Hearing his wife's warm words of comfort, Lin Ming felt slightly relieved. However, he could not let her know about this - although his wife could be said to be capable, she was just a woman after all. After knowing the truth, besides being as worried as himself, he could
Do you have any clever tips? Besides, she is not as good as the concubines - she is also from the Jinyiwei family, so she may be even more worried after knowing this.
He could only force a smile: "It's nothing. I've just been out for a long time, I'm really tired, and I couldn't find Qianqian back, so I feel a little guilty... I also figured it out. I can only do my best in this matter and follow fate."
"It's good that Mr. Lin thinks so." Mrs. Lin was thoughtful. Seeing that although he said "look away", the sadness in her brows did not diminish, she knew that this advice was not on point, and she was secretly suspicious in her heart. But she didn't
Knowing how to stir up conversation, Lin Ming suddenly asked:
"Madam, what do you think of this world?"
Madam Lin is such a smart person. She felt bad when she heard these words. She whispered: "Husband, why are you talking about this?! Be careful of others listening..."
"This is the inner house, who else would listen except her?" Lin Ming smiled bitterly and looked at Bi Bo who was sleeping soundly - this girl is really carefree.
"It doesn't matter if she listened." Mrs. Lin said, "It's just that the words are meaningless. It's not something people like us should chew on."
"Tell me about it."
"The world is not good," Mrs. Lin said. "I heard a letter from my mother-in-law's family saying that the north is full of mourners and the land is full of bandits. In other words, our place and the south of the Yangtze River are still peaceful."
"Do you think the world can get better?"
"I don't know." Mrs. Lin sighed, "Anyway, Guangdong is still a peaceful and blessed land. We still have to drink tea when we have tea. Don't talk about national affairs - talking too much will only make you annoying."
Lin Ming could tell from his wife's words that she had a pessimistic view of the world. He suddenly decided to test her views on Australians:
"Madam, I'm afraid Guangdong is not a peaceful and blessed land!" He sighed deliberately.
"What should I say?" Mrs. Lin's wife suddenly became alert.
"Madam, do you still remember the thieves who rushed into the Pearl River and attacked the city of Guangzhou three years ago?"
"Why don't you remember? It was really scary at that time. Martial law was imposed everywhere. The artillery troops were constantly passing by. They even got a group of bandit-like volunteers. Before the thieves came, the place was in chaos..."
The common people in Foshan Town were left with the impression that the Kunhao incident was not only due to the government's apportionment of food and wages, but also that the Chaozhou Yong and Danhu Shuiyong who "assisted in the defense" extorted war expenses and took the opportunity to rob merchants. As for the Kun thieves, they had a long face and a short face.
I have no impression at all. The bandits went straight to Guangzhou. Although the troops were close to Foshan, they did not cross the border. I heard that in the end they extorted a city redemption fee - naturally this kind of thing did not happen to Lin Baihu's family.
.
"...But then the thief Kun left, and I heard that the place became a lot quieter. It is said that the thief Kun killed many bandits. It was a blessing in disguise."
"When I went out this time, I saw many Kun thieves and Kun ships along the way. Their power was even greater than before." Lin Ming whispered.
"You mean..." Mrs. Lin is from an official family after all, and she can hear the voice inside, "No way. Aren't they just like the Franji people, just to do business with the Ming Dynasty? They are doing so much business today.
Da. The money is flowing like water. Now the government doesn't care. Why should we go to war with the Ming Dynasty? If there is a war, won't the business be cut off? "
"It's hard to tell!" Lin Ming shook his head, "They are not as content as the Franji people..."
"What if we are attacked? You are an official of the imperial court!" Mrs. Lin was worried. "Although I won't ask you to go into battle to kill the enemy, what if the thieves want to kill people to establish their authority..."
"If there's a fight, let's hide. I'm just a small householder after all. Do they still value my head?"
"Hey, this is the only way. At worst, I just don't have to be an official." Mrs. Lin said, "As long as our family is reunited and safe." As she said this, she looked at Bibo with a little affection, "These few
The children are all lovely, and they will be wasted in vain if they start a war..."
Lin Ming decided in his mind that he was fully aware of his wife's attitude. As long as she didn't want to be a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty.
"Then, should we buy a house in Guangzhou first?" Mrs. Lin asked quietly, "I'm not afraid of the thieves coming - I heard that as long as you don't provoke them when they cross the border, Qiu Wuwu will never do anything wrong -
―I'm afraid that the scoundrels will take the opportunity to cause trouble. This Foshan town doesn't have a city wall..."
"Don't be busy for now. Let's check the situation." Lin Ming said, "They may not call right away." He looked at the situation and said, "It's getting late, let's go to bed."
Lin Baihu's leisurely life didn't last long. Early that morning, he came to his familiar teahouse as usual. He drank a few sips of tea to wake up, and then had a few plates of snacks to satisfy his empty stomach.
Go to the yamen to order a mao, and the day that starts over and over again officially begins.
His table was reserved in the teahouse as usual. Without any instructions, as soon as he sat down, the tea doctor brought the tea set and the dreg bucket - these were for his personal use and were stored in the teahouse. Lin Ming slowly picked up the teapot.
, first ironed and washed the tea sets, bowls and chopsticks one by one. Then the tea doctor brought tea again.
Lin Ming filled a cup of tea by himself and drank it slowly. After taking a few sips, his eyes suddenly widened.
On the wall opposite the teahouse, there is a secret communication message from the Foreign Intelligence Service!
So fast! He thought to himself. After Lin Ming formally surrendered, his organization was transferred to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. Li Yan was responsible for the specific operations. Li Yan had talked with him. Although there was no official mission assigned, he knew that once he had to use it
Oneself is by no means an ordinary matter: with the current power of the Australians, if you want to inquire about something around Guangzhou, there is no need to go out on your own. There are a lot of people who are greedy for money and are ready to betray the master at any time.
Now he had no interest in drinking tea. He ate breakfast in a hurry and went to the institute to meet his "instructor" as Li Yan had agreed with him in advance.
Lin Ming had no idea who the "instructor" was. He had a slightly fat face, wore a Shandong cocoon silk dress, and looked like a small businessman who was not very proud of himself.
"Sir..." Lin Ming looked like he was surrendering in fear. In order to avoid giving a bad impression to the "Shangguan", he would have taken eye drops when he went back - that would really make the two of them no longer human.
"You're welcome, Comrade Lin." The instructor shook his head, "We are all comrades, and we don't do what Ming Dynasty did."
"Yes, yes, I know." Lin Ming lowered his head, "I don't know what Shangguan ordered when he summoned me."
"Ahem," the instructor seemed a little uncomfortable, "Comrade Lin, I told you not to be so official. Okay, I'll tell you the truth."
"Yes! Please give me your instructions, sir." He continued to be respectful.
"You are a native of Foshan, a member of the Jinyiwei family, and the old land of Suixi. So this time the center decided to give the task to you."
"Yes, thanks to the importance of the center, I will go through fire and water in my humble position without hesitation."
"Okay, okay, instructor" began to sweat on his face. He was indeed a small businessman, and he had joined Kun for several years, so he was a little uncomfortable with the officialdom. "You're welcome. This mission is about something important.
It is very important, and it is related to the fate of the country of the Song Dynasty." He said with an emphasis on his tone, "You must do everything you can to complete this mission."
"I understand your humble position!" Now it was Lin Ming's turn to sweat. It was related to the "National Destiny of the Song Dynasty". Being able to say such a thing was obviously no small matter. Could it be that he wanted to earn money to open the gates of Guangzhou and welcome the Australians?
The army enters the city? It seems that it is not his turn to do this. As long as the Australians are willing to pay, there are more than one or two people who want to do this. Besides, the Australians have Ziji in the city of Guangzhou, and there is a big world outside the city. Take Guangzhou
It's just a matter of picking things up.
The other party said that he was a "foshan native" and an "old land of Suicheng". This matter probably had something to do with Foshan.
"In a few days, someone from Lingao will come." The instructor whispered and assigned tasks. "After contacting them, you will be under the command of the person coming. You must obey them in everything."
"Yes, I understand." Lin Ming was a little nervous, "I don't know what the specific task will be, so I have to make preparations in advance."
"Your task is to act as a guide. Just follow their instructions on the way."
"Guide?"
"Exactly. Your superiors want you to lead them along the Xijiang River and the Beijiang River. You have been to these places. Do you have any questions?"
"It's not difficult to be a guide." Lin Ming secretly panicked: Although he didn't know what the other party's purpose was in asking him to lead the way "for a walk", Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was intended for Pei Gong, and the Australians were probably about to attack the local people. He hurriedly
Reminding himself not to panic, this is a good opportunity for him to make meritorious deeds, and said, "But this will require me to go out for a long time. I have to take a leave of absence at the Hundred Household Office for my humble job."
"You just make the arrangements yourself. What do you have to say?"
"Beiji has been to this area of Xijiang and Beijiang before. The road is familiar." Lin Ming thought for a while, "It's just that there are many bandits along the river, and there are also some lawless and powerful people. If only Beiji takes them there, they will be afraid on the road.
It is difficult to ensure safety, so I thought it would be best to use the name of an official. Not only can we call on the garrison to protect us on the road, but we can also have people, boats, sedans and horses to support us along the way."
The instructor pondered for a moment and said: "Your idea is good, but this matter involves the government. I have to ask my superiors for instructions. If it is in the name of the government, what name do you plan to use?"
Lin Ming smiled and said: "This has a lot of names, it can be used for handling cases, and it can also be investigated. In short, it is one mouth in a hundred households. Just get a letter. When the time comes, it will be convenient for you to go out, and you will be prestigious all the way."
"This is a very good idea." The instructor also smiled, "Okay, you go ahead and prepare, and I will make a decision after I report it to my superiors." (To be continued)