Free Web NovelChapter 108: Chapter 108
Chapter 108
By now, it was clear how crucial it was for the Young General to quickly return to the Liu family. Had he delayed, the situation might have worsened even further, right?
Liu Sun, his beloved, was struggling, yet the Young General, her de facto husband, sat calmly currying favor with the two princes. His love seemed laughable.
This made Yueqian wonder if the novel exaggerated things.
It claimed that he loved Liu Sun deeply, rushing back from defeating bandits to take her as his wife. But in the current situation, she couldn’t see any sign of urgency in his return to the capital. Moreover, after the incident with Liu Sun, he didn’t provide any other information or reveal that the situation was caused by the bandits’ poison and that Liu Sun, the heroine, had saved his life.
The rumors now only said that Liu Sun seduced him, causing him to lose control and spend a special night with her. Some even speculated that Liu Sun’s journey to this distant city was not to set up a soup kitchen but because she knew the Young General would be there, so she came ahead to seduce him.
Perhaps it was because she had lost friends powerful enough to help her, leaving no one to clear up the rumors. The young misses were facing difficult situations themselves, as they were under suspicion. Moving or acting on anything was extremely challenging for them.
To put it bluntly, they were struggling to survive themselves, so how could they have the time to help anyone else?
"Elder Ning, it is a great honor that you have come to admire the Guanyin jade with us. The auction is about to begin; please have a seat and rest for a moment," Wu Yuandong gestured. His demeanor expressed an extreme respect. Even Luan Taichun stood up and extended his hand. This was indeed a gesture of significant respect for this elderly woman.
“Mmm, I heard this jade is exceptionally exquisite, so I wanted to see it with my own eyes,” the elderly woman spoke in a hoarse voice, her tongue twisting as she spoke, making her words slow, fitting for someone of her age.
Wu Yuandong, having heard this many times, couldn’t help but admire Yueqian’s skill in voice using. No one would guess that the way she twisted her tongue made her sound so much like an old person. Yueqian, of course, had learned this technique from watching various movies.
“Yes, this Wu Yuandong guarantees that we will not disappoint Elder Ning, who has accepted our invitation.” With these words had been said, and a proud demeanor regarding the treasured item had been displayed, the young man ended the conversation by moving a chair for her to sit down. So, his mischievous younger sister wouldn’t get so tired.
Yueqian gave them a grateful look and didn’t forget to try and bow to the princes. However, due to her frail body, she could only manage a slight nod, which was enough to greatly please the two princes.
All the princes knew that it was crucial to curry favor with Elder Ning because their father always admired her. Moreover, her works were well-recognized, even in other kingdoms. Whenever another kingdom received a piece of Elder Ning’s work as a tribute, they were pleased.
Originally, when presenting tributes to the Hu Kingdom, the emperor had intended to include one of Elder Ning’s works. However, none were available ever since. Now, the kingdom only had one remaining piece, which had been buried with the late Yan Guifei. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
This situation caused the emperor great anxiety for a long period of time. He had tried to contact the Art Institute to purchase Elder Ning’s works, but their responses were always unsatisfactory. Yet, there was nothing he could do since the Art Institute claimed they couldn’t do anything either.
Fortunately, a valuable and worthy piece had emerged just in time. The jade carving of Guanyin was highly praised by the Art Institute’s people, making the emperor determined to acquire it.
Of course, as the Emperor, the ruler of this kingdom, with many people eager to please him, he did not need to travel to a distant place to personally bid for the item. Simply by expressing his desire for it, the princes and numerous nobles who wished to curry favor with him would do everything in their power to bring the item to him.
This thought of his was indeed correct. Judging by the presence of many nobles, including representatives of the princes and the princes themselves, their purpose was to win the auction and present the carved jade Guanyin to the Emperor.
Back to the present situation, the Art Institute staff did not waste time with unnecessary words. With Yueqian, disguised as Elder Ning, having arrived, it considered the beginning of the auction.
“Greetings to all esteemed guests. It’s time to begin. Our Art Institute was fortunate to come across this priceless jade, crafted by a highly skilled artisan from a later generation. A poor family with a few people, having to find money to buy food in order to survive the previous crisis of harsh winter. Thus, they sold the heirloom from the first generation of the family. Had it remained kept, we would never have known that such a skilled artisan existed in our kingdom.”
“This antique piece was undoubtedly created by a legendary craftsman. The smooth carving, the seamless unity of the jade without any joints, suggests that the original jade piece must have been over one cubit. Otherwise, it could not have resulted in such an artwork. Furthermore, the details carved into the jade make the great Guanyin seem almost lifelike.”
“We believe that such a valuable item is calling for a suitable owner!”
“Therefore, our Art Institute will not waste your time any further. Please admire this work, seemingly crafted by the heavens,” the master of ceremonies announced with grandiosity, revealing the significant piece that had deeply impressed even Elder Luan and Wu Yuandong upon first sight, making them consider purchasing it for the Art Institute themselves.
If Yueqian hadn’t intercepted it beforehand, they surely wouldn’t have revealed this precious item to others. Fortunately, Yueqian had already given them a carved jade Buddha, otherwise, how could this valuable item worth of treasure be up for sale?
Before them now was the item they had come all this way for. A beautiful young woman held the precious item in her hands, but it was covered with a clean white cloth, so no one had yet seen what was inside. However, just the opening had everyone excited.
“Reveal it. What is this precious item? We want to admire it now!” A middle-aged man couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to rush forward and uncover it himself, were it not for the many high-ranking individuals present.
“Indeed, what’s the starting bid? I want to begin the auction already.” When there was a person speaking, the other followed.
The excitement for the auction grew more intense, but the Art Institute staff, familiar with such situations, remained calm.
“Please, everyone, stay calm. The Art Institute has no intention of making you wait unnecessarily. However, with such a valuable item, we must exercise great caution. Now..., we would like to invite Elder Ning to unveil the item and conduct an inspection on stage. Everyone will hear her evaluation together,” the master of ceremonies turned to Yueqian as agreed.
The elderly woman, who had just sat down, slowly lifted her little body. Her favorite cane still functioned well. Beside her was the beautiful woman who had been holding the precious item earlier, assisted her.
Seeing this, no one dared to make any more impatient noises. Everyone knew how important this elderly woman was, and her evaluation was equally crucial. It would undoubtedly increase the item’s value even further.
The esteemed elder slowly reached out her small, wrinkled, and trembling hand and gradually uncovered the cloth. Inside was a glass case with a golden frame, intricately carved. Just this sight alone left the audience in awe, knowing immediately that the item inside would be exquisite and magnificent.
And it truly was.
Inside the clear glass case was a gracefully carved jade statue of Guanyin. One of her hands was raised as if blessing the faithful. The clothing was carved so life-like, appearing as if it were flowing in the wind, delicate and beautiful.
"This Guanyin in the Blessing Pose is flawless. The jade is a clear, vibrant green, and it seems to radiate a sacred energy. The carving is exceptionally exquisite and meticulous. It’s safe to say that the artist was a great master sculptor. The only pity is that the previous owner didn’t recognize its value. You can see the black stains on the glass frame. If it were cleaned better, it would look flawless and be even more valuable."
The elderly woman said, emphasizing the artistic piece. In reality, how could something just purchased from a department store have black stains unless they intentionally made to look like an antique sold by a poor villager?
Yueqian examined the statue for a moment longer before looking around with a serious expression.
"This old woman doesn’t have much money, so I can’t compete. However, if I were to appraise its value, the starting price should be at least 500,000 gold taels." Once Yueqian finished her words, there was an immediate buzz among the crowd.
When the starting price of 500,000 gold taels was announced, many competitors were immediately eliminated. Nobles who wished to bid on this valuable item either for their own collection or to curry favor had to give up. 500,000 coins were a significant amount, and they could only cooperate with others.
Even the princes, despite their wealth, found 500,000 gold taels to be a hefty sum. Therefore, they needed to combine their funds, along with the nobles who wanted to curry favor, to participate in this auction.
This made it easier to divide into distinct factions for this bidding war!
"As Elder Ning has said, the Art Institute will honor her by setting the starting bid at 500,000 gold taels. The auction begins now!"
"501,000 gold taels!"
"I bid 505,000 gold taels."“The Third Prince bid 510,000 gold taels. I wish to present this gift to my father. Therefore, I ask everyone to show some respect." The Third Prince was the first to stand up. He knew that saying this wouldn’t easily make others back down, but by stepping forward like this, he hoped to convey his intentions clearly to everyone.
