Chapter 2 Two Victories

Two wins. And two wins without much controversy.

Tie Xue Ying Xiong Zhan (Iron-Blooded Hero Cup) had won the second round of the bet, practically establishing Ye Tao and Ye Shi Workshop's position as the number one in Dongping in the field of fine craftsmanship. And both times, the works Ye Tao presented were not luxurious gold-inlaid jade ornaments, but rather precisely targeted pieces. While creating these works of extremely high caliber, Ye Tao also strictly adhered to the time limit he had originally set with Lou Qingxi.

The Tie Xue Ying Xiong Zhan was sent directly to Tan Weixin after the demonstration. Tan Weixin then entered the palace very formally through the main gate, representing Ye Tao to present the gift, and relayed to her father what had happened before and after the bet, as well as what everyone had said during the demonstration. Although surprised that his daughter would represent a staff member to present a gift, Dongping's ruler, Tan Xiaopei, happily accepted the "cup" that he also found very pleasing.

From that moment on, this third round of the bet was no longer just a matter between two merchants. Since it had already reached the emperor's ears, the attention it garnered was different. The Bao Yin Pavilion gathering five days later became a topic among the ministers of Dongping. Although these ministers were not able to attend, lest such a folk "exchange" suddenly took on a political hue, becoming an excuse for future hostility between the two countries, they showed some attention and let their children see what was so interesting. Everyone provided some convenience overtly and covertly.

When everyone's topic turned to this final round of the bet, they suddenly realized that the two sides hadn't bet anything at all. Everyone was working so hard for a competition with no stakes. This discovery surprised everyone for a while. Both sides were powerful merchants, and they probably didn't care about the so-called stakes. Instead, the issue of face and reputation was more important to them – that's what many people thought.

Because Ye Tao received so much attention, even the progress of the Yi Zhan Lou construction project accelerated a lot. Those suppliers who had been a little nitpicky about the supply of wood and the purchase of stone saw that Ye Tao was now in the limelight. Although they might not want to catch a free ride, they at least didn't want to leave a bad impression, right? Dai Yuege, Ye Tao's actual father-in-law, enjoyed the price discounts on the purchased materials while happily dealing with all kinds of dinner parties, and still found opportunities to tease Ye Tao. He was having a very comfortable life.

Thanks to the round-trip messaging between Feiying and Yicheng, news from the capital reached Yicheng quickly. Seeing that Ye Tao was thriving in Danyang, Qi Zhentao was grinning from ear to ear. The output of the clock workshop had now stabilized at a level of fifty units per month. Qi Zhentao immediately decided that, apart from keeping ten clocks on hand to build relationships in Yicheng and use as a marketing tool, all of this month's output would be sent to Danyang. In his letter to Ye Tao, he also explained in detail many things to pay attention to in dealing with people. His relationship with Ye Tao was increasingly like that of an elder and a younger generation with family ties, and increasingly like equal partners. Qi Zhentao fully realized that Ye Tao's rise was infinitely beneficial to their business. And what he had learned had aroused a strong interest in the magical Jingtailan (cloisonné enamel) technique and utensils made of meteorite iron. Qi Zhentao even said that he would come to Danyang to see what was going on and see how much business opportunity it contained.

For Qi Zhentao, such an experienced person, Ye Tao felt a warmth at those reminders, although Ye Tao did not know so little about these principles of dealing with people as Qi Zhentao had imagined. These experiences would never have been said unless the relationship was close to a certain extent, especially some explanations of the relationship between domestic and foreign business circles and big businessmen, introducing some people who could be asked for help, and so on, which showed Qi Zhentao's attention and expectations for him.

In the five days, besides resting well, Ye Tao did not, after all, go to apologize for his absence at the last exhibition, as Lu Dan had said. Instead, he focused on staying in the workshop, taking out some of the technologies that had been tried out, pre-researched, and prepared in the workshop, and discussed them thoroughly. He brought out a lot of technologies that were originally planned to be used to make money a few years later, at least to let this group of core employees of Ye Shi Workshop understand. In the current situation, he had to win this final round of the bet. The current situation did not allow him to lose. Once he lost, the previous two victories would be meaningless, and he felt that losing face in front of the people of Chunnan was something he could not tolerate. However, he now had no idea what amazing things Shang Baotang would come up with.

When the five days passed quickly, the final round of the bet finally arrived. Bao Yin Pavilion was not a restaurant, nor was it a club. According to modern standards, Bao Yin Pavilion was more like a private club that provided gatherings and banquets for friends in a very small circle. And those who yearned for this place, who yearned to enter such a small circle, were not the children of officials in Danyang, but those merchants who specialized in running business routes between Chunnan and Dongping.

Bao Yin Pavilion, which had never entertained so many people, did not have any problems with the reception. On the top floor of Bao Yin Pavilion, the place to finally display Shang Baotang's last trick, could only accommodate thirty or so people, and everyone else could only wait for the unveiling before taking turns to visit.

After the previous two rounds of "sparring," Lou Qingxi would never dare to underestimate Ye Tao, this young master craftsman who was only fifteen years old, no matter what the result was this time. Although he himself could not do it, after communicating and discussing with the three master craftsmen sent to Dongping, everyone was very surprised by the technology Ye Tao had mastered and the level of craftsmanship he had shown. After investigation, they found that these were only temporary performances by Ye Tao. He had not even shown his best at woodwork and wooden tools, which his family was best at. Of course, there was a component in which woodenware was not suitable for this kind of bet, but wasn't it a better proof that Ye Tao was a comprehensive master craftsman? At least, if these master craftsmen from Shang Baotang were asked to make furniture, the things they made would definitely have some problems.

Lou Qingxi calmly said to Ye Tao, "Young Master Ye, it's almost time, shall we...?"

Ye Tao replied with a smile, "Mr. Lou, please go ahead."

Lou Qingxi said politely, "Young Master Ye is always so polite. If I had known this would be the result, I wouldn't have been so rash and overestimated myself to challenge you. I have had a great eye-opener in the past month."

In this situation where Luo Qin and Song Yu did not appear at all, Lou Qingxi did not hesitate to say these words. Besides the two of them, there was no one else around who could hear these words. This attitude of mutual appreciation was what he usually showed most often as a merchant. Of course, his humility and calmness also contained a kind of arrogance and confidence. He believed that the final victory would still belong to him. Only with this understanding could his words to Ye Tao not prove that he was weak and could be bullied.

Lou Qingxi cleared his throat as always and said, "Shang Baotang's third treasure is called 'Bi Hai Chao Yin Shu' (Azure Sea Tide Sound Book). This treasure is not only a masterpiece of Shang Baotang, but also originates from nature. Please everyone appreciate it."

The red silk covering the huge screen-like thing placed by the window on the top floor was unveiled, revealing the true face in the middle. It turned out that this so-called Bi Hai Chao Yin Shu was a set of coral screens, with exquisite mahogany frames on the outside.

"Coral is not rare, but when these different coral screen pieces are combined, they will make different sounds when the wind blows, and this sound is just like the sound of listening to the tide on the shore under different weather conditions. Please be quiet for a moment, everyone listen together..."

Is there really such a thing in this world? Watching Lou Qingxi direct two servants to unfold and assemble the screen and place it in the wind, watching Lou Qingxi's calm appearance, Ye Tao finally understood why he was so generous today, and actually said those words of friendship first, competition second type before the start. It turned out that Lou Qingxi felt he had the winning ticket in his hand.

This Bi Hai Chao Yin Shu is just like a book that will have different feelings when reading different chapters. When the wind drills through the coral gaps, it恰如其分makes a low, beautiful, wave-like rustling sound, which is exactly the sound of the sea that Ye Tao, as a person who grew up by the sea, is familiar with. Perhaps there are some differences, but the difference between them is not very big. This Bi Hai Chao Yin Shu does reproduce the sound of the waves quite well.

Is this something I can make to fight against? Is this something that human power can fight against? Could it be that I have worked so hard for so long, but in the end, I will still end in failure?

Ye Tao bit his lip. He did not accept his fate, but he also said generously, "I really didn't expect that nature could have such good fortune. To have such a magical book recording the sound of the sea. It really opened my eyes."

A flash of inspiration flashed in Ye Tao's mind. He bowed and said, "Mr. Lou, please wait a few days and see my methods." The tone suddenly lost the sadness just now and became light.

(End of Volume 2)