Chapter 256: A Desperate Counterattack

After watching Ma Chun leave the backyard with fierce determination, Lin Dong glanced at the mess around and then at the stone table, now reduced to a pile of rubble. He felt somewhat helpless—he had forgotten to tell Ma Chun to have another stone table made.
Today’s lunch would probably have to be eaten while squatting.
Sighing, Lin Dong turned to Yun Lan, who stood quietly nearby, and smiled. “So, was my momentum strong enough just now?”
“It was okay, but you couldn’t control it, let alone use it in a fight against an enemy,” Yun Lan replied calmly. “Also, losing your temper at the slightest trouble—during a fight, even the slightest mistake can be fatal. And while being fearless is good, acting recklessly isn’t quite right, is it?”
“I had no choice. I was truly pushed to the brink,” Lin Dong said helplessly.
Yun Lan nodded slightly. Being pushed to the brink, if one could fight with determination, the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages.
“Well… shall I practice the Air Control realm I’ve newly mastered?” Lin Dong asked with a smile. “I’ve fully understood it now. I can control everyone and everything around me without using my hands, as long as I have enough spiritual energy, and it doesn’t consume much energy either.”
Yun Lan nodded gently.
Overjoyed, Lin Dong immediately spread his arms. With a thought, a powerful force surged toward Yun Lan.
Whoosh…
A blue light flashed rapidly in front of Yun Lan, slicing through the intangible energy as if cutting through vegetables, splitting Lin Dong’s released spiritual energy into countless pieces in an instant. Then, it shot toward Lin Dong’s throat.
Lin Dong was shocked. With a quick thought, a fist-sized stone on the ground suddenly shot up to block the tip of the blue sword. At the same time, Lin Dong stepped back quickly, waving his hands frantically and shouting, “Wait…”
Thud!
The stone turned into countless fragments the moment it touched the blue sword. With just a slight delay, the blue sword regained its full momentum and stopped only at Lin Dong’s throat.
Lin Dong carefully pushed the blue sword aside and said with a wry smile, “I think I’d better go to the kitchen and cook.”
Yun Lan couldn’t help but smile. With a wave of her hand, the blue sword returned to her palm and then disappeared.
Having missed out on an opportunity and almost suffered, Lin Dong had no choice but to turn and rush to the kitchen.
After lunch, after practicing the Air Control realm in the yard with Yun Lan for a while, Ma Chun returned at a brisk pace, holding a piece of paper covered in dense, tiny handwriting.
“Boss, the list of people is ready.”
Taking the list, Lin Dong was slightly surprised. “So fast?”

Ma Chun smiled and explained, “The captain of the city gate guards in the east likes to inquire about matters in the court, so it took two pots of thyme to piece it together.”
Lin Dong was speechless for a moment before waving his hand and saying, “Go get to work! Prepare to post the notices tomorrow. I’ll give you the first piece of news later.”
Ma Chun nodded firmly. Just as he turned to leave, Lin Dong added, “Find two guys to clean up the yard and replace the stone table.”
“Okay!”
Ma Chun nodded and quickly left the backyard.
Lin Dong shook the list in his hand as Chao Yunlan said with a smile, “That’s it for today?”
Yunlan nodded slowly.
Back in his room, Lin Dong immediately started working on fabricating news about the merchant guild.
Judging from the situation, the merchant guild issue couldn’t be resolved in a short time. Even if Emperor Qianwei had some contingency plans, he probably wouldn’t reject all the officials in just a few days but would gradually divide them. Therefore, the fabricated news about the merchant guild needed to be abundant and attractive enough to draw talent.
To draw everyone’s attention at once, the first piece of news had to be a blockbuster. After that, a few small pieces of news could be released gradually to keep people interested.
The first piece of news…
Lin Dong took out pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, stroked his chin, and fell deep into thought.
To make the first piece of news a blockbuster, the best approach was to go completely against what the Maple Forest Restaurant had reported, so as to achieve a striking effect. Coupled with major breakthroughs in the merchant guild news, this combination would surely make a big impact.
The current news from the Maple Forest Restaurant revolved entirely around the head of the Supervision Council. Going the opposite way meant overthrowing the Supervision Council. With major breakthroughs in the merchant guild news, he could simply present his own conclusions.
With a general idea in mind, the rest was just details.
Lin Dong scanned the list repeatedly before finally deciding on a censor.
Censors held a low rank, which helped prolong the fabricated news about the merchant guild and added credibility. After all, high-ranking officials in the court generally agreed to establishing the Supervision Council and wouldn’t go back on their word.
As for the effect, it would suffice if Emperor Qianwei approved it.
Lin Dong’s gaze moved through the list of censors before stopping on a name—Liang Qingyang.
From what he remembered, Liang Qingyang was known for his eloquence. He had even filed a lawsuit against a prince for allowing his servants to commit murder. With his reputation, challenging the Supervision Council’s claims would greatly enhance the credibility of the fabricated news.
With the candidate chosen, the next step was to craft the content.

One must not be too hasty, or it will be like a child’s play and won’t last even a few months. Nor can it be too slow, otherwise others will surely think that Liang Qingyang can’t cause any stir and might be dismissed the very next day. After careful consideration for nearly half an hour, Lin Dong finally placed his writing brush on the blank paper. Then, he wrote swiftly, completing the draft in less than fifteen minutes. After making a few more revisions to ensure everything was fine, Lin Dong finally sighed in relief, stretched, and got up to go talk to Ma Chun about finalizing the details…

The next day, Lin’s Inn posted another announcement, raising the entry fee for the private rooms on the second and third floors. Meanwhile, after months of effort, the inn had finally established contact with a high-ranking official in the court, allowing it to use advanced spirit birds to deliver the latest trade news to the inn within half a day. In less than fifteen minutes, another message appeared on Lin’s Inn’s notice board. The gist of the message was that Censor Liang Qingyang had debated fiercely with other officials in court the previous day, criticizing the Supervision Bureau as harmful rather than beneficial. He argued that its establishment not only increased the burden on the common people but also served as a breeding ground for corrupt officials, potentially even threatening the stability of the court. The other officials attacked him, but he left them speechless. Emperor Qianwei announced that further discussions would take place the next day, inviting Liang Qingyang and officials from the Council of Affairs to the palace to discuss the matter.

The first message was astonishing, and it came from Lin’s Inn, while Fenglin Restaurant remained completely silent. In an instant, a wave of excitement spread from Lin’s Inn throughout Autumn Wind City, moving at a speed comparable to that of a galloping horse. In less than half a day, not only the restaurant industry but the entire city was in turmoil. Wealthy merchants flocked to Lin’s Inn. News that had remained unresolved for months suddenly caused another stir!

When the trade news first emerged, many officials had also criticized its drawbacks, only to end up losing their positions. A censor usually couldn’t cause much of a stir in court, but if Emperor Qianwei summoned him to the palace for discussions, especially alongside officials from the Council of Affairs, something was definitely amiss. According to Emperor Qianwei’s habit, when faced with indecisive matters, he would always consult the officials who had submitted the petitions and those from the Council of Affairs. This meant that Emperor Qianwei indeed intended to abolish the Supervision Bureau. If the bureau were truly abolished, it would indirectly mean denying the major merchants their right to contribute funds proportionally and to decide on the pricing of various goods. This news was earth-shattering. The owners of various restaurants were panicked—if this became reality, the trade matters, which seemed to be set to be finalized in a few days, might have to be discussed again.

Thousands of taels lost in a single day—still holding on by a thread. If this goes on for another ten days, half a month, or even longer, no wealth can withstand it. Even if it could, who knows how many years it would take to recover? With that wealth, it would be better to buy a government position. Though it’s a time of imperial transition, the risks are still lower, and the profits far exceed continuing to struggle like this.

Everyone had only one thought: confirm the truth of this news and get the latest updates.

Almost at the same time, the owners of all the major restaurants prepared their carriages, ignoring the fact that competitors were rivals and whether Lin’s Inn would shirk its responsibilities. They all headed straight for Lin’s Inn…

Inside Fenglin Restaurant, Ling Zhengyang widened his eyes, grabbed Jiang Youcai by the collar, and demanded angrily, “Is he crazy? Has he gone mad?”

Jiang Youcai looked shocked. The usually gentle and refined third young master could also lose control.

“What’s the point of him doing this? Fenglin Restaurant has suffered losses for months—what advantage has Lin’s Inn gained? Is it worth risking execution for everyone in the family just to vent anger?” Ling Zhengyang roared. “If every county and prefecture city has an Lin’s Inn, won’t Fenglin Restaurant lose its century-old business to this?”

“Third young master, calm down,” Jiang Youcai urged. “It’s only Lin’s Inn that dares to do this. Lin Dong is likely as you said—he’s crazy. We’ve driven him mad. Think about it—you can’t hide the truth forever. This is a grave crime that warrants execution for the whole family. If he weren’t crazy, who would dare do such a self-destructive thing?”

“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?” Ling Zhengyang yelled. “If Lin’s Inn dares to do this, other restaurants might do the same to vent their anger. More importantly, once this gets out, it could even lead other merchants in other cities to spread false news. If ten or a hundred of them do it, we might be able to destroy them, but if it’s a thousand or ten thousand, no law can punish them all! We’ve invested heavily in this plan—so much that it could drain Fenglin Restaurant completely. There’s no room for error.”

“We can refute the rumors. We have genuine news from the merchant association,” Jiang Youcai said urgently.

“What’s the use? Who will believe that Lin Dong is crazy, that the whole Lin’s Inn is crazy?” Ling Zhengyang panted. “Others won’t believe Fenglin Restaurant’s words. It will take at least two or three months for real news from the merchant association to reach us. By then, it will be too late. Even if someone has swift communication with the capital, they won’t release the truth—they’d rather let Lin’s Inn’s false news mislead everyone.”

“Well, um…” Jiang Youcai stammered, unable to come up with even half a suggestion.
Ling Zhengyang pushed Jiang Youcai aside and shouted, “Get the carriage ready! We’re going to Lin Ji Inn!”
“Go to Lin Ji Inn?” Jiang Youcai was stunned.
“Yes! Bring all the silver notes from the restaurant!”
Ling Zhengyang gritted his teeth. In over a decade, he had never regretted anything as much as he did now.
No matter how much he had planned, he never expected Lin Dong to be this ruthless.