Chapter 232 - Chapter 232 The Forbidden City Speaks! You Are Not Qualified to Bid on This! (4)
Chapter 232 - Chapter 232 The Forbidden City Speaks! You Are Not Qualified to Bid on This! (4)
Chapter 232 The Forbidden City Speaks! You Are Not Qualified to Bid on This! (4)
“Get lost! This is Shengjing Museum’s turn, you’re just here to create a ruckus!”
“Hahaha, I knew it, even the aerospace people can’t resist this!”
Lin Yide saw the intense bidding and stood up to address the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, our Jiangnan Museum may not be as wealthy as those from Shanghai or the Forbidden City, but we know our limits. We have already secured a jade bowl, and now we only wish to obtain 2 volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia. Please be considerate and do not fight over this!”
“ONLY 2 volumes?”
!!
“You might as well say that you want 200 volumes then!”
“Now that the hospitals have suddenly shown interest, there’s no hope for the 8 medical volumes… Only 12 volumes remain!”
“That’s right! We’ll give you 1 at most!”
“Haha, we won’t even give you one. Who will visit your museum anyway?”
“Shanghai has a large population!”
“Our capital city also has a large population!”
Lin Yide was left with no choice but to settle for 1 volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia, as the hospitals had unexpectedly entered the competition. It seemed his plan was bound for failure, and he was bound to be scolded upon returning. But what could he do? Predicting the enemy’s moves was not his forte, as he was no Zhuge Liang.
In the end, the volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia detailing the ancient cold weapon forging techniques was sold for 150 million to the representatives from the Guangdi Museum. Soon after, the third volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia was unveiled, which featured ancient ceramic techniques, including the still-lost “secret color porcelain” technique. The secret color porcelain was a simple technique, similar to blue and white porcelain. The Tang Dynasty poet Lu Guimeng had written about secret color porcelain in his poem “Secret Color Yue Vessel,” describing its vibrant green color.
The secret color porcelain was produced by the Yue Kiln and was commissioned by King Qian Liu of the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was a type of porcelain made exclusively for the royal family. As is commonly known, items used by the royal family are either of the highest quality or utterly unique. The production techniques and formulas for secret color porcelain were unique and inaccessible to the common folk, making it a truly exclusive item. However, the Wuyue Kingdom did not last long, and not long after its demise, no one saw the secret color porcelain again. It was not until 1987 that 13 pieces of Yue Kiln green porcelain were discovered in the underground palace of Famen Temple in Shaanxi, among which was a piece of secret color porcelain. This piece was a unique find, as its techniques and formulas had long been lost.
“Everyone must understand the importance of this item. My suggestion is to start the bidding at 120 million!” said Qin Rubing.
Eventually, the volume was sold to the West River Museum for 200 million, as they had Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital, under their wing. With the government’s strong support, they managed to secure the valuable piece. Of course, it was a high price for a single volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia. The regular ones usually went for just over 100 million, with the cheapest being around 90 million.
After an hour, 19 volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia had been auctioned off, leaving only the last one.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you all are looking forward to the final volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia, detailing the analysis of the locations of Zhuge Liang’s and Genghis Khan’s tombs,” the auctioneer said. “Unfortunately, I have just received a phone callfrom the Forbidden City in the capital! I cannot reveal who it was specifically, but they offered to buy it for 500 million! So, I am sorry to say that this item is no longer available for auction!”
Upon hearing Luo Feng’s announcement, the entire audience was stunned. The museum representatives were all displeased, but no one dared to complain. After all, a phone call from the Forbidden City indicated the high importance of the situation. Such a text containing earth-shattering secrets was not suitable for display in a museum. Of course, if Luo Feng had been more greedy, the government might have paid even 1 billion for it, but that was unnecessary.
“My goodness, even the people from the Forbidden City are involved?”
“Wow, Luo Feng really has some connections!”
“Yeah, that’s incredible!”
The female celebrities present were dumbfounded. The figures inside the Forbidden City were so influential that even their entertainment company bosses would not have the privilege to interact with them. Among the attendees, perhaps only Long Jianfei would qualify to know those individuals.
“Wow, Old Luo! Did you take care of this while you were in the restroom earlier?”
“You’re amazing, Old Luo!”
“What’s their phone number? Can you give it to me?”
“Get lost! Even if you knew their number, your father wouldn’t dare to make the call. Do you believe me?”
“Hahaha! Yeah, my dad wouldn’t dare!”
“Who could it be from the Forbidden City?”
“Old Luo, can you give us a hint?” Luo Feng smiled mysteriously, before answering “I’m sorry, everyone. I cannot reveal someone from the top 10 figures!”
“Someone from the top 10 figures!”
“That’s amazing!”
“Do you have their number now?”
“Will they contact you again in the future?” Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Luo Feng pursed his lips, “Hmm, they said they would keep an eye on me and encouraged me to keep treasure hunting!”
“They told you to keep treasure hunting?”
“Wow!”
“Yeah, if it weren’t for you, these treasures might have remained hidden for who knows how many more years!”