freenovelworld Chapter 175 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 8
Chapter 175 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 8
Lin Ruhai emerged from the palace in a cold sweat. Although his answer was not problematic, he still sensed that the emperor was not entirely satisfied with him. He had just taken the opportunity to present the emperor with evidence of the crimes committed by officials in Jinling and Yangzhou, hoping that the emperor would consider the evidence and arrange a retirement job for him.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor picked up the incriminating evidence that Lin Ruhai had given him and sneered inwardly. This Lin Ruhai was indeed a talented man, but it was a pity that he was originally the Emperor Emeritus's man. Although he had switched allegiance to him, he would not give Lin Ruhai any more important positions for someone who had betrayed his master.
"Wang An, go and secretly summon Fang Rencheng to the palace," the Emperor said after a moment's thought.
His newly appointed salt inspector has no noble background, so the salt tax revenue will definitely be hindered.
Now that Lin Ruhai has brought this evidence, it will be possible to deal with some troublemakers and collect the salt tax more quickly.
The country is now beset by internal and external troubles. Externally, there is the invasion of the Xiongnu, and internally, the retired emperor is holding onto power and refuses to relinquish his grip on the government. He has been on the throne for almost five years, but he still cannot fully control many important matters.
Thinking of this, the emperor's face became solemn, and his eyes held a meaningful look. He had been an invisible person since childhood. There were six princes before him, and everyone knew that he had no chance of becoming emperor. After all, the court did not advocate establishing the eldest son as heir, and he had no advantage in either regard.
The eldest prince was the eldest son of a concubine, while the second prince was the legitimate son. Who could have imagined that the eldest and second princes would fight each other for the throne, ending in a life-or-death struggle, and that the retired emperor would depose them on the spot? The third prince supported the eldest prince, and the two conspired many times. Although he did not appear in the end, the retired emperor still imprisoned the third prince.
The fourth prince was in poor health and had been sickly since childhood. The fifth prince was the empress's second son and was not good at studying. The empress was worried that the second son would affect the position of the legitimate son, so she was more lenient in the education of the fifth prince.
The retired emperor was so angered by the struggle for the throne among his sons that he vomited blood, weakened his body, and was ultimately forced to abdicate.
In the end, it was the sixth prince who got the throne, and the retired emperor also hoped that a weak prince would take the throne so that he could control him.
"Yes, this old servant will go and summon Lord Fang to the palace immediately." Wang An respectfully walked out of the palace.
The Emperor looked towards the Palace of the Retired Emperor. Recently, those meritorious officials had come to the palace to plead poverty to the Retired Emperor, who was also vying for power with them. It seemed that he needed to give those meritorious officials some benefits, otherwise the Retired Emperor would definitely not let it go.
And then there's his ninth brother, who's not someone to be trifled with. The ninth brother is the son of Consort Zhen, the Emperor Emeritus's most beloved concubine. Consort Zhen is not content with her lot and wants her son to compete with him. The Emperor Emeritus also tries to smooth things over, making the court even more complicated.
It seems we need to be patient. Once the retired emperor falls, the world will be his. He still has many ambitions to fulfill.
The Emperor summoned Fang Rencheng, who was one of the Emperor's men and had been promoted to Minister of Personnel, a first-rank official in charge of the promotion and evaluation of officials.
After Fang Rencheng entered, the Emperor directly inquired about the arrangements for some officials, such as transferring some officials who supported the retired Emperor from the provinces to the capital to weaken the retired Emperor's power. Of course, those transferred to the capital should not be placed in positions with too much power.
"Lin Ruhai, you can make the arrangements," the Emperor said casually.
Fang Rencheng understood the Emperor's meaning. Lin Ruhai was a man of the Retired Emperor, appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, a fourth-rank official, and also concurrently appointed as the Salt Commissioner by the Retired Emperor. More than ten years had passed, and he should have been promoted by now. (Author's personal interpretation)
……
When Lin Ruhai returned to the Lin residence from the palace, Lin Jiyu came to the study to find him. She first greeted her father and then asked him about something.
Lin Ruhai didn't know the Emperor's attitude, so he could only wait quietly.
"Father, shall we go to the Rongguo Mansion?" Lin Jiyu suggested.
Lin Ruhai pondered for a while. Although he had pledged allegiance to the Emperor, his wife was the legitimate daughter of the Rongguo Mansion. Therefore, he had to visit the Rongguo Mansion both out of courtesy and reason.
Lin Ruhai sighed. He still needed to consult with the Emperor. If the Emperor misunderstood him, wouldn't he be attacked by those with ulterior motives? In that case, he would be caught between the retired Emperor and the new Emperor, and the other officials would be happy to have one less person competing with them for the court position.
Lin Ruhai waved his hand, signaling his son to leave. He needed to think things over carefully. Lin Jiyu then withdrew.
Before Lin Ruhai could be sad for more than a few days, the Emperor's decree arrived, appointing Lin Ruhai as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a second-rank official. Although the Minister of Rites was the Emperor's man, the Emperor Emeritus would not object to sending someone who was nominally the Emperor Emeritus's man to the Ministry of Rites to balance power.
After Lin Ruhai was appointed to an official position, officials from all over the capital came to congratulate him.
In the Rongguo Mansion, a young maidservant trotted into Rongqing Hall. Grandmother Jia was chatting and laughing with several young ladies, and Wang Xifeng was also there. Wang Xifeng was making jokes, which made Grandmother Jia laugh heartily, saying, "This monkey, this monkey."
The maidservant hurried in. Yuanyang noticed that something was wrong with the maidservant and went to talk to her. The maidservant whispered a few words in her ear.
Yuanyang was a little surprised, then walked up to Grandmother Jia.
Wang Xifeng asked directly, "Is there some joyous occasion outside? Our Yuanyang can hardly contain their excitement."
Yuanyang bowed to Grandmother Jia, her face beaming with joy, and said, "Grandmother, there is great news. Didn't your son-in-law Lin return recently? After meeting the Emperor in the palace, he was promoted and is now the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a second-rank official."
Grandmother Jia's eyes crinkled into a smile as she chuckled and asked, "Is the news true?"
"It's absolutely true, the news has spread everywhere." Yuanyang said with a smile.
"Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Madam!" Wang Xifeng and the other young ladies stood up to offer their congratulations.
Lin Ruhai was the son-in-law of the Rongguo Mansion. His promotion brought glory to the Rongguo Mansion as well.
Grandmother Jia was genuinely pleased. After all, the Rongguo Mansion was just a facade. Her eldest son, Jia She, although a first-class general and a first-rank official, held only a nominal position and did not even need to attend the morning court sessions.
The second son, Jia Zheng, was an assistant minister in the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official, who had not been promoted for over twenty years.
Now that Lin Ruhai has been promoted, the Rongguo Mansion has gained a voice in the imperial court. Otherwise, the Rongguo Mansion would usually be the last to know about any news from the court.
"Feng-ge'er, tomorrow you and Lian-er prepare generous gifts and go to the Lin residence together. Invite Lin's son-in-law to come to the Rongguo Mansion as guests. I haven't seen Daiyu and Jiyu for a long time and I miss them dearly. Let them stay at the Rongguo Mansion for a few days." Grandmother Jia happily instructed.
The Lin family is experiencing a series of good fortunes. First, Lin Jiyu passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, and now Lin Ruhai has been promoted to an official position. On the surface, the Lin family seems to be getting better.
Wang Xifeng had originally intended to try and establish a connection with the Lin family, but now that the old lady had instructed her to do something, she was overjoyed and quickly said, "Even if the old lady hadn't said anything, I was already planning to try and build a good relationship with them. I will definitely handle this matter properly." Wang Xifeng teased.
"You little monkey, hahahaha." Grandmother Jia was even happier after Wang Xifeng said that.