Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"Your Highness, all of the Crown Princess's pawned items are here, a total of... sixteen large boxes."

Lu Ming bowed with his hands clasped and his head lowered, his eyes filled with the guilt of standing up for the Crown Princess.

"Hmm. How much silver did she pawn?"

Xiao Ce glanced at the gold, silver, jade, antiques and treasures filling the hall, and calmly put down his teacup.

"A total of one thousand taels... of gold."

That's quite a lot. What does she intend to do with so much money?

"The manager of Jin Suo Ge probably recognized us, because he didn't charge us extra."

"Okay, I understand."

He stood up, casually rummaged through the redeemed chests, his fingertips brushing over a few antique jade items without lingering.

Each chest was filled with treasures, dazzling with jewels, but amidst this splendor, he paused, his gaze falling on a large, open brocade box, inside which lay a set of writing brushes and ink.

The inkstone was warm and smooth, the ink stick was delicate, and the brush handle was made of simple, fine material. It was not overly decorated, yet it exuded a refined elegance. Although it was mixed among a group of precious objects and did not stand out in the slightest, he still noticed it at a glance.

He paused slightly, then casually picked up one of the pens, gently stroking the handle with his fingertips, his eyes darkening.

On the plain brush handle, only a single character "逸" (yi) in running script is lightly engraved. It is unadorned and clean, a single character that does not appear out of place at all.

He paused slightly, then quickly picked up another pen, flipped it over, and saw the same elegant character in the same spot. Ink stick, inkstone—everything was there.

Xiao Ce stared at the inscription for a long time, his usual calm expression finally breaking.

Could it be... taken from his courtesy name?

Xiao Ce slowly stroked the faint marks on the inkstone with his fingertips, his hand gradually tightening, and the original coldness in his eyes gradually disappeared, leaving only a bottomless dark tide.

Perhaps this was something she brought all the way from Chu to Daliang, originally intended as a gift for him?

Not only did she not give it away, but now it's been pawned, completely pawned.

After a moment, he slowly raised his eyes, his expression returning to calm. He reached out and took out the set of writing brush and ink, his movements relaxed and almost casual.

Meanwhile, at the Treasure Pavilion, more than a dozen items had already been auctioned off. Ling Xi, propping her head up, had already dozed off, but had not yet received the Lingxiao Sword.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's grand finale is a renowned sword. This sword is no ordinary piece of iron; it is the Lingxiao Sword, which has been extinct for forty years!"

Upon hearing the name Ling Xiao, Ling Xi instantly perked up and stood up abruptly from her seat.

Two burly men in black robes carried a long, vermilion-lacquered, gold-painted box onto the platform. As soon as the copper lock was opened, a chill seemed to emanate from it.

The long sword lay quietly on a velvet cushion. Its scabbard was dark brown, not the usual lacquer color, but rather had a faint, dark jade-like luster. The blade was long and narrow, with fine cloud patterns floating on it, without a trace of rust, as if it had just left the furnace yesterday.

As the commander gripped the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it out, a sharp, cold light suddenly burst forth, drawing the attention of the guests in the front row.

"This sword, forged by a master craftsman of the previous dynasty, can cut a hair in two and slice iron like mud. What's even more amazing is that it does not rot in water or rust in soil, and its sharpness remains undiminished even after a hundred years!"

He gently flicked his sword, and a clear, resonant sound pierced through the beams. Even though Ling Xi didn't recognize swords, he knew it was no ordinary item.

"This sword has not been drawn in public for over forty years. Its reappearance today is a rare opportunity! Starting bid: two hundred taels of gold!"

As soon as the commander finished speaking, everyone gasped. Although those present were all wealthy and powerful, they still thought that a sword had been priced exorbitantly. After all, the families of high-ranking officials and nobles preferred jewelry and jade.

"Three hundred taels."

A clear, cold voice came from the corner. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a figure sitting in the corner bathed in moonlight.

Upon seeing that the person who made the bid was a young woman wearing a veil, whispers immediately broke out.

"Who is this woman, that she's so generous?"

"Why would a woman like her buy a sword?"

"It couldn't possibly be for personal use; it's probably a gift for someone you love."

"Judging from her clothes and demeanor, she is definitely not from an ordinary family..."

Amid the noise, a deep male voice suddenly broke the murmur of conversation.

Five hundred taels.

A hand with distinct knuckles steadily held up the number plate. Ling Xi looked up and her heart sank.

She recognized the man; he was the same person who had accompanied Xiao Ce at Hongyue Tower last time, and the person sitting next to him was another one.

Xiao Ce's friend also wants the Lingxiao Sword?

"Six hundred taels."

Before anyone could react, she made another bid, her tone remarkably firm.

She didn't actually know how much silver the sword was worth, but it was something she was determined to have, and no one could take it away from her.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Everyone could see that this woman was determined to take the Lingxiao Sword for herself.

Upon hearing that the price had increased, Qin Qi became even more interested. He turned his head and glanced at her, his gaze lingering on Wushuang, who was standing beside her, and he immediately recognized her.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately guessed that the veiled woman in front of him, who was so generous, was Xiao Ce's crown princess.

"Bai Xu, guess who the woman who tried to steal the Lingxiao Sword from me is?"

He lowered his voice and gently nudged the man beside him who kept his eyes fixed straight ahead with his elbow, his tone carrying a hint of mischievous amusement.

Lu Baixu slowly turned his head, his brows and eyes slightly cold, with an obvious impatience in his eyes.

He has always hated noisy and chaotic places, and today he took a day off, only to be dragged to this auction at Jubaoge by Qin Qi. His patience had long since worn thin.

His expression was somewhat perfunctory as he looked indifferently in the direction Qin Qi indicated.

Ling Xi's eyes were indifferent, making it impossible to see her expression. Even though she was wearing a veil, it could not hide her graceful figure with a slender waist. One glance was enough to tell that she was a beauty that could topple cities.

"One thousand taels."

The crowd was immediately in an uproar; no one had expected that Young Master Qin would double the price.

Before Lu Baixu could react, Qin Qi beside him had already raised the sign again. He looked away, puzzled, and looked at Qin Qi.

"Since you recognized the person, why deliberately inflate the price?"

Qin Qi's eyes were full of smiles as he picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"How is it deliberately raising the price? I also want this Lingxiao Sword. One thousand taels is my bottom line. If she doesn't bid again, I'll willingly pay one thousand taels. If she's willing to bid higher, then the sword is rightfully hers."

Lu Baixu turned his head away, showing no intention of saying another word. Although Qin Qi was somewhat cynical, he was principled in his actions.

In Ling Xi's opinion, Xiao Ce's friend did it on purpose. Although a thousand taels of gold was nothing to the Huan Prince's mansion, she hadn't moved that much to Daliang!

Wushuang, standing beside him, looked troubled and whispered in Ling Xi's ear.

"Princess, this sword is indeed of the highest quality, but the price has exceeded our budget..."

"Since you, Wushuang, have said it's top-quality, then I'm even more determined to bid for it."

Ling Xi raised her hand, interrupting Wu Shuang.