Chapter 431 (1/2)
Chapter 431: So What if You Have Money?
The royal buyer from the South Jin Kingdom on the west of the third floor did not mind offending the bigwigs of the Tang Empire and joined the bidding for the Chicken Soup Calligraphy . This must be the intention of the Crown Prince .
The future emperor of the South Jin Kingdom that had treated the Tang Empire with enmity did not mind spending a bomb on the Chicken Soup Calligraphy and raising the fame of Ning Que, a citizen of Tang . Ning Que could not explain this other than that the crown prince must be mad . His thoughts eventually went southwards .
Chu Youxian did not know about the oddities in Ning Que's questions . He answered, ”The Crown Prince of South Jin Kingdom is famous for being lecherous . He is not gay at all . But I have never heard that he liked calligraphy . ”
As the two were speaking, the bidding war for the Chicken Soup Calligraphy intensified . The bid was at 20,000 taels with both the steward of the Grand Secretary and the royal buyer from the South Jin Kingdom bidding . However, the two people bidding were enough to cause a fiery explosion in the hall .
Ning Que listened to the louder and louder voices and the increasing figures . He had long abandoned all conjectures about why the Crown Prince of South Jin Kingdom would want to buy his calligraphy . He was very satisfied .
Before long, the price of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy rose to 10,800 taels of silver .
There were three taps on the bamboo screen .Grand Secretary w.a.n.g's steward walked out with a grave expression . He stood by the railings and looked towards the west and smiled coldly . ”We Tangs have always subdued others with logic and virtue . This is Chang'an, and I will of course not bully those from the South Jin Kingdom . Let's talk with our gold . ”
The silk curtains in the west room were lifted . A pudgy middle-aged businessman with flushed cheeks emerged slowly . He wore cotton robes and had a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and looked extraordinary . He looked at the steward and said, ”I bear a huge responsibility and dare not give up easily . Please forgive me, Sir Steward . ”
The price had been called and they have seen each other and spoken . What followed, was naturally the resuming of the bidding process . Even though both parties did not increase the bid by too much, but as time pa.s.sed, the price of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy eventually rose to an astronomical price .
”30,100 taels . ”
”32,000 taels . ”
”33,000 taels . ”
The Grand Secretary's steward looked at the South Jin businessman darkly as he bid 33,000 taels of silver .
30,000 tales of silver was not a small amount to the Grand Secretary with his position as a senior statesman . No matter how strict the laws of the Tang Empire were, they could not stop him from hiding such wealth in his mansion, so this amount did not seem too extreme to the steward . However, everyone knew that the steward was
backed by Grand Secretary w.a.n.g . An official who spent tens of thousands to purchase a calligraphy section would cause tongues to wag, which was why he was eager to have the South Jin businessman back off .
However, who would have thought that the royal buyer did not hesitate to add another one thousand taels of silver . Judging by his calm expression, it seemed that he would not mind adding another 10,000 taels to the bid .
The Grand Secretary's steward glowered .
There were some foreign dignitaries and businessmen in the Stone House . Most of them were citizens of Tangs who were very rich .
They could not help but be annoyed when they saw how the royal buyer was behaving .
It wasn't that they did not have money . No matter how much they liked Sir Ning's calligraphy, they felt that the price right now was too ludicrous . The royal buyer from South Jin Kingdom did not seem like he was here to buy the calligraphy section, but he was here to deliberately fight the Tangs for the section or was even here to slap their faces .
Debates rang in the air as two royal buyers from the Southern City prepared to bid . The atmosphere in the room burned and tensed up .
The only person who could keep calm was the auctioneer Zhong Li . He had long known that the royal buyer from South Jin was in Chang'an . He had long antic.i.p.ated a scene like this . In fact, one could say that he was the one who caused this scene between the Tangs and the man from South Jin Kingdom .
Zhong Li was the son of a concubine in the Zhong family of Yang Guan . Yang Guan was the most prosperous city in the Southern frontiers of the Tang Empire . It was very close to the South Jin Kingdom . In fact, Yang Guan used to be the northern part of the South Jin Kingdom three centuries ago . Those who lived there were very familiar with the South Jin Kingdom . Even though he had been chased out of the Zhong family very early on, he still was very familiar with what happened in the South Jin Kingdom . He knew how sensitive they were to the Tangs and of the odd pride that they had .
And due to a certain incident, he was certain that the royal buyer from South Jin would not give up on the Chicken Soup Calligraphy . That was why he had dared to say that the Chicken Soup Calligraphy would sell for at least 30,000 taels .
The calligraphy had indeed surpa.s.sed this amount, and Zhong Li could not help being proud about it . As an auctioneer, his greatest pride was that the things he had sold would end up in history books .
As an auctioneer, Zhong Li could be calm, contented and proud of himself . However, the Big Owner of the Stone House realized that the atmosphere in the room was spiraling out of control and he could not bring himself to be happy . It would be great if he could earn more commission, but what would he do if he offended two bigwigs?
The boss stood behind a pillar on the first-floor corridor and looked at Zhong Li gravely, trying to signal to him with his eyes .
Zhong Li understood, and began to calm the room down . However, with the addition of another Tang royal buyer in the fray, his
his attempt to end the bidding went up in smokes .
Even Zhong Li, who had seen a more luxurious auction, grew anxious and frightened as he listened to the astronomical figures that continued to grow .
This bidding had turned into a battle between the Tang Empire and the South Jin Kingdom . Even though it had nothing to do with powerhouses, or cavalry, and had only everything to do with money, it was beyond his control .
Zhong Li lifted his sleeves and wiped his sweat . He discovered that he had underestimated the Chang'an-ites' desire to protect their pride . He had also underestimated the impact that the Crown Prince of South Jin Kingdom had on the royal buyer .
The royal buyer from South Jin bid another astronomical figure . Then, he looked at the Tang n.o.bles in the attic and smiled, ”The South Jin Kingdom is not as wealthy as the Tang Empire . I am just a little businessman who doesn't amount to much in your eyes . But the South Jin Kingdom is still a large kingdom and our country's vaults have plenty of gold . ”
There was a large commotion in the attic when he said that . Even though the Tangs present were all wealthy, but if the royal buyer from South Jin was using the country's vaults in this compet.i.tion, who could be his match? n.o.body could unless the emperor himself brought out the gold in their country's vaults and started bidding .
And just like what the businessman said . The South Jin Kingdom might not be as big as the Tang Empire, but there was plenty of gold in their country's vaults . How could a Grand Secretary or a royal buyer compete with him?