Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 174 Jiuqu Pawnshop
The white-robed boy lightly touched the merchant's wrist pulse point with his fingertip, and as the merchant released his grip in pain, he deftly took the gold box and handed it to the old servant beside him. The next second, he slightly bent his knee and kicked the merchant hard in the back of the knee with the sole of his boot. The merchant cried out and fell down the bluestone steps, rolling a few feet away.

The boy in white patted his robes, then put on a smiling face again. He took the golden box, walked to the wealthy merchant, placed the box beside him, and said loudly, "I'm returning the counterfeit porcelain to you. Please take care!"

The boy in white returned to his previous position, took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his hands, as if he found the golden box dirty, then called out loudly, "Next!"

It wasn't very damaging, but extremely humiliating! The wealthy businessman, lying on the ground, felt extremely ashamed. He quickly covered his face with his sleeve, struggled to his feet, picked up the gold box, and limped away. After all, if he continued to cause trouble, he would suffer the consequences!
"That white-robed boy is too amazing!" Mo Yun gasped, glanced at the unfortunate merchant, and complained, "This is truly a case of a big business bullying its customers!"

"You can't say that!" An old beggar in front turned around and turned pale when he heard Mo Yun's words. His gaze swept over Yan Mingzhang and the others. "Is this your first time here?"

Yan Mingzhang bowed respectfully, showing no concern that the other party was just a beggar, and earnestly said, "Old man, we are indeed new here and don't quite understand the ways of this place. Could you explain it to us in detail?"

The old beggar didn't put on airs. He stroked his white beard and chuckled, "This Jiuqu Pawnshop is the best in Xiangzhou's hidden market." He gave a thumbs-up, "If it dares to say it's second, no one dares to say it's first. Once you're on its turf, you have to abide by its rules. First, the items you pawn must be genuine treasures; rubbish won't even catch their eye. Second, the minimum entry fee is five thousand taels of silver; without that amount, you can't even get in the door. Third, if anyone dares to cause trouble here, no matter who they are, they'll be kicked out. Oh, and also, the pawnshop doesn't care about the origin of the items or your social status when accepting pawned items."

The old beggar paused, tightened his grip on the tattered bundle in his hands, and cast his gaze toward the imposing entrance of the Jiuqu Pawnshop. "Since he dared to establish such rules, he must have a legitimate reason to do so. If I could enjoy myself here for a while, I would gladly die!"

"Oh, so the white-robed boy just now said it was a fake porcelain, then it really is a fake?" Rong Wanyin frowned slightly, looking at the old beggar with her eyes full of doubt.

The old beggar nodded, stroking his filthy beard, which was so dirty it was unrecognizable: "Of course. If the white-robed boy at Jiuqu Pawnshop has inspected it and says it's a fake, then you can forget about selling it at this secret market!"

Finally, someone was willing to listen to his rambling, and so respectfully at that. The old beggar wanted to say something more, but just as he was about to speak, the white-robed boy called out loudly, "Next!"

The old beggar quickly raised his hand: "Here, here, coming!" He then picked up his tattered bag, hunched over, and hurried forward.

The boy in white opened the tattered cloth bag, revealing an old bowl covered in food scraps. The food scraps were quite fresh, clearly indicating that the old beggar had just used it to eat but had not washed it.

Rong Wanyin has a keen sense of smell, and she subconsciously covered her nose, frowning slightly. The lingering smell on the bowl was unpleasant even from a distance.

The boy in white seemed oblivious, holding the bowl up to the light and examining it closely, scrutinizing every detail. Suddenly, he smiled slightly and said, "A rare celadon bowl from the previous dynasty! One seat in the main hall, plus a complimentary top-quality meal. Please come in, sir."

Rong Wanyin observed that the white-robed boy offered fragrant tea and fruits to everyone else, but when it came to the old beggar, he offered him a top-quality meal.

It seemed the boy in white understood the old beggar's feelings, after all, the old beggar often couldn't even get a decent meal. "Next!" the boy in white announced loudly.

Finally, it was Yan Mingzhang's turn. Yan Mingzhang took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve and handed them over; it was five thousand taels of silver.

Yan Mingzhang and the others had already inquired about this rule, but they never expected that such an outrageous rule would actually be true.

After verifying the silver notes, the white-robed boy handed them back, his expression gentle and his tone friendly, saying, "Please come in, four of you, with complimentary tea and fruit."

After he finished speaking, a servant led everyone inside.

The four men looked at each other in silence. The old beggar with the broken bowl was in the main seat, while they, with five thousand taels of silver, were in the side seats. How valuable must that bowl be! The old beggar was actually eating from it and didn't even wash it!
As everyone stepped into the auction venue, a magnificent, gilded, and ornate stage stood majestically in the center, and the entire venue was decorated in a splendid manner!
The seats are arranged in a circle, becoming increasingly cramped and narrow towards the outer edge.

Above that was a circle of exquisite private rooms, with plaques bearing the words "Room No. 1 of the Heavenly Class" and "Room No. 2 of the Heavenly Class" in gold lettering. The hanging brocade blocked the view of the guests, but those in the private rooms could still have a commanding view of the entire place.

Yan Mingzhang and his entourage followed the attendants through the crowded passageway and finally stopped at the very edge of the hall—the side seats.

The seats were described as side seats, but they were just a few rows of benches close to the wall. Not only was the view blocked by the pillars in front, but even the light from the glass lamps overhead was pitifully dim. The thought of having five thousand taels of silver but only being able to sit in such a corner filled the four with mixed feelings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient. The auction will begin soon. The first item to be auctioned is a Chai kiln square zun." A boy dressed in black walked onto the stage. His face was extremely similar to that of the boy dressed in white, suggesting they were twins. His clothes were also similar to those of the boy in white, except that the black clothes were embroidered with the same patterns in white thread. It seems that these two boys, one in black and one in white, are the core figures of the Jiuqu Pawnshop, one in charge of external affairs and the other in charge of internal affairs.

Another attendant lifted a red cloth from the table, revealing a square vase made of Chai ware. The vase was sky-blue, with a lustrous glaze that shimmered like ice jade. The kui dragon patterns carved on its four sides appeared and disappeared under the light. Everyone exclaimed in astonishment, "This is truly a treasure!"
However, Yan Mingzhang and his group were not interested in this; their eyes darted around the venue. Their purpose was to find an opportunity to meet with the head manager of Jiuqu Pawnshop and find out where the jade bottle had gone fifteen years ago.

Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin exchanged a glance. Rong Wanyin understood immediately and got up to wander around the venue. However, before she had even walked halfway through the hall, she was stopped by the attendant who had led her to her seat. The attendant smiled but was wary: "Young lady, where are you going?"

"I need to use the restroom." Rong Wanyin smiled slyly. "You're not going to come along, are you? That wouldn't be convenient, would it?"

The attendant smiled slightly and did not make things difficult; he simply summoned a maid.

Rong Wanyin: “…”