027, Return
027, Return
“Da da da—”
The sound of horse hooves clattered all the way from the palace gate to the gate of Prince Ding's Mansion. The carriage stopped at the gate of Prince Ding's Mansion, and the guards who followed on horseback also stopped their horses and dismounted in unison.
Zhao Lang was in a good mood after returning from school at the palace. He had defeated several of his cousins in the martial arts training ground. He even ate half an extra bowl of rice during his meal. Just after he finished his meal, the housekeeper came in and said that someone outside wanted to see him.
"Who?" he asked.
"It's Wu Sanxi, the owner of Wu's Pawnshop. Wu Sanxi is the Princess's man." The Princess mentioned by Butler Liu was referring to Princess Ding, the head of the Ding Palace. He himself was also close to the Princess, so he and this old shopkeeper, Wu, were old acquaintances.
This time, Shopkeeper Wu came to ask to see their young master, so he came in to pass on a message for an old acquaintance. As for whether their young master wanted to see the other party, it still depended on their young master's opinion.
When Zhao Lang heard that it was his mother's man, he said, "Let him in."
Upon hearing this, Butler Liu went out and asked the servant waiting outside to go out and pass the message.
Not long after the servant left, he came in with a tall, thin, and shrewd-looking middle-aged man. This man was none other than the owner of Wu's Pawnshop.
Shopkeeper Wu followed the servant who led the way into the courtyard. When he saw his elder brother, Butler Liu, he bowed to him.
Steward Liu gestured and led Shopkeeper Wu inside to meet their Prince. Once inside, he bowed slightly and reported to the seated Prince, "Prince, Wu Sanxi from Wu's Pawnshop has arrived."
Shopkeeper Wu, who followed Butler Liu into the room, raised his head slightly, but didn't get a clear look at the young master sitting there. He quickly lowered his head, knelt down, and bowed deeply to the young master he was meeting for the first time: "Your servant Wu Sanxi greets the young master."
"Get up." Zhao Lang waved his hand to let people stand up and talk.
"Thank you, Master." Wu Sanxi thanked him and stood up. After standing up, he did not dare to look up at the young lady sitting on the table. He still hunched his body slightly, waiting for his master to ask questions.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Zhao Lang asked directly.
"In reply to your question, Your Highness, I am the owner of Wu's Pawnshop. Today, I received a jade pendant in the store. I wonder if it belongs to you, Your Highness?" While speaking, Owner Wu took out a small box from his arms.
Butler Liu took the small box, opened it and took a look. After making sure that the contents were fine, he took it to their prince.
Zhao Lang took the jade pendant from the box and immediately recognized it as a gift he had given to someone on the street a few days ago. He turned the jade pendant over and looked at the back. There was a hidden pattern on the back of the Dingwang Mansion. Everyone in the family knew this hidden pattern. It seemed that this was how Shopkeeper Wu recognized it as a gift from the Dingwang Mansion.
"Who took this jade to the pawnshop?" Zhao Lang didn't expect that the thing he gave away would come back to him. He looked at Wu Sanxi who was standing below and asked.
"Your Highness, they are a mother and son. The older one is about 20 or 30 years old, and the younger one is about 4 or 5 years old." Shopkeeper Wu was deeply impressed by the mother and son who came to their pawnshop to pawn something today. In addition to recognizing that the jade pendant was something from their Prince Ding's Mansion, the way the cute little kid smiled at him was so adorable.
"What does that little boy look like?" Zhao Lang asked.
"My Lord, that child is handsome, with a pair of bright eyes, and smiles whenever he sees anyone." When Shopkeeper Wu heard that the Lord did not sound angry, he told the young master what the mother and child, or to be more precise, what the child said and did in the pawnshop today.
"Yes, that's right, this is mine. I gave him this piece of jade as a reward." After hearing Manager Wu's description, Zhao Lang remembered the little boy who smiled at him on the street that day, and the corners of his mouth curled up a little.
However, he quickly retracted this slight arc.
Zhao Lang put the jade in his hand back into the box and signaled the person in charge to give it to the shopkeeper Wu, "Take it back and keep it in the pawnshop, and see if he will come to redeem it in the future." He just heard Wu Sanxi say that the little boy took the things he gave him to the pawnshop to pawn, and he felt a little unhappy. This piece of jade was a birthday gift from his father, and it still had some meaning to him.
He didn't think much about it when he gave the jade away. When he returned home, he felt a little regretful, but since he had given it away, it was impossible for him to ask for it back.
Unexpectedly, the jade turned a corner and returned to his own hands.
However, when Wu Sanxi heard that the child had chosen the pawn and would redeem the jade within six months, his unhappiness dissipated a little. At the same time, he was also a little curious whether the child would go to the pawnshop to redeem the jade within the specified time.
"Yes." Shopkeeper Wu stretched out his hands and took the box.
Seeing that their prince had no intention of talking anymore, the butler took Manager Wu out.
After the housekeeper and Shopkeeper Wu left, Zhao Lang went to the small study by himself. He sat on a chair in front of the desk, looking at a small straw bird in his hand. He remembered the little thrush his father had given him two years ago. It was about the same size, but unfortunately it died not long after being raised.
Even without proof, he knew that the little thrush his father had given him was killed by his brothers. If his mother hadn't stopped him, he would have gone after them. Now that he was a hostage in Kyoto, his brothers, especially his half-brother and Concubine Li and her son, must be so happy they couldn't sleep at night!
Thinking of the people in the palace and his current situation in Kyoto Prefecture, Zhao Lang's face darkened.
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