CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 278: LIN FU’S GIFT (FIRST UPDATE)

After Wen Wan returned to the room, she briefly explained Lin Xiaoyue’s situation to Song Wei and then asked him, "When will Prime Minister Su return to court?"

Song Wei calculated the days and said, "It should be around the beginning of spring."

Wen Wan’s heart tightened, "Once he resumes his official duties, won’t he have to look for ways to deal with my husband everywhere?"

Song Wei said, "After all, he’s the Imperial Uncle. The Emperor, for the sake of preserving the bigger picture, can’t really let him step down. However, with that case already in place, even if he returns to his official duties, the Emperor has plenty of excuses not to use him heavily."

Song Wei’s words were not fabricated out of thin air but were deduced from his time spent beside Emperor Guangxi recently.

Emperor Guangxi gritted his teeth in hatred for his brother-in-law, yet with the Empress still present, he couldn’t immediately uproot the Su family’s power and had to plan gradually.

Using the coal mine case to demote Prime Minister Su is not impossible, but the subsequent troubles would be considerable.

It’s better to let him resume his official duties, outwardly appear to use him heavily while actually stripping him of his power. This is much more prudent than demoting him and losing surveillance, forcing him to employ underhanded tricks.

After a moment of silence, Song Wei continued, "As for me, I handle soldiers when they come, and I cover water when it approaches. Anyway, being manipulated by him is not a first time."

...

While at the Song family, Lin Xiaoyue didn’t forget to send hidden guards to gather news about her family’s mansion. The next day, the hidden guards brought back the news, saying that the main courtyard was severely burned, and few items inside were saved in perfect condition. They asked Lin Xiaoyue if she had left anything inside.

Lin Xiaoyue thought carefully and seemed to remember that besides Ah Nuan, there wasn’t anything that was absolutely necessary. She shook her head.

After the hidden guard withdrew, Jin Zhi came in and softly asked, "Does Granny Qi need to add anything?"

She observed that the Song family was quite simple, far less equipped than her own mansion, fearing the master might not adapt.

Lin Xiaoyue said there was no need.

Jin Zhi added, "If Granny is worried about silver, the servant has some private savings stored in the money shop, it can be taken out for emergencies."

Lin Xiaoyue still shook her head.

Now she’s at someone else’s home, feeling uneasy about using the owner’s silver to buy things. Using her own silver to purchase items would be like slapping the owner’s face.

No matter how, none felt appropriate.

"It’s already very good to have a temporary place to stay. As for other matters, I haven’t thought that much," Lin Xiaoyue said.

She herself could endure some hardship, as long as her daughter could be okay.

Moreover, things were different now, with the yard burned, losses were significant, so when money was tight, naturally, she couldn’t be extravagant.

...

Prime Minister Su felt furious when he learned that Lin Xiaoyue had hidden at the Song family, causing his head to ache.

The eldest grandma feared his anger and quickly explained, "Right after the fire spread over there, I arranged someone to handle it immediately, but who knew she would escape ahead."

Prime Minister Su detested those who failed and later tried to cover up with excuses, scolding the eldest grandma fiercely, demanding her to find a way to force Lin Xiaoyue out of the Song family. Otherwise, if Seventh came back early and picked her up, that fire would have been for nothing.

The eldest grandma felt some strain.

If Lin Xiaoyue were hidden in an inn, she could find a way to bring her to the Prime Minister Mansion.

But Lin Xiaoyue hiding with the Song family complicated things.

Song Wei frequently gets close to the Emperor. If someone from the Prime Minister Mansion has a conflict with him, once he mentions it to Emperor Guangxi, would the Prime Minister still want to resume his official duties?

Prime Minister Su saw the eldest grandma hesitating, sneered coldly, "If you can’t force her directly, wouldn’t you have Jizhou stir up some trouble?"

The eldest grandma jerked, "Surely, Prime Minister is wise."

Prime Minister Su kept a stern face, wondering what kind of partner he had chosen.

...

Prime Minister Su planned to stir up trouble in Jizhou to force Lin Xiaoyue out of the Song family to obediently serve as his hostage. However, before any action was taken, Lin Fu voluntarily entered the capital.

Lin Fu had calculated the date of his granddaughter’s full month celebration and came accordingly, but was delayed by snow blocking the mountains en route, arriving in the capital long after the banquet had passed.

As a businessman, he doesn’t always follow the rules like officials do, but when he needs to, he adheres properly.

For instance, upon arriving in the capital, he first sought to meet the renowned Prime Minister Su.

Even though he’s a senior, Lin Fu courteously brought gifts.

The moment Prime Minister Su saw the gifts, he pulled a grim face—not entirely justifiable for Lin Fu had brought a gold-plated, jewel-encrusted Pixiu.

The shimmering color matched the flamboyant style of the Lin family’s wealthy image.

Lin Fu smiled brightly, saying it was specially made for the Prime Minister to protect the house and ward off evil.

Pixiu, a legendary beast recorded in ancient texts, had a fierce appearance and was reputed to foster fortune, dispel evil, safeguard homes, and prevent excessive Tai Sui.

However, the prerequisite for these blessings is that the Pixiu must first be consecrated.

Whether this one had been consecrated was unknown to Prime Minister Su, but he didn’t want it.

As for the reason—

Regarding the pixiu, there’s another saying among the people, claiming it protects its master and loathes evil with a passion. Therefore, its ability to attract fortune and avoid misfortune is dependent on the goodness in the master’s heart.

If the master harbors evil thoughts, not only will they fail to obtain the pixiu’s protection, but they might even be harmed by it.

With several hundred members in the Su Family, you’d be hard-pressed to find a few kind-hearted ones. Once this thing enters the house, wouldn’t a large number of them face disaster?

The more Prime Minister Su looked at that pixiu, the darker his face became.

Beside him, Lin Fu was still smiling, "Seeing the Prime Minister’s reaction, you must be very pleased with the gift. If you like it, I can get a bigger one next time."

The tone, just short of telling the Prime Minister: You can enjoy it all you want, we have plenty of money to afford it!

Prime Minister Su cursed inwardly: Ignorant, unsophisticated country bumpkin!

Other families have small pixiu to wear, but he goes right ahead and gets a grand statue.

Before Prime Minister Su could speak, Lin Fu directly ordered his houseboy, "Move the item inside for the Prime Minister."

"Wait!" Prime Minister Su said coldly.

"Don’t worry, Prime Minister, I’ve had the high monk from Fahua Temple bless it, absolutely auspicious."

Prime Minister Su showed no courtesy, "The Su Family doesn’t need your rubbish!"

Lin Fu continued smiling, "I heard your house faced some trouble, the Prime Minister was suspended and fined. We’ve just excavated a path and need someone to take over. If you think you have too many subordinates, feel free to send a few over."

This was clearly bringing money to the door.

Prime Minister Su said, "Someone, please invite the pixiu inside!"

Lin Fu: "..."

Apparently, a noble family as big as the Su shouldn’t be short of money.

But the truth is, they are short of money; they are really lacking funds.

After Fifth Young Master got his feet into a coffin, none of the prominent Capital Officials in the Su Family were transferred.

Without being transferred, they couldn’t enjoy the "tribute" local officials would give, so annually, they could only rely on their salary in the capital.

The official salary in the Great Chu Dynasty is generally low, so for a large family like the Su, if they relied solely on salaries, at least half the people would starve.

Therefore, the Su Family has quite a few estates and shops under their name, but the businesses have been sluggish in the past two years, with profits seeing steep declines.

Prime Minister Su has been fined three years’ salary, and the other masters haven’t fared much better. During the suspension this year, they’ve been living off savings, which are mostly depleted.

Currently, the Su Family is in need of money.

Since someone offered money, it’s just a pixiu, he’ll temporarily accept it, and once Lin Tudan leaves, he’ll quickly trade it for money.

Once the pixiu was moved inside, Lin Fu was almost done with his pleasantries and directly got to the point, asking why his daughter wasn’t seen at the Champion Scholar Mansion.

Prime Minister Su, unable to confess his ignorance, told Lin Fu that the Champion Scholar Mansion had a fire a few days ago, Lin Xiaoyue went out for shelter and has yet to return. They’re also looking for her.

...

After Lin Fu left, the First Wife asked Prime Minister Su, "Wasn’t the Prime Minister planning to add pressure on the Lin Family to force Mrs. Lin out? Why have you let them go?"

Prime Minister Su indeed wanted to directly bind Lin Tudan, but just seeing that pixiu made him nervous.

Before Lin Tudan left the Capital, it wasn’t appropriate to move the pixiu, so with a stern face, he said, "I have my plans."

The First Wife asked suspiciously, "Is the Prime Minister considering doing business with their family?"

Otherwise, how could someone who was gnashing their teeth and swearing to make the Lin Family restless just days ago display such a change in attitude now?

Prime Minister Su couldn’t be bothered to respond to her, directly flicking his sleeve and leaving.

——

Lin Fu went to the Champion Scholar Mansion, where he didn’t see Lin Xiaoyue but saw Lin Xiaorou.

Looking at this illegitimate daughter who wasn’t concerned about her elder sister’s safety at all, Lin Fu’s face turned dark, "Where is your sister?"

Lin Xiaorou, just waking up from her nap, still had drowsiness all over her face. She yawned involuntarily upon hearing, "Went out for shelter."

"Then why are you still in their house?"

Lin Xiaorou, suddenly excited, blurted out, "I want to leave, but Su..."

Halfway through her words, she realized and quickly closed her mouth without daring to look at Lin Fu, lowering her head and saying in a weak voice, "Older sister went out, Mr. Qi isn’t here, so someone needs to manage the mansion. Otherwise, how would the servants responsible for repairing the courtyard avoid laziness and mischief?"

Lin Fu had no time to argue these matters with her, "Do you know where your older sister went?"

Lin Xiaorou thought for a moment and shook her head.

Lin Fu asked several servants in succession, none of whom knew Lin Xiaoyue’s whereabouts.

Determined, Lin Fu instructed two houseboys, "If she’s not found, post a large reward to seek her."

He couldn’t believe there could be anyone opposed to money these days!