The competition at the auction continued, and in the blink of an eye, five hundred taels of silver had become two thousand taels. Judging from the momentum, it seemed that there was no intention of stopping.
Madam Liu exclaimed, "This is too fast!"
Prices have risen too fast.
Looking at this, Wu Yiming thought to herself, "Sure enough, the capital is a place where hidden talents abound. These numbers are making my head spin."
Wu Yiming may have a modern mindset. In modern times, bicycles are indeed expensive, which makes them prohibitive, but there are also cheap ones that can be bought for a few hundred yuan.
In other words, Wu Yiming was shocked that something he could buy for a few hundred coins was being asked for several thousand taels of silver, and that the price seemed to be going up again.
Actually, this auction process is quite in line with current trends.
In this day and age, bicycles are like limited-edition supercars; they're sold for their rarity, for the brand, and for the prestige of being a royal gift. Many people flock to them, and naturally, the price is inflated by those who don't know the true value.
The price finally stopped at 5,500 taels of silver.
This was just the first one. You should know that the price would go up as the auction progressed. The auction of thirty bicycles took almost an hour. The last bicycle was sold for 50,000 taels of silver. On average, each of the thirty bicycles sold for more than 10,000 taels of silver. The auction brought in a total of nearly 400,000 taels of silver.
Even Wu Yiming, the wealthy woman, was stunned when she heard the end.
This number is truly astonishing. The initial investment for thirty bicycles was less than five thousand taels of silver. This is a real windfall!
A lot of people came to the third floor of Wu's Department Store, mostly for the bicycle auction. Some people participated, while others could participate twice at first but stopped later because they couldn't afford it!
Today's auction was kept secret from everyone; anyone with a modicum of sense would know that the nearly 400,000 taels of silver earned in less than an hour had been made.
Wu's Department Store had been operating in the capital for almost two years. Capable people knew that Wu's Department Store was not to be trifled with, as it was backed by the Emperor and Empress. Even those without the ability could not afford to offend it, so it had always been peaceful and safe. Besides, many powerful and influential people did not take it too seriously.
For the powerful and wealthy, power is the most important thing; with power, money will naturally come to them.
This auction has now firmly established the reputation of Wu's Department Store in the minds of the powerful and wealthy.
The exorbitant profits of Wu's Department Store have tempted many people.
No one actually set their sights on Wu's Department Store, but it's hard to say what other ulterior motives might be involved. Although Wu's Department Store is difficult to imitate, it's still worth a try.
The princes of the imperial clan were also envious of the potential profits and began to make their own plans. However, they had an advantage over the others because they were surnamed Aisin Gioro.
"Why is Second Brother here? Please invite him in."
"yes"
Fuquan came in shortly after.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Second Brother, sit down and let's talk."
After Fuquan sat down, Yinzhen asked, "Second Brother, is there anything I can do for you today?"
Fuquan was usually very honest and capable. Because he knew his special status, he rarely troubled Yinzhen.
"Well, I've heard that the Imperial Household Department has produced a lot of good things in recent years. My wife has a few dowry shops, so I came to ask if I could borrow some of the Imperial Household Department's resources."
Yinzhen understood Fuquan's meaning. In the past two years, whenever the Imperial Household Department produced something new, the imperial clan members would also receive rewards. However, the shops that the Imperial Household Department cooperated with had always been Wu's Department Store. Now that Fuquan had come, he wanted to share the profits.
He could have refused this offer to anyone else, but since it was Fuquan who said it, of course, no one else would have dared to do so.
He really couldn't refuse.
The background of Wu's Department Store is somewhat clear. Although the money went into his private treasury, it was ostensibly due to his relationship with Empress Yunrong.
If he disagrees today, Fuquan will be able to let the imperial clan know that he has rejected Fuquan in a few days.
Yinzhen and Yunrong were husband and wife, and Yinzhen was the beneficiary of Wu's Department Store, but to anyone else, the apparent beneficiary was Yunrong.
It's like a young married couple. The imperial family is the husband's family, representing Yinzhen's interests, while the Fucha family is the wife's family, representing Yunrong's interests.
If Yinzhen rejected Fuquan, it would mean that he was clearly more inclined to side with Yunrong than with those who were on his side.
Yinzhen said coldly, "Is Second Brother the only one who wants to take advantage of the Imperial Household Department?"
Fuquan: "We're all relatives, we should at least give each other some face."
In other words, Fuquan wasn't the only one who wanted to benefit from this.
Yinzhen looked at Fuquan and asked, "Second Brother, do you know where the majority of the money from Wu's Department Store is being spent?"
Fuquan really didn't know. He came here today after being persuaded by many people, and of course, he was also attracted by the huge profits from bicycles.
He usually doesn't think about things that much, but this time he really didn't think about the problem in depth.
"I hope Your Majesty will explain further."
"It went into my private treasury."
Fuquan was taken aback, and at the same time, he felt a chill. What was he here for today? Was he trying to steal business from the Emperor?
"This servant understands."
Yinzhen thought for a moment and said, "It's fine if you want to get involved, but the Imperial Household Department decides what to give and the majority of the profits still have to go to the Imperial Household Department."
Yinzhen had also heard about Wu Shi Department Store's pregnancy. Wu Shi Department Store was doing very well, and Yinzhen trusted it. However, after having a child, his energy would be limited. At this time, it wouldn't hurt to let the imperial clan get involved a bit.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
