boyutpedia Chapter 149 Auction
Chapter 149 Auction
With the Crown Prince's tacit approval, Wen Zongji immediately instructed Mao Zheng to begin spreading the news.
The next day, the bookstore owner came to Ruijintang to find Mao Zheng.
"Manager Mao, may your business prosper!"
Mao Zheng looked up, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Manager Zhou, what a rare guest! What brings you to our humble shop today?"
This person was also a bookstore owner with powerful backers. Originally, his bookstore business was much better than Ruijintang's. It was only because Ruijintang held a storytelling competition that his business improved significantly due to the popularity of the storytelling. In addition, with the Beijing Daily gaining fame, Ruijintang's business was no less than that of some established bookstores.
Other bookstores saw this and kept it in mind, eager to join in, but couldn't find a way to do so.
Now that Mao Zheng has released the news, Manager Zhou couldn't sit still any longer and was the first to come over.
Mao Zheng led Manager Zhou to the quiet room to sit down.
Manager Zhou said, "Manager Mao, now that you're eating meat, you'll have to take care of me, won't you?"
"What are you saying, Manager Zhou? I'm just a bookseller; how can I possibly help you?"
Shopkeeper Zhou stared at him: "Shopkeeper Mao, let's not beat around the bush. Is it true that the Beijing Gazette Bureau intends to have more bookstores sell the Beijing Gazette?"
Everyone knows that the current head of the Beijing Gazette Office is the third young master of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and the husband of the Princess of Anhe County.
Ruijintang was the shop of that third young master.
After receiving this news, Manager Zhou didn't even bother to find out where it came from; he went straight to Mao Zheng.
In his view, Mao Zheng certainly knew whether it was true or not.
Mao Zheng feigned surprise: "How did Manager Zhou know about this?"
Shopkeeper Zhou's eyes lit up: "So this news is true?"
Mao Zheng nodded: "It's true. The Beijing Daily is selling so well these days. The whole capital is too big, and with only a dozen or so bookstores, we simply can't meet the people's needs. The Beijing Daily Bureau does intend to increase the number of bookstores selling the Beijing Daily."
Manager Zhou immediately said, "Manager Mao, we've known each other for a long time, and you know what kind of person I am. As long as you can help me get this qualification, feel free to ask me anything in the future, and I will never refuse."
Mao Zheng smiled wryly upon hearing this: "Manager Zhou, you think too highly of me. I'm just a bookstore manager. In the owner's eyes, I'm merely looking after Ruijintang. How could I possibly influence the owner's decisions? Besides, there are regulations governing the opening of the sale of the Beijing Daily this time, and no one can fake it."
When Manager Zhou heard Mao Zheng's refusal, he was initially disappointed, but hope rekindled at the end: "What are the terms?"
"Highest bidder wins!"
Manager Zhou was taken aback: "The highest bidder wins?"
Mao Zheng nodded: "That's right."
This was the set of rules by Wen Zongji, simple and brutal, focusing solely on financial power.
Manager Zhou wasn't dissatisfied with the regulations; he simply hadn't expected the Beijing Gazette Bureau to do things this way.
After all, the Beijing Gazette Office was also a government agency, and it seemed that no other government office operated so openly.
Manager Zhou couldn't help but confirm again, "Is this really a set of rules set by Lord Wen?"
Mao Zheng nodded: "That's right. Five days later, the owner will gather all the bookstore owners who are interested in selling the Beijing Daily and select the group of bookstores that offer the highest bids, allowing them to sell the Beijing Daily."
Manager Zhou then asked, "How do we bid?"
"auction!"
Shopkeeper Zhou was dumbfounded: "An auction? What's that?"
In this day and age, auction houses don't exist yet. There might be some rules similar to auctions in private, but they haven't been formalized into regulations, so many people are unfamiliar with the term.
Mao Zheng didn't understand at first, but he understood after Wen Zongji explained it to him.
"An auction means that the qualification will be sold in turn, and you can bid each time. During the auction, you can raise the price again and again. When no one is competing for it, the qualification will belong to the bookstore with the highest bid."
Shopkeeper Zhou seemed to understand but not quite: "So, you mean I can increase the price little by little?"
"That's right, as long as you're taller than everyone else, even if it's just one more penny, it's fine."
Manager Zhou said he understood: "Thank you for informing me, Manager Mao. Shall I invite you to Wangchunlou for drinks tonight?"
Mao Zheng shook his head: "I've been very busy lately, let's do it another day."
If we go out to eat with Manager Zhou, it would be bad if others saw us and suspected him of doing something underhanded.
Mao Zheng is used to being cautious; he would never be so reckless.
Manager Zhou did not insist, thanked him again, and left Ruijintang.
The arrival of Manager Zhou seemed to be a good start. Following this, bookstore owners came looking for Mao Zheng one after another, and some even bumped into him at the entrance of Ruijintang.
Mao Zheng, who had already received Wen Zongji's task, patiently explained the meaning of the auction to everyone and informed them of the time of the auction.
After talking so much, Mao Zheng felt like his voice was about to give out.
After finishing his shift, Wen Zongji came to Ruijintang.
Mao Zheng reported the day's events to him.
"Master, there are a lot of people checking the news today to see if it's true or not. The news will spread completely by tomorrow."
Wen Zongji asked, "How did they react to the auction?"
Mao Zheng said, "Most people agree and will attend the auction, but some feel that the Beijing Gazette Bureau is taking the opportunity to make money and angrily denounce the government for competing with the people for profit."
Wen Zongji had anticipated this: "We will not force anyone; those who do not wish to participate need not be compelled."
"Should we be wary of those people?"
Wen Zongji waved his hand: "No need. If they want to cause trouble, let them see if the Capital Gazette Bureau is someone to be trifled with."
With the Crown Prince's support, Wen Zongji could no longer act timidly.
Seeing Wen Zongji's calm demeanor, Mao Zheng put his worries to rest.
"You will be in charge of the auction, and I will send Changdong to back you up."
There was no need for Wen Zongji to personally appear in this matter. After all, they were just a group of merchants and were not qualified for Wen Zongji to make an appearance.
Mao Zheng replied, "Yes, boss."
Afterwards, Wen Zongji spoke with Mao Zheng about some things to keep in mind during the auction before getting into his carriage and leaving Ruijintang.
Yunguangyuan
Pei Rujing was waiting for Wen Zongji to have dinner.
Upon seeing him return, he instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal.
"I went to see Zuo San today."
Wen Zongji suddenly realized: "Go ask Fang Sichu about it."
Pei Rujing nodded: "The Zuo family did investigate Fang Sichu. Fang Sichu is indeed different from Wen Zongqi. Although he also likes to eat, drink and have fun, he is self-disciplined, has no concubines, and has never been to brothels."
Wen Zongji was not surprised by this: "Madam Zuo dotes on Miss Zuo, so it's impossible that she didn't investigate."
If Fang Sichu's private life were unclean, she would never have been able to meet Zuo Mingxuan, and none of what followed would have happened.
Pei Rujing didn't delve any further, after all, it was Zuo Mingxuan's wedding, and reminding her was already out of consideration for their friendship.
In the past, Pei Rujing would never have bothered with other people's business, so this is a significant change.