LINLANG PAVILION'S AUCTION was famous. As their name spread, many pawnshops and jewelry stores imitated them and put on their own auctions using various gimmicks. Unfortunately, none could compare to the wealth and scale of Linlang Pavilion. An invitation to Linlang Pavilion's auction was rarer and more precious than gold. Many regarded them as a status symbol, and receiving one was considered a great honor.
If Feng Xiao wanted an invitation, he had no problem obtaining one even without flaunting his identity—but others treasured what might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. On this occasion, there were more than a few first-time attendees. They immediately quieted down when they saw the auctioneer appear.
"Esteemed guests, today is the final day of the auction. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us; Linlang Pavilion has been honored by your presence. Now, we know everyone is waiting eagerly. Without further ado, we present our first item."
The auctioneer didn't strain to be heard; his voice effortlessly resonated across the entire space. Though the special design of the atrium was a factor, he was likely also a master of internal cultivation. Linlang Pavilion was a grand enterprise and would naturally attract outside envy. It was no surprise that they'd hired martial artists from all over to oversee the auction.
As the man's last words rang out, a beautiful maid came forward and presented a tray draped in golden silk. Two young waiters, one on either side, whisked the cloth away to reveal a bronze wine vessel.
"This wine vessel was used by Duke Huan of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. Three characters are inscribed on the base of the vessel, which prove the owner's identity. This item has been appraised and judged genuine by Dong Yang-xiansheng10 of Linlang Pavilion. The starting price is ten thousand coppers, and we'll do the final call thrice. Let us begin!"
The maid pulled on a rope and the bell rang again. Someone called, "Eleven thousand coppers!"
"Twelve thousand!"
"Thirteen thousand!"
Once the bidding started, noise in the hall swelled. Soon, someone called out a costly bid of thirty thousand.
It wasn't that any of them were particularly interested in the bronze wine vessel in itself. Most treasures from Linlang Pavilion would at least double in value once purchased. Even if the buyer didn't sell the item and instead gave it out as a gift, all they needed to say was, "verified by Dong Yang-xiansheng from Linlang Pavilion," and the recipient would be suitably impressed.
"Who was the one who bid thirty thousand?" Feng Xiao asked Cui Buqu with great curiosity. He didn't participate in the bidding—he was far more interested in the bidders. And he was sure Cui Buqu would know the answer.
As expected, Cui Buqu said, "The bidder's name is Leng Du, the adopted son of the chief helmsman of the Nine Guilds of Water Transport. Recently, Chief Helmsman Ning Shewo gifted a rare beauty to the emperor of Southern Chen, Chen Shubao. She won Chen Shubao's favor, and he dotes on her. It seems she pleased Chen Shubao so much he handed a portion of the south's canal transport market to Ning Shewo. Leng Du likely intends this wine vessel as a gift. Chen Shubao is the mighty emperor himself, so he'd see such a trinket as beneath him—the gift might instead be for one of Chen Shubao's attendants. I suspect he was determined to obtain this item, perhaps because he knew bidding wouldn't be as fierce for the first one."
The Nine Guilds of Water Transport weren't a single entity, but, as the name suggested, a conglomeration of nine. Within the southern martial arts circles, they were a force none could afford to underestimate. Among the nine guilds, the Jinhuan Guild held the greatest power, and this Ning Shewo, as their leader, was elected chief helmsman.
Ning Shewo was an ambitious man. Under his management, the Nine Guilds of Water Transport had risen quickly, transforming with unstoppable momentum from a medium-sized business alliance into the leader of Jiangnan's martial arts circles.
Though it was trivial for the Jiejian Bureau to investigate whomever they wished, it was ultimately more convenient to bring Cui Buqu along. He had every story and figure of the jianghu committed to memory and could rattle off anyone's background and motives with a moment's thought. Even Pei Jingzhe was in awe of his abilities; he privately thought the Zuoyue Bureau was indeed full of talent.
By the time Cui Buqu finished speaking, the final call for the bronze wine vessel had gone out and Leng Du had claimed the item. All had gone as Cui Buqu predicted.
Cui Buqu had always been a pale and sickly person, and the collar of his thick coat was pulled up so high it obscured almost half his face. The mere sight of him slumped in his seat elicited a sympathetic wave of fatigue, yet when he spoke, it was with the clear confidence of a seasoned strategist. Listeners couldn't help but believe him.
Feng Xiao clapped his hands in praise. "A-Cui really is amazing. Out of the masses here, only you possess any flicker of brilliance—I'll give you three out of ten."
Cui Buqu pressed his lips together, refusing to respond.
But Feng Xiao wouldn't be denied. He said, "Why don't you ask me where the remaining seven points are?"
"Even without asking, I already know," Cui Buqu said icily.
Feng Xiao smiled. "It seems that you think the same—as they say, heroes are of one mind. Seven-tenths of the world's brilliance already belongs to me. Thus the remaining three-tenths goes to you!"
Cui Buqu rolled his eyes in answer.
Pei Jingzhe asked curiously, "Does Ning Shewo have no children by birth?"
Shaking his head, Cui Buqu answered, "Ning Shewo and his wife have been married nineteen years, but they were never blessed with a child. They adopted Leng Du and treat him as their son by birth. Ning Shewo has already made it known that he'll retire next year. Barring any last-minute surprises, the position of Jinhuan Guild's leader should go to Leng Du. But Leng Du is young yet; even the pressure of managing the Jinhuan Guild is too much for him. How the situation will develop remains to be seen."
Pei Jingzhe listened to these remarks as he might to marketplace rumors, smiling but paying them little mind. To him, the feuds of the jianghu lay too far to the south and were merely the internal trivialities of this or that guild—they had little to do with the north, or Great Sui.
Cui Buqu seemed to sense his thoughts. He said evenly, "If the emperor wishes to invade Chen, he must cross the river southward; transportation by water will become vitally important. Should that time come, surely dividing these guilds from within and allowing chaos to break out is superior to seeing the Nine Guilds of Water Transport assist the Southern dynasty against Great Sui?"
Feng Xiao smiled but said nothing; he'd already thought that far ahead.
But Pei Jingzhe had no such insight. He was stunned and cupped his hands toward Cui Buqu. "Ah, I see now!"
Pei Jingzhe's first impression of Cui Buqu had been that the man couldn't go more than a handful of words without coughing. Though he'd never said so aloud, he'd inevitably found himself looking down on him. After all, the Jiejian and Zuoyue Bureaus were fundamentally unlike the Three Departments and Six Ministries. These sister agencies moved seamlessly between light and shadow—they had to summit the heights of the court while also walking the vastness of the jianghu. Martial arts weren't a strict necessity, but with no skills at all, it was terrifically difficult to make one's way in martial arts circles where strength was king.
Cui Buqu was an exception. This man was from Liuli Palace and knew the jianghu and its people like the back of his hand, yet he had no martial skill of his own. Even now, though Feng Xiao was currently holding him hostage, he showed no sign of being at a disadvantage in word or action—no hint of flattery, nor pleas for mercy.
Pei Jingzhe felt that, for a person like Cui Buqu, ignorance of martial arts posed no problem. If they could convince this man to work under their deputy chief, the Jiejian Bureau would be like a tiger that'd grown wings.
Next up for auction were two antiques: the zither Luqi, and a sword known as Baihong.
This zither was a famous one, and the sword was also a quality blade. Countless people jumped in with bids. Feng Xiao seemed mildly interested in Luqi and participated in several rounds of bidding. Finally, someone offered three thousand taels of silver to secure the zither. Feng Xiao immediately dropped out—it seemed his interest didn't extend that far.
Cui Buqu watched him give up on the zither halfway though he clearly wanted it, and he couldn't help but shoot him a questioning glance or two.
Feng Xiao caught his look, and his lips quirked up in a smile. "I can let Luqi go; I have a much bigger and better treasure already. Would you like to see it?"
Cui Buqu said nothing. He wasn't usually a person who hesitated to speak. If he wished, his words had the power to strip someone of their dignity and leave them ashen and disgraced. But when it came to dealing with scoundrels like Feng Xiao, he rarely needed to say anything—there had always been someone around to handle such people for him. Now he was like a dragon in shallow waters, temporarily trapped; he had to take action himself to confront Feng Xiao in this war of words. Besides, Cui Buqu was no blushing maiden. Why should he give Feng Xiao the satisfaction of a flustered reaction?
Thus he fell quiet for only a moment before calmly saying, "I'm waiting. Please pull it out."
Feng Xiao clicked his tongue twice and said, "A-Qu, you're too frivolous. Valuable things deserve respect; how could you tell me to pull it out so crudely? You should tell me to present it instead."
"I'm afraid if you do, your treasure will shrink to the size of a finger, and I'll be greatly disappointed."
"I'm talking about a zither," Feng Xiao exclaimed in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
Cui Buqu snorted. "I'm also talking about a zither. Why do you think I'm not?"
Pei Jingzhe couldn't bear to listen to their conversation any longer. He raised his teacup to hide his twitching lips.
Feng Xiao looked at Cui Buqu with an expression that said, Keep it up, I dare you. "And what kind of zither, pray tell, can both grow and shrink?"
"Li Xuanji from Tiangong Workshop has recently invented a folding zither. When fully folded, it's only the size of a palm, but when unfolded, it's the size of a pipa. Feng-langjun is from the Jiejian Bureau. He should know all there is to know in the world, yet he doesn't know this?"
"Although Li Xuanji is a genius craftsman, my zither is certainly finer than his." Feng Xiao smiled. "It's also finer than Luqi. Still, Luqi is a famous zither; even seeing it is a rare joy. If I could borrow this instrument and play it for a few days, I'd be even happier."
"The man who made the winning bid is named Cui Hao. He's the legitimate grandson of the patriarch of the Cui family of Boling, born to his second wife. The eighth day of the next month is his grandfather Cui Yong's birthday. Cui Yong loves the zither more than his life, and he's always loved Cui Hao in the same measure."
The obvious conclusion was that Cui Hao had purchased the zither as a gift for his grandfather.
Several more treasures were presented and quickly auctioned off one by one. Anyone who secured an invitation to Linlang Pavilion didn't lack for money. In fact, publicly purchasing an item was sometimes a method of flaunting one's name and status and stoking one's vanity. These people rushed to bid on the auctioned items no matter how expensive.
Most of the buyers were strangers to Feng Xiao and Pei Jingzhe, but Cui Buqu recited all their details with ease. With the aid of his introductions, Feng Xiao could make a rough determination as to whether or not each person was connected to the case of the missing jade.
Near noon, as the auction reached its halfway point, Linlang Pavilion's staff brought plates of hot dishes and snacks to each table. Refreshed and with full stomachs, the crowd's anticipation once again grew over the upcoming treasures.
Pei Jingzhe could hardly sit still. He was starting to suspect that the Jade of Heaven Lake wouldn't appear here at all. But seeing that Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu remained perfectly composed, he quashed his anxiety and sat back once more.
At last he heard the auctioneer's voice ring out. "The next item is a jade with no origin or name. It was delivered to Linlang Pavilion just yesterday, and Dong Yang-xiansheng has yet to appraise it. Guests purchase this item at their own risk; whether it is genuine or not, we at Linlang Pavilion take no responsibility. We hope our esteemed guests understand."
The man had mentioned this rule before, but now emphasized it again. Many of the more cautious bidders were already shrinking back.
The item was removed from its carved lacquer box. When the sunlight streaming through the window rippled over its surface, the crowd gasped in surprise.
Now Pei Jingzhe really couldn't remain still. He sat straight up and stared at the object in the maid's hand.
The Jade of Heaven Lake!