The Litchi Road Episode 30 Recap
> The Litchi Road Recap
Three years ago, Attendant Yu Chengen was not favored in the palace and was suppressed everywhere by his superior, Supervisor Wang. He wanted to gain a firm foothold in the palace and voluntarily took on the task of purchasing white wax. However, the budget given by the Right Chancellor was only one-tenth of previous years. Supervisor Wang also secretly found Zhou Sanlang, a ruffian from Chang'an, to monopolize the white wax market in Chang'an and deliberately raised the price.
Attendant Yu Chengen was unwilling to admit defeat just like that, so he went to the Right Chancellor and borrowed a large sum of money, promising to repay twice the interest after purchasing the white wax. The Right Chancellor was naturally delighted. Attendant Yu Chengen went to Zhou Sanlang for the transaction.
Under the banner of the Right Chancellor, he demanded to purchase a batch of white wax at market price, and also promised to give Zhou Sanlang a commission after the deal was done. Zhou Sanlang was baffled. Attendant Yu Chengen repeatedly claimed he was acting on behalf of the Right Chancellor, so Zhou Sanlang sold it to him at market price. Zhou Sanlang felt uncertain, so he went to consult with Supervisor Wang.
Supervisor Wang also couldn't understand why Attendant Yu Chengen would purchase white wax at a high price, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to make money, so he told Zhou Sanlang to sell it to Attendant Yu Chengen at three times the market price next time.
After receiving the white wax, Attendant Yu Chengen directly returned it, repeatedly claiming that the Right Chancellor was not satisfied with this batch of white wax and asked Zhou Sanlang to find a better batch. Zhou Sanlang seized the opportunity to double the price, and Attendant Yu Chengen bought it without hesitation. Attendant Yu Chengen received the white wax again and had someone return it. He sent his servant boy to inform Zhou Sanlang.
Zhou Sanlang, having nowhere else to turn, had to go find Supervisor Wang. Supervisor Wang avoided seeing him, and Zhou Sanlang was so anxious he pounded his chest and stamped his feet. Li Shande specifically brought red wine from Chang'an for Lin Yinu to taste, only to learn that Lin Yinu had been exhausted to death covering his return to Chang'an by drawing away the officials and soldiers from the Prefectural Yamen.
After his death, his body was even dismembered by wild beasts in the mountains. Li Shande was heartbroken. A Tong took him to Lin Yinu's grave in the heavy rain. Li Shande felt a mix of emotions and swore to definitely transport the lychees back to Chang'an to comfort Lin Yinu's soul. Li Shande personally wrote "Loyal Servant" on Lin Yinu's tombstone. He Youguang had Zhao Xinmin prepare generous gifts for Attendant Yu Chengen.
Zhao Xinmin sent someone to deliver the gift list first. Attendant Yu Chengen returned the gift list, making He Youguang feel uneasy. Zhao Xinmin suggested finding Zheng Pingan to help deliver the gifts to Attendant Yu Chengen. Zheng Pingan worried that Attendant Yu Chengen would recognize his impersonation of Ma Guiyun, so he hurriedly packed his luggage to find the evidence A Tu left behind before his death.
Zhao Xinmin rushed to find him, so Zheng Pingan had no choice but to follow Zhao Xinmin to meet He Youguang. Zhao Xinmin and He Youguang both urged Zheng Pingan to pay a visit to Attendant Yu Chengen. They were both confidants of the Right Chancellor. He Youguang asked Zheng Pingan to help arrange a meeting with Attendant Yu Chengen.
Zheng Pingan made the excuse that the Right Chancellor had many confidants around him and that he didn't know Attendant Yu Chengen at all. He Youguang and Zhao Xinmin both thought it was impossible, but Zheng Pingan argued forcefully and even suggested that He Youguang give Attendant Yu Chengen a few deeds to lychee orchards. He Youguang was half-convinced but couldn't think of a better solution for the moment, so he decided to give it a try.
He Youguang sent Xiao Yunchuan to raise money from the Hu merchants. They regretted withdrawing their investment from the lychee transportation project and could only watch as Su Liang opened up the trade route from Lingnan to Chang'an. They also wanted a piece of the pie. Xiao Yunchuan decided to host a banquet for Su Liang tonight to secure shares for them in the lychee transportation. All the Hu merchants came to accompany him.
Su Liang arrived for the appointment on time. Xiao Yunchuan and the Hu merchants flattered him in every possible way. They wanted to participate in the lychee transportation, and Su Liang promised to discuss it with Li Shande. Zhao Xinmin personally went to visit Attendant Yu Chengen. Attendant Yu Chengen used poor health as an excuse not to see guests. Zhao Xinmin gave him a bird with a secret letter hidden inside.
Attendant Yu Chengen accepted the bird but returned the secret letter to Zhao Xinmin. Zhao Xinmin had no choice but to leave dejectedly. Just as Zhao Xinmin was at his wit's end, A Mita proactively came to him to collaborate on bringing down He Youguang, asking him to hand over the evidence of He Youguang's crimes. Zhao Xinmin beat around the bush, then found an excuse and left in a hurry.
Li Shande took Su Liang to visit Attendant Yu Chengen. Su Liang presented the contract for the trade route from Lingnan to Chang'an for him to sign. Attendant Yu Chengen made various excuses to defer, even mentioning the Emperor. Su Liang clearly stated that he would provide the horses needed for transporting the lychees. Attendant Yu Chengen wanted to purchase Su Liang's horses, which immediately stunned Su Liang.
Li Shande chimed in from the side, repeatedly explaining that Su Liang had sold his merchant ships to support him in transporting the lychees and that Su Liang would also contribute funds to build relay stations. Attendant Yu Chengen said he would apply for funds from the court to repay Su Liang. Su Liang realized that Attendant Yu Chengen was unwilling to cooperate with him, so he left in disappointment. Li Shande quickly chased after him.
Su Liang had invested his entire fortune, only for things to turn out this way. Li Shande was only responsible for transporting the lychees; he didn't understand all these complexities, but he promised to fight for Su Liang.
