Qian Laiye's Gaosheng Inn finally opened for business, and the current emperor personally wrote an inscription on it, making it extremely popular.
On the day Gaosheng Inn opened, scholars and celebrities from all walks of life in Bianjing flocked in. Many came because of its reputation, some came for the calligraphy of the retired emperor, and some for the name of the inn.
But more of them are students from all over the country, and those who come to Beijing for the imperial examinations are proud to stay at Gaosheng Inn. Of course, those who can afford to live here are from wealthy families, and with money coming to this profiteer, the housing prices are naturally high.
If Gaosheng Inn openly raised its room rates, it would affect its reputation. Shopkeeper Qian hung a sign outside the Gaosheng Inn that read, "All accommodations in this inn cost one thousand wen," or one tael of silver.
Gaosheng Inn claims that the room rates have not increased for ten years, but even so, if you want to stay at Gaosheng Inn for one night, it will cost at least five to ten taels of silver, or even more.
When you go to an inn to stay, you'll almost certainly be told that the room is already booked. Then, someone will quietly approach you and tell you they have rooms available, ranging from standard to premium. These people are the scalpers of the Northern Song Dynasty. They first bought up rooms at Gaosheng Inn and then began to speculate on the prices. Consequently, Gaosheng Inn's prices kept rising.
If you think that's all, you're totally wrong. These scalpers are not hired by opportunists outside, and the bosses behind them are also Qianlaiye, but no one knows it, not even the scalpers themselves.
This is the brilliance of Qian Laiye's business strategy. He never raises the prices of his inn. This way, he earns a good reputation, but scalpers then drive up the prices of his inn. These scalpers are manipulated by Qian Laiye behind the scenes. He is so shrewd in business that no one else can compare.
"Congratulations, Shopkeeper Qian, congratulations on your grand opening!" A crisp voice rang out.
Qian Lai was also delighted. He hurried forward to greet her, "Thank you very much, Miss Li, for coming to visit us. It really brings honor to our humble shop."
The person who came was none other than Li Shishi. Upon hearing that it was the capital's most famous entertainer, all the guests came out to see her. Those who knew her hurriedly stepped forward to greet her. Li Shishi smiled and nodded in greeting.
Even though rooms were hard to come by, Gaosheng Inn was still packed with guests. Strangely enough, even poor scholars would stay in the best rooms and eat the best food here.
This was because some scholars didn't come to stay for good luck or to admire the emperor's handwriting. Rather, these wealthy young men knew they wouldn't pass the exam, so they stayed at the inn to make friends. Who knew one of these scholars would pass the exam and rise to prominence?
So this is also a kind of investment. For example, if you are a poor scholar with no money, but you are well-educated and eloquent, a large group of people will come to you to curry favor with you and make friends with you. They will cover your food and accommodation. This is because these people are betting on you, hoping that you can bring them benefits when you are in high school.
There was a man who had no intention of coming to the Gaosheng Inn. Yet, he was dragged here, and his meals and accommodations were provided. Because he was penniless, a bun shop owner gave him two buns. Unable to repay the favor, he wrote a poem to express his gratitude.
This poem was discovered, and people thought it was extremely wonderful, knowing that the author was well-versed in literature. Then they followed the clue of the bun shop to find the poor scholar, and then kidnapped him.
The difference from kidnapping is that they kidnapped this scholar and treated him like a god of wealth, worshipping and serving him.
This man was Du Yuntai, a poor scholar whom Zhao Huan had met when he went to the capital of the Jin Dynasty. He had no money to go to the capital to take the imperial examination, so Linghu Yunlong gave him a bag of silver.
Du Yuntai had traveled all the way from the Jin Kingdom to Bianjing, and his money was almost gone. With the imperial examination still some time away, he was left destitute and wandering the streets.
It wasn't that Linghu Yunlong's money wasn't enough, but rather that Du Yuntai's love was overflowing. Having come all the way from the Jin Kingdom to the capital, he had already been as generous and generous as a wealthy man, giving away all his wealth. By the time he reached Xiangzhou, Du Yuntai was penniless. He relied on begging or copying books and letters to get a meal, and finally he made his way to Bianjing to take the imperial examination.
Begging requires skill. First, you have to be ragged and dirty to gain sympathy from others. Du Yuntai's clothes were a little dirty, but not ragged. Others saw that he had hands and feet, but thought he was a lazy scoundrel. Therefore, when begging, Du Yuntai had no food to eat.
Du Yuntai was wandering around Bianjing, with the imperial examination still a few days away. He needed to find a way to fill his stomach, but the entire city was packed with students rushing to take the exam. They were everywhere, and Du Yuntai couldn't bring himself to beg anymore.
So he set up a stall with a sign saying 'Letter Writing for Others'. Bianjing was in no shortage of scholars, so Du Yuntai had set up his stall for the entire morning, but no one showed up, so he had no choice but to close it down.
Passing by a bun shop, the aroma was overwhelming. Du Yuntai's stomach rumbled. He was carrying a cloth bag with his paper and pen inside. The only difference between him and the beggar was the cloth bag on his back.
Du Yuntai wanted to leave, but instinct made him stay. In the face of hunger, pride and shame were no longer that important. Du Yuntai put his hands in his sleeves and watched the steaming buns in the steamer.
The bun shop owner greeted him warmly: "Want to buy some buns? Five cents each."
This is the kind of scholar who pretends to be rich. Du Yuntai forced a smile and said, "No, I'm not buying it. I'm just looking at it."
Du Yuntai didn't buy anything, but he didn't leave either. He just stared at the steamers. The hot steam hit his face, as if the aroma could drive away hunger.
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