Chapter 440: At the Auction 5
Lu Yan looked at Qi Qingyao with her sparkling eyes, and his expression instantly turned dark. “Why are you looking at me like that?! Don’t tell me you actually want to go with her?”
Qi Qingyao was really tempted and started calculating the pros and cons. “It’s like this: if she’s willing to spend a hundred thousand taels to buy me, we can divide the balance nine to one later. Nine to me and one to you, how about that?” She could still earn ninety thousand taels!
“…” Lu Yan was left stupefied by her words.
He could not hold himself back from saying, “If you were to go to the Ling family, you would have to work. Don’t tell me you plan to disappear after selling yourself?”
“…” She had indeed been thinking about taking the money and then asking Si Jin to secretly take her away.
Lu Yan could not help but get angry when he saw that she was feeling tempted. He got up and said to Ling Luoyan with an unkind expression, “Miss Ling, I really won’t sell this maid no matter how much you offer. You don’t have to keep trying to convince me.”
“Just what’s so good about this maid that your Lu family is so unwilling to let go of her?”
Ling Luoyan could not understand it. He was unwilling to sell her even for a hundred thousand taels! Could it be that this maid was Master Lu’s personal maid? However, he gave the maid instructions like he was instructing a dog, so she was definitely not a personal maid who was doted on.
That was where the problem began.
For this maid to have been brought to attend such an auction, she had to have some kind of incredible talent.
Ling Luoyan clenched her fist excitedly and said, “Whatever my enemy supports I will oppose, and whatever my enemy opposes I will support. It seems like this little maid has another talent besides her silver tongue. Hmph! Lu Yan, mark my words, I will buy your little maid.”
Lu Yan, “…” What was with his luck today? Why had he provoked this troublesome woman?
…
Jiang Yeqian took Zhao Xin with him as they entered and looked for a place to sit down. He saw Lu Yan and the others locked in a conflict. He said, “What is going on there?”
Zhao Xin held his neck up for a glance and said, “It looks like Lu Yan has gotten caught up in a conflict with Ling Luoyan of the Ling family.”
“Go check out what’s happening,” Jiang Yeqian instructed.
Zhao Xian went over to check on them for a bit before quickly returning to report, “Your Excellency, it looks like Ling Luoyan wants to buy that maid by Master Lu’s side, but Master Lu is resolutely refusing. Both parties are refusing to budge.”
“A maid?” She was just a maid, so why was Lu Yan unwilling to give her up?
Zhao Xin looked up and said, “Based on what the people all around them are saying, the maid has a silver tongue and praised Lady Ling for being beautiful. Lady Ling was then very happy and decided in her happiness to buy her, but Master Lu was determined not to sell her.”
“She’s just a maid, yet he is determined not to sell her?” Lu Yan had never been this petty before.
“Yes.” Zhao Xin nodded.
“…” Jiang Yeqian frowned incomprehensibly.
When he saw that all the other distinguished guests in the audience had already taken their seats, he had no choice but to push off focusing on what was going on over there later.
Li Ruoxuan came over and sat in the other corner. He was quite low-key.
…Lu Yan noted that there were already people walking about on the stage. He knew that the auction was about to start soon, so he urged Ling Luoyan away. “Lady Ling! The auction is about to start soon. Let’s hurry to the seats.”
Ling Luoyan glared at Lu Yan angrily and then snappily brought her maid Cuiping with her to sit back down in their seat.
Qi Qingyao saw Ling Luoyan leave, and she faintly let out a sigh of relief.
She secretly scrutinized the scene and realized many guests had taken their seats as they had been in the midst of talking.
There looked to be a second floor too.
Some really specially dressed guests were seated past the railing on the second floor.
Lu Yan pointed in two directions and said in a low voice, “The State Preceptor and the Head Grand Secretariat have arrived.”
Qi Qingyao’s eyes were trained in the direction of the second floor. “I’m more curious about whom the masked man sitting in that corner in red is.”
Lu Yan also glanced at the man in red and realized he was wearing a mask. He was faintly shocked and shouted, “Dong Jing!”
Dong Jing nodded and left his seat stealthily.
Only when the auction started did Dong Jing return.
He secretly said to the two, “I heard that that’s the head of the w.a.n.gyue Administration of the Ghost Organization.”
“Huh?”
Qi Qingyao’s jaw almost fell to the floor. She was so shocked that she stammered to Lu Yan, “The Ghost Organization… Isn’t that the one…”
Lu Yan said calmly, “The Yueya Auction House is under the Ghost Organization, so there’s no need to be shocked.”
His expression was very calm.
He indeed seemed very calm.
However, Lu Yan was internally stunned.
That was because even though the Yueya Auction House belonged to the ghost organization.
The heads of administration under the Ghost Organization had always been a mystery. They were even more of a mystery than the head of the main hall.
It could be said that they left no trace of their comings and goings.
Most people not only lacked the qualifications to meet them, but they also did not even know if they were male or female.
He had had the chance to meet with the heads of Wanhua Hall and Pili Hall, but as for the heads of the four administrations, he did not have any of the specifics.
After all, the four administrations, the Zhaixing Administration, the w.a.n.gyue Administration, the Qilin Administration, and the Xuanwu Administration, were all related to a.s.sa.s.sinations and infiltration, so it was ex[ected for the heads of these administrations to be secretive.
Based on what he knew, w.a.n.gyue Hall was responsible for infiltration operations and spies.
They specialized in planting a variety of people in each palace or by the sides of major officials. The Lu family might even have a planted agent amongst them.
This was where the problem started.
Why would the head of the w.a.n.gyue Administration under the Ghost Organization show up here?!
Lu Yan’s mind was occupied for a moment, somewhat befuddled.
Not understanding the severity of the situation, Qi Qingyao said to Lu Yan excitedly, “Xiao Wuji and the gang are there.”
Lu Yan tried hard to pull his focus back to the present and suppress his curiosity. He answered, “Half of the tyc.o.o.ns of Qingzhou City are here as many people are set on getting that pill tonight.”
Qi Qingyao glanced around at the tyc.o.o.ns and thought to herself, ‘Oh, the compet.i.tion is fierce.’ She paused before saying in a deep voice, “It’s fine. If we can’t get it, we’ll just watch for who makes the final bid…”
Lu Yan braised his brow and said, “Don’t tell me you plan on forcefully s.n.a.t.c.hing it away from them?”
“How can you say I’ll s.n.a.t.c.h it away by force? It’s called outsmarting! Outsmarting, you understand?” As the saying went, all great men were ruthless. Qi Qingyao’s eyes were half-lidded. She smiled very calmly. “I want it, and I’m definitely determined enough to get it.”
Lu Yan, “…”
He really wanted to say that this woman had gone mad.
However, if she were to call Si Jin in midway to join the fight, then maybe… they would really be able to get the pill without spending any money.
…
…
The auction started. Most of the items being auctioned off at the front were some antique jade wares and other things of the sort.
Jiang Yeqian sat still, bored as he looked around the entire venue.
Suddenly, Li Ruoxuan quietly turned a half-circle from behind and walked up to Jiang Yeqian’s side. He gestured for Zhao Xin to get lost.
How could Zhao Xin dare say no to the State Preceptor?
He left his seat almost immediately.
Li Ruoxuan sat next to Jiang Yeqian.
Jiang Yeqian frowned with annoyance and glanced at the eye patch over his right eye. “What are you doing sitting over here? Please stay away from me. It will be bad if people misunderstand this as me having a good relations.h.i.+p with you.”
“First off, our relations.h.i.+p is just fine.” The young man’s clean and refined face had a shameless smile plastered on it. Then, he said, “Let’s talk business. Did you see that scene over there?”
His chin held high, he used it to point at the location of the scene.
Jiang Yeqian glanced at where Lu Yan was gesturing toward and said, “I saw.”
Li Ruoxuan said, somewhat to himself, “Has Lu Yan ever been so close to a maid?”
“…” What was this guy trying to say?
Li Ruoxuan smiled and said, “I heard that Ling Luoyan wanted that little maid of his, but he entirely refused to give her up. Ling Luoyan even offered to pay him a hundred thousand taels, but she still couldn’t buy that little maid.”
“…” What about it? Jiang Yeqian looked at him, not saying anything.
Li Ruoxuan asked in a carefree manner, “Say, what is the little maid’s background?”
“I don’t want to make guesses. Please stay away from me, State Preceptor.” He did not notice that his actions had caused many of the people present to move their attention from the auction on the stage to the two of them.
“I suspect that that little maid is Qi Qingyao in disguise.” Li Ruoxuan did not care at all about the others’ gazes and whispered to Jiang Yeqian, “The young lad on Lu Yan’s right is probably Si Jin in disguise too.”
“…” Jiang Yeqian frowned and said nothing.
Li Ruoxuan said unhurriedly, “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you silently agreeing with my guesses.”
He had begun wondering who the little maid was when Lu Yan approached them and spoke to them. Unlike Li Ruoxian, Jiang Yeqian did not want to admit that that little maid was her. “Why would she disguise herself and come here?”
Li Ruoxuan a.n.a.lyzed the scene, not missing a beat. “I’ve thought of two reasons: first, Erniu has great talent for cultivation, so if she wanted to be impartial, she would have begun making plans for Dabao and Xiaobao. Secondly, the fact that Si Jin didn’t appear for so long the last time definitely put her in a crisis. Thus, now that the Nine Star Pill of Omnipotence has appeared, she must want to get it regardless if it is for herself to ingest or for Dabao and Xiaobao…”
“…” d.a.m.nit, he did not want to admit that this guy’s guesses were rather reasonable.
Li Ruoxuan continued, “Furthermore, why wouldn’t Lu Yan sell her if the little maid wasn’t Qi Qingyao? They quoted a hundred thousand taels. She’s just a little maid, and it should be a very lucrative transaction for him.”
“What does it have to do with the State Preceptor whether or not she is Qi Qingyao?” Jiang Yeqian kept feeling like Li Ruoxian was overly concerned about Qi Qingyao. Could it have something to do with Si Jin? However, when those words reached his lips, Jiang Yeqian began to speak without hesitation and deliberately joked, “You have been so actively a.n.a.lyzing who that little maid might be. You were conflicted for a long time about whether or not she’s Qi Qingyao. Since you care so much about Qi Qingyao, it’s hard not to arouse the suspicions of others that you like her.”
Li Ruoxuan immediately admitted shamelessly, “The Head Grand Secretariat’s guess is spot on.”
Jiang Yeqian, “?????”
Huh?
Li Ruoxuan noted that his expression instantly froze. He smiled, very satisfied as he said, “Since you now know that I like Lady Qi, I hope you’ll give me a lot of support in the future.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…” This guy! What nonsense was he spouting?
Li Ruoxuan patted Jiang Yeqian’s shoulder as if they had good camaraderie. He said seriously, “I’ve asked many times before whether the Head Grand Secretariat likes Qi Qingyao, and you were adamant that you did not. So I haven’t made a rival today, yes?”
Jiang Yeqian only found his voice after a long time. Parched, he asked, “You… like… that widow?”
“Yes.” Li Ruoxuan nodded without hesitation. As he answered, his eyes were staring unblinkingly into Jiang Yeqian’s eyes and at his expression. None of the subtle emotions on his face could escape his eyes.