The Atmosphere Was Lively

The Small Earl's words caused the atmosphere in the room to cool slightly.

Everyone had been too excited. Making money was too easy—all they had to do was move a finger according to Lin Qi's instructions, then sit back and wait to collect their money.

They did not need to deal with those sly, cunning merchants or give them a chance to discover their "poverty."

Nor did they need to negotiate with those great nobles who looked down on them, finding ways to scrape a few scraps of food from their hands and swallow them gratefully as though they had been given alms.

They would not lose their dignity or their decorum, and they could still make money—clean money. This method left everyone immersed in the self-affirmation that I can make a fortune too.

Money, confidence, and self-affirmation caused the hormones in their brains to surge instantly. At that moment, they felt as though they had already soared into the clouds!

Until Lin Qi's calm expression dragged them back down to earth.

Lin Qi did not avoid the question. "There will certainly be trouble, gentlemen. Do you really think that just because we made some money from this 'accident,' we have nothing to worry about?"

He shook his head. "Your Majesty the Emperor will think that we stabbed him in the back when he needed us. While most of the nobles were losing money, we made money. They will think we are not one of them."

"Whether it is the Prime Minister or the common people, when everyone else has lost everything and we have made a huge fortune, do you think they will be happy about our profits and sing our praises?"

"No. They will only loathe or even hate us, because in their eyes, the money in our