Chapter 57: Leaving the Palace The scenery outside the palace is really beautiful! ...
Xuanye looked at Xiu Yu's bright eyes, and his mind became active. He still said, "It's not impossible to open a store. But you can't earn enough money to take over Taiwan with just your store." He shook his head.
"Don't underestimate my drawings, and don't underestimate that shop." Xiu Yu disagreed: "You can ask the kid from the old Lei family to stamp it, and don't rush to sell it. We will arrange a few people to bid. We will set the price high, and when the rich businessman offers a high price, we will hammer it out." She spoke with confidence, as if that thing had already happened before her eyes.
Xuanye folded his arms, looked at Xiu Yu seriously, and asked, "You've even figured out how to raise the price of your blueprints. Your master from outside the Great Wall is quite capable! How come I didn't know there was such a powerful figure outside the Great Wall? I should summon him to Beijing to serve the court."
"Master is quite old. Even with a sedan chair carried by eight men, I'm afraid it would be difficult to carry him into the palace," Xiu Yu said seriously. "Besides, this is not something Master can teach you." This time, she didn't avoid Xuanye's eyes and said bluntly, "When you were walking around Beijing, didn't you notice that many merchants in Liulichang were using this method to raise their prices?"
Xuanye was the emperor after all. He didn't need to ask for what he wanted. Those ministers with great connections had already inquired about it and prepared it and sent it to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Therefore, he really didn't know the market situation in Liulichang.
Seeing Xuanye remained silent, Xiu Yu continued, "If you don't believe me, you can spread the word first. Just say, 'The drawings drawn by the Emperor's imperial craftsmen, the Lei family, will soon be auctioned in the capital.' Then you can see who is truly wealthy in this world and where all the money goes."
"Start bidding?" Xuanye pondered the word for a moment: "Does it mean to start selling?"
Xiu Yu nodded and said, "You are right. It's a pity that I can't leave the palace. Otherwise, I would really like to see the wealthy families of your dynasty."
Xuanye's interest was heightened by Xiu Yu, and he said with a smile, "You came up with this plan, so whether it succeeds or fails, it will all be attributed to you. If you bring disgrace upon the Lei family, and that old man comes knocking on my door, I'll have to find someone to take the blame."
Xiu Yu was a little unhappy: "I've found a solution for you and prepared everything for you. It's fine if you don't say thank you, but you even want to arrest me to 'take the blame'. How can this be justified in the world!"
"Haha." Xuanye laughed loudly, took Xiuyu into his arms, and said, "I am the Son of Heaven. If the Son of Heaven says it is right, then it is right."
It was certainly not easy for Xuanye to get the seal of the old man from the Lei family. He stamped it on Xiuyu's drawings, spread the word, and then looked for a shop in the capital. After this series of actions, the day for Xiuyu's drawings to be auctioned was July of that year.
In the Yikun Palace, Xiu Yu changed into a dark blue gown, a small melon-shaped hat on his head, and a folding fan in his hand. As he waved it, he asked Xiao Tao, "Do you look like the dandy young men of the Eight Banners in the capital?"
"You?" Xiao Tao shook his head and said, "If all those dandy boys could look like you, the masters in Beijing would be thankful!"
Xiu Yu looked Xiao Tao up and down and said, "You look really pretty in this outfit."
"Master, why are you praising me?" Xiao Tao was a little embarrassed by the compliment on his good looks. "The Emperor is waiting anxiously outside. Don't you also want to know what the final price of your drawings will be?"
As Xiu Yu walked out, he asked Xiao Tao, "Do you really not trust your master's ability?"
Xiao Tao replied, "I am well aware of your master's abilities. But that seal isn't yours. I can't say what the outcome will be."
"Don't worry." Xiu Yu was confident: "I think that set of drawings will definitely find a good buyer today and will be exchanged for the price it deserves."
"So confident?" Xuanye was already waiting outside the warm room. When he saw Xiu Yu's outfit, he couldn't help but recall the scene when they first met, as if it happened just yesterday.
Seeing Xuanye was stunned, Xiu Yu closed her folding fan, waved it in front of him, and said, "What's wrong with you? Is it that this outfit doesn't look good on me?"
"Of course not." Xuanye embraced Xiuyu and walked out of Yikun Palace. "It's just that I remembered that you were dressed like this when I first saw you. Now, you are the master of this Yikun Palace."
Xiu Yu thought of the 'rumors' that Xiao Tao had told her a few days ago, and couldn't help but sigh: "I can't be considered the master today, right? What's more, the master of the Forbidden City is still you, the emperor. We are just staying here temporarily." There was a carefree look in her eyes, and she pursed her cherry lips, with a hint of coquettishness in them.
Xuanye smiled and said, "I said you are the master here, so you are the master here, and this will never change in this life."
Emperors are probably all this confident, and a bit conceited... Xiu Yu thought so, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said, "If you say so, then so be it. Let's get out of the palace quickly. It would be boring if we couldn't watch the excitement after the auction is over."
"If I don't go and you don't go either, it won't even begin, so how can it end?" Although Xuanye said this, he still urged Liang Jiugong to drive the carriage faster. After all, he really wanted to know how much silver he could get in exchange for Xiu Yu's paintings.
The carriage raced straight towards Shichahai. Xiu Yu took in the scenery along the way, feeling refreshed. Honestly, after spending so much time in the confined Forbidden City, it was truly wonderful to be able to take a walk outside the palace.
Xuanye fanned himself with his folding fan while looking at Xiuyu. He said, "Ever since we left the palace, your left hand has been lifting the carriage curtain. Isn't it sore?"
Xiu Yu shook his head and said, "The scenery outside the palace is really nice!"
Xuanye's face darkened: "I understand what you are saying. Is the scenery inside the palace not good?"
OK! I accidentally offended the boss with a single word. Xiu Yu was quite embarrassed, so she had to calm down, retract her arm, which was indeed a little sore, and smiled at Xuanye: "The scenery in the palace is naturally nice, but Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. It's still more free outside the palace."
I had expected Xuanye's face to darken for half a day, but unexpectedly, he actually agreed. "I also feel that life outside the palace is freer, and I don't have to abide by the strict rules of the Forbidden City. You shouldn't be so restrained either. From now on, whenever you leave the palace with me, don't call me Your Majesty. Didn't you call me Third Master before? Or Third Brother is fine too."
Xiu Yu rubbed his arm and said with a smile: "That's easy, you are also the master and the third brother!"
Xuanye was actually very easy to coax. He was very happy when he heard Xiuyu say that. He moved to Xiuyu's side and rubbed her arms while saying, "I have state affairs to attend to now. When those important matters are done and I have the energy, I will definitely take you to see the beautiful land of my Qing Dynasty."
Xiu Yu leaned closer to Xuanye and whispered, "Since Third Brother said this, Yu'er will take it seriously. I hope that many years later, Third Brother will not break his promise."
"A gentleman's word is his bond!" Xuanye vowed.
The carriage slowly stopped in front of a two-story building next to Shichahai. Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao got out first. Seeing that the outside was packed with people, Liang Jiugong couldn't help but say, "This is exaggerated!"
Xiao Tao said, "That's a picture my master drew. It's not big enough!"
The inner room was already prepared. After Xiu Yu entered, he was a little surprised. The arrangement of tables and chairs was really similar to that of an auction, except that the people sitting in the hall were all Qing Dynasty people wearing Ma Gua.
"How is it?" Xuanye took Xiuyu up to the second floor. "I had them set up according to your instructions. Is it to your liking?"
Xiu Yu put his hands behind his back, acting like a squire. "It's quite interesting. I'll bid for it later."
After the two sat down upstairs, Xuanye drank his tea and said, "Don't let it fall on your hands. I don't have the money to pay."
"Third brother is complaining about being poor now?" Xiu Yu joked, peeling peanuts while preparing to watch the fun. "You can complain, but if you complain about the money you have, that would be really incompetent."
"Wow!" Xuanye was already quite interested after seeing the atmosphere in the building, and when he heard Xiuyu say that, his interest increased even more: "Don't brag, or you'll get slapped in the face later."
Xiu Yu looked at the people sitting on the first floor and couldn't help but say, "Not only am I not afraid of slapping myself in the face, I can also guess who these drawings will end up in. Do you believe it?"
Xuanye fanned himself and shook his head, "The strangest thing in this world is people. Those who dress luxuriously are not necessarily rich, and those who dress tattered are not necessarily poor. I guess you can't tell."
"Then..." Xiu Yu said mischievously: "Shall we make a bet?"
"Okay." Xuanye looked at Xiu Yu with a smile and asked, "What do you want to lose to me?"
Xiu Yu waved her hand and said, "I'm not bragging, it's really not certain who will win or lose." She thought for a moment and said, "How about this, if I lose to Third Brother, I will make you a pot of soup you've never tasted before, using all the ingredients and spending as much time as possible."
"Sounds okay." Xuanye nodded.
Xiu Yu asked, "You lost? What did you lose to me?"
Xuanye stretched out his right hand. Liang Jiugong understood and took out a piece of paper with some unknown words written on it from his pocket and put it in Xuanye's hand. Xuanye put the paper on the table and said, "If I lose, this is yours."
"Come prepared." Xiu Yu stretched out his hand, wanting to see what was written on the paper.
Xuanye immediately grabbed her wrist and said, "We'll see after you win. I guarantee it will be to your liking. Now guess who will win those pictures of yours in the end?"
"Okay." Xiu Yu looked at the people sitting below, his gaze landing on a man in the second row, slightly to the west. "That guy in the moon-white robe, I guess he'll wait until the end, and he'll definitely get the pictures."
"Why do you think so?" Xuanye looked at the man's profile. He was very thin and didn't look like a wealthy person.
Xiu Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "It's a secret."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
