Duke of Zhenguan

Self-destruction is the last resort.

Although Lin Chuan was unwilling to think too badly of people, he also wouldn't think too good of them, especially a creature like an emperor.

Even if this emperor is Li Shimin, who was voted "Best Boss" by countless netizens more than a thousand years later.

Lin Chuan finally drifted off to sleep around midnight.

The next morning, Li had already cooked the rice.

After finishing his meal, Lin Chuan said to Li Shi:

"Mother, I'm going out for a bit. You and Er Ya stay home. If Zhou Lao Si comes again, go find Uncle Jiu!"

Li opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just nodded and said:

"Big Brother, you must be careful too!"

Stepping out of Tiechi Alley, a biting cold wind greeted him. Lin Chuan tightened his hemp clothes, squinted at the idlers strolling not far from the alley entrance, and strode towards Pingkangfang.

The Qunfang Pavilion remains magnificent, and the gatekeeper is still a snob.

"Little beggar, is this a place you can go? Get out of here!"

Looking at the servant boy in front of him who was gazing at the sky with his eyes askew, Lin Chuan had no choice but to put on a forced smile and say:

"I need to see your supervisor; please inform him."

"Ha, you're so young, but you've got quite the nerve. You want to see our manager? Should I bring down the prettiest young lady in the building to take you in? Get out of here!" the servant snapped impatiently.

"A few days ago, I sold two jars of wine to your manager..."

Before Lin Chuan could finish explaining, a burly man came out from inside. Seeing Lin Chuan at the door, he asked in surprise:

"Selling alcohol?"

Seeing the burly man who had helped report the incident last time, Lin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands in a respectful bow to him.

"It's me!"

"Here to sell alcohol again?" the burly man asked with a smile.

"Well, sort of. I have something I'd like to discuss with the esteemed person who bought the wine last time. Could you please inform them?" Lin Chuan nodded.

"Come in!" The burly man nodded.

Upon entering, Lin Chuan waited in the lobby on the first floor. The burly man went upstairs to announce his arrival and returned after a while to take Lin Chuan to the second floor.

It was the same woman from the previous private room whom Lin Chuan had met once before.

Lin Chuan bowed to the woman.

"Greetings, esteemed guest!"

The woman looked Lin Chuan over with great interest and asked softly:

"Young man, what brings you here?"

"I want to do business with this important person!" Lin Chuan nodded.

A slight smile appeared on the woman's face:

"Oh? Tell me about it!"

"The wine I sold to that esteemed person last time was actually brewed by myself. I want to sell the brewing method to that esteemed person!" Lin Chuan said.

Upon hearing this, the woman's smile widened, and she instructed the maid standing beside her:

"Sit down! Chun Tao, go and make tea for the young master!"

Lin Chuan sat down as instructed, and after a short while, Chun Tao brought over a cup of hot tea and said softly:

"My lord, please have some tea!"

After traveling for so many days, this was the first time Lin Chuan had ever seen tea from the Tang Dynasty.

The tea soup was black in color and steaming hot. It had a strange aroma, but it wasn't the aroma of tea. Instead, it was a strange smell of tea mixed with various spices.

I took a sip and it tasted pretty good, better than many milk teas. The hot tea warmed my stomach quite a bit.

The woman waited until Lin Chuan had drunk his tea before asking softly:

"I wonder what price the young master is willing to pay?"

Lin Chuan did not answer, but asked:

"Have you ever heard of someone named Zhou Si? He lends money at interest rates around the West Market!"

"Thursday?"

The woman shook her head and called out to the burly man guarding the door:

"Tian Hu!"

The burly man strode in and bowed to the woman.

"lady!"

The woman nodded and asked:

"Have you heard of a guy named Zhou Si? He lends money at interest in the West Market!"

"Madam, I've heard of it..." Tian Hu nodded, glancing at Lin Chuan as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Speak!" The woman nodded.

"Years ago, Thursday gathered a group of people who specifically caused trouble for small-time merchants in the West Market. A few years ago, they joined the government of Leping County and started a money lending business in the West Market!" Tian Hu replied.

"Lord of Leping County..."

The woman muttered something under her breath, then turned to ask Lin Chuan:

"Does the young master have a grudge against Thursday?"

"It's not really a holiday, but my father borrowed ten strings of cash from Thursday, and he has to pay back fifteen strings a month. I sold wine to a nobleman some time ago to pay off this debt."

"I don't want to pay back the money, but on Thursday, not only will he force me to buy my sister, but he also wants a way to get the wine!" Lin Chuan explained softly.

The woman nodded and asked Lin Chuan with a smile:

"What outcome does the young master desire?"

"Naturally, it's to eliminate future troubles!" Lin Chuan said without hesitation.

"If I don't agree, will you go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion across the street again, young man?" the woman asked with a smile.

Lin Chuan smiled, picked up his teacup, and continued drinking tea.

The woman didn't ask any more questions. She gently turned the hand warmer in her hand, pondered for a moment, and then said to Lin Chuan:

"I've agreed to this deal. Young master, go back and wait for news. There should be results in two days at the latest! I hope you'll give me the recipe as promised then!"

"Of course, thank you so much!"

"Since it's a business transaction, young man, there's no need to be so polite!"

……

After leaving Qunfang Pavilion, Lin Chuan walked quickly towards his home.

The idler he just saw at the alley entrance was clearly one of Zhou Si's men. He was always a little uneasy not having him at home.

Fortunately, his guess was correct. Although Zhou Si had a powerful backer, the fact that the woman could run a brothel in a place like Pingkangfang meant that her backer must have considerable power.

Since the woman has agreed, she will surely be able to deal with the magistrate of Leping County that Tian Hu mentioned.

I just don't know how she'll handle Thursday.

With light steps, I returned to Yanshoufang and saw Zhou Laosi and seven or eight idlers standing at the entrance of the alley from afar. Opposite them were Lin Jiu and Lin Shier, who were alone and outnumbered.

Lin Chuan quickly stepped forward, smiling broadly as he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhou Si:

"Greetings, Uncle Zhou!"

Thursday looked at Lin Chuan with a forced smile and asked leisurely:

"Brother Lin Chuan went out so early this morning, was he going to report to the authorities?"

Lin Chuan shook his head and asked:

"Uncle Zhou came to see me?"

"Naturally, I've come to see Brother Lin Chuan. Brother Lin Chuan, my patience has its limits!" Zhou Si said coldly.

Seeing the ruthlessness in Zhou Si's eyes, Lin Chuan was afraid that Zhou Si would act desperately, so he hesitated for a moment before asking softly:

"Uncle Zhou, could you give me two days to think about it?"

Thursday's face immediately brightened, and he said with a smile:

"Have the Lin brothers come to their senses?"

To appease Thursday, Lin Chuan nodded and said with a helpless expression:

"The wine I sold a couple of days ago was homemade, made using a recipe my father figured out before he passed away. My mother doesn't agree to sell the recipe, so I need to discuss it with her!"

Upon hearing Lin Chuan's agreement, Zhou Si's face immediately lit up with a smile. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, the power and influence of his backers had plummeted, and he dared not act too ostentatiously.

If it were two years ago, he would have already kidnapped Lin Chuan's family, instead of getting entangled with Lin Chuan for so many days.

He reached out and patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder, saying with a smile:

"Alright, I'll give Brother Lin Chuan two more days. The day after tomorrow, I'll bring my brothers to propose marriage again!"

After saying that, he led a group of idlers away.