Chapter 502 A Difficult Career

The Canglang Pavilion Lin Mansion has been decorated with lanterns and decorations. Today is a day of double happiness - the master Lin Jiuyuan has returned with great honor, and the 100-day ceremony for the direct heir has been held.

Speaking of which, the eldest son of the Lin family who has reached 100 today has a nickname called Shuangxi, which is very similar to Lin Tailai's nickname of Dasixi when he was a child.

In fact, the hostess Wang Shiwu didn't make any big fuss. The people gathered at Lin Mansion to celebrate today were all relatives and there were no outsiders.

Even Wang Fuzun, who sent Lin Tai back to his home from Fengqiao, was a relative of his mother's family here.

Wang Shiwu knew that as a husband, if there were too many people on the sidelines, they would definitely talk to him about many other things.

This will dilute the husband's attention to Xiao Shuang Xi. After all, today is the first time that the husband has seen Xiao Shuang Xi. Wang Shiwu does not want others to take away her husband's attention.

If most of them are relatives, then it means they are talking about common things, and they will not go too far off topic.

For example, an older person sitting at the banquet said: "Just like last time, today is another double happiness.

Last time the number one scholar's golden post was delivered to my home, a little double happiness happened at the right time; today the number one scholar of our old Lin family returns home, it happens to be another hundred days of a little double happiness.

It seems that there is really a special connection between the father and son of Xiao Shuangxi and Da Sixi! "

Wang Fifteen liked to hear this kind of talk very much. He smiled and remembered the elder who spoke, so that he could give him an extra gift during new years and holidays in the future.

After entering the mansion, Lin Tailai freshened up briefly and went directly to the banquet.

At this time, Lin Daguan discovered that Wang Shiwu’s arrangement was not bad.

Because after returning home, you must visit your relatives, which requires a lot of time and energy.

Today, we are holding a hundred-day banquet and inviting all the relatives, so that we don’t have to run from house to house in the future.

Thinking of this, Lin Tailai whispered to Wang Shiwu beside him: "You are really my good wife."

Wang Shiwu asked someone to bring his son and asked his husband, "Does he look like you?"

Lin Tailai just wanted to roll his eyes. How could a baby that was only a hundred days old and not yet full-grown look like him?

However, thinking of Wang Shiwu's mood, Lin Daguan said loudly in front of everyone: "This son is like me!"

At the end of the song, people dispersed, and it was quiet in the dead of night.

After the couple saw off the guests, they both dragged their tired bodies back to the bedroom.

Lin Tailai lay there and didn't want to move. While Wang Shiwu personally helped her husband wipe it, he asked unwillingly: "Why doesn't your husband agree that the child should be named Hao?"

"I said, it's too vulgar and vulgar." Lin Tailai said: "Besides, why are you so anxious to name it?"

According to the trend of this era, children are often called casually by their nicknames first, and their official names are not given until they are in their teens.

"I just want to be different?" Wang Shiwu muttered, and then said: "Also, regarding the question of the child's apprenticeship in the future, how should I choose?"

Lin Tailai: ""

Is it too early for a baby who is only a hundred days old to consider apprenticeship? Is it necessary to be so impatient?

Wang Shiwu explained: "It's not that I'm impatient, it's that many people have expressed their intention to agree to be the master of the museum in advance, and I don't know who to agree to.

Moreover, the opinions of Huang and Fan must be taken into consideration. After all, their children also need to study. "

Librarians not only teach children to read, but can also help the house handle daily etiquette affairs.

A first-rate celebrity may not be able to put down his dignity, but who among a second-rate celebrity wouldn't want to use this opportunity to cling to the Lin family?

Lin Tailai was speechless again. Some ministers urged Prince Lidong Palace to wonder if they had similar thoughts.

It may be difficult for other people to find a famous teacher, but for the recent Lin family, it is easy.

Moreover, in Suzhou, there are as many celebrities as dogs, and officials are everywhere, and they come in all styles and types.

Therefore, the biggest problem of the Lin Mansion is that there are too many gymnasts to choose from, which is enough to make you confused.

After Lin Tailai pondered for a moment, he ordered: "You can first invite one or two diners to help share the reception and delivery services.

As for the matter of becoming a teacher, let’s wait a few years and then I will carefully choose a teacher. "

Having one or two famous people as guests at home is also a sign of the rich and powerful. Since Lin Daguan is in the circle of rich and powerful people, he is not exempt from the custom.

Although it would be several years before the child became a disciple, now that the topic was brought up, Wang Shiwu couldn't help but said out of curiosity:

"Do you have a favorite husband? What kind of famous teacher is he?"

Lin Tailai said lazily: "The situation is changing rapidly now. Who knows what the situation will be like in a few years?

For example, if Shen Shoufu resigns and returns to his hometown in a few years, wouldn't it be great to become a teacher for children? "

The number one scholar serves as a teacher! This made Wang Shiwu a little excited, and he wanted to say something, but was stopped by Lin Tailai.

"Are you paying too much attention to your children?" Lin Tailai asked: "Apart from your children, you can't hold anything else in your heart?"

Wang Shiwu was a little embarrassed when he was told, "After all, it's my first time to be a mother, so I can't help but think about it."

Lin Tailai sighed while getting started: "Such excessive attention is actually very bad for the growth of children.

The best solution is to have more children, so that you can distract your attention. "

Wang Fifteen: ""

Just drive, how can you be so serious?

On the second day, Lin Tai woke up not early and got out of bed only after he was full.

The maid was at the door and reported to Official Lin who was washing his face: "Master! The front hall is full of guests, and tables and chairs have been set up in the corridor to entertain guests!"

Lin Daguan immediately had the urge to turn around and go back to bed, cover his head and continue sleeping.

After thinking about it, he still had to open the business, so he ordered: "Adjust the outer study to be dim, maybe hang a bamboo curtain on the window?

Then set up a seat and table for me with my back to the window, so that it will be more comfortable to receive guests.

If there is a cat at home, arrange it in the study, if not, forget it."

So the maid conveyed the order of the big official outside. Although they all felt puzzled, they had to follow it even if they didn't understand it. It was the biggest discipline of the Lin Group and the Lin Mansion.

Wang Shiwu helped her get dressed, and then said with a smile: "Some time ago, someone sent the "Fuchun Mountain Residence" from Wuxi. Has your husband not appreciated it yet?

You can take it to the study today, and enjoy the painting while entertaining guests, which can also relieve boredom.

I just don't know when your husband became interested in calligraphy and painting, and actually brought such a famous painting to the house."

The couple talked behind closed doors, and Lin Tailai stopped pretending, "I am not interested in calligraphy and painting, but in precious calligraphy and painting."

Wang Shiwu helped her husband tie the jade belt and chatted: "I heard that the Xiang family in Jiaxing, south of Suzhou, built the Tianlai Pavilion, which has a very rich collection, which is the best in the world and the best in the country.

I only heard that the famous calligraphy and paintings include "Five Oxen Picture", "Biography of Female Historian Picture", "Lo Shen Fu Picture" Song Dynasty Copy, "Autumn River Alone Fishing Picture", Li Bai's "Shangyangtai Tie", etc., and Qiu Ying's "Han Palace Spring Dawn Picture"."

The names of these treasures, even Lin Tailai, who is a layman in calligraphy and painting, once again raised his interest in art to the highest point.

Then he snorted coldly, "Speaking of which, most of the officials in Jiaxing are in cahoots with the Qingliu forces. For example, Lu Guangzu, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Sun Yu, the Minister of the Dali Temple, Chen Younian, the Doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, and so on.

In the future, for the sake of their fellow townsmen, it is not too much to exchange one head for one or two paintings of the Xiang family?"

Wang Shiwu thought that her husband was joking recklessly, and chuckled a few times, and then said:

"There is also a Liang family in Zhending Prefecture in the north. It is said that the collection is not inferior to the Xiang family, known as the Southern Xiang and the Northern Liang.

I heard that the famous paintings collected by the Liang family include "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", "A Lady with a Hairpin", "A Lady of Guo State Outing in Spring", and many others."

Lin Tailai, who did not pay much attention to the collection of calligraphy and paintings before, was really surprised. Are the famous paintings collected by the people so concentrated these days?

Can the Southern Xiang and Northern Liang families collect almost all the famous ancient paintings in the history textbooks of middle schools?

I remember that in the Qing Dynasty in history, these paintings were basically looted into the palace and ravaged by the old man Shiquan. In comparison, the artistic cells of the Ming emperor were indeed not good enough.

Now I only have a "Fuchun Mountain Residence" in my hand, and I have a long way to go.

Thinking of this, Mr. Lin shook his sleeves and snorted again: "The Liang family is from Zhending Prefecture? It's a coincidence. Zhending Prefecture is also a place of clean people.

Zhao Nanxing, who once injured me, seems to be from Zhending Prefecture, and Xu Shouqian, who wanted to arrest me, is also from Zhending Prefecture.

Although they are from different counties, I don’t know if they have any relationship with the Liang family."

Wang Shiwu: ""

She was just gossiping just now, and she really didn’t want to fan the flames!

At this time, I heard my husband sigh again, "If I had debuted ten years earlier, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" would have been in my hands long ago!"

At the beginning, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was in the hands of Yan Song. After Yan Song’s house was confiscated, he entered the inner palace, and then fell into the hands of the eunuch Feng Bao.

Five or six years ago, Feng Bao's house was confiscated again, and "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was put back into the inner palace.

Mr. Lin thought that if he had traveled through time ten years earlier, he might have taken the opportunity to embezzle "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

Anyway, it seems that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not care much about these famous paintings.

Mr. Lin, who had been influenced by art early in the morning, finally calmed down and went to the outer study to receive guests.

Gao Changjiang, the executive vice president of Hengtang College, the general manager of the storytellers' office, the informal external manager of the Lin Mansion, and the self-proclaimed think tank of the Lin Group, was arrested to serve as a temporary receptionist.

He ordered the servants to carry a large box of name cards, and then spread them on the table, and asked: "Who does the host want to see first?"

For the superiors, the order of receiving guests is also very particular, and it is clear at a glance which one is more important.

Lin Tailai ordered without thinking: "Is Xu Zhenming here? Let him come in first!"

Xu Zhenming was the official who failed to promote rice in the north, and he was also a water conservancy expert.

Last year, after he resigned from his post in despair, he met Lin Tailai at the post station and was recruited to Jiangnan to investigate water conservancy.

Last month, in order to let Xu Zhenming serve as the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, Mr. Lin also had a fight with the Minister of Personnel.

After entering the study, Xu Zhenming looked a little excited, "I received an imperial decree from the court a while ago to serve as the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture.

Then I thought that I would take office after meeting Mr. Lin in Suzhou."

Lin Tailai said lightly: "Being a prefect is a small matter, and the water conservancy of Wusong River is a big matter."

Xu Zhenming did not waste words and directly began to report his survey results in the past six months: "Although the old course of the lower reaches of Wusong River has been silted up for many years, it can still be dredged. The technical difficulty is not great, and the total construction length is about 80 miles."

"But where is the difficulty?" Lin Tailai asked proactively.

Xu Zhenming has studied it in detail and answered without hesitation: "First, excavation and dredging of the river, plus the construction of dams, the current conversion cost is about 300,000 taels of silver."

Hearing this number, Mr. Lin felt a pain in his liver.

From the current signs, there is little hope for the court to allocate funds, and there is no precedent, so it depends entirely on raising funds by oneself.

Three hundred thousand taels is a huge sum of money for the people of this era.

Although Mr. Lin is focusing on sea trade, he will definitely make money as long as he develops sea trade; but at this stage, all we can see is dredging the river.

Investing three hundred thousand taels of silver to dredge the river seems to have no cost-effectiveness at all, and there are very few people with such courage.

Fortunately, three hundred thousand taels is just a conversion figure. If the government relies on conscripting people to serve, it should be able to offset part of it.

Xu Zhenming continued: "Second, the old course of the lower reaches of the Wusong River has been abandoned for twenty years and has been occupied and reclaimed as farmland."

One mu is equal to sixty square feet. If the river is ten feet wide, the area of ​​the six-foot river is one mu.

The length of the eighty-li river is equivalent to twelve thousand feet. The area of ​​the eighty-li river is about two thousand mu of land.

Moreover, the eighty-li downstream is all in Songjiang Prefecture, and the land price is not cheap. Even if the two thousand mu of land is purchased at a fair price, it will theoretically cost tens of thousands of taels.

Besides, the landlords may not be willing to sell, and it is troublesome to encounter stubborn households.

Thinking of this, Lin Tailai asked: "The water surface of the river should belong to the government, right?

After the lower reaches of the Wusong River were abandoned, the original river was occupied by private individuals without authorization? It is similar to hiding farmland. After a long time, the people did not report it and the government did not investigate it?"

Xu Zhenming, who was very familiar with local affairs, replied: "It should be so. After the river was abandoned, the landlords on both sides gradually expanded their farmland to the original river. No one in the local area cared about this silent embezzlement of public land."

Mr. Lin sighed: "It seems that this is the only good news.

At least in theory, the government can take back this part of the farmland. It's time to test your execution after taking office!"

From the conversation with Xu Zhenming, Mr. Lin once again felt the difficulty and complexity of the project of dredging the lower reaches of the Wusong River, which was more difficult than the fantasy of collecting those famous paintings in his hands.

And this will not be effective in the short term. The basic dredging project may not be completed this year.

As for the construction of seaports and river ports, the earliest time to start maritime trade is the year after next.

This is a project that takes two years from the start to the profit. It is not easy and full of policy risks.

No wonder no one in Jiangnan region thought of doing this in history.

It was not until 250 years later that the Wusongkou of the Huangpu River was broken by the foreigners' strong ships and powerful guns.

Lin Tailai, who no one could understand, could only encourage himself. Once the bow is shot, there is no turning back. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. Take it step by step.

If you don't make some new cakes, how can you break through the existing interest pattern and integrate a new interest group around you?

A politician without the support of a strong interest group is like a rootless duckweed, and he will collapse completely if he says he will collapse.