Chapter 27 Li Daitao is stiff
Chapter 27 Li Daitao is stiff
Next to the Sanqiao Bridge in the south of Jiangdu City, there is a very inconspicuous jewelry shop with a tattered sign with the three words "Rong Bao Zhai" written on it. It does not have the grandeur and luxury of ordinary jewelry shops at all. It is like a bullied young wife, hiding timidly in a corner.
Xiao Xia walked into this inconspicuous jewelry shop. There was only a middle-aged man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks in the shop. He was obviously the father or uncle of the clerk just now. The two looked so similar.
The shop owner is also the shopkeeper and the clerk. It's a small business and he really can't afford to hire anyone.
The shop owner came up to him with a big smile on his face. "Welcome to our shop, sir. What would you like to order?"
Xiao Xia took a look at the goods in the store. They were basically low-end copper jewelry. Occasionally, he could see a few silver hairpins, which were considered high-end goods in the store. As for gold jewelry, there was no trace of it.
Xiao Xia was a little skeptical. How could jade pendants be sold in a place like this?
"I want to buy a jade pendant. Do you have any here?"
"A jade pendant!"
The shop owner quickly shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but we don't run that kind of luxury goods shop."
Xiao Xia smiled slightly, "Monkey introduced me here."
The shop owner suddenly realized and quickly whispered, "Sir, please go sit in the inner room! My ancestors left a few jade pendants, but they are usually not sold to outsiders."
"Let me see it!"
Xiao Xia already understood in her heart that the jade pendants obtained by this shop must have come from illegal sources and they could only sell them secretly.
The owner closed the shop, invited Xiao Xia to sit in the inner room, served him tea, and took out a wooden box from the bottom of the wooden shelf. When he opened it, there were indeed more than a dozen jade pendants inside.
Jade was originally a sacrificial vessel for communicating with gods, and later became a ceremonial vessel for various grand ceremonies. After the Han and Tang Dynasties, it became an instrument of power to demonstrate status, including jade seals, jade belts, jade pendants, jade tripods, and so on.
Ordinary people were not allowed to wear jade. Jade had always been a plaything of the powerful. Only high-ranking officials above the third rank in the Sui and Tang dynasties could wear jade belts around their waists. The Ming Dynasty was even stricter, only officials of the first rank could wear jade belts.
Therefore, the store owner's claim that it was passed down from his ancestors is nonsense. This must have been contraband that flowed out from the homes of the rich and powerful during the war and was privately purchased by the store owner.
Of course the shop owner wanted to sell it, but he didn't dare to sell it publicly. He had to see someone else selling it. Since Xiao Xia was introduced by his nephew, the shop owner took it out to show him.
Xiao Xia spent a long time picking out the jade pendants in the wooden box and found that all the jade pendants were of very poor quality. Not only was the jade loose, but there was also white cotton inside the jade. The carving was also very crude. In comparison, his own jade pendant was still a high-quality product.
Xiao Xia suddenly had an epiphany that it was wrong for him to apply the standards of later generations to the Sui Dynasty. The Sui Dynasty did not care about the quality of jade at all, but focused on the jade itself. Jade was used to show status, not as a plaything.
In later generations, jade became an ornamental piece, and of course, quality and craftsmanship were important.
With this realization, Xiao Xia gave up on the quality of the jade and instead focused on the shape of the object. He soon found a Qilin that looked very similar to his own jade pendant, with a similar size and also carved like a dog.
"How much does this cost?"
The shopkeeper put away the wooden box and held up three fingers, "This number!"
"Three strings of cash?"
The shop owner's face darkened, "Young Master, you don't know the goods! You want to buy jade for three strings of coins? The silver hairpins out there are more than three strings of coins, I mean three hundred strings of coins!"
Xiao Xia sneered in his heart. Three hundred strings of cash were equivalent to more than 1,500 kilograms of copper coins. He was not dressed like a rich young man, nor did he push 1,500 kilograms of copper coins into the store. Why would the owner show him the jade?
It only means that the jade pendant is not expensive and the cost should be very low. It might have been bought for a few hundred coins. Yet he dared to ask for three hundred coins from me.
Xiao Xia took out five taels of silver and placed them on the table. "I can only give you five taels of silver at most!"
The shop owner sighed, "Young Master, you can go to Jubao Pavilion and have a look. The jade pendants sold there are all priced below five hundred strings of cash. I'm selling them at a very low price of three hundred strings of cash."
"What the shop owner said is that Jubao Pavilion can openly put it on the counter for sale. Do you dare? Why don't I ask the officials from the county government to judge and ask them how much this jade pendant is worth."
Xiao Xia said, gently grasping the hilt of the sword. Xiao Xia guessed correctly, these jade pendants were stolen goods bought for a few hundred coins, the shop had no qualifications to sell jade, and could only sell them secretly. Once reported, the shop would be finished.
The shop owner thought Xiao Xia was an ignorant playboy who could be blackmailed, but now he was being held captive.
Seeing that the other party was holding the hilt of the sword and was wearing a samurai uniform, the shop owner really didn't dare to use force.
Five taels of silver was not bad, as it allowed him to make ten times the profit, so the shop owner accepted the silver.
"Don't be angry, sir. Our shop has always been a place where harmony brings wealth. Five taels is five taels. Let's make a good relationship. You are welcome to come next time."
Xiao Xia took out a bag filled with jade pendants and held it close to her body.
He took out another forty-five taels of silver from his small bag and pushed it to the shopkeeper, "I want all the rest."
Xiao Xia gave her Qilin jade pendant and a bunch of jade pendants to Zhang Jue for safekeeping.
He returned to the dormitory, wrapped the fake jade pendant in layers of red satin, and stuffed it into the small hole behind the lamp niche on the wall.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. Xiao Zhurong shouted from outside, "Xiao Qilang, are you there?"
Xiao Xia hurried down and opened the door, "When did you come back?"
"Just got back, come with me! The Second Master is looking for you!"
"what's up?"
"Isn't it just what happened at the dock yesterday? Don't worry! My father is here and won't make things difficult for you."
"Wait a minute, I'll wash my face!"
Xiao Xia took the wooden basin and towel and ran to the well to fetch water.
At this moment, Xiao Zhurong saw two iron sticks nailed on the window frame and was stunned. He also saw the broken hemp ropes all over the ground.
He looked back at Xiao Xia with a look of realization, "This kid is really good at hiding things!"
..........
Xiao Xia followed Xiao Zhurong to the inner house of the Xiao Mansion. In the inner hall and courtyard, they happened to meet Liu Erhu, who also came to answer questions from the second master Xiao Hu.
Xiao Xia's mind moved, and he deliberately held the high-quality imitation dagger in his hand. Sure enough, Liu Erhu stared at the sword in Xiao Xia's hand.
"Xiao Qilang, come in with me!"
Xiao Zhurong brought Xiao Xia into the hall, and Liu Erhu followed and stood at the bottom of the hall.
The head of the family, Xiao Cong, was not there. There were only two people in the lobby. One was the third son, Xiao Yu, who was in charge of the Xiao family's business and the dock incident was under his jurisdiction.
There was also a very tall man standing next to him. He had a very thin face and his eyes and brows were very similar to Xiao Jiangu. He should be the second in command, Xiao Hu.
Xiao Xia put the dagger on the table and said nothing.
Xiao Hu, who was at least 1.9 meters tall, walked forward, picked up the dagger, and was stunned for a moment. Isn't this the Frost Sword?
He pulled out the scabbard and looked at it. It was exactly the same as the one in the diagram. He had only seen the diagram and had never handled the real thing, so he didn't know what the Frost Sword really felt like.
His eyes gradually brightened, and he asked calmly, "Where did you get this sword?"
(End of this chapter)