Daming talker

Chapter 549 What a waste!

Lin Tailai also felt that at this moment, Eunuch Liu was particularly like a minister who had deceived the emperor into giving him the imperial caning.

After raising his head and looking around, Lin Tailai ordered the servants to disperse a little so that General Pang and the gatekeepers could also see the excitement.

Then Lin Tailai said loudly to Eunuch Liu: "I already know what you are thinking! It's not that I, Lin Tailai, am cruel, I beat you for your own good!
Just consider today as cooperation. As long as you get beaten by me, you will have face in front of Concubine Zheng. Concubine Zheng will definitely use you!
I tried my best to be moderate and not cause permanent damage! When you become successful in the palace in the future, don't forget my kindness today!"

After hearing what Lin Tailai said, the fearless and tough eunuch Liu suddenly looked terrified and screamed, "No! Stop talking!"

He was not afraid of being beaten or humiliated. He didn't care even if Lin Tailai stripped him naked and hung him on the city wall!
The only thing I don’t want to hear is Lin Tailai saying what he just said in public!
If word like that gets out, it would be in vain for you to be beaten!

Originally he was trying to gain a better future by selling his misery, but after hearing what Lin Tailai said, it seemed like he was collaborating in a "double act" with ulterior motives.

He might even be suspected that Lin Tailai wanted to send himself to Concubine Zheng as an undercover agent!

As he was thinking, Eunuch Liu, who had been held down by the servants of the Lin residence, began to struggle violently, which was in sharp contrast to his fearless look just now.

Who would be willing to be beaten and humiliated if there is no benefit?

Lin Tailai gestured to the servant and said with a fierce smile: "I admire your tough and unyielding attitude just now."

After receiving clear instructions, the servants of the Lin Mansion started beating and kicking Eunuch Liu. They were well-trained and very skilled.

General Pang stood anxiously by the side, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

If I don't save him, what will I do if Eunuch Liu holds me accountable in the future?

People like Lin Tailai may be pardoned at any time and leave, but Eunuch Liu will always be his boss and military supervisor!

It’s so difficult to get into the officialdom!
At this moment, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

Lin Tailai turned around and saw another seventy or eighty people coming from Xizhimen Inner Street, surrounding a man wearing a three-peaked hat, with a white face and no beard, and wearing a pink lining.

There is no need to think, you can tell at first glance that this is a eunuch, and a eunuch of high status.

Pang Bazong reminded Lin Tailai, "This is Sun Yongsun, the Junior Supervisor of the Inner Study who is in charge of the Twenty City Gates!"

In this era, the eunuch in charge of the city gates of the capital had a high status. He was above the eunuchs in the study of the Imperial Household Department and below the eunuchs in charge of writing. His position was equivalent to that of the eunuchs in charge of garrisoning Nanjing and Tianshou Mountain.

That is why Pang Bazong respectfully addressed the eunuch Sun Yong, the commander of the city gate, as "Gong".

After the introduction, General Pang came to Eunuch Sun's horse and quickly saluted.

Today, Chen Ju, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, reminded Sun Yong that something might happen at Xizhimen and asked him to go and take a look.

Eunuch Sun was puzzled by this. What kind of situation could have happened in Xizhimen?

But since Chen Ju had spoken, he still came to check it out, and he didn't expect that something went wrong.
Eunuch Liu, who had been beaten to death, suddenly came back to life and shouted with his last bit of strength, "Eunuch Sun, save me!"

Eunuch Sun did not even dismount from his horse, and questioned, "Lin Tailai, you are a criminal soldier, how dare you hit the gatekeeper? Aren't you afraid of being punished more severely?"

When he was on duty in the Inner Study Hall, he saw Lin Tailai jumping up and down in the Wenhua Hall with his own eyes, so he knew him.

Lin Tailai replied: "I, Lin Tailai, was sent here as a soldier, but this officer Liu said he would beat me with a hundred sticks first!

I just want to ask Eunuch Sun, is there such a rule at the city gate under your rule? "

Eunuch Sun frowned. This doorman named Liu was really looking for trouble!
Why do you want to provoke him? Aren't you afraid of being bitten to death by those mad dog civil servants?

"So this caused public outrage, and there are righteous people who stepped forward to uphold justice!" Lin Tailai said lightly.

Eunuch Sun rebuked: "In any case, beating the gatekeeper is also a serious crime of undermining the city's defenses."

Lin Tailai quickly explained: "Don't worry, Eunuch Sun, nothing serious will happen!

Eunuch Liu and I have a tacit understanding. After I beat him up, he can go to Concubine Zheng to ask for credit and reward!"

Eunuch Sun: "."

Damn it! I can’t get involved in this matter!

The emperor has been feeling upset lately and particularly hates creating new troubles. No matter who is right or wrong, if the situation gets out of hand, everyone will suffer together!

After figuring it out, Eunuch Sun turned around and reprimanded Pang Bazong, saying, "The gatekeeper violated the rules and was severely punished by being sent to serve as a gatekeeper and having his 100 beatings made. As the gatekeeper, why didn't you do your duty to stop him?"

General Pang: “?”

Eunuch Sun, do you think it is wrong to say this? Can a captain stop the Liumen official?
He doesn't have two hundred servants, nor does he have any powerful backers!
Then Eunuch Sun whipped Pang Bazong with his horsewhip and continued to scold him, "When someone beat up the gatekeeper, why didn't you, as the gatekeeper, lead your troops to protect the gatekeeper?

You are just a figurehead, afraid of difficulties and cowardly, and seriously derelict in your duty! What use is there for you as the gatekeeper in the imperial court?"

General Pang: “.”

Liu Menguan is still being beaten over there, Eunuch Sun, why don't you go and stop it?

Under the gaze of Eunuch Sun, General Pang got down from his seat and apologized, "I failed to stop the conflict between the gatekeeper and the exiled gatekeeper. It was all my fault!"

The eunuch Sun, the commander of the 20th Gate, severely punished him, saying, "General Pang, you have failed to do your job well. I will fine you three months' salary and keep you on probation to see how you perform!"

After dealing with the matter, Eunuch Sun stormed away with his entourage and soldiers.

After watching Eunuch Sun go away, the thief soldier Lin Tailai turned to look at the gatekeeper Liu Gonggong, "Why don't you shout? Keep shouting!"

Gatekeeper Liu Gonggong: "."

He lost. He completely lost in the workplace of Chengmen.

The left protector Zhang Wen came to ask: "Do you want to continue fighting?"

Lin Tailai sighed, "Eunuch Liu's heart is already dead, what's the point of beating him again?
Send him back to the city gate tower, and don't come down without my order."

General Pang had to remind him carefully: "Eunuch Liu is so injured. We should ask a doctor to come over."

Lin Tai said confidently: "Don't worry! When it comes to treating flesh wounds, my servants are more professional than most doctors!"

So it only took half a day for Lin Tailai to make all the government troops understand who was the new boss here.

The next day was another sunny spring day. Lin Tailai sat under the city wall, drinking tea and watching the carriages and horses passing through the city gate.

He said casually: "The number of people entering and leaving Xizhimen is more than I thought."

Pang Bazong explained: "Because March and April are the peak seasons, there are more people than in other months.

Among all the city gates in Beijing, only the scenery outside Xizhimen is good, and there are large areas of waterscape, which makes it unique.

Therefore, there is a custom in the capital that people must go to Xizhimen for an outing in spring, and scholars and officials also choose Xizhimen as their first choice for outings and gatherings.

Lin Tailai angrily cursed: "What kind of world is this! A loyal person like me is sent here to guard the city gate, and I am not allowed to leave without permission!

However, those officials in the imperial court who were just idling around could go out of the city for a spring outing at will!
I am the first deputy leader of the literary world, but I can only watch these third- and fourth-rate writers flirt with each other. Isn't it infuriating!" General Pang was shocked. You are still the deputy leader of the literary world in this state?
As they were talking, they saw several luxurious carriages coming from the direction of Xizhimen Inner Street. They must be wealthy families going out of the city for a spring outing.

Lin Tailai seemed to be feeling unbalanced, and shouted to General Pang, "Go! Stop him and interrogate him!"

"Isn't that necessary?" Pang Bazong said in embarrassment. If he harassed and made things difficult for the convoy of dignitaries for no reason, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?

Lin Tailai snorted coldly and pointed at the city gate tower and said, "You want to go up there too and accompany Eunuch Liu?"

General Pang shouted helplessly: "I'll go! I'll go!"

Then he walked towards the city gate with a wronged look on his face, like a young girl who was forced into prostitution.

Lin Tailai then ordered his men, "Send a few people to keep an eye on him! Otherwise he will be ineffective!"

General Pang stopped the convoy and shouted, "Check!"

The knights leading the convoy waved their whips and shouted, "You are blind! You dare to stop the young master's carriage!"

Shao Sima, the Assistant Minister of War, Pang Bazong's legs went weak and he knelt down in another standard move!
The other party might even chop me to death if I were to take military action!
But the convoy did not move forward. Captain Zhou, who was as humble as a human being, became panicked. Could it be that this assistant minister was still unwilling to give up?
He raised his head tremblingly, only to see the curtain of the carriage opened, and a majestic old man sitting in the carriage, his eyes looking behind him.

Behind him were several servants of the Lin Mansion and a leader known as the Right Protector.

Could it be that the old man in the car knew these Lin family servants and the right protector?

When Pang Bazong was in a state of confusion, he suddenly heard the old man shouting to the leading knight: "Don't be rude! The city gate is a critical place, and it is reasonable to be questioned."

Then Pang Bazong saw the old man facing him again and said kindly: "I am Shi Xing, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War. There is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving the city through Xizhimen to do business."

General Pang: “.”

I don’t know what to say, so I’ll just stay here.

I only heard the right guardian behind me say, "We are sorry for being rude. Please respectfully escort Junior Sima Shigong out of the city!"

Minister Shi nodded and said nothing more. Then, with the sound of carriages and horses rumbling, the convoy left the city.

When the dust settled, General Pang stood up in a daze and returned to Lin Tailai in a daze.

Lin Tailai cursed: "You are such a loser. You can't even do your job well. What's the point of being a gatekeeper?"

Pang Bazong once again skillfully knelt down and fell into the dust: "Grandpa Lin! I want to go to Chongwenmen!"

Lin Tailai sneered: "It's easy to go to Chongwenmen, but you have to impress me with your performance."

Pang Bazong said bitterly: "What can we show here in Xizhimen?"

"Just do as I say!" Lin Tai said, "I'll let you go to Chongwenmen next month!"

A few days later, Shen Yongmao, a deputy minister of the Ministry of War, traveled more than ten miles to Xizhimen to visit Lin Tailai.

At this time, Lin Tailai was sitting on the city gate, carefully guiding a beauty from the West Courtyard of the Jiaofangsi to write poetry.

While touching the beauty all over, he taught her earnestly: "You are in the capital, so you should promote positive energy when writing poems and lyrics.

You might as well learn more about the official script from more than a hundred years ago, which will definitely make you stand out from many of your peers. "

Seeing Master Shen coming up, Lin Tailai asked calmly, "What is the situation in the court like these days?"

Shen Yongmao looked around, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lin Tailai patted the beauty and said, "Go down first! Otherwise you will hear something you shouldn't hear and get yourself killed!"

When General Pang, who had brought Shen Yongmao up, heard this, he also wanted to slip away immediately.

In the eyes of those big guys, how much better am I than the beauties from the Music Bureau?
Lin Tailai stopped Pang Bazong and said, "You stay and listen, it will broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge!"

Shen Yongmao said, "The situation is a little different from what we expected. Among the three ministers, Xu Guo, Wang Xijue, and Wang Jiaping, the one who is in the most difficult situation is Wang Xijue, not Xu Guo as expected."

"What a waste." Lin Tailai couldn't help cursing.

Pang Bazong, who had been scolded as a waste by Lin Tailai several times, suddenly felt balanced. It turned out that he and the elder were treated the same.

If we were to say who among the three "treacherous ministers" Lin Tailai most wanted to remove from office, it would definitely be his beloved old teacher Xu Guo.

On the one hand, the conflict of interests between Lin Tailai and Mr. Xu is huge and irreconcilable. In any case, it is impossible for Lin Tailai to give up his salt industry interests.

On the other hand, Mr. Xu's identity as Lin Tailai's teacher is a powerful constraint and a potential uncontrollable threat.

Lin Tailai did not want to see such factors that could restrict him in the court, so he definitely hoped that Teacher Xu would leave as soon as possible.

Only teachers who have left officialdom are the best teachers.

But the opportunity to betray one's teacher and ancestors and remain safe and sound is rare. Now that it has happened, how can I let it go easily?

Lin Tailai asked again: "Why can't Wang Xijue win against Xu Guo?"

In terms of relationships with the upper echelons, Wang Xijue bowed to Prime Minister Shen and gained his support, and also had the support of most of the Suzhou folks, while the folks behind Xu Guo were obviously not as strong as Wang Xijue.

Speaking of his students and old friends, Wang Xijue was the chief examiner of the imperial examination in the 11th year of Wanli, and his students have now achieved some success.

And Xu Guo was only the chief examiner of the imperial examination last year, and his disciples are all rookies now.

So in a context similar to "Battle Royale", normally speaking, Xu Guo's situation must be worse than Wang Xijue's.

Shen Yongmao replied: "Some people criticized Wang Xijue for being from Suzhou Prefecture, saying that it was inappropriate to have two people from Suzhou Prefecture in the cabinet.

At the same time, many people from the Qingliu faction came out to support Xu Guo, which put Wang Xijue at a disadvantage. "

All I can say is that no one is a fool.

In the past few years, in order to maintain the power of the cabinet, Xu Guo had been fighting against the Qingliu forces. Xu Guo even wanted to ask the emperor to issue an edict to prohibit censors from arbitrarily criticizing the cabinet elders.

And now, in addition to stabilizing Wang Jiaping, the Qingliu forces have actually begun to secretly protect Xu Guo.

Lin Tailai couldn't help but accuse him again, "Is your father still okay? Can he not even protect Wang Xijue?"

When General Pang, who was forced to stay behind, heard this, he couldn't help but tremble with fear!

Accusing the Prime Minister of being useless in front of his son, isn't this a sign of a fight? Will I be silenced?

But the Prime Minister's son seemed to be used to it and didn't care. He responded: "Maybe deep down in my father's heart, it doesn't matter who stays. It's impossible for me to do my best to protect people. It's not worth it!"

Lin Tailai sighed, "I didn't expect that the situation in the court would get out of control again after I was stationed at Xizhimen for only a few days.

Can you give me a list of the people who have criticized Wang Xijue in the past few days? Most of them should be from the Qingliu faction, right? "

(End of this chapter)