Chapter 94

The next day, Lin Yanzhao came to the house again, and his uncle also came along. The real estate agent found the neighborhood head and the neighbors to act as witnesses, and also invited a scribe from the government office to write the deed, which was established in front of everyone.

The deed needed to be registered at the government office, but since the house was in Min County, while Lin Yanzhao and his family were registered in Houguan County, they had to go through the procedures at the prefectural office.

Lin Yanzhao had the real estate agent and his third uncle take the note from the clerk Zhang to handle this matter. When the clerks at the prefectural office saw the note from Clerk Zhang, they did not dare to ask for money and processed it very quickly, which was quite unusual for the bureaucratic style.

This time, the real estate agent was truly convinced by Lin Yanzhao. Even the people from the prefectural office held this young man in high regard. What kind of background did he have?

After Lin Yanzhao paid the money, Mrs. Wu was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

The neighborhood head and the neighbors, knowing that one of the Lin family was an official and the other a clerk, came to build relationships. The uncle received several invitations to dinner on the spot.

The uncle, now a person of some importance, knew that distant relatives were not as helpful as close neighbors. He followed the rules, thanked everyone, and told the neighborhood head that he would set up a流水席 (a continuous banquet) in the alley in a few days to treat the neighbors.

After the guests left, Lin Gaozhe also returned. The family was finally reunited, and everyone was happy.

Lin Gaozhe was quite satisfied with the house, but the uncle thought it was somewhat lacking. He suggested filling in the well in the courtyard and building a main hall, with corridors on both sides, to create a front hall and back hall layout, as was done in the government office. However, the uncle's idea was unanimously opposed by the family and was not adopted.

The inner courtyard had four rooms. The room on the north side of the main hall was given to the uncle and his wife, while the room on the south side was for Lin Gaozhe. Since Lin Gaozhe usually stayed at the government office, he often let Lin Yanzhao and Lin Qianqian use it as a study. The small building in the inner courtyard, facing south, was given to Lin Yanzhao and Lin Qianqian, with the third uncle living downstairs.

The two rooms in the outer courtyard were used as a guest room and a place for servants to live in the future.

With the new home, Lin Yanzhao and Lin Qianqian were very satisfied with their new living arrangements. Lin Yanzhao liked the quiet in the midst of the bustle, while Lin Qianqian enjoyed the view from the upstairs and the potted plants in the yard. Although they shared a room, they still maintained propriety, each sleeping in separate beds with a curtain between them.

After a busy day, everyone was tired. The two of them lay in bed, chatting through the curtain. Lin Qianqian was still excited and told Lin Yanzhao in detail what they needed to buy, such as furniture, fabric, pots, candlesticks, and bed curtains, planning their home with great effort.

The wind from upstairs passed through the window, bringing a fresh breeze. The rustling sound of the wind, mixed with Lin Qianqian's soft voice, made Lin Yanzhao nod in agreement, but his heart was very calm.

Women, no matter how beautiful or noble, are just that. They may look good, but they may not be easy to get along with. I am just an ordinary person, not good at romance, and too lazy to chase women. But if a woman treats me sincerely, I will make her very happy. Yes, that's probably who I am.

Lin Qianqian's voice grew weaker as she became tired. Lin Yanzhao closed his eyes and listened quietly to the wind outside the window.

Two days later, an unexpected guest came to Lin Yanzhao's house.

"Brother Chen? What brings you here?" Lin Yanzhao was somewhat surprised.

Chen Xinggui laughed and said, "Brother Lin, don't blame me for being well-informed. The Chen family still has some influence in the city. This house is good, quiet amidst the bustle!"

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "Just moved to a new house."

Chen Xinggui looked around and said, "Brother Yanzhao, I came here to congratulate you on your move and to tell you some news. The academy has closed."

"The academy has closed?" Lin Yanzhao thought this was not good news.

Chen Xinggui said, "Yes, the Japanese pirates attacked Lianjiang again, and the academy was damaged. To reopen, it needs to be rebuilt. Moreover, the pirates might return at any time, so it's unlikely to reopen within half a year."

Lin Yanzhao asked hurriedly, "Are the headmaster, lecturers, and classmates all safe?"

Chen Xinggui smiled and said, "Brother Yanzhao, you are truly a kind person. Don't worry, the people of Lianjiang had already evacuated before the pirates arrived. With less than a year until the county examination, since you can't go to the academy, do you have any plans for studying?"

Lin Yanzhao thought for a moment and said, "Not yet, what about you, Brother Chen?"

Chen Xinggui smiled and said, "To be honest, I plan to study hard at home while the academy is closed. Have you heard of Weng Zhengchun from Houguan? He locked himself in Jinshan Temple to study alone. His determination is something we can't match."

Lin Yanzhao nodded and said, "Yes, his determination is beyond us."

After that, Chen Xinggui chatted with Lin Yanzhao for a while and then left, leaving his address and saying that Lin Yanzhao could visit him anytime.

After Chen Xinggui left, Lin Yanzhao thought that it was indeed necessary to study hard at home, as the county examination was less than a year away. The recent pirate attacks had distracted him a lot, and he needed to make up for it with hard study.

Just as Lin Yanzhao picked up a book to start reading, he heard a loud bang. The uncle shouted, "Is Yanzhao at home? Is Yanzhao at home?"

Lin Yanzhao was immediately annoyed. Could he not have a moment of peace to read?

With heavy footsteps, the uncle came upstairs, holding two letters and panting, "Yanzhao, look who sent these letters. It's like a dream."

Lin Yanzhao slowly said, "Uncle, you are now a person of some importance in the government office. You need to remain calm in the face of big events."

As he spoke, Lin Yanzhao took the letters from his uncle and read them, thinking it was no wonder his uncle was so surprised.

There were two letters. The first one was sent by someone from the Lin family in Lianpu. Lin Yanzhao thought it might be from Lin Shisheng, Lin Shibing, or his teacher Lin Chengyi.

However, the sender turned out to be Lin Jing.

Who was Lin Jing? He was the younger brother of Lin Rong, the current Minister of Works in Nanjing. Lin Jing was a Jinshi (imperial scholar) in 1562, a fellow scholar with the状元 (top scholar) Shen Shixing, and a graduate of the Hanlin Academy.

But it was said that he offended Zhang Juzheng while serving as the Prefect of Taiping. When Zhang Juzheng brought his mother to the capital, all the officials along the way tried to curry favor, but Lin Jing told his subordinates that he could not exploit the people to please the powerful. After offending Zhang Juzheng, Lin Jing resigned and returned home. This happened last year, and it was widely known in the academy. His classmates admired his integrity, but some thought he was seeking fame.

Originally, a prefect who had offended Zhang Juzheng and resigned, and a graduate of the Hanlin Academy, had nothing to do with Lin Yanzhao. However, in the letter, Lin Jing asked how Lin Yanzhao was reviewing his classics and invited him to visit the Lin family residence in Wenru Alley if he had time.

This shocked the uncle greatly. Why would a retired prefect ask about Lin Yanzhao's studies? It must be a mistake. But the messenger insisted that it was not a mistake.

The uncle returned half-believing and half-doubting, trying to find out more from Lin Yanzhao.

Lin Yanzhao, in fact, had a pretty good idea. Historically, the Lin family of Lianpu had eight Jinshi and five ministers. Now they had eight Jinshi but only four ministers. So, the future of this prefect was clear.

Don't think that offending Zhang Juzheng and resigning was a terrible fate. In the Ming Dynasty, officials often returned to office after resigning. For example, the current Zhang Juzheng kept the former chief cabinet minister Gao Gong at home, like a thief.

Moreover, during the Wanli era, officials who opposed Zhang Juzheng while he was in power were often re-employed after Zhang Juzheng was purged.

The first letter had already shocked the uncle, but the second letter shocked him so much that he almost wet himself.

The sender was Yu Dayou, the commander of the Fujian garrison.

The letter was brief: "Little brother, come to the commander's office for a drink."

"I don't understand, I don't understand. Yanzhao, how do you know so many important people?"

Lin Yanzhao said calmly, "Nothing much. One is my teacher, and the other, I have done him a favor."

The uncle was even more confused.

Lin Yanzhao smiled mysteriously.

"What are you going to do?"

"Regarding Commander Yu, I helped him not for a favor but to do something for the people. As for his thanks, it's not necessary. I'll just write a letter in response."

This sounded a bit fake, but never mind. I don't really want to go. I'm not the kind of person who jumps at every invitation. This is the attitude I need to maintain.

The uncle was speechless.

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "But I should go to see my teacher."

After all, he still needed to ask his teacher for guidance. Since the academy was closed, he would study under his teacher and prepare for the county examination.