Chapter 887: Bustling
Chapter 887 -890: Bustling
Everyone was waiting to watch the show. By the afternoon, many officials had also gone in with one tael of Silver to take a stroll, but most returned empty-handed. This made everyone feel even more at ease. Gu Wenheng had been too much in the limelight recently; it seemed he was going to suffer a massive loss this time. If everyone just looked and no one bought anything, they wanted to see how he would clean up the mess. Now, they just had to wait patiently and let the Holy Emperor see that his trusted, capable minister was nothing more than this.
Little did they know, a whirlwind had already swept through Shangjing.
Whether it was high-ranking nobles, street peddlers, or even commoners, everyone was intensely curious about what the Imperial Palace’s treasures looked like. Moreover, rumor had it that these items flowed directly from the Supreme Emperor’s private storehouse and were his personal collections.
Most people knew they would never step through the palace gates in their entire lives, let alone admire the treasures within. Now, for just one tael of civil silver, they could feast their eyes. Who wouldn’t be tempted?
Furthermore, high officials and commoners were treated equally—anyone who went to the palace gates could pay the Silver and view the exhibition. Even if their pockets lacked enough Silver to actually purchase the treasures, just getting a glimpse of them would leave them with no regrets in this life. Those who were better off had already invited their friends or gathered their families, making preparations early on.
The very next day, as the courtiers made their way to the palace for the morning assembly, they found their carriages moving at a snail’s pace. Both sides of the road were completely packed with the commoners of Shangjing.
This was unprecedented. Normally, they headed to the palace before dawn, and they would only see an occasional pedestrian on the streets. Now, it was as bustling as a lantern festival.
“What are all these people doing?” Liao Weidong had an ominous premonition. He lifted his carriage curtain and asked the guard beside him.
The guard had already gathered information. “My Lord, they are all here to see the treasure exhibition. Some have been queuing up since last night.”
Liao Weidong stared at the endless line and gasped.
Similar scenes played out in the other carriages. The courtiers traveled in silence all the way to Qingzheng Hall, their gazes toward Gu Wenheng growing increasingly complex. Even if none of the treasures were sold, the reward silver alone would amount to a staggering fortune. They wondered why this man excelled at everything when they all had the same heads on their shoulders.
Hua Zhang already knew about the commotion outside the palace. He was in an exceptionally good mood today; even this bunch of old fogeys looked much more pleasing to the eye.
“Holy Emperor, I believe it is highly inappropriate for so many commoners to gather at the palace gates. With so many people making a racket outside, it truly damages our majestic dignity.” Liao Weidong cast a provocative glance at Gu Wenheng. The idea was good, but having so many people blocking the gates was truly a loss of decorum.
“Mr. Liao is right. With so many commoners gathered at the palace gates, if anyone with ulterior motives were to slip in, the gate’s garrison commander wouldn’t be able to protect the area…” Xu Yangguang said with a worried expression, “Holy Emperor, we cannot be careless about this…”
Immediately after, others seconded the motion, feeling that such clamor at the palace gates undermined the heavenly majesty. Gu Wenheng raised an eyebrow and remained silent. Hua Zhang’s face darkened.
“Then what brilliant suggestions do Minister Liao and Minister Xu have?”
Liao Weidong replied, “Holy Emperor, I believe we should put an immediate stop to this and disperse the commoners gathered at the gates. This will also eliminate any unseen crises.”
“I second this,” Xu Yangguang added. “The palace gates are not a bustling market. Restoring peace as soon as possible is of the utmost importance.”
Hua Zhang pointed at them. “Then how should we deal with the treasures at the gates? How can we get them off our hands as quickly as possible to meet the demands you all raised?”
A wave of silence washed over the hall. It was Liao Weidong who finally broke the quiet. “I have a method. There are so many high-ranking officials and nobles in Shangjing, and their families all have some assets. We could distribute the items to each household and let them purchase the treasures first.”
This way, the treasures from those storehouses could be completely cleared out.
But soon, a chill ran down his spine as he felt the malicious glares directed at him from his surroundings. Even Xu Yangguang, who had just spoken up in agreement with him, was now glaring at him coldly. If this method were viable, they wouldn’t have let him exploit this loophole in the first place.
Forcing the nobles to consume these treasures internally meant that each estate would have to equally shoulder the burden of buying them. The amount of Silver Tael this would cost was beyond their imagination. They couldn’t possibly survive by eating and drinking treasures. What’s more, there were some officials among them whose families had fallen into decline and were only keeping up appearances.
Hua Zhang looked at Liao Weidong with great interest, but if Liao Weidong had the courage to look up at the holy visage at this moment, he would have seen the icy glare in his eyes.
“Minister Liao makes a valid point. This is indeed a good method. I just wonder what price you are willing to pay for the Supreme Emperor’s treasures.”
Liao Weidong fell silent. Gu Wenheng had already clearly marked the prices. Based on his family’s wealth, he could truly only afford one or two pieces, and he would have to look for the cheaper ones at that.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you speaking so confidently just a moment ago?” Hua Zhang scoffed coldly. “Wait another half day, and the results from the palace gates will be out. Unless you can come up with a better plan than Gu Aiqing, you will all stay quiet and watch.”
He had already done the math in his heart. If things continued at this rate, even if not a single treasure was sold, the Royal Family would still earn a substantial income just from the viewing fees. He planned to visit the harem later to discuss this with his royal father. They had agreed to sell the treasures to fund the court’s expenses, but the viewing fees were never included in that agreement.
Gu Wenheng simply maintained a faint smile today without saying a word. In truth, everyone knew what was going on; they were just unwilling to admit it.
It didn’t even take half a day. As they concluded the morning assembly and prepared to head back, news kept pouring in from the palace gates about how many more treasures had been sold, urging the palace to quickly restock.
“Have all these people gone mad?” Liao Weidong muttered to himself. One had to know that the prices Gu Wenheng set were not low at all. When did the commoners of Shangjing become this wealthy?
He didn’t understand it, but the enthusiasm of the commoners outside the palace was at an all-time high.
Those who didn’t have much Silver Tael feasted their eyes and naturally went back to spread the word enthusiastically. Meanwhile, those with surplus silver—drawn by the allure of the words “Imperial Palace Collections”—picked out an item or two within their budget, intending to keep them as family heirlooms. Since everyone shared this mindset, the subordinate officials outside the palace gates were exceptionally busy today.
The moment Gu Wenheng stepped out of the palace gates, someone immediately rushed over to ask for his help.
“My Lord, we are completely swamped here! Please, find some more people to come and help.” Vice Minister Li, who was in charge of this section, looked at Gu Wenheng as if he had just seen his savior.
They had been working non-stop since early morning, not even finding the time for a sip of water. His voice had long since become dry and hoarse. Fortunately, this was right outside the palace gates, so the commoners didn’t dare to cause any trouble. Otherwise, they really might not have been able to control the scene.
Gu Wenheng had already anticipated this scene and had been thinking about it while still inside the palace. “I will pull some more manpower over shortly. But you must hold the fort for me here. All the remaining Silver Tael must be settled and transferred to the Ministry of Revenue’s storehouse by the end of the day.”