Wanqingsi

Chapter 17 Bidding
The strange fragrance filled the audience.I sat sideways on the big drum, my left leg was hidden in the long skirt, but I propped up my alluring right leg covered with thin red ribbons, exposing it to everyone.The snow-white jade feet are bare, and the cardamom on the nails are dazzling red, adorned with small sparkling colored beads.Holding the neck of the guitar with my right hand, I stood the guitar upright by my side. I leaned my head on the guitar with a face full of indifference, and lowered my eyelids lightly. The rest is up to me.

There was a lot of commotion off the stage. The rose I threw was snatched by a muscular man covered in flesh. People were still crowding around the stage, refusing to return to their seats.All kinds of eyes shot at me, obsessed, amazed, disdainful, envious, jealous..., only one bunch was different, that was anger, I felt the scorching eyes on the right side of the stage , a faint smile floated on the corner of his lips, but his eyelashes were still drooping, indifferent.

Yue Niang stepped onto the stage with a smile all over her face. She looked at the chaotic scene in the hall happily, and said with a charming smile: "Hey... It seems that all the masters like our girl Carmen's singing and dancing so much? Sit down?"

"Yueniang, I want Miss Carmen to accompany me tonight." The man who snatched my rose said to Yueniang first.

"Why?" There was booing from the stage, and someone embarrassed him immediately, "Tan Datou, do you think you can win the beauty by talking first? This is Yihonglou, and everything is based on money."

Yueniang smiled and said: "Young Master Zhang is still right. We rely on the red building to open the door to do business. We only recognize money but not people. Whoever offers the highest price tonight can kiss Miss Carmen Fangze." .”

The young master Zhang in brocade clothes and robes looked like a dandy who didn't learn well. He looked determined to win, and said loudly to Yueniang: "Yueniang, don't be a good boy, none of us know about the rules of the red building, you Just quote us a price!" Suddenly there were shouts from the audience, and everyone was eager to try.

I'm really a piece of pork waiting to be slaughtered!I had a smile on my face all the time, my eyelashes drooping slightly, and I was calm and composed, as if all the troubles in the audience had nothing to do with me. This way, I should have the demeanor of a famous brothel, right?Since just now, Chu Shang's furious gaze has never been taken away from me. If there is no accident..., I smiled from the bottom of my heart.

Yueniang cleared her throat, and said with a charming smile, "Miss Carmen's starting price for accompanying guests tonight is 100 taels of silver." As soon as the words came out, everyone in the audience gasped, and they heard Tan Datou shouting: "100 taels Baiyin, Yueniang, you really know how to ask for prices."

100 taels of silver?I sighed, this red building is really a nest of selling gold.In my previous life, I liked to read some idle books. I once saw the ancient currency conversion system in my time and space. Compared with the plots of modern TV dramas, I often found it ridiculous. Tens of thousands of taels of silver.What's more, they can often take out bank notes with denominations of hundreds or thousands of taels from their pockets.There are actually two misunderstandings here.One is that one tael of silver in ancient times was equal to one yuan today.The second is to think that ancient bank notes are today's bank notes or checks.

In fact, there was a shortage of silver in ancient China, and the value of silver was very high.Making money (that is, the standard copper coin with a square hole) is called "wen", and silver and gold are melted in "two". Large, so it is possible to get relatively stable and reliable data.The exchange ratio between copper coins, silver and gold is just like the current foreign exchange price, which changes frequently, and is not as clear as one yuan equals one hundred percent.The ratio of gold to silver rose from 1600:1 around 8 to 1:10 in the middle and late 1th century, and doubled to 20:20 by the end of the 11th century.Taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, in the early years of Daoguang, one tael of silver was exchanged for a hang of money, which was one thousand Wen; by the time of the Opium War in the [-]th year of Daoguang, one tael of silver could be exchanged for [-] Wen for making money.Since Xianfeng, the price of silver has soared, and one tael of silver can be exchanged for as much as two thousand two or three hundred cash.It can be seen from this that under normal circumstances, one tael of gold can be exchanged for about eight to eleven taels of silver; one tael of silver can be exchanged for about one thousand to one thousand five hundred copper coins.In ancient times, it was usually said that a consistent coin or a hanging coin was one thousand Wen.

Taking the Tang Dynasty as an example, the monthly salary of ninth-rank officials was five shi (equivalent to 70 kilograms) rice, nine cents and five cents per stone for upper white rice, nine cents and three cents per stone for middle white rice, eight cents and three cents per stone for lower white rice, and eight cents and three cents per stone for white flour. Jin (equivalent to 1.2 city catty) nine wen, a stone of rice will not exceed one tael of silver, from this we know that the monthly salary of a ninth-rank official in the Tang Dynasty is equivalent to five taels of silver.

Until the Qing Dynasty, the annual salary of a sixth-rank official was 45 taels of silver, which was less than four taels of silver per month. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a catty of pork cost only [-] Wen, and an acre of fertile land cost only seven to eight taels of silver or twelve or three silver dollars.A few taels of silver or dozens of taels of silver is a big deal, and a hundred taels of silver is a big money today, and it can buy more than ten acres of fertile land.In the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver was enough for a commoner to live for a year, so Qi Jiguang's soldiers were only paid three cents of silver a day, which was less than one tael a month.It was slightly more expensive in the Qing Dynasty, mainly due to the large foreign trade surplus before the Opium War, and the decline in silver prices after a large inflow of silver.Later, after a large amount of compensation was paid, the price ratio between silver and copper rose again.Ordinary people use copper coins. In the late Qing Dynasty, copper coins were used, and silver was rarely used for daily transactions.Many ordinary people have never seen silver until their death.Therefore, when expressing no money (poverty) in colloquial language, use "锡 (copper coin) no" instead of "silver no".This is one of the reasons why people often regard silver as precious. It can also be seen from this that the corrupt officials who sang in "Dream of Red Mansions" "Three years to clear the magistrate, one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver" have high means of collecting money and are ruthless in collecting people's fat and anointing. The heart is black and poisonous, and the lives of ordinary people are miserable.

As for the bank notes, taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, they were actually remittance certificates issued by a bank in Shanxi, with secret deposits, not bank notes (banknotes) that were redeemed upon sight.There is an exchange fee for bank notes.Bank notes are useful for merchants who do bulk transactions. It can avoid the risk of carrying a large amount of cash, and it is convenient, and the cost is almost the same as carrying a large amount of cash by yourself.Ordinary people and officials don't need it, so they don't take out banknotes with denominations of hundreds or thousands of taels out of their pockets to pay.Even if you take it out to pay, ordinary merchants and ordinary people will not accept it, and its circulation is not as good as today's personal checks.

If the world conditions and customs of the Tianzhao Dynasty were the same as the Tang Dynasty in my time and space, the starting price of my auction today would have reached the salary of a ninth-rank official for one year and eight months. Only then did I understand why the ancients said that Ruanrou Township is also sold for gold Even though I know in my heart that these officials and businessmen will not only get paid for this, but Yueniang's quotation is worthy of me, because there should be only a few people who can afford such a high price at the scene. part, cut off most people's hopes of bidding at once.

Yueniang heard Tan Datou's screams, she pursed her lips and said with a smile: "You get what you pay for, does Uncle Tan think that our Carmen girl is not worth the price?"

"It's worth it, it's definitely worth it!" It was another young man who spoke, "Yue Niang, 100 taels of silver, Miss Carmen is covered by me tonight."

"Wait a minute, Li Qing!" It was the richly dressed young master Zhang who stopped him, "I'll pay you 120 taels."

"140 taels!" The young man named Li Qing glanced at him and quoted another price.

"I'll pay you 150 taels!" Tan Datou blurted out when he heard that the price was getting higher and higher.

"200 taels." A hoarse voice sounded from the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an old man with a fat head and a belly as big as a pregnant woman who was pregnant for three months. I felt sick.

The crowd gasped for a while. With such a price, not many people dared to bid again.Yueniang smiled and said, "Master Song still has eyesight, our Miss Carmen is a rare beauty in a hundred years."

"Beauty may not be the most beautiful, but, master, I just like her style." Master Song narrowed Se Mimi's eyes, pinching a few sparse beards on his chin.

"250 taels!" After hearing what he said, the young master Zhang in the brocade robe gave him a sideways glance, and said contemptuously, "If Miss Carmen was photographed by you tonight, wouldn't it be a flower stuck in cow dung?"

Everyone roared with laughter.Master Song's full face was trembling with anger, he stared coldly at First Young Master Zhang with his sinister eyes, and offered another price: "300 taels!"

The laughter gradually weakened, and most people couldn't afford such a high price, so they all had the mentality of watching a good show, watching the few men scrambling around the bottom of the stage.

"350 taels!" The young man named Li Qing didn't seem to be prepared to give me up to Mr. Song, but Tan Datou, who made the initial bid, turned pale for a while, snorted hard, and turned back to his seat. Obviously, he is ready to give up this competition.

"400 taels!" Young Master Zhang in Jin Pao glanced at Li Qing and Master Song, and added another 50 taels.

"500 taels!" Everyone exclaimed, Master Song blushed, panting heavily and staring at Young Master Zhang who changed his robe.

Li Qing glanced at Master Song, smiled slightly, turned around gracefully, and returned to his seat. Young Master Zhang probably didn't have that much money to bid, so he glared at Master Song angrily, and said sarcastically, "Master Song , spend so much money, can you do it? Don't throw the money into the water!"

There was another burst of laughter, Master Song was about to get angry, Yue Niang quickly smoothed things over and said, "Oh, look at what Young Master Zhang said, since Master Song paid the money, we girls will serve Master Song well. Now Song The master's bid is 500 taels, is there any higher price than Master Song?"

There was no sound on the stage, but I already felt that Chu Shang's anger was getting stronger and stronger, almost on the verge of collapse.It's time, a smile appeared on the corner of my lips, if you don't make a sound, you have to take that anger back and suffocate yourself.Seeing that no one answered, Yueniang smiled and said, "Since no one is older than 500 years, Miss Carmen will..."

"1000 taels!" Another number was suddenly announced on the left side of the stage.

There was a sudden exclamation from the audience, and they all looked at the bidders. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That voice didn't come from Chu Shang, but Feng Ge!
"Ah! It's Mr. Yue..." Someone in the audience recognized Feng Ge, and there was a surprised voice.

"I heard that Mr. Yue was fascinated by this Carmen girl, and he was willing to condescend to accompany her. Now it seems to be true, and he paid such a high price..."

The audience was noisy, and Mr. Song, who offered 500 taels, had already sat back in his seat in despair.I looked up at Feng Ge, conveying the teasing in my heart with my eyes. ——It turns out that Feng Ge is also a rich man!

He blinked, ignoring the mess he had made. ——Well, you Xueer, you even lied to me.

I laughed and gave a wink. ——People don't want that lyrics to scare you.

"Fengge?" Yueniang interrupted my exchange of love with him in surprise and anger, and frowned, "Why are you here to make trouble?"

"How can you call it more trouble?" Feng Ge had a lazy smile on his face, "Wan Chi, you open the door to do business, as long as I can pay, you don't care if I make trouble or not!"

Yue Niang was robbed by him in public, and it was not easy to get angry.It seemed that Feng Ge was already prepared, but he calmly walked onto the stage, took out the silver ticket from his body, stuffed it into Yueniang's hand, and said with a smile: "Can I take someone away?"

Yueniang couldn't say a word, Yuege didn't care about her, she just came up to hold my hand with a smile, and said softly: "Let's go!"

I couldn't help but put my hand in his. Although things deviated from my expectation, but if it was Feng Ge, tonight would be absolutely safe, so I stood up without thinking.

"Gold, 1000 taels!" An ice-cold offer stopped Feng Ge and me, and took everyone's breath away. After a while, someone came back to their senses and screamed: "Oh my God!" Ah, 1000 taels of gold!"

"It's Mr. Chu!" Someone began to gossip in the audience, "I never thought Mr. Chu, a rich man who came to Yihonglou only to look for Yueniang, would spend a lot of money on this Carmen girl today!"

There was a commotion all around, Yueniang's face turned pale, and she couldn't say anything for a moment.I smiled and raised my eyes to see that Chu Shang had come out of his box, with anger in his eyes.1000 taels of gold, much more than I expected, Chu Shang, Chu Shang, I am in your heart, is my worth already so high?I turned my head, looked into Feng Ge's eyes, gently withdrew my hand from his palm, and said with a soft smile: "It seems that you won't be able to take me away today."

Feng Ge's quiet pupils were filled with inexplicable light, and she met Chu Shang's eyes with no expression on her face. After a while, she turned and walked off the stage without saying a word, left the hall, and walked away with a flick of her sleeves.The people in the hall were startled by the sudden change in front of them, and there was no sound for a while.

I looked at Chu Shang's cold face, his black eyes were full of anger, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he said softly: "Mr. Chu won the auction with such a high price. Carmen can't repay you. I would like to present a song for you. gratitude."

The applause came one after another, everyone thought there was another dance to watch, and they were all in high spirits, but Chu Shang's face suddenly turned darker after hearing my words, and before he got angry, I was already sitting on the edge of the big drum, holding the guitar in my arms, pulling out A string of notes came out, the snow-white bare feet dangled gently on the edge of the drum, and the silver bells on the feet made a crisp sound.

Everyone didn't expect that I was just sitting quietly playing the piano, the boiling noise gradually quieted down, I fixedly looked at Chu Shang, stared into his eyes without blinking, and looked into the depths of his heart.After the simple prelude, my clear and pure voice sounded leisurely.When I sang "Carmen", my voice was deliberately hoarse. Now is the time to restore my true voice. It is clean, natural, and free of impurities. It is like the sound of nature, making people afraid to breathe.I sighed in my heart, Wei Lanxue's voice is really good, such a beautiful voice is most suitable for the song I am singing now.

"So lightly I go, as lightly I came,
I waved my hand gently, saying goodbye to the clouds in the western sky.
The golden willow by the river is the bride in the setting sun,

The beautiful shadows in the waves are rippling in my heart.
The green dragonfly on the soft mud, slipperyly swaying in the bottom of the water,
In the soft waves of the Cam River, I'd willingly be a waterweed.

The pool under the shade of the tree is not a clear spring, but a rainbow in the sky,

Crushed among the floating algae, a rainbow-like dream is deposited.

dream?With a long punt pole, I wandered back to where the grass is greener,

A boat full of starlight, singing in the colorful starlight,

But I can't sing, quietly is parting's flute,
Xia Chong is also silent for me, silence is Cambridge tonight.

Quietly I go, just as quietly I came,

I wave my sleeves, not taking a single cloud away. "

My eyes met Chu Shang quietly, the anger in his eyes gradually extinguished, listening to my elegant, soft and sentimental lyrics, his eyes and expression softened.I smile, Chu Shang, Chu Shang, if my flirtatious dance can irritate you, my light song can comfort you, if I can control your emotions so easily, do you still have a chance to win this game?

The last note slipped from my fingertips.The song was over, the sound was silent, everyone seemed to be still immersed in this beautiful music they had never heard before, for a while, no one made a sound.Chu Shang stretched out his right hand to me, with a soft line drawn on the corner of his lips.I smiled and jumped off the big drum with my guitar in my arms, and I wanted to walk towards him.

"Gold, one thousand 100 taels." A clear and loud male voice suddenly sounded in the quiet hall. Everyone looked at the sound in surprise, and saw that the door of the first private room on the left side of the stage, which had been closed for a long time, opened at this moment. Yes, a man in Tsing Yi stood at the door, looking at me with a smile.

(End of this chapter)