Chapter 1075 The Collage of Maple Leaves Showed up!
Duke Cheng’en was well aware of his situation. It was already impressive enough for him to be Duke Cheng’en and live a peaceful and prosperous life. As for other matters, he wasn’t that capable of being too ambitious.
His sister was the Empress Dowager, and his nephew was the Emperor. He was satisfied with that.
Duke Cheng’en was an elder who was quite friendly to others. He passed through the street often. When people who knew him greeted him, he would respond delightedly with a nod.
The Imperial Household Department managed all miscellaneous items in the Palace. Thus, Duke Cheng’en thought he should pay attention to the prices of some goods on the market. Otherwise, if the prices of goods bought by the Imperial Household Department were much higher than the current market prices, others might think he had pocketed the difference.
Sometimes, when coming across some really nice goods and confirming they wouldn’t bring extra problems, Duke Cheng’en would place an order for them and send these goods to the Palace.
When some astute businessmen learned about it, they treated Duke Cheng’en with particular enthusiasm. Some even deliberately waited on the roadside to see if they could please Duke Cheng’en, who might take a fancy to their goods in passing.
If the Palace accepted their products, it would bring them more profit and a lasting fame. As long as the Palace had ordered those businessmen’s products, even only once, they could brag and blare about their success upon returning. For a businessman, it was a matter of honor that they had done business with the Palace, which proved that they would be very capable of running the business.
Others would know it was safe and secure to do business with him.
Therefore, Duke Cheng’en always received a lot of hospitable greetings on his way back.
Duke Cheng’en, in a cheerful state of mind, strolled all the way and greeted people from time to time. Occasionally, he would go into a shop to see items inside, but he hadn’t met anything satisfactory. So, he just passed by those shops casually.
“Your Grace, we got several choice goods today. How about taking a look at them?” When they passed by an antique store, the shopkeeper had been waiting for him by the door for a long time. As soon as Duke Cheng’en emerged, he greeted him from a distance.
This shop was Duke Cheng’en’s favorite. Whenever he was nearby on weekdays, he would pay a visit to it. So, he was familiar with the shopkeeper here.
As he strode into the store, he asked, “What are your fine goods?”
“You will know when you see them,” said the shopkeeper, beaming while leading Duke Cheng’en in.
They went straight to the reserved lounge and sat down when a shop-boy brought them tea just in time. Duke Cheng’en took a sip and praised, “Your tea is not bad!”
“Your Grace, I’m flattered. Everyone knows that most of the tea you drink is rewarded from the Palace. I only have some ordinary tea leaves, but they’re quite fresh,” the shopkeeper said politely with a smile.
“Your tea is not just fresh, right?” Duke Cheng’en took another sip, savoring every drop.
Spring tea had already come into the market, and the Palace sent him a batch of new tea. However, Duke Cheng’en was surprised to find that the tea before him tasted better.
“Your Grace, you’re amazing to notice its delicate flavor. To be honest, the tea is not for sale. There are only a few tea trees grown in my hometown, and my family has taken good care of them. When it was almost time, we invited young girls to pick tea leaves before the real beginning of cool autumn. After that, highly skilled craftsmen were invited to roast tea leaves on the spot. It took a lot of effort to make a batch of tea, though not much. If you like the tea, I can share with you one catty. That’s all I can offer!”
The old shopkeeper was pretty acquainted with Duke Cheng’en, so he spoke frankly.
“Okay, then, thank you for that!” Duke Cheng’en smiled at him with gratitude. He took a fancy to this flavor, which tasted even better than different kinds of top-grade tea from the Palace.
However, the tea was the shopkeeper’s secret stash. Since the small amount of tea was far from enough for people in the Palace to share, it might cause trouble if he brought it to the Palace.
The number of things provided for the Palace must be guaranteed. Otherwise, they might not satisfy noble madams in the Palace who liked the tea and wanted more. In that case, they had better not do that and avoid the trouble in the beginning. What was worse, if they couldn’t give the Emperor what he was eager to get, they might be beheaded.
It is said that articles of tribute to the Palace were always the best, but not absolutely so.
Seeing Duke Cheng’en accept the tea leaves, the shopkeeper clapped two times. Two shop-boys waiting at the door instantly came in with a few brocade boxes and paintings.
The brocade boxes were opened one by one while the paintings were placed aside.
The shopkeeper stood up, pointed at one of them, and smiled at Duke Cheng’en. “Your Grace, what do you think of the jade pendant?”
At first glance, this blood-red piece of jade looked extraordinary. It was glittering and translucent without any flaws. The bright red jade dazzled Duke Cheng’en’s eyes, and he knew immediately it couldn’t be a common piece.
Duke Cheng’en rose to his feet and picked up the jade pendant. While nodding in admiration, he said, “Not bad. Nice. Very good. It’s good stuff.”
He took it up and examined it against the sun. Indeed, it was sparklingly bright and exquisite.
“Please look at this.” The shopkeeper smiled, gesturing at another brocade box. There was a ruby in it. It was cut a little but was still a whole piece, which was rare in the market. At the sight of the ruby of excellent quality, Duke Cheng’en couldn’t help gasping in admiration again.
In the third brocade box was a red piece of something unknown that looked like a mushroom, but it was not.
“What’s this?” Duke Cheng’en asked curiously, reaching out to grab it.
“Your Grace, slow down. This is not the way to take it!” The shopkeeper held out his hand and stopped Duke Cheng’en. Then, with meticulous care, he carried the brocade box before Duke Cheng’en. “Your Grace, smell it!”
“Is this… blood glossy ganoderma?” Duke Cheng’en got a sniff of the air around it. A waft of faint herbal fragrance drifted into his nostrils, refreshing him immediately, and his eyes lit up.
The shopkeeper gave him a thumbs up. “Your Grace, you are of excellent judgment. It’s genuine blood glossy ganoderma! It’s not big but has grown for many years.”
“Fabulous. Good, very good!” Duke Cheng’en praised repeatedly.
“Please come and see if you like any of these paintings. They are all original, and their provenance has been examined. So, you don’t have to doubt their authenticity.”
The shopkeeper walked up to a few paintings, picking up one. He unfolded it and spread it out on the table.
Duke Cheng’en walked over and nodded as he appreciated it. He barely had gains in the imperial court but had an artist’s eye for scripts and paintings. The piece before him was indeed good.
After viewing the first one, he turned to another. Anyway, the few pieces were impressive. Though inferior to the three previous things, they were also fine-quality goods that couldn’t be found on the market.
After viewing all items, Duke Cheng’en said, “I want them all. Give me a discount, or they’ll make me bankrupt.”
“Your Grace, you must be joking. You can even effortlessly take over my shop, let alone these small items. This money is not much to be particular about.” After the business was done, the shopkeeper in a good mood naturally flattered Duke Cheng’en and asked a shop-boy to lead Duke Cheng’en’s servant to pay the bill.
“It’s the Empress Dowager’s birthday. I’ve always wanted a few unique gifts for Her Majesty. Recently, I’ve spent a great deal of money recently,” Duke Cheng’en chatted.
He had specially entrusted the shopkeeper with finding these things. Though he needed more, it was good to get some of them first.
“Your Grace, how could you complain of being hard up before humble businessmen like me? But since you’ve mentioned it, I’d like to sell them at a 10% discount this time. It’s generous enough, isn’t it?” The shopkeeper looked distressed.
“Okay, great! Thank you for that, dear boss!” Duke Cheng’en laughed heartily.
This shop had built up a fine reputation. It offered no discount, no matter how many things its customers bought. This time, the shopkeeper made an exception especially for Duke Cheng’en, giving him a 10% discount.
These items were worth a mint. In this way, they undercharged Duke Cheng’en a lot of money.
“Your Grace, please visit our shop more often,” the shopkeeper said happily.
While they were talking, the shop-boy and servant had figured out the total price. Then, after telling the shop-boy to get cheques for silver from his Madam with his servant, Duke Cheng’en continued wandering through the streets.
As soon as he walked out of the door, Duke Cheng’en suddenly saw a shop-boy chasing after him.
“Your Grace, my boss said there was another painting. Do you want to see it?” The shop-boy looked unfamiliar, but he was wearing the uniform of the shop Duke Cheng’en had just visited and caught up with him from behind. Duke Cheng’en thought the shopkeeper must have found something suitable just now.
He turned around and walked back.
“Your Grace, you don’t have to walk back. Just stay here and have a look. Our shopkeeper asked me to bring it back if you didn’t like it. In this way, you can save yourself the trouble of running around,” the shop assistant said cleverly, pointing to the shop not far away. “Our shopkeeper said that if you liked it, I could take it to your mansion. As for the money, he could negotiate it with you later. He doesn’t need to worry about your credit, right?”
The shop-boy was good at talking with customers. After he finished his words in one breath with a smile, Duke Cheng’en repeatedly nodded in agreement. Then he looked back at the door of the shop not far away. Although it was nearby, it would be troublesome to go back. There was indeed no need to go there for a painting. With the trustworthy relationship between the shopkeeper and him, the shopkeeper must know he would pay the bill eventually.
It was just a matter of a painting. There was indeed no need to return to the shop. Duke Cheng’en nodded, took the painting, and opened it. When Duke Cheng’en saw the whole picture, his eyes immediately lit up.
Maple leaves were used as the base of this painting. In his mind, he had imagined precisely the same wonderful picture. Duke Cheng’en had asked painters in the Palace to draw the same kind of paintings, but none of their works was satisfactory.
The Empress Dowager had two biological sons and raised a third child, so she had three sons under her name. If the picture needed to express the affection between the Empress Dowager and her sons, it should include a mother and three princes.
The painting before him had all the necessary elements, almost perfectly reflecting Duke Cheng’en’s thoughts.
The woman in the painting looked kind and was feeding a child medicine. The child seemed to be the oldest. Another child was leaning on the woman’s side with admiration, his limpid eyes watching his elder brother on the bed drinking medicine. Beside them, the youngest one was playing a ball. This adorable child turned around and looked at his mother and two elder brothers.
The scene made this picture very suitable, especially with its perfect artistic conception. The best part of the painting was the maple leaves, which formed most of the background. Even the women’s clothes, skirts, children’s jackets, and the quilt on the bed were made of maple leaves. Only a few ink strokes were added to the small blank space.
Others might not know that the Empress Dowager had a small hobby, but Duke Cheng’en was very clear about it. The scene shown in the picture was appropriate for her, so he thought the Empress Dowager would love it.