Chapter 330: Chapter 297: Assassinating the Priestess
North of Li Jing, the imperial summer retreat, Ganlu Temple.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Mingqian from the Inspection Department requests an audience outside." A eunuch by Zhao Rui’s side lowered his head and came over with small steps.
"Inspection Department, what’s his purpose? Let him come in."
"Yes."
Moments later, a figure in gray followed the eunuch into the main hall. The presence of the visitor was restrained; initially, no sound was heard from his footsteps, but upon entering the inner hall, he intentionally walked normally.
Zhao Mingqian, a royal expert, leads the Inspection Department, overseeing all the major sects in Da Li for the royal family, acting alongside the Royal Court as specialized agencies controlling the martial arts world.
These martial arts sects are more dangerous than the military officers and nobility, so naturally, the Da Li royal family could not relax its vigilance towards them.
"Your servant Zhao Mingqian greets Your Majesty, wishing you well!" Zhao Mingqian bowed slightly to the emperor, without kneeling.
This was his privilege as a royal and a master at the Peak of the Meridian Passage Realm.
"Be at ease, my good minister, have a seat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You came to Ganlu Temple to see me; could it be that there is some major unrest in the Da Li martial world?" Zhao Rui asked.
"Your Majesty, I have three matters to report." Zhao Mingqian nodded slightly as he sat down.
"Speak."
"The first matter, the master of the Longchuan Canyon embroidery house, Baili Bingyun, is currently in seclusion to break through to the Tianyuan level. There might be a loss of control in Li Hen City."
"The embroidery house is led by a woman, so despite her high martial arts cultivation, she shouldn’t have much ambition, nothing to worry about," Zhao Rui commented.
"But she is currently openly seeking a son-in-law for her daughter. Unlikely mistakes aside, once she ascends to Tianyuan, she could easily wait for her grandson to grow up..."
"By that time, both you and I would be in our graves. Nevertheless, keep an eye on it," Zhao Rui instructed with a nod after some thought.
"Yes."
"The second matter."
"Fahai from Shanglin Temple has made a breakthrough."
"Oh, another Buddha emerges from the Buddhist sect." Zhao Rui exclaimed in surprise.
"I received news that Fahai’s advancement was related to someone," Zhao Mingqian reported.
"Who?"
"Lin Miao."
"Him?" Zhao Rui was surprised. His health improved due to Lin Miao. Mr. Fu had applied Lin Miao’s Lin’s Pulse Study Manual and prescription notes to him, which resulted in significant improvements.
This level of trust is rare; otherwise, who would dare to experiment on the emperor? Of course, when using medicines on the emperor, Mr. Fu would first test them on others and only administer them after observing no adverse effects or improvements.
It proved that Lin Miao’s pulse diagnosis method was extremely accurate, and his prescriptions were precise, yielding excellent results when applied to the emperor.
Indirectly, the emperor also had a favorable impression of Lin Miao, especially since he aided the Dongshan Prefecture governor in solving a major conspiracy case.
"What is Lin Miao’s relationship with Fahai?"
"Relations were quite strained before, but they somehow improved," Zhao Mingqian stated. The Inspection Department couldn’t possibly know everything in detail.
"Keep an eye on it. As long as the Buddhists don’t meddle in state affairs, we need not intervene," Zhao Rui said. "However, with a Buddha emerging from Shanglin Temple, it is appropriate for the court to offer congratulations. Prepare a congratulatory gift for me, and inquire if Fahai desires a title, which I will grant."
"I will follow Your Majesty’s command."
"And the third matter?"
"One of the Moon Worship Sect’s Saint Heir’s four attendants, the sorceress, has descended the mountain and entered Da Li, currently arriving at Jiangdu Prefecture."
"The demonic cult hasn’t come north for years. Why send someone to Da Li now? Did you find out their purpose and whereabouts?" Zhao Rui frowned and asked.
"Ten years ago, the Moon Worship Sect experienced internal upheaval, and their Saint Heir vanished. The Snow Attendant among the four servants pursued his whereabouts to no avail. According to internal sources, the Moon Worship Sect’s Saint Heir is hiding somewhere within Da Li’s borders. The sorceress hails from the Wu Clan, one of the top four families in the Moon Worship Sect, known for their mystery. Her sudden entrance into Da Li without concealing her identity, baffles me. If she were after the Saint Heir, she should be acting covertly. If not, what is her purpose here?"
"What do you propose to do, Mr. Zhao?"
"Since she doesn’t hide her identity, we cannot afford to be lenient. Any seductive sorceress from the Moon Worship Sect coming to Da Li must have ulterior motives. Even if we don’t kill her, we must capture her. We cannot let her cause chaos within Da Li," Zhao Mingqian stated.
"Affairs of the martial world should be resolved within the martial world. If she’s behaving so openly, as long as she commits no crimes within Da Li, the court must not intervene. If it riles up the old ones, it would be detrimental," Zhao Rui said. "Let the righteous martial artists handle the demon-slaying and protection."
"Your Majesty’s strategy to drive a wedge between them is excellent."
"If there’s nothing else, you may go now. I still have a chess game with Mr. Fu to attend," Zhao Rui instructed as he stood, flicking his sleeve.
"Your servant takes his leave!"
The emperor seemed healthier than when he left the palace. Perhaps spending over two months in the tranquility of Ganlu Temple for a summer retreat had indeed been beneficial?
...
The Huaye Tower officially opened.
On this day, guests flooded in, even the Dongshan Prefecture governor came, which was quite an honor. Flower baskets of congratulations were lined from the entrance to the street.
Lin Miao invited Pei Jian to join him in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Huaye Tower.
Pei Jian stayed to savor Huaye Tower’s cuisine, and praised it for its exceptional taste. He also left behind a calligraphy piece reading "The First Tower of Dongshan."
Lin Miao indeed had not anticipated that Pei Jian would bestow the accolade of "The First Tower of Dongshan" upon Huaye Tower. How could Star-Picking Tower, a veteran establishment in Dongshan, not be taken aback?
Regardless of whether it was flattery or provocation, the words had been written. It couldn’t just hide away and deny it. Why shouldn’t Huaye Tower deserve the title of the First Tower of Dongshan?
Lin Miao had it made into a plaque and prominently displayed it in the center of the main hall.
Even during its trial operations, business was already booming. After the official opening, business was even more prosperous, with Huaye Tower capturing almost a third of the high-end restaurant business in Dongshan City!
This one-third was indeed impressive.
The business of other restaurants in the South City District was especially bleak, as they were the closest and most affected.
There was a 30% discount as a promotional offer for the first three days after opening.
Three days later, when prices returned to normal, Huaye Tower’s business noticeably decreased, with fewer diners, but the profits did not diminish.
At the same time, the business of other restaurants also slowly picked up.
In business, one cannot be too ruthless; you must leave a slice for your peers, which also leaves yourself a way out. Being too cutthroat leaves no benefits for oneself either.
If it’s a monopoly, it doesn’t matter. With no competition, there’s no need to care about others’ opinions.
If you block others’ paths, how can they not hate you? While they may not dare attack you openly, they could sabotage you secretly, which is hard to guard against.
The renovation and transformation of Huaye Tower cost over fifty thousand silver, not to mention labor expenses. Including kitchen and front desk staff, there are a total of 150 personnel, costing three hundred silver daily in salaries.
That’s over ten thousand silver a month, and in a year, just expenses run into tens of thousands.
This means that, after deducting costs, a gross profit of at least three hundred silver is needed daily to break even, which was already achieved during the trial operation.
After officially opening, in three days, the gross profit exceeded a thousand silver. Huaye Tower has a total of twenty-four small and large private rooms, and two halls, the largest with sixty tables, a smaller one with twenty tables, and some specially reserved private rooms not open to the public.
Hundreds of tables can be served at once.
Each table starts at twenty silver.
The gross profit margin is about forty-five percent.
As long as the occupancy rate reaches thirty percent, using discounts and offering free new dishes, the profit per table is at least six silver.
Calculated this way, it covers costs, and for every ten percent increase in occupancy, an additional hundred silver is earned, daily.
Since the trial operation, combining lunch and dinner, the occupancy rate has exceeded eighty percent.
This is a terrifying occupancy rate.
Even after the three-day promotional period ended and prices returned to normal, with fewer discounts, the occupancy rate never dropped below fifty percent.
This business is not comparable to the past, but the money earned is clean and dignified.
If Si Miaoxue were not spending on finding the Saint Heir and other matters, relying solely on wealth accumulated from Huaye Tower, she would secretly be a millionaire by now.
Maintaining so many people and the expenses of intelligence channels are invisibly gold-devouring, which is why Si Miaoxue’s savings haven’t amassed over the years.
Nowadays, these people still need support, and intelligence network expenses must be paid, but there are more sources of income now.
"Lianxin, from now on, you must help Senior Sister manage the family accounts; she can’t handle it alone." Lianxin is clever and sensitive to numbers, plus she has a calm temperament and can be patient, unlike Liansuo, who would feel like she’s sitting on pins and needles if she handled the accounts.
Sun Youwei certainly can’t devote all her energy to the tedious accounting; Lianxin is a suitable choice as the bookkeeper.
"Yes, my lord."
"My lord, if you let my sister handle the books, what should I do?" Liansuo was displeased.
"You take charge of the boys’ martial arts training at home. Train them well, alright?" Lin Miao had thought about this long ago; he didn’t have much time to personally guide Lin Mao and others in martial arts, and Liansuo was a suitable choice.
"I’ll take this task, but what should they call me?"
"Call you whatever you like."
"Call me Suo, I’m only a few years older than them," Liansuo said, recalling being forced to practice martial arts by the master over the years, and finally found a way to vent.
...
Outside Jiangdu Prefecture, on the official road.
A group of martial artists bearing swords stopped a northbound carriage, which had only a driver, a maidservant, and a young lady.
The three of them did not look like dangerous and evil types.
"Witch, come out and meet your death!"
A burly man among the martial artists charged forward with a saber, pointing at the woman inside the carriage, arrogantly shouting.
"Gentleman, I am not some witch; you have mistaken me!" A voice, more melodious than an oriole, came from within the carriage.
"Witch of the Moon Worship Sect, stop trying to defend yourself. If you don’t come out to meet your death, don’t blame us for rushing in!"
"Indeed, I am from the Moon Worship Sect, but I have never harmed anyone. Why call me a witch?"
"This..."
"Women of the Moon Worship Sect are witches and should die!" someone nearby incited.
"Right, women of the Moon Worship Sect are all witches and should die!"
"Moon Worship Sect has hundreds of thousands of followers, with at least half of them being women. Are they all supposed to die?" The voice from inside the carriage calmly retorted.
"Of course!"
"It seems that so-called righteous people are just a bunch of indiscriminate fools, less reasonable than our Moon Worship Sect."
"Brother Dao, stop wasting words with this witch, let’s kill him quickly!"
"Alright, let’s go together..."
"You go first!"
"Let’s go together..."
"This useless bunch, the witch doesn’t practice martial arts, yet they’re so afraid..." On a hillside, two people sat on horseback, watching from afar, one of them couldn’t help but curse.
"Mr. Zhao, these people are just probing; the real deadly strikes are yet to come."
"Indeed, it is said this witch is quite miraculous, better be cautious." The speaker nodded.
