Chapter 42: Aquatic World

After Grand Tutor Xu and Zhao Zhu Ge entered and introduced their identities, everyone finally withdrew their gazes and focused their attention to respond. One was Grand Tutor Wang, a close aide of the Great King; the other was the creator of this Immortal Manor, a man of great talent.

Grand Tutor Xu is a scholar, unlike Zhao Zhu Ge who has wide-ranging interests; he is not at all skilled at hosting banquets, so he went straight to the point the Great King had assigned him.

"Prince You has obtained a precious ornamental fish called the brocade carp. Overseas it is also known as the longevity fish; it is said that keeping brocade carp brings smooth sailing and good fortune. His Highness admires the fish's splendid colors and refined demeanor, wishing to present it as a yearly gift to His Majesty. Besides the existing varieties, His Highness has also discovered a new coloration of the tricolor brocade carp, so today he invites everyone to pool their wisdom and give a name to this new pattern of brocade carp. His Highness loves the fresh appearance of the brocade carp within ten minutes, hoping that you will leave behind written poems and essays. Everyone, please!"

Palace attendants stepped forward and lifted the rack covered in red brocade at the center, revealing two perfectly landscaped large fish tanks inside.

Needless to say, everyone in the Grasping Rosy Clouds Pavilion was struck silent by the crystal-clear fish tanks, the brilliantly colored brocade carp, and the exquisite miniature underwater world.

Several literati forgot to breathe, as if they had just seen the Underwater Dragon Palace!!

Grand Tutor Xu did not think it was an exaggeration at all, because when he first saw it, it was much the same, not any better.

He is still fascinated now; seeing how he had completely captivated those local bullies of Remote State, he simply continued to stare, entranced, at the splendid underwater world.

He loved White Ink Wash the most, gazing at it as if drunk and obsessed, not yielding to the newcomers.

The most normal person in the Grasping Rosy Clouds Pavilion was Zhao Zhu Ge, who softly explained the names of these several brocade carps to everyone.

Then those literati became even more intoxicated; the red-crowned brocade carp, when swimming, was truly lively, and the White Ink Wash indeed had a distant ambiance, the more one looked, the more fascinated they became.

If… they also had a tank of this fish? How wonderful that would be!

"May I ask, Mr. Zhao, what is this fish container made of?" someone finally could not help but ask.

Coaxing these locals was trivial for Zhao Zhu Ge; he shifted on the spot to become the Great King's salesman. To the literati he spoke of the Zen-like between being and non-being in White Ink Wash; to the wealthy merchants he mentioned the golden brocade carp's power to ward off evil and attract wealth; to the aristocracy he described the platinum dragon head's nobility and might. Without changing expression, in just a few words, every person in the group stared at the brocade carp with eyes shining.

Since Prince You himself was absent, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Naming a tricolor brocade carp with a red flower on its head caused an uproar; Grand Tutor Xu couldn't get a word in edgewise and had no wish to join in, merely seizing the time to watch the fish. After all, this garden lies behind the Year Feather Hall, and without a proper reason he couldn't keep coming.

Called a Tea Gathering, the served refreshments went untouched as everyone kept circling the fish tank the whole time.

That afternoon the literati managed to write several sour poems praising the brocade carp, but Grand Tutor Xu didn't look at any of them, feeling they lacked spirit and were unworthy of the Great King's aquarium; the literary style of Remote State was indeed somewhat weak.

Nevertheless, the Great King's goal was achieved: everyone not only took an interest in the brocade carp but was also stunned by the exquisite underwater landscape.

A literatus sighed that the fish container was crystal clear and surely worth a fortune, something they would see only once in their lifetime at Prince You's Manor. Zhao Zhu Ge gave a faint smile and arrived.

"The finest things in the world—of course the first share must be offered to His Majesty; any surplus, you might see later in Remote State City. After all, this year Remote State suffered a great drought, and His Highness, with benevolent heart and virtue, decided to reduce taxes by ten percent—a good deed, but His Highness also has several thousand soldiers to support, alas! It's difficult."

Those present are no fools; even if those few literati were fools, they couldn't have ended up sitting here today. By hearing the strings and knowing the refinement, everyone understood that the Great King did not intend to keep the brocade carp for himself but to sell it.

At that moment Zhao Zhu Ge bent down, took a white pill from the small bowl at the base of the fish tank, and flicked it into the tank.

All that could be seen was that when the white pill met water it bubbled up endlessly; the clear water in the fish tank seemed to boil, bubbling wildly around the pill. Everyone started in surprise, about to exclaim, but upon closer look the pretty little fish seemed to be swimming more happily?

"This is a fish‑keeping secret medicine; poured into the water it purifies the quality and helps the fish breathe. With it, even we rough folk can learn to keep this precious tribute brocade carp alive. Elder Bai, I hear you've traveled far and wide—do you think selling this brocade carp in the culturally flourishing city of Jiankang would be a good business?"

Anyway, Elder Bai was exceedingly delighted, not knowing whether it was because he approved of the brocade carp's future or because he had registered himself at Prince You's Manor.

The purpose of the tea gathering having been fulfilled, the busy Great King 'made time' to show his face.

The Great King wanted to appear; his bearing was extremely dignified, full of noble air, courteous and refined.

Everyone who had given the Great King a solemn kowtow felt that he truly deserved the title of dragon's son and phoenix's grandson; such a noble status showed no trace of the arrogance one might imagine, and at his young age he was instead remarkably generous and easygoing.

Indeed, there was not a trace of the little brat's true nature; it was well hidden.

Everyone's impression of the Great King was excellent to an extraordinary degree, prompting Bai Ze to give the Great King two serious looks and remark, "You're doing a great job pretending!"

Actually, that all‑red‑headed tricolor brocade carp already had a name; the Great King merely came over to give his stamp of approval and go through the motions.

Selling this brocade carp must let Remote State gain some fame, so that the world knows where this fish comes from.

At the very least, let those who love fish remember that Remote State has brocade carp, rather than associating Remote State solely with border warfare and poverty.

After the Great King arrived, his aide Zhao Zhu Ge pondered and then suggested calling it—'Remote State Tricolor'—and the Great King readily agreed.

Night fell, the Great King departed after bestowing a banquet, and everything proceeded steadily according to plan.

The next day, on the most prosperous street of Remote State City, a newly opened shop appeared.

An auspicious time having arrived, gongs and drums were beaten as the signboard was unveiled, revealing a huge plaque of light-colored wood bearing four dark‑blue characters: 【Aquatic World】.

The curtain hanging on the wall was also drawn back, the shop revealed its full appearance, and the onlooking townsfolk exclaimed in amazement!

One large section of the shop's wall was actually transparent, inside which were kept some brightly colored large fish!

And they were still moving!

The shop clerk skillfully placed a railing around the outside of the aquarium tank window, saying, "Step back to watch, don't get too close! If you break this fragile glass fish tank, three generations of sellers couldn't afford to compensate! Viewing from afar is just as good!"

"What is this wall made of? How can one still see inside the house?"

"It's transparent!"

"I've lived half my life by the sea and have never seen such a beautiful fish—truly bright and fresh!"

"Shopkeeper, what does this shop sell?"

The shopkeeper stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Our shop sells aquaria—everything of ornamental fish that live in water, plus fish tanks and some fish‑keeping secret medicines."

The Great King's target was not these ordinary folk; soon those who had attended his new‑variety naming conference would hear the news and come.

Aquatic World sells not only fish, tanks, and sand‑and‑stone miniature landscapes, but also oxygenating tablets, and comes with a complimentary guide to raising brocade carp.

Brocade carp come in large and small sizes, priced according to their appearance.

For example, the golden brocade carp used to curry favor with wealthy merchants: the neater the scales and the yellower the color, the higher the price. Ordinary small golden brocade carp start at 66 taels, better‑colored ones at 88 taels, 108 taels, palm‑length specimens at 168 taels, while the foot‑long ones in the largest tank at the shop entrance go for 688 taels each.

Among these varieties, Remote State Tricolor commands the highest price: a basic small fish costs 100 taels of silver, a palm‑length one 200 taels. According to the shopkeeper, experts in Great Yuan who breed this fish say the pattern of Remote State Tricolor may develop into pictographic characters, which would be priceless—existing only in legend. But anyone can buy a few small ones to raise at home; if they happen to grow attractive markings, you'd still make a profit.

A cloth merchant had a neighbor who was in the same trade, though the neighbor's business was larger; having attended the prince's manor banquet the previous day, he came over especially to boast at length about how beautiful the brocade carp were, how luxurious the manor was, and how noble Prince You was.

Who would have thought that this very morning he would run into a brocade‑carp shop right in the city!

He came in and took a look; some of what his neighbor said was indeed not wrong—this transparent fish tank with brocade carp is truly rare!

He really liked it; the fish is not only beautiful but also auspicious, and just in time for his father‑in‑law's birthday, he gritted his teeth and bought a modest fish tank, six small brocade carp, and enough oxygenating tablets for half a year.

Seeing him approach, the shopkeeper said, "Valued customer, wouldn't you like to buy some sand and stone to create a scene?"

The cloth merchant shook his head: "No need to buy it; Remote State isn't lacking in sea—I can just pick some up at the beach myself."

The shopkeeper said, "Valued customer, you don't know this—please look at the guide to raising brocade carp that comes with the fish. The sand and stone you bring back from the beach should be disinfected before use, lest pathogens infect the brocade carp. Oh, pathogens are an invisible source of infectious disease; if a person contracts typhoid, they can pass it to their family, and the beach sand is so filthy that, untreated, it couldn't be used to raise this precious brocade carp. What we sell has already been sterilized."

Those customers weren't very literate; upon hearing this, they said, "Alright, the big money is already spent, we might as well take out this little money—buy!"

After buying sand and stones, he picked out a few rustic clay cottages and a stone bridge with an old fisherman, then added some aquatic plants for the koi to eat. This merchant was of middling means; he ultimately couldn't bear to buy that luxurious crystal palace, and besides, his small tank wasn't really suited for it.

When settling the bill, the shopkeeper said again, "Ah? Customer, why did you buy six? For keeping koi, you don't keep an even number; seven or nine is best, five is also fine. Did you perhaps pick out one extra?"

Well… the customer couldn't bear to part with any of them, and in the end picked up another one.

Upon settling the bill, the seven multicolored koi cost 380 taels, the medium-small tank 400 taels, the oxygen tablets (180 pieces) 30 taels, and other decorative odds and ends totaled 62 taels; the Great King gained 872 taels from the seven fish.

The shopkeeper warmly saw them to the door, earnestly urging them to feed carefully according to the manual, and also gave a free cute little scoop net. The customer instantly forgot the pain of spending a fortune, "Ah? This little net is quite unique, made of precious wire!"

That was Bai Yang's new product for his live-stream sales; on the shopping site he sold them at one yuan each, wholesaling two thousand at once.