After the jewelry auction ended, William's words finally piqued Zhuang Rui's interest.
Chapter 1052 The Yongle Encyclopedia
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second item in today's charity auction is an ancient book from the mysterious Eastern country of China... It is a book from six hundred years ago, and it is also the earliest social encyclopedia. Currently, only a few hundred copies remain in the world... These six precious ancient books were all collected by Mr. Bonadette, and now they are also being offered for charity. Let us give a round of applause to Mr. Bonadette..."
William gave a brief evaluation of the newly presented antiques on stage. His words attracted the attention of some wealthy collectors who turned their gaze to the crystal glass cases pushed in the middle of the venue.
The same crystal glass display cases were used, but the items inside had changed from diamonds and jewelry to several books. In the first six display cases, each case contained an ancient book with yellowed pages, totaling six books.
These ancient books are all the same size, nearly half a meter tall and thirty centimeters wide. They are so large that only one copy can be displayed in each showcase.
"This...this...could it be the Yongle Encyclopedia?"
As these display cases were pushed out, Zhuang Rui's eyes could no longer see anything else. His entire attention was focused on the books in those display cases. Ignoring his impolite behavior, Zhuang Rui pushed aside the people blocking his way and rushed to the side of the display cases.
"Yongle Encyclopedia, Volume 5868, No. 36..."
On the front of the yellowed book cover, sixteen elegant, flowing, and upright characters appeared before Zhuang Rui. These were all copied stroke by stroke by scribes using the official regular script of the Ming Dynasty. This made Zhuang Rui's body tremble slightly. Yes, it was the Yongle Encyclopedia, the ancient Chinese encyclopedia that embodied the wisdom of our ancestors.
Although the book was not opened, Zhuang Rui could still see from the yellowed cover that it had been wrapped in yellow silk, making it look particularly solemn. A rectangular bookmark was pasted on the upper left of the front of the cover, with the four characters "Yongle Encyclopedia" inscribed inside the frame. Below the characters were two lines of smaller characters indicating the number of volumes in the book.
The term "book cover" refers to the cover of a modern book. Because it is wrapped around the book like a garment, it has become known as "book cover." In ancient times, book covers were made by mounting multiple layers of Xuan paper, a common method of bookbinding during the Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
Looking at this large scroll, which is rarely seen even in modern printed materials, Zhuang Rui could imagine that the more than 10,000 volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia, with its expansive format, would form a small library on the shelf, truly a magnificent masterpiece.
Zhu Di usurped the throne, which was regarded as "treasonous" by scholars such as Fang Xiaoru. So he thought of continuing the unfinished work of Emperor Taizu in compiling a large encyclopedia.
In this way, on the one hand, by gathering scholars together, he could eliminate the resistance forces between the court and the public and achieve the goal of winning over scholars; on the other hand, he could also show off his civil administration and establish his orthodox status. So in July of the year he ascended the throne (1403), he ordered the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia. The Yongle Encyclopedia, originally named Wenxian Dacheng, is an encyclopedic collection of Chinese documents. The entire book has 60 volumes of catalog and 22,877 volumes of text, bound into 11,095 volumes, with about 370 million words. This ancient cultural treasure trove has gathered seven or eight thousand kinds of books from ancient and modern times.
When discussing the Yongle Encyclopedia, one cannot overlook the two great contributors to its compilation: Xie Jin and Yao Guangxiao. This monumental work of ancient times was compiled over six years under their leadership, with a large number of scribes recruited from various regions to perform tasks such as copying, drawing, and annotating.
Xie Jin was a famous scholar in the early Ming Dynasty. Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) appreciated his talent and appointed him to oversee the compilation of the "Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu" and "Biographies of Exemplary Women". However, what made him famous in history was his experience in overseeing the compilation of the "Yongle Encyclopedia".
As for Yao Guangxiao, he was even more legendary. Yao Guangxiao became a monk at the age of 14, with the Dharma name Daoyan. He was known in the martial arts world as the "Sick Tiger." Legend has it that it was Yao Guangxiao who orchestrated Zhu Di's uprising to purge the court of corrupt officials, helping Zhu Di ascend the throne. He was even called the Imperial Tutor by the common people and was the person Zhu Di trusted and relied on the most.
With Yao Guangxiao's participation, all the compilers of the Yongle Encyclopedia enjoyed very comfortable living conditions. They lived in places like Chonglifang, not far from the Wenyuange, the imperial library. The Guanglu Temple provided them with wine, food, tea, and fruit morning and evening, and also gave them a stipend. Officials who participated in the compilation were exempted from court sessions. Their treatment was extremely generous. At the time, some people described the grand occasion of the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia as "the best of literature and art in the world gathered in the capital."
The Yongle Encyclopedia far surpassed all previous encyclopedias in scale, leaving behind a wealth of stories and unsolved mysteries for posterity. However, only one or two percent of the Yongle Encyclopedia has survived to this day; the rest were lost to the annals of history due to natural or man-made destruction.
The Yongle Encyclopedia was like a treasure ship that contained all of China's culture before the 14th century. But now, people can only guess at everything about this sunken treasure ship through a small section of the mast that is visible above the water.
The Yongle Encyclopedia has brought people so much wonder and admiration throughout history, and its destruction has brought equally intense sadness and regret, leaving many mysteries for future generations to explore. Today, many people do not know what the Yongle Encyclopedia is, and many people who are very familiar with it may never have the chance to see the original version of the Yongle Encyclopedia in their lifetime.
When Zhuang Rui was studying the history of the Ming Dynasty, he went to the National Library of China to borrow the original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia. Therefore, when he first saw the rare books in the glass case, Zhuang Rui knew that these six books were definitely from the same place as the Yongle Encyclopedia in the National Library of China and must have come from China.
"Buy it, you absolutely must buy it, no matter the cost, you must bring it back to your museum..."
Zhuang Rui's eyes reddened as he looked at the six volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia. You see, although hundreds of volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia still exist in the world, the content of each volume is different. In other words, each existing volume of the Yongle Encyclopedia is a truly unique copy.
Strictly speaking, the Yongle Encyclopedia that has survived to this day is not the original version from the Yongle era; it contains many intricate and complex stories.
Among the Ming emperors, Emperor Jiajing (Ming Shizong) was the most fond of the Yongle Encyclopedia. He usually kept several copies of the encyclopedia on his desk for easy reference. In the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing's reign, a great fire broke out in the palace, destroying the three main halls. The fire spread and soon endangered the encyclopedia in the Wenlou Pavilion. Emperor Jiajing issued three imperial edicts overnight, ordering the encyclopedia to be rescued in time.
To prevent similar calamities from happening again in the future, Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty conceived the idea of re-copying the Yongle Encyclopedia. In the 41st year of Jiajing's reign, Emperor Jiajing appointed Gao Gong, Qu Jingchun, Zhang Juzheng and others to be in charge of re-copying the Yongle Encyclopedia. The re-copying work took a full six years and was finally completed in April of the first year of Longqing's reign.
The original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia became shrouded in mystery after its re-copying during the Jiajing reign. Some believe it was destroyed in war or fire and has long since vanished. Others, however, believe it was buried with the emperor, and for centuries, no original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia has ever resurfaced.
How could China, a country renowned for its detailed historical records, have no record of the whereabouts of such a major and important classic? This has baffled many historians, including Zhuang Rui. What fate befell the original? How was it lost? It remains a major historical mystery to this day.
The original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia has been lost. The copies that survived the chaos of the late Ming Dynasty, though more than two thousand volumes were incomplete, suffered the tragic fate of being stolen, burned, and looted, and were finally destroyed in 1900 when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing.
The remaining approximately 400 volumes are held in the collections of 30 institutions in 8 countries and regions. Even so, the Yongle Encyclopedia, this extraordinary book, is still favored by scholars today for its immense informational and cultural value.
Zhuang Rui never expected to see such precious six volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia at a private auction. He was so excited that he carefully examined them around the glass case, completely forgetting that the auction was still in progress.
Seeing Zhuang Rui practically glued to the glass case, William on the stage assumed he was trying to determine the authenticity of the books inside and said, "Mr. Zhuang, these six ancient books have all been authenticated by experts and instruments. They are indeed from your country hundreds of years ago. Please rest assured about that..."
“Uh… I’m sorry, Mr. William, please continue…”
Zhuang Rui scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. He knew he had disrupted the auction process, so he quickly took a few steps back.
"These six rare ancient books will not be sold separately; the starting bid for the entire set is $3.8 million, with each bid increment being $100,000. Interested parties may now begin the auction..."
William knew that these six ancient books from China were actually brought out by Bonadette just yesterday, and the price was not very high. Perhaps they were specially brought out for that Chinese person.
"Five million dollars..."
Zhuang Rui made no attempt to hide his love for these six ancient books. As soon as William finished speaking, he immediately bid five million. To Zhuang Rui, these rare books were unique, and he would add them to his museum no matter how much it cost.
"Five million and five hundred thousand US dollars."
In a corner not far from Zhuang Rui, a middle-aged man with an Asian face raised his number plate.
Chapter 1053 Bidding
Hearing the Asian man's pronunciation, Zhuang Rui frowned slightly and turned to Huangfu Yun to ask, "Do you know who he is? He seems to be Japanese?"
Although the Japanese no longer wear the Jintan mustache, Chinese people seem to be able to recognize the Japanese by nature, perhaps because the two countries have had too many interactions in history.
"That person's name is Mao Watanabe. He's a high-ranking executive and shareholder at Sony Corporation in Japan, and he's in charge of Sony Pictures Entertainment in the United States..."
When Huangfuyun was a lawyer, he worked with high-end clients, so he was quite familiar with people active in the upper echelons of American society. After glancing at the Japanese man, he immediately recognized him.
"Sony in the US?"
Zhuang Rui was shocked upon hearing this. That was a behemoth, one of the absolute giants of Hollywood film companies. The identity of this middle-aged Japanese man was far beyond that of those big-name stars.
Sony originally had no film and television business, but after spending tens of billions of dollars to acquire Columbia Pictures and MGM, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. joined the ranks of the six major Hollywood film studios.
Zhuang Rui glanced at Bonaparte, then at Watanabe Mao, thinking to himself with annoyance, "Damn it, you think you can protect the Japanese? Sooner or later you'll devour their economic system..."
Japan's inexpensive light vehicles once nearly bankrupted famous American car brands like Ford, and now they are also gaining cultural traction in the American market. Putting aside other aspects of the Japanese people, their business acumen and diversified corporate development model are probably unmatched, except perhaps by the Jewish people.
"Mr. Mao Watanabe, the offer for these precious ancient books is five million five hundred thousand US dollars. Ladies and gentlemen, these ancient books were all handwritten by ancient Chinese artisans, and their value is immeasurable. Are there any other friends who would like to make a bid?"
When William saw that Zhuang Rui did not raise the price immediately, he started showing off his skills as the world's number one auctioneer. And sure enough, his explanation really caught the attention of several super-rich people in the room.
"Six million dollars..."
The person making the bid was also of Asian appearance. After announcing the price, he raised his wine glass and nodded to Zhuang Rui.
"Little Superman?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback when he saw the man. This was the successor of Cheung Kong Holdings in Hong Kong, a wealthy man surnamed Li known as "Little Superman" in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. However, it seems that Bonadette invited his father to attend this charity auction.
In recent years, the richest man in Hong Kong has gradually faded from people's view, while his two sons, one who started from scratch and is doing very well, and the other who manages the family business, have gradually become known to people. Zhuang Rui once chatted with the little superman for a few words at a charity gala in Hong Kong.
"Seven million dollars..."
Although he had met Li Xiaochao once, Zhuang Rui did not want to give up the competition for the manuscript of the Yongle Encyclopedia. In fact, in terms of market value, the Yongle Encyclopedia was probably far less valuable than some of Zhuang Rui's rare collections, such as the Dingguang Sword.
However, the Yongle Encyclopedia contains the most detailed history of China's civilization before the 14th century. It is like a condensed society, and there are countless topics for modern historians to study. Its historical value is almost unmatched by any other antique.
It's important to understand that when archaeologists conduct rescue excavations of ancient tombs, the relatively valuable artifacts are not their primary focus. What they are looking for are often things with written text, such as bamboo slips and scrolls written on silk. In the eyes of archaeologists and historians, these items are far more valuable than those antiques that can fetch astronomical prices.
The research on the social structure of China before the Ming Dynasty in these six volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia alone far surpasses that of any other item in Zhuang Rui's collection. These are the most detailed and comprehensive materials from 600 years ago.
Zhuang Rui had studied archaeology for more than two years. Psychologically, he had gradually transformed from an antique collector into a scholar who was half collector and half scholar. That's why he was so excited and lost his composure when he saw the Yongle Encyclopedia, which was already a unique copy.
"8 million US dollars..."
After the Hong Kong businessman bid seven million, Watanabe Mao almost immediately added another million US dollars. Watanabe Mao's expression was very calm. In Zhuang Rui's opinion, he probably really wanted to get the six copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia. For Watanabe and Mr. Li from Hong Kong, money was just a number. These super-rich people may be very frugal in their daily lives, but their level of consumption and philosophy are very different from ordinary people.
There was once a super-rich man in Hong Kong who made his fortune in making ties. He lived a very simple life, but he loved watching sports events. Not satisfied with watching them on TV, he spent tens of millions of dollars to buy a luxury passenger plane specifically for him to travel around the world to watch sports games. It's hard to describe his life as either extravagant or frugal.
"9 million US dollars..."
Mr. Li from Hong Kong raised his hand again. Actually, he wasn't very interested in these six copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia from China. He was mainly there for the charity auction, and to show respect and support for the owner, he had to spend some money to bid on something. So far, these were the only six copies that he thought could be associated with China, and he was bidding against them with only a small amount of money.
With the Li family's investments in Hong Kong and around the world, their financial strength and influence are not much less than those of Sony Corporation of Japan. As for Zhuang Rui's wealth, it is even less of a concern for Xiao Chaoren. His assets of a few billion are mostly fixed assets, which makes Xiao Chaoren not even consider Zhuang Rui a rival.
Therefore, at this moment, Superman is full of confidence. Unless these books are auctioned off for a price that is far from their actual value, Superman will not give up. Since he has already raised his paddle to bid, it would be very embarrassing to withdraw halfway.
"Ten million US dollars, my two esteemed friends. My family has a collection of 22 rare volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia. If you add these six volumes, it will be 28. There is a Chinese saying that a gentleman does not take what others cherish. I hope you two can grant my request..."
After bidding the second-highest price of the night, Mao Watanabe from Japan walked towards Zhuang Rui and Xiao Chaoren and bowed deeply. Zhuang Rui understood his intentions perfectly. This Japanese guy was trying to reason with him, saying that his family could raise more of this item, so it would be more appropriate for him to win the bid.
"Mr. Mao Watanabe, I am truly sorry. The National Library of China holds a total of 222 volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia. I think... such a precious cultural relic should be exhibited outside so that more people can see and understand it..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Watanabe Mao indifferently. "If we're talking about the quantity of your collection, shouldn't all those fragments of the Yongle Encyclopedia that your family somehow acquired be returned to China? Didn't Watanabe just say that whoever has more will get it?" "Mr. Watanabe Mao, I feel that these ancient books are of greater significance in my library. What do you think?"
Zhuang Rui immediately doubled the original bid, bringing it just one million away from matching the price of the ruby he had won. Zhuang Rui was determined to acquire these copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia that were scattered overseas.
It's important to know that although the Yongle Encyclopedia is still held in private collections abroad, it is rarely auctioned publicly. Zhuang Rui was absolutely unwilling to miss such an opportunity.
"20 million US dollars, isn't that a bit too high?"
“Yes, my appraiser just told me that these ancient books should be worth between five and eight million US dollars. This young man is a bit impulsive…”
"It's just a few books, it can't be worth that much money, right?"
When Zhuang Rui announced a high price of $20 million, the room was immediately in an uproar. These super-rich people from all over the world were almost all the most successful businessmen in their respective fields. They were used to measuring the value of an item in money, so they couldn't quite understand the price Zhuang Rui had quoted.
"Zhuang Rui, isn't this price a bit too high?"
Huangfu Yun gently tugged at Zhuang Rui's sleeve. After taking over the overall work of the Dingguang Museum, Huangfu Yun frequently attended antique auctions around the world and was very clear about the prices of these book-related antiques. He could sense that Zhuang Rui was acting somewhat impulsively.
Zhuang Rui shook his head and said, "Brother Huangfu, these items are usually things that money can't buy, so now that money can solve the problem, I must buy them..."
The Yongle Encyclopedia is one of those antiques that are priceless and have great potential for speculation. At least after Zhuang Rui bought it this time, if any fragments of the Yongle Encyclopedia are sold in the future, their auction price will probably be based on Zhuang Rui's current price. So, in a sense, the money he spent has not depreciated.
"Mr. Zhuang from China has offered $20 million. Mr. Watanabe, Mr. Li, do you still insist on acquiring these ancient books?"
After Zhuang Rui shouted out a high price of 20 million, Watanabe Mao and Xiao Chao seemed a little surprised, and the scene became quiet for a moment. William had to use his expertise to save the day.
“I give up. I think... these ancient books will play a greater role in Mr. Zhuang’s hands.”
Chinese people abroad are known for their lack of unity, but Little Superman didn't kick them while they were down; he simply shrugged and withdrew from the bidding.
Chapter 1054 Art is Priceless
"Thanks……"
Zhuang Rui raised his glass and gestured to Little Superman from afar, mouthing his thanks. Zhuang Rui knew in his heart that when it came to financial resources, he really couldn't compete with the Li Group, which possessed hundreds of billions of dollars in assets.
Of course, having a lot of money is one thing, but whether or not one is willing to spend money to buy these inedible and inedible items is another matter entirely. Little Superman's original intention was simply to help his father attend this charity auction and win an item as a token of his gratitude. Now that he sees Zhuang Rui's resolute attitude, he naturally won't compete with Zhuang Rui, as that would only make him a laughingstock in front of outsiders.