The atmosphere within the grand hall was feverish, almost suffocating.
On the stage, Tang Yuan was hoarse from shouting, his round face flushed red, sweat rolling down his cheeks as he struggled to keep pace with the storm of bids. His voice cracked, yet even as he bellowed until his throat burned, it was drowned beneath the thunderous cries of nobles and merchants alike.
The once-elegant banquet hall had transformed into a marketplace of madness. Princes, dukes, and merchants... men who usually carried themselves with dignified arrogance, now roared like common traders fighting over gold. They jostled, shouted, and outbid each other with wild abandon, their faces flushed with the greed of men who feared missing their chance to display wealth and status.
And Tang Yuan, the cunning little fox that he was, knew exactly how to fan the flames. He didn't lift the bottles in neat sets as before. No... now, he unveiled them one by one.
Each bottle was revealed with deliberate slowness, the red liquid within catching the chandelier's light like blood and fire intermingled. Every corked vessel seemed to breathe temptation. The crowd leaned forward, breaths caught, eyes wide.
"Fifty bottles in this batch!" Tang Yuan would declare, only to start removing them from the table one bottle at a time, grinning slyly as frustration rippled through the hall.
The tension was delicious.
Every shout became more desperate than the last.
"Two hundred thousand!"
"I'll pay three!"
"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
It wasn't just wine anymore. It was identity, prestige, a symbol of who mattered in the Empire.
Even Hai Chen Feng, the formidable new leader of the Jin Yang Gang, couldn't get a word in. Every time he tried to bid, someone's voice would thunder louder, drowning him out. It was as if the entire hall had turned into Jun Mo Xie's playground, everyone bidding, everyone trapped.
The plan had worked beautifully.
Jun Mo Xie had set the initial base at ten thousand taels per bottle, yet the crowd had long surpassed that. Thirty thousand taels had become the new starting point. Prices continued to soar skyward like firework sparks, bright, burning, unstoppable.
If not for the imposed purchase limit, some would have offered their entire estates just to claim a few more bottles.
At last, after wave upon wave of frenzied bids, the auction reached its crescendo. Two thousand seven hundred bottles were gone, sold to the tune of madness and pride. Only three hundred remained, the final jewels of this intoxicating war.
Yet amid the chaos, one man still sat unfulfilled, Hai Chen Feng. His eyes burned with restrained fury. The leader of the Jin Yang Gang had yet to obtain even a single bottle of the wine that had driven the city's elite insane.
He clenched his jaw, then suddenly roared above the din, his voice slicing through the air like a blade. "I bid one million!"
The entire hall fell silent and the heads turned. Even Tang Yuan froze mid-motion, the auction hammer halfway down.
But before the echo could fade, a voice rang out. It was sharp, commanding, and dripping with authority.
"Wait a moment! Let the Imperial Prince speak!"
A hush fell instantly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All eyes turned as the Third Prince himself strode towards the platform, his regal robes brushing the floor, his every step exuding arrogance. Without so much as a glance at Tang Yuan, he seized the auction hammer and struck the small table thrice, as though asserting royal dominance over all present.
A series of whispers rippled through the crowd.
"What's His Highness doing?"
"Is he going to bid himself?"
"Or… take over the auction?"
The Third Prince stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back, gaze sweeping across the hall. His manner was proud, his expression carved with disdain, as if everyone below him were ants.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice carried, cold and imperious. "Listen to what I have to say!"
He paused, allowing the weight of his presence to press upon them.
"Today, we were fortunate enough to witness the birth of this Heavenly Wine. It is a blessing bestowed upon us by fate. On behalf of all the noble houses, I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the Aristocratic Hall."
He turned his chin slightly toward Tang Yuan, offering a nod that was more condescending than respectful. Then, with a measured tone, he continued, "This wine is indeed priceless... a treasure beyond measure. However…"
His voice grew heavier, his gaze sharp. "We must not forget propriety and respect."
The room tensed.
"This Prince is ashamed!" He declared dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. "For I suddenly remembered... there is one man within Tian Xiang City more deserving than any of us to taste such divine wine. One who toils endlessly for the Empire, who sacrifices his health and peace for the prosperity of the people!"
Everyone immediately understood who he meant.
Yet confusion spread through the hall... What exactly was the Prince aiming for?
"That man," The Third Prince continued solemnly, "is my father, His Majesty, the Emperor! Though he could not attend, his virtue and service to this nation deserve our utmost reverence. So I ask you, my fellow countrymen can we not, for once, set aside personal greed and offer these remaining bottles as tribute to him?"
He raised his chin, the light glinting off his jeweled crown. "Not showing respect to one's elder, to one's ruler, is no different from committing a moral crime! The auction is nearing its end, and three hundred bottles remain. I suggest we present them to His Majesty as a gesture of loyalty and love. Tell me... is that not fitting?"
The final word echoed through the silent hall like the toll of a bell.
But no one spoke.
The nobles exchanged uneasy glances. The crowd, moments ago ablaze with greed and excitement, now sat frozen. Everyone understood what this truly meant that the Third Prince was not suggesting, he was taking.
He wanted the remaining bottles handed over, free of charge, wrapped in the name of filial piety.
Inwardly, curses filled the air.
'You want to respect your father? Then use your own damn wine!'
'Didn't you win a batch of fifty bottles earlier? Why not offer those?'
'And now you call this 'honor'? Shameless fool!'
But no one dared voice such thoughts aloud.
The lesser nobles, seated at the back, looked down at their hands.
None of them had the strength to challenge the Emperor's son and to oppose him here would be courting death.
All eyes turned toward Tang Yuan, the man now caught between a royal demand and the integrity of his business.
The Third Prince smiled faintly, his tone deceptively calm as he asked, "Young Master Tang, what do you think?"
The Third Prince's smug words still echoed in the air, his eyes sharp with the arrogance of one used to obedience.
Tang Yuan took a deep breath. His fingers, thick and greasy from nervous sweat, brushed the edge of the auction hammer. For a brief moment, his small eyes darted across the room.
But then, his lips curved.
When Tang Yuan finally spoke, his voice was steady, each word measured like the stroke of a brush.
"The Tang stock in the Aristocratic Hall is mine; it's Tang Yuan's personal money! The Tang Family has nothing to do with it. I have no opinion about your desire to present this wine to His Majesty, the Emperor. However, I cannot sustain a loss on the one hundred remaining bottles that I own. Therefore, Third Prince can purchase them by paying the base price if he really desires. However, I have no comment on how he plans to obtain the remaining two hundred bottles."
His words dropped into the silence like stones into a still pond.
The hall gasped and a few jaws even fell open.
Tang Yuan had just told the Emperor's son that he'd have to pay in front of everyone.
The Third Prince's smile froze. His hand twitched slightly at his side, his expression darkening.
"Tang Yuan," He began, his tone low, voice coiling with restrained authority, "this Prince is only suggesting a small gesture of filial respect. Surely, the Aristocratic Hall would not wish to appear ungrateful before His Majesty—"
But Tang Yuan bowed slightly, still smiling. His tone remained polite, yet the underlying firmness was like a wall of iron.
"Your Highness, I dare not comment on gestures of respect. However, I merely speak as a humble businessman. Wine or not, business must remain business."
The hall trembled with suppressed laughter but no one dared show it, but a few eyes glittered in delight.
The Third Prince had run headlong into a wall made of sheer fat and shamelessness.
And behind that wall, unseen to all, Jun Mo Xie's voice echoed softly in Tang Yuan's ears.
'Say it exactly like that, Fatty. Slowly and clearly. Don't let that royal peacock twist your words.'
Tang Yuan swallowed hard, forcing himself to appear calm. Inside, his heart thudded like a drum. Were it not for that unseen guidance, he would've likely stammered or blown his top the moment the Prince had strutted in.
From the shadows, Jun Mo Xie sat with his cup of wine, his face unreadable, eyes gleaming faintly.
The Third Prince's expression soured. He studied Tang Yuan for a long moment, then exhaled sharply through his nose.
He could, of course, demand obedience. He could have the Aristocratic Hall 'donate' the remaining bottles to the palace by decree.
But that would mean public backlash.
The Tang Family wasn't a small house and Tang Yuan's grandfather was one of the old Emperor's drinking companions.
A single complaint reaching the wrong ear could turn this petty show of power into a scandal.
And three million taels…
The thought alone made the Prince's chest tighten. His private coffers didn't have that kind of coin readily available, and that made his jaw tighten.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
Spoilers for the next five chapters!
Chapter 166: Handsome Hoodlum!
Chapter 167: Lofty Ideals
Chapter 168: Urgent Situation
Chapter 169: Last Hope
Chapter 170: A Crazy Woman
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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