Chapter 24: Let's See How Young Master Does It

  Li Jinglong was furious, "Are you taking me for a fool? Am I so stupid that I don't even understand this common sense?" He was about to erupt when Hao Fenglou said, "Don't you believe it, Your Excellency?"

  It's really stupid to believe it, Li Jinglong sneered: "Do you think I would believe it?"

  Hao Feng Lou smiled: "Then why don't we make a bet?"

  Make a bet... This is quite to Li Jinglong's taste, and anyone who likes to have fun will be good at betting. Li Jinglong said: "What kind of betting method?"

  Hao Feng Lou said: "One month is the limit, students first earn 10,000 taels of silver."

  Li Jinglong was stunned, he suddenly realized that he wasn't actually stupid, it seemed like the idiot in front of him was.

  Hao Fenglou said: "However, before that, Master Public must first lend me 500 taels of silver as capital. If I win, these 500 taels of silver will naturally belong to the student. But if I lose, it's up to Master Public to dispose of them."

  Li Jinglong had no choice but to re-examine the situation with Hao Fenglou, and he couldn't help but think that this was a losing deal. The other party was essentially empty-handed, and if they won, they would only gain their own silver. If they lost, they would be at Li's mercy, so what good would it do to capture this guy, skin him, and fry him in oil?

  However... Li Jinglong knew that this was a losing business, but the other party had bet his own life on it, which really piqued his interest. He was convinced that if this person wasn't crazy, he must have some extraordinary means. Thinking back to his previous performance and now being so confident again, it made Li Jinglong very curious about what this guy thought he could rely on to win this bet.

  Of course, Hao Fenglou's expression of "dare or not" made Li Jinglong have to swallow his pride and walk all the way to Hei. Li Jinglong's poor self-esteem was provoked, if he didn't agree, it would seem like weakness.

  Without hesitation, Li Jinglong agreed: "Alright, I'll bet with you."

  When Li Jinglong agreed, Hao Fenglou stood up. He couldn't say too much to Li Jinglong and had to maintain a certain level of mystery, which is human nature. Just like winning a woman's heart, it's absolutely impossible to be overly enthusiastic, just a hint is enough, leaving some room for imagination, often achieving twice the result with half the effort.

  Hao Fenglou felt bitter in his heart, the methods Master taught him were now being used against a scoundrel like Li Jinglong, heaven knows what Master's spirit would think.

  Hao Fenglou bid farewell and left, Li Jinglong squinted his eyes, as if still thinking about something on his mind.

  This person is too strange, but it has to be said that he left Li Jinglong with a lot of suspense. Li Jinglong couldn't help but mutter: "This person, has some meaning, just...". After a moment's hesitation, Li Jinglong seemed to be thinking about something and added another sentence: "Does he really have any method?"

  Then, Li Jinglong found out that this guy didn't leave his accommodation address behind. Li Jinglong couldn't help but think: Did he deliberately not leave it because he expected me to send someone to investigate his whereabouts, or was it just an oversight?

  Li Jinglong's poor IQ couldn't understand, fortunately stupid people have their own way, he said calmly: "Come in."

  An attendant hastily came in and bowed: "What are your orders, sir?"

  Li Jinglong said calmly, "Send someone to keep an eye on this person and investigate where he lives. Also, send 500 taels of silver to him early tomorrow morning. From then on, no matter what actions he takes, keep a close eye on him and don't let him run off with the silver that belongs to me."

  Zuihun nodded and hurried away.

  Back at the inn, it was already midnight. Ling Xue's curiosity got the better of her: "What did you and Li Jinglong talk about? What did he say?"

  Hao Feng Lou did not hide anything and told everything from beginning to end.

  Ling Xue frowned: "Doing business, earning a million taels of silver in just one month? You..."

  Hao Fenglou sighed: "This is also an unavoidable thing, Li Jinglong is a kind of person who follows the wind and makes a boat, but the more this kind of person wants to gain his trust, the more he needs to show his own skills, only by making him admire us can we convince him. Secondly, wanting to be frank with this kind of person, relying on a few good words is not enough, only when there are interests involved will he be willing to have an equal conversation with you and produce a sense of trust. I think that with his identity, other means are not enough to attract him, this person is greedy, and with our conditions, we can only rely on silver."

  Ling Xue said: "But it's a one million two silver deal for a month, this..."

  Hao Feng Lou smiled: "I'll think of a way."

  That night, there was no conversation, and the two of them went back to their rooms to sleep. However, early the next morning, someone came knocking on the door of Haofeng Building. It was Xiao Er who said: "There are officials from Yingtian Prefecture downstairs, and all guests need to go down for inspection."

  Hao Fenglou knew that the message he had sent out had taken effect, so he hastily got dressed and went downstairs. As expected, a group of officers were waiting for him with torches in hand. At this moment, they were interrogating a merchant.

  In fact, the investigation of such trivial matters was originally handled by the Wucheng Bingma Si. Apart from this, there were also many secret agents of the imperial court. Although the Jinyiwei had been temporarily abolished, some high-ranking officials and nobles still secretly provided assistance, after all, some things still needed to be investigated by them.

  But rumors spread far and wide, saying that there were spies from the Yan army mixed in the city. The court officials who originally wanted to investigate secretly could no longer sit still, and had to put on a show, changing their secret investigation to an open visit. This is a matter of attitude; if the officials of the capital prefecture remain unmoved by the rumors outside, they will not be able to bear the responsibility if something really happens in the future.

  It's actually beneficial for Hao Feng Lou and Ling Xue to visit. Instead of letting the thief be on their guard, it's better to let them investigate once, as long as they can eliminate their vigilance, it will be beneficial for Hao Feng Lou.

  An official stepped forward, asked Hao Feng Lou a few questions, and Hao Feng Lou answered one by one. The other party saw that Hao Feng Lou had a southern accent, and Hao Feng Lou had already prepared his answers, so there was no flaw in his words. The official's suspicions were already gone, and he said: "I heard you are two people, the other is a woman, right?"

  Hao Feng Lou nodded.

  The official said: "Why don't you let her come down and meet?"

  "It's inconvenient to meet." Hao Fenglou replied honestly, although it was now the Ming dynasty, women were not yet confined to their homes for life, but the separation between men and women was still very strict.

  The officer smiled faintly and said, "This is something that needs to be seen, the superior has ordered a strict investigation, we are just carrying out orders."

  Although he said so, he stood still, and Hao Fenglou understood that disturbing the ladies was false, but taking advantage of the situation to take liberties was true.

  Just then, someone came in and said, "Which one is the thief's son?"

  Hao Feng Lou smiled slightly and said: "It's me."

  The man in the green robe and small hat looked like a young servant from some noble's mansion. He smiled and stepped forward, bowing to Hao Feng Lou, saying: "My master has sent silver, please accept it with a smile."

  The man in blue clothes and small hat said while taking out a bundle of silver notes.

  At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the court issued silver notes, and even many officials' salaries were paid in silver notes. Unfortunately, these notes did not hold their value, so those princes, nobles, and officials who received them could only cry and rush to exchange them for grain. However, Li Jinglong was quite generous and instead of sending 500 taels of silver notes, he gave 1,100 taels, which was equivalent in purchasing power to 500 taels of standard silver at the current market price.

  Hao Fenglou nodded and smiled slightly: "Please greet Cao Guogong on my behalf, also tell him that the silver has been received, and we'll meet in a month to discuss the details."

  The little fellow nodded and quickly left.

  Hao Feng Lou immediately turned to the officer and said: "Since you are all impartially investigating..."

  "No, no, no……" The officers looked at each other in dismay. Someone who could produce such a large sum of silver tickets must be a noble person. And the Dings were so polite and courteous, it was clear that they were from a wealthy family. Moreover, they mentioned the words "Duke" several times in their conversation, which meant that the one who came to deliver the silver to Hao Feng Lou was a certain Duke. Such a person, not to mention them, even the prefect of Ying Tian Fu might not dare to provoke. The officers had originally wanted to extort some silver from Hao Feng Lou, but this idea immediately vanished. Someone smiled and said: "Young master, we have been rude, we will take our leave."

  Wiping away sweat, the bailiffs almost rushed out of the door. The crowd gathered outside to discuss: "This person must be some kind of important figure or noble guest. We can't afford to disturb him again in the future, lest we suffer the consequences."

  ……………

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