Chapter 82: Selling the Bait, Hooking the Fool

Soon, Xi Ye took Yun Heng to an inn in Panyang City and brought all the guards there to settle at a farmstead on the outskirts.

After doing this, the two returned together.

 

Earlier, Yun Heng had only briefly reported the general situation to Wei Lan.

She hadn’t yet had a chance to give Wei Lan the letter from Fan Chuan.

 

After returning to the Lu residence, Yun Heng went back to the study.

“Master, the matters you instructed have been arranged.

This is the Marshal’s letter.

Please look it over.”

 

Yun Heng placed the letter on Wei Lan’s desk.

Wei Lan nodded at her.

“Good.

You’ve worked hard on the journey.

Go rest for now.”

“Yes.”

 

Wei Lan picked up the envelope on the desk, tore it open, and took out the letter inside.

There were five pages, roughly describing Fan Chuan’s current situation and future plans.

Wei Lan read it carefully.

 

She thought for a moment.

It was currently autumn.

The Lu residence had previously purchased a large amount of grain.

Starting tomorrow, she could organize a merchant caravan and, under the guise of selling grain, transport it all the way to the northern border.

As for the other shops, they couldn’t be sold off all at once, as that would arouse suspicion.

They still needed to discuss this thoroughly.

 

Wei Lan thought for a moment, then got up and left the study.

Young maidservants were waiting on either side of the door.

Wei Lan said, “Send someone to invite the young lady back.

Tell her I have something important to discuss with her.”

“Yes, master.”

The young maidservant went to the courtyard and found two servant boys, sending them to fetch Lu Zijin.

 

Lu Zijin was currently negotiating business with two merchants from other provinces.

Hearing that a servant boy had come to announce something, she simply excused herself and left.

 

After all, Wei Lan generally wouldn’t send someone to find her, especially during the day.

Now, sending someone so urgently clearly indicated an emergency.

She took a carriage and immediately rushed back to the Lu residence.

 

When she arrived at Jingchen Courtyard, she found Wei Lan in neither her workshop nor her bedroom.

So she headed straight to the study.

 

Wei Lan was sitting behind the desk, thinking.

When she saw Lu Zijin return, her eyes lit up.

She stood up, walked over to Lu Zijin, and hugged her tightly, acting spoiled.

“Wife, you’re back.”

As she spoke, Wei Lan tightened her arms around Lu Zijin’s lower back and pressed her cheek against her wife’s chest, nuzzling.

 

The corners of Lu Zijin’s mouth lifted slightly.

She was very pleased with Wei Lan’s clingy behavior.

She patted Wei Lan’s back and asked softly, “What’s wrong?

Did you call me back just to act spoiled?”

“No, I have something important to say.”

Wei Lan hugged Lu Zijin and took a few deep breaths before reluctantly going over to close the study door.

Then she handed Fan Chuan’s letter to Lu Zijin.

“Your cousin sent someone with a letter.

It seems she is going to rebel.

She sent people to escort us to the northern border to settle down.”

Wei Lan said.

 

Lu Zijin was startled.

Her cousin had actually chosen this path in the end?

 

She quickly read the letter.

No wonder her cousin had chosen this.

The old emperor had even planted people by her side to monitor her.

That was indeed chilling.

But the Lu family had extensive assets.

If they were to leave, there were many things to handle.

 

Lu Zijin’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Did my cousin’s people say how much time we have?”

“It will take at least two months for the old emperor’s side to notice anything.

But my cousin still hopes we can come as soon as possible, so she can rest easy.”

Wei Lan replied.

“What are you thinking?”

Lu Zijin looked up at Wei Lan and asked.

“We can arrange for some people to transport all the grain to the northern border first.

We’ll say we’ve found a channel to sell grain to other provinces.

Transporting the grain will take a long time, so we can start preparing immediately.”

 

Lu Zijin nodded.

“Feasible.

But we can’t sell off all the shops at once, otherwise it will definitely attract attention.

And what about the Lu residence’s property?”

 

The shops were material possessions that could be bought and sold.

But the Lu residence’s property was the only keepsake her family had left her.

Lu Zijin was very reluctant to part with it.

“We can sell off a small portion of the less conspicuous shops first.

We’ll say the Lu residence wants to focus on its areas of expertise.

As for the other businesses, we’ll abandon what we have to.”

Wei Lan said after thinking for a moment.

 

Lu Zijin nodded.

“Alright.

After we leave, we can leave a few trustworthy people behind to sell off the remaining shops.

As for this property…”

“This property will have to sit idle.

If we sell it to anyone, we’ll bring them disaster.

When we run away, the old emperor will be furious once he finds out.

If he can’t catch us, he’ll naturally take it out on the Lu residence.

We’ll just have to wait until my cousin succeeds, then we can properly repair the Lu residence.

Oh, and the ancestral graves – we probably can’t leave them where they are, or they might be targeted.

We need to move them as soon as possible.”

Wei Lan thought as she spoke.

 

Lu Zijin nodded.

“Indeed.

I’ll send someone to find a secret place in the next few days and move the Lu family ancestors’ graves to a new location.”

 

Otherwise, once they left, the emperor’s people might dig up and desecrate the Lu family graves.

 

So, over the next few days, Lu Zijin and Wei Lan were extremely busy.

Lu Zijin sent people to dig new graves in a secluded forested area and move the ancestral coffins there.

Of course, this process was done very discreetly, starting at daybreak each day.

 

Moreover, the place Lu Zijin chose was very secluded – one could say it was a remote, uninhabited wilderness.

 

Wei Lan, meanwhile, was organizing a merchant caravan.

She gathered half of the servant boys from the residence and some from several farmsteads on the outskirts, totaling fifty people, to transport the grain to the northern border.

Wei Lan arranged for Hang Shuyao to be the team leader, instructing her to deliver all the grain to the northern border and hand it over to Fan Chuan.

The servant boys would also stay in the northern border.

 

Because the amount of grain was enormous – enough to fill a granary – extra care was needed during transport.

But with Hang Shuyao overseeing it, as long as they took the official roads, there shouldn’t be any problems.

After all, the north was relatively stable; most of the rebellions were in the Jiangnan area.

 

The transport of such a large amount of grain out of the city naturally attracted some attention.

Wei Lan went to the bookstore.

The first shops they were going to sell were the bookstores.

Wei Lan had Qu Qiushui sell all the books in the shops at a twenty percent discount and informed them that the Lu residence was selling all its bookstores.

 

Qu Qiushui, however, was very upset.

It wasn’t easy to find a stable job these days, and the bookstore business was so good.

Why were they selling?

 

She expressed her doubts to Wei Lan.

“Master, our bookstore is doing very well.

It’s profitable every month.

Why are we selling it?”

 

Wei Lan looked at her, her expression cold.

“We have our reasons.

The Lu residence has too many businesses under its banner.

My wife and I have discussed it and decided to sell off all the smaller ones, keeping only the large-scale operations.

But don’t worry, I’ll give you all an extra month’s wages.”

 

Qu Qiushui wanted to persuade her further, but seeing Wei Lan’s cold expression, she didn’t dare say more and just agreed.

They were essentially being fired by the Lu residence, but at least they would get an extra month’s wages.

That was better than nothing.

 

Lu Zijin, meanwhile, began selling off some of the Lu residence’s smaller shops.

Soon, people in Panyang City began to speculate.

 

Wei Lan and Lu Zijin were busy running around separately these days, so Wei Lan often had lunch at taverns.

She deliberately avoided private rooms, casually eating on the second floor of the tavern.

Sure enough, before long, someone came over to strike up a conversation.

“Oh, Boss Wei, why aren’t you eating in a private room?”

A merchant in his forties came over to chat.

 

Wei Lan stood up and smiled at the man.

“Private rooms are stuffy, so I’m just eating in the hall.”

“That’s true.

The weather is stuffy.

Boss Wei, I heard your Lu residence has been selling off some shops lately?

Don’t think your elder brother is being nosy, but are you short on cash?

If you are, I have some surplus silver that I could lend you to tide you over.”

The man said with a smile.

“No, it’s not that.

My wife and I discussed it.

The Lu residence’s businesses are too broad and too messy.

In the future, we won’t be doing those other businesses.

We’ll focus on grain, cloth, and taverns.

We don’t want to deal with the rest anymore; it takes too much effort.

Besides, my wife and I are planning to have a little baby this year.

We don’t have that much time to spend on miscellaneous things.”

Wei Lan casually made up some excuses.

 

This man wasn’t really trying to help; he was just probing.

“So, you’re really selling those bookstores?” the man asked again.

 

Wei Lan smiled and nodded.

“Naturally.

If you’re interested, Boss Liang, we can sit down and talk.”

“Oh, I was just thinking the same thing.

This meal is definitely on me.

For you and your wife to be so young and already leaders in Panyang City’s business community, my son is the same age as you but hasn’t amounted to much.

I was just thinking of finding something for him to do.

The bookstore business seems quite good.”

Boss Liang said as he signaled a waiter to bring more dishes.

 

Wei Lan smiled and listened, all while calculating the price in her mind.

The Lu residence had four bookstores in Panyang City.

Each was about one hundred and forty square meters.

Each shop was worth about six thousand taels – that was the minimum.

Considering the finished renovations and the Lu family bookstore’s existing reputation, Wei Lan’s bottom line was forty thousand taels for all four.

Of course, selling for more would be even better.

 

Boss Liang smiled at Wei Lan again and asked, “Boss Wei, how much silver would you like for these four shops?”

 

Wei Lan thought for a moment and said, “These four shops of mine are very large, and their locations are good – all in busy commercial districts.

If you really want them, Boss Liang, you can make an offer.

If it’s reasonable, I’ll sell them directly.”

 

The man’s eyes darted around, and he quickly smiled.

“How about seven thousand taels each?”

 

Hearing this, Wei Lan smiled and shook her head.

“That’s too low.

We genuinely want to sell, and you should know how popular the Lu family bookstore is in Panyang City.

I want to sell, but I don’t want to sell at a loss.”

 

As she spoke, Wei Lan began to eat.

She ate by herself, while the man across from her said, “How about eight thousand?

Boss Wei, what do you think of eight thousand?”

 

Wei Lan still shook her head and ate heartily.

When she had almost finished, she stood up to leave.

“Boss Liang, I’m sorry.

I have things to attend to this afternoon.

I’m afraid I must go.”

“Hey, Boss Wei, let’s talk some more.

Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”

The man, seeing Wei Lan about to go, tried to stop her.

 

Wei Lan looked at him and said, “Boss Liang, I won’t beat around the bush.

I can’t sell these four shops that cheap.

You should consider other options.”

 

With that, Wei Lan left with Xi Ye.

 

Over at the Chen residence, Chen Zhou had been quiet for a few days since the last incident.

But he had been keeping people monitoring the Lu residence’s movements.

He had naturally heard that the Lu residence was selling off its smaller shops, keeping only the big money-makers like cloth, grain, and taverns.

 

Chen Zhou cursed in his study.

“Wei Lan and Lu Zijin are truly arrogant.

Their Lu family bookstore was making money, yet they insist on selling it.

What a pair of fools!”

 

Su Er’s eyes darted around, and he said, “Young master, why don’t we buy the Lu family’s bookstores?

That would be a great profit.”

“Obviously.

Do you think I need you to tell me that?

Bring a couple of guards and come with me.

I’m going to buy the Lu family’s bookstores today.”

Chen Zhou grinned and said.

He wouldn’t pass up such a fat piece of meat delivered right to his mouth.

 

That afternoon, Wei Lan stayed at the main branch of the Lu family bookstore.

Several other merchants came by to ask about the price, but Wei Lan wasn’t satisfied with the offers.

The highest bid was nine thousand taels per shop.

These people were clearly trying to wear her down, waiting for her to lower her price.

 

Wei Lan wasn’t in a hurry.

The Lu family bookstore had a good reputation.

If those people didn’t buy, someone else would.

 

Sure enough, that afternoon, Wei Lan was even visited by Chen Zhou.

 

Seeing Chen Zhou, a smile appeared on Wei Lan’s face.

“Cousin, what a rare visitor!

Please, come in.”

Chen Zhou was covered in goosebumps from Wei Lan’s ‘cousin’ address.

 

He gave Wei Lan a puzzled glare.

Weren’t they at odds before?

How could Wei Lan still smile at him like that?

 

But he really wanted to buy these bookstores.

He had also sent people to find out that the Lu residence had already sold a few dried fruit and pastry shops.

That showed they really were selling off these shops.

“Wei Lan, I came today to discuss something important with you.

I heard you want to sell these bookstores?”

 

Wei Lan smiled and nodded.

“Yes.

Cousin, are you interested in buying these four shops?”

 

Chen Zhou stepped back and said seriously, “Just call me by my name.”

 

When enemies met, their eyes burned with hatred.

Wei Lan’s constant ‘cousin’ made Chen Zhou extremely uncomfortable.

 

Wei Lan just smiled, unconcerned about Chen Zhou’s attitude.

“Cousin, you’re being too formal.

After all, we’re still family.

You’re not still holding a grudge about what happened before, are you?

That would be quite petty.

We’re relatives.

What’s the point?”

 

Chen Zhou was furious.

Of course, every time they faced off, he was the one who ended up losing.

He had even spent fifteen days in jail!

How could he not hold a grudge against Wei Lan?

 

But Chen Zhou really wanted to buy these four bookstores.

After all, his family was already in the bookstore business.

Now that the Lu residence was withdrawing from this market, if the Chen family bought these four shops, they would have a monopoly.

The Chen residence would surely be able to leverage the bookstore business to get back on its feet.

 

For these reasons, Chen Zhou forced himself to endure.

“You do have a point.

I came today truly wanting to buy these four bookstores.

How much silver do you think would be appropriate?”

 

Wei Lan smiled and nodded.

“Cousin, to be honest, many people have been asking about the price since this morning.

But I haven’t agreed to any of them.

How about this – since we’re family, you give me sixty thousand taels in total.

That works out to fifteen thousand taels per shop.

What do you think?”

 

Hearing this price, Chen Zhou nearly broke.

No, why didn’t Wei Lan just go rob people on the street?

She had some nerve, asking for sixty thousand taels right off the bat.

“Are you toying with me?”

Chen Zhou gritted out.

“Tsk, cousin, you’re judging a gentleman’s heart by your own petty standards.

I truly want to sell to you.

How about this – if you think the price is too high, you can make a counter-offer.

We’re family, after all.”

Wei Lan looked very reasonable, her face full of sincerity.

 

Chen Zhou felt something was off, but he couldn’t figure out what.

The four shops were real.

Wei Lan’s asking price was high, but it seemed she really wanted to sell them.

 

Chen Zhou took a deep breath to keep from being killed by Wei Lan.

He considered Wei Lan’s offer and said, “Alright.

Since you put it that way, I’ll tell you a price I can accept.

How about eleven thousand taels per shop?”

 

Wei Lan made a pained face, looking very troubled.

“Cousin, you’re really driving a hard bargain.

Even though we’re family, you should at least let us make some profit.

Besides, the Lu residence won’t be in the bookstore business anymore.

You’re sure to make a lot of money.”

 

Chen Zhou gritted his teeth to keep from cursing.

He said impatiently, “Twelve thousand taels per shop.

Is that acceptable?”

 

Wei Lan sighed.

“Ah, cousin, how about this – I can see you genuinely want them.

Thirteen thousand taels per shop, non-negotiable.

Any lower, and I really can’t do it.

I’ll just have to wait for someone else to come along.”

 

Chen Zhou’s expression was dark, but he still wanted to buy these two shops.

If someone else bought them, they might get a head start on the book business in Panyang City again.

“Fine.

But I don’t have that many silver notes on me right now…”

Chen Zhou wanted to stall a bit and think it over again on the way back.

Wei Lan was quite sinister; he had fallen into her traps several times already.

He really didn’t want to get tripped up again.

“Oh, cousin, then I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.

I’m sure you’ve heard that we’re expanding our cloth business.

We need the silver for that.

I’m selling to whoever pays first.”

 

Wei Lan smiled bitterly, acting very troubled.

In reality, she was thrilled inside.

Her psychological price for these four shops was forty thousand taels.

Selling to Chen Zhou for thirteen thousand taels each meant fifty-two thousand taels total – twelve thousand taels above her target price.

It was impossible not to be happy.

 

And there was another benefit to this.

The news that she had just called Chen Zhou ‘cousin’ would surely spread.

Soon, everyone would remember that the Chen and Lu families were relatives.

When she and Lu Zijin ran away, if the old emperor wanted to catch someone connected to them, Chen Zhou would be the perfect candidate, since he was their cousin.

 

While they were talking, another boss came to ask about the price.

Seeing Chen Zhou there, he asked, “Boss Wei, have you sold these shops yet?”

“Not yet.

My cousin was interested, but he thought the price was a bit high.

So, let’s talk.

I’m easy to deal with.

Whoever pays me first gets them.

We can take the deeds to the City Lord’s office and change the names right away.”

Wei Lan smiled.

 

Chen Zhou’s face turned red and white by turns.

He immediately stood up and said urgently, “Wei Lan, didn’t you just say you’d sell them to me?

Why are you still negotiating with him?”

 

Wei Lan saw Chen Zhou coming over and quickly said, “Fine, fine.

Then send someone back to get the silver now.

I won’t feel at ease until I have the silver in hand.

I’m just like that.

Even with close relatives, accounts must be settled clearly.

A sensible person like you, cousin, will surely understand.”

 

Hearing Wei Lan’s endless ‘cousin,’ Chen Zhou’s temples throbbed with rage.

After a long moment, he finally gritted out, “Su Er, go to the residence’s accounting office and get fifty-two thousand taels in silver notes.”

 

Su Er quickly replied, “Yes, young master.”

 

Then he hurried off.

 

Wei Lan quickly apologized to the other boss.

“Boss Wang, I’m sorry.

My cousin agreed first and has sent someone to get the silver.

We’re family, so I have to give him some face.

I apologize for the trouble.”

 

The corner of Boss Wang’s mouth twitched.

He remembered that when they were in court, Wei Lan had treated Chen Zhou like a grandson.

She certainly hadn’t thought about being family then.

 

But he didn’t say it out loud.

He was just a businessman in Panyang City.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Wei Lan and left.

 

Wei Lan was in a very good mood as she waited for Chen Zhou’s people to return with the silver notes.

In less than half an hour, Su Er hurried back.

He was holding a wooden box.

Su Er quickly presented the notes to Chen Zhou.

“Young master, the silver notes are here.”

 

Chen Zhou took a deep breath, opened the box, and handed it to Wei Lan.

“Now these four bookstores are mine, right?”

“Cousin, wait a moment.

Let me count first and make sure it’s correct.”

Wei Lan said, taking the stack of notes and counting them.

She also checked their authenticity.

Confirming they were all real, she handed the notes to Xi Ye behind her to keep safe.

 

Seeing Chen Zhou glaring at her as if he might assassinate her at any moment, Wei Lan just smiled at him.

“Cousin, don’t look at me like that.

We’re both businessmen.

Counting the notes face to face is completely necessary.

A reasonable person like you certainly understands.”

 

Chen Zhou was furious.

He wanted to smash dishes and tables right now.

But he had already spent the money, so he held back.

“Can we go change the names on the deeds now?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely.

Let’s go right now.”

Wei Lan said, pulling out the four deeds and leaving the bookstore with Xi Ye.

 

Chen Zhou gritted his teeth and followed with his people.

The assistants and manager in the bookstore found what had just happened very surreal.

When had Wei Lan and Chen Zhou become so close?

All that ‘cousin’ this and ‘cousin’ that – anyone who didn’t know would think they were very close.

 

When they arrived at the City Lord’s office, Wei Lan explained their purpose.

The two clerks there immediately changed the ownership of the four bookstores.

Wei Lan handed the four deeds to Chen Zhou in front of the clerks.

“Cousin, we’re square now.

Whether you use the staff at these four shops is up to you.

I’ve already given them an extra month’s wages.

The rest has nothing to do with me.

Those four shops are yours now.

Oh, and I’ll have someone take down the signs.”

 

With that, without waiting for Chen Zhou’s reply, Wei Lan rushed off with her people to take down the signs.

 

Wei Lan and her group went to the main branch of the Lu family bookstore.

She had the servant boys climb ladders to take down the sign.

Wei Lan watched from below, beaming, her mood exceptionally good.

 

Lu Shihuai and a few friends were out shopping.

Seeing the sign being taken down, they went over to join the fun.

Then they saw Wei Lan.

The young girls rushed over.

“Sister Wei Lan, are you changing the bookstore’s sign?”

Lu Shihuai asked.

“No.

We’re not running the bookstore anymore.

I’ve sold it to someone else.”

Wei Lan explained with a smile.

“Ah?

What will we do?

We were hoping to read your other storybooks.”

Another girl said, her face full of disappointment.

“You can always come to the Lu family tavern in the future.

If I come up with new dishes, I’ll have the chef post them on a wooden board.

I’ll come often myself, so we can still see each other.”

Wei Lan smiled and comforted them.

“Why so sudden?

Weren’t you doing well before?”

Lu Shihuai asked again.

“The Lu residence’s businesses have always been too scattered.

My wife and I discussed it and decided to focus on just three areas, aiming to grow big and strong and become among the top merchants in the entire Great Zhou.

As for the smaller, miscellaneous shops, we’ll be selling them off all in the near future.”

Wei Lan said all this also to let Lu Feng know, through Lu Shihuai, so that their actions wouldn’t arouse official suspicion.

 

Moreover, these were the Lu residence’s own assets; even if the authorities knew, they had no right to intervene.

The reason Wei Lan was making such a big commotion was to appear completely legitimate and avoid raising suspicion.

“Well, alright.

I guess we’ll just have to find you at the Lu family tavern from now on.”

Another young girl said sadly.

 

Chen Zhou came over just then.

Watching Wei Lan have the signs taken down, his temples throbbed.

How eager was Wei Lan to be rid of this place?

 

Wei Lan ignored him and just went with her people to take down one sign after another.

Chen Zhou gritted his teeth.

“Have four new signs made and hung up immediately.

Also, get rid of all the staff.

I won’t use anyone who worked for the Lu residence.”

“Yes, young master.”

Su Er immediately took the order.

Their young master’s face was terrifyingly dark.

He must be furious at Wei Lan.

 

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