Chapter 255: Drawing the Sword

Ma Chun swallowed hard, unable to withstand Lin Dong’s imposing aura. He stepped back before asking, “Owner, what do you plan to do?”
Lin Dong replied calmly, “Post a notice saying that our Lin’s Inn also shares the latest guild news.”
Ma Chun was stunned, not quite understanding the meaning. After pondering for a moment, he realized he hadn’t heard wrong and exclaimed in surprise, “Where are we supposed to find guild news to post?”
“Gather the names and positions of high-ranking officials in the court, then give me a list,” Lin Dong said firmly. “If not, I can write it myself!”
“What?”
Ma Chun stepped back in terror, as if he’d heard something horrifying.
“No, I can write it myself,” Lin Dong repeated firmly.
Ma Chun glanced around frantically and said in panic, “Owner, fabricating court policies is a capital crime that leads to the execution of the entire family. Even if you’re a warrior, death is inevitable. What about Xiao Shuang? And… and…”
Ma Chun was speechless. Fabricating court policies and spreading rumors to incite the people meant that even Lin’s Inn’s staff wouldn’t escape—either death or enslavement awaited them.
“Since Fenglin Restaurant is pressing hard and there’s no way to retreat, we have no choice but to fight!” Lin Dong said sternly. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll take you to the Ancient Huan Dynasty!”
“But what about the inn?” Ma Chun urged. “To get revenge at such a high cost is not worth it. Our business is just slow right now. We can easily make it through until the guild news arrives. By then, we can revive the inn—thanks to the Vitality Balls, our two signature dishes, and seat fees. It will only take a year or two to restore its peak prosperity.”
Lin Dong shook his head slowly. “Some things can’t be explained to you. It may seem like just a minor business setback, but for me, I’m already at my wit’s end and must fight back.”
“But…”
Before Ma Chun could continue, Lin Dong waved his hand to cut him off. “There’s still a chance.”
“A chance?” Ma Chun didn’t understand and looked at Lin Dong blankly.
“A chance!” Lin Dong emphasized. “A chance to fight back from a desperate situation and turn the tide.”
Ma Chun still didn’t grasp it and asked doubtfully, “Owner, doing this will surely be considered a grave crime of rebellion. Even if business booms for a month or two, won’t we still have to flee later?”
“Not necessarily!” Lin Dong smiled. “If no one reports this to the capital, who will know that our inn spread false court policies?”

“How is that possible!” Ma Chun’s head shook like a rattle without a pendulum, making a humming sound. “The branches of Fenglin Restaurant are spread throughout the Great Han Kingdom. To reach such a level, they must have close ties with high-ranking officials in the court. Just one letter is enough to doom us.”
“What do you think will happen to the inn’s business if we suddenly announce the news about the guild?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
“Of course, it will soar!” Ma Chun replied without hesitation. “Our inn already has two outstanding signature dishes, plus seat fees and vitality balls. Without the news about the guild, we could have up to two hundred guests per day. Once the guild news reaches us, with the same discounts, we’ll have three, four, five hundred guests—our only worry will be not having enough tables.”
“What do you think Fenglin Restaurant will do?” Lin Dong asked slowly.
“Well…” Ma Chun hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, “They’ll probably try desperately to prove that our news is false. Also, they’ll send someone to the main headquarters to try to frame us for spreading false information.”
“If Ling Zhengyang isn’t here, Fenglin Restaurant would indeed do that,” Lin Dong said calmly. “With Ling Zhengyang in Qiufeng City, why would they need to go through the main headquarters? As for framing us for spreading false information, that won’t solve anything quickly. It will take at least two or three months to make a decision. By then, Fenglin Restaurant’s plan will have failed. A single branch’s business isn’t much of a concern for them, but Ling Zhengyang traveled all the way to Qiufeng City—he probably won’t accept failure like this.”
Ma Chun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn’t think of any counterargument.
“Not even the stupidest person would be foolish enough to risk their life and fortune recklessly. So, it’s almost impossible for Fenglin Restaurant to prove their news is true,” Lin Dong said fiercely. “If Ling Zhengyang wants to turn things around, his only option is to keep spreading false news. I believe he will definitely do that.”
Ma Chun shook his head slowly. “Fenglin Restaurant is extremely wealthy and has deep connections with high-ranking officials in the court. As long as no political rivals get involved, even if someone reports us to the capital, they can suppress the issue. Even if political rivals get involved, given Fenglin Restaurant’s plans, they should be able to guess the likely developments of the guild. It’s not a big difference, and since it’s just a mansion-level restaurant, sending a manager over is enough to settle things. But our Lin’s Inn is different. With Fenglin Restaurant’s wealth, they can easily frame us.”

“Is that so? If the information we provide represents the general future development of the guild, with only differences in timing and officials’ statements, then the information released by Maple Forest Restaurant is utterly false, isn’t it?” Lin Dong asked.
“How is that possible?” Ma Chun shook his head.
“Regardless of whether it’s possible or not, if it really is the case, what do you think will be the outcome?” Lin Dong asked.
Ma Chun smiled bitterly, pondered for a moment, and then shared his judgment: “Maple Forest Restaurant has spread seriously incorrect false information. It’s impossible to just fire the manager to resolve this, so they will surely suppress it at any cost. To prevent further complications, they might even help suppress it on our behalf.”
“That means,” Lin Dong said casually, “as long as our information is correct, all problems will be solved easily.”
“But where can we find the real information from the guild?” Ma Chun lamented. “Even if it exists, it might not reach us faster than Maple Forest Restaurant. With the same information, Maple Forest Restaurant will be quicker, leaving us ineffective. Besides, the manager just said it was written by himself.”
Lin Dong smiled. “It’s true it was written by him, but what he wrote isn’t necessarily wrong.”
Ma Chun was at a loss. Though he didn’t want to ask the same question again, he couldn’t help but say, “How is that possible?”
“It’s entirely possible!” Lin Dong sneered. “Guess what outcome this guild initiative will have?”
Ma Chun thought carefully for a while before affirming, “The guild has already been approved and is bound to proceed. Judging from Maple Forest Restaurant’s actions, regarding the candidate for the head of the Supervision Council, the Inner Eunuch Party, the Outer Idle Party, the princes, and those not belonging to these two parties haven’t fully reached an agreement yet. But with a few months, they should be able to negotiate and distribute the benefits.”
“Once the guild is established, will it inevitably become a tool for large merchants and officials to suppress and exploit small merchants?” Lin Dong pressed.
Ma Chun was stunned, then nodded with a bitter smile.
“That’s why I bet the outcome of this guild will be completely the opposite,” Lin Dong declared firmly.
“Completely the opposite?” Ma Chun was confused.
“That’s right. Without a Supervision Council, the power to set prices isn’t in the hands of large merchants but in those of all merchants,” Lin Dong said with a determined gaze.
“Is… is that possible?”
Ma Chun didn’t know how to explain it. Logically, the manager should know it’s absolutely impossible. If all the officials have reached an agreement, who would suddenly go back on it? Even if there are conflicts over the distribution of benefits, it would only delay things a bit longer.

The position of Ombudsman, just in terms of status, represents a huge benefit to various factions. Not to mention the potential interests behind the scenes—these leaders would unlikely have their subordinates agree to give it up. Similarly, even if these factions didn’t object, Emperor Qianwei would have to compromise under the pressure from all the officials in the court. With such a large “cake” already formed and countless people waiting for it to fall, it’s impossible not to share it. “Only by trying can we know if it’s possible!” Business matters are related to the interests of Lin’s Inn, and Lin Dong had also studied this issue, knowing it was almost inevitable. Yet he simply couldn’t believe that Emperor Qianwei would have agreed to allow merchants from various counties and prefectures to form guilds. Having been emperor for decades and having seized the throne through schemes and at the cost of countless lives, Lin Dong couldn’t believe Emperor Qianwei wouldn’t see the interests behind these guilds. If Emperor Qianwei truly wanted to be a wise ruler in his old age, and if he could see the dangers of these guilds, he would have crushed them from the start. Allowing them to grow into such a large “cake” must have some deeper reason—unless they had become uncontrollable, there must still be a backup plan. Having been emperor through decades of chaos, the possibility of him letting things go out of control is minimal. Lin Dong wasn’t betting that businesses would become tools for merchants and officials, but rather that they would fulfill their proper functions. Even more precisely, he was betting that Emperor Qianwei truly wanted to be a wise ruler and had the courage to do so. Ma Chun hesitated, knowing that only by trying could they know if it was possible—though it sounded easy said. The cost of failure was far too great; Lin’s Inn would be erased from Xilan City and Qiufeng City forever, with no chance of recovery. “Do as I say! First, gather the names and ranks of all the officials in the court, and prepare for promoting the Spirit Stone Fans. Fenglin Restaurant has pushed things this far. After months of enduring humiliation like a submissive wife, I no longer want to continue. As for the consequences… I can’t guarantee anything else, but your safety is assured. With my relationships with Fu Chunjian and Zhou Zhengye, it won’t be hard to help you get new identities.” Lin Dong said firmly, “If the sky falls, I’ll bear it all!” With no way back, Ma Chun gritted his teeth and nodded firmly, “I’ll go arrange it right away.”

“Go! If we don’t give Ling Zhengyang a surprise, he’ll really think he’s coming all this way to Qiufeng City out of respect for me!” Lin Dong said fiercely, his gaze intense: “I, Lin Dong, don’t need anyone’s respect. Whether it’s some young master from Fenglin Restaurant, if anyone dares to knock me out with a stick, I’ll knock him dead with one too!”
“Great! Knock that damned Fenglin Restaurant to pieces!”
Ma Chun was equally fierce, his eyes blazing with anger.
If the boss was ready to fight to the death with a knife, there was no reason not to pick up a weapon as well.
Not to mention fabricating imperial policies—even if Emperor Qianwei were here, if he provoked the boss into fighting, he’d still step forward and stab him a few times.