24: I earned Fan Jian's salary for five thousand years!

Chapter 24: I earned 5,000 years of Fan Jian's salary!

The young merchant who dared to challenge the Crown Prince was a secret agent of the Inner Court.

Emperor Qing issued a death order, demanding that the 'ode to snow' be photographed and hung in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests as a memorial.

This poem was a symbol of Southern Qing's rise in the literary world, and Emperor Qing would not allow it to be taken by just anyone.

Li Chang'an had anticipated that his poems, calligraphy, and paintings would be highly popular before the auction.

For famous calligraphy and paintings, reputation comes first. Without a reputation, even excellent calligraphy and paintings won't sell for a good price.

However, if the reputation is outstanding and the quality of the calligraphy and paintings is also excellent, they will definitely sell for a high price.

If a work can be tied to a major event, it can also command an additional collection premium.

Li Chang'an's three pieces of calligraphy and painting all met this condition.

'ode to the goose' was the great poet Li Chang'an's first poem, 'ode to snow' was a symbol of Southern Qing's first defeat of Northern Qi in the literary world, and 'Ode to the Needle' carried the meaning of humiliating Northern Qi.

Of course, Li Chang'an couldn't guess how the immortals behind the scenes would operate.

But he knew that the three pieces of calligraphy and painting were bound to fetch sky-high prices!

The silver earned from this sale of calligraphy and paintings was considerable, allowing him to accumulate his first pot of gold, and the surge in fame was also something Li Chang'an needed.

At this stage, the political situation, the struggle for the throne, and the conflict between Qi and Qing had nothing to do with Li Chang'an.

Li Chang'an was not a pedantic scholar who had to prove the monetary value of his calligraphy and paintings; all he wanted was money!

No matter how the immortals fought, as long as they left behind gold and silver, everything would be fine!

His goal was to earn wealth and fame, to impact the rankings in arts and wealth, and to increase his influence in the Qing Yu Nian World.

With a large amount of wealth, he could afford to maintain the Net and truly spread it across the world.

Only by establishing a mature Net could Li Chang'an take the initiative in his subsequent rise, advance and retreat freely, and avoid being led by the nose by circumstances.

At the auction, with the tacit approval of His Highness the Crown Prince, several wealthy households immediately made their moves.

That young merchant, ignoring the subtle glances of various high-ranking officials and powerful figures, bid very sharply.

"Ten thousand taels of gold!"

Wow! The scene erupted!

Li Chang'an was delighted, "Quickly raise it! The higher the better!"

Before long, it spread throughout the capital that Prince Yong's calligraphy and painting had sold for ten thousand taels of gold!

Ten thousand taels of gold, officially exchanged for one hundred thousand taels of silver!

This one bid directly changed the unit of measurement.

As soon as his voice fell, a chorus of rising bids sounded again.

"Eleven thousand taels of gold!"

"Twelve thousand taels of gold!"

..."Fifteen thousand taels of gold!"

Now each bid increase was at least a thousand taels of gold, which meant ten thousand taels of silver!

Fan Sizhe was about to faint. He had thought the Sinan Count Manor was wealthy.

Only today did he realize that the capital was full of hidden Dragons!

"Brother-in-law! Your Highness Brother-in-law, my sister and I will marry you together... Mmm!"

Fan Jian covered Fan Sizhe's mouth, but his own mouth was bitter.

This one bid was his salary for a hundred years!

The gap between people was too great!

The Second Prince's body was a bit stiff. He couldn't have imagined that poetry, calligraphy, and painting could be so profitable!

Prince Jing looked at Li Chang'an with complex eyes. Revitalizing the Southern Qing literary scene was certainly good, but too much fame might not be a good thing.

Given Emperor Qing's suspicious nature, could Li Chang'an really live as a carefree fop in the future? It might not be so easy.

Ultimately, the price of 'ode to snow' soared to twenty thousand taels of gold!

Equivalent to two hundred thousand taels of silver!

Prince Jing caressed the box in his hand, secretly exclaiming his good fortune. Fortunately, he had acted early.

With the dust settled, the merchants who wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince were all crestfallen and trembling with fear.

Redeeming the most famous courtesan in the capital cost no more than twenty thousand taels of silver!

Buying one of Li Chang'an's paintings was enough to buy ten courtesans to enjoy at home!

That young merchant, expressionless from beginning to end, went directly to the back hall to settle the silver notes.

The Crown Prince watched eagerly as the man took the scroll away, then quickly sent someone to follow him.

The Female Official from Guangxin Palace, sent by The Eldest Princess, sat quietly in a corner after disguising herself.

She was full of confidence that the last painting wouldn't fetch such a high price.

Because the content of the last painting depicted a man in splendid attire holding an embroidery needle, his gaze piercing through the eye of the needle.

The poem was also more of a doggerel, and while the painting was good, the content was too vulgar.

Therefore, the Female Official thought this one should be cheaper.

She was The Eldest Princess's confidante, holding a wooden box containing five hundred thousand taels of silver notes.

The Female Official thought that she could save The Eldest Princess some money and also please Her Highness the Princess.

The third painting, 'Ode to the Needle,' was about to be auctioned. The Crown Prince was full of ambition; who would dare to compete with him now!

He whispered to the eunuch beside him, "Later, arrange for a few merchants to at least push the price to the same as Prince Jing's."

The Crown Prince thought that once he bid, no one else would dare to compete with him.

If he bought the last piece of calligraphy and painting for just one or two thousand taels of silver, he feared his Imperial Father would blame him for abusing his power.

"Bidding starts!"

At the auctioneer's command, a hint of pride appeared on the Crown Prince's young face.

Just then, a middle-aged woman directly raised the bid, "Fifty thousand taels of silver!"

The Crown Prince's face suddenly turned cold, and everyone's eyes turned to the woman in the corner.

The woman's expression, like that of the young merchant before, was calm and emotionless!

The Crown Prince cursed inwardly, "Who is it, stirring up trouble for me again!"

"I just want to buy a good painting to study the Dao of painting and capture the charm of my beloved. Why is it so difficult!"

"Sixty thousand taels of silver!"

"Seventy thousand taels of silver!"

..."Ten thousand taels of gold!"

The price was once again raised to an amount the Crown Prince couldn't openly afford. The Second Prince looked at him with pity.

"Crown Prince, you might as well come with the mindset of watching a show, like me."

Subsequently, the merchants who wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince once again exerted their efforts, frantically raising the price against the disguised Female Official from Guangxin Palace!

Li Chang'an easily recognized her through the Female Official's panel data.

The Eldest Princess controlled the Imperial Treasury and had plenty of money in her private coffers. The poor Crown Prince was probably going to be disappointed.

The last painting, 'Ode to the Needle,' which everyone had not thought highly of, surprisingly kept rising in price!

Some powerful figures without industries were somewhat numb. So many rich people exist; my Great Qing is actually so prosperous!

The last painting even surpassed twenty thousand taels of gold! Once again creating history!

"Twenty thousand taels of gold!"

"Twenty-one thousand taels of gold!"

...The merchants who wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince began to form Alliances in pairs. Now they would contribute money together and enjoy the Crown Prince's protection together in the future!

Hundreds of people at the scene listened as the bids grew higher and higher, and the number of bidders grew fewer and fewer!

"Twenty-five thousand taels of gold!"

"Twenty-five thousand five hundred taels of gold!"

"Twenty-six thousand taels of gold!"

...The disguised Female Official from Guangxin Palace cried out bitterly in her heart.

What on earth was happening? The painting that was estimated to be the lowest in value was now set to sell for the highest price!

The Supervisory Council's secret agents in the crowd were all on edge, wondering if Northern Qi's Brocade-Clad Guards had infiltrated.

Otherwise, how could 'Ode to the Needle' fetch such a high price!

The secret agents from various forces were all on high alert!

Those wealthy merchants were also sweating profusely, each struggling to hold on!

Currying favor with the current Crown Prince was indeed difficult!

The price was approaching thirty thousand taels of gold!

The Female Official from Guangxin Palace was furious. Why were these merchants still raising the price!

Even if she were beaten to death, she wouldn't dare to give up; displeasing The Eldest Princess would lead to a terrible end.

Li Chang'an secretly chuckled. The crazy Li Yunrui was quite generous, giving the Female Official so many silver notes.

Finally, it was the Female Official from Guangxin Palace who sealed the deal!

"Thirty thousand taels of gold!"

The merchants no longer responded. Thirty thousand taels of silver for a painting that cursed people was truly not worth it!

Merchants sought profit, and flattering the young Crown Prince was also for better earnings.

If it meant shedding so much blood, they truly couldn't bear it.

One piece of calligraphy and painting for thirty thousand taels of gold, Li Chang'an's name completely spread throughout the world!

The System doesn't recognize premiums, but it recognizes fame and influence.

This operation directly propelled Li Chang'an into the top ten of this world's arts rankings!

Your Arts Ranking has risen to 6th place!

Your Wealth Ranking has risen to 2350th place!

This auction brought in five hundred sixty thousand taels of silver! The wealth ranking rose by one thousand places!

Hearing this astronomical price, Fan Jian was dumbfounded!

Fan Sizhe, who had recovered from his shock, tugged at Fan Jian's sleeve, "Dad! Dad! Dad! Don't just stare!"

"My brother-in-law earned 5,600 years of your salary in one auction!"