377: I will bear this bad reputation!

“I have a plan, gentlemen, please listen!”

“Your Subordinate is eager to hear the details!” Shen Wansan cupped his hands and asked for guidance.

“Cough!” Lin Yue cleared his throat and said, “I don’t understand the principles of these weapons, so I won’t say much about them.”

“But as for the grain, there’s a lot we can do with it!”

“Please enlighten us, my Lord!”

“He’s buying grain, so he’ll probably buy salt too, right?” Lin Yue asked.

Once a person lacks salt, he will become weak, especially the Jurchen tribes who are even more deficient in salt, so salt must be on the trading list!

“Yes, my Lord, you are insightful!” Shen Wansan laughed.

“That makes it easy. When you sell him salt in the future, secretly mix in some lead powder.” Lin Yue smiled mysteriously.

“Lead, lead powder?” Shen Wansan asked in astonishment, wondering if he had misheard!

“That’s right, it’s lead powder. If a person consumes an excessive amount of lead powder, he will show no immediate symptoms, but over time, after three to five years, he will definitely become emaciated!” Lin Yue laughed.

He had seen this online when he was bored, and he didn’t know if it would work, but if this plan failed, he had another one!

“This, this Subordinate will give it a try.” Shen Wansan broke into a cold sweat. This was the first time he had heard of such a sinister method.

Guo Jia also looked at Lin Yue with a surprised expression, thinking, how did he not realize before that his Lord possessed such methods?

Lin Yue felt their gazes and said with a slight hint of pride, “Also, their Jurchen tribe must be lacking some medicinal herbs, right?”

“Yes! Zhao Bo’s list includes medicinal herbs, and the quantity is not small.” Shen Wansan nodded.

Zhao Bo, for some unknown reason, had previously looked at him with suspicion and couldn't help but size him up. He thought he had been exposed for bluffing, but he didn't expect that after he stated his name, Zhao Bo immediately placed the procurement order, even paying a deposit without even looking at the goods.

This unexpected turn of events made Shen Wansan overjoyed. The delivery date was in ten days. He planned to report to his Lord and then immediately purchase from various counties, because the quantity of goods required on the order was not small. Except for the first batch of ironware and grain, which their Fief could supply, everything else required him to go out and purchase.

“Is there enough medicinal herbs in the Fief?” Lin Yue asked.

“Mostly healing medicines like trauma medicine.” Shen Wansan said.

“Is Sun Deng here?” Lin Yue suddenly asked.

“Yes, today is a joyous occasion, and to prevent any accidents, Sun Deng is staying at the Earls Mansion today.” Guo Jia said.

“That’s good, go and call Sun Deng.” Lin Yue said to Shen Wansan.

Soon, Sun Deng cupped his hands and said, “Sun Deng greets my Lord!”

“Sun Deng, quickly get up. You don’t need to be nervous, I have some questions for you.” Lin Yue said with a kind smile.

“My Lord, please ask, Sun Deng will certainly speak without reservation!” Sun Deng replied.

“Can you make Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup)?” Lin Yue suddenly asked.

Sun Deng was taken aback, then said, “Your Subordinate knows a little. Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup), when consumed, can calm fright and soothe the mind!”

“It is made from Chai Hu, Huang Qin, Ban Xia, Dang Shen, lead white frost, Long Gu, Mu Li, and other ingredients!”

“It has lead white frost?” Lin Yue became interested.

“Yes, lead white frost has a calming effect!” Sun Deng said.

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Lin Yue laughed, that stuff made people drowsy and listless, wasn't that calming?

Then Lin Yue smiled and said, “Sun Deng, after the wedding, you go back and make some Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup). Remember to put in more lead white frost, the more the better!”

Sun Deng was stunned after hearing this, then said, “My Lord, your Subordinate feels that there might be a problem with the lead white frost in Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup), so I never dared to prescribe this medicine to patients. It is best if you do not take it either.”

Lin Yue thought to himself, a problem is exactly what he wanted! He wouldn't want it if there wasn't a problem!

Then he laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t eat it, just do as I say.”

“Yes!” Sun Deng replied, “How many portions does my Lord need?”

“Not too many, just make a thousand portions for now!” Lin Yue laughed.

“One, one thousand portions?” Sun Deng was stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

Who drinks Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) every day? A thousand portions would be enough for how many people!

“Hmm, what’s wrong?” Lin Yue asked.

“My Lord, this item is quite expensive. A thousand portions is a bit too much, ordinary people cannot afford it!” Sun Deng explained with a bitter face.

“It’s meant to be something ordinary people can’t afford. Don’t worry, the money will come from the Fief’s accounts. You can ask Feng Cai for it later.” Lin Yue laughed.

“Yes!” Sun Deng could only agree, seeing Lin Yue say that.

“Oh, by the way, that Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) indeed has a problem.

If you want to research it, you can try replacing the lead white frost with Poria. You can give it a try.” Lin Yue said.

“Yes!”

As Sun Deng exited the room, Shen Wansan asked, “My Lord, do you intend to sell this Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) to the Jurchen?”

“That’s right! Sell it cheaply! If no one buys it, give some away as gifts first. After they try it, they will definitely like it!” Lin Yue laughed.

What to do if children are naughty? What to do if they are playful and active?

Give the children a bowl of Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) to completely free up the adults’ time!

He could imagine the scene: ever since the Jurchen noblewomen had Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup with lead), they would no longer have to worry about naughty children!

As for why Lin Yue was so malicious?

Lin Yue wanted to say that this method wasn't his own invention. Ancient Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) had always been obscure due to its high price, so people never discovered its drawbacks.

It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup) became briefly popular in a small circle!

And this small circle was precisely within the Imperial Harem of the Forbidden City during the Qing Dynasty!

At that time, people in the palace didn’t want to see the little princes and princesses being too active. To prevent them from causing trouble, they often made them take this Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup).

Sure enough, they became much quieter after drinking it. They thought it was the medicinal effect of the Anshen Soup (Tranquility Soup), but little did they know it was actually a symptom of lead poisoning!

But at that time, they didn't understand, so the poor Great Qing princes and princesses had an average lifespan of only 28 years. Countless died young, and a full 42% did not live to adulthood!

This probability was already far greater than the mortality rate of children in commoner families with harsh living conditions at that time.

There was also “Xiao’er Anfeng Powder” with similar effects, which achieved its effect through mercury poisoning.

These princes and princesses, born with silver spoons in their mouths, didn't know whether their fate was good or bad.

Drinking this stuff all day, Lin Yue felt that it was a miracle that even half of them lived to adulthood.

So Lin Yue decided to let them experience it early, let the Jurchen noblewomen see it for themselves!

Just as the Roman Empire crafted lead products into tableware, slow lead poisoning was one of the contributing factors to the empire's downfall.

Lin Yue believed that if the Jurchen continued this for a few years, maintaining their fighting strength would be a pipe dream!

In fact, Lin Yue wanted to make leaded wine like the Romans, as the taste would be richer, but considering that the Jurchen might not like sweet wine, he gave up on that idea.

There were also various elemental facial applications in medieval Europa to achieve whitening effects, but Lin Yue feared that the Great Qin Woman might learn it, so he also gave up on that.

After much thought, only these two methods seemed safe and somewhat covert.

“Did they ask for any decorative materials? If so, recommend cinnabar to them. Even giving some away for free is fine. How festive is this bright red!”

Shen Wansan said with a surprised look, “My Lord, this cinnabar is quite expensive!”

“Oh, look at you, aren’t you being narrow-minded?” Lin Yue laughed, “We’re all brothers, why be so particular!”

“Alright.” Shen Wansan nodded in agreement.

“By the way, do you usually have to engage in social interactions and send gifts?” Lin Yue suddenly asked.

“There’s a trick to this too?” Shen Wansan asked in astonishment.

Lin Yue felt a bit awkward upon hearing this; what kind of person was he making himself out to be?

But he still said, without changing his expression, “I heard the Jurchen like shiny trinkets. Send them more luminous pearls, the brighter the better…”

As for more sinister things like Ecstasy Grass, as a new-age youth, he would never use them, as they had caused too much harm to the Great Xia nation!

As a Great Xia person, even if defeat was certain, he would not use this method against anyone.

“My Lord, Fengxiao has something he must say! I hope my Lord will forgive him!” Guo Jia suddenly said.

“Speak, Fengxiao. There’s nothing you can’t say to me.” Lin Yue laughed, not understanding why Guo Jia was suddenly so formal.

“My Lord, Fengxiao wants to say that even if the Jurchen truly rise in the future, there’s no need to treat them like this. We have countless brave soldiers who can serve you, my Lord.”

“Moreover, such methods harm heavenly harmony. My Lord, please think twice before acting!”

Lin Yue was momentarily speechless, suddenly realizing that his actions were indeed a bit sinister.

But then he thought of the Ten Days of Yangzhou, the Three Massacres of Jiading—such examples were countless!

If he pitied them today, who would pity the common people in the future?

What’s more, it was precisely because of those three hundred years of stagnation, missing opportunities for development, that Great Xia only returned to the pinnacle of the era after generations of painstaking effort for over a hundred years in later generations.

This was inextricably linked to them!

Thinking of this, Lin Yue firmly said:

“Fengxiao, my decision on this matter is final. You need not say more.”

“If my life alone can be exchanged for the safety of the Great Qin people, then let me bear this ill repute!”

To put it bluntly, Guo Jia’s meaning was simply that he feared Lin Yue’s excessive malice would incur divine retribution and lead to having children without anuses.

Just as he said, even if the Jurchen truly rose, they would not be afraid.

But Lin Yue dared not be careless in the slightest, after all, their luck was simply too good, and he dared not gamble at all!

If one person's death could erase those three hundred years of history, then countless people would willingly sacrifice themselves for Great Xia.

Therefore, Lin Yue adhered to the principle of rather killing wrongly than letting go!

And absolutely would not allow them to rise.

As for this ill repute, he would bear it!

“Wan San, just do as I say, and remember to be discreet, don’t expose any flaws.” Lin Yue said.

“Yes, my Lord!” Shen Wansan and Guo Jia replied simultaneously.

“Today is a joyous day, so let’s not talk about these dirty matters. When Pan Feng and A Rong return later, we will drink heartily!” Lin Yue laughed loudly.

This Zhao Bo really sent him a great gift!

However, if it were Jia Xu in front of him, at this moment, Lin Yue would only need to give an opening, and Jia Xu would be able to devise a comprehensive plan that surpassed expectations!

Presumably, the methods would be richer and more covert.

However, what Guo Jia said was also true; it was better to use such sinister schemes sparingly, because once word got out, calling him a cunning old fox would be an understatement. At that point, anyone who wanted to follow him would have to think very carefully.

After all, doing the kind of things Lin Yue did, no one would see him as a good person if word got out!

Then Lin Yue had a few drinks with Guo Jia and Shen Wansan, waiting for the newlyweds to return!