Chapter 69: The Forbidden City Doesn’t Have a Lid, but I Do
The tour guide was indeed a little wary of Xu Youyou, so he took the toothbrush and began scrubbing the bronze vessel as she instructed.
“This is really hard to clean, so much resistance,” the guide grumbled.
Xu Youyou responded, “It’s an old piece. It’s been around for a long time, so it’s natural that it’s tough to clean.”
Hearing her confirm that it was indeed an old artifact, the guide’s eyes lit up, and he stopped complaining.
After about five minutes of scrubbing, Xu Youyou finally said, “That’s enough.”
The guide, still holding the wet toothbrush, turned to her curiously. “Miss Xu, did you figure anything out?”
Xu Youyou replied, “Try breathing on it.”
The guide obediently leaned in and exhaled onto the bronze vessel.
“The breath turns red,” Xu Youyou remarked.
The guide still looked confused, his eyes filled with anticipation. “Does that mean it’s super valuable?”
Instead of answering right away, Xu Youyou said, “Let me check the inscriptions.”
The guide turned the vessel and said, “Four inscriptions.”
Xu Youyou’s expression shifted slightly. “Four inscriptions… just like the one in the Forbidden City.”
She deliberately lowered her voice, so the guide didn’t catch everything clearly. “Like where? The Forbidden City? Are you talking about the Forbidden City?”
He knew that if something was housed in the Forbidden City, it had to be extremely valuable. This made him even more excited.
Xu Youyou nodded casually and continued examining the artifact. “Taotie patterns… this should be a relic from the Western Zhou Dynasty.”
The guide’s excitement grew. “Something from the Western Zhou Dynasty? That’s incredibly ancient—it must be worth a fortune, right?”
Xu Youyou didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she said, “Judging by the number of inscriptions, this was likely a burial item for a minor feudal lord.”
“I’ve heard that in the antique business, the higher the original owner’s status, the more valuable the artifact,” the guide said eagerly.
Xu Youyou nodded. “That’s true.”
“So how much is it worth?” The guide pressed on, clearly impatient.
Xu Youyou paused before saying, “Five… no, ten million. I’ll take it.”
The guide was overjoyed, but then he noticed something odd—Xu Youyou seemed even happier than he was.
“You just mentioned the Forbidden City has a similar piece?” The guide brought it up again.
Xu Youyou frowned slightly and said, “The one in the Forbidden City doesn’t have a lid, and it hasn’t been officially appraised. Yours is also missing a lid, so it’s incomplete. The price I offered is already quite reasonable.”
But the guide immediately countered, “Who says I don’t have a lid? The Forbidden City’s is missing a lid, but I have one!”
His so-called “brother,” who had been standing nearby, suddenly pulled out a bronze lid from who-knows-where.
Xu Youyou’s gaze sharpened, and she said, “Since you have a lid, then it’s a complete set. I can offer more—twenty million.”
The guide’s “brother” was stunned by the offer and nearly agreed on the spot, but the guide held him back.
“Miss Xu, that price is way too low. This is a family heirloom passed down for generations. Give me a real offer.”
His “brother” hesitated for a moment before quickly nodding. “Yes, yes! It’s been in our family for generations!”
Xu Youyou glanced at them but chose not to call them out. Instead, she said, “Alright, I’ll offer thirty million. With that money, you won’t have to struggle anymore.”
The guide’s “brother” tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “Brother, I think thirty million is a lot already.”
The guide shot him a glare. His eyes darted around as he made up his mind. “No way. Thirty million is too low! At least—five… no, I want a hundred million!”
He initially thought he was asking for an outrageous amount.
But to his surprise, Xu Youyou didn’t even blink. “One hundred million? Fine. Let’s call it fate.”
The guide suddenly felt like he’d been cheated.
Xu Youyou continued, “But I don’t have that much money available at the moment. I need to wait about half a month for my funds to come through before I can pay you.”
The guide’s expression immediately became cautious. “No deal. Payment and delivery happen at the same time. If the money isn’t in my account, you’re not getting the artifact!”
Xu Youyou sighed, looking regretful. “I understand the rules, and don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you. But you also can’t sell it to anyone else in the meantime!”
The guide hesitated but quickly nodded in agreement.
Xu Youyou declined their invitation to stay for a meal and said, “I paid you to take me on a tour, and I’m not done sightseeing yet. I just need to make a quick call to my company about the funds—you don’t need to worry.”
The guide immediately agreed. “Alright, don’t worry. I’m a professional guide—I’d never abandon a client. But there’s not much left to see around here. It’s all just sand.”
His mind was already wandering, likely thinking about how he’d spend the money. As they left the village, he was so distracted that he nearly crashed into trees several times—if not for Xu Youyou’s bodyguards catching him in time.
Finally, they reached the village entrance, where two luxury cars were parked by the roadside. Xu Youyou got into one of them.
The guide was about to hop into the passenger seat, just as he had before, since he had been providing commentary from there.
But Xu Youyou stopped him. “You take the other car. I got some dust on my clothes and need to change.”
The guide noticed the black specks on the hem of her white pants and didn’t think much of it, just muttering to himself, “Rich people sure are fussy.”
Once inside the car, Xu Fang reached for the panel to raise the divider between the front and back seats, but Xu Youyou shook her head. “No need. Just drive along the planned route for ten minutes and then stop.”
Xu Fang didn’t ask questions and simply obeyed.
In the other car, the guide initially tried to sit in the front seat, but one of the bodyguards pulled him into the back, using the excuse that he was skinny enough to fit comfortably in the middle seat.
Ten minutes later, the lead car stopped, and the second car followed suit.
The guide craned his neck forward. “Why are we stopping? Did the engine stall? Looks like this car isn’t that great after all—when I get rich, I definitely won’t buy this model.”
During those ten minutes, he had already planned out exactly how he would spend his newfound wealth. He hadn’t even noticed the looming danger. He was even considering selling the artifact to a higher bidder if a richer buyer came along.
Before he could react, two bodyguards on either side pinned him down, swiftly confiscating his phone.
“What the hell?! What are you doing?! Are you robbing me?!” he shouted in panic.
Xu Youyou stepped out of the front car, walked over, and looked at the flustered guide through the window. “You’re an average tour guide, but when it comes to fraud, you’re quite the professional.”
