A cold smile curled up on Bai Zheng's lips. She didn't need to think to know who the item was being auctioned for. Bai Di was only sixteen years old. If she were ten years younger, would Chu Feng still be able to make a move?
"One thousand taels!" A well - maintained noblewoman on the second floor raised her bidding card.
Watching the auction start so fiercely, Bai Zheng couldn't help but sigh. There were really a lot of rich people in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She hoped that one day she could be one of them.
"What's wrong, Miss Bai?"
Feng Jingyi saw her sigh and asked with concern.
"I just suddenly thought of the displaced people in the disaster - stricken area of Nan Town. It makes me feel sad." Bai Zheng replied with emotion.
Feng Jingyi's eyes flickered slightly. After a long while, he said, "Miss Bai is kind - hearted."
As they were talking, the auctioneer downstairs had already raised the small wooden hammer and shouted, "Three thousand taels for the second time, three thousand taels for the third time. Sold!"
As soon as the auctioneer's hammer fell, a beautiful woman quickly stepped forward, picked up the wooden carving box containing the Youth - Preserving Pearl, and walked towards the private room on the second floor where the rich merchant who had bid three thousand taels was sitting.
"Congratulations, Boss Li, on obtaining the Youth - Preserving Pearl!" the auctioneer announced loudly. "Now, here comes our second item for auction."
After the woman took away the Youth - Preserving Pearl, the black square stone platform descended. Then, as the auctioneer's voice rang out, it slowly rose again.
This time, there was an object covered with a red velvet cloth on the stone platform.
Everyone sat up straight. The novelty of this treasure instantly replaced the disappointment of not winning the Youth - Preserving Pearl.
The auctioneer scanned the crowd. Seeing that everyone's eyes were fixed on the red cloth, he then lifted the cloth with both hands, revealing the treasure inside.
Bai Zheng took a closer look and found that it was a guqin.
The whole body of the guqin was made of dark - red Chinese fir. The lower part of the qin body was flat, inlaid with a phoenix - shaped bone ornament. The upper part was arched and carved with cloud and hundred - bird patterns. Five silk strings were arranged in order, looking simple yet magnificent.
"This is the Phoenix Sound Qin of Xu Chao, a sage of the previous dynasty. I believe you are all familiar with the Phoenix Sound Qin."
"Boom."
As soon as the auctioneer's words fell, the guests in the entire auction hall completely forgot about their manners and erupted in an uproar. Some people almost jumped up in excitement.
Bai Zheng clearly saw that even her father Bai Yinan's beard trembled twice because of excitement.
"The Phoenix Sound Qin! This was the qin that Xu Chao loved to play the most..." Feng Jingyi murmured, his voice also filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Bai Zheng asked curiously, "Why is this qin so popular? Is it because of its long history or high - quality material?"
"Neither." Feng Jingyi shook his head. "Because it was the qin that Xu Chao played."
Bai Zheng twitched the corner of her mouth. So it was due to the idol effect.
"The second auction of Jizhen Tower this month, the Phoenix Sound Qin. Now, let the auction begin!" The auctioneer waved his hand.
"Five hundred taels!" A voice immediately rang out.
"Eight hundred taels!"
"One thousand taels!"
This time, the bidding voices were obviously much more frequent than those for the Youth - Preserving Pearl.
Bai Zheng squinted her eyes. This meant that there were still a lot of scholars in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there were quite a few rich scholars. The prospect of her papermaking technique was very bright.
Thinking of this, her mood improved. Her gaze circled around the Jizhen Tower venue and suddenly stopped on the room that had been silent since the start of the auction.
The Marquis of Dingyuan? In Bai Zheng's mind, the image of the man with a pale face but irresistible elegance that she had seen just now emerged again.
There seemed to be a very faint medicinal fragrance on the man, or rather, in that private room.
A medicinal fragrance that Bai Zheng felt very familiar with but couldn't remember where she had smelled it before.
"Five thousand taels!" Feng Jingyi beside her suddenly raised his bidding card and signaled the servant beside him to shout.
Jizhen Tower fell into a brief silence. But soon, a voice came from the third floor: "Five thousand and one taels."
Feng Jingyi's face turned pale instantly.
Bai Zheng came back to her senses. She looked at Feng Jingyi and then at the room where the voice came from. As if thinking of something, she asked, "Is that the Third Prince?"
Feng Jingyi nodded.
Bai Zheng smiled and comforted him, "Although His Highness the Fifth Prince may not get what he wants, I think the Third Prince may not be able to obtain the Phoenix Sound Qin today either."
As if to prove Bai Zheng's words, a voice immediately came from the other side of the third floor: "Five thousand and five hundred taels."
Feng Jingyi suddenly raised his head and looked at the direction of the voice in surprise.
It was the Crown Prince!
Bai Zheng smiled. After all, she had just pointed out that the reason the Chu family was framed by someone with ulterior motives was that someone wanted to smear Feng Jingye. Feng Jingye must be very angry with Feng Jingxuan at this moment.
I'm afraid that from now on, Feng Jingye will compete with Feng Jingxuan to the end for anything that Feng Jingxuan wants.
Jizhen Tower fell silent again. The price of five thousand taels had reached a high point. Many people could only sigh at the qin.
Until the auctioneer downstairs struck the hammer again, no more sound came from Feng Jingxuan's room.
The beautiful woman walked forward again, covered the Phoenix Sound Qin with the red velvet cloth, and then held the qin in both hands and walked towards the third floor.
After this, Feng Jingyi had completely lost interest in participating in the auction. He lowered his head and sipped his tea on his own, ignoring the new treasures on display below.
Bai Zheng watched a few auctions with great interest, and then her gaze couldn't help but stop on the room that had never participated in the auction.
Where on earth had she smelled that medicinal fragrance? Was it during so many chemical experiments in her previous life, or was it from Bai Zheng's previous memories? Or was this so - called familiarity just an illusion?
"What are you looking at?" Feng Jingyi suddenly walked beside her and looked in the direction of Bai Zheng's gaze. "Are you looking at Young Master Song's room?"
Bai Zheng was startled by his sudden voice, but her expression remained unchanged. She just smiled and said, "I'm just wondering. Since Young Master Song is rich, why doesn't he participate in any of these auctions?"
"Precisely because he has seen so many good things, these ordinary treasures don't catch his eye." Feng Jingyi sat back in his seat and replied calmly.
"I think not only Young Master Song but also his friend beside him hasn't participated in today's excitement. It must also be because they've seen so many good things. Sure enough, rich people are always surrounded by other rich people." Bai Zheng said with emotion.
Feng Jingyi's gaze swept across Bai Zheng's face: "Miss Bai, don't you recognize the Marquis of Dingyuan?"
Bai Zheng suddenly realized: "The Marquis of Dingyuan? So that's it. Just now, Your Highness did address that young master like that in the private room. But that young master seems to be in rather poor health?"
Feng Jingyi nodded, and a faint trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.
Bai Zheng sighed, "It's really a pity. The Marquis of Dingyuan looks so young, but his health is already so poor."
Feng Jingyi lowered his head. The candlelight cast a shadow on his face, making it hard to see his expression at this moment.
A silk screen separated the noisy voices outside. The room fell into silence, only the crackling sound of the burning candle wick could be heard.
Just when Bai Zheng thought Feng Jingyi wouldn't speak, she heard his hoarse and hesitant voice.
"I originally thought that everyone in Yongding City knew about him."