After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

The restaurant used by the Chamber of Commerce to hold banquets has three floors. Gu Lin glanced around and noticed that the seating arrangements of the guests attending the banquet were intentional.

For example, unlike the second and third floors, the lobby on the first floor does not have private rooms. Most of the people sitting down there are ordinary merchants who run small eateries or workshops in the prefectural city, and their annual income is at most a thousand taels.

The private rooms on the second floor were occupied by rising stars of the city in recent years, or merchants with some financial standing, whose annual income was around ten thousand taels of silver.

Gu Lin didn't know exactly who was sitting in the private room on the third floor, but if he wasn't mistaken, those people should all be the top merchants in the city, whose annual income was hard to estimate.

Although Gu Lin was in a private room on the second floor, there was a large window on the wall facing the lobby, which was open at the moment, so Gu Lin could clearly see the scene below.

The guests downstairs, who knew each other well, started chatting. But just as they were getting into a lively conversation, a middle-aged man appeared out of nowhere and stood in the center of the lobby.

He was of medium height, with a fair complexion and black beard. He was dressed in rich and luxurious clothes and had a bloated figure with a round belly. However, he was good at making people feel that his fair and plump appearance was friendly and kind, giving people the feeling that harmony brings wealth, so he did not offend people.

Du Dahai cupped his large, fan-like hands and bowed in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, saying with a smile, "I am Du Dahai, the owner of Youyuan Restaurant. I am grateful for the kindness of my colleagues here, and I am also one of the directors of the Chamber of Commerce of this prefecture."

"I have invited you all to this banquet today for two reasons: first, to maintain our relationships and strengthen the cohesion of the Chamber of Commerce; and second, to provide a platform for you to discuss the ways of business. Now that I have said all that, I will not take up any more of your time."

After he finished speaking, he clapped his hands three times, and the light gauze on both sides of the hall fluttered up. When everyone looked ahead, they saw two rows of pretty and delicate young women, dressed lightly but not frivolously, walking gracefully towards them.

Du Dahai had retreated at some point, and the open space in the center of the hall was quickly occupied by young girls. They were graceful and charming, their long sleeves fluttering lightly, and as they turned, their eyes met the eyes of each guest present with subtle smiles.

The guests at the banquet were quite used to this kind of arrangement.

However, this was only used to entertain guests on the first floor; the second floor had private rooms, and the Chamber of Commerce had made other arrangements for them.

The private rooms on the second floor are built in a circular pattern, with a solid open space at the center. The Chamber of Commerce has also arranged for them to watch dance performances.

But it wasn't just women dancing on the second floor; there were also young men. Their looks and figures were visibly better than the girls on the first floor. While each of them might not be considered a beauty that could make fish sink, geese fall from the sky, or the moon hide its face in shame, they were all beautiful in their own unique way.

Separated by the private room, they could not make eye contact with the guests inside, but their graceful and fluid movements drew the attention of many guests.

Gu Lin was not immune either; his eyes showed appreciation as he carefully watched the exquisite dance before him.

The young girls and boys are in the prime of their youth, their figures as light and graceful as butterflies. Although their expressions are gentle and gentle, their youthful energy makes every turn and bend in their dance show a unique vitality and power.

Occasionally, during a brief moment of respite, they would exchange glances with the guests standing by the wooden window. Their watery eyes would look over shyly, then timidly look away, their coy reluctance stirring a tingling sensation in the hearts of those who looked on.

Gu Lin had been watching with great interest, but upon seeing this scene, he lost all interest in continuing.

Soon the dance of the girls and boys ended, and the girls on the first floor slowly retreated from the lobby, but the girls and boys on the second floor did not leave. They moved lightly to each private room.

Upon seeing this scene, Yu Ercheng looked surprised and asked, "What's going on here?"

There was a knock on the box door.

Gu Lin's faint smile disappeared, and he said to Er Cheng, "Tell them I don't need anyone here."

Yu Ercheng nodded, took a few steps forward, opened the door to the private room, and stood there with his tall figure, preventing the men outside from coming in.

Seeing the man standing in front of him, blocking his way, the handsome young man's face stiffened. Yu Ercheng didn't give him a chance to speak and said, "Our boss doesn't need anyone to accompany him. You can go back."

The handsome young man still tried to struggle a bit, saying, "The master inside only brought you in, and there's no one to serve you properly. I'm the best at serving people, so let me go in and serve the master."

Yu Ercheng, being a man, naturally understood the underlying meaning in the other person's words. He looked at the young man in front of him with a strange expression and said, "Our boss is a young man and doesn't like grapes. You should go back."

The handsome young man was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly realized that it was because of the wrong gender. He stopped pestering her and bowed slightly as he stepped back.

However, Yu Ercheng was still shaken. In broad daylight, he had assumed that the banquet would be another chaotic affair, but considering the importance of preserving his reputation, he thought the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't arrange such things in broad daylight. He hadn't expected that he would underestimate the bottom line of these people.

When Yu Ercheng entered, he saw that his boss's expression was slightly tense. He knew that the other party had been ill a few days ago and had only come out to socialize recently after his condition improved.

Glancing down at the first floor out of the corner of his eye, Yu Ercheng diverted Gu Lin's attention, saying, "Boss, look at the first floor."

Yu Ercheng raised his hand and pointed to the lobby on the first floor.

Gu Lin lowered his eyelids slightly and looked in the direction Yu Ercheng pointed. He saw Du Dahai reappear in the center of the hall, followed by more than a dozen young girls and boys holding exquisite wooden boxes.

Du Dahai first glanced around, and after a moment, seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he announced loudly, "Today, in order to thank all our colleagues for gracing us with their presence at the banquet, the Chamber of Commerce has decided to give back to everyone."

Du Dahai's words aroused a slight curiosity among the crowd.

Du Dahai glanced at the girl holding the wooden box in front of him. The girl immediately stepped forward easily and stood in front of Du Dahai. She lowered her head and raised her arms high to present the wooden box to him.

Du Dahai reached out and opened the wooden box. Instantly, a shimmering white light flashed inside, and everyone peered out to discover that it was...

Everyone looked on in surprise, exchanging bewildered glances, for the contents of the box were no ordinary items but rather pearls.

Dongzhu was a tribute to the Great Qian Dynasty. In the entire Great Qian Dynasty, only the emperor, empress, and empress dowager were qualified to use Dongzhu. Anyone else, even if they were imperial relatives, would be considered a capital offense of disrespecting imperial authority if they dared to use Dongzhu without the emperor's favor.

Everyone present was aware of these laws, but what truly surprised them, besides the fact that the pearls were tribute items, was the extreme rarity of the pearls.

But the box of pearls in front of Du Dahai contained dozens of pearls, each one lustrous and plump, uniform in size, about half the size of a thumb, and did not resemble a flawed product at all.

A group of people were extremely envious, and someone in the hall immediately said, "Boss Du, I am willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver to exchange for this box of pearls."

"Trying to buy this pearl for ten thousand taels? That's quite a shrewd calculation."

The merchants, who had been chatting amicably, suddenly started arguing over a box of pearls.

It's not entirely their fault. They were merchants with some wealth in the prefectural city, but merchants are still looked down upon. Pearls were a symbol of status. These merchants were arrogant about their wealth but also ashamed of their status, so they all wanted to buy a box of pearls to improve their own standing.

Looking at the noisy crowd in the lobby, Du Dahai's chubby face became even more amiable.

He narrowed his eyes to almost slits: "Please be patient, everyone."

Although he didn't raise his voice, and in terms of wealth he was a guest on the second floor, everyone gave him face because of his status in the Chamber of Commerce.

As the lobby gradually quieted down, Du Dahai said, "The Dongzhu pearls were acquired by the Chamber of Commerce by chance, but we directors do not wish to enjoy this benefit alone, so we thought of sharing it with our fellow business partners. However, there is only one box of Dongzhu pearls. If we give it to someone else for free, no one else will be satisfied. How about we negotiate and let the highest bidder get it?"

"Alright, we'll do as Boss Du says!"

"Mr. Du, you can arrange it as you see fit!"

Du Dahai said with a smile, "This auction is to give back to everyone and not to make a profit. All the money raised will be donated to the refugee camp in the suburbs. You don't need to worry about us pocketing the money."

Regardless of whether Du Dahai's words were sincere or feigned, everyone praised him, saying, "The Chamber of Commerce is truly righteous!"

Seeing that things were getting closer to the point, Du Dahai didn't waste any time and said, "The starting price for the pearl is ten thousand taels. Let's begin the auction!"

"Eleven thousand taels!"

"Twelve thousand taels!"

"Thirteen thousand taels!"

……

Shouts rose and fell, as not only the guests on the first floor were eager for Dongzhu, but the guests on the second floor were equally excited. They had been itching to see Dongzhu, but compared to the guests on the first floor, they were better able to control their emotions.

After Dongzhu started bidding, Gu Lin clearly heard several other private rooms around him submit their bids.

Yu Ercheng had never seen such a group of people who didn't value money. He had seen the turnover of Haoyunlou, which was a considerable sum, but Gu Lin lived frugally and never spent money extravagantly.

Yu Ercheng asked, puzzled, "Isn't it just a box of beads? You can't eat or drink them, what's the use of spending so much money on them?"

"Of course it works."

Gu Lin said, "The guests on the second floor are wealthy. What they really lack is not money, but status. The Eastern Pearl symbolizes status and position. Who in the world is more noble than the Emperor, Empress and Empress Dowager? They can use the Eastern Pearl, which others cannot afford. Isn't that a subtle way of being a step above others?"

Doesn't this idea seem absurd and unbelievable? Take the merchants in the third-floor private rooms, for example. Even though they are incredibly wealthy, they still have to be polite and courteous to government officials. But merchants like Du Dahai and I, who have only a little money, would not easily offend a scholar, even if that scholar was just a student, if we wanted to avoid future enmity and build a good relationship.

Gu Lin said, "The more you lack something, the more you want it. Besides, a box of pearls not only symbolizes status and position, but if the person who buys the pearls is willing to spend the money, they can use it to establish connections with the government and find a reliable backer for themselves. Apart from the real money spent, it is a sure-fire way to make money."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ercheng's heart stirred. If they could also buy such a good thing, wouldn't Good Fortune Tower be able to reach a higher level?

But seeing that his employer had not shown any intention to bid, Yu Ercheng did not make any rash moves.

Gu Lin took in the other party's every move and couldn't help but sigh. In terms of foresight, Yu Ercheng was no match for Lin Xiaoyao. If he couldn't make changes in the future, the other party could only serve as a deputy to assist others and could not stand on his own.

Gu Lin said, "Anyone can touch this kind of thing, but I won't. The Eastern Pearl is a tribute item, and its circulation among the common people violates the laws of the court. Even if I buy it and give it away, I will still risk having my family's property confiscated and being beheaded."

Gu Lin looked at Yu Ercheng, his face still pale from recovering from a serious illness, but his expression was firm and his tone was calm as he said, "We cannot remain completely innocent and pure, but we also cannot completely degenerate and go along with them."

We can increase the amount of money we send to the government each year, but we absolutely cannot touch anything like pearls, which could cost us our lives.

"Otherwise, the consequence will be the confiscation of your property and execution, understand?"

Hearing his employer's explanation, Yu Ercheng broke out in a cold sweat.

It turns out that the so-called fortune-seeking in danger is truly deadly, and may cost more than one life.

After that, Yu Ercheng didn't say anything more. He stood behind Gu Lin, carefully observing the auction below and the performance of everyone.

Before accompanying his employer out, Lin Xiaoyao told him to cherish this trip, as it was a great opportunity to hone his skills. At the time, Yu Ercheng didn't feel it deeply; he only thought that his employer valued him and wanted to cultivate him.

But upon arriving here, seeing the behavior of every boss who could be mentioned in the city at the banquet, and the Chamber of Commerce openly auctioning off tributes, Yu Ercheng's emotions were stirred.

After being reminded by his employer, Yu Ercheng couldn't help but wonder how Lin Xiaoyao would behave if she were the one accompanying him on this trip.

Yu Ercheng speculated that, based on Lin Xiaoyao's personality, after a brief moment of surprise, she would immediately gather a lot of useful information from the banquet venue setup and Du Dahai's performance.

Gradually, Yu Ercheng calmed down.

"Thirty thousand taels!"

Du Dahai shouted, "Boss Lin has offered 30,000 taels. Who else can offer a higher price?"

Thirty thousand taels is no small sum. The guests on the first floor earn at most five or six thousand taels a year from their businesses. If it were more than ten thousand taels, they could afford it, but spending thirty thousand taels at once would be a huge financial blow.

So as the bidding for the pearls rose higher and higher, the guests on the first floor fell silent.

The Boss Lin mentioned by Du Dahai was a guest in the private room on the second floor. He was determined to get the box of pearls, and all the other guests on the second floor who bid against him were left empty-handed.

As for why the guests in the third-floor private rooms didn't bid for the precious pearls, it's because the merchants in the third-floor private rooms are all leaders of the chamber of commerce. Since they have already announced that they will give back to the guests, they naturally won't compete with the banquet guests.

That's how it appears on the surface, but whether they actually reserved some Dongzhu for themselves beforehand is unknown.

"Since no one has made a bid, this box of pearls belongs to Boss Lin!"

Du Dahai made the decision.

Finally, the young girl carried the pearl up to the second floor, and the guests on the first floor cast envious glances towards the second floor.