"Haha." Lin Shuhan laughed dryly and said, "Lord Qiu probably only knows one side of the emperor's mindset, not the other!"
Qiu Yizi was stunned when he heard this, and thought: As for the emperor's thoughts, in this world, except for a few close relatives and Mr. Zhongli, there is probably no one more familiar with him than me - isn't what Lin Shuhan said a little too frivolously
However, he was in need of help, so it was inconvenient to refute him directly. He just smiled and said, "I have been with the emperor for nearly ten years. Although I dare not speculate on the emperor's thoughts, I know a little bit. I wonder where you got the idea of 'only knowing one thing and not the other' from?"
After three rounds of drinking, Lin Shuhan was already a little tipsy. He raised his glass to the moon rising gradually from the east and said half to himself: "I, Lin Shuhan, have been learning the art of slaying dragons since I was a child. I thought I would waste my life in vain, but I didn't expect that I would actually be able to use it! Good! Then today I will show my skills and let the world know that I, 'Mr. Bansong', am not just a name for nothing!"
After that, Lin Shuhan drank the wine in the cup and said with a heroic spirit: "Your Majesty is thinking of the word 'stable' now, but behind this word 'stable' there is also a word 'change'! Please forgive my arrogance, my lord, the two emperors Shenzong and Muzong of the Han Dynasty were both mediocre and cowardly. The Han Dynasty has been in their hands for forty-four years, and it is already terminally ill. It has reached the point where drastic reforms are necessary. The current emperor is a great leader, and there are many talented and knowledgeable advisers around him. How can he not see this little drawback?"
Lin Shuhan was feeling hot from drinking so much wine that he stood up and paced around, saying, "However, the emperor did not come to power legitimately. He has only been on the throne for a few months, so his foundation is still unstable. If he were to clean up the bureaucracy without any reason at this time, it would surely discourage the scholars and officials of the world, and he would be uncomfortable as an emperor."
"Sir, what you mean is that the emperor does not want to rectify the administration of officials, but he lacks a legitimate reason to stir up the officialdom?" Qiu Yizi understood somewhat what Lin Shuhan meant.
Hearing this, Lin Shuhan nodded happily and praised: "Your Excellency is indeed a smart and talented man. No wonder you can help the emperor achieve great success!"
So Qiu Yizhi continued, "In other words, Mr. Lin wants me to report the details of the 'Thirteen Lives Case' to the Emperor, so that the Emperor can use this as an excuse to clean up this dirty corner of the Jiangnan officialdom?"
Lin Shuhan said with a gratified smile: "Ah! Talking with a bosom friend is like drinking fine wine! I really wish I had known you ten years earlier!"
He changed the subject and said, "In addition to rectifying the administration of officials, the emperor has another purpose in handling this case. I wonder if Lord Qiu has thought of it?"
Qiu Yizi was also a smart person, but he couldn't guess the true meaning of Lin Shuhan's words, so he said, "Please give me some advice, sir!"
"Your Majesty was once the King of Youyan, and he led the army to resist the Turks for a long time. He has great influence in the north of the Han Dynasty, but rarely intervenes in the south. Even in the Jiangnan scholars and officials, not everyone is convinced of your campaign to suppress the rebellion. What's more, there is a King of Lingnan who also leads the army further south of Jiangnan Road. Jiangnan Road is not only a barrier to isolate the King of Lingnan, but also an important place for taxation in the world. If your Majesty does not come here thoroughly, how can he sit on the throne with peace of mind?"
It is true.
Lingnan King Zheng Gui was a thorn in the eyes of Emperor Zheng Rong, but this thorn was too far away for him to reach, let alone remove. Therefore, after Zheng Rong captured Luoyang, he immediately sent two of his trusted generals, Cui Nan and Wei Hu, to march south in two groups, just to scare his brother who held a large number of troops.
Qiu Yizi knew about this matter, but he did not expect that a dissolute scholar like Lin Shuhan could deduce such a situation just by guessing. He could not help but admire him even more and continued to listen quietly.
Lin Shuhan became more and more excited as he spoke, and he kept talking: "In my opinion, the emperor is actually looking forward to it, hoping that something will happen in the Jiangnan officialdom, so that he can take this opportunity to remove a group of old officials and replace them with his confidants! If Lord Qiu can report this matter to the emperor, this achievement will probably be no less than the campaign to suppress the rebellion!"
Qiu Yizi actually guessed some of Lin Shuhan's meaning, but not as thoroughly as "Mr. Bansong" could explain it, which was truly enlightening.
So Qiu Yizhi said with admiration: "Mr. Lin's insights are really insightful and refreshing. Please tell me what I should do next."
Lin Shuhan was already half drunk, and didn't care about the etiquette. He spoke as if he was teaching a student: "First, we must keep the captured criminals under strict supervision."
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "I have detained all these people in the county jail and assigned someone to guard them."
"That's not enough!" Lin Shuhan said, "The Taoist nun in the 'Liaochen Palace' and Li Shenshi must be guarded by your trusted confidants, and no one else is allowed to have contact with them. In addition, a clear order must be issued that no one is allowed to bring the prisoners out without your order, not even the Jade Emperor can do that!"
Seeing that he was serious, Qiu Yizi also answered seriously: "When I took office, I was accompanied by 18 bandit soldiers who I personally recruited from Yunmeng Mountain. They are all trustworthy people and can be used. I think it is late today, so I will send my subordinate Wang Laowu to deliver the message tomorrow. He is a fast runner and can arrive at noon that day if he sets out early in the morning."
Lin Shuhan said, "That's perfect. My Lord, please don't underestimate this matter. Miaozhen and Li Shenshi are both people who should not be underestimated. When facing death, they are bound to do something desperate. If they collude with someone outside and change their testimony at the last minute, then this case will never be solved no matter how hard you try!"
Lin Shuhan added: "The second thing is to ask you to go to the capital in person and report the case to the emperor, and present the significance of handling this case to the emperor in person."
Qiu Yizhi glanced at Lin Shuhan and said, "I'm afraid this is a bit inappropriate. I just took over the position of county magistrate, and I left my post without permission. Wouldn't this give my enemies an excuse to impeach me?"
"Hahahaha!" Lin Shuhan suddenly burst into laughter. After laughing for a long time, he said, "Doesn't Lord Qiu have any excuse to accuse others if he doesn't leave Jinling?"
Qiu Yizhi was puzzled and said, "I think I stand upright and walk straight, so why should I be flattered by others?"
"Your Excellency went in and out of a brothel in the afternoon, which was damaging to the reputation of the court. Is it worth impeaching?" Lin Shuhan asked with a smile.
"I had to take refuge in 'Jiangyun Tower' temporarily in order to save Miss Wu!" Qiu Yizi explained hastily.
"Humph!" Lin Shuhan sneered, "The truth is not important. As long as any official submits the impeachment document to the governor Yin Chengliang, he can immediately use it as an excuse to temporarily detain you and delay the case for a year or two. As for the truth, by the time you find out, the case on your hands will have been ruined!"
Qiu Yizi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat when he heard this. He rubbed his hands and said, "A Jiangnan official can really do such a thing! Fortunately, you reminded me, otherwise I would have lost my reputation and I wouldn't be able to explain myself to the emperor."
Lin Shuhan nodded and said, "Your Excellency's intention of going there is indeed to avoid disaster, but the more important thing is to present the pros and cons of the matter to the emperor. I have said just now that if you want to clean up the Jiangnan officialdom, you must have someone like your Excellency! You must know that there are countless officials from Jiangnan around the emperor. If an ordinary memorial submitted by an ordinary person is not delivered to the emperor, it will be withheld. Even if the emperor wants to make a big fuss about this, there will inevitably be opposition voices around him. I am afraid that by then the emperor's mind will change again, and things will be difficult to succeed!"
Qiu Yizhi listened to Lin Shuhan quietly for a long time before he heaving a sigh of relief and saying, "The ancients often said, 'Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years.' I always thought it was just a polite greeting, but today I really felt the meaning of it!"
"I dare not. I have only read a few books and know some armchair theories." Lin Shuhan's modesty actually sounded quite arrogant.
If others heard this, they would inevitably feel that he was a little arrogant. However, Qiu Yi was a person who did not stick to common sense. Instead, she felt that Lin Shuhan was a man of great talent and temperament, and was much better than those corrupt scholars who only knew how to mechanically quote the quotations of sages.
So he secretly felt a sense of admiration in his heart, and thought that since he had just entered the officialdom, he would not be able to do anything without someone who could give him advice and suggestions. Why not keep him by his side
Therefore, Qiu Yizi tentatively said: "I once led troops to fight under the emperor, and I often boasted of my resourcefulness, but I didn't expect that there were undercurrents in the officialdom, and one could be doomed if one was not careful. If it weren't for the guidance of an expert like Mr. Lin, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to serve as an official in Jiangnan for a day!"
Lin Shuhan waved his hands, a little drunk, and said, "Your Excellency would be my great benefactor if you could help me get rid of my status as a slave. My little conspiracy is not worth mentioning."
So Qiu Yizhi said, "It would be great if you could be by my side so I can consult you at any time!"
Lin Shuhan was drunk and could not understand the meaning of Qiu Yi's words. He answered casually, "I live here. If you have any questions, just come and ask me. No matter how arrogant I am, I will not turn you away!"
It turned out that Lin Shuhan's calligraphy and painting were very famous in Jiangnan. I don't know how many people were eager to come to him to ask for a piece of paper. If he was in a good mood, he would pick up one or two pieces from the discarded drafts and give them to them; if he was in a bad mood, he would not even see him. Therefore, in his opinion, being able to meet Qiu Yizi anytime and anywhere was already a great honor.
Qiu Yizhi was originally a proud person, but he did not expect that the "Mr. Bansong" in front of him was more than ten times more arrogant than himself. However, he was eager to recruit talents, so he had to be thick-skinned and said, "What I want to ask is whether you can leave here temporarily and live in Shanyin County, so that I can always admire your demeanor..."
"Hahaha! So that's how it is. It turns out that the master wants me to go to your county to be a legal advisor!" Lin Shuhan suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.
Qiu Yizi hurriedly said, "How dare I? Even if I give up my position as county magistrate to you, I'm afraid it would be unfair to you, let alone a guest of the staff." He suddenly had an idea and said, "What I mean is that you and I are of the same mind, why don't we become sworn brothers? It will be a good story hundreds or thousands of years later."
Lin Shuhan was stunned when he heard this, and he seemed to sober up a little. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm afraid this is not appropriate. After all, you are the adopted son of the current emperor, and you are brothers with the princes. If I become sworn brothers with you, wouldn't it be a violation of the royal rules? If I am convicted of disrespect, not only me, but also the more than one hundred people in my Lin family can't bear it!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "It's okay. There are precedents for this, and the emperor has a special favor for this. The one who is sworn brother to me is just my brother, and has nothing to do with my brothers." He pointed at Yuchi Jiming and said, "Look, the father of this Miss Yuchi is the leader in the martial arts world, and he is my sworn brother!" (To be continued)