Chapter 38

First Volume, Chapter 38: Spend Like There's No Tomorrow

Seeing Shen Qingci pick up the paperweight again, Qin Feng chose not to suffer the immediate blow—he turned and ran.

"Damn! Women's words can't be trusted—the more beautiful they are, the less trustworthy they are!"

Qin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, face brimming with resentment, feeling his pure and simple soul had taken ten thousand points of critical damage. He just wanted to take care of his sisters—what was wrong with that? He felt targeted by everyone.

Seeing Qin Feng's forlorn expression, Shu Feng nudged Xiao Xiangxiang and whispered, "Actually… Young Master has reached the age for marriage. In other families, they'd have arranged his lifelong match by thirteen or fourteen. Even if he can't take a lawful wife, he could at least take a concubine."

Hearing the words "take a concubine," Xiao Xiangxiang immediately recalled what had happened that morning and turned bright red: "Huh? Oh… yeah, I guess so."

Qin Xiaofu trotted happily behind Qin Feng. Ever since Qin Feng punched Cheng Fu and kicked Li Fu, making his name known throughout Jingdu, Qin Xiaofu had been utterly devoted—if Qin Feng weren't averse to men, he'd have sneaked into his room at night to serve him.

"Young Master, where are you going?"

Qin Feng, still irritated, snapped: "I'm in a foul mood. Only spending money can soothe my heart."

Hearing this, Qin Xiaofu's eyes lit up. As a loyal lackey, he knew benefits would follow—just this morning at Qingya Pavilion, he'd earned a hundred taels in tips: "You want to spend money? Perfect. But this street has no brothels. Spending here won't hit the mark. Let's go to the next street—they say Yihong Lou got two new girls. In your words, they're utterly alluring and intoxicating."

Qin Feng kept walking, gestured with his finger for Qin Xiaofu to come closer, then delivered a sharp knock to his forehead.

I can't deal with those women, but I can still deal with you.

Qin Xiaofu rubbed his forehead, not angry but grinning: "Young Master, that tap just cleared my mind completely."

Shu Feng and Xiao Xiangxiang stared at Qin Xiaofu's sycophantic face and rolled their eyes.

Qin Feng walked with his hands behind his back, in the slow, dignified stride of an old official, surveying the street as he lectured: "Can your spending compare to mine? Others spend until their gold and silver mountains are gone—I spend, and I grow richer. As the saying goes: money breeds money."

Qin Xiaofu didn't understand business tactics or Qin Feng's strange ideas—he only knew that whatever the Young Master said was always right.

As a merchant, Qin Feng naturally upheld integrity: if he said he'd destroy Zui Xian Lou, he'd destroy it.

Then he'd build a chain of restaurants, monopolizing Jingdu's top-tier dining industry and pocketing the wealth of high-ranking officials—this would be a splendid side business.

Of course, beyond profit, there were deeper considerations.

Zui Xian Lou itself meant nothing—it was the Second Prince behind it that mattered.

Though the Second Prince is currently courting the Ministry of Revenue, the bride hasn't even entered the bridal chamber yet—everything remains possible.

If Zui Xian Lou collapses, the Second Prince won't be able to ignore Qin Feng. In the short term, he'll hate Qin Feng—but as the old saying goes: there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. If Qin Feng can establish a connection with the Second Prince, it's a merit beyond measure. As for the final outcome, Qin Feng didn't much care.

Even the current Emperor relies on Qin Feng to amass wealth—how much more precious could the Second Prince be than the Emperor himself?

The bolder the man, the greater the yield.

The more timid you are, the more you get bullied—it's an eternal truth.

At that moment, Qin Feng slowed to a stop, his gaze landing on a wine house down the street.

Above its entrance hung a plaque: "Wuhu Da Jiu Lou"—three stories tall, grand and imposing.

Too bad it was too close to Zui Xian Lou—it had been squeezed to near ruin, with barely a customer in sight; the shopkeeper sat at the door, idly swatting flies.

"This is the one."

Qin Feng looked at the nearly bankrupt wine house and liked it more and more. He stepped inside the DaTang and smiled at the distracted shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, want to make a deal?"

As a well-known wastrel in Jingdu, the shopkeeper instantly recognized Qin Feng, leapt to his feet, and bowed in surprise: "Young Master Qin? What wind blew you here?"

Qin Feng had no time for pleasantries—he cut straight to the point: "Is the owner here?"

The shopkeeper bowed deeply: "Forgive me, Young Master—I'm both shopkeeper and owner."

The shopkeeper's surname was Chen. He wasn't from Jingdu; he'd used his ancestors' savings to open this wine house in the capital. It once thrived, but since Zui Xian Lou opened, Wuhu Da Jiu Lou declined further—now he couldn't even afford to hire staff, so he had to run the place himself.

Qin Feng pulled out a thick stack of silver notes and slapped them onto the counter, glancing around the wine house absently: "No need to count—it's exactly Ten Thousand Li Silver. I'm buying this place."

The shopkeeper stood frozen, unable to believe his ears—he thought he was dreaming, bit his tongue, and only then realized it was real—he was utterly stunned.

Is this Young Master insane? This Wuhu Da Jiu Lou is just an empty shell—it's worth nowhere near Ten Thousand Li Silver.

Qin Xiaofu's jaw dropped. He looked from the shopkeeper's hands to Qin Feng, then pinched his thigh hard—ow! It hurt! He was heartbroken!

"Young Master, do you have some misunderstanding about making money? Ten Thousand Li Silver for this dump? You'll lose even your undergarments!" Qin Xiaofu dared to speak up—he simply couldn't bear to see Ten Thousand Li Silver wasted. How many corrupt officials' sons would he have to extort to make that back?

Though Shu Feng had grown up beside Jing Qianying and seen much, Qin Feng's extravagance still shattered his understanding.

"Young Master, if the Misses find out, they'll punish you again. Think carefully—this is Ten Thousand Li Silver! Except for first-rank ministers, few high officials in Heaven and Earth earn even Ten Thousand Li Silver in a year."

This woke Qin Feng up. He turned and studied the three of them, threatening: "Whoever dares to snitch on me will face family discipline!"

The three exchanged glances, then spoke in unison: "What's family discipline?"

Qin Feng pointed at Xiao Xiangxiang and said to Shu Feng: "Ask her—she knows. She gets it every morning."

Qin Xiaofu's eyes sparkled—this was his golden chance to rise in status: "Young Master, what about me? I beg for family discipline!"

Qin Feng quickly stepped back from Qin Xiaofu—otherwise, someone might think he had a taste for boys, since some so-called literati of this era had taken to that "trend."

At this moment, the wine house entrance was already packed with onlookers.

After all, many had seen Qin Feng slap down the silver notes; word spread fast—those who loved a spectacle rushed over.

Everyone stared at the thick stack of silver notes in the shopkeeper's hands, envious.

"Ten Thousand Li Silver? This dump's worth that much? Why didn't this lucky break happen to me?"

"This place is worth at most Wan Liang Silver!"