Chapter Forty-Six: An Unexpected Encounter with the Chancellor’s Second Son

Night had fallen.

Xu Boqing revisited the memory of that day by the bathhouse with Lady Liu in Yongning Palace. Though the mongrel emperor was not present, which took away some of the thrill, dwelling on the scene in his absence brought about a different kind of pleasure.

The next day, after exchanging a few words with the Empress Dowager, he found himself with nothing pressing to do and once again left the imperial city.

This time, however, he was not clad in the conspicuous flying fish uniform, nor did he visit the imperial prison. Instead, he dressed in plain clothes and made his way to the famous Yuqing Street in the capital.

Shops lined both sides of this street, offering everything from rouge and powder to gold, silver, and jade ornaments. Its proximity to the palace and the remarkable craftsmanship of its wares meant that even the palace sometimes commissioned items from here.

The street’s reputation thus flourished. It was originally to be called "Imperial Cleansing Street" to bask in the glory of the imperial connection, but as the word "imperial" was not to be used lightly, it became "Yuqing Street," a homophone.

As for his purpose here...

Naturally, he was seeking a wedding gift.

It was customary among well-off families to divide the wedding celebration into two or three days. The day before the wedding was known as the "Urging of the Trousseau." On this day, the groom’s family would send red-cloth-wrapped pork, rice, flour, a dressing box, and wedding clothes to the bride’s family, symbolizing a prompt for them to prepare the bride for marriage.

The next day, the groom would fetch the bride home, and a great banquet would be held for family, friends, and neighbors—the joyous day itself.

Some, with many friends or a mind for appearances, would even continue the celebrations with another banquet the day after.

Though tomorrow was to be his cousin Xu Da’s wedding, today was already the "Urging of the Trousseau." As the groom’s elder cousin, he could not go empty-handed; he must purchase some gold, silver, or jade jewelry as a congratulatory gift.

Perhaps because the New Year had just passed and people were visiting friends and relatives, Yuqing Street was still bustling in the afternoon.

Xu Boqing found an established shop specializing in jade wares in the heart of the street. He went in to browse and quickly took a liking to a pair of "Dragon and Phoenix in Harmony" jade pendants, exquisite in both material and craftsmanship.

He asked the proprietor to take them out. The pendants were smooth and cool to the touch, confirming their superior quality. He asked, “Proprietor, what is the price for this pair?”

“You have a discerning eye, sir,” the proprietor said, clearly an old hand in the business. Noting the young man’s unassuming attire but dignified presence, he did not dare slight him. “This pair of Dragon and Phoenix pendants is not only of the finest material, but also the handiwork of a master craftsman.”

He paused, then raised five fingers. “It’s clear to me you’re a connoisseur as well, so I’ll be frank. If you truly want them, this is the price.”

Xu Boqing smiled wryly. “Five taels?”

The proprietor chuckled. “You jest, sir. Five hundred taels. Our shop has been here for a century, always fair to all.”

“Tsk tsk… not cheap at all,” Xu Boqing remarked.

Five hundred taels would buy a house in this city, yet here it would only fetch a pair of jade pendants.

But since he was flush with cash these days, and this was a wedding gift, he did not quibble further. “Pack them up for me, as a wedding present.”

“Certainly! Please wait a moment, sir.”

While the proprietor joyfully wrapped the pendants, Xu Boqing idly inspected the shop’s other wares. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his gaze sharpened; the world before his eyes seemed to drain of color, as if a painted scroll had faded.

As he was about to dismiss his "Heavenly Eye" vision, something caught his attention—a hairpin in the corner of the display case, entirely dark green.

The hairpin appeared to be made of jade, but bore no ornamentation, simple and ancient in style, as though it had been carved from a leftover scrap of stone—utterly unremarkable.

Yet in his eyes, the pin exuded a clear, spiritual aura, while the more ornate and valuable pins around it did not display any such phenomenon.

He had no idea what this aura signified, but the pin’s plain exterior, combined with the supernatural sign his "Heavenly Eye" revealed, marked it as no ordinary object.

Just then...

The proprietor placed the wrapped pendants on the counter and smiled. “Sir, your pendants are ready. Are you satisfied?”

Xu Boqing glanced at them—the pair was now nestled in a small redwood box, no larger than a sachet, sealed with a red "Double Happiness" character and a small "Yuqing Street" mark in the corner.

Yuqing Street’s jewelry was a brand in itself, and the packaging had the cachet of a famous name.

It would do nicely.

Seeing the proprietor waiting expectantly for payment, Xu Boqing casually pointed to the display case corner. “I left the house in a hurry and forgot my hairpin. Could you fetch me that dark green one?”

The proprietor paused as he retrieved it. The piece only looked like jade, but was not; nor was it the work of any master. It had been pawned long ago by an old farmer, whose pitiful story had moved the proprietor to buy it for a pittance, intending only to use it as a foil for his finer wares.

“Is it this one you mean?” the proprietor asked uncertainly.

“That’s the one.”

Xu Boqing found the pin surprisingly light, and its touch was not jade, but seemed to be some special kind of wood. After toying with it a moment, he asked, “How much for the pair of pendants and this pin?”

“Ah, well…”

The proprietor hesitated. “Sir, I can’t deceive you. This piece is simply made, not jade at all. I only kept it on the shelf as a contrast to the others, not to sell.”

“No matter, I like simple things.”

Using the shop’s bronze mirror, Xu Boqing pinned his hair, finding it suited him perfectly. He smiled, “If you weren’t planning to sell it, let it be a bonus?”

He pulled a five-hundred-tael banknote from his sleeve and slid it across the counter.

“Done, done!” The proprietor, keeping a calm face, took the note and confirmed its authenticity before grinning. “So long as you don’t mind, sir.”

“You flatter me.”

Xu Boqing pocketed the wrapped gift, bowed, and left the shop. The proprietor, seeing his wealthy customer depart, beamed and came out to see him off.

Strolling down the street, Xu Boqing turned the pin over in his hands, quietly channeling his inner strength to examine it, but his energy passed through it without finding anything unusual.

His "Heavenly Eye" could see the spiritual aura, but his inner strength could not detect anything special—clearly, his level of cultivation was insufficient.

Which only confirmed that the hairpin was no ordinary object.

If he had picked up such a treasure by chance, could there be others hidden in the shops along Yuqing Street?

He glanced at the many jewelry shops lining the street, tucked the pin into his hair, and eagerly began to browse the stalls.

With the "Heavenly Eye," he could instantly spot anything unusual, but after walking from one end of the street to the other, he found nothing else that exhibited any supernatural sign.

Just as he was about to leave, shaking his head, he happened upon a young man in a cosmetics shop by the roadside.

The young man was dissolute in demeanor, his eyes full of lechery, and he was clutching a delicate young woman, her face filled with fear.

Around him stood several guards and a group of foppish friends, all clearly from wealthy families, along with a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the shopkeeper.

It was obvious without thinking: a pack of privileged rakes harassing a common girl. Such things were not uncommon in the capital.

What made him pause for a second look was that the young man seemed familiar—it was the second son of Chancellor Zhang, whom he had encountered once in the imperial prison, the one who had shown off his little earthworm...