Volume 1: The Son-in-law of a Merchant in Jiangpu Chapter 38: Reopening for Business

  Inside Jiangpu Official Post Station.

  Cao Yi Hao's loud laughter startled a group of birds perched on withered branches.

  "Haha...... You really made a big fuss at Jinyulou and scared all the customers away?"

  Xiao Fan's face turned red with shame: "A humble commoner like me has acted too rashly, I'm truly ashamed and have no place to hide..."

  "Haha, what are you ashamed of? Businessmen doing business is just like the battlefield, where it's either you die or I die. Didn't Jin Yulou use despicable tactics when dealing with Suixianlou in the past?"

  Cao Yi smiled and suddenly narrowed his eyes, staring at Xiao Fan: "This official has also dealt with you a few times, this move is confident that it won't go wrong, you don't seem like the kind of person who acts impulsively, this time making a big fuss in Jinyu Building, thoroughly offending Huang Zhixian, do you not know what consequences will come?"

  Xiao Fan smiled and said: "Your Excellency, please forgive me. Although I am the owner of Drunken Immortal Pavilion in name, this pavilion actually belongs to you and my father-in-law. As a humble subject, I should be loyal to you. If the pavilion loses money, it's just a small matter for me to lose face, but if Your Excellency loses income, that would be a big deal! At this time, I don't care about Huang Zhixian's face anymore..."

  Cao Yi chuckled a few times, poked Xiao Fan with his hand and said: "You little scoundrel still haven't told the truth, how is it? Is this official someone who can't hear a single true word?"

  Xiao Fan hesitated for a moment before saying: "Since the adults want to hear the truth, this humble commoner will say a few words that may be out of line..."

  "Go ahead and say it."

  "You, sir, are a man of ambition. Your future achievements will not be limited to being just a small eighth-grade county lieutenant. In the officialdom, if you want to make progress, steady and gradual advancement is the right way. I, a humble commoner, dare to offer my opinion. These days, sir, you must have been busy building connections with the officials of Jiangpu County Government, big or small? With the powerful backing of Prince Yan and the financial support of the Chen family, it shouldn't be difficult to pull down a small county magistrate. Today, I, Meng Lang, made a big fuss at the Golden Jade Building, actually providing you with an opportunity to test the waters of Jiangpu's officialdom. Why not take advantage of this incident to try out the depth of Jiangpu's official circle?"

  "How to try?"

  Xiao Fan rubbed his nose and smiled wryly: "If nothing unexpected happens, the common people may soon become prisoners of the lower classes..."

  Cao Yi frowned and said: "Are you saying that Huang Zhixian will put you in prison? What crime would he use to arrest you?"

  Xiao Fan sighed and said, "You've been in the military for a long time, so you wouldn't know about the dirty things that happen in official circles. If an official wants to put a lowly commoner like him in prison, do they really need to find a reason?"

  Cao Yi's eyes sparkled as if he had suddenly understood something: "I see... I understand now..."

  Cao Yi looked at Xiao Fan and said in a low voice, "You're quite the character, go ahead, don't worry, I guarantee you won't end up in prison!"

  Xiao Fan bowed and backed away, after turning around, a slight arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

  Not long after Xiao Fan left, Cao Yi's old servant walked into the room and said in a low voice: "As ordered by the master, I have secretly given 500 taels of silver to the county office's Chief Clerk Xie, History Liu, and Captain Liu..."

  "Have they all been taken down?"

  "They all received it. In the past few years, Huang Zhixian secretly made a fortune, but didn't give his subordinates a share of the profits... The people below were quite resentful..."

  "What did they say?"

  "Xie Zhubu spoke very directly, from now on, only the old master is in charge, Li Dianshi and Liu Baozhuang are in charge of the county's prison, but they said it was quite subtle, however, the meaning behind the words is that they all want to advance and retreat with the old master..."

  Ts'ao I laughed loudly: "Everything is ready!"

  He then lowered his voice and sighed, "The King of Yan sent a secret letter, instructing me to take control of Jiangpu as soon as possible. I was worried about this matter, but unexpectedly, that little brat Xiao Fan helped me out..."

  "Does the old master intend to promote him?"

  Cao Yi said slowly: "Don't worry, this kid is not a fish in the pond. Wait until I pull down Huang Zhixian and truly take charge of Jiangpu, then we'll see what he's capable of."

  The day after Xiao Fan's big disturbance at the Golden Jade Building, from officials and wealthy merchants to vendors and pedestrians in Jiangpu County were still reeling from the event, another shocking news began to spread throughout the city.

  This is indeed a piece of news that can be called unprecedented and unmatched in history.

  Early in the morning, Jiangpu's streets and alleys, city gates and courtyard walls were all plastered with one small newspaper after another.

  People in this era are certainly unfamiliar with such tabloids, except for the county government's official bulletin board where imperial decrees and wanted posters for notorious thieves are posted, who has seen these kinds of small papers plastered all over the streets?

  The people of the country like lively and explosive news, which they use as conversation topics. As a result, under curiosity, literate scholars and commoners flocked to the front of the tabloids, carefully reading the contents on them. Some even read aloud loudly for those illiterate commoners to hear.

  The tabloid content is very simple, it has a very shocking big title.

  "What a shock! The Dehe Tavern has poisoned its food! In anger, interrogate the shopkeeper about his moral integrity!"

  This title is truly shocking and thought-provoking.

  A local newspaper reported anonymously that on a certain day in a certain year, a restaurant added poison to the food served to customers for unknown reasons, causing an old Taoist priest who was said to be Zhang Sanfeng's junior fellow apprentice to unfortunately ingest it, and his life is now hanging by a thread...

  The tabloid didn't mention the name of the restaurant, but Jiangpu County is so small that even a slight breeze can spread news to everyone, let alone such explosive news?

  Then the whole Jiangpu was boiling.

  Jinyulou's reputation was instantly reduced to freezing point, the restaurant owner put poison in the dishes, who dares to eat there again? What about the restaurant opened by the county magistrate? Even if it were opened by the Jade Emperor himself, those who are not yet dead would not dare to enter. Flattering the county magistrate is not worth risking one's life.

  Within a short day, Jin Yulou's reputation had spread all over the streets and alleys of Jiangpu County, and it was likely that even if Dongshan rose again, it would not be possible.

  Of course, people with discerning eyes also saw the profound meaning of this message. The small Jiangpu is about to change its sky.

  On the same day at noon after the poster was posted, the newly renovated Drunken Immortal Building opened quietly.

  This time's opening was quite creative, with a bright red carpet laid out at the entrance. From the steps all the way to the edge of the street, the carpet was covered in vibrant flower petals, and a group of beautiful girls wearing uniform cheongsam dresses with a red sash across their chests, bearing the words "Welcome to Drunken Immortal Building", stood in two neat rows, smiling brightly at the entrance of the building. Firecrackers crackled non-stop, accompanied by the deafening sound of drums and cymbals, making it feel like a wedding celebration.

  These tricks were ordinary in the previous life, of course, and had been seen too many times. But now it's the early years of the Ming Dynasty, who has ever seen such a grand opening scene? For a time, all the people in the city were attracted to stand far outside, curiously and timidly looking at the gate of Zui Xian Lou.

  The scene was lively, but no one dared to step into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The welcoming girls standing outside seemed to have sensed this eerie atmosphere as well, and their smiles stiffened involuntarily.

  Xiao Fan still wore an old long shirt, his face was full of smiles, but his heart was very heavy.

  Huang Zhi County was indeed awe-inspiring, not a word was said, and the entire Jiangpu didn't dare to displease him. The opening of the Drunken Immortal Building clearly indicated that it was going to compete with the Golden Jade Building across the street. Who dares to lightly touch Huang Zhi County's tiger whiskers?

  Chen Siliu, as the big boss of Zui Xian Lou, was also among those welcoming guests. He looked dejected and pale, his expression like he was attending a funeral rather than an opening ceremony, filled with deep sorrow.

  Xiao Fan couldn't help it anymore, slowly walked to Chen Si Liu's side, and whispered: "Father-in-law, smile a bit, this is an opening, not a funeral..."

  Chen Sili raised his eyes, extremely angry and glared at him, his eyes swept across to see Zhou Zhanggui from the Golden Jade Building opposite, looking at him with a gloomy face as if he was staring at the murderer of his father. Chen Sili involuntarily shrank back, his heart feeling guilty, and lowered his head.

  "Son-in-law, you... Alas! You've made a mess of things, how do you plan to wrap this up?" Chen Si Liu didn't have the slightest joy of opening a new business, instead he was frowning and sighing heavily.

  "What does father-in-law mean? I don't quite understand..." Xiao Fan forced a smile and pretended to be confused.

  "Do you know that because of your nonsense, our Chen family has completely offended Huang Zhixian? If we don't handle this properly, it may lead to the downfall of the Chen family! Look at what you've done, who dares to come to our door now?"

  Although Xiao Fan had approached and won over Cao Xiancheng, who knows whether Cao Xiancheng would lend a helping hand when Huang Zhixian cracks down on the Chen family? As an official, he has the habit of taking bribes but not doing anything, Chen Siliu has seen this too many times. He is just a merchant, and it's unlikely that Cao Xiancheng would fall out with Huang Zhixian for the sake of a lowly merchant like him.

  Chen Siliu thought the more he thought, the more confused he became. His eyes gradually filled with despair as he looked at the beautiful women welcoming guests, the red carpet, the bright flower petals and the drummers. He couldn't help but let out a sigh and said with a sad face: "Forget it, forget it, I'll just attend my own funeral... It's actually quite lively."

  Xiao Fan said, "Father-in-law is so open-minded and optimistic, it's really a blessing for the Chen family. An old Taoist once said that in bitter situations, one can often find delightful moments. Today's lively atmosphere makes even a funeral feel like a joyful occasion..."

  Xiao Fan spoke fluently and eloquently, Chen Si Liu suddenly became frantic, his face turned even uglier, and he shouted violently: "Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!"

  "Calm down, Father-in-law, so many people are watching you..."

  Chen Si Liu let out a loud hum of anger, then turned to face the onlookers and forced out a smile that was even uglier than crying.

  "My father-in-law is really charming when he smiles..."

  Chen Siliu's face began to twitch...

  Xiao Fan glanced at the sky and suddenly smiled meaningfully: "Father-in-law, don't worry, I have my reasons for doing this. Please rest assured, a noble guest will soon arrive to congratulate us..."