Tangwu Kingdom?
There really was such a dynasty?
Fang Jinzhu’s heart stirred, and she quickly leaned in. Liang Weiguo thoughtfully placed the magnifying glass right under her eyes.
After looking for a long while, Fang Jinzhu still couldn’t make sense of it, but she kept nodding along, saying, “You know what, it does look a bit like it…”
“But how come I’ve never heard of any Tangwu Kingdom?”
Seeing her confusion, Liang Weiguo couldn’t resist showing off his knowledge. “To be honest, even I only learned about this obscure little kingdom from a thousand years ago recently, after coming across this ancient text…”
“This small kingdom started as a feudal lord’s territory. Only a small portion of its land was suitable for people to live and work on, while more than half was barren desert and rocky wasteland, completely unfit for farming. Not only could it not pay taxes or tribute, but it also required annual funding from the imperial court to sustain itself. Eventually, it was simply cut off and abandoned.”
Hearing this, Fang Jinzhu found it unbelievable. “No matter what, they were still the country’s own people. How could they just abandon them like that? That emperor must have been an incompetent fool!!”
Thinking of the similarly abandoned people of the Beiliao Army, she felt a surge of anger and sorrow.
Wasn’t this a case of the upper beam being crooked and the lower ones following suit?
“Hahaha…”
Liang Weiguo couldn’t help but laugh. “Who can say what was right or wrong thousands of years ago? But you, young lady, certainly have a passionate heart.”
“However, sometimes misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. Although this small Tangwu Kingdom was abandoned by its mother country, when the enemy later conquered the mother country, they looked down on its barren, remote land and left it untouched, allowing it to survive unscathed.”
“But in the end, this small kingdom still fell. It seems it wasn’t due to enemy invasion but rather… because the garrison general rebelled, leading to internal strife and its demise.”
Rebellion?
Fang Jinzhu was taken aback.
In the end, General Chu rebelled?
Well, when pushed to the brink, what else could he do? Watch his soldiers and civilians starve to death?
She could only hope that this time, she could help Beiliao overcome its difficulties and avoid the casualties of a major war.
“Young lady…”
Seeing her lost in thought, Liang Weiguo raised his voice slightly. “You’re truly fortunate. This calligraphy and painting left by your grandfather is a rare treasure. It could be worth this much…”
As he spoke, he held up two fingers.
Fang Jinzhu’s heart skipped a beat. She almost blurted out “twenty thousand,” but she managed to swallow the words in time. Instead, she added a zero and asked uncertainly, “Two hundred thousand?”
If it was worth two hundred thousand…
Then she’d have enough money to hire a harvester for the grain!
The grain from five hundred acres of land should be enough to temporarily resolve Beiliao’s predicament!
And there was another piece of calligraphy and painting like this, plus quite a few bowls and plates at the Farm!!!
Beiliao should still have similar ancient artifacts to be found!!!
Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!
Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might leap out of her chest. Fang Jinzhu mustered all her composure to keep her expression from betraying her excitement.
“Not two hundred thousand…”
Liang Weiguo’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “It’s two million!!!”
Boom—
Fang Jinzhu’s mind exploded like thunder, and her entire body froze.
Two million?!?
“It’s also your luck, young lady. I happened to come across this ancient text recently, and I happen to have an interested old client who asked me to keep an eye out for artifacts from this dynasty…”
Seeing Fang Jinzhu remain silent, Liang Weiguo continued, "Otherwise, young lady's calligraphy and painting might remain hidden treasures, their brilliance unseen."
"Young lady?"
Liang Weiguo called out several times before Fang Jinzhu snapped back to attention. Steadying her emotions, she smiled and said, "Uncle, you must find this amusing. Although I knew this piece was worth some money, I never expected it to be this much. I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment."
She had estimated the painting might sell for thirty to fifty thousand, enough to hire machinery for harvesting grain and to alleviate Bei Liao's urgent needs.
That was why she had been so wary, fearing the antique shop owner might try to swindle her or lowball the price.
But now things were different.
The price of this painting far exceeded her expectations. Even if Old Liang's offer still had some room for negotiation, she was already satisfied.
Moreover, Old Liang showed genuine compassion for the child, so he likely wasn't the type to deceive strangers.
"Perfectly normal, perfectly normal…"
Liang Weiguo laughed heartily. "Not just you—I, Old Liang, have dealt with antiques my whole life, and even I can't hide my excitement when I encounter rare treasures, let alone a young lady like you."
"Young lady, I'm not trying to scare you, but if you took this painting to another shop, they probably wouldn't even recognize its dynasty, much less offer you such a high price."
"I have ready-made regular customers on hand, which is why I have the confidence to offer you this amount."
"But as you know, human hearts are hard to predict, especially when it comes to wealthy collectors. Their spending on collectibles often depends on their mood at the time. If too much time passes, there's no guarantee they won't shift their interest to other pieces. If you come back to me later, I might not be able to offer the same price…"
"Why don't you contact the adults in your family now and sell the painting to me? It would be a win-win for both of us. What do you say?"
Fang Jinzhu shook her head. "No need…"
Old Liang's heart sank—the hefty bonus for raising his grandson was about to fly away!!!
"No need to inform my parents. I can make the decision myself."
Fang Jinzhu beamed, showing the brightest smile she had worn in a long time. "This painting can be sold to you right now, Uncle!"
"However, I want the transaction to be cash on delivery. I wonder if that's convenient for you?"
His heart, which had just plummeted, soared back up in an instant. Liang Weiguo grinned so widely his teeth showed. "Convenient, convenient!!"
"I'm not boasting, but the trust my regular customers have in me goes far beyond mere millions. For anything I've authenticated, even if it's worth tens of millions, a single phone call from me is enough for them to transfer the money directly…"
As he spoke, Liang Weiguo had already dialed the number of some wealthy collector and walked into the inner room while talking.
Once he was inside, Fang Jinzhu turned her back to the inner room door and grinned like a fool.
Two million!
Now not only Bei Liao but also the Farm could be saved!!!
"Sister is smiling!"
Shushu, with crumbs still around her mouth, toddled over to Fang Jinzhu. Tilting her little head up, she smiled sweetly too. "Sister smile, so pretty!"
Looking into the child's pure, soft, and adorable eyes, Fang Jinzhu couldn't resist picking her up, holding her close, and kissing her little cheek. "Shushu, we're saved!!"
Shushu's dark, sparkling eyes widened instantly, her little face flushing with joyful pink. She opened her short arms and gently hugged Fang Jinzhu's neck. "Hehe, Sister happy, Shushu happy too!"
"Grandfather is even happier!"
Liang Weiguo walked out from the inner room, his face beaming with kindly wrinkles, then waved the antique sales contract in his hand toward Fang Jinzhu. "Sign this contract, and I can transfer the money to you immediately!"