I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 56 Charity Auction 2

Chapter 56 Charity Auction Part Two

Ma Biao raised his hand and shouted, "200 taels!"

"The current price is 200 taels. Is there anything that costs more than 200 taels?" Sheng Lan asked.

Sun Ming smiled and looked at Ma Biao with a sneer, "Old Ma, didn't you say you wouldn't give Wang the Fool a single penny? Why are you offering to buy calligraphy and paintings now?"

Ma Biao smiled awkwardly and explained, "As you all know, my brother-in-law has taken up his post in Hezhou. He likes calligraphy and painting. As for me? You all know me, I'm a rough man. I have quite a lot of gold and jade at home, but I don't own a single piece of calligraphy or painting. Coincidentally, this calligraphy by Mr. Yangming is quite good. I bought it and wanted to give it to my brother-in-law."

"Haha... We understand, Brother Ma, we understand!" Lin Nan quickly comforted Ma Biao when he saw that Ma Biao was a little embarrassed.

"two hundred……"

Old Zhang had barely opened his mouth, before he could even shout, when Old Cheng pulled him down to sit in a seat.

Old Cheng frowned and asked, "Old Zhang, why are you joining in this commotion?"

"Making a fuss?" Old Zhang curled his lip and said, "How could I make a fuss? This is an authentic work by Master Yangming. You know that, I have always admired Master Yangming. I just want to buy it and put it on display."

"Sigh..." Old Cheng sighed, thinking to himself, Old Zhang is really quite persistent. The price has already risen to 200 taels, and he's still scrambling to buy it.

“Old Zhang, I’m not trying to criticize you, but your grandson-in-law is the great-great-grandson of Yangming. If you just ask him for a piece of calligraphy by Yangming, do you think he won’t give it to you? Why do you insist on spending money to buy it? You’re just making things more complicated!” Old Cheng reminded him.

Old Zhang thought about it and agreed. His granddaughter was, after all, Wang Wenzhou's concubine, and if he asked for a concubine's title, Wang Wenzhou really wouldn't dare to say no.

"Old Zhang, stop joining in the commotion!" Old Cheng had eliminated one competitor, and he was now determined to get his hands on Mr. Yangming's calligraphy.

Old Cheng raised his hand and shouted, "220 taels!"

Ma Biao glanced at Lao Cheng and thought to himself, "What are you doing getting involved, you old scholar? You think you can compete with me in terms of money, you old spendthrift?"

"300 taels!" Ma Biao raised his hand and shouted.

Sweat began to bead on Old Cheng's face. It wasn't that he didn't have that much money. It was just that spending so much on a calligraphy piece was something he was reluctant to do. His father was also a businessman, and had originally been quite wealthy, once the richest man in Hanshan. However, Old Cheng himself had focused too much on his studies, single-mindedly pursuing officialdom. He was too lazy to do business and lacked the ability to scheme, and over the decades, although he had always lived a life of comfort, he had squandered almost all of the family fortune.

Sheng Lan said with a smile, "300 taels, is there anything higher than 300 taels? 300 taels per time..."

"500 taels!"

At that moment, a person sitting in the corner shouted.

"what?!"

Everyone was puzzled. Who was this person, so extravagant as to buy a piece of calligraphy for five hundred taels? The Ming Dynasty wasn't like later times, with museums and con artists making a living by collecting. In the Ming Dynasty, although there were people who appreciated calligraphy and paintings, they were few and far between; most were scholars. Calligraphy and paintings had no investment value, let alone the exorbitant prices inflated by speculation.

In the Ming Dynasty, calligraphy and paintings were not expensive. They were generally exchanged among scholars as gifts. Or, someone might admire another artist's work and request a copy, paying a modest fee. Those who made a living selling calligraphy and paintings in ancient times were mostly poor. For example, a genuine work by Tang Bohu could fetch tens of millions in later generations. Yet, due to a cheating scandal in the imperial examinations, he failed to become an official and lived a life of poverty, ultimately dying in poverty.

"Where did this young man come from?"

Ma Biao glanced towards the corner and saw a man bidding. Ma Biao didn't recognize him; he was young and had a handsome appearance.

Yang Mu shook his head and said, "I don't know him either. Is he a businessman from out of town?"

“They’re most likely from out of town. These days, because of the big prize, a lot of people from other places have come to Hanshan. It’s really annoying; it’s causing traffic jams when they try to get into the city.” Sun Ming nodded.

Ma Biao cursed and said, "That's right, damn it, my carriage was stuck in traffic for half an hour when I came here today. I think from now on, I can't take a carriage into the city anymore, I'll have to ride a horse. It's not as fast as walking."

Sun Ming said with a wry smile, "Old Ma, you're a martial arts graduate, so you know how to ride a horse. The rest of us don't know how to ride horses, so we can only ride in carriages."

"Having many people from other places isn't necessarily a bad thing. When I came back the other day, I looked at my shop's accounts and was shocked. My income in just over a month was more than my usual annual income," Yang Mu said with a wave of his hand and a smile.

Ma Biao nodded and said with a smile, "That's true, my shop's income has increased quite a bit."

"I can't chat with you guys anymore! I can't let these young guys from out of town look down on me. I have to buy this calligraphy piece no matter what."

After saying that, Ma Biao raised his hand and shouted, "600 taels!"

As soon as Ma Biao finished speaking, the man shouted, "700 taels!"

Old Cheng looked at the person, and the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed. He nudged Old Zhang and said, "Old Zhang, look, isn't that your Jiaojiao?"

Old Zhang turned around and saw that the handsome young man in men's clothing was none other than Zhang Jiao.

"This is outrageous!" Old Zhang suddenly stood up and strode over.

"Jiaojiao! What are you doing here?" Old Zhang pulled on Jiaojiao's clothes and asked irritably.

"Grandpa... why are you here?" Zhang Jiao looked up and was surprised to see her grandfather.

"Why can't I come? Come on, come home with me! Why are you making a fuss?" Old Zhang completely forgot that he had also wanted to buy the calligraphy.

"Shh!" Zhang Jiao made a shushing gesture and whispered, "Grandpa, don't disturb us, they're doing important business!"

"What important business is this! Aren't you ashamed! You, Wang Wenzhou, aren't you ashamed! I, an old man, am ashamed! Look at what you're wearing! How can a young lady dress like that! Let's go!" Without saying another word, Old Zhang grabbed Zhang Jiao and pulled her outside.

Zhang Jiao was a shill sent by Wang Wenzhou to help inflate the prices of calligraphy and paintings. Old Zhang dragged her home, and she didn't dare to resist, so she had no choice but to accept it, since the prices had already been raised to a reasonable level.

“Seven hundred taels once, seven hundred taels twice…” Sheng Lan began.

Ma Biao was furious. These outsiders were so disrespectful. Did they even know who he was? Ma Biao felt that as a local from Hanshan, he couldn't let this go so easily. He'd been fighting over this calligraphy for so long; if some outsider bought it, where would he put his face?

"One thousand taels!" Ma Biao shouted!

"Ah..." Many people present exclaimed in surprise.

They couldn't understand what was wrong with Ma Biao today. He was a military officer who knew a few characters, so why did he insist on buying this calligraphy? Was he also trying to curry favor with Lord Wang? They had heard that their sons didn't get along with Lord Wang.

"One thousand taels once! One thousand taels twice! Anything higher?"

Sheng Lan looked around and saw that no one wanted to raise the price again. He slammed the gavel down hard and said, "One thousand two or three times! Congratulations to Ma Biao, Master Ma, for winning the first item of the day, a genuine calligraphy work by Master Yangming."