Chapter 264 The East Wind is Coming! (Seeking monthly tickets)
Zhang Dabao didn't keep Chen Yi waiting for long.
About half an hour later, Wang Ji and Liu Lang arrived one after another.
Three other young men dressed in blue outfits and with swords at their waists followed them.
Upon seeing Chen Yi, Liu Lang greeted him with a smile and said, "Greetings, Boss. It's been a while since you've shown your face."
Unlike him, Wang Ji and the others bowed and greeted him, saying, "Boss."
Chen Yi looked at them calmly and said indifferently, "Sit down and talk."
Liu Lang sat down next to him first, and looking at the expression on his face, he was secretly delighted.
When he first met Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen always had a stern face unless they met in private.
But after getting to know him better, he realized that Mr. Chen was a man of many faces.
Besides using the identity of "Liu Wu" to travel, he also impersonated Hei Ya.
Not only were his demeanor and tone very similar, but even his aura could be altered, making it difficult for most people to discern his true identity.
Liu Lang couldn't help but feel a little smug. "I am the only... one of only two people who know Boss Chen's identity."
He eventually remembered "Wang Ji".
Unfortunately, Wang Ji was unaware of his thoughts; otherwise, he would have looked at him with pity.
However, Wang Ji clearly had no time to pay attention to Liu Lang at the moment. After taking his seat, he introduced Liu Lang to Chen Yi:
"My lord, as you instructed, after discussing with Senior Sister Xie Tingyun of the Tianshan Sect, I have made proper arrangements for her junior brothers and sisters."
As he spoke, he gestured to the three young men sitting at the end of the table, saying, "Why don't you tell us yourselves?"
One of the older young men nodded, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Xue Duanyun from the Tianshan Sect."
Two other young men followed closely behind: "Tianshan Sect, Zhang Sanhu."
"Zhang Sihou of the Tianshan Sect greets the boss."
Chen Yi looked over, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
The auras of the three Tianshan Sect disciples then appeared before his eyes.
The faint, pale aura emanating from them wasn't particularly strong; they were all swordsmen at the fifth rank, only one minor rank weaker than Shen Huatang.
However, Xue Duanyun, who spoke first, had an aura that was faintly connected to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Clearly, his swordsmanship has reached a minor level of mastery, allowing him to enhance the power of his swordsmanship with a wisp of sword intent.
After reading through them one by one, Chen Yi nodded without changing his expression: "Welcome."
Xue Duanyun and the other two were slightly taken aback. They exchanged glances, all feeling a bit strange.
Before they came, they didn't think much of it when they learned that they were going to meet the owner of Baicaotang, but now it seems that they were too optimistic.
The fact that Mr. Chen was clearly unsmiling made them uneasy.
Chen Yi didn't dwell on their thoughts. After signaling Zhang Dabao to stand guard outside the door, he said directly:
"The situation in Guangyuan County has been reported back, and it's better than I expected."
"Wang Ji will send a message to Yan Hai later, instructing him to begin preparations for opening Baicaotang on the spot. You should send someone to deliver the necessary funds and medicinal herbs as well."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ji's face lit up with joy, and he immediately stood up and agreed.
His nearly two months of hard work paid off; Baicaotang finally has a chance to grow stronger.
Chen Yi calmly reminded him, "Don't let your guard down."
"This is the first step in the expansion of my Baicaotang, and I will not allow any mistakes to happen."
Wang Ji's joy faded slightly, and he said seriously, "Don't worry, sir, I will make sure everything is arranged properly."
Chen Yi nodded slightly. "How are the preparations for the medicinal herbs going with Boss Jia Yuzhi?"
Wang Ji stopped abruptly as he was about to sit down, and hesitated before saying, "To be honest, sir, he's encountered some trouble on his end."
Before Chen Yi could ask, he quickened his pace and said, "It's not that Boss Jia is intentionally dragging his feet, but rather that Xinglinzhai is causing trouble."
"Ever since I confronted Boss Jia with Mr. Qingzhou, he has started procuring medicinal herbs."
"But for three days in a row, not a single medicinal herb was collected, let alone a thousand catties."
Wang Ji glanced at Chen Yi, and seeing that he remained expressionless, gritted his teeth and continued:
"After investigation, we found that Xinglinzhai had already signed contracts with major medicinal herb merchants."
"They actually accepted all the medicinal herbs."
For the first time, Chen Yi's eyes changed slightly, and he asked with a hint of surprise, "Besides Boss Jia?"
Wang Ji nodded. "Jia Yuzhi and the other three medicine merchants have always cooperated with our Baicaotang, so it's impossible for them to sign a contract with Xinglinzhai."
Chen Yi frowned inwardly.
Xinglinzhai's move to cut off his supply lines caught him completely off guard.
Meanwhile, his previous certainty about the accident at Lin's Grain Shop—the burning of medicinal herbs—now seems to have taken on a sinister motive.
Could it be that Liu Hong's aim wasn't just the grain store's warehouse, but also the batch of medicinal herbs from Baicaotang?
Chen Yi pondered for a moment, still unsure whether it was a coincidence or Liu Hong's deliberate act.
Therefore, he pondered and asked, "How much silver and tea is left in the counter?"
Wang Ji hurriedly replied, "After deducting the share of profits distributed to each family and the taxes paid to the government, there are 154,000 taels of silver remaining."
"There are only three warehouses left with the five types of tea drinks, which I estimate will last for at most ten days."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement and began to silently calculate.
Last month, the opening of Yunqinglou prompted other restaurants in Shuzhou to scramble to purchase tea drinks, which made Baicaotang a fortune.
However, the original supply of medicinal herbs could not be met, and the workshop was almost shut down. For every jar of tea sold, Baicaotang would have one less jar available.
"In that case, let's sell them in limited quantities."
Wang Ji asked hesitantly, "I wonder what kind of limit you are referring to, sir?"
"We will continue until September 20th at the latest. Until then, we will only sell an equal amount of tea each day."
"But, wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be able to supply the restaurants and brothels?"
Chen Yi glanced at him and said indifferently, "Spread the word that all the medicinal herbs are in Xinglinzhai. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice."
"One more thing, whoever is in a hurry should provide the medicinal materials."
After listening, Wang Ji thought for a moment and then realized what was going on, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Your Excellency is brilliant. This will give Xinglinzhai a real headache."
It's important to know that Baicaotang is no longer the impoverished company it was when it first opened.
With its five tea drinks, Baicaotang has firmly established itself in Shuzhou.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as "a household name".
Especially in brothels, those drunken playboys love Shenniu Tea the most, whether they drink it themselves or entertain their companions.
Wang Ji could imagine how those self-proclaimed refined gentlemen, young and old, would react after Baicaotang tea drinks were sold in limited quantities.
It's impossible for Xinglinzhai to have an easy time in the end.
Chen Yi was aware of this as well, and continued, "Have Yan Hai procure the medicinal herbs from Guangyuan in advance."
"In the prefectural city, you should also find other medicine merchants as soon as possible."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "The mountain tribes, being backed by the Wumeng Mountains, must have a lot of medicinal herbs, right?"
Wang Ji nodded. "As far as I know, most of the medicine merchants get their medicinal herbs from the mountain tribes."
"But the mountain tribes have always been xenophobic and value relationships, so it's hard to get them to sell their medicinal herbs to our Baicaotang."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that with Pei Guanli around, it was truly uncertain who was an outsider.
Thinking about it, he didn't say it right away, but told Wang Ji to try other methods first.
"Also, go and prepare all the money in the counter; I'll need it later."
Wang Ji nodded in agreement.
Since Baicaotang's tea drinks are now being sold in limited quantities, there's not much use for him keeping that money.
Besides, the boss needs money, so how could the manager dare to raise any objections?
Not long after, Wang Ji left first.
The remaining people in the room, including Liu Lang and Xue Duanyun, all looked at Chen Yi, waiting for his instructions.
Without much hesitation, Chen Yi said directly, "I have something I need you to do."
"This matter is of great importance, and it must not be known to anyone else without my instructions."
Liu Lang grinned. "Boss, just tell me what you need, and I'll get it done for you."
He had previously promised to do thirty things for Chen Yi, but now that he hadn't even completed ten, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Unlike him, Xue Duanyun and the other two disciples of the Tianshan Sect did not readily agree, but instead asked:
What can I do for you?
Chen Yi glanced at them, then asked Liu Lang to take out paper and pen and write a few words on the paper.
After finishing writing, he paused briefly, then tore off two more sheets of paper, wrote some content on each, and folded them.
Once everything was ready, he handed the first sheet of paper to Liu Lang: "Take them and do as it says on this."
Liu Lang took it and glanced at it, his expression slightly taken aback: "Boss, so you asked Manager Wang to prepare the money for us?"
The paper contained only one sentence: "Disguise yourself and purchase as much grain as possible from Shu Prefecture."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement, folded the other two sheets of paper, and held up one of them, giving instructions:
"If the grain store stops selling during this period, see this."
“If anyone notices and comes to stop you, look at the other one.”
Liu Lang nodded, smiling as he assured that there would be no more mistakes.
He didn't ask questions like he used to.
After so much time has passed, he has gained a considerable understanding of Chen Yi's "unfailing strategies" and naturally believes that Chen Yi would not speak without reason.
Xue Duanyun, on the other hand, couldn't help but ask, "May I tell the other fellow disciples?"
Chen Yi shook his head. "With so many people around, it's easy to get noticed."
"You will then follow Guard Liu's orders; he will tell you what to do."
Xue Duanyun and the other two exchanged glances and then asked no further questions.
After Chen Yi finished discussing the important matter, his expression relaxed somewhat.
"Many martial arts practitioners have come to the prefectural city today. It is said that the Great Immortal Bai is coming to Shu Prefecture, and they have come to watch the excitement."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Lang suddenly jumped up.
"Who? Boss, who are you talking about?"
Even Xue Duanyun and the other two looked astonished.
A person's name is like the shadow of a tree.
Their reaction is understandable.
Chen Yi naturally didn't care and repeated, "Great Immortal Bai."
He then cautioned, "We don't yet know his purpose in coming to Shu Prefecture, but those Jianghu people are a mixed bag, so be careful out there."
Liu Lang was stunned for a long time before he reacted. Instead of being worried, he showed a fanatical expression.
"Master Bai, the number one martial artist of the Great Wei, Master Bai who has dominated the martial arts world for decades, hahaha..."
"His coming to Shu Prefecture is simply wonderful news, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yi raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "What do you mean, 'you'?"
"Even if you see him, what good will it do with your martial arts skills and techniques? Are you going to run over and challenge him?"
While Liu Lang only had a superficial understanding of him, he had a deep understanding of Liu Lang.
It is said that there are no wrong names, only wrong ones.
Liu Lang perfectly embodied the "madness" in the phrase "Knife Madness".
Putting aside what he did in the northern desert, the fact that he dared to challenge Xiao Jinghong despite knowing he was no match for him shows his confidence in his own swordsmanship.
"Boss, you know me, this is such a great opportunity..."
"If you want to die, I won't stop you. But before that, you'll have to win that fight first."
Liu Lang was taken aback, then realized he was referring to the competition five days later, and a bitter expression appeared on his face.
No matter how arrogant he was, he knew he was no match for Chen Yi.
Seeing that he shut up in a huff, Chen Yi snorted, "Finish what I asked you to do first, and we'll talk about the rest when Bai Daxian arrives in Shuzhou."
"Thank you so much for your generosity, boss..."
After giving them a few more instructions, Chen Yi sent them away.
After seeing the man off, Zhang Dabao returned and bowed, saying, "Sir, is there anything I can do for you..."
He made a gesture resembling the act of revealing one's face.
Chen Yi shook his head and looked outside.
At this moment, the rain subsided a bit, leaving only a light drizzle.
The West Market, not far away, was filled with shouts and laughter, clearly indicating a large crowd.
Meanwhile, in a nearby tailor shop, several women speaking in the local Shu dialect were chattering away.
They seem to be discussing which fabric is the best.
Chen Yi watched and listened silently, going over all the plans in his mind once again.
After confirming that nothing had been missed, he then ordered, "Prepare the carriage; let's go take a look at those apricot groves."
"yes……"
...
For three consecutive days.
Aside from teaching at Guiyun Academy, Chen Yi spent the rest of his time traveling outside under the alias "Chen Yu," only returning home at nightfall.
So much so that Xiao Wuge had mentioned it twice in front of Xiao Wan'er.
Fortunately, Xiao Wan'er knew he was busy with "the affairs of Baicaotang", so she didn't think too much about it.
She only told Chen Yi to be careful in everything, and kept rambling on about how many martial arts practitioners had come to Shuzhou, and that the people who killed the bandits of Vaishsa Kingdom had not yet been caught.
This was naturally no challenge for Chen Yi.
With just a few words, he dispelled Xiao Wan'er's concerns.
He continued to do as he pleased, appearing in various parts of Shuzhou Prefecture under the alias "Chen Yu".
During this time, he naturally learned about things he needed to know.
Mr. Yue Ming's attempt to mediate with Yang Ye had little effect.
That academic official was determined to implement the new annual examination system.
Fortunately, Yang Ye offered some suggestions to Liu Hong, which led Ma Shuhan to guarantee that it was not intentionally targeting the students of Shuzhou.
The second one is Xinglinzhai.
Or rather, Liu Zhaoxue.
Since returning to Shu Prefecture, she has been making a lot of moves.
First, they signed contracts with all pharmaceutical companies, squeezing out all the medicinal materials purchased by other pharmacies to ensure their monopoly.
Later, two renowned medical experts were invited from Jingzhou to oversee the free medical services provided to the people of Shuzhou for three days.
For a time, the business of all the major pharmacies was affected.
Even the limited sales of Baicaotang tea drinks became less noticeable.
The third message came from Liu Lang's side.
Recently, grain prices in Shuzhou have risen again, and with his 150,000 taels of silver, he could only buy 50,000 shi of grain.
Fortunately, the grain merchants did not notice, and the grain merchants did not stop selling grain.
As for the last piece of news... it only came from the Ancient Tea Horse Road that evening.
"King Landu of Vaishsa Kingdom was furious upon learning of Lü Jiunan's death and slaughtered several caravans on the Tea Horse Road."
"There are even rumors that he intends to lead a group of bandits to Shu Prefecture to demand an explanation!"
(End of this chapter)
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