"I would like to hear the details!" Lanqin said.
"This incense burner is an antique from the previous dynasty, said to have been used by an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. As you know, Madam, Xuchang is located in the Central Plains, and people from all over the country pass through here. We have many fine things here; it just depends on whether you want them or not," the shopkeeper said.
"Let's take out a few more things to look at." Lanqin stood up and walked to the table to look at the items. Sihua and Shuiling followed her.
"Madam, these are all rare items. You don't even like any of them?" the shopkeeper said.
“This incense burner is quite nice. I would like to take a closer look,” Lanqin said.
Seeing that Lanqin was not revealing her true feelings, the shopkeeper began to have doubts. He was afraid that if he showed Lanqin too much, she would be dazzled.
"Shopkeeper, bring out some good stuff for us to see. Our lady is quite fond of collecting things," Shui Ling said for Lan Qin when she remained silent.
"Very well, then I'll bring out two more items. If Madam doesn't like them, then she can't look at any more," the shopkeeper said.
Lanqin nodded. As the shopkeeper turned to instruct the assistant to bring out a few more antiques, Lanqin carefully examined the items on the table. She picked up the porcelain vase, turned it over to examine the bottom, and noticed that the bottom looked as if it had been scraped.
"Manager, why does the bottom of this bottle look different from the porcelain body? It seems like it was added on later!" Lanqin said. She had plenty of antiques. The Fourth Prince and the palace had given her many gifts, including ornaments in the South Courtyard and items from the Yuanmingyuan Garden—all rare treasures. The items she had just seen were also of good quality; Lanqin could tell they were fine at a glance. But the bottom of this bottle looked strange; it seemed like it had been painted on later.
"That's the biggest flaw of this item. You have excellent taste, Madam. Look at the bottle; it came from the Western Regions. The colors and porcelain-making techniques are something we can't replicate here. If it weren't for the unusual base, the price wouldn't be so low. Madam, if you like it, I can give it to you for three hundred taels," the shopkeeper said.
Lanqin looked at it, nodded and said, "How about one hundred taels for this bottle? If you agree, I'll pay immediately."
Seeing Lanqin's aggressive bargaining, the shopkeeper said helplessly, "Madam's bargaining skills are truly beyond my reach. Very well, let's make a deal today, Madam. This bottle will be sold to you for one hundred taels."
Lanqin nodded and said, "Are there any other things? Let me see them too."
Seeing that Lanqin had already bought the bottle, the shopkeeper hoped even more that she would take a fancy to a few more, so he instructed his assistant to open all the doors of that row of cabinets.
"Madam, please take a look. Please forgive me for not being able to take them all down at once. Please take a look first, and if you find one you like, then you can take it down and examine it more closely," the shopkeeper said.
Lanqin nodded, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the jade cabbage before she pointed towards it.
"Madam, that jade cabbage is truly our shop's prized possession. Madam, you must be certain you want it before I can bring it down for you to see. Because if this thing slips through your fingers, there's no guarantee what will happen. Please forgive me, Madam," the shopkeeper said.
Lanqin nodded and said, "What the shopkeeper said makes sense. Let's take a look at it then. Judging from the quality of the jade, it should be from an old mine in Yunnan. And the craftsmanship is smooth and delicate. It is indeed a fine piece. I wonder how much silver I can offer for this jade cabbage?"
The shopkeeper said, "Madam, you're clearly an expert. You can't haggle over the price of this Jade Cabbage. The asking price for this Jade Cabbage is eight thousand taels. No bargaining."
Lanqin smiled slightly and said, "Shopkeeper, you are indeed honest. In fact, the value of jade is immeasurable. Eight thousand taels is not expensive for such a large jade cabbage. How about this, I will take the porcelain vase back first, and I will leave one hundred taels as a deposit for the jade cabbage, since you refuse to sell it to anyone else. I will go back and talk to my husband, and we will come back tomorrow to pay the rest of the money. What do you think?"
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, the shopkeeper immediately said, "If you don't come tomorrow, then this hundred taels will not be refunded."
Lanqin smiled and said, "The shopkeeper is really good at business. Who can blame me for liking this jade cabbage so much? Then it's a deal."
The shopkeeper immediately had someone put the porcelain bottle into a box, and then asked Lanqin to go to the front to settle the bill.
When Si Hua and Shui Ling saw that Lan Qin really wanted to buy these things, they couldn't help but look at each other.
But Lanqin instructed Sihua, "Then let's get the silver!"
After Si Hua took the silver notes out of her bag, she hesitated and looked at Lan Qin. Seeing that Lan Qin still didn't seem to want to back out, she had no choice but to take out two hundred taels of silver notes as Lan Qin instructed.
Seeing that the business had indeed been successful, the shopkeeper happily packed the porcelain bottle that Lanqin had requested, and then repeatedly reminded Lanqin to come back the next day to order the jade cabbage.
Shui Ling picked up the large box containing the porcelain bottle and, together with Lan Qinsi, was escorted to the door by the shopkeeper.
"Master, are you really going to buy these things like this? What if they're not good?" Shui Ling asked Lan Qin, puzzled.
"Your master has seen so many things with these eyes, and you serve me every day, so you've seen plenty of good things too. But didn't you notice that while everything in this shop is of good quality, something's not quite right?" Lanqin said this only after she had taken Sihua and Shuiling a distance away.
"I don't think the items in this shop are fake; they are indeed very good. But I have a question: why doesn't the owner just open an antique shop? Why does he put up writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in the front hall to make it look like he's selling the Four Treasures of the Study? Who knew he had so many antiques for sale today?" Si Hua said.
“What Si Hua thought is exactly what I thought. They probably have their own circles. On the surface, they sell writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but in reality, they sell antiques. That kind of thing doesn’t seem fake,” Lan Qin said.
"Master, what are you suspicious about?" Shui Ling asked.
"Anyway, I find it very strange. Let's take this thing back and study it first. We'll make a decision tomorrow," Lanqin said.
When the three of them walked out of the entrance to the street, they saw Su Peisheng and Gesang still drinking tea there. Upon seeing them come out, they immediately came to greet them.
"Consort, have you bought something? Is it heavy? Let me carry it for you," Su Peisheng asked.
“It’s not heavy, it’s a porcelain bottle. Master went to a shop that sells inkstones, but ended up with such a big porcelain bottle,” Shui Ling said.
"Master, why didn't you call me when you bought this? I was so worried you'd get ripped off!" Su Peisheng said anxiously as soon as he heard that Lanqin had bought antiques.
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