Chapter 156: I’ve Taken All of Emperor Xia’s Collections.
“Heh~ Eunuch Mei, do you think I look like I’m joking right now?” Qin Bei looked at Eunuch Mei in front of him with a half-smile.
Eunuch Mei actually looked up at Qin Bei. He wanted to see if Qin Bei was joking, but what he found was completely the opposite.
Before Qin Bei brought out the gold medal of exoneration, he had given off the impression of being a kind prince.
But now, with the gold medal in hand, Qin Bei wore a smile that made him look quite sinister.
That expression was all too familiar to Eunuch Mei.
The last time he saw Qin Bei show this expression was when the prince of the Holy Demon Dynasty met his demise.
Wasn’t this just a classic case of a knife hidden behind a smile?
Other princes’ threats were more talk than action, but Prince Bei here truly had the guts to go through with it!
“No… No, Prince Bei, this gold medal of exoneration is far too precious. It would be better not to waste it on this old servant,” Eunuch Mei hurriedly said, his tone respectful.
Qin Bei chuckled, “That depends on you, Eunuch Mei. In any case, my mind is made up; no one can change it. If you cooperate, you’ll receive a handsome reward from me, but if you don’t… well, I’ll just go with the flow then.”
Qin Bei spoke calmly, but to Eunuch Mei, it felt like a blatant threat.
What did “going with the flow” mean?
Who could withstand Prince Bei’s randomness?
In the end, despite his reluctance, Eunuch Mei chose to assist Qin Bei.
“You all can leave for now. Wait here and come back to clean up later.”
“Yes!”
Eunuch Mei first dismissed the little eunuchs surrounding them.
“Prince Bei, this old servant has a favor to ask.”
Eunuch Mei bowed respectfully.
“Go ahead. As long as it helps me understand my father, and it’s not too outrageous a request, I’ll agree,” Qin Bei nodded.
“I just hope Prince Bei won’t speak of what transpired today. I can take you to His Majesty’s study, but you can’t let other princes know. I trust you understand the reason,” Eunuch Mei pleaded softly.
Qin Bei thought for a moment and understood.
Eunuch Mei was indeed quite loyal and disliked trouble.
He didn’t want others to perceive him as being involved in political strife, and clearly, Eunuch Mei had no intention of partaking in such battles.
Qin Bei was a bit relieved; thankfully, he had this gold medal of exoneration on him.
Otherwise, with Eunuch Mei’s nature, convincing him would have been impossible.
“Rest assured, Eunuch Mei. I can differentiate these matters. From now on, you will remain loyal to my father,” Qin Bei declared, assuring that Eunuch Mei wouldn’t be dragged into his own faction.
Qin Bei felt there was no need for such a thing. After all, Eunuch Mei was just a favored aide around Xia Huan without any real power.
It’s far more practical to make friends than to go through the effort of winning someone over, with no risks attached.
“Then I truly thank Prince Bei for your kindness,” Eunuch Mei replied earnestly.
“Enough with the pleasantries. Hurry up and take me to see my father’s collection; I can’t wait!” Qin Bei rubbed his hands together, impatience evident in his demeanor.
“Haha~ Prince Bei, there’s no need to rush. These books before you are among His Majesty’s favorite reads,” Eunuch Mei said with a smile, gesturing toward a stack of books.
Having previously ignored them, Qin Bei now noticed the books arrayed in front of him.
“Every one of these is an ancient relic from the Ancient Beast Kingdom. His Majesty has wanted these for ages, but the Ancient Beast Kingdom has always treated them as treasures. Had it not been for their surrender to my Great Xia this time, these books would have remained out of reach,” Eunuch Mei elaborated, detailing Emperor Xia’s desire for these books.
It was clear that Emperor Xia had been longing for them for quite some time.
“So you’re saying my father hasn’t even had the chance to read these yet?” Qin Bei inquired.
“Indeed, His Majesty places great importance on this kind of ancient literature. If Prince Bei can obtain something related, I’m sure it will win His Majesty’s favor,” Eunuch Mei smiled kindly.
Qin Bei: …
Now, he was feeling a bit stuck.
These books were invaluable; if sold, they’d fetch a hefty sum of spiritual stones.
But considering Emperor Xia hadn’t read them, and genuinely wanted to, if Qin Bei sold them before the Emperor got a look, he might just earn himself a grand scolding!
He could easily wreck his own cultivation!
“Ah~ Well… since these books came from the Ancient Beast Kingdom, they must be rubbings, right? Surely the Ancient Beast Kingdom has the originals?” Qin Bei probed carefully.
Eunuch Mei, unaware of Qin Bei’s intentions, nodded: “That’s correct. After all, the originals are heirlooms passed down from the ancestors of the Ancient Beast Kingdom. It’s rare to get rubbings nowadays.”
Qin Bei nodded in realization, “Oh~ In that case, I understand now.”
He had come to a decision.
If it was merely rubbings, selling them wouldn’t matter.
After all, if Emperor Xia wanted to read them, he could always ask the Ancient Beast Kingdom for another copy.
Qin Bei thought Emperor Xia wouldn’t be too upset with him for selling this version.
The one who’d be angry would surely be the Ancient Beast Kingdom. After all, these were their secrets, and Emperor Xia merely wished to see what was inside. Whether he sought significant information from them was beyond Qin Bei’s concern.
Ultimately, what mattered most to Qin Bei now were the spiritual stones. Selling these ancient books from the Ancient Beast Kingdom should at least start upward of ten million, right?
Just as Qin Bei was lost in thought, Eunuch Mei’s voice sounded again.
“However, these books before you are only a fraction of the ancient tomes from the Ancient Beast Kingdom. Many more are still en route.”
Qin Bei: ???
What? So, what I’m interested in is just a portion?
“What about the others? When will they arrive?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know. These ancient books were sent because His Majesty agreed to allow the prince of the Ancient Beast Kingdom to enter the imperial mausoleum for trial. I suspect most of the remaining ancient books will only be sent after Great Xia announces the Ancient Beast Kingdom’s surrender,” Eunuch Mei explained.
Qin Bei sighed helplessly. It seemed he’d have to wait, but by the time the rest arrived, it might be too late.
There was no need for him to wait around.
“Okay, never mind that. Eunuch Mei, please lead me to see my father’s collection. This way, I can better understand him and know just what to present that would make him happy,” Qin Bei said, regaining his composure.
“Understood, Prince Bei; this way please.”
Eunuch Mei didn’t harbor any doubts. He could never have imagined what Qin Bei was actually thinking.
If he had, not even the gold medal would have convinced him to lead Qin Bei anywhere!
Reselling royal items? Or items within the palace? Or Emperor Xia’s valuables? Or his favorite collections?
Surely, if he had enough heads, it wouldn’t suffice!
Eunuch Mei never thought he would become an accomplice like this…
“Actually, Prince Bei, you’re spot on. While these calligraphies and paintings are indeed from His Majesty, they’re all works he wasn’t satisfied with, hence lacking signatures or seals. The pieces he truly favors, including his own prized works, are stored in this secret chamber,” Eunuch Mei said, leading Qin Bei to a corner of the study.
As he spoke, Qin Bei saw Eunuch Mei reveal a token.
Then, an invisible door appeared in front of the two, and Eunuch Mei stepped in first, followed closely by Qin Bei.
As they walked through the invisible door, the scenery around Qin Bei changed dramatically.
It felt like stepping into another world.
“Although this is just a very small space, it exists independently outside the Cangzhou Continent. It’s a place we commonly refer to as a small world, specifically created by His Majesty to house his collections,” Eunuch Mei explained seriously.
“Oh~ No wonder I feel something is different here. It turns out this is a small world,” Qin Bei nodded in understanding.
His eyes began to scan the treasure around him uncontrollably.
Upon seeing it, Qin Bei was astonished.
Amazing items, all amazing items!
Though he was no expert in calligraphy and painting, he recognized many of the signed names.
After some thought, he figured that most were renowned calligraphers from legend.
Of course, the highlight was that there were also Emperor Xia’s original works.
This was a completely different story; there were seals and signatures everywhere!
To sell this outside would definitely stir quite the sensation.
“Hiss~ My father’s collection is truly astonishing,” Qin Bei couldn’t help but exclaim.
At that moment, Qin Bei’s eyes began to glitter; it was as if spiritual stones were reflected in his gaze, glittering like stars!
Just then, while Qin Bei was still in shock, Eunuch Mei dropped another bombshell of shocking news.
“This is only a part of His Majesty’s collection. He has ten such small worlds, and this is merely one of them.”
Instantly, Qin Bei’s eyes shined even brighter.
“Come on, I have time. Eunuch Mei, tell me everything in detail!”
He adopted a posture, inviting further discussion.
“It would be even more fantastic if I could visit the other nine small worlds.”
Looking into Qin Bei’s eager eyes, Eunuch Mei felt a shiver run down his spine.
That gaze…
So unnerving.
“Prince Bei, please don’t put me in a tough spot. It’s true that His Majesty has ten of these small worlds, but I’m merely a servant by His Majesty’s side. Being trusted with a key to this small world is already a blessing; I dare not even dream of the other nine small worlds.”
Eunuch Mei nearly knelt before Qin Bei again.
“Really?”
Qin Bei again brought out the gold medal of exoneration, weighing it thoughtfully.
Eunuch Mei looked on, speechless.
How can he get addicted? Once it works, he tries for a second time?
“Your Highness, this time it’s true! I genuinely only have the key to this small world. If you wish to learn about the others, you can ask Eunuch Wang; he has a key too. Alternatively, you can approach the chief steward as well. Ideally, seek Lord Ying since he has access to all these small worlds.”
Eunuch Mei advised.
Qin Bei: …
Looking at Eunuch Mei, who seemed to be genuinely concerned for him, Qin Bei almost wanted to give him a grand guffaw.
Find those people?
Which one of them is easy to deal with?
Every single one has absurdly high cultivation. What good would a gold medal of exoneration do me?
Am I supposed to fight them off?
If Lord Ying even casually waved his hand, I’d be laid up for half a month!
Forget it; it’s better not to entertain such dangerous thoughts.
Anyway, if he could just take all the paintings and writings here and sell them, Qin Bei would feel more than satisfied.
That would be quite the haul, and he thought it should offset any spiritual stones taken away by Emperor Xia.
“Prince Bei, come here, allow me to introduce you to the calligraphies and paintings collected by His Majesty.”
“Sure, but no need for excessive details—just tell me how much these are worth so I can prepare some spiritual stones to buy a few!”
Qin Bei smiled.
“Hahaha, of course! In truth, the market price for these pieces His Majesty collected isn’t very high. They are mostly just ordinary works with no special traits; selling for a hundred thousand spiritual stones would be quite good! But since many belonged to old masters who are no longer with us, their works have been collected, so finding more copies is no easy task.”
Eunuch Mei’s explanation took Qin Bei by surprise.
But thinking it over, paintings and calligraphy were still just artworks by mortals. No matter how good, they can only be what they are.
A mortal being able to sell a painting for a staggering sum of a hundred thousand spiritual stones was something most cultivators couldn’t earn over a lifetime!
So, in terms of value, such a calligrapher was pretty impressive.
It’s just that Qin Bei’s starting point was far beyond what others could touch, making everything feel cheaper to him.
As Eunuch Mei walked forward, introducing more pieces, Qin Bei listened intently.
When it came time to take these to the auction house, he’d have plenty to boast about in front of Concubine Fei, upping those prices a notch.
“What’s this one?”
Suddenly, Qin Bei halted, standing before a specific painting, curiosity piqued.
Eunuch Mei turned to see which piece Qin Bei had pointed at and immediately started explaining: “Oh~ This painting is particularly special to His Majesty, as he once spent a year in confinement over it. The signatures and seals were all made when he was a child.”
Qin Bei scrutinized the painting before him.
The scenes depicted were a bit strange.
There were three major scenarios.
One showed the emperor seated on the dragon throne presiding over court, with every official beneath displaying utmost respect; predominantly civil officers, no military generals could be seen.
Another scene depicted a child at the front of a massive crowd, behind him dense enough to resemble a million-strong army. The child held a prince’s flag, flanked by armored generals, their fierce presence astonishing Qin Bei.
The last scene shifted to something quite bloody: mortals perishing one after another.
The methods of demise were many—soldiers attacking, cultivators casually killing, demons offering sacrifices, and so on.
Qin Bei got the feeling it represented a hundred ways mortals could perish.
In one painting showcasing three scenes, all profoundly shook Qin Bei.
He could tell that the young Emperor Xia was certainly a warmonger.
Indeed, it felt as if Emperor Xia was ridiculing the previous emperor for lacking the courage to set an example and merely focusing on securing the throne, thereby dampening his fighting spirit.
It showed young Emperor Xia leading the charge into battle.
Notably, beside the painting, Emperor Xia left behind four lines of poetry:
To establish the heart for heaven and earth, to establish fate for the people.
To carry on the lost teachings of ancient sages, to bring peace everlasting for all time.
…
After reading this, Qin Bei felt like he was starting to understand why Emperor Xia was so battle-hungry.
…
P.S.: The poetry is adapted, and what was Emperor Xia’s name again? I lost my notes—oh, how I weep…
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