Chapter 26: Appraising Treasures

  People around her didn't understand, thinking that Shu Yao was being humble. The beautiful girl from the south thought it wasn't bad either. Shu Yao had always lived in Huizhou, Guangdong, and Guangdong was in the south. The girls from the capital were generally confused about geographical directions.

  Zhiran and his family had just returned to the Duke's mansion, Guajia had a lot of things that hadn't been arranged yet, planned to visit the old lady after dinner and then leave. Seeing the old lady's intention was not willing to let her go, Guajia's heart was anxious, but her face didn't show it, she calmly sipped tea, as if everything was under control.

  An old lady's second daughter-in-law, Cui Ying, lifted the curtain and entered the house. She was slender and elegant, with a clean and neat appearance, and smiled brightly as she said: "Old lady, Qian Pobao has arrived."

  "Oh? Let you in, I'll see what good things she has dug up, come here and show off."

  The old lady and the one called Qian Baozi were very familiar, and Liu Jia's wife, who had been silent for a long time, explained to Guwalgiya: "Qian Baozi's husband has a shop in Liulichang, originally surnamed Li. Her husband is useless, and the shop relies on her support. She can talk and often goes to various royal palaces and ducal mansions in Beijing to introduce antiques, and she is not foolish about money. Over time, everyone calls her Qian Baozi."

  Guar Jia nodded in understanding, smiled at Liu Jia, Guar Jia was not interested in Qian Pozi, the fourth housewife Liu Jia took the initiative to introduce, it seems that they will not necessarily follow Zhi Cheng's path and run to Hei.

  Qian Pobuzi had received favors from Zhiqing, although she seemed to value money a bit more, but she was a person who knew how to repay kindness. Whenever she got some rare and valuable antiques, she would first send them to the Duke's mansion. Even if some prince liked it, they still had to wait for Zhiqing to choose first.

  Erniang's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, Shu Yao furrowed her delicate eyebrows in puzzlement and asked: "Isn't she afraid of offending the prince? I don't see how this is good for my cousin."

  The old lady's face was gloomy, and she suppressed her anger because of some good feelings towards Shu Yao. "Sixth girl, if you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. Qian Puzi is a person who knows how to repay kindness." Isn't the Prince Regent the most powerful person next to the Emperor? They had their eyes on an antique, but Qian Puzi not only refused to sell it but also proactively sent it to her sister's doorstep. Isn't this bringing trouble to her sister? Is her sister even more formidable than the Prince Regent?

  Shu Yao's confusion deepened, hadn't these clever people thought of that? Shu Yao rarely interfered with worldly matters, but she was curious about the truth. Gua Erjia shot her a sideways glance and silenced her: "Shut up."

  "Ah." Shu Yao was honest, and Guajia said: "E Niang, she also makes some sense. The name of the outer niece is not good for the king, the mansion is just a duke's mansion, far from the close relatives of the nobility. I think this Qian Paozi didn't have any good intentions. The outer niece doesn't understand the world, and as her elders, we should advise her well."

  Qian's wife happened to enter the door, wearing a light brown cheongsam, full of pearls and jade, and at a glance, she could tell that she was the lady of a wealthy family. With a smile on her face and a friendly demeanor, Qian's wife said: "Is this the second madam?"

  Although Guajia wasn't looking down on merchants, she didn't have a good impression of Qian Popo, and coldly retorted: "A mere merchant woman, you're quite bold."

  Even if she didn't have the title of Duchess, Guan Jia was the wife of a third-grade official and had an imperial edict on her person. Qian Pobai dared to behave like this as soon as he entered the door, which made Guan Jia extremely displeased.

  Qian Baozi, who was used to seeing the wealthy ladies of the inner house, secretly felt a shock at this second lady's imposing manner. Even the imperial consorts didn't have the same air as Guwalgiya Shi. Qian Baozi put away her disdain and didn't dare cry injustice, respectfully answering: "I'm just a commoner from a merchant family, I don't know much about righteousness or profit, but what's important is keeping one's word. Miss Li has shown me great kindness, if it weren't for Miss, my whole family would have been ruined. I wouldn't dare cause trouble for Miss."

  The old lady sighed, "You're a sensible person, alright, alright. Zhiyuan's wife just returned to Beijing and doesn't know your temperament. What treasure have you brought today?"

  Qian Popo's face was filled with smiles, and she said eagerly: "Recently, I acquired a batch of Tang Dynasty antiques. Knowing that Miss Li likes them, I brought them over for her to appreciate first."

  Gua Erjia's gaze at Qian Poben is not simple, businessmen are ruthless, and prostitutes are unrighteous. This is not an empty statement. The world is bustling with people coming for profit. Qian Poben must have ulterior motives. But what does Li Ziqing have that she values? After all, it's just her niece, Gua Erjia doesn't bother to worry about Li Ziqing. She is very satisfied with her daughter Shu Yao's performance today. Shu Yao is also not muddled in important matters. Gua Erjia has put half of her mind at ease.

  Li Ziqing is not a fool, and the meager profit could make the usually frugal and money-hoarding Qian Bazi bow her head and obey. What Qian Bazi asked for was clear to Li Ziqing: "Tang Dynasty antiques are very valuable. Just two days ago, the Empress Dowager mentioned Tang Sancai."

  The old woman smiled and said: "Take a look, miss?"

  Shu Yao was delighted, she wanted to take advantage of Li Ziqing's relationship with the Empress Dowager to raise her own value, after all, something rare is precious. Who could outsmart whom between Qian Puzi and Li Ziqing? Upon hearing that it was a Tang Dynasty antique, Shu Yao looked at Guwalgiya, who had the final say in this matter. Previously, Shu Yao knew that Guwalgiya had made a fortune from selling antiques, and as the mother of the Emperor, she had a keen eye for appraising treasures. However, after guessing that Guwalgiya was a noble lady of the Tang Dynasty, Shu Yao wasn't surprised anymore.

  "Sixth sister, you've just returned to Beijing and your house isn't decorated much yet. Why don't you pick out two items first? Consider them a gift from me."

  After the antique was placed, Li Ziqing let Shu Yao choose first. "Sister is so generous, I'm moved." Lively and pretty, Shu Jing blinked her eyes, "You can't be thick-skinned, sister should give me one too."

  The quiet and lovely appearance made the old lady laugh, "Monkey, monkey, how much silver do you think Zhiqin is worth? Liu Yaotou returned to Beijing from Huizhou without knowing the details, and you still don't know?"

  Holding onto the old lady's arm, Shu Jing had a bashful expression on her face, looking obedient and lovely. The old lady rarely spoke in such a generous tone: "You spare Zhi Qing and let her off, I'll send you off now."

  "Thank you, Mom." Shu Jing De Yi curved her eyes, proving to everyone that she was the most favored granddaughter besides Li Zhi Qing.

  Shu Yao's eyes widened as if she had never seen anything like it before. The old lady's treasured possessions were of no importance to Shu Yao, who was used to a life of leisure and didn't care about antiques or know how to appreciate them. However, among the ancient artifacts on the table, Shu Yao surprisingly found a ding that looked just like the one her mother, Guan Jia Shi, had described. Following Li Qi's intentions, Shu Yao picked up the jade ding first and repeatedly turned it over in her hands, only to discover a scratch on its base - was it a fake?

  Li Ziqing said beside her, "Qian Poben wouldn't dare bring fake goods to the Duke's mansion. Sixth sister, this jade tripod might not be well-preserved and has scratches, so it's not very valuable. Take a look at others."

  Qian Pobuzi hastily explained: "I was in a hurry to deliver it to the young lady, and I didn't examine it carefully. It seems that the box was mistakenly swapped."

  "I'll take it, name a price, I can afford this silver." Shu wanted to hold the jade tripod, no mistake, it was the one Mother said, Gua Erjia smiled and arranged the antique on the table, the jade tripod was the most valuable item. Who says Money Granny dare not cheat Li Zhiqin with fake goods?