jdhmnovel Chapter 1245 Red Thorn Grass Liquid Transaction
Chapter 1245 Red Thorn Grass Liquid Transaction
The Salt and Iron Commissioner was a highly coveted position in local government.
Both salt and iron were core monopolized sources of revenue for the imperial court, so one can imagine how "lucrative" the local salt and iron commissioners were.
Power breeds arrogance, and Lin Wanshan never imagined that anyone would dare to challenge him in the auction.
"My lord..." the servant replied, head bowed, "The people in Tian Liu's private room said... their master has plenty of money; even if that's just a bottle of sugar water on the stage, they'd still bid for it..."
Not short of money...
Lin Wanshan's chest heaved, his right hand gripping the teacup on the table tightly.
That man wasn't lacking in money; he was clearly unafraid of offending people!
"Are the people from the Fifth Chamber of Commerce inside too?" Lin Wanshan's voice was low with anger.
"Yes, yes..." The servant dared not look up. "According to the servants in the pavilion, the woman who entered the pavilion with Chen Zhikuan, the head of the Fifth Chamber of Commerce, was a woman wearing a black veil. Many people in the pavilion are speculating about the woman's identity, saying that she is very likely the eldest daughter of the Fifth Chamber of Commerce, Fifth Tanwei."
"Fifth Detective?" Lin Wanshan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Just a lowly merchant, relying on his insignificant official rank, dares to fawn over me..."
wrong.
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Wanshan suddenly froze.
Although Wu Tanwei was the registrar of the county government, which could be considered as having half an official position, would his attendants address him as "my master"?
What kind of "elder" is the registrar? Saying it would only make people laugh.
No, no...
Lin Wanshan suddenly stood up, his thoughts racing.
The woman associated with the fifth family was an official who dared to openly compete with him, and even dared to slap him in the face...
A name slowly surfaced in Lin Wanshan's mind.
broken......
broken!
Lin Wanshan grabbed the servant's arm and hurriedly asked, "Is everyone outside saying that Shen Zheng is looking for the Red Thorn Grass Elixir?"
The attendant, pulled back by his tug, nodded: "Indeed, there is such a rumor..."
Lin Wanshan's heart sank. He pushed aside the servants, opened the door, and strode towards the six private rooms of the Heavenly Palace.
"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"
When the door to the private room was knocked on, Shen Zheng was instructing Chen Zhikuan to raise the price to 30,000.
Now, besides Lin Wanshan, the only other person still vying with her for the Red Thorn Grass Elixir is a mysterious figure in the private room on the second floor.
According to Chen Zhikuan's guess, the person on the second floor should be familiar with the seller of the Red Thorn Grass Liquid, and the frequent price matching was just to support the seller's price.
To be frank, the only two people in the pavilion who are truly interested in competing for the Crimson Thorn Grass Elixir are her and Lin Wanshan.
"Knock knock knock—" The door to the private room was knocked on for the second time.
Hua Duo's ears twitched slightly, and he whispered to Shen Zheng, "Master, it's that official surnamed Lin."
Shen Zheng paused, her eyebrows slightly raised beneath the black veil.
Lin Wanshan arrived quite quickly.
She raised her chin, and Hua Duo gestured, "Open the door."
Hua Duo opened the carved wooden door as instructed, and Lin Wanshan appeared at the doorway.
"Please come inside for a chat, Lord Lin." Shen Zheng raised her teacup to him.
Lin Wanshan paused, his gaze fixed on the veil on Shen Zheng's head. "I am Lin Wanshan, Salt and Iron Commissioner of Yuanzhou. May I ask... what is your honorable surname?"
Shen Zheng chuckled softly and took off her veil: "Lord Lin has already guessed, hasn't he?"
The face, no longer veiled, came straight into Lin Wanshan's view.
Lin Wanshan was certain he had never seen this face before, yet at this moment, he could immediately ascertain the other person's identity: "Lord Shen?"
It really was her...
The rumor was actually true...
For a moment, Lin Wanshan was in a state of utter confusion.
Shen Zheng smiled slightly and gestured with her hand, "Lord Lin, please sit down."
"This humble official..." Lin Wanshan's throat tightened, and he stood motionless at the doorway. "This humble official was unaware of Lord Shen's arrival in Yuanzhou. I have been quite rude earlier, and I hope Lord Shen will forgive me..."
If the woman before him were merely a prefect, he wouldn't be so humble. But the truth is, she is not only the prefect of Liuyang, but also the assistant minister of the Six Ministries appointed by His Majesty despite opposition.
So what if being the Salt and Iron Commissioner was a coveted position?
No matter how "beautiful" she is, can she be as "beautiful" as a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the capital?
"Lord Lin, you flatter me." Shen Zheng gestured for Hua Duo to close the door to the private room, and then said, "Today, I am just one of the hundreds of bidders in this pavilion, just like Lord Lin. Lord Lin, there is no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."
Listening to Shen Zheng's impeccably polite words, Lin Wanshan broke out in a light sweat.
The door to the private room had already been closed; he couldn't leave even if he wanted to...
Helpless, he could only slowly walk to the table and carefully sit down.
As soon as he sat down, Chen Zhikuan, standing in front of the railing, called out another price: "Thirty thousand five hundred taels!"
Lin Wanshan was terrified when he heard the bid, but Shen Zheng asked him, "Lord Lin, aren't you going to raise the price?"
Price increase?!
Lin Wanshan's hair stood on end.
In this situation, how could he possibly raise the price!
"This humble official...this humble official..." In his desperation, he remembered the excuse Young Master Lu had used: "This humble official is penniless and has no strength left to contend. I'm sorry to have made you a laughingstock..."
"Lord Lin is joking. How can fair competition be a joke?" Shen Zheng smiled as she poured him a cup of tea, raised it, and said, "In that case, thank you very much for your generosity, Lord Lin."
Seeing that Shen Zheng had no intention of pursuing the matter, Lin Wanshan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and raised his cup, saying, "May Lord Shen's wish be fulfilled."
For him, this is the best possible outcome.
Although he wasn't entirely without connections in the capital, offending the person before him for a bottle of antidote would be unwise...
Just then, Chen Zhikuan, standing in front of the fence, had already raised the price to 32,000 taels.
"Thirty-two thousand taels!" Yunniang's excited voice came from downstairs: "Thirty-two thousand taels, is there any other distinguished guest making an offer!"
It's easy to tell from Yunniang's tone that the price of "32,000 taels" far exceeds Jubaoge's estimate of the Red Thorn Grass Liquid.
After waiting for two breaths, the mysterious person on the second floor did not raise the price again.
"Thirty-two thousand taels at a time!" Yunniang slowly extended her finger toward the jade mallet.
"Thirty-two thousand taels twice!" Yunniang grasped the jade mallet in her hand.
“Thirty-two thousand two or three times!” Yunniang’s eyes swept across the entire pavilion.
After confirming that no one else would bid higher, Yunniang slightly raised her wrist and, under everyone's gaze, gently tapped the jade chime with her jade mallet.
"Ding--"
A clear and melodious sound emanated from the jade chime, instantly spreading throughout the entire Jubao Pavilion.
"Thirty-two thousand taels! Sold!" Yunniang looked up at the third floor, smiling broadly, "Let us congratulate our distinguished guest on the third floor for winning the Crimson Thorn Grass Elixir!"
The hall erupted in applause, interspersed with a few envious sighs.
In the private room, Shen Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and slowly leaned back in her chair.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Xu Yunyan's life is saved.
Chen Zhikuan's face also showed joy. He immediately came to Shen Zheng's side and said respectfully, "Lord Shen, I will go and call someone to handle the handover immediately."