My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

The destination was "World Center," a Grade A office building located in the new district, whose glass curtain wall reflected a cold, hard light under the sunlight.

The agent Xiao Qian, whom I had booked, was already waiting in the grand lobby. He was a young man in a well-fitting suit with a standard smile.

"Mr. Chen! Good morning, bosses!"

Xiao Qian greeted them warmly, but when his gaze swept over the group of customers, his professional smile froze almost imperceptibly.

That aura, that age difference, that style of dress...

Are you sure they're here to rent office space and not to conduct an inspection?

"Manager Qian, thank you for your help. Let's take a look at the space first."

Chen Mo hurriedly went up to shake hands.

Xiao Qian didn't dawdle; he led the group onto the elevator and began his introduction.

"Our World Center is a 5A intelligent office building with first-class property management, and it houses well-known companies..."

Not long after, the elevator doors opened in the upper section.

The sudden influx of bright sunlight and unobstructed view caused everyone who stepped out of the sedan chair to gasp for breath.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall, the entire city lies prostrate at your feet, like a meticulously arranged sand table model.

The roads were straight lines, the rivers were shimmering ribbons, the matchbox-like cars moved slowly, and the distant horizon blended into the wispy haze.

"Hiss~!"

Whether it was Li Shimin, Liu Che, or Zhu Yuanzhang, they all gasped in shock.

Ying Zheng strode to the glass, looking at the scene before him with excitement in his eyes.

So this is what it looks like inside those skyscrapers!

Although his Epang Palace was magnificent and grand, it was not this tall.

Little Sizi, on the other hand, had already run to the glass.

The little girl's face was almost pressed against the cool, clear glass, her big, dark eyes wide open, and her little mouth agape in an "O" shape.

She pointed to the tiny scenery below and let out an incredulous, childlike exclamation.

"Sister! Sister! Look! The house has become so small! The horse... no, the metal-bodied car, is crawling like a little bug!"

"It's so high up here! A hundred times higher than our tallest building! No, a thousand times higher!"

She danced with excitement, her warm breath creating a small white mist on the glass.

Li Lizhi was equally shocked and amazed. She grabbed Xiao Sizi, otherwise Xiao Sizi would have really pressed his face against the window.

The intermediary, Xiao Qian, stepped forward at the opportune moment.

"Dear bosses, the floor we are on now has a ceiling height of 4.2 meters and a 360-degree panoramic view, which is a rare resource in the core area of ​​the CBD."

"Working here represents not only capability, but also a symbol of vision and perspective..."

His words were interrupted by a heavy muttering with a distinct Fengyang accent.

"Perspective... vision..."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, squinted, and tapped his fingers on the smooth glass, making a crisp sound.

He turned his head, looked at Xiao Qian, and casually asked.

"Young man, stop with the pleasantries. Just tell me... tell me the truth about this place."

He tapped the gleaming marble floor with his foot.

"How much does one square meter... uh, one square meter cost?"

Xiao Qian perked up, knowing that the crucial moment had arrived.

"For top-tier office buildings like our World Center, the current market price is around 12 to 15 RMB per square meter per day, depending on the floor and orientation."

"If converted to monthly rent, it would be approximately 360 to 450 yuan per square meter per month."

"This entire floor you're looking at has a floor area of ​​approximately 1200 square meters, so the monthly rent would be around..."

Before he could finish speaking, Old Zhu's expression froze.

One square meter a day costs twelve to fifteen coins?

Are you kidding me?

This is fucking too expensive!

Old Zhu quickly calculated in his mind, his face growing increasingly grim as he did so.

His annual salary as a first-rank official was 1,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), which was recently increased to approximately 1,200 shi.

That's about 1.2 million a year.

If we calculate it at 400, that means roughly six million a year, enough for five first-rank officials!

Li Shimin and others were also estimating the approximate price in their minds, and the more they estimated, the more terrifying the housing prices of later generations seemed.

This one floor alone costs millions; I just looked from inside the elevator and there were almost thirty floors...

Hiss!

In other words, this building can bring its owner hundreds of millions a year.

Xiao Qian was a little uneasy by the sudden silence and tentatively added something.

"Of course, if the leased area is large and the lease term is long, we can also apply for a certain discount from the landlord..."

"Don't rush, let's discuss it."

As soon as Old Zhu finished speaking, he pulled the group of people aside.

"This floor earns 540,000 coins a month. Even if we increase their salaries, it's still enough to support several first-rank officials."

After Old Zhu finished speaking, he tugged at Zhu Biao's arm.

"You little rascal, do the math! How much is the annual salary of a minister in the Six Ministries of our Great Ming Dynasty? Renting just one floor here would wipe out three years' worth of a minister's salary!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin pondered for a moment.

"If all else fails, how about the four of us rent an entire floor?"

"No!"

Liu Che rejected it on the spot.

"Four people renting an entire floor? How much space would that be?"

He waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't care about such a small amount of money! You can share if you want, I'll rent an entire floor by myself!"

"Pah! What a spendthrift brat!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spat, his face full of indignation, but his eyes couldn't hide a hint of envy.

If the Zhu family had accumulated a substantial fortune over generations of emperors, why would they need to be so meticulous?

He wouldn't just book one floor; he'd book the entire building.

Unfortunately, there was nothing in front of them; not only did they not leave behind any assets, they also left behind a mess.

"I will also rent a floor on my own."

Ying Zheng also spoke up.

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless at the sight of the two men's extravagance and could only turn to look at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin, being so perceptive, immediately understood and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

"We could team up, rent an entire floor together, and split the rent; it would be a great deal."

"You're quite the planner, aren't you! It's settled then!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

The two walked up to Xiao Qian.

Old Zhu put his hands behind his back, and the imposing aura he had cultivated from Huangjue Temple to the Golden Palace instantly spread out, startling Xiao Qian into straightening his back instinctively.

"Young man, we're sharing this floor, so you need to give us a fair price for the rent."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his chin.

"What you just said, 450 yuan per square meter per month, that's an inflated price!"

"We've inquired, and the high-rise apartments next door are only a few dollars per square meter. Your price is double that; do you think we're being ripped off?"

Xiao Qian opened his mouth, about to say something, but Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Stop with the fancy stuff! Central air conditioning? Smart security? In our eyes, those are just waste of money!"

"All we want is a place that can shelter us from the wind and rain, and a good vantage point with a good view; we don't need anything else! If you can exclude the cost of all these other amenities, then we can talk!"

Li Shimin also spoke up from the side.

"Manager Qian, the area we're renting for the two of us is quite large, and we can sign a longer lease term. If you give us a fair price, we can finalize the deal today."

Seeing the two's resolute expressions, Xiao Qian had no choice but to urgently communicate with the homeowner.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned with a bitter face.

"Sir, the landlord has relented. After deducting some of the ancillary service fees, the monthly rent for this 1,200-square-meter floor will be reduced to 380,000 yuan. That's the lowest we can offer!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes darted around, and he quickly calculated in his mind.

Three hundred and eighty thousand coins, split equally between the two, one person receiving one hundred and ninety thousand coins.

"That's more like it! Deal!"

Old Zhu grinned and patted Xiao Qian on the shoulder.

The two quickly signed the contract.

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's appearance, Liu Che secretly sneered in his heart.

"Petty-minded, dawdling over a few tens of thousands, losing the dignity of an emperor."

After the two signed the contract, Liu Che stepped forward.

"I want to rent the whole floor!"

Ying Zheng also stepped forward.

"I want to rent a whole floor too!"

Xiao Qian was silent for a moment, then forced out an apologetic smile.

"You two... I'm really sorry, there's only one floor left in this building available for rent."

Liu Che: ? ? ?

Ying Zheng: ? ? ?

Liu Che was taken aback at first, then turned ashen-faced and abruptly pointed at Ying Zheng.

"You mean, you want me to squeeze onto the same floor as him?!"

Ying Zheng frowned, glanced at him coldly, and let out a disdainful snort.

"Hmph, I don't even want to be on the same floor as you. Ugh, what bad luck!"

Before Ying Zheng could finish speaking, he spat on the marble floor at Liu Che's feet.

That disdainful look was as if he were looking at something that couldn't be presented to the public.

Liu Che's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

He stepped forward, his chest heaving violently.

"Don't push your luck! Give me this floor, I'll pay more!"

"Whatever he gives, I'll add that much!"

Ying Zheng refused to yield an inch.

Liu Che laughed in anger and looked at Ying Zheng.

"Couldn't you have chosen a different building?"

"Why can't you be the one to replace it? Why does it have to be me?"

Ying Zheng glared at Liu Che.

"Let me tell you! I've got my eye on this building, and I'm not changing! It's the only one I want today!"