Liu Chang whirled around, staring intently at He Zhizhong, who stood there calmly with his chest out and head held high. Though just one man, the composure and serenity he exuded after years of experience was striking. Liu Chang felt as if he was seeing this plump, smiling merchant with his often honest face clearly for the first time.
“Those are the rules here. At equal prices, the higher-ranked seat has priority; for different seats, the highest bidder wins,” the white-haired old Persian’s words drew Liu Chang’s attention back from He Zhizhong. He turned to Yuan Shijiu for help, who nodded firmly, confirming this rule. With over 100,000 Persian merchants in the dynasty, they had their own set of customs, especially in such settings. As the host of the Treasure Meeting, how could the old Persian be lying?
Liu Chang turned back helplessly, watching as everyone unhurriedly helped the man who presented the agate lamp tree to the seat of honor. They learned his name was Miya and announced that his agate lamp tree had won first place, all bowing to him. Looking at He Zhizhong’s calm and confident expression, Da Lang’s determined face, and Li Xing’s smug look of success, while the girl beside Li Xing smiled gently, Liu Chang thought of his impending fate. He felt a surge of frustration, bitterness, and anger, his face showing a trapped beast’s expression as he clenched his fists, teeth grinding audibly.
Seeing this, Pan Rong quickly advised in a low voice, “Don’t be hasty!”
Liu Chang replied angrily, “How can I not hurry? He has more private wealth than me and every advantage. If he deliberately opposes me today and prevents me from buying this treasure, what am I to do?” The success or failure of acquiring this treasure affected his entire life; how could he not be anxious? He suddenly regretted his earlier behavior, wishing he hadn’t deliberately provoked the He Family when they arrived.
But the circumstances then weren’t entirely his fault. He had been surprised and even a little excited to see Mudan in such a setting, but she had ignored him, instead smiling sweetly and clinging to Li Xing like a little bird, the two of them whispering intimately. He had never seen Mudan like that before… Losing to someone like Li Xing, who was neither a proper official nor merchant, less handsome and talented than himself, was a great humiliation! How could he endure it? At that moment, he had wanted to stab Li Xing full of holes and slap Mudan ten or eight times, cursing her shamelessness. He had barely restrained himself, with no thought to consider whether offending the He Family would make his situation even more difficult.
Pan Rong understood his temperament and sighed softly, “Your stubborn nature is your downfall. How many times have you suffered for it, yet you never learn? Didn’t you hear? ‘At equal prices, the higher-ranked seat has priority; for different seats, the highest bidder wins.’ We must obtain this item today at all costs, so we’ll just have to pay more. Don’t worry, if you don’t have enough money, I have some. We’ll make sure to fulfill your wish no matter what.”
Liu Chang said, “I’m afraid the Li family might intervene…” He had good reason to believe Li Xing’s presence here was no coincidence. Privately, the Li family was also very wealthy. If the two families worked together to get revenge, even with Pan Rong’s full support, he might still have a chance to compete. But if Li Xing wasn’t acting out of personal motives and was instead on an official mission for someone, then he probably had no chance of winning.
Pan Rong had considered this too. She patted his shoulder reassuringly and looked at their companions, saying, “Whatever happens, shall we give it our all? Since we’re here, let’s all do our best to help Liu Chang, alright?”
They all nodded in agreement: “Don’t worry, even if it’s just to save face, we can’t let them succeed.”
Liu Chang’s face finally showed a hint of a smile. He turned to Yuan Shijiu and asked, “Brother Yuan, in your opinion, how much are that Seven-Treasure Purple Silk Canopy, that golden pearl, and this agate lamp tree worth?” Although everyone had agreed to help him, he had to consider other options.
Yuan Shijiu replied calmly, “The Seven-Treasure Purple Silk Canopy should be worth 18 million cash; the golden pearl, 25 million cash; as for this agate lamp tree, it should be worth over 10 million.”
These prices seemed reasonable. Liu Chang frowned, “Why do you say ‘over’? Is there no exact figure?”
Yuan Shijiu explained, “That agate lamp tree is carved from a single piece of agate. Such a large piece of high-quality agate is already rare, but moreover, it’s not ordinary agate. The lotus lamp dish at the top naturally contains water. That’s why when the lamps are lit, the lotus flower seems to come alive, sparkling brilliantly. Such a treasure is priceless, hence ‘over’.”
Pan Rong looked at him suspiciously, “There’s water inside? How come I didn’t notice earlier?”
Yuan Shijiu snorted disdainfully and turned his face away. If it had been any other noble youth, they would have lost their temper, but Pan Rong wasn’t offended. She laughed and said, “Such a rare treasure, I must take a closer look and examine it carefully.” With that, she stood up, pretending to ask the white-haired old Persian, and pulled Liu Chang forward to look at the lamp tree. Indeed, it was exactly as Yuan Shijiu had described, without the slightest exaggeration.
Liu Chang and Pan Rong exchanged a glance, communicating silently, then returned to their seats. Pan Rong approached He Zhizhong with a smile, bowed, and asked, “Uncle He, may I ask how much you’re willing to pay for this agate lamp?”
“You little devil,” He Zhizhong smiled slightly, “We haven’t even asked if the owner is willing to sell, let alone for how much.”
Pan Rong immediately turned to Miya and asked, “May I ask if the merchant is willing to sell this treasure? And for what price?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Miya replied in broken Chinese, “Wealth shouldn’t be hidden. Since I’ve brought it out, of course, I’m willing to sell. Ten million, not a penny less.”
Pan Rong and Liu Chang immediately observed the expressions of the surrounding merchants. Seeing everyone nod slightly, with no one thinking it was too expensive, they realized it was indeed worth the price. Their gaze towards Yuan Shijiu became more respectful. However, Yuan Shijiu seemed not to notice their change in attitude, remaining aloof.
He Zhizhong slowly said, “Ten million cash, I’ll buy it.” Everyone came forward to congratulate him and Miya. He smiled and raised his hand to shake with Miya.
Seeing the deal about to be closed, Liu Chang hurriedly said, “Wait! Didn’t you say the highest bidder wins? I offer 11 million cash.”
He Zhizhong’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, “15 million.”
Liu Chang said, “16 million.”
Liu Chang continued, “41 million!” He had calculated carefully, always bidding one million more than He Zhizhong. This amount was still within his acceptable range, not requiring Pan Rong and the others’ help. But it was his own hard-earned money, and who knew if he might need a large sum in the future? Naturally, he wanted to save as much as possible. Moreover, he felt uneasy, fearing that if he made large jumps in bidding like He Zhizhong, he might suffer a great loss.
He Zhizhong glanced at him and said, “42 million.” Unlike before, when he had suddenly increased by five million, he now cautiously added smaller amounts.
He Zhizhong’s caution reduced Liu Chang’s hesitation. The two slowly climbed to 50 million, with the surrounding merchants showing no signs of shock, instead watching the bidding war with great interest.
Li Xing suddenly stood up and said, “60 million.”
With little money left, Liu Chang was about to back down, but seeing Mudan staring intently at Li Xing, a sudden surge of irritation and hot blood rushed to his head, making him forget his earlier plans. Ignoring Pan Rong’s frantic tugging at his waist, he made a bold decision in an instant: “70 million!”
There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by an uproar. Li Xing gracefully bowed to Liu Chang, saying, “It’s yours.” Before Liu Chang could react, the white-haired old Persian had come down to shake his hand with Miya, indicating the deal was closed and asking everyone to witness it.
Liu Chang’s first reaction was that he had been tricked! He angrily looked back at He Zhizhong and Li Xing but saw no special expression on their faces, just a sigh of regret as they turned their attention to the golden pearl. Mudan hopped along behind them, exclaiming as she held up the huge pearl to the light, her beautiful phoenix eyes showing great delight. Li Xing smiled and explained in a low voice, “I’ve heard that foreign merchants like to cut open their bodies to hide pearls. I wonder where they could hide such a large pearl. And how big a cut would be needed?”
Mudan looked at him in disbelief, whispering, “You’re lying! I don’t believe it.”
Li Xing said, “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask them.”
Mudan replied, “I won’t ask. What if they give me a dirty look? Why don’t you ask?”
Liu Chang could watch no longer. He strode over to the pearl’s owner and asked, “How much do you want for this pearl?”
He Zhizhong looked at him with pity, “You can’t buy all the treasures in the world. Why exhaust your family’s wealth just for the sake of pride?”
Liu Chang was stunned by this revelation, staring blankly as He Zhizhong helped Li Xing buy the pearl for 20 million cash. Li Xing handed the pearl to Mudan, who carefully cradled it and showed it to her nephews.
Seeing him suddenly dazed, Pan Rong couldn’t help but stamp her foot and say, “Out of money? Regretting it now? It’s too late! You have something to present to the Empress now, but what about the Imperial Concubine? Hmm?! You’ll have to buy that Seven-Treasure Purple Silk Canopy too. Hurry up! The He Family is going to buy the canopy!”
Having reached this point, Liu Chang had no choice but to grit his teeth and compete with He Zhizhong again for the canopy. This time, He Zhizhong didn’t give him much trouble, easily letting him buy it for 17 million cash. He then proceeded to buy several precious but not rare items like rhinoceros horns, crystal, bright pearls, gold essence, and red crystal from foreign merchants. Instead of leaving, he enthusiastically commented on these items to Li Xing, Li Manniang, Mudan, and the children. However, the most important lesson the children learned at this treasure meeting was not how to identify treasures, but how great the damage from a contest of pride could be, and how to easily achieve one’s goals by exploiting an opponent’s weaknesses.