Getting Rich from Legend of Zhen Huan

Recently, the capital has been discussing one thing enthusiastically. The fifth princess submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting holding a royal charity auction. The name was provided by Yixiu, and the memorial was directed by Honghui and Hongxi.

It is said that the concubines in the harem and the wives of the princes would take out their treasured items and put them up at some auction for people to bid on, and the money obtained would be used to help the victims. This is enough to arouse people's curiosity, but the most important news is the calligraphy of Kangxi at the end.

Everyone who heard the news was amazed. Doesn’t that mean that as long as you have enough money, you can get the emperor’s calligraphy to be displayed in your own ancestral hall!!!

For ordinary people, they only dare to think about it, but for the well-informed big businessmen who travel from north to south, it is not just a matter of thinking. No matter whether they are Shanxi merchants, Anhui merchants, Zhejiang merchants, or Guangdong merchants, who doesn't want to get involved.

In the feudal era, agriculture was emphasized and commerce was suppressed. Even if one was extremely wealthy, he was still inferior to others. In addition, merchants valued profits and had a bad reputation, and were often accused of being rich and unkind. Now that there is an opportunity to be praised by the emperor and become famous, they are all staring at it like a hungry wolf seeing meat.

But it was not easy to enter the auction. The nobles, including scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, even regarded the common people who tended the fields as untouchables, not to mention the lowest-ranking merchants. If they were to bid in the same place as the merchants, the officials would feel that their status would be lowered.

But the merchants were much more eager for Kangxi's calligraphy than the dignitaries, and they were definitely more willing to pay. The fifth princess did not forget her original intention. She wanted to sell one tael of silver for each item. One tael of silver could buy one stone of rice. Even if the price of grain is rising now, it can help more people survive!

Thanks to the Fifth Princess's cleverness, she used her own garden as the auction venue and changed the stage into a display stand. The viewing platform was divided into different levels for guests. The more noble their status, the higher the viewing place and the clearer the view.

Moreover, Yixiu suggested that the admission ticket should be clearly marked with a price tag. Except for the royal family, the rest of the ministers and ordinary merchants had to pay to enter the venue, with the main purpose of competing for every ounce of gold. Anyway, those who wanted to come to this auction had a lot of money.

The fifth princess pretended to hesitate for a moment, then happily accepted the suggestion, laughing at herself for feeling sorry for these wealthy families. Who would feel sorry for the displaced people?

Just like that, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the auction began.

Qian Youfu was a wealthy businessman who also came to the auction with hope. He was from Jiangnan and was considered the richest man in his hometown. However, this auction was attended by many wealthy businessmen. Although he brought a lot of silver, he was not sure whether he could get what he wanted. But it was not bad to spend one thousand taels to buy a ticket to see it for himself.

The young man named Chen who came to Beijing with Qian Youfu said that his father was working in Beijing and he happened to catch this event, so he came to see it.

Seeing that although this young brother Chen was not very old, he acted and spoke in an orderly manner and was not flustered, Qian Youfu knew that he had been well-educated at home. He was happy to be his guide and told him what he knew.

Arriving at the gate of the garden, Qian Youfu said with emotion, "We are blessed. In the past, when I came to Beijing, I had no worries about food and drink, but I could never see such wealth and luxury." The places where the powerful and wealthy live are specially planned and they are not allowed to go out casually. The patrolling guards are also very dedicated to their duties. How could Qian Youfu dare to come here?

Brother Chen observed with some curiosity, "There are so many people coming and going, but I don't think I saw any princes?"

Qian Youfu raised his eyebrows and introduced, "Those who came with us are all merchants. How could the adults enter through the same gate as us? I don't know how many gates there are in this garden. The officials probably went through other gates."

Brother Chen said a little embarrassedly, "I thought I could meet the adults."

Qian Youfu advised, "What are our status? What are the status of the adults? It's a good thing that we don't meet them." After all, they are young and have no experience. Qian Youfu thought of those corrupt officials and even wanted to cry, not to mention rushing to be noticed by them.

Brother Chen nodded, not quite understanding.

Qian Youfu could only warn worriedly, "Remember, anyone who comes here can crush us to death. Don't listen, don't look, don't ask questions, understand?"

After getting a nod from Brother Chen, Qian Youfu pulled him and lined up to enter the garden.

There was a young eunuch leading the way, and although they did not stop for too long, the beautiful scenery of the princess's mansion still made many people exclaim in amazement.

Perhaps someone had reminded him of this, the young eunuch did not despise these people for their lack of knowledge, but instead proudly introduced the scenery along the way to everyone.

"This peach blossom forest was the princess's dowry. The late Empress Dowager Xiaohuizhang had been preparing it since the princess was born.

The peach trees chosen were transported from Tibet, where there are vast snow-capped mountains. It took five years to find such excellent varieties, and it took more than ten years to cultivate a peach forest with beautiful and delicious flowers.

That’s not all. The Empress Dowager felt that the peach blossoms bloomed too late, so she asked the craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department to work day and night to design exquisite jewel flowers. The flowers were carved from pink and white jade, and featured leaves made of green silk of carefully blended colors. They were so lifelike!

You came at the right time. If the peach blossoms bloom in a few days, you won’t be able to see such a beautiful view anymore.”

The crowd burst into noisy discussions again. Brother Chen pulled Qian Youfu's sleeve and whispered, "I thought that the peach blossom forest was carefully cared for, so it bloomed so early." Who would have thought that they were fake flowers? Well, it's going to snow heavily tomorrow, and there's no way any peach blossoms would bloom now!

Qian Youfu was also so shocked that his jaw dropped. They also had a peach blossom forest at home, but in terms of variety or creativity, it could not compare to the royal luxury.

"The climate in the south of the Yangtze River is humid and mild, and it's time for the peach trees to bloom." Qian Youfu said with complexity.

The young eunuch continued to lead the way. This time, there were no "pear blossom forests" or "apricot blossom forests" on the road, but the buildings they passed through were all exquisitely carved with beams and painted rafters.

Brother Chen sighed, "Is this what the book says, 'a building every five steps, a pavilion every ten steps'?"

Although Qian Youfu's name sounds vulgar, he is also well-educated. He pulled Brother Chen aside and said, "It is normal for a royal princess to enjoy the support of the people and have an exquisite garden."

So, keep your mouth shut! Can Du Mu's "Fu on Afang Palace" be used? This is because they are afraid that the literary inquisition will not fall on their heads!

Brother Chen was pinched hard by Qian Youfu. Knowing that he had said something wrong, he stopped talking and followed Qian Youfu to the auction venue in silence.