Chapter 513: Jade Nourishes Man, Man Also Nourishes Jade
The area below the city gate was bustling with people coming and going.
Guards were still conducting inspections at the city gate, forcing many merchant caravans leaving the city to line up. As a result, business at the tea stalls near the gate had been booming lately.
"Young Miss, that’s Li Mu, the one succeeding as the Imperial Merchant," Luo Wen said softly, having silently appeared behind her.
Ye Qianning looked up. The young man was quite handsome. He had graduated in the top ten of his class from Lou Mountain Academy two years ago, which led to his exceptional appointment to the Ministry of Revenue.
He accomplished a great deal in his first year of service, and with his father, Li Zhengsi, frequently mentioning him to the Beili Emperor, the Emperor had taken notice of him.
Li Zhengsi secretly had frequent dealings with the Grand Tutor. Since the Grand Tutor had been the Crown Prince’s childhood mentor, he was considered part of Consort Yuan’s faction.
Li Mu returned to his caravan, swung himself onto his horse, and led the procession toward the Water Mirror Platform.
Only after the caravan had vanished into the crowd did Ye Qianning withdraw her gaze, looking up at the city gate tower again.
’The Gu family’s staggering wealth has indeed drawn the Emperor’s attention. It’s only a matter of time before the Imperial Merchant replaces their businesses. Trading in Beili will be difficult from now on.’
’No one dares to challenge a business controlled by the sovereign.’
’If the Beili Emperor meddles in Nanyuan, he’s bound to suffer losses until the imperial treasury is empty. I refuse to believe his conversation with Prince Yu was so easily overheard by Li Mu. Gu Shuo truly is ruthless to the extreme.’
’Of course, that was a level of ruthlessness she could appreciate.’
’If it were her, she would also make the Beili Emperor cough up blood in fury!’
The Beili Emperor’s carriage traveled down the official road, gradually receding into the distance.
Ye Qianning got up from the tea stall. "Let’s go."
"Are we returning to the manor?"
"To the pawnshop."
"Young Miss, are you pawning something?"
"Yes."
Ye Qianning affirmed and boarded the carriage.
Luo Wen looked puzzled, but he hopped onto the driver’s seat and steered the carriage toward the inner city.
Ye Qianning retrieved two bags from her storage space. One was filled with jewelry she had plundered from Consort Yuan, and the other contained the contents of the two chests Prime Minister Gao had delivered last time.
Consort Yuan had a countless amount of jewelry. Since she couldn’t sell the pieces in their original state, she had recently melted down the pure gold items. For the pearls, jadeite, and other gems, she had pried them from their settings and remade them into new styles.
After sitting in her storage space for several days, the pearl necklaces had grown even more lustrous, as if they’d been freshly polished. Their color was so brilliant that Consort Yuan herself probably wouldn’t recognize them.
Some jade bracelets had also subtly shifted in color, a change that took Ye Qianning by surprise.
It is said that jade nourishes its wearer, and the wearer, in turn, nourishes the jade. Having been steeped in the spiritual energy of her space, the bracelets now exuded a faint fragrance so captivating one couldn’t tear their eyes away.
Pawning them would bring in a fortune.
The horse galloped swiftly, and within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they arrived at Yu Min Pawnshop.
"We’ve arrived, Young Miss," Luo Wen said, stopping the carriage.
Ye Qianning lifted the carriage curtain and glanced up.
Yu Min Pawnshop was the largest in the Capital City and one of the Gu family’s enterprises. She just wondered which family member it had been allotted to.
"Take these two bags in and pawn them." She nudged the bags forward with her foot.
Luo Wen lifted the curtain, and his eyes fell upon two exceptionally large bags. He remembered clearly that the carriage had been empty when they set out. A flash of shock crossed his face, but he concealed it in an instant.
"Young Miss, do you have a minimum price in mind?" Luo Wen asked as he hoisted one bag onto his shoulder and carried the other in his hand.
"One hundred and fifty thousand taels, minimum."
Ye Qianning had already estimated their value based on current market prices. Sold normally, they could fetch between 180,000 and 200,000 taels. In business, one always had to leave a profit margin for the other party.
"Understood."
Hoisting one bag on his shoulder and carrying the other, Luo Wen walked into the pawnshop.