Chapter 1508: Soaring Prices

Chapter 1493: Soaring Prices

Needless to say, the area outside the building was covered in cyclamen, which at this season bloomed into a vibrant and uninhibited sea of reddish-pink flowers.

Nearly three hundred officials attended today's ribbon-cutting ceremony. With ten people per table, that would be dozens of tables, and the "Cyclamen" building was completely filled, both upstairs and downstairs.

In the past, only King Yao's birthday banquet would see such a gathering. Ordinarily, minor officials like Fan Shuang would never have the privilege of drinking with scions of aristocratic families.

Even at Cyclamen, seating was typically segregated. Minor officials sat with minor officials, and aristocratic families kept to themselves, without intermingling.

To manage today's grand event, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce had long since invited renowned chefs from various restaurants in Tianshui City, along with over 1,700 kitchen staff and attendants in total, to prepare the banquet for these three hundred guests.

The banquet naturally featured delicacies from both land and sea. Most of the "sea delicacies" were specialties from the Yangshan Archipelago, such as abalones larger than a fist, and large, wobbly yellow croaker fish maw, stewed to a soft, fragrant perfection. The aim was to ensure guests left completely satisfied with their meal.

There were also raffles during the banquet, with prizes divided into crystal, gold, and silver tiers, all of considerable value. These were, in fact, treasures salvaged from the Yangshan waters. Even those with less luck received a consolation prize: a beautifully packaged and generous gift bag filled with specialties from the Yangshan Archipelago.

He Lingchuan's goal was to ensure every guest left with something substantial, feeling they had truly gained something.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony involved significant expenses, but he didn't care in the slightest.

Because every penny spent on marketing would eventually be recouped from the nobles of Tianshui City.

The cost would ultimately be borne by the very people who benefited.

Indeed, from the very next day, the buzz around Hidden Lake Villa reignited, both within and outside the royal court, and quickly spread from the palace to the common people.

Even though it had nothing to do with ordinary citizens, they grew more and more excited as they discussed it. They could describe in vivid detail how comfortable and luxurious Hidden Lake Villa was, and how captivating the scenery across the lake was, making it sound as if it were a royal palace commission.

“Oh, do you know how grand that main gatehouse is? Even the palace city doesn’t have such a wide gate!”

“Can you just say things like that casually?”

“Why not? The construction of Hidden Lake Villa involved the Imperial Workshop, and even court artisans were dispatched there. No matter how it was built, wasn’t it approved by the royal court?”

Some intrigued individuals even connected it to the turmoil at King Yao's birthday celebration, vividly describing it as a grand power struggle.

“Do you know who lives across from Hidden Lake Villa? Do you know why the King insisted on building a house at Hidden Lake?” He said this with a wink and a knowing look.

“Yes, the Regent lives there. But what does the King building a house at Hidden Lake have to do with the Regent?”

“Think! Think hard! Use your tiny, sparrow-egg-sized brain and think!”

“No, why would the King go against the Regent? They were sent by Beijia!” The man was uneasy. “If Beijia is displeased, won’t we be in big trouble?”

“Pathetic, look at how scared you are. Even if Beijia is the world's hegemon, it's tens of thousands of miles away from us, so what can they do to you or me, huh?”

Debate and unease floated everywhere, both in the palace and among the populace.

Amidst all this commotion, the second phase of villas at Hidden Lake Villa began to be sold at Red Fort.

Unlike the rushed launch of the first phase, this second phase fully leveraged public opinion for its promotion before going on sale.

Exclusive Hidden Lake, a timeless masterpiece.

Indeed, the selling point this time was that Hidden Lake Villa would only have two phases in total, meaning these forty-odd villas, once sold, would be truly exclusive.

Being exclusive, they would have collectible value and potential for appreciation.

While making money was currently quite comfortable, He Lingchuan didn't plan to stay in Yao Kingdom for too long, and intended to quit while he was ahead.

On the day of the sale, Red Fort was surrounded by a dense crowd, and business at nearby shops also boomed as a result.

At the Red Fort auction, He Lingchuan changed the auction order, starting with the villas in the back row, followed by the middle row, front row, and finally the lakefront first row.

Time was limited. Only eight villas would be auctioned each day, with auctions held every other evening, completing the sale within twelve days.

Besides maintaining interest, this also gave potential buyers ample time to think and... raise funds.

Participants found the so-called "blind auction" very novel. There was no need for multiple rounds of bidding; a single submission determined the winner, which saved a lot of time.

Participants submitted their price slips. The auctioneer collected them, reading out each bid one by one, and the highest bidder won.

The first villa in the back row was thus smoothly auctioned off for 31,000 taels, acquired by the Governor of Mangzhou.

There was a stir in the crowd. No one had expected that a villa in the last row would fetch a price almost matching that of a lakefront villa from the first phase!

This was the power of the blind auction.

He Lingchuan had invited all the officials to the villa's unveiling ceremony precisely for this effect.

Then came the second and third villas, whose prices actually dropped slightly compared to the first.

Evidently, everyone believed that the price for the first villa was somewhat inflated.

He Lingchuan watched from behind the scenes, arms crossed. Dong Rui asked him, “Hey, why did the price drop?”

“No worries,” He Lingchuan said dismissively. “Just wait and see.”

By the sixth villa, the prices began to climb again, with the final sale at 31,200 taels.

The seventh villa reached 35,000 taels.

The last villa to be auctioned today, the eighth in the back row, finally sold for 41,700 taels!

With this single jump of 6,000 taels, when the auctioneer announced the price loudly, the audience erupted in gasps of "Wow!".

Unbelievable! A villa from the last row of the second phase was even more expensive than a lakefront one from the first phase!

He Lingchuan explained to Dong Rui: “The villas in the back row are all about value for money. When the auction first started, there were eight villas, and everyone was calm, wanting to wait and see. But when only the last one remained, buyers got anxious, realizing that subsequent prices would only get higher.”

Anxiety meant paying more.

Yuwen Xu, who was present to show support, wanted to burst out laughing, but restrained himself, not daring to lose composure with people around. He could only cover his mouth and cough forcefully.

What a bargain! The lakefront villa from the first phase that he had snatched from He Lingchuan was truly a steal.

Although the Yuwen family was not short of money, seeing the villa he had purchased skyrocket in value within just a few days still filled him with immense satisfaction.

He had both shown his loyalty to the King and acquired an appreciating asset. Two birds with one stone!

As the night passed, some rejoiced while others fretted.

The next day happened to be a grand morning court session at Yao's court, and the attending officials were all discussing the matter. Among the officials who had bought villas, two were assigned excellent positions by King Yao. The Governor of Mangzhou, who had been implicated in Xue Zongwu's death and was initially expected to face severe punishment (officials had predicted he would be exiled to the western frontier), was instead demoted by King Yao to Zhuo'an.

While Zhuo'an couldn't compare to Mangzhou, the second largest city, in prosperity, it was still near the capital and had a decent economy and trade. If this governor managed carefully and performed diligently, he might still have a chance for promotion.

This situation, where the big stick was raised high but brought down gently, left everyone wondering whether it was the result of his submission and loyalty or if King Yao had intended it all along.

Regardless, all officials believed that the Governor's 41,700 taels were money well spent.

Didn't cause and effect align perfectly? A small financial loss averted a major disaster.

With such vivid examples of both positive and negative outcomes, the second auction held at Red Fort the following evening was an even greater spectacle.

That evening, the villas in the second-to-last row of Hidden Lake Villa went up for auction.

When the blind bid for the first villa was revealed, many secretly thought, 'As expected:'

49,000 taels!

Powerful bidders were now gradually realizing two key points:

Firstly, only thirty-eight villas remained at Hidden Lake Villa, and each one sold meant one less available.

Secondly, prices would only increase further down the line!

The more people realized these two points, the sooner the fierce competition for villas began.

That night, the price for the last villa in the second-to-last row, amidst heated competition, soared to 83,000 taels!

When the auctioneer announced it, it immediately caused a sensation at the venue.

The bid came from the Lao Residence.

Fan Shuang whispered to He Lingchuan, “The Lao Residence is an old aristocratic family in Tianshui City that had fallen into decline, but fifteen years ago, they married their youngest daughter to Qi Shu'an, and since then, they became wealthy.”

“They became wealthy from that?”

“Qi Shu'an is a distant nephew of Qi Yunsheng. He doesn't hold an official position in court; he's a successful big merchant. He handles many businesses, and his most profitable one—”

“Lending money.”

He Lingchuan let out an 'oh' sound. “Usury?”

“Yes.” Usury has never been a respectable business, and only those with connections can engage in it. “Qi Shu'an leveraged his connections with Qi Yunsheng and General Xue to make his business thrive, and no one dared to cross him. However, both of them recently met with misfortune.”

He Lingchuan nodded.

The two major patrons Qi Shu'an relied on had fallen. If he still wanted to prosper in Tianshui City, he would need to find new patronage.

Just at the right moment, King Yao extended his influence. Wouldn't Qi Shu'an, through the Lao Residence, have to seize the opportunity tightly?

These 83,000 taels were the price of his allegiance and submission.

Heh, even moneylenders came flocking, hearing the news.

Just then, He Lingchuan suddenly heard someone nearby say gruffly:

“What kind of world is this, where even moneylenders are qualified to buy a Hidden Lake villa?”

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. He turned to look and saw it was Bai Tan speaking, with two officials seated beside him.

The two officials were nodding submissively, clearly of lower rank.

However, the rules tonight were simple: the highest bidder won. Bai Tan spat on the ground. “A worthless scoundrel!”

He clearly understood Qi Shu'an's purpose in buying the villa.

But such language was extremely offensive, especially in public. Someone in the front row turned to glare at Bai Tan, their face grim, but they dared not speak. He Lingchuan surmised that it was either someone from the Lao Residence or Qi Shu'an's own people.

He then asked Fan Shuang, “Does General Bai have a grudge against Qi Shu'an or the Lao Residence?”

“Uh…” Fan Shuang's face showed hesitation.

He Lingchuan understood immediately. “It seems so. Alright, I understand.”

Feeling apologetic, Fan Shuang still leaned in and whispered to him, “Actually, General Bai was at odds with General Xue. Brother He, you know that when General Xue was alive, he was rather…”

Arrogant, overbearing, and conceited.

“Regarding matters involving the Xue family, the Bai family, and the military, the Ministry of Justice had some cases they couldn't investigate further.”

He Lingchuan nodded.

“General Bai is a descendant of a famous founding general, a genuine old noble family with a distinguished record. He himself has military merits and wasn't intimidated by General Xue's influence. Therefore, the two of them had always been at loggerheads.”

(End of chapter)