Seeing Zhou Chunfeng’s displeasure, Luo Jing tried to persuade him. "Lord Zhou, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t say a thing. But Li Qingxian is clearly a magnet for trouble. If you don’t give him the Golden Token..."
"If I give him a Golden Token, he’ll dare to tear the tiles right off the roof!" Zhou Chunfeng said.
"You don’t know me at all," Li Qingxian said with a deeply pained expression.
"Zhou Henn, what do you think? Should I give it to him or not?" Zhou Chunfeng asked, his face dark.
Li Qingxian looked at Zhou Henn, who was missing half his nose. His gaze swept over the scimitar and Cone Sword at Zhou Henn’s hips. ’It’s over,’ he thought. ’This guy is a notoriously ruthless man in the Night Guard Department. He’s already a great Fourth-Grade expert, yet he still prefers short weapons and a life-or-death fighting style. I hear even Third-Grade Experts are unwilling to mess with him. Secretly, they all call him Madman Zhou.’
The story went that he lost that half of his nose when he was only Sixth Grade, fighting a desperate battle against a Fourth-Grade member of the Demon Race.
Zhou Henn froze for a moment. ’Who was it that just tossed the Seal and Ribbon over here? Can I really say no? So you’re going to play the bad cop as his uncle, and make me, an outsider, play the good cop?’
Zhou Henn mulled it over for a moment before saying, "How about we wait until the brewing Magic Seed takes form? After the first new-style brewery is built, we can take back the Golden Token."
Li Qingxian’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Uncle Zhou, even Uncle Xiaozhou said so. You can’t refuse anymore."
"This is the Night Guard Office!" Zhou Chunfeng snapped.
"Yes, Uncle Zhou. Lord Zhou Henn is right."
Zhou Chunfeng looked utterly exasperated.
"My lord, it is time for lunch. Should we wait?" a Guard’s voice called from outside.
Zhou Chunfeng glanced at the three of them. "We’ll eat in the study today. Prepare for four."
"Yes."
"Tell me all your ideas for this new brewing method," Zhou Chunfeng said, looking at Li Qingxian.
"Uncle Zhou, I’m young and inexperienced, and I’ve neglected my studies. I can’t say much about proper, serious matters. But if you want to talk about unconventional tricks, like how to market the new liquor, I have countless ideas."
"Fine. Tell me how you would sell this liquor."
Li Qingxian said, "No matter what you’re selling, the most important thing is the gimmick—or, to put it bluntly, the bullshit. Think about it. All those famous liquors and delicacies, which one doesn’t have a string of stories behind it? People eat that stuff up, whether it’s true or not. So, if we want this new liquor to be an instant sensation, it’s actually quite simple. We’ll say it’s a recipe that a... Night Guard... no, an Evil Sect disciple from the Ministry of Revenue stole from the palace. That it was originally a private brew of the Royal Family. Of course, no one will believe it at first, but we’ll *make* them believe. How? We’ll dispatch the Night Guard’s Ti Qi to surround the place for three days and nights, pretending to investigate. Then, after three days and nights, they slip away in the dark, and the tavern opens for business as usual. You think people will believe it then? If that’s not enough, we can hire a troupe of storytellers to spread the tale far and wide."
Zhou Chunfeng stared at Li Qingxian with a strange look in his eyes.
Luo Jing muttered under his breath, "Pulling up a radish to plant a scallion, each crop is spicier than the last... Ahem. This Magic Seed is good. We of the Evil Sect don’t mind, but would the Night Guard really be willing to dispatch the Ti Qi?"
Li Qingxian said with a straight face, "The Emperor’s Inner Treasury holds a twenty percent stake. Everything we’re doing is for the Emperor, so they’ll have to do it whether they want to or not! Wouldn’t you agree, Uncle Zhou?"
Zhou Chunfeng sighed. "If Brother Gangfeng had possessed even half of your shamelessness, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament."
The room fell silent. Luo Jing quickly changed the subject, resuming the discussion about distilled liquor.
Soon, the food was brought in. As the server turned to leave, Li Qingxian said, "Please thank Chef Wang for me. The oranges Yur Ping from our department sent over today were very sweet."
"Yes." The server, unable to make heads or tails of it, agreed and left.
"So young, yet so cunning," Zhou Chunfeng said, shaking his head. "Let’s eat."
After lunch, Li Qingxian, Zhou Chunfeng, and Luo Jing continued their discussion on the matter of brewing distilled spirits.
As evening approached, Luo Jing glanced at the sky, then turned to Li Qingxian. "This Divine Capital is a leaky sieve; no secret can be kept for long. You must never tell anyone you have a twenty percent stake. Otherwise, cats will come one after another, drawn by the scent of fish, and you might even attract lions and tigers."
"Lord Luo is being thoughtful. Are you listening carefully?" Zhou Chunfeng asked.
"Don’t worry. When my life and fortune are on the line, I don’t talk nonsense," Li Qingxian replied, then lowered his head, lost in thought.
Zhou Chunfeng nodded, satisfied.
"Lord Luo, I’ll prepare a document for you. Our cooperation will be based on its terms. Once the brewing Magic Seed is finalized, we will begin formal negotiations." Zhou Chunfeng rose and walked back to his desk. Zhou Henn went over to pour water and grind the ink stick.
Zhou Chunfeng picked up his brush, thought for a moment, and then began to write.
Luo Jing took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. He craned his neck to carefully watch Zhou Chunfeng write.
A single character from Chunfeng’s brush is worth a hundred taels.
Zhou Henn was used to this sight, but he was surprised to see Li Qingxian still with his head bowed in thought. ’It seems the rumors are true,’ he mused. ’Li Qingxian isn’t a scholar at all.’
After finishing the four-page document, Zhou Chunfeng waved his right hand. A faint, orange Literary Qi wafted over the ink like a gentle breeze, instantly drying the characters.
Luo Jing accepted the document and examined it closely. "Worthy of the ’Chunfeng Sinew and Bone’ style," he exclaimed in awe. "I’m afraid my Lord Lur will have this document mounted and framed."
Zhou Chunfeng simply smiled, then looked toward Li Qingxian.
"Qingxian, what are you thinking about?"
As if waking from a dream, Li Qingxian said, "Is the Emperor about to celebrate his sixtieth birthday?"
"That is correct," Zhou Chunfeng replied.
"I’ve made my decision. If this brewing Magic Seed comes to nothing, then so be it. But if it succeeds, I will offer my twenty-percent stake to the Emperor as a birthday gift!"
Li Qingxian’s words were earth-shattering. Zhou Chunfeng and Luo Jing were stunned for a moment, then exchanged a glance.
Zhou Henn frowned, unable to comprehend.
Luo Jing sighed. "They all said that Mr. Gangfeng was a tiger of a father with a dog for a son, that his great name was ruined. Only today do I see how utterly wrong the world has been."
"Who taught you that?" A flicker of suspicion crossed Zhou Chunfeng’s eyes.
Li Qingxian clasped his hands in the direction of the Imperial City and said solemnly, "No one taught me. I simply heard a few days ago that disasters have been ceaseless in recent years, leaving the people destitute, and that the Emperor’s Inner Treasury has been emptied for relief efforts. As a subject of Daqi and a member of the Night Guard, I ought to share the Emperor’s worries."
As Zhou Chunfeng listened to Li Qingxian’s nonsense, a smile played on his lips. He quickly composed himself and shot a look at Luo Jing.
Luo Jing thought for a moment and understood Zhou Chunfeng’s intention. He felt a sense of helplessness. ’They all say Zhou Chunfeng is a humble and modest gentleman, kind and merciful. They clearly haven’t seen him when he’s ordering people around.’
Following Zhou Chunfeng’s cue, Luo Jing played his part, twisting the knife. "Nonsense! Mr. Gangfeng died striking his head against the pillars of the Jinluan Hall! As his son, you’ve already seen that a twenty percent stake goes to the Inner Treasury, and now you want to offer up your own as well? Would the Emperor dare... could he even accept it? If the Holy Emperor truly took it, what would the common folk and scholars of the realm think? I’d say you’re just shamelessly currying favor!"
"I don’t understand what you’re talking about," Li Qingxian said, his face a picture of righteousness.
Zhou Chunfeng sneered. "Not only will the Holy Emperor refuse it, he will be greatly pleased and bestow a reward upon you instead. He will let the entire world know that far from making things difficult for Li Gangfeng’s son, he will treat him with great generosity, demonstrating the harmonious relationship between a ruler and his subjects."
"Is that so? I wouldn’t know about that. Like my father, all I understand is loyalty to the Emperor and love for my country," Li Qingxian said.
"This is currently your best Magic Seed for self-preservation," Luo Jing sighed. "Once you are in the Emperor’s sights and have received a reward from him, anyone who wants to make a move on you or your shares will have to think twice. Even I can’t think of a better way."
At the side, Zhou Henn had a moment of sudden realization. ’These scholars,’ he thought, ’a single one of their hearts holds ten thousand schemes.’