Chapter 48 What was he thinking? What was she thinking?

Jin Suiqing's eyes widened in surprise: "What's going on? Isn't this my job?"

Who is this guy in the West Chambers, and how did he end up going up against Huang Tufeng? This is clearly her script! The drama queen Jin Suiqing suddenly realized that she seemed to have lost her job. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, trying to find out who this guy in the West Chambers was.

Unfortunately, the screen was of such high quality that it was impossible to see anything. Jin Suiqing was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. In order to complete the task, he could only take a break during the fight between the two to raise his sign. However, before the abbot could even make a bid, it was suppressed by the west room.

“The west wing…the west wing room is three hundred taels…” the abbot gasped, “Three hundred and five taels…the west wing room raised its sign twice, three hundred and fifteen taels!”

Jin Suiqing didn't know what the item was, but judging from the bidder's expression, it clearly exceeded its intrinsic value.

The price was inflated, and Huang Tufeng in the main hall stopped raising his paddle. The abbot finally caught his breath, having escaped death, and hurriedly rang the bell: "Celadon Arhat Bowl, 315 taels, available in the west wing!"

Jin Suiqing was stunned, thinking to herself, "This battle is too exciting. So this is what a real battle between the rich looks like. Decisive bidding, no hesitation. Should I give the guy opposite me a round of applause?"

Inside the west wing, Jin Shiyu said to the guards beside him, "Bring back the Arhat's Bowl and the White Sparrow Feather Robe."

Since my sister is holding up a sign, she probably likes it. Whether it's something obvious or subtle, I should take it all back to her.

And there were two more things to amuse her. Jin Shiyu thought that if his sister recognized the celadon bowl, he would answer whatever she asked and act out the brother-sister act.

If he doesn't admit it, why would you lie to him and pretend to be stupid?

Jin Shiyu recalled the rainy night at Zhanxing Tower, and tapped his index finger lightly on the table. After a long while, Jin Shiyu suddenly felt thirsty. He straightened up, crossed his legs and put them on his knees, picked up the tea beside him and took a sip.

After clearing his mouth, Kim Shi-ok propped his head up with his hand and stared intently at the figure behind the screen opposite him.

Jin Suiqing felt a chill run down her neck. She reached up and wiped her hand, finding it drenched in sweat. She had to admit that the unclear situation had instilled fear in her, but she still had to grit her teeth and sit in the chair.

It was truly unbearable.

One person in the room was anxious and restless, unable to sit still. Jin Suiqing studied even more intensely and became increasingly curious about who was on the opposite side of the west room? Who was the mastermind behind the singing and dancing party, and why was she being treated so well?

He couldn't think about it too much. The moment he did, cold sweat poured down Jin Suiqing's back. He gritted his teeth and decided to bid on the abandoned mine and leave the upper room immediately. He couldn't stay any longer.

After a short break, the singing and dancing continued.

The battle between Xi Shangfang and Huang Tufeng was fierce and exhilarating, while Jin Suiqing could only occasionally raise his sign in an attempt to fish in troubled waters, but he could not get involved no matter what.

Ultimately, all the items the two had traded were bought by Xi Shangfang at high prices. Jin Suiqing's attempt to fish also seemed to have succeeded. The system indicated that the task was half completed, and Huang Tufeng in the main hall had not yet become suspicious.

Jin Suiqing thought to herself that she was ready to reap the benefits and was just one step away from bidding on the abandoned mine.

Just then, the young novice monk came out carrying the Diamond Sutra peace plaque. The abbot was almost fainting when he saw it. He waved his hand and told the young novice monk to read the introductory text himself.

The young novice finished reciting the text verbatim and said, "The sandalwood Diamond Sutra peace plaque has a starting bid of three thousand taels of silver, with each bid increasing by five hundred taels!"

In an instant, the main hall returned to tranquility.

Most of the bidders knew what the actual items were, but the thing under this peace plaque was anything but peaceful.

An abandoned mine that has been completely mined out, and it is said to be related to Mr. Qin, the owner of Zuixianlou, who died mysteriously ten years ago. It is truly unlucky.

To put it bluntly, setting aside supernatural and superstitious beliefs, this mountain has no mineral resources to mine, and there are a bunch of miners waiting for compensation and resettlement. It's not making money; in fact, it's losing money. Aside from storing grain and soldiers, I really can't think of any other use for it.

Moreover, hoarding grain and soldiers is treason, a capital offense. Three thousand taels for a ruined mountain, and a single misstep could cost you your life; only a fool would buy it.

Not to mention that what follows is the grand finale, which is said to be a sketch of a super sulfur combustion engine. For every photographer present, there are just as many people who came for this sketch. Who would waste time on this dilapidated mountain?

At this moment, no one raised a bidding paddle.

Huang Tufeng kept a close eye on the movements in the west wing, refraining from rashly raising his paddle. Meanwhile, Jin Shiyu in the west wing was watching Jin Suiqing in the east wing. Jin Suiqing didn't raise his paddle because he didn't like it, so Huang Tufeng was naturally uninterested as well.

Jin Suiqing stared at Huang Tufeng, waiting to see when she would raise her sign.

The abbot was also stunned by this situation.

During this auction, the West Chamber and the main hall were locked in a fierce battle of bidders, and the Great Ci'en Temple had already made a fortune. Knowing that this item was tricky, and considering that the final item was yet to be auctioned, he didn't want it to waste too much time. He would personally make up for the loss for His Highness the Crown Prince.

So he stretched out his hand to the young novice, palm down, and pressed it in the air. The young novice understood and announced loudly, "Diamond Sutra Peace Plaque, starting bid two thousand taels of silver, increment five hundred taels per bid!"

Jin Suiqing's eyes lit up; his anxiety had actually decreased! The abandoned mine that originally cost 50,000 taels in the book now only cost 2,000 taels! If not now, when?

She suppressed her emotions and calmly raised her bidding paddle. The young novice monk called out: "East-facing room, two thousand taels."

Jin Suiqing was extremely nervous, fearing that the two would bid against each other again. She stared intently at Huang Tufeng's back, silently chanting, "Please don't raise your paddle, please don't raise your paddle..."

Xi Shangfang is firing on all cylinders; the total value of the items they've auctioned far exceeds the amount of silver spent by the female supporting character in the story. With just a rough calculation, Huang Tufeng should know that Xi Shangfang is no longer able to compete with her for the sketches.

As expected, Huang Tufeng did not move again.

On the other side, Kim Shi-ok didn't move either.

Kim Shi-ok lowered his eyelashes, his long lashes obscuring his pupils, revealing no expression, as if he were somewhat absent-minded.

Two thousand taels is neither a lot nor a little; my sister should be able to afford it. Since no one else is bidding and he doesn't make a move, she can easily get it.

How did such an unremarkable item as a sandalwood Diamond Sutra peace plaque attract the younger sister's attention, making her willing to spend two thousand taels to bid for it?

Could it be that the younger sister knew about the auction items behind the peace plaque, and what attracted her was that abandoned mine?

A sinister glint appeared in Jin Shiyu's eyes, like fine threads wrapping around the east-facing room and entwining the figure behind the gauze screen.

Abandoned mines can be used to store grain and soldiers. If that's the case, could it be that what she wants is the position of empress?

Thinking of this, Jin Shiyu chuckled softly. It wasn't that he was laughing at Jin Suiqing's naive ambition, but rather at himself.

He simply couldn't understand Jin Suiqing, not since he was a child.

His sister's behavior was increasingly beyond his comprehension, presenting him with a completely different person from the dull and simple-minded.

My sister isn't stupid; she's very smart.

She was faking her stupidity, and she did it very well. She had been deceiving him since he was a child, deceiving him for sixteen years, making him seem naive, thinking that he could lock up Jin Suiqing by weaving a comfortable cage.

Jin Shiyu thought ominously that the cage would probably cause even greater harm, a more secure cage, so secure that Jin Suiqing would not be able to live without him.

An abandoned mine is a good prison.

A charge he held in his hands, ready to explode at any moment.

Jin Shiyu thought darkly that if his sister really wanted the position of empress, it wasn't impossible; if she wanted it, he would help her.

Before that, Jin Suiqing must keep him by her side; her brother is her closest support. If Jin Suiqing were to abandon him, he would expose her for secretly owning mines and deceiving the emperor, and forcefully pull her down from her position.

Even a death sentence is no obstacle. Hide her away, abandon everything, take her away, and find a place that can only accommodate the two of you.

Kim Shi-ok thought to himself, "It would be good if we died together."

It is a pity that as siblings, we cannot share a bed in life, but we can share a blood in death. Isn't that a beautiful thing?

He curled his lips into a smile, his fingers twirling on the table, drawing circles upon circles, but he hesitated to raise his hand. After the young novice called out three times, and no one else raised the price, the novice said, "The Diamond Sutra peace plaque, two thousand taels, from the east wing."

Jin Suiqing was overjoyed. She wondered who in the west wing had implicated her and made her take the blame. She would definitely burn some incense and pay her respects to this living bodhisattva!

At this moment, the system also announced: "Task completed."

With the waste ore in hand and the mission accomplished, Jin Suiqing leaped up from the ground, rushed straight to the door, lifted the bolt, and ran away in one swift and fluid motion.

She was in such a hurry that she didn't notice Huang Tufeng suddenly standing up in the main hall. She looked at the east room with slight shock, and it wasn't until the system task notification sounded that Huang Tufeng realized that Jin Suiqing was not in the west room at all.

It seems she was tricked by Jin Suiqing.

Soon, Huang Tufeng sat back down.

Jin Suiqing didn't linger, quickly bought the mine, and left. She didn't suffer any losses; in fact, she benefited from the deal.

Huang Tufeng smiled for a moment, then lowered her head. Since Jin Suiqing knew about the crisis at the abandoned mine, yet still went to great lengths to gamble with her and bid a low price for it, he must have other uses for it. Jin Suiqing was intelligent enough to handle things properly; she didn't need to worry.

Huang Tufeng then looked towards the west-facing room.

She still couldn't understand who was in the west room and what reason they had for opposing her.

What puzzled Huang Tufeng even more was that the figure in the west room also disappeared along with Jin Suiqing in the east room.

*

Jin Shiyu pushed open the door and left the west wing.

If his guess is correct, his sister, who aspires to the Empress's position and knows the truth about the Song and Clothing Association, should want both of the last two items in the auction. The abandoned mines hold military provisions, while the blueprints could be used to try and master the super sulfur-burning engine, gaining control over the production of special magical weapons.

Even for the younger sister's ambitions, the sketches should be far more important than the abandoned mine.

Even if Jin Shiyu knew the sketch was fake, as long as Jin Suiqing wanted it, he would bid on it without blinking, even if it cost an exorbitant price.

But Jin Suiqing bought the abandoned mine and ran away.

They just ran away without looking back!

Jin Shiyu's cheeks tightened. The control he had just established was completely shattered by Jin Suiqing's clueless behavior; he thought he knew what his sister was thinking, but Jin Suiqing proved one thing with her actions.

Jin Shiyu could never figure out Jin Suiqing.

What is she thinking?

Jin Shiyu walked swiftly through the quiet corridor adorned with Buddhist banners. Along the way, she smiled gently and politely asked several monks, gesturing to her chest with her hand, "Have you ever seen a girl this tall pass by?"

The monks all shook their heads. One monk asked, and Jin Shiyu smiled and said, "It's my younger sister. She's a bit mischievous and had a little tantrum with me. We got separated. I'm troubling you, masters, to help me. If you find her, please bring her back to me."

As he grew older, his deep temperament took on a whimsical quality, so much so that even the monks who had left the world were fooled by his face. They genuinely believed he was an older brother worried about his missing sister and hurriedly put down their work to help him search for her.

After searching for a long time, there was still no news. The next time I heard from her, it was after the fashion show had ended, and Jin Suiqing had even paid off her bid and taken the peace charm.

Jin Shiyu couldn't help but sneer. It seemed that his sister not only ran fast, but also chose a very tricky route.

She disappeared right under our noses again. Just how good is she at escaping?

With other matters to attend to, Jin Shiyu had no choice but to put things aside for the time being. Once the singing and dancing event was over, he decisively handed it over to others and quickly left Da Ci'en Temple through the back door. Jin Shiyu refused the rhinoceros-horn carriage, borrowed a spirited horse from the imperial guards, mounted it, and spurred it on, heading towards the Jin family home.

He thought to himself, if he couldn't catch her in the act, how about he went home, kidnapped her, pinned her to the corner of the bed, and interrogated her with those auctioned items?

He had long since grown tired of the old tricks of brotherly affection and sisterly respect.

Jin Shiyu felt as if her chest was on fire, making her breathing increasingly rapid, but she did not expect to hear a shout from behind her.

Jin Shiyu was taken aback, then suddenly tightened the reins. The spirited horse trotted a few steps in place before turning its head in a different direction.

Jin Suiqing was seen cradling various scriptures in his arms and clutching a peace token worth two thousand taels of silver in his hand, pitifully squatting beside the stone lion at the back gate.

Jin Suiqing squatted on the ground, blinking her big eyes at him, looking adorably naive, and said as if she were aggrieved, "Brother, I've been waiting for you for so long, my legs are numb and I can't stand up, come and hug me."

As the setting sun cast a golden-red glow, Jin Shiyu's burning body suddenly cooled, and he shuddered.

Jin Suiqing didn't run away; she stayed here and waited for him.

Author's note: This week's 7,000 words are finished, so I'll be giving away ten small red envelopes.