This time, she was searching for treasures in her capacity as the deputy head of the Hundred Flowers Sect of the Free and Unfettered Sect.
And the employer turned out to be her stepmother, Madam Lu.
"I want to see what tricks the Lu family is up to!"
The auction was held in the central hall of Zuixiang Pavilion and was only open to select VIP guests of the hotel.
"Young Master Junlan, Young Master Qiao, this way please!"
Led by the servant, the two slowly walked into the center of the auction hall.
The auction items were displayed on the table, including hairpins, jewelry, and exquisite jade artifacts.
Gu Qianluo's gaze swept around, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and she saw a familiar figure appear.
In the VIP seat opposite, there was Gu Zichen. What was he doing here?
Gu Zichen, dressed in a dark green robe, sat upright in the host's seat opposite him.
The person next to him was the manager of Zuixiang Pavilion. The two were chatting happily and seemed to have a good relationship.
"Drunken Fragrance Pavilion is really lively today! Even Young Master Gu has come!" Gu Qianlu said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Qiao'er brushed her feather fan across her face and whispered in Gu Qianluo's ear,
"I've heard that today's treasures are all stolen goods that bandits from all over the world have found."
The person in charge of collecting the stolen goods turned out to be the second young master of the Gu family in Beijing.
This is an open secret, just kept quiet.
I see!
It had been a year since they last met, and Gu Zichen had become much bolder. He even dared to get involved in the business of selling stolen goods.
A glint of light flashed in Gu Qianluo's eyes; another condition had been added to trip up the Lu family.
At 2:45 PM, the auction officially began.
The servants of Zuixiang Pavilion placed each auction item on a plate and handed them to the guests one by one.
Gu Qianlu's gaze swept over the treasures on the stage, and a beautifully carved jade vessel came into view.
She frowned, her gaze following the jade vessel. "So similar, is it, or isn't it?"
"Junlan? Have you noticed anything?"
"That jade goblet you just saw resembles the item Madam Lu is looking for. How about we bid on it?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao'er quickly opened the blueprints and carefully examined the jade cup held in the servant's hands, her eyes moving up and down.
"They are somewhat similar!"
"Auspicious jade goblet, 30 taels of silver!" the servant announced.
"50 taels of silver!" Gu Qianluo said loudly.
"60 taels of silver!" A shopkeeper next to me called out.
"It's just an ordinary jade goblet; 60 taels of silver is really not worth it!"
"Exactly! 60 taels of silver can buy two bottles!"
Those around her teased that the jade goblet wasn't worth the price, but Gu Qianluo raised the price.
"80 taels of silver!"
Upon hearing this, a roar erupted from the crowd below the stage, making the entire Drunken Fragrance Pavilion even more lively.
After Gu Qianlu raised the price, no one else raised it.
Finally, she got the jade goblet as she wished.
Gu Zichen raised his eyes, and when his gaze met Gu Qianluo's, his expression suddenly darkened.
Just as she returned to her room, the senior brother from the Quick Blade Sect came looking for Qiao'er.
Fortunately, Gu Qianluo had time to deal with the jade vessel matter.
"Don't worry, Qiao'er, I will definitely be able to open this jade cup!" Gu Qianluo said firmly.
"Junlan! There's something important I need to help with at the Quick Blade Sect, I'll head over there first!"
Gu Qianlu smiled faintly and carried the box containing the jade goblet towards the side room.
Upon returning to her room, Gu Qianluo opened the outer protective cloth of the jade vessel and discovered that it was locked in a mahogany box with a lock.
Gu Qianlu was right; these were the dowry items pawned from the Marquis's mansion—an elephant and a jade goblet.
Gu Qianlu remembered that this jade goblet was sent by her maternal grandmother's family when she came of age.
The inside of this jade vessel is actually hollow. Gu Qianluo once heard her maternal grandmother say that there was a treasure map hidden inside the jade vessel, containing treasures that were more valuable than a country.
The fact that the Lu family is so eager to find this item suggests that it is for a treasure map.
Gu Qianluo's brow twitched slightly as she searched her memory for the hidden poem lock, slowly turning the lock's core.
"Two elephants bring good fortune! Open!"
With a click, the lock slowly opened, revealing the true forms of the elephant and the jade vessel.
Gu Qianluo raised the jade cup and saw that the sides of the two jade elephants were smooth and lustrous, crystal clear.
She lit a candle and peered into the jade vessel using the light as a guide.
A map was indeed drawn on the bottom of the jade vessel, but since the map was only the size of a thumb, it was not very clear to the naked eye.
In desperation, she used a mud rubbing method to make the map appear on paper.
“Huaizhou! The shape of this map does indeed resemble the territory of Huaizhou.”
"This jade goblet must not fall into the hands of the Lu family."
With her thoughts settled, Gu Qianluo left a note.
They changed into black and red night clothes and left under the cover of darkness.
The next morning, a man dressed in a black and red fitted robe, clutching a gold hairpin tightly in his hand, rushed into the room.
"Junlan! I've found the Phoenix Hairpin!"
The door was opened, but the room was empty.
The agreed-upon three-month period is about to expire.
Qiao'er picked up a piece of paper from the table and read it carefully. "I'm going away for three days! Don't worry about me!"
"Why are you speaking in riddles now? Alright! I'll wait for you here for the next few days. Junlan!"
In a jade shop on the outskirts of the capital, Gu Qianluo was sitting upright to one side.
"Boss! How long will it take you to finish? I'll come pick it up in three days."
"Alright!" the jade shop owner replied casually, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
The mold for the jade vessel was left to the jade shop owner, and Gu Qianluo finally felt relieved.
Before the replica jade goblet was completed, she quickly carried the elephant and the jade goblet back to the Xiaoyao Sect and hid them in a storage box in the side room.
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