Chapter 451: Nostalgia
After Ma Chun dragged Liu Yuedun away, Zhou Zhengye, who had remained silent until then, smiled and said, “Shopkeeper Lin, you’ve been in the capital for some time now, right? If the dean finds out, he won’t let it go.”
Lin Dong felt a bit embarrassed. He had indeed been in the capital for quite some time but hadn’t thought to visit Fu Chunjian.
“If you don’t get drunk today, Zhengye, I’ll go complain to the dean,” Zhou Zhengye said, his dark face breaking into a sunny smile. Since arriving in the capital, he had been busy scheming against those corrupt officials, feeling isolated and out of place in the court. Life had been extremely painful; in two years, he had smiled only a few times. If it weren’t for his concern for the people and Fu Chunjian’s silent encouragement, he would have long given up.
Now, seeing Lin Dong—the very person who had suggested using force to combat force and helped him become the magistrate of Southwest County—he felt as close to family as ever, and once again wanted to complain to him. Without Lin Dong, he would probably still be living peacefully in Southwest County, selling paintings on the streets or working as a teacher at Qiushui Academy, leading a comfortable life.
Lin Dong thought for a moment before nodding. “Alright, but Fu Dean is essential. Let’s just bring some food and drink to your official residence.”
“Shopkeeper Lin, you’re really good at slacking—wanting to finish drinking all at once,” Zhou Zhengye said with a wry smile. The dean probably had plenty of his own grievances to vent too.
“No way. There will be plenty of chances to drink in the future. Go ahead first; I’ll finish some matters and join you,” Lin Dong said, shaking his head with a smile. But inwardly, he really wanted to slack off to avoid having to go see Fu Chunjian after drinking here. Allowing Zhou Zhengye to go first was also to save time and take care of some matters—specifically, having Ma Chun convey the matter of extending lifespan to Emperor Qianwei in another way, and then waiting for Yang Shun to report back on Emperor Qianwei’s attitude toward Lin’s Inn. Together, these two things could be resolved in just a few words.
“What about entering the inner city?” Zhou Zhengye asked.
“That’s a piece of cake!” Lin Dong replied with a smile.
Zhou Zhengye nodded, and the two left the booth, chatting as they went.
Lin Dong escorted Zhou Zhengye out of the main hall before returning the same way. On the empty fifth floor, only Ma Chun was left.
Ma Chun eagerly approached Lin Dong. “Shopkeeper, why do you suddenly not want to join the merchant guild?”
“With Emperor Qianwei as my strong backing, why join the merchant guild?” Lin Dong retorted.
Ma Chun was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile. “The shopkeeper is wise. What should we do next?”
“Frame the inscription properly and don’t rush to release it. Wait until the Spirit Stone Fan is introduced, and once the initial excitement has faded, then bring it out. By the way, for the common dishes that are our Lin’s Inn’s specialty, we can lower the prices a bit.”
Ma Chun thought it over and nodded slowly. It was still the old plan—to gradually highlight the inn’s advantages. Only in this way could their strengths be fully utilized. Although the emperor Qianwei’s inscription would surely shock the capital and ensure good business for the inn, the emperor was already in his seventies and would eventually join his predecessors. The customers attracted by the inscription wouldn’t truly become regulars; it was better to steadily use various advantages to keep them at Lin’s Inn. With just one or two years, even if all the top restaurants in the Great Han Kingdom were in the capital, Lin’s Inn’s solid strengths would still allow it to cultivate a group of regular customers.
“What about… the emperor Qianwei?”
“I need to go to the inner city. You find a way to bring the Rainbow Bed over, then tell the emperor Qianwei that my master has developed a new spiritual medicine. When used together with the spiritual array on the Rainbow Bed, it has miraculous effects for maintaining health. As for just how effective it is, he’ll understand after trying it,” Lin Dong said slowly. “As for what kind of spiritual medicine to use, you decide! Mix several kinds of spiritual ingredients together—so long as it doesn’t kill anyone, the more complicated, the better. It’s best to include something like Blue-Green Fruits, so the emperor won’t take it back to Tianwei Pavilion to analyze. Once it’s prepared, just tell me its name.”
“Owner, I remember you always said it was recluses and talents who stayed at our inn,” Ma Chun reminded him.
“The past is the past. We were able to invite even the grand tutor and dared to provoke princes. Plus, the emperor Qianwei already suffers from severe insomnia. Since we’ve come all this way to Tianwei Pavilion’s headquarters, they’ll surely send someone to investigate.”
Lin Dong explained, “By then, with the rapid development of Lin’s Inn, things like the Spirit Stone Fan, VIP cards… all kinds of information will end up on Emperor Qianwei’s desk. If we don’t show some strength, not to mention the life-prolonging effect of the Colorful Bed, even just its ability to cure insomnia might make Emperor Qianwei risk offending a peak-level powerhouse by trying to seize it. Moreover, the Spirit Stone Fan and Spirit Stone Heater are treasures that cannot be exchanged for even mountains of gold and silver. If we can force him to reveal the method of making VIP cards, it could even be spread among the army. Whether it poses a threat or a benefit to the imperial court, Emperor Qianwei might still take the risk of acting. A mysterious peak-level powerhouse master has far greater deterrence than just another peak-level powerhouse who happens to pass by and take a liking to Lin’s Inn.”
“How then did the innkeeper still reveal the life-prolonging effect?” Ma Chun was still puzzled.
“Anyway, there are many things that catch Emperor Qianwei’s attention, so one more won’t matter. Besides, the life-prolonging effect has to be revealed anyway.” Lin Dong organized his thoughts and continued, “Firstly, the longer Emperor Qianwei lives, the longer the value of the inscribed item will last. Secondly, Yang Shun, as our informant, will have time to plan how to protect his life. Lastly, a mysterious peak-level powerhouse master who can set up numerous spirit arrays and craft life-prolonging pills has even greater deterrence. For Emperor Qianwei, unless he’s 100% sure, there’s no need for him to risk losing everything by attacking Lin’s Inn. After all, the Colorful Bed can be seized, but the recipe for those life-prolonging pills cannot. Even if he manages to get it, it would only make things easier for him, while the real benefits would go to his descendants. If he fails, he’ll have wasted the chance to prolong his life by a year or two.”
Ma Chun nodded, thought for a moment, and couldn’t help but speak up, “Innkeeper, Yang Shun doesn’t have a good reputation among the common people. Moreover, Eunuch Supervisor Jiang is already at his wits’ end and plans to hand over the eunuch faction to him. Once Yang Shun takes control of the eunuch faction, he’s likely to replace Jiang as the most despised eunuch in the Great Han Kingdom right away.”
“We must save him. As for the rest, we’ll see. There’s no need to worry about damaging the inn’s reputation. With proper planning, as long as no evidence is found, Yang Shun definitely won’t come forward and claim that Lin’s Inn saved him.” Lin Dong shook his head. Given the help Yang Shun brought to Lin’s Inn, he couldn’t just stand by.
Ma Chun nodded helplessly.
“As for the other matters, you handle them. I’m going back to my room to cultivate. Later, prepare some food and drinks and find someone to take me to the roof.”
After giving a call to ensure Ma Chun was unharmed and had no doubts, Lin Dong quickly descended to the first floor and then turned into the front yard. After passing through the archway, he glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, instantly sped up, turning into a swift shadow as he rushed toward the door.
After practicing in the room for about two hours and feeling that Zhou Zhengye should have arrived in the inner city by now, Lin Dong opened the door. He leaped onto the roof, put the food covered with a cloth into the mobile counter, and swiftly flew from one roof to another.
In just a few breaths, Lin Dong reached the walls of the inner city. Extending his mind outward, he tried to investigate the distribution of the guards inside but found that Zhou Zhengye was riding a horse along the main road at a speed slightly faster than that of a carriage.
Lin Dong immediately climbed over the wall and chased after Zhou Zhengye.
Upon arriving at Zhou’s residence and seeing Fu Chunjian, who had turned gray-haired after two years apart, Lin Dong felt emotional. People who dedicated themselves wholeheartedly without seeking fame or profit—such was probably Fu Chunjian. He admitted he couldn’t reach such a level of integrity.
After some pleasantries, Fu Chunjian clearly had much to say about Lin Dong’s arrival. The food was served, and they talked while eating. Fu Chunjian asked about Tian Hao’s training, Lin Shuang’s studies, and the business of Lin’s Inn. Then he shared his experiences over the past two years and the insights he had gained from governance. They talked for over an hour before it was Zhou Zhengye’s turn to complain.
Fu Chunjian and Zhou Zhengye were friends from Lin Dong’s early days of success. So, aside from being mindful of time when he arrived, he didn’t worry about anything else after sitting down at the table. He stayed with them, chatting until late at night as they navigated the treacherous waters of the capital.
Throughout the night, Lin Dong several times wanted to reveal his relationship with Yang Shun but hesitated and ultimately didn’t say anything. Although both Fu Chunjian and Zhou Zhengye were used to a life of scheming and deception, their inherent integrity only grew stronger. Letting Yang Shun keep an eye on Zhou Zhengye would give them a sense of comfort, ensuring they weren’t completely isolated in the court. However, there were also risks. Given Yang Shun’s reputation, even if Zhou Zhengye was willing to have such a powerful ally, he might show mixed feelings of disgust and closeness upon meeting, potentially revealing their secret.
Rejecting Zhou Zhengye’s offer to take him back to the inn, Lin Dong rushed back to the inn along the same route he had taken.
In the back yard, Ma Chun had been waiting all night.
“Owner, in the evening, Yang Shun took the time to visit me.”
“How to put it?” Lin Dong’s heart beat a little faster. Although his confidence that the Emperor Qianwei wouldn’t take action against him in the near future had increased after learning about Yan Shou, the emperor’s intentions were unpredictable, and not everyone could understand them.
“It says that as soon as we left the private room, the Emperor Qianwei ordered someone to investigate Lin’s Inn in detail,” Ma Chun said.
“What about after revealing the effect of Yan Shou?” Lin Dong pressed.
“He asked the guards many questions about spirit arrays and spirit pills, then pondered alone for a while without making any arrangements. Before nightfall, he returned to the Tianzi Room to try out the seven-color bed.”
Lin Dong frowned and asked, “What did Yang Shun think?”
Ma Chun recalled and replied, “Yang Shun said the Emperor Qianwei must be hesitant, unsure of what to do. From his understanding of the emperor, whenever faced with indecision, unless it was absolutely necessary, he would most likely put it aside temporarily and wait for other developments before making a decision.”
Lin Dong let out a long sigh. Yang Shun had been by the Emperor Qianwei’s side for so many years, mostly in private, so he undoubtedly understood the emperor’s temperament very well. By bringing in the Emperor Qianwei to resolve the issue of joining the guild, along with Yang Shun’s analysis and his own, Lin Dong was 80-90% confident that he had made the right move this time. The Emperor Qianwei was likely to choose to take a gamble in the next one or two months, when time was running out.