Gu Ying stared at Lin Xie in surprise, not expecting him to accurately guess what Lin Tingxun was planning. She asked in a slightly astonished tone: "Ah, did you figure all this out by yourself?" Then she added, "Youre not stupid, just a bit weak-willed. Youd even cry if a stray dog chased you. I didnt think I was deceiving you - nor did I think it was bad for you."

  "I wonder if my past self was really that useless? Why cant I remember this?" At this time, he wasnt thinking about whether or not he had been chased and bitten by a dog, making him cry. He said: "The master gave me a beautiful house and arranged my marriage, I think even if I became the inspector, I would probably still have to follow the masters arrangements for the people in the inspection department - To say it, the master only needs me to take this position, be a puppet, so that Lin渡 and the countryside can be firmly controlled by the Lin family. Maybe some people think that even being a chess piece is not bad," Lin缚 said up to here, paused for a moment, and looked at Gu盈s snow-white jade face with abandon, looking at her deep and clear eyes like stars in the night sky, saying: "But I dont want to be someone elses chess piece!"

  "Ah……” Gu Yingxu looked at Lin Xuan with a puzzled expression, who had become somewhat darker and more handsome after returning this time. It was really hard to imagine that these words came from his mouth. She truly felt that Lin Xuan was very different from before, although she always thought it was her responsibility to take good care of him. For the moment, she couldnt think of anything to say to change his mind. At the same time, she felt that Lin Xuans words were full of grandeur and had a lot of masculine charm. However, after living in the Lin family for so many years, she knew what was real, and softly said, "Im really happy for you that you have this ambition, but you dont need to reject him directly without leaving any room for maneuver."

  "One step back and every step is soft, the family mainly uses me as a chess piece. If I fall into it, do I still have the qualifications to turn around with the master of the house?" Lin said.

  "Thats true, but youre in Dongyang!" Gu Yingxiu said, she knew the influence of the Lin family in Dongyang Prefecture, and Lin Xuan was a member of the Lin family. It would be better to wait patiently for a few years until Lin Tingyun died rather than trying hard to break free from his control.

  "Now that this matter is settled, I will go to Jiangning," said Lin Xie.

  "Ah," Gu Yingxus eyes widened slightly, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Her face turned bright red as she scolded, "Youre still so stubborn! Whats so good about that seductress? Are you going to go to Jiangning for her?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was inappropriate, like she was competing with the courtesan in Jiangning. Although she lost her composure, Gu Yingxu still felt angry, her deep and enchanting eyes glaring fiercely at Lin Xuan.

  Lin Mou touched his nose, unable to tell Gu Yingxiu about the affairs of Liu Ma Kou and Chongzhou young people. Su Meis matter made him speechless, so he didnt say anything, and the atmosphere became cold.

  Gu Yings voice was a bit loud, and Zhao Hu, Lin Jingchang, and even Zhao Hus mother standing in the distance looked over with confusion. Zhou Pu thought to himself: These beautiful women are really concerned about Lin Xies affairs, now theyre eating Su Niangs flying vinegar.

  At this moment, the second son Lin Xuzong and Zhao Neng walked over from a distance on the Fuyin Road, their eyes also staring in this direction. They walked halfway before turning into a courtyard.

  "Hmm..." Gu Yingru saw that Lin Xie wasnt speaking, and she couldnt just stand there like a stubborn little girl, so she softly said: "Ill be going back to Huyan in two days, you should also go take a look at Huyan when you have time..."

  Huyan is Gu Yingxus hometown, more than ten miles away from Shanglin.

  "Hmm." Lin Xie responded with a murmur. He knew that private meetings between men and women were a serious taboo, but he also knew that Gu Yingxus intention was not romantic in nature, rather it was out of concern for him and a desire to persuade him to change his ways. Nevertheless, he couldnt help but be surprised by Gu Yingxus boldness, as even if he had felt happy about the invitation in the past, he probably wouldnt have dared to accept it.

  Gu Yingxu and the maid Cuier turned around and walked towards the inner house, while Lin Xie, Zhou Pu, Zhao Hu and others, as well as Zhao Hus mother, left the Lin family mansion. They didnt notice that the second young master, Lin Xuexiu, had just entered the courtyard door and opened a gap without closing it, with a pair of eyes hiding outside the door staring at the outside.

  *********

  Listening to the soft rustle of her skirt brushing against the green brick path, Lin Xuzong stood behind the door with his hands clasped behind his back. His slender eyes narrowed slightly, as if imagining Gu Yings gentle and elegant figure walking deep into the mansion.

  "Second Master..." Zhao Neng stood with his head bowed and hands hanging down, but secretly observed the Second Masters expression. He had no one else to rely on in the Lin family except for the Second Master.

  "Its different from usual......" Lin Xuzong furrowed his brow.

  "This time, Soft-Shelled Shrimp is back and its completely different from before." Zhao Neng said, following the tone of Second Master.

  "Im talking about my dad."

  "Whats wrong with the old master? Soft-shelled shrimp ate the wrong medicine, dont blame that mansion... Ive been following the old master for a few years, but I havent seen him eat this humble pie."

  "If I were really useless, my father would only try to win me over once and for all. After all, I wouldnt be able to escape his grasp in the future anyway. Think about it, what if this closed-door scolding was actually orchestrated by that slut behind my back?"

  "......" Zhao Neng was slightly taken aback, then said with a change of heart, "Nothing escapes the eyes of Second Master, I was just saying that this soft-shelled turtle is quite different from before!"

  Lin Xuzongs eyebrows furrowed even deeper.

  **********

  Lin Tie and others left the Lin family mansion. On the way, Zhao Hu was still thinking about what Qiufu had told him that morning to find his mother: "What did Qiufu want from you? You havent said yet?"

  "With your impatient temper, are you still a few steps away from leaving home?" Zhao Hus mother complained, "Whether this matter can be done or not depends on the scholar."

  "What business do I have?" Lin Xie asked, "What did Seventh Madame want Zhao Aunt to tell me, why didnt she say it just now?"

  "Seventh Lady said, Xiucai, youve passed the imperial examination and become a jinshi. From now on, youll be a master, and you cant do without servants by your side. Although Hu Zi is a bit rough around the edges, Xiucai knows hes got a good heart and is efficient in handling matters. What do you think..."

  "This cant be," Lin Xie understood the implication of Zhao Hus mother and hastily pushed it away, "I regard Zhao Hu as an elder brother, how can I treat him like this?"

  "Are you looking down on Tiger?" Zhao Hus mother retorted.

  Lin tied up Zhao Hu and his mother to talk, he didnt expect the Seventh Lady to consider it so thoroughly for him. If it were the old him, he would have agreed as long as he could live a life of wealth and sufficiency. After all, Zhao Hu had lost his job at the county government because of standing up for him. In this society where social status is everything, there arent many people who believe in equality. Even if their friendship turned into a master-servant relationship, it wouldnt be hard to accept, even Zhao Hu himself wouldnt feel much resentment.

  Zhao Hu didnt expect that Seventh Madame had come to find his mother about this matter, and he was somewhat caught off guard, without any mental preparation, with complicated thoughts, and not knowing what to say.

  Lin tied up patiently persuaded Zhao Hus mother: "Auntie, what are you talking about? You also know that I just made the master unhappy because of the Nanxi Village house thing. Zhao Hu followed me and its not necessarily a good thing - in fact, I was thinking of finding an opportunity to ask Madame Qi to speak for Zhao Hu and let him return to his hometown..."

  "What big deal can happen at the Nanxi Village, cant Old Master Lin take away your Huiren honor?" Zhao Hus mother was a woman with her own opinions, she said, "Its good that Zhao Hu can return to his hometown, but in the countryside, there is no one to back him up. His temper is also impulsive, what if he says something wrong or does something wrong again? Wouldnt it be easy for the higher-ups to kick him out with just a word? Auntie, Im saying this to you today in front of Scholar Xiu, having watched you grow up and knowing your steady heart. Now that you have achieved honor, Tiger follows you, and his future is better off back in the countryside. Have you already promised someone else?"

  "This is not... " Lin Mou felt that he was somewhat powerless in his speech, and couldnt find a good excuse to refuse Zhao Hus mothers request.

  Lin Jingwen chimed in from the side, "I think this is not bad, you go to Yanjing for the exam again, and no one can take care of things here. If I couldnt easily quit my job as an accountant at the warehouse, I would also ask you to take me on as a follower." Lin Jingwen still believed that Lin Xuan had made up his mind to participate in the imperial examination in Yanjing after gaining confidence in front of the master.

  Lin was a successful candidate in the imperial examination and had achieved a good reputation. Even if he didnt take the next step to become a jinshi or take up an official position, according to the rules of this dynasty, he could still have four personal attendants who would be exempt from taxation and labor service, just like officials and hereditary nobles. This doesnt mean that officials in this dynasty cant have more than four personal slaves; when Zhu Guochang, the former Jiangdong Xuanfu Envoy, left office, nearly three thousand of his family members and servants left Jiangning in a grand procession. However, the legal quota for personal slaves was only four people. These four people were exempt from taxation, labor service, and various surcharges (except for land taxes), according to the rules.

  Zhao Hus mother had her eyes on these four statutory quotas. At first glance, exempting the holder or official or hereditary meritorious family from paying head taxes and labor services did not seem like a big deal. The key was to exempt them from various additional levies other than land taxes.

  Dongyang Prefecture is a fertile land with rare droughts or floods. In the summer, rice and wheat are harvested in autumn, and one mu of cultivated land can yield three stones of grain per year. A household can have 20 mu of land, and when they are free, they can work as laborers. Even if they pay their taxes, labor fees, and land taxes on time, they can still live a relatively comfortable life. However, the various additional levies imposed by the government, the exploitation by tax officials, and the various apportionments in the countryside are enough to make a self-cultivating peasant family live in distress. If they encounter a poor harvest, or get involved in a lawsuit, or suffer from bandits, they may be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy at any time.

  It can be seen that being a house slave for the imperial censor has its benefits. Although only one person is exempt from head tax and labor service, they can help their family avoid additional levies on their property, and dont have to worry about being exploited or bullied by tax officials. If there are any benefits such as rent reduction or donation exemption from the government, they will naturally be able to enjoy them first. And if they encounter a lawsuit, they will also have someone to rely on.

  This is still the case when Lin Xies old master didnt mix well, if Lin Xie mixed well and got an official position in the county, then his followers would naturally have more benefits.

  Lin Xian sighed slightly in his heart, thinking that the behavior of those who were eager to be a secretary or driver for their leaders in later generations was not much different from what he saw now.

  The only drawback is that being a servant is the same as being a slave, both are of low status. However, ordinary villagers who struggle to make ends meet do not particularly care about the distinction between good and bad. The servants by Lin Tingxuns side are also house slaves, but how many people in Shanglin Village can look down on them? Zhao Hu doing servant work and entering a lowly household is no big deal, as long as he can bring benefits to his family. However, Lin Jingchang would not be willing, although he failed the imperial examination several times, he has not given up yet. Entering a lowly household means giving up on taking the imperial examination, but there are no restrictions on joining the military or becoming a low-ranking officer.

  Lin Mou said that he didnt want to take Zhao Hu as his follower, fearing that it would be a humiliation for him and hurt their brotherly bond. In reality, he didnt want to drag Zhao Hu into even more dangerous situations, whether it was the bandits, the Chongzhou youths, or the Su Mei and Jin An Xiao familys affairs, which were not ordinary dangers that people could withstand. But in Zhao Hus mothers eyes, Lin Mou not taking her son as a household slave was what truly hurt their brotherly bond.

  Zhao Hu didnt care, but if Lin Mou had promised readily, he would have felt embarrassed.

  Lin Tie could only spread his hands and say to go back and discuss this matter again. Zhao Hu looked up at the sun, gave these things a pause, it was almost noon, and said: "Going back to cook is also not in time, we will go to the ferry terminal, Xiucais first day back, should also set up a table of welcome banquet..."

  Zhao Hu didnt ask anything, and his mother went back first. As a woman of virtue, she couldnt follow them to the wine house on the street. Lin Fu, Zhao Hu, Lin Jingchang, Zhou Pu, Chen Sizhe, and others headed in the direction of the ferry terminal.

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