Fatty ate four steamed buns by himself and still wasn’t satisfied. He tore the last bun apart and used it like a rag to wipe the plates clean, making sure not a trace of meat or grease was left before reluctantly swallowing it.
Finally, he smacked his lips, “Tsk, Old Lin, hurry and get more food. Lord Fatty hasn’t eaten enough.”
“Yes, this old servant will take care of it right away.”
“Hold on.” Lin Zhen stopped Lin An. “I have something to discuss with you all.”
“Can’t this wait until Lord Fatty has eaten his fill?”
“If this matter succeeds, you can eat whatever you want in the future, even having meat and fish every day won’t be a problem!”
“Really?” Fatty’s big eyes gleamed with gold.
His father, Wang Tienan, was Lin Zhenxian’s adopted son. Not only did his martial arts and temper follow the old man, but so did his poverty.
Both families lived similarly, but Wang Tienan didn’t need to spend his own money to care for soldiers, so their days were slightly better than the Regent’s Mansion.
Even so, Fatty couldn’t just eat whatever he wanted and had to follow the family’s arrangements. That’s why he was always reluctant to go home and preferred to mooch at Lin Zhen’s place.
Lu Dehao was different. His family, the Duke of Merit’s household led by Lu Qingxin, had cloth and grain businesses, making them the wealthiest among the three.
Lin Zhen revealed his plan, “Here’s the thing, I plan to establish a carriage company in the capital.”
Both of them looked at each other in confusion.
“Company? What’s that?”
“Yeah, Big Brother, explain it clearly.”
Lin Zhen said, “You don’t need to know what a company is. Simply put, the three of us will invest together, each with 500 taels of silver. Three months later, I’ll give each of you a monthly dividend of 50 taels of silver.”
Fatty started counting on his fingers, “Fifty taels a month… That’s not much.”
Lu Dehao also felt it wasn’t impressive.
“Big Brother, this business is far inferior to our cloth shop. Our manager Hao makes thousands of taels of silver a month trading cloth from north to south.”
“You two know nothing,” Lin Zhen patiently explained, “Fifty taels a month is 600 taels a year, and 6,000 taels in ten years! As long as the company doesn’t collapse, you can enjoy 50 taels of silver monthly income forever, and your initial investment is only 500 taels. Isn’t that a great deal?”
Lin Zhen didn’t give them a chance to speak and continued, “And this is just the capital city. There are many cities in our Great Qian Nation with over 300,000 people. Later, we can expand our investment, and your dividends will increase even more.”
“Huh? Forever?”
“Big Brother, are you serious?”
According to Lin Zhen’s calculations, they would break even in less than a year, and everything afterward would be pure profit, with 50 taels a month.
The two, lacking business acumen, couldn’t resist such temptation.
Fatty and Lu Dehao were both tempted. Besides, 500 taels wasn’t a huge amount; they could definitely get it from their families.
Lin Zhen said firmly, “Of course. And since we’re sworn brothers, everything will be settled openly. If you agree, we’ll sign the contract right now.”
Lu Dehao, who was a good-for-nothing dandy, immediately agreed, “Alright! I’ll listen to Big Brother. I’ll go get the money right away!”
“Fine!” Fatty gritted his teeth, “I’ll take care of the casino first, then go home and discuss it with my old man.”
“Then it’s settled!”
The three clapped hands and left in agreement.
Lin Zhen planned to visit Zhang Li in the side courtyard, but as soon as he stood up, Lin An called out, “Young Master.”
“Hmm?”
“500 taels of silver is not a small amount. Shouldn’t you discuss it with the old master first?”
Lin Zhen smiled and waved his hand without even looking back, “Sure, you can go tell him. Once grandfather agrees, bring the silver to my room.”
“Huh?” Lin An was puzzled.
In the past, Lin Zhen would struggle to get even 5 taels from Lin Zhenxian. What was going on today?
Why was he so sure Lin Zhenxian would agree?
This confidence…
Something’s wrong. Definitely wrong!
The young master seemed different from before!
…
At the entrance of the side courtyard stood two maids. Lin Zhen didn’t recognize them, but they recognized him.
When they saw the young master coming, they immediately smiled and bowed, “Young Master.”
The one named Qingwen kept throwing flirtatious glances at Lin Zhen, making him feel a bit awkward.
Life in a deep mansion was hard.
Whether maids or palace girls, their greatest hope was to become a concubine and rise to the status of a master.
If they couldn’t become a concubine, they would end up marrying a servant or be arranged by the family to marry someone outside.
But girls who had served as maids were often undesirable matches because no one knew if they were still virgins, as high-ranking households had too many dirty secrets.
After all, they couldn’t be checked before marriage.
And Lin Zhen’s reputation wasn’t good to begin with, so for the maids, he was the best breakthrough to sing the song of freedom.
“Replying to Young Master, that woman has been quiet. No unusual behavior.”
“Good, thank you both.”
“Hehe, serving Young Master is this humble girl’s blessing~”
“Uh…”
Good grief, she didn’t even call herself a servant anymore, directly calling herself a concubine.
How eager were they to climb up?
Lin Zhen glanced at Qingwen, feeling she looked like someone he had seen before, but he didn’t dwell on it and pushed the door open to enter the courtyard.
After more than half a day, Zhang Li was still refusing to eat or drink, looking as if she were going on a hunger strike. Lin Zhen sat at the table, watching her.
“I just returned from the palace. Her Majesty has agreed to give me the Yuanda Casino. If you willingly swear loyalty to me, you can continue to be the casino’s manager.”
Zhang Li looked at him as if hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world, her face full of disbelief, “Her Majesty agreed with you?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Li thought for a moment and then sneered, “Heh, and you’re the heir of the Regent’s Mansion. Is it fun to lie to a woman like me?”
“If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see for yourself. My people have already taken over the casino, and the Gu family’s people have been gradually withdrawing.”
Seeing Lin Zhen’s confident look, Zhang Li began to waver.
Could it be that the Gu family lost this game so quickly?
That was too absurd. After all, the Gu family was the only family in the Great Qian Nation capable of contending with the Regent’s Mansion. The emperor wouldn’t be foolish enough to help the Regent’s Mansion at the expense of the Gu family.
That left only one explanation—Lin Zhen was lying!
“Fine, I’ll go with you. If the casino isn’t yours, what then?”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to send me back to the Gu family and personally explain the situation to Young Master Gu.”
“No problem, I promise you.”
After all, with the protagonist’s aura, Zhang Li still had some fantasy about Gu Beichen in her heart.
So Lin Zhen wasn’t surprised by her request.
“Then what if the casino is indeed mine?”
Zhang Li, worthy of being a heroine, replied bluntly, “I’ll pledge loyalty to you, and from now on, whatever you want to do to me… you can.”
“Good! You’re indeed the woman I set my eyes on.”
Lin Zhen stood up, gesturing toward the door, “Please.”