novelraw Chapter 564 - 498: Auction
Chapter 564 - 498: Auction
Jun Mobai wanted Prince Jin to wave the flag of rebellion up front, while he reaped the rewards behind the scenes, but little did he expect that Prince Jin had long been wary of him, too. Luckily, Prince Jin still held some familial affection for this nephew, subjecting him to some suffering but sparing his life.
Though it’s said a good death is better than dragging out a pitiful life, for someone as proud as Jun Mobai, dragging around a frail and sickly body might feel worse than death, wouldn’t it?
Yu Xiaolian lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions within, and sped towards the gambling den with a spring in her step.
"Ah, little brother, you finally came, I thought you weren’t coming!" Old Hu and Old Bao had been waiting for a long time. Not seeing Yu Xiaolian arrive, they were getting restless, pacing back and forth at the entrance of the gambling den multiple times.
As soon as she entered the private room upstairs, Yu Xiaolian took out two small night lamps and two handheld fans, explaining how to use them to Old Hu and Old Bao.
After Yu Xiaolian explained back and forth, the three of them began discussing the price.
In the end, the handheld fans were ’cheaply’ sold to Old Hu and Old Bao at a price of thirty thousand taels each.
Including the money for the night lamps, Yu Xiaolian suddenly found herself richer by two hundred thousand taels of silver.
Old Hu and Old Bao each spent a hundred thousand taels of silver without much heartache, leaving Yu Xiaolian once again marveling at the huge wealth gap in the Great Liang Country.
Sigh, having money is great!
With money in her pocket, she felt at ease. Having acquired twenty taels, Yu Xiaolian didn’t leave Bohai City. She planned to see at night if the space would swallow money again; if it did, she’d have to continue her dealings.
In any case, leaving tonight wasn’t an option. That night, Yu Xiaolian disguised herself once again and headed to Juming Pavilion.
After paying a ten-tael entrance fee, Yu Xiaolian was once again invited by the shopkeeper to the room from the previous night.
Yu Xiaolian took down the bundle from her shoulder and opened it.
"Oh my, be gentle, be gentle..." the shopkeeper’s voice was full of heartache.
Why doesn’t she treat these treasures with care? Every time, she comes wrapped in a shabby pouch instead of a decent box.
Solar microphones, thermos cups, hair dye, reading glasses, Yu Xiaolian brought quite a few things.
Yu Xiaolian first introduced the microphone to the shopkeeper. "This device is called a microphone. Using it to speak, even with a soft voice, it will carry far. This is the switch, push it up to turn it on, push it down to turn it off.
This thing is also solar-powered, charging with sunlight during the day."
Yu Xiaolian dared not use the word ’electricity’. She feared the shopkeeper would ask what electricity was, leading to a lengthy explanation.
Yu Xiaolian turned on the microphone, "Test... test..."
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened; the sound was deafening with some echo, useful for attracting business or communications before a battle.
This device would surely earn him a fortune, he aimed to recoup the money the princess consort had spent.
"When this microphone is on, this part will also shine with seven beautiful colors. This is definitely better than the night lamp from yesterday," Yu Xiaolian hinted, implying a higher starting price than the night lamp.
The shopkeeper nodded happily; he wasn’t afraid of things being expensive; he feared they would not catch the eye.
"How about setting the starting price for this solar microphone at thirty-five thousand taels?"
Yu Xiaolian nodded, "Okay!" Anyway, whoever wanted it would still raise the price.
Next, Yu Xiaolian introduced the shopkeeper to the thermos cup, hair dye, and reading glasses.
In ancient times, there were thermos cups, but they weren’t as stylish and convenient as Yu Xiaolian’s. The shopkeeper wasn’t too keen on them, but due to the special material, set the starting price at two thousand taels.
The hair dye, meant for dyeing hair, was priced lowest by the shopkeeper at two hundred taels, as ancient people also used plants like raspberries and black beans for dyeing.
At two hundred taels, it was because of the plastic tube, as the substance inside seemed worthless to him.
Yu Xiaolian never expected that reading glasses would be the shopkeeper’s favorite.
The shopkeeper was already over fifty, and for years had trouble reading with blurry vision.
The shopkeeper fetched a ledger, tried on the reading glasses, and beamed with joy as everything became clear, no longer seeing double.
"These glasses are amazing!" The shopkeeper couldn’t stop praising them.
On a whim, Yu Xiaolian had brought them to try, unexpectedly fitting well with the shopkeeper’s needs.
"How many of these glasses do you have?" the shopkeeper asked with anticipation.
Yu Xiaolian pointed at the table, "Only two pairs for now!"
Indeed, she brought just one of everything else, but two pairs of reading glasses.
"Could you sell me a pair privately?" The shopkeeper tentatively asked.
Even though he was the shopkeeper of Juming Pavilion, he still worked for Prince Jin, and if the glasses went to public auction, he couldn’t bear to buy them.
No, not that he couldn’t afford them; he simply couldn’t part with the money!
"The shopkeeper has helped me many times, let’s not discuss payment, consider these reading glasses a gift, wear them well!" Yu Xiaolian said. Uncertain if the space would continue to swallow money, if it did, she’d have to return to Juming Pavilion and keep selling.
No choice, Juming Pavilion was a fast earner, and she didn’t want to rely on her own efforts. Working hard herself wouldn’t contain the space’s money appetite anyway.
With a free pair of reading glasses, the shopkeeper beamed with happiness and profusely thanked Yu Xiaolian.
The reading glasses’ starting price was set at ten thousand taels.
Yu Xiaolian continued to wear a mask and leaned on the window.
Old Hu and Old Bao were there too. As soon as Yu Xiaolian peered out from the second floor, the two old fellows waved at her.
Yu Xiaolian nodded calmly in acknowledgment.
When the solar microphone appeared, all of Juming Pavilion was abuzz. The device was thunderous, unlike ordinary worldly items.
Old Hu and Old Bao started bickering again, but in the end, the item ended up with Fu Zihan.
The shopkeeper sighed: "..."
Princess Consort, can’t we avoid disrupting our own auction?
Fu Zihan secured the microphone for forty thousand taels.
Yu Xiaolian pouted. If Fu Zihan hadn’t intervened, the two old fellows would’ve kept increasing the bid.
What a disappointment, what a shame!
Because the ’cheap’ items like the hair dye and thermos cup saw many bidders, in the end, an unknown merchant took the thermos cup for eight thousand taels, and Old Hu won the hair dye for nine hundred taels.
Unexpectedly, out of everything Yu Xiaolian brought that evening, it was the reading glasses that fetched the highest price.
The shopkeeper had already let some farsighted folks experience the magic of these glasses before they went up for auction.
In short, the shopkeeper reserved them personally and highly recommended them!