RPAGF Chapter 217 Someone was poisoned
Chapter 217 Someone was poisoned
In Lin Xiaomei's mind, only the king had an underground ice cellar, and even princes and nobles could not get their hands on a single piece of ice.
Unless it is an immediate and great achievement, the king will bestow ice upon the emperor.
Lin Ping had no official rank or title, and he didn't even have the chance to see the king. How could he possibly be "bestowed with ice"? Therefore, Lin Xiaomei boldly guessed that this guy had risked his life to steal the king's ice cellar.
"So, the king's ice cave contains quite a bit of ice?" Lin Ping's eyes gleamed with a thieving light, as if he were hearing this for the first time and was eager to steal it.
Lin Xiaomei immediately regretted it; she shouldn't have told her audacious brother about this.
He dared to steal even the princess's heart, what else wouldn't he dare to steal?
In fact, the most valuable thing Lin Ping has ever stolen is not the princess's heart, but something else entirely, though he himself is unaware of it.
"Is this stuff really cold?" Li Mingxuan asked, his mouth watering, his nimble tongue constantly licking his lips, almost as if he wanted to stick it directly into the wooden basin to taste it.
"Hmm, it's iced, how is it?" Lin Ping rolled his eyes at Li Mingxuan, as if to say, "You want to drink something so expensive?"
Let me check my empty pockets first.
Lin Ping personally carried a large bowl of iced porridge into the hall and shouted loudly, "Iced porridge, refreshing and delicious iced porridge, a summer essential, only ten taels of silver a bowl. You won't lose out, you won't be cheated, it's an iced porridge that's fair to all ages."
His loud voice echoed throughout the entire Mingyue Tower, attracting the attention of even the distinguished guests in the private rooms who came down to take a look.
"Where did this iced porridge come from? It's clearly steaming hot!" a scholar dressed as a Confucian gentleman exclaimed.
That's true. A large bowl of iced porridge did indeed have white steam rising from it, but it wasn't the heat the other person was talking about. It was just water vapor condensing into small droplets when it cooled down, just like opening a refrigerator door in the summer.
Lin Ping was displeased and said to the man, "How about we make a bet? If this isn't iced porridge, your meal is free; if it is, you'll have to pay an extra hundred taels of silver."
"I don't believe it. How can something steaming hot be iced porridge? I'll bet it!" The man took a few steps forward, picked up the bowl, and scooped out a spoonful himself.
Judging from his attire, this man is not poor and could afford a hundred taels of silver; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to the bet.
However, when the coolness of the iced porridge traveled down the bottom of the bowl into his palm, the man was dumbfounded. His stiff expression said it all. Then he swallowed the iced porridge in one gulp, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort.
"This hundred taels of silver belongs to the Prince Consort. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly!" This man did have some backbone and immediately took out a hundred taels of silver.
For him, a hundred taels of silver was nothing; being able to drink a bowl of cool, icy porridge in the sweltering summer was better than anything else.
"Master Ping is a shrewd businessman who never cheats people. We agreed on ten taels of silver per bowl, how could I charge you a hundred? And give this young master nine more bowls of iced porridge!" Lin Ping said readily, not only to sell iced porridge but also to promote his business.
After all, talented people are the best propaganda tool. If this person benefits, the entire literary circle of Jiangcheng Prefecture will probably know how refreshing the iced porridge is. Within three days, the iced porridge will be hard to come by.
Furthermore, Lin Ping needed to employ a scarcity marketing strategy. His saltpeter reserves were limited, and even if they could be recycled, he could only produce twenty or thirty bowls a day. He had to gradually increase the price.
If everyone here could taste the iced porridge, it would lose its mystery. He wanted this person to drink half of it all by himself, so that most people could only look on with envy.
Lin Ping will then apologize and promise to make dozens more bowls of iced porridge at noon tomorrow. Customers who arrive on time can't just drink a bowl of iced porridge and not eat rice. So, iced porridge can not only make money, but also earn Mingyuelou a lot of repeat customers.
Looking at the nine bowls of chilled porridge on the table, the young master's eyes lit up, like a thirsty ghost who had just escaped from the desert. He completely disregarded his scholarly image and poured the bowls into his mouth one by one.
This is no longer just a bowl of iced porridge; it's a symbol of status. He wants to tell everyone that he can drink ten bowls a day of something that others can't!
Lin Ping shuddered, genuinely worried about the man's sphincter muscles, and quickly pointed out the location of the latrine to avoid a scene of gunfire.
Next, the entire Mingyue Tower went crazy. Anyone with money craned their necks to squeeze into the middle just to get a bowl of iced porridge. Some even went so far as to inflate prices, holding up a hundred taels of silver to buy a bowl of iced porridge.
Is Master Ping the kind of person who would abandon principles for profit? How can he raise prices so easily? Even if he wants to raise prices, he should wait until tomorrow.
Lin Ping specifically targets those who aren't truly wealthy, deliberately making rich merchants eager to return. In Lin Ping's words, these people are like fat sheep; losing a hoof isn't a big deal, he wants the whole leg.
Next, Lin Ping explained the method of making iced porridge to Lin Xiaomei alone.
This is a violent profession, and the most important thing is skill. It must not be leaked at all. Lin Xiaomei, who has superb martial arts skills, is the best person to keep the secret.
"As expected of my little sister Lin's brother, he can even make ice."
Lin Xiaomei said with her head held high and her face full of pride.
"As expected of my sister, Lin Ping, she doesn't blush at all when she brags!"
Lin Ping also patted his chest and said that his ability to sabotage others was simply first-rate.
Just as the group was about to leave, a wail suddenly came from outside the door, and two men appeared in their sight.
One of them was burly, while the other was thin and had twitching facial muscles and dilated pupils, making him look ferocious and frightening. He was completely supported by the first man.
"Give me back my brother's life, or else..." the burly man said, glaring at Lin Ping, seemingly recognizing him as the owner of the place at a glance.
Lin Ping was completely bewildered by this, but he wouldn't allow anyone to frame him, so he asked coldly, "Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death!" The man bared his teeth and claws as he charged at Lin Ping, looking ready to fight to the death. Unfortunately, he was kicked away by Lin Xiaomei and landed heavily on the floor.
The fall brought the man to his senses. Knowing he was no match for Lin Xiaomei, he put on a victim's act and said aggrievedly, "Everyone, please be the judge. My little brother became like this after eating here yesterday. I originally thought it was a stroke, so I went to Jiletang for treatment, only to find out that he was poisoned and there was no cure. The doctor told me to go home and prepare for my brother's funeral."
The emaciated man had a grotesque appearance, was convulsing, and was having difficulty breathing—clearly signs of poisoning.
All eyes were fixed on Lin Ping, and some even started gagging, as if they wanted to vomit up all the food they had eaten.