"Pfft …"
Before the woman could open her mouth, the other women beside her laughed.
"Have we met somewhere before …" This sentence was not unfamiliar to them. Usually, those men who boasted of themselves as talented had already used this kind of trick.
"Su Su, this young master is asking you a question." A woman pulled the woman's sleeve and teasingly asked.
The woman called 'Su Su' clenched her teeth and said: "I have never seen him before. Let's go."
Li Xuan's face revealed a puzzled expression. This woman looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and he suddenly said: "Do you have a brother called Shen Shu?"
A woman next to her asked: "Su Su, do you have a brother called Shen Shu in your family?"
"No, this person might be sick. Let's go." The woman called 'Su Su' glared at Li Xuan and strode away.
"That's the Crown Prince we are talking about. Among the younger generation in the capital, only County Uncle Li is more outstanding than him. Su Su, you have to be careful with your words. It won't be good if someone hears you." A woman behind her looked back and reminded her.
"What three heroes of the capital? It's just a … a shameless pervert …" Su Su's face revealed an embarrassed and angry expression. She lowered her voice and said in a low voice. But the second half of the sentence was very low. No one could hear it except for her.
Outside the hall, Li Xuan shook his head. He saw that the Chong Yuan Hall had opened and the crowd began to pour in. He doubtfully said: "Is he really not coming today?"
The Chong Yuan Hall was a place where large-scale celebrations were held. The space inside the hall was extremely spacious. The crowd walked in from the outside and saw that the hall was brightly lit. There were tables that extended from the entrance to the innermost part of the hall. There were several palace guards guarding around each table.
"Ah, there's another glazed statue of Goddess of Mercy here. It's even bigger than the one in the Cold Mountain Temple!" An official couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he saw the glazed statue of Goddess of Mercy as soon as he entered the hall.
Behind him, a few famous monks in the capital revealed a strange look in their eyes.
"Look at this Ruyi Bing. Oh my god, it's crystal clear and doesn't contain any impurities …"
"Glass bowls, glass cups, glass chopsticks, all of them are made of glass. Only the royal family has this kind of heritage."
"There's more ahead, there's more ahead. I see another Buddha statue …"
…
…
Originally, the crowd did not have much expectations for today's Glaze Appraisal Convention. Who would have thought that the Imperial Palace would have so many Glaze wares!
Colored glaze was an auspicious sign, a treasure. Who didn't want to have a few pieces in their home? It would bring some luck to the family, bring more good fortune, and allow the entire family to continue on for a longer time. Although they didn't know if it was accurate, it was better to believe it than not. What if it came true?
Moreover, this was a colored glaze from the royal family's collection. They might even be able to get a share of the royal family's luck. No matter what, they had to buy one today.
At a glance, there were only a few dozen pieces of colored glaze. It was far from enough for so many people to share. Moreover, there were so many monks competing with them. It would not be easy to get one piece.
Looking at the monks looking at the Glaze Buddha statue, their eyes were shining brighter than their bald heads. They knew that there would be a tough battle today.
"Master, you must get this Glaze Hairpin later!" A middle-aged woman turned to look at the man beside her and said.
The man frowned and said, "Nonsense. This hairpin probably costs nearly a thousand taels of silver. Where would we have the money for you to squander?"
The woman's expression was gloomy. She sighed and said, "I've been married to the Ma family for so many years. Have I ever asked for anything from you?"
"This …" The man's face showed that he was in a difficult position.
On the other side, a young woman said in a sad voice, "Husband, this Glaze Bracelet reminds me of my deceased mother. Husband, can you help me buy it?"
Somewhere, a woman held the arm of the person beside her and pointed to an item in a brocade box on the table. She murmured, "Husband, this is the bracelet that often appears in my dreams …"
Glaze wooden fish, glaze Buddhist beads, glaze Buddha statue, glaze incense burner …
Even though many of the monks present were highly praised by the people, when faced with these things, they could not help but show expressions of absent-mindedness or shock.
They even had an illusion that this Glaze Appreciation Conference was prepared for them …
…
"Your Majesty, since when did the palace have so many glaze?" Imperial Concubine Cui asked Emperor Jing in confusion. There was an area at the front that was separated by a curtain.
"I discovered it a few days ago when I was investigating the secret treasures of the royal family. They should be treasures that were offered by the people over the past few decades. These things are useless. Since I took them from the people, I will use them for the people …"
"Your Majesty is benevolent …" Imperial Concubine Cui's voice paused for a moment before she continued, "Can I take the smaller Buddha statue with me? Colored glaze is a Buddhist treasure. I will pray for Your Majesty sooner or later. Perhaps it will be more efficacious."
Emperor Jing nodded and said, "Permission granted."
A eunuch stood at the front and said, "Everyone, His Majesty has decreed that these glaze wares are allowed to be sold today. You can bid at will. The highest bidder wins. The silver earned from the sale will all go to the national treasury. The base price of each item is written on the box. Everyone can start bidding now …"
Many people in the hall were waiting for this moment. Some of them could not wait to look at it.
"Three thousand taels. This glaze Ruyi actually costs three thousand taels …"
"A glaze hairpin worth one thousand taels. That's ten times more than the Golden Jade Pavilion!"
"Three thousand taels of glaze Buddhist beads, two thousand taels of wooden fish, two thousand taels of incense burner, and ten thousand taels of Buddha statue!"
…
…
Even though they knew that glaze was rare and the price should not be cheap, after confirming it, some people still gasped.
Some of the officials present had just lost a lot of money a few days ago. How could they afford to buy these things?
Even if they could afford it, would they dare to buy it?
Wasn't it obvious to His Majesty that they had been greedy before?
As for the officials who did not lose money a few days ago, they did not dare to act rashly.
How much salary did the two Prime Ministers have in a year? They were only fifth and fourth rank officials. What was the difference between taking out a few thousand taels to buy glaze and directly telling His Majesty that they had been corrupted and bribed?
Of course, the courtiers did not have money or courage, but it did not mean that the nobles did not.
Their foundation was much deeper than that of the officials.
Someone walked to a table and said, "Three thousand taels. If no one bids, I will buy this Bingyu Ruyi."
"What a joke. You want to buy it with only three thousand taels? I will pay three thousand and fifty taels." Another person came out and said with a sneer.
"Four thousand taels."
"Four thousand and fifty taels." The man said with a smile, "Fifty taels is not enough to go to Drunken Moon Restaurant for a meal. No matter how much you pay, I will pay fifty taels more than you."
"…" The man who first spoke paused for a moment, "Four thousand and fifty one taels."
…
"Our Fahua Temple must get this Buddha statue. Even if it costs twenty thousand taels, we must get it!"
"There are only a dozen Buddha statues. We must get at least one. We cannot lose to them!"
"The number of Buddha statues is limited. I am afraid we cannot compete with them. We must get this string of prayer beads!"
…
…
"I bid four thousand and three hundred taels!"
"Four thousand and one!"
"Four thousand and two!"
When Li Yi walked out of the hall, he saw a few imperial guards dragging two people out. He glanced at them and turned to MIngzhu and said, "Look at you. You insisted on eating some Egg Fried Rice. Aren't you late?"
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