By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

The following day, the thirty people who had secured a spot to visit were led around the courtyard by a minor official from the Ministry of Revenue.

We first arrived at the first courtyard, with a plaque hanging on the door that read "Between Mountains and Waters".

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, you immediately see the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, with the sound of flowing water constantly gurgling, and goldfish occasionally leaping out of the water and circling around the fountain.

With its white walls and gray tiles, winding corridors and floral windows, a sense of tranquility and serenity is immediately apparent.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the visiting merchants: "This small courtyard actually has a fountain?"

It's important to know that fountains are not common in the Great Chu Kingdom these days. It's not easy to create a fountain in an era without electricity, and most people wouldn't bother with such things. Only some gardens would install fountains to enhance their prestige.

The clerk said, "Our Lord Wen has proposed a simple method to create hot springs without going through such complicated procedures. These courtyards are located next to the West Garden, so they should naturally be made more elegant."

Those who visited agreed wholeheartedly.

They then toured the interior of the house, which was antique and elegantly decorated, but that wasn't the main point. The main point was a calligraphy and painting hanging directly in front of the main hall.

"This is?"

Many eyes widened in horror.

The clerk calmly explained, "Oh, this is a piece of calligraphy that Lord Wen specially requested from the Crown Prince. There is one in each courtyard."

There's a painting in every courtyard!

That sentence killed the game!

Visitors exchanged glances, a subtle spark igniting between them, each displaying a determination to succeed.

They then visited other courtyards, and were constantly amazed. It must be said that although the Ministry of Revenue was clearly planning to make a fortune by auctioning off the courtyards, their attitude was just too good.

Each of these courtyards was exquisitely built and had its own unique style. Even if these courtyards weren't located next to the West Garden, they would still be willing to buy one.

Not to mention, there are also calligraphy works by the Crown Prince in the courtyard.

Who is the Crown Prince?

That's the Crown Prince!

He is the next emperor of the Great Chu!

If they take over the courtyard, they can obtain the calligraphy of the future emperor, which is a family heirloom.

No one can resist this temptation.

After visiting the courtyard, the minor official from the Ministry of Revenue left without paying them any further attention.

The group exchanged glances, but no one mentioned leaving.

After a moment of silence, someone suggested, "It's getting late, how about we go to Wangchunlou for dinner?"

"it is good."

"Let's go then."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone else echoed his sentiment, clearly sharing the same idea.

So the group went to the third floor of Wangchunlou and booked a private room.

They had been touring for several hours and were indeed hungry, so they went into a private room to order food.

Only after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill did they begin to discuss serious matters.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after touring the courtyard, I believe everyone is determined to have it. But let's not forget that we are not the only ones determined to have it. Even if they don't know as much about the courtyard as we do, they won't give up easily just because of Xiyuan."

"But now only we know what is truly valuable in the courtyard. This intelligence gap can give us the upper hand. Therefore, I propose that no one should divulge what we have seen today, not even the people in our own household."

"I second that!"

"agree!"

They were all shrewd businessmen, and none of them wanted to do a losing business, so the proposal was quickly approved.

"Alright, then we..."

dong dong dong-

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Everyone silently kept quiet.

"Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged attendant walked in, holding a newspaper in his hand, and said urgently, "Master, today's supplement to Floating Life Chronicles has announced that the Crown Prince's calligraphy can be found in those ten courtyards. Now everyone is transferring money to the capital."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the people in the private room instantly stiffened.

After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "Ministry of Revenue!"

They really didn't give them any hope at all.

They tried to suppress the news, but it spread like wildfire and became known throughout the capital.

"Isn't this breaking the rules? We spent so much money to find out this information, and now it's just being released like this?"

"They only mentioned that there is the Crown Prince's calligraphy in the courtyard, but they didn't say anything about the decoration or layout of the courtyard."

"But the most important thing is the Crown Prince's calligraphy."

"But the main reason we bought the tour slots is to see the courtyard's layout."

If this matter is truly investigated thoroughly, it is indeed true that the Ministry of Revenue acted unethically, but it is impossible to clarify the matter, and the Ministry of Revenue has plenty of excuses to shut them up.

Besides, they were just a group of merchants; who would dare to challenge the Ministry of Revenue?

"Forget it, let's hurry up and move the money."

There was no need to continue the discussion, so everyone got up and left.

In no time, everyone in the private room had left.

They came to Beijing this time fully prepared for a huge financial loss.

They didn't see any massive bleeding, but this was clearly heading towards their deaths.

Yet, not a single person withdrew.

They just openly display the bait, and everyone knows they're being targeted, but they still rush to bite.

I'm not worried about being the one who gets hooked; I'm afraid that I won't be the one who gets hooked.

County Princess's Mansion

Zuo Mingxuan held Rui Ge'er in her arms and grasped his little hand: "Isn't Third Brother Wen full of cunning?"

This wave after wave completely lured these merchants in.

Pei Rujing took a sip of tea: "Anyway, there's quite a lot."

She already knew the content to be released today, but she still marveled at Wen Zongji's cunning.

When will the official auction be held?

"In two weeks!"

"So long? Wasn't it already completed? The news has spread, and there are quite a few merchants gathered in the capital now."

"My husband said he would give them another half month to transfer the funds, that's all."

"...That's really ruthless."

This is a plan to make a fortune.

Pei Rujing shrugged: "The money is in their hands. If they don't want to, they don't have to bid."

Zuo Mingxuan rolled her eyes: "Once you're in the auction, there's no way you can resist bidding. Who can resist? They'll only worry about not having enough money with them."

"However, in terms of financial resources, no one can compare to the four major merchant houses. If a bidding war were to take place, wouldn't all ten courtyards fall into the hands of the four major merchant houses?"

Pei Rujing shook her head: "My husband said there will be restrictions; people from the same business can only buy from one place."

"In that case, we don't need to worry about the four major trading companies monopolizing the courtyard... right, Rui-ge'er?"

Rui Ge'er has already started to respond to his name.

Hearing Zuo Mingxuan call him, he looked up at her, then grinned, drool dripping down his face.

The wet nurse quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth so that it wouldn't drip onto his clothes.

Zuo Mingxuan chuckled: "We should find an artist to draw this scene so that Rui-ge can see it when he grows up."

Pei Rujing's eyes lit up: "Great idea!"