Chapter 110

The Qinhuai River at night, day after day of bustling clamor.

An endless stream of people coming and going, burning the last shred of prosperity before the Empire's destruction.

Compared to last time, the number of sedan chairs and horse carts parked outside Meixiang Fang tonight is obviously greater.

Moreover, many horse carts are painted with gold and silver, their luxurious air rushing at one's face.

Lin Dao and Chen Zhenhui boarded the boat and arrived at the cabin entrance, where they heard the clamor inside like thunder piercing the ears.

Standing at the cabin doorway looking in, the first thing Lin Dao saw was his own glass lamps, unexpectedly all hung up.

The entire cabin interior was illuminated bright as day.

No screens were drawn inside the cabin to partition private rooms; instead, five tables were arranged rather tightly.

Scholars in Confucian robes, dissolute literati, merchants worth ten thousand strings of cash, aristocratic scions with faces full of pride, white-haired yet clad in fine silks and satins — court ministers and retired elders.

Jinling City is the Great Ming's secondary capital; here there is a complete set of reserve court foundation.

Those old men with the bearing of superiors, without a doubt are court ministers or retired elders.

Beside each person, a young girl accompanies them, pouring wine and laying out dishes, laughing softly and echoing to provide emotional value.

Lin Dao swept a glance, but did not catch sight of Dong Xiaowan's figure.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen~~~"

The Madam waved the silk in her hand, pleading repeatedly.

"This slave has said, these treasures are all temporarily entrusted here by Young Master Lin."

"How would this slave dare to privately sell another's property."

"Please, all you lords, all you young masters, raise your noble hands high, do not make things difficult for this slave."

"Hua Niang." A white-bearded elder stroked his beard and smiled, "That whatever Lin Young Master, this old man has never heard of."

"But these things, this old man is determined to obtain."

"Rest assured, this old man absolutely will not make things difficult for you; this old man will purchase all at market price."

"When that whatever Lin Young Master comes looking for you, you just let him come find this old man."

When the old man spoke these words his breath was full and strong; judging by appearances he should still live several more years.

These words were spoken righteously and beautifully, very pleasant to hear.

But the surrounding crowd mostly sneered at them.

What market price purchase — who knows what the market price of these rare treasures is?

You can't produce a few taels of silver yet want to bundle everything and take it away, truly a shameless old man.

As for saying to let that whatever Lin Young Master come seek you out.

You'll just disappear then; could it be they'd still barge into your residence to reason with you?

Easily earning a huge profit, this abacus bead calculation — the beads could bounce off others' faces.

"Won't do."

The Madam shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly, "How could that be, that would smash Meixiang Fang's signboard."

She still knows where her interests lie.

Lin Dao is not without connections, not without background, a minor figure who can be manipulated at will.

He has hooked up with Qian Qianyi and Ruan Dacheng, those two; wanting to cheat him is not so easy.

The old man's face darkened, "What, this old man doesn't even have this bit of face?"

This old man is the former Grand Minister of War, the reserve Minister of War of the Jinling court.

If speaking of face, there certainly still is some.

But he has been retired for years; face backed by connections to the Juefu, here at Meixiang Fang, is not that firm.

"Doing business, face isn't important."

Lin Dao stepped inside, "Silver is most important."

All eyes looked over, seeing the Madam step forward to greet him, addressing him as Young Master Lin.

All understood — the principal party has arrived.

Arriving beside the old man's table, he raised a hand and patted the back of the literati facing away from him, "Make room, I have business to discuss."

Mao Xiang's face turned black!

Why is it me again?!

As the saying goes, if this can be endured, what cannot be endured!

This person always bullies me, truly bullying too far.

He slapped the table, abruptly stood up, turned and glared at Lin Dao.

Meeting those calm eyes, Mao Xiang felt his heart tremble, subconsciously averting his gaze.

"Make way! Just! Make way!"

He flung his sleeve and left, heading straight upstairs to find Dong Xiaowan.

"Sick in the head, right." Lin Dao sat down with slight doubt, "A scholar's temper this big?"

"This one is Prefect of Changsha Hu." The Madam stepped forward to introduce, "The Minister of War's proper lord."

Lin Dao glanced at him, a smile at the corner of his mouth, "Originally Grand Minister of War in the flesh."

Hu's name is Hu Yingtai; he and Xiong Tingbi are in-laws.

He waved a hand, "This old man retired many years ago, no need for excessive courtesy."

Lin Dao also didn't intend excessive courtesy; he cut straight to the point, "These things are all samples."

"Lin has opened a shop at Xiajiekou selling novel objects."

His gaze swept over the crowd, "These things are all for sale in the shop."

"Please, everyone, do support us."

Hu Yingtai exclaimed in surprise, "Such rare treasures, and you can actually open a shop to sell them?"

Being able to open a shop for sale naturally means they are not some unique copies.

But these things are so precious, yet they can actually be sold in large quantities?

"Precisely so." Lin Dao smiled and said, "In about three or four days we can open for business."

Everyone subconsciously calculated the days in their hearts; three or four days later is not an auspicious day at all.

In this era, opening a shop is a major event; not only does one shop pass down for three generations, there are those passed down for hundreds of years.

When opening for business, one must make full preparations, and even more so select the best auspicious day.

It is just that Lin Dao does not care about this.

After all, this shop is merely what he uses to raise military funds.

Hu Yingtai stroked his beard, "But this old man wants to buy these things right now."

The old man's train of thought was very normal.

Whether your shop opens or not can be discussed later, but these rare treasures, I want them right now.

"Actually."

Lin Dao took the wine cup handed over by the young girl beside him, smiled faintly, then withdrew his gaze, "I, this person, am not interested in silver."

These words were truly not boasting.

In the Modern World, silver fundamentally cannot fetch a price; naturally he is not interested.

"I am, however, very fond of gold and jewelry, precious medicines, famous incense and red sandalwood, jadeite and white jade, and such."

These things, in the Modern World, easily go for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions or tens of millions; of course I like them.

Especially gold; recently gold prices have been rising continuously, rising until Lin Dao's eyelids twitched.

Everyone was full of doubt; there are actually people who don't like silver?

Hu Yingtai's slightly cloudy eyeballs turned, he reached out and took off a jade pendant from his body and handed it over.

"You take a look; this old man's jade pendant, what can it be exchanged for at your place?"

Taking the jade pendant and examining it, Lin Dao asked, "Negotiate jade?"

Everyone laughed; Hu Yingtai also stroked his beard, "This is Negotiate White Jade, a Fushou Sanduo Jade Pendant. This old man spent several hundred taels to buy it."

Lin Dao roughly estimated the value; if taken to the Modern World to sell, it could fetch around ten thousand?

He thought for a moment, then greeted the Madam to bring over all the things he had stored.

Before long, apart from the glass lamps all hung up and the standing mirror that was nowhere to be found, the rest of the items were all piled near Lin Dao's side.

He stood up, took out a box containing a watch.

Thought for a moment, then added two bottles of red wine.

Finally, he casually took a Western erotic magazine and placed them all together in front of Hu Yingtai.

"Steel case, starlight dial self-winding movement, two bottles of grape wine in glass vessels, and one Western oil painting."

"This item—" Hu Yingtai took a fancy to the watch at a glance, held it in his hand turning it over and over, "Exquisitely crafted."

Chen Zhenhui stepped forward, without showing anything on her face rolled up her sleeve, revealing the watch on her wrist.

The brand-new mechanical watch bloomed with a beautiful luster under the lamplight.

Hu Yingtai was greatly satisfied; learning from Chen Zhenhui, he put it on his own wrist.

As for the two bottles of red wine, they counted as a not bad gift; only, in the late Ming period, they were far from being considered rare.

That Western oil painting, he instead flipped through with great relish for a good while.

"The brushwork is fine and detailed, every strand visible; this is the Red-haired Barbarians' oil painting, right? It is indeed novel."

In the late Ming period, Eastern and Western cultures had already begun to converge.

At that time, many upper-class people's knowledge was already very extensive, not at all stupid like pigs as in the Qing Dynasty period.

Just a jade pendant, yet able to exchange for so many good things; Hu Yingtai felt he had made a huge profit.

Lin Dao also felt he had made a huge profit.

This jade pendant could probably sell for around ten thousand.

While the watch, red wine, and Western erotic magazine, costs added up to less than a hundred.

A hundredfold profit, enough to buy several tons of feed for Yonghe Spacetime.

Seeing this, the surrounding people all took out the items they carried on their persons.

The men mainly used jade pendants, rings, and such to exchange for watches, alcohol, glass vessels, and Western oil paintings.

Those Ming Qi, in turn, used their respective jewelry and such to exchange for makeup mirrors, perfume, cosmetics, alcohol, and such.

There was a scholar whose belongings were not many.

After exchanging for a Western oil painting and two bottles of alcohol, he still wanted to exchange for more things, so he simply handed over his own fan.

"The painting on the fan is by Tang Yin."

Tang Yin's paintings still have considerable value in this era.

In the Modern World, they are even more expensive.

The problem is, if Lin Dao takes it back, the intervening several hundred years of historical sedimentation are missing; no matter how good the thing is, it is a high-quality fake.

"This item—"

Lin Dao's face showed a difficult expression, "Antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and such, I don't like them very much."

"This—" The scholar was shocked, "This is Tang Yin's painted fan."

"Fine." Lin Dao turned around to get things; perhaps the items that could be sold had basically all been sold off.

He looked slightly doubtful, "I remember there were still things."

Madam's expression was embarrassed, and she lowered her voice: "Some items were taken by my good-for-nothing daughter."

Lin Dao's expression immediately darkened.

"Young Master, please don't be angry," Madam hurriedly said, "I'll go get them right now."

Lin Dao simply stood up and followed her upstairs.

Whoever you are, whatever famous skill or famous horse you are, dare to block me from earning military funds?

Serving as a Military Legal Officer in the Beggar Army!

Stepping on the wooden stairs to the upper cabin.

Unlike below, here were partitioned cabins, presumably where the courtesans worked.

All the way to the cabin door where a Pearl-trimmed Curtain hung, the sound of conversation had already reached his ears.

"Good sister, I truly envy you, to have a young master so generous as to give you such Rare Treasures."

The voice was clear and melodious, with a hint of softness.

"Young Master Lin is sincere, so I can hardly Refuse," said Dong Xiaowan in her Green Tea voice, "I can only reluctantly accept."

The clear and soft voice spoke again, but this time to someone else: "Young Master Biqiang, Sister Xiaowan has received such a precious gift, don't you have anything to Express?"

"If you remain indifferent, who knows when Sister Xiaowan might be combed and taken away by someone~~~"

Judging by her words, she was also a Green Tea.

Madam hurriedly entered: "Can you all shut your Mouths~~~ Young Master Lin is really here!"

Lin Dao stepped inside, Staring around.

He was immediately attracted by that Standing Mirror.

His valuable Goods were openly placed in Dong Xiaowan's room!

End of Chapter