Chapter 668: The Hot Spring Resort
Five minutes later, Li Daoxuan dialed Cai Xinzhi's number: "Old Cai, I need an urgent, custom-built, large architectural model. Three to five days at most."
Cai Xinzhi chuckled. "That urgent? What are you commissioning?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "A 1:200 scale model of the Huaqing Palace Hot Spring Resort. Don't use cheap plastic for the materials; I want something high-end, grand, and luxurious—materials that clearly scream opulence."
"Pfft!" Cai Xinzhi nearly spat out a mouthful of blood five meters away. "I thought you hadn't been toying with me lately, but I was clearly too naive. Take your perverse demands far, far away!"
Li Daoxuan insisted, "You should learn to rise to the challenge."
Cai Xinzhi retorted, "No way. I absolutely detest difficulties. I back down at the first sign of trouble."
Li Daoxuan pressed, "I'll pay extra."
Cai Xinzhi refused, "Not this job. Not even for extra pay."
Li Daoxuan offered, "I'll give you a one-millimeter micro-sculpture of Guanyin Bodhisattva! You can sell it yourself, and keep all the profits. No splitting it with me."
The call ended.
Cai Xinzhi immediately started making frantic calls: "XX Studio? I need you to fast-track a 1:200 scale garden... Hello, XXX Studio? I have a 1:200 scale hotel project! Hello, XXX Studio, I need a set of miniature pavilions, towers, and lakeside covered bridges..."
Cai Xinzhi had activated her subcontracting mode. In an instant, dozens of model studios began working simultaneously, each responsible for a small section.
Cai Xinzhi, meanwhile, was champing at the bit, preparing for the final assembly.
That very night, on Xi'an's most bustling street, The Stars Performing Arts Agency had just concluded a lavish concert. The venue was packed, with almost every person of status and influence in Xi'an attending. Even Wu Shen and Shi Kefa were present, joining the lively crowd in the VIP section.
The final song had just finished, but the audience had yet to disperse.
The most popular female singer took to the stage. She began with a billion words of nonsense, thanking the audience and so on. Then, the tone of her voice shifted, and she abruptly got to the point.
"My employer, Master Li, has secretly invested a colossal sum to create an unparalleled luxury hot spring resort, which will offer all of you the most noble enjoyment and experience..."
Upon hearing this, the wealthy elites were somewhat baffled. "What exactly is a hot spring resort?"
The female singer smiled. "A hot spring resort, of course, is a place for esteemed guests to travel, rest, and enjoy a holiday. It will provide rooms designed to the standard of a celestial grotto for your repose, hot springs fit for a royal concubine's indulgence, the finest pre-Qingming Dragon Well tea, and meals prepared by the top chefs from Xi'an's most prestigious restaurants. Furthermore, artists from our very own agency will provide songs and dances... Everything will be absolutely perfect."
This string of extravagant promises wouldn't fool modern, worldly people, but the ancients, listening intently, grew quite confused.
It certainly sounded appealing.
Of course, none of that was the main point. The main point was the price.
The female singer dramatically unfurled a sample photo of a "Royal Suite," printed by Li Daoxuan, and announced loudly, "This room type is called the Royal Suite. One night costs one hundred taels of silver."
"What!" The crowd gasped in astonishment. One hundred taels for a single night? This price was practically highway robbery; even ordinary officials couldn't afford it.
But then, the Prince of Qin's heir, Zhu Cunji, stood up from the crowd and smiled. "This accommodation, I find rather intriguing. Is it not tailor-made for me?"
Everyone pondered this and agreed. The suite was even named "Royal Suite," so naturally, only imperial princes, commandery princes, and the like would be qualified to stay there. How could common folk be worthy?
However, the thoughts of a few merchants who had struck it rich were different: *Once the Prince of Qin's heir has stayed there, I'll go for two days myself. Then I'll be living the same life as a prince, heh heh heh.*
Next, the female singer swiftly displayed several more photos, corresponding to various room tiers.
She quoted prices sequentially, dropping from fifty taels of silver all the way down to ten taels.
The ordinary people present shook their heads. The cheapest room was still ten taels, which exceeded their spending power. They simply couldn't afford it—not that they couldn't produce ten taels of silver, but they begrudged spending that much for a single night's stay.
Reluctance often equates to inability to buy.
Those who could afford it, however, matched themselves to the various room types and quickly decided which they intended to book in the future.
The hot spring resort had thus successfully generated enthusiastic buzz.
The wealthy residents of Xi'an eagerly awaited the grand unveiling of this novel enterprise.
While rich mansions reeked of wine and meat, frozen corpses littered the roadside.
As Xi'an reveled in song and dance, and its rich residents looked forward to indulging in pleasure, Chen Yuanbo, leading a group of middle school students and five hundred Gao Family Village Militia, disembarked on the banks of the Yellow River in Wenshui County.
Immediately upon landing, they saw bodies strewn everywhere.
Many of the corpses were already decomposing, exposing white bones...
Chen Yuanbo's face hardened. "As expected, these bodies must be common folk. Fleeing the bandits up north, they sought refuge by the river. But the West Camp Eight Great Kings' fleet landed here and massacred them all."
The middle school students were instantly struck by the overwhelming grimness.
Fortunately, they weren't like those sheltered students of later generations, raised in ivory towers. Most of them had experienced hardship, arriving at Gao Family Village with their parents after years of displacement. In their childhoods, they had grown accustomed to such scenes.
Otherwise, this single sight alone would have left them vomiting for half a day.
The militia soldiers immediately set to work, digging graves and burying the bodies.
After spending a considerable amount of time handling the corpses, the group continued northward.
The linear distance from the Yellow River bank to the county town was nearly twenty *li*.
The group walked for a full half-day.
Along the way, they saw nothing but burned-down villages, abandoned farmlands, and not a single soul on the official road.
Chen Yuanbo couldn't help but feel a profound sadness. "I grew up in Gao Family Village and then worked in Puzhou. I had no idea the world outside was so utterly desolate."
The middle school students who accompanied him shared the same sentiment, each one deeply distressed.
The five hundred militia soldiers, however, had fought in several battles and witnessed the hellish scenes outside the village before.
The soldiers remained silent. They were uneducated, knowing only hard labor, and didn't know how to save such a world.
So they entrusted their strength to the intellectuals!
They believed that these young people, who had learned from the Heavenly Book, would surely lead them to vanquish all the demons and monsters in this world.
A scout reported, "Mr. Chen, the county town is ahead."
"Good!" Chen Yuanbo's spirits lifted. "From now on, I am the Wenshui County Magistrate, exceptionally promoted by the imperial court. You are my household guards and retainers from back home. Make sure not to give away our ruse."
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