"Young Master Nangong, you also have a letter."
Su Hui handed both letters to Jiang Shuyue.
Nangong Zeyue took the letter from Jiang Shuyue's hand. "It's my martial uncle's handwriting."
Nangong Zeyue took out the letter, read it quickly, and frowned slightly after finishing it.
"What does my uncle mean by this? He wants me to send Shuisheng back to Black Pool Valley so that my master can discipline him."
Nangong Zeyue glanced at Su Hui, and thinking that Su Huai Ren wasn't home, she didn't mention that her master had instructed her to hand over the house deed to the Su family.
Jiang Shuyue's gaze suddenly turned cold, and the hand holding the letter turned slightly white.
She turned and went back into the house. After reading the letter, she let out a long sigh of relief.
Very well, as they say, God has eyes; Jiang Jiaojiao has failed to be selected again in this talent show.
The day before Lin Miaoshou returned to the capital, Jiang Shuyue prepared several kinds of poison for him and also told him that she was a member of the Jiang family.
She asked Lin Miaoshou to inquire about the Jiang family's current situation after returning to the capital, so that she could at least be somewhat prepared upon her return.
If Jiang Jiaojiao really enters the palace and becomes a concubine or something, it will probably be difficult for her to even see Jiang Jiaojiao once when she returns to the capital.
Now that things are going well, Jiang Jiaojiao, who is nearly twenty years old, is no longer eligible to participate in the talent show after failing to win the competition, and her family is already arranging a marriage for her.
After lunch, Uncle Xu and Xu Dong went to the clinic, while Nangong Zeyue accompanied Jiang Shuyue to Biyuxuan.
Biyuxuan is the largest jade shop in Laiyang City, and they have their own processing workshop.
"Nangong Zeyue, I don't know much about jade prices. How is Biyuxuan's reputation?" Jiang Shuyue asked somewhat nervously.
Fortunately, the original owner had seen good things before, and she could identify the quality of jade jewelry. However, she didn't know much about unprocessed jade.
“It’s alright, I don’t know much about this either. Biyuxuan has a very good reputation. If they dare to deceive you, I’ll make them donate money to the disaster victims tonight.” Nangong Zeyue raised his eyebrows slightly and revealed a carefree smile.
Jiang Shuyue was amused by him and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This person is just that simple and straightforward.
Upon seeing the two enter Biyuxuan, the shop assistant immediately greeted them with a smile and bowed, asking, "Please come in, esteemed guests. Are you looking for jewelry or decorative items? We have just received some fine warm jade; would you like to take a look?"
The servant ushered the two into the VIP room and served them tea and pastries.
Nangong Zeyue cut to the chase and asked, "Do you have a processing workshop in the backyard of your shop?"
"Our distinguished guest seems to know our Jade Pavilion quite well. If you wish to personally select jade at the workshop, that is also possible. However, if you wish to have a finished product made to order, it will take some time."
The waiter gestured for them to enter.
Jiang Shuyue and Nangong Zeyue exchanged a glance.
Jiang Shuyue asked the waiter, "Does your workshop accept jade blanks?"
“Our boss only sells jade jewelry and ornaments, and also buys back cut jade blanks and various jade jewelry, but does not participate in jade gambling.”
"Can you help me cut the stone?" Jiang Shuyue hadn't originally planned to sell the rough stones in the form of gambling on stones.
If the jade inside has a good color, I'll still make a profit; but if I don't find anything, then I'll be the one who loses out.
“I’ll take you to the backyard. Our shop has no precedent for opening jade for people. You can talk to the craftsmen face to face.”
Upon arriving at the workshop, one could see the craftsmen busy at their respective workstations.
Hollowing out, hollowing out, drilling, polishing—meticulous work was carried out, with only a rustling sound heard in the room.
The servant called over a stonemason and explained the purpose of their visit.
"Master, can you take a look? Is there any good jade hidden in this stone?" Jiang Shuyue said, taking out a stone.
As she was leaving, she remembered that the jade-cutting process here was not as advanced as in modern times, and the process would be much slower. So, Jiang Shuyue brought the stone with the greenish luster.
The craftsman took the stone, glanced at it, and then walked silently toward the wooden basin on the ground.
He poured a few drops of water onto the stone with his hand and watched intently how quickly the water droplets spread.
A moment later, the man picked up a stone and tapped it a few times, listening intently to the sound.
Just as Nangong Zeyue was painfully trying to stop them, the craftsman said to Nangong Zeyue and Jiang Shuyue, "There is jade inside, but we'll only know its quality after we open it."
The waiter had just turned around when he heard that jade could be found inside, and he paused slightly.
"One tael of silver for the wages, will you two accept or not?" The craftsman didn't beat around the bush and handed over the stone.
Jiang Shuyue decisively said, "Open."
Opening jade is different from other things; receiving one or two taels of silver is not much.
The craftsman didn't invite the two to sit down, but turned and walked towards the water bench.
After the servant left, a middle-aged man dressed in silk quickly entered.
Seeing Nangong Zeyue and Jiang Shuyue standing there, the man hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting! "Please don't be offended, my master is not good at social etiquette. Please sit down and wait, this work will take an hour."
The shopkeeper brought over chairs and a small table. After thanking the shopkeeper, the two sat down not far from the craftsman.
While the shopkeeper went out to fetch tea, Nangong Zeyue leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, "How is it? This shopkeeper is quite sensible; he knows that the raw stones cannot leave our sight."
"Hmm, not bad. You can tell from the details. I think the shopkeeper is also looking forward to it."
Just as the two finished speaking, the shopkeeper came in with tea and pastries, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "If jade is found inside, would you two honored guests be willing to part with it at Biyuxuan?"
Jiang Shuyue smiled slightly: "As long as the price is fair, it's negotiable."
The shopkeeper smiled warmly: "Please rest assured, distinguished guests, our Jade Pavilion is not a place that only does one-off transactions. After the jade blanks are cut open, the price is determined by weight according to the quality."
Sold by weight?
Jiang Shuyue's eyes widened, and she secretly wondered, "Why is it sold by weight?" In her previous life, she had seen documentaries about jade gambling, where stones were always sold individually, or even a whole pile of stones were valued together.
Nangong Zeyue took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "If it's top-quality jade, how much is the price per kilogram for the rough jade?"
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will go and get you the price list for jade. Good quality jade will naturally fetch a high price."
Soon, the shopkeeper returned with a booklet.
Nangong Zeyue's attention was entirely focused on the craftsmen.
Jiang Shuyue opened the booklet. Each page not only listed the types and prices of jade, but also included cross-sectional diagrams of the jade.
The price of jade varies, ranging from several thousand taels to over one hundred thousand taels.
Jiang Shuyue flipped through the pages without showing any emotion, secretly marveling at her work.
It's often said that gold has a price but jade is priceless, and that's certainly true.
"You two may take a look at this other book; it lists all the bracelets and jade belts that our Jade Pavilion processes and sells." The shopkeeper smiled and pulled out a booklet from the bottom of the catalog, handing it to Jiang Shuyue.
Jiang Shuyue couldn't refuse, so she casually flipped through the jade bracelets. There were many different kinds, and the prices varied.
A gold-inlaid jade hair ornament caught Jiang Shuyue's eye.
Su Jin and Su Nan tied their hair up with scholar's headbands.
Jiang Shuyue pointed to a gold-inlaid jade hair crown and a jade cloud crown: "I want both of these hair crowns. Please wrap them up for me in a bit, shopkeeper."
Before Jiang Shuyue could finish speaking, Nangong Zeyue excitedly exclaimed, "Miss Jiang, look! A crack has appeared!"
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