(First of all, a correction. The day before yesterday, it was B6. Yesterday, it became B4. I made a mistake. Thank you for your reminder.)
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Hearing the news of the Ming family bidding, Fan Xian furrowed his brows slightly. It was as if he had not thought that the other party's response would come so quickly and with such shrewdness. In reality, his heart was still calm. This was something he had expected. The Ming family was not a pig waiting to be slaughtered. Although the matter had happened suddenly, someone as scheming and deep foresight as Ming Qingda would certainly have a better response.
Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng heard this news and their spirits rose. Their long sitting buttocks finally moved forward a little and listened with anticipation to the sounds in the courtyard.
Only Xue Qing remained calm and collected as he tasted the tea in his bowl.
This was already the fifth lot. It had never been one of the Ming family's goals, but they had chosen to bid at this time. Their goal was to stand out in this silent scene and suppress the arrogance of Xia Qifei and his group in room B4. More importantly, they were using a scoundrelly method to stall for time and slow down the process.
Thus, this round of bidding seemed to be exceptionally boring, even boring. It was far less intense than the first round, when Xia Qifei and the Xiong Clan of Lingnan clashed tit for tat, and it couldn't even compare to the previous rounds.
The price the Ming family bid was very low. There was not a hint of sincerity to be seen. However, Ming Qingda did not care about this. With a face full of smiles, he watched his son and the shopkeepers of the clan drag out the time.
This round of bidding took up a few quarters of an hour. When the Ming family calculated, they were as inexperienced as a beginner. When they called out a price, they were as shy as a virgin girl. When they handed over the leather bag, they were as inconvenient as a toothless old woman.
In any case, they dragged it out as long as they could. From the master to the accounts room, they cooperated very well. It made everyone wait anxiously, but they could not find any problems. The transport company official responsible for announcing had already begun to stand on the stone steps and yawn. This fifth lot was not over yet.
Xia Qifei's price had been suppressing the Ming family by a large margin, but the three rounds of bidding had not ended. No one could jump to the next round.
The surrounding Jiangnan merchants began to chat and drink tea. These old foxes could all see what the old Ming master was planning. They knew that within today, they would probably only be able to open the fifth lot.
The sun in the sky moved slowly but surely toward the west. The Ming family's speaking movements were slow and sloppy. A little bird landed in the middle of the courtyard and looked curiously at the people around it who were yawning and chatting. It did not seem to understand why everything in this courtyard seemed to be moving in slow motion.
The Ming family was in no hurry.
The Jiangnan merchants were in no hurry.
Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng were in no hurry.
Governor Xue Qing was even less anxious.
He didn't know if the robbers in room B4 would go crazy when they encountered this kind of slow simmering skill. However, under everyone's careful scrutiny, Fan Xian hid the anxiety between his brows. His heart was clear, and he was full of praise for the Ming family's ruthless skills and shameless methods.
The sun gradually descended toward the west, dragging the shadow of the palace treasury main door like a girl's dress. The little bird, which had not even found a blade of grass on the stone steps, raised its head and looked around. Full of hidden bitterness, it cooed a few times and flapped its wings to fly away.
A gong rang out. The firecrackers that represented the successful end of the palace treasury bidding did not explode because the third bidding for the fifth lot had just ended. Xia Qifei had once again "arduously" defeated the Ming family and obtained the right to sell glass in the North. At this moment, the first day of the palace treasury's new year opening bidding was about to end.
The merchants in the courtyard all let out a breath and stretched. They wiped away their cold sweat with some lingering fear. Fortunately, the Ming family had made a move in the end and forcefully dragged out the time. Otherwise, given the aura of room B4 at the beginning, who knew how many drops of soup would be left from the fat and overflowing 16 lots of the palace treasury.
Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng met each other's eyes and smiled gratifyingly. Xia Qifei's move had indeed surprised them. Fortunately, in the end, he had dragged out the other party's aura. Presumably, the Ming family would make proper arrangements for tomorrow's matters tonight.
Fan Xian sat on the chair and lifted the stage over the high wall of the large courtyard. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the smear of red on the horizon, but he could no longer see the setting sun.
The courtyard began to clear and seal the lots. The banknotes and tools that the merchants had brought in did not need to be taken out. For one, it was for convenience and another was for safety. Tonight, Jiangnan Road, the Overwatch Council, the transport company, and the Suzhou government would work together to guard this palace treasury courtyard tightly. It could be said to be the safest place in the world.
The soldiers began to put seals on the rooms in the corridor and the outside of the Flower Hall. The merchants had already come out. They stood in the courtyard in groups of three to five and chatted. When they saw the old Ming master and young master Ming come out of room A1, everyone quickly went over to greet and bow. Everyone's voices were low, but the focus of their discussion was naturally the bandit in room B4.
Xia Qifei's face was heavy. He led his subordinates to stand under the wall closest to the main door of the palace treasury courtyard. It was a patch of darkness.
As everyone discussed, they looked in that direction. Looking at the group of people in the darkness, they thought of the bandit's methods earlier and felt a growing fear in their hearts.
At this time, the four officials in the main hall also walked down.
"Greetings, Eunuch Huang." "Greetings, Sir Xue." "Sir Fan junior, you have to leave some food for me."
All of a sudden, the merchants rushed forward and surrounded the four high-ranking officials. They greeted each other and complained about their troubles. It was a very lively scene. Fan Xian couldn't resist smiling. Looking at the angry Xiong Bailing of the Lingnan Xiong family, he comforted him and then teased, "There are still 11 lots, what are you all in such a rush for?"
The representatives of the various families cried out bitterly in their hearts. Of the remaining 11 lots, the Ming family was determined to win eight of the bundled lots. How could they have any food for themselves?
Fan Xian sighed again and said, "There are too few lots. There will always be people who won't get their turn. This is the rule of the court. I can't do anything about it."
Hearing these words, everyone immediately thought of Fan Xian's initial suggestion. Hearing him mention the word "rule," their eyes involuntarily lit up. Xiong Bailing suddenly chuckled and said in a low voice, "This rule … isn't it set by people?"
These merchants had not fought for any benefits today, so they couldn't help but feel a certain thirst for tomorrow's lots.
Ming Qingda, who had been watching coldly from outside the crowd, furrowed his brows. He knew the imperial envoy was secretly urging the merchants to fight for shares with the Ming family. He laughed coldly in his heart, but on the surface, he smiled faintly and glanced at Eunuch Huang without anyone noticing.
Eunuch Huang understood and smiled slightly as he interrupted, "Everyone, I also think the same."
Everyone couldn't help but feel happy. They thought that even the representative of the Palace had agreed to the suggestion of dividing the lots. It looked like this matter would succeed. Unexpectedly, Eunuch Huang then sighed and said, "Unfortunately, the rules of the court are here. No one dares to move on their own … this matter can only wait until I return to the capital and go to the empress dowager and the Emperor to argue for everyone. I dare say that next year will certainly be better than this year."
Everyone paused. Their faces were very awkward, but in their hearts, they were cursing this eunuch for only saying pretty words.
During this time, Fan Xian was talking to everyone, but in reality, his attention was on the Ming family. He found that the old Ming master's state of mind was still clear despite the sudden change. His emotions did not seem to have been affected at all. His judgment of matters was still fast and accurate. He couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Since he wanted to force the Ming family to lose their heads, it looked like he would have to add more bargaining chips.
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All of the work of sealing the treasury had finally ended, and the defenses had been set up. The main doors of the palace treasury courtyard were slowly pulled open for the second time that day. The fresh air from the street poured into the courtyard and lifted everyone's spirits. They decided to go back at night to discuss things and come back tomorrow to fight for the lots. It had already come to this. Who cared if it was the Ming family or the Fan family, they had to steal some business to do.
At this time, the large merchants had already heard from Fan Xian's few words the intentions of a certain faction in the court. They wanted to target the Ming family. There were benefits to lure them and power to guide them. The merchants began to drool over the Ming family that they had not dared to directly clash with. The leaders of the large families, led by the Lingnan Xiong family and the Quanzhou Sun family, met each other's eyes and smiled strangely. Amidst their laughter, they decided to eat together at Jiangnan Restaurant that night.
Everyone was secretly discussing how to steal the Ming family's lot. Of course, they were paying attention to the movements of the old Ming master. They found that the old Ming master was talking to the imperial envoy. One old and one young, the two of them had smiles on their faces and were incomparably intimate. Officials and merchants were actually both extremely hypocritical professions. Naturally, they would do this kind of superficial work, so no one was surprised.
Just as they were about to leave, they saw the imperial envoy gently wave his hand and call over Xia Qifei and his group, who had remained in the shadows.
The merchants all stopped their steps and looked curiously at the scene in front of them.
Fan Xian's expression was calm as he gazed at Xia Qifei with a faint smile. His two hands were in front of his body and made a gesture that only the two of them understood. His mouth said, "Sir Xia, today you are in the limelight."
Xia Qifei smiled and raised his hands in a greeting in all directions. "It is all thanks to everyone's modesty."
No matter how much the merchants hated him, they knew that he was, after all, a figure in the underworld. It was best not to offend him face to face. Furthermore, they could clearly see that this person was imperial envoy Fan Xian's trusted aide. Thus, they kept their faces and replied with a few words, saying that Sir Xia had not made a name for himself for 10 years and had shocked the world with a single brilliant feat.
Ming Qingda narrowed his eyes and looked at the enemy who had suddenly appeared in front of him. He suddenly opened his mouth and asked, "Master Xia, why are you suddenly interested in doing business?"
The scene became silent.
Xia Qifei lowered his head and only slowly raised it a moment later. Looking at the master of this generation of the Ming family, he said with a not-quite-there smile, "Although I have been on the jianghu for a long time, my family has been in business for generations. When it comes to my generation, no matter how bad it is, I have to carry on my father's dying wish."
"Oh?" The corners of Ming Qingda's eyes furrowed even more. He tiredly asked, "So, Master Xia is also a family of merchants. I didn't know you were a merchant from all over the world. Perhaps I once had a friendship with your father."
All the merchants looked at this scene with curiosity. Hearing this conversation, they were also very curious about what Xia Qifei's family originally did.
Xia Qifei gazed calmly at Ming Qingda's face that often appeared in his nightmares. An unknown emotion welled up in his heart. A moment later, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. He quietly said, "Of course, there is friendship. My father is your father. Does Master Ming not know him?"
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The people present did not quite understand these words. Xiong Bailing began to unconsciously dig at his ears. Ming Qingda was slightly startled. He looked at Xia Qifei in front of him and did not speak.
Although Xia Qifei didn't know why the imperial envoy wanted him to reveal his identity ahead of time, standing once again in front of the Ming family had been his strongest wish these years. Today, his dream had come true. It made his emotions surge with emotion.
However, he still maintained his calm on the surface. It was just that his right hand, hanging by his side and hidden in his sleeve, was trembling slightly. He gazed at Ming Qingda and said in a light but faint voice,
"Big brother, we haven't seen each other for a dozen years. Do you not recognize Xiao Qi?"
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Xia Qifei was the Seventh young master of the Ming family. He was the rumored Seventh young master who should have inherited the Ming family business but had mysteriously disappeared in the end.
All the merchants present looked at Xia Qifei in disbelief. It was as if they were looking at a fierce ghost crawling out of hell, a monster that should not exist in this world. How was this possible? Although no one dared to discuss it, everyone could guess that it was the old matriarch of the Ming family and the old Ming master in front of them who had killed the Seventh young master. How could he still be alive and become the leader of the Jiangnan water bandits?
Ming Qingda gazed in a daze at Xia Qifei in front of him. He stared at that face for an indeterminable amount of time. Suddenly, his body began to tremble. He finally saw a trace of a familiar shadow on this face. It was that young and inexperienced little brother from back then, that thin body that had been viciously beaten by him with a whip, and that face filled with hatred and the joy of revenge!
"Father!"
At this moment, Ming Lanshi's heart was also filled with incomparable shock and fear. He looked like an idiot at Xia Qifei, the legendary uncle. He found that his father's body was already swaying and quickly went to support him.
In Ming Lanshi's view, this palace treasury courtyard was like a haunted house. He could not stay for long. Supporting his father, who seemed to have aged a great deal in an instant, he led the members of the clan out of the palace treasury courtyard.
The merchants present were still staring at Xia Qifei with faces full of shock and quietly discussing something.
When the Ming family walked to the front door, unexpectedly, the master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda, abruptly shook off his son's support and forced himself to stand straight, turning around.
The master of the Ming family's face was slightly pale, but he used his powerful self-control to recover his temporary calm. He gazed at Xia Qifei in the courtyard and calmly said, "Master Xia must be joking. My poor Seventh brother unfortunately died of illness a dozen years ago. Please do not say such a joke to provoke my heart."
The merchants were silent. They knew it was fortunate that the old master of the Ming family had stopped and turned around to say these words. Otherwise, if, in their shock, they had revealed an opening and allowed this news to spread without anyone from the Ming family to refute it, the situation would become even more difficult to control.
Fan Xian tilted his head slightly and looked at the old and tired master of the Ming family on the stone steps. He sighed in his heart and said, "What a pity, I admire you."
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened afterwards, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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