Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 191

Chapter 191 Dig A Pit (1)

The Ji Clan pawnshop was located in the eastern city of Beijing. It was one of the few large pawnshops in the city, and I heard that there was a big backer behind it. He was an influential figure in the court.

It was precisely because of this that the pawnshop dared to receive many things that other pawnshops did not dare to receive, such as stolen goods stolen from a certain mansion by some thieves. As long as that item was truly extraordinary in value, they would have a way to resell it. If they could not sell it in the capital, they would ship it to the outside world to sell it. Of course, in this way, the rewards for pawnbrokers would not be that high.

However, regardless of whether it was pawnbrokers or some of the yamen that knew about this, they all turned a blind eye to it. They almost didn’t dare to use this to make things difficult for the people in the Ji Clan pawnshop. This made it even more reasonable to say that the pawnshop had a big backer.

On this afternoon, the Great Imperial Court’s Old Mister Liu was checking the accounts behind him. There were only a few attendants watching from the front, but at this time, a middle-aged man with a vulgar face walked into the shop. The two waiters, accustomed to seeing all kinds of guests, knew that this person was not a righteous person when they saw his appearance and attire. They did not welcome him as if they were ordinary guests. Instead, they watched coldly from the sidelines.

This person also looked around for a while, then came to the front of the counter that was as tall as a person and shouted, “There’s business coming, I want to be something.”

“Guest, what do you want to be?” The waiter lazily came forward, but his gaze was on the other party’s somewhat bulging arms. Obviously, the item was wrapped in his clothes.

“It’s this … How much silver can it be?” As the man spoke, he carefully took out a brocade box that was a foot long and square from his bosom. After a moment of hesitation, he handed it over.

The waiter curled his lips in disdain. Obviously, this person’s demeanor was too vulgar, but he still took the box and casually opened it. Before this, his eyes were wide open and he could no longer move, “This … this is …”

Seeing this, the other clerk’s expression changed. He opened his mouth and walked back.

Even though they had been in the pawnshop for a few years and had seen many treasures in this brocade box, they were still stunned. It was actually a fist-sized luminous pearl that emitted a gentle glow.

Because of the usual style of the pawnshop, the Ji Clan pawnshop could be somewhat gloomy, so taking out such an ordinary item would not look so good. However, the Light Pearl was precious in this somewhat dark environment. The gentle light actually swept through the darkness here.

“You want to be this?” The waiter smacked his lips and asked in disbelief.

“That’s right, how much money can your pawnshop offer?” The man greedily swallowed his saliva and asked.

“I can’t be the winner of this. Wait, I’ll give you a price after we present it to the court for examination.” The waiter came out of his shock and regained his composure.

As he spoke, a steady sound of footsteps came from inside, followed by the sound of chairs dragging and seating, “Xiao Li, bring in the things for me to see.” Chao Feng did not show up, but spoke from the counter.

Under the somewhat uneasy gaze of the man, the waiter held the brocade box and turned into the counter. Then, a burst of whispers came from inside. It was only because they had deliberately lowered their voices across the counter that the man was unable to clearly hear what was being said.

A moment later, Liu Chaofeng poked his head out and pushed the brocade box out again, “Does the guest official plan to be the pearl in this box?”

Standing outside the counter, the man always had the feeling of being looked down from above. This made his expression tense again. He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva before saying, “That’s right, I wonder how much money the old imperial servant can offer?”

“The quality of the Luminous Pearl can be considered acceptable. It’s not too small. It can be considered careless, right?” Liu Chaofeng said expressionlessly. This is the pawnshop’s usual method of depressing prices. No matter how much valuable things are, their value immediately plummets when they arrive here. Even if you take the Imperial Jade Seal and pawn it, it will probably be called a broken stone in their mouths.

However, when the man heard this, his expression became somewhat lengthened. He said nervously, “This pearl is a rare luminous pearl. It’s also big. You …”

“Whether this bead is good or bad, this old man can naturally tell. I don’t need you to remind me.” Liu Chaofeng immediately interrupted the other party and said with great momentum, “Judging from your outfit, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bring out such a precious luminous pearl, right?”

‘”This pearl was passed down from my ancestors. Now that my family is in a hurry to use money, I’m pawning it. Why, do you still need to find out the origins of your Ji Clan pawnshop?” The old man shrugged his head and then straightened his body, “This pearl was passed down from my ancestors, and now my family is in a hurry to use money to pawn it.” The first sentence was quite imposing, but unfortunately, the second sentence revealed fear.

Seeing that Liu Chaofeng had been cheated by such a cheat, Liu Chaofeng secretly laughed. He was already certain that the pearl’s origins were not right. However, this pawnshop wasn’t afraid of things that came from the wrong path. It could even be said that the more things that came from the wrong path, the more he liked them, because the greater the profit.

Therefore, he did not get angry because of this. He only laughed, “Our pawnshop naturally does not have such rules. It is just a routine question. Since this is something from the guest official’s family, it is naturally possible to pawn it. However, the quality of this pearl is indeed not very good, so in terms of silver …”

“How much are you willing to pay?” That person didn’t want to hear him talk too much and immediately asked.

Liu Chaofeng smiled again and stretched out three fingers. “Three hundred taels of silver. I can pawn it for you now.”

“You” The man’s expression immediately changed. “This is a high-grade luminous pearl. It’s worth more than ten million yuan. You’re actually only willing to pay three hundred taels?”

“Three hundred taels. This is a living thing. I can give you three months to redeem it.” “Of course, if you are willing to die, then you can be taller, five hundred taels!” Liu Chaofeng did not mind and said unhurriedly, “Of course, if you are willing to die, then you can be taller, five hundred taels!” Since this thing came from an improper background and the other party was in a hurry to get rid of it, how could Liu Chaofeng not use this to slaughter it?

“Five hundred taels? This pearl is worth five thousand taels. You’re too dark. How about a thousand taels of silver? You’ll die for it.” The man immediately haggled.

Hearing this, the little attendant inside was overjoyed. Just now, his family had already experienced it. This Luminous Pearl was of the highest quality, and one should be worth more than 10,000 silver taels. Right now, he only needed one thousand taels to take it down. It was really too worthwhile, and he wished he could agree on behalf of Liu Chao Feng.

But who would have thought that Liu Chaofeng would shake his head, “No, there are flaws in this bead. It can’t be considered high-grade. A thousand taels is definitely not worth it. If you don’t believe me, you can ask elsewhere.”

“You” The man was also a little annoyed. He immediately took the brocade box on the counter and was about to leave. Right at this moment, Liu Chaofeng said, “Oh right, there’s one more thing that I have to remind you of … Haha, in Beijing City, honestly speaking, only my Ji Clan pawnshop can take this pearl. Other clans, even if you are willing to pawn it for three hundred taels, they won’t dare to take it.”

Although these words weren’t serious, they caused the man’s footsteps to pause. The expression on his face changed even more. Obviously, he was hesitating. On the other hand, Liu Chaofeng did not seem to be afraid of him leaving. He sat back in his spare time and took a sip of tea.

In the end, the man did not leave. Instead, he turned around and stared fiercely at the person at the counter. “Eight hundred taels, it can’t be any less. Die!”

“600 taels, we can’t have any more.” Shopkeeper Liu immediately replied.

After another struggle, the man finally let out a long sigh, “Alright, who told me that I’m really short of money now?”

Shopkeeper Liu chuckled and reached out to retrieve the brocade box. Then, he instructed, “Xiao Li, give him forty taels of silver and five hundred taels of silver.”

“No, isn’t it 600 taels?” The man said anxiously again. This was sixty silver taels short.

“The rules of the pawnshop are nine out of thirteen. Count it, sir. This is forty taels.” Little Li explained casually, then pushed out a few silver ingots. Then, there was a silver bill that was commonly used in the capital city, and he could get 500 silver taels at sight.

Under the surprised expression of the man, another pawn ticket was handed out by Liu Chaofeng as proof. Although it was a death trap, it still needed a word.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he obediently accepted the items. After he walked to the door, he said, “The Ji Clan pawnshop is indeed great. I can be considered to have experienced it.”

Liu Chaofeng only smiled faintly at this somewhat hateful remark. He didn’t care about such a person at all, and this pawnshop wasn’t something they dared to randomly do.

After he left, Xiao Li and the other clerk looked at their clan leader with admiration, “Sir is indeed formidable. He asked him to give us the pearl at such a price.”

“It’s just an ordinary method. Since he’s selling the stolen goods, he naturally doesn’t dare to entangle himself with it. Furthermore, he knows that only our Ji Clan pawnshop can accept such a hot item on the capital’s surface. If it were another clan, he wouldn’t even be able to get a dime. He might even have to face a lawsuit.” “Put it in the warehouse. This pearl is really extraordinary …” The old imperial servant smiled arrogantly and pushed the brocade box back.

Just as he was giving the order, a commotion suddenly came from outside, and the half-closed door was suddenly pushed in by someone. With a bang, a big man stepped into the shop.

“Who are you?” Liu Chaofeng’s expression suddenly sank as he shouted. This had been spread out for more than ten years, but no one dared to break through the door like this.

The sturdy man did not reply and only waved his hand. Immediately after, the man who pawned the bead was escorted in by two men of the same size. Then, the two young masters slowly walked in.

Seeing that man, Liu Chaofeng’s old face stiffened. He knew that things were not good!