Chapter 31: Crown Prince’s Consort? Yan Siqing: “I’ll have a secret meeting with you in the stable…

There was already a lot of cursing going on upstairs and downstairs. Chen Jiao was particularly angry, scolding Luo Gao, a mere merchant, for being so audacious and presumptuous. He asked what kind of treasure could be worth such a fuss.

"Besides, it's just your caravan escorting a treasure. Why are you disturbing us so late at night? You even said you're blocking the post station and won't let us leave. Are you trying to frame me?!"

Chen Jiao is annoying, but the insult is not wrong.

It would be fine if it was blocked by the government, but how could a mere businessman dare to do this?

This was also the point Yan Siqing questioned Jiang Hui about. Before the latter could answer, Luo Gao downstairs, in a desperate state of desperation, shouted, "What I'm escorting is the 'Double-Tailed Acacia Pendant', a rare treasure, priceless!"

Regardless of the difference in their status, the thing that made Luo Gao so angry and panicked must be a rare treasure, and he did not make it up randomly. As soon as he shouted out the name of the treasure, the people who were woken up upstairs and downstairs were all in an uproar.

This is because this "Double-tailed Acacia Pendant" caused quite a stir in the Western Regions last year because the quality of the jade it produced was extremely rare.

It comes from the ancient Xisha River in the territory of the Arab Empire, which is rich in mutton-fat jade. The jade oil is extremely pure, and it is in the shape of two mating fish, which is rarely seen in a century. There is also a little red acacia jade bean in the middle.

"I heard that when Asaman, the foremost jeweler and jade craftsman of the Arab Empire, was in charge of carving this jade pendant, he said it wasn't due to his skill or ingenuity, but rather that the jade was a match made in heaven, meant to symbolize the pure and flawless love between men and women, like fish and water, enduring through the ages."

"As a result, major Western Region jewelers competed for it, and its value reached three thousand taels of gold. Later, many Western Region bandits fought among themselves, and finally it fell into the hands of a wealthy merchant."

"Why is it in Boss Luo's hands now?"

"No, he's just an escort. I'm afraid the real owner is someone else."

"Could this Luo Gao be..."

Luo Gao then revealed his identity, "I don't have that much money, nor am I a wealthy man, so I can't afford this "Double-tailed Acacia Pendant". I am just responsible for escorting."

"By the way, do you know Tianluo Escort? Actually, we are not Weiyuan Escort Agency, but Tianluo Escort. I, Luo Gao, am the second escort leader and I am personally responsible for this escort."

"As a result, as you can see, the 'Double-Tailed Acacia Pendant' was stolen."

OK, so it turns out that the third best escort agency in the world is disguised as the best escort agency. Isn’t this scam?

No wonder... moving a box and pretending to fool people is probably the specialty of these escort agencies.

Yan Siqing opened the door. Jiang Hui saw from the corner of his eye that the man was fully dressed, so he didn't avoid him. He also heard Yan Siqing whisper, "The Double-Tailed Acacia Pendant is indeed of great value. It was fetched a high price in the Kingdom of Daqin. If it were to enter our country, the price would either increase several times, or the person who obtained it would be given a high position."

Her tone was very confident because she had business connections and information in the country of the Tang Dynasty.

Jiang Hui: "Did Hai Fugui tell you?"

This guy...has a very strange tone.

Yan Siqing paused and admitted it.

Jiang Hui lowered the corner of his mouth, "Then he is also a good person."

Yan Siqing: "He is indeed a good man. My cousin's judgment is always accurate."

Jiang Hui: "I don't judge others casually, but I checked him out."

Yan Siqing: "As it should be."

Jiang Hui: "I never check on people casually."

Yan Siqing couldn't continue and changed the subject, "Cousin, why don't you tell me what kind of wealthy person would give such a precious jade pendant to a powerful person?"

She didn't like ambiguous confrontations on such matters.

Jiang Hui stopped when he saw that things were going well, and thought about it seriously, his tone a little harsh: "It must be what some playboys who like to have affairs with men and women want."

This kind of thing is not uncommon.

The good things that are really used for marriages between aristocratic families are mostly historical treasures passed down from generation to generation. Although overseas jewels are precious, they are not heavy enough and are mostly offered as tributes by lower officials or wealthy businessmen through bribery of their connections.

The royal family and the aristocratic families looked down upon him, so Jiang Hui's harshness was justified.

Yan Siqing declined to comment, but someone spoke up below.

Chen Jiao was astonished at the origin of the treasure, probably because he was stunned by the "three thousand taels of gold". You know, such wealth is enough to surpass the Chen family's accumulation for generations. It is only by relying on the Zhou family as a relative that he can be decent. In fact, his foundation is not as good as Shen Jiahou. He was jealous, but deep down he relied on the officials and looked down on the wealthy merchants, but he was not afraid of Luo Gao. In addition, Fu Yi also opened the door at this moment and came out to see the situation, but his eyes were towards Jiang Hui.

He was immediately excited.

"It's just a jade pendant, a toy for worldly flattery. Do you have to use public power and my privacy to pay for the losses of your Tianluo Escort Agency?!"

Luo Gao was also very angry when he heard this. Everyone could see the arrogance of the Chen family, but they were also aware of the latter's background. He was not an official of the Chen family. How could a cousin like him be so arrogant?

Luo Gaogong raised his hoarse voice, "Mr. Chen, I see you are still young, so it's too early to say some things. You may not know that this deal for our Tianluo Escort Company was also obtained from the Kingdom of Daqin by a nobleman at a great expense. It is also a gift for the future Crown Prince of Yan."

Yan Siqing glanced at the person next to her and silently moved away, but Jiang Hui was stunned and immediately grabbed her wrist, wanting to explain something eagerly. His movements were a little big, which made Fu Yi on the other side look at him in surprise.

Knowing that others were around, Yan Siqing was hesitant and gave him a cold glance without waiting for his explanation.

That look seemed to say: The relationship between you and me does not need to be explained.

Jiang Hui's hands felt slightly weak, and he lowered his voice: "I know you are concerned, but I also have my own innocence."

"If you tell a lie, God will punish you with lightning."

Boom! Outside, the wind, thunder, and rain came together.

Luo Gao, who was sitting below, just then added, "They're a perfect match. Everyone in Chang'an knows about this. I swear to heaven!"

Jiang Hui: “…”

Damn it.

Madam Yan Shao's eyes were complicated and the meaning was unclear, but she raised her hand and clasped the man's wrist, applying a little force through the fabric and pushing it down.

"This matter is strange and concerns us. Let's go and deal with it."

"No need to say anything else."

Jiang Hui didn't dare to provoke her, but he also knew that the situation needed to be handled and important matters could not be delayed. He could only let go of her hand and follow her downstairs. His eyes swept over Na Luo Gao, hiding murderous intent.

The stolen items were of great value. The Tianluo Escort Company was quite famous, and there were many escorts. If they blocked the post station and had to report to the authorities, there was no way for everyone to stay out of it.

What's more, now that the Prince Yan's Mansion was involved, no one dared to object. In just a few breaths, everyone arrived at the first-floor hall.

————————

On the clean table were displayed additional items of the stolen goods - pouches, small boxes, iron keys.

Clearly understood.

Luo Gao seemed like a young wife who had married the wrong man. He wiped his eyes with a patched handkerchief, unable to hide his panic and anxiety. He repeatedly talked about the huge crisis in his future brought by the theft, and the devastating blow to the escort business...

"My life might be in danger."

"That's Prince Yan's Mansion!!"

Jiang Hui's teeth were broken from biting his teeth.

But his identity was concealed, so he wouldn't blow himself up here - the group took every precaution and did all kinds of investigations and tracking, either locking onto the post station or suspecting Luo Gao and other merchant escorts, but now the incident was related to the jade pendant, and the jade pendant happened to point to him.

Is it a coincidence or intentional?

Jiang Hui was lost in thought, but Yan Siqing observed closely and discovered that Ruozhao and the others had been behaving strangely since they had yelled at Na Luogao. He repeatedly checked the small box and Jiang Hui, and found that they had not treated Na Luogao in a manner that protected the reputation of their owner.

She was thinking that the Xie family was one of the most prominent families in the empire and had already been married into the royal family. If the relationship could be strengthened, it would be a great help to the Prince Yan's Mansion. No wonder outsiders and servants were so sure about this.

Jiang Hui's denial doesn't mean the engagement won't come true in the future.

Then all his previous words and actions were just playful provocations for his own selfish desires, and even though she was forced to remain silent due to her low position, it was all tacit approval. In the eyes of the Xie family, it was also a reason for them to take action against her in the future.

Yan Siqing had some thoughts in his mind, but he did not show any expression. He just carefully observed the objects on the table on the first floor.

They were all wealthy businessmen, and they all owned and transported priceless treasures. Yan Siqing was no stranger to this kind of treasure box.

It was really too noisy. The Liao family, the escort company, the post station, and the man surnamed Chen were all pestering Fu Yi about something. Luo Gao also talked to himself, and the two couples were also arguing.

The original explanation was based on the responsibility and risks caused by the theft, but later internal and external contradictions arose, triggering both small and big issues.

It's more than just a lot of chatter.

"Is it the exquisite box?"

She asked.

But no one listened; it was too noisy.

Yan Siqing didn't like noise, and was impatient to waste the golden time of doing things in such useless noise, so he was frowning.

"Cover your ears."

What?

Yan Siqing heard the low sound of bowing behind him, frowned, took a step away, but did not cover his ears.

Jiang Hui had no choice but to take a step forward and suddenly kicked...Bang! One table was kicked over and crashed into another.

There was a loud bang when the collision occurred.

The originally noisy hall suddenly became dead silent.

Jiang Hui lowered his raised foot and said, "My cousin just asked, 'Is it the exquisite box?'"

"Yes, I'm asking you, Master Luo."

"Now, do you hear that?"

He was asking Luo Gao, who was quite polite. The only impoliteness had been made up by the servant - Ruo Zhao slowly grabbed the collar of the post station owner, opened the collar, and stuffed some silver coins into it as compensation.

The compensation will naturally be several times the value of the damaged tables and chairs.

There's nothing you can do even if you're not happy about it.

Because this is the thoughtfulness and decency of the powerful.

It was completely different from the dignity she gave others.

What Ruozhao said to Yan Siqing was not false - my prince has never treated you like this in front of others before.

Luo Gao was afraid of him. He wiped his forehead and shouted, and quickly responded, "I heard it, I heard it. I'm sorry, gentlemen, I was confused just now... Exquisite box? Yes, this is the exquisite box. The young master is really knowledgeable and talented. He knows all this. He must be from a noble family and has seen many such treasures..."

He was a little confused as to whether it was because of his erudition or his noble birth, but he kept flattering her.

Yan Siqing didn't pursue the matter further. He used his cousin's fake identity to interrupt his constant flattery and said, "The exquisite box has a secret key. Is this the one?"

She pointed to the iron key.

Compared to Jiang Hui's violent authority, Yan Siqing was gentle and kind, but with a hint of impatience and coldness, and also possessed a penetrating authority. Luo Gao quickly stopped his noisy words and calmed down.

Luo Gao: “Yes, this one.”

Yan Siqing: "How did you find out it was lost?"

Luo Gao: "I just checked before going to bed. After all, we were almost in Chang'an, and I didn't want anything to happen in Chang'an. Who would have thought that I would find that the things had been replaced."

Yan Siqing: "You went to the stable before going to bed?"

Luo Gao was stunned, and everyone's expressions changed... Chen Jiao and Fu Yi both looked sideways, each with surprise.

Stable?

They were all observing Luo Gao's clothes, looking for suspects.

But he found nothing, and became more and more curious about how this handsome young man made such a judgment.

Chen Jiao whispered, "Nonsense."

Fu Yi was still staring, with a strange glint in his eyes.

Luo Gao opened his mouth, "I..."

Yan Siqing didn't expect the other party to refute and expose more flaws, and quickly interrupted him, "You don't have any horse hair or smell from the stables on you, and your shoes don't have any dirt or mud on them, because you changed your boots and clothes, and they're not pajamas. If you discovered such a serious accident before going to bed, you would have been as panicked and confused as you have been screaming all night. How could you dress neatly and change into decent clothes?"

"Not to mention the strange mentality of changing clothes in such a critical moment, or whether you were faking trouble, the fact that you needed to change clothes suggests that the place you went to before sleeping must have been unclean. The gates of the post station are sealed, and there are no places for livestock to be kept. The only place that could be contaminated is the stables, where the strong smell would easily expose you."

Luo Gao: “….”

I dressed up like this because I was afraid that my uncleanness would be discovered. How could I be suspected in return?

Yan Siqing added slowly, "Who was the person you had a secret meeting with in the stable?"