Chapter 355: The Duke of Qin is the worst (1) (2/2)

Meanwhile, Han Yunxi finally understood the rationale behind General Baili’s actions. She was certain that he wasn’t there to bid for real, but to push the price higher and force Long Tianmo to pay more money! She smiled slyly and said, “Zhao mama, why are you just spacing out? Hit the hammer!”

Zhao mama’s mind had turned completely blank. She sheepishly smacked the auction hammer until a clang rang out in the room. “1,000,000 taels going once! Any other takers!”

The entire room…was silent!

“1,000,000 taels going twice! Anyone else?” Zhao mama shouted again.

Silence still reigned on in the room. The only sound left was that of people breathing. Long Tianmo stood in place as he held his breath. He was this close from impulsively raising his hand to shout out a price, but he held himself back.

“1,000,000 taels going thrice! Is there any other bidder?” Zhao mama yelled as she raised the auction hammer up high. In that second, everyone nervously focused their sights on her hammer, including Han Yunxi and General Baili. Had their constant bidding come back to smash their own toes? Instead of failing to lure the crown prince, they’d even lost the 150,000 taels he last bid on the item?

Slowly, the hammer lowered towards the table.

Amongst the crowd, it was only Long Feiye who remained elegant as ever as he raised his cup to taste the tea inside. Self-satisfied and pleased, he appeared to be in a world of his own, removed from the anxious party. In the silence, one person suddenly stood up. He was none other than the sole son of the imperial uncle’s estate and the empress dowager’s most favored grandson. He was also the crown prince’s younger cousin and the capital city’s wealthiest young master, who had come to the auction on behalf of the imperial uncle’s estate.

This was Third Young Master Li Leyuan.1

He was a very skinny man, but still wore loose fitting brocade robes and a long necklace of jade beads. One of his shoulders was lower than the other, and his entire stance looked frivolous and flighty, nothing like a proper posture at all. Han Yunxi recognized him on sight as the boy she’d saved when plague had invaded Tianning’s capital city. The situation had been tense back then, because he would have lost his life if she hadn’t come in time.

As soon as he stood up, she released a breath of relief. She knew that General Baili’s prodding had succeeded. Li Leyuan stood up long enough to draw all eyes his way before smiling in cold satisfaction. Then he slowly strode forward. The current imperial uncle was a cunning and crafty old fox. He was extremely low-key with his behaviors, but his son was something else! One could only say that he’d been spoiled rotten!

Zhao mama stopped moving at the sight, her hammer only a few inches from the surface of the table. Everyone watched Li Leyuan as he strode to the auction stand. Suddenly, he seized the hammer for himself and turned to sweep his eyes across the crowd.

“2,000,000 taels, any takers?” he asked.

The room was silent to begin with, but grew even more silent at his words. Even the sound of breathing had disappeared with all the people holding their breaths! Long Tianmo and Qinwang Rong were both dumbfounded. So was Han Yunxi. She knew this fellow was planning to add to the price, but not that he’d add so much! Long Feiye’s lips curved up into a satisfied smile, while General Baili didn’t bid any higher.

“No one?” Li Leyuan knew the answer to his question, but struck once with the hammer anyways.

“General Baili, are you going to bid any more?” he provoked on purpose. “If not, I’m going to hammer the table again. Don’t regret it.” So speaking, he struck the table a second time.

He didn’t have the guts to provoke the Duke of Qin directly, but glanced at him before asking, “Is there anyone else here willing to add onto the price? Otherwise, this young master’s going to settle things with one more strike!”

Nobody did!

Even adding one more copper coin under the circumstances would mean the bidder needed to pay 2,000,000 additional taels. The room was still. Li Leyuan was quite smug. “Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive me. I’m taking this lot.” Then he hammered the final strike with a sound loud enough to reverberate through the courtyard.

When the imperial uncle’s estate received the invitation letter, neither his father nor grandfather were willing to give the Duke of Qin face. Mother was going to come, but then she fell sick, so he came in her place. Li Leyuan was well known for being someone who spent money like flowing water. Every single time, his father would scold him about it. This time, father had even urged him countless times not to compete against the crown prince at the auction. No matter what happened, he couldn’t steal the spotlight from Long Tianmo.

The crown prince had such a flourishing reputation that he did his best to sit still during the auction despite wanting to cause trouble. But when the tides changed, he could sit still no longer. Even if he couldn’t steal the crown prince’s thunder, he could at least steal General Baili’s spotlight, right? He didn’t care about the purpose of this auction at all. He only knew that he had to step in when the crown prince couldn’t stand up anymore. No matter what, the Duke of Qin’s estate couldn’t be allowed to run rampant!

2,000,000 taels would finish off everything! The auction had come to an end.

But had it really?

No, His Highness Duke of Qin had other things planned…

1. Li Leyuan (李乐远) – Li is a surname that means “plum,” Le is “joy, amusement, pleasure” Yuan is “distant.”