In the Chongwen Hall of the East Palace, all the civil servants were mobilized to make invitations specifically for the prince. More than 4,000 invitations were a considerable workload. In order to save everyone's time, Li Siye and Zhan Shi discussed the content of the invitations.
Try to be as concise as possible and within thirty characters.
After the invitation is written, the ink must be dried and then stamped by Zhan Shifu. The invitation is made of hard yellow paper and is double-folded and pasted with paste. It will not be easily broken or damaged when worn on the body.
Dropped ink.
Li Siye took one of the finished products in his hand and looked at it. The size was just right, just enough to accommodate the seal and inscription of Zhan Shifu.
After he had arranged the invitations, he immediately took out a large number of cheap silk cloths from the warehouse of the East Palace with the door supervisor and internal supervisor, and carried them by carriage to the oil spilled area of Jinggongfang.
He directed everyone to circle a six-foot-wide auditorium on the edge of the polo field, then nailed bamboo stakes into the soil outside, and used silk to circle a wall to stop people who had not bought tickets.
Of course, there are two entrances left, one of which is used for princes, ladies and princesses to enter and exit, and their locations are isolated from the auditorium to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The most critical step is to sell tickets. People from Prince Zhan Shifu sent people to contact Jinwu Guards. After getting their permission, they could put up notices outside the more than a dozen square gates where the rich lived in Chang'an City. The notice read: Prince
Zhan Shi's Mansion specially invites the elders of Chang'an City to come to Jinggongfang oil spilled ground to watch the polo competition held by the prince and the princes. If you are interested, please go to the entrance of Prince E's Mansion to get an invitation. Only with this invitation can you participate in the polo competition held tomorrow.
match.
The notice did not clearly state what conditions were required to watch the football match, nor how much it cost. Some curious businessmen went to the gate of Prince E's Mansion to have a look. Sure enough, someone from Prince Zhan Shifu was working on site. They went up to inquire and found out that this
Invitation stickers need to be purchased for money.
"This envoy, I would like to ask, how much does it cost to purchase invitations to the polo match for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince?"
The official of Zhan Shifu raised his head and said: "Two thousand dollars a piece, this invitation can only allow one person to go."
"Two thousand dollars? It's so... so cheap. I spent more than that on the hairpins and steps for my wife."
"Quick, give me one."
At first, the officials of Zhanshi Mansion felt very ashamed. They were serious court officials, and they actually sold invitation stickers at the entrance of Prince E's Mansion like small vendors.
Li Siye stood leisurely at the door to supervise, crossed his arms and said to several officials: "Oh, let me tell you, these four thousand invitations must be sold out for His Highness. If you want to spend the whole day here,
If so, then keep your mouth shut. If you want to leave here early, then you have to open your mouth and encourage others to buy it."
"You! Why don't you sell it yourself!" An official waved his sleeves angrily.
"What is there to be ashamed of?" Li Siye came to the banzu case in person, sat cross-legged on the ground and shouted: "His Royal Highness will hold a polo open at Jinggongfang oil-sprinkled ground, and invites the people of Chang'an to come and cheer. Now
Invitation stickers are on sale for 2,000 yuan each, and there are more than 1,000 left, first come, first served, while supplies last!"
After a while, these forty-year-old old scribes also completely abandoned their dignity, holding invitations in their hands and shouting: "There are five hundred more. If you want to come to watch the game, come quickly."
Many merchants in Chang'an heard the news and came to buy. Many of them were Hu merchants who also liked the exciting sport of polo. Some even had polo teams. However, almost all the highest-level teams in the Tang Dynasty were
They are all in the hands of the royal family. Rather than coming to watch the game, it is better to say that they came to observe with the attitude of learning polo skills.
In the past, when competitions between princes and princes were held, all the people invited were dignitaries or ladies from wealthy families, and the people of Chang'an were invited to watch. This was the first time that this happened.
By the afternoon, the officials no longer shouted, and the people in line had already stood two miles away. While collecting the money, the officials said regretfully: "The invitation sticker should be increased to 3,000 yuan, no, it should be
For five thousand dollars, I guarantee that someone will still buy it."
Li Siye walked over quietly, reached out and poked the ticket-selling official on the back, and whispered: "Don't buy all the tickets, leave five for me."
The official raised his face and said businesslikely: "Li Qianniu, although you are in charge of the ticket sales competition, you must not be partial. These five invitations cost two thousand each. If you can afford this ten thousand, I can
Leave the ticket to you."
"De Xing, I knew you would say that."
Li Siye took off the ten strings of copper coins coiled around his waist and placed them one by one in front of the official who collected the money.
"No, I'm talking about you!" The official pointed at him doubtfully and asked, "What do you want these five invitations for?"
Li Siye shook his head mysteriously: "I can't tell you for the time being."
The official flicked his sleeves and refused to compete with this family man who harbored eccentric talents.
Except for these five invitations, more than 4,000 invitations copied and printed by Prince Chongwen Hall officials overnight were sold out. Many wealthy businessmen who queued up to buy were filled with regret and hoped that Prince Zhan Shifu could issue more invitations.
invitation letter.
"No more! No more! Let's all disperse. It can only accommodate four thousand people!"
Li Siye walked aside, took out five invitations from his arms and said regretfully: "I have five more invitations here. I bought them for my friends. Unfortunately, my friends are sick and can't come. What should I do?"
As soon as the rich men heard this, they crowded around and said, "This gentleman, buy it for me, and I will pay you three thousand yuan!"
"Hey! I'll pay four thousand!"
"I'll pay five thousand!"
"Are you fucking crazy!"
"You're crazy!"
Amidst the pushing and crowding, Li Siye sold the five invitation stickers in his hand for a high price of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan, earning more than 20,000 yuan in just an instant.
Several officials from Zhanshifu stood aside with their mouths wide open in shock.
"Why didn't I think of..."
An official put his sleeves behind his back in annoyance and muttered to himself in a low voice: "He bought at a low price and sold at a high price. This is opportunistic! He enriched himself! I will sue him in front of the prince!"
Zhan Shi put his hands behind his back, coughed and said to everyone: "Hurry up and count the numbers so that I can announce the good news to His Highness!"
The money earned from selling the invitation stickers filled two large oxcarts. It took a lot of effort to count the money. Zhan Shi did a simple calculation in his mind, and suddenly his eyes were full of stars. He hurriedly picked up one and counted the money.