Giant Ship Across the Song Dynasty: My Supplies Come from My Motherland

Chapter 14, Setting Up a Scam!

The shop was set up very quickly; Lin Zhou didn't even need to do much to it before it was up and running.

"I've finally made it to the soap-selling business."

He picked up a bar of Song Dynasty soap and smelled it, but it had a strange smell. This thing was called soap cake, which was a popular item in Lin'an City. It was said to be made by mixing soap pods, rice flour, and alkali together. He had tried using it to wash his hands yesterday and found that it didn't clean them properly and was very uncomfortable. But even this thing was not something that ordinary people could afford to use.

"Young master, what is this?"

While Lin Zhou was lost in thought, a young woman walked up to him, picked up a bar of trash soap he had brought, and fiddled with it repeatedly. She even put it under her nose and sniffed it, finding it to have a pleasant fragrance, which was rather strange.

"Soap."

"Soap?" The young woman picked up a bar of soap from the side. "Isn't this soap? Why is that soap too?"

"New formula."

Lin Zhou introduced the business with little interest. He now understood how those shops that had been on the same street for years without any business but never went out of business could operate. They were either laundering money or running missions. He had no intention of serving customers at that moment.

"That's interesting. Give me a piece, how much?" The young woman picked through the options and chose her favorite flavor: "I'll take this one."

Three pieces.

"Three pieces?"

Lin Zhou quickly waved his hand and said, "Seven coins."

The young woman paid and left. Lin Zhou sold a few more items throughout the morning, but he was too lazy to even count the money. They were all worthless anyway. Valuable items were no longer allowed to be sold. The valuable and best-selling two-dollar store products were almost all gone.

Around noon, Xu Cheng pretended to admire the scenery as he moved toward Lin Zhou. From a distance, you could tell he was planning to come and freeload again. But this arrogant guy was never sincere; he clearly wanted to do it, but he always found a bunch of excuses.

"Cheng'er, you're here?"

"Hmm." Xu Cheng held his waist knife, stood beside the shop, and just looked at it without saying a word.

Lin Zhou didn't say much, and he and the other two stood on the outside and sat on the inside, staring at each other.

After estimating it to be about half an hour, Lin Zhou finally spoke, "Cheng'er, are you hungry?"

Xu Cheng turned his head to the side: "I'm not hungry."

"Then we'll eat later." Lin Zhou rummaged through his miscellaneous goods, his head down. "Does Cheng'er have a girl she likes?"

"Huh? Why are you asking these questions?"

"If you have a girl you like, this is for you."

Lin Zhou picked up a small mirror and handed it to him. This mirror was one of those antique-style mirrors often sold in tourist attractions. It was the kind with a tin-plated copper base and an ordinary small mirror. The wholesale price at the vegetable market was 5.33 yuan, and the price on Pinduoduo was 1.99 yuan...

Xu Cheng picked up the mirror and admired himself in it, as if he knew he was good-looking, and then without asking any questions, he put the mirror in his arms.

"Hey!" Lin Zhou pointed at him, "Have you no shame?"

"Since you've asked me, it means you've already decided to give it to me. Why bother whether I have someone I like? It's pointless. If I accept it, I'll be doing you a favor."

"You son of a bitch... you've developed an occupational hazard from being a driver's dog, haven't you?"

"That's not the case."

As the two were talking, several people dressed in official robes suddenly walked over. After they arrived, they only glanced at Xu Cheng, and then began to rummage through the pile of miscellaneous items in front of Lin Zhou.

"Gentlemen, is there anything you need?"

The group snorted coldly, ignoring Lin Zhou completely. Instead, they picked up a bar of cheap soap and said to a small old man who looked like an accountant, "Write this down."

Then they picked out the items that clearly didn't belong to the Southern Song Dynasty. The leading clerk, arms crossed, sneered, "We're from the salt tax office. Come with us."

Xu Cheng frowned and immediately drew his knife: "What proof do you have that you dare to bring people here?"

"Tsk..."

The clerk glanced at Xu Cheng sideways, and instead of being alarmed, he laughed out loud: "Why is the head of the Imperial City Guard getting involved in tax matters? This fellow's goods have never been taxed. What? Has the Imperial City Guard started interfering with the Ministry of Revenue?"

Lin Zhou rubbed his hands together, his face full of obsequiousness, and said, "Gentlemen, what mistake have I made?"

"Oh, your crime is serious. You could end up in jail. Smuggling and stealing without going through the Maritime Trade Office or the Salt Tax Bureau... tsk tsk... whether you live or die depends on how sensible you are."

The clerk crossed his arms and looked at Lin Zhou: "Come on, come with us."

Lin Zhou glanced at Xu Cheng, and the two of them roughly understood that these people were most likely sent to test the waters. If there were no surprises, it was because the information released by Si Hou had taken effect.

It seems these people are really impatient; they've already come to take people away after only a few days.

Based on my experience listening to these petty scoundrels scheming and plotting these past few days, there's probably a method to it all. These low-ranking officials are clearly cannon fodder, and the people behind them are waiting to see how the magistrate reacts before taking any action.

It's no wonder he didn't quite understand "In the Name of the People" back then; the plot was indeed quite complex.

"I'll go with you gentlemen... please don't hit me, I'm not strong."

"Let's go. If you had confessed honestly, you wouldn't have gotten beaten up."

Lin Zhou was taken away by them just like that. Xu Cheng wanted to stop them, but he was stopped by Lin Zhou's eyes when he was about to make a move.

He was quickly taken to the Salt Tax Office. Because he had some connections, he didn't encounter any inhumane treatment after entering. He sat there for about two hours. Around 3 p.m., a noisy commotion started outside. He couldn't hear it clearly, but judging from the content of the argument, it seemed that the Imperial City Guard had come to cause trouble.

The reason why the Imperial City Guard came to cause trouble is self-evident. The Marquis had arranged it in the same way. It would be strange if they didn't cause trouble in this situation. To make the performance more convincing, it would make Lin Zhou seem more important to the Marquis.

While the commotion was raging outside, a middle-aged man opened the door to the room where Lin Zhou was being held and walked in. He sat down opposite Lin Zhou and looked him up and down.

"I've heard you're a refugee from overseas who has come to serve my Great Song Dynasty?"

"hold head high."

"What do you mean by 'ang'?! It's either yes or no! What do you mean by 'ang'?"

"Let me tell you, I could smash your head open right now, and at worst I'll tell my clan uncle, pay some money, and that'll be the end of it. An old bastard like you, who doesn't even have a rank, is no match for my clan uncle; killing you is as easy as spitting on you." Lin Zhou slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "Don't you even know who my clan uncle is?!"

Lin Zhou is a master of pretense; he can be both soft and hard, flexible and adaptable. Over the years, he has learned all the wisdom of the common people.

Being a good person is hard enough, but does being a bad guy have to be learned?

"Yes, yes, I have already inquired. The Marquis of the Imperial City Guard is your cousin, but the matter of tax smuggling is not under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City Guard. It would be easy for him to kill this old man, but I wonder if the Marquis would also kill Vice Minister Zhang and Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue?"

The old man said with a smile, "Young man, as the saying goes, every country has its laws, and every family has its rules. You see, that makes sense. Besides, your matter isn't that big. Just settle your overdue taxes and check your overseas goods, and that'll be it. This kind of thing can be big or small, so don't let such a trivial matter ruin your relationship."

"I haven't eaten or drunk anything, and you're telling me not to get along? Huh!?" Lin Zhou slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "If you're so capable, why don't you let me starve to death!"

"Oh, oh, oh, it was my oversight. Someone, bring the young master some wine and food!"

Soon, the food and drinks were served, and Lin Zhou, ignoring everything else, buried his head and began to wolf down his food. The person in front of him wasn't in a hurry either, just watching Lin Zhou with a smile.

"Young master, the matter is very simple. You just need to clarify the source of the goods and make up for the missed taxes, and the matter will be settled. It's just a few strings of cash. There's no need to make such a big fuss."

The middle-aged man chuckled, his tone unusually calm.

"I can't explain the source," Lin Zhou said while shoveling cornmeal into his mouth. "They gave me a way to make money, I can't just sell them out, that would be disloyal. Kill me or torture me, fine me whatever you want, throw me in jail, it's no big deal, at worst I'll just die."

The middle-aged man's brows slowly furrowed. He thought he could easily trick such a person into revealing everything, but who knew he would turn out to be such a stubborn and unyielding person.

"Young man, don't refuse a toast only to suffer the consequences."

"Eat your mother's food!" Lin Zhou raised the bowl and dumped the remaining half-bowl of rice on his head. "Come on! Kill your father!"

At this moment, Lin Zhou's heart was pounding in his chest. He didn't know what the other party would do. If a fierce conflict broke out, Lin Zhou would probably have to activate the second plan devised by Si Hou...

Just kill him...

The pistol hidden in his belt was off its safety, but Lin Zhou's hands were still trembling slightly, unsure whether it was from nervousness or a surge of adrenaline.

But no one expected that the guy was surprisingly resilient. After clearing the debris off his head, he still had a smile on his face.

"Young Master, we are only following orders and have no intention of making things difficult for you. If you continue like this, then I'm afraid you won't be able to leave anytime soon. Please reconsider. Farewell."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Lin Zhou breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the man leave and sat back down in his chair. He hadn't expected the man's reaction to be exactly as Si Hou had predicted...

The next step was for the Marquis to send someone to inform him that he could concede some of his profits.

Step by step... Lin Zhou suddenly felt both dangerous and exciting.