Chapter 116: Land-Faring Vessels Transport the Painted Pavilion

"I only provided this idea to the West Market; as for how the East Market learned of it, I have no idea," Ye Chang said.

Chong Niang’s brows furrowed instantly. Originally, she had no stake in the matter. Whether it was the East Market or the West Market, she was merely a spectator. Just like the ball games, whether managed by Jia Mao’s gang or won by Wang Yuanbao, she would always get her share. However, if it involved Ye Chang, it was a different story. She simply adopted Ye Chang's stance as her own and immediately grew angry.

"Shameless! To steal your idea—they are nothing but thieves!" When Chong Niang was angry, her small face tightened, taking on a different kind of beauty—or perhaps it should be called "cuteness." Seeing her like this, Ye Chang laughed for a long time until Chong Niang glared at him and threatened to pinch him, at which point he finally reined in his smile.

"Don't be so quick to anger. This was expected, and we couldn't possibly be caught unprepared. Just wait and see."

Even as they spoke, work had already begun on the other side. Timber beams were erected, connected by mortise and tenon joints, and within moments, a three-story colorful pavilion rose into the air. A "colorful pavilion" was essentially a complex archway, designed to be draped with flags and decorations. Consequently, it was assembled even faster than Ye Chang had anticipated, and the construction itself served as a form of silent promotion.

Thousands of people gathered around. Even if the dense crowd made it hard to see the ground, they could still watch as the pavilion was built layer by layer. Beneath it, Wang Yuanbao beamed with joy; in his eyes, the gazes of the crowd were nothing but rolling piles of copper coins.

"Congratulations, Master Wang!"
"So inventive, truly ingenious! Congratulations!"

The air was filled with well-wishes, and Wang Yuanbao’s eyes crinkled into slits. He had rushed to set up before the West Market today precisely for this effect. Building a pavilion in the blink of an eye was an incredible feat. While preparations had been made beforehand, never before had they been so meticulous that every component was numbered, allowing them to be assembled simply by matching the numbers. By seizing the initiative, he had grabbed the attention of the thousands of visitors in Chang'an. If the West Market tried to pull the same stunt later, it would be a clumsy imitation—not only ineffective but counterproductive. This victory pleased him even more than the surrounding praise.

"This is not all; there is more to come. The festivities will last all day, so everyone, keep your eyes peeled!"

His words were no empty boast. Once the frame was up, it was adorned with exquisite silks from all over the land and hung with various colorful banners. The area beneath the pavilion was cleared, forcing the early-arriving vendors to retreat and make space for the wealthy merchants of the East Market. Soon, a dazzling array of goods was displayed in the merchants' shops. In addition to this, they began building a stage under the pavilion, though there was no rush for that; the singing girls would perform later.

As activity stirred on that side, the audience surged toward the east side of Chaotian Street, leaving the west side deserted. The merchants in the West Market began to regret their position; in such a situation, how could they possibly share in the spotlight?

"The West Market hasn't appeared yet. Could they be holding back some earth-shattering trick?" a wealthy East Market merchant asked Wang Yuanbao with a smile, noting the sharp contrast.

"Whatever tricks they have, they can't change the situation now. We have seized the initiative..." Wang Yuanbao said smugly. Then, he felt something was wrong. From the west, a faint, rumbling sound emerged, as if dozens of horses were galloping toward them, yet the speed was remarkably slow.

The ground trembled slightly from the rumble. Those gathered near the East Market's pavilion felt the vibration and turned their heads, gazing toward the west with astonishment.

"The people from the West Market are coming!" someone muttered involuntarily.

Wang Yuanbao remained confident, shaking his head with a smile. "Even if they make such a scene, what of it? In the end, it’s a comparison of the pavilions..."

More and more people had their attention drawn by the rumbling, which grew louder and closer. Moments later, everyone saw a pointed pavilion roof emerging!

"That is..." Wang Yuanbao froze.

The people who had gathered on the east side began to rush toward the west, for the spectacle was truly shocking: a pavilion that could move across the ground! Seeing the crowds surging away, Wang Yuanbao couldn't help but run toward the opposite side. The crowd was incredibly dense, and had it not been for the soldiers and bailiffs maintaining order, a stampede might have occurred. He finally squeezed to the front, breathless, and saw the West Market's pavilion. In terms of construction, it was no different from the East Market's, but under its eight support pillars were large carts. Sixteen horses, combined with dozens of men pushing, caused the carts to move slowly along the ground, allowing the pavilion to travel!

Compared to the East Market's stationary structure, this was clearly superior. Moreover, Wang Yuanbao had scouted carefully, and the East Market's pavilion was intended to be a foot taller, meant to look down upon the competition. But now, with the two-foot-tall carts beneath the West Market's pavilion, it was the West Market that stood a head taller.

The West Market's pavilion moved slowly forward, steady and controlled. When it reached a spot near Chaotian Street, it stopped, and craftsmen began adding supports to the carts so the pavilion wouldn't sway. The tide of people had almost entirely flowed over from the East Market. Ye Chang and Chong Niang were among them. Chong Niang beamed. "Eleventh Brother, was this your idea too?"

"One must always have a backup plan. Those eight carts were made elsewhere, away from the pavilion, and as it turns out, it was necessary." Ye Chang smiled. "The East Market wanted to strike first, but they were countered by a late-arriving force. At the very least, in terms of the pavilion, they have lost their advantage."

Wang Yuanbao’s face was as dark as water. He squeezed through the crowd and locked eyes with Hu Yuanxiang. Hu Yuanxiang’s smile was radiant. Seeing him, he cupped his hands and said, "Master Wang, a pleasure, a pleasure!"

"Master Hu, you certainly... hid this deep!" Wang Yuanbao gritted his teeth.

"Not at all. By the way, Master Wang, a steward in my shop named Zhang Yu resigned yesterday, claiming he was going to work for you. Have you seen him?"

At this point, Wang Yuanbao realized that the mole he had planted near Hu Yuanxiang had been completely exposed! However, the gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a bright smile. "Is that so? I know nothing of it. Zhang Yu... the name sounds familiar. Rest assured, Master Hu, if he truly comes to me, I will treat him well."

Wang Yuanbao’s counterattack was sharp. Hu Yuanxiang paused, then forced a smile. "Good, good... regarding this pavilion, Master Wang, which side do you think is better?"

"Indeed, I did not expect you to have such a mobile structure." Wang Yuanbao conceded bluntly. "On this count, you have the upper hand."

"Hahahaha..." Hu Yuanxiang laughed heartily. He had struggled against Wang Yuanbao for years and had almost never come out on top. Having Wang admit defeat, even on a single point, felt exceptionally satisfying.

"There are still two rounds left. Let us see how you fare," Wang Yuanbao said with a smile. He then turned, pushed through the crowd, and returned to his side.

"Master Wang, it is too early to admit defeat! They just happened to take the lead in the first round; we still have many things prepared!" a wealthy East Market merchant complained.

Wang Yuanbao shook his head. "A pavilion is all about presence, and their presence has already surpassed ours. Anything else is just a minor detail. Furthermore, we prepared many decorations for our pavilion, and they have done the same. Fighting further on this point is meaningless."

As he predicted, the subsequent decorating of the pavilions—the brocades, the revolving lanterns, the puppet shows—kept both sides bustling with activity. Yet, in the end, there were more people beneath the West Market's pavilion.

"Eleventh Brother, you really are incredible," Chong Niang said, praising Ye Chang with a raised finger.

"It's only just begun. This round is over, but we haven't even used our hidden trump card yet," Ye Chang laughed. "That is the most crucial part. Just wait and see."

Hearing this, Chong Niang became intensely interested and asked several questions, but Ye Chang only smiled and shook his head.

The sun had risen, the pavilions were complete, and both sides turned their attention to the stages. Wang Yuanbao had lost the first round—he had admitted it aloud, but he remained unconvinced in his heart. He loudly commanded his craftsmen to finish the stage quickly so he could reclaim victory in the second round.

"What happened, Master Wang? How could you lose the pavilion round?" As Wang Yuanbao worked up a sweat, he heard an annoyed voice. He turned to see Wang Jin, holding a fan, standing behind him with several men.

"It goes without saying—we were defeated by the schemes of Ye the Eleventh," Wang Yuanbao sighed. "He actually thought of using carts to move the pavilion, and he anticipated that I would send spies to learn their method, holding that surprise back... tsk, such deep, far-reaching intellect is beyond ordinary men."

Hearing him praise Ye Chang only made Wang Jin’s blood boil. *A mad dog, biting and chewing at will, refusing to follow the rules, always flipping the table...* That was how Wang Jin viewed Ye Chang. He hadn't appeared for the last two days specifically to rectify his earlier mistakes; Zhang Po’s appetite was not small!

"Didn't you send people to learn their secrets?"

"They aren't stupid. They leaked half and hid the other half... I never imagined it would be like this."

*Truly useless. Even after getting half their secrets, you still lost...* Wang Jin thought, though he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he encouraged him: "No matter. Master Wang, keep working hard. The East Market is sure to win the second round!"

"With the new songs from Scholar Wang, we certainly will," Wang Yuanbao replied. He then returned to directing his men.

His side was low in morale, while the West Market was a different scene. Over a dozen wealthy merchants congratulated Hu Yuanxiang, who couldn't stop smiling as he thanked them all.

"A truly marvelous idea, putting the pavilion on carts. Master Hu, don't take this the wrong way, but this is not something you could have thought of. There must be an expert behind this. May I ask who it is?"

The question from Ding Tuozi, who owned a restaurant in the West Market, voiced the collective curiosity of the merchants. Hu Yuanxiang had to bow to them all. "You are right. My own meager talents are well known to you all. Today’s strategy was indeed not my own; I was guided by an expert. However, this expert does not care for fame and has repeatedly told me not to reveal his name. We have two more rounds, and we rely entirely on him, so please, do not make it difficult for me."

The crowd expressed their disdain, but Chong Niang, who was watching the scene with great interest, turned to Ye Chang and smiled.

"Eleventh Brother, why don't you like being famous?" she asked in a low voice, unable to resist.

"If I come to Chang'an, your Imperial Father might pretend not to notice, but if I go around stirring up trouble, even if he pretends not to see, others will surely whisper in his ear. It is better to keep a low profile."

"I know... Zhang Po," Chong Niang pouted. "He is not a good person."

"Heh, don't say he's a bad person just because he doesn't like me," Ye Chang waved his hand.

"Let's not talk about that disgusting man. The next round is song and dance. Can the West Market win?"

"It's hard to say." Ye Chang didn't have much confidence in that.

"With you advising them, they will surely win," Chong Niang answered for herself.

Ye Chang smiled. She had more confidence than he did. He didn't see it that way. Of the three rounds, the first was the easiest to win; his mobile pavilion was enough to decide the outcome, especially with the trump card still in hand. But the second round focused on "people," and he had no certainty there. Even if he stepped onto the stage himself, he couldn't change that reality.

"However, Hu Yuanxiang isn't stupid. What was originally meant to be the grand finale of the pavilion contest has now been moved to the stage—that might recover some ground," he mused.

With both pavilions finished, more and more spectators flocked to the area. What they did not know was that four wards to the north, on the Vermillion Bird Gate of the Imperial City, a group of people had ascended.

"It is truly lively!"

Even four wards away, the noise could still be heard. Li Longji, standing atop the gate, looked out and couldn't help but laugh.

"Your Majesty, this is a sign of a peaceful world and contented people. If not for Your Majesty's brilliance, how could such a prosperous scene exist?" Gao Lishi said from beside him.

"A pity, a pity. For fear of disturbing the people, both the General and I can only watch from here. It’s not as good as that little girl, Twenty-Nine, who managed to mingle right in with the commoners."

"I fear it is not just Twenty-Nine; many of the court officials have quietly gone to watch as well."

"Heh, the momentum this time is so great that even I am tempted, let alone the others. Do not investigate; just pretend we do not know."

As Li Longji spoke, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes. Though he was the Son of Heaven, he was, in the end, not free.