Chapter 73

The birth of mahjong was due to the recent idleness, and there was also a clever reason: to please the princess of Pucheng, Zhu Qiaoqiao. As his future sister-in-law said her life was boring, Xu Hao had a sudden idea and asked the craftsmen at home to make it carefully. They used six elephant tusks contributed by the Qin王府, along with a pile of jade and ten taels of gold for inlaying. Even the characters on the tiles were gilded.

To put it in modern terms, it was absolutely high-end, grand, and of high quality.

To test the effect, he let Hongye and the others try it once, using the simplest rules, as Xu Hao himself didn't understand the more complex ones. The result was quite good.

However, seeing four young girls sitting around to play mahjong felt quite strange, like burning a lute to cook a crane, which was a real eyesore. Xu Hao immediately called a halt and didn't let them touch it for the next two days.

Since the old lady was visiting the garden today, Xu Hao took it out again to try to please the elders. From the enthusiastic expressions of the old lady and the three madames, it was clear that this thing was extremely effective for those who were bored to death.

To avoid harming the people of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Hao decided not to tell Zhu Qiaoqiao the real rules when he gave it to her, treating it as a set of building blocks. If she had the ability, she could play with it in her boudoir, building houses.

It is said that mahjong was created by the eunuch admiral Zheng He to entertain the crew during long voyages. In other words, even if Xu Hao kept it as a treasure, mahjong would still be invented in twenty years.

The whole family was in Xu Hao's bamboo garden. There was only one set of mahjong, and the maids were fanning the wind furnace to grill juicy slices of beef in the yard. Hongye, along with the maids Zhulan, Qiuxiang, and Qingwen, who understood the rules, explained them carefully to the elders sitting in the hall. The four young ladies from the Wang and Liu families stood around, listening intently to every word.

The other young ladies were scattered around. Xiao Yuying, barefoot, and Xu Qinglian, wearing wooden clogs, walked to the back hall and pointed to the hot spring in the backyard, whispering a few words.

Xu Qinglian immediately nodded and smiled, beckoning her brother, who was busy applying seasoning to the meat slices, to come over. Then Xu Hao was sent away.

He didn't know that as soon as he left, Wang Xuanqing pulled Hongye aside and quietly asked, "Where did you buy these tiles? I find them interesting and want to offer them to the elders at home. How much silver do you need?"

Hongye, who had recently been filled with marketing knowledge by her brother, blinked her delicate eyes and hesitantly held up five slender fingers.

"Five hundred taels of gold!" Wang Xuanqing immediately drew a sharp breath. However, seeing the ivory and jade, Hongye's price was indeed fair. He said generously, "I'll write a letter to my father right away. Five hundred taels it is. For filial piety, no amount of money is too much."

Hongye almost bit her tongue. She meant five hundred taels of silver, which she thought was already too much, so she was hesitant. She originally planned to carve a set of mahjong from high-quality wood, as there were no elephant tusks at home, and not much jade or other rare materials.

Five hundred taels of gold immediately dazzled Hongye. She decided not to miss this rare opportunity to make money. With her brother's support, she greedily agreed.

Wang Xuanqing turned away satisfied, but then the two young ladies from the Liu family came over, also inquiring about the source and price of the mahjong. They were preparing it as a birthday gift for their elders. Even Lüzhu, blushing, joined in, planning to give a set of mahjong to please her future mother-in-law.

Hongye, seeing an opportunity, proudly held up five slender fingers again. The marketing lessons she had received were immediately put to use. She said with a smile, "I'm the only one who knows where to buy this. There are no other sellers in the whole city. There are three grades: the best grade is five hundred taels of gold, the middle grade is five hundred taels of silver, and the lowest grade is one hundred taels of silver. Which one do you want?"

The Liu sisters looked at the exquisite but expensive mahjong tiles on the table, discussed for a moment, and finally said, "We don't have much savings, so we'll take the lowest grade. Please make sure it's beautiful and elegant, not vulgar."

"Of course, leave it to me," Hongye patted her slightly developed chest, looking provocatively at her rival Lüzhu, "What about you? Do you want the lowest grade too?"

Lüzhu, though heartbroken, said defiantly, "Hmph! I can't afford the best grade, but I can afford the middle grade."

"Alright, you all wait," Hongye said with a sly smile and walked away.

Lüzhu didn't have that much money. After a moment of pain, her eyes lit up. She thought, Zhang De is always trying to please me. Why not let him spend the money while I show my kindness? Hmph! He wouldn't dare tell anyone else.

Xu Hao, feeling frustrated, had to walk out. He hadn't taken a few steps when a housekeeper came over, smiling from a distance and said, "I was just looking for you. The Prince of Qin's heir has personally brought some dowry. Good heavens, there's a huge and valuable dragon-phoenix bed, which took eight people to carry, and a gem-encrusted dressing table, which I've never seen in my life."

"Let's go and take a look," Xu Hao said, feeling curious.

He wondered why the dowry was sent before the formal engagement. When he reached the courtyard in the north of the inner quarters, he indeed saw Zhu Shangbing surrounded by eunuchs, looking at the newly renovated bridal chamber with his hands behind his back.

Despite Xu Hao's complaints about letting the Qin王府 do as they pleased, he didn't allow the house to be demolished to save time. The two eunuchs in charge adapted the existing structure, tearing down one side of the wing and the wall to build a small garden. They also planned to dig a channel to bring in fresh water to form a pond. Upon hearing that there was a hot spring in Xu Hao's courtyard, they decided to build a palace-like hot spring pool and a few pavilions for the princess to use in the summer.

Xu Hao was shocked by the scale of the project. "That would waste so much of the people's resources. No, it's not allowed! This is my home, and I won't let you do as you please."

The eunuchs secretly brought two hundred taels of silver at night, which Xu Hao immediately threw out. The next night, the amount increased to two thousand taels, making Xu Hao hesitate.

After much thought, Xu Hao decided there wouldn't be any problems. Since they were digging and building, they were disrupting the feng shui of his home. He accepted the two thousand taels as compensation for the Xu family, which went into the family treasury. As for what the eunuchs did in secret, the Xu family knew nothing.

The channel passed behind the old lady's residence, which is why she couldn't bear the noise and moved to the garden. Everything happens for a reason.

The magnificent dragon-phoenix bed was so large that it couldn't fit through the door. The people from the Qin王府 didn't hesitate to tear down the door and part of the wall, causing a mess.

Zhu Shangbing, covering his nose, pulled Xu Hao aside and said, "My father wrote to me yesterday, urging the wedding. I plan to send more people to finish the courtyard as soon as possible and get married immediately after it's done."

Xu Hao pondered for a moment. It seemed that Zhu Di had tied the Qin王府 to his side, urging the early marriage with the Xu family. With the addition of the two aunts, four princely families would be closely tied to the Xu family. Even if Xu Huizu, who was loyal to the public, wouldn't help his brother-in-law, he would remain neutral.

This was a good opportunity! Although he had already gained a lot from the Qin王府, it felt a bit embarrassing.

Xu Hao blinked and said hesitantly, "Your constant construction is disturbing the whole family. Others can bear it, but my grandmother and mother have poor sleep. Even a slight noise keeps them awake all night, sigh!"

Zhu Shangbing was anxious and asked, "What should we do? This is the first task my father has given me, and I must complete it well."

Xu Hao comforted him, "Don't worry, there's always a solution. I'll clear out my courtyard. It's quiet there. The elders can stay there for a few days, and I'll sleep outside. That should solve the problem!"

Zhu Shangbing was deeply moved and felt guilty, saying, "It's too much to trouble your elders. Is there any way I can compensate you? Your family doesn't lack gold or silver, and palace maids or beauties wouldn't be appropriate. It's really a headache."

"Absolutely not!" Xu Hao blurted out, "My family lacks gold, silver, and beauties. Don't be so formal!"

But he couldn't bring himself to say it. Xu Hao sighed and said, "You're right. By the way, my second brother will get married next year. If you build such a grand and spacious courtyard, my second brother will feel inferior. When his wife comes, she might complain about our favoritism. Why don't you send more materials so we can build a slightly smaller courtyard in the same style?"

Zhu Shangbing's eyes lit up. He knew building a house was expensive. Judging from the small courtyard, the Xu family's financial resources were limited. He immediately said, "That's settled. Hiring craftsmen and providing food and wages will cost a lot. I'll provide more silver from the Qin王府."

Wow! Brother, you're really on the right track. Is the princely family so rich? Xu Hao was secretly amazed but said with a righteous air, "That's a vulgar thing to say. Asking for materials from your family already makes me feel ashamed. I can't ask for more silver. It's settled."

After saying this, Xu Hao was about to leave, but Zhu Shangbing, being a prince and used to spending lavishly, didn't want people to say the princely family wasn't fair. After a moment's thought, he said, "I have another idea. I opened a salt mine last year, which was very profitable. I plan to open another one this year. If your family is interested, how about taking a share?"

Xu Hao, who had already walked a few steps, immediately retreated, turned around, and said with tears in his eyes, "You're truly my confidant!"

That night, Xu Hao sent off the satisfied elders and glanced at the curtain covering the pool, imagining his cousin and cousin-in-law's alluring postures in the water.

Suddenly, Qiuxiang came over and said that a eunuch was outside to see him. Xu Hao, recognizing the eunuch as Zhu Shangbing's confidant, immediately went out to meet him.

Outside, the eunuch bowed and smiled, "Greetings, young master. The heir saw a lady in your household from a distance and was amazed by her beauty. He sent me to ask which lady it is."

Xu Hao was taken aback but quickly understood. He thought, "Good, my cousin, seeing the arrival of a noble guest, you immediately tried to make an impression."

Xiao Yuying was indeed Xiao Yuying, very skilled at using her beauty. However, it was uncertain whether relying solely on beauty would bring happiness.

Again, thank you to the generous donation from "dead before blue," which made me jump with joy!

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