Volume One, Chapter 17: The True Form of the Jade Medallion

After the auction of a Tang Dynasty white jade vase, several more antiques and calligraphy paintings were put up for bid one after another. Yun Xueyan’s goal was the plot of land owned by the Huang family; her mind was nowhere near the antiques, so she did not place a bid and simply waited quietly. As for Chu Ming, he had no interest whatsoever in antiques or paintings either, and so he merely watched others make their bids in silence.

However, when Fu Donghai ordered the seventh item to be brought out, Chu Ming felt a strange stir in his heart.

When the red cloth on the tray was lifted, a palm-sized jade plaque, not much to look at, appeared before everyone. Its quality was mediocre, the patterns on the surface blurred, perhaps worn rough by the passage of time; it looked nothing like anything valuable.

For a moment, the attendees of the auction began to murmur among themselves, most of them curious as to why the Fu family would put such an item up for sale.

Listening to the discussions below, Fu Donghai smiled and explained, “Though this jade plaque may not look special, its origins are shrouded in mystery. Even our Fu family hasn’t been able to determine its true history, and that’s why we’re offering it for auction. Those interested may bid for it and perhaps uncover its story.”

Hearing this, the crowd’s spirits fell. If even the powerful Fu family couldn’t trace the origins of the jade, how could they hope to do better?

Interest in the plaque quickly died down; only a handful of people offered very low bids.

Chu Ming watched the jade plaque for a long time. When he saw the bidding had stalled at four hundred fifty thousand, he called out, “Five hundred thousand!”

The first time Chu Ming made a bid, it was for five hundred thousand for the jade plaque. This drew surprised looks from those around him.

Yun Xueyan, too, looked at Chu Ming in astonishment. “You… That jade plaque looks utterly ordinary. It’s not worth five hundred thousand, is it?”

Chu Ming smiled. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, when Zhao Feng and Wang Qi saw Chu Ming join the bidding, they were secretly delighted. Humiliated by Chu Ming before, this was finally a chance to make him bleed a little; how could they let it slip by?

Without hesitation, Zhao Feng raised his paddle. “Six hundred thousand!”

Chu Ming glanced coolly at Zhao Feng and, without the slightest pause, raised his own number. “Seven hundred thousand!”

Hardly had the words left his mouth when Wang Qi, seated on the other side, couldn’t help but say, “Well, well, looks like you really want that jade plaque, kid. But wanting something always comes with a price.”

He promptly raised his sign. “Eight hundred thousand!”

Chu Ming was utterly unfazed. He raised his paddle. “One million!”

As he continued to increase the bid, Wang Qi and Zhao Feng exchanged glances.

“One million one hundred thousand,” Zhao Feng called out.

Chu Ming saw easily enough that Zhao Feng and Wang Qi were deliberately raising the price to trouble him, but he paid them no mind and pressed on with his bids.

Very quickly, the price of the jade plaque, thanks to their deliberate escalation, reached five million. Chu Ming showed no signs of stopping and immediately raised the bid by another million.

When the bid hit six million, the entire auction hall was stunned.

Soon, the room was abuzz with whispers.

“Six million? He must be mad, offering six million for a nondescript jade plaque?”

“A prime example of a fool with too much money. What kind of man has Yun Xueyan found? Even if she doesn’t have long to live, she shouldn’t pick such a wastrel. If you ask me, the Yun family’s good days are over.”

“The Yun family was already on shaky ground. Now they’ve gained a son-in-law like this—never mind the Wang and Zhao families joining forces against them, even on their own, the Yun family won’t last long before they’re forced off the stage of the Four Great Clans.”

Yun Xueyan saw that Chu Ming had no intention of backing down and couldn’t help but try to dissuade him. “Chu Ming, spending six million on an ordinary jade plaque isn’t worth it. Let’s just forget it. If you really want one, we can stroll around Antique Street tomorrow.”

Chu Ming shook his head. “This is no ordinary jade plaque. No matter the price, I must have it. It will never be a loss.”

Yun Xueyan frowned slightly. She didn’t believe a simple jade plaque could hide any great secret, but seeing Chu Ming’s determination, she said nothing more.

Wang Qi, seeing Chu Ming raise the bid by a million without batting an eye, couldn’t help but sneer. “Seems I underestimated your determination, kid. But the more you want it, the less I can let you have it easily.”

With that, Wang Qi raised his paddle. “Six million one hundred thousand!”

Chu Ming ignored his bluster and promptly pushed the price to seven million.

Zhao Feng was not to be outdone, and like Wang Qi, he added another hundred thousand.

As the three of them took turns bidding, the price of that nondescript jade plaque quickly soared to fifteen million.

Not only were the other auction attendees astounded, even Fu Donghai, the auctioneer, hadn’t anticipated such a scene. Fifteen million was over ten times what he’d expected. Still, he was more than happy for it. The higher the price, the more he earned. As the host, he naturally hoped every lot would fetch the highest possible sum—especially when the item came from the Fu family’s own collection.

At last, when Chu Ming offered fifteen million, both Zhao Feng and Wang Qi gave up.

The hammer fell, and Chu Ming secured the jade plaque for fifteen million.

Once the deal was struck, Zhao Feng couldn’t resist saying, “Kid, I used to think I was a wastrel, but compared to you, the money I’ve spent doesn’t even count. Fifteen million for a useless jade plaque—only a fool like you would do that.”

Wang Qi joined in the mockery, “That’s right, spending fifteen million on a piece of worthless jade—what an idiot. That’s fifteen million, not fifteen hundred. Yun Xueyan must be cursed to have married someone like you.”

Chu Ming cast a cool glance at the smug faces of Wang Qi and Zhao Feng. “The true idiots are you two. You can’t recognize a priceless treasure even when it’s in front of you, and you mock others out of your own ignorance. I really wonder where you get your confidence.”

A priceless treasure?

Wang Qi and Zhao Feng were momentarily stunned by his words.

Though they were loath to believe Chu Ming, his serious expression did leave them somewhat uncertain.

But after only the briefest hesitation, Zhao Feng blustered, “What nonsense! If it really were priceless, how could the Fu family have failed to recognize it? How could it have fallen to you?”

Chu Ming shrugged, then stood and walked directly onto the auction stage.