Chapter 671: Seventeen Thousand Taels
A sprawling expanse of hot spring pools unfolded in the very heart of the resort, with fifty to sixty individual pools scattered amidst the picturesque lake and mountain scenery. Each pool was marked by a stone tablet, inscribed with its specific therapeutic properties.
There was the Eye-Cleansing Spring, the Body-Invigorating Spring, the Skin-Smoothing Spring, and more.
The Heir Apparent's Consort stopped dead in her tracks before the Skin-Smoothing Spring. She meticulously read the inscription, which extolled the water as truly miraculous. It listed dozens of precious medicinal herbs, claiming the formula originated from Zhang Zhongjing, a renowned ancient physician.
A single soak in this spring, it promised, could slow down aging and keep skin eternally youthful.
Having never been exposed to the barrage of misleading modern advertisements, the Consort's mind was instantly swayed by mentions of Zhang Zhongjing, ancient physicians, and a myriad of benefits. She was almost entirely convinced.
She yearned to plunge in immediately and indulge, but it was still broad daylight. Respectable ladies of her era simply couldn't publicly partake in a hot spring bath in such a setting. She would have to wait until nightfall, when fewer people were around, and instruct her maids to set up privacy screens around the pool before she could finally enjoy it.
Many other noblewomen harbored similar thoughts. A group of them gathered, whispering plans to cordon off the pool after dark and enjoy a collective soak.
As for the men, they could be sent far away to the Body-Invigorating Spring.
The group continued their tour...
The historically inspired architecture created by modern designers, in truth, fell somewhat short of genuine ancient structures in terms of traditional artistic merit. However, the design style, infused with contemporary concepts, struck the ancient visitors as utterly novel and astonishing.
Upon entering, they beheld furnishings of unparalleled luxury—gold, silver, and jade artifacts abounded. Glass was used everywhere, as if it were worthless, even forming entire windows. There were even large floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering unparalleled natural light and expansive views.
Standing by the window, one felt a seamless connection with nature.
Wu Shen and Shi Kefa immediately settled at a tea table by one of these grand windows. They savored the atmosphere, overjoyed. "Sitting here, sipping tea and watching the drizzle outside the glass window," Wu Shen exclaimed, "we could write ten poems! No, twenty!"
The wealthy merchants, meanwhile, thought to themselves: *How incredibly sophisticated it would be to bring business partners here for discussions, far superior to any urban tavern.*
Next on the itinerary was a tour of the various guest rooms...
The butler first led everyone to inspect the most opulent and exclusive "Royal Suite."
A room that cost a staggering one hundred taels of silver per night.
It was indeed remarkable. The room's amenities were all top-tier, and the massive bed stretched a full three meters wide, clearly catering to the lavish polygamous lifestyles of the wealthy, who required expansive beds for their wives and concubines to share in grand style.
The hotel service philosophy of later generations was infinitely more advanced than the inns of the Ming Dynasty.
Every conceivable item was prepared in the room: bathrobes, slippers, toothpicks, oiled paper umbrellas... making guests feel utterly at home.
Li Daoxuan had also made specific adjustments for the ancient setting. For instance, the outer room of the suite included small beds for maids. Outside the suite's private courtyard, several "guard rooms" were provided for the escorts.
This made the entire suite far better suited to the travel customs of ancient people.
Of course, these weren't the main draw. The Prince of Qin's residence had all these, and even better amenities.
What truly impressed everyone was the small courtyard behind the Royal Suite, which astonishingly featured its own hot spring pool.
The Heir Apparent's Consort's eyes lit up the moment she saw it!
She realized this was a "private pool," exclusively for those residing in the suite; outsiders were barred. *Ha, as long as I book this room, this lady won't have to wait until dark. I can soak immediately!*
The butler, leading the way, introduced to Zhu Cunji: "Every room here features a 'private bath.' Noblewomen can enjoy the hot spring in their own courtyards, avoiding the need to mingle with others in the common public pools, thus ensuring their privacy. Your Heir Apparent can freely indulge with your Consort here, without any concerns about privacy whatsoever."
Zhu Cunji was also delighted: *Isn't this the perfect spot for unrestrained revelry?*
He swiftly shot a knowing glance at his Heir Apparent's Consort.
The Consort returned an alluring smile and a flirtatious gaze.
Behind them, a large retinue of secondary wives and concubines all beamed alluringly at Zhu Cunji.
Zhu Cunji was so ecstatic he felt like he could fly. "This place is excellent, absolutely wonderful! I'll take it. I want to book this suite for half a year."
The butler replied, "Half a year, you say? A year is three hundred and fifty-four days, so half a year is one hundred and seventy-seven days. The original cost would be seventeen thousand seven hundred taels, but we'll round it down for you. We'll only charge you seventeen thousand taels of silver."
The price brought a small pang of regret!
Although Zhu Cunji was wealthy, an expenditure exceeding ten thousand taels still made him feel the pinch.
However...
A glance at his Consort's expectant eyes, followed by the imagining of indulging with his many concubines in the private bath—the pain was worth it!
Zhu Cunji declared with a decisive huff, "I'll take it."
And so, the other touring parties dutifully withdrew, and the suite was booked by Zhu Cunji.
The rest of the group continued to explore other room types.
There were business executive rooms, family rooms, standard rooms, single rooms...
Everyone found a room type that corresponded to their income bracket.
Several merchants were slightly less affluent, but seeing everyone else book rooms, they knew retreating now would mean immense loss of face, making it impossible to conduct business in Xi'an ever again. Even with a slight pang of regret, they still booked the cheapest rooms at twenty taels of silver a night.
At the very least, they had to make a statement, showing they could afford it, to maintain their standing within that circle.
In the blink of an eye, virtually all the top wealthy individuals in Xi'an had a significant sum extracted from their coffers.
Of course, a few tens or hundreds of taels of silver were still within their means; this amount for accommodation wasn't an excessive problem.
However...
When they opened the price list of goods on their room tables, they discovered the full extent of the exploitation was revealed.
In this resort, a single serving of egg-fried rice cost two taels of silver, a cup of tea cost two taels, and Happy Fat Water was also two taels. Chocolate was one tael of silver per mace, a small packet of Want-Want Snow Crackers was one tael, and a small bag of potato chips was also one tael.
These weren't even the most outrageous charges.
The most absurd part was that all purchases were subject to an additional twenty percent "service charge" on the total amount.
There were no hidden fees!
Everything was clearly marked, openly, unabashedly reaping their profits.
It was a clear case of open exploitation, yet all the dignitaries willingly offered their necks to the blade.
The officials and nobles thought long and hard, weighing all options, but in the end, they readily accepted, willingly submitting to the cutting.
Comments