Chapter 307: The Imperial Jade Seal! Starting Bid: 12 Billion! (3)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Feng was truly speechless.
This was a national treasure. One that has already been appraised at that, and yet, they are still trying to purchase it? Were they out of their damned minds?
Of course, their plan was likely to purchase it through back-alley channels, promising to help Luo Feng emigrate, thinking that he was quite naive. Once there, they would provide him with the most beautiful wives, along with the benefit of marrying several of them at once.
Adding all these factors together. Perhaps Luo Feng could be persuaded to sell the Imperial Jade Seal to them in private. However, since no such conditions had been offered, Luo Feng flat-out refused them.
Qin Rubing ate her meal heartily, not at all repulsed by Luo Feng’s cursing earlier. Instead, she felt especially refreshed. She patted her belly and said, “I’m full, but Luo Feng, there may be an epic battle coming up next, more exciting than anything we’ve seen in the past few days!”
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of museum staff who haven’t eaten yet, but are on their phones, probably applying for funding!” Luo Feng nodded and continued, “Some museums are even trying to get others to back out of the auction, offering artifacts in exchange, but it seems they couldn’t agree and have started arguing. It’s funny cause these bunch of scholars, who don’t usually use profanity, are constantly throwing around words like ‘shameless scoundrels’ and ‘spineless dogs.”‘
As Luo Feng said this, Qin Rubing and Li Shishi burst into laughter, as did the other wealthy individuals. My goodness, were they trying to emulate Zhuge Liang? Of course, they weren’t using Zhuge Liang’s exact phrases like “shameless scoundrel.” Just something similar. Luo Feng had intentionally said this to make everyone laugh.
“That’s nothing. Something even more unbelievable happened. One museum impersonated a local official from another museum’s jurisdiction — in other words, they pretended to be their superior and told them not to bid on the Imperial Jade Seal! Once the truth came out, another argument ensued!”
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed speechlessly. Was it really necessary? Had they resorted to undercover tactics?
“I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be kidnapped when I leave later. The entire world’s eyes are on this Imperial Jade Seal.” Qin Rubing pouted, making a rare joke. After all, these past few days had been quite enjoyable.
“That won’t do. If you’re kidnapped, who will help me host the auction?” Luo Feng shook his head.
“Yes, I feel quite proud of myself. This auction is quite important to me.” Qin Rubing said arrogantly, then asked, “Luo Feng, are we going to Qinling again after this? I did say I wanted to go treasure hunting with you.”
“Of course, why not? We’ve only explored a small part of Qinling. There’s a vast expanse of mountains waiting for us to discover more treasures!” Luo Feng finished his last bite of food and put down his chopsticks. Li Shishi, on the other hand, had prepared a bowl of sour plum soup.
“But Luo Feng, I have to warn you about something. After the auction, you’d better run!” Qin Rubing seemed to have thought of something and said, “Because many wealthy people from Hong Kong and Shanghai want to build villas and would like to consult you about the fengshui of the land. I think you’ll be blocked!”
Luo Feng was speechless. Lately, there had been many people asking for his help with such matters.
Half an hour later. The conference room gradually filled up with people.
“They’re here!”
“At last, the moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived!”
“The moment we will witness history is upon us!”
“Holy crap! Old Li, you’re still in the restroom, and it has already begun! Hurry to the conference room!”
Unexpectedly, this time, the auction for the Imperial Jade Seal was livestreamed. The officials had even consulted with Luo Feng and chose to stream the event live rather than broadcasting a recorded video. The auction for the other artifacts would be broadcasted the following day. But the Imperial Jade Seal? It was livestreamed directly, which made the netizens who had been waiting for days incredibly excited. The livestream’s popularity skyrocketed, exceeding 50 million viewers, and more people were still pouring in. It was an unstoppable momentum.
“I wonder which museum will acquire the Imperial Jade Seal this time,” said Li Shishi as she sat backstage with Luo Feng and others, becoming increasingly excited.
“Who knows? In any case, I think any of the three major museums could get it!” “Even so… It seems like a tall task for them too!”
Thinking back to the people who had been sneaking around the venue during the past few days, Luo Feng contemplated that if they were thieves, they would not have been allowed in by the security personnel. Their identities must have been more than ordinary.
“Mr. Lin Yide, how much budget do you have this time?”
“Not much, just a mere 10 billion!”
“Sun Daozhen? How much does your Shanghai Museum have?”
“What about you, Elder Long?”
“I also have one billion more, so that makes it 12 billion!”
In the front row of the conference room, representatives from various museums began to exchange words. It was clear that they were all cunning old foxes, unwilling to reveal their true intentions.
“Everyone, please be quiet!” Qin Rubing cleared her throat and called out, and the room immediately fell silent.
Then, under the watchful eyes of twenty soldiers who formed a protective circle, a long table equipped with wheels was slowly pushed forward. The soldiers stood guard around the table, armed with real weapons. Seeing this formidable display, the wealthy individuals below gasped.
With previous artifacts, regardless of their value, only a few soldiers had stood guard after they were brought on stage. But this time? A total of twenty soldiers had stood before them! It was truly extraordinary!
“Bestowed by Heaven, blessed with eternal, long-lasting prosperity!” Qin Rubing’s opening remarks consisted of just these eight simple words. However, they were enough to make everyone in the room shiver.
“The Imperial Jade Seal, also known as the ‘Imperial Seal,’ is the emperor’s seal.
It measures four inches in diameter, with five dragons intertwined on the top.
The front is engraved with the eight seal script characters, ‘Bestowed by Heaven, blessed with eternal, long-lasting prosperity,’ symbolizing the legitimacy of the emperor’s rule. According to legend, it was created by the Qin Dynasty Prime Minister Li Si at the command of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Some say it was made from Lantian jade, others claim it was carved from the He Shi Bi jade disk. It served as the credential for Chinese emperors of successive generations. After the Qin Dynasty, emperors from various dynasties have fought for this seal as a divine treasure. Possession of the seal symbolized being ‘bestowed by Heaven,’ while losing it indicated the ‘end of one’s destiny.’ Those who ascended the throne without possessing the seal were mocked as
‘whiteboard emperors,’ appearing weak and disdained by the people.”
“Throughout the ages, those who sought the throne fought fiercely for this seal. The Imperial Jade Seal changed hands repeatedly over more than two thousand years, traveling through the lands of China. It would appear and disappear mysteriously, eventually vanishing without a trace, leaving people to lament its loss.”
“The Imperial Jade Seal could be described with one phrase: the shared treasure of the world! Its value was immense, both in terms of historical significance and its material composition.. Nothing could compare to it! After extensive discussions among numerous experts, it was agreed upon that the starting bid for the Imperial Jade Seal should be no less than 12 billion!”
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