In the county jail, Zhao Yi, the Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom, looked at the pawnbroker and asked, "Half a month ago, he wore a bamboo hat and pawned this jade pendant for 1,000 taels of silver?"
"Yes, he used a bamboo hat to cover his face, so I didn't see what he looked like, nor did I know who he was." The pawnbroker said in a trembling voice, "Everything I said is true. If there is any falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!"
Not long after, Zhao Yi came out of the cell, shook his head and said, "This Dragon Pendant was given to me by my father. It is worth 10,000 taels of gold, but I pawned it for 1,000 taels of silver. Brother Li, you look down on me too much..."
Yang Yanzhou stood beside him, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Highness, if that's the case, he should be in Fengzhou City now."
Zhao Yi nodded and said, "He must know the value of this jade pendant, but he pawned it for only 1,000 taels of silver. He must be extremely short of money. He can't go back to the Jing Kingdom for the time being, so it's normal for him to hide in the Qi Kingdom. He shouldn't have left at this time."
"Your Highness, who are you looking for? Do you want me to send someone..." County Magistrate Wu hesitated for a moment and said.
Zhao Yi waved his hand and said, "No need, you don't need to ask about this matter. Remember to let the pawnbroker go later."
County Magistrate Wu was stunned and said, "Your Highness, it's a big crime to hide a royal item. Are you going to let him go like this?"
Zhao Yi smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, just do as I said."
County Magistrate Wu looked up at him and finally nodded and said, "Your Highness, I understand."
As they walked out of the county office, Yang Yanzhou turned around and asked, "Your Highness, what if he doesn't redeem the jade pendant?"
Zhao Yi looked at the endless stream of people on the street and said, "It's good that he went to redeem it, but it's expected that he didn't. Send more people to investigate in secret these days. Feng State City is not big, so if he is still in the city, we will find him sooner or later."
Yang Yanzhou nodded, and the two of them walked down the stairs. At the same time, in a courtyard a few streets away, Li Yi scratched his head in confusion. Although he had never paid much attention to the gifts bestowed by the old emperor, he still had some impression of them. Until now, he still couldn't remember when the old emperor had given him that jade pendant.
After a while, he still had no clue. He shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. He had to quickly write out the thirteen poems and then go out to buy groceries.
All the vegetables at home had been ruined by Miss.Liu. He had to buy some new ones and send the poem to her to get the remaining five thousand taels of silver.
After this, he would never sell his poems for money again.
Not only Su Shi, Li Bai and Qin Guan, but also Liu Yong and Yan Jidao. Every time they wrote a sentence, Li Yi could feel the strong resentment from a different time and space.
It's a disgrace, it's really a disgrace!
It was not dark yet. Qian Duoduo stood at the entrance of the alley, waiting patiently.
Only when night fell and his feet were about to go numb from standing, did a voice finally come from the alley.
"Money in one hand, goods in another. Did you bring the silver?"
Qian Duoduo was shocked and immediately said, "Yes."
Something flew out of the darkness. Qian Duoduo reached out and caught it. He heard the voice say, "Here are five poems. You can check them first."
Qian Duoduo walked to the side and opened it with the light of the lamp. There were a few words that he didn't know, but it should be the real thing. He walked back and handed a stack of banknotes in and said, "This is the remaining five thousand taels of silver. Brother, please count it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt that his hand was empty. After a while, another roll of paper flew out.
"Money and goods are settled. Goodbye!"
Hearing the voice coming from the alley, Qian Duoduo hurriedly said, "Brother, please wait!"
The voice said, "Is there anything else?"
Qian Duoduo scratched his head and said, "Cash back …"
"Do you want a copper coin?"
"Even a copper coin is money." Qian Duoduo smiled embarrassedly and said, "My father taught me since I was a child that every porridge and meal is hard-earned. I shouldn't spend money recklessly and should be thrifty. Even a copper coin is money. I deserve it. Why don't I want it?"
This time, the voice was silent for a long time before it spoke again, "Sorry, there is no cash back this time. I used up my change when I bought vegetables just now …"
"Buying vegetables …" Qian Duoduo was stunned and looked ahead in surprise. However, there was no more sound coming from the darkness.
"Brother, remember that you still owe me a copper coin!"
Qian Duoduo shouted to himself. He carefully put away the poems and strode back.
As Li Yi walked on the street, he thought that he should have spared him a celery or something. He didn't like to owe people money. Even a copper coin was still a debt. For someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, there was not much difference between a copper coin and 10,000 taels of silver.
When he passed by a city gate, he saw the soldiers at the gate questioning passers-by in the dark. They seemed to be holding something like a portrait in their hands.
They were probably chasing after some felons. It seemed that the public security in Fengzhou was not very good. It was better to be careful while walking alone on the street at night …
The right thing to do was to go back and sleep with Miss.Liu.
…
…
In a restaurant, several dancers were dancing gracefully on a high stage. One of them had a slim figure and graceful movements, which attracted the attention of most people in the hall.
A young man raised the wine glass in his hand and looked at Qian Duoduo as he said, "Brother Qian, Miss Shishi thanked you in front of everyone that day. It's a pity that you left early. Otherwise, something wonderful would have happened between you and Miss Shishi that day. Don't you plan to seize the opportunity today?"
Qian Duoduo waved his hand and said, "I just saw Miss Shishi that day and couldn't help but compose a poem. There is no other meaning."
"Brother Qian is very talented. Your reputation has spread throughout Fengzhou. I admire you!" A person cupped his hands and said, "We have known each other for more than 10 years, but I didn't know that Brother Qian had such a talent for poetry. Brother Qian, you have hidden it well!"
The people around him were all friends that he had known for a long time. They were not like those pedantic scholars who only knew how to mock him. Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "Don't be arrogant, don't be arrogant. I am very low-key."
One of them revealed an indignant expression and said, "There are actually people who say that Brother Qian's poems were bought. Even Zhao Xiuwen acknowledged Brother Qian's works and admitted that it would be difficult for him to surpass them. In the State of Qi, is there anyone who is more talented than him?
Could it be that Brother Qian bought a poem from Zhao Xiuwen? "
"Yes, yes, such a poem is probably a priceless treasure. How could it be bought with money?" Another person agreed.
Qian Duoduo shook his head and said in a low voice, "There is no such thing as a priceless treasure in this world. If one hundred taels of silver isn't enough, one thousand taels of silver is enough. If one thousand taels of silver isn't enough, one thousand taels of silver is enough. There has to be a price that matches it. I think that poem is only worth one thousand taels of silver."
Someone asked doubtfully, "Those poor people value their moral integrity more than their lives. Can this kind of poem be bought with money?"
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "There is nothing in this world that cannot be bought with money. If there is, it means that you did not pay enough."
Someone asked in surprise, "Brother Qian, do you mean that you bought that poem?"
"Of course not!"
Qian Duoduo shook his head and said, "I can easily write a dozen of those poems. Do I need to buy it?"
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