The South Jin royal merchant in the west pavilion on the third floor was willing to offend the bigwigs of the Tang Empire to participate in the bidding for the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. This could only be the will of the Crown Prince behind the royal merchant.
As the future emperor of the South Jin Kingdom who was the most hostile to the Tang Empire, he was willing to spend a large sum of money to purchase the Chicken Soup Calligraphy to make a name for Ning Que. Other than the fact that he was crazy, Ning Que could not understand why. In the end, his train of thought deviated from the right path and entered the realm of evil.
Chu Youxian did not know that Ning Que's question was full of hidden meanings. He replied, "The South Jin Kingdom Crown Prince is known for being lecherous. How would he be interested in men? I have never heard of him liking calligraphy."
Just as the two of them were conversing, the bidding for the Chicken Soup Calligraphy in Stone Residence became more and more intense. There were still only two parties bidding, the steward of the Grand Secretary's Mansion and the royal merchant from the South Jin Kingdom. But with just the two of them bidding, sparks flew in all directions.
Ning Que had long forgotten why the Crown Prince of South Jin Kingdom wanted to buy the Chicken Soup Stickers as he listened to the increasing bids and the increasing amount of money. He was very satisfied.
Not long after, the price of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy rose to 18,000 taels of silver.
The sound of curtains being drawn could be heard from the third floor. The butler of Grand Secretary Wang's Mansion walked out with a sullen face. He stood by the railing and looked in the direction of the West Pavilion. He sneered and said, "The Tang Empire has always convinced people with reason and virtue. This is Chang 'an. I will not bully you people from the South Jin Kingdom.
The bamboo curtain of the west pavilion was lifted, and a slightly plump middle-aged merchant with a ruddy complexion slowly walked out. He was dressed in a brocade robe with a jade pendant on his waist. He had an extraordinary bearing. He looked at the chief steward and said, "I have an important mission, so I don't dare to give up easily. Please forgive me, chief steward."
The price had been shouted, and the harsh words had been spoken. What followed was naturally a repeat of the previous bidding process. Although none of the parties suddenly increased the price by too much, as time passed, the price of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy on the stage gradually increased to a jaw-dropping level.
"31,000 taels of silver."
"32,000 taels of silver."
"33,000 taels of silver."
The chief steward of the Grand Secretary's Mansion looked gloomy as he stared at the South Jin merchant in the West Pavilion and bid 33,000 taels of silver.
With the Grand Secretary's seniority as a senior statesman of three dynasties, no matter how strict the laws of the Tang Empire were, it could not stop the riches hidden in his mansion. Thirty thousand taels of silver was indeed a lot, but it would not frighten the chief steward. However, everyone knew that he was backed by Grand Secretary Wang. A courtier spending ten thousand taels of silver on a section of calligraphy would definitely cause some discussion. Therefore, he wanted to see the merchant from the South Jin Kingdom back off.
Who would have thought that the South Jin Kingdom royal merchant would add another thousand taels of silver without hesitation? Looking at his calm expression, it seemed that he would not care even if he added tens of thousands of taels of silver.
The Chief Caretaker of the Grand Scholar Manor looked even gloomier.
There were some foreign envoys and merchants in the Stone House. Most of them were Tangs, the wealthiest kind.
They could not help but feel annoyed at the South Jin royal merchant's actions.
It was not that they did not have money, but no matter how much they loved Sir Ning's calligraphy, they would feel that the price was too high. The South Jin royal merchant did not seem like he was here to buy the section. Instead, he seemed like he was here to compete with the Tangs, or even to embarrass them.
Discussions started in the pavilion. Two royal merchants from the Tang Empire who lived in the South City of Chang 'an prepared to bid. The atmosphere became more heated, or rather, tense.
The only person who could remain calm was probably the seller, Zhong Li. He had long known that the South Jin royal merchant was in Chang 'an, so he had expected such a scene. It could even be said that he had single-handedly caused the conflict between the Tangs and the South Jin Kingdom.
Zhong Li was the son of the Zhong family in Yangguan. Yangguan was the most prosperous city in the Southern Border of the Tang Empire. It was very close to the South Jin Kingdom. In fact, it had been the northern capital of the South Jin Kingdom three hundred years ago. As such, the people who lived there knew the South Jin Kingdom very well. Even though he had been chased out of the Zhong family a long time ago, he knew everything that had happened in the South Jin Kingdom. He was well aware of the sensitivity and even abnormal self-esteem of the South Jin Kingdom people when they faced the Tangs.
Because of something, he was certain that the South Jin royal merchant would not give up on the Chicken Soup Calligraphy no matter what. That was why he dared to say in front of everyone that the Chicken Soup Calligraphy would sell for at least thirty thousand taels of silver!
Now that it had passed the thirty thousand taels of silver, Zhong Li could not help but feel proud. As a seller, his greatest honor was to leave his name in the history books along with the goods he sold.
As a seller, Zhong Li could be calm, happy, and proud. However, as the owner of the Stone House, the boss found that the atmosphere was too intense and out of control. He could not be happy no matter what. It was good to earn more commission, but what would he do if he offended two important figures?
The boss stood behind a pillar on the first floor. He looked at Zhong Li with a gloomy expression and signaled with his eyes.
Zhong Li understood and began to try to reduce the atmosphere. However, as an imperial merchant of the Tang Empire brazenly joined the battle, his attempt to end the auction suddenly turned into a bubble.
Hearing the increasing amount of money, even Zhong Li, who had seen more extravagant auctions and bigger scenes, began to feel nervous and even terrified.
The bidding had already become a battle between the Tang and the South Jin Kingdom. Although this battle had nothing to do with powerhouses or cavalry, it was only about money. However, it was not something he could control.
Zhong Li lifted his sleeves to wipe his sweat. He realized that he had underestimated the determination of the people of Chang 'an to protect their pride. He had also underestimated the influence of the Crown Prince of the South Jin Kingdom on the South Jin royal merchant.
The royal merchant of the South Jin Kingdom made another unbelievable offer. Then, he looked at the nobles of the Tang Empire in the pavilion and smiled. "The South Jin Kingdom is not as wealthy as the Tang Empire, and I'm just a small merchant. I'm not worthy of your attention. However, the South Jin Kingdom is one of the few big countries, and we still have some silver in our treasury."
Hearing this, the pavilion was in an uproar. Although the Tang people present were rich, if the South Jin royal merchant used the South Jin Kingdom's national treasury to bid, who could be his match? Unless the Tang Emperor took out the silver from the palace treasury and bid.
Just as the merchant had said, although the South Jin Kingdom was not as wealthy as the Tang Empire, how could a royal merchant or a Grand Secretary compare to the amount of silver in their national treasury?
Were they really going to be humiliated by the South Jin royal merchant today?
Although they could bid as high as they wanted, what if the South Jin royal merchant suddenly stopped bidding?
They could not go back on their word when the time came. The laws of the Tang Empire were not just for show in Chang 'an.
…
…
"How can you use the silver in the national treasury to fight with someone?"
Ning Que looked at the South Jin royal merchant. He could not understand what was happening.
Chu Youxian said mockingly, "How would such a backward country know any rules? Do you think it's like the Tang Empire? In the eyes of the South Jin Emperor and the Crown Prince, the national treasury is their own accounting room. They can use it however they want. "
At this moment, a subordinate of the Grand Secretary hurried to the steward's side and whispered a few words. The steward, who had been silent for a while, turned to look at the South Jin royal merchant in the west pavilion. He laughed coldly and said, "I was wondering why the South Jin Crown Prince was so interested in the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. So it's because of the Hill Master of the Great River Kingdom."
The South Jin royal merchant did not deny it. He smiled and said, "That's right. His Highness knows that the Hill Master loves the Chicken Soup Calligraphy, so he decided to buy it and give it to you."
The chief steward looked at the royal merchant from the South Jin Kingdom and suddenly laughed out loud. He said mockingly, "Everyone knows that the Hill Master is infatuated with Mister Ning Que of the Tang Empire. That's why she loves the Chicken Soup Calligraphy so much. Does the Crown Prince expect that the Chicken Soup Calligraphy can replace Mister Ning Que in the Hill Master's heart? This is ridiculous and ridiculous to the extreme! "
The South Jin royal merchant's expression changed.
The steward did not wait for him to speak. He continued mockingly, "You're trying to use something that belongs to a woman's beloved to make her fall in love with someone else. I really don't know what the Crown Prince is thinking! I didn't expect the South Jin people to be trash on the battlefield. The Sword Master from the Sword Garret is trash. You're even so useless in love! "
The South Jin royal merchant's face darkened at the humiliation. His sleeves trembled and his fists were clenched tightly. However, there was nothing wrong with the steward's words. The South Jin army had never been a match for the Tang cavalry on the battlefield. Liu Qingshan from the Sword Garret had indeed been killed by Ning Que at the side door of the Academy. The story between the Calligraphy Addict, Mo Shanshan, and Ning Que had been spread around the world for many days.
The royal merchant suppressed his anger and scolded coldly, "The bidding for the calligraphy is based on strength. Speak if you have money. Don't talk if you don't. Do you think the Tangs only know how to talk?"
The moment he said that, the Tangs in the pavilion immediately cursed at him. However, he ignored them and looked at the seller on the stage with a gloomy expression. It seemed like he had made up his mind to use money to pressure the seller.
…
…
Ning Que did not expect the South Jin Crown Prince to buy the Chicken Soup Calligraphy at such a high price just to please Shanshan.
After a moment of silence, he took out something from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Youxian. After saying a few words, he lifted the curtain and walked out of the Stone House.
Chu Youxian was stunned for a moment. He gripped the item tightly and walked downstairs to find the owner of the Stone House.
The owner of the Stone House recognized him as Old Master Chu's only son and was slightly stunned. He took the seal from Chu Youxian and glanced at it. His expression changed drastically.
This seal was Ning Que's private seal and rarely appeared on his calligraphy sections. Not many calligraphy appraisers had seen it before. However, the owner had seen it on the back of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy.
The owner then realized that Sir Ning had been quietly watching the auction in the pavilion. When he saw Chu Youxian's private seal, he thought that Sir Ning was expressing his dissatisfaction and anger. He could not help but feel uneasy. Could it be that his judgment of the Old Brush Pen Shop's calligraphy sections was wrong? Did the handmaiden really steal it?
He heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Chu Youxian's words.
Chu Youxian gestured for him to bring him to the stage and invited the famous seller to the side.
The people in the pavilion noticed the commotion on the stage and gradually stopped their discussions and cursing.
The South Jin royal merchant stood by the railing expressionlessly and looked at the stage. He thought that no matter what the Tangs did, the Chicken Soup Calligraphy would definitely be brought back to the South Jin Kingdom today.
The owner cupped his fists and bowed to the people in the three pavilions. He then cleared his throat and said, "The Chicken Soup Calligraphy is confirmed to be won by Room A2 for 33,000 taels of silver."
The pavilion was silent because no one had realized what was going on.
Then someone reacted and let out a soft cry of confusion.
Room A2 was where the steward of Grand Secretary Wang's residence resided.
However, the bidding had not ended. Why did the Stone House say that the Grand Secretary Wang's residence had won the Chicken Soup Calligraphy?
The South Jin royal merchant's face was livid as he looked downstairs. He questioned coldly, "Even if the bidding ended, I was the one who paid the most. Why did the calligraphy go to someone else? Could it be that all the Tang people do business like this? Don't you care about your reputation? "
Chu Youxian recalled what Ning Que had said before he left. After making sure that he remembered every word correctly, he looked at him and said mockingly, "So what if you have more money?"
"I won't sell it to you no matter how much money you have."
"Because Mr. Thirteen doesn't respect the Crown Prince of South Jin."
…
…
(He actually wrote more than 10,000 words. It seems like energy is really like water in a sponge. There are only a few recommendation votes now. Please squeeze, take a look and vote. Thank you very much. There's another important matter. Taiwanese readers, please be happy. The Jiangye Traditional Chinese Calligraphy will be sold in bookstores on the 5th of July. I've looked at the cover carefully. I like it very much. There's no problem with it. However, it involves spoilers … Wahahaha, welcome to buy it. The more the better.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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