Chapter 886: Treasure
Chapter 886 -889: Treasure
“I suppose all of you beloved courtiers noticed the row of glass houses completed at the palace gates when you entered today.” Hua Zhang was visibly in a great mood. Instead of sitting on the dragon throne, he paced back and forth across the elevated dais. “Now, please follow me. Today, we change the location of our morning assembly.”
The crowd had already heard rumors about this, but they all felt Mr. Gu’s plan was a bit too risky. Displaying so many treasures outside the palace walls meant that if anything were lost, the resulting punishment would be severe.
However, this didn’t dampen their eagerness to watch the spectacle unfold. They followed behind the Emperor in order of their official ranks.
Just after taking a right turn out of the Noon Gate, they found soldiers already standing guard. A large row of tables at the very front blocked everyone’s path.
“What is the meaning of this?” Liao Weidong was the first to ask. “The Holy Emperor is here! Quickly move these things away.”
Hua Zhang raised a hand to stop him and pulled a gold ingot from his sleeve. “Today, I invite all of you gentlemen to enjoy the exhibition with me. See if this Silver Coin is enough.”
The courtiers following behind him were left speechless. What kind of farce was this?
They watched as the Ministry of Revenue official in charge of collecting the money picked up the gold ingot, carefully verified its authenticity, and then handed it to the bookkeeper beside him. The bookkeeper picked up his brush to register the amount, then passed the Silver to a nearby soldier. “Does the Holy Emperor require change?”
Hua Zhang smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “Use the surplus Silver as a charitable donation. Record it as a separate item!”
The official then wrote a new line in a different ledger. “Thank you for your benevolence, Holy Emperor. For charitable donations…”
The courtiers remained speechless.
At this moment, Gu Wenheng pointed to a notice on the city wall. “Gentlemen, please look!”
Imperial Palace Treasure Exhibition.
These large characters leaped into everyone’s view, accompanied by a lengthy introduction on the side. It stated that all the items on display were from the Royal Family’s private collection, and the Royal Family intended to share them with the public for appreciation over the next month.
To maintain order, anyone wishing to enter and admire the treasures had to pay a set viewing fee here. If they found something suitable, they could also consult the guides stationed there and purchase the item for a price higher than the listed value. Furthermore, there was a whole series of viewing requirements that truly opened the eyes of the gathered courtiers.
But with such rules in place, who would willingly fork out Silver just to look around?
Going in just to look without buying anything would still cost a small sum of one tael of Silver. People weren’t stupid. They could use that one tael of Silver for anything else. Why must they come here to look at things that couldn’t even fill their stomachs?
Hua Zhang chuckled. “Don’t forget, the treasures here are rotated every ten days. If someone buys an item, it will be replenished as soon as possible. If you want to purchase a treasure that catches your eye, you really will have to make a few more trips.”
Everyone thought, “Profiteers…” They felt as if that word was flashing brightly above the heads of the Holy Emperor and Gu Wenheng.
They did have the desire to purchase some treasures originating from the Imperial Palace, but they only wanted to snag a bargain. They had never intended to buy them in this manner. If they went in this time and didn’t see anything they liked, they would have to pay Silver all over again just to browse.
The most outrageous part was that every time a treasure was sold, a new one would immediately take its place. To ensure they didn’t miss out on anything good, they would have to keep their eyes glued to this place. It was simply an endless loop!
Feeling the glares cast his way, Gu Wenheng looked back and gave them a nod. He noted that Mr. Liu usually had a fondness for peculiar stones, so it seemed those should be held back and introduced later. And since Mr. Li loved Mutton Fat Jade, he would have to hike up the price of Mutton Fat Jade a bit more later…
As the crowd walked inside, they realized there was much more to it than met the eye. The central aisle was four meters wide, flanked by long rows of glass display cabinets. Various treasures were neatly arranged inside, accompanied by detailed descriptions. In particular, there was a Sword Guard stationed every two meters along the rows. Trying to fish in troubled waters and steal something was absolutely impossible.
Hua Zhang led the way forward, his eyes full of awe.
Treasures that had originally been casually tossed into the storehouses by his royal father now carried an air of mystery after being arranged like this. Looking at the small print nearby, he saw that the descriptions of the treasures were exceptionally detailed. Some even had a note at the end labeling them as “one of the Supreme Emperor’s beloved treasures.”
Hua Zhang was left speechless. He wondered when his royal father had ever played with these. If he remembered correctly, these were all just cleared out from the dusty storehouses, weren’t they? They had been stuffed into storage the moment they were acquired. Where did this “beloved” nonsense come from?
He glanced back at Gu Wenheng, who was following behind him, only to see the man flash him a toothy smile and gesture for him to continue walking further in.
“Gentlemen, if you see something you like, you’d better act fast,” Gu Wenheng said. “Today, this is only open to the courtiers. Starting tomorrow, it will be open to everyone in the world. Admire them and cherish the opportunity.”
Not forgetting his manners, Gu Wenheng cupped his hands in a salute to his colleagues behind him. “The rules are all set over there. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask the soldiers standing nearby.”
“With Mr. Gu pulling these kinds of stunts, I don’t think these things will sell at all.” Liao Weidong curled his lip. “Artificially inflating the prices is one thing, but having to pay one tael of Silver just to walk through the door? Who can stand that?”
“I also think this plan is rather unreliable,” an official standing next to him immediately chimed in. “Just watch. When the time comes and no one pays Silver to view the exhibition, he will be the only one losing face.”
“Let’s just ignore it for now and see how things play out.”
Previously in the royal court, the Holy Emperor had adopted Mr. Gu’s plan, which they had deemed far too risky. However, since both the Supreme Emperor and the Holy Emperor were willing to go to such lengths, they simply adopted a spectator’s mindset and raised no further objections. Now, it seemed like it was nothing but smoke and mirrors. Items couldn’t possibly sell like this. They just had to wait a few days, and then they could swoop in and pick up some bargains.
But today was still a good opportunity to look around. If there was something that struck their fancy, they could keep it in mind and send their family retainers over later to buy it at a low price. With everyone harboring their own hidden agendas, they ended up observing the exhibits with exceptional diligence.
Seeing that everyone was only looking and not buying, Gu Wenheng merely smiled, completely unfazed. It wasn’t until they reached the very end that he finally asked, “Gentlemen, is there nothing that has caught your eye?”
They all shook their heads, saying they wanted to think it over a bit more.
Gu Wenheng nodded. Taking a pen and paper from the scribe beside him, he scribbled down dozens of items, SWISH, SWISH. “I will take all of these. In a moment, I will have my steward come over to settle the bill.”
These people were blind! The first batch of treasures on display were all genuine, top-quality goods, so they couldn’t blame him for striking first to secure the best pieces.
Yu Ligao cast him a glance and also asked for a pen and paper, jotting down a few items of his own.
Seeing the two of them so quick on the uptake, Hua Zhang nodded and smiled. “On behalf of my royal father, I thank you two gentlemen for your generosity.”
“We wouldn’t dare claim credit,” Gu Wenheng and Yu Ligao quickly replied. “These are items our hearts truly desired. We must thank the other gentlemen for yielding them to us.”
The courtiers were speechless once more.
Seeing the rest of the crowd still hesitating and observing, Hua Zhang chuckled. “Return to the Imperial Palace.”
Yu Ligao fell to the back and asked Gu Wenheng with some concern, “Mr. Gu, this task won’t be easy to manage. Why don’t we consult the major merchants in Shangjing…”
As long as those merchants were willing to step in and buy an item or two each, it would at least keep the situation from becoming embarrassing.
Gu Wenheng smiled. “Mr. Yu, please rest assured. I plan to deploy more personnel here tomorrow. My only fear is that the ensuing crowds might delay the gentlemen from entering the palace.”
Seeing him brimming with confidence, Yu Ligao said no more. Instead, he turned his thoughts back to the treasures he had selected today, wondering where he should display them once he got home.