36. Deceive First, Explain Later

Xia Lin tossed and turned all night, his heart burning with anxiety.

In the adjacent room—the "Heaven-Tier" suite, the local equivalent of a presidential suite—stayed the young female CEO. She was the "white moonlight" that had suddenly shone through the skylight of his prison cell back when he and Old Zhang were being bullied and looked down upon.

Unfortunately, this white moonlight no longer recognized him. It wasn't a major tragedy; after all, people often encounter more indignities during their most powerless years. Yet, Xia Lin couldn't stop thinking about her. Miss Tang truly aligned with his aesthetic, and he had a weakness for women who appeared delicate and rounded on the outside but possessed a stubborn, persistent spirit within.

But how to strike up a conversation? He couldn't just walk up and recite a poem, could he?

Listening to the rain outside, Xia Lin suddenly sat up and slapped his thigh. "Got it!"

Once the plan took shape, the rest was just filling in the details. He decided to get up early the next day before Miss Tang departed and find an opportunity to talk to her about business. He would offer to buy her entire stock of tea. As for his own porcelain, while the large items were masterpieces, the smaller pieces were perfectly sturdy—small jars and pots that could easily serve as tea canisters. He would package the tea in them and sell the vessel and the tea as a set.

This would be a mutually beneficial deal for Miss Tang. If they struck an agreement, he could convince them to stop over in Xinping Township. Once his porcelain was linked to their distribution network, he would have a steady market for his goods and a reason to see Miss Tang every now and then.

Brilliant! Simply brilliant!

Xia Lin couldn't help but congratulate himself. How could such a perfect, ingenious plan emerge from his own little head? He was truly impressed.

To execute this plan, Xia Lin rose at the crack of dawn. The inn’s doors were open, and the rain was still pouring down. The streets were devoid of the usual early-morning market crowd; without a miracle, they were effectively stranded.

Seeing no one else downstairs, Xia Lin dragged a stool to the doorway, watched the rain cascade onto the bluestone path, and struck up a chat with the idle inn attendant.

"Is there anyone in this town who makes good pottery?"

"Sure, why not? There’s 'Wu the Second’s Crockery' at the end of the street. Old Wu’s craftsmanship is excellent—his goods are beautiful and reasonably priced. If you like pots and jars, you can’t go wrong there. If you don't like pottery, you could go to the old basket-weaver on the east side of town. Good stuff, cheap prices, too."

"Oh, Wu the Second’s, got it. Thanks."

As they were talking, a noise came from behind. Xia Lin turned to see Miss Tang descending the stairs. She looked out at the heavy rain with a face full of sorrow, sighing softly from time to time.

What a god-sent opportunity. Xia Lin cleared his throat and asked with a smile, "Miss Tang, why so troubled?"

Miss Tang cast a wary look at him and took a step back.

"Are you serious with that half-step retreat?"

Xia Lin was clearly stunned; he hadn't expected Miss Tang to be so guarded. He had to stand up and bow. "Miss Tang, please do not worry. I am the Township Magistrate of Xinping, the next town over. I am here to find a pottery master to teach our villagers a trade."

The inn attendant chimed in from the side, "This official’s personal guard is quite fierce—he even carries an official sword."

Hearing this, Miss Tang finally eased her guard. After glancing at Xia Lin, she leaned against the doorframe and lamented, "I come from the North, where the autumn air is crisp and clear. Only after arriving here did I learn that this Jiangnan region suffers from autumn floods. I came to purchase tea, but I never expected such weather. If this tea gets damp, it will be a disaster."

Aha. It was clear she was leading a trade mission for the first time. Old He had explained the southern weather to Xia Lin and the others extensively back in the day. It seemed the Tang family had multiple trade routes, and Miss Tang was heading this one herself, but clearly, no one within her organization had briefed her on local conditions.

It was likely that internal factions had formed. Miss Tang had probably been forced to take on this trip out of necessity. It made sense; an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl suddenly inheriting a massive family estate—how could the staff possibly respect her? She was clearly a strong-willed woman who had chosen to prove herself. After all, nothing is as secure as what you build with your own hands.

But without knowledge of the local climate, this trip was likely to end in tragedy.

"How much cargo do you have, Miss Tang?"

"Three hundred thousand taels worth, with seventy thousand in tea."

See? That was a classic amateur mistake, revealing her hand so easily. Just because Xia Lin was a minor official, did that make him a good guy? There were countless bureaucrats who harbored bandits for their own gain. Out of ten groups of mountain bandits, eight were likely connected to the local magistrate. The fact that she had made it this far was purely due to her exceptional luck.

"Miss Tang, pray, be careful with your words," Xia Lin said, waving a hand. "Three hundred thousand taels is enough to get a caravan wiped out three or five times over."

Miss Tang clearly realized her slip and nodded at Xia Lin. "Thank you for the warning."

Xia Lin smiled, looking profound. "Keeping the tea from getting damp is actually quite simple."

Miss Tang paused. "How so? I would appreciate your guidance."

Xia Lin wagged a finger. "Porcelain and gold foil. If you use airtight porcelain jars sealed with gold or silver foil, the tea would remain perfectly dry even if submerged in water."

Her eyes lit up, but she quickly smiled bitterly and shook her head. "Easier said than done. Thousands of catties of tea—where would I find that much porcelain? Besides, porcelain is expensive; the costs would be prohibitive."

Xia Lin clapped his hands and laughed. "The wool comes from the sheep. As long as the porcelain is exquisite enough, it won't just prevent moisture and insects—it will elevate the value of the tea itself."

He wasn't joking. The porcelain he fired, provided the shape and technique were up to par, would be a top-tier luxury item in this era. Most of the country used coarse pottery, and the rare porcelain available was of poor quality, lacking proper glazing formulas.

Xia Lin’s porcelain, while not yet capable of replicating the "thin as paper, white as jade, bright as a mirror, resonant as a chime" quality of later eras, was at least three hundred years ahead of the current technology.

If he could bundle his porcelain with Miss Tang’s tea, it would be perfect. After all, this wasn't just a bundle of tea and porcelain; it was a link between Xia Lin and Wanqiu.

"Actually, it is not difficult. I am here looking for a pottery master to open a kiln in Xinping for large-scale production, but I already have plenty of small jars. While not enough for all your tea, if you are willing to stay in Xinping for half a month, it will be no problem at all. Plus, the kiln area is dry—perfect for storing tea."

Hearing this, Miss Tang’s eyes truly shone. She asked curiously, "How far is Xinping from here?"

"Not far, just a hundred li. And Xinping is beautiful, with unique scenery. I am sure you will like it."

Unexpectedly, he had actually managed to talk her into it.

However, as soon as Miss Tang arrived in Xinping, she suspected she had been swindled. The place was scattered and didn't even have a proper market. Behind the bare-bones pier were only a dozen smoking workshops. There wasn't even a decent place to stay, and they had to clear out an empty warehouse to house her caravan.

But the caravan could be housed; what about Miss Tang? There was a way: she could stay in the backyard of the Township Magistrate's office, in the room previously occupied by the little princess.

Honestly, if the porcelain here hadn't been so beautiful, Miss Tang would have turned around and left. As it stood, although the place was far worse than what that Xia fellow had described, his method worked: putting the tea in lidded porcelain jars, covering them with cloth, then sealing them with silver foil and cotton thread—even after soaking the jars in water for a night, the tea remained dry as new.

Miss Tang was overjoyed and immediately ordered ten thousand jars. Since they would take a month to produce, she had no choice but to stay.

The jars weren't cheap, but as Xia Lin had said, the very fact that they were expensive—even costing more than the tea itself—allowed the tea to be sold at a higher price. Tea that originally sold for five taels a catty could now fetch fifty taels when packaged in these jars.

"The Great Wei is not short of money or markets; it is short of marketing. We must take three steps. The first is 'bundling.' Create a luxury concept. Your Tang family’s goods are unique in the world. Your tea is the best, and the vessels holding them are the best. The nobility will take pride in drinking your tea. That is bundling."

Tang Wanqiu listened, mesmerized, carefully noting his words. She then asked tentatively, "And then?"

"Then, 'hunger marketing.' If you have ten thousand jars of tea, release only five hundred in the first batch. Once they are sold, create a waiting list. Release another batch in a few days, and then another. This will build anticipation. If anyone asks, tell them that good tea without a good jar loses its flavor. The people of Great Wei don't know the first thing about tea, but they know how to spend money. Once they hear that, they will willingly pay for that sense of nobility."

Miss Tang asked again, "And the third?"

Xia Lin smiled and kept silent. He stood up, hands behind his back, and walked away.

Tang Wanqiu was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant. She pondered it for a while and then laughed softly to herself. "He's clever! A master of mystery!"