Chapter 51: Who the hell are you?

Three days later, at the Treasure Pavilion.

This was the largest auction house in the capital.

Magnificent and resplendent, it gleamed with radiant light.

Those who could enter this place were either fabulously wealthy or of noble birth.

Tonight’s banquet had gathered all the prominent young heirs of the capital.

The carriages parked outside were more luxurious than the last.

The guests, draped in silks and surrounded by the rustle of fine garments, conversed and laughed freely, fully displaying the elegance and poise of high society.

Until a certain carriage came to a halt.

How should one describe that carriage?

It was... gold! Pure gold!

From the wheels to the roof, it flashed with brilliant golden light, almost blinding the titanium dog-eyes of the welcoming valet at the door.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a foot stepped out first.

The shoe on that foot was completely encrusted with Eastern pearls.

Then, a humanoid walking gold ingot inched down from the carriage.

Ye Qingyan.

Tonight, she wore a dress embroidered entirely with pure gold thread, eight golden swaying hairpins stuck into her hair, three heavy gold chains draped around her neck, and ten gold bracelets on her wrists.

She looked precisely like a wish-granting money tree that had achieved sentience and turned into a spirit.

The moment she appeared, the air at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion froze completely.

Everyone stared at her with the looks one might reserve for an uncultured bumpkin.

"Good lord, which coal baron's daughter is this?"

"My eyes... my eyes are burning!"

"This aesthetic sense is peerless—it is literally a mobile natural disaster."

Ye Qingyan turned a deaf ear to these whispered remarks.

She wanted precisely this effect.

If one were not rustic, how could one be called a nouveau riche?

If one were not extravagant, how could one be called a gullible spendthrift?

Straightening her back amidst the sea of disdainful gazes, she marched spiritedly and triumphantly into the Treasure Pavilion.

Young Lord Anle had been waiting for a long time.

Surrounded by a flock of sycophants and cronies, he was pointing and gesturing toward Ye Qingyan.

Seeing her approach, Young Lord Anle walked up to meet her with a hypocritical smile plastered across his face.

"Miss Ye has finally arrived. This attire of yours is truly... unique."

He almost let slip the words "blindingly gaudy."

Ye Qingyan put on a coy and bashful expression, gently touching the golden hairpins on her head.

"Oh, you flatter me, Young Lord."

"I don't have any other hobbies, you see—I simply adore shiny things."

"Unlike all of you, who possess true culture and profound depth."

As she spoke, she reached into her sleeve, pulled out a gold ingot, and shoved it into the hands of the nearby guiding maid.

"Take this. A reward for you."

The maid was completely dumbfounded.

Young Lord Anle’s followers burst into even louder laughter.

"Hahaha, Miss Ye is truly a woman of genuine character!"

"And so extraordinarily generous with her wealth!"

This wasn't a woman of genuine character; she was clearly a clueless idiot who had never seen the world.

The contempt in Young Lord Anle’s eyes was practically overflowing.

This was precisely the effect he wanted.

Tonight, he was going to make this country bumpkin realize just how deep the waters of the capital truly ran.

He would make her spit out every single coin she had!

"Miss Ye, please come inside. The banquet is about to begin."

The guests took their seats, and after three rounds of wine, the main event of the Treasure Pavilion—the auction—officially commenced.

Rare treasures and exotic curiosities were brought forward one after another.

Ancient calligraphy, famous paintings, and legendary divine weapons.

The young gentlemen in the audience continuously shouted out their bids, creating a lively atmosphere.

Only Ye Qingyan sat quietly in the corner, yawning with utter boredom.

It was as if these priceless treasures were less appealing to her than a simple plate of peanuts.

Young Lord Anle observed her, a cold sneer playing at the corner of his lips.

Go on, keep pretending.

You'll have plenty of reason to cry later.

Finally, the grand finale lot was carried onto the stage.

It was not an object.

It was a person.

A young woman dressed in white, holding a pipa.

She was locked inside a massive gilded cage, her expression cold and detached, her gaze carrying an indomitable spirit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Su Wan, the descendant of a disgraced official from the previous dynasty. She is well-versed in the musical arts, possessing both stunning beauty and peerless talent."

The auctioneer’s voice was laced with temptation.

"Starting bid: five hundred taels of silver!"

The room fell dead silent all at once.

While human trafficking was common, doing so as blatantly as putting someone up for auction in the Treasure Pavilion was a first.

Moreover, she was the descendant of a disgraced official, making her background a sensitive matter.

Young Lord Anle was the first to raise his bidding paddle.

"One thousand taels!"

He looked at Ye Qingyan with a provocative glare.

He was determined to buy this woman and humiliate her right in front of everyone.

He also wanted to show Ye Qingyan who the true master of the capital was.

Just when everyone thought Su Wan would undoubtedly fall into Young Lord Anle’s grasp, a lazy voice rang out.

"Two thousand taels."

Ye Qingyan raised her paddle, still wearing a sleepy, dazed expression on her face.

The gaze of the entire audience instantly converged upon her.

Young Lord Anle’s face darkened.

"Miss Ye, are you intending to compete with this young lord?"

Ye Qingyan blinked, looking utterly innocent.

"Not at all."

"I just thought this cage looks quite nice—so shiny and golden. It would certainly look magnificent if I bought it back home to keep a parrot in."

"As for the person inside... oh, buying a cage and getting a person as a bonus? I suppose that's fine too."

"Pfft—"

Someone failed to hold back and laughed out loud.

Trading the pearls for the casket wasn't even this absurd!

Spending several thousand taels to buy a cage for a parrot?

This spendthrift woman truly had a screw loose in her head!

Young Lord Anle was so angry his face turned green.

This was blatant, unadulterated humiliation!

"Five thousand taels!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

Ye Qingyan did not hesitate for a second.

"Ten thousand taels."

She scratched her ear lazily.

[Host, have you lost your mind? Ten thousand taels for a cage? Even We must bow before your level of financial self-destruction!]

The system shrieked inside her mind.

Ye Qingyan rolled her eyes.

[Shut up and watch the show.]

Young Lord Anle had completely lost his rationality.

If he lost to a mere country bumpkin today, how could he ever show his face in the capital again?

"Twenty thousand taels!"

"Thirty thousand taels," Ye Qingyan countered nonchalantly.

"Forty thousand taels!" Young Lord Anle’s eyes were bloodshot.

"Fifty thousand taels."

After dropping this number, Ye Qingyan let out a yawn and smiled sweetly at Young Lord Anle.

"Young Lord, are you going to keep bidding?"

"If you like it that much, I can just let you have it."

To Young Lord Anle, these words sounded like the ultimate mockery.

Fifty thousand taels!

This was already an astronomical price!

Even with the wealth of the Prince of Duan’s Estate, money wasn't spent in such a reckless manner.

Looking at Ye Qingyan’s punchable, "I have more money than I know what to do with" expression, a surge of blind fury rushed straight to the top of his head.

"I bid... fifty-one thousand taels!"

As he roared out this figure, his entire body was trembling.

This was the absolute limit of the funds he could mobilize.

He stared fixedly at Ye Qingyan, waiting for her to raise the bid again.

Everyone held their breath, watching Ye Qingyan.

To everyone's surprise, Ye Qingyan suddenly tossed her bidding paddle aside and stretched her arms in a massive, leisurely yawn.

"Oh well, I'm done playing."

"A broken cage for over fifty thousand taels? Way too expensive."

"The young lord is truly full of towering grandeur. I am impressed, highly impressed."

She stood up and clapped her hands lightly.

"It's yours, all yours."

"Congratulations, Young Lord, on acquiring your beloved cage!"

The entire venue fell into a deathly stillness.

A few seconds later, an irrepressible roar of laughter erupted.

Everyone understood now.

Young Lord Anle had been played like a monkey by a country bumpkin woman from an ordinary household!

"Clang—!"

The auctioneer brought his gavel down with finality.

"Fifty-one thousand taels, going once!"

"Congratulations to Young Lord Anle!"

Young Lord Anle’s face instantly shifted from flushed crimson to deathly pale.

He felt as though everyone in the room was laughing at him.

He had spent an astronomical sum—enough to purchase an entire grand mansion—just to buy... a cage.

And a troublesome, politically sensitive disgraced official's daughter as a bonus.

His vision went dark, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Ye Qingyan prepared to leave the premises in high spirits.

As she passed the gilded cage, her footsteps paused for a moment.

Su Wan, inside the cage, was looking up at her.

Those cold, clear eyes held a mixture of deep inquiry and complexity.

Ye Qingyan blinked at her and mouthed a silent phrase.

"Wait for me."

Then, she turned around and walked away with carefree elegance.

Just as she reached the entrance, a figure blocked her path.

The newcomer was dressed in profound black robes, with handsome facial features and a steady, composed aura.

He wasn't frivolous like Anle’s gang, nor did he carry the disdainful air of the others.

His gaze was profound, as if he could see straight through a person's soul.

"Miss Ye spends thousands of gold pieces as if they were dirt, simply to bring a smile to someone's face."

The man’s voice was low and pleasant to the ear, yet tinged with a hint of probing curiosity.

"What a brilliant scheme."

The silly-sweet smile on Ye Qingyan's face vanished instantly.

For the first time in front of others, her gaze became sharp and crystal clear.

"Who on earth are you?"