The hall soon filled with many people.
Because Xie Zixuan was of royal blood, he naturally occupied the most distinguished private room. Li Fengsheng was also in the room, constantly flattering Xie Zixuan.
The auction banquet soon commenced.
The host of this auction banquet was Manager Wang of the establishment.
On the high platform, Manager Wang, stroking his greying beard, narrowed his eyes and said, "Quiet, everyone. I declare that the auction banquet officially begins!"
As soon as the words fell, the establishment's servants presented the first auction item.
It was a pair of Ruyi pure gold bracelets, intricately carved with flowers, symbolizing good fortune and wishes granted.
Qin Yun was not interested in these items. The pair of auspicious bracelets was eventually bought by a noblewoman for six hundred taels of silver.
Next came the second auction item.
As the servants brought the item onto the stage, it was covered with a red cloth, instantly piquing everyone's interest.
"The treasure to be auctioned next is truly one of a kind. This treasure comes from the Western Regions, and it was the personal possession of the former king of the Western Regions. It experienced many hardships during its transport and almost fell into the hands of bandits. Fortunately, our soldiers risked their lives to protect it, thus delivering this treasure to our Great Zhou Dynasty completely intact," Manager Wang said earnestly.
"This treasure is named the Purple Gold Gourd. Now, let us behold the true appearance of the Purple Gold Gourd!"
Manager Wang unveiled the red cloth, revealing a very exquisite rosewood box. The box was inlaid with colorful gems on all sides!
With a box this exquisite, one could imagine how precious the treasure inside must be.
Everyone slowly stood up, their eyes fixed on Manager Wang as he opened the box.
Their eyes were practically glued to the box.
In the private room, Xie Zixuan and Li Fengsheng also stared intently, with smiles on their lips, seemingly determined to acquire the item.
In the corner, Qin Yun crossed his legs, a slight smile gracing his lips. He was not interested in these treasures, but if Li Fengsheng wanted to bid for an item, she would become very interested.
The moment the box was opened, a delicate and small gourd appeared before everyone's eyes.
This gourd was named the Purple Gold Gourd because the gourd itself was purple. When placed in the sunlight, one could see golden light shimmering. The gourd was also carved with various patterns, the craftsmanship extremely meticulous. No wonder this item was so precious and managed to capture everyone's interest.
"This treasure is unique in the world. The starting bid is one thousand taels! Does anyone have any objections?" Manager Wang said with a smile.
Everyone nodded in agreement. For such a precious treasure, let alone starting at one thousand taels, even ten thousand taels would be a reasonable starting price!
Although the distance was considerable, Qin Yun could still clearly see the Purple Gold Gourd. Looking closely, Qin Yun narrowed her eyes, circled her waist with her left hand, and propped her chin with her right, staring intently at the Purple Gold Gourd for observation.
After a while, Qin Yun's smile deepened. She looked up at a certain window of the private room, a plan beginning to form in her mind.
"Young Master, you seem very interested in this Purple Gold Gourd!" Xiao Ju suddenly asked.
Qin Yun smiled. "Naturally, I am interested!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ju became flustered. "Young Master, you don't mean you want to bid for this Purple Gold Gourd, do you? We only have one thousand taels, and the starting bid for this Purple Gold Gourd is one thousand taels. How can we afford it?"
Xiao Ju lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, her brow furrowed with worry. "Young Master, I admit this Purple Gold Gourd is indeed a treasure, but we are not fated to acquire it! We can just look. Young Master, you mustn't act impulsively!"
"When did I say I wanted to bid? I'm just interested in the master who wants to bid for this item!" Qin Yun's flippant demeanor made Xiao Ju even more anxious.
As expected!
The next moment, Xiao Ju felt like crying.
Whispering into Qin Yun's ear, Xiao Ju reminded her softly, "Young Master, could it be that Prince Li is interested in the Purple Gold Gourd, which is why you care so much about it? I know Prince Li is handsome, and Young Master, being a woman, is also at an age where romantic feelings begin to bloom, but we cannot do this!"
"Young Master, in everyone's eyes, you are a true man. How can you harbor such thoughts? You must bury these feelings in your heart and never have such ideas again!"
Hearing Xiao Ju's reminder, Qin Yun felt a headache coming on. It was no wonder Xiao Ju misunderstood. The original owner of this body had indeed been wholeheartedly devoted to Xie Zixuan, that peacock, with encounters and the like happening several times a day!
"Ahem, cough, cough, that... I didn't mean it that way!" Qin Yun's ears turned red, feeling a little embarrassed!
Unexpectedly, Xiao Ju's eyes widened further. "Young Master, have you shifted your affections? Could it be that you are now interested in Lord Li?"
Earlier, she had personally heard Prince Li wanting the Purple Gold Gourd, and then Lord Li confidently wanting to bid for the treasure for Prince Li.
If her Young Master's interest was not in Prince Li, it must be in Lord Li!
Thinking of this, Xiao Ju's face paled slightly.
She desperately wanted to persuade her Young Master to abandon such thoughts, but as a servant, she could only offer well-intentioned reminders and could not force her Young Master's actions.
Qin Yun really couldn't listen anymore and could only console her. "Don't worry, I absolutely don't have such thoughts about Lord Li. Let's just watch, you'll know later!"
Xiao Ju bit her lower lip, remaining silent, and simply nodded lightly.
On the high platform, Manager Wang had already announced the start of the bidding.
The hall below erupted in fervent bidding. Shopkeepers and noblewomen with a bit of money also participated one after another.
When the bidding price reached five thousand taels, Li Fengsheng made his move.
"Seven thousand taels," shouted the servant beside Li Fengsheng, holding up a bidding paddle.
Seven thousand taels! This was no small sum, and the crowd below deflated.
From the initial one thousand taels to five thousand taels, everyone had been raising the price bit by bit. Now, someone directly increased it from five thousand to seven thousand taels, leaving the people below without confidence.
Seeing that no one else was bidding, Li Fengsheng smiled happily. "Your Highness Prince Li, your subordinate offers you a toast!" After speaking, Li Fengsheng drained his cup.
Seeing that no one was bidding, Manager Wang began the countdown to finalize the sale.
But just as the gavel was about to fall...
"Nine thousand taels!"
Hearing someone bid nine thousand taels, everyone turned to look at the source of the voice.
Everyone gasped and began to discuss.
"Isn't that the ugly monster from the Qin Mansion? When did he get so much money?"
"Nine thousand taels, he actually has the nerve to bid that. Can he even afford it?"
"This is just a spendthrift. It's likely his father will have to clean up the mess at the end!"
"You might not know, but earlier downstairs, this brat casually produced a thousand taels. I heard that Young Master Ming from the Ming household will compensate him three thousand taels in two days. He probably has some money!"
"Even if someone gives him three thousand taels, he still can't scrape together nine thousand taels. Where does this person get his confidence from!"
In the private room, Xie Zixuan, who had assumed the sale would conclude at seven thousand taels, raised his wine cup to drink when he heard Qin Yun bid nine thousand taels.
Not only were the people in the hall confused, but even Xie Zixuan was somewhat perplexed.
But then he thought about it. Qin Yun had been eavesdropping outside his door earlier. She must have heard that he liked the Purple Gold Gourd, so she was personally bidding to acquire it for him.
However, where did this Qin Yun get nine thousand taels?