Chapter 364 - 240: The Domineering King Landu
Chapter 364: Chapter 240: The Domineering King Landu
Of course, he knew that was unlikely.
He had already gained some renown in Shu State for his Calligraphy Dao and Poetry, but it was mostly scholars who paid him any mind.
However, ever since his "Song of the Water Melody" from the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gala spread, there were likely few people in all of Shu State who didn’t know his name.
This was especially true for those who had witnessed the "Human World Immortal Realm" at Quchi. Through word of mouth, they had come to see him as something of an Immortal.
Jia Yuzhi was no exception. His expression gave no hint that just moments ago, he had been agonizing over his own losses.
After a few pleasantries, the three of them entered a private room inside.
Chen Yi glanced around and raised an eyebrow. "Shopkeeper Wang, you’ve really spared no expense."
He hadn’t noticed it the last time he was here, but looking again, he saw the private room had been completely transformed.
It wasn’t that the furnishings had changed, but that the wood, bricks, and tiles had all been replaced with materials that offered better soundproofing.
To say nothing of the rest, the Fragrant Willow Wood used for the single window set into the wall was worth a thousand taels of Gold alone.
It was even more valuable than the wood chosen for the Old Master’s Qingjing Residence.
A smile appeared on Wang Ji’s face, and a hint of delight flashed in his eyes as he said:
"You flatter me, Mr. Qingzhou. My boss was the one who instructed me to do all this."
’This man knows what he’s doing.’
Chen Yi nodded to himself, took a seat first, and said, "I hope my sudden visit hasn’t disturbed you two."
Wang Ji smiled and replied that it was no disturbance at all, then proceeded to introduce Jia Yuzhi.
"This is Boss Jia, the owner of Jia’s Medicine Shop, which has been supplying the Hundred Herbs Hall with medicinal ingredients."
"Just now, the two of us were discussing the arrival date for the next shipment of ingredients."
Chen Yi said, "Oh?" and looked at Jia Yuzhi, asking bluntly, "I heard just now that Boss Jia’s medicinal ingredients met with some disaster?"
Hearing this, a bitter expression crossed Jia Yuzhi’s face.
"I won’t hide it from you, Mr. Qingzhou. I don’t know which deity I’ve offended this time, but I’ve been struck by a terrible string of bad luck."
"The day before yesterday, a fire broke out in the East Market Grain Store’s warehouse, and it burned down most of the storeroom where I kept my ingredients."
"Thankfully, Shopkeeper Wang has been understanding and hasn’t blamed me. Otherwise, I’d be too ashamed to show my face at the Hundred Herbs Hall again."
Wang Ji privately pursed his lips. ’If the Master hadn’t given the order, I’d have made this Old Jia compensate us with half his fortune.’
For the Hundred Herbs Hall’s upcoming expansion, he had expanded the workshop and recruited more staff, investing tens of thousands of silver coins in total.
Who could have known that after all his preparations were complete, the most crucial ingredient supply would be gone? How could he not be furious?
Chen Yi was, of course, aware of all this.
But in his view, silver coins could be earned again, and if the medicinal ingredients were gone, they could find other merchants to buy from. A few days’ delay wouldn’t have a major impact.
He was more concerned about the situation at the East Market Grain Store.
"I hear that several grain stores in the East Market lost a lot of grain in the fire?"
Jia Yuzhi nodded, clearly annoyed. "An estimated loss of over a hundred thousand shi of grain."
"And the price of grain has risen again?"
"You’ve heard? That’s right, it’s gone up quite a bit. Right now, the price of grain in the East and West Markets has soared to two and a half taels of silver per shi."
Chen Yi nodded in understanding.
If he remembered correctly, the price before he went to Tonglin Town was one and a half taels.
For the price to jump another whole tael of silver in just two or three days was somewhat surprising even to him.
’That merchant surnamed Lin is already dead, and several grain store warehouses have been burned. What’s the point of the price rising so high?’
’Do they even have any grain to sell?’
Chen Yi suddenly thought of Liu Taofang, the second son of the Liu Family. He guessed it must be his old-stock corn.
As he was thinking, he heard Jia Yuzhi continue, "Speaking of tragedies, I, Old Jia, am not the most tragic case."
"The most tragic one is Lin Huai’an, the owner of the Lin Family Grain Store."
Chen Yi looked at him and asked, "How so? Did the Lin Family Grain Store suffer the greatest losses?"
"It was more than just that."
Jia Yuzhi leaned in with a secretive air. "On the very night the East Market Grain Storehouse was burned, Lin Huai’an of the Lin Family Grain Store was murdered."
"Oh?"
"I heard he was poisoned by his own wife."
"If it weren’t for a final burst of clarity before he died, during which he arranged his affairs, the Lin Family would probably be in complete chaos right now."
Jia Yuzhi sighed as he spoke. "He was a pitiful man, too."
"To think he came to Shu State from Ji State all by himself, spent five years building such a massive enterprise, only to end up like this."
Beside them, Wang Ji couldn’t help but chime in, "My Hundred Herbs Hall is pitiful, too."
Jia Yuzhi gave an embarrassed laugh and repeatedly cupped his hands. "My apologies. Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to replenish your stock."
"Let’s hope so..."
「After a few more moments of conversation.」
Aside from the matters of the East Market Grain Store and the Lin Family, Chen Yi also learned that the few barbarian slaves were still missing.
The Imprisonment Department and the government officials had searched fruitlessly for clues and were now reportedly conducting a house-to-house search.
"Didn’t those people from Poshisu Country go cause a scene at the Government Office?"
"They went, of course they went."
Jia Yuzhi said with a gloating expression, "But it was no use."
"Our Great Wei Dynasty has never been on good terms with Poshisu Country. A few years ago, when the Barbarian Left King attacked Mengshui Pass, Poshisu Country’s troops even took the opportunity to raid our borders."
"Under these circumstances, why would the Lord Prefect pay any mind to those human traffickers from Poshisu Country?"
"Not only that, but the Young Master of the Lin Family Grain Store, Lin Zhenghong, didn’t even have time to arrange the funeral before he took his men to find those human traffickers, demanding they compensate the grain store for its losses."
Wang Ji couldn’t help but ask, "Did those people from Poshisu Country agree?"
A look of regret appeared on Jia Yuzhi’s round face. "If they had, I wouldn’t have had to come to you for help today."
"Don’t be fooled by their ability to traffic barbarian slaves; they’re just underlings following orders."
"The real decision-makers aren’t in Shu State at all."
Chen Yi took the opportunity to ask, "I’ve heard there’s a powerful group of horse bandits over in Poshisu Country, led by someone called King Landu?"
Jia Yuzhi froze for a moment upon hearing the name. A hint of fear appeared on his face as he said, "Mr. Qingzhou, you know of King Landu as well?"