Lin Ming felt slightly relieved to hear his wife's warm words of comfort. However, she can't let her know about this - although my wife can be said to be capable and capable, she is just a woman after all. After knowing the truth, apart from being as worried as myself, what other tips can I have? Moreover, she is not as good as the concubines - she is also from the Jinyiwei family, and she may be even more worried when she knows this.
He had no choice but to 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 eyebrows did not diminish, she knew that this advice was not on point, and she was secretly suspicious in her heart. But she didn't know how to stir up the conversation again, when she heard Lin Ming suddenly ask:
"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 chamber, 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'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 kept passing by. They even got a group of bandit-like volunteers. Before the thieves came, they made the place full of chaos..."
The public in Foshan Town were left with the impression that the Kun clamor had occurred except for the government's apportionment of food and wages. It was Chaozhou Yong and Danhu Shuiyong who "assisted in the defense" to extort war expenses and wait for opportunities to rob merchants. As for the long face and short face, I have no impression at all. The Kun thieves went straight to Guangzhou, although the front was once close to Foshan. But it didn't cross the border. I heard that in the end, they extorted a city redemption fee - naturally, this kind of thing does not happen to Lin Baihu's family.
"...But then the Kun thief left, and I heard that the place became a lot quieter. It is said that the Kun thief 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, 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. Big. Money is flowing like water. Now the government doesn't care. Why do you want to 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 bandits want to kill people to establish their authority..."
"If there's a fight, let's hide. After all, I'm just a small household. Do they still value my head?"
"Hey, this is the only way. At worst, I just don't work as 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 Children. They are all lovely, and they will be wasted in vain by making war..."
Lin Ming was certain in his mind that he was fully aware of the lady's attitude. As long as she doesn'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 has never done anything wrong - ―I'm afraid that the scoundrels will take the opportunity to cause trouble. There is no city wall in Foshan Town..."
"Don't be busy for now, let's wait and see what the situation is." 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 this morning, he came to his familiar teahouse as usual. First drink a few sips of tea to wake up, and then have a few plates of snacks to satisfy your empty stomach. Then go to the yamen to order a mao, and the day that starts over and over again officially begins.
his desk. As usual, it was kept in the teahouse. No instructions were needed. As soon as he sat down, Dr. Tea brought the tea set and dreg bucket - these were for his own use and were stored in the teahouse. Lin Ming slowly picked up the teapot and washed the tea sets, bowls and chopsticks one by one. Only then did Dr. Tea bring 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 communication secret message from the Foreign Intelligence Service!
So fast! he thought to himself. After Lin Ming formally surrendered, his establishment was transferred to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. Li Yan is responsible for the specific application. Li Yan had a conversation with him. Although there was no formal task assigned to him, he knew that if he was to be used, it would not be an ordinary matter: with the current power of the Australians, if they wanted to inquire about something around Guangzhou, there was no need to go out on their own. There are a lot of people who are greedy for money and are ready to betray their masters at any time.
Now he was no longer interested in drinking tea. He ate breakfast in a hurry, went to the institute and met his "instructor" as Li Yan had agreed with him in advance.
Lin Ming had no idea what an "instructor" was. I saw that the other party had a slightly chubby face, was wearing a Shandong cocoon silk dress, and looked like a not very proud small businessman.
"See you, my lord..." Lin Ming looked like he was surrendering in fear. In order not to give a bad impression to the "Shangguan", I would have taken eye drops when I went back and it would have been miserable - that would have made the two people 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'm telling you not to be so official. Okay, I'll tell you the truth."
"Yes! Please give me your instructions." 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 for my humble position without hesitation."
"Okay, okay," the "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. "Don't be polite. This mission is of great importance and is related to the fate 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 words was obviously no small matter. Could it be that he wanted to open the gates of Guangzhou himself and welcome the Australian army into the city? It seems that it is not his turn to do this. As long as Australians are willing to pay, there are not just one or two people who want to do this. Besides, the Australians have their own secrets in the city of Guangzhou, and there is a big world outside the city. Going to Guangzhou is just a matter of digging around.
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 the task. "After contacting them, you will be under the command of the person coming. You must obey the other person 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 quickly reminded himself not to panic, this was a good opportunity for him to make a contribution, and said, "But this will require me to go out for a long time, and I have to take a leave of absence at the Hundred Household Office for my humble job."
"You can make your own arrangements. What do you have to say?"
"Boss 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 Beizhi took them there, they would be afraid of 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 everything, 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)
