Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 371 Make a Big Fortune!
Hu Ji narrowed her eyes and slowly swept her gaze over the two of them.

"My dear, you seem to be very interested in the old customer with the wooden box." She asked with a smile.

Li Ji said, "I'm from Laizhou. I've been to many treasure exchanges on the islands of the East, but I've never seen anyone exchange treasures without showing them. Naturally, I'm interested."

The suspicion in Hu Ji's eyes faded, and she smiled and said, "You've come at the right time. That old customer will also be attending the Yibao Club today."

Li Ji laughed heartily and said, "That's great! Is he still using the wooden box to exchange treasures with others today?"

Hu Ji smiled and said, "That old customer has been like this recently, and this time is no exception. Do you want to exchange treasures with him?"

Li Ji said: "That's hard to say. When I exchange treasures with others, I not only look at the treasure, but also the person."

Generally, people with high net worth will reveal it in their temperament, so many people who are looking for treasures will look at the person first and then the treasure.

Seeing that he was very knowledgeable despite his young age, Hu Ji no longer had any doubts in her heart and smiled, "Please show me the treasure, my dear."

Li Ji raised the jade disk in his hand and said, "Can I use this jade disk?"

Hu Ji apologized, "My dear, please forgive me. According to the rules, I need to give you another treasure for the transaction."

This rule is also intended to screen the financial resources of guests participating in Yibao, to prevent someone from using unknown means to obtain a treasure and causing subsequent trouble.

Li Ji felt around in his waist bag and quickly took out another jade disk, which was exactly the same as the previous one. It turned out that these jade disks were a pair.

"Is this okay?"

The value of two identical high-quality jade bi is not the same as one plus one equals two.

Because it is more difficult to make such a pair of jade bi, a pair of identical jade bi has a beautiful meaning and is more popular with buyers.

Hu Ji's smile grew even sweeter as she said, "Of course, please follow me."

Li Ji gave Princess Gao An some instructions and left with Hu Ji.

Princess Gao An was noisy in the palace, but after leaving the palace, she was unusually quiet and well-behaved. She agreed and sat upright at the table, showing her great manners.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Ji came back alone.

Princess Gao An asked him about the situation.

Li Ji whispered, "No problem. In an hour, we can go to the third floor to attend the Yibao meeting."

Princess Gao An asked Wang Chu to guard the door and whispered to Li Ji, "Brother, what are you going to do..."

Li Ji suddenly made a "hush" sound and whispered in his ear, "This is not the imperial palace. Walls have ears. Don't ask any more questions. Just listen to me."

He had already become suspicious of Mo Lanxuan, so he was extra cautious.

Princess Gao An nodded her chin, sat upright and drank tea without asking any more questions.

About half an hour later, Hu Ji came over again and asked the two to go to the lounge on the third floor to wait for the Yibao Club to begin.

After arriving at a hall on the third floor, Li Ji paused.

It turned out that there were already four people sitting in the hall, two of whom Li Ji had seen before.

The big man sitting on a chair on the left was the Tuyuhun envoy whom I met at the court meeting today.

His face was ashen, and it was obvious that he was still angry.

Sitting below him was a middle-aged scholar in his thirties, the man Li Ji had just met outside.

Opposite the middle-aged scholar sat a young man wearing a luxurious white silk shirt.

Although this person was dressed gorgeously, he did not wear any gold, silver or jade ornaments around his waist. He had tilted shoulders, raised his mouth and eyebrows, and had a vulgar temperament.

There was a regulation in the Tang Dynasty that merchants and slaves could wear silk clothes but could not wear gold, silver or jade.

At first glance, this man is a servant in a wealthy family.

The last person was a middle-aged man in his forties with a mustache and a smile on his face.

Among the people present, he was the most relaxed, crossing his legs and drinking tea leisurely.

The arrival of Li Ji and Princess Gao An immediately attracted the attention of the four people.

Li Ji has the air of a young master from a wealthy family. It is not surprising that a man like him would bring his younger sister to participate in such an event.

Therefore, the four of them did not look at them for long. Except for the middle-aged scholar who nodded at them, the other three quickly looked away.

Li Ji breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know whether the Tuyuhun envoy had seen him in the Wude Hall, and was afraid of being recognized.

Li Ji sat down next to the middle-aged scholar, while Princess Gao An stood beside him and quietly grabbed his sleeve.

No one in the hall wanted to communicate.

A quarter of an hour later, the Yibao meeting began and the beautiful Hu Ji came into the room.

Led by her, everyone came to an adjacent room.

This room is much more spacious, in the shape of a hexagon, with a table and a desk on each side.

In other words, Yibao Club has a maximum of six participants.

There is a large counter in the middle, which is also hexagonal. The guests display their treasures in order and exchange them in a clockwise direction.

Li Ji sat in the east, with a man with a mustache sitting on his right and a servant of the mansion sitting on his left.

Going clockwise, there are middle-aged scholars and Tuyuhun envoys.

The five people's treasures were quickly placed on the counter.

Li Ji secretly glanced at the mustache man on his right, because his treasure was a black wooden box, about one foot long and wide.

Princess Gao An opened her eyes wide and looked at other people's treasures.

Although she was young, she had very sharp eyesight and could tell the value of each treasure (except the black box) at a glance.

The treasure of the Tuyuhun envoy was a set of "shallowly carved ivory backgammon chess".

Concubine Zheng had a set of this stuff, which was presented as a tribute by Tuyuhun in the tenth year of Yonghui.

Princess Gao An had seen one in Xunfeng Palace, and it was several times better than the one in front of her. Therefore, it was clear that this one must be a substandard product.

Although in her eyes, this item is not worthy of being displayed on the table, it is still an extremely precious and rare treasure among the people.

You can tell from the expressions of the other people.

The middle-aged scholar's treasure is a white jade phoenix-shaped three-eared jar.

The three phoenixes were carved so vividly that they were originally precious treasures. Unfortunately, there was a tiny crack on the wing of one of the phoenixes, which greatly reduced the value of the item.

The last treasure of the slave was shocking. It was just an ordinary silver bowl, the size of a palm, with nothing special about the carvings.

If the value of the other treasures requires careful consideration and appreciation, this one does not require much thought, as it can be considered the worst treasure.

The Tuyuhun envoy glanced around, seemingly dissatisfied. He snorted and said, "They say that the Tang Dynasty is vast and rich in treasures, but after seeing what I have seen today, it's nothing special."

The middle-aged scholar said calmly, "This is your spare tribute, isn't it? You're taking out the offerings and competing with us ordinary people for treasures. The Tibetan envoy is quite bold!"

The slave said sarcastically, "Your treasure is not that great. I don't think it can compare to this young master's jade disk."

The bearded man coughed and said, "We're all here for Yibao, not to chat. I think we can get started now."

The Tuyuhun envoy glared and said, "You have no right to speak. You haven't even shown the treasure in the box. What treasure are you exchanging for?"

The bearded man smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry, this box can't be opened. But I can tell you that it's full of things. It's probably all gold, silver, jewelry, or maybe just stones. It all depends on your luck."

The Tuyuhun envoy was very angry today and it suddenly exploded.

"Bullshit! If your box is filled with gold, silver, and jewels, I'll tear my head off and use it as a kick for you."

The slave seemed to recognize the bearded man. He narrowed his eyes and said, "The bearded man has little experience. Shopkeeper Fang, please ignore him."

Li Ji looked at him and said, "Do you think there really is a treasure inside?"

Hao Nu snorted and said, "It seems that you guys don't know anything yet you come to participate in Yibao. This Shopkeeper Fang is the shopkeeper of the White Horse Chamber of Commerce."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Princess Gao An put her head close to Li Ji's ear and whispered, "Brother, what is the White Horse Merchants Guild?"

Li Ji whispered, "It's the largest trading company in Mobei, operating three horse farms and two mines. I heard the owner of the trading company is a descendant of the Du family."

The Jingzhao Du family has been removed from the list of aristocratic families. Nowadays, when people mention the Du family, they are referring to the Huanshui Du family.

The White Horse Trading Company has a large number of horses, close to ten thousand, even more than many countries. The horses are sold to various countries and are very well-known.

The Tuyuhun envoy said in a deep voice: "No matter how famous you are, if you don't reveal what's inside the box, you can't exchange treasures with me."

The bearded man's shopkeeper said calmly, "That's very simple. If you're willing to change, then change. If you're not willing, then don't force me."

The middle-aged scholar suddenly said, "I heard that Shopkeeper Fang has participated in this kind of exchange meeting more than a dozen times, and every time it's a box like this, and every time someone exchanges it with you. Is that true?"

After hearing this, Li Ji felt a chill in his heart.

Shopkeeper Fang said calmly, "No comment."

Hao Nu stared at the wooden box greedily and said with a smile: "Since so many people have exchanged it, it should not be a scam, otherwise someone would have caused trouble long ago."

The Hu Ji smiled and said, "Since everyone has no objection, the Yibao meeting will begin."

He brought a turntable over, placed it on the middle counter, and moved the pointer on the turntable with his finger, and the pointer spun rapidly.

After a while, the pointer stopped and pointed to the Tuyuhun envoy.

Hu Ji smiled and said, "This Yibao meeting will be started by Mr. Murong."

According to the clockwise exchange rule, the first person eligible to exchange treasures is the bearded man.

"No change." said the bearded man.

The Tuyuhun envoy snorted and said, "Even if you want to change, I won't trade with you!" Then it was Li Ji's turn, but he also refused to change.

The Tuyuhun envoy hurriedly said, "Young Master, this set of chess pieces of mine is a spare tribute. Only the imperial palace in your Chang'an City has them. You won't suffer any loss if you exchange them with me!"

Li Ji bowed and said, "I have other treasures I like. I'm really sorry."

It was Hao Nu's turn to be the third one. He said with a fake smile, "No."

The Tuyuhun envoy said coldly: "Just right."

Finally it was the middle-aged scholar's turn, and he also refused to change.

Next, the bearded man became the banker of Yibao, and the first person to ask was Li Ji.

"I'm very curious about this treasure, so I'd like to exchange it with you." Li Ji said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, everyone was moved.

The bearded man stared at Li Ji and said, "Young Master, do you really want to exchange with me? Let me be clear, after the exchange, no matter what is inside, you cannot regret it."

Li Ji said: "No problem."

Hao Nu stared at Li Ji fiercely, narrowing his eyes and saying, "Young Master, I've also taken a fancy to the black box, so please give me some face."

Li Ji glanced at him and said, "Who are you, sir? Why should I give you face?"

The slave narrowed his eyes and said, "I am only a lowly servant, nothing insignificant. But my master wears a white fish around his waist."

White fish on the waist refers to a person who wears a silver fish talisman around his waist, and is an official of the fifth rank or above.

Li Ji snorted, "Are you threatening me?"

Hao Nu smiled and said nothing.

Next, Hao Nu and the middle-aged scholar took charge of the game. In the end, the middle-aged scholar and the Tuyuhun envoy exchanged treasures, but Hao Nu returned empty-handed.

Yibao will end here.

Shopkeeper Fang handed the key to the wooden box to Li Ji and said with a smile, "Young Master, you are so generous. May I ask your name?"

Li Ji knew that he was trying to find out his background, so he waved his hand and said, "I'm here today just to exchange treasures, not to make friends." He took the key, picked up the wooden box, and strode away with Princess Gao An.

Shopkeeper Fang looked at his back, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

The box was unexpectedly heavy, and there was a clanging sound coming from inside.

Li Ji was not in a hurry to open it and left Mo Jiaxuan first.

It was already dusk and curfew time, and there were fewer people on the streets outside.

The carriage returned to the princess's mansion. As soon as the wheels started moving, Princess Gao An seemed to have pressed some kind of switch and turned back into her usual self.

"Brother, open it and see what's inside!" She looked excited.

As he spoke, he reached for the key and opened the wooden box.

With a "clang", the lock was opened.

When they opened the lid, both of them showed surprised expressions.

Gold cakes, silver ingots, pearls, agates, and all kinds of rare treasures filled the entire box.

The total value of so many treasures is probably more than 10 million yuan.

"Haha, brother, we made a lot of money this time." Princess Gao An looked happy.

Li Ji pondered in silence.

Gold cannot fall from the sky, there must be something wrong behind this.

Thinking back to what happened just now, he vaguely understood.

This was just a secret transaction under the guise of Yibao Club. The box was intended to be handed over to someone who participated in Yibao Club.

The most suspicious person is that Haonu, or to be more precise, Haonu's master, the high-ranking official above the fifth rank!
While he was thinking, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Li Ji stretched his head and looked outside, only to see a group of big men in black clothes blocking the way ahead, all holding weapons in their hands.

Trouble is here!

Wang Chu shouted, "Who are you? How dare you stop my master's carriage?"

But the group of people remained silent.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and a group of people were chasing from behind. The leader was none other than the shopkeeper Fang.

He came to the carriage and said with a smile, "Young Master, could you please return the box to me? I will reward you handsomely."

Li Ji said, "You just said that after the exchange, we cannot regret it. Why are you regretting it now?"

Shopkeeper Fang said, "Young Master, I believe you have seen what is in the box."

Li Ji nodded.

Shopkeeper Fang said in a deep voice, "Then you should know that the treasure in this box is worth a hundred times more than your jade disc."

Li Ji said: "So I made money."

Shopkeeper Fang said coldly: "Young Master, don't blame me for not reminding you. If you return the box, I can give you fifty taels of gold. If you don't return it..."

"how?"

Shopkeeper Fang said grimly, "If a person is too greedy, he will often lose more than he gains. Once you get into trouble, you will regret it in the future!"

Li Ji said, "Are you threatening me?"

Shopkeeper Fang smiled faintly and said, "Young Master, you are joking. I am just giving you some good advice. The people who are most likely to die in this world are often the greedy ones."

At this time, a large man in black came running over from a distance and said to Shopkeeper Fang, "Master, there is a Wu Hou coming this way."

Shopkeeper Fang nodded and said to Li Ji, "Young Master, we will meet again." He then led his men away in the direction they came from.

Li Ji lowered the curtain and ordered the carriage to continue moving forward.

As the carriage was moving, four military marquises came towards them, and the leader was Helan Minzhi.

It’s a pity that Li Ji didn’t see him.

He was staring at the box of treasure with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Princess Gao An had been hiding in the car, eavesdropping on his conversation with Manager Fang, and now she had figured out something.

"Brother, Xiaoxiang's disappearance should be related to those people just now, right?" she asked.

"Yes." Li Ji nodded, and the whole situation slowly emerged in his mind.

A few months ago, a Hu merchant named Anqing accidentally exchanged this box and discovered the treasure inside.

Like him, Anqing was threatened by Manager Fang and asked to hand over the treasure.

This scene was likely seen by Xiaoxiang, who had come after them, and Shopkeeper Fang would have arrested him, or...

The Hu merchant Anqing obviously did not intend to hand over the treasure, so he gave up settling in Chang'an and fled with the treasure that day.

From this we can see that every time Manager Fang attended the Yibao Club, he would take out such a box and give the money to a designated person in the name of Yibao.

This is not Yibao, but a money transaction hidden under the name of Yibao
As for the purpose of the transaction, it may be bribery.

Now that they have discovered this, the other party will definitely not let it go.

……

"You said they left Pingkangfang directly during curfew?"

In a room in the backyard of the White Horse Trading Company, Du Long sat behind a desk with a big belly and asked with a gloomy face.

Shopkeeper Fang said, "Yes."

Du Long said in a deep voice, "Ever since Yuchi Gong became the Grand General of the Left Golden Guard, not many children from aristocratic families have dared to break the curfew. I'm afraid that boy's identity is not simple."

Shopkeeper Fang said, "I have sent someone to Wuhou Shop to ask Zheng Wuhou to follow them. We should be able to find out their identities soon."

The Wuhou of Wuhoupu has the power to walk on the streets during curfew.

Just then, someone came to report from outside the door that there was news from Marquis Wu of Zheng.

After asking Du Long for instructions, Manager Fang left the house and went to see Marquis Zheng Wu.

After a while, he returned to the house, his face pale.

"Have you found out his identity?" Du Long asked.

Shopkeeper Fang said with a bitter face, "Boss, they went to Princess Changshan's mansion."

"What?" Du Long's face suddenly changed and he stood up.

After a long time, he slowly sat back down and sighed, "It seems that this money will not be returned. Let's prepare a new sum."

Shopkeeper Fang gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, that young man looks to be under twenty years old. He should be a member of the Fanyang Lu family. Should we go to the Lu family to negotiate?"

Du Long's face turned cold and he said, "Just for such a small amount of money, you still want to negotiate with the Lu family? Don't forget that Lu Xianggong is my uncle's superior and will soon be appointed prime minister!"

Shopkeeper Fang lowered his head and said, "I just feel a little sorry."

Du Long waved his hand and said, "No need to say more. We can make money again, but we must be extra careful. This is not Mobei!"

Manager Fang agreed and left.

(End of this chapter)