When Mrs. Wang heard that her son had actually encountered a Japanese pirate and took action, she quickly pulled Wang Lidong up from his seat and asked while inspecting:
"Ping'er, you're not injured, are you?"
Wang Lidong hurriedly comforted:
"Mom, don't worry. With my current martial arts skills, how can I be hurt by these dwarves who are not even third-rate?"
After checking and discovering that her son was not seriously injured, Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief.
"My son, please don't be careless. Although your martial arts skills are now a bit better than your father's. There is an old saying that you can't have wet shoes if you often walk by the river.
When you go out in the future, you should take a few more people with you."
"Madam is right, it's good for running errands and for beating."
When I saw the two of them looking like you don't agree, we won't give up.
Although he felt it was not necessary at all, Wang Lidong still nodded in agreement.
It's just that there are a few more people around him, and it actually has no impact on him.
After seeing her son agree, Mrs. Wang finally felt relieved.
Then he complained again:
"Didn't the notice posted by the Yamen say that all the Japanese pirates in the surrounding areas were wiped out by the government troops? Why did so many of them pop up again today?"
Lin Zhennan sneered and said: "If one out of ten sentences said by an official can be true, it would be very good. Didn't Ping'er just say that at the beginning of the year, the Japanese pirates had not yet arrived in our Rongcheng and were working as officials outside the city?
They all ran into the city like a prophet who predicted the future.
It’s obvious that officials and gangsters are colluding, these bastards are really hateful!”
Wang Lidong was a little puzzled when he saw Lin Zhennan getting angry for no reason.
My cheap father is not a cynical person, but what is the situation today?
If he didn't understand, he asked, and then he looked at his mother.
Seeing the look in her son's eyes, Mrs. Wang softly explained the reason.
It turns out that after the Japanese pirates attacked the city at the beginning of the year, the prefect's Yamen specially held a fund-raising event.
They said they were raising some money to fight against the Japanese.
And their Fuwei Escort Agency was allocated a share of 5,000 taels.
This money must be donated.
If they don't donate, their escort agency will never have a stable life in the future.
Wang Lidong understood immediately.
Dad Lin Zhennan must have guessed that the money he donated must have gone into the pockets of these dog officials.
"It would be great if the uncle's family were still in Rongcheng. In previous years, when this kind of thing happened, we would only pay a hundred and eighty taels at most."
"It's a good thing I got a good promotion, otherwise... hum."
The uncle mentioned by Lin Zhennan and his wife was originally a guard in Rongcheng.
Their great-grandfather Lin Yuantu had two sons, Lin Boxen and Lin Zhongxiong.
Lin Zhongxiong inherited the Fuwei Escort Agency, while Lin Boxen entered the officialdom and became a military general.
As for Lin Zhennan's generation, Lin Zhenkun, Lin Bofen's son, had guarded Rongcheng ten years ago.
Three years ago, Lin Zhenkun had made considerable military exploits and had money to clear the way, so he was promoted to the capital.
Wang Lidong thought this was a good time, so he said:
"Dad, my son wants to donate to a prisoner."
Lin Zhennan thought he heard wrongly.
The biggest use of the supervisor is the imperial examination, but my son has only been in private school for two years, and he is quite familiar with it, but that's all.
"Ping'er, this prison student is of little use to you, and you won't take part in the imperial examination."
Wang Lidong explained:
"My child wants to donate to be a prison student first, and then donate to be an official."
Lin Zhennan couldn't help but smile:
"Ping'er, the officials you donated are all false posts, it just sounds nice.
My dynasty was not the Eastern Han Dynasty, so I didn’t spend money to buy officials. Some people had tried to persuade me to donate a general, but the price was too high and not worth it.
And those people in the yamen don’t recognize it, otherwise your father would definitely donate a ginseng general to do it.”
In fact, the main reason why Wang Lidong wanted to be an official was that he didn't want to take over the Fuwei Escort Agency.
Ever since his martial arts skills surpassed that of Lin Zhennan, his cheap dad would often mention the matter of succession in his ears.
She always wants to take him out as a escort.
But Wang Lidong has no interest at all. Escort work is too hard. Wouldn't it be nice to be comfortable at home?
The road conditions in later generations are so good, but if you drive on the highway for several hours, people will be exhausted.
What's more, in the Ming Dynasty, the roads in the city were pretty good.
On rainy days, the roads outside the city are covered with mud on your feet.
An escort trip takes ten days and a half for the shortest distance.
If the route is far away, it will take at least two or three months.
During this period, food, drink and accommodation were very simple.
What's more, Wang Lidong doesn't like the business of escort agencies.
It's a job of licking blood with the tip of a knife, and you earn money by selling your life.
When Wang Lidong heard the scholar Zhao Ligong talk about the situation on their island today, he had some ideas.
In normal times, someone like him who had never taken the imperial examination would definitely have no chance of becoming an official.
But now there's no telling if this can really happen.
Then the business of this escort agency cannot fall on him.
Wang Lidong told Lin Zhennan about the situation on Beitai Island.
After hearing this, Lin Zhennan began to think about the feasibility of this matter.
Although he has never been an official, he knows many officials, and he once had an uncle who was a guard, so he is quite familiar with the ways of officialdom.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized there was something wrong with this.
It may be expensive, but their escort agency has never been short of money.
I thought that if my son could really take the official position that was in short supply, it would be of great benefit to their family.
Regardless of how popular Fuwei Escort Agency is now, it has branches in ten provinces, and its friends on the road are also very considerate.
But they are all made with white money.
But if the son can become an official, then he can save a lot of money in this aspect in the future.
The most important thing is that there will be much less trouble here in the Yamen.
"If that's the case, it's really possible that the official who is in short supply can be bought. I'll go to the magistrate's office in the past two days to have some connections and get a feel for the situation first."
"Excuse me, Daddy."
Mrs. Wang curiously said:
"Ping'er, why did you think of becoming an official?"
Of course Wang Lidong couldn't tell his true thoughts, so he just found an excuse.
"After my uncle's family went to the capital, our escort agency had a lot more expenses.
The boy thought that if he became an official, he would be able to save a lot of money in the future.
Moreover, dad is only in his forties now, so he can at least still be in charge of the escort agency for several decades.
You can't go hunting every day, let's pass the time."
After hearing this, my father Lin Zhennan immediately stroked his beard and laughed:
"My son has really grown up. Since you have this intention, Ping'er, no matter how much money I spend, I will help you get an official position."
.....................................
Abbot's Zen Room of Shaolin Temple in Southern Fujian Province
A short and fat monk who looked to be in his forties walked to the door of the room and said to the young novice monk at the door: "I have something to ask of the abbot at Guodu."
The young novice went in to report, then turned around and came out, clasping his hands and saying, "The abbot invites you."
Entering the room, the short and fat monk bowed to the white-browed old monk sitting on the futon and said:
"Guodu pays homage to the abbot and his uncle."
The white-browed old monk nodded and said:
"What's important?"
"There is news from Songshan that Yu Guanzhu of the Qingcheng sect is planning to take action against the Fuwei Escort Bureau. The target should be the 'Evil Sword Manual'."
The white-browed old monk's hand that was fiddling with his rosary suddenly paused.
How many years have passed since I heard these four words again.
"Amitabha, just a sword manual can only increase the number of killings."
Seeing the abbot and uncle saying this, he kept silent. Monk Guodu asked for instructions:
"Uncle, do you need to inform Fuwei Escort Agency? After all, it is..."
But after waiting for a long time, the abbot and uncle didn't speak.
Monk Guodu understood what the abbot meant.
This Fuwei Escort Agency has not come here to burn incense for more than ten years. Buddha and his friends would always check to see if they are destined to be the right person.