Lu Nancheng sat upright in the Hall of Diligent Governance, scrutinizing the financial reports and documents submitted by various prefectures.
He was seen sometimes frowning and sometimes smiling.
Suddenly, as if he had discovered some amazing secret, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but slap the table in amazement.
"This Wang Xiuxiu is quite capable! Those merchants, though they used to fear the imperial court's authority, have never been so eager to pay taxes as they are now!"
The chief eunuch standing to the side, seeing the emperor in such a good mood, naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to flatter him.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Merchants have always been driven by profit, and the Consort's plan is truly ingenious. It not only makes the merchants willingly pay taxes, adding a lot of revenue to the court's finances, but also enhances the reputation of the auction. It is truly a win-win situation!"
Hearing this, Lu Nancheng felt even more relieved. "Haha, well said! With this tax revenue, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Meanwhile, Wang Xiuxiu, on the other side, was delighted by the merchants' enthusiasm, but she was completely bewildered by the constant stream of information being sent over.
She wasn't good at handling these kinds of things, and seeing Su Yingxue looking equally troubled with the documents, she simply waved her hand and ordered the servants to pack everything up and send it all to Lu Jingze's study.
When Lu Jingze stepped into the study, he was startled by the mountain of letters and documents in front of him. Upon hearing the reason, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
Now that it's been delivered, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and start sorting it out.
In the evening, Wang Xiuxiu displayed her virtuous nature by specially ordering someone to prepare a bowl of ginseng soup, which she personally delivered to Lu Jingze's study.
Lu Jingze took the ginseng soup and felt a surge of emotion. He worked even harder.
With the addition of Lu Jingze, a capable assistant, the originally complicated and tedious matters instantly became simple, and Wang Xiuxiu and Su Yingxue were able to work freely to discuss the arrangements for the venue.
The two were extremely busy, and the invitations were already so extravagant, so one can imagine that the real highlight—the venue setup—would require even more meticulous planning to match.
However, in practice, the task of site selection alone was enough to give Wang Xiuxiu a huge headache.
This place must be able to accommodate guests from all directions, and it must also showcase unparalleled luxury and grandeur in its design.
Just when they were at their wits' end, Su Yingxue came up with an idea and let the Empress know about the predicament they were facing.
The Empress had received orders from the Emperor beforehand, requiring her to cooperate to the fullest extent possible.
Therefore, the Empress made a decisive decision and immediately dispatched her subordinates to lead Wang Xiuxiu and Su Yingxue to the royal residence in the suburbs of the capital for an on-site inspection.
Upon arriving at her destination, Wang Xiuxiu was deeply attracted by the magnificent scene before her and nodded excitedly.
Seeing this, Su Yingxue had a better idea of what to do. She talked with the trusted nanny by the Empress's side and decided to choose this place as the venue.
To ensure the smooth setup of the entire venue, they specially invited officials from the Ministry of Rites to assist them.
These officials were all highly experienced, and they could implement Wang Xiuxiu's wildest ideas reasonably and apply them to the venue setup.
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The auction began, and the Minister of Revenue personally took the stage to deliver a speech.
Subsequently, Lu Jingze arrived with a group of court officials and presented a plaque inscribed by the Emperor.
Upon seeing this, Wang Xiuxiu had the red silk lifted and showed it to everyone on the spot.
He added that the plaque would be given as a prize to the person who donated the most money to charity at the auction.
The moment the words "A Family of Good Deeds" appeared before everyone, the atmosphere reached a climax.
The auction was conducted in an orderly manner, with staff members systematically arranging the exquisite exhibits one by one according to the established procedures.
As time went on, the auction gradually entered its final stage, and the grand finale was finally unveiled—a set of writing implements personally blessed by the Emperor and Empress.
When this precious exhibit was displayed to the public, the scene erupted in an uproar.
The people had different thoughts: some had already spent all the money they brought with them, and now that they saw such a rare treasure, they were filled with regret.
Meanwhile, others who still had some money were eager to participate in the auction, hoping to acquire the set of writing implements.
Finally, the auction concluded successfully amidst fierce bidding.
Wang Xiuxiu and Su Yingxue were excited about the success of the auction, but also troubled by the tedious work that followed.
Next, they need to be responsible for a series of follow-up matters such as registering and distributing the exhibits, which is no easier than preparing for the auction.
Seeing that the two were busy, Lu Jingze decided to return to the palace first to report the situation to the Emperor.
Just as he turned to leave, the Minister of Revenue also intended to leave with him.
Wang Xiuxiu, with her sharp eyes, noticed this and quickly gave Lu Jingze a meaningful look.
"Minister Qi, please wait a moment. Although the women in our family are fortunate enough to participate in the preparation of this auction, the amount of money involved in collecting payments for the subsequent sales is quite substantial! Such an important matter can only be truly reassuring to His Majesty if a highly respected pillar of the court like yourself personally oversees it!"
These words pleased the Minister, whose face wrinkled up. "Your Highness is absolutely right. In that case, I will immediately send someone to the yamen to find some people who are good at arithmetic to assist us!"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Qi!"
"It's no trouble at all! Your Highness is too kind. This is all my duty!"
After saying that, he immediately set about arranging the relevant matters.
Once the fundraising and accounting records were verified and submitted, the matter was considered completely resolved by Wang Xiuxiu and Su Yingxue.
Wang Xiuxiu encouraged Su Yingxue to take the young prince to a hot spring resort in the suburbs of Beijing for a vacation.
When Lu Jingze returned home, he couldn't find anyone anywhere. Only after asking did he learn that he had been left alone at home!
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