pappabearbooks Chapter 102 Young man, don't be so arrogant
Chapter 102 Young man, don't be so arrogant
Chapter 102 Young man, don't be so arrogant
Taking care of an old man all night was quite tiring. He had to get up at least eight times to check if he'd choked to death on his own vomit. He couldn't afford to gamble; at his age, if he choked for three minutes, he'd probably have lividity by the next morning. Lin Zhou wondered what crime it was to drink the Grand Tutor to death—
The old man didn't wake up until almost noon the next day. He looked at Lin Zhou, who was sleeping on the floor next to him, and couldn't help but laugh. When he got up to wash, he tiptoed around the back and instructed the servants to prepare some food.
He didn't come in until the food was ready and woke Lin Zhou up.
"Headmaster, you can't sleep peacefully. You keep calling out Chunhua, Chunhua. Who is Chunhua?"
'
Sitting at the table, Lin Zhou joked, "Is she some old lady?"
"You rascal," the headmaster shook his head and said, "Chunhua is my son. If we hadn't been separated during the Jingkang era, he would be forty-three now. When I was separated from my wife and children, he was about your age. Now, nineteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I haven't heard from him since."
Lin Zhou remained silent. He suspected the headmaster's son had long since vanished, turned to dust somewhere. No wonder he considered the academy his home; he was a lonely old man.
"Don't be discouraged. There are countless families scattered across the land, from officials to commoners." That's what Chen Shanzhang said, but his tone was full of despondency: "All I ever hoped for in my life was peace in the world. People in chaotic times are worse off than chickens and dogs."
These words were impossible to respond to, because they were all true. War is truly terrifying. Although Wei Zhou didn't have a direct experience of it, the news reports of bombings and attacks on various places were scenes that would really evoke empathy in primates.
"Alright, alright, it's Chinese New Year, let's eat."
"Where's Teacher Li?" Lin Zhou looked towards the door. "Where did he go?"
"He must have gone visiting someone today. His leave is about to end, and he might be reassigned to the Privy Council after the New Year."
"Huh? Does that count as forming cliques?"
"Yes, of course. If he gets reprimanded, you'll be the first to suffer the consequences."
"Huh? What?" Lin Zhou was taken aback and looked up. "It can't be that bad, can it? I sell rare and unusual goods, and my business isn't doing well—"
Looking at Lin Zhou's youthful face, which seemed to be full of carefree innocence, Headmaster Chen smiled kindly and said, "Of course it is. I'll demote you to Qiongzhou and let you eat oysters every day."
"oops----"
Before Lin Zhou could speak, the headmaster interrupted him: "There is no foolproof way to serve in the court. Even if you are adept at navigating social situations, you can still be tainted by the mistakes of others. Do you know that Qin Hui was also a staunch opponent of the Jin dynasty in his early years? In the first year of the Jingkang era, he submitted a memorial requesting resignation because the late emperor ceded territory, leaving behind the statement that his actions were solely focused on ceding territory, which contradicted his initial intentions and betrayed his true heart."
"Then why—oh!" Lin Zhou slapped his thigh: "I know, I also know a similar big traitor, I get it now. That guy even wrote in his younger days, 'I'd rather die a quick death than betray my youthful ideals.'"
"Pingzhi, after the imperial examination, you will enter officialdom. There are too many things in officialdom that are beyond your control; one wrong step and you will be utterly destroyed. Alas—"
Lin Zhou scratched his head: "I think I'm doing alright now."
"That's natural, because you're currently unknown, and who would bother with an unknown person? But once you enter officialdom, there are some things you can no longer hide behind others. I know about your daily life, but have you ever wondered why you're so composed? Do you really think everyone in the world dotes on you?"
"Isn't that right? I'm very likable."
These words made the old man laugh. He waved his hand and said, "You're always hiding behind others. What they fear isn't you, little guy, but the prince of the Jin Kingdom and Qin Hui's henchmen. They don't know your background or how many cards you hold, silly boy."
"Once you enter officialdom, your true colors will be revealed in every aspect. Your status as the son-in-law of the Jin Kingdom may protect you in the short term, but it will also become a reason for others to criticize you. No one in the world can have all the good things in their life. If you are still so carefree, I advise you not to become an official. But if you can't become an official, you can't become the son-in-law of the Jin Kingdom either. The Jin Kingdom values family background even more than our Great Song Dynasty. Even if the Jin prince agrees, their royal family will not agree to you being a commoner. In that case, it will become a point of criticism for them."
The old man put down his chopsticks after eating only a few bites and sat down to patiently teach Lin Zhou. He didn't teach the Four Books and Five Classics but instead analyzed the pros and cons for Lin Zhou. This silly boy was ignorant and naive. If he were to become an official like this, he would surely be played to death. In that case, he would really be someone else's scapegoat and take the blame, and might even cause a big trouble.
"Being an official is such a hassle—but Headmaster, you burned all my answers, what's the point of me being an official?"
"I told you, cheating is not allowed." Headmaster Chen waved his hand: "I will make arrangements for your response in front of the emperor."
I was just giving you a heads-up: once you become an official, you'll be on a completely different path. You need to be extremely careful; one wrong step can lead to many more.
"I know, don't worry, organization." Lin Zhou chuckled. "I'll definitely stay put. Come over to my place later, Grandma Li is starting another book signing this afternoon."
"I'm not going. Seeing too much of this will only annoy me." Headmaster Chen shook his head and said, "Remember, when you go back, think more about how to conduct yourself as an official. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own way of doing things. No one can teach you that."
After returning from the academy, there was nothing particularly new or exciting. Rather than calling Li Qingzhao's book signing event a business transaction, it was more like a grand literary event.
Yesterday was a warm-up, and today people came from all directions to buy it. Although some people did say that the price was too high, the exquisite craftsmanship showed that there was no perfunctory work. Moreover, many people are saying that this is Li Qingzhao's last masterpiece. She did not do it for money, but to leave her life's work in the world.
That's a lifetime's work, it's really not suitable to sell it cheaply. Fifty strings of cash it is.
However, unlike yesterday, when the old lady did everything herself, today she dragged Tang Wan over to help her stamp things while she sat aside and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The young woman worked quickly and efficiently, printing out a book in no time, so the sales speed was particularly fast.
She didn't spare Lu You either, and dragged him inside to do the accounting.
Upon seeing Lin Zhou return, Lu You, amidst his busy schedule, looked up and said, "You seem to have plenty of free time."
"I'm not taking it easy at all." Lin Zhou walked to a pile of paper money, took out a stack, and said, "This is fifty thousand taels, right?"
"Yes, what do you want to do?"
"What else can we do but pay protection money? Do you think we make money for nothing?"
Lu You raised his hand, somewhat reluctantly, and said, "Let me touch it one more time—"
"Alright, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Then, carrying the bundle of paper money, he went straight to Cao Wenda's house. Old Cao, after hearing the servant announce his arrival, hurriedly ran out and was quite surprised to see Lin Zhou: "Brother, what brings you here?"
"Here, it's the dividend." Lin Zhou handed the paper money to Cao Wenda: "Isn't the shop a shareholder of the Prime Minister? Here's 45,000 strings of cash. 40,000 is the Prime Minister's dividend, and 5,000 is tax. I'll trouble Brother Cao to help pay it."
Cao Wenda raised an eyelid, then without saying another word, simply waved his hand: "Go do your work, don't worry about it."
After Lin Zhou left, he went back into the house and unpacked the stack of paper money to count it. He found that it was not 45,000 strings of cash, but clearly 50,000 strings.
At that moment, Cao Wenda understood everything, but he didn't say anything or even think much about it. He silently kept the five thousand strings of cash and then divided the remaining money into two parts.
He was extremely efficient in his work and handled tax matters with ease. He completed the task in no time and then separately added the 40,000 strings of cash to the Prime Minister's account.
Instead of speaking directly to Qin Hui, he had someone deliver the account book to the Prime Minister's residence, since it was the time to audit the accounts after the New Year. However, he played a trick here, only recording the income of 40,000 without specifying the source of the account.
As expected, he was summoned by Qin Hui and scolded by him alone in the evening. There were many people who had to report to Qin Hui, and he couldn't possibly remember the amount of money for each one, but he could remember the mistakes. After all, this was not just a simple matter of money transactions; it also carried the life and fortune of Prime Minister Qin.
After being berated by Qin Hui, Cao Wenda said with a mournful face, "Prime Minister, I deserve to die. I was in such a hurry to remember this debt that I didn't notice it for a moment—"
"A payment was only received today? Weren't the accounts all sealed? How come there's still a payment coming in today? Where would there have been any payments during the New Year?"
"The Prime Minister is like this—"
Cao Wenda, standing to the side, told Qin Hui about how Lin Zhou and Li Qingzhao had done business together and made a total of 100,000 strings of cash.
"She still wants another 30%, but she's always been this greedy; my wife has lost quite a bit to her." Qin Hui sighed, "Don't forget to tell that scoundrel to pay the taxes."
"It's done, it's done. It was my subordinate who did it for him."
Qin Hui nodded, his expression relaxing slightly: "How much did he give you as a tribute?"
"The Prime Minister is indeed very perceptive—he gave his subordinates five thousand strings of cash."
"Take it." Qin Hui flicked his sleeve. "You've worked hard all year round. Hey? Does that mean he kept around 20,000 of the 100,000 strings of cash for himself? You're quite the capable one."
"That kid is shrewd, but he's also thoughtful enough to put the large portion on the Prime Minister's tab. I must say the Prime Minister has a keen eye; if he had listened to my blind words back then, he probably would have really missed out on this money tree."
"Hahahaha—" Qin Hui's mood instantly improved after being praised like that, and his tone was no longer as stern as before: "Remember, no matter how urgent the next time, the accounts cannot be wrong. Go and do your work."
No matter what mistakes were made, as long as the money arrived, there was nothing wrong with it. Although Qin Hui didn't care much about the tens of thousands of strings of cash, he had been in debt in many places over the past year. On the contrary, he saw a return on his investment in the hands of the boy he had picked up before the new year, which naturally improved his mood.
"Wait a minute, pick two suitable items and say they are a reward for his hard work, so that he can continue to work hard next year."