The guards were not polite and there was no need to save face for the Wang family. One of them said directly, "These people belong to the Wang family. They sneaked in to cause trouble last night and were caught by us."
Everyone gasped in surprise, but their curiosity about gossip immediately ignited.
"What bad things did they do? Tell us quickly, we live nearby, so we can be on guard."
"Exactly! That sickle and those scissors look pretty scary!"
As everyone urged him on, the guard continued, "These people came in the middle of the night, trying to jump into the courtyard and ruin all the beautiful flowers in bloom!"
"You know, those beautiful flowers were meant to be sold for money or exchanged for food, and sent to the relief agency to help the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. They almost ruined them!"
"Luckily, my brother and I stayed up all night and caught them. The Wang family, no matter how much they dislike the Hundred Flowers Garden, shouldn't take their anger out on the flowers!"
"What?! They're actually going to ruin a beautiful flower? That's incredibly unethical! Who's being bothered by that flower blooming?!"
"That's right, the wall is covered with them, and no one has dared to pick a single one."
"Are you selling flowers in this flower garden to exchange for food to help people? How kind of you! Those people in the relief agency will be saved! I passed by a few days ago, and the children and the elderly in that courtyard were crying so loudly, it was heartbreaking..."
The crowd pointed and whispered about the men in black. Wang Zechen couldn't stand it, so he ignored them, got into the carriage, and left.
The men in black, supporting each other, scrambled after them and quickly disappeared from sight.
Only then did someone ask, "Brother, since you've caught them doing bad things, why don't you hand them over to the authorities?"
The guard replied, "That man was the eldest master of the Wang family. He said these people were sent by the mad third master, and he knew nothing about it. Our lord didn't want to spoil the mood of the distinguished guests inside while they were enjoying the flowers, so he released them."
"Hmph, everyone here has sharp eyes, they all know what's going on, don't they?"
"Yes, yes!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Someone whispered, "The Wang family is supposed to be a respectable family, so why are they becoming more and more underhanded? They do bad things but don't dare to admit it. They've lost all their guts. They're truly despicable!"
"Yes, I used to think the Wang family was alright, but their reputation has really gotten awful in the last two years!" Others chimed in.
"Which Wang family are you talking about? What's going on?" A new onlooker, probably from out of town, asked curiously.
So, everyone gave him a lesson on how Wang Jiaqiang had forced the scholar to marry into his family. In short, the feud between the Wang and Li families was enough to write a play.
Not to mention outside the courtyard, thanks to the guards' brilliant assistance, a propaganda war against the royal family has already been launched.
Only when they arrived at the west room of the main house did Old Lady Li, Tao Hongying, and Jiayin learn that such a dangerous incident had occurred in the Hundred Flowers Garden the previous night, and they were all filled with lingering fear.
Fortunately, Li Lao Er had taken precautions. Otherwise, losing a few potted plants would be one thing, but what if Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen were injured?
Old Mrs. Li couldn't help but scold, "Second son is getting bolder and bolder; he didn't even tell the family about this!"
Tao Hongying advised, "Mother, Second Brother is a trustworthy guard of the Marquis's mansion. Don't be angry. Just give him a few words of advice when you get back, and tell him not to put himself in danger in the future."
Grandma Li sighed, "That's all we can do. The four brothers are all grown up and have their own ideas. I, a peasant woman, can't help them, and I don't dare to give them any advice, lest I just cause them more trouble."
Jiayin felt sorry for her grandmother and quickly snuggled into her arms, saying with a grin, "Grandma, I'm still young. I'll listen to you, and you can give me advice in the future!"
Grandma Li was both amused and exasperated. She gently stroked her granddaughter's soft hair, and her mood improved.
In the courtyard, Li Lao Er had already had the guests' tea changed and served sliced jade melons.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, their earlier anxiety and fervor subsided somewhat.
Li Lao Er then said, "Distinguished guests, the period of this Earth-Emerging Golden Lotus is two hundred days. All the calyxes will bloom layer by layer. It is indeed magical and rare."
"I plan to use this golden lotus to exchange for food and commonly used medicinal herbs as the first batch of supplies to be donated to the Relief and Relief Department. Of course, it would be even better if you could borrow a doctor at the Relief and Relief Department for a month or two to treat the elderly and children."
"My starting price is five hundred dan of grain, plus a cartload of medicinal herbs. I'll distribute paper and pens to everyone in a bit, and you can raise your bids and sign your names. In the end, the highest bidder wins."
"And the second and third highest VIP customers can choose first from the remaining famous flowers. What do you all think?"
After a quick mental calculation, everyone agreed that this was a good and fair method.
Moreover, the Golden Lotus that springs from the ground is a sacred flower in Buddhism. As soon as it appears, it uses its own flesh to exchange for food to relieve suffering and distress, which is a beautiful story...
Soon, everyone received paper and pens, wrote their notes, and put them in a small basket.
Finally, Dean Zhou and two flower-loving celebrities personally inspected and compared the samples, while Li Lao Er stood aside to avoid suspicion.
A moment later, the results came out.
A gentleman surnamed Feng won first place!
His mother has been a vegetarian and a Buddhist for many years, but her health has been poor recently.
He went all out this time, not only writing down 800 dan of grain and six cartloads of medicine on the note, but also having a doctor available for consultation for three months!
Those around him were amazed by the Feng family's wealth and admired his filial piety, so they all clasped their hands in congratulations.
Li Lao Er personally presented the Golden Lotus to Lord Feng, and said with a smile, "Lord Feng can take the Golden Lotus back to see the old lady first. With the Golden Lotus's protection, the old lady will surely recover quickly. As for the grain and medicine, it's not too late to deliver them in a few days."
Lord Feng was grateful, after all, it was customary to exchange money for goods, and the fact that the Li family gave Jinlian to him first showed their trust in him.
He thanked them repeatedly, accepted the golden lotus, and then thanked everyone else as well.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was extremely harmonious.
The second highest bidder was Old Master Liu, who used his right of first refusal to choose the lotus. The third highest bidder, another distinguished guest, chose the golden phoenix.
In this way, all three potted flowers found a home.
Of the remaining pots, Li Lao Er originally wanted to keep some, but since the two final peony plants hadn't been taken out yet, he simply decided not to keep any of them.
The distinguished guests discussed and agreed to "divide" all the remaining flowers, promising to deliver them the next day.
In the end, the grain totaled over a thousand dan, the medicinal herbs over a dozen cartloads, and the silver was nearly a thousand taels!
The first day of Baihuayuan's opening was a resounding success!
Li Lao Er smiled broadly and said to everyone, "Distinguished guests, please take these flowers back with you. If there are any problems with these flowers in the future, please send them back to the Hundred Flowers Garden. Our gardeners here will help diagnose and treat them, free of charge."
"In addition, there are two pots of famous peonies that will be in full bloom in three to five days. If you have time, you are welcome to come and enjoy the flowers and have tea then."
Everyone was delighted to hear this; Baihuayuan's after-sales service was truly excellent.
However, there are two pots of famous peonies. What exactly are they?
When pressed for details, Li Lao Er smiled mysteriously, keeping everyone in suspense...
Here's the third update~~ All the flower names are from Baidu, for the sake of the plot. I'm genuinely not familiar with them, so please don't take it too seriously, my little cuties, mwah~~
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