Chapter 38: Noble Clan Auction, Li Yuan Assists

Cheng Chumo and a few others carried out a seven-colored glazed statue, covered in red cloth, that was ten feet long and seven feet high.

The moment the red cloth was lifted, the surrounding crowd was completely dumbfounded...

Judging by its external shape, it combined the head of a lion, antlers of a deer, eyes of a tiger, body of a musk deer, scales of a dragon, and tail of an ox; the tail was hair-like, resembling a dragon's, and it had a single horn covered in flesh.

It was unmistakably a Qilin!! And a seven-colored Qilin at that!!

A Qilin, that was an auspicious beast; although it was merely a glazed product, everyone present wanted to obtain it.

The East Market was in a complete uproar for a time. After a long while, someone finally reacted and immediately told their attendant to go back and call for more people.

Not long after, news of Su Liang selling a seven-colored Qilin quickly reached the Imperial City, and soon it was the talk of Changancheng.

Seeing this, Su Liang signaled to Cheng Chumo not to be anxious and to wait until they had gathered their money.

After a long while, someone looked at Su Liang and asked, "May I ask Young Master Su, what is the price for this seven-colored Qilin?"

This person was Wang Ming, the second son of Wang Xing, the patriarch of the Taiyuan Wang clan.

Seeing this, Cheng Chumo immediately said, "Today's seven-colored Qilin is up for public auction; it goes to the highest bidder!"

Just as Cheng Chumo's voice fell, Su Liang realized the person asking was Wang Ming and couldn't help but hatch a plan.

Last year, when mining anthracite, Su Liang had actually set his sights on the coal mines in Shanxi. There were some shallow coal seams there that only required digging thirty to fifty meters down to reach, but unfortunately, the coal mines Su Liang favored were all in the hands of the Taiyuan Wang clan, though they hadn't been mined yet.

Su Liang then stood up and made a gesture to Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo immediately understood that Su Liang had something to say and promptly vacated the main seat for him.

Su Liang smiled slightly, signaled for everyone to be quiet, and then said, "Besides this, today this seven-colored Qilin can also be traded by barter, as long as the value is equivalent."

The crowd couldn't help but feel puzzled. What kind of plan was Su Liang hatching? Could there really be something in this world more valuable than a seven-colored Qilin?

Wang Ming immediately asked, "I wonder what Young Master Su is referring to?"

Seeing the fish take the bait, Su Liang felt a sudden surge of joy.

He then said indifferently, "For example, property deeds or land deeds; as long as I find them suitable, it will do."

Hearing Su Liang say this, Wang Ming didn't know what to do for a moment. In terms of money, their Wang clan definitely couldn't win the seven-colored Qilin today. As for property deeds... he figured Su Liang wouldn't care for them, as Su Liang's Furong Garden was a full one thousand acres.

But when it came to land deeds, he couldn't make the decision on his own.

Wang Ming immediately looked at an attendant beside him and said, "Go to Pingkang Fang and call my elder brother Wang Yang over. Also, send someone to ask my father what he thinks."

At this moment, in the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin was discussing matters with several ministers when a eunuch hurried in.

He reported to Li Shimin about Su Liang selling the seven-colored Qilin. Upon hearing this, Li Shimin simply waved his hand and said, "No matter, I have long known about this matter. You may withdraw."

Before Changle and Su Liang were married, Su Liang had gifted Li Shimin a great deal of glazed ware, only cautioning him not to make it public, and Li Shimin understood the meaning behind Su Liang's words.

When Su Liang previously promised to "exterminate the noble clans," Li Shimin already knew what Su Liang intended to do; extracting wealth from the Five Surnames and Seven Clans was the top priority. Although money wasn't everything, one could do absolutely nothing without it; a noble clan without wealth was no longer a noble clan.

At this moment, Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui and said, "Do you two ministers want to go and take a look together?"

Du Ruhui immediately said, "Your Majesty, we had better not go. I imagine the East Market is already packed solid by now."

"We should just watch the show quietly."

"Sigh... I wonder whose hands this seven-colored glazed ware will eventually fall into," Fang Xuanling sighed slightly.

"Hehe... You two ministers should guess what kind of price this seven-colored Qilin will fetch at Su Liang's auction," Li Shimin chuckled.

At the same time, in the Da'an Palace.

Upon hearing that Su Liang was going to sell a seven-colored Qilin, Li Yuan was instantly furious.

The Qilin is a benevolent beast, a great omen for a sage king; for Su Liang to publicly sell such an auspicious sign.

Without another word, he headed straight for the East Market.

By now, the East Market was already packed solid, and the Five Surnames and Seven Clans were all on their way.

Su Liang was not surprised by this at all. What Su Liang didn't expect was that Li Yuan was also rushing over here without pause.

A moment later, Li Yuan's figure quickly appeared in Su Liang's line of sight. It wasn't just Li Yuan; two people were following behind him. One was Wu Shiwo, and the other was Pei Ji.

Li Yuan walked up to Su Liang and, without saying a word, just stared at him with a piercing gaze.

Su Liang realized at this moment that it seemed Li Shimin hadn't told Li Yuan about this either.

He was blaming himself, sighing... what a nuisance.

Su Liang thought for a moment. Wait... having Li Yuan here might not be a bad thing; he could help drive up the price.

Su Liang had no time to deal with Li Yuan right now, as the Five Surnames and Seven Clans had all arrived.

Su Liang then spoke heartily, restating the rules in detail: "Everyone, the starting price for today's seven-colored Qilin is one wen. Anyone can bid, and the highest bidder will obtain the seven-colored Qilin."

"Besides this, everyone can also barter; as long as I find it acceptable, it will do."

"Alright, you have all heard the rules clearly, so please place your bids."

After Su Liang finished speaking, he immediately gave Li Yuan, who was not far away, a "you know" look.

Hearing what Su Liang said, Li Yuan seemed to understand something. Could it be that Su Liang was trying to fleece the noble clans? It seemed he had to test the waters first to be sure.

He immediately shouted, "One hundred thousand gold!"

As soon as Li Yuan's voice fell, the Five Surnames and Seven Clans were bristling with anger. What did Li Yuan mean by this... using his status to pressure others?

Although the Five Surnames and Seven Clans didn't fear Li Yuan, in such a public setting, they had to give him some face.

Seeing that no one from the noble clans was bidding, Li Yuan said, "Hehe... Buying and selling has been a matter of course since ancient times. Everyone need not be formal. Young Master Su also said that today it goes to the highest bidder. Everyone, please feel free to bid."

After Li Yuan finished speaking, he looked meaningfully at Su Liang, who smiled slightly. Receiving Su Liang's response, Li Yuan was completely convinced... this Su Liang truly had no good intentions.

Since that was the case, he would have to put on a good performance!

After all, Su Liang had little interaction with the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, but Li Yuan was different; he knew the Five Surnames and Seven Clans inside and out.

The crowd finally recovered from Li Yuan's words. Although Li Yuan was the Retired Emperor, he wouldn't go back on his word in public, would he?

Wang Yang, who had just arrived from Pingkang Fang, immediately bid, "Our Taiyuan Wang clan bids two hundred thousand gold!"

Following Wang Yang's words, everyone began to bid one after another...

"Hmph... You Taiyuan Wang clan think you can buy the seven-colored Qilin with a mere two hundred thousand gold? Keep dreaming!"

"You should just let your father come. Our Longxi Li clan bids three hundred thousand gold!" Li Chong, the patriarch of the Longxi Li clan who had just arrived, said disdainfully.

"Our Taiyuan Wang clan bids four hundred thousand gold!"

Hearing this, Wang Yang did not show weakness, directly doubling the price he had previously offered.

Su Liang thought more highly of Wang Yang for this; he was neither haughty nor humble in front of his elders. He was worthy of being Wang Xing's eldest son! He had his father's boldness.

But what Su Liang didn't know was that this was already the highest price Wang Yang was authorized to bid.

"Hehe... Why must Clan Leader Li lower yourself to the level of a child?" Li Ji of the Zhaojun Li clan on the side chuckled, then said in a deep voice, "Our Zhaojun Li clan bids five hundred thousand gold!"

The other clans were not to be outdone...

"Our Fanyang Lu clan bids five hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Xingyang Zheng clan bids six hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Boling Cui clan bids seven hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Qinghe Cui clan bids eight hundred thousand gold!"

In an instant, several patriarchs had bid, and the price had doubled again in a flash.

Su Liang looked toward the voices to see who was bidding. A quick scan revealed that Cui Li, patriarch of the Qinghe Cui clan; Cui Yuan, patriarch of the Boling Cui clan; Li Chong, patriarch of the Longxi Li clan; Li Ji, patriarch of the Zhaojun Li clan; Lu Ming, patriarch of the Fanyang Lu clan; and Zheng Qian, patriarch of the Xingyang Zheng clan were all there, with only Wang Xing of the Taiyuan Wang clan missing.

Su Liang didn't know why this was; it shouldn't be. Logically, Wang Xing should be here right now.

Just at this moment.

An abrupt voice rang out: "One million gold!!"

The crowd couldn't help but look toward the voice, only to see that the person speaking was none other than the Retired Emperor Li Yuan!!

At this moment, the noble clans couldn't help but feel puzzled. What did Li Yuan mean by this? Did he have that much money?

For a time, the scene was deathly silent; no one spoke.

A moment later, Wang Yang stepped out, looked at Li Yuan, and said, "Retired Emperor, if you truly want the seven-colored Qilin, you only need to say the word, and I believe we noble clans would not compete with you."

"But for you to do this... is truly inappropriate!"

"Oh? How is it inappropriate?" Li Yuan became interested.

At this moment, the crowd watched silently, thinking that Wang Yang was truly too bold; this was in public, after all.

To dare not give Li Yuan face like this, wasn't that clearly saying Li Yuan had no money?

Not to mention whether Li Yuan was still the Emperor, even if he were, he couldn't use the national treasury's money; that would inevitably be criticized by the people of the world.

"If the Retired Emperor calls out a price but cannot produce the corresponding funds, what then?" Wang Yang said bluntly.

"Haha... You brat, are you looking down on me?" Li Yuan was instantly displeased. Not to mention that he had only inflated the price to support Su Liang and had no intention of actually buying the seven-colored Qilin.

Even if he did, so what?

Don't forget that Wu Shiwo was by his side.

That was the man who had financed Li Yuan's uprising. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan had not treated Wu Shiwo poorly; on the contrary, he had strongly supported him.

If the current Five Surnames and Seven Clans were top-tier noble families, then Wu Shiwo could also be considered a first-class noble family. During these days, following Su Liang in business, he had made a fortune.

Wu Shiwo also saw Li Yuan's predicament and immediately stepped forward.

Only then did the crowd see clearly that it was Wu Shiwo beside Li Yuan; they had been too excited to notice.

But Wang Yang was different; he was young and had never met Wu Shiwo, so naturally, he didn't know that the person standing next to Li Yuan was Wu Shiwo.

Had he known, he wouldn't have said such things...

He immediately fell silent. There was truly nothing for him to do now; the four hundred thousand gold he had bid was the limit of his ability, and he just hoped his father would arrive soon.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Li Yuan became spirited: "What, no one is speaking anymore?"

"I will say it again: today's seven-colored Qilin goes to the highest bidder."

"Everyone, please hurry and place your bids."

"Otherwise, this Seven-Colored Qilin would have been won by Me today, hahaha..."

Seeing that Li Yuan truly did not seem to be joking, the crowd continued to bid...

"Our Fanyang Lu Clan bids one million one hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Xingyang Zheng Clan bids one million two hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Boling Cui Clan bids one million three hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Qinghe Cui Clan bids one million four hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Longxi Li Clan bids one million five hundred thousand gold!"

"Our Zhaojun Li Clan bids one million six hundred thousand gold!"

"Holy cow! Holy cow!" Su Liang could not stay calm; he had not expected the price to be this high, and he had still underestimated the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

As the auction price climbed higher and higher, Li Yuan spoke up again: "I, Li Yuan, bid three million gold!"

"If anyone else bids higher than Me, then I shall withdraw today."

Goodness gracious... my word, has Li Yuan gone mad? This... this has directly and forcibly doubled the price...

Su Liang felt his scalp tingle just thinking about it; it was just a glass craft, after all.

It was merely made into a Seven-Colored Qilin, was there any need to be this crazy? If it went on like this, could his plan still proceed smoothly?

The noble clans were also incredibly frustrated in the face of Li Yuan's bid, and by now, they had all reacted one after another...

This Li Yuan wasn't trying to bid for the Seven-Colored Qilin at all; it was obvious he was driving up the price!!

However, everyone also acknowledged Li Yuan's bid.

"Our Boling Cui Clan bids three million one hundred thousand gold!" the Boling Cui Clan patriarch Cui Yuan shouted loudly.

As Cui Yuan's voice faded, no one else made a bid.

Su Liang could not help but admire Li Yuan for having the noble clans' Qian Cai firmly in his grasp.

Just at this moment.

An abrupt voice came from afar...

"Our Taiyuan Wang Clan is willing to bid four million gold!"

The crowd could not help but look toward the source of the sound, only to see that the person who had arrived was none other than the Taiyuan Wang Clan patriarch Wang Xing!

The reason Wang Xing had arrived so late was that he had gone to raise money; after all, there was only one Seven-Colored Qilin.

Nowadays, the Taiyuan Wang Clan's business could be described as flourishing; for the fine salt business alone, aside from the Capital Region, the Wang Clan managed the fine salt trade for the entire country, and the price was only twenty wen, the same as Su Liang's previous price.

Over the past few months, the Taiyuan Wang Clan's wealth had firmly secured the top spot among the noble clans.

Hearing this, Su Liang sighed helplessly; the noble clans... the noble clans were truly too wealthy...

It was merely a Seven-Colored Qilin, yet it had actually been bid up to four million gold...

Su Liang was suddenly caught between laughter and tears; a full four million gold—this Taiyuan Wang Clan was going to foot the bill for the road construction.

Su Liang shook his head helplessly at this moment; what a pity... what a pity, in the end, he still failed to get what he wanted.