The Warm Jade of the Red Chamber

In winter, the days are always short.

When Lin Hai came out of the government office, the sky was already very dark.When the cold wind blew, Lin Hai shivered suddenly, and hurried into the sedan chair.The curtain of the sedan chair was drawn to block the cold wind coming towards us. There was a stove in the sedan chair, and Lin Hai picked it up and put it in his arms to dissipate some of the cold air.

The Lin family's house was not far from the government office, and the elder followed Lin Zhong to lead the way with a lantern. The lantern was blown swayingly by the wind, and even the candlelight seemed a little trembling.

Lin Hai raised the curtain of the sedan chair slightly, and looked at Lin Zhong Weiwei's slightly stooped back, and became slightly dazed.Lin Zhong has been his servant since he was a teenager, and it seems that he has become so old in the blink of an eye.I am not a few years younger than Lin Zhong, and I am not young anymore.Especially these days, the princes in Beijing have been fighting fiercely, and they all want to get their hands on the Jiangnan salt class. It is very difficult for him to deal with it, and he feels a little powerless.

Thinking about the situation in the mansion again, the wife is weak, and one son and one daughter are also congenitally deficient. Every winter, it is like torment, which makes him anxious, for fear that one of them will not make it to spring.

Lin Hai put down the curtain and couldn't help sighing.At the same time, Lin Zhong was choked by the cold wind and coughed, and there was a heavy twilight in his voice, a chill that even the candlelight of the lantern could not warm.

The Lin family, whose ancestors were also the family of Liehou, was born in Lin Hai Kedi, and the current emperor Xuankang hand-picked him as the censor of salt inspection. He is really the emperor's confidant, and others are envious.

However, the Lin family did not proliferate, and the family members were not prosperous. Although Lin Hai had a younger brother, due to some previous incidents, the family separated and became a merchant, and they have cut off contact with each other over the years.

As for the Lin family, apart from Lin Hai, there is no one in power.Lin Hai struggled alone in the officialdom without anyone to help him, so it was difficult for him to move forward. Although Emperor Xuankang had always favored him, and now he was given such an important job as inspecting salt and censors, it was as if he was being roasted on fire.The Jiangnan salt merchants are all cunning like foxes, and they are colluding with officials and merchants. Lin Hai has to deal with the intricate relationship between Jiangnan officials, aristocratic families, and salt merchants. Genocide.

After finally gaining a firm foothold in Jiangnan, there was news that Emperor Xuankang was in poor health.For Lin Hai to gain a firm foothold in the south of the Yangtze River, besides his own ability, Emperor Xuankang's support is his greatest reliance.If Emperor Xuankang is gone, he will have to give up the position of the inspector censor to the new emperor, which is still the best result.I'm afraid it will be bad if someone plots against him and gets involved in the battle for the reserve position.

Lin Hai thought of the news from the imperial court that a minister asked to make a queen, but Emperor Xuankang didn't reject it immediately, and his heart became more and more anxious.It has been seven years since Empress Shujing passed away, and the throne has always been vacant, and the harem has never been separated from the previous dynasty. At this time, asking for a queen is probably a sign that the harem will be chaotic and the succession will begin.

Lin Hai is an orthodox literati, and the thought of respecting the concubine and despising concubines is deeply rooted. Although not all the princes who have succeeded since ancient times are the concubine, but the current crown prince has been established as the heir at the age of seven, and it has been more than [-] years since then, and his status has been stable. Never thought of standing in line.

But I don't want to, this is the end, is it still necessary for the brothers to fight against the wall?

The beginning of all this seems to have started when the eleventh prince Zhuang Ye returned from his conquest of Beirong. Zhuang Ye was originally named the King of Chengke County. The first part of the prince.

Unexpectedly, within a few days, Zhuang Ye and Emperor Xuankang had a dispute over the marriage of the Seventh Princess. They fought for no title or reward, and also demanded that Emperor Xuankang agree to take back the will to recruit Niu Jizong, the grandson of Zhen Guogong Niu Qing, as the seventh princess' son-in-law.

Emperor Xuankang was so angry that he ordered Zhuang Ye to be beaten eighty times. Even though Zhuang Ye was strong, he couldn't get out of bed for a month.

But even so, Zhuang Ye didn't let go, and even let go of his cruel words to the Niu family, even if he tried to make the seventh princess a widow and remarry, the Niu family would never want to take advantage of the seventh princess to come in and be a mother to them. .Duke Zhen was so frightened that he hurriedly submitted a booklet to plead guilty, telling all about Niu Jizong's lack of talent and virtue, and ashamedly admitted that a maid beside Niu Jizong was pregnant and was not qualified to be the lord.

On the surface, Zhuang Ye has achieved his goal, but he has made great contributions, not to mention the loss of rewards, and even asked Emperor Xuankang to seize the military power, and became cold, and even the crown prince was reprimanded several times by Emperor Xuankang .It was precisely because of this that the other princes saw hope and were ready to move.

Prince Zhuang Ye of Chengke County is the same mother and younger brother of Prince Zhuang Yang, and the second son of Empress Shujing, who is ranked eleventh. He has been favored by Emperor Xuankang and the Empress since he was a child. Talented in marching and fighting, but for more than ten years, he holds a heavy army and is invincible. He is known as the "General King".Zhuang Ye's role is extremely critical for the status of the crown prince to be stable for decades.

It is precisely because of this that Zhuang Ye's fall from favor will have such a big impact, just like an opening in an originally strong dam, the flood will overflow unstoppably.

Since ancient times, the Tian family had no kinship, and there were very few princes who did not want to be emperors. Presumably those princes had been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time, so that when the opportunity came down, they could act so quickly on their own.But no matter what you do, you need money to open the way. Lin Hai's Jiangnan Salt Class has become a favorite in the eyes of those who are interested in it, and there is an endless stream of temptations.

When Lin Hai thought of the posts he had received these days, as well as the coercion or coercion from all sides, he felt extremely irritable in his heart, and couldn't help feeling a little resentful towards Zhuang Ye. A maid and a concubine can have a great influence on the Seventh Princess. Limited, why bother to become the current situation?If you don't want military merits in exchange for going through life and death, don't you even care about the future and life of the prince?

But no matter how resentful he was, this situation had to be dealt with.Because Lin Hai did not dare to take any of these olive branches, whether it was out of loyalty to the emperor or for his own wealth and life.

To put it bluntly, he is Emperor Xuankang's confidant, if he turns to others, Emperor Xuankang will be the first one who can't tolerate him.Even if he wants a good bird to choose a tree to live in, and if he chooses one, he will make others hate him. It is still unclear whether the new master can keep him.

But it's not so easy to refuse. You should always be careful not to offend people to death.

The Jiangnan officialdom is a place of right and wrong, and the salt merchants are not a fuel-efficient lamp. Coupled with the intervention of several princes, Lin Hai has to work hard to manage it.

Therefore, Lin Hai really couldn't put too much effort into the matter of the back house in the mansion. His wife Jia Min was in charge of it, and his son and daughter were also taken care of by Jia Min.So when he didn't see Jia Min at home, Lin Hai didn't feel neglected, knowing that she must be in the children's room.

Under the service of the maid, she changed into her regular clothes and ate some food, only to see Jia Min turn around, but she was very happy.

"Master, the Mr. Bai recommended by Master Liaochen is really good. Yu'er and Ji'er only took a few doses of medicine, and their condition has improved significantly. There is less coughing and more food." Jia Min couldn't help laughing, her pale face was also flushed with joy.

Hearing Jia Min's words, Lin Hai couldn't help but rejoice in his heart. He was almost 40 years old, and he had only one daughter under his knees, and he was afraid that he would not be able to support him.

The Mr. Bai mentioned by Jia Min was recommended by Master Chen when they went to Daming Temple in Yangzhou to pray for their children. He said that he was extremely skilled in medicine.

However, this Mr. Bai has responded to the words of "a strange man's vision". Looking at his face and posture, he looks like a young man who is not as weak as a crown, but he has silver hair, so pure that there is no trace of variegation, except for knowing that his surname is Bai If Master Liaochen hadn't become a brother with Lin Hai's father Lin Qiongqing before he became a monk, and Lin Hai trusted him very much, otherwise Lin Hai would not have dared to bring this person home.

Lin Hai was concerned again: "Since that's the case, let's ask Mr. Bai to have a diagnosis with you as well, so that it can be recuperated."

Jia Min nodded in response, her children were fine, she felt relieved from the bottom of her heart, and she couldn't help letting go of her brows that were tightly locked in the past.

When she relaxed, she had the energy to think about some things. Jia Min thought about it for a while, and then said to Lin Hai: "The day before yesterday, my mother asked someone to send a letter, asking me to persuade the master."

"I don't know why the mother-in-law asked the wife to persuade you to be the husband?" Lin Hai frowned slightly, and his tone became a little weak.He and Jia Min have been married for nearly 20 years. Whether it was the years in Beijing or when he let go of his foreign job, there has never been a shadow of his mother-in-law Jia Shishi in his life.

Jia Min was in a good mood, so he didn't notice, and said, "Mother means that the Zhen family and the Jia family have been friends for generations, and the master is now working in the south of the Yangtze River, so you might as well walk around with the Zhen family more, and you can get some help. "

Lin Hai stared fixedly at Jia Min, and Jia Min felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what he said wrong, so he felt a little uneasy.

Lin Hai turned his gaze away and asked, "Is this what my mother-in-law said?"

Jia Min wondered: "That's right, is there something wrong? The Zhen family has great influence in the south of the Yangtze River, not to mention that the imperial concubine in the palace is the daughter of the Zhen family. I heard that she is about to be made a queen, and the Zhen family will definitely change." Going up to the next floor, if the master can make friends with the Zhen family and get the help of the Zhen family, then you don’t have to think about those salt merchants, wouldn’t it be good?” Seeing Lin Hai’s gray hair, Jia Min couldn’t help feeling distressed .

Lin Hai's index finger tapped the table a few times, but he didn't say much, he just said lightly: "For the outside affairs, the husband knows what to do, and the wife should take good care of Ji'er and Yu'er."

Jia Min was about to say something, but Lin Hai got up and said, "Madam, please settle down earlier. I will go to see Mr. Bai for my husband, and thank you. I will stay in the study tonight. Madam doesn't have to wait for me."

Then he went out the door.