Chapter 496: Even the best of the best have a hard time

Chapter 496: Even the best of the best have a hard time

Chapter 496: Even the best of the best have a hard time
Yang Shiqi stared at the person in front of him in a daze.

Although there have been rumors in the capital that the new Minister of Works is particularly young,

He is a young man in his twenties like me.

But he could not imagine that the handsome young man with red lips and white teeth in front of him was an important official of the imperial court!

Moreover, he was a man who had fought in many battles and had made great achievements.

Looking at myself again, I just celebrated my 23rd birthday.
Yesterday, I was still a man in danger of dying.
This sudden mission today gave him the confidence to stay in Yingtian.

Compared with the person in front of me, neither his achievements nor the knowledge he possesses are worth mentioning.

After his stepfather was forced to death by the powerful, Yang Shiqi had already understood that knowledge was no match for power.
In the imperial examination that students all over the world dream of,

Of course there are pure people who are devoted to learning.

But more people hoped to gain power through the imperial examination.

He took a deep breath and looked at the young minister in front of him.
Yang Shiqi wanted to say, a real man should be like this!
This made him even more determined to stay in the capital!

Lu Yunyi quietly watched his expression change back and forth, and pressed his hand:

"Sit down. Do you know how I know your name?"

Yang Shiqi did not dare to sit down, and said respectfully:

"Your Excellency, I don't know."

"Today I met the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary Song.

I learned about your deeds from her, and there are more than ten people similar to you.

Now that the army is on break, we need a few teachers, so we invited you here."

Yang Shiqi looked strange and asked tentatively:

"Excuse me, sir. Is this Mr. Jiudong, the Grand Secretary?"

"It's Song Na, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge, and the Imperial College's Chief Priest."

"That's it."

A look of deep joy appeared on Yang Shiqi's face.

Grand Secretary Song Na was a famous scholar and the chief academic officer of the Imperial Academy.
In the 18th year of Hongwu, more than 470 people were selected through imperial examinations, two-thirds of whom were from the Imperial Academy, and his reputation spread throughout the world.

Especially his eldest son Song Lin passed the imperial examination last year, making him famous all over the world.
Yang Shiqi was overjoyed to receive his praise.

Seeing him like this, Lu Yunyi asked curiously:
"Why don't you go to the Imperial Academy to study the scriptures?"

Yang Shiqi's face flashed with regret, and he shook his head with a wry smile:

"Reporting to Lord Lu, I am neither a government student nor a civilian student, so I cannot enter the Imperial College."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly, "Why?"

There are two channels for admission to the Imperial College in Ming Dynasty.

One is "official life" and the other is "people's livelihood".

After the fifth year of Hongwu, officials of the third rank or above in Beijing,

Officials could be given an opportunity to study in the Imperial Academy by imperial favor, and were called official students.
The sons of generals who hold hereditary positions can also benefit from the imperial favor.

As for people's livelihood, the Judicial and Supervisory Department selected students who were over 20 years old, had strong qualifications and were eager to learn from the schools in prefectures, states and counties and sent them to the capital. After passing the examination by the Ministry of Rites, they were sent to the Imperial Academy.

Perhaps it was because he was speaking of something that hurt him, Yang Shiqi sighed softly:
"Reporting to the Lord, most of the students selected from the prefecture, state, and county schools are ordinary students from poor families who have been farmers for generations.
My father was an official during his lifetime, and was the Tongzhi of De'an, so naturally he had no chance to be with him. "

Hearing him say this, Lu Yunyi nodded in daze.

The imperial court closed the imperial examination for more than ten years just to wait for the real Ming people to grow up.

Then he participated in it and became a real Ming Dynasty official.

Among them, of course, is to select talented people for positions of power.

However, the imperial court still prefers those poor students with clean backgrounds.
At this time, the Imperial College served as a helping hand for these poor students.

Although Yang Shiqi lived in poverty, his family and ancestors were relatively wealthy.
In the eyes of the court, even if he was a talented person, he could be abandoned.

"Are you going to take part in the imperial examination next year?"

"Your Excellency, I have tried my best to stay in the capital for the imperial examination next year.

Compared to home, there are many like-minded scholars in Beijing.

On weekdays, we can communicate with each other and broaden our horizons, which is of great benefit to the younger generation."

At this point, a strange look flashed across Yang Shiqi's face:
"I dare not deceive you, sir. If you hadn't given me a job,
Maybe within a month, I will have to leave Beijing and return home. "

Lu Yunyi looked relieved:
"In that case, you should stay in this military camp.

The army will give you money every month, and you will teach the soldiers to read and write.

If you have spare time, you can also work as a clerk in the army to broaden your horizons.

What you read are books of sages, but books of sages are meant to be spoken to people, and are of no use in doing things.

The current emperor and the crown prince are both down-to-earth people, and will not listen to your empty talk."

Yang Shiqi's eyes flashed with excitement.

Just this reminder is priceless!
He took a deep breath and bowed:
"Thank you, Lord Lu. I will try my best."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand: "Okay, go back and rest."

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

Yang Shiqi bowed and slowly left the military tent.

After he left, Lu Yunyi held his chin, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Even the best among men have a hard time making it through life, so how can we, the ordinary folks, have a smooth life?

He stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the desk and sat down, ready to take a look at the documents that had been processed today.

He shouted toward the door of the tent:

"Yun Fang, remind me to go home at 2:15 pm."

"Yes!"

As time passed, Lu Yunyi's entire mind gradually immersed in the document.
The world also became quiet, with only the occasional chirping of night birds.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a rustling sound coming from the entrance of the military tent.
Feng Yunfang squeezed in and said hesitantly:
"My Lord, it's time to go home."

"Oh, I see."

Lu Yunyi responded and continued to look at the document in his hand.

After thinking for a long time, he picked up the pen and completed the instructions.

When the pen falls,

An unprecedented sense of relaxation spread in Lu Yunyi's heart. His waist and legs no longer felt sore, and even his mind felt much more alert.

He leaned back in his chair, drank the tea in the cup, looked at Feng Yunfang with interest, and asked:

"Have you bought the jewelry that Bai Ri asked you to buy?"

"Reporting to the Lord, it has been bought."

Feng Yunfang took two quick steps to the cabinet in the military tent.

Take out a jewelry box, put it on the table, and gently open it.
What caught my eye was a golden hairpin inlaid with golden threads.

The dim light of the candlelight flowed slowly on it, like the blood of a golden hairpin, dazzling and moving.

Lu Yunyi looked at the golden hairpin and nodded approvingly:

"How much silver?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the shopkeeper originally wanted to sell it for 100 taels, but after some bargaining, it was only 60 taels."

"Sixty taels?"

Lu Yunyi's eyes suddenly widened, and he even moved closer.
He picked up the golden hairpin; it felt as light as a feather in his hand, and the gold threads and ornaments on it made a rattling sound when he shook it.

The appearance was indeed exquisite, but if it was sold for sixty taels, he still found it a little unacceptable.

Looking at the gesture, Lu Yunyi quickly remembered something.

He began to search through the documents on the table and soon found the floor plan of the store. He unfolded it and saw that the area selling gold and silver jewelry was at the back.

How can this be done?
In his memory, entering a large supermarket,

What catches your eye should be luxury goods and gold jewelry.
It doesn’t necessarily have to sell the best, but it must be in the most conspicuous position, visible to everyone coming and going, and have double exposure.

He took a draft.
The two documents were then stacked together.
I plan to ask Li Zhigang tomorrow and discuss something with him.

After doing all this, Lu Yunyi looked at the gold hairpin in the jewelry box and ordered:
“I’ll buy another one tomorrow morning. Never mind, I’ll buy two, different kinds.

Tomorrow, I will send it to Deng Lingyun and others in the name of Black Hawk. You will go and deliver it in person."

Feng Yunfang looked strange and nodded repeatedly:

"Sir, use the army's money to buy it?"

"Of course I buy it with my own money!"

"But sir, your money is all at home. If you go to take it, it will be recorded in the book."

Lu Yunyi looked confused and blinked his eyes, his expression full of absurdity:

"I still have salary. I will collect it tomorrow."

"Sir, you have just been fined for a year and have no salary."

"I'm sorry."

Lu Yunyi hit his head, and he remembered that there was indeed no salary...
"Take Black Hawk's money!"

"Yes!"

Big workshop Zhangde Street and Deng Mansion.

The night was like thick ink, tightly covering the entire mansion and swallowing up the people there in endless darkness.

The moon was hidden behind the thick clouds, reluctant to shed any light.
Only the occasional night breeze stirs the copper bells under the eaves.

It made a crisp yet somewhat strange sound.

The trees in the courtyard look like monsters with bared fangs and claws.

Their shadows stretched and twisted wildly on the ground, as if they would come alive at any moment.

As the residence of the former Jinyiwei assistant, there were not many servants in the house.
So much so that in the dead of night, the entire huge mansion seemed empty and eerie.

At this moment, the darkness in the corner suddenly changed several times.
It's like something is moving in it!

As the moonlight slowly moved, a ray of moonlight flashed by,
Illuminate the figure hidden within.

Deng Lingyun was wearing a black dress at the moment.
His body was as light as destruction, leaning against the wall as he shuttled silently through the dark night.

She hunched over, looking nervous.

His steps were slow and cautious, his breathing was slightly rapid,

But even so, every time she took a step, her heels would not touch the ground.
Instead, he walked on his toes, like a falling feather, without making any sound!

Soon, she passed through two houses and finally arrived at the study.

Looking at the half-closed door in front of me, my heart beat faster involuntarily and cold sweat broke out on my palms.

But her eyes were extremely firm, revealing a determination to fight to the bitter end.

She took a deep breath and slowly approached the door.
He pressed his ear against the door, listening carefully to the movements inside the house.

After making sure there was nothing unusual in the house, she took out a thin wire from her waist.
Skillfully insert it into the crack of the door, and gently move your fingers.

With a crisp "click" sound, the door lock opened.

A look of joy flashed across Deng Lingyun's eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief.

He pushed the door open carefully and slipped in in a flash.

She glanced quickly around the room.
The room is filled with various bookshelves, tables and chairs, and the air is filled with a faint scent of ink.

When she saw the exquisite wooden box containing documents on the table.

Deng Lingyun's eyes lit up instantly!

She tiptoed quickly to the desk and carefully opened the wooden box.

He took out the fire starter from his bosom and began to examine it carefully.
Suddenly! Light footsteps sounded from outside the window!

Deng Lingyun's movements suddenly stopped, and her heart almost jumped into her throat.

My body tensed up instantly, like a frightened deer.

She quickly put out the fire and squatted beside the desk.

Quietly watching the dim light of lanterns passing by outside,
She knew that they were guards patrolling the mansion.

When the light gradually faded away, Deng Lingyun's breathing calmed down a little, and she began to quickly look through the documents on the desk.

The gaze in her eyes fell on the document, and she memorized it quickly as her sight moved.

Time passed little by little, and documents were opened and recorded one after another.

Deng Lingyun was concentrating the whole time, her eyebrows slightly wrinkled, and her almond-shaped eyes revealed thought and panic!
As she checked, Deng Lingyun discovered that

The Jinyiwei had done so many things that she gradually developed a fear of this government office.

"It turns out that my father has always been in this business. No wonder he is notorious."

Deng Lingyun murmured in her heart,

Soon a document caught her attention and made her eyes focus!
"what is this?"

The document was unremarkable, with no cover or writing on it, but it was pressed at the bottom of the wooden box.

Deng Lingyun carefully took it out and looked through it slowly.
There are only numbers recorded on it.

As she turned the pages, Lingyun's expression began to change, gradually becoming serious.

The number of records on the first page was only a few thousand, but as we went deeper, the number quickly increased to over ten thousand, and the number of recorded locations also increased.

The numbers are rising, the locations are increasing, and Deng Lingyun's heartbeat is also speeding up.

She suddenly understood what this thing was!
This is an account! It is also a trade route!
Starting from Yuezhou Prefecture in Dongting Lake, to Wuchang Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture,

Then it entered Anqing Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture in Southern Zhili, and then went to Chongming and into the sea, without knowing where it was going.

As he traveled around the country, he earned more and more money.
It took only two years to increase the amount from a few thousand taels to the final amount of 130,000 taels.

A rough calculation shows that the amount of silver earned was as much as 1.7 million taels!
Deng Lingyun is a lady from a wealthy family, with a duke in her family.

She naturally knew what kind of business this was!
smuggling!

Only by smuggling overseas can you earn so much money!
"Father is smuggling?"

Deng Lingyun's pupils trembled violently, her movements slowed down, and she even hesitated.

Her eyes turned to the last account on the last page.

In October of the 21st year of Hongwu, it came to an abrupt end in Hezhou.

The 130,000 taels of silver originally recorded on it were also crossed out with a red pen.

There is nothing more to come, the record ends here.

Deng Lingyun looked at the document in confusion. Did the smuggling stop in October last year?

What happened last year? Deng Lingyun can no longer remember, and she doesn’t care.

She continued to look down and saw at the end of the document,
There is a short line of ink, which seems to be the trace left by a hard pen.

Deng Lingyun's heart was pounding and her lips felt dry.

She has also learned several methods on how to check this kind of handwriting.

But she was a little afraid, afraid that this account book belonged to her father, and even more afraid that this account book belonged to the whole family.

As a rich lady, you are born to enjoy honor and have to contribute to the family.

Her current behavior has already betrayed her family.

She didn't know whether she should continue.
I don’t know how long it took, but the desire for knowledge took over.

Something flashed in her eyes, she hesitated and struggled, and finally raised the document above her head fiercely.
Then put the fire stick behind the document and illuminate it one by one. The traces of the characters begin to appear.
But Deng Lingyun could still see the line of small words on it.

For a moment, Deng Lingyun couldn't believe her eyes!
[Prince Lu is sentenced to death, and the Hezhou smuggling case is concluded]
(End of this chapter)