Chapter 603

The dish hadn't been served yet, but what came first was the final version of the auction catalog. Aside from Da Wang, everyone else was reading it with great interest, letting out repeated exclamations.

This auction at Futu Pavilion this session is essentially on par with the Phoenix Collection, almost entirely composed of the myriad broken treasures Da Wang has scavenged, but the people of Jin Dynasty haven't seen such things before—just looking at the names, you can't even imagine what they are.

Wei Ke and Xie Tu silently looked on, preparing to focus on the key points later for anything they didn't understand.

Wei Shen couldn't help but ask: "What is a Wind and Cloud Beast? And what is a mutated Qingtian Tree?"

Da Wang had already walked to the window to observe the lobby below, and upon hearing, replied absentmindedly: "Not important, all things you can't use." His elder brother was even more blunt: "Also things you can't afford."

Wei Shen flipped through the catalog, making a rustling sound: "Can't afford it—is that my fault? It's not like Wei Tai Ping's salary is high enough!"

Upon hearing this, Da Wang immediately retorted to defend himself: "People like us—how could we rely on salary to get by? Look at me—I took on debt to unify the world!" That brainwashing line was just something he blurted out.

Wei Shen: ……

Xie Tu nearly laughed out loud, and Wei Ke couldn't help but chuckle.

Da Wang isn't exactly a good person either—he's idle, so he started urging his cousin: "Look at me—I've been in the red since I was Prince You, all the way to now. Even after becoming emperor, what good did it do? I'm still here relying on auctioning off grain and grass to eat. Cousin, do you know how I fell to such a sorry state?"

Everyone turned to look, and Wei Shen followed up: "Why?"

"Because there's no place to mooch off anymore. Our family's old man died too early, and it'd be awkward to keep mooching off you repeatedly. Besides, the pressure from my maternal grandparents is too great. I've run out of places to mooch—now it's your turn~"

"So polite? You can mooch too~"

"No no no, I'll leave it for you to mooch—I'm just a grandson, and I don't even bear the Wei surname, sigh..." The two began humbly deferring to each other.

They went back and forth mooching, until Wei Ke couldn't take it anymore: "Does Grandfather know he's raised two giant moochers?"

The two moochers finally fell silent.

Wei Shen genuinely took a liking to one item: "This sword looks decent—Li Long Sword? The description is way too exaggerated. Supposedly it's the sword worn by human emperors, three chi three in length, material unknown—neither wood nor metal? Putting it here is just what Wei Tai Ping wouldn't look at. Boss, can I buy this to play with using my mooching funds?"

"Under one hundred taels is possible."

"Then it's over. Wei Tai Ping couldn't possibly have anything starting at three-digit figures here. Even the fish overflowing in his garden sell for three-digit sums."

Da Wang: ……

In the afternoon, Da Wang led a team to inspect the warehouse items once more. Wei Shen went solo, feeling the sword wasn't quite right to handle—better than what Da Wang had crafted for him. He took a liking to the sibling of Feng Yun Beast's Er Pang...

Half the afternoon passed quickly, and He Guang told Da Wang that most of the guests at the Honglu Pavilion had arrived—whether from vassal states or diplomatic envoys. The Xiongnu and Xianbei came together, and four or five envoys from the Western Regions also arrived together. Da Wang listened and chuckled: "It's not that I look down on them, but if even two fewer countries came, they couldn't scrape together the hundred-tael entry fee. Still, it's good they came—tonight, let them leave stark naked!"

Everyone: ……

As night fell, the Futu Pavilion at the end of Chang'an Street blazed with lights.

The pavilion stands three stories high, with glazed lanterns hanging between the flying eaves and bracket complexes, swaying gently in the night wind, casting the shadows of the two bronze zanxie before the vermilion lacquered gate to stretch and shrink. The three large characters 'Futu Lou' are carved with powerful, forceful strokes, as if chopped by axe and knife.

The top-tier nobility of Chang'an arrived late, one after another, and upon closer look, some were still hiding and disguising themselves—quite the opposite of cutting in line in broad daylight with Da Wang.

When the time came, a Han white jade display platform slowly rose in the center of the first-floor hall, designed so guests on all three floors could clearly see the auction items.

Zhu Ti stood on the platform, personally presiding over the auction, smiling as he began introducing the rules of the Futu Lou auction.

The head steward, as always, wore an elaborate, luxuriant green dress, her makeup exquisite and avant-garde. The proud, high-spirited noble young ladies of Chang'an standing beside her all ended up looking like maids in comparison. When the head steward, rated ten points in beauty, smiled, she stunned most of the people present— for a moment, the entire building filled with gasps.

Having said most of it, there are always exceptions—for example, the guest in Room Number One couldn't appreciate it at all.

Da Wang: "Another green nail polish—how terrifying! Like I've been poisoned~"

Wei Shen: "Wrong! Like a cabbage that's become a spirit."

Others: ……

Two blind men.

The opening appetizers were several fine pieces of Hetian jade jewelry and ornaments, mostly made from tribute ores Da Wang collected in the Western Regions, with a smaller portion from his Qingyu Commandery—though Qingyu Commandery hasn't unearthed any good material yet, so surface quality is just average.

For example, the same-style male jade hairpin as Da Wang's, or the thin jade slice in his hand ground into a folding fan. The fan's surface, made of jade bones, is still the work of the great talent Xie Da Cai Zi—no need to say, Da Wang got it for free by riding on his coattails.

The opening top-grade white jade seed material was held up for bidding at 660 taels, with its rope-woven style being unique to Wanxiang City—exquisitely elegant and beautiful.

The head steward personally slipped it onto her own jade-like fingers to display—her hands beautiful, the string beautiful. As soon as bidding opened, many competed, and the opening bid hammered down at over 1,100 taels, nearly doubling—giving a huge shock to the Western Regions diplomatic envoys who came up to the second floor to buy entry tickets with silver notes.

Those jades are actually worth that much?!

And Bai Li Jing still has a cartload of ore worth two sheep? Why not go rob it!

They're also foolish—knowing picking stones can replace sheep, yet still feeling they've gotten a huge bargain...

Da Wang, pleased with himself, still spoke stubbornly: "The reek of wine and meat from noble mansions, while frozen corpses lie on the road—ah~ These aristocratic sons spend a thousand taels on bracelets here, while starving refugees outside the city gates can't even afford porridge, scattering only a few grains a day~"

Wei Shen: "Corner of the mouth pressed down."

Da Wang covered his mouth with his hand, and below, the bidding for unique jewelry had already begun. The head steward personally vetted all top-grade materials—whatever she produced was worth collecting, and it sold decently.

As soon as Da Wang's same-style mutton-fat white jade hairpin came out, Zhao Sui nudged his Tang brother and said: "How does this look like... just now... that person's hairpin?" He spoke against his conscience but was honest in spirit—this afternoon he had carefully recalled Da Wang's appearance, and when this hairpin appeared, he recognized it immediately. No need to say—same as his idol's, bought it!

Soon it was time for Xie Tu's painted fan: "This lot is called 'Jiang Shan Fan,' depicting a thousand miles of rivers and mountains... the fan ribs are made of Bai Jin Shan Tang White from Qiemo in the Western Regions, with color transitions flowing like mountain undulations, perfectly echoing the landscape on the fan surface—the entire painting is naturally perfect, highly collectible. Most importantly, not yet mentioned: the fan surface is painted by our first-place scholar in the inaugural imperial examination, Xie Tu, Lord Xie. Lord Xie's paintings in Jiangnan are worth what they are—no need for me to say. Starting bid: one thousand taels, each bid increase no less than ten taels."

As soon as the words fell, someone shouted "One thousand one!" Da Wang and Wei Shen, like two annoying pests, played the mood in the private booth, even getting the junior attendant calling bids to help raise the price.

"Still quite hot, Lord Xie?!"

"The fan ribs are a hundred taels, the craftsmanship ten taels—so Lord Xie's painting isn't worth a thousand taels?" Another academic underachiever was shocked. Everyone had been poor and content, but suddenly realizing the neighbor could casually drop a thousand taels, they wanted to break through their mental defenses.

Da Wang thought to himself: Not just that—he could set up a stall, carve a few seal stamps, and sell them for even more!

While they were making noise, a clear female voice rang out from the southeast corner of the third floor: "Everyone stop shouting. Bring it up—I want it!"

Da Wang and Wei Shen were like two melon-field beetles, their necks nearly craned out to watch the spectacle...