Doted By The Regent King
Chapter 468: Testing Her Depth

Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Testing Her Depth

Wufu sat in the elegant room of the Hundred Treasures Silver Building, surrounded by craftsmen brought by Wen Jian, all of whom looked at her with scrutiny and appraisal.

Against such gazes, Wufu was not annoyed, her expression did not change in the slightest, remarkably calm, which made her somewhat inscrutable to others.

Wen Jian noticed this too, and thought she put on quite a display of nonchalance.

Thud.

The sound of gongs and drums started, and a man about fifty years old, dressed in plain brocade robes, stepped onto the high platform set up in the middle of the Chamber of Commerce and introduced himself.

It turned out to be Lou Wanyuan, the president of the Jade and Stone Chamber of Commerce. His opening speech was very official, welcoming the merchants who came from various places, explaining the rules of jade gambling, and finally stating that regardless of winning or losing, goodwill must prevail. After all, gambling is about the unknown, skills, experience, and mutual consent.

Once Lou Wanyuan finished speaking, a broker took over the hosting duties. Next, workers carried a raw stone onto the stage, where the broker introduced its owner. The raw stone was then placed on the scales to determine its weight, and the bidding began.

Wufu knew then that the jade gambling had started and couldn’t help but watch with great interest.

Here, the jade gambling was conducted in a bidding format; anyone with the courage could make a bid. The rules were similar to what she had seen in modern times. Once the stone was cut open, if it contained jade, it could also be offered for competitive sale.

So, this form of jade gambling was also a kind of trade!

Connoisseurs began to come up on stage to examine and study the stone, and before long, various bids were announced.

"Miss Wufu, I’ve also heard that you’ve previously engaged in jade gambling at the Silver House. Why don’t you go up and take a look? Can you win this stone?" Wen Jian was intent on testing the extent of Wufu’s knowledge.

Wufu, fully aware of his motive, replied with a smile, "Third Old Master Wen flatters me too much. With so many senior master craftsmen here, how could it be my turn to clown around and embarrass myself? It would be foolish to show off my meager skills in front of the masters."

"Miss Wufu, you are too modest. Since you are representing our Silver House in the competition, you must have extraordinary skills," someone said with flattery, clearly trying to coax her into participating.

Wufu was about to decline when another person said, "Does Lady Wufu not wish to show respect for Third Old Master Wen?"

Shopkeeper Lin stood to the side, his forehead drenched in sweat, looking at Wufu with eyes full of pleading.

Wufu’s expression turned somewhat colder. She did not care about the others, but Shopkeeper Lin was her elder, and she could not bear to see him in such a difficult state.

"In that case, I’ll go up and take a look. However, I can’t just rely on my own opinion; I cannot let the owner waste Silver Coin on a purchase that yields no jade, for that would be my fault. Master Craftsman Chen, Craftmaster Zhang, shall we go together?" Wufu suggested.

The two great craftsmen looked at Wen Jian, who nodded, and they replied, "That sounds good."

As they were about to take the stage, the bidding on that raw stone was already over, and it was just about to be cut open.

This was the first raw stone to be auctioned, and the buyer had spent ten thousand taels on it.

A connoisseur cut open the jade stone, revealing a full green color that astonished everyone. The buyer, overjoyed, began to cheer excitedly, and Lou Wanyuan was the first to applaud and offer congratulations.

Getting the gamble right meant wealth and honor; and as the applause died down, offers to buy the jade started at twenty thousand taels and were followed by thirty thousand, forty thousand...

Observing the buyer’s excitement and the envious looks of the crowd, Wufu lightly smiled. This was the thrill and challenge of jade gambling.

And this buyer had just had an incredible stroke of luck. It was important to note that the gambling had just started, and it was essential to stir up the atmosphere in the hall, which often meant the first few stones would contain jade. Otherwise, if the first cut turned up empty, wouldn’t that dampen everyone’s enthusiasm to participate?

Such a pity!