Good Man Operation Guide

The Lin family, who had already set off, were unaware of what was happening in the village. Both elderly parents were advanced in age, and Father Lin had just recovered from a serious illness. When they departed, Lin Shiheng specifically instructed the coachman to drive slowly, so as not to jolt the elderly.

Logically speaking, with the Lin parents being of such an old age and having lived in the village for half of their lives, they should have been somewhat reluctant to leave. However, when their youngest son expressed his intention to take them to the capital together, neither of them opposed.

The eldest and second sons were unfilial, and on top of that, they both had a snobbish attitude. Ever since Shiheng passed the imperial examination, they completely abandoned their previous aloofness and spent their days trying to please him by wandering around the vicinity of their home.

After all, they were their own flesh and blood. The two elderly parents were also worried that one day they might soften their hearts and cause trouble for their filial youngest son. It would be better to turn a blind eye.

Moreover, Li Lanlan hadn’t conceived since she married into the family. If the two of them didn’t leave, as the daughter-in-law, Li Lanlan would have to stay behind to take care of the elderly, and their grandchild’s birth would be even further delayed.

Because of these factors, the two 60-year-old parents gritted their teeth and decided to go to the capital.

However, when they truly set off and sat in the carriage that their youngest son had specially modified for them, they were relieved to discover that the journey wasn’t as uncomfortable as the villagers had described.

Before their departure, someone who had previously traveled outside by donkey cart came to visit and told them that the roads were bumpy, the carts were difficult to ride, and no one could sit comfortably for more than a moment. Sometimes, before reaching the destination, they couldn’t help but vomit inside the carriage, which was difficult to clean. They had to endure the smell for the rest of the journey.

The two elderly parents were very anxious, but once they boarded the spacious and comfortable carriage that their son had arranged, they realized that it was different from what others had said. Lin Shiheng personally told them that he had the carriage modified by a carpenter to ensure their comfort.

The current carriage specifications were primarily focused on appearance, and no one cared about the interior. Therefore, the carriage modification went very smoothly. When they originally bought the carriage, Lin Shiheng deliberately purchased the largest compartment. Now, inside the carriage, the seats were replaced with wooden planks similar to beds, and blankets were placed on top. Many small windows were added where the original carriage windows were, and if they wanted to have a meal in the carriage, they just needed to pull out the folding wooden table underneath the bed.

Compared to their own house, of course, it was relatively narrow, but compared to other carriages, this carriage was very comfortable and luxurious. Even though Father Lin’s body was still somewhat uncomfortable, he didn’t experience much jolting along the way.

As the two elderly parents let out a sigh of relief, their hearts couldn’t help but warm up. They truly felt that their youngest son was filial.

They were at ease, while Li Lanlan sat in the spacious carriage, her expression somewhat melancholic.

She was prone to motion sickness, but even if she felt dizzy, she still insisted on emulating her husband, diligently reading books during the daylight hours. That earnest look, looked as if she wanted to become the top female scholar.

It wasn’t that Li Lanlan loved reading books; she just wanted to learn more things.

This was her first time leaving the village, and she was heading to the capital. Naturally, she felt a bit nervous and timid. Now that her husband had passed the imperial examination, many families had come to visit them. If he were to become an official, as his wife, she would naturally have to socialize with others. Li Lanlan considered herself nothing more than a rural woman who only knew how to do farm work, so she was afraid of embarrassing her husband.

Lin Shiheng didn’t agree with her anxious study attitude. When he saw his young wife reading attentively, enduring her dizziness in the gently swaying carriage, a helpless smile would appear on his handsome face as he took the book from Li Lanlan’s hands.

“Since you’re getting dizzy, don’t read anymore. The more you read, the dizzier you’ll become.”

Li Lanlan endured her dizziness and whispered, “I want to read more books.”

“You can read when the carriage takes a break. I read in the carriage because I don’t get motion sickness. But since you do, you shouldn’t read.”

Their relationship grew stronger, and Li Lanlan was no longer like when she had just married and treated her husband delicately. Now that there were no outsiders, she unabashedly acted coquettish, saying in a soft voice, “Please let me read. By the time the carriage rests, it would be dark. I’ll read slowly without feeling dizzy.”

Lin Shiheng still refused, and she persisted, “Please, once we arrive in the capital, if your friend’s wife comes to visit our home and I can’t engage in conversation, it would be very embarrassing.”

“You’re smart and clever, how could you not be able to converse?”

The scholar in his green robe shook his head and chuckled. He raised the book he had just taken from her, observing Li Lanlan’s futile attempts to reach it, and composed himself before speaking earnestly, “It’s not that I won’t let you read. If you didn’t experience motion sickness, you could read however you like. But since you get dizzy in the carriage, if you continue reading, it’s likely to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Seeing Li Lanlan’s dissatisfaction, he casually added, “Seeing you uncomfortable makes me uncomfortable too. I can’t even focus on reading.”

Upon hearing that, Li Lanlan, who had just been eager to grab the book, immediately settled down.

She didn’t think much of her own dizziness but cared deeply about Lin Shiheng’s comfort. Now that she realized she was bothering her husband, Li Lanlan became restless and anxiously suggested, “Then maybe I should go outside, so I won’t disturb you any further.”

“It’s chilly outside, and the cold air might get into your body.”

Li Lanlan shrunk her neck and remained silent.

Women are most afraid of cold air entering their bodies, and she still wanted to have children.

(TNote: In ancient times, there was a saying that cold chills might cause fertility problems.)

Lin Shiheng coaxed her, “If you want to read, how about I read it aloud for you?”

Li Lanlan didn’t want him to exert himself and shook her head, saying, “I’ll just sleep instead of troubling you.”

“It’s alright. Books are meant to be read aloud. I was only silent reading before because I was concerned about disturbing others.”

Lin Shiheng wore an expression of ‘I’m right, listen to me’ and started reading the book aloud without hesitation.

His voice was deep and somewhat magnetic. When he slightly lowered it, it gained a bit more charm compared to his usual tone. The intonation rose and fell, clearly narrating an ordinary book, yet it fascinated Li Lanlan as she listened.

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but listening to her husband reading the book made it easier for her to remember compared to reading it herself.

The couple continued with their routine—one reading, the other listening—and when they arrived in the capital city, Li Lanlan suddenly realized that she had actually remembered quite a lot.

On the first day in the capital, the family checked into an inn. Coincidentally, the neighboring room was occupied by another scholar who had brought his wife to the capital. Li Lanlan cautiously extended the paw of friendship, initiating her first diplomatic encounter faster than she had imagined.

On the second day in the capital, Lin Shiheng began searching for houses everywhere.

Of course, he wasn’t looking to buy; he was looking to rent.

Li Lanlan was a bit puzzled. Why were the houses Husband looked at always large and expensive?

With only four of us now, plus the coachmen, they were only six people. Since they didn’t have much money, wouldn’t it be better to find a small place to temporarily settle in? After all, it was just a rental. If they wanted a big house, they could buy one in the future when they had enough funds.

The money in the Lin family had always been entrusted to Li Lanlan. She couldn’t help but ask when Lin Shiheng took the money.

However, Lin Shiheng, who had always been prudent, smiled at her and said, “It’s too troublesome to move later. It’s better to choose a good one from the beginning.”

Li Lanlan thought of the large house her husband had taken her to see and felt quite confused.

So, was Husband implying that we would buy that house in the future?

During this period, she had been frantically acquiring various knowledge and had learned about the approximate salaries of government officials. Even for a third-rank official, it would take a year’s savings to afford such a large house in a prime location.

Seeing Li Lanlan’s hesitation, Lin Shiheng smiled again and asked, “Don’t you trust me, Wife?”

She did trust him, but this seemed a bit...

After hesitating for a while and looking at her husband’s confident expression, Li Lanlan finally gritted her teeth and nodded.

After all, the money was earned by her husband, and he was very intelligent; he couldn’t possibly be wrong.

Little did she know that on the second day Lin Shiheng settled on that large house, within the magnificent imperial palace, the newly enthroned young Emperor was asking his trusted eunuch, “Did you find out if Lin Shiheng had arrived in the capital?”

“Your Majesty, Scholar Lin has already arrived in the capital and just rented a house. It seems that he intends to settle in the capital permanently.”

The young Emperor let out a sigh of relief. He was eager to cultivate his own influence, which was why he had announced the Enke Imperial Examination immediately after ascending the throne.

(TNote: In the Qing Dynasty, additional provincial exams were organized at the Emperor’s birthday or enthronement, and they were called Enke.)

He had been unlucky. When his Emperor Father passed away, he was concerned about his younger brothers being too young and the influence of their maternal family. He feared that if he supported a younger brother to take the throne, it would be difficult to secure his own position. After much deliberation, he chose to succeed the throne himself.

He had originally thought that once he ascended the throne, everything would go smoothly. However, his younger brothers’ maternal family was still causing trouble. Moreover, as the former Crown Prince, he hadn’t been involved much in political affairs. Being young and unable to control the senior officials, he felt more frustrated as Emperor than he did as Crown Prince.

He wished he could simply order a mass execution to eliminate those who caused trouble. But for the sake of his reputation, he couldn’t do so. When facing those courtiers who opposed him, he not only had to suppress his anger but also put on a smiling face and praise them as loyal ministers.

Tsk!

The young Emperor held his aching liver from the frustration and gritted his teeth. He refused to believe that there wasn’t a single courtier in the entire realm willing to stand by his side.

Even if there wasn’t, he could cultivate one immediately!

With the thought that Scholar Lin, who had already arrived in the capital, could potentially become his favored minister, the young Emperor felt slightly relieved. He commanded his trusted eunuch...

“Go and purchase the house he rented. Then deliver the property deed, revealing that it is my intention. He will naturally understand what to do.”

“Yes, Your Majesty."

The eunuch acknowledged and silently withdrew.

The young Emperor was left alone in the grand hall, lost in deep thought.

Last time, Scholar Lin refused to accept the silver, and he wondered if he would refuse to accept the property deed as well. He didn’t know if he would ultimately accept it or not.

However, as the ruler of the world, Scholar Lin, since he was able to come to the capital for the imperial examination, even if he didn’t desire wealth, based on his loyalty to his sovereign, he would reluctantly accept it.

Ah, it’s both a sweet and troublesome situation to have found a talented individual who isn’t motivated by wealth and riches.

3 hours later, Lin Shiheng placed the property deed on the table in front of Li Lanlan. He looked at his wife, who was both surprised and delighted, with a smiling face and made a promise...

“Don’t worry, in the future, there will be even more silver delivered to our doorstep.”