Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 710 - 708

Chapter 710: 708

The next day, before dawn, masses of people ready to leave the city were densely lined up inside the city gate.

The zoo’s ticket price wasn’t too high; adults (15 years and above) would pay fifty coins, and for children (thirty coins). Children under one meter and people over the age of fifty could enter for free. This was actually a few dozen coins lower than what Xiao’er had initially planned.

Xiao’er set the price with the intention to allow as many people as possible to visit the zoo.

While the entrance fee wasn’t high, there were many additional chargeable activities inside. These were specifically designed for those who had plenty of silver to spare.

Xiao’er wanted to allow more children to experience the zoo, but maintaining the zoo each day also required a significant amount of silver. So, she couldn’t just not make any money! That’s why she included many extra chargeable activities, all of which were very interesting and attractive to children.

Feeding giraffes and Tibetan antelopes, catching goldfish, watching animal shows... and so on.

Of course, the tickets for the large-scale circus performance were the most expensive! Adults needed to pay two hundred coins, children required one hundred and fifty coins, and there were no exceptions.

Before opening, Xiao’er even ran a promotional event and sold a hundred combo tickets. These combo tickets were not to make money but to give children from more disadvantaged families the opportunity to visit the zoo, hence, a combo ticket allowed five people to enter irrespective of adults or kids, only charging one hundred coins.

That would sum up to twenty coins per ticket, which was very cheap!

At such a price, many families with spare change would be willing to buy it.

Proof of that was how quickly the hundred combo tickets sold out within fifteen minutes.

The city gates gradually opened, and today, there are three more groups of soldiers arranged to check everyone exiting the city. Once the gates opened, almost everyone headed towards the zoo.

On this road, soldier posts were stationed every two hundred meters.

As the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager were all scheduled to leave the palace incognito today, Huang Wei arranged for many guards to pose as zoo security, turning the zoo into a place where guards were just about five steps away from each other and there were sentries every ten steps.

Shangguan Xuanjun arranged for two hundred of his own soldiers, disguised as common people, to mix within the crowd, just in case.

Shangguan Xuanyi also arranged for Feng Yang and the likes of two hundred of his own soldiers to mix with the staff.

The Emperor needed to finish morning court before he could depart, yet most of the court officials were distracted today. Even the Emperor found it hard to concentrate.

Every time another official diverged from the topic at hand, it seemed that, the morning court could not go on! Better to just head to the zoo and watch the monkeys earlier! He was becoming restless!

Luckily getting out of work for a day, might as well make it a thorough one!

With the Emperor’s single cry for the court to adjourn, it prompted an unprecedented, booming response: "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!".

The Emperor looked at everyone appearing eager, feeling both amused and helpless, then he too couldn’t wait to go back to change clothes and prepare to leave.

Today, more than half of the Imperial City was deserted! Other than at night, never before had there been so few people on the streets of the Imperial City.

Xiao’er, Shangguan Xuanyi, and Jingrui stood on the city wall, watching the dense crowd below. Jingrui voiced his concerns, "Will the zoo be able to accommodate so many people?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao’er reassured him, "Don’t worry, Big Brother. Even if the number of people doubles, we can still accommodate them."

Today, there were too many people leaving the city. It took a full four hours before everyone finally exited.

At this time, the city gate, which had just been densely packed, now had not even a single fly passing by.

Finally, two carriages of modest external appearance, but luxurious on the inside, appeared from inside the Imperial Palace.

When Xiao’er, Shangguan Xuanyi, and the others saw these two carriages, they all got into their carriages. Then, they followed behind these two carriages towards the outskirts of the city.

The area near the zoo was filled with parked carriages, many people couldn’t even find a place to park their carriages.

Fortunately, Xiao’er had considered this situation and had already arranged staff to guide these carriages to parking spaces. This prevented a major traffic jam from occurring.

Upon lifting the curtain of her carriage and seeing the surging crowd outside, the Empress Dowager felt astonished.

She had heard long ago that Xiao’er knew how to make money and that Xiao’er’s shops were always bustling with customers! But looking at the current situation, it wasn’t just bustling. It was more like a downpour of customers! One could never know how capable she was at making money if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.

With so many people waiting in line to enter, how much money would they earn in a day?

Thinking about how Xiao’er’s dowry was even bigger than hers at the time made her feel a bit bitter. Then remembering her dowry shop, which was barely attracting any customers, stirred up even more feelings of jealousy and resentment in her heart.

"How much is the entrance fee per person for the zoo?"

"I heard that it’s fifty coins for adults and thirty coins for children. People over the age of fifty and children under one meter can enter for free."

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager felt a little better. It didn’t seem too expensive. But small sums added up -- minor expenses could become significant over time! This zoo was definitely a wealth-attracting pot!

The Empress Dowager felt that comparisons between people could indeed kill!

Their carriages drove directly into the hot spring resort.

Those who were queuing for parking spots watched them with envious eyes.

Once everyone had alighted from their carriages, the Empress Dowager found the sight of these villas that blended European and pastoral styles a feast for her eyes!

They were so beautiful, weren’t they? The decoration in the Royal Palace was all about gold and dazzling luxury. Nowhere near as quiet, elegant, and dignified as these villas surrounded by clusters of flowers, which stole her heart right away.

It was a fact that many women of all ages retain their girlish hearts.

However, due to her status, the decoration of the Imperial Palace naturally couldn’t have a fresh and simple look. Otherwise, where would the majesty and dignity be?

A strong hint of envy, jealousy, and hatred filled Princess Ling’er’s eyes. A huge sum of money was spent on renting the hot spring in the first place, with the aim of destroying this group of villas. But now, it had instead served as a wedding dress for others!

How could she not be furious!

"How much silver does it cost to stay here for one night?" The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but ask.

"These villas are calculated per unit. One villa costs one hundred taels per day, including free access to the hot spring, all entrance tickets to the zoo, one dinner, and a buffet breakfast," explained Xiao’er.

The expense was high, but the services offered were top-notch, and all the food provided was high-quality cuisine.

One hundred taels per day! There must be at least over a hundred villas here, at the least! Plus that tall building still under construction, which should be a hotel.

How much silver could this hot spring resort earn in a day?

The Empress Dowager felt her gums hurt with envy! But well, such a money-making daughter-in-law thankfully didn’t go to another family!

Otherwise, that family definitely could rival a nation in riches!

But the one who was most uncomfortable was Princess Ling’er, she looked so bad, just like someone had stolen tens of thousands of taels from her.

If she had known, she’d probably continue renting that hot spring every year, even wasting those few hundred taels for nothing!

The hot spring resort had an entrance that directly connected to the zoo, facilitating the stay-in guests to visit the zoo without having to line up at the main entrance.

The group of them, led by the Emperor, entered the zoo, officially commencing the Empress Dowager’s trip akin to Granny Liu’s visit to the Grand View Garden.