Chapter 10

Baiminghe bowed deeply to Jinjie, who was stunned.

A little eunuch, one who was often slapped, kicked, and despised by scholars. Especially after his adoptive father was placed under house arrest, Jinjie found it difficult to move around the palace. Yet, a scholar had given him a grand bow.

A scholar would die for a true friend!

Jinjie, who had not read many books and only heard some stories, also bowed deeply, imitating Baiminghe. He said, "Even if Grandfather beats me to death with a stick, I will still submit this."

Jinjie was willing to risk his life.

"I know you, as an inner official, have your ways. Help me get the land deed. It doesn't matter that you can't read much; this document can at least get you promoted to a higher rank. But be very careful, and don't rush for quick success. Present your proposal when His Majesty is in a good mood, and remember the situations I told you about and how to handle each one."

Baiminghe carefully instructed him while organizing the plan.

Jinjie carefully put away what Baiminghe had written, then urged the carriage to hurry. It was still 130 miles to the capital, and if there were no more troubles, they could deliver the wine to the capital by noon the next day.

Watching Jinjie's back, Baiminghe muttered to himself, "Wealth and honor come with risk."

Baiminghe was confident, but also very nervous. Even though he had learned from Lord Lu that this emperor was newly enthroned and that the status of scholars and officials was very high in the Ming Dynasty, Baiminghe was still afraid of being beheaded.

He was even more nervous about whether Jinjie, whom he had never met before, would really be able to help him based on just one meeting.

However, the words of Lu Zhengqiu, that there were ten thousand eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, made Baiminghe deeply believe that the power of eunuchs should not be underestimated.

On the other hand, after Jinjie left, Baiminghe rode his donkey back to Xiaquan Village.

On the way, Sun Hu asked, "Son-in-law, you are a scholar, how can you deal with eunuchs? I haven't read many books, but I've heard that their reputation isn't good."

"Who said that?" Baiminghe asked slowly with his eyes closed.

"The storytellers say so," Sun Hu said confidently.

Baiminghe sneered, "You don't understand. Besides, can the storytellers explain the troubles of the thirty-two villages in this area? So, don't assume that what the storytellers say is correct. Remember, what I, Baiminghe of Guanzhong, say is reliable. Don't mention today's events to anyone, and I'll teach you some skills later."

Sun Hu thought about it and realized it made sense.

The storytellers couldn't solve the troubles of the thirty-two villages, and the county magistrate couldn't either. Only his son-in-law, Sun Hu, could solve it. Who had the greater ability? It was as clear as a louse on a monk's head!

Baiminghe didn't tell anyone about his dealings with Jinjie. This matter would only be known to Sun Hu. Scholars and eunuchs associating with each other was taboo.

Back in Xiaquan Village, Baiminghe didn't even enter his home but went directly to the Sun family temple.

Of course, Sun Yuanjun was invited. Writing such an important document naturally required a professional.

After sipping a precious cup of hot tea, Baiminghe said, "To the eight village heads, the first task is to gather people to cut wood, dig kilns, and fire pottery! Each section of pottery pipe should be four feet long and one foot in diameter. Each section must have a seal design, and we need eighty sections that can bend. The location for cutting wood and firing pottery is at the entrance of Xiaquan Village, four miles into the mountain."

"Husband, don't you need to explain how to use them?" Sun Yuanjun asked after writing it down.

"Explaining it won't help; it's also a good way to test their sincerity in working with me to solve this problem. Record the contributions of each village, and in the future, I will ensure that these thirty-two villages earn a thousand taels annually."

Baiminghe was confident, and the Sun family elders had no objections, supporting him unconditionally because he was their son-in-law.

Sun Yuanjun wrote it down and checked it again. The signature read "Written by Baiminghe and Sun Yuanjun," with the reason being that Baiminghe's hand was injured and he couldn't write.

The next morning, the villages sent a total of eight hundred young men and one hundred strong women. They also provided two hundred shi of grain, a sign of their sincerity. The strong women cooked in Xiaquan Village, while the young men worked in the mountains.

An old hunter stood at the mountain entrance, introducing himself as Baifu, the manager of the Bai family.

Baiminghe had planned to direct the eight hundred people, but Baifu, mysteriously, organized them efficiently and commanded them well. Good leadership could greatly improve efficiency.

By evening, the first batch of gunpowder for blasting had arrived.

Baifu took charge and arranged for reliable Sun family members to guard it day and night, while the others continued to cut wood and fire pottery.

Meanwhile, Jinjie delivered the wine to the capital and completed his task.

Back at his residence, Jinjie had calmed down and was pondering Baiminghe's words.

Baiminghe was a scholar who respected eunuchs, and this alone made Jinjie trust him more. Moreover, this matter was a win-win, definitely a good thing.

However, his position was too low, and there were only three possible ways to see the emperor. The worst was to encounter the emperor by chance on his way, but this was too risky. If the emperor was in a bad mood, Jinjie could be beaten or even crippled, so this was a last resort.

A better way was to seek help from a trusted, powerful eunuch in the palace.

This was a good plan, but with his adoptive father, Jin Ying, under house arrest, there were few people who could help him. He could visit his adoptive father and ask for advice.

The last opportunity was the current one.

He had brought the wine back in the snow and, as one of the few hundred eunuchs with a rank among the five thousand eunuchs in the Ming palace, there was a rule: if the emperor liked the wine he had procured in the next few days, he would have a chance to present it in the hall.

This opportunity meant that if the emperor was pleased, he might give some rewards, so it was an unwritten rule.

Unless someone deliberately sabotaged him, he wouldn't lose this chance to receive a reward.

While Jinjie was sitting in his room, having a little eunuch bring hot water to wash his legs and daydreaming, he heard someone calling him, saying that His Majesty had heard that the Fenjiu from Xinghua Village had arrived and wanted some warmed and brought in.

Jinjie kicked over the hot water bucket.

The lowly eunuch tried to help him, but Jinjie kicked him aside, "Stay there!"

He quickly tidied his clothes, picked up the brocade box wrapped in cotton, and ran with his head down. At that moment, the 23-year-old Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu, was drinking with his concubines, discussing romantic matters, and was in a very good mood.

Jinjie had once heard his adoptive father, Jin Ying, talk about great heroes, virtuous officials, and famous generals, and how they were always aided by heaven. At that moment, Jinjie felt that Baiminghe was destined to be a great person, and that was why he had the chance to see His Majesty so soon after returning.

He had originally thought that seeing the emperor within three days would be lucky.

The wine was presented, and Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu, who was 23 years old and had his own ambitions, sat on the dragon throne. He had the brilliant scholar Shang Lu in the cabinet and the Minister of War Yu Qian defending the capital. The Ming Dynasty was stable internally and secure externally, showing signs of revival!

In the year since becoming emperor, he had eliminated the followers of Wang Zhen, curbed the evil of eunuch rule, appointed virtuous officials, and ensured a clear administration. It was a time of great ambition and confidence.

Tasting the wine, Zhu Qiyu smiled, "Fenjiu is best from Xinghua Village!"

The chief eunuch announced, "Jinjie of the Wine and Vinegar Bureau has done well. Reward him."

Because Zhu Qiyu was in a good mood, he usually just gave a small reward at such times. In Jinjie's eyes, this was a sign of a great person being aided by heaven.

The noble Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu, actually asked, "You have done well. What reward do you want?"

This was the best opportunity.

Jinjie didn't dare to speak, but knelt and knocked his head nine times, drawing blood. Zhu Qiyu watched with narrowed eyes, still smiling. He thought the little eunuch might have a request, and since he was in a good mood, he would grant it as a favor.

As Zhu Qiyu was thinking, Jinjie took out a thick stack of paper from his robe and held it high.

Jinjie was trembling. He was afraid, but more excited. He believed this document could bring him a promotion. If the emperor was pleased, he would be promoted from the ninth rank to the eighth.

Zhu Qiyu was stunned, looking at the thick stack of paper. What did this little eunuch want? The music and laughter stopped, and the concubines were also silent, finding the scene very strange.

Zhu Qiyu thought for a moment. Since he had asked the little eunuch to choose his own reward, he should at least look at the document. If it displeased him, he could just dismiss him without punishment. He then signaled for a little eunuch to bring the document.

Ordinary paper, written with charcoal.

It wasn't an essay or a policy proposal, but more like a conversation.

The writing was very organized, with clear layers, explaining each point in detail as if afraid the reader wouldn't understand.

After reading the first few pages, Zhu Qiyu's expression changed, becoming serious. He put down his wine cup, had a large candle brought closer, and began reading quickly, each page containing about sixty to seventy characters. The thick stack was probably over three thousand characters.

After reading about twenty pages, Zhu Qiyu became agitated and suddenly slammed the table.

The chief eunuch on duty immediately shouted, "Left and right, take this little brat out!"

This shout scared Jinjie so much that he almost lost control of his bowels and nearly fainted.