Chapter 141: One Hundred Thousand Coins

Shiqin closed her eyes and tried for a moment.

She felt much better.

Plucking up her courage, she followed Li Zhi toward the main hall.

......

Everything was ready.

The lights in the hall dimmed all at once.

A melodious tune of the zither began to play.

Immediately afterward, a captivating voice drifted out from behind the screen.

"I am a fox waiting for a millennium, a millennium of waiting, a millennium..." The voice carried a trace of sorrow, unconsciously evoking a touch of sympathy in the listeners.

The scene grew quiet.

It was so still one could almost hear a pin drop.

Such singing had never been heard in ancient times!

Such a song was exceptionally novel!

Everyone was enthralled, listening intently.

"What a wondrous voice!"

"What a breathtaking voice!"

......

Halfway through the tune, many people snapped back to their senses, overwhelmed with excitement. To be able to sing such a magnificent melody, the singer must possess an appearance that could topple cities and states.

Everyone filled with anticipation.

Cheng Yaojin clicked his tongue and said, "This little girl is quite a talent!"

"She was coached personally by me, how could she be anything less than extraordinary?"

"Look at those young masters sitting in the front rows, they are already drooling... Surely they won't actually spend a fortune of a thousand gold pieces?" Cheng Yaojin worried slightly.

Just in case they managed to gather five million.

It would also cause him to lose one million.

"Splendid! Magnificent!!" After finishing the song "White Fox," Shiqin won countless rounds of applause. The people below unhesitatingly hurled things onto the stage. Ingots of silver and gold slammed against the high platform with sharp clatter.

The accountant in charge hurriedly stepped forward to tally the items.

All the data was calculated and recorded.

Listed in descending order from top to bottom were...

Sun Haoli: Five thousand coins!

Dong Ran: Four thousand coins!

Zhou Chang: Three thousand five hundred coins!

......

These figures were calculated with absolute precision, including gold and silver conversions and antique appraisals, without the slightest error.

"Hahaha, my tip is ranked number one!" Sun Haoli exclaimed aloud upon seeing the board.

He hadn't expected that among so many people,

he would actually rank first.

What a massive boost to his prestige!

"Hmph!"

"A mere Sun family dares to steal our spotlight!" Zhou Chang was displeased.

With a wave of his hand,

he tipped another three thousand coins!

And instantly leaped to the top of the leaderboard!

"A mere three thousand, and you have the nerve to show it off..." Dong Ran's family was no less prestigious than the Sun and Zhou families, and his spending was equally extravagant.

Without a second thought, he added another three thousand coins in pursuit!

Several individuals traded blows back and forth.

The tip money grew more and more staggering!

Cheng Yaojin slapped the table and angrily rebuked, "Are these people out of their minds? They haven't even laid eyes on the singer yet, and they're casually tossing out tens of thousands of coins! What prodigals! Absolute prodigals!"

"Hahaha..." Li Zhi grinned from ear to ear.

This was precisely the outcome he had hoped to see.

"How about it? Admit defeat!"

"Never!"

How could Cheng Yaojin possibly admit defeat before the very end?

Click, click, click...

The lights within the hall flickered!

Shiqin walked out from behind the screen.

Dressed entirely in white, she looked like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm, exuding an air of mystery and sanctity!

"Is this the beautiful woman who was playing the zither just now?"

"It must be!"

"She's so gorgeous!"

......

In truth, many hadn't even caught a clear look of Shiqin's face, yet they instinctively felt she was breathtaking.

Strings of copper coins!

Ingots of gold and silver were continuously hurled toward the stage!

Everyone hoped to capture Shiqin's attention!

Though it was of little use and Shiqin didn't even glance at them, she couldn't help but perform with all her heart.

"When I loved you,

you were utterly penniless and studying bitterly by a cold window;

When I left you,

you had just triumphed in the imperial exams and were celebrating your wedding night in the bridal chamber.

Can I dance one more dance for you..."

As Shiqin walked toward the front of the high platform and saw so many supporters, she impulsively broke into a capella singing.

Hiding in the room, Li Zhi was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. "Why is she..."

In the original plan, Shiqin did not need to sing a cappella.

Because she had only learned this song for two days and hadn't yet reached the level required for unaccompanied singing. Fearing she might ruin it, Li Zhi had intended to mask her vocals with the zither music.

Who could have foreseen...

Always so reserved and shy, she had suddenly turned so bold!

" Oh!"

Cheng Yaojin said in astonishment, "She sings rather well! Although I understand neither musical pitch nor songs, it simply sounds wonderful! Your Highness, you certainly picked the right person!"

Following the a cappella performance,

the entire hall erupted.

Countless people rose to their feet cheering, just like fans at a top-tier superstar concert.

Shiqin spun around happily,

flashing a charming smile to the audience.

Then she retreated back behind the screen.

......

Li Zhi hurriedly went over to her and said, "You did wonderfully just now. Your singing has won everyone over... If you can sing one more song, you'll definitely become an overnight sensation!"

"But I don't know any others?"

Shiqin had spent two whole days just learning this single song,

and she hadn't even mastered it completely.

"Indeed!"

Li Zhi was also stumped.

In such a rush, she couldn't learn a new song on the spot.

"We'll let it go for today, but you must learn more songs next time!" Li Zhi instructed the stylist beside him: "Change her clothes and get her ready for the fashion show!"

"Yes!"

To host this fashion show, Li Zhi had designed various styles of apparel.

Each category highlighted a distinct temperament.

Thump, thump, thump...

The zither strings were plucked rhythmically, setting a brisk tempo.

Shiqin walked across the high platform with her head held high, wearing a white-collared petite suit.

That figure...

That allure!

The eyes of the wealthy merchants' sons looked as though they might pop right out of their sockets.

There was nothing else to say—time to rain down money!

Clang, clang, clang...

Kaiyuan Tongbao coins smashed onto the high platform, scattering everywhere.

Shiqin walked around the stage, once, and then again,

changing into countless outfits.

The copper coins on the stage piled up like a mountain, while cheers and applauses merged into a continuous roar.

......

In the private parlor,

Cheng Yaojin's gaze never left the tipping leaderboard.

At the very beginning, the top spot held only ten thousand coins.

Now it had broken through seventy thousand!

The leaderboard only recorded the top ten, totaling over half a million. The remaining tips weren't even on the list, and goodness knows how much they amounted to. Yet judging by the pile of wealth accumulating on the stage, the sum could hardly be insignificant.

Cheng Yaojin asked, "Is that five million yet?"

"Definitely!"

"I refuse to believe it!"

Cheng Yaojin waved his hand and said, "Look at that leaderboard, it's only fifty thousand or so. Even with the unlisted tips being minimal, could it possibly add up to five million? Your Highness, why don't we call a truce and cancel the wager? After all, you don't have a guaranteed victory either, do you?"

"No way!"

Li Zhi smiled and refused, "I am entirely confident I will win against you, don't even think about reneging on the debt!"

Li Zhi grabbed hold of him firmly,

refusing to let him leave.

Right at that moment,

the event in the main hall was drawing to a close.

Cheng Chuliang led Shiqin to the front of the stage and greeted the crowd, "Hello everyone, my name is Shiqin. Thank you all for coming to support the show!"

"Oh, oh, oh!!!"

"Shiqin, Shiqin..." Her name was deeply etched into their minds.

"Was her singing wonderful just now?" Cheng Chuliang struck while the iron was hot and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Wonderful!"

"Was she beautiful?"

"Beautiful!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Cheng Chuliang purposefully glanced toward the tipping leaderboard and the prize board. "Today, the person ranked number one will receive the first-place prize of one hundred thousand coins!"