Zhao Baihui could not have cared less whether the man was a juren or not.
He casually waved his hand.
“So you’re a juren? My household doesn’t have many rules. It’s already time to eat, so you may stay and share a simple meal with us.”
“Then I shall gratefully accept your hospitality.”
The more indifferent Zhao Baihui appeared, the more it showed that he genuinely did not care about Lin Xuejin’s status as a juren.
And that, in turn, made Lin Xuejin even more cautious.
If even the master of the house behaved this way, then everyone else was naturally even more respectful.
The guests entered the reception hall in the central courtyard and took their seats.
Zhao Baihui said:
“You’ll have to wait a little longer. Some of the girls in my household haven’t arrived yet. We’re used to eating together.”
“No rush, no rush.”
Lin Xuejin felt that the man before him was someone extraordinary.
He was slightly nervous and, for a moment, did not know what to say.
Seeing that his guest remained silent, Zhao Baihui casually asked:
“A few months ago, I heard that someone opened the passes and let the northerners through. Things must not be going too well at court, right?”
“How did it end? Did they close the city gates and let the invaders loot at will, or did they simply give them money and supplies to make them leave?”
Lin Xuejin looked up in surprise.
“How do you know that? Well… from what I have heard, the court did indeed hand over a considerable amount of wealth, but ordinary people shouldn’t know about it. Officially, they claimed that the invasion had been repelled.”
“What is so surprising about that? More than two hundred years have passed since the founding of the dynasty, and the entire system has long since rotted to the core. Do you really think there is still an army with any real fighting capability left?”
“For the past twenty years, those northern wolves have never changed their nature. They have crossed the passes thirty-seven times to raid the borderlands. Last year alone, they came three times. Do you think that general opened the gates by accident? If it hadn’t happened this time, it would have happened next time. It’s only a matter of whether it happens a few years earlier or a few years later.”
Lin Xuejin’s heart trembled, but he remained silent.
“Do you have a solution, sir?”
“Yes. But it would be very difficult.”
“I beg you to teach me!”
“It would be useless. Let it go.”
“I beg you to teach me!”
This time, Lin Xuejin had already risen to his feet and bowed deeply to Zhao Baihui.
“You really are a stubborn man. The method itself isn’t difficult. All it takes is either a truly virtuous ruler, or a pillar of the state powerful enough to dominate the court while keeping the welfare of the people at heart. Either would suffice.”
“No matter how good a method is, it still requires the right person to carry it out. You don’t even hold an official post—you are merely a minor juren. So it would be better for you to abandon the idea.”
Lin Xuejin fell silent after hearing those two conditions.
Then he asked:
“I wish to know one thing. If such a person existed, what would need to be done to cure this minor illness?”
“A minor illness? HAHAHAHA!”
“Why are you laughing, sir?”
“Because you’re an idiot!”
Lin Xuejin froze.
His wife, son, and daughter all looked at Zhao Baihui with indignation.
Even if you were an extraordinary man of great learning, how could you insult someone like that?
Their husband and father was such an outstanding man! Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
A first-class juren!
How could he be an idiot?
Yet Lin Xuejin did not become angry.
He pondered seriously for a moment before replying:
“I don’t believe I said anything wrong. If you cannot explain why, then I will not admit that I am an idiot.”
“If you don’t admit it, then don’t. There are too many things you don’t understand. If I had to explain everything one by one, I could talk for an entire day and night without finishing.”
“Then I will come to seek your guidance every day.”
“I don’t have time for that.”
“Sir! Will you simply stand by and watch the people of the realm be trampled beneath the hooves of barbarians? Do you know how cruel those savages are? As the old saying goes, the world—”
“Enough! Don’t lecture me with grand moral principles! The realm belongs to the Li, not the Zhao. And even if it belonged to the Zhao, it would still have nothing to do with me.”
“And besides, so long as I have no moral obligation, forget about trying to blackmail me with morality.”
“You…”
Those words shattered something Lin Xuejin had long believed in.
He straightened his back, glared at Zhao Baihui, then flicked his sleeve and strode out of the room.
The others hurried after him.
As soon as the Lin family had left, Jinyi immediately jumped up from her seat, ran over to Zhao Baihui, and grabbed his hand.
“My lord, my lord! You’re amazing!”
“You even called a juren an idiot! You even said his knowledge was insufficient! I knew it, I knew it! The best emperor would be you!”
“I can’t take it anymore! I have to tell Jinxiu and the others how incredible you were today! I feel like I’m going to burst!”
Zhao Baihui pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation.
“Jinyi, not this again…”
Meanwhile, Lin Xuejin stormed out of the residence, with his wife and children hurrying after him.
Zhao Shiyi, who was preparing the carriage, was curious about why they had come out so quickly—and with such expressions—but he still carried out his duty and stepped forward.
“Master Lin, are you returning? I can take you back.”
“No need!”
Lin Xuejin threw out those words and walked away at a brisk pace.
Lady Lin caught up to him, slightly out of breath, and grabbed his arm.
“Why are you walking so fast?”
“I think that man has little substance. He is probably just showing off and speaking nonsense. Why pay attention to him? Let’s leave. We don’t need to stay here and endure such humiliation.”
Lin Xuejin sighed, slowed down to wait for his children, and then asked his son:
“Yunxuan, what do you think of Master Zhao?”
“I cannot understand him. After all, he never finished explaining what he meant. Either he is speaking nonsense without foundation, or he is someone whose depth is impossible to measure…”
“But considering that Village Chief Zhao is so extraordinary, and yet is only one of his maidservants, I believe it must be the latter.”
Lin Xuejin sighed once more.
“An extraordinary man born in these troubled times. What a pity that he is unwilling to devise a plan for the good of all under Heaven. Let us go. Tomorrow… we shall visit him again.”
“Huh? We’re going back tomorrow? Then why did you leave just now?” Lady Lin chuckled softly.
“Am I really such a petty man? Yes, I am angry—but what angers me is that he holds in his hands a strategy capable of saving the world, yet refuses to use it.”
“I must calm myself first. In my current state, I wouldn’t learn anything from him.”
“I truly believe he possesses the ability to bring peace to the realm. If he were willing to teach me, I would even kneel before him and accept him as my master. What I fear is that he may not be willing to teach.”
…
The next day, Lin Xuejin formally sent in a visiting card.
Zhao Baihui glanced at it.
“He came again? What a bother. I don’t want to see him.”
Lin Xuejin waited in vain for the entire morning before finally leaving in disappointment.
On the third day, he returned.
And spent another whole morning waiting.
For seven consecutive days, he sent in his visiting card.
On the last day, the people at the gate could not even be bothered to deliver it.
Left with no other choice, Lin Xuejin returned to the inn and asked his wife to rent a house in Taoyuan Village.
He had already prepared himself for a long campaign.
After that, he went to the village committee office and sought out Jinyi.
“Village Chief Zhao, I would like to apply for a position in Taoyuan Village.”
Even with all of Jinyi’s composure, she nearly fell over upon hearing those words.
Master Juren, please don’t tell me you’re serious.
A first-class juren, even without connections or family backing, could easily obtain a seventh-rank official post in the capital.
And a seventh-rank official in the capital carried far more weight than an ordinary seventh-rank county magistrate.
And now he had come to a village asking for a job?
The highest-ranking official in the village was the village chief.
She could not possibly give him that position, so…
“Master Lin, are you serious? If you truly mean it, I can assign you the position of deputy village chief…”
“I accept.”
For anyone unfamiliar with the imperial examination system in ancient China: a juren was someone who had passed the provincial examination.
In other words, he wasn’t simply a student or scholar anymore—he had earned a qualification that allowed him to pursue an official career.
So when Lin Xuejin introduces himself by saying, “I’m Lin Xuejin, a first-class juren from the seventh year of Wan’an,” he isn’t introducing himself as some ordinary scholar.
He’s making it clear that he has passed a highly important examination and holds considerable academic status.
A juren wasn’t necessarily a government official yet, but he had prestige, recognition, and the opportunity to obtain an official position.
For someone from an ordinary family, reaching this level was a huge achievement.
That’s why Zhao Baihui’s attitude is so striking.
While most people would probably treat Lin Xuejin with considerable respect, Baihui basically responds with: “You’re a juren? Well, if you’re hungry, stay for a meal.” And that’s exactly what makes Lin Xuejin take him even more seriously.
From his perspective, someone treating a man of his status so casually can only mean one of two things: either Baihui is completely ignorant…
or he’s operating on a level Lin Xuejin can’t even begin to comprehend.