Chapter 180

Ye Xiaotian was indifferent to the situation below the stage. He stood firmly on the stage and waited for the noise and mocking laughter to die down before he said in a clear voice, "Everyone, there will definitely be some unexpected guests at today's charity auction. It's just that … guests are naturally busy, so they will be a little late …"

When Li Xuancheng heard this, a look of suspicion appeared on his face. He muttered to himself, "Look at how confident he is. What the hell is he up to?"

At this moment, Ye Xiaotian suddenly pointed below the stage and said with a smile, "Look, there's already a guest here."

Xu Qiyun and the others looked towards the door. Zhang Hongyi and the others were also energized and immediately stood up.

At the entrance of the restaurant, two men in robes snuck in sneakily. One of them was holding a fan, covering everything below his nose. The other was wearing a small hat made of melon skin. He kept his head down, as if he was looking for ants on the ground.

After entering the hall, this person covered his face with his sleeves and quietly raised his head. The two of them looked at each other and were immediately stunned. Although only the upper half of their faces were revealed, they were very familiar with each other. They worked in the same office every day, so how could they not recognize each other?

"Landlord Qian?"

"Minister Of Yan?"

Don't misunderstand. This official was not a member of a wealthy family, and this doctor was not a doctor who was listed for consultation. This official was the Minister Counsellor of the Ministry of Justice, Qian Shun, and this doctor was the Minister Yan Qi.

Landlord Qian said, "Shh …"

Minister Of Yan also said, "Shh …"

Landlord Qian said awkwardly, "Keep a low profile, keep a low profile!"

Minister Of Yan said, "Yes, yes."

The two of them turned to look at the hall and were both shocked. It turned out that everyone in the hall was looking at them. Even the people in the private rooms on the second and third floors were looking at them. The two of them quickly lowered their heads and found a place to sit down dejectedly.

Rui Qinxing looked from afar and said doubtfully, "That fat old man looks a little familiar. Why can't I remember?"

At this time, a few more people entered the hall. Qian Yuanwai and Yan Liangzhong were also quietly looking around. They did not recognize most of the people sitting around them. After a while, Qian Yuanwai suddenly let out a soft "ah" and said, "That person, I know that person. He seems to be the housekeeper of Imperial Palace Temple's Lord Fang. What is he doing here? Could it be that he also wants to participate in the auction?

Minister Of Yan secretly glanced and said in surprise, "No way. Even if the Imperial Tutor Temple is overflowing with oil, it is not for a housekeeper of the Imperial tutor. How much savings can he have, he …"

At this point, Physician Yan suddenly understood something, and a vexed expression appeared on his face. At this time, Landlord Qian also understood. He glanced at Minister Of Yan, lowered his head bitterly, and scolded himself, "I am so stupid. Why do I have to come in person? Can't I just send a housekeeper or a relative to do it for me? Fortunately, there is Minister Of Yan to accompany me … "

On the stage, Ye Xiaotian had already put the red embroidered ball aside. Seeing many people coming in one after another like yellow croakers, they found their seats and sat down. He didn't wait for all the seats to be filled and said, "Everyone, I won't say anything unnecessary. The victims who are short of food and clothing are looking forward to the kind-hearted people to save them. Time is running out. The things we're auctioning today aren't expensive, but they're also expensive. To say that it wasn't expensive was because it wasn't worth much. To say that it was expensive was because the person who donated it had given a piece of his heart! The things we auction today are donated by kind-hearted people. In a moment, there may be people who like the same thing. In that case, the highest bidder will get it. The rules are that simple. Alright, the bazaar officially begins now! "

Mao Wenzhi walked up the stage with an old belt in his hands. Guan Xiaokun burst out laughing, but Li Xuancheng was no longer waving his fan leisurely. His brows were furrowed into a huge knot, and he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Ye Xiaotian took the belt and held it up with both hands. He showed it to the audience and said loudly, "Everyone, do you know who this belt belongs to? This is a belt donated by the Right Assistant Minister Meng of the Ministry of Personnel. It is a belt that Lord Meng has personally used! "

Ye Xiaotian said, "Assistant Minister Meng wore this belt when he participated in the imperial examination and passed the exam."

Mao Wenzhi said loudly, "That's right!"

Ye Xiaotian said, "When Assistant Minister Meng was the Supervising Imperial Censor in Shandong, he wore this belt when he traveled incognito. He overthrew the local traitors and became famous."

Mao Wenzhi said, "That's right!"

Ye Xiaotian said, "Assistant Minister Meng wore this belt and was promoted step by step until he became the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Mao Wenzhi said, "That's right!"

"That can't be right …"

Zhan Ning 'er frowned slightly and whispered to Xia Yingying, "When wearing an official's robe, there should be a belt that goes with it."

Xia Yingying rested her chin on her hands and watched Ye Xiaotian's bazaar with great interest. She felt that when her Langjun raised his arm and raised his eyebrows, it was indescribably beautiful. When she heard Zhan Ning 'er say this, she said disapprovingly, "Hey! Who cares? It's business, so of course we have to advertise it! "

Zhan Ning 'er was speechless.

Below the stage, Ye Xiaotian recounted the countless achievements that this belt had made when it accompanied Assistant Minister Meng on his travels, as well as his promotion step by step. Finally, he said, "Assistant Minister Meng will be transferred to the capital soon. He will be working at the Ministry of Personnel in the capital. Suddenly hearing about the flood of Lake Tai, he is worried about the local people. However, Lord Meng was uncorrupted and had no extra wealth. That was why he reluctantly parted with his treasures and donated this belt that had accompanied him for his entire life. I hope that all kind-hearted people will enthusiastically bid for it. What you are buying is not just a belt. Heaven and Earth have a spirit. Your righteous deeds and good deeds will be rewarded generously by the heavens! The starting price is one hundred taels of silver! "

Landlord Qian coughed and used his fan to cover his face. He said loudly, "One hundred and ten taels."

Minister Of Yan who was beside him immediately said, "One hundred and twenty taels!"

Landlord Qian secretly glanced at Minister Of Yan and said, "One hundred and thirty taels!"

Minister Of Yan whispered, "Landlord Qian, Assistant Minister Meng has helped me a lot. If no one shows interest in his belt at the auction, it will not look good for Assistant Minister Meng. If I pretend not to know about this, it will not be good for me to speak in front of Assistant Minister Meng. Please be magnanimous and let me have it."

Landlord Qian said, "Minister Of Yan, let's not beat around the bush in front of an honest person. Thinking back to the time when we both entered the Ministry of Justice together, we were both in charge. Now, your position is higher than mine. In terms of seniority, I should have been promoted a long time ago. Unfortunately, there have been no vacancies at the top. Now that Assistant Minister Meng is going to the capital, I want to move around. This matter concerns my future. What do you think … "

Minister Of Yan: "One hundred and forty taels!"

Landlord Qian snorted coldly and said, "One hundred and fifty taels!"

Someone at the side shouted, "Two hundred taels!"

This time, Landlord Qian and Minister Of Yan were speechless. Of course, they could afford two hundred taels. It was just that other people sent their housekeepers or relatives to come in disguise, so they could bid as much as they wanted. The two of them came here rashly. If the price was too high, it would not be appropriate.

In the end, the belt was sold for three hundred and forty taels. The person who bought the belt was someone that Landlord Qian and Minister Of Yan did not know. It must be a relative or a housekeeper of some official.

To be honest, if one wanted to find an official position, three to four hundred taels was definitely not enough. However, this was a good start. Otherwise, even if you had money, you might not be able to get close to them. There were many people who wanted to give money to them, and they might not accept your share.

Now, it was not the case. After the flood in Lake Tai, Zhang Hongyi and the others went around to collect donations. These officials casually gave them some junk and sent them away. It was not a big deal. Who would have thought that Zhang Hongyi and the others would "make use of the waste" and hold a charity sale?

If these junk couldn't be sold, the reputation of these officials who donated the goods would inevitably be damaged. They would be accused of being rich and heartless, which would not look good on their faces. However, if someone really bought it at a high price, it would be different. For the officials who donated the goods, they would be clean and honest. When the goods were sold, the people would benefit from it, and they would also remember their good deeds.

Of course, there would always be people who sourly said that people buying junk at a high price was a disguised bribe, or that they were trying to curry favor with the higher-ups. However, in the name of disaster relief, who dared to say such things in public? That would be "being condemned by the public and courting death". At most, they would just silently criticize them, but it didn't matter.

And these high-ranking officials who donated the goods couldn't not care about this charity sale that was related to their reputation. In the end, whether anyone bought the goods they donated and how much they spent. In this way, it would be much easier to get in touch with these high-ranking officials.

Ye Xiaotian took out a seriously worn inkstone and said in a clear voice, "This inkstone is used by Mr. Sun Yifei, the head of the Chongzheng Academy and the inspector of Nanjing."

Ye Xiaotian did not make any more introductions. This sentence was enough. The officials all had sons. If they wanted their sons to have a good future, the best way, or even the only way, was to take the imperial examination. If they wanted to take the imperial examination, they could not get around the Minister of Education. Presumably, there would be many officials who would be willing to spend a sum of money to make an emotional investment for their sons.

"Three hundred taels!"

Ye Xiaotian did not even mention the base price, and someone directly quoted a price of three hundred taels. It was really a pity for the parents in the world.

"Three hundred and fifty taels!"

"Four hundred taels!"

When the price reached five hundred taels, there were only two competitors left. The two people stared at each other with a strong desire to fight.

One of them said, "This dear friend, Mr. Sun is my family's … is my son's teacher. As a disciple, if I don't even give face to the teacher, then I will be criticized by others. For my son, this painting, I am determined to get it!"

The other person said, "I am sorry, my younger brother is going to study under Mr. Sun. Is there a better greeting gift than buying Mr. Sun's elegant painting with a large sum of money? Please, my dear friend, be magnanimous. "

"I am not raising it! Five hundred and fifty taels! "

"Even if you don't want to raise it, you have to raise it! Six hundred taels! "

…

Zhang Hongyi sat on the side and was tongue-tied for a long time. He suddenly slapped his thigh and laughed, "This is also possible? Haha, this kid Ye Xiaotian, has a way! "

Hua Yunfei had been quietly standing on the side. When he heard Zhang Hongyi's words, he could not help but smile and thought, "A way? My big brother has a second way! "