Chapter 42: Where the Lights Fade

Why were there only seven crystal chandeliers? It’s simple—they had been given away! Originally, 22 crystal chandeliers were made: 10 were sent to the sea tribe, the finest one was given to the emperor, one was kept for Li Xian’s personal use, and the remaining three were gifted to Yuan Zhao, Shangguan Yong, and Zhang Quan’s families. This left only seven.

Even with just seven left, when hung in a row, they still shone brilliantly, as if plucking a rainbow from the sky. Each of the seven chandeliers represented a different color, arranged in the splendor of a rainbow.

Although the auction had not yet begun, the evening lantern show was already underway. All the lanterns Li Xian brought were arranged beautifully, lighting up the night at the industrial exhibition.

Seeing the new lanterns, many wealthy merchants began discussing potential purchases. Whether for personal use or resale, these lanterns were seen as valuable.

“Brilliant Stars Trading Company’s lanterns are truly exceptional. Both the brilliance and craftsmanship are top-notch.”

“Indeed, and the prices are fair. I’m planning to buy a few lanterns to take home and place in the living room; they’ll brighten the night and serve as art pieces during the day.”

“They’re just a bit expensive…”

“If you think they’re expensive, you can go with ordinary jade lamps! Expensive? Is this really expensive? It’s perfectly reasonable! Just look at those glass prisms, how pure and radiant they are. This is art—how can you measure it in money?”

The crowd was deeply engaged in their discussions, but the members of the Wang family looked grim. Despite all their careful planning, they couldn’t outdo Li Xian’s simple yet effective methods! A single textile machine had secured the emperor’s loyalty to Li Xian’s cause, and now, with the appearance of these crystal chandeliers, the Wang family’s lanterns had been reduced to mere street goods.

In reality, the Wang family didn’t understand that what truly won the emperor over wasn’t just the textile machine, but the strategies and ideas Li Xian had proposed. That was the key factor. Regardless, the Wang family had undeniably suffered a total and resounding defeat this time.

Meanwhile, the children didn’t care about any of this. They happily played between the lanterns, marveling at the beauty of the lights—many of them from common families, who had never witnessed such a sight before. Even many young women wandered through, enjoying this brief, colorful dream.

However, amidst such joy, unexpected incidents were bound to happen, especially in such a crowded environment.

With a crash, a lantern about a meter in size fell, scattering shards of broken glass everywhere. The lantern flickered a few more times before finally going out.

Of course, the crowd’s innate curiosity was instantly piqued, and they gathered around to watch.

“I just saw that lantern—it was a beautiful lotus design, worth 58 taels of silver.”

“That expensive? Who broke it? Daring to cause trouble at the emperor’s imperial industrial exhibition?”

“Shh, Li Xian is coming. Something’s about to happen.”

The fallen lantern naturally caught Li Xian’s attention. The crowd parted, making way for him to approach effortlessly.

At first glance, Li Xian saw an eight or nine-year-old child standing bewildered among the shards, with cuts on their hands and feet from broken glass and a bit of damage to their clothes.

“Waaw…” The child immediately began to cry when he saw Li Xian approach.

Li Xian looked at the crowd of onlookers around them and crouched down in front of the child. “It’s okay, it’s just a lantern. Come on, let me check your injuries.”

“Big brother, I… I… will pay you back…” the child sniffled.

“No need, just consider it a gift from big brother. Now, let me see your injuries first.” Li Xian smiled gently. The child’s clothing was very ordinary.

“No, big brother, I must pay you back. Can I… can I work at your workshop?” The child looked at Li Xian with pleading eyes.

Li Xian thought for a moment and finally said, “Alright, but first you need to clean up this mess.”

As he spoke, Li Xian checked the child’s body and found only a small flesh wound; he used his true energy to push out the glass shards, and after circulating the energy, the bleeding stopped.

“Thank you, big brother. My name is Zhao Fei.” After saying this, little Zhao Fei went to fetch some tools to clean up.

Seeing how lightly Li Xian let the child off, the crowd marveled and immediately praised him. “Young Master Li, well done!”

“Thank you, Young Master Li, for your generosity,” a girl in a simple dress with a wooden hairpin said shyly as she approached Li Xian, slightly bowing to express her gratitude.

In her plain clothing, the simple girl, about eighteen or nineteen years old, stood out with a sense of ordinariness and authenticity under the bright lights of the night; her unadorned face, however, bore a hint of sorrow and helplessness.

For some reason, Li Xian suddenly thought of a phrase—love at first sight!  

To call it love at first sight wouldn’t be accurate, but he was indeed moved and delighted—his heart stirred! A voice echoed in his mind—what a simple, elegant girl!

“Wait, she should be married, right?” A sudden wave of disappointment washed over Li Xian. An inexplicable restlessness surged within him, making him impatient. Trying to suppress this puzzling agitation, he turned and left. “It’s nothing, just a mischievous child. I did many foolish things when I was young too.”

After taking a few steps, he heard Zhao Fei’s voice behind him, “Auntie, I don’t want to go back; I want to play here. I just made a lot of good friends!”

“Auntie?” Upon hearing those two words, Li Xian suddenly felt a surge of joy—it’s an aunt, not a mother!

With this thought, Li Xian slowed down his pace and perked up his ears to listen to the conversation.

“No, Xiao Fei, be good. How about we go home?” 

“No, I don’t want to! I want to work at big brother’s workshop. I want to be a man, a real man. I broke big brother’s lantern, and I need to pay him back. I don’t want to be looked down upon!” 

Li Xian immediately turned around. “This… miss, the exhibition still has two days left, so let’s let Xiao Fei play here for a bit.” 

The girl looked at Li Xian, her tone still steady. “Then I’ll trouble Young Master Li.” 

“No trouble at all.” Li Xian smiled like a little fox. “Zhao Fei, the crystal chandelier auction is about to start. Come on, let’s go enjoy the excitement.” 

“Thank you, big brother.” 

Seeing this, the girl could only frown and stay behind. After helping Zhao Fei clean up the glass shards, she took him to the open temporary venue where seven enormous crystal chandeliers had already gathered a crowd of onlookers. The wind blew, making the chandeliers shimmer with dazzling light, drawing gasps of amazement each time. 

When Li Xian stood on the three-foot-high platform in the center, everyone understood that the auction was about to begin. 

Li Xian clasped his hands and addressed the crowd. “Thank you all for taking the time to attend. I’ve considered the matter of this lantern auction for quite some time; during the New Year, it’s better to have some lighthearted fun, don’t you think? 

This auction will use a sealed bid format, with the rules being: the minimum bid is 50 taels of gold, and the maximum is 55 taels of gold. Everyone can place their bids. In the end, we’ll calculate the average value, and whoever’s bid is closest to the average will win the chandelier. 

What do you all say?” 

“Great! Young Master Li is righteous!” Li Xian’s decision drew cheers from the crowd. Originally, everyone thought that these crystal chandeliers would be impossible to obtain for less than a hundred taels of gold—especially with the New Year approaching. Whether for personal use or as gifts, they were highly sought after. 

They didn’t expect Li Xian to propose such a relaxed approach. 

“Not making money? Has Li Xian lost his mind?” Wang Ping, the eldest son of the Wang family, sneered. 

A servant nearby immediately flattered him, “Young Master is right. If this chandelier is auctioned, two to three hundred taels of gold would be no problem.” 

Unsurprisingly, a young man beside them glanced at Wang Ping and scoffed, “Idiot!”

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