Lin Daiyu: Brother Rui is such a tease.

Volume One
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1.5 Lin Daiyu: Brother Rui, you really are something

At the Yuyushi Salt Patrol Office, in the eastern side chamber of the main hall.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. The confiscation and disposal of the He family’s assets were finally handled efficiently. Perhaps due to the recent festival and the transitional period between crops, this "business" moved much slower than usual, so much so that it was already the end of March.

The accounts reported were also unusual.

“Are you sure you didn’t miscalculate?” Lin Rui asked his subordinate with a serious expression.

The ledger’s final "Total" clearly stated "2,967,345 taels," a staggering sum of silver, all of which had been seized from the He family after their house was confiscated.

“Master, if I had secretly hidden some, at least that could be explained, but to have nearly a million taels extra? Even if you were to chop me up and boil me down, I doubt you could make up that figure!” Lin Yu, a trusted subordinate, looked very aggrieved.

“Master, what’s wrong with the accounts?” another subordinate, Lin Zhao, asked in confusion. “When the old man of the He family handed things over, I followed along to tally. The final total definitely exceeded three million taels, isn’t that just about right?”

Though both surnamed Lin, Lin Yu and Lin Zhao were actually locals from Yangzhou, yet both claimed to be from a collateral branch of the Suzhou Lin clan. Lin Rui had recently taken command of the salt patrol soldiers and was short on manpower, so he put them both to use.

Even their names had been changed by him after they joined; their original names were unsuitable for official documents.

The Suzhou Lin clan’s recent generations followed a generational naming sequence based on the Five Elements, but not in the order of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. Lin Rui did not know the exact reason, only that the "Water" generation (like Lin Hai, whose courtesy name was Ru Hai) was followed by the "Metal" generation (including Rui, Zhao, Yu).

Of the two, Lin Zhao was sturdy and straightforward, now in charge of the personal cavalry guards, while Lin Yu had some schooling and was smarter, now serving as chief steward responsible for various miscellaneous tasks.

“The accounts are not calculated that way,” Lin Rui said gravely, shaking his head slowly.

“The He family’s most valuable assets were their fields and houses. But such large assets, although expensive, had to be sold within a month, and even selling 60% of them would be considered good,” Lin Yu quickly explained. “Actually, we calculated them at half price, but at least they were sold.”

“Where did the extra silver come from?” Lin Rui asked sternly.

“All taken from several private vaults of the He family,” Lin Yu said, puzzled.

Lin Rui shot a sharp glance at Lin Zhao, since he was the one who led the team.

“I don’t know!” Lin Zhao hurriedly bowed his head in fear. “Those private vaults were indeed arranged by the old man of the He family. After I led the men to confiscate them, I didn’t count it. Everything was handed over to Lin Yu’s team to receive and inventory, and the accounts were just looked at briefly.”

“How much was confiscated in total?” Lin Rui did not ask further.

“Master, just the gold and silver alone exceeded 1.4 million taels. After the valuable jewelry was removed, there was still nearly 500,000 taels left. The rest came from selling the land and houses,” Lin Yu hurriedly explained. “The last two match up, a little over ten thousand taels of gold also matches, but the nearly one million taels extra was—”

“In cash!” Lin Rui’s brow furrowed tighter.

“How is that possible?” Lin Zhao looked dumbfounded at the ledger. “The He family is not one of the 'Eight Great Salt Merchants.' Where would they have the capability to keep over a million taels in cash? Before the old man died, he was called ‘He Millionaire’ in Yangzhou—that’s close to five million, right?”

Lin Rui slowly sat down, recalling the old man’s parting words: “The He family’s silver is not easy to take.”

One million taels was a huge sum, even for the imperial court.

“Have all the people been dealt with?” He suddenly turned to ask.

“Master, I was just about to report,” Lin Zhao hurriedly bowed. “There were nearly a hundred servants and family members in the He mansion. Not a single one was left alive. Their youngest child was already over ten years old, so by the rules, there was no need to care for them. As for the old man’s outer residence—”

“What about it?” Lin Rui’s expression changed.

“Following your orders, I sent someone to notify them and then left it alone. My men reported back that the woman there fled overnight with two children,” Lin Zhao said anxiously. “But I didn’t expect to hear only today that they’re gone.”

“Gone?” Lin Yu hurriedly asked, “How could they be gone?”

“The woman was found floating in the canal a couple of days ago. She must have tried to escape by water,” Lin Zhao’s face was grim. “No one saw the two younger children, but the two under ten years old, I’m afraid—”

“Silenced!” Lin Rui stood up abruptly, his face darkening.

“Master, what about the silver?” Lin Yu timidly pointed at the ledger.

“You haven’t reported this to Uncle Lin yet, have you?” Lin Rui exhaled deeply and sat down.

“Without your orders, how dare I?” Lin Yu quickly assured him.

“The gold will be handled as usual,” Lin Rui calmed himself and arranged the plan after some thought. “Then take out fifty thousand taels—you two take ten thousand each, and distribute the rest among the brothers below.”

“Ah?” Both of them changed their expressions.

“What, don’t want it?” Lin Rui said without expression.

“We dare not!” They both knelt immediately, their faces pale as paper.

“The rest, report to Uncle Lin according to protocol, and make sure the accounts are tidy,” Lin Rui looked coldly at them. “At this point, we are only waiting. Do you have any other ideas?”

The two subordinates exchanged a glance, their expressions gradually firming.

“Master’s orders!”

“Get it done by the beginning of next month, don’t delay—go!” Only then did Lin Rui relax.

“We take our leave!” The two quickly got up.

Watching them leave, a flicker of ruthlessness crossed Lin Rui’s mind.

“Wait!” He suddenly remembered something. “Did you send the silver to the You family’s courtyard?”

“Don’t worry, sir, how could we forget that?” Lin Yu smiled slyly. “Twenty taels of pure silver—I personally delivered it to Madam You!”

“Get out!” Lin Rui waved his hand dismissively. “The Lin estate’s gatekeeper will handle the usual delivery.”

The two subordinates hurriedly withdrew.

Lin Rui leaned on the table and slowly stood up, his right index and middle fingers tapping lightly on the ledger.

“The extra million taels in silver—indeed, we must be cautious.”

At the Lin residence, the heated pavilion in the rear garden.

In the main room, a plump and graceful figure sat solemnly in the main seat, her eyes wide and sharp, her right hand even gripping a ruler; before her knelt a younger, smaller beauty, her face distressed.

The two women, elder and younger, bore a striking resemblance—about seventy to eighty percent alike—but their temperaments differed.

They were, of course, mother and daughter of the Lin family.

Not far to their side, a pile of several dozen books lay stacked. Nearby, a trembling maid named Xue Yan knelt, too frightened to even look up, her shoulders trembling slightly.

No one else was in the room, evidently cleared out ahead of time.

Perhaps kneeling was uncomfortable, Lin Daiyu couldn’t help but rub her knees, but she covertly lifted her delicate face and glanced at her mother out of the corner of her eye. Seeing her mother’s continued stern expression, she quickly lowered her head again.

“Ouch!” she suddenly cried out, her pretty little face wincing—it was the ruler that had just fallen on her back.

However, the "punishment" was so light it barely made a sound, clearly symbolic.

“Pfft—” Jia Min could no longer hold back her laughter, tossing down the ruler helplessly, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation. “You little brat, why don’t you get up quickly? Who are you trying to impress with that sorry look? You know full well how hard I hit you, don’t you?”

“Mother loves me the most!” Lin Daiyu laughed and threw herself into her mother’s arms, her delicate head cuddling against her soft bosom. “I was just bored at home, so I found something interesting to do!”

“So, you were just looking at these?” Jia Min gestured at the pile of books.

Startled, Xue Yan quickly bowed her head again.

“Just some trivial amusements, what’s the big deal?” Lin Daiyu scoffed at the dozens of books. “All are about scholars and young ladies, just those sour old literati dreaming of exams they’ll never pass. How could I take it seriously?”

“I’m relieved you think that way!” Jia Min nodded with satisfaction. “There’s nothing to do in the inner chambers anyway. A little amusement is fine, just don’t forget your status. The sages said, ‘It is better to have no books than to believe everything in them,’ and that’s exactly what this means. Xue Yan, you may get up now.”

“Thank you, madam!” The maid finally relaxed and rubbed her knees as she rose.

“Where did these come from?” Jia Min pointed to the books.

Neither the young mistress nor her maid dared answer.

“If you don’t say, I know,” Jia Min remarked. “Our household often has visitors, but you’ve always looked down on others. Besides, who else but Brother Rui could send things into the rear garden?”

“Mother, please don’t be angry. I begged Brother Rui myself,” Lin Daiyu blushed in defense.

“How could I not understand my own daughter? If it didn’t meet your approval, even if it was brought here, it would have been thrown out,” Jia Min sighed softly. “We have a small family and a small courtyard; everyone who comes and goes is known. Who hasn’t been young once? When I was a girl at the Duke’s mansion, one courtyard was probably bigger than our entire house, with more masters than all of us here combined, plus two or three hundred servants. That was truly troublesome!

“I read plenty of books and looked at paintings too, but I kept it secret. Actually, how could it be hidden from the elders? If they piled up too much, it meant a round of beating and scolding, and the books would be thrown out, burned, or buried. Now that I think about it, I almost miss those times. If you think carefully, what meaning do such things really have? Who are they fooling?”

“Thank you for understanding, Mother!” Lin Daiyu brightened. “It’s just that Duke’s mansion—”

“What about it?” Jia Min didn’t understand.

“Mother has mentioned it many times but never told me about the relatives there,” Lin Daiyu pouted. “I don’t even know what’s at my maternal family’s home. Shouldn’t I go see?”

“What’s there to say? It’s just a bigger courtyard with more people. But with more people and bigger rooms, there’s naturally more trouble.” Jia Min frowned. “Fortunately, Brother Rui helped win a great achievement. The memorial has already been sent. According to your father, our return to the capital is not far off.”

“Really?” Lin Daiyu’s eyes lit up. “Brother Rui, you really are something. Why didn’t you say so?”

“You!” Jia Min sighed softly. “Returning to the capital may not be all that great.”

“Ah?”

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