Chapter 46: The More You Waste, the Wealthier You Become

Seeing that Lu Lan did not completely shut the door on the negotiation, Pang Shiyuan knew there was still a chance.

He persisted in demanding a seventy percent share of the profits.

Having spent many years in commerce, he understood well that immense wealth is to be sought amidst peril, and that doing business is fundamentally a game of psychological chess.

"Your Lordship, this humble servant is staying at the Yifangting Inn in Tobacco Pouch Slanted Alley, located in the east of the city. I await Your Lordship's favorable decision at any time."

After Pang Shiyuan left, Tongyan and Yurong finally grasped what the discussion had been about.

"My Lord, that thieving merchant is utterly audacious! He actually expects to monopolize seventy percent of the profit, completely disregarding Your Lordship."

Tongyan felt that the man was too overbearing and that the estate should take the initiative to push him aside in favor of the lion's share.

Lu Lan remained silent.

Yurong chimed in as well, "Indeed, My Lord. Why don't we just kick that crafty merchant out and find someone else who knows how to neutralize the black stone toxic gas? Whatever share you decide to give them would be entirely up to your discretion."

The two young maids lacked foresight, focusing only on their immediate annoyance.

Lu Lan, however, saw things far more thoroughly.

Why had Pang Shiyuan dared to propose a three-seven split?

Because winter was fast approaching, and the charcoal trade in the capital was about to enter its peak season.

There was simply no time left to search the entire realm for an alternative.

If they failed to sell the fragrant coal briquettes before the peak charcoal selling season, they would have no choice but to wait until the winter of the following year.

That would mean missing out on a whole year's business opportunity in vain.

Time was Pang Shiyuan's greatest source of confidence.

This man possessed extraordinary daring and was worthy of being employed.

...

The Duke of Yu's Estate.

The area outside the main gates was exceptionally bustling.

Jian Aozhu, draped in a white cloak and wearing a veil over her face, stood amidst the crowd alongside Haitang.

The expressions on the faces of mistress and servant were thoroughly complex.

"My Lady, how could this be? When this maid came to look yesterday, the Lu family residence showed not the slightest sign of activity. How is it that today..."

The scene before their eyes had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation.

Jian Aozhu was biting her lips nearly to the point of bleeding.

As soon as they turned into the lane, they were greeted by deafening noise ahead.

Merchants selling all kinds of goods came in an endless stream, and their delivery carts formed a long dragon stretching out from the Lu family's entrance, blocking the street so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

Those merchants were all in a state of high agitation, pushing and shoving one another. Eager to cut in line by even a single body-length, they practically came to blows, looking as frantic as if they had been injected with chicken blood, terrified lest their own merchandise fail to be selected by the Lu family.

The onlookers formed ring after ring, three layers deep and three layers wide, crowding the second-story windows and even climbing up into the trees just to watch the spectacle.

This scene...

gave one the illusory impression that the entire population of Shengjing had converged right here.

Originally, when Jian Aozhu received the Empress Dowager's marriage decree, everyone in the Jian family seemed to possess ten mouths each.

The news fermented overwhelmingly among relatives and friends.

Jian Aozhu's upcoming marriage quickly spread throughout the capital.

One had to know that anyone whose marriage could move the Empress Dowager herself to issue a decree must be a dragon or phoenix among men; how could ordinary mortals ever be blessed with such fortune?

Following the imperial marriage decree, public opinion in the streets became much more lenient regarding the scandal between Jian Aozhu and Mei Xianghan.

People felt that their true love had moved the sacred heart of the imperial family, and lovers destined for one another ought naturally to be united in wedlock.

Coupled with the Grand Princess wielding thunderous methods to cast Zhang Yan into death row, pinning upon him the crime of "driving someone to the brink of death," stripping him of his official rank and office was not enough; after receiving one hundred blows of the heavy staff in the imperial court, he was to be exiled three thousand li away, ultimately serving a ten-year sentence of penal labor on Liubo Island in the South China Sea.

Zhang Yan's father exhausted his family fortune and pulled every string he had, yet failed to alter the verdict of the Ministry of Punishments.

Who told him to offend the sworn sister of the Grand Princess?

In a single day, Mei Xianghan's reputation soared to 8,990 points, towering over the younger generation.

Jian Aozhu had believed that the attention commanded by her marriage would surely crush Gu Xingwan.

Therefore, when Madame Mei proposed setting the date for the delivery of betrothal gifts on the twenty-sixth of the eighth month—deliberately clashing with the Lu and Gu families—she had felt it was a marvelous idea.

Madame Mei simply could not stand her old rival, Yan Shiyue.

As for Jian Aozhu, she wanted to vie for supremacy with Gu Xingwan.

When the time came, the grand wedding processions would take place on the very same day, vexing Gu Xingwan twice in succession. Just thinking about it brought an indescribably satisfying sweetness.

Who could have anticipated!

Less than a day after the wedding announcement was made, it was met with a comprehensive counterattack from the Lu family.

Word had it that the matriarch Yan Shiyue had sworn a ruthless oath to spare no expense in preparing for the heir apparent's wedding.

From Consort Dai deep within the palace to various imperial princes and fief-holding kings across the provinces,

from the reigning grand chancellor down to military commanders at every level,

all of them had dispatched congratulatory messages to the Duke of Yu's Estate.

This array of forces was in no way inferior to the exceptional honor of an imperial decree bestowed by the Empress Dowager.

It even faintly showed signs of overshadowing it.

Listening to the servants chatter back and forth until her mind was in turmoil, Jian Aozhu had decided to come out and see it with her own eyes.

And upon seeing it—it was truly like a tiny knife slicing through a posterior, an eye-opening experience.

Jian Aozhu and Haitang no longer had the bandwidth to voice complaints.

The jaws of both mistress and servant dropped straight to the ground in shock.

Having grown up since childhood in a small border town, how could the two of them have ever witnessed such an explosive spectacle?

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a sea of human heads.

It could only be described by the two words: defying the heavens.

"It infuriates me to death! Weren't they saying that Lu Lan was a prodigal who squandered his family's wealth? How is it that the more he squanders, the wealthier he becomes?"