After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 154: Forming a Caravan

After arranging accommodations for everyone, Gu Lin, thinking of the long and arduous journey to the capital, instructed his servants to take Zhao Saozi and the others to their respective lodgings to rest.

After making the arrangements, Gu Lin was a little tired. Seeing this, Zheng Hao got up and escorted him back.

The next day, Zheng Hao went out to work at the Hanlin Academy. After Gu Lin finished his breakfast, a servant came to report that Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui had arrived.

Gu Lin said, "Let them in."

Seeing the young man put down his bowl and chopsticks and pick up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, the servants serving him knew that he had finished eating and cleverly stepped forward to remove the breakfast from the table.

Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui stepped in and saw the servants clearing the table of breakfast. They thought they had come at the wrong time and disturbed Gu Lin's meal, so they hesitated for a moment.

Gu Lin glanced to the side and saw them come in out of the corner of his eye. He said, "What are you standing there for? Come here quickly."

Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui then walked towards the young man and stopped in front of him, calling out, "Master."

Gu Lin smiled slightly on his fair and gentle face: "Did you sleep well last night? Are you having any of the usual meals?"

Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui nodded repeatedly in response.

The usually composed Lin Xiaoyao became somewhat lively after catching a glimpse of the bustling capital city through the car window yesterday: "Back in Yueming Prefecture, I heard merchants who had been to the capital say that the mutton in the capital is fresh and tender. After eating it last night, I found that it was indeed more flavorful than the mutton in the prefecture."

"Mutton is commonly eaten in the capital, unlike in the prefectural city where it is scarce. You will be in for a treat in the future."

Seeing that the two were still standing in front of him, Gu Lin asked them to sit down, and Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui sat down as instructed.

A servant brought tea, which Gu Lin accepted, lowered his head to sip, and suppressed the sweetness of the pastries in his mouth.

Upon seeing this scene, Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui paused slightly.

Even though it had only been half a year since they last saw each other, they felt that the young man had changed a lot.

When the other party returned to Yueming Prefecture to visit relatives before, they had the same feeling, but there were no servants at home, and Gu Lin continued to eat and live with them as always, so they quickly put this thought out of their minds.

Now that they've arrived in Beijing, they've discovered that Gu Lin seems to be being carefully protected little by little, without the other person even realizing it.

When they came in, Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui noticed that although Gu Lin's courtyard looked quiet, there were quite a few servants. There were people to take care of the flowers and plants, people to maintain the ground, and people to deliver messages. It was just like the official family they had entertained in the prefectural city.

Such behavior is unlike that of a young man. According to his personality, although he would use both kindness and severity to treat his subordinates, he would mostly get along well with them.

Looking at these taciturn and obedient servants, if they weren't trained by Gu Lin, then one can imagine who they came from.

After Gu Lin finished his tea, the servant took the teacup without making a sound, and Gu Lin let him do as he was used to.

Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui both knew perfectly well who was responsible for all these changes.

However, Xiao Cui was young and only thought that Zheng Hao arranged so many people to serve his master, showing great filial piety. Lin Xiaoyao, on the other hand, was a married man and quickly noticed something was wrong with the servants' behavior.

As Lin Xiaoyao slowly unraveled the mystery, he gradually recalled the interactions between Gu Lin and Zheng Hao when they returned to their hometown. The more he thought about it, the more he pondered, and the more he felt something was amiss.

Before entering the capital, Zheng Hao treated Gu Lin with filial piety and thoughtfulness, but his behavior was still proper and within bounds.

However, during this trip back to his hometown, the young man was treated with great care and consideration. When everyone was chatting together, Gu Lin was thirsty and wanted to drink some tea, but the young man would test the water temperature with the back of his hand before he could drink it.

Furthermore, Lin Xiaoyao's eyelashes trembled. In the past, young men and young men were bound by strict separation between men and women and never entered each other's houses casually. However, this time when he returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he saw with his own eyes that the young man was completely unguarded and allowed the young man to enter and leave his bedroom or the other man's house as if it were a habit, without feeling that there was anything wrong with it at all.

Lin Xiaoyao's thoughts were pulled back.

Xiao Cui, who was standing nearby, had already asked the young man when they could officially start working.

On the way to the capital, Gu Lin informed them in advance that the property he had acquired in the capital was not a restaurant, but a shop selling things that women and men liked, such as moisturizing oils, perfumes, and lotions.

When faced with Xiao Cui's question, Gu Lin didn't beat around the bush.

He said to the two of them, "Right now, Zhenyu Tower is short of a manager. You can see who is suitable. In addition, I have an important matter here that I need one of you to do for me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoyao lowered her eyes in thought, while Xiao Cui's face showed a hesitant and conflicted expression.

Seeing their troubled expressions, Gu Lin did not force them to make a decision immediately.

He said, "No rush, think it over carefully and give me your answer in a few days."

"No need to consider the employer anymore," Lin Xiaoyao said, looking up.

Gu Lin turned his gaze to the other person.

Lin Xiaoyao remained calm and analyzed, saying, "Xiao Cui is both calm and flexible. She can manage the shop and also socialize with customers. She is the most suitable person to be the manager of Zhenyulou."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui turned to look at Lin Xiaoyao with a surprised expression, and then refused, "Such a big shop, I'm not up to the task yet, I need Brother Xiaoyao to guide me."

Lin Xiaoyao shook her head: "I've taught you everything I can. With your current abilities, you're more than capable of managing a shop."

Hearing Lin Xiaoyao's evaluation of her, Xiao Cui lowered her head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed, but her eyes shone with vitality.

After Lin Xiaoyao finished speaking, she continued, "Moreover, I want to do some other things with the boss."

“I have honed my skills in the shop for many years and want to do something else to broaden my horizons.”

Seeing that Lin Xiaoyao was not forcing her and was willingly giving up the position of manager of Zhenyulou, Xiao Cui did not refuse.

She looked up at the young man with a firm gaze and assured him, "Master, after you hand over Zhenyulou to me, I will definitely manage it well and make Zhenyulou's business flourish."

Gu Lin had no objection to whether Lin Xiaoyao or Xiao Cui should manage Zhenyulou. He had personally taught them both their skills, so managing Zhenyulou was no problem for them.

Seeing that the two of them had reached an agreement and had no reservations about each other, Gu Lin's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

The worst thing for a merchant is to fight with his own people over a little bit of profit before the enemy has even attacked. Gu Lin said to Xiao Cui, "Tomorrow I will take you to Zhenyu Tower to identify people."

Upon hearing this, it meant that he had agreed to hand over Zhenyulou to Xiaocui to manage. Xiaocui smiled happily, revealing two shallow dimples. She changed her mature and taciturn image and looked more like a teenage girl.

Then Gu Lin turned his head and looked at Lin Xiaoyao: "As for Xiaoyao, I have an important matter that I have been planning for a long time to entrust to you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoyao sat up even more straight, and Xiao Cui's expression also became serious.

Gu Lin said, "When I was in the prefectural city, I saw many merchant caravans from all over the country at the Good Fortune Tower. They talked to each other about how they traveled to various places to buy rare and precious items and then resell them elsewhere."

Sometimes, a herb that is extremely precious in one place is just a common wild vegetable in another. There are countless examples like this, which arouses people's curiosity.

From that time on, I wanted to form a caravan and personally lead it to various parts of the Great Qian Dynasty to see the sights and sights of different places and collect local specialties and rare items.

Gu Lin changed the subject: "However, the establishment of a caravan is not something that can be done overnight. The arrangement of a series of personnel, such as the caravan leader, accountant, interpreter, guards, and porters, needs to be very careful. If I were to rely on myself alone, I don't know when the caravan would be completed. After you and Ercheng go to the capital, you can help each other. You can take the lead and Ercheng can assist you. This matter can be accomplished quickly."

After speaking for a long time, Gu Lin felt a little thirsty. He picked up a cup of warm tea, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued, "Thanks to the will of our ancestors, we know more about the recipes for making many novel items than others. However, without enough funds to open our shops all over the country, we can only become manufacturers. At that time, no matter who sells moisturizing oil and other products, everyone will buy them without thinking that these novel items came from our Zhenyulou."

Listening to Gu Lin's words, Lin Xiaoyao seemed to understand something, and analyzed clearly: "Just like the Fang family's Fumanlou has opened all over the country, everyone considers it respectable to entertain guests at Fumanlou, because Fumanlou's reputation has spread throughout the Great Qian and is well known to everyone. If we can open Zhenyulou all over the Great Qian, even if other caravans purchase goods from our shops in the future, everyone will consider it an honor to buy from Zhenyulou."

"Master, am I right?"

That couldn't be more right!

Gu Lin nodded with a smile.

He said, “Our family is poor and we can’t open shops in various prefectures quickly. But we can sell our goods to other merchants first and let them help us make a name for ourselves. Then we can accumulate money by traveling with caravans and learn about the situation in various places to prepare for opening Zhenyu Tower in various places in the future.”

Listening to Gu Lin's explanation and analysis, Lin Xiaoyao sighed slightly, "The boss has thought this through carefully."

Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "I'm just picking up scraps from others, taking one more step forward on top of what others have already taken ninety steps."

Lin Xiaoyao was used to Gu Lin's modesty, but it couldn't stop him from developing more and more respect for the young man.

After assigning tasks to Zhenyulou and the caravan, Gu Lin said to Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui, "Let's go see sister-in-law and see if Brother Yu and the others are up yet."

Gu Lin got up and went with Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui to the courtyard where Zhao's wife and the others were staying.

Hanlin Academy.

After spending the morning organizing documents and classics, Zheng Hao, He Yanzhi, and Du Yuan went to the Hanlin Academy's restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, the three of them got up to go back, but the Attendant Scholar stopped Zheng Hao: "Lord Zheng, please wait."

Zheng Hao turned around: "Lord Yang."

Seeing that the Imperial Reader had something to say to Zheng Hao, He Yanzhi and Du Yuan bowed and left first.

Zheng Hao remained calm and asked, "What business does Lord Yang have with me?"

Looking at the handsome and distinguished young man before him, Scholar Yang stroked his long beard and asked, "Lord Zheng is nearing twenty. Is he married?"

Zheng Hao: "No."

A hint of satisfaction flashed across Scholar Yang's eyes. Without giving the other party a chance to speak, he continued, "My wife's family has a niece whose father is a local prefect. Because he pities his daughter's frailty, he entrusted her to my wife and me to raise. My niece is outstanding in appearance and virtuous. If she can find a good husband, she will surely live in harmony with her husband and grow old together. Is this what you think, Lord Zheng?"

Scholar Yang left room for maneuver by asking for the other party's opinion.

However, he didn't think Zheng Hao would refuse. The newly appointed top scholar, who came from a commoner family, had an awkward position in the court. Noble families would not marry their daughters to him, and this new scholar probably wouldn't even look down on the bride's family, which was of low social standing.

His wife's niece was undoubtedly the best choice for him.

"This humble official has no interest in personal feelings; I only wish to serve Your Majesty," Zheng Hao said.

Scholar Yang paused in stroking his beard, then looked up at the young man in front of him. Seeing that the other man's expression remained unchanged, calm and composed, without the slightest sign of wavering, the smile on his face faded.

Scholar Yang said, "Lord Zheng is truly loyal and devoted."

Zheng Hao: "This is the duty of a subject."

Scholar Yang turned and left.

Zheng Hao turned around and walked back to his office.

Qianqing Palace.

A half-person-high alchemy furnace stood prominently in the center of the room. Emperor Jian'an, dressed in dragon robes, sat cross-legged in front of the furnace, raising his hand to throw cinnabar and saltpeter into it.

A moment later, the entire room was filled with the smell of cinnabar and saltpeter. However, the eunuchs and palace maids serving on both sides stood silently with their heads bowed, like corpses, in the smoky room.

While refining elixirs, Emperor Jian'an still managed to spare a bit of energy to ask the person who came to report: "You said that Academician Yang of the Hanlin Academy wanted to marry his wife's niece to Mingzhang, but Mingzhang refused?"

The reporting guard replied, "Lord Zheng said, 'I have no interest in romantic relationships; I only wish to serve His Majesty.'"

The alchemy furnace was shrouded in wisps of steam. Emperor Jian'an squinted his eyes, enjoying the aroma of the elixirs inside. After a moment, he said, "That's considered loyalty."

Even if Zheng Hao agrees to the marriage, Emperor Jian'an will not blame him, because Scholar Yang and his wife's family are not important figures in the court.

He issued an order: "By imperial decree, Zheng Hao, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, is hereby appointed as a censor."

Eunuch Wang replied, "Yes."

Eunuch Wang sent his men to the Hanlin Academy to deliver the imperial decree.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Having received the Mandate of Heaven and ruled over all realms, I have diligently devoted myself day and night to promoting good and punishing evil, and to purifying officialdom. In the past, the Duke of Zhou established the Rites of Zhou to oversee all officials, and Emperor Wu of Han established governors to inspect prefectures and kingdoms, all with the aim of ensuring smooth governance, harmonious society, and the maintenance of order. Now, drawing upon ancient systems and considering the needs of the times, I hereby appoint court officials to concurrently assume censorial duties, in order to broaden our vision and enforce strict discipline.

Zheng Hao, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, is of exceptional talent and integrity. He is hereby appointed concurrently as a Supervising Censor of the Censorate, granted a bronze seal and ink ribbon, and appointed to the rank of seventh grade, retaining his original post. His responsibilities are threefold: First, to inspect prefectures and counties, where he may, at his discretion, rectify any instances of official corruption, unjust legal cases, or unequal taxation.

On the second day, he heard rumors and reported matters, including the people's suffering, military secrets on the border, and the hidden affairs of the imperial family. He was allowed to submit secret memorials directly to the emperor.

For three days, recommend virtuous and capable individuals, investigate those who have been overlooked in humble circumstances, and report truthfully to those who are loyal and virtuous but have been suppressed.

You shall be upright and impartial, and enforce the law with unwavering resolve. Remember that the Censorate is the axe of the court, and the pen of the Censor is the golden rope of the nation. Anyone who abuses their power, neglects their duties, or commits malfeasance shall be severely punished according to the Imperial Constitution! If officials are fearful and the people are supportive, and the court and the countryside are peaceful and prosperous, then your merit will be invaluable, and I will not hesitate to bestow upon you a title of nobility.

The announcement was made at home and abroad, and the envoys heard about it.

Admire this! "

The eunuch delivering the imperial edict handed it to Zheng Hao, flattering him. Seeing that the newly appointed top scholar was relatively easy to talk to, he led the young eunuch behind him away.

Despite the varied gazes from the surrounding officials, Zheng Hao remained composed as he took the imperial edict and returned to his room.

The newly appointed top scholar, who also served as a seventh-rank censor, attracted a large crowd at the Hanlin Academy. They discussed among themselves how Zheng Hao had caught the emperor's eye, but in the grand scheme of things, it was like a drop in the ocean, and no one paid any attention.