Back to the Beginning of Ming to do Charity

Chapter 173: Pride And Success

On Lin Yuan's desk, there was a "dictionary" sent by Song Lian and Zhou Rong. This dictionary had not yet been named. It would be sent to various places only after Lin Yuan passed it. The court would then send people to the local government schools to introduce it to the teachers. It would be taught to the students only when the teachers have learned it.

After reading it over, Lin Yuan felt that it was passable, and decided to have the officials see it tomorrow at morning assembly.

"Still not sleeping?" Chen Baisong had already started to undress.

Lin Yuan walked over and untied Chen Baisong's belt for him, the action not something he was familiar with. As he untied it he chuckled: "Zhen shall remove the general's armor for him."

Chen Baisong had no expression.

Lin Yuan made a lewd joke, but unfortunately Chen Baisong couldn't understand it, and he had no audience to appreciate his joke.

Chen Baisong slept on the dragon bed for a long time, and he was not as nervous as he was at the beginning. After knowing the taste of intimacy, he was like a wild wolf that got its first taste of mating, and every night when it was time he was always eager. He was still very proper and waited for the lights to be blown out, starting only after entering the bed and letting down the bed curtains.

But he was also very improper, so long as he entered the bed shrouded by bed curtains, he had no scruples, as if this slice of the world was independent of everything else.

Lin Yuan preferred to be on top.

His hands would be on Chen Baisong's chest and abdominal muscles, which made him feel in control of everything.

However, he did not reject being pressed down by Chen Baisong either.

Different positions have their different pleasures.

Chen Baisong was like a wolf, he liked to bite Lin Yuan's neck.

When the happenings behind the bed curtains fell silent, Lin Yuan was already too tired to move. Chen Baisong got out of bed and poured him a cup of warm water. Ever since Lin Yuan told him that drinking tea at night made it hard to fall asleep, he never poured tea for Lin Yuan any more at night.

Chen Baisong came over with a teacup of warm water. He parted the bed curtains, and the musky smell of lovemaking hit him in his face. Chen Baisong was aroused again almost instantly.

Lin Yuan took the cup of water and swallowed it down. He was sweating profusely, and the sheets under him were also soaked through.

It was Chen Baisong who went to bring over new sheets.

Just when he was about to change it, Lin Yuan hooked his neck and smiled at him: "Again, don't change it for nothing."

Chen Baisong looked at Lin Yuan's smile and returned to the bed.

Lin Yuan had been observing Chen Baisong's expression during gaps. Chen Baisong was very fierce when he was in the throes of passion, and his expression was also a little ferocious, but he felt that it was very sexy, probably because his aesthetics were broken.

After this time, Chen Baisong changed the sheets and bedding, and threw the dirty ones to the side to be brought away by Er Liang and washed in the morning.

Almost all the servants serving in his personal palace know about Lin Yuan and Chen Baisong, but don't know how Er Liang disciplined them, no rumors or news have spread outside despite how long it had been.

However, it made no difference to Lin Yuan whether it was known or not.

After changing the sheets and bedding, Chen Baisong lay down beside Lin Yuan. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around Lin Yuan's waist with a blank expression.

He had been like this recently, and he always seemed to feel like he was dreaming.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yuan asked him, "Can't sleep?"

Chen Baisong said seriously: "I won't marry a wife."

Lin Yuan: "En."

Chen Baisong looked at Lin Yuan, his eyes seemed to glow under the dim lighting.

It was a rather eerie glow.

So Lin Yuan kissed his forehead: "Don't worry, there is only you in my harem, you are the only one."

Chen Baisong didn't expect Lin Yuan to say this, he frowned tightly, remembering that the court had been talking about the selection of concubines these days, and every time he heard it, he felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest.

No..that feeling was probably more painful than a stab to the chest.

No matter how many wounds he suffered on the battlefield, no matter how deep the wounds were, he had never felt this way.

That's right, how could the emperor have no harem? Without a harem and no heirs, who would inherit the throne in the end?

Chen Baisong had been waiting for the day Lin Yuan got married since Lin Yuan ascended the throne.

After being with Lin Yuan, he was still waiting.

But he didn't know what he would do if Lin Yuan really had a harem.

Would he pretend to not know? But at that time, when Lin Yuan had to visit the harem, the nights that belonged to them would become less and less.

And he didn't think he would attract Lin Yuan's attention more than those charming young girls.

Perhaps he would ask to leave Beijing and go be stationed at a border. Maybe every three or five years he would go to Beijing to see Lin Yuan.

It was just that at that time Lin Yuan would be sitting up on the dragon chair, and he would be standing below among the officials.

When Lin Yuan had a son, maybe he would have to send celebratory gifts to Beijing.

He was practically waiting for that day to come in despair.

But now Lin Yuan said, only him?

Chen Baisong couldn't believe it, he turned his head to look at Lin Yuan, his eyes were bright and burning, and there seemed to be embers of flames inside. He heard his hoarse voice asking, "What about the throne?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I have a younger sister."

"Even if I don't, I would think of other ways. In the Song Dynasty, there were also clan sons who were not the emperor's own blood to inherit the throne." Lin Yuan saw Chen Baisong's panic and comforted softly, "You have to have confidence in me."

Chen Baisong finally allowed the heart in his throat to fall back down to its original place.

With a surge of excitement, he turned over again.

Exercising again before going to bed, Lin Yuan thought.

As a result, when it was time to get up, Lin Yuan knew what a wise saying "The day was too short as the sun rose high in the sky, and the emperor shall not go to morning assembly" was.

He was very satisfied, but he was really tired, especially his waist.

Just like riding a horse, after getting up on it the waist had to exert strength. Chen Baisong's duration was also long, so of course he was tired.

Er Liang walked in after hearing Lin Yuan's call.

Turning a blind eye to the scattered clothes and bedding on the floor.

He also turned a blind eye to Chen Baisong, who was still sleeping soundly on the dragon bed.

Lin Yuan got up lightly and didn't wake Chen Baisong. Anyway, the generals didn't have to go to court every day, and reporting illness was common for them.

After all, generals could not participate in political decision-making. The most they could do was debate and bicker when at court.

Er Liang put on the dragon robe and crown for Lin Yuan before leaving the palace behind Lin Yuan.

The eunuchs in the bedroom kept their eyes focused straight in front of them, they were all disciplined very well by Er Liang.

Er Liang didn't know when this skill was turned on. Holding all the eunuchs who could get close to Lin Yuan in the palm of his hand, and not allowing the first line of news around Lin Yuan to leak out.

Lin Yuan even thought that Er Liang was suitable to be the chief spy. He had not noticed that he actually had this talent before.

When the morning assembly began, the officials had already arrived, and Lin Yuan sat on the dragon chair and had someone give them a dictionary.

The name of the dictionary was called "Mingde Dictionary", and it was appropriate to use the era name as the name of the dictionary.

The hundred officials knew that this dictionary had been compiled for a long time, and they also knew how clear Lin Yuan's idea of implementing "new characters" and "simplified characters" was. By now, no one would fight against Lin Yuan anymore.

"Your Majesty's vision is a blessing to the common people!"

No one thought that Zheng Qingfeng would be the first to stand forward.

Zheng Qingfeng was truly proud and confident recently. His Court of Censors had gradually set up a frame. After Li Linqing joined, it had become more powerful and effective, quickly recruiting a group of scholars. Quite a few of them had passed the highest imperial examination. And all were sharp and eager to display their abilities, each and every one of them righteous and just.

The team had been set up, and as for how they would develop, the eyes of the officials of the entire dynasty were all watching them.

But one had to admit that Zheng Qingfeng had been very and happily busy recently, trailed by many people wherever he went, and the officials were both jealous and sympathetic.

After all, the Court of Censors was not a good job.

It was also unknown how to get promoted, maybe Zheng Qingfeng would have to stay in this position for a lifetime.

In the eyes of the officials, Zheng Qingfeng was a noble and virtuous scholar who hated evil as one hated an enemy.

Although it was not likable, these were indeed excellent qualities and noble virtues.

Even a person of noble character had said that "simplified characters" was a good thing for the empire and the people. So how could they object?

What did it say of the kind of person who contradicts a person of noble character?

Anyone who wanted to open their mouths and admonish had to go through their words in their minds first to see if they had done any bad deeds that would be caught and criticized.

As they thought about it this way, Lin Yuan had already spoken above: "Since that's the case, it shall be sent to local government offices to begin promoting it."

In addition to the dictionary, Zhou Rong and Song Lian also worked together to figure out the pinyin.

It couldn't be called pinyin now, but phonetic symbols, similar to the phonetic symbols used in modern Taiwan, and not the English characters used for pinyin.

It was more like the key or radical by which a character was arranged in a traditional Chinese dictionary.

Lin Yuan planned to reward Song Lian and Zhou Rong and promote them for their two meritorious deeds: character creation and pronunciation.

Song Lian was originally a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, in charge of the Hanlin Academy, of the fifth rank. Lin Yuan transferred him to the Ministry of Rites to serve as the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, of the second rank. If there was no unexpected occurrence, he would stay in this position until his death.

Zhou Rong didn't reach the heavens in a single bound (TN: instant success), Lin Yuan transferred him to the Ministry of Works, as Langzhong, of the fifth rank.

But for Zhou Rong, this was tantamount to reaching the heavens in a single bound, and he could now attend court to discuss politics.

Before, he didn't have the qualifications to attend morning assembly, he was just a small official, and he had to salute everyone he saw.

After Lin Yuan's appointment, Zhou Rong's whole family burst into tears of joy, crying so much that all the neighbors knew about it. His parents were already quite advanced in age, yet they still struggled to kneel down and kowtowed respectfully to the imperial decree several times.

His father even took his son's hand and said tremblingly, "Son! Do things well and don't let down the grace of the emperor!"

The last official from the Zhou family was during the Song Dynasty, and that was also just a very small and insignificant official position, a county magistrate, and the county was a pitifully small and terribly poor one.

They also worshipped their ancestors and told their ancestors the good news.

Zhou Rong also instantly became a hot commodity. Those who looked down on him or despised him before suddenly started to visit the Zhou Manor to give gifts.

The ten scholars who had resigned from him before also tried their best to approach him again, wanting to be a scribe under his hands.

The homes of these ten people were all given plaques of humiliation, personally bestowed by the emperor, so they dared not remove it.

The families did not dare to go out because of the plaque, and even had the idea of moving to the countryside.

Suddenly honor and success was at his fingertips, but Zhou Rong didn't dare to be arrogant. He didn't accept any gifts from any family. He went out early every day and only came home after dark.

Now that he had an official position, his parents urged him to marry, and Zhou Rong did not refuse. He soon married a local girl from the capital. Her family was a scholarly family, and neither her parents nor brothers were officials.

Four months after getting married, his wife became pregnant.

Zhou Rong devoted all his energy to politics, and he knew that everything he got today stemmed from his previous achievements.

His Majesty liked down-to-earth people who did practical things.

For the sake of his current home and the children to be born, he must seize onto this point and never forget it.

Just like he believed before that he would not be a small insignificant official forever.

He also firmly believed that he would not stay in this official position of the fifth rank for too long.