Time passed very quickly, and in a blink of an eye it was already December 12th. The festive atmosphere outside was getting stronger and stronger. Most people in the capital had already started preparing New Year's goods, such as fried meatballs, cured meat and cured fish. Every household had begun to make preparations, and many people were pushing large vats out to clean and make wine. For a moment, there was a happy atmosphere everywhere.
In a peaceful atmosphere, a horse-drawn carriage with two pairs of lanterns carrying the first-rank academician of the Xu family quietly drove out of Dengshikou, passed the archway, went onto the street, and stopped in front of Jinxiu Tower in Dongsi Hutong.
Young Master Xu lifted the curtain and called softly to Grandma Xu who was still in a trance, "Mother?"
Grandma Xu was still lost in thought and didn't hear anything for a while. It wasn't until Young Master Xu tried to call out again that she suddenly came to her senses and asked, "What's going on?"
"We're here!" Young Master Xu looked at his absent-minded mother suspiciously, but without thinking too much, he just reached out to help her down: "What's wrong with you? They are just a few pieces of jewelry and things. If you like them, we can just buy them. Why do you have to meet the shopkeeper in person? This is not a big deal..."
Qi came to his senses and tapped his son on the head: "What do you know? I have my reasons."
Young Master Xu naturally did not dare to argue with his mother. When he heard her say that, he could not help but laugh and said, "Yes, yes, mother is always right." As he spoke, he led Qi upstairs, found the No. 1 private room that had been booked before, and knocked on the door.
Lu Chaofeng, who had done business with him before, was already waiting inside. When he saw him, he bowed and saluted: "Master, this box is a gift from this old man..."
Young Master Xu coughed, and seeing his mother frowning slightly, he waved his hand hurriedly: "Don't be so pretentious, come on, let's go in and talk!" At the same time, he walked into the house towards Qi.
The private room in Jinxiu Building was very spacious, with a four-panel screen with a picture of a lady on a yellow rosewood base in the middle. Qi sat behind the screen and asked Lu Chaofeng, "Where did the master get that set of jewelry from?" before her son could speak.
Lu Chaofeng stood up quickly and replied respectfully, "Madam, this set of jewelry was pawned at our branch in Shu. It has been pawned for many years. We are selling it now to clear out the warehouse."
Qi clutched the hem of her clothes nervously, and calmed down after a while. She then asked, "Do you still have the stub of the pawn ticket?"
Lu Chaofeng was a little embarrassed: "This is gone... It's been too long, no one came to pick it up, and after a while, it became a dead pawn. Dead pawns, pawn tickets are generally not important. After so many years, I can no longer find the original stub."
Qi was nervous and disappointed. After a while, she asked, "Well, didn't you say you had a few more sets of these things? Did you bring them this time?"
Lu Chaofeng nodded hurriedly and responded: "Yes, I heard that you were interested, so I brought them all!" He then hurriedly asked his subordinates to bring the things up and handed them to Young Master Xu.
Young Master Xu walked behind the screen holding the tray and showed it to Qi: "Mother, please take a look."
Qi's eyes fell on the tray and she looked around for a long time before she asked Lu Chaofeng in a trembling voice, "How much silver? I want all these things!"
Lu Chaofeng was obviously a little surprised. He took the abacus and calculated it quickly. Then he smiled and replied, "Thank you for your patronage, Madam. The total amount is 12,400 taels of silver!"
Young Master Xu couldn't help but gasp, poked his head out from behind the screen and glared at Lu Chaofeng: "So expensive?! Old Lu, you are not trying to rip me off, are you?!"
"How dare I?" Lu Chaofeng hastily denied: "These things were expensive when they were pawned to our pawnshop. You can see that they are all first-class goods. Although they are a little old, these things have a lot of history. The price I charge you is absolutely fair..."
Even so, more than twelve thousand taels of silver is too expensive! Young Master Xu couldn't help but look back at his mother, thinking that his mother, who had always been frugal and managed the household, would definitely feel sad about the money.
Who knew Qi would say without hesitation: "Deal, I'll have someone send the ticket to your store later."
Lu Chaofeng responded happily, and spoke flattering words as if they were free.
Young Master Xu was very puzzled. He didn't understand why Qi was so interested in these old things. He tried to hold back, but when he was helping his mother to get on the carriage, he couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why did you buy these things? Look at that gold and ruby open bracelet. The color is wrong..."
Qi's hand lingered on them for a long time, and she cheered up and scolded her son: "What do you know? These things will naturally be left for you and your sister to use in the future..."
The Xu family's carriage slowly drove out of Dongsi Hutong. Su Yao lowered the window and revealed a knowing smile.
Not long after, Lu Chaofeng came from next door and knocked on the door to report the situation to Tang Youlong, and then said: "The bill of 14,000 taels will be sent to your house later..."
Lu Chaofeng was Tang Youlong's relative-in-law. He had no son in his family, but only a daughter who married Tang Youlong's son. The two families were as close as one family.
Tang Youlong responded indifferently, and followed Su Yao's instructions and said directly: "You keep 3,200 taels for yourself, and leave the rest to me."
"How can this be possible?" Lu Chaofeng was stunned: "These things are not mine, I am just a reseller..."
"If I say I'll give it to you, then I'll give it to you." Shopkeeper Tang was confused himself, so how could he answer Lu Chaofeng's question? He fooled him for a few words before saying, "Just keep it. Don't mention this to anyone again in the future to avoid getting into trouble. Do you understand?"
How could someone who could marry someone like Tang Youlong be a fool? As soon as Tang Youlong said that, Lu Chaofeng hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who talks too much. I'm very tight-lipped!"
Tang Youlong sent him away, then went behind the screen and asked Su Yao softly, "Miss, have you found the answer you wanted?"
Naturally found it.
She felt something was wrong when she first heard Qi Yunxi's name, but then things happened so quickly and so suddenly that she didn't have time to grasp the slightest feeling that something was wrong.
It was not until recent events and Mrs. He’s reminder that she finally remembered a key thing in her previous life.
In the previous life, King Zhuang ascended the throne. Seven years after King Zhuang ascended the throne, the fifth prince rebelled. The fifth prince's banner was to punish the unjust and incompetent monarch. One of the charges against the incompetent monarch in the manifesto was that King Zhuang colluded with the rebel party of the deposed emperor and supported the queen of the rebel party of the previous dynasty as his concubine... ...