Yuan Qi walked to the table as if nothing had happened and continued carving the jade plaque.
Before long, Peony Residence suddenly became lively, as Jiang Zhengqing sent people to deliver a lot of things.
Leading the way were two guards carrying a large box. As soon as the box hit the ground, the two opened it, and one of them said, "This is the Marquis's compensation to Miss Seven for all the hardships she has endured outside over the years. It is ten thousand taels of silver. Please use it as pocket money."
Yuan Qi's face was beaming with joy, he couldn't stop smiling.
The redwood and green bamboo beside them counted the top layer together, which contained a full five hundred small silver ingots. Green bamboo exclaimed happily, "Miss, there are a thousand taels in one layer!"
The guard replied, "That's right, there are ten floors in total. Please take a look, Miss Seven."
Yuan Qi picked up several silver ingots and looked at them from left to right, even happier than if he had seen a 100,000 tael silver note.
Cash was indeed more impressive than banknotes, and everyone who saw it got one. She took out some small silver ingots and gave one to each person.
Even Green Bamboo and Red Fir, the two people who had betrayed her in the past, were among them.
Those who brought gifts received rewards, and the atmosphere was very joyful.
Next came a large box of fabric for Yuan Qi to make clothes, a small box of jewelry, a small box of pearls, some rouge and face powder, and household items for girls, such as a small mirror and handkerchiefs. What was particularly special was a beautifully crafted leather handbag, which was even inlaid with several gemstones.
"My adoptive father still has some conscience." Yuan Qi thought Jiang Zhengqing wasn't a bad person, just had bad eyesight.
Just then, Jiang Jiulu, Jiang Bailu, and Jiang Songlu arrived. The three of them were envious when they saw so many good things.
Isn't Father spoiling this concubine too much? One hundred taels of silver isn't enough? He gives her ten thousand taels! One or two pearls aren't enough, he gives her a whole box! What they envy most are the fabrics, all of them are rare and precious varieties.
Yuan Qi noticed the three men's gazes, which looked like they wanted to devour her, and she didn't want to give in.
She cherishes all of these things. Although she doesn't intend to make them into clothes, they look nice just sitting there, don't they?
As if afraid someone would steal them, Green Bamboo and Red Fir had all the gifts moved into the small warehouse.
For several days in a row, Yuan Qi was carving a jade plaque at Shaoyao Residence. Jiang Jiulu would come to see her every day and immediately recognized that it was a rare Kunlun jade.
The eight jade tablets were carved, and after being outlined with cinnabar and infused with spiritual power, the jade talismans were complete. She then asked Green Bamboo and Red Fir to help replace the yellow paper talismans buried underground.
The spiritual energy of Peony Residence is even more abundant.
Jiang Jiulu made a remarkable discovery: the flowers in the Peony Pavilion were exceptionally beautiful, and their blooming period was much longer than elsewhere.
The most remarkable discovery was that she always felt incredibly comfortable whenever she came here, for reasons she didn't know. After discovering this, Jiang Jiulu would frequently visit this place. Sometimes she would even bring little trinkets she had received from her two older brothers.
The manor has been unusually busy these past few days. According to Jiang Jiulu, a coming-of-age ceremony is being held for Jiang Bailu, and countless dignitaries will come to offer their congratulations.
When Yuan Qi went out early that morning, he found many carriages parked at the gate. Men and women got out of the carriages, all dressed in fine clothes.
Nobody noticed little Yuan Qi.
When Yuan Qi arrived at the big locust tree on Tianshui Street, he saw that someone was already sitting at the table. It was a middle-aged man wearing a brown brocade robe and had a beard. He was looking around anxiously.
Seeing Yuan Qi, dressed in a Taoist robe, approach, his tense expression finally relaxed a bit: "Little Taoist priest, why haven't you set up your stall these past few days? I've been waiting for you every day, and I've finally waited for you to come."
Yuan Qi observed that this person's children's palace was gloomy, while his wealth palace was rosy and abundant. He had only one son who was not by his side. Moreover, his career palace was also very prosperous. This person was a high-ranking official, but he did not have a single servant by his side and was waiting for him personally.
"You've come here to find your son?" Yuan Qi asked tentatively.
Qian Jin beamed with joy and slapped his thigh: "Young Taoist priest, you're amazing! I came here specifically to find my son! My son has been missing for five years, and I've been sending people to search for him all this time, but to no avail. A few days ago, Aunt He, who delivers vegetables to my house, recommended you to me. She said that her son, one of her twins, was kidnapped, and it was you who did her divination, and she really found her son. She told me to come and try it too, maybe I can find him."
"Young Taoist priest, could you also tell me where my son is and whether he can come back?" Qian Jin looked at Yuan Qi with hope, hoping to hear good news.
Yuan Qi knew another big job was coming up, but she didn't refuse. She smiled sweetly and asked, "Okay, then tell me your son's birth date and time, when he went missing, and how he went missing."
"Sigh." A glimpse of his back flashed across Qian Jin's eyes as he recounted events from five years ago.
“I am Qian Jin, the Marquis of Shouchang. Qian means copper coin, and Jin means in and out. My son is named Qian Songling. He was born on the 28th day of the 9th month of the year Guiwei at the hour of Chen. Five years ago, on the 12th day of the 1st month, at the temple fair in the east of the city, my wife and I took my son to visit the temple fair. There were many people that day, so I specially brought more servants.”
"When we arrived at the temple fair, it was packed with people. I held my son's hand tightly and walked to a stall where people were performing acrobatics. My wife and I were so engrossed in watching that when we realized my son was missing, he had already run off somewhere and we didn't know when he had run off."
He sighed regretfully, "It's my fault, really. What's so interesting about a juggling act? How could I have been so engrossed in it? My wife was the same way, and we didn't even notice our son had quietly left."
“At that time, I mobilized the servants to search everywhere. They searched until midnight and only found one of my son’s shoes by the nearby river. We didn’t know if he was alive or dead. I thought, ‘That’s it, my son must have fallen into the river and drowned.’ My wife cried her heart out, but she firmly believed that her son was not dead.”
"I didn't give up, so I hired people to search the river. Initially, the search area was ten miles upstream and downstream. Later, we couldn't find him within that area. We also asked many merchants along the riverbank and many boatmen on the river, but no one had seen my son. I gradually gave up hope, believing that my son had drowned and been swept away, his whereabouts unknown. But my wife wouldn't give up, and she continued to have people search, expanding the search area to a hundred miles downstream. Five years have passed, and we've sent people to search many places, but there's still no news. Alas—"
Qian Jin sighed deeply: "That day, Aunt He, who delivered vegetables to our house, came to me and told me to come and find you. My wife heard this and told me to come immediately and to be sincere and wait for me in person. Little Taoist priest, you must help me find my son. I... I have few children. This son was born when I was thirty. My wife has been crying every day for the past few years, and her eyesight has deteriorated."
Yuan Qi silently recited Qian Songling's birth chart and deduced it in his mind. He quickly came to a conclusion: "Your son is not dead yet. He is born with good fortune and is now living a life of plenty with servants around him. You don't need to worry."
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