Chapter 354 - 355: Identifying the Treasure
Chapter 354: Chapter 355: Identifying the Treasure
When Ning Yuchen saw Gu Wenheng and He Nan come out together, his expression shifted for a moment before returning to normal.
"Mr. Gu, I see your carriage is already waiting up ahead."
Gu Wenheng said, "Lord Ning, you should probably find another official to catch a ride with. My carriage is not available today."
"What? Didn’t we already agree on this?" Ning Yuchen asked, a look of surprise on his face.
Seeing his theatrical display, Gu Wenheng’s expression darkened. "Lord Ning, you should watch your words. I don’t recall ever agreeing to anything with you.
When you came to my quarters earlier, I told you I had other plans today."
"You’re actually not going?"
He Nan interjected, "Mr. Gu’s carriage isn’t going because his wife needs it. He’s catching a ride with me today."
Gu Wenheng ignored Ning Yuchen, whose face was still a myriad of colors, and beckoned Hong Da over to give him some instructions. He Nan also had Hong Da take a message to the He Family, and only then did Gu Wenheng head directly for the He Family’s carriage with Ming Feng.
"You should have seen the look on that Ning fellow’s face just now. It was going through all sorts of colors," He Nan scoffed, glancing back at Ning Yuchen still standing at the main gate before he climbed into the carriage.
Gu Wenheng said, "Don’t you find it strange? A banquet announced so suddenly, and on such short notice?"
The three of them were just small-fry, new to officialdom. They couldn’t have been last-minute additions to the guest list, could they?
As the carriage began to move, He Nan lowered his voice. "I did some asking around. According to An Shidu, it seems Lord Huang recently acquired some rare treasure but doesn’t know what it is, so he wants everyone to come and help him appraise it. The other senior officials received their invitations long ago. There are quite a few others like us who were notified at the last minute."
"There’s really no need to be so mysterious about it," Gu Wenheng said, not particularly curious about the so-called rare treasure. "He’s making such a big scene. What if no one can identify it?"
’Besides, if you get a treasure, shouldn’t you keep it hidden? Is it really wise to publicize it so extravagantly?’
"In any case, we can just go for the spectacle. We probably won’t get close to the front, anyway. We can just make an appearance and then leave." He Nan guessed that the Huang Mansion was being so high-profile either for some ulterior motive or simply to hype up the value of the treasure.
"In that case, let’s stick together when we’re there. You’re still responsible for taking me home, you know." Gu Wenheng lifted the curtain and looked at the procession of carriages ahead. So many people were rushing to the same place.
He Nan replied, "Of course. I reckon that Ning Yuchen’s attempt to catch a ride was just a pretense. What he really wants is to latch onto you."
Gu Wenheng said, "..."
「Huang Mansion」
Gu Wenheng followed a servant to a side hall, where some officials from several other ministries were already waiting.
Some he knew, and some he didn’t. Everyone made introductions and chatted idly.
"Our Minister and the others have all gone to the main hall," an official from the Ministry of Revenue said, showing off his inside information. "The rare treasure Lord Huang acquired is on display there for everyone to see. If its origin can be identified, Lord Huang plans to present it to the palace."
"Wouldn’t it be better to present it directly to the Emperor? Now that everyone knows about the treasure, if he presents it later, wouldn’t that be..."
"Don’t speak such nonsense," someone from the Ministry of Justice immediately retorted. "How can something of unknown origin be presented directly to His Majesty?"
"..."
Gu Wenheng and He Nan stood quietly to the side, listening to the men argue.
The servants and maids waiting nearby were well-trained, periodically refilling the officials’ tea and offering pastries.
They simply smiled and remained silent in the face of all sorts of inquiries.
Ning Yuchen had also arrived, having hitched a ride with someone else. As soon as he entered the hall, he sat down right next to the two of them.
"Mr. Gu, I’m not too late, am I?"
Gu Wenheng turned to look at him. "Not at all. Nothing has started yet."
Ning Yuchen looked around the bustling side hall. "Aren’t you going to chat with them, Mr. Gu?"
He Nan said, "We already greeted everyone before you arrived. Why don’t you go over and introduce yourself?"
"But I don’t know any of these people, and there’s no one to introduce me."
As Ning Yuchen said this, his eyes were fixed on Gu Wenheng, making He Nan, who had made the suggestion in good faith, feel it was all rather pointless. He cursed himself inwardly, ’You and your big mouth.’
Gu Wenheng, however, didn’t take the bait. He just looked down and toyed with the teacup in his hands.
About a quarter of an hour later, the Huang Mansion’s steward invited everyone into the main hall next door. Upon entering, they saw that the first and second-rank officials were already seated to the side, sipping tea.
"My lords, you’ve arrived," Huang Jin stroked his beard, smiling with particular satisfaction. "Please, step over there to identify the treasure. If anyone can name its origin, I shall reward them handsomely."
Gu Wenheng followed the crowd slowly into a small alcove. He waited for the people in front of him to finish before it was his turn.
Gu Wenheng took a breath. The foot-basin-sized, rainbow-colored stone before him was likely the national stone of some continent from a future era. The dazzling, multicolored stone was almost blinding.
"This must be a gemstone, right? I’ve just never seen so many colors gathered together." He Nan was a little disappointed the moment he saw the stone. Though it was beautiful, it held less appeal for him than an ancient book would have.
"Such a large stone, made up of so many gems... How many Silver Taels would it take to buy this?" Ning Yuchen smacked his lips and was about to reach out and touch it but was stopped by a guard standing by.
"You are allowed to look, but not to touch."
"I just wanted to confirm if it was a stone," Ning Yuchen had barely finished speaking when a young man in fine clothes standing nearby shot him a glare.
Gu Wenheng turned and walked to the doorway. "I’m afraid my knowledge is too limited to identify the origin of this treasure."
He Nan followed close behind, bringing their treasure-viewing excursion to a close.
Ning Yuchen also trailed after them, shaking his head as he caught up. "How many Silver Taels do you think that gem would cost? Who could possibly guess the origin of a stone like that?"
He Nan said, "What does it matter what kind of stone it is? Aren’t they all just dug out of the ground? It’s a natural creation, what other origin could it have?"
Gu Wenheng stopped to remind him, "...Don’t speak nonsense."
’Every one of the senior officials present was as shrewd as they come. Huang Jin had caused such a commotion; now he was just waiting to see who would be the first to jump into his trap.’
Before the banquet even began, all sorts of theories had already emerged.
An auspicious omen from the heavens, a sign of a prosperous age, a gift from the gods... In short, as long as it sounded good and had a positive meaning, someone would use it for flattery.
Ning Yuchen also chimed in with some pleasantries, earning an appreciative look from Huang Jin. He then proudly lifted his chin toward Gu Wenheng and He Nan.
Minister Huang had achieved his goal. He began to declare his loyalty before the crowd, stating that he would present this treasure to the palace at court the next morning. After receiving another round of praise, he finally led everyone to their seats for the feast.
According to the seating arrangement by rank, Gu Wenheng was naturally led to his designated seat, temporarily separating him from He Nan and the others.
After three rounds of drinks, some of the more socially adept officials could no longer sit still. They began to wander around with their wine cups, toasting others and building connections.