Imperial Treasure

Chapter 633 - 411: Picking Faults

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Mount Mover was somewhat surprised that Duke Zheng had so swiftly and accurately identified Sui Yi’s identity, but as for Sui Tang Square and the like, he really didn’t know, only recognizing the name. Of course, he absolutely couldn’t let the old man before him know this, so he chuckled, "Haha, it seems you’ve had contact with her?"

"It was the Li Family lad who had contact with her... quite an impression she left," Duke Zheng’s expression was somewhat profound. In fact, even if Mount Mover hadn’t brought it up, he would have sent someone to thoroughly investigate Sui Yi’s background after this event.

He hadn’t expected it to be brought forward now.

"She’s no ordinary person, alright, you probably know that too, so since she can make such a request, she’s not afraid of your rejection."

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll take it by force?"

"Would you?" Mount Mover sipped his tea, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Even if you did, I wouldn’t worry. One, your people are no match for hers, and two, her terms are very lenient. With your cautious nature, you wouldn’t take the risk..."

Duke Zheng remained noncommittal, setting down his cup, "Then I must meet her now."

"No need, too many eyes around here, now’s not the time for a meeting," Mount Mover stood up: "I’ll just go and get the item for you..."

Mount Mover thought for a moment, then turned and asked, "What about the item you mentioned earlier to replace Misty the Pearl for the auction..."

He still wanted to see the new curios, and since Duke Zheng was confident in replacing Misty the Pearl, the value of this item was probably even higher than Misty the Pearl.

Such an opportunity he did not want to miss.

"It will still be auctioned," said Duke Zheng, sipping his tea.

"Eh?" Mount Mover’s gaze flickered, but he didn’t ask further and turned to leave.

He didn’t see the strange and fluctuating shade in Duke Zheng’s lowered gaze.

With such events unfolding, perhaps it was fate...

A faint sigh echoed through the room...

Mount Mover soon met with Sui Yi.

But there was already a jolly fat man cracking jokes in the partition, and the women present were no longer strangers, so upon seeing him, Miss Gong Jiu smiled, "Good to see you again, Grandpa Mount Mover~"

That tone was oddly unsettling~

Mount Mover looked around the partition, unable to help but inwardly sigh at how like attracts like and birds of a feather flock together, each one a beautiful girl... But why had he been saddled with this damned fatso!

"It has been a long time, Miss Gong’s beauty has only increased," he said.

Indeed, Miss Gong Jiu was immediately won over and, with a hint of teasing, she laughed, "Old man, we’ve met before, and you know Miss Gong Jiu doesn’t beat around the bush. You’re quite something yourself, why not enlighten us, let the sisters know just who you really are?"

Surely direct, but Sui Yi and the others have never liked beating around the bush.

They didn’t need to be as direct as Miss Gong Jiu; if others wanted to talk, they’d talk; if not, it was their freedom...

Upon hearing this, Mount Mover laughed, "Me, a deity? Just an old guy~ But speaking of my name, it really is necessary to be honest, my name is Pang Shang."

As this name surfaced, Miss Gong Jiu’s eyes widened for a moment, but it was Xu Zhengmao who was the first to react.

"Pang Shang? Of the Glazed Factory?"

"Oh, young man, you know me?" Mount Mover looked at Xu Zhengmao.

"I can’t claim to know you, but I’ve long heard of your great name," Xu Zhengmao said with a reserved smile, before introducing to others, "Old Mr. Pang is a famous landlord of the Glazed Factory and Pan Family Garden, owning three to four tenths of the properties there, including numerous shops under his name. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Old Mr. Pang is like a landlord over the Capital City’s antique trade."

More than just a landlord, but rather the top-level player.

Miss Gong Jiu and the others understood, musing that only someone like him could have dealings with Duke Zheng on equal terms.

Turns out his background was no small matter; Miss Gong Jiu immediately squeezed out a smile, "Wow, that’s some big name, quick, sign an autograph~~"

"You little rascal, get lost!" Pang Shang spat at Miss Gong Jiu, then turned to Sui Yi, "Miss Sui, my identity is just a title, quite hollow... It’s nothing in front of you... By the way, about Misty the Pearl..."

Sui Yi didn’t care about the humility he showed at the beginning, as for what he said next...

She extended her hand and put down Misty the Pearl on the table.

"Much obliged," she said.

"Not at all," Pang Shang took Misty the Pearl, playing with it for a while, knowing it was genuine, before then taking his leave...

By the time of Pang Shang’s departure, the auction had actually moved into its middle to late stages, and Sui Yi witnessed what it meant to spend lavishly, including the graciousness and composure of the Cao siblings, which perfectly matched the generosity of Capital City’s high society.

"Jie Jie, more than thirty million and the eyes don’t even blink as it’s spent, that Cao Family’s young master is called Cao Yu, right?"

"Seems like it... the Cao Family... truly remarkable," she replied.

Sui Yi listened as Miss Gong and the others mentioned one sentence after another, it seemed that the Cao Family was among the most outstanding first-rate families in the Capital City, rooted in commerce but also possessing strong influence in both military and political spheres, simply because the head of the Cao Family had branched out from a certain political dynasty... anyway, their background was extraordinary, and even the Li Family had to bow down in front of them.

"The Cao Family, the Li Family, actually, outsiders don’t see much difference between the two families, because there are things they won’t know. But the gap between the heirs of these two families is not small—one is reserved and low-profile, while the other is... well, you know~" As soon as Miss Gong Jiu said this, she got suddenly excited and called out to Sui Yi with a smile, "Ah~ Sui Yi, that ’Green Hills and Ink Rain’ below is your favorite piece..."

"As if you’re the only one who knows! Qing Wu is already bidding..."

Flower Demon smacked Miss Gong on the head, and upon looking, Yhan Qingwu had just bid five million, which was almost ready to seal the deal—there wasn’t much competition. But then...

"Seven million!"

The abrupt raise to seven million caused Yhan Qingwu’s brows to furrow slightly as she glanced down at the circle of seated people below,

Those young masters...

"It’s Li Yu and his bunch of wily friends... Are they trying to slap us in the face?" Miss Gong chuckled coldly. "I’ll take over..."

Without waiting for Yhan Qingwu and the others to speak, Miss Gong stood in front of the railing and declared brightly, "Ten million... Any of the brave little brothers below, follow if you dare, let’s see each other soon~"

Ho, the whole room started to get restless.

When it came to causing trouble, Miss Gong might not be so direct—Sui Yi was here, after all, and she had to maintain an elegant stance.

But when it came to counter-troublemaking, Miss Gong felt no psychological pressure at all. Rolling up her sleeves and grabbing a wine bottle, she could have a few rounds with those half-grown kids below...

The crowd below didn’t expect Sui Yi and his party to react so violently. In fact, it was Yhan Qingwu’s elegance and gentleness that had lulled them, and the sudden appearance of Miss Gong brought the shock.

"That’s Miss Gong, that lady’s not just rich—shall we continue?"

"Of course we must continue. She’s calling us out. Not responding would mean we’re scared. We wouldn’t be able to mix with others if we back down... it’s just one woman..."

Originally, these young masters simply wanted to give Li Yu a boost, to cut down on the prestige of Sui Yi and other outsiders. They hadn’t anticipated their sharpness...

Being shameless was the first attribute of these young masters. With no choice but to brace themselves, they continued, with Wang Feng, who was hugging Qiao Yu, laughing heartily, "Miss Gong has quite the spirit. Since you’re being so forward, we young masters shouldn’t be too modest either... eleven million!"

"Twenty million, keep going..." replied Miss Gong indifferently.

Wang Feng’s face collapsed instantly, and the other young masters were also stunned. Damn it, not like this, jumping straight to twenty million!

The painting itself wasn’t worth more than five million, alright!

This is having too much money to burn!

Qiao Yu and other well-known stars all took a sharp intake of breath, and even Lin Junyun couldn’t keep her breathing steady. She’d seen big spenders before, even those who jumped bids by several millions, but she’d never seen such a young and generous... female tycoon.

Or more accurately, a wealthy young woman.

This astonished everyone, including Old Master, who even lifted his eyelid, his lips twitching, "That Miss Gong has quite the audacity!"

"It’s a grand gesture..."

Amidst the bustling and noisy scene, the auctioneer excitedly asked if there was a higher offer...

Higher your sister!

Wang Feng turned to look at his buddies.

One of them waved his hand, "Bro, I’m not like Cao Yu, who manages the household. How could I have that much money? If I squeezed out five million and my dad found out... you know~"

Another looked disheartened, "I’m about the same... We’re not like Li Yu~ How about we borrow some from him?"

Forget about it, initially coming to please the Li Family on someone’s behalf, only to end up borrowing money to cover a fiasco—there’d be no point in the risk.

"Otherwise, let’s ask Brother Liu..."

"No way, Liu Qian is always a crafty one. Miss Gong and her friends are not to be messed with, and we are not Li Yu himself. He has no reason to get involved..."

Hey, if this and that won’t work, then can we only...

Seeing the evasive looks in these people’s eyes, Wang Feng felt his heart sink, Damn it, making me lose face!

Despite his displeasure, Wang Feng could only continue to smile reluctantly, "Miss Gong has great spirit... But the painting is only worth a maximum of five million, I won’t compete with you for it..."

Verbally, he still had to mock Miss Gong as someone silly with too much money...

Miss Gong leaning on the railing, her expression more frivolous than ever, curled her lips and smirked, "Ah~ don’t tell me I’m mistaken, isn’t this a charity event~ It’s not too good for Young Master Wang to be so penny-pinching... after all, ’What price can’t buy a favorite,’ there are definitely people who like this painting"

These words made Wang Feng’s face turn green and white. Penny-pinching, I’m penny-pinching?

But Miss Gong’s reference to charity sealed his lips. Any rebuttal would be wrong, and Wang Feng already felt the mocking and sneering looks from the higher tiers of society...

Wang Feng was left speechless.

The auctioneer, unhindered by the confrontation below, swiftly hammered down, "Congratulations to Miss Gong Jiu for winning ’Green Hills and Ink Rain’ with a bid of twenty million, and thank you for her generous spirit... Next up, the auction will continue with the next item—Misty the Pearl..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)