Chapter 39: The Jadeite Splendor

Pan Yueqing was also a bit stunned. This jade pendant was given by Mr. Hong. It seemed that the so-called formidable shopkeeper of Jinyuzi was Hong Qiqiao. Pan Yueqing took the jade pendant that Manager Xue respectfully handed over and played with it in her hand for a while. Before she could speak, Zou Yingru pointed at Pan Yueqing in disbelief and said, "It's impossible. The shopkeeper of Jinyuzi is someone that even my father can't find out about! Manager Xue, she must have stolen or picked up this jade pendant!"

Xue Ying's face suddenly darkened. Of course, he knew that Pan Yueqing wasn't the shopkeeper, but this jade pendant was indeed a symbol of the shopkeeper's identity. Since the shopkeeper could give the jade pendant to this young lady, it proved that this young lady had a deep relationship with the shopkeeper!

Zou Yingru looked at Xue Ying's expression and was certain that Pan Yueqing must have obtained the jade pendant by improper means. She then said triumphantly to Pan Yueqing, "I think you should confess! If Prime Minister Pan knows that he has raised a daughter like a thief, he will also lose face!"

"Miss Zou, you're mistaken," Xue Ying's face remained gloomy, but this time it was not towards Pan Yueqing but towards the triumphant Zou Yingru. "The rule of our Jinyuzi is that we recognize the jade pendant. Whoever has the jade pendant has the right to mobilize the assets of Jinyuzi. They are equivalent to the shopkeeper. Moreover, the shopkeeper has many skilled guards around him. If someone tries to steal the pendant, they will probably lose their lives."

"Manager Xue, it turns out that Jinyuzi doesn't sell credit but the craftsmanship of the artisans?" Under Xue Ying's invitation, Pan Yueqing slowly sat on a cushioned armchair. Her eyes glanced at Zou Yingru and the maid, and she chuckled. "Since when does Jinyuzi force customers to buy things?"

"Pan Yueqing! Don't put on an act here! What kind of person you are, I know very well!?" Zou Yingru looked at the way Manager Xue was treating Pan Yueqing. She had never been so humiliated in front of Pan Yueqing! She pointed at Pan Yueqing and raised her voice to the noble young masters and ladies around her. "Her! Do you know why she was sent to the countryside? She tried to harm Madam Liu of the Pan Mansion! She caused Madam Liu's unborn child to miscarry! She has a cruel heart. How could such a person be the shopkeeper of Jinyuzi!?"

"Of course I'm not," Pan Yueqing wasn't afraid of the gazes of others. Although no one dared to speak at the moment, she clearly saw that the way those noble young masters and ladies looked at her had already changed. She chuckled. "Since I can be favored by the shopkeeper of Jinyuzi, there must be a reason for it. Moreover, in our Pan Mansion, there is only the late Madam Su, who is the only daughter of the old Marquis Dingyuan. And the 'Madam Liu' that Miss Zou mentioned, I don't know her. I only know a concubine named Liu who has committed a heinous crime and is now being sent to the countryside to be confined for ten years!"

The noble young master who had first taken the agate sneered at Zou Yingru. "I've never heard that Prime Minister Pan has welcomed a new wife and held a wedding either! Besides, a concubine is a servant by nature, and the children born to them are also commoners. Miss Pan is a legitimate daughter. Why would she need to harm a concubine!" Seeing Zou Yingru's face getting worse and hearing the whispers of the people around him, who were basically on her side, Pan Yueqing sneered. "What's wrong, Miss Zou? When did you get to know this 'Madam Liu'?"

"Let's go!" Zou Yingru turned her head resentfully. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she smiled at Pan Yueqing. "Second Miss Pan, I hope you can be as proud as you are today at the birthday banquet of the Princess of Anbei!"

Pan Yueqing smiled sweetly and then nodded, watching Zou Yingru leave. After Zou Yingru and the others left, Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and looked at the maid who had tried to force her to buy things before, with a half-smile on her face. Xue Ying understood her meaning. Before Pan Yueqing could speak, he waved his hand at the servant boy beside him. The maid was shouting "Spare my life" but was dragged out without any mercy.

After a while, there was a plop as the maid fell into the water, and her shrill cries for mercy disappeared. Xue Ying smiled sincerely at Pan Yueqing. "Miss, would you like to come with me to the elegant seat in Sansheli to enjoy some tea?"

Sansheli! Everyone present was stunned. Whether they were princes, nobles, or the descendants of the powerful, without an invitation, they couldn't even think of entering this place. It was said that once a prince tried to break in by force. After failing, he returned to his mansion and became insane. And even when this matter was reported to the Emperor, it was left unresolved!

It was from that time that people began to speculate about the background of the shopkeeper of Jinyuzi.

Under the envious gazes of everyone, Pan Yueqing nodded and followed Manager Xue. She then discovered that there were hidden doors in the joints of the octagonal shape of Eryuan. These eight hidden doors corresponded to the divination symbols, and one could only enter through the "birth door". Pan Yueqing followed Xue Ying along a path filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. They finally arrived at a garden with a plaque that read "Sansheli".

Among the various flower beds, there was even the precious Pearl Jasmine that she had lost before. Pan Yueqing's gaze passed over a number of rare flower species and she saw Mr. Hong and Qi Sian sitting by the lake fishing.

"Mr. Hong, the Miss is here," Xue Ying stood respectfully five steps away and made a gesture of invitation, indicating that Pan Yueqing should go over alone.

Mr. Hong turned his head when he heard the voice. His gaze was kind. He pointed at the cushion beside him and smiled. "Little girl, sit down."

Qi Sian rested his chin in his hand and held a bowl of plum blossom curd. One could smell the sickly sweet milk fragrance from three steps away.

Pan Yueqing obediently sat down beside Mr. Hong. She declined the plum blossom curd served by the maid, picked up a cup of kuding tea, and took a sip. The bitterness turned into a sweet taste in her throat. Just as she was about to praise that this was a good tea that could clear the liver and moisten the lungs, Mr. Hong spoke first. "You little girl, why are you acting like an old person? You actually like to drink such bitter tea..."

"This is a good tea. It can moisten the lungs..." Pan Yueqing stopped speaking because she and Qi Sian had actually spoken in unison. She was a bit surprised and looked at Qi Sian. Suddenly, she remembered something and frowned at Qi Sian. "The thing you said you had to do, it turned out to be coming here to eat plum blossom curd?"

"I've already finished dealing with the matter," Qi Sian gave Pan Yueqing a look and scooped two or three spoonfuls of plum blossom curd into his mouth. "Isn't plum blossom curd delicious? Only an old woman like you likes to drink tea!"

Pan Yueqing opened her mouth but was too lazy to refute him. She quietly accompanied Mr. Hong.

"By the way, I have something for you," Qi Sian clapped his hands. A maid who was serving from a distance came up and presented a very exquisitely wrapped box with both hands. Pan Yueqing frowned slightly and took the box. When she opened it, it was a set of extremely gorgeous headwear. One hundred and eight emerald beads were polished, and there were gold-plated silver threads and fish roe patterns inlaid in the delicate embossed parts. This was exactly the same as the "Jadeite Splendor" from the Western Wei Kingdom that she had hidden away!

Pan Yueqing raised her eyes, and the surprise in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Qi Sian said casually, "This is a relic from the Western Wei Kingdom. It was taken out of the tomb of the mother of the Princess of Anbei. When the royal tomb was被盗, this 'Jadeite Splendor' ended up in Mr. Hong's hands. I heard you also have one?" After finishing the last bite of plum blossom curd, he rinsed his mouth and washed his hands, then roughly picked up the "Jadeite Splendor" and turned it over, pointing at the tiniest part.

Pan Yueqing carefully looked at it in the sunlight. On the middle emerald, there were actually two characters.

"Wei Ji," Qi Sian said. "The given name of the Princess of Anbei. This one is real, and yours is fake."

"Just imagine, if you gave the fake one to the Princess of Anbei, you'd really be flattering the wrong person," Mr. Hong caught a fish and said leisurely.