Chapter 1454
Testing
Chapter 1454 Testing
"Oh, yes, are you going to assign us tasks?"
"I thought... I thought!"
The two girls blushed, thinking that Lin Hao wanted them to come together. After hearing Lin Hao's words, they realized that they had been overthinking it.
However, what they didn't know was that Lin Hao really thought that way. But seeing how resistant they were, he changed his mind and looked for another opportunity.
Lin Hao then told the two ladies about his plan to leave Jingyuan during his confinement and asked them to cover for him.
Yuan Ying originally wanted to ask Lin Hao what he was going to do after going out, but after thinking about it, she didn't ask.
Lin Hao didn't explain the reason, so it was best not to ask. Asking might put Lin Hao in a difficult position, and he might lie or deceive you.
Even if they find out something, it might arouse Lin Hao's suspicion and strain their relationship. It's better to wait for Lin Hao to tell them on his own initiative.
Li Wei, however, didn't have so many thoughts and agreed to cover for Lin Hao without even thinking about it.
So for the next period of time, in the eyes of others, Lin Hao spent his days writing and drawing behind closed doors, living a very comfortable life.
Li Weize and Li Er were in the courtyard, farming with most of the maids, while Yuan Ying was in charge of various affairs in Jingyuan.
Lin Hao then secretly went out that night to meet someone.
"Young Master, the bewitching incense you gave me is so effective! I didn't detect any problems at all!"
Lin Hao nodded, then smiled and said:
"Of course, if I didn't have some tricks up my sleeve, how could I feel comfortable letting you infiltrate the Second Brother's inner circle!"
"How's the matter I asked you to do?"
"This is the list of the eldest prince's trusted confidants in the court!"
"Hmm, well done!" Lin Hao took the document, glanced at the names inside, nodded, and said, "I heard that the second brother has been making some moves in the military. Keep an eye on him!"
"Yes!"
"Tell me about what the second brother has been up to lately!"
"Besides framing the young master, the eldest son also took over the management of the market, but..."
After listening to the story, Lin Hao gave the following instructions:
"I know it's not easy for you in the eldest son's residence. Be careful in your actions from now on, observe slowly, and don't actively try to gather intelligence. I will contact you if anything happens!"
Seeing that Lin Hao was about to leave, the man hesitated for a moment and said:
"Young Master, when can I leave this place? I want to go back to your side!"
Lin Hao stopped, looked at the man, and then said with a smile, "Don't worry, it won't be long!"
Seeing that Lin Hao was about to leave, and thinking of Zhao Fangru, who had taken good care of him and was in a somewhat tragic situation, the man didn't hesitate and quickly said:
"Young Master, I was often taken care of by Madam Zhao Fangru in the eldest son's residence. Last time I investigated and found out that Zhao Fangru was drugged and her health was ruined, making her unable to conceive. Should I tell her about this?"
Lin Hao shook his head and said, "The time is not right yet. I will give you the news when the time is right, so as not to cause any trouble."
"I wonder, after I succeed in the future, will I be able to... will I be able to..."
Before the other person could finish speaking, Lin Hao said with a smile:
"Don't worry, you should know that I am not a bloodthirsty person. I might be able to cure her illness in the future!"
Upon hearing this, the man breathed a sigh of relief, and Lin Hao nodded to her before turning and leaving.
However, Lin Hao did not return to Jingyuan, but instead teleported directly to Danchuan to comfort Shangguan Yan, who was several months pregnant.
When Shangguan Yan saw that Lin Hao had actually come to see her, she was overjoyed and, as if she had found someone to rely on, she threw herself into Lin Hao's arms.
Perhaps because of her pregnancy, when Shangguan Yan looked at Lin Hao, she no longer had the arrogance she once had, and her eyes were full of love.
Lin Hao then spent a week with Shangguan Yan before teleporting back to Xinchuan Jingyuan.
When Lin Hao returned, he found Jingyuan to be incredibly deserted, physically cold, with several people huddled together by the fire.
Lin Hao naturally knew what was going on, but he still asked Yuan Ying to call over Li Wei and the main person in charge of Jingyuan.
So Yuan Ying swiftly found Li Wei, but Li Wei was grilling something with Su Shen and the maids, so she said coldly:
"The mansion is closed, and you still have the mind to play? Come to the study immediately for a meeting!"
After saying that, he looked at Su Shen and the others and said, "You all come too!"
"Yes!" The group exchanged glances and quickly followed, carrying the brazier.
Upon entering the study, Lin Hao and his wife sat on the couch, with a brazier underneath.
Su Shen, Liu Baoquan, and several maids were warming themselves by the fire.
Yuan Ying said in a low voice, "After the establishment of the manor, the expenses of the manor will be covered by the young master's estate, with a portion delivered daily and the rest purchased from the market!"
"But now we're confined to our rooms to reflect on our mistakes, and we can only wait for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to allocate our quotas. You've probably seen the current situation!"
"Is there no money left in the manor?" Lin Hao asked, as he hadn't really paid much attention to these things before.
The group nodded in agreement. The supplies were far too scarce; there was barely enough food, and the firewood and charcoal for heating were far from sufficient.
"Alright, I hadn't noticed these before. I'll have someone send over a batch tonight!"
Lin Hao spoke with a hint of apology, then looked at the people gathered around the brazier:
"You may leave now. Take as much of the remaining charcoal as you like. Someone will bring over a batch of supplies tonight!"
"Young Master, is it true?"
"You really have a solution?"
"Young Master, is it true? You mustn't be lying to this old servant!"
"Alright, get out of here!" Lin Hao didn't explain, and simply waved his hand to signal the others to leave.
"Yes, young master!"
After the others left, Yuan Ying looked at Lin Hao and asked, "Do you really have a way?"
Lin Hao calmly nodded and said, "Of course, otherwise what have I been doing out here these past few days? We have as many supplies as we need now!"
That night, Lin Hao went out and met with a few of the Second Prince's trusted confidants among the court officials. After talking with them for a while, he gained their trust.
After completing his visit for the day, Lin Hao returned and went straight to the warehouse. With a wave of his hand, he took out food and firewood from his spatial storage, filling the warehouse with all sorts of supplies.
The next day, everyone in the mansion was astonished to see charcoal and various supplies of vegetables, meat, eggs, and fish piled up throughout the warehouse.
They thought Lin Hao was just trying to comfort them yesterday, but they didn't expect someone to actually deliver it. "How did you do that? Who sent it?" Yuan Ying looked at Lin Hao in confusion.
It should be noted that Jingyuan is currently under lockdown, with restrictions on people's entry and exit. How were these supplies delivered to the mansion?
Looking at the pretty face in front of him, Lin Hao put his arm around Yuan Ying and said with a smile, "Of course I have my ways. My resources are beyond your imagination!"
"In fact, if I wanted to, I could replace the River Chief at any time and become the new River Chief!"
As he spoke, Lin Hao took out a document containing intelligence on several young masters and important court officials of Xinchuan, recording their every move in detail.
Yuan Ying opened her mouth, not expecting Lin Hao to have such a profound background. She finally understood why Lin Hao didn't care about the imperial court and his brothers.
So, in the days that followed, with her confidence in Lin Hao growing stronger, she finally let go of her worries.
She stopped worrying about this and that, and spent her days playing and joking with Lin Hao and Li Wei, feeling very comfortable.
Lin Hao originally thought that Yuan Ying's personality had always been like this, never smiling, but he didn't expect that when she really played, she was no different from Li Wei, just like a little girl.
Ring toss, card games, vegetable gardening—Lin Hao, along with his two wives, Su Shen, Liu Baoquan, and a few maids, indulged in carefree play every day.
During the days that Lin Hao secluded himself at home, he kept visiting the people on the list.
Meanwhile, the fifth and seventh princes also successfully established their own residences and attended court. The third prince, seeing the eldest prince every day, looked at the two of them with disdain.
He then wrote a memorial and sent it to the new governor, saying that the market he and his second brother managed together was short-handed for night duty, so he arranged for his fifth and seventh brothers to be assigned to it.
Because Lin Hao had a good relationship with the fifth brother, Yin Qi, his actions aroused suspicion from the second brother, Yin Song.
However, the third brother is usually good at "playing dumb to fool others". In the eyes of outsiders, he is a businessman who is good at making money and knows how to get things done.
Well, he easily fooled Yin Song with a few casual words.
After playing around for a while, Lin Hao started to get down to business, writing letters to his third and fifth brothers every day to discuss his unsealing.
At the same time, he also shared his views on the market and his management methods, which greatly benefited the two of them in managing the market.
Both of them had a good relationship with Lin Hao and were very willing to help.
It's strange, really. When the second brother, Yin Song, saw one of his brothers standing out, he would suppress that brother.
Therefore, apart from the fourth brother, everyone else was alienated from him. On the surface, they smiled and obeyed him, but behind his back, they loathed him.
After the start of spring, Lin Hao teleported to Danchuan once again to be with Shangguan Yan as she gave birth.
He felt somewhat indebted to Shangguan Yan, because due to the limitations of teleportation, he had seen her very few times over the years.
So, on the night of Lin Hao's daughter's birth, Lin Hao used his illusion skill to create a phoenix that hovered over the Danchuan Palace, making a divine appearance before everyone.
This astonished the people of Danchuan. They all knelt down and kowtowed, believing that Shangguan Yansheng's daughter was a phoenix reincarnated and had an incomparably noble destiny.
Since then, no one has dared to question Shangguan Yan, and no one has dared to mention who the child's father is.
After spending more than a month with the mother and daughter on and off, Lin Hao finally managed to return to Xinchuan.
According to Lin Hao's memories, he knows that the new Sichuan governor may release him and reinstate him.
All of this is not surprising. Lin Hao is capable, so it's normal for the new Sichuan governor to reinstate him.
The main reason why the new Chuanzhu punished Lin Hao was to appease the resentment of the eldest son and the old ministers in the court.
As for Lin Hao saying a few words back to him, what's that? Having been the new Sichuan governor for so many years, he still has that much magnanimity, especially since that person was his son.
Moreover, the new lord needs him to check the court. The eldest son and the elders of the Household Administration Office have no interest in the night market and don't know how to manage it.
However, for the new Chuanzhu, opening a night market is absolutely necessary.
The eldest son was good at dealing with his younger brothers, but he was completely helpless when it came to the mess that was the market.
Lin Hao simply asked his third brother to help him, following the second brother's method, to do some minor tricks in the market, and Yin Song was at a loss for what to do.
At this time, Lin Hao's good friend Yin Qi said a few good words for Lin Hao in court, and the new Sichuan ruler began to have designs on him.
After all, Lin Hao was a valuable pawn to him.
Therefore, just a few days after Lin Hao returned to rest, Liang Shi arrived with an imperial decree, saying that the emperor had granted him permission to continue paying his respects to Lin Hao.
Hearing this was exactly what Lin Hao wanted to hear. Although he didn't care about the position of the River Chief, he couldn't let his previous efforts go to waste.
In a side hall of the Xinchuan Palace, Lin Hao and the new lord of Xinchuan sat facing each other, playing Go.
"Haha!" The new Chuanzhu laughed a few times and said:
"Oh dear, I taught your brother all his chess skills, but no matter how I taught the fifth brother, he just couldn't get it right. I never expected your chess skills to be so proficient."
"You calculated exactly when and how to lose to me without leaving a trace. I wonder which master taught you that. I underestimated you."
Lin Hao wasn't surprised at all. All those years as the governor of Sichuan hadn't been for nothing; he really was a cunning old fox!
Of course, Lin Hao didn't expect that his deliberate loss to the new Chuanzhu would be discovered.
After showing off, Lin Hao finally replied:
"These are all from books. They can't compare to how busy I am every day. I can only use these little tricks to make you happy. I didn't expect you to see through them!"
"Hahaha, you always manage to come up with something new!" The new Sichuan leader pointed at Lin Hao and laughed, saying:
"You've only been attending court for a short time, yet you've become increasingly eloquent!"
Then the new lord of the river said with certainty, "Third brother and fifth brother, those measures to manage the market, you were behind them, weren't you!"
"That's true. My fifth brother and I have been closest since childhood. Seeing that he has encountered difficulties, it is only natural for me, as his younger brother, to help him. Please forgive my overstepping my bounds!"
"I don't mean to blame you, but you need to manage your relationship with the second son well. After all, he is the eldest son, and you should help him out as much as possible!"
"Damn it, not again!" Lin Hao was disgusted when he heard this. Why did they keep bringing up his penis every few sentences?
However, he still pretended to be a good student and said, "Yes!"
"Hmm, not bad!" Chuan Zhu smiled and stroked his beard before asking with a beaming smile:
"It seems that my efforts in making you reflect on your mistakes these past few days have not been in vain. Have you realized your errors during this time?"
“If Your Majesty wishes for me to apologize for overstepping my bounds, I will admit my mistake. However, if the Prime Minister of Chuan wishes for me to plead guilty for presumption, I am afraid I cannot do so.”
"Tell me why?" Chuanzhu asked curiously.
"Although Xinchuan is the head of the nine rivers and the most powerful, many of its ideas are outdated and conservative, and its development speed is not as fast as that of Jindan and Erchuan."
"Fortunately, His Majesty is wise and diligent in governing, which has brought about the current situation in Xinchuan. This time, the approval of the reform of the market system has enabled agriculture, industry and commerce to coexist, and Xinchuan's economy has developed greatly!"
"Even with such measures, many people still came out to obstruct them, so I have something to say but dare not speak it out."
"Oh? There's something you're afraid to do? Did you contradict me in court the other day, and give those old guys in the Household Registration Department a good scolding!"
"Your Majesty is truly magnanimous, not punishing me for my crimes, but merely issuing a slight reprimand!" Lin Hao flattered.
"Haha, you, keep going, let's see what kind of plan you can come up with!"