For the king of Fujun to take in Wu Jiugong and let him be a subordinate official of his county palace to preside over the wool industry, Lin Jin felt that this was the normal trend of this era, after all, such a big business could not be taken care of by someone who was not his own.

It's just that I saw that Wu Jiugong, who was basically nesting in Yangzhou all year round, was like being beaten with chicken blood, regardless of the physical inconvenience, and personally went to the northwest to eat sand for a few months. After coming back, although the person looks a little darker and thinner, the whole person's mental outlook is very different, compared with before, there is a high-spirited and enterprising energy in it, as if she has been reborn, which makes her very puzzled.

You must know that although the wool industry has done a good job, it is indeed a very large industry, but not to mention that it has just started now, even if it has become a large and mature industry, it is not as good as the salt chamber of commerce based on Caoyun and the salt gang, which is engaged in many commercial activities such as sea trade, salt, sugar, tea, grain, timber, etc., as well as Luzon.

Therefore, Wu Jiugong has become so energetic and energetic, obviously not because he is in charge of the wool industry, then the reason can only be that he is the petty official of the counselor. Seeing him like this, he couldn't understand why Song Jiang of Shuibo Liangshan was a good and carefree big leader, and Lin Jin, who was recruited by the imperial court, suddenly understood what Song Jiang was thinking.

"As for it? It's just a counselor, a petty official of Jiupin, so you can be happy like this? Lin Jin looked at Wu Jiugong, who was smiling, and said with a smile: "Hey, hey, pay attention, your mouth is too big, and it has been too long to grin, if you don't close it quickly, be careful to drop your chin." At that point, it will really become a joke. ”

Wu Jiugong glanced at her, shook his head and sighed, "You don't understand." It's not about the size of the official position, but ......"

Lin Jin interrupted him: "Who said I don't understand? I understand your psychology, the ten years of cold window, in order to one day, can be named on the gold list, glorify the ancestors and achieve the purpose of serving the country at the same time. It's a pity that your luck is not good, this time is different from the past, people with physical disabilities can no longer be like a person, so you are obviously full of talent, but you can only use it in the business you look down on the most, so you are unwilling. Now that a long-cherished wish has come true, of course you feel happy. As for the size of the official position, it's not that you don't care, it's just that even the important ministers in the court who are calling for wind and rain now are all from small officials step by step, and you think that as long as you can show your strengths, even if you are a small official now, you will be promoted in the future. You have this self-confidence. ”

Glancing at Lin Jin deeply, Wu Jiugong sighed: "I have always said that sometimes you don't look like a child from an official family, and you don't want to listen to it, but I really think I'm not wrong." ”

Lin Jin rolled her eyes at him and asked, "What do you mean?" ”

Wu Jiugong shook his head and didn't speak. It's not that he doesn't want to answer, it's that he doesn't know how to answer; Or I don't know what to say, Lin Jin can understand.

In fact, in the final analysis, it is still a matter of cognitive difference. In the world where Lin Jin came, it is believed that "three hundred and sixty lines, the line is the champion", even if there are boundaries between various classes, but it is definitely not as clear as in this era; In this era, pay attention to "learn literature and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor's family", and between the other three classes and the scholar class, there will never be a drama like "rather being a chicken head than a phoenix tail".

Lin Jin didn't care about Wu Jiugong's failure to answer her question, and said, "Okay, don't talk about those useless things, get down to business." Since you are busy with the wool stall, and now you are an official, it is not easy for you to take care of the affairs of the Chamber of Commerce. I thought about it for a while, after that, the Chamber of Commerce will not follow the previous 'Yiyantang' model, and follow the Western conference model.

In addition to the two seats occupied by you and me, eight more seats will be added, which will be divided equally between Cao Yun and the Salt Gang, and then a leader will be introduced among these ten seats, which is not a lifelong system, and will serve for three years, not more than three terms. After the Chamber of Commerce encounters any major events, it will be discussed by everyone. Except for the head of the meeting, who votes for or against the vote, which represents two votes, everyone else has only one vote. What do you think? ”

Wu Jiugong thought for a moment and asked, "The idea is good, but since the head of the meeting is not for life, then these ten seats should not be permanent, right?" Are you going to change every few years? ”

"Well, in the current situation, I think you and I are still in the same place. As for whether it will remain the same in the future, I can't say well, but I will talk about it in the future; The remaining eight seats are not fixed and are renewed every five years. If there is any important event that needs to be voted on, a person from a certain seat cannot attend, and a representative can be appointed to replace him. ”

"I have no objection." Wu Jiugong was busy with the wool industry and at the same time read a lot of books on Western aspects, knowing that their system there was more advanced than Daqin's, and began to change from "dictatorship" to "democracy": "But this matter cannot be agreed between you and me, and it must be taken out to obtain the consent of the Chamber of Commerce." ”

Lin Jin has no objection to this. Then, the two said in unison: "By the way, I want to discuss something with you." ”

Looking at Lin Jin with a serious face, Wu Jiugong asked her to speak first.

Thinking of the wind and rain caused by the illegal salt trade during this period of time, as well as the large number of salt merchants and officials who fell, although Lin Ruhai was safe and sound in this turmoil, but the kind of frightened days when he was worried and always feared that the knife hanging over his head would fall down, Lin Jin didn't want to go through it again anyway.

Lin Jin paused word by word, and said in an irrefutable tone: "I want to hand over the salt drying method to the imperial court." ”

Hearing her words, Wu Jiugong stroked his palms and smiled: "Coincidentally, what I wanted to tell you just now is exactly this, and I have the same idea as you." The way we look like this, we should be able to say that we have a good heart, right? ”

Originally, in order to persuade Wu Jiugong, Lin Jin prepared a large number of words, but when he heard his words at this moment, he was stunned for a moment, looked at him fixedly for a long time, with a sneer on his face, and sneered: "What kind of heart has a soul, I have long had this idea, but you are worrying about the court at this time, right?" You really express the word "in his position" to the fullest.

A long time ago, I told you that we don't do private salt business, and I said it more than once, but you disobeyed the yin and the yang, and promised well in front of me, but turned your head, how to do it. Because you, as the head of the chamber of commerce, must consider the interests of the entire chamber of commerce; Now that you have become an official of the imperial court, you naturally have to change your position and consider the harmfulness of the existence of private salt from the perspective of the imperial court. But don't you think your attitude has changed too quickly? ”

Wu Jiugong smiled dryly: "Didn't you also say 'in his position, seek his government'." I occupy a different position, and naturally I think about the problem from a different angle. ”

Lin Jin didn't want to argue with him about this issue, and said, "Since you also have this idea, then I'll leave this matter to you." Whether you want to use this as a ladder to invite merit and promotion, or if you really consider the problem from the perspective of the imperial court, in short, as long as this matter does not implicate our family. ”

"Why, don't you even want credit? Even if you don't want to, don't you think about your father as a salt official? ”

Lin Jin waved her hand and made a respectful and insensitive attitude: "What credit can you have?" Private salt is flooded like this in Daqin, and the salt drying method is not such a difficult method, but the court has never known about it, and you don't know the ghost here? I'm afraid that the only one who really doesn't know is the big family in the Taiji Palace. Besides, my father has not just arrived, but has been a salt official for several years, and he has only now mastered this salt drying method, and it is good not to be considered incompetent by the above, how can it be meritorious?

Moreover, if you donate the salt drying method, you don't know how many people's interests are touched, even if you get some credit on the surface, you don't know how many people will be jealous of you secretly. This kind of merit, because you are now going to help King Fujun take care of the wool industry, and before this industry is mature, as long as you do not commit such a great crime as rebellion, King Fujun will definitely protect you; And because you are physically deficient, in the eyes of others, your career will inevitably not go far, and you will be regarded as a weak person invisibly, so if you do the same thing, you will be much more tolerant of you. But our family doesn't have the same good luck as you, and the Lin family only has my father to support them in the officialdom, and they don't have a helper, so the credit for making enemies on all sides should not be good. ”

She said it so clearly, if Wu Jiugong wanted to share the credit with Lin Jin or Lin Ruhai again, it would not be good intentions, but to harm them, so he smiled, put down this topic, and didn't mention it again.

Lin Jin rolled her eyes, remembered something, and hurriedly said: "If you really want to give me the credit, then you can go back and mention it to King Fujun to see if you can ask him to help transfer my father." No matter what the final result is, I will take your affection. ”

Although Lin Ruhai said that he couldn't resign and not do it, he didn't say that he couldn't be transferred. Even if there is no original history, Lin Ruhai died in the salt official's office, and the officialdom in Jiangnan was also afraid of the position he now holds as a salt inspector.

Although there has long been the recognition that all ancient officials shed blood, but really facing this fact, Lin Jin knew how dangerous the position of salt official was, which was equivalent to sitting on an erupting volcano.