The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 072 Hundred Treasure Pavilion
Kaiping, 29th year, April 16th, conflict with the Horse, evil in the south. (TN: traditional Chinese astrological guidance often used in planning auspicious times or directions, especially in traditional Chinese practices like Feng Shui, calendar selection, and event planning.)
Auspicious for marriage, sacrifices, opening businesses, and acquiring wealth; inauspicious for moving into a house, cutting wood, and building beams.
On the morning of this day, as the sun rose, the scene on Zhengyangmen Street was one of extraordinary excitement. Across the entire Shengjing, or even the entire Song Dynasty, Zhengyangmen Street was the busiest street. At this moment, four teams of lion dancers dressed in special costumes were performing celebratory dances in the middle of the street. What was usually a road wide enough to accommodate ten horse carriages side by side was now completely blocked by onlookers.
The sound of gongs, drums, suona horns, and enthusiastic applause and cheers echoed, deafeningly loud.
More and more people were drawn to the spectacle, gathering around to watch this grand performance. The extravagance of the display made many passersby almost mistake it for a festival.
Ten days earlier, there had been rumors that Xixia Tower had opened another shop on Zhengyangmen Street.
Ever since Xixia Tower started the trend, many restaurants specializing in boxiagong had sprung up in Shengjing. But without a doubt, Xixia Tower was the most popular, with guests filling its rooms daily. Anytime one went, they would need to queue for a seat.
Lining up at other restaurants for food was unthinkable. Even at Qianli Tower, the top restaurant in Shengjing, no guest was willing to wait a full half-hour just for a meal. But Xixia Tower was different. While waiting at Xixia Tower, customers were given seats at tea tables and could listen to storytelling. Over time, many customers came not just for the food but also for the storytelling.
Seeing Xixia Tower's success, other restaurants followed suit, copying its approach. But no matter how they tried, none could match the appeal of Xixia Tower’s storytelling, and so, Xixia Tower’s status among the citizens of Shengjing grew even more solid.
People loved going to Xixia Tower to eat and listen to stories, and naturally, while listening, they would hear the staff mention that soon Xixia Tower would open another shop in Shengjing.
A curious bystander asked, "Is it another restaurant specializing in boxiagong?"
The staff purposely left everyone hanging, "How could it be boxiagong again? You'll know soon enough. The shop opens on April 16th, don't forget to come and support us!"
As word spread, soon half of Shengjing knew that on April 16th, a new shop would open on Zhengyangmen Street.
Watching the lion dance and suona performance, an old scholar remarked, "I think the owner behind Xixia Tower is really something. They only opened their first shop in Shengjing a few years ago, and now they're opening another, and it's so big! I've lived in Shengjing my whole life, and I've never seen such a large store. What could they be selling that requires such a huge space?"
"How would I know? I was enjoying the performance, but now you've got me hoping it ends soon so we can see what they're selling!"
For most businesses, a lion dance is performed to attract customers. But in Tang Shen’s case, it was the opposite—people were more eager to see what the new store was selling than the performance itself!
After an hour of performances, amidst the crowd’s anticipation, Shopkeeper Lu of Xixia Tower and a dashing young lady dressed in men’s clothing stepped to the center of the lion dance formation. Two majestic “lions” swayed their heads like guardian deities, standing beside Shopkeeper Lu and the young lady.
The two exchanged a glance and then together reached out to unveil the new shop's signboard.
"Baibao Pavilion!"
At three-quarters past noon, inside a shop on Zhengyangmen’s West Street, a drowsy shopkeeper yawned and absentmindedly fiddled with his abacus, balancing yesterday’s accounts.
Suddenly, a nimble figure stumbled into the store, gasping for breath, "Oh no, oh no! Shopkeeper! Xixia Tower just opened a shop on Zhengyangmen Street, and they’re going to steal our business!"
“What nonsense are you talking about? Xixia Tower sells boxiagong, they’re a restaurant. Even if they steal business, they’d steal from other restaurants, not from us, a general goods store."
The employee anxiously replied, “Who said their new shop is a restaurant? They’ve opened a general goods store too!”
"What?!" The once lethargic shopkeeper instantly woke up, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape as if he could swallow an egg.
Fifteen minutes later, Shopkeeper Liu stormed to Baibao Pavilion with his employee, his face dark as thunder.
Shopkeeper Liu’s given name was Qi, and ever since his grandfather opened their general store, their family had held a steady footing on Zhengyangmen Street. By the time the store was passed down to Liu Qi, it was already in its third generation. Liu Qi had never imagined expanding his humble store—making a living was good enough. Although called a general store, they mostly sold spices like star anise and cinnamon, grains, and occasionally some furniture and metalwork.
Standing beneath the Baibao Pavilion signboard, Shopkeeper Liu carefully examined the three characters multiple times. Then, with pursed lips, he said, “Let’s go in and have a look.”
The two had barely stepped through the entrance of Baibao Pavilion when they froze in their tracks.
Shopkeeper Liu was dumbfounded, and his employee also stood agape.
After a long pause, Shopkeeper Liu finally exclaimed, “This, you call this a general store?”
His employee stammered, "I only heard about it from others, Shopkeeper. This—this is no ordinary general store, it’s enormous!"
The spacious, orderly store was lined with countless neatly arranged shelves. Hundreds of customers carried baskets, wandering the aisles, selecting items and placing them into their baskets.
As Shopkeeper Liu stood in shock, a voice broke him from his daze: “Respected customer, would you like a basket? Baibao Pavilion has just opened so you may not be familiar with how we operate. Let me explain: you take this basket, and then you can walk through the aisles and pick anything you need from the shelves. When you’re done, just head to the back to settle the bill.” After a pause, the employee added, “So, respected customer, would you like a basket?”
Shopkeeper Liu turned to see the Baibao Pavilion employee, a young man with a friendly smile that made people feel at ease.
“Well, since I’m here, I might as well see what the competition is up to,” Liu muttered.
"One basket, please."
“Right away!”
Tossing the basket to his employee, Shopkeeper Liu began his inspection of Baibao Pavilion.
Baibao Pavilion spanned two floors, each floor taking up the space of three regular shops. They had even knocked through the back courtyards, creating a vast space that was filled with so many customers it seemed endless.
The shelves were skillfully arranged, leaving just enough space between them for three people to walk side by side. Signs hung above the aisles, marked with labels like "Farming Tools," "Cosmetics," "Grains." If you wanted grains, you would find everything from red beans to black beans, millet to sorghum—all imaginable varieties lined the shelves.
As Shopkeeper Liu wandered, he was bombarded by gasps of amazement from the other Shengjing residents passing by.
His heart grew heavier as he meticulously inspected every shelf on the first floor, which took him almost an hour.
“Let’s head upstairs.”
His employee followed, and they ascended to the second floor.
The atmosphere upstairs was much quieter.
From a glance, Shopkeeper Liu noticed that the goods on the second floor were pricier than those on the first. For example, the scented soap usually only sold at Shengjing Autumn Hall could be found here. The first floor also sold clothing and fabrics, but upstairs they carried only the finest silks. The environment on the second floor was even more refined, catering to more affluent customers.
Shopkeeper Liu remained silent as he strolled deeper into the floor, carefully eyeing each item on the shelves.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. He froze, staring in disbelief at the object before him.
After a moment, one of the uniformed employees rushed over, smiling brightly. “Respected customer, did something catch your eye? If you need anything, just let me know and I’ll fetch it for you.”
Shopkeeper Liu's eyes widened as he turned and exclaimed, “Are those the Golden Wisp sold only at Autumn Hall?!”
The employee smiled and said, “You have a sharp eye, respected customer. Indeed, it is the Golden Wisp.”
Shopkeeper Liu continued, “How can you use so much glassware just to showcase the Golden Wisp? Is your boss mad?!”
The employee stood frozen, unsure how to respond. At this point, Shopkeeper Lu approached and signaled the young man to step aside so he could attend to the customer. Shopkeeper Lu looked Liu Qi over, not recognizing him, and smiled, “Respected customer, I’m the shopkeeper of Baibao Pavilion. If my employee has been inadequate in serving you, please forgive us. Is there anything specific you’re looking for? I’ll have someone fetch it for you.”
In Baibao Pavilion, employees in red vests were stationed beside every pair of shelves. Their job was to both monitor for theft and provide speedy assistance to any customer. This was one of the ten guidelines that Tang Shen had discussed with Shopkeeper Lu before opening the shop.
Shopkeeper Liu’s face flushed red, still unable to believe his eyes. He turned again, carefully inspecting the bottles of Golden Wisp. Finally, when he confirmed that all the small bottles holding the Golden Wisp were indeed made of glass, he deflated.
“Baibao Pavilion really is wealthy, Shopkeeper Lu. Using so many glass bottles just to store essential oils... I’ve never heard of such a thing. Truly an eye-opener.”
With Baibao Pavilion this prosperous, how could his small general store possibly compete?
Sensing something amiss, Shopkeeper Lu gave Shopkeeper Liu a meaningful glance and said, "You might not know this, but indeed, these are glass exclusive to Baibao Pavilion. We will be introducing many glass products in the future. If you’re interested, feel free to come by anytime. By the way, there’s another glass item in the store—would you like to take a look?"
Shopkeeper Liu had long lost his temper. He nodded and followed Shopkeeper Lu to a shelf in the center of the second floor.
The shelf was surrounded by many customers, mostly the wives and daughters of wealthy families from Shengjing. Each of them had a pleased expression on their face, while the maids beside them spoke on their behalf.
“How many mirrors does Baibao Pavilion have in stock?”
Employee: "Rest assured, we have plenty of mirrors here."
A wealthy madam whispered to her maid, who then said, “The Luo family in the west of the city wants twenty mirrors.”
“The Vice Minister’s residence wants fifteen.”
“The Duke of Dingguo’s residence wants thirty!”
Listening to these requests, Shopkeeper Lu smiled in satisfaction. He turned to Shopkeeper Liu and asked, “Respected customer, would you like to buy a mirror as well?”
In the tall and spacious room, Shopkeeper Liu stared blankly at the smooth and beautiful mirror that was surrounded by the crowd. In the perfectly flat surface, he saw a complete reflection of his dazed expression. His blue cloth hat, his black robe, even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were all clearly visible.
Baibao Pavilion…(Hundred Treasure Pavilion)
This name was truly well-deserved.
How was anyone supposed to survive against them?!