Autumn was always a gratifying season. The bluish-green millet gradually turned brownish-red, and the heavy grain ears also bowed their heads. The sorghum tassels from afar looked like a sea of burning flames. Who didn’t love the harvest? Yesterday, His Majesty had personally gone to the farmlands outside the city to view the fine grain, chatting and laughing happily with elderly farmers. With family and state prosperous and all within the four seas at peace, the Great Tang should also enjoy a few years of peaceful days.

Where there were happy people, there would certainly be unlucky ones. Where there were those who looked after their families, there would certainly be spendthrifts. Chang’an’s famous spendthrift son, Yun Ye, was preparing to auction off all the treasures his esteemed master had left behind. The Yun family had survived these past years by selling off ancestral belongings. Now it was good—even the last family assets wouldn’t be spared. If his near-immortal master had a spirit underground, he would surely be angered to death again.

Listen to this—one hundred strings of cash! Selling a treasure for just one hundred strings of cash—what difference was there from giving it away free? According to news from the Yushan villa district, Old Madam Yun had been living at Yushan with her grandson’s wife for quite a while now. She just couldn’t stand her grandson’s spendthrift ways. To avoid getting sick from anger, she simply went with “out of sight, out of mind.” Hearing this news, all the great families prepared money, planning to buy one or two legendary treasures.

The Xinghua Ward had been completed two months ago but hadn’t been put up for sale. Countless official households were waiting to buy. Those anxious went to inquire, and people said it was uncertain whether these houses would even be sold. If Marquis Yun went crazy, he might even tear them down again.

After the great court assembly ended, Yun Ye stood smiling at the palace gate entrance, arms full of a huge stack of invitations. The bright red invitations had characters written in gold powder—magnificent in bearing and extremely luxurious. Generally, gold powder was used to paint Buddha statues. Using it to write—this was the first time anyone had seen it.

“Ah, Minister Fang! Look, this nephew is planning to hold an unprecedented auction at the Xinghua Ward Opera House tomorrow night. You and Auntie must come!” Yun Ye smiled like a lucky doll, presenting the stack of invitations.

Fang Xuanling took the top one curiously. Indeed, it was his. Looking at the one below, it was Old Du’s. He called out to Du Ruhui, “Brother Du, don’t run away either. Your invitation is here too. I estimate all the other colleagues’ are here as well.”

Invitations from Yun Ye were rare. This boy hadn’t even hosted guests when enfeoffed as a marquis—how could they miss this opportunity? It was said that at this auction, countless rare treasures would appear, so all the officials searched through that stack of invitations for their own.

“Oh my, this is Brother Li’s, this is Brother Wang’s. I just saw Brother Sun’s, but now I don’t know where it went…”

After the chaos subsided, Yun Ye said to the officials who had received invitations, “Esteemed elders, esteemed colleagues, tomorrow evening at the Xinghua Ward Opera House, I have specially prepared some fruits and vegetables. I invite everyone to watch song and dance, listen to a few arias. Please do come—I would be deeply grateful. Additionally, there are some trivial items I’d like you all to appraise. Solitary pleasure is not as good as shared pleasure—how about joining in the fun?”

Watching the officials all agree and leave one after another, Yun Ye’s smile became even more radiant. Wei Zheng, who was leaning against a pillar studying an invitation, came over and said to Yun Ye, “You really plan to ruthlessly trap them?”

“What words from the Remonstrance Official! With you here, do I have any share in causing mischief? You, as Remonstrance Official, have the responsibility to investigate treachery and expose villains. Who would dare?”

“I don’t believe a multicolored glazed pot is priced at one hundred strings. Are you trying to fool ghosts? If it’s really glass, even a thousand strings wouldn’t be too much. And this relic? Are you certain it’s a relic and not just a stone? Three bear skins that change color? Does such a thing exist in the world? I won’t even mention the golden silk nanmu wood—this old man wants to buy a piece to make a coffin. Purple rice—where did you get this? Perfume and ambergris—of course you have these, no surprise. But why sell a small bottle of water for a thousand strings? A pair of large ants for fifty strings, corpse-dissolving water for three hundred strings per barrel—what are you trying to do?”

Wei Zheng took off his hat and kept scratching his head. He couldn’t figure it out—things clearly worth a thousand strings priced at a hundred, things clearly worthless priced extremely high. What was the reasoning?

“Tomorrow evening you’ll know. I suggest you prepare to buy a house for Brother Guiyu. Houses in Xinghua Ward are rare opportunities. Remember to bring Auntie and Big Brother Guiyu together. Your box seat is on the second floor.” After speaking, he winked at Wei Zheng and walked toward the rear palace.

The same conversation also occurred in the side hall. The invitation for Li’er was in memorial format. Ever since becoming emperor, Li’er had never seen anyone invite him to participate in any gathering. Usually he invited others, so he was very curious, looking it over repeatedly.

Looking at the two crudely made glass eagles on Li’er’s desk, Yun Ye felt embarrassed and said to Li’er, “Your Majesty, you should throw away this pair of broken things. Displaying them on your desk is embarrassing.”

“I keep them here not because they’re valuable, but to remind me that dung and earth can become fine grain, mud and sand can transform into pearls and jade. This principle also applies—under human manipulation, pearls and jade can likewise become mud and sand. All these are subject to human will. Boy, do you know how long it’s been since I received an invitation? Since I became Prince of Qin, I’ve only been the one inviting others. Tell me, what do you plan to have me see when I go?”

Li’er seemed somewhat sentimental, but quickly drove away this emotion. He didn’t need such boring sentiments.

“Your Majesty, this subject has built a house specifically for watching song and dance performances at Xinghua Ward. That feeling is absolutely something you cannot experience in the palace. The ‘Prince of Qin Breaks the Battle Formation Music’ performed there will absolutely astound you.”

Xinghua Ward had been completed two months ago, but no one knew what the strange large house in the very center was for. After Old He had various craftsmen decorate the house anew, everyone became even more confused. Inside were densely packed chairs with number plates on the backs. Above the second floor were many small rooms, among which the one with the best location was decorated magnificently. Soft Persian carpets almost buried one’s ankles. Many arm-thick copper pipes were installed in the room—in summer for circulating ice water, in winter they could connect to coal stoves to become heating. This was a new achievement from the academy. Yun Ye swore he had only suggested a concept and never inquired about it again. When the report requesting funds was sent to him, he discovered this thing had almost taken shape.

The circular dome, the corridor designed as an echo wall—as long as you spoke on stage, the entire hall would hear. Li Ke had specially invited musicians from the palace to perform here. The musicians were all delighted. There were also strong spotlights made of glass—with just a few bright tallow candles, the entire stage could be illuminated like daylight.

For this, Yun Ye also designed curtains—three layers. He found painters to paint many stage backgrounds, preparing to transform shadow puppet theater into live performances. You must know, shadow puppet theater was the hottest drama in Guanzhong, just the skits were rather annoying—all stories about filial sons, or else counterattack skits like divorcing one’s wife for spilling water, with no originality.

For this reason, Yun Ye had no choice but to bring out “Legend of the White Snake,” giving those talented scholars at the academy who styled themselves as supreme in poetry and prose a platform to display themselves. It was said someone had already become obsessed watching the play, unable to distinguish between reality and drama. Those with good martial skills even threw stones at the stage. Fortunately, he didn’t have Dan Ying’s abilities, or there would have been a major incident.

Taking Xinyue, Daya, Xiao Ya, and Shishi to watch it once, when they saw the heartbreaking separation scene, Xinyue and Daya were already crying uncontrollably. Shishi bit her teeth, not letting tears fall. Only Yun Ye and Xiao Ya, two heartless people, roughhoused for half the evening. In Xiao Ya’s words, if she were that white snake, she would first eat that useless Xu Xian and be done with it—all that crying had no dignity at all. This earned Yun Ye’s praise and also harvested eye rolls from Xinyue and Daya.

“What are you thinking about? Did you hear what I said?” A slap to the back of his head pulled Yun Ye out of his memories.

“Your Majesty, what did you say? This subject was a bit dazed just now and didn’t hear clearly.” Yun Ye looked at Li’er in confusion. He truly hadn’t heard clearly what Li’er said.

Li’er’s palm changed shape several times before he could calm himself down. In all of the Great Tang, only this bastard dared to space out before the emperor. “I said, why is there an invitation for the Empress? You, an outer minister, giving an invitation to the Empress—don’t you find that improper?”

I’ve seen your wife countless times. The Empress who even pulled my ear is rare. Now you’re bringing up etiquette before me. He thought this in his heart but said, “Your Majesty, this subject didn’t only invite Her Majesty the Empress. I also invited Madam Fang, Madam Du, Madam Wei, my Auntie Cheng, Auntie Niu, Auntie Qin will all come together. If I don’t invite Auntie Yuchi, this subject will get beaten, so I invited her too.”

The theater was Yun Ye’s, but arranging the box seats had nothing to do with Yun Ye. Li’er looked at the box seating floor plan, taking a red pen to mark and draw on it himself. At least he gave Yun Ye face, assigning a medium box seat adjacent to the number one box to the Yun family.

“Your Majesty, these box seats all require fees, and the price isn’t small.” Li’er had always been curious about people who dared charge him fees. He looked up mockingly at Yun Ye, wanting to see if this guy really dared charge him.

“Your Majesty, this subject dares guarantee that once you go there, you’ll fall in love with that place. In the future, some celebrations might even be moved there. This theater was successfully built by concentrating the scholarly essence of my academy. Naturally, the price isn’t small. Annual repairs and maintenance costs come from box seat fees. I wouldn’t dare ask much from you—how about you give a thousand strings per year?”

Li’er seemed to hear his own heart groaning. This bastard really dared to ask! A thousand strings—even the prime minister’s salary wasn’t this much. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out a few words, “What if I’m not satisfied?”

“As long as Your Majesty is not satisfied, this subject definitely won’t charge you a single coin.” Only then did Li’er breathe easier. He decided to spend less time with this bastard in the future. Throwing Zhangsun’s invitation to Yun Ye, he said, “For the Empress, you go beg for grace yourself. I don’t care.”