Chapter 27: The Threat
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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Lingyin eventually took the golden hairpin gifted by Consort Gui. Lin Xiu barely knew her sister and had only given the hairpin as a token of gratitude. What she did with it afterward was her own affair.
Once again, after spending nearly half an hour walking back to the Lin Estate with Lingyin, Lin Xiu firmly decided that he would have Dali buy a carriage tomorrow. Too much time was wasted on the road each day. Half an hour was enough time to accomplish a lot.
The next day, after lunch, Lin Xiu and Sun Dali went out together. Sun Dali went to the carriage dealer with the silver, while Lin Xiu headed towards Zhaiyue Lou.
His internal yuan force was far more potent now than it had been a few days prior. After making fifty buckets of ice, he wasn’t even breathing heavily. Even making another fifty wouldn’t be difficult.
However, Lin Xiu also understood the principle of scarcity creating value. If he produced more ice every day, he wouldn’t be able to sell it at the current price. The manager of Zhaiyue Lou understood this even better than Lin Xiu. In just these few days, who knew how much silver they had earned?
Undoubtedly, their profits were far greater than Lin Xiu’s three hundred taels. This scorching weather, a once-in-decades event, had forced the closure of all the large restaurants in the Capital. All the customers were now concentrated at Zhaiyue Lou. Lin Xiu had never seen the smile leave the manager’s face.
After a short while of work, another three hundred taels were in his pocket. Lin Xiu felt like he was robbing a bank.
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Carrying his earnings, Lin Xiu walked out of Zhaiyue Lou when he suddenly felt the light dim before him.
It wasn’t because the sky had darkened, but because two burly figures were blocking his path. The two men were at least two meters tall, their exposed muscles bulging, giving off an intense sense of pressure.
Faced with these two imposing figures, Lin Xiu wasn’t the least bit flustered. After all, while his strength wasn’t as monstrous as Sun Dali’s, it still surpassed the limits of ordinary people. If he got serious, these scary-looking giants were just one punch each.
One of the two men looked down at Lin Xiu and said, “Our young master invites you.”
Lin Xiu asked, “Who is your young master?”
The man replied, “You’ll know when you get there.”
Lin Xiu shrugged indifferently. “Lead the way.”
In broad daylight, he wasn’t afraid. If he found the destination suspicious, he could simply refuse to go with them. These two big guys couldn’t stop him if he wanted to leave.
The culprit behind the previous assassination attempt was still unknown. Lin Xiu was curious about who was behind this invitation.
He thought they would take him somewhere far away, but unexpectedly, after walking less than a hundred steps on the same street, they brought him to a restaurant. As he entered, Lin Xiu looked up. It was called “Tianxiang Lou.” Its decor was no worse than Zhaiyue Lou, clearly another high-class establishment.
The difference was that while Zhaiyue Lou was currently packed with customers, both private rooms and the main hall, Tianxiang Lou was completely empty.
Inside, the two men were much more polite to Lin Xiu. They led him to a private room on the second floor and gestured. “Our young master is inside. Please.”
Lin Xiu pushed the door open and saw a table laden with food and wine. Each dish was a delicacy, any one of which could probably feed him for several years, even if he ate until he was full every day.
A young man sat opposite the table. The weather outside was scorching, and the room was naturally stifling. The young man was sweating profusely just sitting there, his clothes clinging to his body. He occasionally wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The moment Lin Xiu stepped inside, a wave of coolness washed over the room. The young man’s hair stood on end, and he couldn’t help but shiver, a refreshing sensation spreading through his body.
He abruptly stood up, staring intently at Lin Xiu. “It really is you. You’re the one providing ice to Zhaiyue Lou these past few days, aren’t you?”
Lin Xiu didn’t deny it, asking directly, “Who are you, and what do you want?”
The young man smiled and gestured for Lin Xiu to sit. “Let’s sit down and talk. I’ve specially prepared this banquet today to make friends with you.”
Lin Xiu remained standing. “Just say what you want.”
“Straightforward!”
The young man didn’t beat around the bush. “I want you to supply ice to our Tianxiang Lou. Whatever Zhaiyue Lou is paying you, I’ll double it.”
Lin Xiu had anticipated this. Every summer, selling ice was a lucrative business. This year, due to special circumstances, he was the only one in the entire Capital who could provide a source of ice. Because of his partnership with Zhaiyue Lou, they had monopolized all the ice in the Capital, except for the Imperial Palace.
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This had allowed them to attract all the customers in the Capital. It involved a huge chain of profit transfer, and other businesses, such as restaurants and brothels that competed with them, wouldn’t just sit idly by and watch.
Clearly, someone was envious.
Lin Xiu smiled faintly. “Five taels per bucket of ice.”
He had a contract with Zhaiyue Lou. They agreed on a price of five taels per bucket, on the condition that Lin Xiu wouldn’t supply ice to their competitors unless they offered a higher price.
“Five taels? Double that would be ten taels!” The young man’s eyes widened. “Why don’t you just rob me?!”
Lin Xiu looked at him. “You were the one who suggested double the price. You can ask around; Zhaiyue Lou is paying me five taels per bucket.”
The young man frowned. In previous years, a bucket of ice cost only one or two taels at most. He had initially thought he could settle for two or three taels, but unexpectedly, it was so expensive. Although Tianxiang Lou would still make a considerable profit even at ten taels, who didn’t want to save on costs?
Moreover, he was only acting on orders.
With this in mind, a smile returned to his face. “Ten taels is a bit steep. How about this, I’ll give you two taels per bucket…”
Lin Xiu looked at the young man and asked seriously, “Do I look like I can’t count?”
The young man gave a sardonic smile. “In previous years, a bucket of ice sold for one tael at most. Two taels is already a lot. Perhaps you don’t know, but this Tianxiang Lou is a property of the Yongping Marquis Estate. I know you are the son of Baron Ping’an. Surely, you’ve heard of Marquis Yongping…”
Of course, Lin Xiu knew of Marquis Yongping, one of the three First-Rank Marquises in the court. Above them were only the Dukes. His future father-in-law, who had sired two such outstanding daughters, was also just a First-Rank Marquis. In terms of foundation and influence, he was far from comparable to those families that had flourished for decades.
The nobles of the Capital generally wouldn’t directly engage in commerce, as it would be considered shameful. However, almost all prominent families would secretly support some businesses to fund their extravagant lifestyles. Therefore, any successful shop in the Capital had a powerful backer. Businesses without backing wouldn’t even have a chance to make money before being swallowed whole.
This person even brought up Marquis Yongping, clearly a threat. Failing to recruit him, he immediately resorted to intimidation. He talked about doubling whatever Zhaiyue Lou offered, but did he have the money?
He had even investigated Lin Xiu’s identity. It seemed he truly didn’t take a small Third-Rank Baron seriously. Indeed, a First-Rank Marquis was already among the highest-ranking nobles. Among them, those more esteemed than Marquis Yongping were only the ten Dukes and the Imperial family. A Third-Rank Baron was no different from a commoner in their eyes.
But even the smallest Baron was still a noble of the Great Xia Dynasty. If Lin Xiu agreed to his terms today, the Ping’an Baron Estate would lose face.
How would his parents see him then? How would Lingyin see him? How would Sun Dali see him? How would Big Yellow see him?
Even Lin Xiu himself would look down on himself.
The young man continued, looking at Lin Xiu, “You probably don’t know that the backer of Zhaiyue Lou is the Prince Consort Household. Who do you think carries more weight, the Prince Consort or Marquis Yongping?”
Although the Prince Consort of the Great Xia Dynasty held a noble title, they had no real power and were naturally far inferior to a First-Rank Marquis. If Tianxiang Lou was genuinely willing to double the price, Lin Xiu might not refuse to cooperate with them. After all, he wouldn’t let money slip through his fingers.
But this person’s attempt to use Marquis Yongping to pressure him into submission was a miscalculation.
If he bowed his head today, he would not only lose face for the Lin family but also for the Zhao Family.
Lin Xiu’s expression remained calm, betraying no emotion. He said indifferently, “It seems there’s no need to eat this meal today.”
With that, he turned and left.
The two burly men wanted to stop him, but the young man waved his hand, chuckling. “Let him go.”
After Lin Xiu left, a mocking expression appeared on his face. “He’ll come crawling back. By then, it won’t be two taels, but two coppers. No, not even two coppers…”
He quickly stood up and went to the innermost private room on the second floor. After a light knock, he pushed the door open and addressed a young man standing by the window. “Young Master, he refused.”
The man didn’t turn around. He asked indifferently, “You know what to do, right?”
The young man replied, “Since he refused the polite offer, we’ll have to force him to drink…”
After the young man left the room, the young man by the window turned and walked to the table, murmuring, “I hope you won’t disappoint me like that useless Qin Cong…”
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