The fireworks continued to light up the sky, waking He Sui’an.
When she first heard Qi Buyan’s question, she was so shocked that her mind went blank. He Sui’an felt it necessary to explain the meaning of love to Qi Buyan once more.
He Sui’an had always known that Qi Buyan treated her like one of his Gu.
His idea of Gu was that once he had cultivated them, they should never betray him, flee, or seek another master. They were to stay by his side forever.
Qi Buyan had become accustomed to keeping her, and given his personality, he would likely want to continue doing so. Just as he persisted in refining a poison Gu until it was complete, he wanted to keep her in the same way.
Whether it was raising Gu or keeping a person, it required staying together.
After hearing her explanation of love, Qi Buyan probably confused the two concepts. He had always treated people and Gu the same.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
Qi Buyan valued Gu more than people.
Thinking this way, Qi Buyan might even “love” his Gu. Considering this, He Sui’an shook her head. “No, you just want to keep me like you keep your Gu. This isn’t love.”
At most, it could be considered fondness.
And not even the fondness between a man and a woman. It was more like the fondness of raising her, similar to how He Sui’an liked cats and dogs.
“Is that so?” Qi Buyan’s gaze remained as indifferent as ever, unaffected by this revelation. Whether it was or wasn’t didn’t matter to him.
She ate the last candied hawthorn on the bamboo skewer. “No, it’s not.”
He Sui’an thought for a moment and said, “In the future, don’t just read books about Gu. Read some other books too. Maybe then you’ll gradually understand.”
She believed that their initial intimate actions were not based on love but stemmed from mutual curiosity about human sexuality.
*
In the blink of an eye, the night of the auction arrived.
Shen Jianhe arrived at the inn where He Sui’an and the others were staying right on time.
Having never attended an auction before, he was even more excited than they were. He urged He Sui’an to repeatedly check if the jade pendant was still with her, cautioning that inns weren’t particularly safe places.
He Sui’an couldn’t help but laugh.
Who could steal the jade pendant right under Qi Buyan’s nose? Nonetheless, she checked it again.
It wasn’t out of fear of theft but out of concern that she might forget it. Every night, they would bathe and change clothes, and before bathing, they would set aside their belongings, making it possible to forget to bring them along.
When Shen Jianhe made this remark in the inn’s lobby, the innkeeper glanced at him and then started tapping his abacus loudly. After all, this was the safest inn in Chang’an.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t charge such high rates.
Fearing theft in his inn, the innkeeper’s expression remained stoic, but he was furious inside. His fingers moved faster on the abacus, and the attendant nearby didn’t dare to make a sound.
The attendant thought to himself, the innkeeper had seen all kinds of troubles, but when it came to the inn, he was very sensitive and couldn’t tolerate any criticism. He always got angry when he heard anything negative about the inn.
Seeing that the innkeeper was about to break the abacus, the attendant found an opportunity to slip away.
Due to the high charges, there were fewer guests compared to other inns, and at this hour, the lobby was almost empty, with just a few of them present.
Shen Jianhe’s voice could easily reach the innkeeper, and the innkeeper’s loud abacus tapping could also be heard by Shen Jianhe.
He kindly reminded the innkeeper, “Innkeeper, you are tapping that too hard.”
He Sui’an looked over upon hearing this.
The innkeeper’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
She had noticed the unusually loud sound of the abacus.
The innkeeper continued tapping with the same force, “I just like tapping it hard. Hearing this sound keeps my mind clear and prevents me from talking nonsense. Would you like to try it, sir?”
Shen Jianhe waved his hand and casually replied, “No, it’s better suited for you.”
The innkeeper’s face turned even darker.
He Sui’an felt that the atmosphere in the lobby was quite odd. Seeing that it was getting late, she said, “Senior Shen, should we head to the auction house now?”
Shen Jianhe didn’t notice anything wrong with the innkeeper’s expression. Seeing that the jade pendant was still in her hand, he started walking out, “Yes, it’s time to go.”
It would take them two quarters of an hour to reach the auction house from the inn, so it was indeed time to leave.
It’s better to arrive early than to be late.
Two quarters of an hour later.
They arrived at the auction house. The tall building was brightly lit, with eighteen red lanterns swaying gently in the wind. Groups of elegantly dressed people were arriving and being led inside.
Since they were the consignors of the auction item, they used a different entrance from the bidders. The auction house manager personally led them inside and had three appraisers verify the jade pendant again.
The jade pendant was not an ordinary auction item, so the verification process took a while.
They waited for a moment.
Finally, the three appraisers confirmed that it was the genuine jade pendant. The manager took out a brocade box with a red exterior, carefully placed the jade pendant inside, and handed it back to He Sui’an.
During the auction, the owner of the auction item must hold the item or stand beside it.
The manager explained this to them.
They needed to choose someone to go up.
Since they came together, the manager considered all of them the owners of the jade pendant.
He Sui’an didn’t like being the center of attention, while Shen Jianhe enjoyed it immensely and was eager for the opportunity. He could tell He Sui’an didn’t want to go up.
Just as Shen Jianhe was about to volunteer, He Sui’an’s stomach started to ache, and she needed to take care of it.
The auction house had maidservants.
Under the manager’s instructions, a maidservant led He Sui’an to the latrine in the back courtyard.
With He Sui’an gone, Shen Jianhe couldn’t recommend himself to her, so he turned to Qi Buyan and said, “Young Master Qi, if you don’t mind, I can take the jade pendant on stage for you.”
Qi Buyan smiled, his gentle demeanor seemingly natural with his face, making him appear very approachable at all times: “Do you really want to take the jade pendant on stage?”
Shen Jianhe gave a definite answer.
His eyes slightly lifted, with a hint of a smile, “Even if holding it might be dangerous?”
“What danger could there be?” Shen Jianhe reached out his hand, “Give it to me. I don’t believe there’s any danger in holding it.”
Could someone openly try to steal the treasure? Shen Jianhe didn’t believe in such superstition.
“Alright.” Qi Buyan handed him the red brocade box containing the jade pendant, “This is your choice. If you want to go, then go.”
Shen Jianhe took the red brocade box.
He declared confidently, “Don’t worry, it will definitely fetch a good price.”
The young man leaned against a pillar inside the building, his dark blue robe brushing against the nearby railing as he smiled noncommittally, “I hope that auctioning it will get me what I want.”
Seeing that they had decided on someone, the manager approached and reminded, “Sir, please remove the shovel, black glutinous rice, and compass from your body.”
This was directed at Shen Jianhe.
Many distinguished guests would be attending the auction tonight, and these items were considered inauspicious.
The manager meant no offense.
Shen Jianhe understood the manager’s intent and swiftly removed the shovel, black glutinous rice, compass, and other items, placing them on the tray provided.
Soon, it was time to auction the jade pendant. The manager, hunched over, walked ahead, and Shen Jianhe, holding the red brocade box, climbed the long spiral wooden staircase leading to the mid-air pavilion adorned with colorful silk ribbons.
When He Sui’an returned, this was the scene she saw.
Why was he up there?
She had intended to go up herself, leaving Qi Buyan below to observe for any unusual activity.
He Sui’an was ready to take risks with Qi Buyan, knowing that being watched was inevitable. Although she didn’t particularly like being the center of attention, it wasn’t a big deal; she could endure it with her eyes closed.
Unexpectedly, while she was away for a brief moment, Shen Jianhe had already taken the stage.
If the true culprit behind the missing jade pendant was present, they would undoubtedly be fixated on Shen Jianhe, who now held the jade pendant.
He Sui’an walked over to Qi Buyan.
“Senior Shen?”
He stepped away from the red pillar supporting the building and softly replied, “He wanted to go, so I let him. Aside from previously agreed-upon choices, I never interfere with anyone’s decisions.”
She understood this about Qi Buyan’s character and said nothing. The bidders at the auction house had already seen Shen Jianhe, and it was irreversible.
He Sui’an looked up at the mid-air pavilion.
The building was constructed with a square base and had four sides inside as well. The mid-air pavilion was suspended by iron chains, anchored into the walls on all four sides. The pavilion got its name from being suspended in mid-air, and it was stable, allowing people to walk on it as if on solid ground.
As Shen Jianhe stepped onto the mid-air pavilion, the manager beside him struck a small drum.
The manager announced that the auction item was one of only five jade pendants in the world, with a starting bid of five hundred taels. Bidding would begin after the next drumbeat, with no upper limit; the highest bidder would win.
After this announcement, the manager struck the drum again.
The crowd below immediately buzzed with discussion.
“I came tonight because I heard there would be a jade pendant, but since it hadn’t appeared, I thought they were just using it as a lure to attract more people.”
A man who had been sitting on a chair stood up abruptly upon hearing the item was the jade pendant: “I didn’t expect it to be real!”
He squinted up at the mid-air pavilion.
Someone interjected, “You don’t know this auction house well enough. Regulars here know the owner values honesty and would never engage in deceit.”
“Is it really the jade pendant? I’ve heard of it but never seen it,” said a noblewoman from Chang’an who had come with her brother.
The noblewoman blushed slightly when she saw the handsome young man in black on the mid-air pavilion.
Shen Jianhe immediately smiled back.
If he wasn’t worried about dropping the red brocade box, he might have waved.
In Chang’an of the Great Zhou, there weren’t strict customs confining daughters to their homes. Noblewomen from Chang’an often accompanied their fathers and brothers to various places to broaden their knowledge.
There were quite a few noblewomen at the auction house tonight. Those who preferred privacy could bid from private rooms, while those less concerned with etiquette would sit in the outer hall to bid.
He Sui’an’s eyelid twitched.
She finally understood why Shen Jianhe wanted to go up; the reason was all too clear.
Qi Buyan bent down, his elbow resting on the railing, his chin propped on his palm. His long hair, adorned with silver ornaments, draped over his shoulder, with fine braids falling in front, giving him a relaxed and carefree demeanor.
In the crowd below.
A man gazed up at the mid-air pavilion, stroking his beard and exclaiming, “I had the fortune of seeing the jade pendant once before. It’s a rare gem, a once-in-a-century treasure. I never thought I would see it
again.”
