In the jewelry store, there is a small private room separated by a screen, with sandalwood birds. There are many jade and ivory jewelry boxes placed on the eucalyptus table in the middle. The jewelry inside are illuminated by the snowy light outside the window, giving off a colorful halo.
After the boss Shi Ning finished introducing them one by one, Yang Ji said disappointedly: "Dongzhu Shi, your jewelry is good, but if you only have these, we can only go to other stores to look at them."
Shi Ning's expression froze. His collections were all top-quality jewelry. Even if they were sold in Daxing and Luoyang, they would still be rare treasures that dignitaries flocked to. However, in front of the three masters and servants, these rare treasures seemed like a pile of rubbish. , not only Yang Ji and Liu Rumei were indifferent and indifferent; even the "girl" who followed them did not show the slightest look of envy, and even looked at him with contempt and disgust, as if they were laughing at him.
He laughed dryly and said to Yang Ji: "There are also some top-notch collections, but the prices are quite expensive."
"Bring them all!" Yang Ji shook his head and said, "I said, we only want what we like, and we don't care about the price."
"Here!" Shi Ning knew that Yang Ji was not pretending to be an uncle, so he quickly took out a round jade box about a foot high.
He carefully placed it on the table. The box was like a treasure chest, with three floors, each with three compartments. Each compartment contained a piece of jewelry in a delicate little drawer. Liu Rumei already knew that Yang Ji was buying jewelry for herself. Seeing that the items inside were all top-notch treasures, she couldn't help but ask: "Dongzhu Shi, how much do these jewelry cost?"
"Madam, we don't sell them one by one. The average price of a piece is 300,000 yuan." Shi Ning's set of jewelry comes from the State of Shi and is made by a famous craftsman. It is very in line with the aesthetic concepts of the Sui Dynasty people. He originally planned to take it to Daxing Those sold in Luoyang would not have been taken out if they had not been beaten to pieces.
At this time, seeing Liu Rumei finally moved, she felt a little better; if it was still the same as before, it would be too shocking.
Liu Rumei asked again: "In other words, the total is 2.7 million yuan?"
"Exactly 2.7 million yuan!" Shi Ning smiled slightly, took out the pair of bracelets on the bottom, and said: "This is a bracelet made from a complete piece of top-grade emerald, without any flaws; especially What’s rare is that this pair of bracelets has a warm and crystal clear luster, which is neither dull nor ostentatious. It is very suitable for the nobles of the Sui Dynasty who were elegant and restrained, knowledgeable and courteous, dignified and luxurious.”
He put the bracelets on the thick wool felt, took out another pair of bracelets from the treasure box next to him, and introduced with a smile: "To be honest, this pair of bracelets are made from the emerald scraps, although they are also There are no flaws, but the luster is dull, so it only costs 230,000 yuan. But if it is taken to Daxing and Luoyang, it will definitely cost more than 230,000 yuan. This set also costs more than 2.7 million yuan."
Yang Ji suddenly heard that Shi Ning had become frank and asked with a smile: "Did you recognize me?"
"Um, tell me...should I recognize it or not?" Shi Ning's face changed slightly and he said in a dilemma.
He traveled back and forth on the Silk Road for more than thirty years, and he saw everyone from the kings of the eight Sogdian countries and the Western Regions to the high-ranking officials of the Sui Dynasty, and his eyes were very vicious. Although Yang Ji and Liu Rumei were dressed in ordinary clothes, their attitude towards the treasures made him vaguely guess their identities. After all, Zhangye was not Daxing and Luoyang where dignitaries gathered, so they could be so calm and calm. Several people.
When he went to pick up this set of jewelry, he saw many armed strangers wandering outside the door. In addition, when he quoted the price of 2.7 million yuan, Liu Rumei was just surprised, while Yang Ji even Nothing special. So he concluded that this man and woman were King Wei and his wife.
The couple came in disguise, so he naturally didn't dare to reveal it, but he spoke more frankly. He thought he behaved very well, but unexpectedly, Yang Ji immediately felt something strange about him.
This shocked him.
Yang Ji's question also put him in a dilemma, whether he recognized it or not.
"Just think of us as customers." Yang Ji said with a smile, took out a ruby necklace from the jewelry box and looked at it. The chain of the necklace is woven with gold thread, silver thread and silk. The color is very beautiful. The pendant is a hollow heart-shaped jadeite with a (this chapter is not finished yet!) inlaid in the middle.
Chapter 578: The fierce general surrenders
A ruby, if worn by Liu Rumei, would definitely form a beautiful tripartite force on the chest.
In addition to a pair of bracelets and a ruby necklace, this three-layer treasure box also has a pearl necklace, earrings, a rocker, a hairpin, a bracelet, and an anklet. Each piece is extraordinary. If you want to add a treasure box, it is sold as a set. Two million and seven hundred thousand yuan is indeed not expensive. If it were sold in Daxing or Luoyang, it would be worth at least one million more.
After Yang Ji looked at them one by one, he took out a check from his pocket, filled in the figure of two million and seven hundred thousand, stamped it with his personal seal, and then handed it to Shi Ning: "This is what you need. Find one." Put it in an outer box. This check, like a banknote, can be exchanged for cash or gold and silver. However, the amount is relatively large, and only Zhangye, Daxing, and Luoyang money banks can do it."
"Sir, it's too expensive, let's forget it!" Liu Rumei was shocked. She didn't dare accept such expensive jewelry.
Yang Ji asked: "You don't want to give me face, right?"
Liu Rumei hurriedly denied it, shaking her head repeatedly: "No, no."
Yang Ji looked at her and smiled: "That's it."
"Oh!" Liu Rumei met her husband's gentle gaze, her face suddenly turned red, as pretty as the blooming red plums outside the window.
Just as Shi Ning was carefully packing, a "bang bang bang" sound suddenly came from outside the screen, and then he heard someone screaming: "Guest, I was wrong, please forgive me!"
Then, the sounds of beatings and screams continued. Yang Ji frowned, stood up and walked out. As soon as he exited the shoji door, he saw a samurai beating the shop clerk.
At first glance, Yang Ji was surprised.
This samurai was exactly the down-and-out samurai who gave him a sense of familiarity, and this man turned out to be Cheng Yaojin. But after Cheng Yaojin declined to join the army, he went back to his hometown with Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin and others. Why did he suddenly appear in Zhangye City?
Seeing that the shop assistant was beaten all over the floor, Yang Ji's face darkened and he said coldly: "Cheng Yaojin, stop it."
When Cheng Yaojin heard someone calling him, he looked up and saw Yang Ji walking over. However, Yang Ji had already disguised himself and he couldn't recognize the person for a while.
"Have you forgotten the lesson from Fengming Tower?" Yang Ji reminded.
Cheng Yaojin shuddered immediately. When he, Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin and others went to play at Fengming Tower in Pingkangfang, he thought that the maids were also "tricks", so he molested and molested a very pretty maid, and then he was almost killed. Yang Ji was beaten to death.
The impression was so profound that it’s hard to forget.
After being prompted by Yang Ji, he took a closer look and finally recognized the person. He stepped forward and saluted calmly: "Yes, it's you!"
Yang Ji asked coldly: "Why did you hit him?"
Cheng Yaojin was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he quickly defended: "Da, da... it's not my fault this time! It's not me, it's this damn doctor who deserves it."
Yang Ji looked at the miserable waiter and asked Cheng Yaojin, "Why should he die?"
Cheng Yaojin breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly took out a piece of paper and handed it to Yang Ji: "I was in a hurry to spend money the day before yesterday, so I deposited a pendant worth 60,000 to 70,000 guan here for 30,000 guan. I was They took away the gold beads worth 27,000 guan. If I don't pay back the 30,000 guan within three days, the pendant will be theirs, but now that I have brought the money, he says the pendant is missing."
As he spoke, Cheng Yaojin almost shed tears: "That pendant is the only relic left by my late father to my mother-in-law. It is my mother-in-law's life."
Yang Ji knew that jewelry stores all engaged in pawn business. In order to earn the huge price difference of the pawned items, they kept the prices very low based on the customers' urgent need for money, and they also had to take profits every day. In addition, the repayment time is set very short. As long as the customer misses the repayment time, they can sell the items and make a lot of money.
In response to the chaos in this industry, Du Ruhui, who is in charge of commerce, issued a special decree requiring "pawn shops" to accept items from customers, and the agreed repayment time must be more than three months, and the interest must not exceed 7 cents.
He looked at the text in his hand and found that everything was just as Cheng Yaojin said. There was also the shop's seal stamped underneath, but there was no necessary personal seal of the proprietor. But since a "transaction" has occurred, this contract has seriously violated Liangzhou's "pawn" policy, and this jewelry store not only has to return the pendant to (this chapter is not over yet!)
Chapter 578: The fierce general surrenders
Cheng Yaojin, even the 30,000 guan was his; in addition, he had to pay a fine of 60,000 guan to the city department.
The amount of the "transaction" with Cheng Yaojin was less than 50,000 guan. If it was greater than or equal to 50,000 guan, all of Shi Ning's property would be confiscated.
Seeing Shi Ning walking up to him quickly, he handed the contract to him and asked coldly: "Master Shi Dong, read it for yourself!"
Shi Ning looked at it again, his face suddenly turned pale, and he explained to Yang Ji in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, although we also accept guests' belongings, everything is done in compliance with the government's requirements, and the contract can only be written by the proprietor or the chief steward. This one was not written by me!”
"It's true that it wasn't you who wrote it, but this bastard." Seeing that the guy was trying to run away, Cheng Yaojin stepped forward and pinched the back of his neck from behind, then lifted him up and threw him to the ground.
When the waiter heard Shi Ning call Yang Ji "King", he immediately understood who the man in front of him was. He was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground. Before anyone could interrogate him, he stammered and confessed everything.
This person was not only a boy, but also Shi Ning's nephew. He had also accumulated a lot of money. He heard from his accent that Cheng Yaojin was a foreigner, and during the communication process, he learned that Cheng Yaojin did not know After Liangzhou's pawnbroking decree, he became greedy and used his own money to take on illegal private business behind Shi Ning's back, commonly known as "borrowing chickens to lay eggs."
After learning the truth, Shi Ning immediately found the pendant and returned it to Cheng Yaojin. And because Yang Ji was here, he not only gave the 30,000 guan to Cheng Yaojin in accordance with the regulations, but also compensated an additional 10,000 guan; related He also accepted the fine as one hundred thousand yuan.
After the matter was done, Yang Ji did not stay; he and Liu Rumei left the store with the jewelry they bought. As for whether Shi Ning and his nephew stayed private or were sent to the government for justice, that had nothing to do with him.
Cheng Yaojin followed Yang Ji desperately. This time he met a noble man. Not only did he want the pendant back, but he also made 40,000 yuan, which almost killed him.
On the street, Yang Ji asked curiously: "When did you come? And why are you so miserable?"
According to what Cheng Yaojin had said before, he was a descendant of Cheng Yu, a famous counselor in Cao Wei. Regarding this, Yang Ji did not know whether it was true or not, but the old Cheng family was indeed wealthy, and it was also a family of officials.
Cheng Yaojin's great-grandfather Cheng Xing was the Sima of Yanzhou in the Northern Qi Dynasty, his grandfather Cheng Zhe was the Sima of Jinzhou in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and his father Cheng Lou was the Grand Zhongzheng of Jezhou in the Northern Qi Dynasty. After the fall of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the old Cheng family was also seriously affected by the Northern Zhou Dynasty's purge of the Northern Qi official family. His father lost his official position, so he concentrated on educating Cheng Yaojin at home. Until the founding of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, perhaps in order to appease the local powerful, awarded Cheng Lou the title of Grand Governor of Jizhou.
Although Cheng Lou is no longer here, the Cheng family is an official family that has been passed down for many generations. They own many fields in their hometown of Dong'a and are still the most powerful in Jibei County. And Cheng Yaojin was a top-notch filial son, both in official history and in novels. Even if he was doing poorly, he wouldn't be the loser of his old mother Zhen Ruo's life, right?
But the real problem is, he really did it.
"Your Majesty, the thing I regret most is that I did not come to Zhangye with you. Otherwise, even if I am not a world-famous general now, I will at least be a general and a lieutenant. It is better than being a county lieutenant in Dong'a." As soon as Cheng Yaojin mentioned his decision back then, he regretted it. As soon as the martial arts examination was over, he originally wanted to follow Yang Ji. Yang Ji suggested that he go back to his hometown to practice martial arts for a few years and study the art of war for a few years before coming to Zhangye.
He agreed, but regretted it at night. However, he was young and undecided, so he went to Qin Qiong to discuss it. However, Qin Qiong was unwilling to travel far and had great expectations for the follow-up arrangements of the martial arts examination, so she suggested that he not Run to find Yang Ji. The imperial court did later grant them military positions, allowing them to return home in glory; however, they are still at that level to this day.
Half a year ago, he didn't want to remain in such obscurity, so he decided to sell his property and come to Zhangye to settle down. However, the family property cannot be realized in a short time, so the old housekeeper was asked to stay in his hometown to handle the family property. He traveled lightly with his family, several dozen servants and maids, and bought a mansion in Zhangye.
He spent money lavishly and bought expensive everything. He had dozens of people at home who needed to eat and stay warm, and he also liked to "play" outside, so he quickly spent all the money he brought. The day before yesterday, I couldn't bear it anymore, so I complained to my mother and planned to pawn her jewelry.
Old(this chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 578: The fierce general surrenders
But his mother said that it would be too embarrassing for the old Cheng family if he got to the point where he used his daughter-in-law's gold and silver jewelry, so she found this pendant and pawned it for him. Yesterday, his wife felt something was wrong and repeatedly asked where the money came from. He had no choice but to tell the truth. His wife heard that he had pawned the pendant that belonged to my mother, Zhenruo, and scolded him. Then she sold her jewelry and asked him to redeem the pendant.
After listening to Cheng Yaojin's introduction, Yang Ji realized that he still had such "sufferings" and asked, "Then why don't you come to me directly?"
Cheng Yaojin was silent for a long time, sighed, and said with some embarrassment: "Oh, I'm really, really shameless to see people!"
Yang Ji understood his dignity and pride, so he changed the topic: "Are you married?"
"It's done, my wife's surname is Sun!" Cheng Yaojin suddenly grinned proudly: "I also gave birth to two big fat boys."
"Congratulations!" Yang Ji smiled slightly and asked casually: "How are Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin? Are they not here?"
Cheng Yaojin said ambiguously: "They each serve in their own county, and their lives are better than mine, so they don't plan to travel far."
Cheng Yaojin may seem rude, but he is far smarter than Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin. He knows that soldiers who want to be promoted depend on their background and military merit. They have no background and can only follow the path of making contributions. But in peaceful times, it is not easy to make meritorious deeds, and even if you make great achievements, the credit may not be yours in the end. Therefore, the best way is to find a place to join the army where there is a war and a coach who can fight and reward and punish faithfully; and Liangzhou, where Yang Ji is in charge, is undoubtedly the best choice.
Out of friendship, he went to Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin before setting off, telling them about this powerful relationship and hoping that they would come to Liangzhou together. However, they were a little complacent and unwilling to take risks, and they had their sights set on Luoyang. The Xiaoguo Army.
One or two of them seemed to have forgotten the big losses they suffered in Daxing and the darkness of martial arts. They naively believed that the imperial court was only about talents. As long as a person has the ability, he can become famous no matter where he is without risking his life. Danger goes to the battlefield.
Everyone has their own ambitions, and no one can force anyone else. Cheng Yaojin can only respect their choices and embark on the path of his own choice alone.
Yang Ji heard Cheng Yaojin's words, but he was not disappointed. After all, Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin are just generals who charge into battle, not generals who command thousands of troops. With the abundance of talents in Liangzhou, if they really come, they will not have much effect, they will just be the icing on the cake. And even if they come, they will probably leave.
This is because there are many talents in Liangzhou. When Yang Ji hires people, he will definitely give priority to those who are loyal and capable of commanding troops. However, after many contacts, Yang Ji discovered that Qin Qiong and the others all have the mentality of underappreciated talents. He is proud and blaming, and his heart cannot calm down at all. It may change in the future, but it probably won't happen now. Once they think they are being treated unfairly, they will definitely stay away from Liangzhou with the mentality of "If you don't stay here, you will have a place to stay."
And Cheng Yaojin not only came, but also came so resolutely that he had to take him to the battlefield no matter what, so he asked: "There will be a war soon, will you go?"
Cheng Yaojin's eyes lit up and he nodded hurriedly: "I came to Liangzhou just because I wanted to go to the battlefield. I would be a fool if I didn't go. By the way, when are you leaving?"
"We will set off in four days!" Yang Ji said, "You go home and settle down with your family first. Within these four days, you can report to my house at any time."
"Here!" With such a large sum of money, Cheng Yaojin no longer worried about his family's living problems. If he continued to be the head of the family, he would be worried.
After Cheng Yaojin left, Yang Ji also took Liu Rumei back home.
"Sir!" When they entered the vestibule, Liu Xu hurriedly greeted them face to face. She had already handed over the position of the leader of the Tianmen to Hao Yuan, and happily chased after Zhang Ye.
"What's the matter?" Yang Ji kept walking and asked as he walked.
"Tianmen Yongzhou Branch sent an urgent message from Daxing!" Liu Xu handed a letter to Yang Ji. Yang Ji stopped and unfolded the letter. Lines of small words appeared on the paper, and his brows gradually wrinkled.
Tianmen Yongzhou branch discovered Zhang Zhongjian's whereabouts in Longxi and said that he was running towards Zhangye with more than ten warriors.
"It's just the right time. The account from a few years ago should be settled." Yang Ji smiled coldly and said to Liu (This chapter is not over yet!)
Chapter 578: The fierce general surrenders
Xu ordered: "Send out some elites and keep Zhang Zhongjian under surveillance. If there is any news, please report it as soon as possible."
If nothing else, Zhang Zhongjian came to see Shen Faxing. Shen Faxing, Chao Tian, Fan Hu, and Lu Yan broke away from the Jiangnan League under the coercion and inducement of Dugu Min, and brought the "alliance assets" into the Xuanwu Gang. Then Dugu Min used the wanted order issued by the government to put pressure on the official , then the official destroyed the Jiangnan League, and the military wiped out Zhang Zhongjian's lair.
Although the Jiangnan League no longer exists, Chao Tian, Fan Hu, and Lu Yan are still active on the rivers and rivers after becoming deputy gang leaders of the Xuanwu Gang. It is very easy for Zhang Zhongjian to inquire about them, but he has not yet gone to find these three. Instead, they rushed to Liangzhou and concluded that he was looking for Shen Faxing to inquire about the truth about the Jiangnan Alliance's destruction. After all, Shen Faxing is the deputy leader who is mainly responsible for dealing with the officials, and he definitely knows more than Chao Tian, Fan Hu, and Lu Yan.
"Here!" Liuxu bowed and agreed, then turned and left.
Chapter 578: The fierce general surrenders
