Chapter 223 - Chapter 223 The Grand Auction! The Price of the Yongle Encyclopedia Revealed? (5)

Chapter 223 The Grand Auction! The Price of the Yongle Encyclopedia Revealed? (5)

“Cough, cough, let us proceed as usual. We are dealing with official figures here, so let us not play any petty tricks!” Luo Feng’s items would sell for a considerable sum, so there was no need to gild the lily.

“You are right,” Qin Rubing thought for a moment and agreed.

“By the way, Long-Legged Woman, how much money did your previous auction bring in? I haven’t gotten the chance to ask you yet!” Luo Feng looked at her curiously and asked.

“It was around 2.3 billion! I will send you a spreadsheet later. Once you are done with your work, you can take your time to look through it,” Qin Rubing paused before continuing, “Of course, there are also a large number of gold bars and silver ingots, as well as other small items, that we were not able to be processed in time!”

“Only 2.3 billion?” Luo Feng grinned happily. His own estimate of 2.5 billion was only off by 200 million, and there were still many items that had not been auctioned off. However, he estimated that those items would only fetch between 500 million and 1 billion. These were considered to be small and insignificant items, but their quantity had more than made up for it.

“Thank you so much. I don’t even know how to express my gratitude!” Luo Feng wanted to give her a simple hug, but he knew this woman would likely step on his foot or pinch him. The last time he hugged her in excitement, she had stepped on his foot too.

“It’s not a big deal. The auction attracted many customers who bought a lot of items from our antique store. My profit has reached over 200 million!” she said.

“That is impressive! I was thinking of giving you a bonus or something, but I guess there is no need now!” Luo Feng smiled innocently.

“Whatever!” Qin Rubing rolled her eyes and, with her incredibly long legs, strode into the conference room.

“Excuse me, waiter, please arrange a seat closer to the front for Miss Qin!” Although there was no commission, Luo Feng would still show his appreciation for her help. This small gesture was the least he could do.

Soon, Luo Feng also entered the conference room and was immediately taken aback by the grand scene inside.

“My goodness! This conference room is huge!”

“The chairs are arranged so closely together!”

“Are there about 500 people here?”

There were indeed many people present, and their ranks were quite high. Upon further thought, Luo Feng realized that he needed an appraisal team for his items. That way, wealthy collectors and museums would be more likely to make a purchase.

He contacted Wang Yousheng, Master Zhong, and several other experts like Gu Santong. They were all more than willing to help with the appraisal. Moreover, Qin Rubing was invited to help set the starting prices for his items. She had done it several times now, and Luo Feng saw no reason to let it stop.

Of course, in addition to these individuals, top appraisers from major museums would also join the team.

After inspecting a box of agate…

The items were appraised on-site, and their classifications, along with certificates, were printed out.

“This Taoist scripture is from the Ming dynasty and is accompanied by Emperor Jiajing’s jade seal. After consulting ancient records and analyzing the text, we can confirm that this is a copy personally transcribed by Emperor Jiajing!”

Naturally, once the items were appraised, the next challenge was determining their classification at the Cultural Relics Bureau. How should the handwritten Jiajing Taoist scriptures be classified? This was a difficult question.

“Class I cultural relic!” After some discussion, this was the conclusion reached. In anycase, the classification of cultural relics could be upgraded later. After all, the true historical value of some relics were not always immediately apparent. Sometimes, as more documents are unearthed, the value of certain relics increases.

“Mr. Luo, may I have a word with you?”

Suddenly, a middle-aged man, who did not seem like a prominent figure but rather a messenger, approached.

“If it is about a transaction, you may speak here,” Luo Feng casually glanced at the man. “Mr. Luo, we would like to purchase a volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia for 80 million,” the middle-aged man said.

Upon hearing this price, many appraisers present were taken aback. Luo Feng looked at the man suspiciously and asked, “Which museum do you represent?”

If it were a private individual, it was not that they were ineligible to bid, but rather, they feared offending the authorities. So, it must be someone from a museum, right?

The messenger smiled and said, “The New York Museum!”