When they returned to Lin's house, it was almost the second watch. When Lin Jue and the little princess entered the courtyard, the lights were still on in the front hall, and Lin Boyong was waiting for Lin Jue's return.
Lin Jue asked the little princess to go back to the small courtyard to rest first. He followed Lin Boyong into the hall, and the two of them sat down under the candlelight.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet? Is there anything important?" Lin Jue asked.
Lin Boyong smiled and said: "It's nothing important. It's just that this afternoon, someone came to see you. You went to the palace, but he didn't see you, so he left a name card."
Lin Jue said oh and took a famous post from Lin Boyong. It turned out to be the famous post of Kang Zizhen, the prefect of Hangzhou.
"Hangzhou Magistrate Kang Zizhen? I have no friendship with this man. Why did he come to see me?" Lin Jue frowned.
Lin Boyong smiled and said: "You are the number one scholar and a Beijing official. When you come back to Hangzhou, the local officials will naturally want to see you. This prefect Kang is also considered to be polite. When he first came to Hangzhou to take office, he visited our Hangzhou rich people and found that he was very polite. Somewhat approachable.”
Lin Jue smiled and said, "Really? I'm afraid he has other motives. How much money did the uncle give him?"
Lin Boyong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "I can't hide it from you, so I gave five hundred taels. But this is not a bribe, I didn't ask him to do anything. It's just that the prefect has taken office, so he has to express something. He is No matter life or death, his master will accept it, that's all."
Lin Jue sighed: "Uncle, I am not too talkative. This kind of thing is completely unnecessary. And don't forget the matter of my second uncle. Bribing court officials is sinful. If you don't have anything to do, it will be fine. If you have something to do, it will be troublesome. Besides, it's a sin. Yes, there is absolutely no need for our Lin family to do this."
Lin Boyong smacked his lips and said: "Master, I know I shouldn't do this, but everyone has given it, and my Lin family doesn't give it. Wouldn't it be too disrespectful? Don't worry, I will never ask him to do anything like this. Just treat the money as a beggar. Bribery is for doing something. If you don't do something, it's just etiquette. Isn't it?"
Lin Jue said helplessly: "If we don't do this next time, we will never do this in the future. We only do business seriously. If this Kang Zizhen dares to make things difficult for my Lin family because of these things, I will make him suffer."
Lin Boyong smiled and said: "Now that you have said that, no one will think of a single tael of silver from my Lin family in the future."
Lin Jue nodded, looked at the post and said, "Does the prefect come to see me for anything?"
Lin Boyong said: "He didn't say anything. When he heard that you went to the palace, he lost your name card and left. He said he would come back to visit you tomorrow morning."
Lin Jue frowned and said, "Tomorrow morning? Doesn't the prefect have any official duties? I have no friendship with him. What can you say to me?"
Lin Boyong said: "You can't lose your etiquette. After all, you are a magistrate. In terms of official position, he is several levels higher than you. Even if you don't flatter him, you can't offend him."
Lin Jue nodded and said: "That's what uncle said. So let's do it. By the way, uncle, I have a very tight schedule this time. I have to go back to Beijing in three days at most. Tomorrow I plan to meet with uncles and brothers in the clan to talk about old times." I also want to see the operating conditions of the two theaters. In addition, there are a few old friends I want to meet. Except for this prefect, anyone else who wants to see me has to tell them that they are exempt. I really can’t make it. Make some time."
Lin Boyong was about to say that there were still people coming to see Lin Jue this afternoon and that there were still people who wanted to entertain Lin Jue tomorrow, but he swallowed all the words he heard. Although Lin Jue's tone was discussing, there was already an unquestionable majesty in his words. After sending Lin Jue out of the hall and back to his room, Lin Boyong stood in front of the hall door and sighed for a long time, with a lot of emotions in his heart. The third-room concubine of the Lin family is really no longer the young man he used to be. He is now the mainstay of the family, invisibly. , even I only followed his lead and obeyed his words.
Looking at Lin Jue, Lin Boyong suddenly remembered that his eldest son Lin Kelai had died. He was the son he valued most and had the highest hopes for. If he took the right path, he would be no worse than Lin Jue. Unfortunately, there is no way back in the world.
, there is no regret medicine. That night, Lin Ke died in front of his eyes. The pain of losing his son once made Lin Boyong hate Lin Jue, but he finally figured it out. Lin Ke brought the blame on himself, and Lin Jue did not want to kill Lin Ke, but
It was Lin Ke who had evil intentions and wanted to murder Lin Jue and silence him. Fortunately, Lin Jue was able to turn the tide, otherwise the Lin family building would have collapsed long ago.
The next morning, Lin Jue woke up lazily. After a long journey, all the good dreams last night disappeared. In front of the dressing table, Guo Caiwei was wearing a thin shirt and combing her long hair. The pregnant woman's skin had a layer of gelatin-like sheen.
, the whole person exudes the brilliance of motherhood. Even the protruding belly looks quite sexy under the tulle. If it weren't for the fact that she was unable to have sex while pregnant, and Lin Jue was so angry at the moment, he would never let go of this beauty in front of him.
.
"Husband, did you sleep well?" The little princess turned around and asked with a smile.
"My own room, my own bed, I can sleep very comfortably. But you don't seem to have slept well." Lin Jue said with a smile.
The little princess spat: "You...you keep touching at night, which makes people uncomfortable. Of course, they can't sleep well. If it weren't for this child, I wouldn't be able to forgive you."
Lin Jue laughed loudly, and when he was about to speak, he saw the little princess frowning and bending down. Lin Jue jumped up and came to her side to ask questions in concern. The little princess took a few breaths, pointed at her swollen belly and said:
"It's not like you, your naughty son, kicked me again."
Lin Jue hurriedly took a closer look and saw that there seemed to be a foreign object wriggling in the little princess's bulging belly. There was a bulge here and there, and it really looked like someone was punching and kicking her in the stomach.
"This little thing is quite powerful." Lin Jue said with a smile.
The little princess said angrily: "You are still laughing, but I can't bear it when he makes such a fuss. I have to do it several times every day, and my stomach is full of butterflies."
Lin Jue leaned over and kissed the little princess, and said softly: "Madam, thank you for your hard work. As a husband, I can't do it for you. I don't have the ability to give birth to a child. But, how do you know this is a son?"
The little princess said: "My mother asked someone to calculate the days, and she used the calculation method in the palace. I don't understand the calculations of single months and double hours, or single years and double days. It turns out that it is a son. Besides, if it is not
Son, can you move so powerfully? I guess it’s close to ten.”
Lin Jue laughed and thought: This cannot be done accurately. The date and time of birth have nothing to do with the birth of a boy or girl. Besides, to me, men and women are the same.
Under the porch, Bai Bing was sitting upright drinking tea without even raising her eyelids when she saw Lin Jue. Lin Jue snatched half a cup of tea from her hand and drank it, earning a blank look from Bai Bing.
Lin Hu came from the hut, carrying a sharply polished ax in his hand. When he saw Lin Jue, he smiled and said: "Uncle, this ax has been here all the time, no one cares about it, and it is very rusty. Look, this
Once you sharpen it, it’s still a new axe.”
Lin Jue looked at him and said, "What are you doing? Why are you grinding this thing?"
Xiaohu pointed at the pile of firewood and said, "Chop firewood. I just want to chop firewood when I come back here. I always feel uncomfortable when I look at a pile of firewood without doing anything. I have to chop it to feel better."
Lin Jue smiled bitterly and said: "You are really a cheap person. How can you not feel comfortable if you don't chop firewood? Don't chop firewood. Why don't you go home and see your parents and sisters today? We have to leave the day after tomorrow and we won't go back.
Take a look."
Lin Hu didn't want to, but he couldn't leave without permission. He said happily: "Uncle, don't you want to go out today? Then I will go back."
Lin Jue said with a smile: "Go and get twenty taels of silver to buy me some cloth and food to take home. Tell your father what I gave him and ask him to come see me when he has time."
"Hey, hey." Lin Hu agreed with a grin, lost the ax and ran back to the hut to clean it up.
Lin Jue smiled and sat down on the corridor, reaching out towards Bai Bing. Bai Bing stared at Lin Jue for a long time, and finally reluctantly handed the tea cup in his hand over. Lin Jue drank the tea and sighed: "Hey
, it’s good to go home, I feel very happy.”
Bai Bing held his chin and said, "What's so good? I'm so bored. You said you would take me to see the scenery of West Lake, but you didn't go."
Lin Jue was about to speak when the little princess's voice came from inside the house: "Miss Bai, I will accompany you to go out for a walk today. Let's go boating in the West Lake. My husband is very busy. They have many things for men, so let him do it."
Bai Bing was stunned, then stood up and said with a smile: "Thank you sister, my body is inconvenient, how dare I trouble my sister. I just said casually, I can go by myself. I can just ask someone to show me the way."
The little princess walked out and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I haven't gone out for a long time to relax. I will be returning to the capital in a few days. I just want to see the beautiful scenery of the West Lake. When I get to the capital, there is no such beautiful scenery as Hangzhou.
You go shopping with me and we can talk."
Bai Bing glanced at Lin Jue, who smiled and said: "That's okay, I really don't have time, it's okay for you to go shopping together. But Wei'er, don't overwork yourself, be careful. Bring more people to serve you."
Guo Caiwei smiled and said: "You have to say that? But I am not that squeamish. Didn't you listen to my parents yesterday? I was still running around on the dock just before that."
Lin Jue smiled and nodded. Then he ordered people to prepare breakfast, and a few people ate some casually. Guo Caiwei ordered people to prepare carriages and horses, and went out with Bai Bing.
Lin Jue had breakfast, made a pot of new tea, set up a stool under the pear tree, found a book and sat there to drink tea and read. The spring was bright and the temperature was suitable. The breeze was blowing, and the lush pear trees overhead
The leaves were rustling, and this scene made Lin Jue feel as if he had gone back in time, returning to the feeling of living here a few years ago. In just a few years, everything has changed drastically, like a dream
.
I don't know how much time passed, but when Lin Jue had finished drinking a pot of tea, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard door. A Lin family servant appeared at the courtyard door, saluted and reported back: "Reporting to the master, the prefect Kang is here. The old master invites you.
Go meet guests."
Lin Jue put down the book and nodded: "Okay, you go now, I will change my clothes and go to meet the guests."
"No, no, hahaha, Lin Zhuangyuan, Kang came here uninvited. I'm really sorry." A burst of hearty laughter came from the door. Accompanied by Lin Boyong, a man wearing black silk and dark floral robes
A tall, thin middle-aged man appeared at the door of the courtyard.
This man is about forty years old. He has a good-looking appearance and is not ugly. He is just dressed a little tacky and wears a black round hat on his head. He looks like an accountant. If he is fatter, he looks like a fat man.
