Chapter 21 Part IV
"Why wasn’t I chosen to be auctioned with Yuchong liquor?"
"Yes, I’ve never been chosen either. Is the madam biased? The last round was ixing, and the one before that was also ixing. What is so special about ixing? She’s not that much more beautiful than the rest of us," supported another courtesan.
Who wouldn’t want to be auctioned with Yuchong liquor? Those who were auctioned with Yuchong liquor received 50% of their auction price. How could 50% be considered small? Each auction often saw the bidding price pushed up to no less than 5,000 taels. The 5,000 taels were divided into 70% for the liquor and 30% for the beauty. Therefore, the beauty’s share was 1,500 taels, and their take-ho portion would be 750 taels. This was only an approximate value, but the auction price usually exceeded 5,000 taels.
How could 750 taels be considered small? They couldn’t earn 750 taels even in a whole year of work.
Furthermore, the custors who won the bids were often from prominent families, sotis even handso young masters or robust martial artists. Occasionally, they would receive extra money from these custors.
Thus, they all hoped to be chosen to be auctioned with the liquor at least once. However, it was mostly ixing who was selected by the madam, leaving them repeatedly disappointed.
"Why is ixing chosen? It’s because she has been here a long ti. When other brothel owners offered to buy her at high prices, she refused to leave and stayed here. Unlike you, who leave Manbao Brothel for more money," one courtesan said. The madam obviously acknowledged ixing’s loyalty, which was why she was often chosen.
"If we don’t leave, we’d starve. Manbao Brothel was in such decline before, without money, how could we stay? If it were you, would you stay?"
"That’s why ixing is chosen, and not any of you."
Beside the stage, the courtesans continued to bicker, while on stage, the bidding competition intensified, with the price reaching 7,000 taels.
"7,500 taels!"
"7,500 taels. Does anyone bid higher than 7,500 taels?"
"7,500 taels, going once!"
"7,500 taels, going twice!"
"7,500 taels, sold! Congratulations to the gentleman who won the bid." The staff at Manbao Brothel bead. With such a high bid, he would also receive more bonuses. The Manbao Brothel was thriving, and the madam was not a stingy person. Recently, the staff often received extra money.
"Next, we will auction only the Yuchong liquor. We will also start the bidding at 300 taels. Let the auction begin!"
"7,500 taels." Before anyone else could bid, a monotone voice called out. The entire Manbao Brothel fell silent. Who could bid higher than that? It was too much!
Yong Saiweihao had no idea he was the subject of everyone’s conversation. This day, he just ca to bid for the liquor for his father. His father had heard about the auction of Yuchong liquor at Manbao Brothel. The general who had tasted fine liquors from all over, yet never tasted Yuchong liquor, thus, both begged and forced his son to bid for it. Reluctantly, he had co.
Seeing that the last auction had ended at 7,500 taels, Yong Saiweihao bid that amount, hoping to return quickly. Why would he waste his ti prolonging the auction? He had other matters to attend to and couldn’t waste ti at the brothel.
"Uh... Oh... 7,500 taels, going once!" The staff mber imdiately said once he regained his composure.
"7,500 taels, going twice!"
"7,500 taels, sold! Congratulations to the gentleman on winning the bid."
"Deliver it to my father at the camp," Yong Saiweihao told his guard, then quickly left, ignoring the flirtatious glances from the beauties.
In Fengfu City, the heat was oppressive in the sixth month. At midday, no street vendors could bear the scorching heat to sell their goods. They rested under trees or stopped for a cool drink. However, there was a place in Fengfu City that wasn’t hot, the place was the He family’s vegetable and fruit gardens, thanks to the Transcending Fate Formation that Zhenzhu had set up to create a conducive environnt for plant growth. The air inside the formation was comfortably cool, with a gentle breeze.
Zhenzhu sat on a bamboo bench under a tree, her legs dangling, moving back and forth. In her hand was a charcoal pencil she had made herself for drawing. She was designing clothes made from Tiejin silk, which ca in various colors naturally, without any dyeing, thus, the fabric had a beautiful reflective sheen. Zhenzhu was creating outfits for a young girl, both everyday wear and dresses for special occasions, using Li Si as her model.
Li Si had once complained that her outfits for events weren’t eye-catching enough, leading to ridicule from other ladies. Despite the beauty of Lady Yaoyao’s silk fabrics, Li Si never bought her clothes. This ti, Zhenzhu was determined to design clothes specially for this friend of hers.
"Miss, the Master has asked for you in the reception hall," Peipei inford her after she had designed only two outfits.
"Huh? Why does he want in the reception hall?" Zhenzhu looked up from her sketches. After teaching the workers how to make compost that morning, she had co to the back of the field for a quiet place to design clothes. So, she didn’t know who the guest in the reception hall was.
"I don’t know, miss."
"Who is at the reception hall?"
"At the mont, there’s Master He, Master Tiao, the Young Master, and the Governor."
Oh? Even the Governor is here? What serious matter has arisen?
"I see." She packed her things into her bag and led Peipei to the reception hall. When she arrived, the n inside all had serious expressions. The only movent in the room ca from the swirling tea steam. The central table was covered in papers, scattered and crumpled.
"Um, should I wait outside?" The situation was this intense, why did they call her over?
"Oh, Zhu’er, you’re here. Co in, co in," He Lei looked up from the papers in his hand and beckoning her over. Zhenzhu entered, bowed to the elders, and sat down slowly.
"You called over, is there sothing you need my help with?" Judging from the situation, even the Governor looked tense. What could she do to help?
"Lady Zhu, read these papers first, then we’ll discuss," Xincheng gathered the papers on the table and handed them to her. Zhenzhu took them, puzzled, and began to read anyway. As she read, her eyes widened in shock. Master Zhong, who had hired the Water Dragon Sect to harm her and her father for 5,000 taels, had once held a high-ranking noble position.
"This Master Zhong was originally had the surna Fu and had embezzled public funds?" Zhenzhu said.
"This is just a part of the information. Many of the records were destroyed. This is all my n could find. To get a complete picture of his background, we’d need to dig deeper.”
"Zhu’er, do you have any good ideas?" He Lei asked. He learned from previous events that his daughter could co up with a good judgent for many situations, thus, He Lei trusted her, so was Master Tiao and the Governor. They valued her and He Lei highly, probably even a bit more for her.
"Why investigate ourselves? Master Zhong, with his forr high position and likely substantial embezzlents, should be reported to the court. After the recent hardships of harsh winter and drought, the royal treasury must be low. They’d be eager to seize the Zhong family’s assets," Zhenzhu proposed.
"This is a delicate matter. If our report turns out to be false, it could be considered slander, Lady He," the Governor said.
"Oh, in that case, the Governor doesn’t have to report it. I’ll write a letter to Taizi personally. This isn’t an official report; it’s just sharing information between friends," Zhenzhu concluded it herself. She only had to write a letter and send so of the evidence that Young Master Xincheng had gathered to Brother Lang. Taizi wouldn’t be able to ignore it and would surely send people to investigate. This way, she wouldn’t need to investigate further herself. It would help the court catch a criminal and eliminate her enemy in one go. How could killing two birds with one stone be a bad plan?
"Taizi? Lady Zhu is friends with Taizi?" Xincheng asked in surprise. This young girl never ceased to amaze him.
"Oh, we know each other a bit.”
Zhenzhu didn’t waste any ti. After reaching a conclusion, she gathered the papers scattered on the table and returned to her residence to eagerly write a letter to Wenlang. Once she had finished, she placed the letter in her dinsional bracelet and instructed Xin Xi to deliver it via ssenger.
She used her dinsional bracelet because sending sothing to Taizi wasn’t easy; so items or letters might not be delivered directly to Taizi’s palace. However, the dinsional bracelet had so special features that once the person in charge saw it, he would quickly hand it to Taizi.
After sending the letter and evidence, she waited eagerly at ho, anticipating the arrival of those who would deal with her enemy. Taizi would surely send people to investigate soon. She just had to sit back and watch others fight.
A week after sending the letter to Wenlang, big news spread throughout Fengfu City: the Governor announced that the royal court had signed a trade agreent for dicinal pills with Chu Region. Consequently, Yan Region’s court had declared an auction to determine the lowest bid for various types of dicinal pills. The pharmacy that submitted the lowest bid would be chosen as the representative of the Yan Region for the five-year contract. This news caused many pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers to prepare for the bidding.
Securing a national trade contract was every rchant’s dream because it promised imnse profits. Such large-scale trading was significant news for apothecaries and pharmacies.
At Zhong Manor, Su Nu and Luanchen were deep in serious discussion.
"Father, we cannot let such a major trade opportunity slip through our fingers. You know how much profit we could gain if we secured this contract. The earnings from each trade could exceed what we’ve made in years," Su Nu suggested.
"How could I not know the imnse profits from securing an inter-region trade contract? But you also know that we can’t obtain these trade rights. If we do, the authorities will intervene, and that will be disastrous," Luanchen said. Why wouldn’t he want the contract? These trade rights could make him the wealthiest rchant in Fengfu City. Unfortunately, his past was not as clean as other rchants’, and winning these trade rights might bring the authorities to investigate their business. Luanchen, once a noble, was always worried.
"Father, don’t give up so quickly."
"Do you have a plan?"
"It’s not hard at all. We can simply bid under soone else’s na. That way, we can engage in the trade.”
"Hmm, an interesting idea." The substantial profits made Luanchen reluctant to dismiss the idea entirely.
"And how should we determine our bid price?"
"I’ll have a friend in the royal court investigate the prices each pharmacy has proposed. Once we know the lowest price, we’ll bid slightly lower. We’ll use high-quality dicinal pills for the inspection, but for regular sales, we can use lower-quality products. The royal court won’t check anyway, and if they do, we can just bribe the inspectors a little," Luanchen planned effortlessly. Evading governnt scrutiny was his specialty.
"That sounds good. Do we have enough apothecaries?"
"Don’t worry about that. We can hire more apothecaries," Luanchen replied casually. He was fortunate that the governnt had initiated such a large-scale trade deal. Currently, he had a significant amount of money saved. If he secured these trade rights and executed it successfully, his wealth could easily triple or quadruple. Even the wealthiest rchants from the capital might not have as much money as he did. The vast wealth was approaching, Luanchen eagerly waited for that day to finally co.
The Zhong family was now ticulously preparing and planning. anwhile, Master Tiao had reduced the production of dicinal pills due to the declining number of custors. Middlen had gradually switched to purchasing from other pharmacies, leaving only a few who still bought from Ruyi Pharmacy because of the high quality and low prices of their dicinal pills. These middlen who still bought from this pharmacy catered to affluent clients who valued quality over price.
"Master, are we not going to bid for the right to trade dicinal pills with the Chu Region?" Mi Fan asked, noticing that Master Tiao hadn’t made any preparations.
"No, I won’t bid. There’s no way we can compete with the larger pharmacies in the capital."
"But there’s no harm in submitting a bid.”
"Enough. No bidding ans no bidding. Do you understand?" Master Tiao started to feel annoyed, struggling to keep his secret.
"Yes, Master.”
At the end of July, after the royal court announced the dicinal pills trade agreent with Chu Region and the bidding process for the pharmacies, nurous pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers eagerly submitted their bids and waited anxiously. It was now ti for the royal court to announce the pharmacy that won the trade rights.
The Fengfu City’s City Hall posted an announcent from the capital. It stated that the royal court had chosen the pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers to trade dicinal pills with Chu Region. However, two pharmacies had submitted identical bids with very similar quality products. Thus, the royal court decided to give both pharmacies the responsibility of making the first delivery. The pharmacy that completed the delivery on ti and t the quality standards set by Chu Region would get the exclusive trade rights for the next five years. The selected pharmacies were Ruyi Pharmacy and Caijin Pharmaceutical Manufacturer.
Caijin Pharmaceutical Manufacturer was a new establishnt in Fengfu City. Its owner, Shixin, was a wealthy rchant who had recently moved to the city. This wealthy man was reclusive, rarely ca out to et people, so the townspeople rarely saw him.
In this first round, the pills to be sent to Chu Region include the Tranquil Mind Pills. These pills aid in calming the mind, which is beneficial for spirit energy cultivation. The herbs used to concoct the Tranquil Mind Pills are generally common and easy to find. However, there is one ingredient that is quite rare and expensive—Xinjing grass. This grass grows in high mountains and deep valleys with hot and humid climates, making it difficult to find and more expensive than other herbs.
At Zhong Manor.
Su Nu and Luanchen were eagerly discussing their plans. This was because Caijin Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the pharmaceutical manufacturer they had set up under another person’s na, had been specifically created to secure the pill trade rights.
"Why was Ruyi Pharmacy also selected? Didn’t you say we would bid a bit lower than the others, Father? How did Ruyi Pharmacy end up offering the sa price as us?" Su Nu asked her father, dissatisfied. She wanted the exclusive rights to trade with Chu Region.
"Ruyi Pharmacy must have soone in the royal court as well, so they lower their bid to match ours," Luanchen speculated.
"But don’t worry. Didn’t you notice that the first batch of pills is the Tranquil Mind Pills? These pills require Xinjing grass, and for the first round, we need to deliver 300,000 pills. Do you think Ruyi Pharmacy will have enough Xinjing grass to make that 300,000 pills?"
"Father, do you an..."
"Exactly. Without enough Xinjing grass, the master of Ruyi Pharmacy will have to buy more to et the governnt’s required quantity. And what if they can’t find enough Xinjing grass?" Luanchen said, unable to hide his excitent.
"Then Ruyi Pharmacy will breach their contract with the royal court and face penalties from His Majesty for failing to comply.” This way, the exclusive five-year trade rights for the pills with Chu Region would surely fall into their hands.
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