Chapter 96: The Lavish Young Master Who Spends A Lot Of Money
The moon hung high, and the starlight sparkled. Tonight, the entrance of the Moonlit Pavilion was exceptionally lively because it was the day of the Drunken Immortal’s auction!
Due to the renowned alcohol at the Moonlit Pavilion and the relentless promotion by Manager Peng, the nobles and wealthy merchants in the city had long yearned for this mysterious Drunken Immortal’s brew.
To attract more people and enhance its reputation, Manager Peng decided not to auction the Drunken Immortal’s on the third-floor tavern but directly at the entrance of the establishment. Even those commoners without much money came eagerly, wanting to experience the excitement and novelty of this event.
As the wealthy and influential took their seats, Manager Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, “Has the young master returned to the Qin Mansion?”
The waiter shook his head, “I’ve been going to the Qin Mansion every day these past few days, but the young master, after being taken away by the officers from the Demon Slaying Department, hasn’t returned.”
“Boss, should we postpone the auction?”
“The time for the auction has been announced long ago, and the nobles and wealthy merchants have been waiting for this day. If we postpone, what would be the point? Forget it, let’s proceed as planned.” Manager Peng took a deep breath and walked to the front.
He glanced at the dense crowd and signaled the waiter to bring the Drunken Immortal’s.
Normally, before an auction, the host would boast and advertise extensively. However, when Qin Feng proposed the auction, he specifically instructed not to say much. The fragrance of the wine would speak for itself.
So, Manager Peng didn’t say much. He simply opened the lid of the wine barrel.
Instantly, a fragrant aroma filled the air, intoxicating everyone.
“So fragrant!”
“Yes.”
The crowd showed expressions of ecstasy.
Seeing this, Manager Peng smiled faintly, then covered the lid of the wine barrel again. However, the lingering aroma persisted.
The wealthy and influential could no longer contain their excitement and shouted, “Manager Peng, when does the auction start?”
“Yeah, don’t keep us waiting. What’s the starting bid?”
“Please be patient, everyone! The Drunken Immortal’s is a treasure of the Moonlit Pavilion. From brewing to the final product, it undergoes many processes, consuming a lot of time and manpower.”
Manager Peng smiled, pressing down with his hand and then raised one finger, “The starting bid for this wine is one hundred taels of silver!”
Upon hearing these words, the crowd took in a sharp breath of cold air. One hundred taels of silver—what kind of concept was that? It would take them decades to save up that amount!
On seeing the reactions of the crowd, the Manager Peng felt a bit uneasy. He had never heard of any liquor selling for one hundred taels of silver.
However, this starting price was not set by him; it was conveyed by the young master. So, he could only follow through with it.
The wealthy and influential merchants exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became somewhat eerie.
Yet, they were not frightened by the price. Instead, they started bidding one after another.
“One hundred fifty taels!”
“Two hundred taels!”
The bidding continued, and in no time, the price for Drunken Immortal’s soared to five hundred taels.
Peng, the manager, breathed a sigh of relief. If he messed up this auction, he didn’t know how to explain it to the young master.
As the auction price continued to rise, a wealthy merchant seemed to see a business opportunity in this liquor. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “One thousand taels!”
At this price, the surroundings instantly fell silent, as if you could hear a pin drop.
The others looked at each other, shook their heads. Just a jar of wine, spending so much money on it was totally unnecessary.
They gave up.
The merchant who bid a thousand taels, upon seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief. He could see the value of this wine. After a bit of operation in Heavenly City, selling it again would definitely raise the price several times!
Just as he felt confident of his success, an untimely voice rang out, “Two thousand taels!”
“What?!” The merchant looked towards the source of the voice. It was a young man in white who had not spoken before, with a handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor.
And this young man in white was indeed Ya’an!
Peng, the manager, swallowed hard, trying to steady his excited emotions, but the joy on his face was hard to conceal.
Two thousand taels—this was the combined profit of all the taverns for nearly five days!
After the bid jumped from one thousand to two thousand taels, no one else spoke. They all thought the person bidding was out of their mind. Was this how auctions worked?
Peng, the manager, set the final price, and the other bidders left grumbling.
The common people were not satisfied. A jar of wine sold for two thousand taels. In the past, they wouldn’t have dared to even think about such a thing!
Ya’an ordered Wang Xu to take over the Drunken Immortal’s. He used his left hand to lift the lid and took a whiff, unable to hide his amazement. “In this small city of Jinyang, there is actually such fine wine. It truly surprises me.”
Wang Xu nodded. “This wine is indeed good, but wasn’t the bid of two thousand taels too high?”
“High?” Ya’an shook his head. “Do you remember the Star Seizing Tower in Heavenly City?”
“Of course, I remember. If I hadn’t followed the young master, I wouldn’t have been able to go to that place,” Wang Xu reminisced.
The Star Seizing Tower was the most luxurious tavern in Heavenly City, where the lowest floor served lowest-ranking officials at least fifth rank, and the top floor only served royalty and their relatives.
“There was a kind of wine in the Star Seizing Tower called ‘Drunkenness into Dreams.’ Someone once wanted to bid ten thousand taels to buy it but was refused.”
“I have tasted the intoxication of that ‘Drunkenness into Dreams’ truly an extraordinary brew. However, this ‘Drunken Immortal,’ in my opinion even surpasses that drink,” confidently said Ya’an.
Wang Xu and Mo Lintian exchanged glances at the words.
They had naturally heard of the Star Seizing House wine ‘Drunkenness into Dreams,’ praised even by Emperor Mingde! But regarding the young master’s words, they did not doubt, hence their immense astonishment.
“If this ‘Drunken Immortal’ is promoted by the Gathering Treasure Pavilion and then auctioned in Heavenly City, I am confident it will sell for over ten thousand taels! However, the Master also likes this kind of wine, so when we return to the capital later, let’s bring some for him to taste. You two, put away the wine.”
“Okay, young master,” Mo Lintian waved his right hand, and the wine jar disappeared instantly.
Ya’an paused for a moment and continued, “Today’s meal at this Moonlit Pavilion’ has been full of surprises. In addition to the dish called ‘hot pot,’ there is also this Drunken Immortal. I am interested in the owner behind the scenes here. Wang Xu, talk to the Manager Peng. Tomorrow at noon, I want to meet the owner and discuss cooperation.”
“Alright, young master.”
“It’s getting late, let’s go back to Qin Mansion.”
Ya’an turned and took a step, with Wang Xu and the others following closely.
“By the way, how long has Brother Qin been away?” Yaan asked.
“Reporting to the young master, including today, it’s been three days.”
“Hmm,” Ya’an nodded thoughtfully.
On the other side, in the main hall of the Qin Mansion, the second mother paced anxiously.
“Feng’er has been away for three days now and hasn’t come back yet. Could something have happened?
I heard that there was trouble in Qiyuan City before. This child, at such a time, has to go there.”
Qin Jian’an comforted, “The child is grown up, going out to experience things is also good. Madam, there’s no need to worry so much.”
Second Mother raised an eyebrow at his words. With her hands on her hips she pointed at his nose, “You have the nerve to say that. A few days ago, in such a dangerous situation, where did you go? Only came back at noon today! I see Feng’er, he can do whatever he wants, but he always makes me worried! By the way, how much money did you lose in business this time?”
Qin Jian’an’s expression stiffened, quickly changing the subject, “Madam, you are right. Feng’er is a bit hard to manage. When he comes back, let’s talk to him together!”
Just then, outside the gate of the Qin Mansion, came the voice they had been eagerly anticipating.
“I’m back!”
Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience