Chapter 187: Deceptive Tactics

After finishing the important matters, seeing Fu Chunjian lost in deep thought, Lin Dong did not disturb him. Instead, he got up, poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it leisurely by the flickering candlelight.
After a long while, Fu Chunjian let out a heavy sigh before suddenly realizing there were still guests present.
“Shopkeeper Lin, please forgive me…” Fu Chunjian apologized, “As I get older, I tend to get distracted easily.”
Lin Dong shook his head. “Presumably, President Fu is thinking of past events?”
Fu Chunjian nodded helplessly. “It’s been decades since we last met. He’s truly aged. His former determination and ruthlessness have faded significantly.”
“He must have another purpose for coming to Xilan City this time, right?” Lin Dong suddenly said.
Fu Chunjian smiled and replied casually, “As I grow older, everything that needed to be suppressed has been suppressed, everything that needed to be eliminated has been eliminated, and everything that needed to be controlled is now firmly in my hands. But when I look back, I suddenly realize there’s still one thing missing.”
Fu Chunjian’s joking tone made Lin Dong smile.
That missing thing was undoubtedly his youthful aspiration—to benefit all people.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask, “Has President Fu never thought about returning to the capital with him?”
Fu Chunjian shook his head. “If he had another ten or twenty years of life, it might make sense. But with only three or five years left, it’s likely that his policies won’t even be implemented before a new emperor ascends the throne, starting another cycle. People like me would be driven out after just a couple of years in the capital. If we don’t have any connections with the new emperor, we might even face danger. It’s better to stay in Xilan City. If I do well here, I can cultivate a unique kind of good official for the Han Empire. Who knows? I might even set an example for future ambitious officials.”
Lin Dong nodded slightly. From this perspective, it indeed didn’t make much sense for Fu Chunjian to go to the capital.
“President Fu, how is Xilan City now?”
Fu Chunjian became quite enthusiastic. “With the Liu family’s help, reducing rents hasn’t encountered much resistance, and things are basically in place now. Renting out farming tools and reducing taxes have also gone smoothly. The tea market is progressing well too. If we can promote Hongyun Tea beyond Lingnan Commandery this year, we can start planning for…”
Lin Dong listened quietly to Fu Chunjian’s explanation, feeling a surge of pride. Although these policies were planned by Fu Chunjian and implemented by Zhou Zhengye, it seemed unrelated to him. But these two were both people he had put in positions as county magistrates, and his unconventional approach to governance was also his idea.
If he could truly benefit the people of Xilan City, it would indeed be a significant achievement.
They continued talking until the first light of dawn appeared, after which Lin Dong got up to take his leave.

After Fu Chunjian left the room, Lin Dong sneaked out of the county yamen. By the time dawn was breaking, he had returned to the Lin’s Inn in Xilan City. After waiting for another half hour until the inn opened, Lin Dong summoned Liu Hao and gave him instructions regarding the Rainbow Bed. Returning to Qiufeng City, he continued with his morning routine, practicing martial arts with Yun Lan, and cultivating—nothing changed because of this trip to Xilan City. Two days later, the experience value of the Rainbow Bed, which had remained at 3%, finally started to rise. Meanwhile, Wang Liuzhi and the other three began preparing the final tests for the remaining five people. The results were not entirely satisfactory—only four out of five passed the ultimate test. This was one less than what Lin Dong had hoped for, but one more than his minimum expectation. Including Wang Liuzhi and the three others, that made eight people. Nine counties were definitely not enough, but if Wang Liuzhi took charge of the two nearest counties, it might just work. The experience value in the inn continued to increase steadily. After Yun Lan arrived, Lin Dong’s cultivation was somewhat disrupted, but he was also on the verge of a breakthrough. In the middle of the night, seeing that his dantian was already filled with spiritual energy and could break through at any moment, Lin Dong took out some Wanhong Fruits and stuffed them into his mouth in no time. Instantly, his dantian expanded under the impact of the surging energy. Once the expansion subsided and Lin Dong was about to enter meditation, a faint voice came from outside the door. “Brother Lin, Brother Lin…” Wang Bin? Lin Dong was startled and quickly got up to open the door, only to burst into laughter. In the corridor, Wang Bin was going from room to room, crouching down and calling softly like a thief, then tiptoeing to the next room to repeat the process. Behind him, Yi Yi followed closely, wherever Wang Bin went, she went too, though not with the same sneaky caution. “Wang Bin, Yi Yi…” Lin Dong called out to them and waved. The two were overjoyed and rushed over to him. After letting them in and serving them tea, Lin Dong asked in confusion, “Why did you two think of coming to the back yard to find me?” “Brother Lin…” Hearing this, Wang Bin stood up abruptly, excitedly saying, “I’ve come up with a way to get my father to accept Yi Yi.” “Really?” Lin Dong was delighted. With the contract already in hand, the only remaining problem was figuring out how Wang Shuangxi would accept Yi Yi. Taking a deep breath and organizing his thoughts, Wang Bin licked his lips and bowed to Lin Dong, saying, “For this matter, I really need your strong assistance.”

“Let me hear it,” Lin Dong nodded. “I’ve said before that I’ll definitely help if I can.”
“My father is stubborn; once he makes up his mind, there’s little chance he’ll change his mind. But as Brother Lin said, nothing in life is absolute.” Wang Bin’s handsome face shone with excitement as he slowly continued, “Brother Lin must be aware of Yi Yi’s character—gentle, kind, and filial. A daughter-in-law like her is truly hard to find. My idea is to let Yi Yi appear before him under another identity first. Once he realizes she’s a good daughter-in-law, even if he knows her true identity, no matter how stubborn he is, he might not admit it verbally, but he certainly won’t drive her out of the house.”
Lin Dong remained silent; it was as if his words hadn’t been spoken at all.
Whether Yi Yi could be a good daughter-in-law worth seeking even with a lantern if given time to get to know Wang Shuangxi, Lin Dong wasn’t sure, but since Wang Bin was so confident, it was likely true. The key was how to introduce Wang Shuangxi to Yi Yi. With Yi Yi’s appearance, if she went to the Kelaile Restaurant, even if no one who knew her was there, it would probably be easy to guess her identity.
Taking his teacup and drinking it in one gulp, Wang Bin continued, “To have Yi Yi spend time with my father under another identity, the Kelaile Restaurant is definitely not an option, nor is Qiufeng City.”
Lin Dong’s mind stirred. He had also considered this method before but couldn’t figure out how to get Wang Shuangxi away from the Kelaile Restaurant. Judging from his tone, Wang Bin clearly had an idea.
“Tell me, what do you plan to do?”
“Firstly, in my father’s life, the most important things are me, his son, and then the Kelaile Restaurant,” Wang Bin explained. “I’m missing now. If it weren’t for the Kelaile Restaurant holding him back, he would definitely give up everything to search for me.”
Lin Dong nodded.
“If suddenly he received a letter saying I’ve been kidnapped and ransom is demanded, I’m sure he would sell the restaurant,” Wang Bin asserted. “By then, as long as I say where I want to go—some other county or place—without the Kelaile Restaurant, he’ll definitely agree. Once things stabilize, Yi Yi can appear under another identity. Meanwhile, Brother Lin can take the ransom to buy back Yi Yi’s contract of servitude from Yingchunhua, and the matter will be resolved perfectly.”
Lin Dong was speechless. Resolved perfectly? He used to think this kid was filial, but now… If this kid were his own son, he would definitely slap him to death.
Seeing Lin Dong’s expression, Wang Bin understood why and smiled bitterly. “Brother Lin doesn’t know. I was really stuck and had no choice but to come up with this terrible idea.”

“It’s indeed terrible!” Lin Dong nodded and said bluntly, “In Boss Wang’s heart, KeLai Restaurant is probably as important as his other son. What you’re doing is a bit too harsh.”
Wang Bin shook his head. “I’m confident I can earn enough money to reopen KeLai Restaurant.”
Lin Dong secretly shook his head. Wang Bin and Yi Yi couldn’t understand Wang Shuangxi’s affection for KeLai Restaurant, but he could. If anyone suggested exchanging two, five, or ten thriving Lin’s Inns for just one in Xilan City, Lin Dong would refuse without hesitation.
The business he had painstakingly built wasn’t something that could be exchanged for a mere ten- or eighty-fold amount in the eyes of those who valued nostalgia.
Wang Shuangxi had started from scratch and never left KeLai Restaurant in his entire life. Lin Dong believed it would take a hundred- or thousand-fold cost to make him give it up.
But… since it was Wang Bin who came up with this idea, why should he get involved?
Lin Dong spoke up, “The idea is feasible, but are you trying to ask me to act as a kidnapper?”
Wang Bin nodded eagerly, his face full of hope. “In Qiufeng City, Brother Lin is the only friend we have. Although this is difficult, we still boldly hope that Brother Lin will help us wholeheartedly.”
Lin Dong smiled. “Being a kidnapper isn’t that hard.”
Wang Bin and Yi Yi were overjoyed. In their view, Lin Dong’s willingness to help as a kidnapper was the biggest hurdle. After all, a skilled martial artist with a substantial business—even if it were fake—would be like having a bucket of mud thrown on them. They didn’t expect him to agree so readily.
“Brother Lin, if this works, we just need a contract of servitude. If there’s any surplus, we’ll consider it a thank-you gift for you.”
Lin Dong remained indifferent. “If I get that contract, where will I find you?”
“Well…” Wang Bin hesitated for a moment before resolutely saying, “I’ll send someone to inform you then.”
Lin Dong nodded. After carefully considering Wang Bin’s entire plan and thinking for a while, he reached a decision—the plan was indeed feasible.
Next was discussing the amount of the ransom. With no qualms about sacrificing everything for profit, Wang Bin was confident he could earn more money from scratch. Plus, the poorer one is, the easier it is to develop true feelings. Based on KeLai Restaurant’s financial situation, he proposed 200,000 taels of silver.
After further discussion of the details, the entire plan was finally finalized.