After entering the city from Chongwenmen, even if they officially arrive in the capital, everyone will temporarily "part ways", each going his own way.
Those who visit relatives, those who live in guild halls, and those who buy houses directly like Lin Tailai, all have a bright future.
The house purchased by Zhang Wen, the Zuo protector of Daqian Station, is located in Lige Old Hutong in Xicheng. Because Li Dongyang, the great scholar, once lived in this alley, it was called Lige Old Hutong.
This house has three to thirty rooms, costing a total of three hundred and ninety taels of silver. It is located in a high-end community, near Shiyongfang, where official residences are densely packed, and has the highest safety index in the capital.
Before parting, everyone left their addresses first so that they could contact each other after settling in.
In addition, everyone else said to Lin Tai: "If you encounter trouble, you must tell everyone!"
Anyone with a little bit of analytical skills can realize through today's events that Lin Tailai was targeted in all directions.
Lin Tailai said to the others: "You have all seen that the capital may not be peaceful, and I don't know how many open and covert arrows are waiting for me.
Therefore, during this period of time, I will not participate in your gatherings and other activities, so as not to affect you."
Jin Shiheng said dissatisfied: "What are you talking about? Are we afraid of being implicated by you? We are unloyal people?"
If you really encounter any problems, although we are weak in ability, we will do our best to help you."
Lin Daguan said very sincerely: "No, no, don't worry, I'm not afraid of injuring you, nor do I suspect that you are unloyal.
What I'm really afraid of is that if you can't grasp the depth of the capital, it will drag me down, so it's better to keep your distance for the time being."
Jin Shiheng said unconvinced: "Is it as mysterious as you say? Weak does not mean useless, even a small part has its special function!"
Lin Tailai replied: "Why don't you understand? To give you my simplest example, if I lead dozens of people into the Metropolitan Procuratorate and fight, how can you help me?
If I take you with me, will I have to devote my energy to taking care of you?"
Everyone: "."
You call this the simplest example? It's so heartbreaking. It turns out that weak people can't even talk about loyalty.
Among all the scholars who came to Beijing to take the exam, Lin Tailai, who came to take the liberal arts exam as the top scholar in Wu Dynasty, was probably the one who received the most attention.
Moreover, the level of people who pay attention to Lin Tailai is very high, there are several at the level of bachelor and minister.
The sun had just turned west, and Shen Yongmao, a member of the Department of Vehicles and Driving Department of the Ministry of War, skipped work and went home. As the son of the chief assistant, if he was not late in the morning, he would be giving face to the Yamen. Leaving early was not a problem at all.
Entering the gate of Shen Mansion, he saw his father, Shen Shoufu, also unloading his sedan chair in the front yard.
"Why is father here?" Shen Yongmao asked in surprise.
Shen Shixing was speechless. What kind of idiotic question was he asking? This is the Shen Mansion. Should he make a fuss when he returns home?
Shen Yongmao quickly added: "I mean, how can father come home earlier than me?"
He really didn't expect that his father, who had so many things to do, would come home so early today. He usually came back in the evening, and sometimes he would spend the night in the cabinet.
Shen Shoufu simply replied: "Wait for Lin Tai to come."
Shen Yongmao said doubtfully: "I just looked at the gate and Lin Tailai didn't send a greeting card.
Besides, Lin Tailai is related by marriage to Wang Situ's family, so he will definitely visit Wang Situ first after entering Beijing."
Shen Shoufu said: "Then don't look at what trouble Lin Tailai got into?
Wang Situ can't solve his troubles, so he can only find me. This is the reality."
Shen Yongmao tried to save others by himself and did not see any big trouble in Lin Tailai: "I heard that when he arrived outside Dongbian Gate, he encountered a retaliatory siege by a group of Jin Yiwei officers and soldiers.
But he himself has no injuries, so we don’t need to worry about it. It’s not a big deal, right? After all, the Imperial Guards acted privately and were not following orders.”
Shen Yongmao thought about it from his perspective, and he really didn't think it was a big deal to beat up some Imperial Guards, especially if he won the battle.
If Lin Tailai loses the fight and gets hurt, he may deserve more attention from his father.
But Shen Shoufu said: "If it's just a private fight with the Jinyi Guards, it's really a trivial matter.
But what if someone uses this matter to instigate Dongchang Admiral Zhang Jing?"
Shen Yongmao said in disbelief: "Has my father been in the center for too long and everything looks like a conspiracy?"
Shen Shoufu asked again: "Many of the Jinyi Guardsmen who took action were those who were sent to the border town three years ago because of the siege of Lin Tailai.
Someone transferred them all back to the capital, and then provided news about Lin Tailai's arrival in the capital.
Is the purpose of doing this just to let these people get beaten up by Lin Tailai again?
All in all, nothing is so simple!"
After all, Shen Yongmao is not a fool. He even drew inferences and said, "Could it be that the revelations that have appeared in the past few days are also a big problem?"
Shen Shoufu sighed: "Revealing the post is not a trouble in itself, but revealing the post is just a precursor.
They will first use the post to create a public opinion base and stigmatize people.
Then he would seize a certain small matter, such as the controversy over the provincial examination, and fight over it over and over again. In the process, the small matter would gradually become bigger and bigger.
It finally got to the point where the emperor had to be asked to make a ruling. So at this time, if the emperor's trusted eunuchs such as Dongchang Zhang Jing made a few slanderous words, what would be the result?
It must be Lin Tailai who was deprived of his qualifications for the general examination and was directly blocked from the examination room!"
The young Shen Yongmao was not as thoughtful as his father thought. After listening to the analysis, he suddenly realized, "So Lin Tailai is really in trouble? Can he realize it now?"
Shen Shoufu replied: "With Lin Tailai's scheming mind and his sense of smell that is more sensitive than a dog, how could he not realize it?
As long as he realizes the situation he is facing, he will definitely come here. In this matter, Wang Situ can't help him much, he can only come to me!"
After finishing speaking, Shen Shoufu stood up and walked to the inner courtyard, "I have been busy with official duties for the past few days, and I am a little tired. I will go and take a rest first."
Shen Yongmao was puzzled and shouted quickly: "Isn't father waiting for Lin Tai to come to the door?"
Shen Shoufu snorted coldly, "You wait for me. After Lin Tai comes to the door, let him sit alone for an hour, and then you call me again!"
Do you really think that the chief assistant has no temper at all? Let me show you Lin Tailai for an hour and let you know what it means to be superior and inferior. Don't do anything to coerce the chief assistant in the future!
Shen Shoufu's sleep quality during this nap was very good, and he even had a wonderful dream about punching Qingliu and kicking Lin Tailai.
When Shen Shoufu slowly woke up, he casually asked: "What time is it?"
The old lady next to me replied: "It's already past midnight."
Damn it! Shen Shoufu suddenly woke up. Why did he sleep from afternoon to midnight?
"Why didn't Dalang wake me up?" Shen Shoufu said angrily. He just wanted to keep Lin Tailai dry for an hour, not until midnight!
The old lady replied: "Da Lang said that the young man Lin you were waiting for didn't come to the door. Why did he wake you up?"
Shen Shoufu: "..."
Could it be that Lin Tailai's IQ suddenly failed and he didn't realize what he was about to face?
Or is it that Lin Tailai's IQ suddenly failed and he thought that with the support of the Minister of Revenue, he could solve the current troubles?
Then until dawn, Shen Shoufu never fell asleep again. When he got up the next day, his face was not as normal as usual.
When Shen Yongmao came over to say hello in the morning, he couldn't help but said: "It's okay if Lin Tailai didn't come to the door. He can still be in peace. Why is my father doing this?"
Shen Shoufu said seriously: "If Lin Tailai doesn't solve the problem through me, it means that things may get out of control. You must not be careless."
Shen Yongmao: "."
How much does his father think highly of Lin Tailai? Together, he and his brother don't receive this kind of treatment in his father's heart, right?
Then I heard Shen Shoufu's instructions: "Today you go to the household minister Wang Situ and ask if Lin Tailai went to his place yesterday."
Except for the Criminal Department, the six departments were all together in the Yamen. Before going to work at the Military Department, Shen Yongmao first went to the gate of the Household Department to guard.
Not long after, I saw Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Hubu, coming out of the sedan chair, and his expression was not very good.
Shen Yongmao then stepped forward and asked, "Did Da Situ see Lin Tailai yesterday?"
Wang Situ said in surprise: "I always thought that Lin Tailai visited the Shen Mansion yesterday."
Shen Yongmao answered truthfully: "No, so I came to ask Da Situ."
In Wang Situ's mind, it would be understandable if Lin Tailai went to the Shen Mansion first. After all, the chief minister had a high official position. In order to solve the problem, family ties could be put aside later.
But if Lin Tailai doesn't go to the Shen Mansion, then the first choice should be the Wang family.
Immediately, the two stood at the door of the Ministry of Household Affairs and looked at each other. After Lin Tai came to the capital, he neither visited the Shen Mansion nor visited the Wang family to visit relatives. Isn't it a little weird?
Also, who in the capital is more important than the Shen family and the Wang family, and is worthy of Lin Tailai's first visit?
At this moment, he saw Lin Tailai and Zhao Zhigao, the right servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, walking side by side, strolling past the gate of the Ministry of Household Affairs and walking towards the Ministry of Civil Affairs next door.
Inadvertently, Lin Tailai caught a glimpse of two acquaintances at the door of the household department. He waved casually and said, "Brothers, please come and be safe!"
Wang Situ and Shen Yongmao's eyes fell on Zhao Zhigao together. They thought in unison, how virtuous and capable this old man was, and he actually enjoyed Lin Tailai's first visit after coming to Beijing.
For some reason, Zhao Zhigao felt that the eyes of the eldest Situ and the first assistant were a bit unkind, so he quickly said hello and left.
Shen Yongmao greeted Lin Tailai and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Lin Tailai looked at Shen Yongmao as if he were a fool, "I'm going to Beijing to take the exam. Of course I have to come to the etiquette department to register."
To the north of the Department of Husbandry is the Department of Personnel, and to the south is the Department of Rites, all next to each other.
When Shen Yongmao saw Lin Tailai leisurely and leisurely, he still couldn't hold himself back and asked directly: "Didn't you discover the crisis from those things you encountered when you entered the city?"
Lin Tailai said calmly: "What crisis? Why didn't I see it?"
Shen Yongmao stared at Lin Tai for a while, unable to tell whether he was really stupid or pretending to be stupid.
After that, Shen Yongmao also left the gate of the Ministry of Household Affairs and went to the Ministry of War to sign in.
Wang Situ then said to Lin Tai: "It doesn't take more than an hour and a half to go to the Ministry of Etiquette to register. Let's talk first."
So Lin Tailai followed Wang Situ into the household department and sat down in the main hall in the backyard.
In front of Wang Situ, Lin Tailai was neither a junior nor a subordinate, so he was naturally qualified to sit down as a guest.
Lin Tailai thought of something and asked with a smile: "How does it feel to be in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue? Is it still comfortable?"
Speaking of this, Wang Situ was filled with bitterness. It was already mid-November, and this year's accounts could almost be sorted out, but it was hard to explain in a single word.
After letting out a long sigh, Wang Situ said: "This year may be the first time in the past ten years that the treasury cannot make ends meet."
"Is this true?" Lin Daguan asked rhetorically.
Seeing that Lin Tailai was very interested in this issue, Wang Situ said a few words in detail:
"This year the famine has been severe, several lines have been reduced or exempted, the annual income is only 3.39 million taels, and the expenditure is one million taels more than the income.
It was all thanks to the accumulation of 1.8 million taels of silver from the old treasury that we could barely survive."
Lin Tailai is also one of his own, there is nothing he can't say, although he doesn't understand why Lin Tailai wants to ask about this.
After hearing about the financial situation of the Ministry of Revenue, Lin Daguan commented casually: "As expected, sooner or later you will be unable to make ends meet! Wherever you are now, you will find that the more you lose, the more you will lose."
Wang Situ said a little unhappy: "During my tenure as minister, Taicang Yin began to make ends meet, which made me very shameless.
If I had known this, why did I fight for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the first place?"
Lin Tailai cajoled: "What's the use of worrying about yourself? Those millions of taels of expenditure are not expenditures of your household department.
Therefore, the loss is not only a matter of the Ministry of Revenue, but also a matter of the entire imperial court. We must transfer the anxiety to the imperial court and let the entire imperial court brainstorm solutions together!"
Wang Situ casually pulled out a memorandum from the public case and said, "Do I still need you to teach me?
I have complained to the imperial court for a long time. See for yourself, other people’s suggestions are like this. The imperial court sent it to the Ministry of Revenue and asked the Ministry of Revenue to repeat it."
Lin Tailai opened the memorial and took a few glances, only to see that it read: "We should strictly implement the layoffs of redundant personnel to save expenses. Either there were none in the past but now there are more, or there are more in the past. We should consider the priority and gradually lay off redundant personnel in order to save money." It is a way to make money. In addition, the workmen who are building additional walls in the capital should also be stopped."
"Phew!" Lin Tailai couldn't help but laugh a few times. Sure enough, he said the same thing as he didn't.
No one said how to increase revenue, but they all tried to persuade the emperor to cut down on expenditure.
Then Lin Tailai stood up and said goodbye: "I won't disturb your work anymore. I'll go to the Etiquette Department to sign up first."
Wang Situ asked again: "You have inquired about the income and expenditure of so many households and treasuries, don't you leave some suggestions?"
Lin Tailai smiled and said: "It doesn't matter whether we increase revenue or reduce expenditure, so what suggestions can I make?
I just want to see the progress of the Treasury's silver deficit and guess when the emperor will be impatient enough to prepare for massive mining and taxation.
In addition, judging from this situation, the imperial court will not allocate funds for the project of dredging the old Wusong River, so I need to raise additional funds."
I was suddenly taken to a meeting today. I had no energy to come up with any ideas. I picked up my mobile phone to code words at the meeting and felt nothing. I could only do it for the sake of constant updating.