A piece of top-quality rice paper, framed by the hands of the most top-notch mounting master, was brought up by the clerk.
The four big characters "Exclusively for Imperial Purpose" on the rice paper can blind anyone's eyes.
The scarlet jade seal on the left, plus an emperor's private seal, can not only blind people's eyes, but also stop people's hearts.
"Is this true?"
"Is this the Emperor's calligraphy?"
"It can't be fake, right?"
"I've lived for decades, never dreaming that one day I would not only be able to see your majesty's calligraphy, but also the imperial seal. That's enough."
There was chaos in the hall.
These wealthy merchants, although they are extremely wealthy and wear gold and silver, the governor of a province is their guest of honor.
However, when faced with the emperor's own calligraphy, they are all a bunch of country bumpkins and crazy fans.
Everyone rushed to the front desk, wanting to observe the emperor's calligraphy up close.
Everyone is asking, “Is this real?”
How powerful is Sihai Trading Company to be able to obtain the emperor's calligraphy?
Could it be that today's auction is the auction of the emperor's calligraphy?
That's not right!
Can the emperor's calligraphy be bought and sold casually? Aren't you afraid of being beheaded?
The emperor is rich and powerful, can he be so poor as to auction off his own calligraphy?
No way!
Amidst the excitement, the wealthy merchants remained calm and rational.
Not bad, not bad.
Seeing that the atmosphere was heating up, Er Zhuang picked up the loudspeaker and shouted, "Everyone, look carefully. Yes, this is the emperor's calligraphy. It's genuine and we will not cheat you. Everyone, please trust the reputation of Sihai Trading Company. Sihai Trading Company will never do business that will cost you your life."
"How much?" Wu Dabiao was really fierce and asked how much it cost right away.
Local businessmen were terrified.
The ignorant are fearless.
How dare you ask how much the emperor's calligraphy costs? Are you looking for death?
This is a priceless treasure, a priceless treasure that can be regarded as a family heirloom, do you understand?
He is indeed a country bumpkin.
Er Zhuang laughed heartily on the stage, "This gentleman asked a good question. How much does the Emperor's calligraphy cost? Everyone must be wondering, can the Emperor's calligraphy be sold? Today I tell you, yes! And it's not just for one person; anyone has the opportunity to buy it."
How do I buy it? Everyone, listen carefully. What I am going to say next is related to your future. Don’t miss a single word.”
Everyone pricked up their ears and stretched their necks.
At this moment, everyone was no longer a well-informed businessman, but rather a hungry and thirsty man, a gambler, eager to rush forward, snatch the calligraphy and run away.
Erzhuang remembered what Gu Jiu reminded him. When others were excited, he must not get excited. He had to be calmer than anyone else. Only in this way could he control the situation and lead the wealthy merchants to follow his ideas.
"Do you know why His Majesty bestowed this calligraphy? The Emperor is so busy with affairs, yet he took the time to bestow this calligraphy. This is because it is His Majesty's praise for merchants all over the world..."
Er Zhuang followed Gu Jiu's manuscript and started his first big scam in his life.
He was very nervous at first.
But later on, he became calmer and calmer, not more excited.
Especially when he saw the powerful businessmen off the court getting excited and thrilled by his words, his life was sublimated at that moment.
But not everyone is affected by Er Zhuang's words.
Box No. 8.
The emperor had a gloomy face and glanced at Liu Zhao, "What that person said was probably taught by your wife, right?"
Liu Zhao was sweating profusely, "My grandson never asks about Xiaojiu's affairs."
"snort!"
The emperor was unhappy.
That piece of calligraphy was clearly Gu Jiu's bargaining condition, but how did it become the emperor's praise for the merchants all over the world in Gu Jiu's mouth?
absurd!
Looking at the people on the stage speaking eloquently, it was clear that they had grasped Gu Jiu's essence of deceiving people.
No, what the person on the stage said was clearly what Gu Jiu meant.
The person on the stage simply memorized Gu Jiu's script and recited it in front of everyone.
Listening to Erzhuang's nonsense, the emperor could hardly bear it any longer.
But the wealthy merchants in the hall were all shouting and the atmosphere was completely heated up.
Just when the emperor was getting impatient, Er Zhuang changed the subject.
"The emperor is rich, yet his residence is shabby and dilapidated. How can we, as his subjects, bear this?"
The emperor's brow twitched. Who said the place he lived in was shabby? Didn't he have any dignity?
At this moment, everyone in Room 8 looked at Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao, what is your wife up to?
Liu Zhao was sweating so much that he didn’t even know!
He never asked about Gu Jiu's affairs in detail. He also didn't know what kind of medicine Gu Jiu was selling.
I just heard Er Zhuang continue to lie.
"...Now you have a chance to repay the Emperor's kindness. Purchase this calligraphy, and for the next five years, all your products will be engraved with the words 'Exclusively for the Imperial Family.'
For example, the Zhang family makes bricks, and your bricks can be engraved with the four characters "Exclusively for the Imperial Family." Your Zhang family is truly the best in the brick-making industry.
Remember, it's valid for five years. During these five years, all bricks from your Zhang family will be branded with the four golden signs "Exclusively for the Imperial Family." "The Emperor guarantees this, and we will never cheat anyone."
boom!
The place was boiling.
"My family sells tea leaves. Can you buy my calligraphy?"
"My family is in the cloth business..."
"My family makes porcelain..."
"My family makes fur..."
The wealthy businessmen were excited, and they were truly excited, not just because they were fooled.
Exclusively for the royal family, every word is worth a fortune. This glittering golden signboard, while only valid for five years, will pay off in one or two years. In the remaining years, relying on this golden signboard, you'll definitely make a killing.
Damn, this is the right time to come back.
The things produced by Sihai Trading Company should not be underestimated.
Take Yuhua Lane for example. The first batch of houses have just been delivered, and the housing prices have already doubled.
The house that was originally bought for 4,000 taels was sold for 8,000 taels in just a few months. The profit was 4,000 taels.
Everyone who bought the house at the time made a profit.
And judging by the momentum of Yuhua Lane Wharf, the prices of houses in Yuhua Lane will continue to rise.
In just a few months, the Yuhuaxiang Wharf has tripled in size.
Every day, dozens, sometimes hundreds of ships come and go.
What is being pulled on the boat? It’s money!
What a lot of money.
What is money?
Money is popularity!
The goods are unloaded at Yuhuaxiang Wharf, and the first stop is Yuhuaxiang.
The owner who developed Yuhua Lane is very smart.
From the very beginning, the houses they planned were for merchants to use as shops or warehouses, rather than as residences.
Nowadays, Yuhua Lane is full of people from morning to night.
People come and go, and many people are happy to go to Yuhua Lane to buy things, watch the fun, or find work.
The owners of the shops in Yuhua Lane are all wealthy merchants, commonly known as wholesalers. Their prices are cheaper than those of other shops.
Occasionally, when they are not busy, their guys will come out to greet passers-by and do some small business.
Therefore, many ordinary people, in order to save money, are willing to go to Yuhua Alley to buy things, even if it means walking a few more blocks.
Even before all the houses in Yuhua Lane were delivered, the place had already become bustling and popular.
Most of the people who bought houses in Yuhua Lane were merchants from other places.
Local merchants were dissatisfied and missed out on this wave of benefits.
This time, the local merchants in Beijing learned their lesson and began to band together.
Obviously, the five-year "royal exclusive" use rights are a glittering money-making weapon.
Several local wealthy merchants huddled together, discussing how to collaborate and win the bid. They couldn't let the outsiders take advantage of the situation.
Huh?
Deng Cunli let out a cry of surprise.
Gu Jiu asked him, "What's going on?"
Deng Cunli whispered, "This old servant saw a few familiar faces. One is the Xue family's steward, one is the Pei family's steward, and one is from the Zhao Wangfei's family."
The Shaofu family official stroked his beard and laughed, "I guess they heard the news and decided to come and get involved. Xiaojiu, it will be difficult to deal with these people when they come."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "It's not that difficult. Business is business. In the market, we only care about money, reputation, and strength, not face. If anyone makes me unhappy, I will make him unhappy for the rest of his life."
The Shaofu family commander frowned, "Xiaojiu, listen to my advice and don't be so angry."
Gu Jiu laughed. "Our ancestors were right. Harmony brings wealth. Old Deng, go down and keep an eye on things and help maintain order. By the way, ask where Bai Zhong has gone. The bidding is about to start, and he's gone. That's outrageous."
"As you command, I obey." Deng Cunli bowed and went to the first floor.
Bai Zhong was serving the emperor at this time, explaining things to him.
The emperor listened to Er Zhuang spitting and snorted twice to express his dissatisfaction.
It turns out that Gu Jiu bargained for his calligraphy in order to do this.
How much is the right to use the four golden signs of "Exclusively for Royal Supply" for five years worth?
The emperor does not understand business and cannot make accurate judgments.
So he decided to watch patiently.
Er Zhuang said loudly, "...I would like to remind everyone that the primary purpose of this auction is to repair the three main halls. So everyone here, if the quality of the bricks you make is not good enough and does not meet the requirements of the Ministry of Works, I'm sorry, it's best not to raise your hand to bid.
If you bid for the "Royal Exclusive" brand, but can't find quality bricks, then sorry, we have the right to take back the brand, take 30% of the bid amount, and only refund 70% of the bid amount. We will also blacklist your bricks and announce to the world that your bricks are not good.
What? Block!
Slander is slander, and they even block you!
The word "blacklist" is unfamiliar, but it does not prevent everyone from understanding its meaning.
Everyone was whispering and assessing the strength of each family.
There were personnel from the Ministry of Works and the Supervisor of the Ministry of Works at the scene.
They can provide consultation to merchants and tell them what the quality standards for materials required to repair the three main halls are.
The Shaofu Jiangzuo also prepared samples and pushed them all onto the stage.
Erzhuang shouted, "These are all samples. If your goods can reach this quality, you can participate in the bidding. Don't worry about being blacklisted by us."
Block your whole family.
The wealthy merchants complained in their hearts, and at the same time they walked forward to check the samples provided by the supervisor.
Some wealthy merchants were unsure and simply went outside to call the steward in. They didn't understand, but the steward did.
If the manager says it’s okay, the wealthy businessman can participate in the auction with confidence.
Wu Dabiao owns many businesses, one of which is the timber business.
He is eligible to bid.
However, looking at the wealthy businessmen, Wu Dabiao felt a little guilty.
The kidnapping case a while ago involved too many people and he suffered heavy losses.
There is not much money available at the moment.
Judging from the situation, it is probably beyond your ability to win the "Exclusively for Royal Supply" golden signboard on your own.
He turned his eyes and saw some familiar old guys.
He made a decision immediately: he would gather others to contribute and bid together.
There are many people who share the same idea as Wu Dabiao.
The hall was full of people visiting.
You try to win me over, I try to win him over, and we all put aside our prejudices and divide ourselves by region. A few fellow villagers form a partnership and bid together.
Erzhuang then announced the catalog of goods that could be auctioned.
Any business that sells the following goods can participate in the auction.
All the carriage and horse companies, shipping companies, and grain dealers, please don’t come and join in the fun.
There's no place for you this time.
From bricks, tiles, stone and wood, to paper, carving, flooring, flowers and trees, gardening...
All projects related to fellow practitioners’ houses are included.
The Shaofu Household Manager was secretly shocked when he saw the bustling hall.
He asked Gu Jiu, "Can we sell it? There are so many goods, but only about 200 merchants. It's not enough."
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "There are indeed fewer merchants this time. We originally posted 500 listings, but unfortunately, due to various reasons, only about 200 showed up. However, these 200 merchants are more than enough to support this auction."
You know, Gu Jiu invited famous wealthy businessmen from all over the country.
What is a wealthy businessman?
If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in business every year, you are not a wealthy businessman.
A wealthy businessman has an annual business of at least 500,000 and a family fortune of at least 1 million.
No one present fell below this standard.
A rough calculation shows that the combined wealth of the wealthy merchants present is at least tens of millions of taels.
Some wealthy businessmen have a net worth of tens of millions.
Of course, these multi-millionaires are relatively low-key and keep a low profile. People who don't know their identities would never guess that they have a net worth of tens of millions.
The goal of just 1.7 million taels can definitely be accomplished easily.
The chaotic scene gradually quieted down.
The wealthy merchants already knew what was going on and returned to their seats.
After three gong sounds, today's highlight began.
Er Zhuang said loudly: "In order to protect everyone's identity and privacy, we have decided to use a secret auction this time. Inside each person's invitation, there are several blank papers with numbers on them. Write down the types of goods you want to bid on and the prices, and hand them to me.
We'll announce the results on the spot afterwards. Please remember your number. If you can't remember, just look through the invitation more often.
Let me remind you that if the Zhang family only makes bricks, then they can only bid for the golden signboard of bricks, but not for glazed tiles.
Those who make glazed tiles cannot say that they have a cellar, they can also make bricks, and they can also bid for bricks. Sorry, this is not allowed.
In cross-product competition, even if we win the golden signboard of "Exclusively for the Royal Family", we will take it back."
When the wealthy merchants heard this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone likes to show off and compete with each other for wealth.
But no one wants to compete for wealth under the emperor's feet. They are afraid of being targeted by the government and becoming a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.
By using a secret filming method, the name is not recorded, only the number is recorded, which eliminates the worry of having the identity exposed on the spot.
The wealthy merchants nodded secretly, thinking that this was a good idea and very thoughtful.
However, if you bid secretly, you won't know your competitors' bids. If you want to get the "Exclusively for the Royal Family" label, you have to put in a lot of effort.
I took photos secretly, for fear that I would have money but not capture any photos.
You can't bid across products.
So if a person who makes glazed tiles wants to bid for bricks, he can only win over a guy who makes bricks to cooperate in the bidding.
Now, the place became chaotic again.
Everyone started visiting each other again.
My family makes paper and yours carves stones. Why don't we cooperate?
Your family makes wood and my family makes window frames, so why don’t we cooperate?
Your family makes bricks and my family makes glazed tiles. The cooperation between the two parties is a perfect match and we have won the golden signboard in one fell swoop.
The emperor wanted to laugh, but he didn't.
How can a dignified emperor laugh so casually? Don't you have any dignity?
The place looks very lively, and the wealthy businessmen are determined to get the golden signboard.
what does that mean?
It means money!
Lots of money.
The emperor nodded secretly. Gu Jiu’s other abilities might not be that great, but she knew how to take advantage of situations and even better how to create momentum.
He uses the opponent's force to his advantage and plays it very skillfully.
Look how lively this place is.
Soon, these wealthy businessmen will pay a lot of money for the right to use the golden signboard for five years.
The emperor looked at Liu Zhao and suddenly said, "In terms of economy and people's livelihood, you are far inferior to Gu Jiu!"
Liu Zhao's mouth twitched. "Grandfather is right. In terms of economy and people's livelihood, my grandson is indeed not as good as Xiaojiu."
"As long as you know your shortcomings, you can still be saved." The emperor commented lightly, but it shocked the other imperial grandchildren.
The King of Chu frowned, unhappy with Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao sneered silently.
When it comes to fighting, Liu Zhao has never been afraid of anyone.
He was never afraid of court struggles.
But when it comes to the economy and people's livelihood, and when it comes to money making money, he doesn't understand.
But he knows how to spend money.
He has never been afraid of spending money.
In the words of his dear wife, Gu Jiu: Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.
Gu Jiu used money to buy Princess Huyang's favor.
Next, she will use money to win over the emperor.
The emperor was very pleased, but he was short of money. If one sum was not enough, he would use two.
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