777米奇影

“Alright, the Jiangnan Museum will start the bidding at 100 million!” Lin Yide observed the quiet atmosphere and took his shot. Since nobody had set an opening price, he decided to lead the charge.

Lin Yide indeed made the opening bid, but as his words fell, many people looked at him as if he were a fool. Before the auction began, major museums had already discussed the starting price for the dragon robe. For instance, Long Jianfei, the director of the Palace Museum, had consulted with experts who suggested a starting price of 500 million. For the imperial ceremonial robe, it should at least double that amount. However, the Jiangnan Museum was only bidding 100 million…

It felt like they were looking down on the object’s value. After all this was the only Ming dynasty dragon robe in the entire world, and an imperial ceremonial one at that!

!!

“I bid 110 million on behalf of the Xianyang Museum!” The Xianyang Museum, believing they had no chance of winning the item, decided to join the bidding out of mischief, nonchalantly adding 10 million to the previous bid.

“Jiangnan Museum, 120 million!” Lin Yide immediately countered. Having already secured one volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia and the jade bowl, their mission was essentially complete, so they knew they had no chance of winning the dragon robe.

“Xi Jiang Museum, 130 million!” And so the bidding continued…

“What’s going on? Why is this item being auctioned off so cheaply?” Some in the crowd murmured, “This is a dragon robe we’re talking about! Why is the starting price lower than that of the Yongle Encyclopedia?”

“It is truly absurd! The starting price for the dragon robe is way too low!”

“Unfortunately, since no one has set a price for the dragon robe, we can only start low and gradually bid higher!”

“500 million!” Long Jianfei could no longer tolerate the small museums incessantly raising the price by insignificant amounts, knowing full well they could not secure the item at such a low price. He decided to bid 500 million and see if they would still raise their paddles. It was getting quite annoying.

For a brief moment, the venue fell silent as the bid of 500 million sunk in. Long Jianfei looked around without a hint of politeness and declared, “If none of you want it, then this treasure will belong to our Palace Museum!”

After 5 seconds of silence, Long Jianfei knew in his heart that at this price, someone would definitely raise the bid. He was just annoyed that they were taking so long. If they wanted to bid, they should be more decisive.

“800 million!” Sun Daozhen decided to give Long Jianfei a taste of his own medicine upon seeing his arrogant demeanor. “The Shanghai Museum wishes to take it! Our sponsor is supporting us unconditionally on this matter! Old man Long, give up on this item!”

With the price suddenly raised to 800 million, the venue was once again sent into brief silence before erupting in fervor. “800 million? How did it jump so high?”

“Can this dragon robe really be so expensive? Among the auction items, the most expensive so far has been the jade seal, but now it seems like it’s going to be surpassed!”

“Heh, that jade seal is nothing! It only fetched 880 million! This dragon robe is definitely going to surpass it!”

“Why is the dragon robe so expensive?”

“Nonsense! A single painting can sell for billions overseas, and this is the emperor’s highest standard of clothing, equivalent to a modern evening gown for a gala – allmeticulously crafted! I remember that Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi once sold for 500 million US dollars, which is equivalent to 3 billion yuan!”

“That painting’s price was a bit outrageous! It’s not even confirmed to be Da Vinci’s work. I think there’s a high suspicion of money laundering involved.”

“1 billion!”

“Our Guangdi Museum is willing to spend this much for the robe! We have a top-tier sponsor backing us as well! You all should stop trying!”

The Guangdi Museum had no choice but to bluff. Lacking the actual financial means to fund the purchase, they could only rely on intimidation tactics. After all, as the saying goes, one does not necessarily need a strong hand to win. Sometimes, even with a weak hand, as long as you have the courage, you can still emerge victorious.

By gambling, there might be a 50% chance of winning, while giving up meant no chance at all. The Guangdi Museum’s maximum budget was 1.5 billion, but they did not believe they could win the dragon robe from the Palace Museum or the Shanghai Museum at that price.

“Our Palace Museum bids 1.01 billion!” Long Jianfei raised the bid once more.

“I think it’s pointless for everyone to keep bidding back and forth like this! Why don’t you all just reveal your bottom line?” Suddenly, a representative of another museum, not knowing whether they were being deliberate or careless, blurted out this suggestion.

Everyone looked at her as if she were an idiot.

What kind of ridiculous thought process was that? Who would reveal their bottom line during an auction? After all, are auctions not a psychological game?

The museums ignored the foolish suggestion and continued bidding.

Soon, the price of the dragon robe reached 1.3 billion. Clearly, there were not many competitors left in the room. At this moment, only Long Jianfei, the representative of the Palace Museum, Sun Daozhen, the representative of the Shanghai Museum, and the representative of the Guangdi Museum remained.

The three powerhouses were locked in a fierce competition. However, it was evident that the Palace and Shanghai Museums had deep pockets, and they had yet to reach their limit.