In Xiaojiazhuang, the great scholar Yu Shinan brought his apprentice Chu Suiliang to find the champion Hou Xiaorui.
"Auction? There is an auction in Chang'an City? Why didn't I know? What kind of rare treasures are being auctioned?"
Chu Suiliang explained: "I dare not talk about rare treasures. There are all kinds of them. But in front of the Marquis, I dare not talk about rare treasures. The main source of auction items is the pawn shop."
pawnshop?
"That's right, many people who can't make ends meet will take their valuables to pawn shops. If a pawn shop receives any rare treasures or items of higher value, they usually won't put them up for sale. Most of them will be sent to auctions. , often can be sold for a considerable premium through bidding.”
Xiao Rui suddenly realized, "So, the pawn shop is a good business, tsk tsk...then what? Fifth brother, tell Uncle Hu, the housekeeper, that we are also opening a pawnshop in Chang'an City."
Ahem...
How come this is a deal?
Yu Shinan coughed slightly and reminded his apprentice not to go off topic.
Xiao Rui asked with a smile: "You two are both great scholars in the world. Are you here because of this auction? Are you short of money? To put it bluntly, Xiao Rui, who can help, will naturally not stand idly by."
Yu Shinan raised his hands and said thanks: "Thank you, Lord Marquis. But, Lord Marquis, haven't you heard about this auction?"
Xiao Rui smiled bitterly and said: "I just learned from you that there is an auction house in Chang'an City. How do you know about the auction?"
Li Junxian helped and said, "Two great scholars, what kind of object is it? It can make you two so alarmed?"
Master and disciple Yu Shinan looked at each other and said at the same time: "It's "Shang Shu"!"
What the hell? "Shang Shu"? Isn’t this a major Confucian classic? Anyone who is a scholar and has some knowledge has basically read it. Is this thing worth auctioning?
Chu Suiliang explained: "It is not the Shangshu that everyone knows. It is the entire ancient Shangshu that has been lost for a long time and was compiled by Confucius himself."
oh……
"We've been making trouble for a long time. Isn't it just an isolated copy of "Shang Shu"! How much will it be worth if it is put up for auction? Fifth brother, please give 10,000 taels of silver to the two of you personally..."
"Ahem, Lord Marquis! We, we are not here to borrow money." Chu Suiliang interrupted quickly.
Ten thousand taels of silver is a big deal. Who in Chang'an City would dare to throw away ten thousand taels of cash? Even the emperor has to consider whether the treasury is sufficient, but the champion prince in front of him, without blinking an eye, is worthy of his reputation for being so rich that the country can be invincible!
"What's that for? Xiao Rui is just an idler. Apart from a bit of dirt and yellow-white stuff, there doesn't seem to be much else... Wait, you two don't want me to help grab something, right?"
Chu Suiliang waved his hands quickly: "No, no, the Marquis has misunderstood. We just want to ask, Marquis, will you participate?"
I?
Xiao Rui waved his hand and said: "I'm not interested in these ancient books. Xiao Rui is a layman, and what he likes are all common things, such as gold and silver? Beautiful women? Rare treasures? Martial arts secret books and so on..."
Ahem!
Yu Shinan couldn't help but interrupt: "Master Marquis, please stop being modest. You are the most talented in both civil and military affairs. You are the best in the world. Even if you are really willing to be a commoner, you are still an extraordinary and worldly immortal."
"This time, our master and disciple came here to ask the Marquis to take action."
Xiao Rui was puzzled, "Please let me take action? No, I can't rob it. It will have a bad reputation if word spreads!"
…
Li Junxian couldn't help but want to laugh, recalling what the Marquis had done, robbing money? Stealing people? robbing. It seems that they often engage in robbery. How come you act like a good person today?
Chu Suiliang quickly explained: "No, we don't dare to ruin Mr. Hou's reputation. We want to ask, will Mr. Hou participate in this auction? Who knows, you are as rich as the enemy. If you participate in the auction, we can stop the competition. ”
Xiao Rui spread his hands and said, "Hey, you don't have to worry about this. I just said that I will not participate. I am not interested in ancient books or anything like that."
Yu Shinan said seriously: "No, Lord Marquis, you must participate!"
This...what's the point?
"Master Yu, could it be that you contributed this rare ancient book? Do you still want to designate a buyer? Then why bother? Just make a price and you can just take it over." Xiao Rui guessed.
Yu Shinan sighed and said: "Master Hou, please don't make fun of me. If I had ancient books passed down by Saint Confucius, I would definitely collect them as family heirlooms, but I would be reluctant to put them up for auction. That would be a corruption of morality."
"The reason why I want to invite Mr. Hou to come out is actually to settle the dispute."
Dispute?
Xiao Rui and others listened carefully to Yu Shinan's explanation.
"For ordinary people, "The Book of Documents" is just an ancient book, but for us Confucian disciples, the complete version of "The Book of Documents" by Confucius is definitely a sacred object. All Confucian disciples will not want to get it."
"In today's world, Confucian scholars account for 90% of the scholars. I guess that this dispute over "Shang Shu" should be a conspiracy to deliberately provoke disputes among Confucian scholars. Who is the mastermind behind the scenes? I know, but I definitely don’t have good intentions.”
Xiao Rui waved his hand and said: "Master Yu, isn't it? It's just a book. No matter who gets it, he keeps it for collection. Could it be that because of the ownership of this book, can there be hatred? Who will fight for it? ? We, the Xiao family, are also descendants of Confucianism, so we won’t fight."
Your Xiao family? Forget it, you were once a royal family, and you, Xiao Rui, have studied hundreds of schools of thought, what kind of Confucianism do you think you are? Your father, Xiao Yu, is only half of him. He once believed in Buddhism, so he is not a pure Confucian.
"I don't know whether Mr. Wenji, the master, will participate. But I, Yu Shinan, must participate. In addition, there is the Yan family, the descendants of Yan Sheng, and Yan Shigu will not give up. The Kong family, the descendants of Kong Sheng, listen It is said that Kong Yingda has already said that he is bound to get it, even if he loses his fortune, he will get it!"
Forehead……
Xiao Rui touched his nose: "Yes, since it is the inheritance of Kong Sheng, it should belong to the Kong family. If Kong Jijiu wants it so much, why not just give it to him? Why argue?"
Chu Suiliang reminded: "Master Hou, if you get it purely for learning, we have no objection to the Confucian family. But those participating in the auction are not just us, but also the Five Surnames and Qiwang, who are known as the orthodox Confucians. . In terms of financial resources, who can compete with others?"
Oh...I understand. We have been talking for a long time. Are you here to ask me to come out to deal with Qiwang of the fifth surname? Tell me earlier! Such a big detour.
"Okay, since that's the case, Xiao Rui is obligated to inherit the legacy of Kong Sheng. Don't worry, I'll have someone sign up for the auction right now."
Master and apprentice Yu Shinan left happily. On the way back, they discussed it and publicized the participation of the champion, hoping to win. It must have scared off many people.
Li Junxian was puzzled: "Sir, do we really want to participate? Didn't you say that you won't take the initiative to confront Wu Xing Qi Wang?"
Xiao Rui showed a sinister expression, "Fifth brother, send someone to check whether this "Book of Secrets" is true or false. In addition, it is best to find out who is the owner of the auction? Also! We must find out where the "Book of Secretaries" is now. Where?"
"What? Check where it is stored? Young master, you are not going to steal it, are you?" Li Junxian said in surprise: "No, it's just a book. Why do you have to lower yourself? It's not like we can't afford it!"
Xiao Rui chuckled and said: "Fifth brother, stealing books? It's not called stealing, right? Besides, stealing books is not the most interesting thing."
