Chapter 185: Driving a Nail in

Seeing that Lin Dong was still hesitating, Yang Shun took out two more silver bills and tossed them at him.
“Greed will lead to disaster—fourty thousand taels in total. With your inn, it shouldn’t take a year or two to earn that much, right?” Yang Shun sneered. “It’s just asking you to move a bed. Do you really expect ten or eighty thousand taels?”
Lin Dong seemed to make up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he stuffed all the silver bills into his clothes and stood up. “Alright!”
“Then what are you waiting for? Go claim ownership of the spirit ring and start moving things!” Yang Shun twisted his waist, walked over to the rainbow bed, gently patted its edge, and said irritably, “Make sure not to damage it. And if you arrive in Xilan City later than us, don’t blame me if I’m not gentle with you.”
“No need to claim ownership. I have a storage spirit ring.”
Lin Dong stretched out his hand, showing the copper ring on it.
Emperor Qian Wei nodded, while Zhang Qingrong and Liu Guangchen stepped back slightly. Under Yun Lan’s protection, they loaded the rainbow bed onto the mobile counter. Lin Dong bowed and said, “Lord Wang, if there’s nothing else, I’ll set off for Xilan City right away.”
“Thank you, Manager Lin,” Emperor Qian Wei nodded slightly and signaled Yang Shun, “See Manager Lin off.”
“Please…” Yang Shun glanced at Lin Dong sideways and extended his right hand toward the door.
Lin Dong nodded and left the room with Yun Lan, with Yang Shun following closely behind.
“Remember, set off immediately. Also, once you arrive in Xilan City, order your staff to clean the guest rooms thoroughly. Make sure they’re diligent and don’t slack off—change the water as soon as it gets dirty. Throw away all the broken furnishings in the rooms; don’t keep a single piece. A room full of fakes is one thing, but their placement is so poor it’s nauseating…”
As Yang Shun kept nagging, the three of them went down the stairs. Lin Dong, who had been deep in thought, suddenly turned to Yang Shun and said, “Butler Yang, how about we make a deal?”
“A deal?” Yang Shun was stunned, then dismissed it with contempt. “What kind of deal could you possibly have with me?”
Lin Dong smiled calmly, staring at Yang Shun without blinking, his gaze filled with both pity and disdain.
Yang Shun froze for a moment, then anger flared in his heart. He stretched out his finger and pointed at Lin Dong angrily. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing much!” Lin Dong replied nonchalantly. “I just want to save your life.”

“Save my life?” Yang Shun’s body stiffened, then, as if his tail had been stepped on, he suddenly jumped back several steps like a rabbit, staring at Yun Lan warily and saying harshly, “What do you want? Let me tell you, if you dare harm me, my master won’t let you off.”
Yun Lan remained silent, her expression as calm as water despite Yang Shun’s violent reaction.
“Butler Yang!” Lin Dong said with a smile, a hint of cunning in his eyes, “If I save your life, how about you letting me know in advance if your master tries to take the Rainbow Bed, the turtle stewed with maple leaves, or anything else from Lin’s Inn?”
Yang Shun’s expression changed, and he snapped, “Daring to slander and speculate about my master—do you even know what crime that is?”
“I don’t!” Lin Dong replied nonchalantly, “I only know that I can save your life.”
“Why should you save my life?” Yang Shun snapped angrily, “You wouldn’t dare kill me anyway. If you have the guts, just do it—I don’t need your help.”
“The life I’m talking about saving isn’t now, but in the future,” Lin Dong said slowly. “Well? I don’t have much time, so think carefully. If what I say can’t save your life, you can always pretend to be deaf and dumb later.”
“No need. Who do you think you are…” Suddenly remembering Yun Lan’s tactics, Yang Shun forced down the rest of his words, flicked his sleeves, and turned to head upstairs.
Lin Dong was stunned. It was rare to see him so arrogant as to lack even a hint of curiosity.
Helplessly, as Yang Shun rushed upstairs, Lin Dong said leisurely, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re probably just as arrogant in front of your young master, right?”
Yang Shun froze, his right leg suspended in mid-air.
“A servant who dares to be arrogant and disrespectful in front of his master—there’s only one reason for that…” Lin Dong said slowly, “The master dotes too much on this servant.”
Yang Shun showed an arrogant look as he stepped heavily on the stairs, appearing quite masculine to onlookers.
“The problem is, no matter how much they dote on someone, it shouldn’t go that far—unless their master is extremely foolish,” Lin Dong said with a laugh.
“Idiot! How could my master be foolish?” Yang Shun was furious, turning to glare at Lin Dong.
“If he’s not foolish, then perhaps…” Lin Dong said meaningfully, “Your master wants to pass down the family business to you?”
With a thud, Yang Shun felt as if he had heard the most terrifying thing in the world. His legs gave out, and he tumbled down the stairs.

The pounding sounds continued nonstop. Looking at Yang Shun groaning at his feet, Lin Dong said indifferently, “You’ve been with your master for quite some time, right?”
Yang Shun stared blankly at Lin Dong, filled with fear, worried that he might say something even more outrageous.
“If you hadn’t been with him for so long, you certainly wouldn’t be so arrogant,” Lin Dong analyzed. “You clearly know your master needs me now, and you know I can take your life at any moment, yet you still act so presumptuously. It shows you’ve had this habit since childhood.”
“So, what does that matter?” Yang Shun mumbled in a daze.
Over by the side, Yun Lan looked thoughtful, her gaze toward Yang Shun tinged with pity.
“Last night, and what happened upstairs just now—I can guarantee…” Lin Dong said with a smile, “That habit of yours was deliberately cultivated by your master.”
Yang Shun tried to defend himself incoherently, “That’s because I have an excellent memory, I’m smart, and I can grasp almost any book I read. I can even tell if food or drink has been poisoned just by smell… There’s no better servant in the entire Great Han Kingdom than me. And I’m loyal—more loyal than anyone else. My master just values talent too much, so he turns a blind eye to my minor mistakes.”
“I see you’re a versatile servant… But the problem is, if he truly valued talent, he wouldn’t let you act so recklessly,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Jade unpolished remains unrefined. If your master really valued a young master or subordinate, he wouldn’t let them go unchecked, right?”
Yang Shun was horrified. To him, Lin Dong now seemed as terrifying as a devil. He desperately kicked the ground, retreating step by step until he hit the stairs with nowhere to go. Then, in panic, he asked, “What… what are you trying to say?”
“Have you heard of ‘killing with praise’?” Lin Dong asked softly. “I guess the young masters of your Wang family are all fighting fiercely over the family wealth. Your Lord Wang probably doesn’t have any truly loyal people around him, so he deliberately lets you develop an arrogant habit, probably to prevent you from being swayed by those young masters.”
“You’re nonsense…” Yang Shun’s face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling.
“Your master isn’t young either; he probably doesn’t have many years left to live,” Lin Dong continued, ignoring Yang Shun’s expression. “The family wealth will eventually fall into one of the young masters’ hands. No matter which one it is, you’ve surely never treated them well. By then, you’ll definitely be driven out of the house and end up on the streets. And that’s the least of it—the richer your Wang family gets, the more tragic your fate will be.”

Yang Shun collapsed to the ground. This analysis was flawless.
“Think it over carefully. Whether what I said is right or wrong, calm down first before going back up and claim you’re there to supervise my departure. If you can’t figure it out, act like I never said anything. If you do understand, spare some time to design the guest rooms and lobby of my inn as a form of repayment. If anything happens in the future, let me know. I may not be able to offer you a reward that satisfies you, but I’ll definitely remember your kindness. That way, you’ll have more options outside as well, right?”
Lin Dong nodded at Yun Lan beside him and turned to walk away.
Just as he reached the corner of the corridor, a thud came from behind him.
Lin Dong turned around and was stunned. Yang Shun was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Seeing him look over, he immediately knelt in worship.
By telling Yang Shun those words, Lin Dong was essentially trying to plant an informant beside Emperor Qianwei, so that he would be prepared if the emperor decided to suppress Lin’s Inn.
In Lin Dong’s view, neither Emperor Qianwei nor Yang Shun could possibly see the future potential of Lin’s Inn at this point. By doing this, if Yang Shun succeeded in winning Emperor Qianwei’s favor, the spy would be in place. Even if Yang Shun remained loyal and reported everything, they would think he was merely acting out of caution against their coveting of the Colorful Bed.
What Lin Dong didn’t expect was that Yang Shun would be so emotional. In his estimation, even if Yang Shun had ulterior motives, given his years of habits, he would probably just wave his hand, say a few harsh words, and leave.
“Shopkeeper Lin, Yang Shun isn’t afraid of death, but he can’t die,” Yang Shun said through tears. “I’ll never forget your great kindness. One day, if I remain favored by my new master, I will surely remember your generosity.”
Lin Dong nodded gently. It seemed Yang Shun was also a man with a story, which was quite an unexpected bonus. Although by the time Lin’s Inn grew to pose a threat to Emperor Qianwei, its strength would already allow it to offer Yang Shun a reward he’d find satisfactory, so there was no fear he wouldn’t inform them in advance. But ensuring Yang Shun remembered his kindness, along with offering a reward, would be even more secure—there might even be other benefits in the future.
At the very least, as the top servant by Emperor Qianwei’s side, Yang Shun would surely be better informed about the court’s policies than anyone else. In the future, if the inn’s operations required knowledge of court policies, they could always turn to Yang Shun for it.

“Go up later, so as not to draw attention. In the future, secretly read more ancient texts on power struggles. If you can truly master them, you won’t have to worry about losing favor. By then, don’t forget Lin’s Inn…” Lin Dong said with a smile before turning and entering the passage.
Today, Lin’s Inn benefited greatly from this, and some prince in the palace likely reaped even greater gains. Lin Dong believed that Emperor Qianwei’s excessive support for Yang Shun wasn’t unnoticed by everyone, but surely no one dared to take the risk of trying to win Yang Shun over.
If they succeeded in proving Yang Shun’s loyalty was divided, they would gain an unparalleled advantage. If they failed, it would be catastrophic, unlike his own situation where he suffered no loss at all.