If he wanted to seize power, Emperor Zhaoyang would also give it to him, but Lin Su obviously did not have much desire for power and wealth. The reason why he sat in this position was not because of his loyalty to the emperor and his patriotism, but because this position allowed him to live smoothly, and he received his favor to avoid the gossip of those literati.
"I believe you." Emperor Zhaoyang said.
Lin Su was terrified and said, "Your Majesty, I don't trust myself."
"Oh? If you are incompetent, how can you hold such an important position?" Emperor Zhaoyang threatened.
Lin Su knelt down and said, "If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, I will obey your orders."
Emperor Zhaoyang was trying to get him the position of Minister of Revenue. After all, since he joined the Ministry of Revenue, he no longer felt short of money. It was the time to spend money freely, so how could he bear to demote him? "My dear minister, you are joking. I am not the kind of incompetent emperor who doesn't know right from wrong and demotes people at will. You just want to give your family member a legitimate status. If you can accomplish this, I will pardon his past, cancel his lowly status, and let him enter the special examination. How about it?"
How many slaves have struggled their entire lives for this qualification but have never been able to get out. After all, unless a person has made great contributions in troubled times or has an important minister or celebrity to guarantee him, it is extremely difficult to get a pardon from His Majesty.
Lin Su bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I will do my best and will not neglect you in the slightest."
His attitude was decisive and decisive, without any hesitation from before. He talked about cliques and taking the lead as if it were just a joke.
When Lin Su left, Emperor Zhaoyang felt a little uncomfortable: "Do you think he is plotting against me?"
The eunuch beside him said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you agreed to this first."
"He's only after that girl from his family called... Lin Qingtang, right?" Emperor Zhaoyang said, stroking his chin. "He's quite infatuated, but I don't know how beautiful she is. Have you met her before? What kind of person is she?"
The eunuch recalled with a smile, "That was a wonderful man. He looked about eighty percent like the commoner Qi Qingyi, but his aura was different. Although he came from a brothel, he had excellent character and was as skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting as Qi Qingyi."
"Really?" Emperor Zhaoyang was a little curious. "Didn't you say he came from a brothel, and how could he be taught so well there?"
"Your Majesty, you are joking. It is Lord Lin who knows how to teach. Didn't you also praise Lord Lin's calligraphy and painting as first-class? To be able to obtain a little bit of skill is already outstanding." The eunuch laughed.
"If that's the case, it would be truly worth meeting that person if he could enter the imperial court in the future." Emperor Zhaoyang pondered for a moment and then smiled. "Never mind, deep affection is fine."
She is madly in love with the man and has no children. Her stepmother is also not easy to deal with. Even her immense power is used for his benefit. Lin Su is a smart man and knows how to reassure him. He personally handed the evidence to him, which made him less worried.
There is also a national academy in the capital. His Majesty specially allowed Lin Su to teach there. Once the classes started, the newly appointed officials in the capital and the first-class Jinshi and Shujishi who had just entered the Hanlin Academy were very enthusiastic. Even the old officials were curious about how Lin Su won the favor of the emperor and was promoted so quickly.
Since Lin Su had promised Emperor Zhaoyang and exchanged conditions, he naturally had to do things well, so that he, as a minister of the Ministry of Revenue, would not have to exceed his authority from time to time to solve problems for various departments.
"The way to be an official is to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic," Lin Su said slowly. "As for what loyalty to the emperor and patriotism means, it means alleviating the emperor's worries and the suffering of the people. It is to put it into practice everywhere, not just talk about it. It is not just for the benefit of the Ministry of Revenue. All taxes and money must be thoroughly understood..."
When scholars become officials, they are supposed to be well-versed in poetry and classics and write beautiful articles. How could they not learn business? However, they have no one to guide them, and they think that they can rise step by step by forming cliques and impeaching others, without realizing that they are on the wrong path.
Of course, the skill of words is also very important. If something is clearly a good thing but is misunderstood and disgusted by people because of the words, then even the best thing will become a bad thing.
Lin Su would also talk about this kind of thing, but his priority was to solve Emperor Zhaoyang's troubles, so he had to instill the idea of talking less and doing more into the new officials.
When he first spoke, some people were dissatisfied: "Lord Lin said that to work in the Ministry of Revenue, one must also understand the ways of doing business. Business is a lowly profession. Doesn't this undermine the integrity of scholars like us?"
"Although merchants are the lowest class, they are still one of the people in the world. Among the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, scholars are the highest class, yet they don't even know what the lowest class knows. How can they understand them and be superior to them?" Lin Su said slowly, "You don't understand how some unscrupulous merchants evade taxes and deplete the national treasury, right? If we only rely on boards, who knows how much manpower and material resources would be wasted, and how much time would be wasted, causing Your Majesty trouble."
"If we want to learn those things, why not let those people become officials? Why bother studying hard and reading a lot of poetry and books when they are of no use now?" someone else asked.
Lin Su replied, "Only by being well-read can you stand among the scholars. Your manner of walking, sitting, and lying down is different from others. You have a disciplined demeanor and earn the respect and admiration of the people. Poetry and books cultivate a person's character. Walking, sitting, and lying down with such dignity and grace. If you were to bring someone who has never read here, they might not be able to understand what I am saying today. If you casually take off your shoes and socks, sit in a mess, or eat and have fun while I am teaching, and swear and behave in an unruly manner, wouldn't that make people laugh?"
Everyone chuckled, but they agreed.
"There are rumors that Lord Lin has... an affair with Long Yang. Is this a role model for scholars across the world?" someone asked tentatively. "Do you think this will hinder the prosperity of his descendants?"
"I think as long as they are wholeheartedly in love, it doesn't matter whether they are men or women. Is it true that those who like Longyang can have the same preference, while those who don't can't have children?" Lin Su was not angry with him.
Due to the education of the times, the concepts and habits acquired since childhood are sometimes difficult to change. Unlike him, who has experienced a lot and has seen all kinds of species forming pairs, he just needs to take care of himself and not bother about other people's unreasonable things.
Lin Su finished his lecture and left the National Academy. He saw the Lin Mansion's carriage parked at the entrance. As soon as he looked over, Qing Tang lifted the curtain and waved to him, "Young Master."
Some of the newly promoted officials did not recognize Qi Qingyi, but some had seen him before. When they saw him following Lin Su, one of them exclaimed, "He really looks like him."
"I don't think so. Have you ever seen anyone smile like this? If she really is a woman, I will definitely..."
"What are you sure about? I already have Master Lin, how could I care less about you?"
Although they were discussing, they were respectful to Lin Su in their words. In the past, they thought that those senior officials were all high and mighty, and they would be in trouble if they disagreed with them. Few people were as approachable as Lord Lin. If they were only discussing the right and wrong of academic matters, even if they had different opinions, they would only argue them through clearly, and would not get angry easily or scold them for their nonsense.
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