Chapter 203 Jumping out of the quagmire
“Ouch! Be gentle, be gentle!”

Wang Ren was lying on the bed, and the servant was applying plaster on his waist.

The servant said, “This is a pretty serious fall. It will probably take several days to heal.”

“Son of a bitch!”

Wang Ren’s eyes turned red when he thought about being thrown out of the Salt Inspectorate like a burden. “I must take revenge. Mr. Li, just wait for me. Ouch~”

At this moment, a slave came in and approached Wang Ren: “Master, I found out!”

Wang Ren said angrily: “Hurry up and tell me!”

The slave said: “It’s Li Hu, Lin Ruhai’s son-in-law who is a warrior.”

“It’s him!” Wang Ren was slightly surprised. His sister Wang Xifeng had mentioned this man several times in her letters. He was the confidant of the emperor and the prince, and a powerful figure! Although his uncle Wang Ziteng was promoted to the governor of Liangjiang, he could not do anything to him. Could it be that he just let it go? !

“The master is here!” The servant’s voice came from outside.

The slave knelt down, and then the servants followed suit.

Wang Ren looked towards the door, and Wang Li walked in boldly, saying with a smile, “Get up, everyone stand up.” Then he walked to Wang Ren’s side, sat down on the chair beside the bed, and asked, “I heard you were injured, what happened?”

Wang Ren gave a bitter smile: “I met a tough guy.”

“Oh?” Wang Li became interested.

Wang Ren suddenly remembered that Li Hu had whipped Wang Li eighty times. Eighty whips! He was just thrown down, and he felt much better.

Wang Li: “What’s wrong?”

Wang Ren coughed and said, “Li Hu.”

Wang Li: “Li Hu, which Li Hu?” He was stunned for a moment and then stared at Wang Ren.

Wang Ren nodded.

“He, why is he here?!” Wang Li looked a little uncomfortable.

The servant replied, “My Lord, I went to the Salt Inspectorate and asked, and found out that Li Hu came to visit Lin Ruhai.”

Wang Ren told the story with exaggeration, especially how Lin Ruhai avoided him and did not give face to the Wang family.

Wang Li frowned.

Wang Li: “Brother, we must save this face no matter what!”

Wang Li didn’t say anything.

Wang Ren: “Brother, Li Hu has humiliated the Wang family of Jinling and my uncle. If this matter spreads, how can my uncle control the two Jiangs, command the civil and military officials, and discipline the military and civilians!”

Wang Li said unhappily: “If you don’t tell me, no one will know.”

Wang Ren couldn’t hold back his face anymore, and said angrily: “Our Wang family is really promising. We were ridden on our own territory and pissed and shit on them, but we didn’t even dare to fart.”

“what do you want!”

Wang Li shouted irritably, “Sue him, he’s in the right! Beat him, you can’t do that! Kill him, you don’t have the ability to do that!”

Wang Ren tilted his head and said nothing more.

Wang Li felt a little hot, unbuttoned his collar, and said, “Do you think I don’t hate him? I don’t want revenge? Now is not the time.”

Wang Ren’s eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly, “When?”

Wang Li did not respond to his question, but asked: “How is the preparation of the salt ship going?”

Wang Ren: “What’s the use of having a boat without salt!”

Wang Li glared at him.

Wang Ren: “We are ready. We have recruited all the boatmen. We are just waiting for the salt.”

Wang Li was silent for a moment, then said, “You don’t need to worry about the salt.”

Wang Ren was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, “Smuggled salt?”

“What private salt?! We have a salt permit that allows us to pass customs, which means it’s official salt!”

Wang Li snorted, “Who in these two rivers and three provinces dares to check our Wang family’s boats!”

Wang Ren hesitated for a moment and asked, “Does my uncle know about this?”

“I can decide on this matter.”

Wang Li stood up and walked back and forth a few steps. “It’s all because of that old man from the Jia family. We don’t have the money to build a villa for the imperial visit. We just want to pretend to be rich and powerful and just call ourselves Duke’s Mansion. Why are we pretending to be so powerful? If we just go there, we won’t have to worry about the Jia family’s attitude!”

Wang Ren hesitated again and said, “I’m afraid this is not a good idea.”

Wang Li: “What are you afraid of? The emperor’s son is selling private salt.”

Wang Ren: “The emperor’s son? Who is that?” Wang Li regretted what he had said. His eyes swept like a knife towards the servants surrounding the bedroom: “What did you hear just now?”

Several servants immediately knelt down and said, “We didn’t hear anything.”

With a snort, Wang Li said, “It’s your good fortune that I didn’t hear it! Go away!”

Several servants hurriedly got up, turned around and walked away with their heads down.

Wang Li sat down on the chair again: “To tell you the truth, it’s not just the Second and Third Princes, several princes of the royal family are also selling illegal salt.”

Wang Ren took a deep breath. After all this time, it turned out that the royal family was the biggest private salt dealer.

Wang Li sneered: “Lin Ruhai and his men brought down several major salt merchants in Yangzhou, but in the end they benefited from it!”

“Where does our private salt come from?” Wang Ren suddenly asked, “Second Prince, or Third Prince?”

Wang Li hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his hand and made a “two” gesture.

The banquet was still being set up and Li Hu refilled Lin Ruhai’s glass of wine.

Butler Lin’s voice came from outside the door: “Master! Master!”

Lin Ruhai put down his glass and said, “I told you we can talk tomorrow if you have something to say. Why are you bothering me again?”

Steward Lin’s voice: “There is no way, the imperial edict has arrived.”

Lin Ruhai was shocked.

Li Hu: “Father-in-law, please go quickly.”

Lin Ruhai: “I’ll be back soon, please wait a moment.” After saying that, he walked out quickly.

Li Hu took a sip from his wine glass. Why did the emperor send an imperial edict at this time? Could it be that he was summoning Lin Ruhai to Beijing to take up a post?

Thinking of this, Li Hu blinked his eyes. Wouldn’t his and Lin Daiyu’s world of two be broken?

After drinking it in one gulp, Li Hu picked up the wine jug and filled it up for himself again, perhaps for something else.

Just as I was thinking about it, Lin Ruhai, who had changed his clothes, walked in.

Li Hu stood up quickly: “So fast?”

Lin Ruhai: “Sent directly to the backyard.”

Li Hu nodded, looked at the imperial edict in his hand, and asked with a smile: “You got promoted?”

Lin Ruhai was startled: “You know?”

Li Hu’s heart skipped a beat. It was over. Their world of two was gone!

Lin Ruhai looked at him strangely: “What’s wrong?”

Li Hu coughed and said, “I’m happy. I’m happy for you.”

“Really?” Lin Ruhai looked at him doubtfully.

Li Hu patted his chest and said, “I never lie!”

Lin Ruhai handed over the imperial edict and said, “Take a look at it too.”

Li Hu took the imperial edict and unfolded it. He was stunned at first, and then his face was filled with smiles.

Lin Ruhai walked to his seat and sat down, saying, “I heard from the official who delivered the imperial edict that it was the crown prince who recommended me.”

Li Hu: “Oh?”

At this moment, Wang Daniu walked in with a letter.

Wang Daniu: “Second Master, the prince’s letter.”

Li Hu took the letter, opened the seal and read it, then said to Lin Ruhai: “The emperor wants you to go to Shandong to accumulate political achievements and experience as you grow old.” Then he handed the letter to Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai took it, looked at it, smiled and nodded.

Li Hu looked at the imperial edict again. With the cooperation of the Kong family, the implementation of the new policy in Shandong would be very easy and smooth. Lin Ruhai’s appointment as the governor of Shandong was just a gilding. With this political achievement and the qualifications to govern a province, Lin Ruhai would be an official of the six ministries and nine government officials when he went to Beijing.

This is a good thing. It will not disturb the world of two people between him and Lin Daiyu, and it allows Lin Ruhai to escape from the quagmire of Lianghuai salt tax!

Well, when it comes to the Kong family, the emperor still underestimated it!

Lin Ruhai raised his glass and asked, “Does this count as taking advantage of you?”

“Are you praising me?” Li Hu also picked up the wine glass.

Lin Ruhai and Li Hu laughed at each other and drank.

(End of this chapter)