When Yun Shuyao left, her back was already soaked with sweat.

Her responses had been discussed with Lin Ruhai—what Lin Ruhai would say if His Majesty didn’t summon her, and what Yun Shuyao would say if he wanted to meet her.

Because their accomplishments actually needed to be discounted.

The reason Lin Ruhai came here to serve as the Salt Censor of the Two Huai regions was because the salt tax collected by the court had been declining year by year when it should logically have been increasing year by year. For this, Kangxi was furious. He demoted Lin Ruhai’s predecessor and sent him over to increase treasury revenue.

To make him work well and collect more taxes for the court and straighten things out here, he had even given Lin Ruhai a favor—arranging his second daughter to the Fourth Prince as Side Consort.

Given their status in the Chinese Bannermen and Luo Yu being a concubine-born daughter, this was somewhat elevating. He used this elevation to make Lin Ruhai work well.

In Yun Shuyao’s plain and easy-to-understand words, if he did well in his post, that was as it should be, because Kangxi had already paid part of the compensation in advance.

If he didn’t do well, Luo Yu had already become Side Consort and couldn’t be taken back, but sitting on the cold bench and demotion would be inevitable.

However, during this period, some accidents occurred. The accident was that Yun Shuyao proposed the salt-drying method.

Many of those salt mines were privately owned. The court’s means of controlling them was through salt permits.

So what if you had salt mines? Without salt permits, there was no sales license—you couldn’t sell.

These salt permits had to be purchased by salt merchants. To evade this expenditure, illegal salt was rampant and salt tax declined.

After this seawater salt-drying method appeared, although there were also restrictions from weather and terrain, many places still met the conditions.

Being able to continuously extract salt from the ocean meant that the salt merchants’ salt mines could even be mostly abandoned and left unused.

This was truly official salt, “salt mines” controlled by the court, better controlling tax revenue from the source.

This was why Yangzhou had been in such turmoil before.

Cutting off someone’s financial path was like killing their parents.

In those salt merchants’ view, it was perhaps even more serious than Lin Ruhai killing their parents. This was why Kangxi later transferred soldiers over to suppress them.

This merit was diluted again.

Moreover, this couldn’t help but bring up that Lin Ruhai also had faults. Acting without discretion, the news leaked halfway through, which led to this turmoil.

Although regarding the reason for the leak, Kangxi had already decided in his heart it was demon mischief, leaked news was leaked news. One mistake and Jiangnan would descend into chaos.

Fortunately, merits offset faults.

Kangxi already had a favored candidate in mind. He had identified who would take over Lin Ruhai’s position.

It was just unknown what position he would give.

On this point, Lin Ruhai also had speculations.

Because it was one carrot, one hole—right now there happened to be one hole.

Unless His Majesty transferred someone else, he had no position.

Now that he summoned them and asked her what wish she had, she couldn’t speak wildly.

Yun Shuyao said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, this is what this subject woman should do. In this subject woman’s view, if it weren’t for Your Majesty’s sagacity, the realm being at peace…”

Yun Shuyao blew a round of rainbow flattery, then only then euphemistically spoke of her difficulty.

She was born ordinary. When entering the Lin residence gates, she was a scholar’s daughter. Being able to enter the Lin family to bear children was fortunate. Her daughter becoming an imperial family member was even more fortunate. It was just that mother and daughter were naturally close—missing her daughter yet unable to see her…

Kangxi understood.

He nodded, then pointed at Chen Yu, asking about matters at the poetry gathering, and proudly had the Thirteenth Prince compare with him.

He clearly liked the Thirteenth Prince very much. Yun Shuyao had also heard more than once about the Thirteenth Prince being accomplished in both literature and martial arts.

Chen Yu was also secretly keeping his nerves taut, carefully responding.

When he and Concubine left together, when the wind blew, only then did he feel his back was cold. His clothes sticking to his body was very uncomfortable. Without realizing it, he had also sweated so much.

When they were sitting in the carriage returning, Chen Yu wanted to say something, but mindful that walls had ears—they were in the carriage with the carter driving—so he didn’t say anything sensitive. “The Thirteenth Prince is truly amiable and respectable, with outstanding bearing.” He said this sincerely. “It’s a pity we had no chance to see the Crown Prince today.”

It was said the Crown Prince had another task and hadn’t accompanied His Majesty today.

Returning home with just the two of them, only then did they speak openly. Yun Shuyao said, “His Majesty didn’t say anything. I don’t know if he’ll agree.”

Yun Shuyao’s wish was to be able to see her daughter.

If Kangxi wasn’t willing to give any favor, he only needed to give the Fourth Prince’s residence one word and that would be enough.

If he was willing to give a favor, then it would most likely be an imperial patent. Not just the Fourth Prince’s residence—she could go to other residences without the Old Madam leading her.

This nervous feeling was even more stirring than a promotion and raise.

Fortunately, before Kangxi returned to the capital, he issued edicts—two of them.

One was Lin Ruhai’s transfer order, exactly the position he had previously speculated—third-rank Right Censor-in-Chief.

When he served in an external post, he was junior third rank. Then returning to the capital, he served His Majesty once as an imperial commissioner, then came here to be this Salt Censor, also junior third rank.

Now returning was senior third rank. Moreover, it was an official position in the capital. Capital officials compared to those in other regions were considered half a rank higher at the same level.

Lin Ruhai also didn’t need to take up his post so quickly because he had to first hand over to his successor.

The other edict was for Yun Shuyao.

Yun Shuyao said she wanted to see her daughter. Kangxi knew that her status was indeed low. As a concubine wanting to call at the door to see a Side Consort, she needed someone to bring her along.

For example, Old Madam Lin—if she were still alive, she could bring her to the Fourth Prince’s residence. If Old Madam Lin had passed away, she couldn’t go alone anymore.

For Kangxi, this was really too simple.

Lin Ruhai was third-rank Right Censor-in-Chief. Yun Shuyao received an imperial patent as a fourth-rank Lady of Honor.

Ladies with imperial patents could receive court stipends. This was an honor, not an official position.

Generally, it was requested by husbands or sons. Now what Yun Shuyao received was from her own merit.

Yun Shuyao felt it was worth it. For Kangxi, this was negligible. For her, there couldn’t be a better deal.

With this layer of status, when Yun Shuyao went out with Lin Ruhai again, others could no longer regard her as just an ordinary Lin family concubine.

She could also go alone to see her daughter now.

Yun Shuyao praised repeatedly, “His Majesty is sage.”

He gave her the result she wanted, so he was sage. If he had only verbally praised her a few times then sent some money and wealth, then His Majesty would be stingy and petty.

However, perhaps for Kangxi, these two should be reversed.

Giving a fourth-rank Lady of Honor status and paying a stipend each year was simple. And this stipend was truly not much. If giving rewards, it couldn’t be too little.

If given too little, others seeing such merit would be disheartened. If given too much, Kangxi would also feel the pinch.

Chen Yu was overjoyed. “Congratulations, Concubine!”

He had once vainly imagined His Majesty would have his concubine elevated to legitimate wife status. However, just thinking this, he knew how absurd it was. If Concubine proposed this, who knew what His Majesty would think.

Moreover, speaking of such things was also against propriety. In the entire realm, the only ones who could be so improper were the imperial family.

The Emperor’s concubines could become wives, but officials’ couldn’t. They still needed to educate the common people. If this precedent of elevating concubines to wives was opened, with so many concubines in the realm and so many concubine-born children, wouldn’t they want to change their status?

If things could be done chaotically, then chaos would ensue.

This was also the best reward Lin Ruhai envisioned for Shuyao.

So he said he would set up a table at home to celebrate. Yun Shuyao immediately agreed.

She was very happy.

She had the kitchen prepare a table of dishes, then with wine, the family of three had a good meal.

Once the two imperial edicts came down, people already came on behalf of their masters to congratulate. At the same time, they asked when the banquet would be held so they could drink a toast.

The Censorate, Right Censor-in-Chief.

From princes above to minor officials below, the affairs of all offices—nothing escaped scrutiny.

The other imperial edict was quite surprising—there was actually merit from the Lin family concubine too.

Yun Chang also received an official position.

His name along with other meritorious people had been reported by Lin Ruhai. Rewarding according to merit, from commoner he became an official. Those already with official positions received promotions and raises.

Recently, there had been celebration banquets one after another in Yangzhou.

When the Lin family held their banquet, crowds gathered. The surrounding roads were blocked.

The Xue family was also among those who came to congratulate.

Seeing this grand scene, various members of the Xue family had various feelings. Only Xue Pan didn’t think about anything. “Today is really lively!”

Father Xue said, “…” He couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

At this banquet, Yun Shuyao could very clearly perceive the change in other women’s attitudes toward her.

Now they all addressed her as Lady of Honor. Looking at her, there was curiosity, admiration, and some also had doubt—doubting whether she had truly established merit, or whether Master Lin was lecherous and divided his own merit for beauty?

However, even if these people doubted, they wouldn’t say what shouldn’t be said at this time. On the small side, it was doubting the Lin family. On the large side, it was doubting His Majesty.

They of course couldn’t doubt His Majesty.

Some legitimate wives who previously had their eyes on top of their heads now would look at Yun Shuyao eye-to-eye. They didn’t treat her as Lin Ruhai’s legitimate wife, but also seemed to treat her as a second wife, half a wife.

This made Yun Shuyao have to sigh—indeed in the feudal era, class and status were truly too important. Today was when she was most treated as an independent person in external social interactions.

Previously, people would also broach the subject of her son’s marriage, but those candidates were hard to describe. Now those with suitable candidates at home would also vaguely probe, asking what kind of young lady Chen Yu wanted to marry.

After the banquet ended, Yun Shuyao asked this question again. “If you don’t say, your father will arrange one you don’t like. Don’t regret it then.”

Chen Yu’s answer was the same as last time, unchanged. “Smart, knowledgeable and reasonable, pleasant-looking is fine. If she also likes eating and also likes reading books, then we’d have even more common language.”

The reading books he mentioned here didn’t mean reading the Four Books and Five Classics, nor things like women’s precepts. Any books were fine—as long as she had interests and would continue enriching herself.

His requirements regarding family background weren’t high. As long as they didn’t hold him back and had upright family customs, he was fine with it.

He was benchmarking against the Yun family. The Yun family’s background was clearly not high, but he felt the Yun family’s customs were very good. Look at his concubine, then look at the two uncles who passed the imperial examinations.

Lin Ruhai listened and shook his head. “Upright family customs, daughter with some learning, appearance not bad—you think this is very common?”

Chen Yu just smiled. “So I have to trouble Father.”

Lin Ruhai said, “Not a trouble.” He still quite enjoyed it. It was just that this candidate was indeed hard to determine. He had to carefully deliberate and deliberate again. Marrying a bad daughter-in-law ruins three generations—he could refer to that mother-in-law of his here.

Lin Ruhai’s handover speed was very fast. He had known from the start he wouldn’t stay long in this position, so he had categorized everything clearly. Once the handover was complete, they immediately boarded boats heading north.

Returning to the capital, Lin Ruhai first went to take up his post, then sent out invitations broadly, inviting friends and relatives to come celebrate on the rest day.

The Silinggioro family and the Fourth Prince’s residence also received invitations.

Da Chun immediately became nervous. After his status changed, he hadn’t seen his father-in-law. But he knew he wasn’t easy to provoke, because after marrying his wife, he had received a thick stack of coursework—difficult and deep. He still hadn’t finished it.

This was bad. Now there were only a few days until the banquet!