Chapter 19 Poison in Treasures

The south bridge is the favorite place for nobles in the capital. There are many places to play and many ways to have fun. All the gentlemen love to find some fun here. Even those who are more reserved also enjoy the elegant environment here. It is also a good way to spend time to find a refined teahouse to drink tea and listen to the guqin.

I saw a shop at the bottom of the south bridge. It was spacious and bright, simple and rustic, but it also had a sense of wealth that was not ordinary. The sign above the door was a golden character: “Dang”, which turned out to be a pawnshop.

The old shopkeeper in the shop was busy. The second floor of the pawnshop was a delicate railing, and it was actually a winehouse.

From the balcony on the second floor, one could not only see the bustling crowd below but also see the clear water under the south bridge flowing gently eastward, like a piece of jade that was lively and flawless.

“This place is really good. It probably encompasses all the scenery in this area.” The red-clothed man took a sip of wine from his cup. His pair of charming eyes were sparkling. If they were on a woman, they would be absolutely beautiful.

The silk curtains hanging down were the latest “Rain After the Clear Sky” colour from the capital. They swayed gently, and the colour was like the sky washed by clear water. Outside the pearl curtain, two beautiful women were gently plucking their pipa. The melodious sound was like pearls falling into a jade plate, making people intoxicated.

On the other side, a man sat in a luxurious manner. He was wearing a light golden robe with silver thread sewn on the buttons. He was wearing a pearl crown on his head, and he looked like he had the word “rich” written on his face. He held a jade chopstick in one hand and picked a piece of food to put in his mouth. He said, “I’ve never seen anyone like you who eats for free. I don’t entertain idle people. Why do you come here every day? If the young master of the Helian family runs to my Fu Gui Building to eat for free, he won’t be afraid of being laughed at.”

Helian Yu smiled and said, “What’s so scary? You’re the richest man in the world. It’s just one meal, why are you being so stingy? Besides, I’m not the only one who’s eating for free,” he pointed at the other side, “why don’t you say anything about him?”

“He’s paid for the meal,” Jiang Yulou looked him up and down, “why don’t you join my Fortune Pavillion? Sing a little song or something. With your looks, you’ll definitely have countless gentlemen throwing red silk at you within three days.”

“You!” Helian Yu hated being told that he looked like a woman. He was helpless against Jiang Yulou, who was shameless. He turned his gaze away and said, “Yunxi, you’ve been staring at the people downstairs since the beginning. What’s so interesting? Could it be that you’ve taken a fancy to some girl?”

The man was indeed Fu Yunxi. At this moment, he was leaning against the railing, but his dark eyes were fixed on a very ordinary carriage downstairs.

The coachman stopped the carriage in front of the pawn shop. After a while, two girls-like women came out of the carriage. The girl in a blue shirt stood in front of the carriage, opened the curtain, and helped the people inside to get out.

That was a young girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a thin cotton-padded jacket made of elastic ink silk, and only a dark satin vest outside, which was extremely simple. She was wearing two round buns, her face could not be seen clearly from above, and she was holding a wooden box half a person’s height in her hands.

Helian Yu  had already come over. He was stunned at first glance. In his surprise, he forgot about his displeasure and asked Jiang Yulou, “Doesn’t your shop only accept treasures?”

Jiang Yulou shook his head: “As long as there is wealth, there is no reason to refuse. Whether the treasure is precious or not is the second best.”

“That’s strange,” Helian Yu  said to himself, “She dare to enter your shop wearing such shabby clothes. She must have gone the wrong way.”

“Do you think my Fu Gui Building is a place just anyone can wander into?” Jiang Yulou said, “Wealth is not obvious. The more treasures a person has, the more he has to hide them.”

Helian Yu snorted, but when he saw that Fu Yunxi next to him showed little interest, he looked down.

The ordinary-looking girl was indeed Han Yan, accompanied by Jilan and Shuhong. Today, they came to pawn something, but it seemed like an ordinary pawnshop wouldn’t be able to accept it. Only the Fortune Pavilion, the largest pawnshop in the capital, had the potential to take in such items. However, it was only a possibility.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with a slightly greying beard. Upon seeing Han Yan and her companions approaching, he welcomed them to the main hall, offered them tea, and amiably said, “Is the young lady here to pawn something?”

Han Yan’s eyes flashed with appreciation. Doing business in the capital required keen observation and understanding. Today, she deliberately dressed plainly. In another shop, considering her humble appearance and young age, people might have looked down upon her. However, this shopkeeper not only didn’t show any disdain but also treated them with such politeness. No wonder he could make this shop the top one in the capital.

“Could you trouble the shopkeeper? I have a little trinket here. Would you mind estimating its value?” Saying this, she asked Jilan to open the large wooden box.

There was a thick curtain covering the main hall and the outer area of the pawnshop, guarded by someone to prevent any wrongdoing. So, Han Yan wasn’t worried. Jilan approached and uncovered the box, revealing its contents to everyone.

“This…” The shopkeeper was greatly surprised.

Han Yan tilted her head and smiled, “Shopkeeper, give us an estimate.”

The old shopkeeper’s face changed slightly, “What does the young lady mean? Is she playing a trick on an old man?”

Han Yan said, “Shopkeeper, do you not recognize this item?”

The shopkeeper hesitated. Truth be told, he didn’t recognize the item in front of him. Moreover, it seemed too ordinary. Since he started doing business in the Fortune Pavilion, he had seen countless treasures every day, but his eyes were sharp. When he saw the seemingly ordinary girl earlier, although dressed plainly, the careful way she held the box made him take notice. However, he never expected the contents to be like this.

He looked at the box again, confirmed it wasn’t a treasure, and became somewhat displeased, “I do recognize it now. It’s nothing valuable. If the young lady doesn’t have anything else, it would be better to pawn it elsewhere.”

Before Han Yan could speak, Shuhong intervened, “Old shopkeeper, if you just let our young lady leave like this, your master might blame you.”

The pawnshop and the restaurant were both owned by Jiang Yulou, the wealthiest man in the capital. Although the old man in front was the shopkeeper, the true master behind the scenes was Jiang Yulou, a shrewd businessman who had turned his business into the top one in the capital at a young age.

The old shopkeeper looked at the girl in front of him, petite with a slightly chubby face, displaying a confident smile. She looked at him calmly, as if she had complete confidence that the item in her hands was not to be underestimated. This made him somewhat suspicious. He took a closer look at the small girl. She was small in stature, and with that confident smile on her slightly chubby face, it seemed as though she was not afraid of anything. He suddenly felt that he couldn’t treat this matter lightly.

He glanced at her, and finally made up his mind. He said to a young servant beside him, “Go inform the young master. This young lady seems to have a big deal to make.”

Jiang Yulou, currently sipping on a grape wine worth a hundred liang of silver imported from the Western Regions, saw a servant boy standing outside the curtain and said, “Young master, there’s a young lady downstairs who wants to pawn something. The shopkeeper couldn’t discern its origin. Please go down and take a look.”