Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 104 The Peculiar Sight~~~
The Chongzhen era, on the banks of the Qinhuai River.

When Lin Dao, dressed in late Ming Dynasty clothing, appeared in the alley, he was accompanied by a tiger-shaped cart, which was actually a handcart from the warehouse.

He brought a lot of things, so much that he had to use a cart to move them.

Boxes and boxes of all sizes, and a full-length mirror wrapped up neatly.

He pushed the tiger cart out of the alley.

"Master Wang didn't lie to me."

Looking around, all I could see was a bustling scene unlike anything I'd seen during the day.

"The Qinhuai River at night is truly a scene of unparalleled prosperity."

The Qinhuai River flows amidst the dim lights.

The dazzling lights reflected on the river surface, like twinkling stars, making it look like the Milky Way hanging upside down.

The riverside pleasure boats and the shops and houses along the street are covered with all kinds of lanterns.

There are traditional lanterns as well as rare Western glass lamps.

The latter were all suspended on the largest, most beautiful, and brightest of the flower boats.

The streets were teeming with pedestrians, and sedan chair bearers and servants followed closely behind, waiting in front of their respective masters' sedan chairs.

Street performers were running around selling goods, balancing jars on their heads, climbing poles, and performing ventriloquism and dance.

The yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture patrolled back and forth, while beggars along the street hid in dark corners, watching the lone figure.

The vendors came and went, shouting loudly as they sold the food they had in their hands.

The air was filled with the aroma of candied hawthorn, plum blossom cake, duck blood vermicelli soup and other snacks.

The flower boats, large and small, on the river were all decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons, making them as bright as day.

From the open window came cheerful laughter and the aroma of food and wine.

Standing in the crowd, Lin Dao's eyes gleamed.

"Who would believe that this is the Ming Dynasty, which is on the verge of collapse?"

"The northern lands are plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, and war has brought continuous devastation."

"Many people are struggling to survive, forced to eat soil to live."

"Is this really the same country?"

Lin Dao sighed deeply.

If the financial, material, and human resources of the South could be used to support the North, which is suffering from natural disasters and man-made calamities.

Why did the Ming Dynasty have to perish and its people be wiped out?

"A nation may perish, but its people must not be exterminated!"

"Shave heads and change clothes, slaughter millions!"

"I'm here! I can't give Wild Boar Skin that chance!"

Lin Dao took a breath and pushed the tiger cart toward the Mei Xiang Boat moored by the shore.

These first-class large flower boats, moored on the shore, look almost like a building.

At this time, the boat was surrounded by sedan chairs and carriages, with many sedan chair bearers, coachmen, servants and guards gathered around.

As Lin Dao approached, everyone's eyes turned to him.

A group of constables from Yingtian Prefecture, dressed in dark blue robes and wearing half-red, half-black hats, stepped forward, shaking their fire-and-water sticks, iron rulers, and chains.

"Young Master Lin~~~"

The madam of Meixiang Pavilion was waiting outside. When she saw Lin Dao, she greeted him warmly, "You've finally arrived! All the gentlemen and young masters are waiting for you."

The constables turned and left, and the people by the boat also looked away.

"Master or young master?"

Lin Dao asked, puzzled, "Isn't that Mr. Muzhai?"

The madam covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, "It's all because of my troublesome daughter."

"It is said that Young Master Lin came to Jinling to purchase property and needed to make a big splash, so he invited many friends to come and see Young Master Lin's treasures."

Lindau'.'

What you said is easy for people to misunderstand.
Lin Dao pushed the tiger cart to the side of the boat, untied the ropes securing the cargo, and handed over the supplies one by one.

The ship's servants came forward to take it and carried it inside.

"Please, young master~~~"

The madam also wanted to see Lin Dao make a fool of himself.

Quite a few people came today after hearing that their daughters had been humiliated, and they wanted to get revenge.

Even the best treasures will find fault with them.

At that point, business might not even be able to take off.

Just because Lin Dao ignored Dong Xiaowan, she wanted to vent her anger and cause trouble.

Kong, the muscular hunk, once said: "Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with."
The ancients never lied to me.

Stepping inside, the first thing you see is spaciousness.

All the partitions and screens inside the cabin were removed, and the entire space immediately became much larger.

The forest road is estimated to be over 30 meters long and over 10 meters wide.

The cabin was brightly lit, with two rows of expensive Western glass lamps hanging in the air, as well as many candles.

Lighting lamps and burning candles is all about burning money.

The extravagance here is evident from this.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a den of iniquity.

The musicians stayed in a corner, the sounds of string and wind instruments lingering in the air.

The maids also stood aside, waiting to be called upon to serve them.

Inside, three tables were set up for banquets.

Many men and women had already taken their seats, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Zihou has arrived?"

Qian Qianyi, seated at the head of the table, had a flushed face and a slightly trembling beard, clearly having drunk quite a bit.

Upon seeing Lin Dao enter, he greeted him with a smile, "You're a little late."

Lin Dao smiled without saying a word, and walked over under the unanimous gaze of everyone.

He exuded absolute confidence.

What does it matter if there are many people or they have high social status?

I'm still the handsome beggar.

I've dealt with plenty of people like you in Yonghe Time and Space.

“Brother Jizhi.” Qian Qianyi turned to an old man beside him and said with a smile, “This is Lin Dao, Lin Zihou, whom I mentioned before.”

The old man's gaze was tinged with gloom.

This kind of person is born ruthless.

He held his wine glass, his gaze flippant. "Do you hold any official rank or title?"

Lin Dao shook his head. "No."

Soft laughter emanated from several tables simultaneously. The old man's disdain deepened. "I heard you've found the *Qi Lun*?"

"Take it out."

Lin Dao ignored him, stepped forward, and came to Qian Qianyi's right side.

He raised his hand and patted the shoulder of a young man sitting there.

When he looked up at her with a puzzled expression, she calmly said, "Get up."

This person laughed the loudest before.

The young man, not understanding what it meant, instinctively stood up.

Lin Dao raised his hand and pushed him away, then sat down on Qian Qianyi's right.

Only then did everyone realize what this meant.

They're scrambling for seats!

The young man's face flushed red, and his body trembled.

“Mr. Muzhai,” Lin Dao looked directly at Qian Qianyi, “we are cooperating, each getting what we need.”

"Are you putting on such a big show today to intimidate me?"

Qian Qianyi's expression darkened.

Just as he was about to lash out, Lin Dao spoke up, "It seems that Mr. Muzhai has no intention of returning to the court."

The old man to Qian Qianyi's left, who had been staring at Lin Dao who had ignored him, immediately turned to stare at Qian Qianyi upon hearing this.

"Brother Shouzhi, what is the meaning of this?"

Qian Qianyi was somewhat embarrassed.

He finally remembered that Lin Dao had said that he could get a chance to be reinstated by donating money.

It wasn't a one-sided request for his help.

Seeing that Qian Qianyi remained silent, the old man turned to Lin Dao and said, "Young friend Lin, I am Ruan Dacheng."

"What is the meaning of your return to the imperial court?"

Ruan Dacheng was one of the many officials who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

He was once a key figure in the Donglin Party, and his nickname in the "Donglin Generals' Record" is "Unbridled".

However, he later broke with the Donglin Party over the struggle for official positions and joined the "Nine Thousand Years Old" (a high-ranking official).

After the downfall of the eunuch, Ruan Dacheng also suffered misfortune and was dismissed from office as part of the eunuch faction.

After that, he always tried to ease relations with the Donglin Party.

He had close ties with Qian Qianyi, who was also dismissed from office.

Like Qian Qianyi, Ruan Dacheng was also an official-obsessed man who went to great lengths to return to the imperial court.

Hearing Lin Dao's words at this moment was like a dog smelling... ptooey! It was like a bee climbing a pole after finding a flower.

Lin Dao smiled without saying a word, only looking at Qian Qianyi.

“Gather them.” Slightly embarrassed, Qian Qianyi turned his head and whispered, “Too many people will have too much to say. Let’s discuss this later.”

Ruan Dacheng nodded and did not ask any further questions.

However, it is quite obvious that his energy and spirit are completely different from before.

"Cough~~~"

Qian Qianyi sat up straight and looked at the young man standing behind Lin Dao, who was filled with shame and indignation. "Pijiang, sit down first."

The young man whose seat was taken was furious.

But Qian Qianyi's reputation was great enough, and his seniority was deep enough.

He had no choice but to find an empty seat and sit down.

Her small eyes were fixed on Lin Dao, as if she wanted to stab him to death with her gaze.

What a shame!

I must have been bewitched! How could I have actually gotten up like that!

There's really nothing to be surprised about.

Lin Dao had been fighting on the battlefield for a long time, and the murderous aura he inadvertently exuded was enough to intimidate this talkative male protagonist.

Dong Xiaowan, who had been sitting next to the young man, held up a round fan and looked at the person next to her who had changed, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Cough cough~~~"

Qian Qianyi coughed twice again and said with a smile, "Zihou, you said you have rare treasures from overseas and want to sell them in Jinling City."

"Many of the people present today are renowned scholars and beauties. If you have any truly fine items, we will certainly do our best to promote them for you."

"Thank you." Lin Dao smiled. "In that case, please enjoy the appreciation."

He called to the servants at the cabin door, "Bring everything in."

A group of servants carried boxes and chests inside.

Among them, the enormous full-length mirror that was packaged up was the most eye-catching.

Everyone was very curious about what was inside.

The items were piled up not far behind Lin Dao.

He got up, reached out, and took a box.

After opening it, he took out several makeup mirrors from inside and handed them to everyone on the table.

Dong Xiaowan also received a box.

It looks like a cosmetic box, but when you hold it in your hand, it feels strange because it's neither wood nor metal.

"Open it like this." Lin Dao, who was standing to the side, gestured to open the makeup mirror.

Dong Xiaowan exclaimed softly, "This is... a peep show!"

Glass was an important export from Europe to the Ming Dynasty, and mirrors, which had only been invented a few years ago, were also prioritized for supply to the Ming Dynasty.

"The Frankish people in Macau sold some mirrors, which were of high value."

Qian Qianyi was wealthy and willing to spend money. He was knowledgeable and experienced. "Larger mirrors cost hundreds or thousands of taels of silver."

He looked at Dong Xiaowan and said with a smile, "Your master's wife especially likes this item. I bought one for her."

"Zihou's mirror is brighter and more radiant than the Francois's, displaying every detail perfectly. It is indeed a fine piece."

Liu Rushi had already married into a wealthy family, so she naturally wouldn't attend such gatherings on pleasure boats.

Dong Xiaowan's fingers, which were gripping the makeup mirror, had turned slightly white.

She really wanted something so wonderful; she loved it so much, she absolutely adored it.

Lin Dao stood up and opened the packaging of the full-length mirror.

Looking at her own figure clearly reflected in the mirror, Dong Xiaowan's cherry lips parted slightly, and she couldn't stop trembling.

The makeup mirror in her hand also fell to the ground.

'I want it!'

'I want this mirror!'

Even if it means getting my hair combed back!

(End of this chapter)