Chapter 105
While officials in the Ministry of Rites were still passing the buck about the Seventh Prince, the resourceful Cui Zui had already begun to execute his plan to trap Prince An.
Cui Zui became the executor of this plan not only because he could move freely outside the palace, but also because of his apparent identity as the owner of Jiu Tian Yi, and his experience in the martial arts world. Prince An had many martial arts figures under his command, some of whom Cui Zui knew.
Nowadays, the biggest form of entertainment in Beijing is playing cards. Since Jiu Tian Yi opened, many businessmen have seen the profits in this high-end card and mahjong parlor, and countless imitators have emerged. Among them are those who want to replace Jiu Tian Yi, and one even opened on another main street, which used to be the most prosperous of the four main streets in Beijing. They even used the name of Jiu Tian Yi as a gimmick, claiming to be a card and mahjong parlor that is more interesting, luxurious and has better service than Jiu Tian Yi, and directly named it "The Ultimate of Numbers".
Nine is the extreme number, and the extreme of the extreme numbers is ten, which can be said to be a direct confrontation.
At first, Cui Zui didn't pay much attention, but after hearing about it so much, he couldn't help but become curious. So he sent someone to investigate and found out that the unscrupulous merchant across the street not only made a fuss about the name, but also plagiarized the interior decoration, staffing, pricing, and even the clay figurines in the lobby. The only difference was that the figurines weren't made of clay, but were painted with a layer of gold powder to make them look more luxurious and expensive.
Only someone who has been to Jiu Tian Yi multiple times could achieve such a level of restoration. Cui Zui immediately checked the membership records and, sure enough, found the name of that unscrupulous boss.
"I really wanted to cancel his membership and smash up that counterfeit store!" Cui Zui said, his teeth itching with hatred.
Anyone with eyes can see that this so-called "extreme number of extremes" is a complete rip-off of "nine plus one". However, there is nothing that can be done. In modern society, even trademark squatting and imitation and plagiarism cannot be stopped, let alone in ancient times where there were no copyright laws.
Others might privately despise this businessman's actions, but if Cui Zui persists and resorts to any means, he will be met with criticism and abuse in return.
Lingzhi and the others were also indignant upon hearing this, but Xue Jin'an remained calm and only uttered a classic saying: "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die."
At the same time, he reminded Cui Zui that businessmen generally don't go too far in their actions.
If he were to destroy the livelihood of an entire industry, he would only destroy that industry, not the industries above and below. In fact, to achieve victory, he would establish relationships with the industries above and below him early on, sending them a message: he has a monopoly on this industry, which will not only not affect their profits, but will also bring them more benefits. Then, they would unite to squeeze the competitors out of the industry and realize their dream of monopoly.
Therefore, this person would target Jiu Tianyi's card and board game room, but would never touch Jiu Tianyi's bookstore. In fact, he would "secretly take care" of the bookstore's business, hoarding cards to prevent them from continuing to operate on their own after Jiu Tianyi cut off their supply in a fit of anger.
Upon hearing this, Cui Zui was startled and immediately checked the bookstore's accounts. Sure enough, he found several strange large orders, and this month's profits had already exceeded those of the previous month. He was both ashamed and angry, and his face turned red. When he met Xue Jin'an's gaze, he lowered his head dejectedly.
"Master, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for not realizing it sooner, and as a result..." Cui Zui felt quite guilty.
"It's good to have an extra long-term order," Xue Jin'an said sincerely.
Cui Zui hesitated, his eyes overflowing with emotion, almost ready to speak: This isn't about making money or not, it's about someone plotting against us, Master, please wake up!
Cui Zui's expression was so obvious that Xue Jin'an was able to decipher it after only staring at him for a short while. He said calmly, "As Jiu Tian Yi develops better and makes more money, I don't know how many envious people will jump out. Even if you object, it won't make a difference."
It would be better to be straightforward and provide them with as many cards as they want, as long as they can handle them. After all, these guys who only superficially imitate others won't live very long anyway.
The concentration of card games in Beijing is very high. There is no doubt that Jiu Tian Yi is the largest and most profitable card room in the city. However, in terms of liveliness, it is definitely not comparable to the open card rooms in teahouses and taverns that cater to ordinary people at the bottom of society.
Yes, many teahouses and taverns have converted their ground-floor lobbies into small card and mahjong rooms, which are bustling with activity every day. They are the epitome of how others can emulate me.
Getting back to the main point, Jiu Tianyi had collaborations with these teahouses and taverns. As long as it wasn't too serious, they would also help with some spying. That's how Cui Zui quickly found his target: an acquaintance who was currently "living out his days" at the Prince An's mansion.
If Xue Jin'an saw the person he had chosen, he would definitely say, "What a coincidence."
Isn't this the person who introduced Cui Zui to the Fifth Prince in the original story?
Just as the other party knew Cui Zui's extreme desire for fame, Cui Zui also knew that the other party loved to join in the fun and was very interested in new things, so it was normal for them to catch someone in a teahouse or tavern.
Cui Zui pretended to come to check the accounts, guiding the other party to see him and call out to him. Then Cui Zui invited him to play cards at Jiu Tian Yi. During the break from playing cards, he subtly revealed what the Rongdi people had done at Jiu Tian Yi that day, and even exaggerated the details to convey that he really wanted to kill them, but had to give up for various reasons.
This was planting a seed in the other party's heart. Cui Zui was still thinking about how to make the seed sprout step by step when he soon discovered that this inducement had been stopped. Even Prince An did not show up. His strategist and advisor temporarily smoothed things over with the reason that "if the Rongdi envoy dies, it will be detrimental to the country."
With Xue Jin'an's plan in place, all sorts of possibilities had been anticipated. Cui Zui didn't give up easily; he continued to send emotional signals to the other party and tried to spread them to others: "What the strategist said sounds very reasonable... So what do the others think?"
A single sentence saved the seeds from near death, and they were even given the opportunity to spread the seeds to others.
This time, the other party never came to Jiu Tian Yi again. The people from Prince An's Mansion even sent over the expenses the other party had incurred at Jiu Tian Yi over the past few days, thus eliminating the possibility of being lured at the source.
Cui Zui pursed his lips: "Although I already knew the outcome as expected, I'm still not happy." The most important thing is that the strategist was the one who stepped in to resolve the matter both times, and Cui Zui remembered this "cunning" strategist.
"It doesn't matter. The seeds that have already been planted won't wither because of a few words. They will sprout and take root when the time is right," Xue Jin'an announced calmly. "We can proceed to the next step."
"Great!" Cui Zui rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining, eager to get started.
The next step, which is also the most crucial part of the whole plan, is actually not difficult. The Prince’s mansion keeps so many assassins, which requires a lot of resources for food, clothing, and shelter. Fortunately, Prince An has a lot of estates under his control, so there is no need to worry about supplying them. His hot spring estate even has off-season vegetables in winter.
Cui Zui didn't need to cause a scene or do anything. He just needed to convey an error message, telling them that the royal palace wanted to eat sheep. After the handover, one of the sheep would disappear in the backyard of the royal palace. It would be properly disposed of and then appear on the Rongdi envoys' table, where it would be eaten until the Rongdi people realized what was happening.
The Rongdi people had been eating mutton for several meals in a row, even breakfast was mutton. Even the nomadic people were starting to feel the strain. Weng Tianxin sent someone to talk to the post station staff to see if they could change the dishes. But his subordinate came running back with a pale face, trembling, and said, "Sir, they said, they said the post station hasn't been slaughtering any sheep recently..."
"How could that be? What have we been eating these past few days?" Prince Galdan frowned, instinctively retorting before realizing what the other person meant. He immediately jumped up from his chair. "Go, go and fetch the witch doctor right now!"
The witch doctor came and examined their pulses, but found nothing wrong with their bodies. Weng Tianxin then ordered people to investigate the source of the mutton and rice dishes.
The Rongdi people always had their own people fetch the meat for them. No matter how you asked them, they all said that the meat came from the post station kitchen. Everyone at the post station also said that there were no strangers. The people in charge of the canteen and those in charge of distributing the food were strictly inspected every day and there was absolutely no problem. Other foreign envoys at the post station could testify to this.
Weng Tianxin and Galdan exchanged a glance: to switch the dishes so silently and without anyone noticing, the murderer must either be highly skilled in martial arts or have an excellent ability to disguise themselves.
"But what are they here for? It can't just be to invite us to eat sheep," Galdan said with a half-smile.
Galdan quickly understood what the other party meant. This time, their meal still included an extra serving of mutton. They tested it for poison, and then caught a dog to eat with the dish, and nothing happened. Finally, Weng Tianxin was the first to notice the key point: "This is leg meat."
"What happened? These past few days it's been all leg fat, hasn't it?" Galdan paused, then, seeing the deepening look in Weng Tianxin's eyes, seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "No way? It really is because..."
Is it because of the phrase "two-legged sheep"?
"Very likely." Weng Tianxin nodded heavily. His heaviness wasn't because they had offended a martial arts master who might threaten their lives, but because the other party's actions indicated that someone was deliberately inciting hatred against them among the people of Daqi.
Within the territory of Daqi, their lives might still be guaranteed, but once they leave Daqi territory, they are likely to face wave after wave of ambushes, and they might even die on their way home.
"What is this? A threat? Intimidation?" Galdan slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, breathing heavily and cursing in the Rongdi language. "So what do we do now? Find this person, kill him, or something else?"
“Do nothing.” Weng Tianxin shook his head. “We are guests in Daqi. Now that the guests are threatened, we should naturally ask the host to take charge.”
"Fine! Fine! Let them fight like dogs!" Galdan said fiercely.
Thus, the Ministry of Rites once again received a report from the Rong and Di envoys, who suspected they were being threatened by martial arts figures and demanded that the Ministry of Rites find out who the culprit was as soon as possible.
Ministry of Rites: "..."
The people from the Ministry of Rites really wanted to yell: "We are the Ministry of Rites, not the Three Judicial Offices! Can't we come to them if we have any grievances? We didn't say we came to the Ministry of Rites to learn how to solve cases!"
However, regardless of their thoughts, as the department responsible for liaising with foreign envoys, they had to resolve these matters as quickly as possible, so they had to investigate with all their might, and soon they actually found out the results.
The evidence pointed directly to the Prince An's residence.
At that moment, the people from the Ministry of Rites wished they had never discovered this matter at all. However, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to Prince An's mansion to investigate. Then they encountered unprecedented obstruction. Upon hearing that they had come to seek justice for the Rongdi people, they were driven out of the mansion by the Jianghu people without even seeing the steward of Prince An's mansion.
“You didn’t stand up when they called us ‘two-legged sheep,’ but now you’re quite eager to deal with your own people. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a spy from the Rong and Di tribes.”
“A bunch of Rong and Di lackeys, receiving the salaries of the Great Qi, yet harboring the heart of Rong and Di dogs.”
"Who knows what happened to the sheep? Maybe it was done by some hero who saw injustice."
"Get out, get out! We are ashamed to associate with you lackeys."
"..."
His words, one by one, made the officials of the Ministry of Rites blush with embarrassment.
The news that Prince An was speaking out for the people of Daqi, resolutely refusing to accept being insulted by the Rong and Di people, and determined to teach them a lesson spread far and wide, making him an instant national warrior of Daqi.
Suddenly realizing that his own sheep had inexplicably appeared on the dining table of the Rongdi envoys at the post station, and that he had become Prince An, an anti-Rongdi warrior: "...?"
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