Seeing this, the waiter knew that these people were not short of money, and they must have come to find Manager Chu for that luminous pearl.
The waiter picked up a feather duster and began to clean the dust off the tables and chairs.
The furniture in the pawn shop is noticeably different from that in other shops; it appears very tall and imposing, often overwhelming those who come to pawn their items.
Pawnshops often take advantage of this to gain the upper hand in bargaining with customers and thus obtain higher profits.
There's a row of rooms upstairs, giving it a bit of an inn feel.
One room here is where Manager Chu usually rests and drinks tea, while the other rooms are the pawnshop's storeroom, used to store a large number of pawned items.
Magistrate Liang arrived at the door of a room and knocked a few times. Inside, Manager Chu was checking the account books. Upon hearing the knocking, he immediately put away the account books, stood up, and went to open the door.
Manager Chu thought it was one of his employees knocking, but when he opened the door, he was stunned to find four people standing outside.
There was a reception room downstairs in the pawn shop. Usually, when customers came, the clerk would come upstairs to call him, and he would go downstairs to meet them. But today, these customers came uninvited and went straight upstairs to find him.
Shopkeeper Chu and Magistrate Liang were acquaintances. In the past, when they met, Magistrate Liang was always in his official robes, but today he was dressed in casual clothes and he almost didn't recognize him.
Upon seeing the local official come to visit, Manager Chu quickly bowed and paid his respects.
"So it's you, Magistrate. I apologize for not greeting you properly."
"Manager Chu, there's no need for such formalities. I've come here today for a matter. Let's go inside and talk."
Manager Chu nodded, invited the group into the room, and then closed the door behind him.
"What important matter brings you here, Magistrate?"
"This matter is very important. Let me first introduce you to our distinguished guests."
In Manager Chu's opinion, the people brought by Magistrate Liang should all be from wealthy families, and if he was not mistaken, they should be after that luminous pearl.
But after hearing Magistrate Liang's introduction, Manager Chu was greatly surprised.
The three people in front of him were no ordinary people. Among them, Li Guang was a prince of the current dynasty, who was the future emperor. He was so frightened that he immediately knelt down on the ground.
"This humble one greets Marquis Zhengyang, General Li, and the Princess."
Zhao Xian quickly stepped forward and helped Manager Chu up, saying:
"Manager Chu, you're too kind. We've come here today on important business, and we hope you'll be of assistance."
Manager Chu nodded, stood up, and said:
"If you need anything, Marquis Zhengyang, please give the order, and I will do my utmost to help."
Seeing this, Magistrate Liang walked up to Manager Chu and said:
"This is a long story, let's sit down and talk."
After everyone sat down again, Manager Chu remembered to make tea for them.
Only then did Manager Chu calm down and begin to ask everyone why they had come.
Magistrate Liang nodded and said:
"We have come here today for an important matter. Manager Chu, do you remember last month when someone pawned a luminous pearl here?"
"Reporting to Magistrate Liang, this is indeed the case. The original agreement was for a month, and today is the last day. There is only half a day left before the deadline."
Today, I didn't go anywhere. I'm just waiting here for the pawnbroker to come. This pawned item is indeed a luminous pearl, it's extremely valuable.
Although the pawnshop was heavily guarded, I've been living in constant fear for the past month. If this luminous pearl were to be lost from me, I couldn't afford to pay for it even if I sold everything I owned.
"Since this luminous pearl is so valuable, does Manager Chu know its origin?" Magistrate Liang asked.
"The owner of this luminous pearl is an old farmer, about sixty years old. I asked him about its origin, and he said that his ancestors were high-ranking officials in the previous dynasty, and this luminous pearl was passed down from his ancestors."
"Our family has fallen on hard times, and we have no choice but to pawn this ancestral item."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liang spoke again: "This matter is not as simple as the old farmer said. This luminous pearl may be involved in a major case in the imperial court."
Magistrate Liang's words greatly surprised Manager Chu. How could this luminous pearl be related to a major case in the imperial court? If that were the case, wouldn't this luminous pearl be considered stolen goods?
Since it was stolen goods, the luminous pearl would be confiscated by the government, and not only would the money he had spent be wasted, but he might also face legal trouble.
Next, Magistrate Liang began to recount Zhang Debang's story, and Manager Chu gradually understood what was going on.
Based on the information available, this is just speculation. The luminous pearl may be the one that Hamodi gave to Zhang Debang, and the old farmer may be Zhang Debang.
The most important thing right now is to find that old farmer and see if he is Zhang Debang. Only in this way can the truth be revealed.
At this moment, Manager Chu began to pray in his heart, hoping that the old farmer was not Zhang Debang, otherwise he would be in big trouble.
"Manager Chu, now that everything has been explained to you, you must not let this matter be made public. Once word gets out and Zhang Debang finds out, he will definitely run away, and it will be much more difficult to catch him again."
"Of course I know all that. If that old farmer comes over now, what should we do? Should we arrest him?"
"You don't need to worry about Manager Chu. The government has already arranged for people to handle this matter. You just need to redeem him, and someone will naturally arrest him."
Shopkeeper Chu nodded. He hadn't expected the government officials to have already taken action, just waiting for the old farmer to take the bait.
"There's one more thing. Before this matter is cleared up, you can't sell this luminous pearl to anyone, and you must protect it well. I'm sure Manager Chu understands the implications of this."
"Please rest assured, Your Honor, I will keep a close watch on this luminous pearl and will not dispose of it. I hope to capture that old farmer and find out the truth of the matter."
"In that case, we'll take our leave. We hope Manager Chu will cooperate fully with the government to apprehend Zhang Debang as soon as possible. If Zhang Debang is captured, Manager Chu will also have made a contribution."
After Magistrate Liang finished speaking, he stood up and left the pawnshop with Zhao Xian and the others.
Manager Chu saw the group off at the gate, then stared blankly at their departing figures.
He had hoped to make a fortune from this luminous pearl, but it seems his hopes are dashed.
During this time, Manager Chu had been dreaming. He had been running his pawnshop for many years, and this was the first time he had ever encountered such a rare treasure.
Based on his experience, he knew that the old farmer was unlikely to return.
It seems that it will be difficult for him not to make a fortune this time. Many people have already set their sights on this luminous pearl and are willing to pay a high price to buy it. He plans to auction the luminous pearl at the pawn shop, and the highest bidder will win it.
Making a profit of 100,000 taels of silver by reselling it would have been no problem, but he never expected that such a situation would occur at the crucial moment.
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