Chapter 1479: The King's Birthday Celebration

He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Phase two will have more units, forty-eight in total. The pricing shouldn't be too rigid; we need some flexibility. Hmm, let's do it this way—"

Zhao Song entered the palace.

Yao Wang saw his empty hands. "What, the prices for the exquisite residences in Phase Two of Serene Lake Villa haven't been released yet?"

"No, Your Majesty," Zhao Song reported, kneeling. "He Xiao said he wouldn't release prices externally."

"What does that mean?" Yao Wang's curiosity was piqued. "Selling something without a price? How are people supposed to buy it then?"

"He plans to hold forty-seven blind auctions through the Scarlet Fortress Auction House!" (There are a total of forty-eight exquisite residences in Phase Two, but one has already been reserved by You Rongzhi, leaving forty-seven.)

"Blind auction?" Yao Wang had never heard of it. "How does that work?"

"Buyers present at the auction write their bids on slips of paper, hand them to the auctioneer, who then announces them all, and the highest bidder wins."

Yao Wang was puzzled. "What's the difference between this and an open auction?"

"There's no bidding process," He Lingchuan had explained to Zhao Song before he entered the palace. "Each person can only submit one bid. The person with the highest bid wins the residence."

Yao Wang thought for a while, a hint of emotion touching him. "This fellow certainly has a lot of clever ideas."

With a blind auction, buyers often write down their absolute highest price, because there are many potential competitors at the same time. Buyers not only have to consider their own bid but also estimate what others might write down.

Furthermore, the price of the previous sale easily becomes the baseline for subsequent auctions.

Yao Wang could almost feel the tension in the bidding room.

The forty-seven exquisite residences in Phase Two of Serene Lake Villa would be auctioned over a long period. If sufficient publicity was done beforehand, it wouldn't be difficult to create another city-wide sensation.

Each residence sold would signify an official's loyalty to Yao Wang and further weaken Qingyang.

As for He Xiao himself, he would gain both fame and profit, without any conflict.

This young man's methods were truly flexible and diverse.

Yao Wang frowned, suddenly recalling his original purpose for ordering He Xiao to come to Tianshui City: to make things difficult for Qingyang.

He Xiao had indeed made Qingyang increasingly uncomfortable.

But why did he feel that the situation had seriously deviated from his initial objectives?

He was just a chess piece, yet he was adding so much drama to his own role.

Amidst He Lingchuan's busy schedule, time flew by quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was Yao Wang's birthday.

Summers were often rainy, and the palace had worried that Yao Wang's birthday would also be plagued by continuous rain. Fortunately, the weather cooperated; the day before had seen torrential downpours, but after midnight, the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and a bright sunny day emerged.

Everyone in the palace said this was a sign of the King's flourishing fortune, driving away clouds and rain.

Yao Wang woke before dawn.

According to tradition, on his birthday, he would first pay respects at the Miaozhan Heavenly Temple, then offer sacrifices at the Royal Ancestral Temple. At noon, a birthday banquet would be held at Jade Spring Palace, with all officials invited.

The entire nation would celebrate for three days.

This was He Lingchuan's second time entering Jade Spring Palace. The cold spring in the center still bubbled, emitting white mist year-round without ceasing.

Yao Wang's palace was already grand, and on his birthday, it was adorned with lanterns and festive decorations everywhere, with particularly meticulous flower arrangements and shrubbery trimming.

The old pear blossoms in Jade Spring Palace hung down, adorned with thousands of golden threads and red tassels, each holding a chime that, with a gentle breeze, would play ethereal, pleasant, yet not intrusive, music.

Palace servants bustled about like busy worker ants, with no time to look up and admire the beautiful scenery.

In recent days, the temperature in Tianshui City had suddenly soared, the summer heat threatening everyone; two quick steps would leave one drenched in sweat. But entering Jade Spring Palace was like stepping into autumn in an instant: cool and comfortable. Staying too long might even require an extra cloak.

The space in Jade Spring Palace was, after all, limited, and a spacious performance area also had to be carved out. Therefore, only eighty or so people were eligible for seats; everyone else had to stand.

Colloquially, it meant others sat while you stood, others ate while you watched, and you had to enjoy it.

The "hundred" civil and military officials was merely a nominal figure. Over the nearly two hundred years of Yaoguo's history, the number of court officials had grown far beyond that. And the VIP section would reserve twenty seats for foreign envoys attending to offer birthday wishes.

As Yao Wang's special guest, He Lingchuan naturally had a seat at the banquet, while Fan Shuang could only stand below.

Fortunately, after the formalities were completed and the banquet was halfway through, those standing officials could leave, which was considered humane.

He Lingchuan glanced around and recognized nearly half of the officials present.

Although he hadn't been in Tianshui City long, his sale of the Serene Lake residences had been flourishing. Many high-ranking officials had personally, or through intermediaries, sought him out to reserve residences as a show of loyalty, and not just loyalists like You Rongzhi and Bai Tan.

How many people would have such an opportunity to become familiar with key court officials in just a few days?

Regardless of whether they were in agreement or merely feigning it, these prominent figures were exchanging polite greetings among themselves. As soon as He Lingchuan approached, Bai Tan smiled and asked, "Island Lord He, when can we receive the residences we reserved?"

They had all paid the full amount upfront, not just a deposit.

In fact, some officials had requested to pay a deposit first when purchasing the residences, as parting with tens of thousands of taels at once was a significant financial strain. He Lingchuan had simply countered with one question, which made them drop the idea:

"Why are you buying a residence?"

"Isn't it to show loyalty to Yao Wang?"

"Should showing loyalty to the monarch be done in installments?"

Of course, the leading example set by the Clear King's Estate, Bai Tan, You Rongzhi, and other princes and high ministers was the prerequisite for other officials to be willing to pay the full amount upfront.

The power of example was immense; if even the prince paid in full, how much risk could there be?

Furthermore, Serene Lake Villa was a project personally authorized by the King.

With their golden nameplates, buyers could indeed register their purchases at the government office. This meant that the money was paid, and Tianshui City acknowledged their ownership of a property at Serene Lake, even if it wasn't built yet or ready for occupancy.

So what was there to worry about? They just needed to wait patiently.

Weren't all these princes and nobles also waiting?

"At the very earliest, it will be seven or eight months from now," He Lingchuan replied immediately. "However, with the Clear King's Estate's permission, the first lakeside residence will be opened for tours once it's completed. General Bai, please offer plenty of suggestions then."

Bai Tan laughed, "Would I still be polite with you? When will the gatehouse be finished? I just went to see it yesterday; it looked like the foundation had been raised, and the gate columns were up?"

Others, seeing how familiar He Xiao was with the old General Bai, felt a degree of admiration. Bai Tan's temper was famously straightforward and foul; over a decade ago, as a general, he had even killed someone on the streets of Tianshui City.

"Indeed. The craftsmen are working day and night; the gatehouse will be completed in another seven or eight days."

Seven or eight days? Everyone exchanged glances, wondering, "That fast?"

They didn't know that the stone components had been salvaged from the gatehouse of an abandoned manor in the suburbs. Their original designs were already exquisite; they just needed minor modifications to be reused.

Suddenly, a voice from the side said, "I'll buy one too."