Chapter 1366: Ambition
Chu Lin, upon hearing this, knew all too well—even though he also knew that the other party would not allow him much profit, he had clenched his teeth and accepted it because, during this recent period, this was the only merchant willing to cooperate with him, and the requirements were relatively modest, the investment being only one thousand taels.
But prior to this, he hadn’t thought it through thoroughly.
“Lil’ Jin, you’re right,” Chu Lin frowned, feeling a bit angry, “but I made it clear in the contract…”
Seeing that his uncle was clearly regretting it, Chu Jin couldn’t help but say, “Uncle, although we are not unwilling to go to Hangzhou, there is still a distance, and that place is their territory. They can easily forge anything. Think about how much time we would need to spend to investigate, not to mention the danger to our lives.”
“Could it be?” Chu Lin frowned, having never encountered such a situation since he started doing business. Naturally, he hadn’t considered it and was quite frightened.
“Uncle, don’t be afraid,” Chu Jin stopped alarming him and reassured, “This is the worst-case scenario, it might not happen.”
Chu Lin looked at him, at a loss for words, “How can you be so bold, thinking of such things?”
“This is not baseless speculation; there are indeed real examples. You should have heard of several high officials being impeached, listing various crimes, right? For the sake of silver, nothing is off-limits.”
Chu Lin’s recently calm heart tensed again, feeling a hint of regret, “Then what do you suggest we do? I’ve only paid a deposit. Should we just break the contract?”
Breaking the contract would only cost 300 taels, which was better than a direct loss of one thousand taels. After all, that amount of silver was akin to the bookstore’s income for two years.
Although losing 300 taels for nothing also hurt, it was still better than being completely swindled.
Seeing that Chu Lin had truly made up his mind, Chu Jin couldn’t keep educating him at this point, “Uncle, this method is a last resort. We cannot afford to sustain such a loss of silver.”
“Didn’t I just mention Third Master Zhou?” Chu Jin shared his thoughts, “Before leaving the capital, I heard father mention this person in the study. He is extremely learned, very capable but unfortunately met with an accident and became disabled.”
“After he passed the imperial examination, he couldn’t become an official and returned to Hangzhou. He has quite a few businesses and certainly does not lack silver. He is committed to overseas voyages, but according to what my father found out, he is not in business for the sake of voyaging but to reach even farther places. This man is different from ordinary merchants.”
Chu Lin was puzzled, “What’s the difference?”
Chu Jin gave him a sly wink, “Third Master Zhou is still young, but he doesn’t care about earning silver. Uncle, what do you think he cares about?”
“Fame?” Chu Lin ventured.
Chu Jin shook his finger, “Fame is secondary; his main concern is his ambition.”
“Third Master Zhou passed three levels of examinations in one go at a young age. How could such a talented person not be clever? How could he be content with being just a merchant sitting in a wheelchair all his life?”
Chu Lin understood, but still felt confused, “But if he is disabled, he definitely can’t become an official legally.”
“You’re right, but there are two exceptions,”
Chu Jin spoke confidently, “First, he could find a doctor overseas who might be able to completely cure Third Master Zhou’s legs.”
“Second, if Third Master Zhou’s achievements are high enough, he could be ennobled first and then granted an official position.”
“Both options seem extremely difficult,” Chu Lin pondered with a frown.
“But it’s better than doing nothing, even if the other party ultimately doesn’t succeed.”
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