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

Next, the young men and women presented wooden boxes one after another, and Du Dahai displayed the various priceless items inside.

Forbidden items such as ambergris and salt were finally brought to the fore. Gu Lin's breath hitched slightly when he saw Du Dahai take out the last item.

Du Dahai's chubby, round face became mysterious as he addressed the guests, saying, "The last item is even more precious than the Eastern Pearl!"

The pearls are incredibly precious, yet Du Dahai made these words with absolute certainty, causing an uproar among the guests at the banquet.

Du Dahai opened the wooden box and took out what was inside. Everyone saw that it was a seal.

Looking at the seal in his hand, Du Dahai's eyes burned with desire and greed, but he restrained himself and withdrew his gaze from the seal.

Holding up the seal in his hand, Du Dahai looked up at the crowd and said, "Scholars can rise from humble beginnings to high office by studying. Now, all of you here also have the opportunity to leap over the dragon gate."

At this point, Du Dahai changed the subject, saying, "However, opportunities are precious and rare, and not everyone has a chance. How about we follow the old rules and let the highest bidder win?"

Although it was a question, Du Dahai's tone was certain, because he knew that none of the guests present could refuse this opportunity to change their allegiance.

At this moment, both the lobby on the first floor and the private rooms on the second floor were completely silent, with no other sounds except for rapid breathing and incredulous murmurs.

Their eyes were fixed on the seal in Du Dahai's hand, filled with inquiry and suspicion, as if they wanted to determine its authenticity.

What Du Dahai brought out was too unbelievable. The merchants who could attend the banquet were all the best in the city. These people were all shrewd and intelligent. When Du Dahai took out the seal, he practically broke down his words and explained them to them. How could they not understand that what he was ultimately selling was an official position?

Although the exact rank of the official is unknown, having an official seal means that the lowest rank is the ninth rank. For scholars, a ninth-rank official might seem insignificant, but for merchants at the banquet, having an official position would allow them to leapfrog social classes, and even their powerful backers would value them more.

From the previously calm second-floor private room, someone urged, "Mr. Du, don't delay any longer, let's start filming."

Seeing that everyone was gradually coming to their senses and realizing what they were holding, Du Dahai, under their burning gazes, still maintained his Buddha-like smile and loudly announced, "Starting bid: 100,000 taels!"

Unlike the earlier uproar caused by the high price of the pearl, everyone understood that the items being auctioned this time were of extraordinary significance, and they all quietly and attentively stared in Du Dahai's direction. Even though the guests on the first floor knew that they had no chance of getting this official position, it did not stop them from watching who would ultimately win the official seal.

The private rooms on the second floor were filled with a quiet yet tense atmosphere. They were quiet because, apart from the bidding, there was complete silence. They were tense because, after one side made a bid, the other side would immediately follow with a higher bid, overwhelming the first side.

"One hundred and ten thousand taels!"

"Twelve thousand taels!"

"One hundred and fifty thousand taels!"

The bids kept getting higher and higher, but no one seemed willing to stop. Soon after, the servants from the private rooms who had been bidding the most came out and ran straight to the restaurant entrance. It was clear they were there to inform the people outside to hurry back to their residences and prepare enough silver, determined to secure this hard-won official position no matter what.

Suddenly, a cold male voice said, "Two hundred thousand taels of silver. I ask everyone here to give the Ye family some face."

The moment the sound was heard, the entire restaurant fell silent, and no one spoke for a long time.

In the box.

The servant flattered the richly dressed, effeminate-looking man in front of him, saying, "Young Master is incredibly generous. With two hundred thousand taels of silver at your disposal, who at the banquet would dare to compete with you!"

Ye Qiong lowered his head and took the green grapes offered by the beautiful woman in his arms. He chewed them a few times and swallowed them. He did not respond to the servant's words, but his thoughts were the same as hers.

The Ye family is a prominent clan in this prefecture, with businesses scattered throughout the entire city. If anyone wants to survive in the prefecture, who would dare to offend the Ye family?

Ye Qiong raised his cup, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in one gulp. Just when he thought he could get the official position without any effort, a slightly frivolous voice came from the opposite room.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand taels!"

Ye Qiong squinted and slammed the wine glass heavily onto the table with a loud "thud".

At that moment, the wooden window of the opposite compartment opened, and a beautiful young man with a frivolous expression and a hint of mockery stood by the window.

When Ye Qiong saw him, her expression darkened, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Fang Jiyue!"

Not only Ye Qiong recognized the other person, but Gu Lin also recognized Fang Jiyue's voice.

Before he could think further, the door to the private room was knocked on again. Yu Ercheng went to open the door, and a moment later, the other party brought in Gu Lin's familiar figure.

The attendant stepped forward and bowed to Gu Lin: "Mr. Gu, the young master is also attending the banquet. He happens to be in the next private room. Please come over for a chat. There is something we need to discuss regarding profit sharing."

Gu Lin pondered for a moment, then stood up and said to the servants and Yu Ercheng, "Let's go."

Ye Qiong had no intention of giving up the official position that was within his grasp. Now, looking at his mortal enemy across from him, he suddenly pushed away the woman in his arms, went to the window and stared at the young man across from him. His expression was full of provocation, and he said arrogantly, "Three hundred thousand taels."

Fang Jiyue calmly replied, "Three hundred and fifty thousand taels."

Now, not only were the guests on the first floor watching the two tigers fight with great interest, but the guests in the private rooms on the second floor also recognized who was the fool who dared to oppose the Ye family.

Immediately, those who had been threatened by Ye Qiong felt much more at ease. They couldn't afford to offend the Ye family, but the Fang family wasn't afraid of them. Now it was their turn to sit back and watch the battle unfold.

Looking at Fang Jiyue across from her, who was smiling and had a mocking look in his eyes, Ye Qiong said in a gloomy voice, "Fang Jiyue, leave yourself a way out in everything so you can meet again in the future! Although your Fang family has powerful connections, my Ye family is not without support either. If we really fight, it is not necessarily your Fang family that will win."

Thirty-five hundred thousand taels is no small sum. We still don't know what rank the official position offered by the Chamber of Commerce is. If it is a ninth-rank official, then spending thirty-five hundred thousand taels is definitely not worth it.

Even though it was extremely difficult to buy an official position in the Great Qian Dynasty, a ninth-rank official position would cost at most 160,000 taels of silver. In contrast, in the previous dynasty when buying official positions was common, one could become a county magistrate for 10,000 taels of silver.

Fang Jiyue suddenly chuckled, his eyes slightly raised, and said in a lazy tone, "Young Master Ye, Boss Du said long ago that the highest bidder would win the auction. So, did your elders teach you to use your family background to pressure others when you don't have enough money?"

"It's only been a few months since I last returned to the capital, and I never imagined the Ye family would fall to such a state. It's truly pitiful and lamentable!" Fang Jiyue sighed and shook his head.

Ye Qiong made no attempt to conceal her feigned innocence, her expression growing increasingly gloomy. But no matter what, the Ye family had to secure this official position.

Ye Qiong said in a deep voice, "Three hundred and seventy thousand taels."

After quoting the price, Ye Qiong stared intently at Fang Jiyue, who smiled nonchalantly and said, "Four hundred thousand taels."

At this point, Ye Qiong should have stopped, but the process of purchasing official positions in the Great Qian Dynasty was cumbersome and difficult. If she missed this opportunity, she didn't know when she would be able to...

Ye Qiong stared intently at Fang Jiyue and said, "Four hundred and fifty thousand taels!"

Then, Fang Jiyue slightly opened his mouth, and as Ye Qiong held her breath and felt her heart sink, Fang Jiyue said with a smile, "Since Young Master Ye likes this item so much, I can't do something that would be like taking something that belongs to someone else. So I'll give it to you."

After saying that, Fang Jiyue turned away from the window, walked around the indoor screen, and saw the young man sitting at the table.

"I specially invited Mr. Gu, but I neglected you due to personal matters. I will punish myself with three drinks first."

Before Gu Lin could stop him, Fang Jiyue went to the table, picked up a wine glass, and drank three glasses of wine in a row.

After finishing his drink, Fang Jiyue put down his glass, and Gu Lin said, "I was completely captivated by the scene just now where Young Master Fang outwitted the eldest young master of the Ye family."

The implication is that you don't mind if the other person arrives a little late.

Fang Jiyue felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. He and Ye Qiong had been mortal enemies since childhood, and their families had always been locked in a fierce struggle. Either the Ye family would dominate the Fang family, or the Fang family would dominate the Ye family. Neither family could maintain a winning streak for long.

However, in recent years, a figure has emerged in the Fang family in the capital who is more powerful than the Ye family. In addition, Fang Jiyue and his father are more skilled, so the Ye family has been suppressed by the Fang family for decades and can only be subordinate to the Fang family.

Fang Jiyue treated his fellow travelers with courtesy, but his principle towards his opponents and enemies was to never let them have an easy time. When he encountered a rare opportunity to make the Ye family suffer heavy losses, Fang Jiyue naturally wouldn't let it go.

However, when the young man in front of him saw his immature and argumentative side, even someone as unreliable as Fang Jiyue felt a little embarrassed in front of his sweetheart.

He looked up at Gu Lin. He hadn't seen Gu Lin's face since he came in, but now that he looked up, he saw the young man's slightly sickly face.

The carefree look vanished, and Fang Jiyue asked with concern, "Why do you look so pale? Have you been sick again lately?"

Fang Jiyue was aware of Gu Lin's poor health.

Gu Lin replied without changing his expression, "It was just some typhoid fever, I'm all better now."

Although Fang Jiyue was his partner and friend, their friendship was not pure and was mixed with interests. Gu Lin believed that he had no intention of harming others, but he was wary of others. Fang Jiyue might not harm him for his own benefit, but who knew if the other members of the Fang family would?

After all, the share of profits from the prescriptions he received was enough to make many people envious.

Therefore, Gu Lin did not tell the other party about his heart defect; it was enough for his family to know.

Being sick all the time isn't a good thing either.

Fang Jiyue turned his head and gestured to the servant beside him. The servant immediately brought over a wooden box from the side.

Fang Jiyue took the wooden box, opened it to reveal two medicinal herbs inside, and said to Gu Lin, "These two are wild ginseng that is over 500 years old and black ginseng that came from Tibet. They are extremely nourishing. Since you are weak, you cannot take any tonics at will. I specially asked a famous doctor in the capital to send you a prescription that is suitable for you. Take the tonic back and add an appropriate amount of ginseng and ginseng according to the prescription. Drink it once or twice a month. Over time, your body and blood will definitely be much better than that of an ordinary person."

Wild ginseng and black ginseng are both precious items, especially the former. Five-hundred-year-old wild ginseng can be considered a life-saving medicine. Even if a person is about to go to the underworld, as long as a thin slice of wild ginseng is cut off and given to that person to hold in their mouth, it can drag them back from the underworld.

Gu Lin shouldn't have accepted such a valuable gift, but the tonic Fang Jiyue sent was exactly what he needed.

Gu Lin pondered for a moment, and Fang Jiyue said, "These tonics are very valuable. Although I need them, I cannot accept them without proper consideration. Please tell me the price of the two herbs, otherwise I will feel uneasy accepting them without spending a penny."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jiyue said helplessly, "We've known each other for many years, why bother with these things?"

But looking at Gu Lin's expression, Fang Jiyue knew that if he didn't do as the other party said, Gu Lin would really return the tonic.

So Fang Jiyue said, "I bought this from a medicine merchant. He is an acquaintance of mine and only charged me the cost price. Boss Gu is also a friend of mine, so let's stick with the cost price of two thousand taels."

Seeing that the other party was willing to accept the money, Gu Lin's expression softened slightly. He took out a silver note from his money bag and handed it to the other party. Without needing a servant to take it for him, Fang Jiyue accepted the silver note. He didn't dare to make any big movements. After carefully folding the silver note, he put it into his own purse.

Gu Lin handed the wooden box containing the tonic to Yu Ercheng, asking him to go back to the original private room and put it away. A moment later, Yu Ercheng returned.

Gu Lin looked at him, and Yu Ercheng presented the gift box in his hand. Gu Lin took the gift box and said to Fang Jiyue, "I am very grateful for the gift that Young Master Fang gave me last time, but the jade is too precious for me to accept. Please ask Young Master Fang to take the jade back."

Fang Jiyue hadn't expected Gu Lin to bring this up. He glanced indifferently at the servant beside him, who shrank back.

It was after the other party returned from delivering the jade jewelry that they told him that Boss Gu was very happy when he received the gift, which made him mistakenly believe that he had touched Gu Lin's heart with his gift.

Now, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that their servant had misunderstood Gu Lin's meaning.

Fang Jiyue said to the young man in front of him, "Once it's given away, it's yours. I never take back what I've given away."

Gu Lin frowned slightly; this made things difficult.

He thought about it and decided that he could use the hairpin among the jade jewelry for formal occasions, but he wouldn't wear other jewelry. However, jade was precious and beautiful, and worth treasuring.

Gu Lin pondered for a moment, then looked up at Fang Jiyue and said, "I know how kind Young Master Fang is to his friends, but jade is precious and I dare not accept it easily. How about we buy the jade jewelry together?"

Fang Jiyue disagreed. If that were the case, he and Gu Lin would be so calculating that they could only ever remain friends.

He said, "If you don't need it, you can throw it away."

"Throwing it away is out of the question," Gu Lin said helplessly. "I can't accept something for nothing. How about this, I have a recipe for making shower gel. If we make it, the profits it can bring will be no less than those of soap."