Lin Ruhai

To become a son-in-law of the Jia family of the Rongguo Duke Mansion, Lin Ruhai naturally came from an extraordinary family himself.

According to what Lin Daiyu had said during their idle chats aboard the boat, an ancestor of the Lin Household had held a hereditary marquisate, and the title had been passed down through her grandfather's generation.

By the time it reached her father, Lin Ruhai, the marquisate could no longer be inherited, so he had no choice but to pursue the Imperial Examination route.

Though he had lost the title, Lin Ruhai had done his family proud. Through the Imperial Examination, he ultimately placed third, rose to become a senior official of Lantai Temple, and, after accumulating enough seniority, caught the emperor's eye and was personally appointed Salt Commissioner of Yangzhou.

Then he remained in the post of Salt Commissioner for more than ten years.

The Salt Commissioner of Jiangzhe Prefecture was a senior official of the Principal Third Rank, and his office had its own Salt Soldiers. Though he appeared to be responsible only for salt affairs, he also had a duty to oversee local governance and wielded tremendous power.

During his decade and more in that position, Lin Ruhai had survived numerous assassination attempts. He had also mobilized the Salt Soldiers several times to confiscate the property of lawbreaking merchants and wipe out their clans. In the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Region, he had cut down several successive crops of major salt merchants.

As for the small and medium-sized salt merchants whose property had been confiscated and whose families had been exterminated for trafficking illicit salt, they were too numerous to count.

Through these iron-fisted methods, the salt industry of Jiangzhe Prefecture, once rife with smuggling, had finally been brought under the court's control. Salt taxes and the confiscation of major salt merchants' assets had poured tens of millions of taels of silver into the national treasury over the years, greatly easing its shortfall.

Song Xuan had heard something of the methods of Lin Ruhai, the third-place examination laureate, while in the Imperial Capital.

Zhao Dezhu had also mentioned him in passing, saying that the man would probably spend another year or two at most in the provinces before returning to the Imperial Capital to join the cabinet.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had no chancellor, but its Grand Secretaries effectively exercised a chancellor's authority. Lin Ruhai already enjoyed the emperor's deep favor and stood only one step away from being below one man and above ten thousand.

Song Xuan was deeply curious about his younger cousin Lin Daiyu's legendary father. After disembarking, he took a carriage straight to the Jiangzhe Prefecture Salt Commission Office.

Once they entered the city, Song Qian sprang out of the carriage and vanished in the blink of an eye.

She returned only when they were nearing the Salt Commission Office.

"Brother, I've found out what's going on."

Song Qian relayed the information she had gathered. "Cousin, your father really is ruthless. He's cut down several successive crops of salt merchants in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Region.

"Of course, he's faced plenty of assassination attempts over the years, too. Fortunately, he has the Salt Soldiers protecting him, as well as expert bodyguards at his side. The salt merchants' repeated attempts never succeeded."

"What condition is my father in now? He said in his earlier letter that his health wasn't very good."

Song Qian weighed her words before saying, "It isn't just not very good. It's very bad. I heard he's so gravely ill that he can no longer get out of bed.

"A lot of merchants in the city are holding banquets to celebrate. Every last one of them is hoping your father dies soon."

Lin Daiyu's little face instantly turned white. Her hands clenched tightly, and tears began to mist her eyes.

"Don't worry too much!"

Song Xuan gave his sister a speechless look. Though he knew she had actually put things rather mildly, it still did not sound mild enough.

Song Xuan comforted his younger cousin. "I brought some Lesser Rejuvenation Pills, made with the Black Robe Guard's secret formula, on this trip south. As long as he hasn't died, we can save him. Just put your mind at ease."

The Black Robe Guard could keep the martial world in check and deter it from acting recklessly not only because the court backed it, but also, crucially, because it possessed the formulas for refining two secret medicines: the Great Rejuvenation Pill and the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill.

Leaving aside the Great Rejuvenation Pill, a miraculous medicine that could increase one's cultivation.

The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill alone was a sacred medicine that everyone in the martial world dreamed of obtaining.

Whether someone was injured, ill, or poisoned, as long as they still drew breath, a single pill could bring them close to a full recovery within a few days.

Song Xuan's main reason for choosing to join the Black Robe Guard and passing its assessment had also been these two miraculous medicines.

Before leaving the capital, he and Song Qian had collected their monthly pay, which included both kinds of pills.

Song Xuan had deliberately crushed a Lesser Rejuvenation Pill to analyze its medicinal ingredients, but he had only managed to identify that it contained at least twelve different medicinal substances.

As for exactly how many ingredients had been refined into the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill, only the person who made it knew.

Without the specific formula and refining method, even gathering all the ingredients would not allow anyone to produce such a sacred healing medicine.

The Salt Commission Office was now guarded by Salt Soldiers both openly and in secret. Even outside the office, a squad of soldiers in heavy armor stood watch, their grim, murderous aura making people shrink back at the sight.

Song Xuan's carriage stopped before the office. Lin Daiyu lifted the curtain and showed a jade pendant to the Salt Soldier commander who approached to investigate.

After examining it and confirming that everything was in order, the commander waved to the soldiers around him, signaling them to let the carriage pass.

The carriage slowly entered the office compound, but several soldiers continued to accompany it on either side. They stopped only when it reached the inner courtyard.

Several nannies and maids stood before the inner courtyard's gate. When they saw Lin Daiyu step out of the carriage, they froze for a moment. Then one elderly nanny burst into tears of joy. "Miss! The young miss has returned!"

Tears streamed down Lin Daiyu's cheeks as well, but she had no time to catch up. Instead, she asked urgently, "How is my father? Take me to see him, quickly!"

The nanny dared not delay. "Please follow me, miss. I'll take you to him right away."

With that, she glanced at Song Xuan and Song Qian. "Miss, these two are..."

"They're my older cousins. They escorted me safely all the way here from the Imperial Capital. You needn't worry, Nanny Wu."

The elderly woman addressed as Nanny Wu said no more. She led the way, hurrying toward Lin Ruhai's quarters.

Song Xuan followed at an unhurried pace. Along the way, he had already sensed more than a dozen experts guarding the surroundings, some openly and others in hiding. Their exact strength was difficult to judge, but he estimated that they were at least Houtian Realm martial artists who had cultivated internal energy.

After the bedroom door in a small courtyard was pushed open, Lin Daiyu stepped inside, took one look, and rushed to the bedside, dropping to her knees.

"Father, your daughter has come back to see you!"

On the bed, Lin Ruhai's face was withered, his hair entirely gray and white. His eyes were clouded, and he looked like a lamp whose oil had run dry.

Hearing Lin Daiyu's voice, he struggled to sit up and tried to reach out a trembling hand. His voice was hoarse. "My dear, come closer. Let your father have a good look at you.

"After I die, I'll be able to tell your mother what you've grown to look like..."

At his words, Daiyu wiped away her tears and rose to move closer.

But the next instant, Song Xuan put a hand on her shoulder and held her behind him.

"Cousin?" A note of confusion entered Lin Daiyu's voice, and she instinctively tried to step forward again.

Song Xuan reached out once more to stop her. His gaze settled on Lin Ruhai. "You've been poisoned!"