Volume One, Chapter 11: Traitor or Loyal Minister?
The female appraiser was anxious.
“If the Great Yue truly existed, why is there no record of it in the historical texts? Why haven’t any artifacts appeared over all these years?”
The elderly man waved the bronze coin in front of her. “Hasn’t it appeared now?”
The female appraiser was unwilling to accept this. “Maybe it’s a fake.”
“I’ve spent my whole life appraising. Whether it’s genuine or not, I can tell at a glance.”
The old man sighed deeply, “If you were more skilled, we might have discovered artifacts from the Yue dynasty long ago.”
The female appraiser’s face went pale, then flushed with embarrassment.
Ignoring her, the old man smiled and asked Su Jin, “How much do you want for this coin?”
“How much can you offer?”
His gaze returned to the bronze coin.
The only bronze coin from the Great Yue appeared before him. If he could acquire it, the significance would be immense.
This was no longer just about making money; it was about elevating his status in the antique appraisal world.
He had to get it!
After a moment of contemplation, the old man said, “How about ten thousand?”
“I think I’ll check other places first.”
Su Jin reached out her hand to him.
But the old man gripped the coin tightly, unwilling to let go.
“Fifty thousand! That’s the highest I can offer. No one else will pay this much. Few know about the history of the Yue dynasty, even fewer would value this.”
The old man seemed somewhat pained.
Su Jin inwardly rejoiced.
Her bluff had worked—the price had quintupled.
Still, she felt the price hadn’t reached its peak.
Smiling, Su Jin said to the old man, “I’ll look around first. If there’s no higher offer, I’ll come back to you.”
“That’s how business works; it’s good to ask around.”
The old man placed the coin into Su Jin’s hand, watching eagerly as she put it into a plastic bag.
Turning, he walked to the door, hand on the handle.
Su Jin opened the door to leave, but the old man finally called out again, “Wait!”
Su Jin grinned slyly.
She didn’t understand antiques, but she knew how to bargain.
Having grown up buying clothes and shoes in various markets, she was well-versed in this art; just by watching the old appraiser’s expression, she could tell the price could still rise.
She turned, now wearing a puzzled look.
The old man gritted his teeth, seeming to make a firm decision.
“Two hundred thousand! This is truly my highest price.”
---
The female appraiser exclaimed, “Grandfather, that’s far too high! The Yue dynasty never existed; such antiques couldn’t possibly circulate!”
This time, the old man didn’t refute her but spoke sincerely to Su Jin, “Your cousin is right. Few have deeply studied the Yue dynasty, and even fewer collect its artifacts. I want to buy these more for my own collection. Two hundred thousand is absolutely not a low price.”
Su Jin’s heart soared with joy.
She had worried the coin might not sell, yet here it was, fetching a staggering two hundred thousand.
She smiled brightly. “I actually have two coins. Would you like both?”
Two coins!
The old man’s first reaction was delight.
He could keep one and sell the other—a perfect deal.
After verifying both coins were genuine, the old man immediately transferred the money to Su Jin and invited her to have tea, asking the female appraiser to prepare it.
The female appraiser stomped her foot but begrudgingly took the teapot.
“May I ask your name, sir?”
“No need for formalities; my surname is Du.”
Du.
Su Jin was startled. “Are you the renowned Yue historian Du Yutang?”
“Oh? You know me, little friend Su?”
Of course she did.
Du was a member of the Yue History Association and vice president of the Jiangcheng branch, even more famous than her teacher.
“I’m also researching the Yue history department,” Su Jin said excitedly.
The two spoke with increasing enthusiasm. Zhao Yao tried several times to join the conversation but ended up pouting as she placed the two cups of brewed tea before the elderly and the young lady.
Su Jin sipped the tea—it was fragrant, quite different from the broken tea leaves she usually drank.
“Unofficial histories record that during the Great Yue dynasty, culture flourished, and the country should have been prosperous and strong. Unfortunately, a treacherous minister held the reins of power, causing turmoil at court. Such a prosperous era didn’t even make it into the official histories,” Su Jin lamented.
Old Du shook his head with a smile. “Your sources are biased. That man was powerful but not a villain.”
“But didn’t he frequently depose emperors and harm the loyal?” Su Jin was puzzled.
“You only know half the story. His power was immense because of his ambitions. Do you know that before the Great Yue, the north and south were divided, affecting trade? That minister investigated corrupt officials across the land, nearly overturning the entire court, and raised funds to build the Grand Canal connecting north and south.”
“The Grand Canal was built by the so-called villain…” Su Jin nearly bit her tongue, then corrected herself, “That official?”
“I’ve dedicated my life to research and many field studies. I can confirm the Grand Canal’s construction was during his peak influence,” Old Du said firmly. “The canal greatly promoted north-south exchanges and trade, directly ushering in prosperous eras in subsequent dynasties. Such a massive project naturally exhausted resources and faced many opponents. To realize his vision, he had to hold power tightly.”
Su Jin was bewildered.
---
This greatly overturned her previous understanding of that treacherous minister.
Old Du went on, telling her about other grand projects of that prime minister, such as imposing taxes on the scholar-gentry.
The scholar-gentry, ranked first among the four occupations—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—were the true rulers of the dynasty and traditionally exempt from taxes and military service.
But under that prime minister, they had to pay taxes.
Anyone who threatened the scholar-gentry’s interests historically met a grim fate and earned a bad reputation.
With the stroke of a pen, their reputations were destroyed.
As for the money collected? Of course, it was invested in large projects.
When Su Jin left, her mind was a jumble.
A breeze helped clear her thoughts.
She took the bus to the city library, found history books, and searched thoroughly.
There was no record of the Grand Canal’s construction in official histories; the previous dynasty had none, and the following dynasty was already prosperous.
Based on the timeline, the Grand Canal was built during the Great Yue, as noted only in unofficial histories.
“He’s not a villain. What he did were public welfare projects.”
Su Jin’s heart felt like it would leap out of her chest.
Her previous understanding had been too narrow, and the materials she relied on were insufficient.
Most importantly, the unofficial history she used as a reference didn’t even name that prime minister, calling him only “the villain”—a clearly biased judgment.
What if many had supported that prime minister? Wouldn’t his reforms have been easier?
When Shen Yubai recovers and takes the imperial examinations, entering officialdom, maybe he could help that prime minister.
Thinking of Shen Yubai, Su Jin’s mood lightened.
Back at the dormitory, she immediately sent over the cake she had bought and dinner for two.
A neatly written note from Shen Yubai quickly arrived: “The cake from noon is already finished; Miss Su, please don’t go to such trouble.”
Su Jin carefully wrote back on her phone, each stroke shaky.
“I sold your bronze coins for a lot this afternoon. We can buy plenty of good food with the money.”
After sending it, Su Jin clasped her hands, tapping her fingers together.
When the note appeared, she immediately picked it up to read.
This time, Shen Yubai’s handwriting was wild and sprawling, barely legible as his.
“May I ask how long it can last?”
Su Jin estimated, “Even if the three of us indulge, it should last several years.”
Shen Yubai wrote back, “Our big coins are worth so much in your era? The remaining three are for Miss Su. You could buy fabric to make clothes, or purchase gold, silver, and jade ornaments.”
Along with the letter came three more large bronze coins.