Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 105 You have already chosen your own death!
"Such a wondrous thing exists in this world!"

Two old men, a group of famous scholars, entertainers with renowned performers, maids, servants, and a madam.

All eyes were on the full-length mirror.

Looking at their own inner selves and those around them, who seemed to have recovered, they were all greatly amazed.

“This item,” Ruan Dacheng stroked his beard, “should be called a rare and precious treasure.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Undoubtedly a rare and precious treasure.

"Even the Portuguese in Macau don't have such a large mirror."

Qian Qianyi was still showing off his past experience of buying Francois mirrors, saying, "The biggest one they had was only slightly larger than Zihou's box mirror."

One year, a scholar in his thirties came forward to observe it and exclaimed, "We all have bronze mirrors at home."

"But no matter how smoothly a bronze mirror is polished, it cannot reflect such light and shadow."

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

Mirrors were originally created by reflecting the image of rivers and lakes.

Later, it was water in a basin and polishing stones.

The craftsmanship progressed to polishing bronze mirrors, which was roughly the limit of the handcrafted era.

After that, you'll need to learn about physics and chemistry.

"Brother Zihou."

The scholar bowed to Lin Dao and said, "This item is destined for me; just name your price."

"Fang Mizhi!"

Once everyone came to their senses, someone immediately laughed and scolded, "How shameless!"

Such a wonderful thing, I want it as soon as I see it.

Everyone shared the same thought and expressed their willingness to let Lin Dao name his price.

As for the renowned martial arts masters accompanying him, their eyes sparkled with smiles, and their gazes toward Lin Dao were filled with light.

Only the young man whose seat had been taken by Lin Dao sat there with a sullen face, drinking his wine in silence.

A companion patted his arm and said, "Brother Pijiang, there's no need for that. He's just a barbarian merchant doing business in the foreign markets."

Even the most down-on-his-luck scholar still exudes a sense of superiority over those from other social classes.

He smiled but didn't say anything, though he was increasingly dissatisfied.

'I, the dignified Young Master Mao Xiang, have been humiliated by a barbarian merchant!'

Feeling the enthusiasm of the crowd, Lin Dao nodded in satisfaction.

These full-length mirrors are so popular, it seems like we should stock up on more in the future.

However, scarcity drives up prices, so it's still necessary to control the quantity to prevent a sharp drop in prices.

"It's not urgent."

Lin Dao gestured, "There are many other things, we'll talk about them after we've seen them."

Qian Qianyi and others were all prestigious and influential, and even though they greatly admired the mirror, they could only endure it for the time being.

Everyone had different thoughts.

Qian Qianyi and Ruan Dacheng shared almost the same idea.

'Send him to the palace!'

The thoughts of these famous scholars were all different.

Some people want to take it home as a family heirloom.

Some wanted to use it as a gift to curry favor with the powerful and influential.

There was also the thought of giving it to a close female friend, so she could enjoy its fragrance.

As for the masters, no one was keeping a facade anymore; their eyes were all darting around Lin Dao with a hooking gaze.

Dong Xiaowan personally poured wine for Lin Dao from the wine pot, her smile subtle and understated, as pure as a chrysanthemum.

Upon witnessing this scene, Mao Xiang's expression grew even more somber.

He had been furious about Chen Yuanyuan's disappearance for the past two days.

Dong Xiaowan, who was treated as a backup option, actually...
You should know that it was Dong Xiaowan who invited him to bring his friends to support her!
What are you doing right now, the one in charge?
Lin Dao took out a glass and placed it on the table.

The crystal-clear glass is very beautiful.

However, its stunning effect is clearly not as great as that of the standing mirror.

Lin Dao glanced at everyone's expressions and smiled, "So, it seems the Franks also sell these things?"

"Haha~"

Ruan Dacheng laughed and said, "Zihou is absolutely right. I've bought a few for my own family too."

"However, there aren't many Frankish goods. If Zihou opens a shop to sell them, at one or two taels of silver each, he won't have to worry about finding buyers."

Lin Dao nodded, indicating that he understood.

Then they took out glass teaware, including a glass teapot, teacups, bowls, saucers, and wine glasses.

"The design is unique and very beautiful."

"This item is more valuable when sold as a set."

"Those who enjoy the art of tea should definitely get one."

"It's just right for drinking."

In the late Ming Dynasty, the seeds of capitalism had already sprouted in the Jiangnan region.

Even scholars would not be ashamed to discuss business during a discussion.

Of course, this is all done in private; on the surface, the Confucian rule of not discussing business is still maintained.

Lin Dao understood the expressions on the faces of the audience.

These things don't look like they'll fetch much money.

The last glass item was the kerosene lamp.

"A Western glass lamp?" The scholar who first suggested buying a standing mirror chimed in, "This item is quite valuable; two hundred taels is an understatement."

Indeed, to put it mildly, the glass lamps in Dream of the Red Chamber were worth 450 taels each.

"Below is wisdom, the character is secret."

The scholar jokingly remarked, "Brother Zihou, this Western glass lamp shines very brightly at night."

"Since Brother Zihou's shop is opening, I will naturally buy some items to hang at home."

He's quite outgoing.

And he's a rich playboy.

If I see something I like, I immediately say I want to buy it.

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Lin Dao had an estimate of the selling price and demand for these glass products.

Next, he took out two bottles of red wine.

"Eh~~~"

Upon seeing the red wine, a certain scholar exclaimed in surprise, "I saw this glass-bottled wine at Baihualou a couple of days ago."

Lin Dao's mind stirred slightly. "Exactly the same?"

The scholar stepped forward and examined him carefully.

He nodded vigorously, "That's right, exactly the same."

"My name is Chen Zhenhui, courtesy name Dingsheng. I have met you, Brother Zihou."

“Young Master Chen,” Lin Dao said thoughtfully, “I lost several cases of liquor in the city a few days ago.”

"Ha~" Chen Zhenhui clapped her hands with a laugh, "Then it matches up."

"I heard about it when I was at Baihualou a couple of days ago."

"Master Wang of Baiweitang had a sedan chair bearer who sold bottled wine of unknown origin."

“When Master Wang reported it to the authorities, Miki still insisted that he had found it on the street and had never seen the owner.”

"Because there was no owner, the matter was handled hastily."

Lin Dao chuckled lightly, "Just a quick fix? How did my wine end up at Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"

"Brother Zihou," Chen Zhenhui said with a hint of helplessness, "the Baihua Tower leads to Yingtian Prefecture."

"I'm afraid we can't get those drinks back from you."

It's not just that it can't be recovered; Chen Zhenhui even had a drink at Baihualou just two days ago.

The drinks were all gone, and the glass bottles were collected by different people. Where can you find them now?

"Zihou".

Ruan Dacheng offered a conciliatory remark: "I still have some influence in Yingtian Prefecture."

"Send a document to those sedan chair bearers and servants and teach them a lesson, to avenge you, how about that?"

Everyone knows they can't get their things back.

Then I'll just have to take it out on other people.

In any era, the least valued group is always people.

Lin Dao shook his head. "No need for that trouble."

Indeed, it doesn't require any trouble.

After he raised his troops, he captured Jinling City.

Then we'll tear down Yingtianfu!

You dare to steal my goods?
You like drinking, right? I'll soak you in a barrel of liquor and let you drink your fill.

Leaving that aside, Lin Dao took out a corkscrew and opened the wine bottle.

With a "pop!" the cork was pulled out.

"Oh~~~"

Chen Zhenhui, who was standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "So this is how you open a wine bottle!"

"Huh?" Lin Dao asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Chen Zhenhui joked, "Back then at Baihualou, no one knew how to remove the cork."

"In the end, they had to call in a craftsman, who used a chisel to pierce the wooden plug."

"When I drink it, there's always a smell of sawdust."

Bottle openers won't be invented for decades.

Before this, Europeans usually opened wine bottles by quickly breaking the neck.

Lin Dao smiled but didn't say anything, and handed the bottle to Dong Xiaowan beside him.

At this point, Dong Xiaowan stopped putting on airs.

With a charming smile, she poured drinks for everyone alongside her best friend.

Two bottles of wine, three tables of people, sharing them with the glass wine glasses Lin Dao brought out, but not enough for each person to have a glass.

"It tastes great!"

"Soft, sweet, and delicious."

"Ancient grape wine must have been like this."

"A bittersweet flavor, a lingering sweetness, and an irresistible aroma~"

Lin Dao suppressed a laugh as he watched the scholars squinting their eyes and nodding their heads as they savored the wine.

Industrially bottled, it only costs a dozen yuan a bottle, you guys really know how to drink.

"Young master," Dong Xiaowan asked timidly, her eyes darting around, "why won't you drink?"

Lin Dao glanced at her and said, "There's plenty at home, I'm tired of drinking it."

His attitude was somewhat distant, unlike the flattery and fawning of other young masters and scholars.

But Dong Xiaowan didn't care.

She glanced discreetly at the full-length mirror, then smiled sweetly and picked up a piece of diced white chicken.

"These are dishes I made myself."

Lin Dao took a bite, and surprisingly, it tasted quite good.

He glanced at her slender, delicate hands and thought, "She does cook very well."

Dong Xiaowan was a skilled cook and was one of the ten most famous chefs in history and one of the six most beautiful chefs.

This is a unique approach, starting with winning a man's heart through his stomach.

Lin Dao then opened the other bottles of wine as well.

They have high-proof liquor, sweet sparkling wine, and pale yellow beer.

The reaction to baijiu (Chinese liquor) is generally average.

This era has existed for a long time, but not many people like it.

Beer is doing well, even more popular than spirits.

The most popular, however, is sparkling wine.

The women all raved about the sweet taste.

The scholars then used the foam as a topic of conversation, and one even composed a poem on the spot, which drew praise from the crowd.

Lin Dao also expressed his admiration.

These Confucian scholars may not be good at other things, but they are definitely masters at composing poems and couplets.

At least Lin Dao couldn't have written a line like "Waves rise and foam swirls and vanishes, time has always been like a bubble."

Seeing the scholars eager to compete in composing poems, Lin Dao unpacked the pearls and took them out.

"The grains are plump and glossy."

The scholars held up the pearls and exclaimed, "These are all top-quality pearls!"

As for the renowned performers, their beautiful eyes shone brightly, and they clutched their chests, breathing rapidly.

Jewelry, the original meaning of "zhu" refers to pearls.

The fact that pearls were still considered precious in ancient times demonstrates their high value.

The box of pearls that Lin Dao took out was, in the eyes of the group of masters, comparable to a fairy maiden of later generations encountering a high-end luxury brand.

Just as they were talking and laughing, a commotion arose outside the pleasure boat.

Before long, a group of fierce-looking thugs barged in.

"Dong Xiaowan!" Upon seeing Dong Xiaowan, the leader immediately sneered, "You're quite good at hiding, daring to run away even during the imperial concubine selection?"

Dong Xiaowan turned pale with fright and instinctively moved closer to Lin Dao.

Qian Qianyi, who was about to get angry, also fell silent.

"He is a servant of Tian Guozhang."

"Huh?" The servant, upon seeing the standing mirror, was overjoyed. "A good thing, a really good thing!"

"Hahaha~~~"

The servant laughed heartily, "Such a fine thing should naturally be offered to my master."

Lin Dao frowned and stared at Tian Pu, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

‘You have a way to die! ’

(End of this chapter)