The servants left, and only Xianya and Xinghui remained in the room. She picked up the list of bridal gifts from the floor, neatly folded it, and handed it back to Xianya, saying, "I know the household must be preparing everything wholeheartedly for our wedding, but these treasures and precious items, I have seen and played with them since I was young, and they don't really interest me that much."
This statement made Xianya anxious. "You don't like them? Then what do you want? Tell me, whether it's from heaven or earth, I will find it for you."
Xinghui turned to look at Xianya. Seeing how anxious he was, she slowly said, "Don't worry, Young master. Let me explain slowly. I have always liked collecting Buddhist beads. Since I started studying Buddhist scriptures with the National Master, I have grown even more fond of them. All those precious and fun things, they are nothing to me. But if I can get a string of beads, even just one exquisite bead, that would truly make me happy."
As she spoke about beads, Xianya withdrew slightly and turned to fiddle with the nearby strings of the qin.
Xinghui stood up and followed him. "I heard that you have an interesting bead with a special background. Is that true?"
Xianya remained silent.
"I heard that Master Sanzang left behind a string of Buddhist beads when he passed away. The Ci’en Temple was on fire, and the string of Buddhist beads disappeared, and every one of the nine beads disappeared. I heard that by chance Young master got one. I wonder if it’s true?"
Before Xinghui could finish, Xianya burst into laughter. "You believe in that legend? Hahaha! No, Princess, how can I have such a spiritual item? Look, it's not good like this: I will have people find the best beads and take them to Ci'en Temple to be blessed by the high monks before presenting them to you. How does that sound?"
Xinghui smiled and replied, "That would be fine then."
As she turned around, her beautiful smile turned as cold as ice. She would use other methods to make him yield.
As night fell, the grand ship of Qianduan Pavilion lit up with colorful lanterns as the guests entered one after another. A group of Persian merchants appeared excited, but two people who lingered behind were dragged into an alley. A tall and short young man changed into their clothes and mingled with the Persian group. They were none other than Zhao Lanzhi and Yuan'an. Following them, the little boy was patted on the shoulder, and when he turned around, it was one of the crew members on the ship. Assuming he was one of them, the crew member said, "Hey, stop slacking off here. Help me carry these barrels of wine onboard." The boy followed the order and also boarded the ship.
Inside the ship, Yuan'an and Zhao Lanzhi, disguised as Persian merchants, entered a private room. Even before they could settle down, several dancing girls entered the room, making the atmosphere lively. Yuan'an and Zhao Lanzhi pretended to drink and have fun while carefully observing the surroundings. A girl in green played the zither and sang, and Zhao Lanzhi seemed very interested as she leaned against his arms.
Yuan'an secretly glanced at them and thought, 'Hmph, so he is just using this as an excuse to have fun himself while investigating the case.'
Before long, Zhao Lanzhi took out a golden ingot from his embrace and handed it to the singing girl, saying, "Here, this is a reward from the old master. Go get some wine for him!" The girl happily held the golden ingot and left to fetch the wine.
The singing girl lifted the curtain and left the private room. She went and handed the golden ingot to Madame Zhang, the brothel keeper. It was a large sum of money, and she couldn't hide it. She reported that it was given by a Persian merchant, pointing to Zhao Lanzhi as the one. Madam Zhang picked up the golden ingot, examined it, and bit it, realizing it was fake. Angry, she lifted the curtain and entered the room, putting on a fake smile and sitting between Zhao Lanzhi and Yuan'an, saying, "Greetings, sir. Let me apologize for our inadequate hospitality."
Zhao Lanzhi knowingly asked, "Inadequate? No, not at all."
Madam Zhang lifted her wine cup and asked, "Did you enjoy the wine?"
"Delicious wine," Zhao Lanzhi replied.
Madam Zhang continued, "Were the girls attentive to your needs?"
"Excellent girls," Zhao Lanzhi replied.
Then, the brothel keeper suddenly burst out, "The wine and the girls here are of top-notch quality. Why would you bring a fake golden ingot to deceive me? Do you think we at Qianduan Pavilion have never seen real gold before?!"
Zhao Lanzhi burst into laughter, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at Yuan'an, who also joined in the laughter. They were having a great time. "You are right," Zhao Lanzhi said. "If we didn't bring out this fake, I'm afraid even you wouldn't come out to talk to us, right?"
Madam Zhang was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Zhao Lanzhi gestured, and Yuan'an opened the small box he held, revealing a box full of real golden ingots. Yuan'an took one and handed it to Madame Zhang, turning it around before her eyes, saying, "Now, can you tell if this golden ingot is real or fake?"
Madam Zhang took it, feeling it with her hands. "It's real, definitely real. Whatever fine wine, delicacies, or charming girls you want, I will prepare them all for you!"
Yuan'an slammed the box shut, nearly catching Madame Zhang's hand.
Zhao Lanzhi spoke, "I didn't come here for fine wine, delicacies, or charming girls! I want salt!"
~Thank You for Reading, Please Comment Below~
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