Chapter 91
While waiting for the milk tea, Li Heng went out once more, saying that one box couldn’t hold the remaining payment and that there was more outside.
Hearing this, Shen You was particularly enthusiastic about helping in the courtyard.
Last time, she had received five hundred taels of gold as a deposit. The remaining fifteen hundred taels were neatly placed in wooden boxes.
They looked very new and should have been made recently. Ancient gold ingots weren’t that bright in color – they were even somewhat dark – but each character stamped on them was invaluable.
Looking at the boxes, Shen You thought that with several large and small ones in the store taking up space, she could pick out two to sell at the antique street.
Another small profit!
She opened the other two larger boxes expectantly, and her eyes were dazzled!
Pure gold bowls and filigree boxes, plus a pure gold flower-shaped ruyi scepter.
Palace items were indeed excellent, even daily utensils could be extremely luxurious.
At auctions, this box alone would easily exceed thirty million yuan, the ruyi scepter about twenty million, plus the bowls and cups…
Although winter clothing had high costs, the income was also high!
Besides the pure gold palace utensils, there were two porcelain vases in particularly high-class Chinese vermillion – bright and magnificent yet not too flashy.
Ancient aesthetics really never disappointed.
There were also jade accessories. Although not crystal-clear like water, the elegant colors perfectly integrated with the carved patterns.
Holding and playing with such things, how could one’s mood not be peaceful!
The hairpins, ivory boxes, and golden nanmu wood carved fans – taking any of these items out could definitely support a small private collection exhibition!
“Miss Shen, how do you find this batch of items?” Li Heng asked with a gentle smile.
“They’re all rare treasures.” Shen You’s gaze lingered on these objects, reluctant to look away.
If Li Heng weren’t still here, she would have already let go of the restraint she had put on herself and taken out her classic duo – gloves and magnifying glass – to study them carefully.
Seeing Shen You’s satisfied expression, Li Heng also smiled.
“These items were from when I returned from disaster relief in Yunzhou. When Father Emperor asked what reward I wanted, I requested these, selecting them from the palace treasury.”
When mentioning this matter, although he spoke of rewards, his eyes were dark and cold. If he had said one wrong word, he would have been accused of having wolfish ambitions.
When he mentioned that assassins had come to the mansion and set fire to the warehouse, destroying many items and only wanting a few treasures,
That person’s expression froze for several seconds, then he immediately waved his hand generously and agreed. Even his gaze toward him softened considerably.
He looked somewhat like a father when telling him to go select items.
Later, when he learned that he wasn’t polite and had picked good things, he actually thought he was simple-minded and became less wary.
“There’s also a golden nanmu wood reclining chair and a beauty couch. Although not as good as what was sent before, they’re also made of rare old wood.”
“I drew blueprints based on your chair here and gave them to craftsmen. Since they haven’t finished making them yet, they’ll need to be delivered in a few days.”
Li Heng looked at the rocking chair Shen You usually placed under the eaves. When he came before, he thought this item was good – simple in style with two curved solid wood supports underneath, stable and attractive.
Once the craftsmen finished making it, it might become popular in the capital.
“No problem, there’s no rush.” Premium materials were inherently hard to find, and Shen You didn’t expect to get something that good again.
As long as it was golden nanmu wood, it would be fine.
Thinking of this, she removed the cushions and pillows from the rocking chair, brightened the lights, and took out paper and pen.
“Drawing the structural details like this will help craftsmen avoid some detours.”
The one she bought cheaply for a few hundred yuan had somewhat rough workmanship. Ancient craftsmen should be able to improve on this foundation.
“Okay.” Li Heng smiled and nodded, taking the paper and pen to draw while comparing.
Just as he finished drawing, the delivery arrived.
Li Heng no longer had a reason to stay. After arranging with Shen You about tomorrow’s personnel for collecting goods, he left the shop.
Shen You no longer restrained herself. She opened the drawer excitedly, took out a magnifying glass, then studied the craftsmanship of the openwork gold box for quite a while.
Well, it looked difficult and was actually not simple at all.
She could do it, but to replicate one by herself would take one or two years.
After organizing everything, she sat downstairs, lit the newly bought goose pear tent incense, then chose a favorite antique to play with while drinking tea and watching videos, feeling completely relaxed.
The next day, during breakfast, she transmitted the goods at the agreed time.
It was simple on her end, with her finishing the task in a few seconds.
How Li Heng would transport everything was his concern. He couldn’t use his own name and had to use a merchant caravan as cover.
Therefore, he had to quietly handle things in the early morning when no one was around. It was cold in Great Qi, and at seven in the morning, the sky was still dark with biting cold wind.
Shen You gave Liu Zheng the two boxes of pomegranates she had bought from the fruit store at the lane entrance last night – one box to exchange for paintings, the other for him and Li Heng to divide themselves.
She watched the monitor, where the people at the door loaded items onto carts with trained efficiency, repeating the process twice until the last trip when the carts disappeared from the surveillance footage.
After Shen You confirmed with Liu Zheng that the quantity of goods transported this time was correct, she closed the shop and returned to her room for more sleep.
Yu Xiaosu and Cheng Liang would go to the studio this morning, so she could arrive later.
The slightly cool but not cold late autumn weather was perfect for staying in bed.
In her drowsy state, her phone rang frantically. Shen You glanced at the caller and became somewhat alert.
“Xiaosu, what’s wrong?”
“Miss Shen, there’s a problem here.” Yu Xiaosu sounded nearly in tears from anxiety.
“Just now when we were at the entrance signing for roof tile delivery, a carved piece that had just been removed from the eaves for repair and a window went missing. I’m sorry, we weren’t paying attention.”
That wasn’t just ordinary wood. The courtyard had existed since the Song Dynasty, and the house had undergone several renovations in ancient times. The carved window was a Qing Dynasty replacement antique.
Having lost it while in their care, they didn’t know how to explain it and were naturally beside themselves with worry.
“Go check the surveillance with Uncle Song. It’s fine, the courtyard and entrance have no blind spots. If someone took it, it would definitely be captured.”
Shen You sat up. “Don’t worry too much. Even if we really can’t find it, we can go buy another one.”
“Okay.” Yu Xiaosu steadied herself, hung up, and headed straight to the gatehouse.
With something happening, Shen You couldn’t continue sleeping. She had to hurry over to see what was going on.
A window removed and placed on the ground – even by the main gate, who would normally pick up someone else’s old wood?
It was very likely someone knew that this item was valuable and could sell it for at least tens of thousands of yuan.
She quickly changed clothes, grabbed her car keys, and went downstairs to the garage.
Halfway there, the clouds darkened. At nine o’clock, the road wasn’t congested, but two cars ahead had scraped each other and were blocking traffic while taking photos for evidence before moving, which delayed some time.
When Shen You arrived at the studio, Yu Xiaosu had already called the police.
The surveillance showed a person wearing a mask, acting suspiciously, who sneakily grabbed the items when no one was looking and left.
It looked very much like something premeditated.