On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In stark contrast to the volcanic-like noise and frenzy of the ruins auction house, deep inside the Hu County government office, in a secret room with tightly closed doors and windows that isolated all sounds, there was an icy silence and absolute control.

A single, quaint bronze goose-and-fish lamp lit the room. A small, bean-sized flame burned quietly within the lampshade, emitting a soft, steady glow. The air was filled with the faint, medicinal aroma of agarwood.

Lin Zhen sat upright behind a large rosewood desk, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

He was not wearing the dragon robe and jade belt that symbolized his status, but a plain and elegant moon-white linen casual suit. His wide cuffs were casually rolled up, revealing a wrist with smooth lines and distinct joints.

He was playing with a warm, translucent, and impurity-free white jade pendant in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the delicate coiled dragon pattern on the jade pendant, his movements calm and elegant.

On the desk, there was a map of Chongming Shazhou that was more detailed than the one at the auction, with countless annotations in tiny calligraphy.

Next to the map, there was an open account book with fresh ink on it, densely packed with various data - auction item, starting price, current highest bid, bidder's background, estimated transaction price...

The door of the secret room slid open silently a crack.

A dark-clad, shadow-like guard (yellow rat) quietly slipped in, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a low, clear voice, like the friction of cold metal:

"Sir, the first bid is for the northwest corner anchor area, 500 acres, with a transaction price of 1.1 million taels. The buyer is Li Mubai, a royal merchant under the Prince Qing's mansion in the capital."

"Second bid, East Tidal Flats, 800 mu, sold for 1.5 million taels. Buyer: Zhao Sihai, Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association."

"The third bid is for the shallow waters of Nanwan Bay, covering one thousand mu. The transaction price is two million taels. The buyer is Sun Maocai, a member of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Silk Guild Consortium."

"The fourth mark..."

The yellow rat's voice was calm, and he accurately reported the astonishing astronomical figures and the names of famous buyers like a machine.

Lin Zhen listened quietly, with no expression on his face.

His deep eyes were like an ancient well, reflecting the flickering lights without causing the slightest ripple.

It was as if the capital storm outside that swept up millions of taels of silver, the flow of wealth that was enough to drive a medium-sized country crazy, was nothing more than the movement of a few insignificant pieces on the chessboard in his eyes.

When Huang Shu bid the seventh item (a relatively remote sandbar area) for 1.8 million taels, Lin Zhen's fingertips paused slightly on the jade pendant.

He raised his eyes and his gaze fell on the area marked as "Seventh Mark" on the map. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into a very faint but extremely cold arc.

"The seventh lot...was won by Chow Tai Fook of the Tong Bao Money House in Jinling?" His voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard.

"Yes, Your Highness." The yellow rat replied with his head lowered.

"Tongbao Money House... is backed by the brother-in-law of Liu Yong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?" Lin Zhen's tone was a little playful.

"Exactly."

"Heh..." Lin Zhen let out a barely audible chuckle, his voice filled with knowing mockery. "Minister Liu... is quite willing to invest. It seems the Ministry of Revenue has been spending quite a bit of money over the years."

He said no more and continued to stroke the jade pendant with his fingertips.

Huang Shu continued to report the latest bidding situation.

When the bid for the tenth lot (a core area of ​​a sandbar close to the center, with the largest area and the best location) exceeded three million taels and was still rising wildly, Lin Zhen didn't even frown.

He simply tilted his head slightly and instructed Cheng Xuan, who stood beside him like a statue, "Tell Zhang Li that after the auction, all deposits and the balance will be directly transferred to the 'Special Zone Construction Fund' and she will have full authority to allocate them. Not a single cent can flow into the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue or the Imperial Household Department."

"Yes, Your Highness." Cheng Xuan bowed and accepted the order in a clear voice.

The secret room fell into silence again.

Only the yellow rat's cold voice, like an announcer, conveyed the carnival of money outside to this small space in the most precise and coldest way.

Lin Zhen's gaze fell back on the map on the desk.

His fingers slowly slid across the "sacred land" that was divided and auctioned, and finally stopped outside the Chongming sandbar, on the vast East China Sea, which was painted with deep indigo.

His eyes were deep and far-reaching, as if they had penetrated the barriers of time and space, and saw the deep-water port of the future, with huge ships shuttling, masts like a forest, and merchants gathering; he saw the huge industrial zone that had sprung up around the port; he saw the trade network that radiated throughout the Yangtze River Basin and even to Southeast Asia; he saw steel, cement, machinery, textiles... countless industries springing up like mushrooms after rain;

We saw a huge engine with Hu County as the core, driving the economic take-off of the entire Daqian!

As for the auction in front of us?

It's just the first barrel of fuel injected into this behemoth that is about to start.

In his eyes, the greed and madness of those merchants and those sky-high transaction figures were nothing but insignificant dust that pushed the wheel of history forward.

"Tell Mao Mengji," Lin Zhen's voice broke the silence, with a calmness that seemed to indicate control of everything, "After the auction, strengthen patrols along the borders of the Special Zone. Anyone who enters the Xirang area without permission... will be killed without mercy."

"Yes!" Huang Shu obeyed the order, and his figure merged into the shadows silently again.

Lin Zhen picked up the warm white jade pendant again and gently turned it on his fingertips.

Under the light, the jade pendant shone with a soft luster, reflecting his bottomless eyes that seemed to contain the sea of ​​stars.

......

When Wang Youde used all his strength to roar out that the last piece of land (the "Heart of the Sacred Land" in the core of Chongming Sandbar, covering an area of ​​1,500 acres) was sold at a staggering price of 4.8 million taels of silver, the rosewood gavel in his hand almost flew out of his hand!

The loud sound of “BOOM!!!” was like the final death knell for this crazy feast that lasted for three hours!

The initial hustle and bustle beneath the platform is long gone.

More than 300 rosewood armchairs were tilting here and there as if they had experienced a fierce battle. The scarlet velvet cushions were covered with spilled tea, crushed fruits and ink that someone had accidentally spilled.

The air was filled with a strong odor of sweat, powder, incense, rotten food, and a strange smell like the smoke after the gunpowder has cleared, a mixture of excitement and exhaustion.

The merchants seemed drained of all their energy, slumped in their chairs, some with bloodshot eyes and chests heaving as they gasped for breath; some stared into space with vacant eyes and lost in thought; some were pale and clutching their chests in cold sweat (obviously frightened by their own or their competitors' frantic bidding);

Others were like gamblers who had won the bet, with a look of ecstasy as if they had survived a disaster and a hint of disbelief and trance on their faces. They repeatedly rubbed the "Franchise Development and Operation Rights Contract" in their hands, which was stamped with the bright red seal of "Shanghai County Special Economic Zone Investment Promotion Bureau" and the ink was not yet dry, as if to confirm that this was not a dream.