A single piece of news, with Lingyue Tavern at its center, spread through every corner of Leping County like a plague within less than an hour.
Thirteen, the steward of the Zhou merchant caravan, posted a notice at the entrance of the tavern.
[Call for Talent]
The contents of the notice were so blunt and crude that it was almost outrageous:
“Our caravan intends to form business partnerships in Leping County.”
“First: All capital and silver will be provided by our caravan. Partners need not invest a single coin.”
“Second: All permits required for business operations, including market registration, tariffs, miscellaneous taxes, and official documentation, will be handled entirely by our caravan.”
“Third: Partners need only contribute their effort and help manage the business.”
“Fourth: Profits will be split thirty-seventy. The caravan takes thirty percent, the partner takes seventy percent.”
When a literate scholar tremblingly read the notice aloud—
The entire Leping County fell into silence for three seconds.
Three seconds later, complete and utter chaos erupted.
“I… I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?!”
“They provide the money, and they handle the government paperwork?!”
“We just show up… and get seventy percent?!!”
“Is… is this a scam?!”
Everyone’s first reaction was that it was an outrageous claim. Their second reaction was that it showed astonishing boldness.
You didn’t need to invest a single coin, and even the most troublesome part of doing business, the official permits and paperwork, would be taken care of for you. And on top of that, you would receive the larger share of the profits.
“In this world… could something this good actually exist?!”
“Who cares if it’s real or fake! Let’s go take a look! What if it’s true?!”
“Go, go, go!!”
In an instant, whether they were local merchants with abacuses clacking busily in their minds, scholars who believed themselves talented yet had no opportunities, or idle hooligans hoping to try their luck—
Everyone went mad. A massive crowd surged from all directions toward Lingyue Tavern.
Xie Wenyuan’s sedan had only reached halfway when it was completely blocked by the overwhelming crowd.
“What is going on?! Why is it so noisy ahead?!” Xie Wenyuan demanded impatiently from inside the sedan.
A yamen runner struggled to squeeze through the crowd and grabbed a passerby for answers. When he returned, his face had changed.
“M-my lord…” His voice trembled. “It’s… it’s that Zhou merchant caravan! They… they’re giving away money!”
After the runner stammered through the contents of the notice—
Even Xie Wenyuan was stunned.
For a moment, even the mind of a former palace graduate like him could not comprehend such a business model.
Absurd! That was his first reaction.
No! That was his second.
“No profit comes without motive. In this world, who would ever do business at a loss? What are they after? Fame? Or… people?”
The thought of recruiting them instantly turned into an even stronger curiosity.
“Faster!” he ordered decisively. “Hurry to Lingyue Tavern! I want to see what they are really up to!”
Lingyue Tavern was packed to the brim.
Thirteen stood at the top of the staircase on the second floor, his face expressionless. Behind him stood two rows of guards radiating killing intent.
“Silence!”
His voice was not loud, yet it overpowered all the noise.
“My master has rules.”
“First, regardless of rank or status, whether officials or commoners, all are treated equally and must line up.”
“Second, only ten people will be received each day.”
Hearing this, no one found it strange. Talented people often had eccentric habits, and this only made it seem more legitimate.
Thus, the line stretched from inside the tavern all the way across three streets.
Day One.
Ten people entered in high spirits.
Less than half an hour later, all ten emerged looking confused and dejected.
Onlookers quickly grabbed the first person to come out, Shopkeeper Qian, the largest cloth merchant in the area.
“Shopkeeper Qian! How was it? What kind of big business is it?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head. “Don’t even ask.”
“What happened? Is the business that difficult?”
“I didn’t even get to see the owner,” he said with frustration. “Only that cold-faced steward.”
“He said if you want to meet the master, you must first answer a question.”
“What question?” Everyone pressed in eagerly.
Clearing his throat, Shopkeeper Qian imitated Thirteen’s tone:
“My master wishes to sell certain goods. Some are rare and therefore extremely valuable, while others are common and easily found.”
The crowd nodded. “That’s obvious. Then what?”
“Then?” Shopkeeper Qian swallowed. “The steward said they insist on selling the common items at the same price as the rare ones!”
“What?!”
“How is that possible? Gold and dirt at the same price? Only a fool would buy that!”
“Wait!” Shopkeeper Qian raised his hand. “That was my reaction too. I said perhaps it could work if you controlled the quantity of the common goods, making them scarce…”
“Exactly!” the crowd agreed.
“But I hadn’t even finished speaking!” Shopkeeper Qian grimaced. “The steward added another condition…”
“There’s more?!”
“He said before the sale, customers must not know whether the item is rare or common.”
“You have to pay first, take the item, open it… and only then will you find out.”
The entire crowd froze in stunned silence.
Three seconds later—
“Hahahahahaha!”
“Isn’t this just a scam?!”
“Pay before even seeing the goods? How is that any different from gambling in a betting house?!”
“Exactly! Only an idiot would fall for that!”
“I thought it was some grand business. Turns out it’s just a swindler trying to make money out of nothing!”
The crowd began to stir restlessly.
Yet hearing about it was one thing, seeing it was another. The temptation of seventy percent profits with zero investment was simply too great.
“What if… what if I’m the genius who can solve it?”
“Right! I’ll give it a try!”
Not only did the line not disperse, it grew even longer.
Day Two, Day Three, Day Four…
Whether local merchants or self-proclaimed scholars full of knowledge, everyone came out shaking their heads.
There was no solution.
It directly challenged the most fundamental principle of trade: honest value for honest goods.
To put it bluntly, it was practically declaring that customers were fools, and still expecting to profit from them.
Who could possibly run such a business?
Day Five.
Finally, it was Xie Wenyuan’s turn.
He had heard about this absurd problem over the past few days and believed it to be a scam.
Yet he had not left.
His pride as a former palace graduate had been stirred, and his frustration from his stalled official career demanded an outlet.
“Hmph. Putting on airs and playing tricks. I want to see what kind of problem could stump someone like me, a second-ranked graduate!”
He straightened his official robes and, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, walked into Lingyue Tavern.
On the second floor, in a private room.
As expected, he was received by the cold-faced steward, Thirteen.
“Magistrate Xie, please,” Thirteen said without even lifting his eyelids.
The question was exactly as rumored.
“…You only learn whether it is rare or common after paying.”
Xie Wenyuan sat there, frowning deeply.
For a moment, even he, once a top scholar and now the magistrate of a county, could not think of a good solution.
“This… violates sincerity,” he thought. “The sages taught that goods must match their value. Acting like this is no different from robbery.”
“But… what if it isn’t robbery? What if… someone would actually buy it?”
“Who would buy it? Why would they?”
“What they’re buying… is it the object? Or… the unknown?”
He pondered intensely, breaking into a sweat.
He could not answer.
But since he had already come, he could not leave in disgrace.
“Ahem.” Xie Wenyuan cleared his throat, putting on the air of authority. “I am the magistrate of Leping County, Xie Wenyuan. I have come to meet your master to discuss… matters concerning the livelihood of the county.”
He attempted to use his official status to pressure him.
Thirteen merely raised his eyes and glanced at him coldly.
“I know.”
“…” Xie Wenyuan choked.
“These are my master’s rules. If you can answer, you may meet him. If not, you may not.”
“You—!” Xie Wenyuan slammed the table. “Insolence! How dare a mere merchant treat a court official with such disrespect?!”
Thirteen slowly stood up.
Behind him, the two guards instantly placed their hands on the hilts of their blades.
A tangible killing intent filled the room and enveloped Xie Wenyuan.
Xie Wenyuan… backed down.
“…Hmph!”
His face flushed red as he could only flick his sleeve angrily and leave in humiliation.