Chapter 89: Dominant Presence

The name Zhou Zhengye was not unfamiliar in Xilan County.
A famous poor scholar.
Most literati looked down on him for farming and selling vegetables from a stall in the city—viewing him as vulgar and contemptible. It was a disgrace for a scholar to possess such talents.
A few literati, however, respected Zhou Zhengye greatly. Skilled in both literature and martial arts, though doing menial work might humble his status as a scholar, it did not undermine his filial piety.
Normally, even if everyone knew the new county magistrate would be a local from Xilan County, few would have guessed it would be Zhou Zhengye. After all, even a small landowner with dozens of acres of land seemed more likely than him—after all, such a person could offer land deeds or several hundred taels of silver. It was well known that wealth was more important than talent when seeking office.
Yet, the new county magistrate was indeed Zhou Zhengye. No matter how reluctant people were to believe it, the official announcement clearly stated it, and the seal of the prefecture government could not be forged. Moreover, when the court session began in the morning, it was Zhou Zhengye sitting there.
This outcome was like a thunderclap, leaving everyone in Xilan County stunned. No one could understand how Zhou Zhengye had connected with the prefecture government or inexplicably ended up in the county magistrate’s seat.
Fortunately, aside from a few literati who were jealous and felt their own talents, character, and status far surpassed Zhou Zhengye’s, the fact that he was the new county magistrate was good news for everyone.
The common people thought that since Zhou Zhengye also came from a poor background and understood their hardships, he would surely side with them.
The upright wealthy believed that since it was his first time in office, he wouldn’t be as greedy as experienced officials and would cost less than when Cheng Wencai was the county magistrate.
Corrupt merchants and wealthy landowners saw this as an opportunity. Young and poor, with no prior experience in governance, Zhou Zhengye was much easier to manipulate than experienced officials like Cheng Wencai. By spending heavily on silver and beauties, they might even be able to become brothers with him. Eventually, he would likely seize anyone’s property he desired.
It was good news for everyone, including Liu Chuanxiang. On the evening of Zhou Zhengye’s inauguration, he brought a cartload of gifts to the county government.
Zhou Zhengye was extremely polite, so much so that even the experienced Liu Chuanxiang felt honored. Although Fenglin Restaurant was wealthy, he was merely the owner of a county-level restaurant. To be personally served tea and greeted by the county magistrate was indeed an honor.
Using subtle hints and indirect approaches, Liu Chuanxiang exerted all his skills, and after over an hour, he achieved even more than he had expected.

The county magistrate himself addressed him as “Brother Liu”!
Liu Chuanxiang wasn’t foolish—he naturally understood that this title of “Brother Liu” was meant to take advantage of Fenglin Restaurant’s wealth. Before coming, he had planned to send three to five thousand taels of silver just to test the waters, and add more if unsatisfied. After being called “Brother Liu” over and over, he gritted his teeth and resolutely pushed forward a stack of silver bills, all worth a thousand taels each—ten in total.
He couldn’t afford to lose face. Just by being able to treat the county magistrate as a brother, with ten thousand taels of silver on the books, the higher-ups surely wouldn’t object.
Seeing Zhou Zhengye stuff the silver bills into his clothes, Liu Chuanxiang believed that the sudden change of county magistrate in Xilan City was a gift from heaven.
Within ten days or half a month, he could definitely report good news!
But when he explained the situation, Liu Chuanxiang was disappointed. County Magistrate Zhou, who had pretended to be his brother, was very troubled. It took him a long time to pull the silver bills out of his clothes and place them back on the table.
Upon further inquiry, Liu Chuanxiang learned that Cheng Wencai had specifically instructed Zhou Zhengye to help take care of Lin’s Inn during the handover.
Cheng Wencai was getting promoted, and it was right at Qiufeng Mansion. Zhou Zhengye was in a difficult position, but Liu Chuanxiang understood.
Another small stack of silver bills was offered, and after Zhou Zhengye struggled for a long time, he finally put the bills back into his clothes. Only then did Liu Chuanxiang sigh in relief. Although the amount exceeded expectations, the matter seemed resolved.
What Liu Chuanxiang never expected was that as soon as he left the county yamen, Zhou Zhengye changed into casual clothes, put on a hat, and went to Lin’s Inn.
After hearing the details, Lin Dong could think of only one word—dominance!
Sixteen thousand taels of silver to take down an inn, and that too in just a county town—such tactics could only be described as domineering.
“Manager Lin, you don’t know—when I saw the amount on those silver bills, I was almost stunned,” Zhou Zhengye said. After their long conversation last time, he wasn’t as afraid of Lin Dong anymore. Taking a sip of tea, he smiled bitterly. “Not to mention bills worth a thousand taels each—I’ve never even seen bills worth ten taels. I don’t know how I managed to pull them all out and put them back on the table. If Liu Chuanxiang had really taken them back, I doubt I wouldn’t have grabbed a chair to knock him out.”
“I guess I would too,” Lin Dong nodded in agreement. The inn had been open for over half a year, and its deposits had never reached ten thousand taels. If Liu Chuanxiang really had placed ten thousand taels in front of him, Lin Dong indeed had reason to believe he would knock him out with a stool and snatch the silver bills.

Zhou Zhengye was filled with emotion: “In my family of eight, five are able-bodied men. Even in good harvest years, we can only save four or five taels of silver a year. Who would have thought that as a county magistrate, I’d collect nearly twenty thousand taels of silver on just the first day?”
Lin Dong shook his head. “It’s because Fenglin Restaurant is wealthy and has a request to make. Other wealthy families surely can’t afford such generosity.”
“That’s true. Many wealthy families came today to offer gifts—lots of pearls, jade, and silver—but the highest value item was only worth five hundred taels,” Zhou Zhengye nodded, thought for a moment, then asked, “Shopkeeper Lin, what should we do next?”
“Although the amount of silver exceeds expectations, it’s still good news. Keep squeezing them for more,” Lin Dong said without hesitation. “Send the yamen officials to break into the store tomorrow.”
“Mm!” Zhou Zhengye nodded.
After discussing some details further, Lin Dong didn’t keep the guest around and escorted Zhou Zhengye out of the inn through the back yard.
When he turned back, before even entering, he heard a call from behind.
“Shopkeeper…”
“What is it?” Lin Dong turned to see Liu Xiu, who seemed hesitant to speak.
After much hesitation, Liu Xiu lowered his head and said, “Shopkeeper, I want to return to the capital.”
Lin Dong was taken aback and immediately asked, “Is it because the family’s assessment is approaching?”
“There’s still one and a half months left.”
Having lost such an excellent employee, Lin Dong was somewhat reluctant but had no choice. He asked, “When do you plan to leave?”
“I’ll set off within half a month at the latest. There are still some matters to handle once I arrive in the capital.”
“Alright. Don’t bother looking for a merchant caravan to the capital. Tomorrow, I’ll have Ma Chun send someone to hire a carriage to take you straight there,” Lin Dong decided. “Let me know which day you plan to return, and I’ll see you off.”
“Thank you, shopkeeper.” Liu Xiu hesitated. “What about Master Ding?”
“No problem. I’ll arrange someone to take over. The staff in the store may not be as smart as you, but with a few more people, I’m sure he won’t mind too much.” Lin Dong stepped forward, patted Liu Xiu’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Work hard once you return to the capital. When we open a branch of the inn there, I’ll have you as my right-hand man.”
“Mm!” Usually shy and unable to tolerate teasing, Liu Xiu nodded firmly this time. “Once I return to the capital, I’ll work hard without fail to live up to the shopkeeper’s guidance these past days.”
Although Lin Dong was quite bold, he couldn’t help but blush slightly. Where could he even start talking about ‘guidance’!