Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 106 You're showing no respect for the Emperor's father-in-law!
"I am Qian Qianyi."

"I am Ruan Dacheng."

The two old men stood up. "Are you two trying to openly rob us?"

"Do you even have any regard for the laws of the Ming Dynasty?!"

Emperor Tian sent his powerful servants to Jiangnan to arrest people under the pretext of selecting imperial concubines.

Ostensibly, it was to present beauties to the emperor, so Qian Qianyi and his associates couldn't say much.

But if you want to snatch a full-length mirror, that's not allowed.

The Jiangnan region still maintains order.

Robbing in broad daylight is unacceptable, not even if Tian Guozhang himself came, let alone his powerful servants.

There are plenty of people who are willing to stand on high ground and criticize him.

"Who do we have here?" the arrogant servant said. "So it's just two people who were expelled from the court."

The saying goes, "Don't hit someone in the face," which means to expose someone's shortcomings to their face.

Qian Qianyi was so angry that his beard trembled.

Ruan Dacheng, on the other hand, had a cold, sinister look in his eyes, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

"Tian Gui, shut up!"

From among the thugs, another servant stepped forward and bowed to Qian Qianyi and his companion, saying, "I am Tian Bao, and I am here on the orders of my master to carry out my duties."

"I did not mean to offend you two."

This Tianbao is clearly much more sensible.

Although the two old men in front of me have been expelled from the court, they still wield considerable influence.

Arranging for the censors to submit memorials was a piece of cake.

The master will be fine, but the servants will be in trouble.

"May I ask."

Tian Bao stared at the standing mirror, his eyes filled with greed. "Who owns this extraordinary treasure?"

"My things."

Lin Dao stood up and looked down at Tian Bao, saying, "Stay away."

“We’ll take this.” Tian Gui jumped out from the side. “It’s packed, let’s take it.”

"No."

Lin Dao shook his head. "I don't sell my goods to servants."

He had his own rules for raising funds in the late Ming Dynasty: he only swindled nobles, gentry, and officials from the imperial family.

Tian Gui paused, then his face turned fierce. "What did you say?"

“You said it yourselves.” Lin Dao rubbed his fingers together. “You are servants, and servants have no right to buy my goods.”

Laughter erupted all around.

"Your Excellency has quite the arrogance." Tian Bao raised his hand to stop Tian Gui from resorting to violence. "This shows a complete disregard for the Emperor's father-in-law!"

"I remember."

Lin Dao frowned. "The current emperor's father-in-law's surname is Zhou."

"Can the father of a concubine be called the emperor's father-in-law?"

According to the established rites, only the father of the empress could be called the "father-in-law of the emperor."

Even the imperial concubines in the palace, even those with the title of "Noble Consort," were still essentially just concubines.

According to the rules of etiquette, Tian Guifei's father, Tian Hongyu, was not qualified to be called the emperor's father-in-law.

"How dare you!" Tian Gui roared. "You're asking for trouble!"

Because Consort Tian Xiuying was favored and gave birth to a prince.

The Tian family, taking advantage of their power, have always been arrogant and disdainful of others.

Now that someone had actually said such things to their faces, all of Tian's powerful servants were furious.

"enough!"

Qian Qianyi slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone.

"I am hosting a banquet today, and you all dare to steal and plunder, and now you even intend to commit violence?"

"Don't you think that the laws of the Ming Dynasty don't apply to you?"

"In that case, I ask my fellow villagers and friends to impeach you!"

Qian Qianyi did not want to stand out; offending the maternal relatives would not benefit him.

But not today, and we absolutely cannot involve Lin Dao.

He saw the goods Lin Dao had brought out and was very interested in what Lin Dao said about earning millions and donating them to the emperor in order to gain a chance to be reinstated.

The servants of the Tian family were threatening Lin Dao and his goods, which was tantamount to jeopardizing Qian Qianyi's chance to regain power.

This was unacceptable to Qian Qianyi, who was obsessed with officialdom.

After catching his breath, Qian Qianyi added a meaningful remark.

"You should now perform good deeds and pray for Consort Tian's well-being~~~"

He said this against the backdrop of Consort Tian Xiuying's poor health; according to her friends in the Imperial Hospital, she wouldn't last much longer.

With the loss of Consort Tian, ​​the Tian family's power will inevitably plummet.

This is why Tian Guozhang hurriedly dispatched his servants to Jiangnan to search for beauties.

The Tian family wanted to find an exceptionally beautiful woman to send to the palace to replace the increasingly ailing Consort Tian, ​​in order to maintain their family's favor and power.

Tian Bao is a smart man.

He gave Lin Dao, whose face remained calm, a deep look, and then gave Qian Qianyi, who was furious.

After bowing, he said, "We were impetuous."

"What happened today," Tian Bao said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at Lin Dao, "will surely have an explanation later!"

The meaning is very simple.

Today, out of respect for Qian Qianyi, we can temporarily set aside the matter of you offending the Tian family.

But you can't stay by Qian Qianyi's side forever.

When the opportunity arises in the future, we will show you our methods!
Lin Dao raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways, a smile playing on his lips.

'In the future?'

'You have no future.'

'I'm the kind of person who doesn't let revenge linger overnight!'

"Dong Bai," Tian Bao called to Dong Xiaowan, "come with us."

Dong Xiaowan was terrified.

She turned her pleading gaze to Mao Xiang, one of the four young masters.

Not only was Mao Xiang furious tonight, but he was also disgusted by Dong Xiaowan's previous flattery of Lin Dao.

Pretending not to see, he picked up his glass and drank by himself.

The others also subconsciously looked away.

There was nothing they could do; those were the family of the emperor's favorite concubine, and they dared not offend them.

Lin Dao raised an eyebrow, about to speak. But Ruan Dacheng slammed his hand on the table. "Today, Brother Shouzhi is hosting a banquet. Anyone who causes trouble is disrespecting us."

"You won't be able to take a single person from the pleasure boat today!"

Those familiar with Ruan Dacheng were all greatly surprised.

They knew that this person was not a kind-hearted one.

The reason for this change naturally lies with Lin Dao.

Compared to Qian Qianyi, Ruan Dacheng was more obsessed with officialdom.

Upon learning that Lin Dao and Qian Qianyi were planning to restore the dynasty, his heart felt like it was being scratched by cat claws, and he was almost driven mad with anxiety.

It's clear from observing his words and expressions that Lin Dao is in charge of this matter.

If that's the case, then things are simple; just accept it.

Lin Dao got into a conflict with the Tian family's servants, and it wasn't difficult for him to stand up for them.

As for revenge from his maternal relatives, he's already been dismissed from his post, why would he care about that?
The servants of the Tian family all looked very unpleasant.

Today has been a day of absolutely nothing going right.

They can indeed act arrogantly, even when facing local officials, they have plenty of confidence.

After all, they were relatives of the emperor, so local officials had to give them face.

Unfortunately, both Qian Qianyi and Ruan Dacheng were dismissed from their posts, and they were local leaders of the literati.

Since they held no official positions, they were not afraid of relatives of the emperor.

They also control public opinion; if things escalate and reach the censors, it will only cause trouble for their own masters.

"well."

Tian Bao suppressed his anger, his face turning red.

His gaze was sinister. After sweeping over everyone, it landed on Lin Dao. "We'll meet again someday!"

Lin Dao nodded. "Okay."

The group of servants left the pleasure boat in a huff.

The gathering in the cabin was also disrupted by the unexpected turn of events, and could not continue.

"Zihou".

Qian Qianyi said, "Come to my residence in a few days."

If the relationship isn't strong enough, or there's no significant connection of interest, it's practically impossible to get someone to come to your door.

It was obvious that he was very interested in the imported goods that Lin Dao had brought out, and he officially decided to qualify him.

It's not about investing money, but about lending him my background.

After comforting Dong Xiaowan for a few moments, Qian Qianyi left first.

"Zihou".

Ruan Dacheng stepped forward with a smile, saying, "I still have some influence in this city of Jinling."

"If you need any help, you can send someone with a visiting card."

Seeing an opportunity for Qifu, he took the initiative to approach, wanting to get a share of the pie.

Lin Dao did not treat the other party differently because of his infamy in historical records.

On the contrary, he chatted with him in a friendly manner for a few minutes.

These local strongmen are exactly what we need to help with connections, using industrial silver to recycle high-value goods.

After the two main figures left, Lin Dao looked around and walked towards the madam.

"I'm sorry to bother you with these things for now; please store them here."

It was originally meant to be taken back to the warehouse.

But he has errands to run tonight, so he'll leave it here for now.

The madam was overjoyed and readily agreed.

These rare treasures, placed in their pleasure boat, would surely attract the attention of many famous and powerful figures.

Chen Zhenhui, Fang Yizhi and others stepped forward and said a few words.

A few simple pleasantries, plus a promise to definitely come and support the opening.

After Lin Dao left, Mao Xiang, who hadn't said much throughout the entire event, got up and sat down next to Dong Xiaowan, wanting to offer a few words of comfort.

"Young Master Pijiang, I am tired today."

With a slightly cold expression, Dong Xiaowan still remembered how ruthless and indifferent this person was when she was lost and helpless and sought his help.

'Wanfang (Chen Yuanyuan) must be blind! How could she have fallen for this man!'

Dong Xiaowan stood up, her eyes shining as she looked at the full-length mirror.

"Cui Liu, move this mirror into my room!"

Suddenly, dark clouds drifted into the night sky.

Fine raindrops fell gently, like silver threads dancing and weaving in the air before finally settling on the earth.

The pedestrians on the street had long since dispersed, leaving only the sedan chair bearers and their attendants, waiting for their masters in the bitter wind and rain.

Arriving at the wooded path on the street, I looked around and my gaze suddenly sharpened in the dim light.

He rolled up his sleeves and strode into the dimly lit alley.

Before long, slightly hurried footsteps followed into the alley.

The person opened their eyes wide and asked, "Where is everyone?"

A dark, rod-like object extended from one side and pressed against his waist.

'Zzzzz~~~'

A flash of electricity caused the person to tremble and stiffen instantly.

His face turned pale instantly, his heart raced and his breathing became rapid, and he fell straight to the ground.

Lin Dao squatted down and looked down at the person. "Where do you live?"

The one who was following him was one of the former servants of the Tian family.

At this moment, Hao Nu was incontinent, his trembling eyes staring at Lin Dao as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lin Dao extended the stun gun in his hand and pressed it against his waist again.

'Zzzzz~~~'

Having finally recovered a little, Hao Nu replied tremblingly, "We all live at the residence of Yao Dongjia of Ruyi Zhai."

In the late Ming Dynasty, a popular practice was to "donate" one's property and family assets to a powerful person.

Even a mere scholar could accept donations.

Then there are merchants who offer gifts in order to find a powerful patron.

After all, in the late Ming Dynasty, merchants without powerful backers were the most delicious lambs in the eyes of various forces.

Lin Dao put away the stun gun and placed his hand on Hao Nu's shoulder.

As if sensing danger, Hao Nu trembled and pleaded.

"Spare me~~~"

The next moment, Lin Dao carried him through time!
(End of this chapter)