Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 570 Jia Baoyu: What kind of business can I do?
"Five hundred taels?"

Sun Shaozu spat, "Trying to send a beggar away?"

“Go back and tell your master that Jia Baoyu will not eat from today onwards, and he will only eat again when the money is ready.”

"Commander Sun~" Lai Da wiped the spittle from his face, barely suppressing his anger. "Think carefully, lest you offend the Jia family~"

"Hahahaha~"

Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozu laughed so hard he almost choked.

"The Jia family? You think you're still the same Jia family you used to be?!"

"Your imperial concubine was not among the chaos of the army!"

"Now your family is nothing!"

When Tiewangshan was in action, the nobles and officials raised troops in rebellion.

After an extremely brutal battle, the emperor, empress, and others were ultimately forced to commit suicide.

But before they could enjoy the fruits of their victory, the emperor's pre-arranged ambush was thwarted, and a large number of border troops were finally dispatched to his rescue.

As I said before, the sudden loudspeaker announcement ruined the emperor's previous arrangements.

As the emperor anticipated, there were not many nobles who would actually dare to rebel; most were simply opportunists.

The reinforcements formed by the border troops were originally intended to clean up the mess.

But once the loudspeaker was broadcast, even those who dared not resist had to bite the bullet and launch a desperate attack.

Because the nobles all knew this emperor; he was truly ruthless and showed no mercy when he turned his back on someone.

As a result, the emperor was forcibly eaten and did not even last until noon.

When reinforcements arrived, they launched a fierce attack without hesitation.

The result was that the rebels, who were complacent and enjoying the fruits of their victory, found it difficult to rally together to fight back and were ultimately defeated.

When the reinforcements saw the emperor and empress's corpses, they were immediately paralyzed with fear and almost turned into rebels on the spot.

Fortunately, Prince Chungshun, who had previously escaped a calamity, came out and made empty promises of great benefits, and also promised that the Crown Prince would reward him handsomely.

Only in this way could the morale of the army be stabilized, and the emperor and empress's coffins were escorted back to the capital in haste.

This large-scale rebellion dealt a devastating blow to the Beijing garrison.

The twelve battalions of the Beijing Garrison each sent three-quarters of their men to Tiewang Mountain.

As a result, the fighting between the rebels and the counter-rebellion resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, including those who died from their wounds due to lack of medical care.

The border troops arrived and launched a fierce attack, killing another large number of soldiers.

When the news reached the capital, the retired emperor finally emerged from the pass, leading the imperial guards to join forces with the border troops and blockade all camps.

Those who participated in the rebellion and those who remained behind were all killed.

Those who were opportunistic, including those who stayed behind and those who returned under the watch of the border troops, were all selected one in ten.

As for the families of the nobles and officials in the city who participated in this matter, their homes were confiscated and their entire families were exterminated.

The prison guarded by Sun Shaozu was overcrowded.

Upon hearing the news, Sun Shaozu immediately trembled.

Not only did they arrange for people to greet Jia Baoyu every day, but they also constantly threatened and extorted money from the Rongguo Mansion.

Now, not only have they earned back their initial investment of five thousand taels, but they are also making more and more money.

No money?
They'll torture Jia Baoyu if they don't pay him!
Lai Daqi was furious. In the past, he had relied on the power of the Jia family to act arrogantly and domineeringly, and even dared to call the commanders of the Five Cities Garrison brothers.

It's true what they say now: a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs!

"The household is truly out of money."

"Our assets and supplies are still under mortgage."

"The money I'm giving you is all from the dowry that your wife sold off."

Lin Dao locked up all of the Jia family's assets, and with Jia She guarding them fiercely, no one dared to make a move.

What he didn't touch were the dowries of the ladies.

Because the dowry had nothing to do with the Jia family.

At this point, the only things that could be moved were these dowry items.

"I don't care where you get your money." In high spirits, and with his injuries gradually improving, Sun Shaozu laughed heartily. "If you don't give me money, then I'll arrange for your young master to make some."

"With Jia Baoyu's delicate skin and tender flesh, he must be very popular."

The perversions of scholars in ancient times were beyond imagination; there was nothing they wouldn't do.

Countless people enjoy this taste, and they even have the audacity to call it...
Lai was furious. "Commander Sun, don't forget, she's about to become the Crown Princess, and she's the granddaughter of our Jia family's old lady!"

"And don't forget!" Sun Shaozu grabbed a wine bowl and smashed it. "The one Jia Baoyu poisoned was the Crown Princess!"

The retired emperor stabilized the situation in the capital, but he had no intention of continuing to be emperor.

Under his impetus, the former King of Qin, now the Crown Prince, is accelerating preparations for his ascension to the throne.

Lin Daiyu's position remained unshaken, and even Lin Ruhai was admitted to the cabinet.

After all, most of the civil officials who went to Tiewang Mountain with the emperor were doomed, including several Grand Secretaries.

The civil officials who went with the emperor, those who were loyal to him, were basically all killed by the rebels.

Those who chose to surrender to the rebels were killed by the border troops who came to their aid.

Almost all of them are dead.

The palace was almost entirely wiped out, except for Jia Yuanchun and her maid, whose whereabouts were unknown.

Nobody cared; everyone assumed he had perished in the chaos of battle.

Originally, Lin Daiyu should have been a powerful backer for the Jia family, surpassing even Jia Yuanchun, but now she has become their enemy.

The Jia family's frustration is unimaginable.

Seeing Lai Da leave in a sorry state, Sun Shaozu laughed triumphantly to the sky.

It's truly a blessing from our ancestors!

Fortunately, he encountered Jia She, who took money but did nothing. If he had been transferred to the capital garrison, he would not have had a good ending, no matter which side he joined.

Of course, there's no need to be grateful to Jia She; this grudge still needs to be avenged.

Judging from the current situation, once the nobles ahead have finished their cleanup, it will be the Jia family's turn.

By then~
I'm going to spend a whole month at the Jiaofangsi!

Especially Jia Yingchun, who was supposed to be sent over; I'll have all my weapons ready then!
As Sun Shaozu was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out, startling him awake.

"Why are you laughing so happily? Did you find some silver?"

The sound was so memorable that Sun Shaozu suddenly looked up and saw Lin Dao walking towards him.

In an instant, he was like a chicken with its neck caught, only able to cluck.

"You you you you you~"

Sun Shaozu was so shocked he couldn't speak. "How did I come back alive? You see?" Lin Dao, all smiles, sat down at the table. "Iron Net Mountain is thrilling and exciting. It's a pity you didn't go and experience it."

"Hehe~"

Sun Shaozu smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"How did it go?" Lin Dao asked. "Have you made back your principal?"

“Yes~” Sun Shaozu nodded repeatedly, “We’ve made it back, and there’s still more left.”

"It's just that the Jia family seems to be out of money; they can't even come up with a thousand or so taels of silver now."

Everything that the Jia family could use had been sealed off by Lin Daofeng.

Lady Wang's dowry and savings were considerable.

Most of it consisted of shops, fields, jewelry, and the like; the available cash had long been squeezed dry by Sun Shaozu.

As for selling them for cash, these are all the things on the market nowadays, and not only can they not fetch a good price, but they are even difficult to sell.

After all, so many noble families had their homes confiscated, and there weren't many who could afford to buy them.

As a result, they couldn't sell them even if they wanted to offer a discount.

In ancient times, large sums of wealth were concentrated in the hands of a small number of people.

The poor, who make up the vast majority of the population, mainly buy food, salt, and cloth on a daily basis. High-value goods are truly priceless and unavailable.

"You can't do that!"

Lin Dao's words made Sun Shaozu nervous.

His tall frame was hunched over like a large rat as he cautiously inquired, "Please enlighten me~"

"Since we can't squeeze any money out of the family."

"Then we need to find a solution from the person himself."

Sun Shaozu was not like Jia Baoyu, who was raised in a pampered environment. Although he was born into a wealthy family, his elders died early, and he had to work hard to support the family business, so he was naturally not well-off.

Upon hearing this, he understood what Lin Dao meant.

He immediately patted his chest and guaranteed, "I'll arrange for him to start a business right now!"

With his face bruised and swollen, Jia Baoyu huddled in his cell, struggling to eat a stale steamed bun.

He couldn't understand how he had ended up in this situation.

Lin Daiyu, why did you frame me?!

While he was lost in thought, the cell door opened.

Jia Baoyu instinctively backed away, shrinking into a corner and trembling.

However, he was still holding the steamed bun tightly in his hand.

As the saying goes, you can't teach someone everything, but you can learn something by doing it.

Only after being truly beaten did Jia Baoyu learn to fear.

Only after experiencing true hunger do you understand the importance of eating.

During the time Jia Baoyu has been here, he has learned and understood a great deal.

Having experienced it firsthand, he felt that nothing in the world could be more painful than this moment.

"Young Master~"

Two jailers stepped forward, helped him up, and led him outside, saying, "Go wash up."

"I—" Jia Baoyu's voice was hoarse, but his face immediately lit up with joy. "Can I go out now?"

The jailers chuckled but didn't answer.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Jia Baoyu's air of a young master returned.

The jailers were very satisfied.

After all, given his previous image, no gentleman would be willing to pay a high price for him.

Jia Baoyu was ushered into a special room.

Inside, there was only a table and a bed.

On the table were wine, fruit platters, and candied fruit. Upon seeing them, Jia Baoyu rushed over and began to eat and drink heartily.

He thought this was a chance to have a good meal before letting him go.

They paid no attention to the large bed covered with thick bedding.

On the large bed, there were many seemingly strange tools and oil cans, which were actually used for drilling doors.
After leaving the prison, Lin Dao headed straight for the Lin residence.

Now that I'm back, of course I have to meet with Lin Daiyu.

The Lin family is now a newly wealthy and powerful family.

The master has entered the cabinet and become a prime minister, and the young lady is about to reach the pinnacle of womanhood.

Compared to the miserable and destitute noble families in the city, the Lin family was truly living a life of luxury and prosperity.

Furthermore, the Lin residence was even surrounded by Imperial Guards who patrolled and protected it.

However, no matter how strong a fortress is, it can't withstand the people inside opening the door themselves.

"Senior brother~"

Upon seeing Lin Daiyu rushing towards him, Lin Dao immediately focused his energy in his dantian and assumed a horse stance.

Back in Tiewang Mountain, he was fearless even when facing thousands of troops.

But when the petite and delicate Lin Daiyu came running over, he felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Upon seeing this, Lin Daiyu stopped in her tracks, covering her mouth and laughing incessantly.

She was clever; naturally, she remembered the time she had bumped her senior brother into the wall.

Fortunately, having learned from experience, I stopped this time on my own.

Before long, the two figures, one tall and one short, were snuggling together.

As the sunlight streamed in, the intertwined shadows of the two grew longer and longer.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Daiyu finally spoke softly, asking, "Senior brother, after the late emperor is buried in the imperial mausoleum, the ceremony for the investiture of the crown princess will be held."

Perhaps it was to save money.

The civil officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were in a hurry to send off the late emperor to his funeral, and at the same time, they had to settle the matter of the crown princess's investiture before the crown prince ascended the throne.

Instead of waiting for the crown prince to ascend the throne before marrying the empress.

Lin Dao didn't care what the civil officials were planning; he gently stroked Lin Meimei's hair.

"Don't worry~"

"On that day, I'll go and steal the bride!"

(End of this chapter)