Chapter 519: An Explosive Price
Surprise and excitement shone uncontrollably in Gu Chi’s eyes.
Gu Zhifeng took the large, pure purple pearl from his hand. An item this beautiful would undoubtedly be the crown jewel of any shop.
He set down the pearl and looked at the other items: bracelets, head ornaments, agate necklaces, and yingluo. Every single piece was dazzling—they were all worthy of being crown jewels.
Even the jade worn by consorts in the palace could not compare to a single piece taken at random from the bag.
With so many items fit to be crown jewels, how could his jewelry shops not become wildly popular?
Gu Yuan stared at the vast collection. He hadn’t examined some of the pieces closely before, and the more he looked now, the more he coveted them.
Gao Yunyue attended various banquets hosted by noble houses every year. At these events, the daughters of prestigious families would gather to show off and compete over who had the finest clothes and jewelry.
That was why she was so obsessed with jewelry. With so many exquisite pieces, if she wore them to a banquet, she would undoubtedly outshine everyone else.
"The carving on this hairpin is extraordinary, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. It’s truly a masterpiece. Look at how the eyes are inlaid with red agate... Tsk, tsk..." Gu Zhifeng praised it endlessly.
Ye Qianning glanced at the hairpin as well. She had modified some of Consort Yuan’s jewelry, even re-carving the decorative patterns.
’She had studied the art of carving for half a year, originally to get close to an antiques dealer who was obsessed with the craft.’
’People like her had to learn many skills and assume many identities for their missions. They were practically role-playing every day; how could they possibly succeed without genuine talent?’
Gu Zhifeng carefully counted over thirty items. He then opened the other bag. The pieces inside were more common, but they could all still fetch a good price.
"Boss Gu, have you finished your appraisal?" Ye Qianning asked.
Gu Zhifeng closed the bag. "I have. They are all fine pieces."
’So many treasures, and that brat Gu Yuan had the gall to offer ten thousand? He’s lucky his jaw didn’t fall off.’
"What is your offer?"
Gu Zhifeng lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before speaking. "One hundred and sixty thousand taels."
"Uncle, one hundred and sixty thousand is too much!" Gu Yuan couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Too much?" Gu Zhifeng retorted, looking back at him. "The quality and quantity of her items are plain to see. If you think you can acquire them for ten or twenty thousand taels, then nephew, you should get out of this business as soon as possible."
Gu Yuan was silenced. Hearing his uncle’s tone, he became even more certain that there was a spy in the pawnshop.
"Miss Xiang, is that price acceptable to you?" Gu Zhifeng asked.
Ye Qianning remained silent.
Seeing her silence, Gu Zhifeng assumed she found the offer too low and spoke again. "If you feel that’s not enough, Miss Xiang, one hundred and seventy thousand taels is my absolute top price. To be frank, I estimate these items will sell for between one hundred eighty and two hundred thousand taels in my shops. You have to leave us some room for profit. These pieces are so valuable that ordinary people can’t afford them. With so many, they will inevitably sit on the shelves for a long time, and maintenance costs money as well."
Ye Qianning nodded slightly. ’This was close to her own estimate. A price of one hundred and seventy thousand taels was astonishing for any pawnshop in all of Beili; it was truly a top-tier offer.’
’Jewelry requires regular maintenance. If these pieces sat in a shop for several years without selling, the upkeep costs would be substantial.’
Gu Yuan’s eyes went wide. ’His uncle was really paying one hundred and seventy thousand for them?’
’He estimated they could sell for two hundred thousand taels... Could they really fetch that much?’
’Just a moment ago, Ye Qianning had only asked him for one hundred and fifty thousand.’ A wave of regret washed over him at the thought. ’If only he had been more decisive, all those items would already be in his shop’s inventory.’
Gu Chi was much calmer. Having traveled with his father on business for years, he was accustomed to large sums of money, though this was the first time he had witnessed a single transaction of one hundred and seventy thousand taels.
He glanced back at the large bag. For so many precious artifacts, the price was acceptable.