Survive in the world of Red Mansions

Lin Hai gave Lin Rui an order, and left the study by himself.Lin Hai brought Lin An to the front hall, and saw Lin Yuan calling a palace eunuch to drink tea.

Seeing Lin Hai approaching, the palace inspector stood up and greeted Lin Hai, "Our family has seen Mr. Lin, the inspector of Yan and Huaihe Rivers."

Although these male servants in the palace are looked down upon by many people, generally no one dares to offend them, especially those who serve the emperor.Lin Hai recognized the eunuch who came to pass the decree today. Lin Ruhai met him when he met the saint, the powerful chief eunuch Lu Wang next to Emperor Kang Wen, and Chief Lu.

Lin Hai hurriedly took a step, and hurriedly replied:

"Director Lu, why do you have to come here in person today? Thank you for your hard work."

"Doesn't our family have time here? It's Long Live Master Xuan Lin coming to the palace to see you."

"Thank you, Director Lu. I'm wearing casual clothes in the mansion. Please wait a moment, Director Lu. I came here in a hurry and didn't change my clothes. I will enter the palace with Director Lu later."

Before Lin Hai left, he signaled to Lin Yuan. After Lin Hai left, Lin Yuan handed Lu Wang a purse when he was waiting for another cup of tea for Lu Wang.Lu Wang squeezed the light purse in his hand, and knew that it contained bank notes, and the smile on his face involuntarily increased.

Lu Wang doesn't have any other hobbies, except that he loves money a little bit. The old emperor also knows about his little hobbies, but he knows that this person has a sense of proportion in his work and a strict mouth, and he never thinks of it for the sake of money. If you spread the things that shouldn't be spread, you will pretend that you didn't see it.

It has almost become the rule for these palace servants to preach the decree outside and collect some money, as long as it is not excessive.An eunuch like Lu Wang, who can be the head of the emperor's side, knows who can accept gifts and who can never accept rewards.

Lin Ruhai, as the emperor's confidant minister, this time, the emperor gave Lin Ruhai face, not everyone will meet the emperor after handing over the booklet.A few days ago, when Lin Ruhai hadn't entered Beijing, the emperor took the initiative to ask if Lin Ruhai had already entered Beijing. That's why Lin Ruhai's brochure was handed over yesterday, and today the emperor arranged for this summoning.

Lin Hai quickly changed into his official uniforms. Officials like them can’t bring people with them when they enter the palace. If they want to reward others, they have to come by themselves, so they asked Lin An to prepare some purses of different sizes and values ​​for use. Fang followed the servant Lu Wang goes to the palace.

Lin Hai and Lu Wang came to the Xihua Gate of the Imperial Palace together, dismounted from the sedan chair beside the stele, and followed Lu Wang into the Forbidden City.

People who came from modern times have a free and slow temperament in their bones. Even if they have to act according to the rules of these ancient people because they came to this ancient society, it is difficult to develop a sense of respect and fear for imperial power.

Lin Hai has also entered the remaining Forbidden City in modern times, because the commercial atmosphere is too strong, giving people the feeling that it is a place that can be visited at any time.Even with Lin Ruhai’s memory, he didn’t have any special feelings about the imperial palace, but when Lin Hai walked into the imperial palace himself, seeing these carved beams and painted buildings, cornices, brackets, and palaces with red bricks and blue tiles, he still felt that the entire Forbidden City brought a lot to him. Your own sense of historical weight and oppression has nothing to do with you at this moment, it is a real coercion brought to you by the supreme imperial power.

When they came to Qianqing Palace, Lu Wang entered the palace alone, Lin Hai stopped and stood outside, waiting for Emperor Kangwen's call.Lin Hai stood outside, with his head slightly lowered, thinking about how to deal with the emperor later.In his memory, the last time Lin Ruhai saw Emperor Kangwen was the year before Lin Hai came here, when Lin Ruhai returned to Beijing to report on his duties.

In my memory, Emperor Kangwen was still a majestic middle-aged man. I heard that Emperor Kangwen had aged a lot because of the forced palace incident years ago. I don’t know what kind of emperor he is seeing with his own eyes now?Thinking of seeing the country's top leader with his own eyes soon, he was slightly excited.In fact, it's not just Lin Hai. In modern society, most people will be excited if they see the President of the country up close.

Lin Hai waited outside for a while, when he saw a middle-aged man whom he didn't know walking out of the Qianqing Palace. It seemed that the emperor was busy just now.Then Lu Wang came out and said to Lin Hai: "Master Lin, Lord Long Live is waiting inside, please!"

"Thank you, Manager Lu!"

Lin Hai lowered his head slightly and followed Lu Wang into the Qianqing Palace and into the hall. Although he was a little curious about the place where the emperor worked, Lin Hai didn't look up and look around.After walking twenty steps with Lu Wang, I heard Lu Wang say,

"Master, Master Lin is here!"

Lin Hai took a step forward and knelt down to salute, "My minister, Lin Ruhai, inspector of Yan and Huaihe Rivers, kowtows to Your Majesty, Your Majesty is blessed and safe!"

As soon as he knelt down, he heard a slightly old but majestic deep voice from above,

"Lin Aiqing, please get up! Lu Wang, give Lin Aiqing a seat to watch tea!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

While sitting down, Lin Hai raised his head to look at the old emperor, and saw Emperor Kangwen sitting behind the imperial case, with gray hair, an old face, and a bright yellow emperor's uniform. This bright color contrasted the old emperor's twilight , but even so, Lin Hai still felt a kind of coercion when he looked over with his eyes. This is the majestic look unique to a man who has stood at the top of the country and held power for many years.

It seems that the princes' struggle for power in the past few years, the forced palace a few years ago, was a big blow to this old emperor who was nearly [-] years old, and the old emperor's health was indeed worrying.

Although Lin Hai is not as full of awe of the imperial power as the ancients who actually lived here, he was still a little excited when he saw Emperor Kangwen. Just like his son said, he finally saw the real emperor, not the one shown on TV before. ah.

When Emperor Kangwen saw Lin Hai looking up, he looked at him a little excitedly. The old emperor thought it was Lin Ruhai, a courtier. He hadn't seen his immediate boss for many years, and now he finally saw him, so he was excited. If he knew that Lin Hai was only because he saw The real emperor has nothing to do with him, what do you think?But this kind of wonderful misunderstanding is also a good thing for Lin Hai, right? !

When Emperor Kangwen saw Lin Hai like this, he couldn't help but become more gentle.Seeing this, Lu Wang next to him couldn't help sighing. No wonder he said that Mr. Lin is the emperor's confidant. It seems that he was right. He has such an attitude towards his courtiers, which is rare in normal times!

"Ruhai, the last time I saw you was five or six years ago, right?"

Emperor Kangwen stopped after saying a word, and Lin Hai could only continue to say, "Return to Your Majesty, do you still remember that the last time I saw you was five years ago, when I returned to Beijing to report on my work, I was honored to be summoned by Your Majesty!"

"Ruhai, don't be too nervous, today is just a casual chat!"

Lin Hai thought to himself, I wasn't nervous at first, but if I really dared to be casual with you, would you be happy? !

"At the end of last year, I went to Zhenjiang Mansion on business. When I returned, I heard that I was injured. How are you doing now?"

"Return to Your Majesty, the injury was not serious at the time, the wound has long since healed, and now it is all healed!"

Lin Hai was injured for the first time, and now the emperor asked him personally, Lin Hai only said lightly, the emperor knew about his injury a long time ago, when he was seriously injured and fell into a coma, the guards sent by the emperor were afraid that something might happen, so they would never say lightly .But after such a long time, Emperor Kang Wen came to ask again, so there was no need to speak too seriously.

"That's good! The Yanzheng in the south of the Yangtze River wants Aiqing to continue to worry about it!"

Well, before I even asked to resign, the old emperor blocked a road first, and I don't know what the fourth prince will think about it?

"I heard that you came to Beijing this time and brought your son with you?"

"Yes, the child is still young and rather stubborn. Knowing that I am going to Beijing this time, I also want to come out to see the world, so I let him come with me."

"Oh, it was good when I was young!" The old emperor sighed when he heard this, wondering if he was thinking of his sons, so he didn't continue the topic just now.

Emperor Kangwen was really not in good spirits, and after asking some questions about the Yanzheng, he felt exhausted, and after about half an hour, he asked Lin Hai to retreat.

Lin Hai didn't really breathe a sigh of relief until he exited the Qianqing Palace and was led out of the Xihua Gate by the little servant, leaving the majestic Forbidden City.

Lin Yuan led Lin An and the others to wait outside. When he saw Lin Hai coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward to wait on Lin Hai's sedan chair.Lin Hai sat relaxed in the sedan chair, thinking about the situation when he just met the old emperor.

A man who has been in power for many years now has to let go of the power in his hand due to physical reasons. This is indeed a very big blow to him.Now when the old emperor summoned him, he personally asked about the affairs of the salt government. It can be seen that although the old emperor had to abdicate due to physical reasons, he did not want to let go of the power in his hands.

As the next successor to the throne, the fourth prince, judging from his forbearance for so many years, he will not be a puppet willing to show up, and there will inevitably be another battle!

Ugh……

As soon as Lin Hai returned to the Lin Mansion, he went straight to the study and saw Lin Rui standing by the wall writing big characters with his wrists hanging.Lin Hai stood behind his son without making a sound. Seeing the big characters written on the wall, he knew that Lin Rui's task for today was almost completed.Although the first-hand Guange style has lost a little bit of strength due to age, the handwriting is delicate and smooth, which is not bad so far.

Lin Rui himself doesn't like the Guange style font, and thinks it has no personality at all. He prefers cursive, but there is no way to take the imperial examination.During the scientific examination, everyone basically used this type of font. It is obviously not a good idea for you to be unconventional. Therefore, Lin Rui usually writes both cursive and pavilion styles. Be sure to let yourself use these two types of fonts. All written.

"Today's big characters are finally finished. Dad, you are back!"

Lin Rui put away the brush in his hand, and shouted happily when he saw Lin Hai standing behind him.

"I saw the emperor himself today, how do you feel? Does it look like the emperor on TV?"

"Does it look like it? You have also seen a lot of officials here. Do you think it looks like the ones shown on TV? Also, you have also seen ordinary people here, so many servants in our mansion , do you feel the same as you thought before?"

Lin Hai didn't answer Lin Rui's question directly, but asked Lin Rui in turn.Lin Rui thought for a while, then shook his head.

"In modern times, we all think that those who are servants of wealthy families should be very pitiful. They must be beaten or scolded on weekdays. No matter how difficult it is for ordinary people, they should not go to other people's homes as servants.

But now looking at the servants of the Lin family, they have lived in the Lin family for generations, taking care of weddings, funerals, birth, old age, sickness and death. Their life is not much worse than ordinary people outside, and even better than those ordinary people Most of them are happy to have such a life, and they don't want to change it. "

"Also, these ancient officials on TV and movies are too facial. You don't need to watch corrupt officials and honest officials. You can almost guess it by just seeing each other. There seem to be many others. Dad, I said After so much, tell me about how you met the emperor today!"

Seeing what his son said, Lin Hai stopped teasing him.

"Wearing bright yellow clothes, he is in his sixties, probably because he has been hit too hard and looks older, but the old emperor's eyes are very penetrating. To be honest, I look a little I didn't dare to look directly. I just stayed for half an hour, talked about work, and didn't say anything else. The old emperor even mentioned you.

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I have two free days. Not only will I go to Yao’s and Jia’s, but I will also visit Mr. Lin Ruhai’s back then, and you will also go together.Other friends of the same year may not have time to come to the door in person this time, but the prepared gifts still have to be given. "

Lin Hai told Lin Rui about the subsequent arrangements.

"Oh, no wonder we brought so many things this time, won't the emperor be taboo about giving gifts like this?" Lin Rui asked a little worried.

"Don't worry, in addition to the ink I made by myself, there are also some paper, pens, and inkstones. The price is not high, and some Jiangnan specialties are not of high value. It's just a meaning."

Lin Hai asked Lin Yuan to find him, handed over the three posters and said to Lin Yuan, "You should send these three posters in person this afternoon, other posters can be arranged for other people, and those gifts need to be prepared good."

Lin Yuan took it, bowed and replied, "Yes, master!"

After Lin Yuan went out, Lin Rui asked Lin Hai, "Father, shall we go to Rongguo Mansion first tomorrow?"

"No, go to Yao's house first, Mrs. Lin's natal family!"