Chapter 103: Anonymous Tip-Off

The guesthouse industry in Blue City was extraordinarily booming.

Other merchants were green with envy.

At first, they might have uttered a few sour remarks.

Later, they realized the other party didn’t even take them seriously.

But Old Master Zhou would never tolerate this.

He was determined to uncover who truly stood behind these guesthouses.

He assigned some people to investigate, and after about a week, they unearthed a few vague leads.

They pointed to a small shop in Northern County City.

Yet, a mere small shop had managed to produce three thousand taels of silver to acquire these seemingly unprofitable restaurants.

There had to be a mastermind guiding this.

Another crucial clue emerged.

“Father, it seems the shopkeeper there is quite close with Han Qing; they have met many times before.”

This?

The old master suddenly understood.

From the very beginning, the auctions of these restaurants and the real beneficiaries had all been orchestrated by Han Qing.

The other merchants could only comfort themselves by saying they simply didn’t have enough silver to bid on the restaurants.

But those who truly profited never cared about such things.

“No matter how you plan, this person is right under our noses?” the old master hissed, his heart boiling with resentment.

“He’s running his hotpot restaurant quite well now. If this matter is exposed, the other merchants in Blue City will definitely resist him,” said the second young master Zhou with a serious expression.

But he had forgotten one thing.

Since the trap was already set, how could Han Qing possibly withdraw prematurely?

The old master was a clever man.

He certainly wouldn’t fall into that trap again.

Still, he was unwilling to accept it, feeling oppressed by an outsider after a lifetime of effort, gaining no advantage at all.

“Exposing them is useless. Their guesthouse thrives on the mining experience of the copper mine, doesn’t it? What if there’s a problem with that?”

Ah?

The second young master suddenly understood.

If there’s no problem, then create some.

As long as the reputation of the guesthouse is sullied, what else could attract customers afterward?

---

Moreover, among the various merchant guilds in Blue City, no one dared to disregard Old Master Zhou’s face.

From minor favors to some unscrupulous deeds, he was overwhelmed with matters to handle.

The guesthouse’s performance had indeed improved considerably.

Based on the recent month and a half’s results, it would recoup its investment in less than half a year.

The initial investment of three thousand taels of silver had accomplished something significant.

“How have the guest flows been in these last few days?” Han Qing specifically visited these guesthouses to inquire.

The shopkeepers responded truthfully.

“Compared to the beginning, the number of guests has decreased by seventy to eighty percent. But it’s still far more than those other inns.”

However, Han Qing was not satisfied.

The opportunity to experience copper mining existed only because the imperial court had no relevant laws.

That’s why they could exploit this loophole to give some guests the thrill of the experience.

But if someone used this as an excuse, wouldn’t all their previous efforts be in vain?

Other methods were needed.

“Keep an eye out these days, especially for those pretending to be customers...” he said, implying something.

The shopkeepers were a bit confused but dared not neglect the order.

Sure enough, something had changed.

In Luojing, officials from the court were dispatched to seize full control of the copper mines here.

No ordinary person was allowed to mine or extract.

Wouldn’t this experience model be completely ruined?

As for the guesthouses, having lost their main attraction, a decline seemed inevitable.

Young Master Zhu stormed over fiercely.

“Brother Han, the Zhou family is truly bullying others. I asked friends in Luojing to inquire, and learned the full situation. I don’t know what’s going on with the Zhou family—they even bribed several officials to report the copper mine matter directly to His Majesty.”

This alone would arouse the emperor’s suspicion.

Allowing ordinary nobles to experience it blatantly violated the emperor’s intent.

Chen Tianwei originally wanted to persuade them but, hearing the emperor’s words, dared not speak for fear of incriminating herself.

“They’re just jealous of how well these guesthouses are doing and deliberately causing trouble,” Han Qing replied casually.

Old Master Zhou’s actions weren’t truly wrong.

They simply used ruthless competitive tactics.

Besides, both sides were merchants—there were no sentiments involved.

“You’re just going to endure this? It wasn’t like this back in Northern County City,” Young Master Zhu didn’t believe it, looking puzzled.

“He’s doing this only to show us who the real guild leader in Blue City is. But you and I both know we won’t stay here long,” Han Qing said.

It was almost confusing.

So Old Master Zhou sacrificed so much silver to smooth relations, but the trouble was now theirs.

Though the guesthouses had lost a highlight, why not add another?

“Remove all the experience equipment from one guesthouse and create a new gimmick,” Han Qing said calmly.

He immediately ordered others to arrange it with no complications.

The shopkeepers of these stores were baffled and suspicious of these new ideas.

“Take a look at these manuscripts—do you notice anything different?” he gathered the three shopkeepers to discuss the guesthouses’ future.

“Master Han, there are some annotations and hidden character portrayals...” one said.

“Anything else?”

“These manuscripts contain short stories, unlike ordinary scripts.”

Just as expected.

They fabricated some bizarre and intriguing stories.

Not only could they promote them through storytellers, but also let people participate in some form.

“Is anyone willing to experience the roles in these scripts?” Han Qing asked.

The three shopkeepers were stunned.

But after changing their clothes and taking the manuscripts again, they were somewhat amazed.

“Who was it that appeared at the door last night?”

“I was just passing by the pond; I don’t know the lady of the Chen residence...”