Chapter 70

Zheng Yifang gave up the nearby Wanxiang City and decided to go take a look at the magnificent architectural complex ahead.

As he approached, he found the city wall endless, unable to see where it turned. Yet its scale was so grand it even had a moat! The water was clear, looking as wide as two zhang, with a white stone railing lining the bank.

From afar he saw heavily armed soldiers guarding the stone bridge over the moat leading to the gate tower; Zheng Yifang couldn't help but want to go closer for a look. But before he even neared the bridge, the two soldiers stationed there crossed their spears and shouted, "Ahead is the You Wang Manor—no one may trespass!" "Fall back!"

Zheng Yifang hurriedly stepped back two paces, then clasped his hands and said, "I'm a commoner merchant from the south; I happened to pass by and couldn't resist coming to have a look..."

The two soldiers, seeing him retreat, withdrew their spears, turned and stood at attention, ignoring him completely and not even bothering to reply.

Zheng Yifang stood where he was and took two glances at the imposing gate tower of the You Wang Manor; on the second level hung a huge vertical plaque inscribed with the words "Southern Splendor Gate".

The gate was shut tight, so he couldn't see inside; all he could see were the high walls, layered eaves, and exquisite crenellations. Everything made him wonder if this could be achieved merely with money.

Just how much money would that take? As a son of a wealthy merchant, he instinctively measured everything in silver, and finally realized the You King was truly no ordinary figure—at the very least, the people behind him were absolutely not ordinary.

The Southern Splendor Gate gave the impression that... it wasn't something that could be built just with money.

Standing here, even if he ignored all the soldiers on the bridge, at the gate, and on the walls, just looking at a corner of the Southern Splendor Gate he could feel the noble imperial authority. Simply put, the design exudes a strong sense of oppression; to Zheng Yifang, a man of the Great Jin, it felt nothing less than regal majesty.

Back at the gate of Wanxiang City, Zheng Yifang no longer dared to underestimate You Prefecture.

Was it just the patrolling soldiers who directed him here? Could this shop also belong to the You King?

He looked around carefully, but he didn't find that "You"-character flag on any of the three-story buildings in Wanxiang City.

Wanxiang City was still busy today; the shop assistants had been busy memorizing the price and usage of every product. Other shops might not need to go through all that trouble, but the goods in Wanxiang City are absolutely unique rarities under heaven—no one has ever seen them before, so how could they explain them to customers if they didn't know what they were?

After a few days of study, the display cabinet ordered yesterday finally arrived; today the shop was busy arranging items on it, while the shopkeeper Zhu Ti would occasionally be dissatisfied and want to move things elsewhere…

Just as Zheng Yifang was about to step inside to arrange things, the assistant who was supposed to greet customers at the door put down his work and came over to meet him, even though they hadn't officially opened for business yet.

"Please come inside! Our shop is just preparing to open; it's a bit chaotic. If you need anything small, I can introduce it to you. Our shop's featured product this season is the solar-powered night lamp."

"What is this solar power?" Zheng Yifang didn't understand. When he set out, the Second Prince hadn't yet obtained this new model of the "grass‑cutting divine tool" night lamp.

As soon as they heard he was a wealthy merchant from Chang'an who had come especially for the brocade carp to You Prefecture, the assistant immediately raised the standard of reception and called for the shopkeeper.

"Big business!"

The shopkeeper said, "Our shop doesn't do business with the locals of You Prefecture; we mainly target wealthy merchants from the south. I never expected them to show up so soon."

Then Zheng Yifang was dazzled by the beauty of the Wanxiang City shopkeeper, and afterward his eyes were overwhelmed by the dazzling array of artistic goods on display.

Here every category of merchandise has its own display cabinet; as it turns out, the flowing sand paintings come in over a dozen styles, the music boxes aren't all tuned the same, and the glowing night lamps that are exposed to the sun come in fifty-plus different styles.

The tea culture of the Great Jin has not yet flourished, and Zheng Yifang was seeing so many exquisite tea sets for the first time. Cups thin as cicada wings, adorable tea pets of every variety—he wanted a whole set. Watching him linger in the tea‑art area, Zhu Ti silently brought over a few boxes of tea leaves—green, black, white—asking which he preferred. The tea ware also has its own pairings, and she could give him a detailed introduction. If you have money, buy them all; each has its own story.

Wanxiang City, the most stylish and miraculous shop in the entire Great Jin—once you step inside, you won't leave without emptying your purse.

Even Zheng Yifang, who had seen the prosperity of Jiankang, couldn't resist; he wanted to buy everything.

For every novel item he saw, he could imagine how big a sensation it would cause in Jiankang and Chang'an, and how eagerly the city's wealthy youths and cultured scholars would chase after it.

How could glazed ornaments come in so many shapes? How could their colors be so vivid? Glazed vases of every hue and form need no flowers—just placing them on display is already novel and beautiful.

When he asked about the prices, it got even better: aside from a few trinkets like bookmarks and canvas bags, nothing was priced below five hundred taels.

However, the beautiful female shopkeeper also said, "Buy in bulk and get a discount."

Zheng Yifang wanted to take a little of everything, but they hadn't forgotten that this trip was chiefly for brocade carp and glass tanks; before setting out, his father had given him a purchasing list, and he couldn't spend all his money at once here.

Zhu Ti smiled and told him, "Already You Prefecture merchants have bought large quantities of brocade carp and glass tanks to set up in Jiangnan; as for Chang'an, you're the first to come looking for them. Then she introduced him to the aquatic world that hasn't yet been moved into the city."

Zheng Yifang also asked about the bolt‑after‑bolt of combed cotton that ordinary folk buy; although winter in Chang'an is quite cold, bringing some back would surely sell.

Oh, that too is new cargo brought by overseas big ships, it's expensive. Our Prince You has already entrusted someone overseas to buy the seeds of this cotton; later we can grow it in the Great Jin, maybe the price will drop.

Expensive? I heard from the common folk outside that it's a hundred wen per bolt; that price isn't expensive.

Zhu Ti blew on his finger, Zheng Yifang's gaze followed and swayed, then she smiled and said: "The guest really has a sense of humor; from cotton grown in the field to the processed, ready-to-use combed cotton, it takes several steps. Moreover, the raw materials are all imported from overseas—how could it be cheap? The selling price is thirty taels per bolt."

Ah? But just now… that old lady told me it was a hundred wen…

You're joking, guest. Do you have a household registration from Youzhou? If so, you could actually buy two bolts at the price of a hundred wen, but no more than that. Selling so cheaply to the common folk is because Prince You wants to help his people get through this winter; the remaining twenty-nine taels he pays out of his own pocket.

Zheng Yifang: ……

Just how formidable must the financial backing behind Prince You be, to be able to win over people's hearts on such a grand scale?!

He set aside a little budget for the koi, and after several rounds of wrangling, the rest was all spent in Wanxiang City.

He was successfully persuaded by Zhu Ti; in Jiankang and Luoyang, people have already set up shop, and I heard the stores are open. If he goes there again, he wouldn't be unique; it's better to deeply cultivate Wanxiang City's novel imported goods—this way he can first make a name in Chang'an and seize the market.