Chapter 514: Success in Building Courage

“Someone, whoever captures Hu Changyong will be rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver!”
As Hu Changyong drew closer and no one around to stop him, Zhang Yuquan’s composure began to fade. On his distorted face, traces of panic could still be discerned.
“One million taels of silver! Whoever captures Hu Changyong will receive one million taels!”
Zhang Yuquan shouted angrily, “Hu Changyong, how dare you! Do you know what a grave crime it is to rebel?”
“I… I know…”
Hu Changyong raised the laundry stick in his hand, trembling.
“If you know, why still dare to do this? Hurry up and disperse those rebels! Once I return, I will surely report your efforts in quelling the rebellion,” Zhang Yuquan urged urgently.
“Quell the rebellion? You say quell the rebellion?”
If Zhang Yuquan had promised that capturing Hu Changyong would spare everyone’s lives, Hu Changyong might still have hesitated. But the words “quell the rebellion” firmly resolved him. He swung the laundry stick violently at Zhang Yuquan’s leg.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, Zhang Yuquan let out a sharp cry of pain as his left leg collapsed—clear signs of a fracture.
But Hu Changyong didn’t stop there. Gritting his teeth, he raised the stick again and smashed it hard against Zhang Yuquan’s other leg.
Terrifying screams filled the air. It was Hu Changyong’s first time hitting someone. After initial hesitation, he grew bolder, swinging the stick faster and faster.
“Someone’s being killed! Help!” As Zhang Yuquan was too in pain to speak, Xin Yuehong’s shrill cries rang out again.
“You little vixen! Daring to make this official serve you!”
Hu Changyong spoke fluently now, his hand steady and heart calm. With a graceful swing of his right arm, he struck Xin Yuehong in the head with the laundry stick, sending her flying.
Cheers echoed everywhere. Even Yun Lan couldn’t help but smile at that strike.
The laundry stick grew increasingly bloodstained until it was completely covered. Only then did Hu Changyong stop, panting heavily. He threw the stick on the ground and stepped heavily on the already unconscious Zhang Yuquan. Turning to the chief constable who had arrived, he declared firmly, “Chief Constable Wang, put them in the prison cart. I’ll take them to the county town to atone for their crimes.”
“Sir, this has nothing to do with you. We’ll be the ones to atone.”
“Yes! Sir, please go back. Leave this to us. We guarantee it won’t affect you.”
Immediately, voices rose from all sides.

“Captain Wang, do as this official says!” Hu Changyong was resolute. By beating Zhang Yuquan into this state, he wanted to ensure solid evidence that he had done it himself. Now that Zhang Yuquan was completely disabled, his crime was no less serious than killing an official. If pursued, it would even warrant the extermination of his entire family. But for him, it was different—he was also an official appointed by the court, so it could be considered an internal dispute. Although beating a superior official and causing disability was a serious crime, it wouldn’t affect his wife, children, or family. In his view, with Zhang Yuquan disabled, he was no longer of any value—neither would the people of Chengfeng County stand up for him, nor would he cause trouble there again. The only cost was him suffering alone, which would be the best outcome.

When Captain Wang hesitated, Lin Dong smiled, took out a golden plaque, and threw it at Hu Changyong, reminding him, “Lord Hu, failing to catch it properly would be considered an insult to imperial authority.”

Confused, Hu Changyong reached out to catch the golden plaque. Upon looking down at the four characters “As if the Emperor were here,” he was so frightened that he knelt down immediately.

“Lord Hu, this imperial plaque now belongs to you. There are verification rituals and transfer documents behind it, and the capital will handle everything for you,” Lin Dong explained.

“For me?” Hu Changyong was stunned. What was going on? A small county suddenly had an imperial plaque? This was truly an imperial plaque.

“With this plaque, I think Lord Hu won’t have to worry about beating a prefect anymore, right?” Lin Dong asked.

“You… you…” Hu Changyong glanced at the ritual array on the back of the plaque and looked at Lin Dong with deep reverence, unable to speak further. No one other than Emperor Qianwei could casually give someone an imperial plaque. And the person before him seemed even too young to be an emperor.

“I am Lin Dong, the manager of Lin’s Inn. Lord Hu, please remember to visit our Lin’s Inn whenever you have time,” Lin Dong seized the opportunity to promote his inn. He believed that once these words were spoken, Lin’s Inn in Chengfeng County would surely thrive.

“The manager of Lin’s Inn?” Hu Changyong couldn’t help but look at Jiang Wei, who had just squeezed into the crowd to watch.

“Our Lin’s Inn is the best in the capital. Even Emperor Qianwei and Prince Qingliu visit every other day. The imperial plaque was given to our manager by Prince Qingliu. Lord Hu, you can use it without worry,” Jiang Wei also seized the chance to promote Lin’s Inn, saying loudly with a smile, “Besides, our Lin’s Inn will soon be open throughout the Great Han Empire. When Lord Hu is promoted to prefect, don’t forget to support our Lin’s Inn in the prefecture city.”

“Promoted to prefect?” Hu Changyong was completely bewildered.

“Lord Hu has captured that corrupt official who tried to incite the people to rebel, and this official even held a high position in the government. With such a trump card in hand, who would dare prevent you from taking over that position?” Lin Dong said with a smile.
“Exactly! This is a great achievement. Who would dare not let Lord Hu become the governor? We’d even go to the county office or the capital if necessary.”
“Lord Hu, please remember to choose Kuangtong Prefecture as your governor’s seat—don’t go anywhere else.”
“That’s right. I’ll be the governor of Kuangtong Prefecture, or I can also serve as the county magistrate of Hengyu County.”
With a loud noise, the whole street became bustling with excitement. Everyone was thrilled that Hu Changyong would be promoted. Though they were reluctant to part with him, they were all happy for him.
Around Lin Dong and Yun Lan, thanks kept coming one after another. Praise abounded—calling them handsome, outstanding, and commanding presence with just a wave of their hand… Lin Dong wasn’t a saint either; he wanted to enjoy the feeling of being admired by thousands. But it was so intense that he found it a bit overwhelming.
“Let’s go! To Liuyan City.”
As the tide of praise and admiration continued endlessly, Lin Dong quickly urged Yun Lan to leave the crowd. Everyone made way for them. In such a situation, not only Lin Dong but even Yun Lan felt embarrassed.
The two of them were more used to pushing their way through with spiritual energy.
Hu Changyong was completely stunned. He didn’t even realize Lin Dong and the others had left. This happiness came too quickly—so fast that he couldn’t react. It was also too intense; he was even afraid he wouldn’t be able to govern the region properly.
With such a trump card in hand, as long as Emperor Qianwei was alive, everyone in Hengyu County, even the local governors, would have to treat him with respect.
It took some time before Hu Changyong regained his senses. By the time he went to look for Lin Dong, they were already in a small forest outside the city.
“Someone, take Zhang Yuquan and the others to the prison cart and parade them through the streets for three days!”
Hu Changyong’s voice marked the beginning of celebrations. People rushed around spreading the news, and dried vegetables and withered leaves quickly became highly sought-after items in Chengfeng City.
Meanwhile, Lin Dong and Yun Lan, having watched the whole scene, climbed onto a tree branch and then onto the giant body of the Tianpeng Bird, heading toward their next destination.
Day and night without rest, traveling at a speed that covered dozens of counties in just one day, Lin Dong returned to the capital through a new branch of the inn system.
He walked into the main hall and found Ma Chun receiving guests in a private room. After giving an order to a servant, Lin Dong returned to the backyard.
After waiting for a while on the stone bench, Ma Chun rushed in, his face filled with joy.
There was no need to ask—there must be good news. After thinking for a moment, Lin Dong smiled and said, “Are the various restaurants starting to discuss joining forces?”

“The boss is truly wise!” Ma Chun said with a smile. “Just as the boss guessed, seven days ago, Xin Taqi settled his affairs and hanged himself in the restaurant. Five days ago, the King of Qingliu subtly signaled that he would no longer pursue the matter of the princess’s assassination, and he has been frequenting our Lin’s Inn. That same night, the owners of the top restaurants began sending their managers to meet with each other, and now they’re even stepping in personally. Fenglin Restaurant sent a message yesterday—these top restaurant owners have agreed on the general direction, with only the details still to be discussed. If Li Xun were still here, offering his grilled meat along with Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes would surely make them overlook some minor details.”

“Since Li Xun isn’t here, it’s not a big problem. We can introduce bicycles as a substitute. With proper promotion, their effectiveness won’t be much worse than Li Xun’s grilled meat,” Lin Dong said calmly.

“Boss, how do we promote these bicycles?” Ma Chun was puzzled. This invention had only been developed recently—just two circles with a bar across them. With his skills, he could ride them skillfully right away, but others might not be able to.

Moreover, bicycles were slower than carriages, struggled to navigate through crowds, required effort to ride, and offered no protection from wind or rain. The wealthy simply wouldn’t take a interest in them. As for ordinary people who couldn’t afford carriages, their contribution to Lin’s Inn wasn’t significant.

Ma Chun thought that while bicycles might be a good way to earn silver, they weren’t as attractive to the wealthy as items like clocks to boost the inn’s reputation.

“Firstly, it’s good for physical exercise. I’ll ask Yun Lan later if there are any low-tier spiritual materials that are more beneficial when consumed when the body is using too much energy. Eating or drinking such materials after riding a bicycle could help with weight loss, replenishing energy, and beautifying the skin—these could be attractive to the wealthy,” Lin Dong explained. “Secondly, we should get Lin’s Factory to produce a batch of small, luxury bicycles as soon as possible.”

“Small and luxury?” Ma Chun was slightly confused.

“Yes, we can also prepare some larger ones. To be honest, bicycles aren’t completely unattractive to the wealthy. After all, many of their mansions are quite large. With so many family members, using carriages and palanquins is impossible. Having a dozen bicycles would be much more convenient,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Small bicycles are even more attractive because children’s money is easy to make!”

Ma Chun perked up and asked, “So, boss, are you saying we should divide bicycles into different grades and focus on promoting them as beautiful and fun, especially the small ones?”

“Yes, and there are ones for all ages—those under ten, with two small wheels added later; for those under three, a protective frame is added to prevent them from falling. As for the appearance, it can be decorated with gold or silver, or whatever—let Lin Ji’s factory decide.”
“Alright, take care of the rest. I’ll come back in a while.”
Lin Dong stood up. The top restaurants were working together as planned, and his top priority now was to open all the branches.
“By the way, boss! There’s something sent from the Chengfeng County branch.”
Ma Chun suddenly remembered something and took out a huge box, seemingly made of spiritual ore, from his storage ring.
The entire box had no gaps at all—completely airtight.