Chapter 538 Arrival in Licheng
Meanwhile, Jiang Fenghua and the others arrived at Licheng, the most prosperous capital city in the South.
The Southern Kingdom was indeed very prosperous, especially its capital city, where many people were engaged in business. The people of the Southern Kingdom did not regard doing business as a lowly pursuit, so merchants in the Southern Kingdom held a high status. The King of the Southern Kingdom supported the people in trading with the outside world, especially the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The scenery here is also very beautiful. Wherever they go, they stay for two days to explore.
On their second day in Licheng, Shen Yao found the inn where they were staying.
Bai Yuhan hid in a corner and secretly observed the two people downstairs, muttering, "This Lord Shen is quite considerate of Aruan. Does he like Aruan?"
Lin Yu tapped her on the head, "Don't talk nonsense." She also looked down at the two people downstairs. Shen Yao seemed to be showing Jiang Fenghua a fine piece of jade, and the two of them were examining it carefully.
Jiang Fenghua truly cannot remember Xie Shang now, nor can she remember her child or her family; she treats her as a stranger.
She sighed, unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Lin Yu tried to convince herself that at least the smiles on her face were genuine and not fake.
Bai Yuhan said, "I'm not talking nonsense. That guy surnamed Chen is too attentive. Aren't you worried that Jiang Fenghua, who has lost her memory, will also fall in love with him?"
Lin Yu glared at her, "Don't talk nonsense."
Bai Yuhan pouted, "Aruan is pretty, isn't it normal for someone to like her? How could I be talking nonsense?" After saying that, she followed her out.
Lin Yu walked directly towards Jiang Fenghua and Shen Yao, "Aruan, Lord Shen, what are you talking about!"
Shen Yao said, "I'm handling a theft case and would like to ask Miss Ruan to take a look at it for me."
Lin Yu glanced at the jade and said directly, "It's fake. What's there to see?"
Shen Yao was stunned. "You can tell it's fake just by looking at it? Is Miss Lin Yu that amazing?"
"It's too obviously fake, and the workmanship is too rough. If you're going to make a fake, at least make it look real." Lin Yu said, "If this piece of jade were real, it would be worth a lot of money. It's just a pity that it's fake."
Shen Yao didn't hide anything, "It really was stolen. The thieves took this fake one to replace it. It must have been a gang crime."
"Why are there so many thefts in your southern country lately?" Lin Yu asked again.
Shen Yao said, "The border of the Southern Kingdom is also not peaceful, with pirates running rampant. The King of the South is also very troubled by this, and the government officials are busy every day."
Lin Yu scoffed, "If pirates come to steal a small piece of your jade, what kind of jewels and gems could they have stolen with such a commotion?"
Jiang Fenghua said directly, "Lin Yu means that such a fake jade could be replaced by someone else, which may be the work of an acquaintance and has nothing to do with real pirates. Lord Shen, you might as well go back and investigate the people around you."
Shen Yao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and suddenly slapped his forehead. "How could I not have thought of that? If a shop reports to the authorities that it was burglarized, what if it was one of their own people stealing it?"
Jiang Fenghua was speechless. Such a clumsy excuse. She casually asked, "May I ask what position you hold, sir?"
"The position of Shaofu is responsible for investigating cases. Murder cases, theft cases, or even other cases all fall under my jurisdiction. Everyone calls me Shaofu Shen," Shen Yao added. "It's similar to the Jingzhao Prefect in your Great Zhou Kingdom."
Jiang Fenghua then asked, "How many years have you been in this position?"
A smile graced Shen Yao's youthful face. "It's been a few months. The Yang Guaizi fraud case was the first case I handled. Aren't I pretty good? I tracked down the criminals so quickly."
Lin Yu and Jiang Fenghua remained silent, quite adept at self-affirmation.
Shen Yao added, "I came here to invite you to visit the largest exhibition hall in Licheng. You want to see cultural heritage masters, and there are many of their works inside. You might find them interesting." He was trying to please them.
Jiang Fenghua wanted to go. She heard from Lin Yu that their main purpose in coming to Licheng was to meet Master Wenbo. He was a master in the jade and antique trade, and he charged quite a bit for appraising the authenticity of a piece of jade. The key point was that nothing he appraised was fake, and everyone trusted him. He also had a high reputation in the jade industry.
Lin Yu didn't want to miss this opportunity either, because it wouldn't be easy for them to meet Master Wenbo now. Even officials in the court might not be able to meet him.
She asked, "How did you get to meet such a renowned figure as the Master of Cultural Relics and Museums, and even enter the exhibition hall to see his works?"
Shen Yao said with pride, "My grandfather was very familiar with him, so I also benefited from my grandfather's fame."
Shen Yao had already introduced himself. He lived in the Yun Prince's Mansion, was the son of the Yun Prince, and was also the heir apparent. His entry into the government office was out of necessity.
The Southern King established a rule that anyone directly granted a title by the Southern King or who made a great contribution could be granted the title of Prince. Therefore, there were many royal residences in the Southern Kingdom, which were not worth mentioning.
Immediately afterwards, Shen Yao led the group to a jade shop. There were many people inside, and the business was booming. The prices were much higher than many of the jewelry they had seen in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the quality of the jade was also much better than what they had brought back to Shengjing.
In other words, many people who don't know much about jade can't compare to the products here, even if they spend a lot of money to buy jade pieces.
Shen Yao said, "It's more complicated downstairs, let me take you upstairs to take a look."
Lin Yu followed with her subordinates. She explained to Jiang Fenghua, "There are countless jade shops like this in the South. The jewelry on the first floor is made from scraps of jade. The really good stuff is probably on the second or third floor."
Jiang Fenghua asked, "Have we been to a place like this before?"
"I guess I've been here before, but this place isn't as big. It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten," Lin Yu added. "But I wanted to take you to see the master of cultural relics. His sculptures are very popular and require a lot of skill. I think you'll be interested, A-Ruan." Because she had been interested in them before.
Jiang Fenghua understood. The cultural relics master was not a jade reseller, but a master who processed jade into handicrafts, allowing the jade to realize its greater value.
A raw stone is certainly not as valuable as a finished product, but after being processed with skill, its value can increase several times over.
Shen Yao was surprised that they knew so much about the jade industry and praised them, "You're really amazing, young lady."
Jiang Fenghua, however, was thinking that if pirates appeared in the South, they would steal priceless handicrafts.
Pirates are ruthless and vicious; they are unlike ordinary bandits.
She said, "People who can go up to the second floor must have very strict identity verification procedures!"
Shen Yao said, "That's right, but if you follow me, I can take you anywhere without any obstacles."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
