"Gifts from the East Palace have arrived."
When it was almost noon, the highlight finally arrived. Many housekeepers in the mansion had already delivered their gifts, and then you could leave, but these people did not choose to leave. Instead, they stayed here and made excuses to drink another cup of tea.
In fact, who doesn't understand? Isn't it just to see what gift Li Xiang has sent? Everyone knows that Li Xiang is a wealthy man. This time it's your wife's birthday, let's see how generous you are.
There was also news from Zhidaobao that they had developed a new spice that was better than any other spice on the market. It was liquid and was contained in a container more precious than glass. The ladies of each family were vying for it, as they didn't want their rivals to get this kind of thing. It was said that it first appeared in Li Xiang's gift, so when the housekeepers of each family came, they received orders from their wives to see what the new spice was.
Women are more competitive than men, especially when the ladies of each family are old and ugly. If they don't dress themselves up well, their status may be lost. Spending money is a small matter, but how to win the heart of the master is a big deal. There was no such thing in the past, and there were only so many precious pollens in Chang'an City. Now that there is a new thing, who wouldn't be curious?
As the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Qian Ping has seen big scenes, but he was still a little surprised by the situation at Cheng Yaojin's door today. All those who should and shouldn't have come have come, and these people didn't leave after they arrived. They must be waiting for us!
"Manager Qian, please come in!"
The chief steward of Cheng Yaojin's mansion came out to greet him.
"It's been a while since we last met, Old Cai. You seem to be getting younger and younger."
Qian Ping is the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace. Apart from Wang De who is beside the emperor, Qian Ping should be the highest-ranking eunuch in the entire Chang'an City. Normally, when he socializes with others, he just chats with them casually. As Li Xiang's status rises, ordinary people who want to chat with Qian Ping have to see if they have the ability to do so first. Qian Ping can be so close to Lao Cai, and Lao Cai knows that it is not for his face, but for the face of their young lady.
There were also conflicts in Cheng Yaojin's family. As the youngest lady, Cheng Luan was naturally favored by Cheng Yaojin, but the concubines and illegitimate sons in the family were not necessarily obedient. They usually made trouble, but since they got engaged to Li Xiang, these people suddenly became obedient.
Cheng Yaojin is considered a tough guy in Chang'an City. Most people don't dare to provoke him, but what he does is not excessive. After observing for a long time, you can see that Cheng Yaojin is actually very sensible in doing things and will not cause too much harm.
But as a representative of the new generation of hard-working people, Li Xiang's way of doing things is different from Cheng Yaojin's, because Li Xiang is decisive and swift in doing things. No matter it is the Cui family, the number one family in the world, or the former prince of Tuyuhun, almost all of them have suffered at the hands of Li Xiang. As for people like Li Yuanchang, he is not even on the list.
There are so many people in the Cheng family, and none of them is blind. If we offend the young lady at this critical juncture, we will never have a good life in the future.
Of course, they also have to see clearly today what the gifts are and whether this brother-in-law cares so much about the future queen. If he doesn't care so much, there is no need for them to keep an eye on this lady.
"Sixty-six pairs of gold ingots."
According to the rules, the gift list had to be called out in the inner courtyard. When the first gift was called out, many housekeepers in the courtyard were surprised. Nowadays, gold ingots all weigh five taels.
According to the ratio of one tael of gold equals sixteen taels of silver, this is more than ten thousand taels of silver, or more than ten thousand strings of cash.
"After all, he is our Crown Prince. Regardless of whether he has found a treasure or is in heaven on earth, it is a place where one can make a fortune every day. This first gift from him is even more amazing than the best in Chang'an City."
"Who says it's not? When the Cui family got married, they only had 32 pairs of gold ingots. Now they are much stronger than the Cui family."
"You're talking about getting married. Our Crown Prince is only celebrating his wife and first birthday. It's far from getting married."
The people around were all stewards of the major families in Chang'an City. They also remembered some things about Chang'an City vividly, but if it came to who was the most generous, Li Xiang would definitely be ranked first. Even the Cui family, the number one family in the world, could not catch up with Li Xiang.
"Fifty bolts of silk, two farms, five pairs of jade ruyi, two sets of four treasures of the study..."
The gifts that followed also came in one after another, and there were sixty-four loads in total, which was almost equivalent to a large family placing an order.
But everyone present knew that today was just a birthday celebration, and no one from the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Household Department showed up, which meant that it had nothing to do with an engagement.
"You old bastard, you've really made a fortune! Your daughter's birthday is more lavish than the national treasury!"
It just so happened that Qin Qiong came to see Cheng Yaojin. Cheng Yaojin's health was much better than before. Fortunately, nothing serious happened this time. If something really happened, Li Xiang would feel really bad. After all, Cheng Yaojin was not young anymore. In order to protect the two of them, he actually hit his head against the pillar in the Golden Palace.
"Go away! What's the big deal? I've already married my daughter to him, so it's only natural for him to give me some gifts. From now on, I'll be his Taishan, and I won't have to pay for anything I do in heaven or on earth."
Cheng Yaojin said this in a bad mood, but his words made others admire him very much. Those present were old brothers in the army. They all regretted not marrying their daughters to Li Xiang. Of course, many families' daughters were not of the right age, which was also a major condition for not being able to arrange marriage. Who made Cheng Yaojin have a daughter of the right age?
When a few people were chatting, there was a cry of surprise from outside. It turned out that Li Xiang's gift had reached its finale. A mirror was enough to outweigh many other things. Everyone knew that the actual price of this thing was more than hundreds of thousands of coins.
Although there are more of them circulating in the market, the quantity is still in an extremely scarce state, so the price is also rising steadily. I originally thought that it was a very normal thing to give one as a gift at a wedding, but now it has been given, what will you give as a gift at your wedding?