Chapter 2352 Show off
Zhou Liru dug out a box, picked it up, and ran to find Manbao, "Aunt, this is what you're looking for."
Manbao took it excitedly and opened it for them to see. "Look."
Mingda and Changyu couldn't help but exclaim "Wow" and looked at the gems in the box with shining eyes. They were two very large gems, much bigger than the ones in their boxes.
Chang Yu picked up a red one and said in amazement, "It's time to play the Phoenix Coronet."
Manbao nodded repeatedly, "That's right! That's what I thought when I saw them. You can inlay them on the phoenix crown when you get married."
Chang Yu: "You're giving it to us? Forget it. You love money so much, and you're even poorer than us. How can we accept your things?"
She said generously, "I'll buy it at the price you paid."
Manbao laughed and said, "That's very valuable. I asked merchants from the Western Regions, and they said that one like this would cost at least a hundred pieces of brocade."
Not to mention Changyu, even Mingda opened his mouth wide.
Chang Yu reluctantly put it down and said regretfully, "Forget it, I can't buy it for the time being."
The princess is also poor.
Manbao pressed the red ruby into her hand and the blue one into Mingda's. He said with a smile, "These are for you. I found these two gems in a bandit's den. It was a mess at the time, and Governor Duan wasn't familiar with these things, so he let me pick them first."
Chang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you getting married too? Why don't you keep it for yourself?"
Manbao said, "Such a large gem would require a very large and luxurious crown to match it. I can't wear it."
Mingda couldn't help but burst out laughing. After collecting the gem, he asked, "What else did you take from the thieves' den?"
"That's a lot," Manbao said excitedly, "On this trip alone, my assets have tripled, not to mention the money I took to the Western Regions to make money."
Chang Yu sighed, "No wonder so many people like to go to the Western Regions. Even if there are many bandits there, they can't stop them."
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "Not many people. We only met a caravan on our way here. Their surname was You. They were quite pitiful. They were robbed by bandits along the way. After suppressing the bandits, we took the goods and sold them in Shazhou. It was enough to cover the travel expenses and the pensions for the comrades who died in the battle. It was not a loss at all."
Mingda whispered, "It's a great blessing to have survived this unexpected event."
"We all thought he was extremely lucky, but it's a pity he had already passed away when we returned to Shazhou. Otherwise, we could have come back with him and shared in his good fortune."
Manbao also took them to see her collection and the goods they brought back from the Western Regions. She first took them to her room and took out a large box and opened it for them to see. "These are all the ones I chose and liked. I want to keep them to make jewelry for myself in the future, or to keep them for my children and grandchildren, or to give them as gifts in the future."
Mingda Le, "Are you thinking that far ahead?"
"Of course," Manbao said happily, "It's like saying if you don't think about the future, you'll have immediate worries. If you think further ahead, you won't even have any long-term worries."
Then he led them to the warehouse to see the boxes piled up inside. Seeing the contents, Mingda and Changyu were amazed, "So many gems and spices?"
Man Bao nodded. "There was a war between Dabolü and Xiaobolü, and rumors were spreading in the Western Regions that our Great Jin was in trouble. As a result, the trade routes were cut off. There were many bandits on the roads, and many merchants from the Western Regions were stranded in Xizhou, unable to return, but also unable to leave."
"We brought a lot of cloth with us, and we basically traded it with them," Manbao said. "And jade and gemstones from the Kucha area of Western Province are even cheaper. As long as you have gold and silver, you can buy them. Not to mention we also brought some tea and cloth. It was only after this trip that I realized that in the Western Regions, tea and cloth are more valuable currencies than gold and silver."
She said, "You may not be able to buy things with gold and silver, but you can definitely buy things with tea and beautiful silks and satins."
Chang Yu's eyes sparkled as he heard this, and he asked, "Are you really not planning on going through the Western Regions?"
Manbao shook his head. "The Western Regions are too far away. It takes a year to go there and back. Even if the trade route is open now, it's still very dangerous. Besides, my fourth brother hasn't even made his way through the business on the grasslands yet, so why would he go to the Western Regions?"
Chang Yu was skeptical. "If you can go, why can't he, a grown man, go? Is it because he doesn't have enough money? It doesn't matter, I have enough."
Mingda said, "Sister, if it was perhaps a money issue before, do you think Manbao is still short of money now?"
Chang Yu followed her gaze and looked at the things in the warehouse. In fact, the things here were far less valuable than those in their private warehouse, but these were all commodities that could be converted into cash. If they were converted into gold and silver, it would be a huge sum of money, so Manbao and the others were not short of money.
If we really talk about gold and silver, Manbao might be richer than Changyu.
Changyu could only look at Manbao dimly, his eyes filled with resentment.
Manbao smiled and said, "You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to walk one step at a time. Your business is not like my official trip to the Western Regions. I have General Nie and his soldiers to protect me, and I have officials to look after me along the way. If we encounter bandits, I can even ask the governor to come out and suppress them. It's much more dangerous for a caravan to travel on the road. Even if you want to go to the Western Regions, you have to do it step by step. Wait until my fourth brother is familiar with the route first."
Chang Yu heard her tone soften and asked quickly, "You promised me to conspire with your fourth brother, bah, did you cooperate?"
Manbao and Mingda couldn't help but laugh. Manbao nodded and said, "I agree, but when are you going to get married and start a family?"
Chang Yu calculated the time and said, "It will take until the winter solstice at the earliest."
You must always be filial.
By this calculation, there are still ten months left.
However, getting married takes such a long time, but you can discuss the marriage privately and prepare things first.
The three of them huddled together in the house, whispering to each other. At noon, the kitchen had prepared a particularly sumptuous banquet, which was placed directly in the open pavilion in the back garden.
Four tables were set up, and Manbao and his friends invited the princess to sit at a table alone, which was more comfortable for her.
Bai Shan ran to the table where Old Lady Liu and the others were sitting. After mumbling to himself for a while, he ran back and said to Man Bao, "Grandmother Uncle Zhou and I have discussed it and have decided to schedule our family banquet for April."
"Huh?" Manbao looked up in confusion.
Bai Shan explained, "I'm going to take the examinations for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel. I'll host a banquet for my friends and family after I pass the exams. There's no rush."
Manbao finally understood and nodded without any objection.
Although entertaining friends and relatives is lively, it is also very tiring, and the food at the banquet may not be as good as what she eats on ordinary days, so she did not have high expectations for entertaining friends and relatives.
But Bai Shan was even more excited because of what Old Madam Liu had said at the table just now, "That's good. After he passes the civil service exam and becomes an official, he'll have to discuss the marriages of the two children with his in-laws. Then we can tell our relatives and friends and choose a good date to invite them to the wedding."
See you at 9pm
Manbao: I am so rich
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
