Chapter 196 I can only pretend not to know you
The dark blue pattern on the forearm can vaguely be made out to be the word "Chun".
That is Rongqing's nickname.
Rong Qing clutched the man's sleeve tightly, fearing that he would disappear again the next moment. She was so anxious that she even forgot to lower her voice, "Why are you here?"
Hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Bai Moyan trembled, hurriedly shook off her hand, and ran towards the lobby. Looking at his back, he looked like he was fleeing in panic.
"Bai——" Rong Qing staggered a few steps and wanted to call him, but there were many people in Zuixianlou and he couldn't reveal his identity, so he could only chase after him.
But there were countless people coming in and out of Zuixianlou, and as soon as Rong Qing returned to the lobby, the man disappeared without a trace.
She lost her strength and fell to the ground. Even with the thick makeup on her face, it was not difficult to see that she looked very bad.
Rong Qing lowered his head and murmured, tears falling silently, "Why do you treat me like this..."
She didn't come back, so Su Cheng had to go downstairs to look for her. He immediately saw Rong Qing slumped by the stairs and hurried over to him, "Ms....Miss, what happened?"
"Su Cheng..." Seeing her, Rong Qing seemed to have seen a savior. He held her wrist tightly and whispered, "Mo Yan is alive. Bai Mo Yan is still alive."
Su Cheng paused, realizing she was on the verge of collapse, and winked at the helpless maid behind her, "Help the young lady back."
"Yes." The maid immediately stepped forward and worked together with Su Cheng to help Rong Qing back to the room.
When the three figures disappeared into the corner of the stairs, the man hiding in the distance slowly appeared, looking at the second floor with an almost infatuated look, with thousands of words stuck in his heart, unable to speak.
"Xiaobai, the clothes haven't been washed yet, and you dare to run out and slack off?"
After hearing the shopkeeper's words, Bai Moyan turned around quietly and turned back into a small servant in Zuixianlou.
As soon as the three of them returned to the private room, Zhang Yuemei's expression changed. She immediately stood up and came over, frowning and asking, "What happened?"
Su Cheng helped the person beside him to sit down on the chair and sighed, "When I went downstairs, I saw the princess sitting on the ground, muttering something about Bai Moyan not being dead."
"What?" Zhang Yuemei was struck by lightning, and couldn't believe what she heard. "Bai Moyan is not dead? This... How is this possible?"
"Princess, did you see it wrong?" Su Cheng asked half-believingly, lowering his voice. "If Bai Moyan is still alive, how did he escape back to the capital? The princess had a small group of people to escort her, and she went through countless hardships to return to her homeland. Bai Moyan really fell into the hands of the people from the northwest..."
"Su Cheng is right." Zhang Yuemei nodded slowly, agreeing with her words. "Rongqing, didn't you say that you saw Bai Moyan die with your own eyes?"
"Yes..." Rong Qing opened his misty eyes, and big tears fell one after another. "Back then, he wanted to take me away, but Somon shot him in the heart with an arrow and he fell off his horse. I wanted to die with him, but he yelled at me to escape and not look back..."
"Just now, I saw him with all my heart." Rong Qing was eager to prove himself, his face flushed. "He once carved the word 'pure' on his arm. I won't mistake him! That was him!"
Rong Qing gave a bitter laugh, his eyes filled with self-mockery, "But he clearly recognized my voice, yet he fled in panic, not even wanting to say a word to me."
Zhang Yuemei pondered for a moment before uttering, "Could it be that he...has something to hide?"
"Logically, why would the dignified Prince of Wuping, who voluntarily gave up everything for his country and his beloved, and now returned to his homeland, hide out in a small restaurant to eke out a living?" Su Cheng had a suspicion in his mind, a solemn look between his brows. "He's not afraid of death, but he's afraid of meeting the princess. Could he have spies in the dark?"
"That's right, Rongqing, don't forget who Bai Moyan is." Zhang Yuemei placed her hand in her palm and gently soothed her, "You know better than anyone how he has treated you over the years. He won't change his heart, nor will he betray his country. Now that he's hiding here, we can only pretend not to know him, so as not to ruin his plans."
Rong Qing bit her lower lip, and her suppressed sobs echoed in the room.
Zhang Yuemei and Su Cheng looked at each other, helpless, and could only try their best to comfort her.
-
There were seven or eight people sitting in the private room at the end of the second floor. Judging from their clothes, they were all wealthy or noble figures, and they were accompanied by beautiful ladies. They clinked glasses and played drinking games, having a great time.
"Master Lin, Xu offers you a toast."
The man held up his wine glass and bowed to Lin Rusheng, who was sitting in the main seat, with a smile on his face. "Thanks to you for helping us earn money, our lives are thriving."
"These are just trivial matters." Lin Rusheng waved his hand, ignoring the wine cup he offered. "Drinking too much can easily lead to mistakes. Everyone, please be free later. I have some personal matters to attend to."
The man awkwardly withdrew his hand and chuckled, "Thanks to Lord Lin's brilliant idea, the salt price was raised in just seven days, and my account has added a large sum of silver, almost equal to what I have earned in all these years."
"Yes, yes, it's the same in my family. When the price of salt was raised, the people panicked and rushed to stock up on it. The price doubled and doubled!"
"As the price of salt goes up, more and more people are selling illegal salt. Not long ago, four or five were caught and all sent to the government office. Now those common people have no choice but to buy our salt."
"Thank you, Lord Lin, for your support in this wonderful undertaking." "Thank you, Lord Lin."
"It's just a small matter." Lin Rusheng waved his hand, his face calm, but in fact he was enjoying the feeling of being sought after by everyone. "Since you all have made money, shouldn't you also understand the rules?"
"Yes, we all understand!" The man who spoke first said in a low voice with a flattering look on his face, "Sir, I am willing to give you a 40% interest, just hoping that there will be another job like this in the future. Sir, don't forget me, my name is Xu Mian."
"I'll give it four points too!"
"My Lord, I also have four points."
"My place is small, and I can't make as much money as the seniors. Sir, I'll give you a three-tenths profit."
Lin Rusheng nodded slightly, the smile on his face gradually widening. He waved his hand and said, "Old Wang, go check the account books brought by each family. Once you have settled the accounts, leave. Don't delay everyone's fun."
"Yes." The manager standing behind him walked forward slowly, holding a delicate and small abacus in his hand.
It was unknown how much time had passed, until it was getting dark, and finally Manager Wang put away his abacus and closed the book in his hand.
Mr. Lin Rusheng stood up and said goodbye, walking out of the private room slowly.
"Master." Steward Wang stepped forward, his voice deliberately lowered. "The profits shared by the eight salt merchants alone amount to two hundred and seventy thousand taels."
"After all, they are merchants who hold salt tickets from several cities. How come this is all they have? It's not even enough for our family's daily income!" Lin Rusheng frowned, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. "My efforts these past few days are really wasted."
"If we want to accomplish great things, this amount of money is not enough..." Lin Rusheng sighed, "It's far from enough."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
