nucmednet Chapter 128: Another Auction
Chapter 128: Another Auction
Su Qin knew the situation of the Wuning Marquis' Mansion, but faced with the gratitude of the Wuning Marquis' wife, she really didn't know what to say.
Seeing her blushing face, the wife of Marquis Wuning considerately stopped talking about it.
The maid behind her handed over a stack of papers, which were the drawings that Su Qin had just given to the servant: "Did you draw all these drawings?"
Su Qin nodded, thought for a moment, and added, "These drawings were created by others. I just copied them."
The wife of the Marquis of Wuning nodded, not bothering to ask who created the blueprint. Instead, she said, "I've seen the blueprint. The craftsmanship is complex and the shape is exquisite. If it can be made, it will definitely be unique in Shangjing City. I wonder how many wives of high-ranking officials and nobles will be vying for it. Lu Sheng told me your ideas. If you need me to do anything, just tell me. I will fully cooperate."
Su Qin: "I just need Madam Hou to provide some skilled craftsmen. Although I have drawn the blueprint, I am not sure if it can be made yet. I need to discuss it with the craftsmen."
The wife of Marquis Wuning said: "This is easy. Come with me to the workshop in the back. If the craftsmen here can't do it, I can find some more."
Su Qin followed the wife of Marquis Wuning to the backyard, where the craftsmen were all. When the wife of Marquis Wuning showed the drawings to the craftsmen, the craftsmen were very surprised. They had never seen such exquisite and complicated drawings before. However, some of the craftsmanship was different from modern ones, so the effect on the finished product might be different.
Su Qin discussed with the craftsmen and revised the drawings.
However, there was one final challenge that needed to be solved. With only five artisans, each could only produce a limited number of pieces. The drawings depicted hundreds of pieces, each requiring complex, time-consuming, and laborious craftsmanship. Creating all twelve sets of headpieces would undoubtedly take considerable time.
Faced with the artisans' dilemma, Su Qin explained, "There's no need to produce all twelve sets of head ornaments at once. We can release only one set each month, corresponding to the solar terms. For example, next month is the twelfth lunar month, approaching the first lunar month of the year, so we'll release the plum blossom set first. Only one set will be released, and the highest bidder will win. We can also produce some simple or single-piece plum blossom jewelry."
The Marquis of Wuning's wife was overjoyed and said, "This is fantastic! With new items released every month, the ladies will surely be eagerly anticipating the new products. With only one complete set of a particular pattern, those who paid a high price for it will feel proud and satisfy their vanity. Those who couldn't afford the full set can also purchase individual pieces of jewelry with the same theme, so they won't be left feeling overly disappointed."
Of course, it is not just jewelry. Su Qin also makes other ornaments or hand-held items, such as large jade, animal skins, rare animal products, medicines, and spices, desktop screens, fur products, patent medicines, ointments, rouge, etc.
Su Qin will not be personally involved in these things. She just made some suggestions and asked the wife of Marquis Wuning to find someone to make the rest. After all, I, Marquis Wuning, have many industries, so these are not difficult tasks for them.
After everything was discussed, Su Qin said goodbye to the wife of Marquis Wuning. In the following time, she and Qi Lusheng secretly took over the emperor's belongings that were transported out of the palace.
After burning the things in the Shangfu Bureau three times, Liang Wang's men were no longer so vigilant when sending things out.
The emperor asked Liu Jin to transport out another batch of things. Most of these things were from the previous dynasty in the Shangfu Bureau, and some were from his private warehouse.
After Liu Jin and his men transport these things out of the palace, some of them will be burned, and the rest will be secretly transported to his farm by Qi Lusheng and his men under the cover of Liu Jin.
Of course, it wasn't just the Wuning Marquisate and the Emperor who were responsible for the donations. This time, Qi Lusheng had even gone out of his way to talk to his friends and get them to contribute a portion of the items. These friends of his weren't ordinary people; each of them came from a distinguished family background, their homes overflowing with rare treasures, ensuring they wouldn't be short of anything.
Moreover, those young men usually loved to have fun and had never seen an auction before. When they heard Qi Lusheng describe the auction as so interesting and lively, they couldn't contain their curiosity and excitement, and they all clamored to join in the fun. So in the end, without exception, everyone contributed something to support this event.
Now, the goods were almost ready. So, Su Qin seized the opportunity and meticulously planned and launched a brand new auction. Due to the large quantity and variety of goods prepared this time, the scale of the auction was a qualitative leap compared to the previous one, and it was an unprecedented grand occasion!
After hearing the news, those well-informed foreign merchants rushed to the scene like sharks smelling blood, eager to get a piece of the action. They all sought out Qi Lusheng through various channels, hoping to obtain a valuable entry ticket from him.
Faced with a flood of requests, Qi Lusheng proposed a screening method—inspection of the goods. Only those merchants whose goods were sufficiently novel and valuable, earning his approval, would be eligible for the coveted entry ticket. To secure this key to wealth, merchants racked their brains, even digging out their most valuable treasures.
The day of the auction finally arrived. The audience was packed with foreign merchants from all corners of the world. Some of them were filled with anticipation, their eyes fixed on the items about to be displayed. However, in stark contrast, the young men were invited to the private rooms on the second floor to watch the excitement.
Qi Lusheng was once again the host of this grand auction. After his previous experience, he was now very familiar with the job and handled it with ease. The auction site was packed with people, the atmosphere was extremely warm, and the enthusiasm of the people was surging like a tide, showing no signs of abating.
The young men sitting in the luxurious private rooms could no longer contain their excitement. They were rubbing their hands and eager to participate in the auction.
Qi Lusheng had anticipated this situation and had arranged for personnel to keep a close eye on these young men, strictly forbidding them from making any noise or causing any disturbance. After all, the items these young men brought were all to be auctioned, and ultimately, the value of their items would be exchanged for the foreign goods they had long coveted.
As time went on, exquisite items were unveiled one by one, drawing fierce bidding from the audience. After a fierce competition, all the pre-prepared goods were successfully sold! This undoubtedly excited everyone, especially Qi Lusheng, who had become hoarse from shouting out bids and could hardly speak.
When the auction finally came to a close and the crowd gradually dispersed, the young men who were still eager to see more gathered around and complained to Qi Lusheng, "Oh my! Why didn't you tell us about this exciting and fun thing earlier? All we can do today is watch others bid, and we can't really enjoy it at all!"
Qi Lusheng told them that an auction for them would be held in the city in a few days, and he would send them a notice at that time.
After getting satisfactory answers, those people picked out the goods they liked and left with satisfaction.
Qi Lusheng solemnly informed the foreign merchants, "There will be no more auctions before the New Year. If you want to participate in the next auction, you will have to wait until after the New Year, during the first month of the lunar year."
The reason why he conveyed it in this way was naturally because he was instructed by Su Qin.
Su Qin believed that if auctions were held too frequently, they would inevitably attract attention and concern. One or two might be fine, as a form of entertainment, but if it happened too often, King Liang would undoubtedly send someone to investigate.
Su Qin also keenly realized that after the two previous auctions, the foreign merchants' collections of high-quality goods were already running low. If the auction continued, the goods available would likely be of inferior quality. Therefore, these merchants must be given ample time to return home and stock up on new, rare goods.
As expected, upon hearing that the next auction would be postponed until February, numerous merchants, carrying their goods, set out on their journey back from Shangjing City. However, this time of year was the peak season for returning foreign merchants, so this movement of people did not cause much concern or alarm.