Chương 213: Conspiracy

Plum Manor. Master Song's household received Yun Shan and Yun Jiu. Along with Qin Yu and the pets, a table of ten in the dining room was just right. It is worth mentioning that Little Black had terrible table manners, and its size was simply too massive. Therefore, it could only begrudgingly hide behind the mountain to eat from its own basin. It didn't like cooked food anyway, so it was quite content with this arrangement. Because of this, Old Yun didn't see the Ink Scale Tiger when he entered the room.

Otherwise, he would have undoubtedly been scared to death. Taking his seat, Song Que brought out a few wooden boxes, handing one to Yun Shan and one to Yun Jiu. He personally demonstrated by opening a box and taking out a red-glazed ceramic wine bottle. Its design resembled a Chivas bottle from his past life, featuring a galloping steed with a golden, blazing mane that looked extremely eye-catching. At the top, the three words "Blazing Fire Liquor" were written in bold, flowing calligraphy.

On the back, a text box clearly stated its origin from the Song Family Winery, the production date, and a series of other specific details. This ensured that anyone who bought it would know exactly where it came from, firmly etching the "Song Family Winery" brand into their minds. It could be said that the ingenuity behind this single wine bottle was enough to make Yun Shan sigh in admiration. Involuntarily, a deep sense of vigilance rose in his heart toward Song Que.

From this small detail alone, it wasn't hard to see the shocking business talent of this young man and the mastermind behind him. The Yun family's plan to use their distribution channels to firmly control the Blazing Fire Liquor and Song Que was likely going to go up in smoke. With every bottle sold, the reputation of the Song Family Winery would grow. Would they ever have to worry about finding business partners in the future?

Old Master Song wasn't entirely versed in the twists and turns of the business world, but as someone from the modern era, he clearly understood the importance of economics and branding. That was why he hadn't spared any expense to design such an elaborate and beautiful bottle. While he wouldn't call it extravagant, it was absolutely grand and luxurious, making consumers unconsciously feel it was a premium product just by looking at it.

Master Song was currently brewing an even better wine to target the ultra-premium market, so he was willing to invest heavily to build a strong reputation early on. The factory price for each of these bottles was actually around four to five taels of silver, several times higher than the one tael they had previously estimated. Fortunately, he didn't have to bear any other overhead costs, allowing Master Song to boldly play such a big game.

As for the effectiveness, one only needed to look at the slack-jawed expressions of the two men from the Yun family to understand...... Slowly and leisurely tearing off the anti-counterfeit seal on the cap, Old Master Song finally opened the bottle and poured a full glass for everyone. A rich, intense aroma wafted into the air, causing the people in the room to involuntarily close their eyes and inhale deeply in intoxication.

"General Manager, Ninth Brother, please!"

"Young Master Song, everyone, please!" Yun Shan didn't put on airs; he was too impatient to wait and immediately raised the cup to take a sip. This taste... compared to what he had drunk last time, it was several times more fragrant, delicious, and pure! Old Yun's eyes widened as he shouted in excitement:"Excellent wine!"

"Haha, then the General Manager can rest assured. In the future, the Blazing Fire Liquor supplied by the winery will use this as the standard. You can go back and tell Young Miss Yun to boldly pave the way for sales. Next month, when our wine is officially released, I guarantee it will shock the world with a single brilliant feat and become famous instantly."

Although he had some worries about Master Song, this rising star in the business world, thinking about the bright prospects ahead made Yun Shan unable to hold back his joy. He grabbed the bottle, poured himself another glass, and raised it:"Here's to our victorious cooperation!"

"Haha, well said! Cheers!" The meal ended with both host and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was only when Old Yun and his companion, slightly tipsy, left carrying several sample bottles of wine that the gathering finally concluded. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Old Master Song returned to his room and began considering who would accompany him to the Yaochi Tea Party. The invitation stated that the holder could bring one guest.

It would be a waste not to use such a great opportunity to broaden one's horizons. Old Nie's identity made it impossible for him to go. As for Xiong Ba, Hui Wu had already given a warning about him, so it was better to be safe than sorry. Li Xin's skills were too lacking; taking him would just be a burden. After thinking it over, taking Shen Ziming was the most logical choice. Old Shen had extensive experience traveling the martial world and was very familiar with the Yangnan martial circles.

Having him along would be reassuring. Song Que happily finalized this decision. He sent someone to inform Shen Ziming in advance and then stopped worrying about it, burying his head back into closed-door cultivation. After all, the tea party was still more than two weeks away; there was no point in rushing....... Days passed leisurely, and the Mid-Autumn atmosphere gradually grew stronger. The Yaochi Tea Party gathering was drawing near.

Thinking about finally seeing the number one beauty of Yangnan, the Blood Moon Demoness Zhao Mingyue, along with the other "twin flower" Jing Tian, Master Song could be said to be looking forward to it day and night. During this time, the Moon-Lacking Pavilion welcomed another piece of good news.

Chu Xiao—a well-known young talent in Yangnan—under the unreserved guidance of the gang's upper-echelon experts, had successfully broken through to the Fourth-Grade, officially stepping into the ranks of Second-Tier experts. With this, Song Que now had seven Second-Tier experts under his command, nearly double the number of Second-Tier experts in the rest of Qinghe City combined. His faction's strength was truly terrifying.

Moreover, stimulated by the contribution point policy of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion, the gang members were working frantically to earn points. They would then use them to exchange for resources or request guidance from experts. Under this encouraging atmosphere, the overall quality of the lower-tier members was visibly improving. Everything presented a thriving scene that made Pavilion Master Song extremely satisfied.

With nothing holding him back, Master Song began arranging his manpower in preparation for being away from home for a few days. He was also afraid that the Lingjiang Gang would take advantage of his absence to play their old tricks, assassinating his subordinates to clip his wings. With a domineering and vengeful character like Du Ruhui, this had to be guarded against. Therefore, he had Nie Feng, Xiong Ba, and Knife take the pets and secretly head up to the Black Iron Stronghold under the cover of night.

The next morning, with banners waving and drums beating, Old Master Song prepared a few carriages and, escorted by Qin Yu and a group of guards, highly visibly moved his entire household back into Qinghe City. At the very least, with Old Xu and Old Wu in the city, others wouldn't dare to make a reckless, large-scale move. Otherwise, a single accusation of armed rebellion would have the imperial court wiping them out the very next day......

Just as they had settled in and he was discussing matters regarding tomorrow's departure with Shen Ziming, a gang member ran in to report:"Pavilion Master, you have a letter!"

"Do we know who it's from?" Old Master Song was surprised. The farthest connections he had were the Yun family members in Lingjiang Commandery; he really couldn't think of anyone else who would write to him.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, someone sent it to Plum Manor. They didn't specify who it was from, only insisting it be delivered directly to your hands before leaving. This subordinate feared it was an urgent matter and immediately ran here to give it to you." Hearing the gang member's explanation, Song Que nodded:"Alright, sorry for the trouble. You may leave. Brother Shen, remember to reward this brother with a merit point."

"Thank you, Pavilion Master! This subordinate will take his leave!" The gang member was overjoyed upon hearing this, shouting loudly before happily withdrawing. Only then did Master Song slowly open the letter to read it. Before long, his expression turned extremely ugly. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh and turned to Old Shen:"Brother Shen, it seems you won't need to go tomorrow." Lingjiang Gang Headquarters.

Discussing with a group of upper-echelon elders, Du Ruhui asked in a deep voice:"Are we certain that the brat Song Que will travel to Lingjiang Commandery within the next day or two?" Opposite him, an elder in charge of intelligence immediately stood up:"Reporting to the Gang Leader, Elder Chu has written a letter confirming it. Their entire household moved into the city today. As expected, he will arrive here between now and tomorrow morning.

The news from the other side has also been verified; Young Miss Yun Xi has arranged to travel alongside this brat to Yangnan Prefecture." Hearing this, a streak of cruelty shot through Du Ruhui's eyes. Song Que's talent alone was reason enough for him to die, but now he was entangling himself with the woman Du Ruhui had internally claimed as his own. That made him ten thousand times more deserving of death.

"The Yun family actually hired the 'Hundred Flower Hand' Wu Ting to escort them. It seems they value this brat highly. Hehe, a genius can only be called a genius if they live to grow up. This time, This Chief will completely crush their dreams. I will make the Yun family see reality clearly: to develop in Lingjiang Commandery, they still need to obediently rely on me, Du!" His voice was so cold it felt tangible, causing the people in the room to involuntarily shiver.

"Pass down my orders! Set up an ambush at Eagle's Sorrow Ravine on this side. There must always be at least two elders and ten Second-Tier elites present. Keep a strict eye on anyone passing through during this time. Even if someone merely resembles him, do not let them go! Absolutely no negligence is allowed!"

"Understood, Gang Leader!"

"Gang Leader, dispatching so many people at once will stretch our gang's manpower thin. Aren't you overestimating this brat a bit?" Great Elder He Xuan asked worriedly. The only response he received was Du Ruhui's chilling smile:"Just follow orders!"

"Understood, Gang Leader!" Old Du didn't want to waste his breath. Hadn't he personally tested how tough that brat was to deal with? He could guarantee that in a one-on-one fight here, none of his own elders could beat that kid. Furthermore, just to be absolutely sure, after arranging the headquarters' defenses tonight, Gang Leader Du would personally head over to join the ambush. Song Que was like a thorn in his eye; until he was removed, Du Ruhui would know no peace.

If he hadn't been worried about hidden enemies lurking around him, Du Ruhui would have long since led his men to Plum Manor to eradicate the boy at all costs. As for Huang Ze's warning? Who cared?