Early the next morning, Luo Zhang left the morning court and went directly to the Ministry of War. He had not been to the Ministry of War for a while, and Li Ji had already complained to him.

After all, Luo Zhang still holds the title of Right Minister of the Ministry of War, so he has to give Li Ji some face, otherwise he, the Minister of the Ministry of War, will not be able to show off his face.

Fortunately, everything in the Ministry of War was in order, and there was no trouble. All matters, big and small, were handled very well. Luo Zhang was very satisfied. The satisfactory result was that Yan came to the building and walked up the stairs at noon.

This naturally won the support of all the subordinates of the Ministry of War. Anyone who has been to Yanlai Tower will have endless aftertaste. Not only the food inside, but also the fine wine are not available to those with money outside, let alone

When he left, Zhao Tianhu, who was a good person, gave him a gift. This gift was naturally to appease his subordinates in the Ministry of War for their hard work during his absence.

These people seem to have official positions, but in fact their income is just that, at least in Luo Zhang's view. After all, his department does not actually have a lot of money and is incomparable with the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Punishment.

Yes, most of the time they just sign official documents, everything has been arranged long ago, and they have no right to change anything. Where does the oil and water come from?

Luo Zhang did not go to accompany him as usual, but asked Zhao Tianhu to accompany him. Where was his identity? If he was there and the people in the Ministry of War would not be able to play tricks on him, he might as well stay out of sight and go upstairs to rest by himself.

There happened to be an auction today, and Luo Zhang came to a box on the second floor alone, eating and watching the auction downstairs.

Nowadays, Yanlailou's auction is famous throughout the Tang Dynasty, not just in Chang'an.

Due to the booming development of maritime transportation, many businessmen in the south will bring some rare and cherished things to Yanlailou for auction in order to obtain more profits.

As a result, Yanlailou's business is now nationwide, and its income has naturally increased to record highs.

There are a lot more good things than before. Nowadays, there is no need for Zhao Tianhu to search for things to auction. There are queues of things for auction every day.

Of course, Zhao Tianhu will organize the largest auction every month to invite more wealthy people to come here. After all, no one can have time to stay at the auction house every day to shoot things. Naturally, good things have to be auctioned together.

Only by bringing in more people can the benefits be maximized. Not only can the auctioneer get more money, but the auction house can also get more commissions.

Today happened to be the largest auction held once a month, and Luo Zhang was sitting on the second floor watching it with great interest.

"The next lot is a pair of dragon and phoenix in gold and jade. It is said that this object is an ancient artifact handed down from the Qin Dynasty. After research by our treasure appraiser at Yanlailou, this pair of dragon and phoenix in gold and jade is the grandson of the master of jade carving in the Qin Dynasty.

Everyone must know about Sun Shou's handiwork. The jade seal passed down to the country was carved by Sun Shou. His reputation is self-evident. Very few of the things he carved have been handed down. It is really amazing to encounter such a treasure today.

It’s so valuable. If you miss this time, it will be even more difficult to encounter it again. This opportunity should not be missed.”

The auctioneer's words caused everyone present to be in an uproar and talk about it.

Sun Shou, this is a strange person who created jade carving. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the originator of jade carving. He was a guest of the Qin Dynasty royal family. Even the Qin Dynasty Prime Minister Li Si treated him with courtesy when he saw him. This shows that he has many identities.

Noble.

Luo Zhang, who was just about to drink, stopped his hand when he heard the auctioneer's words and looked down. His eyes lit up at the pair of gold and jade displayed by the auctioneer.

Under normal circumstances, Luo Zhang is not very interested in the auction items. After all, he has no needs and does not need these antiques and luxury goods, but today this item did arouse his interest.

This is not just a pair of children who have just been born, but a pair of dragons and phoenixes inlaid with gold and jade. It is also a good sign to give them to your children.

But looking at the discussion below, it's obvious that many people are interested in this thing.

On the side, Zhao Tianhu, who had just come up to serve Luo Zhang, saw this and said hurriedly: "Brother, do you want me to take this thing back?"

Luo Zhang shook his head and said with a smile: "No need, if you pull it back now, you will destroy the Yanlai Tower signboard. It's just a pair of jade, I can still afford it!"

After Luo Zhang said this, Zhao Tianhu did not dare to overstep his authority. He nodded and stood aside.

"I won't tell you more. A pair of dragons and phoenixes inlaid with gold and jade. The starting price is five hundred taels!" After some introduction, the auctioneer announced the reserve price and the auction officially began.

"Five hundred taels!"

"You want to shoot for 500 taels? I'll take 600 taels!"

"Seven hundred taels..."

"one thousand......"

The enthusiasm of the entire auction house was ignited by the words "Sun Shou", and many officials and merchants raised their hands to participate in the bidding.

Luo Zhang has been watching quietly and has not made any move. The auction is just like this, let others participate first, so that it can be lively. The final word is enough, so Luo Zhang is not in a hurry.

As time went by, the price also increased to 3,000 taels.

Even if this dragon and phoenix gold inlaid with jade was written by Sun Shou, the price at this time has reached a sky-high price, and there are only three people bidding now.

Luo Zhang looked over one by one. One was a third-grade official or above in the box on the third floor, the other was an official in the box on the second floor, and the last one was a wealthy businessman sitting in the hall.

At this time, the servant walked into the box and whispered a few words in Zhao Tianhu's ear. Zhao Tianhu nodded, walked to Luo Zhang and whispered: "Brother, the one on the third floor is the elder of the Changsun family.

The man upstairs is the son of the Yuwen family, Yuwen Bao, and the merchant downstairs is a wealthy gentleman from the south."

"Well? The eldest elder of the Changsun family? When did he have a box in my Yanlai Building?" Luo Zhang was not interested in Yu Wenbao and the wealthy gentry in the south, but suddenly he heard that the eldest elder of the Changsun family was a little curious. If he remembered correctly,

There is no private room for them in Yan Lai Tower.

"The eldest elder of the Changsun family does not have a private room. He came here with Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs! He must have been invited to have fun. The one who just raised the price was the eldest elder!" Zhao Tianhu explained patiently.

Luo Zhang glanced at the location on the third floor and snorted in his heart. This old guy actually came to his own territory. He really doesn't have a long memory.

The auction is still going on, and the price has slowed down after reaching three thousand taels. The bidding is not as fierce as before, but the bidding is fifty taels, and the number of fifty taels is increasing.

And when the price reached 3,300 taels, the southern gentleman downstairs finally gave up the bidding and expressed his surrender. Perhaps someone told him who the auctioneers were upstairs, and the gentleman retreated when he saw the difficulty, or maybe someone told him who the auctioneers were.

But the price really exceeded his bottom line.
Chapter completed!