1.3 The Lin Family Banquet

Volume I
1.3 A Family Banquet at the Lin Estate

That evening, in the main hall of the Lin estate’s primary courtyard, Lin Rui had just stepped through the door when he saw Lin Ruhai chatting and laughing with two beauties, one older and one younger.

The older woman looked to be in her early twenties, significantly younger than her actual age. She was dressed in a well-fitted palace gown of pale cyan with black and white embroidered patterns, her figure tall and graceful, full and curvaceous. When she saw him, she offered a smile in greeting.

The younger one was delicate and charming. Because she had not yet fully blossomed into womanhood, she wore a ruqun with a cream-colored base and ink-bamboo embroidery. Her oval face was lit with a joyful expression, as if she had been discussing something pleasant, but the moment she laid eyes on him, she suddenly pouted and cast a sidelong glance of annoyance.

These two were, naturally, Jia Min and her daughter, Lin Daiyu.

Of course, in theory, he certainly shouldn't have known the given name of this "clan sister."

"Greetings, Uncle Lin, greetings, Madam!" Lin Rui knew better than to stare, so after one quick glance, he hurriedly lowered his head and bowed. "I am ashamed to have troubled you for this meal—greetings, Sister Lin!"

"You, still so polite after all this time!" Jia Min rose and nodded.

"Hmph!" Lin Daiyu turned her head away, seemingly still piqued.

"Silly girl, why don't you greet your Brother Rui!" Jia Min scolded her with a playful tap.

"I won't!" Lin Daiyu remained dissatisfied. "When was the last time he came? It’s been several months! He hasn't even come to visit. Those who know might say it’s a clan brother observing social boundaries, but those who don't might think he looks down on us and is too lazy to come over!"

"Sister Lin, you cannot wrong an innocent man!" Lin Rui hurriedly protested. "I have been busy with official duties for so long, not a single day of rest. Now that I’ve finally finished, didn't Uncle Lin worry I might go hungry and invite me here specifically for this meal?"

After saying this, he intentionally looked at Lin Ruhai with a pitiful expression for "rescue."

In truth, he had not lied. The matters he discussed with the head of the He family that morning were all real, though not entirely as they appeared. He had indeed raided eight salt merchants in the past, but they were all small-fry without much standing—cases where a sufficient pretext allowed for direct action. Aside from some pressure in the marketplace, no one in official circles paid any heed to them.

The He family was different. They were considered to have truly "entered the circle," being moderately famous merchants throughout the Jiangnan region. They might not have reached the inner core, but their influence and connections were sufficient to cover officialdom at both the prefecture and county levels.

That was why Lin Ruhai had remarked that "almost everyone in Yangzhou who has a voice has sent in a petition."

Fortunately, this only reached the Yangzhou prefectural office. The He family had no pathways higher up, so he could just barely hold his ground. Had this reached the level of the Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Surveillance Commissioner, or even the Governor or Commander of Jiangnan Province, there would undoubtedly have been immense pressure from the imperial court, which even Lin Ruhai would have found difficult to bear.

Of course, this applied only to the eight major salt merchants; other merchants could not achieve such reach.

Even so, what should have been a straightforward investigation by the Salt Administration Censor’s office into tax evasion and the sale of illicit salt had dragged on for over three months, with the vast majority of that time spent bickering with various levels of the Yangzhou government.

There were even a few instances where blood was shed. As salt merchants, the He family naturally kept a group of desperate thugs to protect their business, feeding them well with large sums of money to fight for them when the critical moment arrived.

Unfortunately, if there was one thing Lin Rui dared to claim, it was that he feared no one when it came to drawing a blade. The reason he had been called "Qin Qiong of the Modern Age" was precisely because of the reputation he had forged through countless bloody battles, wielding a six-foot steel mace weighing fifteen catties.

Had it been those previous small-fry, he would have handled them in eight or ten days.

"Anping has indeed been very busy these days," Lin Ruhai said with a smile, helping to explain. "If he hadn't been helping me shoulder the official duties outside, this old frame of mine wouldn't have the leisure for literary gatherings or rest."

"Anping" was the courtesy name he had chosen for him, feeling that the name "Rui" (Sharp) was too cutting and exposed, and that choosing a courtesy name to "neutralize" it was a common practice.

"You see, even Uncle Lin thinks I’ve been working hard!" Lin Rui quickly added.

"What you do outside, no one else can see; you can just say whatever you like," Lin Daiyu remained dissatisfied. "You call yourself a 'brother,' yet you haven't visited for over a month. Truly heartless!"

As soon as she said this, the other three realized she was being unreasonable and all burst into laughter.

"Yes, yes, Sister Lin is absolutely right!" Lin Rui "apologized," suppressing his laughter.

His form of address for Lin Daiyu was actually against protocol—he should have called her "Eldest Sister"—but he had used it habitually upon their first meeting, and since the Lin family had accepted it easily, he had never changed it.

"Alright, come over here!" Seeing them "reconciled," Jia Min pushed her daughter past the screen in the center of the hall, and the two took their seats. "Isn't your Brother Rui busy with your father's official business?"

"Let us take our seats as well!" Lin Ruhai waved his hand with a smile.

"After you, Uncle Lin!" Lin Rui stepped back a half-pace.

Once the two were seated, the servants who had been waiting at the door immediately sprang into action. Soon, two simple yet exquisite banquets were laid out. Even though it was a "family feast," men and women could not dine at the same table.

It was fine for him to speak a few words with the women of the Lin family, but he certainly could not have too much contact; such were the rules.

Yet, in his mind, two graceful figures lingered, unable to be cast away.

"This girl has a quick temper; please bear with her," Lin Ruhai said, pouring wine for both of them once the dishes were served. "Come to think of it, she has been much more cheerful since you first visited our home."

"How can you say that, Uncle Lin? As an elder brother, isn't it only right for me to look after my sister?" Lin Rui accepted the cup with both hands and offered a toast. "Besides, if not for your care, Uncle, I would certainly not have the life I have today, let alone speak of 'bearing with her'."

Lin Ruhai smiled and drank with him. They ate and chatted, speaking only of idle matters, with Jia Min occasionally interjecting or twice coming out to signal the servants to pour wine and serve dishes for him, her attitude very friendly.

The meal lasted for more than the duration of an incense stick, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

"Have you arranged everything regarding the He family?" Once the remnants of the feast were cleared and post-meal tea was brought into the hall, Lin Ruhai waited until his wife and daughter had left before broaching official business. "To be honest, I was a bit too impatient this time. If not for your help, the matter would have been difficult to resolve."

"How can you say that, Uncle Lin? To be able to deal with the He family was entirely due to the majesty of the imperial court. I merely borrowed the fox's authority to play the tiger, doing nothing more than waving a banner and pulling at tiger skins," Lin Rui said, reciting the standard platitudes, though he sighed inwardly. "It is just that the confiscated money and goods will take at least half a month to process."

"Oh?" Lin Ruhai frowned. "So long?"

"The He family is different from those other small-fry; their foundation is deep and their property vast," Lin Rui explained casually.

The reality was not like that at all.

Lin Ruhai was a very standard feudal scholar-official, of high birth, having studied for ten years. He was willing to hold himself to the standards of "ancient rites," but he was not rigid; he would not be overly stubborn about matters where he understood compromise was necessary.

Therefore, after placing third in the imperial examinations, he was first appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, then transferred to the Censorate (Lantai Temple) as a Censor. His performance in all aspects was outstanding, and he was highly regarded by the reigning Emperor Jing'an, who trusted him as a confidant.

Could someone who had been promoted to Grand Censor of the Lantai Temple (a nominal title equivalent to a Vice Censor-in-Chief, fourth rank) in just a few years be an ordinary man? But precisely because of this, his views on many matters beneath the surface were too idealistic.

Lin Rui had no choice but to find his own ways to solve these problems.

When he first came to seek refuge, he hadn't thought much, summarizing it as "clinging to a powerful thigh to get ahead." But after the first time he raided a small-fry salt merchant, he realized that Lin Ruhai’s mysterious death in *The Dream of the Red Chamber* was truly not without reason.

Confiscating an estate could not be finished with a simple phrase like "seize the illicit funds and turn them over to the national treasury." Because this was the feudal era, those who truly held power locally—especially below the county level—were not the imperial court or the government offices as most people imagined. "Imperial power does not reach below the county" was by no means an empty phrase.

Handling the "spoils" of a raid was, in itself, a process of "dividing the loot" with local forces.

Lin Ruhai had assumed that the properties could be sold openly in the market. The result was that after more than a month, no one dared to pick up the slack, and a large pile of farmland and real estate remained unsold.

Lin Rui hadn't understood at first, either, until someone came to him—the "clan nephew"—to pass on a message.

It was from that time on that he took the initiative to handle the "business." He quickly cleared it up and used the resulting benefits to beg Lin Ruhai for help in donating a fifth-rank official position as a "Tongzhi," and then step by step, he seized control of the salt-guard forces under his command, leading him to his current position.

These matters, including all the external affairs of the Salt Administration Censor’s office, were now in his hands.

Lin Ruhai's ability was beyond doubt, but he was too "naive," still thinking that the events of the past two years were based on law and "official business," never imagining how many things were happening beneath the surface of the water.

Lin Rui had not failed to explain, but he had been lectured on "grand principles."

After that, he stopped mentioning it, letting Lin Ruhai focus on "official business" in the office while he handled the trouble outside himself. Just like this time with the He family—three months, five instances of bloodshed—he had passed it all off in the name of "exterminating illicit salt," without mentioning a half-sentence more.

In any case, anyone with a brain would not dare to strike at the Emperor's confidant.

Even regarding the final struggle of the He family head, the explanation he provided was simply "interrogation."

Processing the spoils was troublesome because it involved nearly three million taels in total. Half a month was already the fastest possible time. Fortunately, he had "experience," and the local forces in Yangzhou knew the rules; they would just divide the spoils according to precedent.

Otherwise, one could not expect to have it settled in a year.

The resistance during the raid on the He family had been immense, but after it was over, everyone was waiting for their "share."

Reality was just that cruel.

"If that is the case, then you have been working hard!" Lin Ruhai naturally could not guess what he was thinking, believing it was truly so. "I have already written the memorial and will have it sent out tomorrow. There are many chores involved in the raid on the He family, so I will still need to trouble you."

"Rest assured, Uncle Lin!" Lin Rui naturally had no objections.

The two chatted for a long time, not dispersing until after the first watch (7:00 PM).

He did not delay, leaving to return to his quarters.

Just as he entered the rear office, he saw the lamps lit, and a familiar, charming figure was already standing at the door.

Who could it be if not Xueyan?