Lu Baichuan raised an eyebrow. What qualities did he have that made him worth befriending? Was it too late to change?
The second son of the Lin family, unaware of what he was thinking, asked directly, "I wonder if Third Master has ever heard of the treasure passed down from ancient times?"
Lu Baichuan shook his head firmly: "No."
The second son of the Lin family blinked: "Impossible! Third Master Jiang, you travel around so often, how could you not have heard of this?"
"But it's okay, it's the same as telling you now. It's this and that..."
He rattled off the stories he'd heard about the treasure he'd been searching for all this time to Lu Baichuan.
I guess they made a point of inquiring, and what they said was even more detailed than what I heard at Miao Lanlan's engagement banquet that night.
Lu Baichuan scoffed, "The Second Young Master would believe something that's easy to fool a three-year-old? That's impossible!"
Lin's second son felt that Lu Baichuan looked down on him, but he had no evidence.
"It's probably true! I heard that the imperial court has sent people to search for it, and many people in the martial arts world have started looking for it. It's a treasure passed down from ancient times, and it's said to be able to overturn the world!"
As he said this, a look of infatuation appeared in Lin Lao Er's eyes, as if he had drunk too much.
Lu Baichuan looked at him with disgust and asked, "So what exactly did the Second Young Master want from me?"
Lin Lao Er immediately laughed and said, "Isn't it because you, Third Master, are often away on business? News gets here quickly, so I wanted to ask you to keep an eye out for me. Don't worry, even brothers keep clear accounts. Two thousand taels for a single piece of information, how about it?"
I see.
Lu Baichuan understood; they knew they were leaving tomorrow and were trying to get closer to them.
Two thousand taels for a single message—that's truly extravagant.
Lin Lao Er waited for a while, and seeing that Lu Baichuan didn't speak, he simply said, "Five thousand taels! But you can only sell the information to me, not to anyone else!"
Lu Baichuan glanced at him; his round, chubby figure made him look like the foolish son of a wealthy landlord, outrageously rich.
“Alright, since Second Young Master is so sincere, then I, Jiang, will naturally not be ungrateful. However, I must still advise you that most of the rumors circulating outside are false. Second Young Master, you should think it over carefully! Besides, the Lin family is already so wealthy, there's really no need for…”
Lin Lao Er raised his hand to stop him from saying more: "Third Master Jiang, don't say such discouraging things. It's better to believe it than not. Just tell me the latest news you have, and I will consider whether it is true or false. You will also get your money back in full!"
Lu Baichuan: ...Hopeless.
Anyway, the imperial court officials will be here soon, and the Lin family will definitely be investigated. This second young master of the Lin family won't be stupid for much longer, so there's no need for me to waste my breath trying to persuade him.
"In that case, I will not say any more."
Lin Lao Er nodded repeatedly, patted him on the shoulder and began to address him as a brother, then pushed the exquisite little box in front of Lu Baichuan.
"To show our sincerity, here is a silver note containing ten thousand taels of silver. Consider it payment for our agreement. We'll charge you separately for any information you provide later!"
It has to be said that Lu Baichuan was truly amazed; the Lin family's wealth was no joke.
If he didn't give him a few clues, Lu Baichuan would be embarrassed to accept so much money from him.
After seeing off the second son of the Lin family, Lu Baichuan gave the ten thousand taels he had received to Jiang Jiuniang.
Jiang Jiuniang found it unbelievable that the idiot was so easily fooled.
"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. They're already so rich, yet they still want to find some treasure. No wonder those people in the martial arts world can't resist the temptation."
A treasure that could overturn the world! That's an immense fortune, who wouldn't be tempted?
"Since he's so sincere, let's give him a clue."
Lin Lao Er was overjoyed that Lu Baichuan was so reliable. The very next day, someone sent him a clue. He was so happy that he didn't even read the contents before giving the messenger, Lao Wu, five thousand taels of silver to take back.
He happily took the note back, hid in his study, carefully closed the door, and then mysteriously opened it. But his expression changed as soon as he saw it.
The note read: "This may be a tactic used by the Eastern Court to deal with the Imperial Court. When the Imperial Court investigates, all those involved will be held accountable."
Lin Lao Er was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. His family were just merchants with some money, and they didn't have any connections in the court. If they were held accountable, they would definitely be doomed!
Fortunately, Lu Baichuan is reliable; he gave him such explosive news as soon as he arrived!
This is saving his life!
He wiped his sweat, then quickly burned the note. He then summoned a servant and instructed him to send 20,000 taels of silver to Lu Baichuan.
Not long after Old Wu returned home and had just given the money to Jiang Jiuniang, the Lin family's servants came to the door. Upon seeing Lu Baichuan and Jiang Jiuniang, they said, "Our second young master said that you two are his saviors. This is to express our gratitude to you. Please do not refuse."
Jiang Jiuniang was surprised that Lin Lao Er was so sensible and obedient to advice. He accepted the money without any qualms and said, "Go back and tell your young master that good deeds will be rewarded, cherish what you have now, and being too greedy will only lead to losing too much."
The servant nodded repeatedly and went back to relay Jiang Jiuniang's words to Lin Lao Er.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Lin Lao Er couldn't help but clap his hands and said, "I knew it! How could such a high-ranking official as the prefect be so thoroughly controlled by this couple? Now it seems they're not just simple merchants and doctors; they might even have considerable influence in the court. Information from people like that is often the most useful! To hell with the treasure, I don't even want it! Humph!"
That very night, the winds of change swept through Qianzhou City. The previous discussions about the treasure suddenly ceased, and when it was mentioned, people were quick to curse the Dongting people for being shameless and devising such a scheme to attack their country!
Lu Baichuan and his wife were surprised that Lin Lao Er was quite reliable and did such a good deed before they left.
The next morning, when Jiang Jiuniang left, she gave Wu's wife a token and instructed her, "Wu's wife, while we're gone, this house will be in your care. If you need more money, just go to the shop and get it, and record it in the ledger. Don't be too hard on yourselves, but don't be too extravagant just because we're not here. You know my bottom line. Also, the second young master of the Lin family is connected to us. If the imperial court comes to investigate and the Lin family commits a crime, take this token to the imperial court and ask them to spare the second young master's life."
Well, consider this a way of expressing my gratitude for spreading the news last night.
Sister-in-law Wu knew that her master's family was not ordinary, but she never expected that even high-ranking officials of the imperial court would listen to them. She was shocked and proud at the same time. It was a blessing for her and her husband to be with such a family.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will take good care of the household and do everything you have arranged."
At this moment, Old Wu came in and said respectfully, "Master, Madam, the carriage is ready."
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