Chapter 9: Bitter Fruits Must Be Swallowed by Oneself

Li Niu, bring over the liquor! Wei Ming glared fiercely at Li Niu. Li Niu was on the verge of tears. Hesitating, he was reluctant to take it out. If it weren't for the fear of gripping too tightly and breaking the cigarette, Li Niu would definitely hold on to it tightly and not let go.

Bring it over. We are here to do business. In business, one must emphasize integrity. Why was Shen Wansan able to achieve such great success and strength back in the day? It was because he upheld his promises in business! Are we going to ruin our reputation on the very first day of doing business?" Wei Ming said. The smile on his face had long since vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow. Perhaps others would think that his subordinates were not following orders, which made Wei Ming furious and embarrassed. However, Wei Ming was very clear in his heart. He was just a young man in his early twenties. In his previous life, he was still a kid who had not yet entered society. In terms of sophistication, he was far inferior to those seasoned veterans. It was already quite difficult for him to manage a smile; if he were to smile now, it would undoubtedly be more awkward than crying. In terms of sophistication, he was far inferior to those seasoned veterans. It was already quite difficult for him to manage a smile; if he were to smile now, it would undoubtedly be more awkward than crying.

At this moment, among the crowd, there were several young men dressed similarly to ordinary gentlemen, yet they appeared robust and powerful. They bumped into one another, ignoring the complaints of the people, pulling individuals aside to whisper a few words before bringing them back in. This cycle continued, and essentially everyone had been called out at least once. Wei Ming also noticed this. It was not that Wei Ming was particularly astute; rather, the actions of the others were too blatant. Although Wei Ming sensed something unusual, he did not take it too seriously. Even if he had, it would not have made much difference. If he had attempted to intervene, he would likely have faced a beating. In that case, the auction would have effectively ended for the day. Such an action would be entirely detrimental to Wei Ming. All he could do now was to observe the situation unfold.

"Congratulations, esteemed guest, for just one tael of silver, this fine wine is yours!" Wei Ming's face was filled with smiles. No one could tell whether his smile was forced or genuinely joyful. If it weren't for the preceding events, anyone would believe that Wei Ming was truly happy.

Everyone be quiet, quiet! Wei Ming shouted several times before finally managing to suppress the noise. Although the dry wine has been auctioned off today, it does not mean that all the good things are gone. Next, I would like to recommend to everyone a treasure that is a thousand times more precious than dry wine, a lighter! Saying this, Wei Ming took out a lighter from his pocket that was worth only one yuan in his previous life. He was gambling, betting that the Qin King only wanted his cigarettes and not to make things difficult for him. If it was the former, he still had a chance to turn things around. But if it was the latter, he would have no choice but to leave Shaanxi.

"Alright, everyone quiet down!" Wei Ming raised his hand to gesture for silence. Clearly, no fewer than ten people in the audience furrowed their brows and looked over at Wei Ming. This time, Wei Ming was cautious and observed carefully, immediately identifying those who were behaving unusually. Although these individuals quickly lowered their heads, perhaps out of guilt, they truly lacked the courage to meet Wei Ming's gaze. Wei Ming snorted coldly in his heart, but his face was once again filled with a smile. Once everyone had quieted down, he said: "Today, the auction for the dry wine has concluded. If I acquire such treasures again in the future, I will share them with everyone!" At this moment, many people began to shout. They had come today specifically to obtain the dry wine. Just now, they had been warned, and the Qin Wangfu had issued an order that they could not participate in the bidding until they received further instructions. To this day, they had not received any notification and could only hope that Wei Ming would have more dry wine. Now that Wei Ming said there was none left, who could possibly be happy about that?

Bring it over! That burly man, who clearly pretends to be a gentleman, has no intention of listening to Wei Ming and Li Niu's nonsense any longer. Taking advantage of Li Niu's inattention, he swiftly snatched the cigarette from Liu Niu's hand, quickly wrapped it in cloth, and hurried away. The task has now been completed, and it is time to return and report. Having purchased the dry wine for just one or two taels of silver, he felt a sense of accomplishment. As he was about to set off, the young master had given him one hundred taels of silver, instructing him to keep the price below one hundred taels. The few people who had been sent out earlier had already agreed that upon returning, they would claim they spent one hundred taels of silver. This way, he would net a profit of ninety-nine taels from today's trip! Who in Gaomi knows about this matter? Would the young master be foolish enough to go around publicizing it? What he just told those gentlemen was that this was an order from the Qin Wangfu; who would dare to spread it? Who would dare to discuss it? Thus, if he does not speak, and his companions do not speak, this matter will not reach the young master. What is there to be afraid of? The silver is of the finest quality. Who could possibly hold a grudge against silver? If one can earn it, why not?

Boss, however, this... Li Niuke was extremely reluctant. That is fine liquor! How could it possibly be given to someone else for just one or two silver coins? The day it was presented to King Qin, a reward of one hundred taels of silver was received. What is one or two silver coins? This is no different from robbery in broad daylight!

If Wei Ming were to know the truth of the matter, he would certainly go to the governor to lodge a formal complaint. However, he is unaware, so he has directed all his hatred towards King Qin, Zhu Cunshu. Moreover, he swore that in the future, he would undoubtedly repay King Qin for the grievances of today in full.

I bid one or two! Although the auction house was still as lively as before, the atmosphere had noticeably diminished. They had now begun to auction the third cigarette. The first and second cigarettes were sold for one hundred and ten taels and one hundred and twenty taels respectively. Although this was a significant difference from Wei Ming's anticipated outcome, it was still a considerable sum of over a hundred taels of silver! For an ordinary family, that is a substantial amount of money. However, what was strange was that for the first two cigarettes, the initial bids were in the tens of taels. Now, the opening bid was merely one tael, which felt like a slap in the face! The most critical point was that after that person bid one tael, no one stood up to raise the bid. This was a stark contrast to the previous two instances. Even Wei Ming, no matter how foolish, could tell that something was amiss. In the city, there were only a few individuals with such influence. The most crucial point was that after that person bid one tael, no one stood up to raise the bid. This was a stark contrast to the previous two instances. Even Wei Ming, no matter how foolish, could tell that something was amiss. In the city, there were only a few individuals with such influence. The Governor of Shaanxi, the Prefect of Xi'an, and then there was Prince Zhu Cunshu. Neither the Governor of Shaanxi nor the Prefect of Xi'an would easily offend Zhu Cunshu. And seeing Zhu Cunshu's reluctant expression when he presented the cigarettes that day, it was highly likely that he was behind this! Just thinking about it made Wei Ming feel irritated. In his previous life, he had been bullied by the county magistrate. And seeing Zhu Cunshu's reluctant expression when he presented the cigarettes that day, it was highly likely that he was behind this! Just thinking about it made Wei Ming feel irritated. In his previous life, he had been bullied by the county magistrate. Now that he had come to the Ming Dynasty, he was going to be bullied by officials again. It seemed that no matter when or where, as long as one lacked power and influence, they would inevitably suffer under the oppression of officials. He merely wanted to hold an auction, yet here, in broad daylight, what was the difference from being robbed!

They are not giving anything! This is outright exploitation! Li Niu is even younger than Wei Ming, only nineteen years old. Although he has been bullied by the authorities before, it has never been so blatant. At least they would usually come up with some clever pretext to provide the victims with a sense of comfort. But now, this is just plain robbery!

The fourth and fifth cigarettes were auctioned off for one tael of silver each. Wei Ming had become completely immune to this. It would only be surprising to him if a bid of two taels of silver were to appear. This was a trap, specifically designed to ensnare him. No matter how many cigarettes he brought out today, it was impossible to fetch a price of one hundred taels of silver. Not to mention one hundred taels, he would be willing to walk away if the bid exceeded one tael. After the fifth cigarette was auctioned off, Wei Ming stood up and signaled for Li Niu to leave first. This was not in line with their original agreement. They had initially planned to auction off the remaining ten cigarettes today, expecting to raise around one thousand taels of silver. The earlier auctions had gone smoothly, but then it all fell apart. Wei Ming's decision to step forward now indicated he had other arrangements, which Li Niu could understand. Li Niu's face was now marked with a clear "no entry" sign. He walked down with a stern expression, saying nothing.

Although feeling indignant, Wei Ming managed to calm down after understanding the key issues. Li Niu, having been caught in an awkward silence, was at a loss and had no idea what was happening. He was increasingly worried that his repeated auctions of the same items might have angered the gentry present. Before following Wei Ming, he was just an ordinary citizen. Everyone knew that those present today were prominent figures, and offending anyone could lead to dire consequences. He frequently glanced at Wei Ming, eager to know what to do next. His anxious forehead was already covered in cold sweat.