Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"Boss Zhao of Qingfeng Tower?"

Lin Ping was startled upon hearing the name, and he became angry when he thought of the fat man with the big head and big ears who had cheated him out of five thousand taels of silver.

Zhao Yinian naturally understood what Shen Wanwan meant. He valued money above all else, and even two thousand acres of barren land that couldn't grow crops would probably be sold for a very good price.

"Master Ping loves to bully fat guys the most!"

A sudden, sharp glint appeared in Lin Ping's eyes, startling Jiang Yunyu who was standing next to him.

Is it my fault that I'm fat?

Who did I offend?

Why do you keep saying you want to bully fat people?

Jiang Yunyu really wanted to use these three questions to interrogate Lin Ping's soul, but he was afraid of being whipped, so he could only obediently shut his mouth.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the gate of the Xu residence.

Seeing the empty hall, with not even a table left, Old Master Feng was almost driven mad with anger. He knelt on the ground weakly and wailed. When he heard the brokers coming to move things, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Upon hearing of Lin Ping's arrival, Xu Jianren hurriedly clutched his bulging chest and rushed out. Without saying a word, he immediately pulled out his money and anxiously asked, "Brother Chen, when are we going to buy that barren piece of land that no crops grow on?"

Shen Wanwan felt like he had been hit with a thousand blows. He thought he was very good at lying, but he was nothing compared to Lin Ping.

Zhu Xiaoji and Xu Jianren knew it was a bad plot of land, but they were still determined to buy it; they had been brainwashed by Lin Ping.

After another hour or so, they finally arrived at the Tang residence. The situation was largely the same. Watching the four spendthrift sons enthusiastically discussing their extravagant spending, Shen Wanwan really wanted to cover his ears to avoid having his worldview of the past forty years overturned.

Has the world changed?

Shen Wanwan shook his head helplessly and secretly swore that he would never allow his descendants to associate with people surnamed Lin, Zhu, Xu, or Tang.

The carriage's last stop was Qingfeng Tower, and Lin Ping was pleased to see a brand-new couplet hanging on the door frame.

"Seeking fame and fortune, a man composing poems as a tonic?"

Several scholars dressed as Confucianists scratched their heads, pondering the couplet. They felt it was profound and mysterious, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like themselves.

Zhao Yinian was standing outside the door, nodding and stroking his mustache, his face full of smiles.

Since the couplet was hung up, Qingfeng Tower's business has boomed, and most of the customers are scholars and literati. Zhao Yinian even wanted to visit Lin Ping to express his gratitude, but he was afraid that the other party's evil nature would come out and bring bad luck.

Just as Zhao Yinian was feeling smug, the carriage from the city lord's mansion appeared. His chrysanthemum-like face turned deathly pale, and he darted away like a nimble fat man.

"Boss Zhao, I have a couplet!" After racking his brains, a talented scholar finally came up with a decent second line and said excitedly.

"I'm sorry, I have an urgent matter at home and we're closed today!" Zhao Yinian rushed into Qingfeng Tower, and with a loud bang, the door was slammed shut.

The scholars were all stunned. Seeing Zhao Yinian's anxious appearance, they didn't think he was lying. They all cupped their hands and sighed, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural course of life. Mr. Zhao, please accept our condolences!"

As they said this, the scholars all sounded like they were about to cry.

Hiding behind the door, Zhao Yinian cursed inwardly, "Your family is the one that's dead! Your whole family is dead!"

Lin Ping was excitedly dismounting, humming a little tune, when Zhao Yinian suddenly ran away like a mouse seeing a cat. So he changed the tune, "Your tavern has closed its doors to me..."

Shen Wanwan peered through the crack in the door, spying on Lin Ping's every move, his heart pounding.

To be honest, he was really afraid of the other party. Although he had earned five thousand taels of silver from Lin Ping, it was purely out of Lin Ping's own free will. If he wanted to cause trouble in Qingfeng Tower, Zhao Yinian would have no way to stop him.

"Quickly inform the Prefect, I'll hold them off here for a while." Zhao Yinian hurriedly instructed the waiter to sneak out through the back door.

Based on his understanding of Lin Ping, he knew that if the other party wanted to come, he would definitely not be able to stop him. As for how long he could hold out, it was entirely up to fate. He could only ask the prefect for help, since the other party had received a lot of benefits from Qingfeng Tower.

Lin Ping didn't need to use his X-ray vision to know that Zhao Yinian was hiding behind the door, and was probably peeking through the crack in the door.

Zhu Xiaoji and the others got off the carriage in a huff, not expecting Li Wentai to be so ungrateful as to refuse to see them.

Knowing they were coming to Qingfeng Tower, the four men deliberately brought several extra servants. The forty or fifty men behind them could easily knock down the wooden door, not to mention the two captains carrying swords.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yinian was so frightened that he trembled like a leaf, pressed his face against the door, and slid down little by little.

It wasn't that he was afraid of being beaten up by forty or fifty people—he was thick-skinned and not afraid of being beaten—but rather that he was afraid of being eaten out of house and home by forty or fifty people.

Good heavens, this pack of wolves eats rice without spitting out the bones; they could probably wipe out Qingfeng Tower in one fell swoop.

"Mr. Zhao, we're not here to freeload."

Lin Ping gripped the door latch with both hands and knocked hard, producing a crisp sound. Zhao Yinian, who was pressed against the door, had a ringing in his ears but couldn't make out what it was.

"What did Lin Pingfang just say?" Zhao Yinian asked the waiter next to him anxiously.

Seeing Zhao Yinian's embarrassed expression, several waiters covered their mouths and almost burst out laughing. They showed no sign of sympathy and replied with a smile, "Young Master Lin said that he is not here to freeload this time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yinian felt reassured and kept patting his chest, muttering to himself, "It's good that I don't need to eat, it's good that I don't need to eat..."

"Mr. Zhao, Lin Ping has come to discuss business with you."

Lin Ping shouted at the top of his lungs and banged on the door latch twice more.

Zhao Yinian felt dizzy, but he still heard what was said clearly, and was so frightened that he stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

Are you kidding me? You, Lin Ping, would seriously discuss business?

They'll most likely give me a piece of candy, then demand ten thousand taels of silver, calling it a "fair trade"!

"If you believe me, I, Zhao Yinian, will slice you up raw and serve you this as a snack with my drinks!"

Zhao Yinian clutched his chest tightly, feeling a tightness in his chest and struggling to breathe.

"Sigh..." Lin Ping shook his head helplessly and said, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. Someone like you is destined for the castration room..."

After speaking, Lin Ping ordered Li Mingxuan to snatch a brush from a talented scholar and scribble on the second line of the couplet: "Seeking fame and fortune, a prefect has no shame!"

This second line was quite brilliant. All the talented scholars stared in disbelief, their jaws trembling, and stammered, "What...what did you write?"

Indeed, Lin Ping's calligraphy skills need improvement. Even when he writes with great care, his writing only reaches the point where it is barely legible.

Some talented scholars with poor handwriting, seemingly accustomed to this style of writing, were immediately terrified, turning pale and hastily taking ten steps back, meaning: It has nothing to do with me, I was just passing by and never intended to solve the second line.

These talented men were all shrewd and quickly figured out the meaning of the second line. They glanced at Zhao Yinian through the crack in the door with a puzzled look.

Zhao Yinian had been observing the movements outside. Startled by the fearful gazes, his heart skipped a beat. He dragged his obese body out, and when he saw the second line of the couplet, his face turned ashen. He mumbled, "Lin Ping, how cruel you are! You want me to die!"

At this moment, Zhao Yinian realized that he had already sent someone to invite the prefect, and there was absolutely no way he could bring back the waiter.