Chapter Ninety-Nine: Surrender

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Wei Renshi had Sun Pengpeng see Yuan Decai off. When Sun Peng returned, he found Wei Renshi still seated in the main hall and asked, “My lord, shall I call some people to tidy up here?”

“All right,” Wei Renshi nodded.

Sun Peng hesitated for a moment, then asked, “My lord, did you really believe Yuan Decai when he said the connections to Huachun Tower are inside the palace?”

“To have grown such a large business, he wouldn’t—and dare not—lie about something like that,” Wei Renshi replied. “It seems that Liu Zhenqi isn’t the true master of Huachun Tower after all. I didn’t expect Huachun Tower’s backing to be so formidable. No wonder they used to lead the guild; the prefecture government probably didn’t dare offend them and cleverly demanded money under various pretexts.”

“So what about us…”

“That has nothing to do with us,” Wei Renshi said firmly. “We do business with Huachun Tower. They pay for the wine; we take the money and sell it. Nothing more to think about.”

Sun Peng nodded and was about to speak when a waiter came running up, saying there was someone outside seeking the shopkeeper.

“Another guest,” Wei Renshi smiled and said to the waiter, “Clean up this place while you’re at it.”

Before long, Sun Peng led another man inside.

“My lord, this is Liang Yuxi, the shopkeeper of Zuixiao Tower,” Sun Peng introduced him as they entered.

Sun Peng’s expression was subtly strange, which surprised Wei Renshi. He had not expected it to be someone from Zuixiao Tower.

“Greetings, Lord Wei!” Liang Yuxi bowed respectfully.

“Shopkeeper Liang, you are too polite. Please, have a seat,” Wei Renshi gestured to a chair. “To be honest, Shopkeeper Liang, I am somewhat surprised.”

“I saw Yuan Decai walking over confidently and guessed Huachun Tower must have already struck a deal with Yimeng Tower,” Liang Yuxi spoke frankly. “But if Lord Wei says you can supply both parties for now, then it seems Zuixiao Tower still has a chance.”

Wei Renshi smiled but said nothing. Sun Peng chimed in, “That goes without saying.”

“I must apologize to Lord Wei first,” Liang Yuxi stood and bowed again. “Although Zuixiao Tower is not small within Luoyang City, among the Nine Towers and Pavilions, it’s nothing. Many things aren’t matters I’m unwilling to do, but rather things I cannot avoid.”

“No need to mention the past; I’ve never held it against you,” Wei Renshi said with a smile. “However, Shopkeeper Liang, I must say this—among the Nine Towers and Pavilions, Zuixiao Tower probably isn’t even close to being the top bidder for the wine.”

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“Zuixiao Tower naturally cannot afford to compete with them financially,” Liang said to Wei Renshi. “But I suspect Huachun Tower’s funding isn’t the highest among the Nine Towers either.”

Wei Renshi raised his eyes, fixing them on Liang Yuxi. “Then what’s your card, Shopkeeper Liang?”

“Surrender,” Liang replied.

“How so?” Wei Renshi asked again.

Liang took out several sheets of paper and handed them to Wei Renshi. “These contain information about the backing behind the Nine Towers and Pavilions. Also, there is a plan to nominate Yimeng Tower as the guild leader.”

“If it’s only this, there’s no need to be in such a hurry to share it with me,” Wei Renshi smiled. “Since you’ve been upfront, I’ll tell you that I actually welcome the idea of being guild leader.”

“What?!” Liang was taken aback.

Wei Renshi continued, “Putting that aside, if I take what you’ve given me, what will become of Zuixiao Tower?”

“It would naturally be Yimeng Tower and Lord Wei leading the way,” Liang stammered, quickly gathering his wits.

“May I ask, Zuixiao Tower has been in Luoyang for a long time, with deeper roots than Yimeng Tower and better relationships with the other eight towers. Why then surrender to Yimeng Tower?”

Liang was silent for a moment. “We’ve been trampled on for too long. When the opportunity comes, we want to stand up and fight. Zuixiao Tower is different from the others; the others all have powerful backers. Zuixiao Tower has only the two of us, uncle and nephew.”

Wei Renshi stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled. “I guarantee that within five years, Zuixiao Tower will surpass the other eight towers and pavilions. Shopkeeper Liang, do you dare follow me?”

Liang was stunned again, thought deeply for a moment, then bit his lip and stood up. “From now on, Zuixiao Tower will follow Lord Wei’s lead. Whatever Lord Wei commands, I will do!”

Wei Renshi laughed. “You truly have guts, Shopkeeper Liang. Very well, heed my advice—don’t rush to purchase white wine yet. Go back and prepare more funds—at least thirty to fifty thousand strings of cash. You might need it soon.”

“What?!” Liang was shocked. “Thirty thousand strings?!”

Wei Renshi nodded. “If I become guild leader, the prefecture government will surely demand money from me. If Zuixiao Tower wants to follow me, how can it avoid sharing the financial burden?”

Liang’s expression flickered with doubt. After a long moment, his eyes brightened as he looked at Wei Renshi and asked, “Lord Wei, are you not worried about becoming guild leader because you intend to manipulate the prefecture’s demand for money?”

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“That’s true, but not in the way you imagine,” Wei Renshi smiled. “White wine is a commodity everyone will have eventually; there’s no need to rush. So, Shopkeeper Liang, do you dare bet on me?”

Liang placed the papers on the table, nodded, and said, “Good! I’ll prepare immediately! According to their plan, the prefecture government should demand money in the next few days.”

With that, Liang bid farewell and strode out.

“Sun Peng, see Shopkeeper Liang out through the side door,” Wei Renshi instructed.

Sun Peng immediately hurried after him.

Who receives the wine first or later is of no importance to Wei Renshi; it’s merely to sow discord among them.

Whether Zuixiao Tower betrays the Nine Towers and Pavilions or not is even less of a concern to him.

Wei Renshi had no intention of revealing his true plan to Zuixiao Tower. If their surrender was part of the Nine Towers’ scheme, they would gain nothing from him.

If Zuixiao Tower truly wished to surrender and rise to power by crushing the other eight towers, Wei Renshi wouldn’t mind having another ally to share the “firepower.”

Wei Renshi rose and picked up the papers from the table, lowering his gaze to study them.

The Nine Towers’ plan was not far from what Wei Renshi had expected: to grant Yimeng Tower the position of guild leader, then collude with the prefecture government. The government would use the official guild status as a pretext to extort money from Yimeng Tower, dragging down the fledgling Yimeng Tower in Luoyang.

It was Huachun Tower’s backing that surprised Wei Renshi.

The papers only revealed that Huachun Tower’s powerful patron was a highly influential eunuch within the palace, though no name was mentioned.

Li Shichong favored eunuchs, and the palace’s chief eunuchs held immense power.

From this, it was clear that Huachun Tower was indeed the most formidable opponent.