I touched my nose and pretended to be unsure."I'm just trying my luck. Let's see."
I began tapping my knuckles on each board of the bookcase, listening.
The mahogany was hard, and the sound was dull and even. If one did not concentrate, one would not be able to hear the subtle differences between the layers.
But even though I held my breath and concentrated, I still didn't find anything unusual.
Helpless, I can only ask Old Master Zhao to help me find crowbars, tweezers and other tools.
With a crisp crack, the first plank was pried open, and wood chips flew everywhere…
Slowly, I took the bookcase apart into eight pieces, disassembled it into scattered boards, and examined it carefully one by one.
As time went by, I was almost disappointed when I finally found a clue-there was a very thin gap in the middle of one of the floors, and the gap was tightly plugged by wood of the same color.
If I hadn't known beforehand that there was something else in the bookcase, with my meticulous search, I would have almost missed this mechanism!
Suppressing my ecstasy, my hands trembled slightly as I tried to pry the wood out with tweezers.
A thumb-long, finger-thick hole was exposed, and there were traces of a dark red wax seal on the hole. Something seemed to be shining in the dim light.
"Oh my God, there's a hole! What kind of treasure is inside? Zhang Yang, take it out quickly…" Li Qing was so excited that her voice changed its pitch. She unconsciously leaned forward, and the pearl necklace on her chest shook along with her.
" Be careful, don't break it…" Old Master Zhao rubbed his hands anxiously. His muddy eyes widened, and he wished he could grab the tool and do it himself.
I was also full of anticipation, but the more anxious I was, the more I had to calm down.
I dare not use tweezers to pick it up directly, for fear of accidentally damaging the contents.
After thinking for a moment, I picked up another board and tapped the ground gently, using inertia to let the items inside slide out slowly.
With a soft rustle, a stack of special papers appeared in front of him.
Upon closer inspection, it was actually an ancient banknote!
It was indigo-colored and had exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns printed on it. Although it had turned yellow over time, it was still difficult to hide its luxury.
I couldn't help but stretch out my middle finger and touch it gently. The touch from my fingertip was heavy with history.
" Fifty taels of silver for the fourth year of Xianfeng. You deserve it."
" Xianfeng three years silver notes 30 taels, worthy of your possession."
...
Five fifty-taels, five thirty-taels, and ten banknotes were neatly arranged.
What surprised me even more was that as I came into contact with these banknotes, the faint spiritual energy was absorbed by the ring, and the spiritual energy in the ring was obviously a little thicker.
" A stack of banknotes! Zhang Yang, you're lucky! You're going to be rich!" Old Master Zhao had already reached him and shouted in shock, his voice trembling.
Li Qing was curious, close to my ear, warm breath swept over the neck: "Banknote, what?" Is it valuable?"
I cleared my throat and began to explain in detail: "In ancient China, there was an item similar to the function of modern paper money, which was a banknote.
It can not only be used to exchange money, but also similar to the current check, easy to carry, suitable for large transactions.
This banknote bore the imprint of history and also contained rich knowledge of coins. Our country has a long history of using banknotes, dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty, when banknotes first took shape.
In the Yuan Dynasty, banknotes became the main currency in circulation. Ming Dynasty also has Ming Bao notes, is famous in the history of China large-denomination notes.
At the beginning of Qing Dynasty, there was no banknote issued originally, but in Xianfeng years, because of the continuous war, the imperial court was in a tight financial situation, and there was no way to issue banknotes from the Ministry of Revenue, that is, official banknotes, and Qing treasure banknotes.
It was not easy for these paper tickets to survive the war, and unlike silver ingots, they could not be recast, so after they were discontinued, no one paid attention to them gradually.
But now, the bills in good condition were worth a lot on the market. At the recent auction, Xianfeng period official tickets were very eye-catching, 50 liang face value sold for 287500 yuan, and two were sold for 253000 yuan and 230000 yuan respectively. Five or ten taels worth, the price is also around 60000 yuan."
" Doesn't that mean that these ten banknotes are worth one to two million?" Li Qing's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.
"Probably."
I nodded at Li Qing first and smiled at Old Master Zhao." Old Zhao, are these banknotes okay?"
" Of course, there's no problem. It's definitely genuine!"
Old Master Zhao's eyes were burning with passion as he said," Two million! I want it!"
I shook my head and declined: "Zhao Lao, I also like this treasure very much. I won't sell it for the time being."
Actually, this price was already quite considerable, but there was still room for improvement in the quality of these banknotes. After they were stored in the Myriad Treasure Tower for a period of time and recovered better, the price would definitely rise.
Besides, I don't need money urgently now. Why rush to make a move?
Old Master Zhao was a little helpless, but he couldn't force it. He could only remind her gloomily," If you want to make a move, you must contact me."
I readily agreed: "No problem."
Then, Li Qing and I walked out of the Treasure Pavilion side by side.
" This kid is actually a genius at treasure picking…"
Old Master Zhao looked at my back with a complicated expression on his face.
Sunlight sprinkled on my body, my face is full of bright smile, Li Qing also smile like flowers. She looked at me with eyes that were filled with adoration.
She secretly calculated in her heart that her boyfriend had earned hundreds of thousands yesterday and one or two million today. At this rate of earning money, it was only a matter of time before he became a rich man.
Maybe in less than a year, he could earn a small goal.
If he had said 10 million yuan back then, he might have been able to achieve it in a month. At that time, he would have to live with him.
At the thought of this, her cheeks flushed brightly.
Next thing I knew, I didn't go shopping.
Appraising treasures and absorbing spiritual energy consumed a lot of mental energy. At this moment, I am exhausted and my temples are still aching.
Therefore, I slowly strolled around the antique shop, letting the financial ring absorb free spiritual energy from pieces of antiquities to replenish consumption, so as not to make ends meet.
Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking this leisure.
The caller ID was Ye Sunyong, a former colleague who was also a fitness instructor.
"Zhang Yang, do you have time to meet?" On the other end of the phone, Ye Sunyong's voice was a little hurried and hoarse.
I hesitated for a moment, or agreed to come down: "Yes..." After all, we used to have a good relationship, listen to his anxious tone, estimate is encountered something difficult.
I turned around and whispered in Li Qing's ear: "My former colleague has something urgent to look for me. You go back first and have a good rest..."
Li Qing frowned slightly and reached out to straighten the corner of my clothes. She seriously warned,"Then you have to come back early. You must have a good rest tonight..."