Chapter 414 - 377: Winning Over (Part 2)

Chapter 414: Chapter 377: Winning Over (Part 2)

He had to accept this apology, but he certainly wouldn’t look happy about it.

Qian Laibao snorted softly and answered noncommittally, "An apology is too much to ask. Since you’ve brought the goods, just carry them inside. The storeroom is in the back. Find your own people to move it."

His tone was flat, even laced with a hint of impatience.

The masked man didn’t seem surprised or angered by Qian Laibao’s cold attitude. He simply smiled again and gestured with his hand.

The caravan’s Porters immediately got to work. In groups of two or four, they lifted one heavy wooden crate after another from the mule carts.

For a while, both the front and back doors of the shop were occupied as the Porters filed in, carrying the crates.

There were simply too many crates—over five hundred of them. The two large rooms in the back being used as a temporary storeroom were soon filled to the brim, leaving almost no room to even set a foot down.

Qian Laibao frowned. "If they don’t fit, put them in the back where the assistants sleep for now."

The masked man readily complied and immediately ordered them to change their route.

Qian Laibao just leaned back in his wooden wheelchair, coldly observing everything.

Although he was severely injured and couldn’t move, his eyes were incredibly sharp.

He impassively watched the men carrying the crates.

He mentally calculated the quantity.

’The silk for this apology... judging by the number of crates, it’s far more than the two thousand bolts that were stolen.’

’And the silver taels... one hundred thousand taels?’

Once all the crates were properly stowed, the masked man walked up to Qian Laibao.

Qian Laibao looked at the masked man with a sharp gaze. "What is the meaning of this, sir? The items you’ve delivered far exceed what’s necessary for an apology, don’t they?"

Hearing this, the masked man let out a low laugh. "Shopkeeper Qian is as perceptive as they say. I’ve come today mainly because I have a favor to ask, and I hope you can accommodate me."

The gloomy expression on Qian Laibao’s face was instantly replaced by a smile. "Oh? So this is business, then. This place is a mess and not suitable for a conversation. If you don’t mind, sir, please join me in a private room for some tea. We can discuss the details there, shall we?"

"I was thinking the same thing."

The masked man nodded.

Qian Laibao gestured for an assistant beside him to push his wheelchair. He led the masked man around the chaotic front hall to a quieter, small room in the back.

After serving two cups of tea, the assistant tactfully withdrew and closed the door.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Qian Laibao watched him with a burning intensity. "I haven’t had the honor of asking your name, sir."

The masked man raised his hand and removed his mask.

Beneath the mask was the handsome face of a man in his early thirties. His complexion, however, was somewhat pale, and his brow was clouded with a persistent look of worry and fatigue.

It was none other than the Magistrate of Mirror Mountain County, Luo Pingyuan.

Qian Laibao’s small eyes widened in astonishment. "So it is Magistrate Luo who has graced us with his presence. Forgive this humble commoner for being unable to bow, as I am severely injured."

Luo Pingyuan said, "Shopkeeper Qian, you’ve suffered this undeserved disaster entirely because of me. I feel truly terrible about it; an apology is hardly enough."

He sighed. "This time, I’ve brought four thousand bolts of silk and one hundred thousand taels of silver. Part of this is to compensate the Chen Family for their losses. The other part is for you and the others, for your medical expenses and as a gesture of goodwill. You may distribute it as you see fit, Shopkeeper Qian."

Qian Laibao narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with calculations. After a moment, he spoke. "Your Excellency, based on my rough estimate, you’ve brought no less than fifteen thousand bolts of silk, correct?"

Luo Pingyuan smiled openly. "Shopkeeper Qian has a good eye. That’s right. To be honest, I came here for two reasons. The first was to apologize. The second is to ask for your help in selling this batch of silk as quickly as possible. I am not greedy; I only ask to be paid at a rate of forty taels per bolt. Whatever price you manage to sell them for, the excess can be considered your commission. It will all belong to you, Shopkeeper Qian."

"Forty taels per bolt?"

Qian Laibao was surprised. "The current market price is over sixty taels. Selling them at forty, won’t you be taking a huge loss? Besides, the Jiang Family’s shops are all over the prefecture. Their network is vast. Why would you need to go through my humble little shop?"

Luo Pingyuan was blunt. "There is something you don’t know, Shopkeeper Qian. My Dantian Qi Sea has been shattered, and my Cultivation is completely gone. For now, while I’m still in Mirror Mountain and hold the title of County Magistrate, I can barely keep it under wraps. But if I were to go to the Jiang Family to dispose of these goods..."

He paused, not finishing his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear.

Understanding dawned on Qian Laibao.

He had, of course, heard about the situation with the Jiang Family.

After the Jiang Family’s Patriarch disappeared, its internal and external affairs were ostensibly managed by a few clan elders and Stewards. But behind the scenes, the one truly calling the shots was this very Magistrate Luo.

Now that Luo Pingyuan’s Cultivation was gone, what would happen once that news got out? How would the restless factions within the Jiang Family, and the rivals Luo Pingyuan had suppressed, react?

When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. When a wall starts to crumble, everyone gives it a push.

Without sufficient strength to maintain control, the turbulent undercurrents beneath the great ship of the Jiang Family would instantly tear Luo Pingyuan to shreds.

’His desperation to liquidate his assets, and his need to go through an outsider like me... it’s clear he’s afraid that delays will breed new problems. He wants to convert the assets he controls into silver, which is more discreet and easier to move, as quickly as possible. He’s planning an escape route for his future.’

A trace of sympathy appeared on Qian Laibao’s face. "Since Your Excellency has entrusted this to me, I will certainly do my best. However, as for the commission, the standard practice is to take a ten percent cut. The price you’ve offered is already a significant concession."

But Luo Pingyuan shook his head. "A ten percent commission is for ordinary circumstances. But what I am asking is anything but ordinary. I have another presumptuous request, and I must ask that you agree to it, Shopkeeper Qian."

"Please speak, Your Excellency."

"I need you to sell all eleven thousand bolts of silk within fifteen days, no matter the price. Please deposit the resulting silver taels into a bank under the name Luo Chang’an, arrange for a secret golden contract, and then give the contract to me."