Chapter 42

Why are there only seven large crystal chandeliers? It's simple, they were given away! Initially, 22 crystal chandeliers were made, 10 of which were sent to the sea tribe; the best one was given to the emperor, and the rest were used by Li Xian himself, one each for Yuan Zhao, Shangguan Yong, and Zhang Quan. In the end, only seven were left.

But even with just seven, when they were hung in a row, they still shone brilliantly, as if the rainbows from the sky had been plucked. The seven chandeliers, with their seven colors, were arranged in the order of the rainbow.

The auction had not yet started; it was just a lantern party. All the lanterns Li Xian brought were arranged in a staggered manner, making the night of the industrial fair glow with colorful light.

Seeing these new lanterns, many wealthy merchants had already begun to discuss buying them, whether for their own use or for resale, they were all excellent items.

"The lanterns from the Brilliant Stars Trading Company are indeed good. Both the light and the craftsmanship are excellent."

"Yes, yes, and the price is fair. I plan to buy a few lanterns to put in my living room; they light up at night and can be used as art during the day."

"Only a bit expensive..."

"If you think it's expensive, you can use ordinary jade lanterns! Expensive? Is this price expensive? It's clearly very reasonable! Look at those glass prisms, how pure and brilliant they are. This is art, how can it be measured by money?"

The crowd discussed enthusiastically, but the Wang family looked grim; they had not expected that all their calculations would be outdone by Li Xian's simple and effective methods! A single loom had firmly tied the emperor to Li Xian's chariot. Once the crystal chandeliers were introduced, the Wang family's lanterns became like street goods.

To be precise, the Wang family did not know that what truly moved the emperor was not the loom, but the strategies Li Xian mentioned. This was the main reason. Regardless, the Wang family had indeed failed, and it was a thorough and complete defeat.

The children around didn't care about these matters; they played happily among the lanterns. Many children from common families had never seen such a beautiful sight. Many young girls also wandered here, enjoying this brief, colorful dream.

However, the festive atmosphere inevitably led to some accidents, especially in the crowded environment.

With a crash, a one-meter-wide lantern fell, and the broken glass scattered on the ground. The lantern flickered a few times before finally going out.

Without a doubt, the crowd's curiosity immediately revived, and they gathered around to watch.

"This lantern I just saw, it has a beautiful lotus design, worth 58 taels of silver."

"So expensive, who broke it? Who dares to cause trouble at the industrial fair granted by His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Shh, Li Xian is coming, there will be a show."

A lantern suddenly falling naturally caught Li Xian's attention. The crowd parted to let Li Xian pass unobstructed.

At first glance, Li Xian saw a child of about eight or nine years old standing helplessly in the broken glass, his hands and feet cut, and his clothes torn.

"Ah..." Seeing Li Xian approach, the child immediately burst into tears.

Li Xian looked at the crowd watching and squatted in front of the child, "It's okay, it's just a lantern. Come, let me see your injuries."

"Big brother, I... I... will pay you..." the child sobbed.

"No need, consider it a gift from big brother. Come, let me see your injuries first." Li Xian smiled gently. The child's clothes were very ordinary.

"No, big brother, I must pay you. I... I... can I work in your workshop?" The child looked at Li Xian with a pitiful expression.

Li Xian looked at the child, thought for a moment, and finally spoke, "Sure, but first, clean up this mess."

As he spoke, Li Xian had already examined the child's body, finding only minor flesh wounds. Using his true essence to force out the glass shards, the bleeding stopped after a few moments.

"Thank you, big brother, my name is Zhao Fei." After saying this, Zhao Fei went to get tools to clean up.

Seeing Li Xian let the child off so easily, the crowd was amazed and immediately praised him. "Mr. Li, you're great."

"A humble woman thanks Mr. Li for your generosity." A woman in a simple dress and wooden hairpin timidly approached Li Xian, bowing slightly to thank him.

Simple clothes, a simple woman, about eighteen or nineteen years old. In the bright night of the lanterns, she had a unique plain and real charm. Her unadorned face also had a touch of sorrow and helplessness.

For some reason, Li Xian suddenly thought of a phrase—love at first sight!

To say it was love at first sight wasn't quite accurate, but Li Xian was indeed moved and delighted, his heart stirred! A voice in his heart said—what a simple and elegant woman!

"Wait, this woman should be married, right?" Li Xian suddenly felt a wave of disappointment. An inexplicable irritability made Li Xian somewhat impatient. Suppressing this strange anxiety, Li Xian turned and walked away, "It's nothing, just a child being mischievous. I did a lot of foolish things when I was young too."

Just as Li Xian took a few steps, he heard Zhao Fei's voice behind him, "Auntie, I don't want to go back, I want to play here. I just made a lot of new friends."

"Auntie?" Hearing these two words, Li Xian's heart suddenly bloomed. It was Auntie, not mother.

With this thought, Li Xian slowed his steps and perked up his ears to listen.

"No, Fei, be a good boy, let's go home, okay?"

"No, I won't! I want to work in big brother's workshop, I want to be a man, a real man. I broke big brother's lantern, I need to pay for it, I don't want to be looked down upon!"

Li Xian immediately turned around, "Miss... the exhibition still has two days left, let Fei play here for a while."

The woman looked at Li Xian, her tone still calm, "Thank you, Mr. Li, for your trouble."

"No trouble, no trouble at all." Li Xian smiled like a fox, "Zhao Fei, the auction for the crystal chandeliers is about to start, let's go see the fun."

"Thank you, big brother."

Seeing this, the woman could only frown and stay behind, helping Zhao Fei clean up the glass shards. Then she took Zhao Fei to the open-air temporary venue. Around the seven large crystal chandeliers, countless people had already gathered. The wind blew, and the crystal chandeliers swayed, casting a brilliant light, and each time, there was a chorus of exclamations.

When Li Xian stood on the three-foot-high platform in the center, everyone understood that the auction was about to begin.

Li Xian bowed to the crowd, "Thank you all for coming amidst your busy schedules. I have thought a lot about the lantern auction; during the New Year, it would be better to have something light and fun.

This auction will use a sealed bid. The rules are: the minimum bid is 50 taels of gold, the maximum is 55 taels of gold. Everyone will submit their own bid. The final average will be calculated, and the person whose bid is closest to the average will win the lantern.

What do you think?"

"Good! Mr. Li is fair!" Li Xian's decision was met with cheers. Originally, everyone thought that without 100 taels of gold, one couldn't get a crystal chandelier—there were only seven chandeliers, and it was close to the New Year. This item, whether for personal use or as a gift, was excellent.

But Li Xian had come up with this method, which was indeed light and fun.

"Refusing to make money, is Li Xian's brain fried?" Wang Ping, the eldest son of the Wang family, sneered.

The servant beside him immediately flattered, "Young master is absolutely right. If the crystal chandeliers were auctioned, they would fetch at least 100 taels of gold, even 200 or 300 taels."

But a young man beside him glanced at Wang Ping and sneered, "Idiot!"

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end