Chapter 643: First Volume, Chapter 643: I

First Volume, Chapter 643: I'm Just a Cunning Merchant

Qin Feng glanced at the four chests of gold, silver, and jewels, and let out a light laugh.

"Brother Zhao, you're not straightforward."

"Why go to all this trouble with flashy nonsense?"

"Apart from that one chest of White Silver, everything else is decent. The rest—the gold, coral, pearls, and agates—add up to no more than Erwanliang in Silver."

"Never mind whether these Twelve Thousand Liang of Silver can even buy back Zhao Zan."

"Just your petty cleverness proves you have no sincerity."

Qin Feng sneered inwardly.

This Zhao Li clearly thought of him as some backwater bumpkin from the Northern Border.

Lacking any real experience, he lit up at the sight of jewels.

What he didn't know was that Qin Feng had zero interest in jewels, and even less in gold.

Nothing could match the value of gleaming Silver.

Especially that coral tree—it was ridiculous.

Estimated worth around Five Thousand Liang; if displayed at home, it would certainly look impressive.

But to someone as practical as Qin Feng, it was worthless.

As for gold, though it could substitute for Silver, it was only usable within the imperial court or among Powerful Clans.

In the Folk, it barely circulated and was a nightmare to spend.

In short, only Silver was hard currency.

Seeing Qin Feng's disdain, Zhao Li took a deep breath and forced calm.

"No wonder you're Young Master Qin—you've truly seen and experienced much."

"These jewels were merely a small trick of mine. Since Young Master Qin dislikes them, it doesn't matter."

"Just convert them all into Silver."

"Young Master Qin is a man of action—name your price. How much will it take to let my Comrade go?"

Qin Feng set down his Tea Cup, crossed his hands on his knees, and smiled as he studied Zhao Li.

For some reason, feeling Qin Feng's gaze, Zhao Li's back grew cold in waves.

As if his thoughts had already been laid bare by Qin Feng.

No…

Impossible!

Qin Feng is about the same age as me—how could he have such sharp eyes?

Zhao Li took several more deep breaths, forcing his agitated emotions to settle.

At that moment, Qin Feng's voice rang out, blunt and direct.

"Using money to buy a life? How dull."

"The old saying goes: give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for life."

"No matter how much Silver you have, it will eventually run out."

"If you truly want to save Zhao Zan, I'll give you three days to pack your things, gather your people, and leave Yanshou County."

"That way, you won't spend a single tael of Silver—and still rescue Zhao Zan. Isn't that a blood-soaked profit?"

At these words, Zhao Li clenched his fists tightly.

His elegant Young Master persona vanished instantly.

He roared out loud.

"Qin Feng, you've gone too far!"

"I've conceded again and again, yet you press forward ruthlessly."

"Yanshou County is the lifeline of my Zhao Family—how can we retreat?"

"If you take Yanshou County, you take the very life of my Zhao Family!"

"You want Yanshou County? Fine—just bring your men in and slaughter every last Zhao. Otherwise, forget it!"

Zhao Li was furious.

If Qin Feng had named a concrete number—three hundred thousand Liang, or even five hundred—

Zhao Li would have gritted his teeth and paid it. After all, he had only one brother.

But…

Qin Feng wanted to drive the Zhao Family out of Yanshou County.

If so, wouldn't the entire Northern grain trade fall into the Qin Family's hands?

The Profit Margin would be incalculable.

Zhao Zan, who had just begun to hope, saw his brother shouting at Qin Feng and turned ashen.

He kept signaling Zhao Li with his eyes, urging him not to provoke the tiger.

Zhao Li clearly noticed Zhao Zan's glances but pretended not to see them, silently cursing: this brat was truly hopeless.

Facing Zhao Li's outburst, Qin Feng still smiled.

He had already anticipated this reaction.

Qin Feng wasn't in a hurry; he lazily counted his fingers, running the numbers.

"Brother Zhao, don't rush. Let me be frank with you."

"Yanshou County sits at the heart of the grain route, linking north and south."

"Grain from the North flows down, grain from the South flows in—all must pass through Yanshou County."

"Whoever controls Yanshou County will gain the upper hand in the entire Shedynasty's grain industry."

"Once my Qin's Grain Shop has taken Yanshou County—"

"Adhering to the principle of buying and selling at fair prices, earning only a single Profit Margin to keep the Grain Shop running."

"Then the extra profit will flow, along with the grain, into the hands of the common people."

"In this way, wealth is returned to the people."

"So long as the common people can afford grain, they'll have spare money and energy to raise their children and grandchildren, providing Shedynasty with promising talent."

"Repeating this cycle, a virtuous one—how could Shedynasty fail to prosper?"

At this point, Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, a sudden sharpness flashing through them.

"Otherwise, that profit will all be pocketed by the great Grain Merchant Clans."

"The common people, scrambling just to feed and clothe themselves, will have no time for anything else."

"When the people are poor, the state is weak; in such a vicious cycle, the nation will cease to be a nation."

Lin Ziyi, standing to the side, had always abided by buying and selling at fair prices, yet doubts had been gnawing at her heart.

She couldn't understand why Qin Feng insisted on wasting his effort.

After all, everyone under Heaven and Earth knew that Qin Feng was a money-grubber.

He only ever thought about how to rake in wealth.

Now, hearing Qin Feng's words, Lin Ziyi suddenly saw the light.

So the one who truly cared whether Shedynasty thrived or not was, unexpectedly, the greedy, unscrupulous merchant people spoke of.

Zhao Li, standing before him, couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh.

"Hahaha, Young Master Qin, you really are a Living Bodhisattva."

"As the old saying goes—"

"Men die for wealth, birds die for food! Merchants pursuing profit is only natural."

"If every merchant under Heaven did as you do, where would the merchant trade still exist?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow: "There are plenty of ways to make money—I only care about the grain trade!"

"Grain is the foundation of the nation; it must never fall into the hands of unscrupulous merchants."

Zhao Li refused to yield a step, growling low: "You go save your nation—why should my Zhao Family be dragged down with it?"

"Being generous with someone else's money—what kind of hero is that?"

Qin Feng could hardly claim the title of "hero"—he hurriedly leaned back and said modestly: "I'm no hero, on the contrary."

"The elite and powerful in Jingdu have been calling me a scoundrel for far more than a day or two; I'm long past caring—lice on a hide, one more bite makes no difference."

Zhao Li gave a cold snort: "You're just an unscrupulous merchant yourself!"

"Your Odd Skills and Tricks, your money-making schemes—your reputation has long since spread far and wide."

Qin Feng slapped his thigh, thoroughly agreeing with Zhao Li's assessment.

"That's right, I'm an unscrupulous merchant."

"Precisely because I'm an unscrupulous merchant, I'm good at calculating—as long as I wipe out your Zhao Family, I can buy half of Shedynasty's common people their daily bread."

"That's one fine bargain."

Zhao Li clenched his fists tight, fixing his gaze on Qin Feng and saying word by word: "I don't care a whit about the common people of Shedynasty!"

"I only care about the Zhao Family!"

"If you mean to steal the Zhao Family's business, I'll fight you to the death!"