Chapter 104: The Traitor

Fu Chunjian snorted coldly.
“We owe our luck to this prince, yet the common people have suffered greatly. If the throne were contested solely based on political achievements or military merits, it would align with the original intention of selecting capable rulers. But now, the struggle for the throne has completely deviated from its purpose. The princes who end up on the dragon throne are all deep-minded, cunning, and ruthless. Such people are even worse than an ordinary emperor who cares about the welfare of the people. At least, an ordinary but sensible emperor, with wise ministers to assist him, has a chance to bring prosperity to the realm.”
“Emperors like Qianwei are extremely cunning. Perhaps they had ambitions at first, but once they became emperors, they had to worry about eliminating the remnants of those who failed, balancing the power of meritorious officials so they wouldn’t grow too strong yet still retain their loyalty, and controlling ambitious princes… By the time they had time to consider how to become great emperors remembered through the ages, they were already nothing but piles of bones.”
“Several of the Han Dynasty’s famous prosperous eras were led by emperors who ascended to the throne early, encountered no rival princes before taking power, and lived long enough to rule.”
Lin Dong was stunned, then said resentfully, “Speaking of which, Emperor Qianwei has also been on the throne for forty years.”
Fu Chunjian smiled bitterly. “If he could have lived another twenty or thirty years, it’s very likely another prosperous era would have emerged.”
Lin Dong was both amused and exasperated—such a conclusion was utterly bizarre.
The struggle for the throne was not something he could get involved in. After a brief silence, Lin Dong asked, “Dean Fu, how are things going with the implementation of the new policies?”
“A few minor measures have already been introduced that don’t threaten the fundamental interests of the wealthy families,” Fu Chunjian replied.
“Just a few minor measures?” Lin Dong was puzzled. “At this pace, when will it be completed?”
Fu Chunjian said helplessly, “There’s no other way. The more measures introduced at once, the greater the resistance from all the merchants and wealthy families. We need to let them gradually understand that although these new policies will slightly harm their interests, in the long run, they are beneficial. If no merchants or wealthy families support these policies, they won’t be good for Xilan County.”
Lin Dong nodded. He understood better than the governance expert Fu Chunjian the role of merchants in society, so he could easily grasp this point.
“By the way, is County Magistrate Zhou’s injury serious? To prevent Liu Chuanxiang from suspecting anything suspicious, I ordered Jiang Zhen to use real weapons when acting.”

Fu Chunjian shook his head. “Internal injuries can be properly treated over a year or so, and there should be no major problems. The same goes for a broken leg—it just makes movement inconvenient.”
“It’s really not easy to make money. It must be tough on County Magistrate Zhou,” Lin Dong sighed.
Fu Chunjian smiled. “Since we’ve decided to fight evil with evil, we must be prepared for that. These minor injuries are nothing.”
“Well, whether it succeeds or fails, no matter what path County Magistrate Zhou ends up on,” Lin Dong said earnestly, “I believe future generations will give you a fair assessment.”
Fu Chunjian laughed carefreely. “Those who dare to resort to deception and fraud don’t care what future generations think. All they want is for their methods to benefit as many people as possible.”
Lin Dong laughed too. “That’s a great mindset. As long as we proceed step by step, even if we fail, the people of Xilan County won’t suffer too much. If it succeeds, not only Xilan County will benefit—regardless of reputation, as long as we can go to bed at night with a clear conscience.”
Fu Chunjian couldn’t help but praise, “Master Lin, what excellent insight!”
“It’s easy to speak when nothing’s at stake. Anyway, if it succeeds, Lin’s Inn’s business will get better and better. If it fails, it’s you two who’ll be criticized—nothing to do with me as an innkeeper.”
“…”
They talked until the moon rose high. Feeling he had gained a lot of knowledge, Lin Dong finally stood up to take his leave.
After Fu Chunjian left, Lin Dong didn’t idle away his time either. He carefully recorded the layout of the new inn’s backyard and arranged for Liu Hao to head to Qiufeng City again early the next morning.
Huang Wanren, along with his servant, returned after three days, finally giving Lin Dong an answer.
They agreed to collaborate on the plan to defeat Fenglin Restaurant.
Although Lin Dong was anxious, he couldn’t push too hard. It took Huang Wanren two days to choose a location for the restaurant.
Having been in business for decades, Huang Wanren knew well that the more urgent one was about buying land, the higher the cost. With negotiations that involved stepping back today and then tomorrow… If it weren’t for Lin Dong’s fear that Huang Wanren might become suspicious, he would have gladly paid a high price to buy the land himself.
Helplessly, since the emperor wasn’t in a hurry, rushing only led to frustration. Lin Dong could only endure those days when his experience points didn’t increase.
One morning, just as Lin Dong planned to practice for another 180 days, there was a knocking at the door.
“What is it?”
“Owner, it’s me…”
A slightly hoarse voice came from outside.
Master Chen?
Lin Dong got up and opened the door.
Standing outside was one of the three chefs at Lin’s Inn—Chen Yeyuan.
“Master Chen, what brings you here?” Lin Dong asked, surprised.

“Mm!” Chen Yeyuan’s face, lacking wrinkles due to his plump build, dipped slightly.
“Come in!”
Chen Yeyuan was the first chef Lin Dong hired after taking over Lin’s Inn. Although he arrived a few days later than Wang Liuzhi and the other four, and wasn’t as loyal to him as they were, he was still one of the long-time staff at Lin’s Inn. As he was older, Lin Dong respected him quite a bit. Seeing him hesitate, knowing he must be facing something difficult to talk about, Lin Dong invited him into the room with a smile.
After Chen Yeyuan sat down at the desk and Lin Dong poured him a cup of tea, Lin Dong sat down beside him and said in as relaxed a tone as possible, “Master Chen, when you came to Lin’s Inn, there were only Wang Liuzhi and the other four employees. In a sect, that would be equivalent to an elder. Just tell me whatever’s on your mind. If there’s any trouble at home, I’ll do my best to help.”
Chen Yeyuan mustered up courage and looked up at Lin Dong, but only for a few seconds before lowering his head again. “Owner, I…”
Lin Dong gently guided him, “Is it something at home that requires a large sum of money, or has someone in your family encountered some trouble?”
Chen Yeyuan held his teacup, shaking his head silently.
With no other choice, Lin Dong waited patiently.
Perhaps unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere in the room, or perhaps finally making up his mind, after a long while, Chen Yeyuan took a sip of tea, raised his gaze, and said through gritted teeth, “Owner, Fenglin Restaurant was able to prepare Turtle Stewed with Maple Tree Leaves so quickly because I gave them a hundred taels of silver in exchange for revealing the ingredients and cooking methods.”
“What?”
Lin Dong stood up in shock. Fenglin Restaurant had introduced Turtle Stewed with Maple Tree Leaves nearly a month after Lin’s Inn did. If they had sent someone to Qiufeng City right away to buy the maple tree leaves, it would have taken only about twenty days to and from.
In just over ten days, given Fenglin Restaurant’s capabilities, it should have been impossible for them to develop ingredients to mask the bitterness and fishy taste. Thus, Lin Dong had never suspected there was a traitor in the inn.
But who would have thought that Chen Yeyuan would come and confess to being the traitor himself!
“O-Owner, I’m sorry…” Seeing Lin Dong’s expression, Chen Yeyuan lowered his head again.
A cold glint flashed in Lin Dong’s eyes as he said coldly, “Why tell me?”
“I… I…”

Chen Yeyuan stammered, and after a moment, he said weakly, “The day before yesterday, people from Fenglin Restaurant came to me again, asking me to figure out what ingredients the owner had added to the Fengtongye Stewed Turtle dish to make it enhance one’s physique after eating it. If I couldn’t find out, they threatened to expose me to the owner. I searched for two days, but the owner hadn’t added any ingredients at all…”
“Knowing I’m ruthless and afraid I’d retaliate, so you had to come to me for forgiveness?” Lin Dong sneered. “Not bad strategy! Can’t find the ingredients, can’t escape Xilan City, stuck in a corner, then hoping I’ll show mercy because of old feelings?”
Chen Yeyuan trembled and hurriedly knelt down. He had no doubt that if Lin Dong really got angry, he would be willing to kill him.
Watching Chen Yeyuan shake violently, Lin Dong took a deep breath and said coldly, “Old feelings remain old feelings, but betrayal is betrayal. I’ll give you a chance to atone. Tell the people from Fenglin Restaurant that the ingredients are Grade 7 Wind Spirit Grass and Ten Thousand Red Fruits. After that, hand over all the money and go see Wang Liuzhi, telling him which leg you want broken!”
Chen Yeyuan was horrified but dared not provoke Lin Dong further. Trembling, he got up and turned away as if his soul had left his body.
“Wait!”