I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 9 The Song of Breasts

"Sir, if you don't mind..."

"Of course." Luther handed over the letter.

Morris took the letter and flipped through it casually; at first, he didn't pay much attention to it.

In the antique trade, the most valuable items are artifacts from ancient Egypt, such as the golden mask of Tutankhamun. Even in the British Museum, such items are considered among the finest treasures.

Sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome, which are slightly less valuable, can also fetch good prices and are popular with bandits.

Another item is various jewels and documents. As for letters, they are worthless because they are difficult to preserve, and most of the ones that are preserved are incomplete.

Of course, Morris had other concerns, since so many people came to pawn these "family heirlooms," and nine times out of ten they were fake.

It's either a forgery by later generations, or just an ordinary old item with no real value. Apart from being a bit old, it has no collectible value whatsoever.

He had seen too many people carrying around a pile of junk, swearing that it was a menstrual belt used by Napoleon's mistress, which was both ridiculous and absurd.

But judging from the expression on this young man's face today, he doesn't seem to be bragging.

Thinking of this, Maurice picked up the letter, put on his glasses, and leaned closer.

He first glanced at the material of the letter and found that it was handmade paper with uniform fibers and natural signs of aging, unlike the kind that are artificially made.

Then he observed the color of the ink, which was dark brown.

In terms of the strokes, there is a natural blurring, which indicates that it was not written in recent years. Finally, he also saw the sealing wax seal at the beginning of the letter.

The sealing wax is dark red and is stamped on the lower right corner of the letter. On the front is a soaring eagle with the blue and white diamond-shaped coat of arms of the Bavarian royal family on its chest.

Morris took a deep breath, realizing he had met his match, and became serious.

After taking a quick look, Maurice was intrigued. He hadn't expected the king to have such a cunning side, and he even chuckled from time to time.

He then turned to the last page of the letter, which was Ludwig I's poem.

Below the title is Ludwig’s signature handwriting, slightly slanted, with smooth and powerful strokes, exactly the same as the manuscript of Ludwig I that he had seen in the Munich Museum.

Morris took another breath, his surprise growing.

After a moment, he finished reading the poem and suddenly exclaimed:

"My God!"

His voice echoed in the quiet shop, startling passersby outside the window who turned to look.

"Sir! Where did you get this little darling?"

Luther leaned against the counter, hands in his pockets, and said mysteriously, "Anyway, I have connections, and they're all genuine. If you don't believe me, you can find an expert to take a look."

"An expert?" Maurice smiled, a confident grin on his face. "I am an expert! I recognize Ludwig I's handwriting, and this paper, this ink, this sealing wax."

As he spoke, he touched the letter, savoring its aged feel, as if caressing a lover's skin. "Without a doubt, it's real!"

He then turned to the poem and read aloud the cursive script in the title, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"The Song of the Breasts... My God, this is the Song of the Breasts written by Ludwig I himself!!"

At this point, Maurice was almost going crazy.

Luther smiled, understanding the man's feelings.

Ludwig I's handwritten letters are rare to begin with, and those that include "The Song of the Breasts" are even rarer.

As for artistic elements, they're so abundant they can't be contained even by an eight-story building.

To draw a parallel, this is like Emperor Huizong of Song writing "Young Woman's BJ" himself. So, do you want it or not?

Most importantly, this is a private letter that has never been published before, making it quite valuable for both collection and academic purposes.

They recognized each other at first glance and knew they had met the right person, so they immediately moved on to the next step.

"Mr. Maurice," Luther smiled faintly, his tone as flat as if he were discussing a sigh, "how much do you think this letter is worth?"

Upon hearing this, Maurice raised his head, a shrewd glint in his eyes—a professional instinct, after all.

"This..." He placed the letter on the counter, his fingers still on it. "I need time to assess it. Letters handwritten by Ludwig I are not common on the market. The last time I saw a similar one in New York, it was a regular official letter, and it sold for about $1,200. But this is a private letter, addressed to the family, and it also includes..."

"The Song of the Breasts," Luther completed the second half of the sentence for him.

"Haha, that's how it is, so I'm thinking of giving you $1500, how about that?"

$1500 is not a small amount. In those days, the average wage earner was only $800-$1000 a year. $1500 was the annual income of a slightly respectable person, such as a teacher or a mail carrier.

It's worth mentioning that prices were very cheap back then: a dozen eggs cost 47 cents, a car cost $300, a gallon of gasoline cost 20 cents, a bottle of Coke cost 5 cents, and a movie ticket cost 25 cents.

Even if you were to buy a villa, it would only cost around $3000 to $5000, and at most $8000.

Morris was simply emphasizing one fact: $1500 is a lot!

This amount of money is enough for a person to live a decent life for half a year, enough for him to have a good time in an underground bar, and enough to find some pretty good girls.

However, Luther shook his head and said in a more professional and mature tone:

"Mr. Morris, you're an expert, but I'm no novice either. Let's get straight to the point."

"I know the attitude of Americans towards European antiques, especially those related to Ludwig I. Wealthy Americans are eager to acquire these letters, especially one with a poem attached. Even if you don't buy it today, I'm not worried about it not finding a buyer."

Luther's words hit Morris right where it hurt, as if the other person knew him better than he knew himself.

Ludwig's letters aren't worth much, but "The Song of the Breasts" is. This poem had been passed around before, and no one was quite sure if it was written by this amorous emperor. Now that even the original has appeared, who wouldn't be tempted?

However, as a shrewd businessman, Morris considered the previous tug-of-war between the two as only the first round, and immediately launched the second round without hesitation.

"Mr. Feng," he paused, then calmed down and said, "let me tell you something you don't know. I have a client who is from the Rockefeller family. Last year, he bought a handwritten letter from Napoleon from me. Guess how much it cost? It was only $800. I could have given him $1500 for that letter; I wasn't making any money at all."

Luther felt a surge of sarcasm; it seemed that antique dealers all over the world used the same rhetoric, from ancient times to the present, from east to west.

"Mr. Maurice, you're right, Napoleon was a prominent figure, and his handwritten letters are indeed valuable. But have you ever considered how many of his letters are still kept in the world?"