Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 203 Ming Dynasty People! You shall not blaspheme my lord!

Sitting to the side, Shen Shixing was somewhat puzzled: "Why does the Enfu say that? It's just selling collections. There used to be many trades in the capital."

“Ru Mo doesn’t study economics much, does he?” Zhang Juzheng said earnestly. “This is the supply and demand relationship in economics. Although the glass is exquisitely made, it is rare and therefore valuable. At first, it can be sold for a high price, but in the long run, the price will definitely plummet.”

He glanced around at the merchants present and couldn't help but sneer.

"These merchants are blinded by short-term profits and have fueled the price gouging of collectibles. But the market will eventually become saturated. Once the balance between supply and demand is broken, they will go bankrupt!"

"Is it really that serious?" Shen Shixing was somewhat confused, but he turned to comfort him, saying, "Your Excellency need not worry too much; merchants are merchants after all."

Such people, who make money by hoarding and speculating, are already unacceptable. Their bankruptcy is actually a good thing for ordinary people.

"No."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and analyzed the situation.

"It's not just merchants; look at the officials and nobles behind them, they're all flocking to it, completely captivated by the auction."

If this continues, it will fuel extravagance; as people squander money, prices will rise, and ordinary people will suffer greatly!

Is that really the case?

Shen Shixing sensed something was wrong, but didn't know how to refute it.

Zhang Juzheng said very seriously, "This is the way of economics!"

"It's out! It's out! It's a glass sculpture! Which deity or Buddha is it today?"

As the artifacts were brought to the stage, a burst of excited shouts erupted from the audience.

The nobles sitting at the back also looked eager to get started.

Many people still vividly remember that last time a Shakyamuni Buddha statue was auctioned off for a sky-high price of 35,000 taels of silver, and it is said that the statue was then presented to the Cining Palace.

Everyone stared intently at the artifacts hidden beneath the red silk cloth, more excited than if they were seeing a bride in her bridal chamber.

"Yue Wumu! It must be Yue Wumu! With Shi Yuan's temperament, he certainly won't let this Yue Wumu go. He'll try to make another fortune from him. That's truly despicable!"

Duke Zhang Rong of England stood up, saying these words, but his eyes were filled with fervent emotion.

He gripped the bidding paddle tightly in his hand, as if afraid someone would snatch it away.

Staring at the other party's appearance, Duke Zhu Yingzhen of Chengguo was speechless. Ever since he bought that Guan Yu statue, the other party had been incredibly famous in the capital.

It cost 30,000 taels of silver? That's nothing!
Most importantly, the news was published in the Wanli Xinbao the next day, and everyone in the capital knew that the Duke of England had acquired the glass statue of Guan Sheng Di Jun!

Many nobles and dignitaries visited the Duke of Yingguo's residence, praising the Duke for his great righteousness in rescuing Guan Yu from that brat Zhang Yunxiu.

It can be said that an emperor not only gave him substance but also face; how could Zhang Rong not be excited?
Seeing that Zhu Yingzhen was somewhat unconvinced, Zhang Rong chuckled and patted the other man's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand.

"How can I be the same as you? I am already nearing eighty, so I can do as I please. Besides, I have many shares in Xishan. What's wrong with me taking care of my own business?"

"Hypocrite!"

Zhu Yingzhen didn't dare to speak loudly, and muttered a curse under his breath for Zhang Rong's hypocrisy before turning his gaze back to the stage.

The surrounding lights shone on the silk cloth, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yu Xiangdou suddenly pulled the silk cloth away.

With a "whoosh".

Yu Xiangdou said with a broad smile.

"Please take a look, dear buyers. This is a glass statue of the Western Sage Savior, with a starting price of 20,000 taels!"

As soon as this object appeared, a profound silence fell over the area below.

It wasn't a stunned silence, but rather a bewildered shock.

Zhu Yingzhen squinted at the statue and said, "This person is nailed to a frame, looking like a prisoner. Why would Shiyuan sell this? Are you crazy for money?"

"What kind of deceptive trick is this now?"

Zhang Rong slammed the wooden board heavily on the desk and said.

"Where is my Yue Fei! He sold this thing for 20,000 taels of silver? Zhang Shiyuan is a heartless bastard."

Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of many people below, Yu Xiangdou couldn't help but explain.

"What you may not know is that this is Jesus Christ, the Savior."

Following the lines given by Zhang Yunxiu, and fearing that his subordinates might not know them, Yu Xiangdou gave a detailed explanation.

But the merchants and gentry were not convinced; they looked left and right at the glass statue on the stage.

A man, half-naked, is nailed to a cross, his eyes closed and his face contorted in pain.

Many merchants and gentry were somewhat disdainful; they weren't fools, nor did they spend money on just anything.

"Is this thing worth 20,000 taels?"

"Take him away, take him away."

“It’s really creepy to take this thing back to a child.”

Hearing what the merchants below said, Yu Xiangdou also lost some confidence.

He would occasionally glance towards the second floor, where Zhang Yunxiu and the Wanli Emperor were, hoping to ask for help, but he received no response.

Yu Xiangdou still remembers Zhang Yunxiu saying that he would arrange several sets of collections specifically for foreign delegations.

But he waited and waited, and the delegation made no move.

Sweat dripped from his head; the glass statue was not welcomed, a first for the Xishan auction.

Tong Pei, who was below, noticed the somewhat awkward atmosphere and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Manager Yu, this item is too novel; no one can understand it. Perhaps we should remove it now and let the rest of the collection come up first. This can't go on like this." "This..."

Yu Xiangdou didn't know what to do either, but no one was bidding, so he sighed and said.

"Okay then."

But before he could finish speaking, a stuttering voice came out.

"People of the Ming Dynasty must not blaspheme the gods. This is our lord, not some plaything!"

The words were quite strange, but it was still roughly understandable.

Everyone turned their attention to the area, and before they knew it, a red-haired foreigner dressed in Confucian robes had approached the front of the stage.

Yu Xiangdou was taken aback for a moment, and couldn't help but ask.

"May I ask your name?"

"Wo's Chinese name is Jia Nailao, and he is a Catholic bishop from Macau."

The red-haired barbarians had clearly learned some Chinese, but they weren't very proficient; it was more like they were parroting what they were saying.

"Red-haired merchant?"

"Where did you come from?"

Immediately, the people around started discussing it, finding the sudden appearance of this foreigner quite strange.

On the second floor, Emperor Wanli, holding a telescope, saw this person and couldn't help but ask.

"Where did this red-haired devil come from?"

Zhang Yunxiu had a list of everyone who entered the venue. He looked at the emperor with a puzzled expression and said, "Your Majesty, don't you know? This is a Portuguese. They secretly settled in Guangdong Province during the Jiajing era. He is a missionary of the Portuguese Church."

"Missionaries? Are they the same as monks?"

Emperor Wanli was puzzled, as the small place of Haojing'ao (Macau) had clearly not attracted the attention of the court.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded: "He's a foreign monk, you could say."

Emperor Wanli: "I don't care about all that. Would these barbarians really buy our statues? It doesn't seem very likely."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said confidently.

"Your Majesty, just wait and see!"

Before the statue, a Portuguese man named Janellao was bowing devoutly and muttering something to himself, which puzzled the others.

After the ceremony, Jia Nailao said to Yu Xiangdou, "Sir, the craftsmanship of this statue of our Lord is so exquisite that it cannot be found in any Western country. Our Lord is on the cross, and the glass is pure, just like the meaning of our Lord's rebirth."

He spoke haltingly at times, and fluently at others.

Yu Xiangdou smiled and said, "Mr. Jia Nailao, this is an auction, I hope you can understand."

"I know that."

Janilao looked devout, staring intently at the statue as if hesitating.

In his view, this statue of Jesus was more exquisite than any he had ever seen before, and could be said to be unprecedented.

Most importantly, he was so insightful that he was almost flawless, which, in Jia Nailao's eyes, undoubtedly carried a touch of divinity.

This glassmaking technique was simply impossible to achieve in countries like Portugal and Spain.

He couldn't understand how the people of the Ming Dynasty, whose glassmaking technology was originally backward, could create such a divine object.

Jia Nailao prefers to believe that this originated from overseas.

As the bishop of this diocese, he had an obligation to bring this sacred statue of Jesus back to the church, and even to return it to Portugal.
He didn't know how the Ming people had achieved such amazing technology. He only had one thought in his mind: to bring this sacred Jesus statue back to the church, back to Portugal, to present it to His Majesty the King, and to send it back to the Christ the Convent in Tomar!
at all costs.

Therefore, Jia Nailao did not hesitate any longer and decided to take out all his property, saying with a firm look in his eyes.

"In accordance with the will of my Lord, I am willing to purchase this idol for 30,000 taels of silver."

The Portuguese were not unfamiliar with auctions, but Western auctions were not as "formal" as those held in the Ming Dynasty.

Jia Nailao was well aware of the psychology at auctions, so he immediately bid 30,000 taels of silver.

Of course, this is also the maximum savings he can afford.

Upon hearing his bid, the auction house erupted in uproar. The merchants and gentry were astonished to find that there was actually a sucker willing to spend 30,000 taels of silver to buy the statue.

Yu Xiangdou's eyes lit up. Fearing the other party might change their mind, he immediately raised the small hammer.

"Thirty thousand taels the first time, thirty thousand taels the second time."

He read it incredibly fast, afraid that the foreigner would react in time.

But before he could finish reading, a voice came from behind him.

"I'll offer thirty-one thousand taels!"

Yu Xiangdou stumbled and looked at the man with some annoyance, only to find that it was Tong Pei, a major customer of the auction.

Tong Pei wore a smile that suggested she was enjoying the spectacle.

"Tong also really liked this statue."

"impossible!"

Zhang Juzheng, who had been sitting in the crowd, suddenly blurted out, his brows furrowed as he spoke.

"This does not conform to economic principles!"

(End of this chapter)