On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Today is the final auction of the year at Baoyue Building. Unlike previous events, there is a majority of women among the attendees.
The moment Jiang Yuqing and Lu stepped into Baoyue Building, they immediately caught everyone's attention. The noble ladies couldn't help but envy and admire Lu's youthful and beautiful appearance.
Their anticipation and determination grew stronger for the upcoming auction of the Beauty Enhancing Pill.
Baoyue Building is experienced in the auction business and knows well when to showcase items to garner the most attention and maximize profits.
The auction began with several ordinary treasures, such as a famous painting by a master from a previous era, Hetian jade from the distant Western Regions, and even a jade pillow soaked in blood.
Those knowledgeable could tell it was unearthed from a tomb. Surprisingly, there were still many bidders, and it fetched a decent price.
Jiang Yuqing's Beauty Enhancing Pill was scheduled for the fourth round and was of the lowest grade.
When the auctioneer presented the box, a glamorous female auctioneer enthusiastically introduced it, "Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth item up for auction is the Beauty Enhancing Pill.
I believe the ladies present have already heard of it and seen its miraculous effects.
The Beauty Enhancing Pill is crafted by the renowned Princess Protector, using rare and extraordinary flowers and herbs, taking several years to refine. There are a total of five pills.
Two of them have already been taken by the Lady of Duke Jiang and the Queen. The remaining three, one top-grade, one middle-grade, and one low-grade, are entrusted to our building for auction.
The current auction is for the low-grade Beauty Enhancing Pill. Its effects include rejuvenating and beautifying the skin. Women aged between 30 and 50 who consume it will have their youthful radiance restored within three days and maintain it for three years."
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the venue erupted in astonished exclamations.
The women knew about its excellent cosmetic effects, allowing them to quickly become beautiful within a few days. However, they had no idea it could also preserve their youthful appearance for three years.
They became even more excited, wishing they could directly rush forward and snatch it.
The auctioneer, satisfied with the response, smiled and said, "Alright, I believe everyone has an understanding now. The auction for the low-grade Beauty Enhancing Pill begins at a starting price of three thousand silver taels!"
As soon as the auctioneer's voice fell, the ladies in the audience began raising their bidding signs. Three thousand taels, five thousand taels, seven thousand taels, ten thousand... It quickly soared to thirty-one thousand taels.
The women in the general seating area also had some wealth, but when the price rose to this level, they could only sigh at the unattainable item.
Then, the ladies in the private boxes on various floors started bidding.
After several rounds of bidding, the low-grade Beauty Enhancing Pill was sold to a wealthy merchant's wife for the high price of sixty-eight thousand taels.
As the auctioneer's gavel fell, Jiang Yuqing couldn't help but be amazed. She silently marveled at the wealth of the women in the capital and deeply reflected on underestimating their pursuit and obsession with beauty.
After a few more rounds, the second pill, a middle-grade Beauty Enhancing Pill, was put up for auction. Starting at five thousand taels, it was ultimately sold to the Third Princess for the staggering price of ninety-eight thousand taels.
The finale came with the appearance of the top-grade beauty pill. When the emcee proclaimed, "It can preserve your youthful appearance for ten years," the women in attendance went crazy, and the competition reached a fever pitch.
With an initial bid of ten thousand taels of silver, the pill went through round after round of bidding until it was ultimately acquired by the Crown Prince's Consort of Duke Anguo for an exorbitant price of 158,000 taels of silver.
The Crown Prince's Consort of Duke Anguo, hailing from the wealthy Shen family, was considered the family's prized gem.
Rumor has it that her dowry alone filled three streets, showcasing the family's immense wealth. Spending over a hundred thousand taels of silver on a single pill, even Jiang Yuqing, who had lived for two lifetimes, couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"
There's a saying from a previous life, "Poverty truly limits my imagination!"
As soon as the women got their hands on the pill, they couldn't wait to swallow it, fearing any delay might lead to changes.
The biggest winner of this auction was Jiang Yuqing.
The three pills were sold for a total of 324,000 taels of silver, and as a result, Baoyue Building designated her as their top-level VIP, offering her the greatest discounts, which amounted to 300,000 taels of silver after deducting the commission.
When Lu left Baoyue Building, she felt like she was floating on air.
Just think about what she had done!
She actually ingested something worth over a hundred thousand taels of silver, equivalent to the price of two medium-sized treasure ships.
Oh my goodness! I wonder if it's still possible to retrieve it now?
Lu returned home in a daze and took a while to regain her senses before asking Jiang Yuqing, "Darling, do you still have those beauty pills?"
Jiang Yuqing replied, "Yes, Mother. Do you want to give them to someone?"
Lu shook her head and said, "No, Mother just wants to tell you not to give them away anymore. This valuable stuff, if given away again, would truly break my heart.
Back when we were still struggling in our hometown, we couldn't even afford to split a copper coin in half. Your father would work for others, copying books for half a month, and he would only earn a little over one tael of silver.
Whenever I think that I've swallowed over a hundred thousand taels of silver in one gulp, it makes my heart ache. It's truly a tragedy!"
Jiang Yuqing chuckled, "The purpose of making these things is to consume them. Not only do you have them, but I also prepared them for Grandmother, Aunts, and Sisters-in-law. Grandma and Aunt also have them.
When my older brothers marry, we can present them as a marriage gift, won't that give us great face?"
Lu's mouth widened in surprise, "So many? Darling, how many did you actually produce?"
Jiang Yuqing proudly smiled, then whispered in her mother's ear, "As many as we wanted to produce. So, Mother, please don't worry.
Besides, we only release two or three of these things each year; any more than that, and they won't be valuable."
Lu instantly beamed with joy, "My clever baby daughter! Now I can rest assured."
Jiang Yuqing earned three hundred thousand taels of silver from selling three pills. Not only did the prominent families in the capital envy him, even the Emperor felt envious.
After all, he still remembered that this young lady would be his future daughter-in-law, and she hadn't done anything embarrassing like robbing the rich.
His eldest son reminded him, "Don't forget how many things Qingqing has sent to the Northwest Army in these past years."
Without her unwavering support, your days wouldn't be so comfortable! At the very least, it would be difficult for you to even think about adding a new court dress!"
"..." Emperor Xiajing fumed, searching for something to hit this unfilial son.
Finally, he found a paperweight, but upon seeing that it was a famous kiln piece, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.
If it got damaged, the inner palace would have to spend money to replace it, which wouldn't be cost-effective! He sighed and decided to endure it.
Jiang Wenyuan was remarkably calm about his daughter suddenly earning three hundred thousand taels of silver.
Their family didn't lack money, and there was no need for their daughter to earn a living now. The money she earned belonged to her alone, and she could do whatever she wanted with it.
However, Doctor Qiu wasted no time in approaching her once he returned to the residence. "My dear, do you still have any of those beauty pills? Perhaps you want to give them away?" He grinned mischievously. "Could it be that you've finally come to your senses and want to find a wife for us?"
Jiang Yuqing's eyes instantly lit up. "Really? You want them? What for?" She teased him. "But those pills don't have much effect even if you take them."
Doctor Qiu glared at her and said, "Who said I want them to consume? I just want to take a look, do some research."
"Of course you can!" Jiang Yuqing replied, taking out a small jade bottle and handing it to him. "Here's a bottle of low-grade beauty pills for you."
Doctor Qiu asked, "Do you have the raw materials used in their production? I'd like to take a look."
Without much thought, Jiang Yuqing gave him a bundle of spirit herbs. "These are spirit herbs and flowers from the Spirit Realm. They contain spiritual energy and are different from ordinary medicinal plants. Take a look, but they might not grow outside."
"Alright, alright!" Doctor Qiu waved off her concerns. While muttering, he took the spirit herbs and beauty pills and quickly left.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaojiu, who was playing nearby, caught a whiff of a familiar and delightful smell. It nudged her and Jiang Yuqing tossed it a deer leg. The big creature happily ran off with its prize.
Life in the capital wasn't as enjoyable as before.
There were no meat stalls on the nearby streets, and there were plenty of suspicious individuals who wanted to lure it back home.
Did they really think they could win over Bai Xiaojiu with a few pieces of meat? What a joke!
Their pitiful and desperate appearances annoyed Jiang Yuqing. If it weren't for the fear of causing trouble for her master, she would have slapped them.
So, it was better to stay at home. When hungry, there was food to eat, and when full, it could wander around. After all, the family's courtyard was large enough to satisfy its need to run.
Since the day Jiang Yuqing gave Doctor Qiu the beauty pills, he hadn't gone to the hospital for several days. Instead, he secluded himself in his own courtyard, conducting research.
Jiang Yuqing knew his temperament and didn't disturb him. She went to work at the An Hospital, standing in for the old man.
Ever since she gave her second sister-in-law a beauty pill, this lovely woman visited her every day while she was at the hospital. She brought various nourishing and delicious soups, showing exceptional attentiveness.
Being in the same place as her husband, who had nothing to offer, made her second brother-in-law jealous. Every time he looked at her, his eyes were filled with resentment.
On this day, her second sister-in-law came to bring her food again. At least this time she didn't forget about her own husband and let her second brother-in-law join in for a meal.
After finishing the meal, the second sister-in-law took the food container and left.
Guo Jie remembered something and suddenly asked her, "Little sister apprentice, what has our master been doing at home these days? Why does he need so much inkstone?" Inkstone refers to coal.
People in this world discovered long ago that this thing can burn, but it was not easy to mine, and combined with underdeveloped transportation, it remained expensive and not widely used.
The common people still relied on readily available firewood for cooking and heating.
Only blacksmiths and other trades that required smelting metal would use it. Because it burns for a long time and at a high temperature.
Jiang Yuqing was momentarily stunned and asked in surprise, "Are you saying that our master asked you for a lot of inkstone?"
Guo Jie replied, "It's not a lot, around three hundred catties. Why, don't you know?"
Jiang Yuqing said, "I really don't know. These days there's been a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging outside our master's yard, so I couldn't go in.
But a few days ago, he asked me for a Beauty Pill and some herbs for refining the Beauty Pill, saying that he wanted to do some research."
As she said this, something suddenly flashed in her mind, and she clapped her hands in alarm, exclaiming, "Oh no!"
"What's wrong?" Guo Jie didn't understand.
Realizing a possible situation, Jiang Yuqing broke out in a cold sweat and said, "I think I know what our master is doing. He must be alchemy.
Oh my goodness, something big might happen! Hurry, we need to go back and stop him."
Saying that, she turned around and ran. Guo Jie hurriedly followed.
Just as their carriage turned into Rongning Street, they heard a loud boom, followed by a plume of black smoke rising over Duke Jiang's Residence.
