The next day, I reported to the yamen. As soon as I entered, the place was filled with smoke and foul smells. The officials in the yamen were staggering around, gathered in groups of three or five, some chatting, some gambling, and some drinking and playing finger-guessing games. How could this be a place for work? Li Yaonan frowned slightly.
"Hey! Someone is coming." A man saw him and touched his colleague on the side.
"Stop bothering me." The man slapped him and stared at the dice on the table. He was gambling so enthusiastically at the moment that he had no mood to care about other things.
Some people also looked up at Li Yaonan, but then ignored him and continued to do what they were doing, drinking, eating meat and playing dice.
Li Yaonan frowned. If this was the so-called government office, he thought he really couldn't stay there.
"Are you Lord Li?" The man hesitated a little, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
Li Yaonan looked at him calmly: "Where is the person in charge of the government office?"
"Oh." The man pointed to a house not far away and said, "Today is the governor's concubine's birthday, and several adults went to congratulate her. Before leaving, they told me that if Lord Li comes, I should go."
Li Yaonan was so angry that he laughed. He didn't expect that the governor could be smart sometimes. As the saying goes, the law cannot hold everyone responsible. He was treated coldly today and it seemed that he had no choice but to swallow his anger. If he told others about such an audacious government office, who would believe him? He was afraid that his dignity would be destroyed first.
"Okay, I got it." Li Yaonan waved his hand, glanced at him, and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Zhao Da. I started working in the government office when I was eighteen years old. It has been twelve years now." Zhao Da said proudly, very proud of his identity.
Li Yaonan remained calm and ordered, "Go and open the door."
"Yes!" Zhao Da was very efficient. He took him to the door, took a few steps forward, opened the door first, and then invited him in.
Li Yaonan glanced around. There was nothing in the room except a table and chairs. It was indeed an office. There was not even a piece of paper. Compared with the Hanlin Academy, Li Yaonan felt that it was nothing. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you usually act like this?"
Zhao Da touched his head and said with a smile: "No, the adults are not here today, so we can relax."
Li Yaonan nodded: "Why didn't you go gambling?"
Zhao Da smiled awkwardly, rubbing his palms, and looked a little envious: "My money is tight these days, so I don't dare to play big with them."
Li Yaonan raised his lips and said, "Yes, small gambling can make you happy, but big gambling can hurt your body. It's good that you are like this."
Zhao Da was flattered. He had imagined a show of authority, a scolding, and Lord Li's rage. He had already prepared himself. At worst he would just be given a beating. The boss had already said that he would give him five taels of silver.
Li Yaonan looked outside from afar, and he knew clearly in his heart that what happened today was obviously intentional. No matter how he dealt with it, it would be difficult. If he punished, beat, or endured it, he would probably have a hard time staying in the government office. Zhao Da made it very clear that he had been in the government office for twelve years. Since ancient times, it was easy for the King of Hell to deal with the little ghosts, and he was reminding himself to weigh his actions carefully.
Li Yaonan smiled playfully. He accepted the difficult question. From the beginning of the questioning, he didn't believe that Zhao Da was really honest. If someone else had a bad temper, he wouldn't know how to get angry when he saw this scene. If he punished the man, who would help him in the future? If he didn't punish him, where would his dignity be
"How big are they playing?" Li Yaonan was in high spirits. He hadn't played dice for a long time and his hands were itching. As a second-generation rich man, in his previous life, apart from drugs, Li Yaonan dared to say that he was proficient in everything from eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.
Zhao Da was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't understand what Lord Li meant, he still replied with a smile: "At least one or two taels of silver as a base bet."
Li Yaonan walked over slowly, looking carefree, a typical playboy, not even a bit like an official, and said with a smile: "I want to play too."
Zhao Da felt that this rhythm was not right, so he hurried over and saw Lord Li took out ten taels of silver and threw it on the table without even looking at it: "Bet on small."
The people around were stunned, and then there was a burst of ecstasy. That was ten taels of silver. Who cared who was standing next to them? Anyway, their superiors told them to give the new official a warning.
"I'm betting on big." Someone hurriedly took out money and slammed it on the table.
"I'm the banker." Another person was calm and composed, holding the dice without any panic.
"I'll bet big, too."
"I'll bet on the small one."
Seven or eight people took out their money and placed their bets, their eyes concentrating intently, their eyes red with gambling excitement.
Li Yaonan looked at them carefully. The man who was the banker was obviously better dressed and had a larger amount of silver in front of him. Except for the lucky few, most of the others had small change. Li Yaonan had a clue in his mind that the banker must be their leader, and maybe he had some kind of relationship with someone in the government.
The dealer started to shake the dice, and as the dice clock shook, everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Big, big, big..."
"Open it big, it must be big."
"Small, small, small, it must be small..."
"It's open, it's open."
"Four, five, six - big!" The winner was beaming with joy and quickly grabbed the silver in front of him. At this moment, he didn't even remember who Lord Li was. The joy of victory made him dizzy and he shouted at Li Yaonan, "Do you still want to play?"
"Play, why not play?" Li Yaonan put another ten taels of silver in.
After losing three games in a row, people around him looked at him like a fool, just as a fat sheep to be slaughtered. A few people drinking and chatting nearby also came to join in the fun. Such a rare opportunity to win money, how could they let it go? Originally there were only nine people at the table, but in a short while, the number increased to eighteen.
Li Yaonan lost six more games and didn't have much money on him, so he simply took out some silver bills. One by one, hundreds of taels of silver bills appeared in front of everyone. Everyone swallowed their saliva and wished they could take all of them for themselves.
Li Yaonan took out one and threw it on the table with an extremely casual attitude, as if he was throwing away a piece of waste paper.
The people around had red eyes and gambled even more excitedly. Li Yaonan looked at them calmly. They were not officials from the yamen at all, but crazy gamblers.
"I bet on big." Li Yaonan touched the dice casually, his eyes becoming deep.
"I'll bet on the small one."
"I'll bet small, too."
"I'll bet small, too."
"I... press big."
Li Yaonan chuckled softly. They all thought of him as a fat sheep. As someone who often hangs out in casinos, he knew the minds of gamblers very well. How could they take the bait if he didn't give them some sweet treats
"It's open, it's open."
"Four, five, six—big."
"how so."
"My stake is all in it."
Li Yaonan looked at them with a smile: "Are you coming?"
"Come."
"Come."
How could those who are crazy about gambling not come up with these two words, especially since they have already tasted the sweetness.
After losing two more rounds, someone ran out of money. Li Yaonan felt sorry for him and asked with concern, "Do you want me to lend you some money? Just write an IOU."
"Thank you, Lord Li." At this time the man spoke very respectfully. He remembered who the person in front of him was, and he was just as generous in lending money.
Li Yaonan was very generous. He would give money to anyone who wanted to borrow it as long as they wrote a note and put their fingerprints on it, and he was even afraid that it might not be enough.
The dealer was sweating profusely after losing so much, but he still retained some rationality and wanted to let everyone go early. However, everyone had already lost everything and was not willing to listen to him.
When he left the court, Li Yaonan was very satisfied. Not only did he have an IOU for three thousand taels of silver, he also won more than eighty taels.
The people in the yamen were dumbfounded. They were all listless after losing, and their eyes towards Li Yaonan suddenly became lofty. This was not a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, but a master in gambling.
Zhao Da lost two taels of silver and owed an IOU for one hundred taels. He regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. Why did he join in the fun
Li Yaonan looked at them with a smile. He would definitely not return the IOU. His foothold in the government office depended on it. As for treating everyone to a meal, it was no big deal. "I am new here. Thank you all for your hard work today. How about I treat you all?"
It was too cruel, really too cruel. Guan Tianyou realized for the first time how stupid he was. It was not a good thing at all. Lord Li was talking without any pain in his waist. He gambled for a whole day, but it was misinterpreted as hard work. Who was trying to intimidate whom
"Let's go to Juxianlou." Guan Tianyou said fiercely. Juxianlou is the best restaurant in Dali, and he himself has only been there a few times.
"No problem." Li Yaonan said he felt no pressure at all. After winning other people's money, he had to show some appreciation.
Everyone cheered up and decided to have a good time today. Their loss was so miserably that they had no money left.
Zhao Da felt itchy like a cat's paw and looked at Lord Li eagerly. In fact, he would rather not eat. He just wanted Lord Li to be merciful and return his IOU to him. How long would it take him to earn back one hundred taels of silver
There were more than one person who had the same idea as him, but was it possible? Li Yaonan laughed wantonly and glanced at everyone. There was no way to fight him.
After eating and paying the bill, Li Yaonan went home with a relaxed feeling. It was not difficult to capture a few yamen runners. He was sure that tomorrow when he went to the yamen, things would not be the same as today.
"Husband, are you in a good mood?" Lin Yixuan looked at him curiously, with question marks written all over her face.
"Not bad." Li Yaonan curled his lips, not hiding his good mood. He took his husband back to the room and looked around: "Where is the child?"
Lin Yixuan was a little helpless: "Xi'er is asleep, and Xu'er is tracing. No matter how much we persuade him, this child won't listen and insists on finishing the three large characters."
Li Yaonan's smile widened, and he couldn't be more satisfied with his eldest son: "Xu'er is fine."
Lin Yixuan frowned: "I'm afraid the child will be tired. He is only six years old."
Li Yaonan held her husband's hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the child is still young, so you can teach him slowly. When he grows up a little, I will hire a horse archery master to distract him."
Lin Yixuan sighed: "Xu'er is too lonely without a playmate."
Li Yaonan frowned and began to think about this problem. His family foundation was too shallow. The first generation of children born in the family had not even grown all their teeth yet and were still crying for food. How could they be playmates with Xuer? As for his colleagues, let alone Yuxi, let alone Dali, where he was unfamiliar with the place, just looking at the chaotic atmosphere in the yamen, as an official appointed by the court, he would actually lower himself to celebrate the birthday of a mere concubine. How could he be at ease with the children in their family? Not all bad bamboos can produce good bamboo shoots.
"I'll take care of it." Li Yaonan patted his hands and made up his mind.
Lin Yixuan glanced at him sideways, his eyebrows slightly raised.
Li Yaonan chuckled. His young husband was becoming more and more imposing. He smiled and said, "I used to go to the mountains often. I remember Xu'er played well with the other kids. I plan to bring him back to cultivate their relationship. We can take the imperial examination together in the future. It's like killing two birds with one stone."
Lin Yixuan knew that her husband had a high reputation in Yuxi. If she could train an official like him, she would not only do good for the people of Yuxi, but also strengthen her foundation. In addition, she grew up with Xu'er, so they naturally had a special bond. It was really a win-win situation. "Has anyone been chosen?"
Li Yaonan nodded: "I remember that Jin Xiaosan and Xin Aqi were orphans, and they lived with their relatives recently. They are both doing well."
Lin Yixuan said no more, as long as her husband had an idea.
The next day, when Li Yaonan went to the yamen, as soon as he stepped through the gate, the yamen runners greeted him respectfully with flattering smiles on their faces.
"Lord Li."
"Lord Li."
"Yeah!" Li Yaonan nodded slightly, his expression intimidating without being angry, and there was no trace of yesterday's casualness on his handsome face.
Zhao Da nodded and came forward: "Master Li, please come this way."
Li Yaonan glanced at him, a smile on his lips, and took a step forward slowly.
It was still the same room as yesterday, but the furnishings inside were brand new, with a desk, bookshelf, chairs, table, a soft couch next to it, pens, ink, paper, inkstone, tea sets and porcelain. All the necessary items were available. There was also a bunch of fresh flowers in a blue and white porcelain vase in the room, with a faint fragrance that was elegant and pleasant.
"This is what we packed overnight yesterday. I hope Lord Li likes it." Zhao Da had a flattering look on his face. His attitude was completely different from the honest man yesterday.
Li Yaonan smiled slightly, without mentioning the IOU, and praised: "It's really good, you've worked hard."
"Then..." Zhao Da rubbed his hands, complaining in his heart, "Sir Li is an official appointed by the imperial court, why is it that he is so good at gambling?"
"Do you have anything else to say?" Li Yaonan raised his eyebrows and smiled, with a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.
"It's okay." Zhao Da had a sad face. His intuition told him that it was dangerous. This intuition had saved him countless times. But who could tell him where the amiable Lord Li had gone yesterday
"Don't worry, I know you are very obedient, go down."
Li Yaonan's tone was neither hurried nor slow, and with that nonchalant look, how could Zhao Da not understand that Lord Li was clearly telling him to be obedient.
"How about it?"
"How about it?"
As soon as Zhao Da walked out of the room, he was surrounded by his colleagues, all with shining eyes: "Did Lord Li give you the IOU?"
Zhao Da glared at them and said gruffly, “Give me a shit and work hard.”
"You said Lord Li is not short of money, why does he have the IOU?" Someone complained dissatisfiedly.
Zhao Da patted him and kicked him: "Okay, stop whining, Lord Li won't ask you for money, just do your job well."
"oh!"
As time passed, officials from various departments arrived one by one. Those who wanted to watch the excitement were disappointed. The yamen was very quiet. Lord Li was very leisurely, drinking tea comfortably. The yamen was full of harmony.
"What's going on?" Lord Tang looked unhappy. It seemed that his show of force yesterday had no effect.
Lord Pan shook his head. How would he know that he had also gone to the governor's house yesterday
Lord Li called his nephew to his house, but Guan Tianyou knew nothing about anything he asked. It was a joke. He had gathered people to gamble, and not only did he lose all his capital, but the IOU was also in Lord Li's hands. How could he dare to tell this to anyone else
The officials could not get any results from their questions, and the yamen runners were rarely consistent. They talked about this and that but never got to the point. The occasional words they said were all expressions of their great admiration for Lord Li.
Most of the yamen runners took part in a gambling incident yesterday. They were in the wrong anyway. In order to keep their positions, they dared not tell the truth. After all, the law cannot hold everyone responsible.
The governor and his clan were furious, however, this kind of officialdom struggle could not be brought to the surface. With a depressed mood, Li Yaonan reluctantly integrated into the yamen. Although he had a mediocre relationship with his colleagues, the yamen runners would run errands diligently for him when there was something occasionally. Apart from not being able to take charge of things, his life was still quite leisurely.
The emperor was a little dissatisfied. Another month passed, and Yuxi's secret report had not arrived yet. The emperor frowned, wondering if it was delayed by the post station. He drummed his fingers on the table and began to reflect on when he developed this habit.
As an emperor, he would not allow anything to affect him.
Eunuch Wang quietly served tea to the emperor and then stepped aside, without making any noise.
The emperor quickly came to a conclusion. His calm voice was filled with indescribable majesty: "Master Li's secret memorials will no longer need to be submitted."
Eunuch Wang was startled, wondering if Lord Li was going to fall out of favor. Then he felt that it was unlikely and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, Lord Li has been transferred to Yunnan as the prefecture governor. The memorial can only be submitted through the governor."
The emperor was stunned and laughed. He actually forgot that Li Qingjia was not a magistrate now and had no qualifications to submit memorials directly.
"Forget it." The emperor closed his eyes. He liked Li Yaonan's memorials and liked reading the local customs and folkways he wrote. However, ordinary people could have preferences, but the emperor could not. He must get rid of this habit.
The emperor said nothing more. He was looking forward to what surprise Li Yaonan would give him in three years.
However, the emperor did not expect that within three years, Yunnan would give him a big surprise next year. Not a surprise, but a shock. For the first time, he regretted his decision. At the beginning, Li Yaonan's secret memorial had implicitly said a lot of bad things about the governor and the governor-general, but the emperor did not take it to heart. This kind of open and secret struggles in the officialdom are not uncommon. The emperor has been in a high position for too long, and he will only speculate on the thoughts of others with a deeper mind.
However, he never expected that what Li Yaonan said was all true, without hiding anything, and he objectively told him all the facts, truly fulfilling the duties of an inspector.
Although Li Yaonan was hanging around in the government office, he was actually not idle. He would carefully look through the Yunnan files every day, recording all the geographical locations and the jurisdiction of the officials below.
Sun Ruisi made secret investigations and checked the military defenses everywhere. Although he did not understand what Lord Li meant, he saw that his attitude was cautious and it seemed that something big was going to happen. He became nervous unconsciously and acted more cautiously.
Lin Yixuan has started to move around recently. Although others don't care about Li Yaonan's face, they don't dare to neglect him for the sake of Jingyang Marquis' Mansion.
Doctor Wang got a toothache whenever he saw her. He avoided her several times and tried to stay as far away from her as possible. He couldn't afford to offend the tigress, but could he not hide from her
Lin Yixuan didn't care. His main target was actually the governor's concubine. Of course, the so-called concubine definitely didn't refer to the legal wife, but the charming concubine. There was no need to spend too much energy, as long as he could talk to her. The governor could escape once in his previous life, and in this life, he would let the governor escape faster and buy more time for his husband.
Everything went on in an orderly manner. A month later, Zhang Cheng went to Yuxi and brought Jin Xiaosan and Xin Aqi with him.
Li Xu was extremely happy to have a playmate, and he became lively and cheerful. However, he still did not relax when it came to his studies.
Lin Yixuan was not satisfied with the names of the two children, so she gave them big names, Jin Yuxuan and Xin Zeqi. The two children were very grateful. Since losing their parents, they had no one to rely on. Although their uncles and aunts were good to them, there were too many children in the family, so they could not be much better.
They knew that the opportunity they had now was given by adults. Not only did they have a name, but they could also read and write, and maybe even become officials in the future. How could they not be grateful
Lin Yixuan was satisfied. She thought her husband had good vision and her two children were grateful. It was indeed a good thing.
Li Yaonan was in a bad mood at the moment. He frowned and looked at the person in front of him: "What's the matter, Mr. Huang?"
"No." Lord Huang looked at him sadly, as if he had committed a heinous crime.
"I have nothing to do. I need to work. Sir Huang, please come in."
Mr. Huang had a sad face and looked at him in disbelief, his expression heartbroken.
Li Yaonan felt speechless, he believed that he had done nothing wrong to anyone, so why did Mr. Huang act like such a heartless man
Mr. Huang glared at him hatefully and left angrily.
Guan Tianyou ran over to join in the fun and said with a smile: "He is just like that, Lord Li, don't pay any attention to him."
Li Yaonan nodded to show that he understood. He had checked the files before. This Mr. Huang was a new Jinshi last year. He was sent to Yunnan not long ago. His presence in the yamen was even weaker than his. At least he could still arouse hostility from others, while Mr. Huang was a complete nobody.
It's just transparent, so what? I don't know what's wrong with Mr. Huang. After returning from a three-day vacation, as soon as he saw Li Yaonan, he immediately started arguing with him.
Colleagues in the yamen naturally enjoyed watching the joke, making Mr. Huang even more transparent.
Li Yaonan felt sick all over. Let him argue, but Mr. Huang didn't say anything. He just looked at him with a particularly creepy look all day long. Li Yaonan almost wanted to go crazy. Who did he offend to have to run into a lunatic.
It's not that he hadn't thought about giving him a good beating, or teaching him a lesson, but Sir Huang, firstly, he didn't kill anyone, secondly, he didn't break the law, and thirdly, he didn't disrespect him. He didn't answer questions, and he couldn't find an excuse to make trouble for him. After all, he was just watching him. If he did anything to him, everyone in the yamen would be eyeing him covetously, and Li Yaonan was not stupid enough to give them something to talk about.
The author has something to say: Thank you, I will continue to work hard. o(n_n)o
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