was, since the Lin family was in decline.
Lin Ruhai raised an eyebrow slightly. What was this cheap nephew up to? He hadn't invited him to the banquet.
He nodded indifferently, then introduced Lin Zhen's identity to the others, without paying much attention. Seeing this, the salt merchant, whose mind was as cunning as a beehive, understood—this person was not important.
Not long after, Lin Zhen casually mentioned that he had recently acquired a fine work and wanted to present it to his uncle.
Before anyone could speak, he began reciting to himself, "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return? Have you not seen the bright mirror in the high hall reflecting the sorrow of white hair..."
After the poem was finished, the entire audience was astonished!
Placing the great work of the Poet Immortal here is like a giant shark entering a small river; its impact is too overwhelming for most people to accept.
After a long while, someone finally came to their senses: "This was done by Young Master Lin? He is truly a genius, a genius!"
Once one of them started, the other salt merchants excitedly began to flatter him. However, the smile on Lin Ruhai's lips had disappeared. He knew better than anyone that his nephew could not possibly have such talent.
That wasn't enough; Lin Zhen, flattered and elated, casually recited the other two poems.
It's another groundbreaking masterpiece, and its style and allusions are quite different.
Even the salt merchant, who was only half-baked, felt something was amiss. Such a fine poem, written by Lin Zhen, could be described as a masterpiece of genius, after all, there have been many child prodigies in history.
How could a boy who had never been to the battlefield write "Liangzhou Ci, Po Zhen Zi"?
A salt merchant forced a smile and spoke to Lin Ruhai in a tone that was both mocking and sarcastic:
"As expected of Imperial Censor Lin's nephew, he comes from a family with a strong scholarly tradition. To have such talent at such a young age, he must have received a lot of guidance from Scholar Lin."
Lin Ruhai smiled bitterly, knowing that these people believed Lin Zhen's performance today was orchestrated by him, in order to make his nephew famous.
The problem is, if he really did it, that would be great. Lin Ruhai felt a chill in his heart. One poem like this would be enough for a scholar to live on for a lifetime. Where did Lin Zhen get it?
Before he could even refute the claim, a distant chant of Buddhist prayers, "Amitabha Buddha—", rang out.
The sound was deafening, striking directly into people's hearts, and those who heard it felt as if they were being purified by the Buddhist chants.
As the sound came, a monk and a Taoist appeared out of nowhere at the door. The monk was a bald-headed monk, and the Taoist was limping, dressed in tattered clothes and smelling foul.
Everyone was astonished, thinking that a legendary immortal who could roam the world freely had arrived, and for a moment they dared not speak.
"Host, quick, your food is here—" He jumped up and called out to Ling Xiao with the same cheerful voice as a delivery guy.
On the roof beam inside the house, the red-clad God of Wealth opened a crack, his eyes silently observing below...
"Benefactor Lin, how have you been?"
The bald-headed monk glanced at Lin Zhen seemingly unintentionally. Was this the variable that Fairy Disenchantment had mentioned? Then he greeted Lin Ruhai.
"Imperial Censor Lin, are you acquainted with this eminent monk?" a salt merchant asked impatiently, unaware of Lin Ruhai's unpleasant expression.
No one would have a pleasant expression if they saw someone trying to trick their only daughter into becoming a nun.
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