Chapter 193

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze blazing like torches as he fixed it on Shangguan Xingyan, a seem-laugh-not-laugh expression hanging at the corner of his mouth, and asked in a measured voice: "Prince Shangguan, you might as well tell Us how the characters We wrote compare to your Imperial Father's — which is superior, which inferior?"

Shangguan Xingyan pondered silently for a moment, his mind spinning rapidly. In a short while, a flash of cunning flickered in his eyes; he cupped his hands in salute and replied respectfully: "Replying to Your Majesty, the calligraphy styles of the two Sovereigns differ, yet both are superior works — truly difficult to rank above or below; one might say each has its own merits!"

Hearing this, the Emperor first froze, then threw back his head and laughed heartily, his voice resonant as a great bell, making the eardrums of everyone in the hall buzz. When the laughter ended, the Emperor extended a finger and pointed at Shangguan Xingyan, praising: "Haha, this lad really has a silver tongue — very much to Our liking!"

Praised like this by the Emperor, Shangguan Xingyan couldn't help feeling a bit bashful; he subconsciously reached up to scratch the back of his head, a faint blush rising on his face. He glanced with slight embarrassment at Yan Si beside him, only to discover Yan Si was smiling as he looked at him, his gaze as if saying: "Good, good, copying the answer, are we." Shangguan Xingyan returned a smug little smile.

When the ink traces were more or less dry, the Emperor waved his hand and said casually: "Very well, nothing more today — you may all withdraw first."

The words had barely fallen when Shangguan Xingyan, Yan Si, and the others present hurriedly bowed in unison, then slowly backed out of the great hall. As they receded into the distance, that heavy hall door also slowly swung shut behind them.

Once out of the Imperial Palace, An Wang returned to An Wang Fu, while Yan Si and Shangguan Xingyan went off to busy themselves. The two first went to commission artisans to forge a signboard. Finally, after three days everything was ready — only the opening remained.

Yan Si decided to open tomorrow; today was the final preparation stage — he had to ready everything needed for the opening, so Yan Si spent another whole afternoon busy, while Qianqian, Yan Shuang'er, and Shangguan Xingyu, knowing the shop would open tomorrow, had also agreed to go take a look together tomorrow.

At dawn on the second day, the sky was a washed blue, the sunshine bright as if it could pierce a person's soul. This extraordinarily clear weather seemed to know today was an auspicious day, and had specially come to add to the festivities.

Yan Si had even rushed out before dawn to arrange matters; by the time he finished all preparations, the sun was already high, and time had quietly slipped to the Si Hour.

On either side of the small shop stood a huge bundle of barley flowers, golden and dazzling, symbolizing prosperous business and abundant wealth.

Yan Si walked slowly out from the shop; a servant at his side clutched a bright red flower made of silk, while two other servants stood left and right, each holding one end of the red flower. And Yan Si stood steadily in the center of the three, like the moon surrounded by stars.

Because flyers had been widely distributed yesterday, many commoners already knew this little shop would open grandly today. At this moment, the area around the shop was already packed with heads, a bustling crowd surrounding the place so tightly not even water could trickle through.

Yan Si stood composed before the shop, while Shangguan Xingyan stood quietly to one side. Immediately after, Yan Si shouted in a loud voice: "Everyone, please calm down first!" Sure enough, the originally clamorous crowd quieted down a little.

Yan Si cleared his throat and continued: "Here, I warmly welcome all of you for gracing us with your presence! Today, our Changying Xiaopu formally and grandly opens! To thank our customers, from today for three consecutive days, all goods in this shop will enjoy a uniform thirty-percent discount! Whatever item you fancy, feel free to enter and choose at will!"

The moment Yan Si's words fell, the previously fairly quiet crowd instantly erupted in wave after wave of noisy discussion. These voices intertwined, as if forming a unique symphony.

And right amid this clamor, Yan Si calmly took the exquisite scissors from the servant's hand. He drew a deep breath, then steadily extended the sharp scissors toward that vivid red silk.

With a light "crack," the red silk was cleanly and neatly severed. At this moment, the atmosphere on site seemed pushed to a small climax, because behind this simple action lay the beautiful meaning of the ribbon-cutting.

After completing the ribbon-cutting, Yan Si did not pause. He walked steadily toward that signboard covered tightly in red cloth, stopped, bent slightly, and reached out to lightly grasp a corner of the red cloth.

Immediately after, he exerted a little force, and the red cloth fluttered down lightly like an obedient butterfly. In an instant, four large characters — "Changying Xiaopu" — dragon-flying phoenix-dancing, majestic in momentum, leapt into people's sight.

In fact, long before today, rumors about this little shop had already spread among the people. It was said that not only was this a strong alliance of two trading houses, but more importantly, this signboard was an honor personally bestowed by the current Sage Sovereign.

Precisely because of this, so many people had come today to watch this grand opening ceremony. When the crowd personally witnessed those four vigorous, powerful characters, the scene erupted in another commotion. Gasps of amazement and praises rose and fell, unceasing.

At this, Yan Si gave a subtle glance to the servant beside him. The servant, understanding instantly, shot off like an arrow from the bow toward a spot not far away and quickly ignited the hanging firecrackers already prepared.

Only a deafening "crackle-pop" resounded through the clouds, and a lively atmosphere instantly permeated the whole venue. Simultaneously, Yan Si and the other servants walked in tacit understanding to the two sides of the main gate, respectfully clearing the doorway. The crowd, already unable to contain their curiosity, surged into the shop like a tide.

Amid the bustling crowd, Yan Si's sharp eyes caught a few familiar faces. Looking closely, they were Qianqian, Shangguan Xingyu, and Yan Shuang'er — the three of them. They were smiling as they looked this way, eyes full of delight and anticipation.

The several people slowly walked into the shop; the moment they crossed the threshold, their gazes were captured by the dazzling array of jade stones before them. Row upon row of shelves were filled with all kinds of jade stones in five colors and six hues — some crystal-clear like crystal; some warm and fine like mutton-fat white jade; still others colorful like the gorgeous clouds at the horizon.

Qianqian involuntarily let out a "wow," her eyes widening, her face full of surprise and amazement. You must know, Dongying Guo has long been famed far and wide for producing jade; the jade here is not only numerous in variety but superior in quality, many varieties never before seen in Dachang Kingdom.

Those jade stones emitted a captivating luster — some a dripping emerald green, some flawlessly white, some a tender pink — truly too beautiful to take in all at once, dazzling the eyes.

Even Shangguan Xingyu, who came from Dongying Guo, couldn't help feeling a shock. Although Dongying Guo likewise has large quantities of jade, because shops selling jade are far too many and far too common, people have long grown accustomed to these beautiful stones.