Chapter 94: Profiting on Both Ends, Mysterious Expert

Big Beard let out a heavy sigh, never imagining he would run into such a bold, ignorant upstart who was rich enough to rival an entire country. But who could blame a man for having deep pockets?

Helplessly, he could only inform the chamber members to return and buy back the goods from the Tongchi Restaurant, admitting defeat.

Yet Han Chong had just managed to acquire every commodity in the city and would naturally refuse to comply. He immediately imposed a strict quota: five dou of grain, one bolt of brocade, and one dou of salt per person per day. Anything exceeding the limit saw the price doubled, and any further excess doubled again.

The city's wealthy merchants cursed furiously at such a shameless scheme.

Big Beard's heart condition was so aggravated that he panted heavily. The next day he led over a thousand rich merchants to the prefectural city to petition the governor for intervention.

Yet the prefecture mansion was a place that devoured people without spitting out the bones. After showering officials with bribes, he was repeatedly ordered to inquire at the Tongchi Restaurant, only for the latter to continue as before.

Jokes, this Director Cao had been frequenting the Tongchi Restaurant more than ever lately. The mountains of gold delivered by Han Chong had already piled up in his residence, and the prefecture mansion was adept at handling lawsuits on both sides!

The Tongchi Restaurant's reputation had spread far and wide across Qiongzhou. Many suppliers and small vendors made it their first choice for supplies, leaving the city's wealthy merchants so furious their teeth itched. They could only swallow their bitter fruit and beg Han Chong to grant discounts, agreeing to purchase the entire Tongchi Restaurant at three times market price.

According to custom, a cunning merchant who won a price war should immediately raise prices to fill their bowls and pots.

At least the thousand rich merchants believed that if it were they, they would sell at prices slightly below those of their rivals and make a fortune.

But to their astonishment, the Tongchi Restaurant maintained its low prices. The other merchants, bankrupt and forced to repurchase at triple the cost, had their goods stacked high, rotting in their hands.

Only then did they finally realize that this man surnamed Jin was not in it for profit but to sow chaos in Qiongzhou and bring them all crashing down.

The Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce was in utter despair, and Big Beard finally woke up, leading his people to the Tongchi Restaurant to reason.

"Surnamed Jin, our chamber has no past or present enmity with you. Why must you exterminate us so thoroughly?"

"What's there to say? Merely to vent some anger. President Gu, did you not claim that Jin would not buy a single grain and could not sell a single ounce of silver? Has Jin refused to buy or sell?"

"Oh, my Jin Lord, be merciful and spare our Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce. Name any condition you wish, and we shall obey without fail!"

Over a hundred wealthy magnates pleaded in unison.

"Heh, now that you regret it, it is too late. I, Jin, remember grudges well and will ruin your chamber completely."

Han Chong knew the principle that beating a snake only invites the bite.

"Very well! Surnamed Jin, we have already humbled ourselves so far begging you, yet you show no gratitude and have angered us. Do not blame us if you regret it later!"

Big Beard puffed his beard and glared, his voice laced with venomous threat.

"Oh? Jin does not act with regret. I am waiting."

"Hmph! Good. Let us go."

Back at the mansion, Big Beard dismissed the wealthy merchants. That very night he took a sedan chair to the rear gate of a certain official residence and entered without hindrance.

A plump, shrewd official received him in a secret chamber.

"President Gu, what matter requires you to come to this official's residence in the dead of night?"

"President Gu has seen Lord Qi. Lord Qi must do something for us."

"Oh? Is it because of the recent fierce dispute over merchant prices?"

"Precisely. This time President Gu was truly careless. A mighty Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce such as ours actually fell into the hands of a vulgar rich man surnamed Jin.

Over a thousand rich merchants' goods piled up unsellable, leaving them in agony. Now our Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce is on the verge of collapse."

"This matter is indeed thorny. That surnamed Jin rich man buys nothing but oil and salt. It is said even the Heavenly Ghost Gang cannot handle him. Is this why you have come?"

"Correct. Only by asking that lord to act can we possibly annihilate him."

"Mm, it is a desperate measure. Yet that lord has a capricious temper. Without orders from the Sixth Lord we estimate we cannot summon him. So this official will immediately send a flying eagle letter. A day and night journey will reach the capital. With the Sixth Lord's decree in hand, we can invite that lord to act and settle the matter."

"Things have come to this, so it must be done. I trouble Lord Qi."

Big Beard wrote a detailed letter. The plump official read it, then climbed to the top of a pavilion where a bird-beaked demon resided alone.

The demon took the letter, transformed into an eagle with wings spanning over a zhang, flapped its wings, and soared into the night sky toward the northwest.

The capital, the Jue Prince's mansion.

"Waste, truly waste! The thousand rich merchants of the Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce were subdued by a country bump surnamed Jin. How ridiculous!"

"Sixth brother, calm yourself. These fools have been causing trouble for days. Be careful your temper ruins your health." Another prince in indigo dragon robe, holding a fan, smiled.

"Hmph, silver is becoming harder to come by. The Qiongzhou Chamber must not be lost. See how to handle it?"

"Naturally, killing it is the simplest."

"Um.

However, that fellow is very perverse. Who knows what purpose he serves in attaching himself to this prince? We must guard against him. Summon Left Ming."

While penning the words, he spoke.

In moments, a white-robed middle-aged man with hair hanging over his forehead hurried through three halls and four courtyards, covering several zhang in a single stride, stopping in the main hall as if he had always stood there, without a sound.

"Seen the Prince."

"Um, the settlement date this year approaches. Go immediately to Qiongzhou to host the matter, with no mistakes."

"Obey."

With that, the man vanished from the hall without a trace.

Similar scenes unfolded in the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qing's mansion.

Qiongzhou, the gray eagle returned to the pavilion's top floor. The plump official hurriedly climbed the steps, received the reply respectfully, and opened it.

Then he went to the rockery in the back garden and groped his way through.

At an arched gate, two black smokes rose from the ground to block the way.

"Reporting to the two demon envoys, this subordinate has urgent business to see the Evil Lord."

"Wait. This envoy will enter to report." One wolf-headed man opened the stone door and entered swiftly.

After the time of a cup of tea, he returned bearing the plump official.

Deeper underground, they saw a luxurious stone palace where a gray giant dog was feasting greedily, half-asleep, with a demoness beside it, looking very content.

"Reporting to the Evil Lord, this subordinate Qi Youlin brings the Sixth Lord's letter. Please let the lord peruse it."

"Read." The gray dog did not even lift his head, speaking lazily.

"Yes, Evil Lord. This subordinate, the Prince has heard that recently a Jin merchant in Qiongzhou has caused disturbances and disrupted the market. Please the Evil Lord to deal with it, Yu Wen Jue."

"A Jin merchant? I say, Qi Weaving, you are too useless. You cannot even handle a merchant and now come to disturb this old man?"

The plump official's face turned awkward as he replied respectfully:

"Reporting to the Evil Lord, that merchant is very strange. He resides in the Tongchi Restaurant at the city center. It is said even the Heavenly Ghost Gang's magic child ghost commander cannot do anything with him.

We truly had no way out and had to alarm your old man."

"Understood. Later this seat will pinch him to death. You may go."