Chapter 113: So Many

"That much?" Li Zhi was shocked.

At a price of five hundred coins per catty, three million coins would require six thousand catties of liquor! He feared the distillery had not yet produced such a vast quantity. It was indeed a thorny problem.

"Regardless, send someone to the distillery immediately. Tell Cheng Chubi to send over all the liquor he has. As for the shortfall, tell him to work overtime and brew it as quickly as possible!"

"Understood!"

Luo Tong dispatched a messenger to the distillery.

When the man reached the entrance, he was blocked by a burly fellow. "Nobody is leaving today!"

"Hmph!"

"Are you intentionally trying to wreck our Chamber of Commerce? Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?" Cheng Chumo wanted to pull rank and teach this arrogant punk a harsh lesson. Ever since he could remember, no official or young master in the capital had dared to deny him respect. Street thugs and local ruffians all had to address him as their big brother. Who dared to challenge him? He’d better weigh his own worth first!

"Who you are is irrelevant; I only want the liquor," the man replied.

"You are blocking the entrance; how am I supposed to send someone to transport the liquor?" Li Zhi asked.

"That's not my concern!"

"We're tired of walking and don't want to leave. We're staying right here!" As he spoke, he sat down at the entrance. The men who came with him followed suit, acting like hooligans. They plopped down on the threshold, determined not to budge.

It was clear they were here to stir up trouble. If one dared to touch them, they would start screaming and shouting, destroying the reputation of the Chamber of Commerce. If this continued, the business they had worked so hard to build could easily be ruined by those with ulterior motives. Prosperity and ruin often hung by a single thread.

"Your Highness... what do you think?" Lou Yi asked hesitantly.

"Arrest them, gag them, and throw them inside!" Li Zhi’s patience had worn thin. Dealing with such people required equally unreasonable methods.

"Yes!"

Lou Yi summoned the Golden Blade Guards, who forcibly bound and dragged them away.

"How dare you... you... ah! The Capital Chamber of Commerce is murdering people, murdering people..." the group began to shout. The Golden Blade Guards were swift and efficient, quickly gagging them and throwing them directly into the storage room.

"Luo Tong, go to the distillery yourself and bring back all the liquor! Tell Cheng Chubi that from now on, he is to brew day and night without a moment's rest. I have a premonition that more merchants will soon come demanding our Immortal Liquor in advance. We must be fully prepared!"

"Yes!"

Luo Tong left for the distillery and returned at noon. Dozens of horse-drawn carriages, loaded with vats of white liquor, arrived at the Chamber of Commerce. Cheng Chubi was with the caravan.

"How many catties of liquor are there in total? Do you have an accurate count?" Li Zhi asked.

"Master, six thousand catties, not a single catty less; it’s all here. I will have the men start bottling and boxing them immediately!"

"What?" Li Zhi asked in surprise. "It has only been half a month since I last visited the distillery. You’ve brewed six thousand catties? Has the scale of the distillery grown to this extent?"

"Not exactly! Ever since you gave the order to speed up production, I recruited a new batch of workers and paid them double to work night shifts. This way, we have people working day and night. The distillery has never stopped, so the speed naturally increased. Of course, the distillery has also been expanded; it's more than twice the size it used to be!"

"So that's how it is..." Li Zhi said with satisfaction. "Handing the distillery over to you was the right choice. If I had given it to anyone else, I doubt we would have seen this speed."

"It was all done by working overtime. Fortunately, you only asked for six thousand catties; if you had asked for seven thousand, we wouldn't have been able to produce it! The distillery must keep working hard, so I’ll head back now!"

"Wait..."

Li Zhi had someone bring the ledger. "Take a look at this! This is the Chamber of Commerce’s ledger. Merchants from various regions are working with us, purchasing Immortal Liquor in advance, usually paying around ten thousand coins, with the largest orders not exceeding one hundred thousand. But there is one transaction where they paid three million coins for six thousand catties of Immortal Liquor! They came to cause a scene this morning, insisting on taking that batch of liquor. Think about it—is there something fishy going on here?"

After Li Zhi finished, Cheng Chubi looked at the ledger, his face darkening. "This is definitely a conspiracy!"

"I have looked into every Chamber of Commerce in the empire; unless they are linked to the noble families, they couldn't possibly come up with three million coins! This must be the Guanlong noble families intentionally trying to find fault with us!"

"That is what I think as well!" Li Zhi said. "Your insight is becoming more and more sharp; you were even able to discern that it was the work of the noble families..."

"It’s not hard to see! Your Highness, think about it: in this world, which factions can come up with three million coins? Aside from the imperial court, I fear only the noble families could do it, right?"

"Indeed!"

Ordinary merchants and wealthy traders rarely possessed such financial power.

"From now on, you stay at the distillery and ensure the second batch of liquor is brewed and sealed as quickly as possible for emergencies! I anticipate that the Guanlong noble families have contacted other merchants to order liquor and will soon come demanding it from us. If we cannot produce it, there will be trouble!"

"These noble families... they are such pests!" Cheng Chubi cursed, then bowed. "I’m heading back now! By working day and night, I refuse to believe we can't handle them!"

The group locked in the storage room was dragged by Lou Yi to the entrance of the main hall. Li Zhi sat before the counter and pointed to the dozen carts on the street. "Count it quickly. Six thousand catties of liquor, all packed. You can take them now!"

"What? This..."

They had dared to come here and cause trouble because they had received reliable information that the First Chamber of Commerce could not produce six thousand catties of liquor. Even if they took the case to the authorities, the authorities would favor the Chamber of Commerce. They had received three million coins but refused to deliver the goods. No matter where they took their complaint, they were in the right.

But now... the Capital Chamber of Commerce had actually produced the full order for delivery. How could they continue their charade?

The burly man’s expression shifted, and he immediately said in a ingratiating tone, "I had heard that the Capital Chamber of Commerce was powerful, but at first I didn't believe it. Now, I am truly impressed!"

"Enough nonsense!"

"You were very arrogant before, weren't you? Trying to wreck our Chamber of Commerce!" Cheng Chumo stood with his hands on his hips, puffed out his chest, and huffed. "I'll say it again: if you dare to wreck my business, I will send you to jail. I mean what I say!"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

Faced with Cheng Chumo, they immediately backed down. After the paperwork was completed, the dozen large carts were hauled away.

Li Zhi let out a long sigh. "Things like this must not happen again..."

To reduce the risk of being targeted by the noble families, Li Zhi came up with a temporary plan. From now on, any orders for liquor at the Chamber of Commerce would be capped at one thousand catties, and the delivery date would be delayed by one month.

Cheng Chumo also heightened his vigilance. He went to the Ministry of Revenue and thoroughly investigated everyone who had previously ordered liquor. Anyone whose identity was unclear or who was linked to the noble families was marked with a red line; any future orders from them would be handled with caution, and quantity limits would be strictly enforced.