Chapter 502 Two Poor Scholars
Upon hearing the title "Thirteenth Sister," Lin Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly and subconsciously reached out to touch a file related to Huang Xuan's case in his pocket.
He glanced back at the main gate of the house.
He nodded slightly, as if he had remembered something.
A noblewoman draped in a purple and gold lotus-patterned robe was directing her servants in the main hall.
The house was noisy inside and out, filled with the sounds of wooden furniture being moved and shouts.
There were many servants responsible for moving the furniture, and the corridor where Lin Cheng was located was bustling with people.
In addition, his appearance was so ordinary that neither the servants nor the ladies in the hall noticed him for a while.
Lin Cheng glanced at Pei Shisan Niang and was about to step forward.
"Get out of the way, don't block the way."
Just then, a rude shout came from behind, and a dark hand slapped Lin Cheng on the shoulder.
However, in the next instant, the owner of this dark, large hand froze.
I took a picture of nothing.
Or rather, it was captured on camera, because the slightly chubby young man who was originally facing away from them and blocking the middle of the road did indeed move aside as his hand moved.
However, there was no tactile feedback from his palm, giving the experience of brushing away a light, floating cloud.
This dark, large hand belonged to a fierce-looking man in blue.
There were several men dressed similarly to him, who were also pushing and shoving to clear the way for their master.
"Huh?"
The fierce-looking man in blue glanced at Lin Cheng, who had his eyes downcast, with surprise, but he didn't have time to think about it. He passed by him and continued to push and clear the way.
"Make way, make way... Don't be so blind..."
"Where is Madam Pei? My master is looking for her..."
The men in blue robes snapped impatiently.
Lin Cheng tilted his head and looked over.
These tall, burly men in blue robes were seen surrounding a short, stout merchant in the center.
The short, stout merchant was about forty years old, wearing a rich man's hat and a black cloak.
His skin had a dark tan, as if it had been weathered by wind and sun.
His face was gloomy, and one hand was held in front of his abdomen, protruding from his black cloak, where he was playing with a pure gold ring on his thumb.
Lin Cheng's gaze was immediately drawn to the pure gold ring.
The ring features a dragon motif popular during the Great Zhou Dynasty. The dragon is lifelike, coiled around the ring with its head held high.
Two rubies are inlaid in the eyes of the dragon, dazzling and eye-catching.
Lin Cheng withdrew his gaze, his expression calm.
In fact, according to the etiquette and regulations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, ordinary people were not allowed to wear rings with coiled dragon patterns at will.
This was reserved for royalty or high-ranking officials. Of course, in everyday life, some wealthy people or high-ranking businessmen who pursued luxury in private might imitate the style of royalty in making and wearing jewelry.
However, this is illegal and involves extremely high risks.
If this happened in Luoyang, right under the emperor's nose, he would be reported by the people of Luoyang and beheaded in no time.
But in the Jiangnan region of the south, far from the emperor's reach and close to the impoverished and rugged Lingnan, commerce flourished, coupled with a conservative and fierce folk culture that championed clan autonomy... No one bothered to worry about this for the Empress of the Great Zhou.
The short, stout merchant wearing a pure gold dragon ring passed by Lin Cheng and his group without saying a word, strode into the hall, and nodded to Pei Shisan Niang:
"Thirteenth Sister, I believed you back then and sold all the valuable goods in Yangzhou, took the money and went to Xunyang. I also took your advice and spent half of it to buy these dilapidated houses in Xingzifang... But now, you've made me sell everything at a 70% discount and run away. Thirteenth Sister, are you playing me?"
"Vice President Shen, please calm down. Why did you bring so many people here? Are you afraid I'll run away? I've invested a lot of money myself. We're all from the same hometown, how could I possibly run away?"
Pei Shisan Niang laughed in anger, frowning as she glanced at the unfriendly-looking men in blue robes behind the short, stout merchant.
"We agreed to come to Jiangzhou together to make a living, and to share both the gains and losses. Why did you never praise us when we made money, but now that we've lost a little, you're making a fuss? As the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, you should be more composed. This kind of short-sighted and greedy behavior is what the other shopkeepers think of you."
"I did make some money before. If it weren't for our past friendship, I wouldn't have come to Xunyang City with you, Thirteen Sister, and invested so much. But now, even I, the so-called vice president, can barely afford it. If I keep losing money, I'll be a beggar. And you won't even let me ask for help? I don't have as much money as Thirteen Sister. She's not afraid of losing money. Haha, no wonder you're the president of our Yangzhou Merchant Guild. No wonder I can only be a vice president."
"Alright, there's no use in saying these angry words. Take your men back first and don't cause trouble in the city. There are many important people in Xunyang City lately, and we can't afford to offend them."
Pei Shisan Niang waved her hand, preparing to shoo them away.
"Okay, then let's talk about something useful."
Shen Bingqiang didn't leave, and sneered:
"Does President Pei know that all the merchants in Xunyang City are watching us make a fool of ourselves? They know that we have a lot of houses and are trying to sell them off, so they're all trying to take advantage of us by driving down prices."
Pei Shisan Niang pursed her lips and said earnestly:
“Vice President Shen, I am not trying to scare you or deliberately mislead you. The situation is that if we don’t leave now, it will be even more difficult later. Once the Donglin Buddha is completed, the houses in Xingzifang will become worthless. This is an inevitable trend.”
“But you didn’t say that a few months ago. You were so sure of it back then.”
"In the past, it was because the current Chief Secretary had not yet come to Xunyang City, and there was no such thing as Shuangfengjian or Xunyang Grottoes... At that time, Xingzifang was the most promising area in Xunyang City, which could attract wealthy people from Jiangnan."
“But now that the Xunyang Grottoes have been built, and a new ferry crossing has been constructed at Shuangfengjian, the Xunyang city area will definitely expand towards that direction in the future. That will be the new district, and Xingzifang will no longer be as important. The new government will have no incentive to work with us to rebuild Xingzifang…”
Shen Bingqiang suddenly shouted:
"So is that guy surnamed Ouyang out of his mind? Why not make money properly? Xunyang Ferry is right in the city, why not build the Buddha statue in the city? Why do he have to go to that poor mountain village to build the statue! And a bunch of stupid foreign businessmen follow him and invest money to mess around."
"Mr. Shen, please be careful with your words." Pei Shisan Niang frowned and looked around.
"Damn it... watch your mother's words! If this Ouyang guy has the guts, then arrest me!"
Shen Bingqiang clenched his fist and gripped the pure gold dragon ring on his thumb, cursing under his breath:
"Why would they go all that way to build a statue? In my opinion, there's probably some kind of collusion involved. This guy surnamed Ouyang must have embezzled money from those foreign merchants to build that Twin Peaks statue. I don't believe that any of the silver saved by the court didn't pass through his hands. No official is immune to corruption. I saw plenty of that back when I was selling salt..."
"Alright, alright, we can talk about anything else at the chamber of commerce dinner tonight..."
Pei Shisan Niang kept comforting her.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the crowd outside the corridor, Lin Cheng listened quietly for a while. He suddenly turned his head and looked at a group of people not far behind him.
There stood a handsome young man wearing a felt hat, holding a violin case, at the back of the crowd, watching the play silently, just like the young man.
As if sensing Lin Cheng's gaze, the young man in the felt hat turned his attention away from the front hall.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Immediately, they turned around and left the house almost simultaneously.
We arrived at the street outside the house.
Lin Cheng turned his head and curiously looked at Ouyang Rong:
"Why is Chief Secretary Ouyang here? How long have you been here?"
"I had just arrived shortly when I heard someone greet me warmly."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, and under Lin Cheng's somewhat doubtful gaze, he explained again:
"At lunchtime, I heard from Brother Huaimin that Lin Lingtai was here. I happened to have some free time in the afternoon and was planning to ask Brother Huaimin to play the zither and have tea. I happened to be passing by and thought that you might still be investigating a case at Huang Xuan's old courtyard, so I came to check on you. I heard the commotion here and came in to take a look. I didn't expect to find Lin Lingtai here as well."
Lin Cheng asked with a smile:
“Prefect Ouyang was just scolded. Shouldn’t he step forward and do something about it? Even just saying a few words would be helpful.”
"Why should we care? What should we say? Others are just venting their frustrations. Are we not allowed to vent their anger? If we have to control their private conversations... there's no need for that."
Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly.
"Prefect Ouyang is truly generous."
Lin Cheng glanced at him and the violin case in his arms, and asked directly:
"What does Chief Secretary Ouyang think about Huang Xuan stabbing you?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't watch it much."
“Prefect Ouyang is kind-hearted and loves the people, but the other party repays kindness with enmity. Doesn’t he feel disheartened?”
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked:
"Does being disheartened mean you should stop doing good deeds? If so, then your kindness is just that—a desire for something in return. I suggest that in the future, you should openly display your charitable acts rather than resorting to tacit moral blackmail through subtle hints and unspoken understanding."
"That makes sense."
Lin Cheng nodded:
"By the way, this house is the one that Pei Shisan Niang was going to give to Huang Xuan's family, right? But they didn't accept it in the end?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "It should be."
Lin Cheng then laughed and said:
"Judging from this, Chief Secretary Ouyang and Commander Yuan are quite familiar with each other."
“He’s quite familiar with Dongmei, but I… I’m not very familiar with him.” Ouyang Rong said sternly.
"Dongmei?" Lin Cheng was taken aback, took out a scroll from his pocket, glanced at it, and his lips twitched:
"A large, red date-colored horse?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "It is indeed my beloved steed."
"You two... have a rather special relationship," Lin Cheng remarked, then asked:
"Does Chief Secretary Ouyang know that local officials generally don't associate with officials who have been demoted from their positions in the capital to the position of Prefect of a prefecture? This is because such demoted officials must have committed serious offenses. If they associate with such officials and someone finds fault with them, they may be dismissed from their posts."
"So, with a bright future ahead of him, why would Prefect Ouyang risk his life to repeatedly come and seek his appreciation of the zither..."
Ouyang Rong asked curiously:
"Has Lin Lingtai forgotten that I was also demoted from a position in the capital?"
He nodded earnestly:
"Besides, what Brother Huaimin did might not be as serious as what I did. He should be the one to be careful."
Lin Cheng was slightly taken aback, then chuckled to himself:
"Very well, it seems I should also keep my distance from Chief Secretary Ouyang."
"Lin Lingtai is joking."
"It was just a joke. Ouyang Changshi's experience can be described as a legend in our Great Zhou Dynasty. In that year's imperial examination, there should be no more famous hero than Ouyang Changshi to this day."
"Speaking of which, Chief Secretary Ouyang's official position is the highest in this cohort. It seems that there is only one other person who is also a fifth-rank official in the same year, but he is just a sinecure official in the capital. He is far more prestigious than Chief Secretary Ouyang, who is a powerful official."
"Really? I didn't pay much attention, but Lin Lingtai Lang seems to know quite a lot."
"To be honest, Chief Secretary Ouyang, the Imperial Observatory has a file on you." Lin Cheng said softly, "Actually, I greatly admire Chief Secretary Ouyang."
"Why envy?"
"Speaking of which, I also come from a humble background. It's really difficult for us poor scholars to climb up the social ladder. I don't have the good luck of Chief Secretary Ouyang."
"I don't like the word 'climb'."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Moreover, I've heard that the position of Xia Guan Lingtai Lang is not an ordinary official post. It has a promising future within the Imperial Observatory. Brother Lin is being too modest."
“They are different.”
Lin Cheng shook his head: "No matter how high we rise in the Imperial Observatory, we'll only be inner court officials, serving the Emperor. How can we compare to someone like Chief Secretary Ouyang, whose career is so bright? He could become a high-ranking official or be promoted to a king or prime minister..."
"He might enter the Hall of State Affairs before he turns forty, wearing scarlet and purple robes, becoming a young prime minister known throughout the court, and after his death, he could easily be buried in the Beiman Mountain, a place reserved for kings, marquises, generals and ministers."
Lin Cheng counted carefully on his fingers:
"Passing the imperial examination, marrying a woman from one of the five noble families, and being buried in Beiman. These are the three things that every man of the Great Zhou dreams of, and Chief Secretary Ouyang has already accomplished two of them."
"Yeah?"
Ouyang Rong looked thoughtful, and after a moment, asked seriously, "Could you bring more? Three doesn't seem enough."
"..."
Lin Cheng shook his head, then looked down and pointed to the zither case in Ouyang Rong's arms:
"I've heard Yuan Sima mention that Ouyang Changshi often brings his zither case to him. Since you love zithers, would you be willing to take a look?"
Ouyang Rong didn't say anything, but calmly opened the zither case in his arms.
Lin Cheng glanced at it.
Inside the box lay a plain, unremarkable, ancient-style long zither.
Lin Cheng bent his finger and plucked the strings, tested the sound of the zither, and exclaimed, "What a fine zither!"
Of course it's a fine zither, belonging to a certain little princess with plum blossom makeup.
Ouyang Rong smiled, put away the zither case, hugged it to his chest again, lowered his felt hat, and casually asked Lin Cheng:
When will Lin Lingtai return to the capital?
Lin Cheng didn't answer, but suddenly said, "Does Chief Secretary Ouyang know that Lady Rong values you highly?"
"What's the meaning?"
"To write a letter to plead for an extension would be a great favor."
Why?
"Because the person who most wants the Donglin Buddha to be completed as soon as possible, besides His Majesty, should be Rongzhen. For her, the sooner the better. But now, in order to cooperate with Chief Secretary Ouyang, she has helped to submit a petition to postpone it... Everyone in the Imperial Observatory who knows about this is very surprised."
Ouyang Rong glanced at Lin Cheng, then lowered his eyes and said:
"Really? She never mentioned this to me, and she doesn't talk much about the Buddha statue either. She just told me to handle it myself."
Lin Cheng said leisurely:
"So I am very curious about how Chief Secretary Ouyang persuaded Lady Rong to help."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
