Under the shade of willow trees by the fish-releasing pond, about forty to fifty peonies and herbaceous peonies were neatly arranged in full bloom. Many people were observing, and just as many were discussing prices. Most were dressed in luxurious attire with haughty expressions, meticulously examining the flowers. There were also some modestly dressed onlookers, circling the flowers and watching the excitement. Whenever a successful transaction occurred, with large sums of money changing hands from buyer to seller, their faces would fill with envy.
Mudan, not being skilled in horsemanship, carefully dismounted and tossed the reins to Yuhe. She then led Madam Zhang and Madam Sun to join the crowd. The variety of peonies far exceeded her expectations. Although she didn’t see renowned varieties like Yaohuang, Weizi, Doulü, or Lantianyu, there were still a few precious traditional types such as Erqiao, Dahuhong, and Zhaofen. There were also some varieties that she couldn’t name, likely lost to future generations.
After careful observation, Mudan understood the situation. She realized why her dowry of Yaohuang and Weizi, along with the Yulou Diancui, had become objects of Liu Chang’s boasting, why Princess Qinghua wanted to monopolize them, and why Pan Rong tried to curry favor with her, hoping to purchase them at a high price.
Firstly, regarding color, most of these flowers were single-colored, with very few multi-colored varieties. Pink and red dominated, while yellow, purple-red, and white were rare. Blue and green were nowhere to be seen, let alone the modern craze for black varieties. Even among the existing colors, there were no truly vibrant reds or yellows – the reds leaned towards purple, and the yellows were off-white. To make a splash, a rich variety of colors would be needed.
Secondly, considering the flowering period, peonies bloomed for a short time and all at once. Once the season passed, they couldn’t be appreciated again. With so many flowers blooming simultaneously but only a handful of buyers, prices, and quantities remained low. People could only watch helplessly as the flowers withered. During off-seasons, when customers couldn’t see the flowers in full bloom, they naturally wouldn’t pay high prices. To truly expand and extend the business, a method to prolong the flowering period was necessary.
Thirdly, examining the shape of the flowers, among the peony varieties on display, there weren’t many with double petals. Most were single-petaled or semi-double. Customers generally preferred semi-double and double petal types, especially those with dignified shapes, and large and full blooms. These fetched higher prices. However, Mudan believed that even single-petal varieties, if rare in color with upright, well-shaped petals that didn’t droop or deform, had their aesthetic value. When appreciated by the right person, they could still command high prices. Yubanbai, for instance, was a prime example of this category. If only she had had time to get a cutting from Liu Chang’s Yubanbai!
Mudan let out a small sigh and smiled. Given time, she was confident she could cultivate new varieties! She could rely on her own hands to live the affluent life she desired, without depending on anyone else.
Madam Zhang pointed to a Dahuhong in full bloom and said with a smile, “Danniang! This one’s nice, let’s buy it!”
The flower seller, a middle-aged man in hemp clothing, eagerly stood up to greet the potential customers. He pointed out the flower’s features, boasting, “Look here, everyone. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the best flower here today! See, it has eight buds in total, six of which have bloomed. On this single plant, there are three different flower shapes!”
Mudan leaned in for a closer look. Indeed, this Dahuhong was impressive. The petals were light red with pink tips, the flower crown measuring five inches wide (about 17 cm) and two inches tall (about 8 cm). The pistils had transformed into delicate green petals. Among the six blooms, there were crown-shaped, lotus-shaped, and laurel-shaped flowers. It was truly the finest among today’s offerings, but its failure to sell suggested a hefty price tag. Mudan smiled and asked, “Brother, how much are you asking for this flower?”
The seller sized up Mudan and her companions, deliberately shaking his head and sighing, “Young lady, if you’re just asking casually, don’t bother. I’d hate to name a price only for you to accuse me of cheating.”
Seeing his dismissive attitude, Madam Sun felt indignant. She smiled coolly and said, “Why don’t you tell us? Whether it’s a fair price or not, everyone will know once they hear it.”
Hearing this, the seller held up a finger and said, “One hundred thousand coins!”
Mudan was taken aback. She turned and whispered to Madam Sun, “Sixth Sister-in-law, how much is a dou of rice these days?”
Madam Sun first whispered back, “One hundred and fifty coins per dou, with the best quality going for one hundred and eighty to two hundred coins.” Then she raised her voice to address the flower seller, “Your flower may be exceptional, but it’s certainly not worth a hundred thousand coins!”
The surrounding crowd, seeing the commotion, gathered around to watch. Among them was a man in his thirties, tall and burly with a full beard, wearing a jade-colored round-collared robe. He had a hooked nose and eagle-like eyes. He laughed and said, “Zou Laoqi, I told you your flower isn’t worth that much. I’d buy it for sixty thousand coins.”
The seller addressed Zou Laoqi folded his arms and replied, “But I want to sell it for this much! Have any of you seen a better flower than mine in the past few days?”
The crowd just laughed, saying, “It’ll wither in a few days.”
Zou Laoqi rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll keep it and sell cuttings in autumn!”
It seemed he wasn’t well-liked, as the crowd waved their sleeves at him, saying, “If that’s the case, why do you come here every day? How many cuttings can you get from this one plant? Dahuhong may be nice, but how can it compare to Yaohuang or Weizi? How many years will it take you to sell at this price? Be careful, the price might drop!”
Mudan ignored the clamor around her and silently calculated. Using modern measurements, one dou of rice was about twelve market jin. At two hundred coins per dou, a hundred thousand coins would buy about six thousand jin of rice. Goodness, that was enough to feed many people for a year! No wonder Pan Rong had been willing to offer a million coins for her Weizi and Yulou Diancui, and why she had been so angry when Mudan refused, calling her ungrateful. But compared to the modern craze for orchids, was it that much?
While Mudan was lost in thought, Zou Laoqi directed his frustration at her, impatiently asking, “Hey, young lady, are you buying or not?”
Mudan was only interested in learning about the market prices for these appreciation-type flowers. She had no intention of actually buying them. What she wanted were rare varieties and wild species dug up from mountains and fields, or mutated flowers that could be used for crossbreeding. Today, it seemed there was nothing suitable. Moreover, Zou Laoqi’s attitude was terrible. She was about to shake her head when the previously silent Madam Zhang suddenly spoke up: “Seventy thousand coins! We’ll buy it if you’ll sell it.”
Mudan quickly tried to stop her. “Fifth Sister-in-law, don’t—”
“It’s just a flower, isn’t it? I’ll buy it as a gift for you!” Madam Zhang squeezed her hand, signaling her to stay quiet. She looked seriously at Zou Laoqi and said, “I’m being straightforward, so you should be too! Will you sell or not?”
Zou Laoqi hesitated, about to speak, when the bearded man in the jade-white robe suddenly interjected, “Seventy-five thousand coins, sell it to me!”
Zou Laoqi was delighted but conflicted, glancing at Madam Zhang with his eyes. “Madam, what do you think?” This bearded man, whose background was unknown, had been coming here for several days, buying many flowers but always trying to bargain the prices down. Now that someone else wanted to buy it, he couldn’t bear it, could he?
Having someone else try to outbid them felt like an insult to the women! Madam Zhang and Madam Sun were furious, glaring at the man and shouting in unison, “Eighty thousand coins!”
Madam Sun quickly whispered to Madam Zhang, “Let’s split it, half each!” Although Madam Zhang was closer to Mudan, Madam Sun was also her sixth sister-in-law. How could she let the fifth sister-in-law give a gift without contributing herself? It wasn’t like they couldn’t afford it.
Madam Zhang neither agreed nor disagreed, just challengingly looked at the bearded man.
The bearded man coldly glanced at Madam Zhang and Madam Sun, then said to Zou Laoqi, “Eighty-five thousand!”
As Madam Sun was about to speak again, Mudan quickly stopped them and said to Zou Laoqi, “We don’t want it anymore.” She was wary of items without fixed prices, especially in situations like this where prices could be artificially inflated. Who knew if this was a setup? At Madam Zhang’s initial offer, she had thought it was a good deal, but if the price kept escalating like this, they might get trapped. It was best to withdraw decisively!
Although Madam Zhang and Madam Sun disagreed, they respected Mudan’s decision.
Zou Laoqi was disappointed but looked hopefully at the bearded man, “Add a bit more, and it’s yours!”
The bearded man sneered, “Greed knows no bounds!”
“A hundred thousand coins, sell it to me!” With this loud shout, Liu Chang strode over, first glaring fiercely at Mudan, suppressing the urge to strangle her. He then puffed out his chest and stared menacingly at the bearded man, thinking to himself: That damned woman! Did she think the Liu mansion would have no flowers to appreciate just because she moved her few measly plants? He couldn’t care less! With money, what couldn’t he buy?
Madam Sun and Madam Zhang exchanged glances and moved forward to protect Mudan, with the He family’s servants and maids also gathering around.
Zou Laoqi was overjoyed and turned back to the bearded man, “This gentleman is offering a hundred thousand.”
Just when he thought the deal was sealed, an unexpected challenger appeared. Although the bearded man saw that Liu Chang was well-dressed and carried himself like some young nobleman, he wasn’t intimidated. He growled, “A hundred and ten thousand!”
Liu Chang smirked, “A hundred and twenty thousand!” He arrogantly told Zou Laoqi, “No matter what he offers, I’ll always go higher!”
The bearded man realized Liu Chang was here to cause trouble, unsure whether he had offended him somehow or if Liu Chang was in league with Mudan’s group. Not wanting to engage further with this spoiled young master, he turned to Zou Laoqi and asked, “I heard your yard is near Baiji Temple. Did the monks there give you these flowers?”
Zou Laoqi’s expression changed dramatically at these words. “That’s none of your business!” he snapped. Then he turned back to Mudan, “Young lady, are you not interested anymore?”
Since spotting Liu Chang, Mudan had guessed he must have been drinking with Pan Rong. She felt uneasy, and although not afraid of him starting a fight on the spot, she didn’t want to provoke him unnecessarily. How could she dare to compete with him for this expensive flower? She gripped her horsewhip tightly and shook her head, “No, we don’t want it.”
Zou Laoqi ignored the bearded man and said to Liu Chang, “Young master, it’s yours!”
Liu Chang, disregarding the bearded man’s murderous glare, casually pointed at Xi Xia and said, “Wait here, follow me later to get the money.” He turned around to find that Mudan, Madam Zhang, Madam Sun, and their group had already moved to another area, completely ignoring him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. That detestable woman!
Mudan had lost interest and was about to leave when she saw two young men in tattered clothes and hemp shoes carefully carrying a man-high, single-petaled pink peony with purple spots. Their faces were full of hope as they approached. One look told Mudan this purple-spotted peony was wild-grown! This was exactly what she wanted!
Mudan changed her mind and went to meet them, asking, “Are you selling this flower too?”
Seeing this, Liu Chang followed, his face dark with anger.