Chapter 1446
Mission to Jinchuan
Chapter 1446 Mission to Jinchuan
Lin Hao shook his head and said, "If she has feelings for me, I will definitely try my best!"
"But now—!" Lin Hao shook his head, somewhat dejected, and said, "Forget it, I don't want to force her!"
"Since the concubine doesn't want to stay, why should you, young master, help her become the official wife? Isn't that a thankless task?"
"After all, we've been together for so long. If she could divorce me as my legal wife, at least she'd be better off back in Jichuan!"
"Sigh~!" Su Shen hesitated upon hearing this, then sighed helplessly and said, "During the time of the late lord, the thirteenth young master once changed his concubine!"
"According to the records of the Imperial Household Department, he first had his concubine take the top exam in the Inner Garden Academy to qualify!"
"When the mansion was established, the concubine was changed to the wife under the pretext that a female master was needed to manage affairs!"
"So as long as I can establish my own residence and she can win first place, this matter will be resolved!"
"That's natural. After all, there have been precedents. As long as the young master is willing and the concubine cooperates, there will be no difficulty. The only concern is..."
Without disturbing Lin Hao and Su Shen, Li Wei returned to her room in a daze, her mind filled with the conversation she had overheard.
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In the period leading up to winter, Lin Hao urged Li Wei to work hard and strive to get first place in the exam.
Li Wei, on the other hand, was like she'd been injected with adrenaline, and immediately began to study with great enthusiasm.
To encourage Li Wei, Lin Hao promised to take the time to accompany her home.
Upon hearing that she could return home, Li Wei's eyes sparkled with joy.
The long-standing debts from the Household Registration Office were recovered, and the new governor of Sichuan immediately ordered them to be transported to Jinchuan at top speed.
Although only 40% of the debt owed to Jinchuan was recovered, repayment still needs to be made in installments.
The new Chuanzhu immediately ordered Lin Hao and Yin An to travel light and discreetly to Jinchuan to persuade the Jinchuan ruler to agree to repay the loan in installments.
After Li Wei reluctantly parted, Lin Hao and Yin An mounted their horses and sped off towards Jinchuan.
Unexpectedly, they encountered robbers on the way and even tried to kill them to silence them.
Without saying a word, Lin Hao quickly wiped them out. These few guys, who were only slightly skilled in martial arts, were not even worth mentioning to Lin Hao.
They easily located their hideout and wiped out the remaining bandits and their entire gang.
Yin An was utterly shocked. He hadn't expected his brother to be so skilled in martial arts, dealing with these robbers as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, and being so adept at finding the belongings of these remaining bandits.
Lin Hao was initially going to give him a perfunctory answer, but Jinchuan was really in a mess, with bandits running rampant. They encountered several groups of bandits on such a short distance.
Yin An became increasingly curious about Lin Hao's abilities, and his attitude changed drastically from before.
Finally, the two arrived at Jinchuan Palace.
Jinchuan truly lives up to its reputation as the wealthiest of the nine provinces; its palace is decorated like that of a nouveau riche.
He was led by the eunuch to the main hall, where it seemed that court was being held and Jin Chuanzhuang and his ministers were present.
Upon seeing Lin Hao and Yin An, the King of Jinchuan, dressed in a golden dragon robe, looked at the two with an air of majesty and asked:
"What are your impressions of Jinchuan, young masters, after traveling so far?"
Lin Hao cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Quite dazzling."
"Oh, it's not just dazzling, it's like being at home, Great-Uncle!"
As soon as Yin An said this, the ministers began to discuss among themselves, wondering when their lord had such a junior.
Jin Chuanzhu was also somewhat confused, and looked at Yin An, asking, "What's going on, Third Young Master?"
"Have you forgotten?" Yin An immediately reminded him, "Your wife is my deceased mother's second cousin!"
"So, you are my great-great-uncle!"
"Ah, hahaha~!" Jin Chuanzhu laughed awkwardly. He didn't expect to be able to claim kinship like this. How far apart were they?
However, since they had already explained the reason, he could only say, "If that's really the case, then my daughter Yuan Ying has become your great-aunt."
"Exactly, exactly!" Yin An exclaimed excitedly, completely oblivious to the teasing tone in the other person's voice.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The two of them laughed like idiots, but they were laughing in different directions: Yin An was delighted, while Jin Chuanzhu was mocking him.
"Crack~!"
Suddenly, Jin Chuanzhu slammed his hand on the table, feigning anger, and said, "Claiming kinship is useless!"
"Now that the deadline has passed, Xin Chuan has not returned the full amount owed, but has only paid 40%. We would like to ask you both to explain what this means."
Yin An quickly stepped forward and explained:
"Great-uncle, we're still family, blood is thicker than water. Please, could you give us a break?"
Yin An still didn't give up on using this distant relative to say some nice things.
"Hmph!" Lord Jin Chuan snorted coldly: "These relatives are not related at all. If we have to say, they are all descendants of Yan and Huang. Jin Chuan has only one principle: pay back debts and pay for murder with your life."
"Great-Grandpa!" Yin An wanted to say something, but Lin Hao stopped him.
Knowing that Yin An's method wouldn't work, Lin Hao stepped forward and said:
"Lord Jinchuan, Danchuan has been hit by a sudden flood, and Xinchuan is offering its assistance!"
"Therefore, we cannot return all the owed money, but we have no intention of defaulting. We just hope that Lord Chuan can give us some time to make ends meet!"
Lin Hao's words were of no use. Jin Chuanzhu simply said, "What does this have to do with me? I just want you to return the money in full!"
"What you say makes sense, Lord Chuan. My new Chuan has no intention of defaulting on our debt. However, we are indeed unable to repay the entire amount at once. So, Lord Chuan, would you please listen to our proposal?"
"Oh!" Hearing that Xin Chuan didn't intend to renege on his debt, Jin Chuanzhu breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Does Xin Chuan have any new repayment plan?"
Lin Hao cupped his hands in greeting before continuing to explain, "My idea is to repay the debts in three installments!"
"The first batch has already been shipped to Jinchuan, representing 40% of the debt!"
"The second and third batches will each be 30%, with a term of one year, and an additional 3% interest will be added to Jinchuan!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Chuanzhu's attitude immediately turned cold: "You think a mere three percent interest can shake Chuanzhu's principle of repaying debts?"
Lin Hao smiled slightly and said confidently, "I dare to speculate that Lord Jin Chuan's urgent pursuit of debts is to replenish the treasury for bandit suppression, is it?"
"Sigh! They say there's nothing new under the sun. It seems the new Chuan is well aware of Chuan's every move!" Chuan leader Jin's face darkened, and he sighed.
"Actually, that's not the case. It's just that we encountered several groups of robbers when we came to Jinchuan!"
"Later, I heard people talking about how Jinchuan had long had a plan to suppress bandits, but it had not yet been finalized!"
"It must be due to a shortage of manpower and funds. Only through the alliance of Jiuchuan and the coexistence of the world can we have a future!"
"Sichuan can assist Danchuan, and will certainly not stand idly by while Jinchuan stands by. Xinchuan can send troops to help suppress the bandits!"
"As for this debt, please forgive me, Lord Jinchuan!"
Jin Chuanzhu pondered for a moment, not expecting that this Sixth Young Master was so meticulous, able to guess Jin Chuan's problem just from some superficial things.
After thinking for a moment, Jin Chuanzhu calmly asked:
"The floods in Danchuan are severe, and I can estimate the amount of money needed for disaster relief. I doubt that even if we emptied Xinchuan, we wouldn't be able to come up with that much money right now. Raising this initial batch of funds probably won't be easy!"
Lin Hao said with a wry smile, "I'm not afraid to tell Lord Jin Chuan that this money was squeezed out of the old accounts of the Household Registration Department from the previous dynasty with great difficulty!" "Yes! That was too difficult!" Yin An echoed.
"The problems in various regions are deeply entrenched!" King Jin nodded in agreement, expressing his deep sympathy.
"Powerful families always try to get advance payments because of their achievements, and this money is the hardest to get back. But I'd like to hear how the Sixth Young Master managed to do it!"
Just as Lin Hao was about to speak, Yin An patted him on the shoulder before turning to Lord Jin Chuan and saying:
"This matter has nothing to do with my sixth brother; it's mainly me who's involved!"
"Great-uncle, you know best that I have Jinchuan blood in my veins, and I cannot stand idly by in this matter!"
"I remember that day, the sky was dark and the earth was shrouded in dust, sand and stones were flying everywhere, and my brother Yun and I..."
Once Yin An starts talking, he never stops until everyone is drowsy and falls asleep.
After hearing these words, King Jinchuan quickly announced the adjournment of the court, clearly troubled by Yin An's actions and feeling quite exasperated.
Throughout the entire process, Lin Hao could only roll his eyes. Yin An was truly a speechless guy.
After the court session, the two were placed in a post station.
Jin Chuanzhu also listened to the news from his subordinates about the new Sichuan, especially about Lin Hao and Yin An.
Lin Hao has been quite prominent lately and has accomplished a lot, so Jin Chuanzhu has also noticed that the situation in Xin Chuan may be changing.
After all, he was quite used to the struggle for the throne.
Looking at the intelligence report about Lin Hao, he secretly began to have an idea, because his daughter Yuan Ying had also reached the age of marriage.
"It seems it's time to find Ying'er a good husband!" Jin Chuanzhu thought to himself.
The next day, the two returned to the main hall of Jinchuan Palace.
King Jinchuan has agreed to let Xinchuan repay the debt in three installments, and has taken out the imperial seal, written the official document, and affixed its seal.
Upon receiving the official document, Lin Hao cupped his hands and assured everyone, "The remaining debt will definitely be repaid in full within the agreed timeframe!"
Jin Chuanzhu nodded and smiled, "I trust Xin Chuan, and I also trust the Sixth Young Master!"
Lin Hao cupped his hands again and said, "Thank you, Lord Jin Chuan."
"Great-uncle, don't worry, I'm here for you. I'm half Jinchuan people, and Jinchuan people are the most trustworthy!" Yin An tried to make his presence known again.
But yesterday, King Jinchuan was terrified by him. His endless chatter made everyone dizzy and sleepy!
Without even glancing at him, he fixed his gaze on Lin Hao and said:
"Sixth Young Master, I have a few more questions for you. How old are you this year?"
Lin Hao thought to himself, "Just as I expected. Seeing my handsome appearance, he's thinking of marrying his daughter to me. Well then, let the arranged marriage come even more fiercely!"
However, Lin Hao also knew that it was best to let things take their natural course. Unwarranted interference would be a bad idea. As long as he was good enough, he would get what was meant for him.
Besides, now is not the time to think about these things, so Lin Hao looked at Master Jin Chuan with a puzzled expression and said:
"What does this have to do with the debt?"
"Ah, it has nothing to do with the debt. I just wanted to learn more about the Sixth Young Master," Madam Jin Chuan quickly said, trying to smooth things over.
Looking at Lin Hao's handsome appearance, King Jin Chuan and his wife both nodded secretly.
Thinking to myself, I knew I hadn't made the wrong choice; this was the best candidate for Yuan Ying's husband.
"Sixth Young Master should not have established his residence and attended court yet, right?" King Jinchuan asked again.
"Yes!"
Jin Chuanzhu continued to inquire, "Then, you haven't reached adulthood yet?"
Lin Hao replied honestly, "I've just turned twenty!"
Lady Jinchuan's eyes lit up, and she asked, "When is your birthday?"
Lin Hao immediately said, "It just so happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival!"
"The fifteenth of August, what an auspicious day!" Lady Jinchuan nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Lord Jinchuan.
Jin Chuanzhu happened to look over as well, and the two exchanged a smile, having already made their decision.
Jin Chuanzhu did not directly state his intention to marry his daughter to Lin Hao.
In any case, as long as the decree is delivered to Xinchuan, the ruler of Xinchuan will probably be even happier than he is.
As for the fact that Lin Hao had a concubine, he didn't take it to heart.
Since Xinchuan and Jinchuan are similar, both places are male-dominated, and it's not unusual for men to have multiple wives and concubines.
He didn't care about her being just a concubine; as long as his daughter was the sixth young master's legal wife, that was enough.
Unfortunately, Lord Jin Chuan only inquired and did not intend to let Lin Hao see Yuan Ying, which disappointed Lin Hao somewhat.
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After leaving Jinchuan Palace, Lin Hao did not return directly to Xinchuan. Instead, he and Yin An traveled around, exploring the local customs and culture, and bought many local specialties before returning.
Upon returning to Xinchuan, the first thing to do was to report on the work. The lord of Xinchuan highly praised Lin Hao's actions.
He was allowed to open his own residence and attend court next spring, and was even granted a mansion.
When the eldest son saw all this, he was so jealous that he was unrecognizable. The way he looked at Lin Hao was no longer indifferent as before, but rather he regarded him as an enemy who could threaten his position.
When Lin Hao got home, he saw Li Wei and Su Shen leading a group of people waiting for him at the door.
"Young Master is back!"
"Welcome home, young master!"
"Sixth Young Master, you're back!"
Seeing how happy they were, Lin Hao happily shared with them the local customs and culture they had experienced along the way.
After everyone had dispersed, Lin Hao took out a bag of pastries and handed it to her, saying:
"Li Wei, these are pastries, snacks, and local specialties I bought especially for you in Jinchuan!"
"Thank you, my husband!" Li Wei took it, glanced at it, and smiled sweetly.
"Huh?" Lin Hao asked, his eyes wide. "What did you just call me?"
"Husband~, my husband!" Li Wei said, her face flushed.
"Ah~, that's more like it!" Lin Hao couldn't help but gently pinch the little face full of collagen, which felt incredibly soft.
Then Lin Hao looked at Su Shen and instructed, "Have Liu Baoquan prepare some good food today!"
"Also, everyone gets a share. The Lord of Chuan has already ordered that I open my residence and attend court next spring."
Oh~
"Ah ho~"
"And another thing!" Before everyone could finish their excitement, Lin Hao continued, "Moreover, the Lord of Chuan has already bestowed a courtyard upon us, and we can move in within the next two days!"
"Young Master, is this true? This old servant is overjoyed!"
"Really? Sixth Young Master!" Realizing she had misspoke, Li Wei quickly added, "No, yes, my husband!"
"Of course it's true!" Lin Hao nodded in response, seeing everyone's happy expressions.