Volume One, Chapter 17: The Young Marquis Bids Ten Thousand Taels

Su Zhizhi’s words deeply moved everyone present, stirring their emotions instantly.

“The prince has come back to life—how miraculous! How incredible!”

“Truly miraculous! Truly incredible!”

Although the people guarding the capital were reluctant to marry their daughters to the dreaded Jin Prince, his military achievements were known far and wide.

Seeing the moment was ripe, Su Zhizhi raised her voice even more: “If it weren’t for this pure gold coffin, how could the prince have been resurrected? How could our Great Wei reclaim its God of War?”

Everyone began to murmur among themselves.

“I heard the golden coffin was a gift from the Crown Prince.”

“Everyone thought the Crown Prince and the Jin Prince were at odds, even plotting his demise, but it turns out he actually saved him.”

“This isn’t a coffin at all—it’s a golden Bodhisattva statue!”

Su Zhizhi cleared her throat and shouted with all her might:

“Today, this golden coffin weighing dozens of pounds, not for a thousand taels, not even five hundred taels, but only one hundred ninety-nine taels of silver!”

As soon as she finished, many cried out, “I want it! I want it!”

Seeing this, Su Zhizhi quickly called for silence.

“Since everyone desires it, the highest bidder shall win. Starting price: one hundred ninety-nine taels of silver.”

“I offer three hundred taels.”

“Five hundred taels!”

“One thousand taels!”

Neither Su Zhizhi nor the servants of the prince’s mansion expected this golden coffin, which many feared and avoided, to garner bids as high as a thousand taels.

Huang, the jeweler, unwilling to be outdone, declared, “I bid three thousand taels of silver.”

This coffin was plainly made of pure gold; three thousand taels would hardly be a loss.

At that moment, Xiao Lizi quietly followed behind the Jin Prince.

Even he was taken aback by this astonishing spectacle.

The prince had just recovered from a grave illness and could not bear such a shock.

Xiao Lizi cupped his fists and respectfully proposed to the Jin Prince, “Your servant will promptly go and persuade the princess consort.”

“No matter,” the Jin Prince said grimly.

He wanted to see what tricks this woman might have up her sleeve.

As the crowd’s shouts grew louder, a man with a golden crown and a crimson jade belt stepped into the throng.

After a brief pause, he declared, “I bid ten thousand taels!”

“What?”

“Ten thousand taels?”

Su Zhizhi had not anticipated the coffin could fetch such a high price.

She exclaimed, “Ten thousand taels, once!”

“Ten thousand taels, twice!”

“Ten thousand taels, thrice!”

Bang! Su Zhizhi struck the gavel, and the drumbeat echoed.

“Ten thousand taels, sold! Congratulations to this fair-faced noble gentleman!”

The Jin Prince’s expression darkened further.

This woman actually praised another man in front of him—how improper!

He strode off briskly, his embroidered robe flaring behind him.

Xiao Lizi struggled to keep up with his master’s pace.

Lost in the joy of a lucrative sale, Su Zhizhi failed to notice a pair of eyes glaring at her fiercely from behind.

“Your Highness!” Madam Wang and Qing Zhu hurriedly bowed.

Only then did Su Zhizhi turn around and offer an awkward smile.

“Your Highness, you’ve arrived.”

With the Jin Prince’s appearance, the crowd cheered,

“The God of War is mighty! The God of War is mighty!”

The prince’s revival and survival were truly a blessing for the Great Wei Kingdom.

“Who are you, bidding ten thousand taels for this coffin?” the Jin Prince asked, pointing at the jade-faced scholar.

“I am Jin Zhanghe from the Marquis of Anping’s mansion.”

The Marquis of Anping’s Jin Zhanghe?

Su Zhizhi seemed to recall hearing of him before.

This young marquis was known for his lavish spending and fondness for collecting rare treasures.

This coffin was probably yet another peculiar treasure for him.

The Jin Prince sneered disdainfully.

So this was the cowardly young marquis who always dodged battles and fawned before the palace.

All his wealth was ill-gotten.

“We don’t need your dirty silver here at the Jin Prince’s Mansion,” he said disdainfully.

“Don’t be so hasty,” Su Zhizhi quickly interjected.

“Who’s against the silver? Your Highness must remember, the coffin was given to me. Don’t go back on your word.”

Indeed, the coffin had been sent out by the prince himself. Knowing he was in the wrong, the Jin Prince pressed his lips tightly and said nothing.

Madam Wang was overwhelmed with emotion, her hands trembling slightly as she bowed deeply, wrinkles on her forehead revealing a trace of weariness.

“Princess Consort, you truly are a living Bodhisattva. The prince’s mansion is immensely blessed to have you.”

The coffin was still in limbo, uncertain of its fate.

If it were returned to the Crown Prince’s mansion as the prince had ordered, it would be tantamount to defying the Crown Prince.

Though not a court official, Madam Wang understood that the Crown Prince was a force to be reckoned with.

She could not bear to endure the agony of the Jin Prince’s near-death experience again.

The princess consort had only been at the mansion for two days but had already brought in ten thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver.

Madam Wang did not hesitate to lavish praise on the princess consort before the prince.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, the Jin Prince teased, “Young Marquis, your generosity knows no bounds.”

A crooked smile tugged at his lips, yet it looked forced.

“You are the God of War of Great Wei,” Jin Zhanghe said modestly, “and I consider it my good fortune to use the coffin once used by Your Highness after my passing.”

Su Zhizhi couldn’t help but appraise the young marquis from head to toe.

Gentle and refined, with an extraordinary aura.

Yet, the Jin Prince seemed to harbor great dislike for him.

Su Zhizhi suddenly smiled.

“You have good taste, young marquis. This coffin is truly a unique treasure in the capital.”

“But...” she hesitated.

“Please, young lady, speak freely,” the young marquis encouraged with a smile as radiant as summer flowers.

“If merchants bought this coffin, it wouldn’t matter much, since it wouldn’t concern court affairs. But Marquis, aren’t you afraid of displeasing the Crown Prince? At present, the imperial family and ministers all side with the Crown Prince, so by purchasing this coffin, aren’t you openly offending him?”

Her words startled everyone.

Xiao Lizi wiped the sweat from his palm.

The Crown Prince and Jin Prince had long been at odds, but everyone kept it unspoken.

For the princess consort to bluntly say this before outsiders was... excessively forthright.

“Ha ha.” The young marquis’s clear, pleasant laughter rang out.

“Though the world sides with the Crown Prince, my heart has always been with the God of War who defends our land on the battlefield.”

The Jin Prince’s face practically screamed disdain.

A deserter on the battlefield—how could he claim to protect the nation?

The young marquis stepped before the Jin Prince and bowed deeply.

“I am unworthy. Your Highness’s wedding gift was insufficient to express my feelings. Today, fate has brought us together again; it is truly a blessing of three lifetimes.”

He then turned to Su Zhizhi and bowed to her.

“Princess Consort, your generous speech at the wedding feast and your hospitality toward the soldiers prove you are a woman who rivals men. I greatly admire you.”

The wedding feast?

This young marquis had actually attended her and the prince’s grand wedding ceremony.

Even the Crown Prince had not come to the banquet; all the officials and generals in the city kept their distance, afraid of offending the current Crown Prince.

This young marquis was truly different.

Su Zhizhi smiled gently.

“You flatter me, young marquis.”

The Jin Prince saw the two exchanging pleasantries and felt like an outsider standing to the side.

His expression remained gloomy for a long moment.

“This farce should come to an end.”

He ordered the golden coffin to be sent to the Marquis of Anping’s mansion.

He had originally intended to return it to the Crown Prince’s mansion, but since the young marquis had no qualms, giving it to him was acceptable.

At that moment, the words the Jin Prince had spoken to her on their wedding night echoed in her ears.

Perhaps the ten thousand taels of silver was precisely what the Jin Prince’s mansion needed.

“Your Highness, since the coffin has been purchased, I shall immediately instruct my men to deliver ten thousand taels of silver to the prince’s mansion. Your Highness is busy with state affairs, so I will take my leave now.”