Chapter 209: Guilds

After much effort over half an hour, all twenty-five fire bulls were finally brought into the mobile counter. As darkness fell and it seemed about a hundred ox legs would suffice, Lin Dong gave up the idea of getting more and headed back the same way.

Traveling through the night, he returned to the inn four days later. As soon as he stepped into the lobby, Ma Chun rushed up to greet him anxiously.
“Owner, you’re finally back.”
Noticing Ma Chun’s urgent expression, Lin Dong frowned and asked, “What’s happened?”
“Business on the second floor has plummeted these past few days,” Ma Chun said helplessly. “Now, even serving a hundred tables a day is a problem.”
From over 130 tables to just around 100 in just a few days—this decline was truly rapid. Lin Dong was shocked and asked seriously, “What’s going on?”
“Seven days ago, news suddenly spread from Maple Forest Restaurant. After organizing his thoughts, Ma Chun glanced around the lobby to ensure no one was paying attention before continuing, “It turns out that Tu Fengtu, the Minister of Revenue, suddenly submitted a proposal to the court suggesting that each province allow merchants to form their own guilds. The emperor has agreed to this proposal and ordered Tu Fengtu to discuss the details with the Council of Affairs.”
“Form guilds?” Lin Dong wasn’t sure what this meant.
Ma Chun nodded emphatically and explained, “There are three main purposes. First, it prevents large merchants from driving down prices to crush competitors or hoarding goods to create shortages. Second, it promotes the flow of goods between provinces. Third, it helps resolve disputes among merchants.”
Lin Dong was still confused. “What does this have to do with driving down prices to crush competitors or promoting goods flow?”
Ma Chun replied helplessly, “For example, in the rice industry, once guilds are established, prices will be regulated. Profits must stay within certain limits—neither too low nor too high—allowing only slight fluctuations. This way, rice merchants can’t deliberately lower prices to undercut competitors during off-seasons or inflate prices during shortages. Additionally, if there are disputes, they can be resolved internally within the guild, avoiding the need to take trivial matters to the authorities.”
“As for promoting goods flow between provinces… For instance, the Li rice from our Qiufeng Prefecture—aside from a few rice merchants who can transport it to other prefectures or even provinces—most millet merchants operate within Qiufeng Prefecture itself. With guilds, millet merchants can also use the guild’s organization to transport Li rice out of Qiufeng Prefecture and even to Lingnan Province. This not only saves on shipping costs but also increases sales.”

“How is the price determined?” Lin Dong frowned. If an inn guild were established and accommodation fees couldn’t be too low, Lin’s Inn would lose a significant advantage.
“I heard it’s first about checking and calculating costs, and then various industries determine the profit range.”
Lin Dong’s expression darkened. “If an inn guild is set up, how should we price our top-tier rooms?”
“We should first present evidence showing the cost per day for those rooms, and then set the price.”
Lin Dong smiled bitterly. Those top-tier rooms had spiritual arrays—who could prove their costs? Without evidence, wouldn’t that mean the cost per day was only twenty or thirty coins? Moreover, if profits had a fixed range, how could they sell spiritual beasts and materials at multiples of that profit?
“Lord Tu is quite ruthless. Once the guild is established, inns will likely have a hard time going forward.”
Ma Chun shook his head. “The owner is probably thinking wrongly. With the owner’s relationship with Lord Li, the inn’s business will at least remain stable.”
“Just stable?” Lin Dong widened his eyes, unable to understand the meaning.
“The owner shouldn’t forget—our inn… actually violates many rules of the Great Han Kingdom’s merchants,” Ma Chun said slowly. “Bribery between officials and merchants, taxes, the height of accommodation buildings and lobbies…”
Lin Dong sighed in relief. By this logic, as long as they maintained relations with Li Jiancheng, the inn could treat the guild as a mere formality.
“It might seem like Lord Tu’s proposal harms large merchants but actually does the opposite,” Ma Chun concluded. “Rules are fixed, but people are flexible. Once they control the guild, large merchants can use this opportunity to crush smaller ones. Take our Lin’s Inn—for example, through Lord Li, we can get the guild to set lower profits. At the same price, customers will surely come to us. Once some restaurants can’t withstand it and collapse, we can raise the prices.”
Lin Dong frowned. If that happened, the Great Han Kingdom would be plunged into chaos. With Emperor Qianwei’s intelligence, he surely saw this. At this point, his focus should be on finding a wise ruler.
Anyway, the guild was of great importance. After some thought, Lin Dong said, “Send a staff member to secure a position at Maple Forest Restaurant to keep an eye on this matter. It’s best to find out everything about the guild as soon as possible.”
Ma Chun replied, “I’ve already assigned someone to monitor this.”
Lin Dong nodded, but then felt something was off. “What does this have to do with the sudden sharp decline in our inn’s business?”

Ma Chun smiled bitterly. “Owner, this matter concerns the interests of all merchants in the Great Han Nation. Other major families, just like us, are closely watching it. The only place in the entire Qiufeng Mansion that can get this news the fastest is the Fenglin Restaurant.”
Lin Dong suddenly understood. No matter what Emperor Qianwei’s attitude toward the guild was, once it was officially established, it would either be a huge opportunity or a deadly poison for the major families. In either case, those who got the news earlier could prepare sooner—whether it was a chance to gain more from the opportunity or to minimize losses from the poison.
“Owner, if this continues, everyone will flock to the Fenglin Restaurant,” Ma Chun asked. “What should we do?”
“Since only the details need to be discussed, it shouldn’t take too long,” Lin Dong thought carefully before making up his mind. “We don’t need to worry about this anymore.”
“Not worry about it?” Ma Chun was surprised. “The Fenglin Restaurant isn’t like the Yingfeng Tower. Once the major families get used to going there frequently, it will be hard for them to return.”
“Only the Fenglin Restaurant can get the guild news first. There’s nothing we can do about it. We can find a way to make up for it later. Let the Fenglin Restaurant enjoy itself for now; I have a way to bring people back,” Lin Dong said calmly. “Maybe this is even an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
Lin Dong pondered. “I’ve just developed a new signature dish. After the Fenglin Restaurant draws everyone there with the guild news, once things settle down, it won’t be a problem to bring them back. In fact… we might even be able to bring back some of those who have been at the Yingfeng Tower.”
“A signature dish?”
“Beef balls made from second-tier spiritual beast, the Fire Ox Beast. Eating one ensures one stays energetic for an hour,” Lin Dong nodded. “I plan to serve ten per plate at two taels of silver each.”
Ma Chun thought for a moment before saying, “Could these beef balls cause problems for those who are already healthy?”
Lin Dong was taken aback. Since the recipe didn’t mention any such issue, it was undoubtedly fine. He shook his head immediately. “It’s suitable for everyone, young or old.”
“Then…” Ma Chun looked pleased. “Could it be as effective as their other signature dish, Stewed Turtle with Fengtong Leaves, no matter how much one eats?”

“Not only is it effective no matter how much is eaten, but there’s also no time limit on consumption, unlike stewing soft-shelled turtles with maple and phoenix tree leaves.” Lin Dong was taken aback for a moment before showing delight. “One can stay energetic for an hour, while eating 180 of them at once means staying energetic for 180 hours. Of course, these beef balls only boost energy. After the effect wears off, although they don’t cause any mental damage, staying awake for 180 hours straight would definitely have some impact on the body.”
Ma Chun was overjoyed. Being suitable for people of all ages and not losing effectiveness even with excessive consumption gave these beef balls a huge advantage over other energy-boosting ingredients. Plus, their price was even lower. If their taste could be made unique and outstanding, they would surely attract many wealthy customers.
Lin Dong had originally thought the advantages of the Energy-Boosting Beef Balls over other ingredients were only in price and taste. Now that two more advantages had emerged, his confidence soared.
After telling Ma Chun to keep an eye on guild news, Lin Dong headed straight to the front yard. The only thing left to do for the Energy-Boosting Beef Balls was to improve their taste.
Upon entering the front yard, Lin Dong’s feet instinctively led him toward the kitchen. After taking a few steps, he stopped—two people were sitting by the stone table.
One of them was Qiao Tianhao, while the other’s back was visible; judging by his clothes, he seemed to be a young man. There were two people standing beside him—one dressed like a retainer, the other in combat gear, clearly a bodyguard.
Seeing Lin Dong return suddenly, Qiao Tianhao looked panicked and stood up nervously. “M-merchant, why have you come back?”
The young man across from Qiao Tianhao turned around. He had handsome features and smiled slightly when he saw Lin Dong looking at him, exuding a sunny demeanor.
“I’ve finished my tasks, so of course I need to return to the inn.”
Lin Dong grew suspicious. Qiao Tianhao’s behavior seemed a bit strange. Since he needed to discuss the Energy-Boosting Beef Balls with him anyway, he walked over.
After sizing up the young man, Lin Dong asked, “Who is this…”
Qiao Tianhao trembled slightly and quickly replied, “He’s a customer from the inn. He said my cooking suits his taste and wanted to meet me, so Ma Chun brought him here.”
Lin Dong became even more suspicious. If that were the case, given Qiao Tianhao’s personality, he should act like a proud rooster, at least boasting a bit.

“Master Lin truly has an extraordinary demeanor; it was worth the long journey to Autumn Wind City.” The young man, who was also observing Lin Dong, suddenly bowed and said with a smile, “I am Ling Zhengyang, the third young master of Fenglin Restaurant. I have long admired Master Lin’s business skills. I came to Autumn Wind City hoping to see him in person, and I never expected to meet him while catching up with Tian Hao.”

Lin Dong felt a tightening in his heart. Glancing at Qiao Tianhao, whose face was red, he bowed and said with a wry smile, “It’s really as if the sun is rising in the west today. The third young master of Fenglin Restaurant actually traveled such a long distance just to visit the owner of a small inn. I don’t know whether I should feel honored or terrified.”

“Master Lin is too modest,” Ling Zhengyang said with a smile, his gaze intense. “I plan to stay in Autumn Wind City for two months before returning to the capital. I hope Master Lin won’t disappoint me too much.”

Lin Dong frowned slightly. Did this mean they intended to take down Lin’s Inn in just two months? Normally, given this young master’s style, he wouldn’t resort to any underhanded tactics. But if it were legitimate methods, not to mention Lin’s Inn, even any ordinary restaurant with some savings could withstand Fenglin Restaurant’s pressure—even if it were free—for three to five months.

Ling Weifeng, the second young master of Fenglin Restaurant, and Ling Zhengyang, the third young master—one taking charge of Fenglin Restaurant in his early twenties and the other coming up with astonishing ideas even as a minor—were both prominent figures not only in the restaurant industry but also in the entire business world of the Great Han Nation. They certainly wouldn’t make such reckless claims.