Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Chang'an West Market.

In front of the Jinxiu Cloth Shop, owned by the Cui family, a platform was erected that was a head taller than the Royal Trading Company.

Choi Min-won stood in the center of the stage and shouted:

"Dear fellow citizens of Chang'an! The Cui Family Trading Company is having a grand sale today!"

"Not ten strings of cash! Just five strings! Five strings of cash will get you a lottery ticket."

"We're not going to do anything fancy like luminous pearls. The grand prize is a thousand acres of fertile land outside Luoyang, plus three hundred thousand strings of cash. The total value is one million strings of cash."

"The first prize is a shop on the main street of Chang'an City and 50,000 strings of cash."

"The lottery results were announced on the spot, and the land deeds, house deeds, and copper coins were all laid out on the table."

There were more than a dozen boxes on the table.

It was full of copper coins and land deeds.

The visual impact is enormous.

The common people and the wealthy merchants had never seen anything like it before, and they were instantly filled with envy.

Although luminous pearls are rare, they are too far out of reach for ordinary people. What can compare to real gold, silver, and fertile land?

The crowd that was originally queuing at the Royal Trading Company suddenly all rushed to the Cui family's side.

"That old bastard dares to steal our business? I'll take my brothers and tear his stall down."

Cheng Chumo was so angry that he drew his knife and was about to cause trouble.

"return."

Changsun Chong grabbed Cheng Chumo.

"Do you even have a brain? They're doing legitimate business, and you're going to cause trouble for His Highness. The Prefect of the Capital is just looking for something to do with us."

"What do we do now? There's not a soul left here."

Cheng Chumo pointed at the empty shop and roared.

Changsun Chong gritted his teeth:

"You stay here and keep watch, I'm going to the East Palace to find His Highness."

......

The Eastern Palace Study.

Li Chengqian was playing cards with Li Tai and Li Ke, holding a few playing cards in his hand.

"Two for me!"

Li Tai slammed his cards on the table and said smugly,

"Brother, you lost, pay up."

Li Chengqian threw down the cards in his hand and was about to speak when Changsun Chong ran in from outside.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened."

"Did the sky fall or the earth collapse?"

Li Chengqian asked, looking at Changsun Chong's anxious expression.

Changsun Chong quickly recounted the story of the Cui family's million-dollar prize.

"They've really gone all out. A million strings of cash and goods have completely outclassed our luminous pearl."

All the merchants and ordinary people have gone to their side; we haven't sold a single item all morning.

Li Tai chimed in from the side:

"Brother, the Cui family's move is ruthless. Ordinary people only care about cash and fertile land; the luminous pearl is neither food nor drink to them."

Li Chengqian waved his hand:

"What's the panic? Cui Mingan is desperate. A million-dollar prize? Even if the Cui family is rich, they'll go bankrupt if they keep giving it away like this."

Changsun Chong said anxiously:

"Your Highness, whether they actually returned the goods is another matter, but the hype has already drawn everyone away."

What do we do now? Should we increase the stakes? Give them two million strings of cash?

"Vulgar."

Li Chengqian leaned back in his chair.

"Competing with them in terms of financial resources is a poor strategy. Business warfare is about using overwhelming force."

"A dimensional reduction attack?" Changsun Chong looked completely bewildered.

Li Chengqian beckoned to Changsun Chong with his finger:

"Go write a big red notice and post it at the entrance of the shop. Change the rules."

"How should it be changed?"

"Starting today, for three days, the person with the highest cumulative spending at the Royal Trading Company, the number one spender, will not only take away that luminous pearl, but will also receive a special privilege."

Changsun Chong pricked up his ears and asked, "What privileges?"

Li Chengqian said slowly:

"I have the opportunity to have lunch with Princess Chang Le, the eldest daughter of the Tang Dynasty, at the Da'an Palace. In addition, the Emperor Emeritus will personally accompany me."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Chong's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

"Your Highness! This...this is unacceptable."

Princess Chang Le is of noble birth; how could she possibly dine at the same table with a bunch of money-grubbing merchants?

If this gets out, where will the royal family's face be?

If His Majesty finds out, he'll definitely shut down our trading company.

Li Tai and Li Ke were also startled.

"Brother, that's a really underhanded tactic. Using Chang Le to solicit customers?"

Li Ke looked at Li Chengqian in a panic and asked.

Li Chengqian slapped Li Ke on the back of the head:

"What does it mean to solicit customers? Does it mean being able to speak properly? This is about giving merchants from all over the world an opportunity to transcend social classes."

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong and asked:

"You know nothing. What do businessmen lack most?"

Changsun Chong thought for a moment: "Is it... lacking a powerful official to back me up?"

"Wrong, what they lack is social status."

Li Chengqian stood up.

"The Tang Dynasty valued agriculture and suppressed commerce. No matter how rich they were, they couldn't even wear silk when they went out, and they had to kneel before a seventh-rank county magistrate. They dreamed of getting rid of this lowly status."

Believe it or not, just having a meal with Empress Dowager Chang Le, with the Emperor Emeritus sitting right next to you, is equivalent to obtaining the most powerful political talisman in the Tang Dynasty.

After this meal, who would dare to investigate his shop? Which official would dare to extort money from him?

Li Chengqian patted Changsun Chong on the shoulder:

"For this spot, the wealthy merchants of Chang'an would empty their coffers."

Go and post the notice, and I guarantee that within half an hour, the Cui family's platform will collapse.

Changsun Chong's mind went blank.

He instantly understood the key point.

This is hardly a meal.

This is selling social class and social status.

Changsun Chong rushed back and immediately posted a huge red notice.

Next to the gate of the Tang Dynasty Royal Trading Company.

At first, no one noticed.

A wealthy salt merchant from Jiangnan had just bought 10,000 strings of lottery tickets at the Cui family's place, but didn't win. He was strolling over to relax.

He glanced casually at the list of those who had made outstanding contributions.

Upon seeing this, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"The top spender gets to have lunch with Princess Chang Le? And be accompanied by the Emperor Emeritus?"

The salt merchant's scream startled everyone around him.

"Manager Wang, what are you yelling about?"

A grain merchant nearby came over and asked.

The salt merchant shoved him aside, turned and ran towards his carriage, shouting at his henchman as he ran:

"Quick! Back to the manor! Drag all the copper coins out of the cellar. Hurry up!"

The grain merchant glanced at the red list with a puzzled look, then his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

"My God..."

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the news had spread throughout the entire merchant community of Chang'an.

Upon hearing the news from his henchman, the wealthy merchants who had been queuing up in front of the Cui family's shop to buy lottery tickets torn their tickets to shreds.

"What's the point of stealing fertile land? Hurry up and go to the Royal Trading Company."

"Sir, the first prize draw for the Cui family is about to take place..."

"Damn it! If I can have a meal with the princess, with the Emperor Emeritus as my companion, I'll be able to do whatever I want in this Tang Dynasty. Go and get the money."

Choi Min-won was standing on the high platform, ready to announce a lucky winner who had drawn cash.

He had just raised his hand when he saw the wealthy businessmen below the stage turn and run away.

Dozens of carriages loaded with copper coins, which were originally parked in front of Cui's shop, have now all turned around and headed towards the Royal Trading Company across the street.

"Hey! Where are you guys going? The grand prize hasn't been drawn yet."

Choi Min-won shouted anxiously.

A wealthy tea merchant from Sichuan cursed without turning his head:

"Screw you! Don't delay my journey to see the princess."

Choi Min-won was completely dumbfounded when he saw the empty stage below.

The fat shopkeeper then cried out with a mournful face:

"Second Master, it's over."

The Crown Prince used Princess Chang Le to... no, to serve her at dinner.

The merchants of all Chang'an have gone mad.