Chapter 85 FCADW? IRTBTMOTMM

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 Favoring Concubines and Destroying Wives? I Refuse to be the Mistress of this Marquis' Mansion

 Chapter 85: 

Secret

Why are the affairs of my maternal family so entangled with Prince Huan's matters?

Lin Yunwan didn't want to discuss family matters too much with Lin Guanshi at the Lu residence. She asked him to wait for a moment, then went back to the Chui Si Tang and wrote a letter to her younger brother.

"Recent family matters have been affecting his studies. Guanshi, tell Yuyi that a written reply will suffice. There's no need for him to come in person."

Lin Guanshi agreed, took the letter back to the Lin residence, and handed it to Madam Lin, instructing her to pass it on to Lin Yuyi.

He then went to one of the largest pawn shops in the capital and pawned the jade pendant.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

The shopkeeper, upon a quick glance, nodded and said, "It's a good item. Follow me."

He led Lin Guanshi to complete the pawn ticket.

Pawn tickets are quite intricate, and those unfamiliar with the characters on them may not understand. The shopkeeper wrote slowly, engaging in a conversation with Lin Guanshi, "Have we met before?"

Lin Guanshi replied, "…Have we?" wearing a genuinely puzzled expression. "I don't recognize you."

Soon, he became reluctant to meet the shopkeeper's eyes. During the years of hardship for the Lin family, they were frequent customers at the pawn shop. Some items were redeemed later, while others were not.

This time, it was just to pawn an inconspicuous jade pendant, and Lin Guanshi was reluctant to admit that he was the steward of the Lin family. If rumors spread, it might give the impression that something was amiss with the Lin family.

The shopkeeper didn't press further, completed the pawn ticket, and said, "Please make a thumbprint."

Lin Guanshi pressed his thumb, and the shopkeeper said, "The silver and the item are settled. Take care."

Lin Guanshi nodded, took the silver, and left. Upon returning, he muttered to himself, "Indeed, it's the capital. The pawned silver is more than expected." Compared to the information he gathered in Zhongzhou, there was an additional several dozen taels, so he readily agreed.

The pawn shop's manager, after receiving the jade pendant, told his assistant, "Watch the shop; I'm going to meet with the master." He also took another jade pendant and brought both to Prince Huan's mansion.

A'Fu happened to be in the mansion and, upon hearing that the pawn shop manager had something important, came to meet him personally.

"What extraordinary item did you acquire? Why do you need to see His Highness?" A'Fu inquired.

The shopkeeper chuckled, handing over the two items, and said, "Indeed, it's quite extraordinary. Take a look for yourself."

Afeng, accustomed to the splendors of the palace from his frequent visits, could immediately tell that one of the jade pendants was truly remarkable. He exclaimed, "Wow, where did you acquire this treasure?"

The shopkeeper first pointed to the other item, the one pawned by Lin Guanshi, saying, "This is a jade pendant pawned by the Lin family. You had instructed me before to look out for the family of Minister Lin. Though they haven't come to pawn anything for several years, I dared not forget your instructions. This time, I ensured that the Lin family didn't suffer any losses."

A'Fu immediately looked at the jade pendant pawned by Lin Guanshi and said, "Why is the Lin family pawning items again?"

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

The shopkeeper quickly responded, "It doesn't seem like an urgent need for money. It doesn't look like they are unwilling to part with or cherish this jade pendant either."

A'Fu then asked, "Who pawned this jade pendant?" The shopkeeper had brought several items along with what had been pawned by the Lin family.

A'fu had picked up the jade pendant that was pawned by the Mama on behalf of Ge Bao'er.

The shopkeeper paused for a moment before saying, "It's someone from the Marquis of Wu Ding's residence."

A'Fu furrowed his brow, asking, "What's going on?"

The shopkeeper recounted the events of that day, saying, "As you can see, this jade pendant is of top-quality mutton-fat jade with exquisite craftsmanship. If you look at the back, there's a leopard's tail...symbolizing someone's identity. Those in our line of work can recognize it at a glance."

He lowered his voice and shared the details with A'Fu.

A'Fu widened his eyes.

"I was shocked at first sight. The person pawning it was even a low-ranking woman. I didn't dare accept it!"

At that moment, he suspected that it might have been a servant who had found or stolen a precious item from their master's house and pawned it secretly.

If an investigation were to be launched, and the Prince found out that the jade pendant ended up in his possession, there might be consequences.

"I pretended to accept it and had my assistant follow her. Surprisingly, we saw the Marquis of Wuding's carriage. It had the Marquis' mark on it, and we recognized it correctly. That woman is from the Marquis' residence."

A'Fu, looking at the leopard's tail on the jade pendant, furrowed his brow even more intensely.

How could this jade pendant end up in the hands of a woman from the Marquis of Wuding's residence?

The head shopkeeper said, "I realized the matter was of great importance. Thinking that if the Marquis's residence lost this jade pendant, they would surely search the entire capital for it. Since the jade pendant came from the Marquis of Wuding's residence, I couldn't make up my mind. After delaying for some time without hearing any news, I decided to bring it over together with the items from Minister Lin's house..."

Originally, he thought that avoiding unnecessary trouble was the best course of action. If the owner of the jade pendant really started looking for it, he could return it to the Marquis of Wuding's residence and avoid the troublesome matter.

However, things didn't unfold as he expected. Instead, it added another complication with the Lin family.

With both families' matters now becoming widely known, he had no choice but to leave them to his superiors to decide.

A'Fu nodded and said, "You can go back. Keep your mouth shut!"

The head shopkeeper said, "I understand."

A'Fu waited for Qi Lingheng to return from the Ministry of Personnel. When he did, A'Fu handed over both jade pendants to him.

"Although the jade pendant from Minister Lin's house is a good item, it's not a big deal. But the one pawned by the Marquis of Wuding's residence, take a look..."

Qi Lingheng didn't pick up the jade pendant. Instead, he looked at it, frowning, and said, "How could this jade pendant be pawned?"

A'Fu was also puzzled, "It was pawned by someone from the Marquis of Wuding's residence."

Qi Lingheng said, "Investigate quietly, but don't make it public."

A'Fu went to investigate, and soon he had some shocking news to report.

~

"Did you get into an argument with someone outside?"

When Old Madam Lu saw Lu Zhengliu, she caught a whiff of alcohol from him, and her expression turned less favorable.

Lu Zhengliu pursed his lips and said, "Who told you that?"

"No one told me; you can just pretend I don't know!" Madam Lu sighed. "Don't let yourself fall over such trivial matters. The Lu family survived seven or eight years ago. Can't we get through this now?"

Lu Zhengliu lowered his head and said, "Grandmother, your grandson hasn't fallen."

"Then why did you go out to drink and quarrel with people?"

Lu Zhengliu helplessly explained, "I wanted to make some reliable friends, recruit a few talented advisers, and plan for some industries in the future. The estate can't rely solely on what's left; Chang Gong and Qing Ge'er still need funds to pave their way."

Old Madam Lu was quite surprised.

Her grandson had more integrity than she had anticipated.

Lu Zhengliu clenched his fist in anger, looking fierce. "People outside, they all worship the high and trample the low! I couldn't bear it and just had some drinks with a few friends I get along with. I might have said some drunken nonsense. Nothing serious happened."

Old Madam Lu could imagine how her grandson was wronged. She said with compassion, "Your intentions are good; take it slowly."

Lu Zhengliu, feeling disheartened, took his leave from Old Madam Lu and went to meet a scholar. He heard that the man was highly talented and had insightful views on the political situation, but unfortunately, his talents were not recognized.

"If he truly has great talent, I will surely treat him well."

Accompanied by the person who recommended him, they went to one of the best restaurants in the capital, Jialing Tower, to meet the scholar.

"The yellow wine at Jialing Tower is excellent; you should try it, sir."

Qi Lingheng and Zhang Cifu had just met at Jialing Tower, and Qi Lingheng had already mentioned the wine, appearing like a regular customer at Jialing Tower.

Zhang Cifu politely replied, "If you recommend it, I must give it a try."

The two chatted and laughed, but before entering the room, they only discussed trivial matters.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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