Finest Servant

Chapter 161 The Battle of Literature and Martial Arts (Part 2)

"How did you know?" Tao Dongcheng was taken aback, but then he regained his composure and said with disdain, "Even if you do know about these foreign goods, you're just guessing blindly. Come on, tell me the name and origin of this item."

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Even if you do have this item, I'm afraid you don't have much of it. I wonder which foreigner you got it from." He then turned to Xu Wei and said, "Minister Xu, for the sake of fairness, I would like to request that Young Master Tao write down both the name and origin of this item and hand it over to you for safekeeping before I make my guess. Just to prevent any possible disputes about its identity after I guess it correctly."

Xu Wei nodded and said, "Indeed, that's the fair way to do this. Young Master Tao, please write it down. Let me remind you in advance, this mysterious object might not be unknown to others. Young Master Tao, don't try to deceive me with a fake name."

Xu Wei, experienced and wise, spoke sternly. Even if Tao Dongcheng intended to cheat, he didn't have the courage. Xu Wei was renowned for being the most learned scholar in the land, and it was possible he could recognize this item. Tao Dongcheng, fearing his reproach, followed Xu Wei's instructions and wrote down a line of small characters on a piece of paper.

Xu Wei nodded slightly, and said to Lin Wanrong, "Now, you may tell us what this object is."

Lin Wanrong nodded and said, "This object, in the language of the Westerners, is called 'diamond.' In ancient Greek, it means 'unconquerable,' and in Arabic, it signifies 'the hardest.' Translated into our Great Hua language, it is called a diamond. In the eyes of the Westerners, diamonds are filled with mystery, legend, and romance. Some say it's a fragment of a fallen star, while others believe it's a crystallized tear of the gods. In fact, diamonds are not from the sky, but rather from the earth. They are natural diamonds, polished to perfection, possessing extreme hardness. Gentlemen, please observe."

As he spoke, he walked over to Tao Dongcheng, took the small diamond from the box. Tao Dongcheng was startled, "What are you doing?"

Lin Wanrong gave a smug smile, "Relax, I'm just going to do a simple experiment."

He took a small bottle of perfume from his pocket, saying, "Gentlemen, this is a glass bottle." He lightly scratched the glass bottle with the diamond, and a deep mark appeared on the bottle, while the diamond remained undamaged.

The crowd gasped in amazement. This diamond was not only sharp and hard, but also stunningly beautiful. It was indeed a rare treasure.

Lin Wanrong laughed and placed the diamond back in the box, "As you all have witnessed, the hardness of this diamond is evident. In fact, this diamond in the hand of Young Master Tao, having undergone only the most basic polishing, is of the poorest quality in terms of color, hardness, and craftsmanship. It is, indeed, a reject from the Westerners after their diamond processing."

"Nonsense!" Tao Dongcheng exclaimed in anger, "This diamond was carefully chosen by me. How could it be a reject?"

Lin Wanrong merely uttered an "Oh," inwardly relieved that the Great Hua language still translated 'diamond' as 'diamond'.

Lin Wanrong gave a faint smile, "Although Young Master Tao has this small, inferior diamond, I fear he doesn't quite understand how to appraise it. The selection of a diamond primarily depends on color, density, luster, and refractivity. Judging from these four aspects, the one in your hand is indeed a poor choice, calling it a second-grade product isn't an exaggeration. A real diamond is hard, pure, and brilliant; it withstands the test of time, with its value enduring forever. The Westerners associate the invincible diamond with enduring love, making it the best gift to express affection. Its hardness symbolizes the everlasting, unbreakable affection between a man and a woman; its spectrum of colors symbolizes the rich and splendid love between them; and its pure transparency symbolizes selfless love. The metaphor is profound."

All the people present were businessmen, possessing a strong curiosity about new things. Although they didn't understand ancient Greek, Arabic, or the languages of the West that Lin Wanrong mentioned, his explanations deeply penetrated their hearts. They found his description of the diamond so comprehensible and logical, that they believed Lin Wanrong couldn't possibly be lying. Even Tao Wanying was somewhat captivated, thinking, if what Lin Wanrong said was true, wouldn't diamonds be every woman's favorite?

Eldest Miss Xiao stared blankly at Lin Wanrong, thinking to herself, this cunning man truly knew this object and could describe it as if it was a treasured possession in his home. She wondered how much more he was capable of.

Xu Wei, the most learned scholar in the land, had encountered Westerners in his youth but had never heard of this diamond. After hearing Lin Wanrong's explanation, he couldn't help nodding. The world was vast, and there were countless things yet to be known. This Lin Wanrong indeed had wide-ranging knowledge.

The most disgruntled was Tao Dongcheng. He grunted and said, "Lin Wanrong, don't get carried away. Even if you guessed the name correctly, you didn't reveal its origin, so you haven't won yet." His words, however, admitted that the name had been guessed correctly. Upon hearing this, Eldest Miss Xiao's heart was relieved.

Lin Wanrong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Young Master Tao. I haven't talked about its origin yet."

Everyone's ears perked up, ready to hear Lin Wanrong reveal the origin.

"As for the origin of this diamond, the 'Book of Songs' says, 'The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade.' This 'stone from other mountains,' I believe, refers to the diamond. This suggests that our ancestors had discovered diamonds within our vast China long ago," Lin Wanrong explained with a smile. Everyone present had heard of the famous quote from the 'Book of Songs', and upon careful reflection, they realized it did mean just that.

"However, this inferior diamond in Young Master Tao's hand came from the West. The earliest diamonds in the world were found in India, and later, a large number of them were produced in the Amazon Basin in South America. Later, many diamond mines were discovered in South Africa. The Westerners, with their strong military power, used aggressive tactics to seize these diamonds. After processing, they shipped them around the world. The diamond in Young Master Tao's hand comes from the West, and its origin is likely one of the three places I mentioned."

Laughing, Lin Wanrong said to Tao Dongcheng, "Young Master Tao, may I borrow this diamond again?"

Tao Dongcheng, hating the situation yet unable to refute, could only grunt in annoyance.

Lin Wanrong raised the diamond above his head and laughed, "Please take a look, everyone. The edges of this diamond are all neatly cut at right angles. Sister Liu, you're an expert in jewelry processing, can you tell us how this came about?"

Liu Yue'e took a close look at the diamond and replied seriously, "My Liu family has been crafting jade for generations, yet we could never cut it so neatly. From what I see, this must not be the result of manual cutting."

Lin Wanrong extended his thumb and said, "An expert is indeed an expert, hitting the nail on the head with a single phrase. This diamond was indeed cut by a machine to be this neat."

Everyone immediately began whispering among themselves. If even Liu Yue'e, an expert in crafting jade and gemstones, couldn't achieve such a result, how exquisite must the machine be?

Xu Wei exclaimed in surprise, "Little brother Lin, is this truly the work of Westerners? I too have met a Westerner years ago, but I never heard of them having such skills."

With a sigh, Lin Wanrong replied, "Mr. Xu, everything changes with time, we shouldn't judge things with old perspectives. Judging from the cutting of this diamond, the mechanical craftsmanship of the Westerners currently surpasses that of our Great Hua. But we have countless skilled craftsmen in Great Hua. With more effort, we'll catch up soon. We shouldn't belittle ourselves."

Xu Wei nodded in agreement. Lin Wanrong continued, "Why did I say that this diamond in Young Master Tao's hand is inferior? Besides the factors of color, brightness, and hardness that I previously mentioned for appraisal, another important point is the cutting. A real diamond is extremely valuable; it should be finely carved and carefully polished, and would never have such straightforward edges. Only the cut-offs, the inferior ones, would be like this."

Everyone agreed with Lin Wanrong's logical and insightful explanation. Xu Wei was greatly comforted and turned to Tao Dongcheng, "Young Master Tao, are you satisfied with Lin Wanrong's answer?"

Tao Dongcheng's face was pale. His knowledge about the diamond was indeed limited. After Lin Wanrong's explanation, even he felt speechless. Gritting his teeth, he said to Xu Wei, "Minister Xu, I acquired this diamond last month in Haian, from two Westerners who drifted ashore. I have no idea where they came from."

"Did these Westerners have blonde hair and blue eyes, with pale skin?" Xu Wei asked.

"Indeed, they do. I brought them with me to Hangzhou this time, intending to hand them over to you. They are downstairs now. There are several countries in the West, and I don't know which one they are from. If Lin Wanrong can figure it out, I will willingly admit defeat," Tao Dongcheng said.

In a hurry, Xu Wei waved his hand and ordered, "Bring up the Westerners."

Shortly, two soldiers brought up two disheveled Westerners who looked fatigued and sly. They were tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes, their faces pale and their eyes hollow. Their clothes were tattered, indicating they had been through a lot.

Among the people present, although they had heard of the reputation of Westerners, most of them were seeing them for the first time, causing many to exclaim in astonishment.

The Western language was vastly different from the Great Hua language, and there was no interpreter present. Xu Wei glanced at Lin Wanrong and said, "Little brother Lin, what should we do?"

Xu Wei now felt that Lin Wanrong was truly unfathomable. This Lin San seemed to know quite a lot. Since he could explain the history and origin of the diamond so clearly, perhaps he also had a way to deal with these Westerners.

However, it was Eldest Miss' first time seeing Westerners. Unable to help herself, she grabbed Lin Wanrong's sleeve and said, "Lin San, I didn't expect Westerners to be so ugly."

Lin Wanrong chuckled and replied, "Indeed, they are not as beautiful as Miss."

"Annoying!" Eldest Miss Xiao glared at him, revealing her playful side.

Lin Wanrong walked up to the Westerners, and they began chatting excitedly in a rapid-fire manner. No one in the hall could understand their language, but Xu Wei was overjoyed. Lin San could actually understand the Western language—a talented individual, indeed!

As they continued speaking, everyone was surprised to see one of the Westerners take out a diamond about half the size of a little finger, offering it respectfully to Lin Wanrong.

The diamond was incredibly clear and transparent, shimmering with a dazzling brilliance under the sunlight. It was resplendent and magnificent, almost too dazzling to look at directly. Compared to Tao Dongcheng's inferior piece, this diamond was like the difference between a firefly and the bright moon, worlds apart.

Everyone was dumbfounded. The women in the hall felt their hearts race. How could such a large diamond not capture their attention?

Lin Wanrong accepted the diamond and turned around, grinning. "I've found out. This man's name is Tavernier, hailing from France. He travels between India and Europe, specializing in the diamond business. Due to a fierce storm at sea, their ship lost its way and unknowingly drifted to our Huaxia." (Note: Tavernier, a Frenchman, known as the "Father of Diamonds.")

[TL: From Wikipedia, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler. Tavernier, a private individual and merchant traveling at his own expense, covered, by his own account, 60,000 leagues in making six voyages to Persia and India between the years 1630 and 1668.]

Xu Wei was both surprised and delighted. He looked at Tao Dongcheng and said, "Young Master Tao, do you have anything else to say?"

This victory seemed within Tao Dongcheng's grasp, but Lin Wanrong had shattered it completely. How could Tao Dongcheng not be angry? His face turned pale, and through gritted teeth, he said, "In this match, I've lost."

"Lin San!" Eldest Miss Xiao exclaimed, joyfully grabbing onto Lin Wanrong's sleeve, tears and smiles mixing on her face.

Lin Wanrong laughed, saying, "I told you earlier, I am the second most talented person in the world."

Eldest Miss Xiao covered her mouth, a mix of sadness and joy in her expression, softly crying out, "You boastful person."

Having lost in the first round, the second round would be a battle of martial skills. There was no room for further mistakes. Tao Dongcheng called someone over and whispered to him, a hint of malice gleaming in his eyes. The person beside him exuded an aura of profound martial arts skill. A single glance was enough to recognize that he was an absolute master in martial arts.

Damn it, this kid probably thinks I want to compete with them in martial arts and wants to harm me, Lin Wanrong thought, seeing through their intentions.

Eldest Miss Xiao said, "Lin San, for this round of martial skills, it's our turn to set the challenge. Have you thought of something? What kind of challenge should we propose?"

Lin Wanrong was dumbfounded. "Miss, shouldn't it be you who comes up with the challenge?"

Eldest Miss Xiao blushed for a moment. With a man supporting her in front, she seemed to have become somewhat complacent. Her face reddened as she said, "You answered the literary challenge well, so for the martial skills round, you come up with an idea."

‘This girl thinks I can come up with an idea just like that?’ Lin Wanrong smiled wryly, giving her a glance. "Miss, do you believe in me or not?"

Asking such foolish questions. Eldest Miss Xiao, annoyed, glared at him and said, "I don't like what you're saying."

‘Now this little girl is getting angry.’ Lin Wanrong chuckled and said, "Alright, let's say I asked the wrong question. Just listen to me later. I'll tell you what to do. Don't be afraid, understood?"

Eldest Miss Xiao nodded. "I'm not afraid. You can tell me."

Lin Wanrong stood up, saluted Xu Wei, and smiled. "Minister Xu, for this round of martial skills, Miss Xiao will represent the Xiao family in the competition."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. It was a martial arts competition, yet it was the delicate and tender Miss Xiao who would participate. Where did Lin San's fiery spirit go?

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