Chapter 113: Taking Advantage of the Tea Service

Ma Chun was in charge of calming the guests staying at the inn, while Lin Dong sorted out the lobby. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and the inn could reopen in the afternoon.

As the lobby once again filled with customers, Liu Lixiong and Liu Yejian arrived with 100,000 taels of silver. Seeing Liu Yejian’s respectful expression, Lin Dong understood that although Liu Lixiong didn’t dare reveal any information about Old Ding, he had still been persuaded.

100,000 taels of silver was no small amount, so Lin Dong naturally didn’t hesitate. Soon, a tall stack of silver bills appeared on the counter. With this money, it would be a significant help whether it was to establish Lin’s Inn’s guard team or expand its branches.

As for the 70% land rent, Lin Dong didn’t give a definite answer. He had only briefly mentioned this rent to Zhou Zhengye and Fu Chunjian. According to the laws of the Great Han Kingdom, taxes such as land and poll tax combined amounted to 10%, and there were clear regulations stating that land rented out by landlords could not have a rent higher than 10%. However, in various prefectures and counties, whether for political achievements or personal gain, taxes were far higher than this rate.

Land rent was even worse—30% was normal, and in some places, it exceeded 50%. Whether it was Cheng Wencai or his predecessor, though greedy, they still knew the consequences of leaving people with no means of survival. Thus, the land rent in Xilan County generally remained at an average of 30%.

To reduce the land rent below 10% would mean going to war with all the landlords, bringing significant consequences and obstacles. The only real challenge was the Liu family, a powerful landlord. Relying on a few hooligans was nowhere near enough to deal with them.

According to Lin Dong’s earlier plan, if a peaceful resolution wasn’t possible, he would try to get Emperor Gu Huan to intervene and force the Liu family to back down. Now that 70% rent was demanded, he could wait until Fu Chunjian and Zhou Zhengye started working on reducing rents, then include this 70% in the reductions. This would not only lead to a peaceful resolution but also allow the Liu family to intimidate many other landlords.

If the most dominant and ruthless landlord family in Xilan County supported the new county magistrate, it would serve as a strong deterrent to corrupt merchants who abused their power.

That evening, Lin Dong went to the county government office. By now, he was a well-known figure in Xilan City. It would be inappropriate to openly seek out Zhou Zhengye and Fu Chunjian if he wanted to hide his relationship with them. He went around to the side of the county office and looked up at the sky. It wasn’t completely dark, but it was indeed dim.

He took out a black cloth and covered his face with it. Lin Dong took a breath, bent his legs slightly, channeled spiritual energy into them, and leaped upward in one swift motion, scaling the three-meter-high courtyard wall like an agile raccoon. He crouched down to glance below, ensuring no one was around, before climbing down from the wall.

Moving cautiously, he reached the inner residence. After taking in the layout of the house, he headed to a low, flat building on one side. After a moment’s hesitation, he knocked on the door of the third room on the left, where a faint yellow candlelight glowed.

“Who is it?” a deep voice asked from inside.

Lin Dong’s face lit up with joy. It was his first time at the county yamen, and he had only heard Fu Chunjian’s address once; he hadn’t expected to find it so easily.

“It’s me!”

Immediately, the sound of chairs being dragged came from inside, followed by rapid footsteps approaching. The door opened softly, and Fu Chunjian looked at Lin Dong with slight surprise. “Shopkeeper Lin, is it really you?”

Lin Dong smiled. “I’m thirsty. Could I borrow a cup of tea?”

Fu Chunjian couldn’t help but laugh. This opening line was clearly modeled after his own, only with “borrowing food” replaced by “borrowing tea.”

Originally, Fu Chunjian had been worried that Lin Dong might be in trouble since he came at midnight. If he was joking, it meant he wasn’t in trouble; if there was something, it must be good news.

Fu Chunjian glanced outside the courtyard and stepped aside, gesturing for Lin Dong to enter. “Your visit truly brings honor to my humble abode!”

Without any further pleasantries, Lin Dong strode into the room.

The interior was sparsely furnished, with the most eye-catching feature being two rows of large bookshelves that covered two walls. The shelves were packed with various ancient books, and atop them lay several scrolls, creating a strong sense of an intellectual atmosphere.

On a square table beside the bookshelves, a stack of account books lay piled up, looking somewhat messy. Noticing one book open with an inkstone beside it, Lin Dong said in surprise, “Dean Fu, are you still working at this hour of the night?”

After making Lin Dong a cup of tea, Fu Chunjian sat down across from him and said with a smile, “I’m just going through Xilan City’s expenses from recent years.”

Lin Dong, who was also busy practicing diligently every day, couldn’t help but remind him, “Balance work and rest. Working too hard isn’t good for the long term.”

“It should get better once I finish this task,” Fu Chunjian explained, stroking his silver-white beard. “The overall plan has already been drawn up. After checking its feasibility a few more times, I’ll have some free time. As for how to implement it, that’s something for the more capable officials and merchants. At my age, I don’t have the energy or sharp mind to deal with them—I can at most offer suggestions.”

Lin Dong nodded and asked curiously, “How’s the implementation going?”

“The minor issues are being addressed; it hasn’t affected the merchants’ core interests, and the resistance encountered isn’t significant,” Fu Chunjian said with a smile. “The academy student I sent to contact tea merchants across Lingnan Commandery has also returned. This kid is quite capable—his performance was dozens of times better than I expected. With his eloquent tongue, he managed to persuade many tea merchants to purchase large quantities of Hongyun tea, and the advance payments they made were even higher than I anticipated. I plan to send him to nearby commandery towns to test things out. If it works, we can start promoting the cultivation of Hongyun tea this year and set up a tea market next year.”

“How did Dean Fu persuade this student?” Lin Dong was quite surprised. The academy’s students were either warriors or scholars. In the path of cultivation, progress was non-negotiable—warriors didn’t have time to waste on such things, and scholars certainly didn’t either; they were obsessed with integrity and found business dealings despicable.

“I just gave him a position as a minor official,” Fu Chunjian replied casually.

Lin Dong was speechless. Although Hongyun tea was considered a top-quality tea, it wasn’t very well-known, only somewhat famous in Qiufeng Mansion. To persuade tea merchants in Lingnan Commandery to buy large quantities required extraordinary skills. A ninth-rank official could be swayed like this—this guy really was born at the wrong time. In chaotic times, he might have been a skilled negotiator with enemy generals.

Remembering the main topic, Lin Dong asked, “Dean Fu, how’s progress on reducing taxes and rents?”

“We’re already working on reducing taxes. The obstacle lies with local minor officials. We’ve dismissed a few through the prefecture office, so things have gone fairly smoothly,” Fu Chunjian said with a wry smile. “Reducing rents is much more difficult. A few days ago, I met with several landowners. Not to mention cutting the rent by 20% at once, even asking them to halve it caused strong reactions. And that was after agreeing to reduce some of their taxes—plus, these landowners all had decent reputations.”

“What if… the Liu family agreed to lower their land rent from 30% to below 10% first?”

“That’s impossible! The Liu family is very strong, and they own the most land in Xilan County. Expecting them to…” Fu Chunjian suddenly stood up, his face filled with shock. “Shopkeeper Lin, did you come to see me today because you’ve already reached an agreement with the Liu family to reduce the rent?”

Lin Dong nodded smilingly. “The reasons are confidential, but the Liu family has indeed agreed to reduce the rent—even lowering it from 30% to 9%.”

“Great!” Fu Chunjian slapped his hands together in excitement. “The Liu family is one of the toughest opponents. Without their interference, Zhengye can exert pressure through the county government, and Liu Liu can use his thugs to back him up. I’m confident I can get the rent reduced by 10% every three years.”
“If that’s all, why would I come to see you in the middle of the night?” Lin Dong laughed. “What if, in addition to Zhengye and Liu Liu, the Liu family also gets involved?”
Fu Chunjian was stunned for a moment before exclaiming in joy, “You mean the Liu family is willing to openly support the rent reduction?”
Lin Dong nodded. “If I talk to Liu Yejian, it shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, the Liu family could even declare that anyone who refuses to reduce rent is against them. But… this afternoon, the Liu family sent people to cause trouble at Lin’s Inn and left disappointed. To prevent Fenglin Restaurant from suspecting a connection between me and you, I need to distance myself from this matter first.”
“That’s simple. Have Zhengye go to the Liu family every day—entering unharmed but leaving covered in wounds. After thirty or fifty such visits, Zhengye will finally move the head of the Liu family, securing their full support. If it works, in just two years, I’m confident I can reduce the rent in Xilan County to below 10%.”
As if regaining his youthful passion, Fu Chunjian stood up abruptly, his wrinkled face alight with enthusiasm.
Lin Dong, however, felt sorry for Zhou Zhengye. With a broken leg that barely allowed him to walk with crutches, he was about to suffer again. The county magistrate’s job was truly tough. Though such hardships might eventually earn him fame, if he ended up known only as someone ambitious but incompetent, cruel and ruthless, even if he had no regrets, it would still be a great injustice.