Chapter 61

Lin Nanjie went south along the river. The scenery on both sides changed from the north to the green willows and poplars on the south bank. It was a prosperous place with flowers and willows, a rich and gentle place. Unfortunately, Lin Nanjie only sighed, then hugged the railing and vomited.

Lin Nanjie, who had taken a boat ride only a few times in his life, was about to vomit bile.

Several sailors on the ship were drinking and playing cards together. When they saw Lin Nanjie holding the mast and looking seasick, they burst into laughter.

"You've never been on a boat before. Look at the way he's vomiting."

Lin Nanqi turned around and said weakly: "The first time..."

Before he could finish, his stomach started to churn. He looked at the swaying water outside the boat and shouted: "Yue!"

The crew burst into laughter again.

After vomiting, Lin Nanjie sat on the deck, holding his abdomen, digesting the uncomfortable feeling in his body.

When Lin Nanjie was feeling uncomfortable, an old man with his grandson said, "It's your first time on a boat, right? It's all like this. You'll be fine once you get used to it."

The old man brought his little grandson with him. The little grandson was at a very naughty and active age and was making a lot of noise.

"Grandpa...I want some candy!" the little grandson cried non-stop.

Lin Nanjie's stomach was cramping and he heard the baby crying. It felt like needles were pricking his temples. He feebly took out a bag of osmanthus candy that he had bought in Beijing from his pocket and handed it to the old man.

"Give it to the child."

The old man was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, young master!"

While the child was eating the osmanthus candy, the two chatted for a while.

The old man's surname was Jiang. He claimed to be a steward in a wealthy family in Hangzhou. He boarded the ship from Taizhou and came to Taizhou to pick up his grandson. After receiving the candy from Lin Nanjie, Old Jiang hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, sir. My grandson was very noisy and kept asking for candy. I wanted to buy him some before boarding the ship, but I didn't realize that I was in a hurry and couldn't buy him."

Lin Nanjie saw that Manager Jiang and his grandson were well-dressed, wearing silk cloth, and did not look like ordinary people. They did look like managers of wealthy families, so he let down his guard a little.

Manager Jiang coaxed his grandson while looking at Lin Nanqi who looked sick and uncomfortable, and took out a few oranges from the package.

"You look dizzy and uncomfortable. Eat some oranges."

"There's a folk remedy in my hometown. If you're seasick, eat some oranges and you'll feel better."

Lin Nanjie looked at the orange and the old hands that were handed to him. He was feeling uncomfortable, but the fragrance of the orange peel really made him feel better. He no longer refused, said thank you, took the orange, peeled it, and subconsciously threw away the orange peel.

"Hey hey hey, don't throw it!" Lao Jiang hurriedly stopped it.

Seeing Lin Nanqi's puzzled look, Lao Jiang smiled kindly and said, "Young people rarely take boat rides. If you want to cure seasickness, chewing orange peels is more effective than eating oranges."

Lin Nanjie immediately took back the orange peel in his hand, bit off a piece and held it in his mouth.

The slightly pungent sour taste dissolved in his mouth, and Lin Nanjie suddenly felt clear-headed and felt much better.

The little grandson ate the osmanthus candy happily and looked at Lin Nanjie with a confused face.

Lin Nanjie cut the peeled orange in half and put it in the child's hand.

The child stopped making noise after having food. He held Lao Jiang's hand obediently, and looked at Lin Nanjie curiously with his round, clear black and white eyes.

Lao Jiang made some small talk: "Young Master, where did you get on this boat? Where are you going?"

Lin Nanqi relaxed, blurting out the matter of working in the palace, and simply said: "I originally found a job in the capital, but I didn't expect that someone in my family was seriously ill, so I went back to Qianzhou to visit my family."

Old Jiang sighed, "So that's how it is. It takes a month and a half to travel from the capital to Qianzhou. Can we take the water route to Hangzhou Prefecture and then take the land route to Qianzhou?"

Lin Nan nodded: "That's right."

Old Jiang smiled and said, "That's fine. I'm going to Hangzhou Prefecture too, so I'll have someone to take care of me on the way."

The two of them gradually became familiar with each other, and Lao Jiang asked: "After visiting your family, do you have any other plans?"

Lin Nanjie concealed his identity as a eunuch and said casually, "I'd better go back to the capital to find a job. My old boss has promised that he will let me work if I come back."

Lao Jiang said: "Qianzhou is far from the capital after all. Have you ever thought about seeking a job in Hangzhou? After all, it is closer to Qianzhou."

Lin Nanjie thought that the dog emperor might kill him.

He said vaguely, "Thank you, Manager Jiang, but the boss has done me a favor, and I can't just walk away."

Lin Nanqi looked at the changing scenery on both sides of the river and smiled uncomfortably.

He was really arrogant in saying this.

If the dog emperor heard it, he would probably laugh at him.

Old Jiang didn't care: "I'm just being nosy, it's okay! If you change your mind, you can go to Hangzhou Prefecture to ask. My grandfather's surname is Xu. He used to be a minister in the court. Now he is living in Hangzhou Prefecture as a scholar. You can find out by asking."

Lin Nanjie was shocked. He didn't expect that Lao Jiang had such a background.

The minister surnamed Xu retired and returned to his hometown. It is estimated that he was the minister during the time of the previous emperor.

Lin Nan thought it sounded familiar, but because he was so seasick, he didn't think much about it.

Just nodded gratefully.

After having someone to keep me company, I felt much better. After more than ten days, I finally arrived in Hangzhou Prefecture.

Spring has already arrived in Hangzhou. When the boat docked at the pier, it was already dark. The afterglow of the setting sun turned the tender willow branches golden, and the boatmen at the pier were about to finish their work.

Coming down from the pier and heading into the city, Lao Jiang asked, "It's getting late, do you want to stay in Hangzhou for one night?"

Lin Nanjie nodded: "I plan to find an inn to stay in."

Old Jiang held his grandson by the arm and said with a smile, "Why bother? Why not stay overnight at Xu's mansion? My old man is the most hospitable person."

Lin Nanqi hesitated for a moment and said, "No need. I have disturbed you so much along the way. I'd better find a hotel to stay in and leave early tomorrow."

Hearing Lin Nanjie's insistence, Lao Jiang remained unmoved and continued to persuade: "You should still come to our house. Our master will definitely give you a warm reception."

Lin Nanjie didn't want to cause too much trouble on the way, so he declined: "I'm sorry to bother you."

Who knew that Lao Jiang's expression changed slightly: "If the master knew that I let you stay in the inn alone, he would definitely punish me."

Lin Nanlie didn't expect Lao Jiang to be so persistent, and he sensed something was wrong.

This housekeeper Jiang was unusually enthusiastic, so he immediately became alert.

Who knew it was still a step too late. Lao Jiang raised his cane and hit him on the head.

Lin Nanjie only felt a pain in his forehead and then passed out.

-

I don’t know how long it was before Lin Nanjie slowly opened his eyes and subconsciously touched his forehead. He felt a sharp pain where he was touched.

"hiss--"

That old guy was really ruthless.

I don’t know where I was taken?

Lin Nanjie glanced around the room and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

The whole house looked like a bridal chamber. The room was hung with red satin and a red wedding quilt was spread beneath them. The smooth and soft quilt cover was embroidered with a pattern of gills playing in the water, creating a scene of great joy.

There was the sound of dripping rain outside the window. It was raining, the weather was gloomy, and the room was dark, making the joyful atmosphere in the room seem gloomy.

It was clearly a joyous arrangement, but Lin Nanjie felt it was a little chilly for no reason.

Lin Nanqi looked down and saw the bright red clothes on her body, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

"What's the point of this? You want me to be your son-in-law?"

Lin Nanqi frowned slightly, but he was a eunuch.

Even though it's fake.

But he is also a eunuch!

He saw a bronze mirror standing by the window, so he got out of bed and walked to the mirror.

This bronze mirror is not blurry like other bronze mirrors. Instead, it is very clear and a full length that is as tall as the owner, which shows that the owner is from a wealthy family.

The copper mirror was smooth and clear, and Lin Nanjie could see himself in his wedding dress. The bright red wedding dress wrapped around him, and the color was as bright as blood. Lin Nanjie, who had been working for half a month, did not look good, and could even be called pale. Wearing the wedding dress, he felt indescribably strange.

Moreover, the wedding dress did not fit well and was a little too long, as if it had been made in advance without considering the wearer's stature.

The person in the mirror looked like she was wearing someone else's wedding dress. Lin Nanjie tugged at the hem of the dress that was dragging on the ground.

At this moment, he suddenly felt something was wrong, and he looked closely at the side of the bronze mirror. He saw a high red sandalwood table placed against the wall with his back to the table. On the table was a brand new tablet, and three incense sticks were inserted in front of the tablet.

Lin Nanqi was instantly horrified.

He turned his head stiffly and saw the six words "Xianglan, the youngest daughter of the Xu family" written on the tablet.

Is there a dead person in this house?

Then who are they marrying him to by kidnapping him and dressing him in wedding clothes?

Three words popped up in Lin Nanjie's mind, and he immediately turned pale.

A ghost marriage?

No wonder the wedding dress didn’t fit. It turned out that they didn’t know the groom’s height, so they ordered it to be made first, and then when the groom arrived, he put it on directly.

For a groom who is to be married in a ghost marriage, why should he worry about whether his wedding clothes fit him well or not?

With a creaky sound, the door was suddenly pushed open and Lao Jiang walked in.

Lin Nan subconsciously took a step back and looked at him warily.

"What do you want to do?"

Lao Jiang was silent for a moment, and put the food box on the table: "I am sorry for bringing you to my house."

Lin Nanjie was surprised and asked, "If you say that, will you let me go?"

Lao Jiang was strangely silent again: "No, we have to wait until the matter is settled."

Lin Nanqi was suspicious: "Can you let me go after this is over?"

Lao Jiang said nothing, but opened the food box. The aroma filled his nose immediately. "These are the dishes that our chef is best at making. The master is kind-hearted and asked me to treat you well."

Lin Nanjie looked at the dazzling array of food in the lunch box, and it looked like severed heads rice no matter how he looked at it.

Lin Nanjie sat down at the table, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and looked at him dimly: "Do I have to be buried with you?"

Lao Jiang's expression first showed reluctance, then turned cold and hard.

Even though Lao Jiang didn't say anything, Lin Nanjie understood.

If they had to arrange a ghost marriage by burying him alive with the dead, why did they have to grab a stranger from the street and bring him here?

He picked up a piece of pork elbow and put it in his mouth.

Suddenly I sighed: "I haven't eaten such delicious food for a long time. The chef's cooking skills are really good."

Lin Nanjie was really hungry. He hadn't eaten anything decent along the way. Faced with the sumptuous meal, he couldn't resist at all.

Now it was Lao Jiang's turn to be surprised. Seeing Lin Nanjie wolfing down the food, he was shocked: "You can actually eat it? Aren't you afraid that I will poison you?"

Lin Nanqi didn't even raise his eyes: "I can't run away anyway, I might as well be a dead ghost. Besides, I can't even get out of the door, there's no need for you to make a fuss."

Lao Jiang sighed: "You are very smart."

Lin Nanjie shook his head: "I'm not smart enough, otherwise I wouldn't have been fooled by you."

Lao Jiang did not make excuses, but looked at Miss Xu's ranking: "You are pretty, the young lady will definitely be satisfied with this marriage."

Lin Nanjie wiped his mouth and said, "Excuse me, how did your young lady die?"

Lao Jiang looked a little sad: "He died of illness due to excessive worry."

Lin Nanjie: "Why must we have a ghost marriage?"

Old Jiang: "The young lady was promised a marriage. If nothing goes wrong, she should be getting married now. The wedding date is the day after tomorrow. It's a pity that the young lady is only fifteen years old and has left her father behind."

Lin Nanjie groaned, "It's a pity indeed. They should have been happily married, but instead, misfortune struck them."

Lin Nanqi asked again: "If you force her into a ghost marriage, aren't you afraid of damaging her good karma?"

Lao Jiang smiled awkwardly and said, "It's not your business."

Having said that, Lao Jiang left.

Lin Nanjie looked at the seat of the young lady from the Xu family, put down his chopsticks, and murmured, "She is also a miserable person."

-

On the other hand, in the distant capital, after Lin Nanjie left, civil and military officials frantically advised the emperor to change his mind, taking turns to submit petitions every day, and their lips were almost worn out.

Because the emperor decided to visit incognito.

As everyone knows, being an emperor is a high-risk job, and more than 90% of the ministers in the court hope that the emperor will never leave the palace in his lifetime.

There are dangers outside the palace that are hard to guard against. Leaving the palace means the emperor is in danger!

Of the remaining 10%, 80% want to rebel.

But Li Chengqian had made up his mind.

Three years after ascending the throne, it is time for him to conduct inspections.

He can't even know everything that's happening right under his nose, let alone the fact that the emperor is far away.

Moreover, Jiangnan has been hit by frequent floods and droughts in the past two years, and the quality of the people there is mediocre, so it is time to improve the management.

In short, the emperor has made up his mind and there is no point in saying more. It is better to reserve a seat in advance among the ministers who will visit incognito.

They have also been in the capital for a long time and have longed for the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River.

Not to mention the ministers who came from the south of the Yangtze River. There is a rule for officials in the capital, that is, they cannot leave the capital without orders. It just so happens that this time they can use the name of accompanying the emperor on a private visit to relieve their homesickness.

No more talking, just go for it!

As a result, the threshold of the Zichen Palace was almost flattened in the past few days.

"Your Majesty, please take me with you. I am from the south of the Yangtze River, and I know the affairs of the south of the Yangtze River very well. I can also introduce the scenery along the way to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, this time there is a flood in the south of the Yangtze River. I am familiar with the methods of flood control and I have no choice but to take action!"

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant... In short, I will not fail you!"