I roughly understood that even overseas, roughly during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Age of Exploration, electricity was still a long way off.
Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was somewhat relieved, but she still had to go into the auction house.
"Young lady, this glass is extraordinary. It's highly prized by scholars and literati. If you're looking for a gift, this is the perfect choice." The woman tried to sell it again.
Ye Panjiu raised an eyebrow and selected two cups. "Wrap these two up."
Heng Tong rarely raised his finger and pointed, "Wrap this up too."
She seemed to like it.
Ye Panjiu turned to look at her, "Finally, I have something to give you."
After spending a total of one hundred taels of silver, the woman led the two men toward a small house.
She turned the vase by the wall. "Please, miss."
A wall slowly opened, revealing a staircase with hanging lights.
Ye Panjiu lifted her foot and walked down, and Heng Tong tensed up all over.
After climbing two flights of stairs, the view suddenly opened up before me.
It turns out that the auction venue was built below the main hall, arranged in a circular pattern, with individual booths separated by fine gauze.
An auction was taking place on stage, with the sound of pipa music coming from the two corners.
Ye Panjiu chose a private room nearby and sat down.
Heng Tong sat down next to her, feeling more relaxed.
"This ambergris is different from the one displayed upstairs; it's the finest, a royal item. This box contains two taels, starting bid at five hundred taels of silver!"
Ye Panjiu was speechless; all her savings could only buy a little over two boxes.
"One hundred taels of gold!"
"Two hundred taels of gold!"
"Five hundred taels of gold!" At this announcement, no one else bid.
Everyone looked in that direction.
Wang Yichun, with his large pregnant belly, walked out of the private room and leaned against the railing. "Ever since I smelled this fragrance in the Imperial Study, I have never been able to forget it! To have it again today is truly delightful!"
He then burst into laughter.
No one dared to utter a word.
Then, several more such high-quality treasures were auctioned off, and Wang Yichun bought half of them.
Ye Panjiu simply watched quietly.
In just one auction, Wang Yichun threw away a thousand taels of gold, equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver.
After the auction ended, some people left in a hurry, while others stayed behind, unwilling to reveal their identities.
Ye Panjiu remained there. Based on the information she had gathered, she had a question: Hai Le Zhai and Hai Zhen Ge should all be the private property of Jiang Le'an. Just how much did Jiang Le'an collude with the Wang family?
She wanted to make a judgment based on this auction and what she saw next.
Wang Yichun hasn't left yet.
When about 90% of the people had left and there was no one else left, Ye Panjiu stood up and walked towards the stairs.
She walked very lightly.
Turn your head and look carefully.
At this moment, a young man who looked to be in his thirties walked out from behind the auction stage.
A group of young women followed behind him.
They all looked to be under twenty.
They all had iron chains around their necks and were completely naked.
Ye Panjiu stared in shock, but made no sound.
She recognized the young man as Jiang Le'an.
Heng Tong's aura grew increasingly cold; she could hardly hold it in any longer.
After following Ye Panjiu into Yangzhou, she witnessed too many of these hellish scenes, and filled with indignation, she wished she could rush out and kill them all.
We are all human beings, so why are these people's lives treated as worthless as grass? Why are they trampled and humiliated like this?
Ye Panjiu turned his head back, took her hand, and gently shook his head.
A small act of impatience can ruin a great deal.
What she wanted was for the Wang family to be wiped out completely, their blood spilled in the city, not to be imprisoned and exiled to continue being local tyrants.
The young man bowed and said, "Lord Wang, this is the latest batch of trained goods. It hasn't been sent to the capital yet. Is there anything you like, sir?"
Yangzhou's "slender horses" have been famous since ancient times, and he experienced their benefits to the fullest.
Wang Yichun grinned wickedly, stood up and walked out of the private room, reaching out to pinch and touch all over.
"Tsk tsk tsk, not bad, the skin is so smooth, even smoother than the brocade that was presented as tribute the other day, not bad, not bad, how is the training in other aspects?"
Jiang Le'an gave the woman a wink, and the woman, covered in bruises and red marks, immediately knelt down, crawled toward Wang Yichun, and kissed Wang Yichun's shoes.
Wang Yichun lowered his head and stroked the woman's head, "Good, very good!"
He pulled the man up by the chain, held him in his arms, and said, "My father's sixtieth birthday is coming up soon."
Jiang Le'an lowered his head and asked, "Will you send 100,000 taels of birthday tribute this year, just like in previous years?"
Wang Yichun laughed and said, "Hey, look at what Brother Jiang is saying. You only had one giant ship at sea last year, but you already have three this year. Isn't it a bit much to keep following the old practice?"
Jiang Le'an clenched his fists behind his back. "You're right, sir. Then how about 120,000?"
Wang Yichun raised his eyebrows, impatiently shoved the woman to the ground, and slapped her hard across the face. "You blind fool, you're so timid, get out!"
Jiang Le'an quickly waved his hand, and two servants, bowing low, dragged the woman away.
"No, no! Help me! No!"
She cried in great fear.
Ye Panjiu had to pull Heng Tong with all her might to keep her from leaving.
Jiang Le'an gritted his teeth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "My lord, the moon is very round on the fifteenth."
A woman's shrill scream came from behind the auction stage, then fell silent after two screams.
Wang Yichun stood up and patted his belly. "Boss Jiang also understands the old saying, 'The moon is never as round as the moon on the sixteenth.' Alright, I have other matters to attend to. I'll come back to support Boss Jiang another day."
Ye Panjiu quickly pointed upstairs, and the two of them tiptoed upstairs without making a sound.
"My lord, it's getting late. Why don't you have a meal here before you go? Recently, a ship brought back a bottle of fine wine, which was obtained in exchange for two bolts of brocade. It's as red as a pomegranate, and I've been waiting for you, my lord."
Jiang Le'an smiled.
Wang Yichun stopped in his tracks as expected. "I knew there would be something good in Le'an!"
Jiang Le'an waved his hand, "Sir, please."
He led Wang Yichun behind the auction stage.
The area behind was even more luxurious than the front hall, resplendent in gold, with the floor paved with bricks covered in gold leaf.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, one finds a round mahogany table upon which sits a Guanyin statue woven from pure silver wire, showcasing luxurious details everywhere.
Two stemmed glasses were placed on the table, next to a tall, slender glass bottle.
The wine wasn't originally stored in glass bottles, but in wooden barrels, which he found unrefined.
Jiang Le'an picked up the glass bottle and poured wine for Wang Yichun, saying, "Please have a taste, sir."
Just then, the dining hall door opened. "Brother~ Why did you eat without waiting for me~"
A soft, delicate voice rang out, and a woman in a red dress with an extremely alluring figure appeared.
Jiang Le'an's expression changed, and he hurriedly waved his hand, "Get out!"
The woman was startled and quickly turned around and walked away.
Wang Yichun grinned lewdly. "Hey, Le'an, what's the rush? And who is this?"
Jiang Le'an's hands were clenched behind his back, but he could only wave to the woman, "Come back, this is my little sister."
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