Yanmenchun's wine has become popular in the capital recently, and under word of mouth, most of the wine on the market, which is not much, has been swept away. Even to the point where it is hard to find a thousand dollars.

A few days ago, Dingxianglou released news that there was a good wine that would appear at this auction, and everyone guessed that it was Yanmen Chun. Some people have participated in the auction, it is nothing more than some antique calligraphy and paintings, and it is unusual for this wine to be auctioned. Therefore, before the auction began, many people came to inquire.

After planning for many days, Dingxianglou was closed for several days, and made every effort to renovate the venue, so as to complete the task in time and not delay the auction.

Early in the morning, there were many carriages and sedan chairs gathered in front of Dingxiang Building. They are all shopkeepers of various shops in Beijing, Li Xiandao came relatively early, and he met a lot of acquaintances here, and he was invited to come. As far as Li Xiandao knows, the black market price has been speculated to one hundred taels of silver.

Those who do business in Beijing are not stupid, and the nobles who can come today, but as long as they have a relationship, they will help in the future. Therefore, there will be no shortage of people who want to come in.

Li Xiandao had not participated in the auction before, but as soon as he entered the Dingxiang Building, he was still shocked, and everyone was attracted by the high platform in the middle of the hall. Some people are curious, is this to watch singing and dancing or to sell things?

There are not many seats on the second floor, most of them are private rooms, and I think they are for the nobles who come here. Ordinary participants like Li Xiandao can only sit on the first floor. Looking at the invitation number, Li Xiandao found his place in the front row and sat down. It's not like there has never been an auction in Beijing, but it's the first time I've seen such a large number of participants. The previous event was a bit of a fuss.

As soon as he took his seat, he didn't wait long, and the roll call began outside the building: "The Duke of Yasukuni and the Marquis of Huaiyin have arrived!" Seeing the Xungui who came in sitting on the second floor, the people downstairs were a little envious. This is a status symbol, no matter how much money you have, how can you compare to these people upstairs, not to mention that no one else may have money.

Lin Yuan came with Zhang Gu, although he was the one who planned this event, but the people and places used were still Huaiyin Hou, seeing Lin Yuan and Zhang Jian walking up to the second floor with a smile, someone came to Li Xiandao and said: "Lao Li, this is the new owner behind you?" ”

Turning his head to look at the person who came over, Li Xiandao smiled and said nothing. It's one thing for others to pass it on again, but if you admit it yourself, I'm afraid it will annoy the Yasukuni Gong, after all, that person is not a master who likes trouble.

Seeing that he didn't get the answer he wanted, the man pouted, with some disdain in his heart, wasn't it just luck to find a good backer? I don't know how to find it yet. His mind is vicious, and he does not say it explicitly. Li Xiandao noticed his expression and probably knew what the man was thinking. He didn't argue with his mouth, but he thought in his heart that Luoxian Building was going to expand, how to poach the master in his shop.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for your hospitality. Today, I am honored to invite you to appreciate the treasures, which is the first thing in my store. Now I announce that the auction is open! On the high platform in the middle of the hall, Xie Li, the big shopkeeper of Dingxiang Building, said excitedly.

"There are only three things in the auction today, but all of them are rare, so you should be prepared not to let the good things fall into the hands of others." Shopkeeper Xie said with a smile.

The people who were invited were a little puzzled, three? Didn't you say that there are only treasured Yanmen Chun? It seems that there is still a finale. It's time for today.

Seeing that everyone in the Dingxiang Building was talking, the Marquis of Huaiyin asked Lin Yuan, who was sitting on the side, "There is no problem, right?" I heard that a few days ago, the emperor took a lot of good things from you. ”

Hearing this, Lin Yuan felt pain for a while, but he still smiled: "It doesn't matter, I added an object." I think it's no worse than that Yanmen Spring. ”

Looking at Lin Yuan, Zhang Gu was a little unsure, so he had to say, "I hope so." "Two days ago, the emperor suddenly rewarded high-ranking officials and nobles in Beijing, and Zhang Gu was still a little puzzled when he received the reward, how could it be the treasured Yanmen Spring in the Yasukuni Mansion. Later, I learned that the treasures on Lin Yuan's mansion were almost swept away. At first, he was still a little worried, after this royal gift, it means that this wine is a tribute, and it is a little inappropriate to sell it at this moment.

"Here's the first treasure!" As soon as Shopkeeper Xie finished speaking, a young woman came out with a tray in her hand, and a celadon vial was placed on the tray. The next group of servants scattered the wine utensils on the various tables and watched the crystal clear wine in the wine glasses. Everyone first put it under their noses and sniffed it, and secretly said that the wine was good, the fragrance was strong, and it was a step higher than the previous Yanmen Chun, and the quality of the wine was better than the former.

At this time, I heard the shopkeeper Xie downstairs say: "This wine was born from the Yanmen Spring that was prevalent in Beijing before, originated in Jinzhou, and was later improved. After purification, the yield is extremely low, and now there are only 99 bottles. As he spoke, he shook the celadon in his hand.

Only then did everyone know that this wine was even more rare than the Yanmen Spring on the market before, and I am afraid that there is no such wine this year except for this batch. Zhang Gu listened to the words of the shopkeeper Xie, the corners of his eyes twitched, and he turned his head to look at Lin Yuan, who was harmless to humans and animals, with a smile on his face, others may not know the output of this wine, but he knew that as long as the supply in Jinzhou was stable, it would not be a problem for him to have 100 bottles a day here.

"This wine is Yanmen Spring?" At a table on the second floor, several people looked at the wine in their glasses in disbelief. They are Jinju merchants, and they have been attracted by the rumored Yanmen Spring in Beijing these days, others may not know, but they know it. Yanmen Spring is not a good wine in Jinzhou, and it is mostly liked by the border army, but how can this wine that is as clear as a mountain spring in front of him have half the appearance of Yanmen Spring.

"It's Yanmen Spring, but it seems to have been improved by some technology, not to mention the taste of the throat, the aroma of the wine is much richer than before, the color is clear, and it has caught up with a lot of good wines." One of them took a sip and said.

"I heard that this wine came from the mansion of a certain noble in the capital, so let's not expect this deal." Someone sighed. The deal that Xungui intervened in, they didn't have the courage to do it.

"This matter will be discussed later, and for now, let's see what price this wine can sell for in Beijing." Said the leader.

At this time, Shopkeeper Xie on the high platform saw that most of the people had finished tasting the wine, so he spoke: "I think you already have a plan in your heart, if you still have any questions, please raise them first." ”

Seeing that everyone had no objections, Shopkeeper Xie said, "Are you ready?" It is divided into three groups, each group of 33 bottles, priced at 300 taels, and now the first group is auctioned. ”

Hearing the offer, Zhang Gu gasped, the price was set a little high, I am afraid that no one is willing to bid. Just thinking like this, I heard a shout upstairs: "I Yan came to the building to bid three hundred and fifty taels!" ”

"Is this man a fool? is to buy at the original price, and Lin Yuan also has three times the profit. Zhang Gu looked at the man speechlessly. Downstairs is shouting at the moment, this wine has said that the production is very small, and now it can be said that one less bottle is a loss. As a result, many people began to bid at higher prices.

"Four hundred and eighty taels!" Someone shouted.

"Five hundred and fifty taels!" The number of bidders began to decrease slowly, until the price rose to 700 taels before it stopped. Looking around, Li Xiandao slowly raised his hand: "Eight hundred taels!" "A few days ago, the Wang family sent thousands of taels in compensation, and I may be able to help.

Lin Yuan looked at Li Xiandao and didn't understand why he was asking for a price at this time, but he heard someone shouting after him: "Nine hundred taels!" Li Xiandao turned his head to look, but it was the person who started to talk to him and ignored him, smiled secretly in his heart, shook his head and stopped bidding.

"Nine hundred taels for the first time, nine hundred taels for the second time, deal!" A gong sounded, and Shopkeeper Xie smiled: "Congratulations to Baiweiju for obtaining this first batch of wine." Hearing this, the shopkeeper of Baiweiju stood up with a smile and arched his hand around, his face full of smiles.

The next two batches of wine were also auctioned off for 900 taels and 1,000 taels respectively after fierce bidding. Wait for the atmosphere to calm down a little. Shopkeeper Xie walked back to the stage and said with a smile: "There is a second piece below, please." ”

The backstage maid slowly walked out with a tray in her hand, but saw that the tray was covered with a red cloth. This makes many people a little curious. saw that the shopkeeper Xie took off the red cloth, and a delicately carved wooden box appeared in front of everyone.

The wooden box is not large, only the size of a palm. As soon as the wooden box was opened, the maid dragged the wooden box in front of everyone, and people saw clearly that it was a milky white object placed in the box, and a moon flower was carved on it, and there was a burst of fragrance from time to time when they walked around. Everyone was a little curious, what the hell was this.

At this time, I heard the shopkeeper Xie on the stage explain: "This thing is called soap, which can be used for bathing." It's much better than the pancreas from the Western Regions. After speaking, he motioned to the maid on the side to clean her hands with this. After everyone looked at it, they saw that it was better to remove the stains than their daily pancreas, and there was a strange fragrance after passing. It's a lot better than pancreas, and a piece of pancreas is dozens of taels of silver, and ordinary people can't afford to use it, and they don't know how much silver this soap costs.

"This thing is exquisitely made, contains several kinds of precious medicinal materials, has a nourishing effect on human skin, and the price is one hundred taels per piece!" Shopkeeper Xie said.

People live to be a face, this soap seems to be used by the rich family, the lords upstairs are bright, and they have begun to bid, aggravating the number of wives and concubines, and it is like crazy at the moment. Soon the price was fried to 500 taels.

"Six hundred taels!" When Lin Yuan heard the prestige, he was a little surprised to see that it was coming from the position of Xianghou. The Marquis of Huaiyin looked at it and said with a smile: "It's not surprising, Xianghou's beloved wife is famous in Beijing." Today, Mrs. Xianghou came with her, thinking that his wife had taken a fancy to this thing. ”

"Cosmetics are really a woman's favorite." Lin Yuan's words made the Marquis of Huaiyin a little confused. Is there something new again? Lin Yuan looked at the nobles with his family, and wondered if he would get the perfume out to test the water first. Women always make better money than men.

Unlike other countries, women have great autonomy, and there are many wealthy merchants in Beijing who are women. If you make a perfume, you think it should be very marketable.

The soap was finally auctioned by Xiang Hou, and after Xungui opened his mouth, few merchants followed suit. Huaiyin Hou sighed with some emotion, looked at Lin Yuan and said: "If my guess is not bad, this thing, your profit is at least dozens of times." ”

"If you see through it, don't say it, Master Hou." Lin Yuan said with a smile: "The way this thing is going to go is to sell, I just let him make a name here." ”

"So there will be a price reduction in the future? Aren't you afraid that Xiang will trouble you? Huaiyin Hou said with a smile.

"Today's auction will not be sold cheaply, only custom-made, and besides, will you dare to come to me?" Lin Yuan said with a smile.

"You deserve to get rich." The Marquis of Huaiyin complained a sentence, and then stopped talking, and the next thing was the main event, and I don't know where to find such beautiful utensils in the Yasukuni Mansion.

At this moment, the scene in Dingxiang Building was warm, and people's enthusiasm was mobilized. Shopkeeper Xie pressed down with both hands, and then said: "Now, it is also the last lot of today, especially for Yanmen Chun!" ”

The maid came out with a tray in her hand, and saw three transparent bottles filled with clear liquid, which no one in Beijing had ever seen before. The price of this utensil alone is not expensive, and I am afraid that the name of this wine is even better than the previous Yanmen Chun.

At this time, the shopkeeper Xie on the stage introduced: "This wine is also out of Jinju, with an annual output of only ten bottles, and now there are only three bottles left. The quality is better than the previous lot. The water used for sake brewing is an ancient well in Jinju Province that has been around for hundreds of years, and the water quality is excellent. Even this vessel for fine wine is rare. Now the price starts at 1,000 taels! Everyone gasped. This offer is going to scare off a lot of people.

There was a brief silence in the Dingxiang Building, but it didn't last long, and I saw the first quote from the crowd downstairs: "One thousand five hundred taels!"

1,50023 bottles of wine, I am afraid that it has refreshed the price of good wine in the capital. The Marquis of Huaiyin thought to himself, and after returning home, he locked up all his wine, this is the wine of a thousand gold.

"Two thousand taels!" The quotation soared all the way, Li Xiandao looked at this scene in amazement, many merchants he knew were still bidding prices, and sighed in his heart Is this still my diligent and thrifty heirloom? Glancing at Lin Yuan upstairs, Li Xiandao admired Lin Yuan's series of operations a little, but he couldn't do this.

After a fierce bidding, three bottles of wine were taken away at a price of 7,000 taels. According to the rules of the General Assembly, this man's name was withheld. The Marquis of Huaiyin saw that the three small things were auctioned off by Lin Yuan at a sky-high price today, and the people next to him may not know the income on this day, but he knew that Lin Yuan had earned at least nearly 10,000 taels of silver, which was the income of a well-run restaurant in Beijing for nearly a year. And Lin Yuan's preparation time is only a month.

"There are so many rich people under my Great Zhou." Hearing Lin Yuan, who was smiling all over his face, sigh there, Huaiyin Hou twitched the corners of his mouth. His own Dingxianglou is also famous in Beijing today.

In an auction, tens of thousands of taels of things were auctioned in just half a day. All the participants were shocked when they finished settling their accounts. This news also spread throughout the capital in an instant, and in addition to lamenting that there were so many rich people, it also attracted the attention of many ministers in the DPRK and China.

This year, because of the Northern Expedition, the Great Zhou Dynasty almost emptied the treasury, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang suffered another disaster, the imperial court was short of money, but the Great Zhou tax law inherited from the previous dynasty, and did not attach importance to commercial taxes.

Since receiving the news, the cabinet has been discussing how to deal with this matter, and this auction was organized by the Yasukuni Gong, so it is impossible to get around it if you want to understand it in detail.

"Lord Shoufu, the treasury is already stretched, and if the commercial tax is not levied, the deficit will be even greater next year, and the disaster relief funds in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have almost not been made up this month." Inside the house, Ma Yi, the head of the household, said.

"There will be very few troops next year, and the military budget can still be cut here, and you have also seen the military expenditure excerpt of the Ministry of War, and it is indeed a lot less. The commercial tax is too involved, and you can't listen to the wind or rain. Xia Lindao glanced at Ma Yi and said slowly.

"Pointing to the military department, you can save a few hundred thousand taels of silver, and the minimum amount of silver that you can open your mouth in the middle of the court is hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. If you save it here, you need more over there. It's not that you don't know. At present, Jiangsu and Zhejiang will definitely fail to harvest next year, and the agricultural tax in the north has always been less. Ma Yi said. Today's auction in Beijing is tens of thousands of taels of silver, and Ma Yi really can't wait to reform the commercial tax. This was a big income for the imperial court.

"We don't have much experience at the moment, I think this matter is better to play the emperor, and it is better to ask the Duke of Yasukuni to come and discuss." Xia Lindao thought about it and said. Commercial taxes are very widely involved, not to mention others, that is, there are many cases involving the ministers and workers in the same court. The slightest mishandling can lead to chaos.

"Shousuke-sama is right, this matter cannot be rushed." The second assistant Yan Shixun responded.

Ma Yi saw that the tone had been set for this matter, so he could only sigh helplessly, depending on the situation, even if this matter is passed, it will have to wait for the spring of next year to be implemented. It's not too late to comfort yourself. I can only nod my head in agreement.

"Then go up and see what the palace means. Qingcheng, you go and write a note, and we will sign it. Yan Shixun answered yes, and walked to the table and began to write. The stakes are so high that this note will be presented overnight.