In full swing

With Eunuch Qin accompanying them, the vase was examined very quickly, and soon they arrived at their private room. Eunuch Qin entered, bowed first, and then said with a smile, "This porcelain is fragile, gentlemen, please understand and it's best not to touch it. If you want to see it, just ask a servant to turn it for you."

The servant first showed the vase to the old man sitting in the middle, and after the old man waved his hand, he walked to the left and right, letting everyone see the vase he was holding. During this process, he would rotate the vase in his hands, allowing everyone to see the peculiar feature of this rotating vase.

Everyone looked closely and marveled.

Even Kang Yannian, who had previously shown little interest, became excited and exclaimed, "Exquisite craftsmanship! Exquisite craftsmanship!"

Gong Cheng was a tech fanatic; he wanted nothing more than to take the two bottles apart and study them, to see the mechanisms and methods used inside.

The man on stage Xu Zhou, explained that the craftsman made the two porcelain vases together, inside and out, to express his affection for his wife. In addition to the meaning of "returning to one's husband's heart," it also meant "husband and wife of one heart."

But without actually touching it, just looking at it, he couldn't figure out anything.

This vase is so novel, and there's only one outside the palace. Gong Cheng knows that with his own assets and strength, he's not qualified to compete with it.

He could only sigh regretfully, "I wonder if the craftsman's descendants can also make this kind of porcelain."

"Didn't you hear what Xu Zhou said earlier? No one can make this vase anymore."

As Xu Zhou just mentioned, the craftsman lived in the previous dynasty and had passed away many years ago. His descendants, having experienced war and hardship, were unable to protect the two vases and feared they would break during their escape. That's why they sold the two treasured vases to someone else. By chance, the vases appeared at the auction.

Whether the story is true or not is unknown, but since Xu Zhou dared to say it, it seems that the craftsman could no longer recreate the revolving vase; otherwise, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Fifth Prince?

Gong Cheng understood this principle and couldn't help but sigh.

As they were talking, Eunuch Qin and his servant went downstairs to show the guests the exhibits.

The seats below were spaced quite far apart, making it easy to get up, sit down, and walk around. Even so, Eunuch Qin and his servant moved about without feeling crowded. Unlike in the private rooms, they didn't linger. They walked at a steady, slow pace, with the servant turning the outer vase in his hand to show the guests its exquisite beauty and wonder.

After walking around a few times, the two reached the stage.

"Alright, we will now officially begin the auction of the vase. Please welcome auctioneer Guan Wentao."

A pair of servants carried an auction table up, followed by a thin, middle-aged man.

He bowed to everyone and said, "My name is Guan Wentao, and I will be presiding over today's auction."

With that, he stood in front of the auction table, picked up a small gavel, and struck a drum on it. "A famille rose openwork 'Four Seasons Landscape' revolving vase from the previous dynasty, starting at three thousand taels. Each bid must be at least one hundred taels. The auction begins now!" With that, he struck the drum forcefully.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Ruxi had anticipated this situation and quickly beckoned the servant at the door in. "Three thousand three hundred taels."

The servant nodded and ran out quickly.

Kang Jinlin asked his young apprentice in surprise, "You like this bottle?"

Zhao Ruxi smiled and said, "I like it. But I'm just giving a random price; I'll probably be outbid soon. If I can't buy it at this price, I won't buy it."

She didn't actually want the bottle; she just wanted to help Xiao Lingyan out by acting as a shill to prevent the auction from going cold.

That guy isn't stupid; he definitely arranged for shills. For one thing, officials from the Second Prince's faction will certainly step in to drive up the price. But she'll help if she can.

She smiled and said to everyone, "If you're interested, you can join in. It's just for fun. You won't lose out if you buy it at this price, and you won't lose anything if you don't."

Upon hearing this, Gong Cheng looked at Zhao Ruxi eagerly and said, "If I offer a higher price than you and I buy it, won't my junior sister be angry?"

Zhao Ruxi shrugged. "How could I be angry? The highest bidder wins. Besides, if my second senior brother buys it, it shouldn't be a problem for me to borrow it for a while, right?"

"That's natural."

As Gong Cheng spoke, he beckoned a servant to come and say, "The offer is three thousand five hundred taels."

The servant hesitated, then said, "Sir, the price has already reached three thousand six hundred taels."

Upon hearing this, everyone heard a price being quoted below, and just then, two servants simultaneously spoke up, "Three thousand eight hundred taels."

Three thousand seven hundred taels.

Guan Wentao, standing on the stage, quickly interjected, "The highest bidder wins. Those who haven't raised their paddles but whose prices are lower than the initial bid, don't need to submit another bid."

The scene paused briefly, but soon the servants started running around again.

Three thousand nine hundred taels.

Four thousand taels.

Seeing the enthusiastic bidding below, Zhao Ruxi felt relieved.

Seeing Gong Cheng staring blankly at the audience, the messenger asked, "Lord Gong, do you still want to make a bid?"

Gong Cheng thought for a moment, "Four thousand five hundred taels." If it weren't for this price, the clerk probably wouldn't have even gotten there before the offer was already higher.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Gong." Before the servant could finish speaking, he had already rushed out the door.

Sure enough, the price jumped up again. "Four thousand two hundred taels."

Four thousand three hundred taels.

Finally, the person representing box number eleven raised their hand. "Four thousand five hundred taels."

Gong Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had completed a task, and a relaxed and happy smile appeared on his face. Even though his bid was quickly surpassed by the next bid of "four thousand seven hundred taels", there was not a trace of frustration on his face.

Zhao Ruxi couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

The second senior brother looked honest and unassuming, but he turned out to be a wonderful person.

After laughing, she asked, "Second Senior Brother, how much silver do you think this revolving bottle is worth on the market?"

The reason that revolving vase sold for such an astronomical price in modern auctions is because it's a Qing Dynasty antique and was used by the emperor, which adds significant value. She had no idea what such a vase would have cost in ancient times.

Gong Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I just examined it. This vase is made of pure white and delicate material, with a thin and translucent body, a bright glaze, and smooth, perfect lines. Such porcelain could only come from the hands of a master porcelain maker. With such quality, plus the novel revolving design, and being one of only two porcelain pieces in the world with this shape (the other one was even presented to the palace), it could easily sell for five or six thousand taels of silver under normal circumstances."

He pointed downstairs. "If we auction it off here now, and two or three people happen to like it or don't get along with it, it could fetch seven or eight thousand or even higher."

In the short time they were talking, the price quoted downstairs had already reached 5,700 taels, and then quickly jumped to 6,200 taels.