Tangwu Small State?
There really was such a dynasty?
Fang Jinzhu’s heart stirred, and she quickly leaned in closer. 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, it does look a bit like it…”
“But how come I’ve never heard of any Tangwu State?”
Seeing her confusion, Liang Weiguo couldn’t resist showing off his knowledge and immediately launched into an explanation. “To be honest, even I, an old man, only learned about this obscure little state from a thousand years ago recently, after acquiring this ancient text…”
“This small state started as a feudal lord’s territory. Only a small portion of its land was suitable for people to live and work in peace, while more than half of it was barren rocks and deserts, 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 people of their own country. How could they just abandon them like that? That emperor must have been an incompetent and foolish ruler!!”
Thinking of the similarly abandoned soldiers and civilians of Northern Liao, 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? You’re quite the passionate one, young lady.”
“But as the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. Although the Tangwu Small State was abandoned by its main country, when the enemy later conquered the main country, they looked down on its barren and remote land, so the small state was spared and survived unscathed.”
“However, in the end, this small state still perished, but it wasn’t due to enemy invasion. It was because… because the general stationed at the border rebelled, and it fell due to internal strife.”
Rebellion?
Fang Jinzhu was stunned.
So General Chu rebelled in the end?
Well, when pushed to the brink, what else could he do but rebel? Could he just watch the soldiers and civilians under his command starve to death?
She only hoped that this time she could help Northern Liao 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 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 would have enough money to hire a harvester to gather the grain!
The grain from five hundred acres of land should temporarily solve Northern Liao’s predicament!
And there was another piece of calligraphy and painting like this, plus quite a few bowls and plates at the Farm!!
Northern Liao should still have similar ancient artifacts to find!!
Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!
Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might leap out of her chest. Fang Jinzhu summoned all her composure to keep her expression from betraying her excitement.
“Not two hundred thousand…”
Liang Weiguo’s eyes were filled with excitement. “It’s two million!!!”
Boom—
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Fang Jinzhu’s mind, and her entire body froze.
Two million?!?
“It’s also your luck, young lady. I happened to acquire this ancient text recently, and I also 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, your calligraphy and painting might have remained hidden and unappreciated.”
“Young lady?”
Liang Weiguo called out several times before Fang Jinzhu snapped back to attention. Steadying herself, she smiled and said, “Uncle, please don’t laugh at me. Although I knew this calligraphy and painting were worth some money, I never expected them to be worth so much. I couldn’t help but be a bit shocked.”
She had estimated that the calligraphy and painting could sell for thirty to fifty thousand, enough to hire machinery for harvesting grain and to alleviate Beiliao’s urgent needs.
That was why she had been so wary, fearing the antique shop owner might try to undercut her.
But now things were different.
The price of this calligraphy and painting far exceeded her expectations. Even if Old Liang’s quote was inflated, she would still be satisfied.
Moreover, Old Liang showed genuine compassion for children, so he likely wasn’t the type to swindle strangers.
“Perfectly normal, perfectly normal…”
Liang Weiguo laughed heartily. “Not just you—even I, Old Liang, who’ve dealt with antiques my whole life, can’t help but get excited when I encounter rare treasures, let alone a young lady like you?”
“Miss, I’m not trying to scare you, but if you took this calligraphy and painting to another shop, they probably wouldn’t even recognize the dynasty, let alone offer you such a high price.”
“I have ready-made regular customers, which is why I have the confidence to give you this figure.”
“But as you know, people’s hearts are hard to predict, especially those wealthy collectors. Their spending on collections 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 collections. By then, if you come back to me, the price might not be the same as it is now…”
“Why don’t you contact the adults in your family now and sell the calligraphy and painting to me? It would be a win-win for everyone. What do you think?”
Fang Jinzhu shook her head. “No need…”
Old Liang inwardly groaned—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 calligraphy and painting can be sold to you right now, Uncle!”
“However, I want a transaction where payment and goods are exchanged simultaneously. Would that be convenient for you, Uncle?”
His heart, which had just plummeted, soared back up to the sky. Liang Weiguo grinned so widely his aged teeth showed. “Convenient, convenient!!”
“I’m not bragging, but the trust my regular customers have in me goes far beyond a mere few million. As long as I’ve authenticated something, even if it’s worth tens of millions, a single phone call is all it takes for them to transfer the money directly to me…”
As he spoke, Liang Weiguo had already dialed the number of some wealthy collector and walked into the inner room while talking.
Once he went inside, Fang Jinzhu turned her back to the inner room door and grinned foolishly.
Two million!
Now not only Beiliao, but the Farm could also be saved!!
“Sister is smiling!”
Shu Shu, who had been munching on crumbs, toddled over to Fang Jinzhu. Tilting her little head up, she also smiled sweetly. “Sister smile, so pretty!”
Looking into the child’s pure, soft, and adorable eyes, Fang Jinzhu couldn’t resist picking her up, hugging her tightly, and kissing her little cheek. “Shu Shu, we’re saved!!”
Shu Shu’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 in return. “Hehe, sister happy, Shu Shu also happy!”
“Grandpa is even happier!”
Liang Weiguo emerged from the inner room, his face creased with kindly smiles, then waved the antique sales contract in his hand toward Fang Jinzhu. “Sign this contract, and I can transfer the money to you immediately!”