Chapter 878: Chapter 878: Straightforward Man Lian Wanzhen
After glancing a few times, Lian Wanzhen felt embarrassed and turned back, asking someone to carefully pack the jewelry in a box, checked it over once more, paid the remaining wages, and prepared to leave with the box in hand.
At this moment, a woman stopped him, wanting to discuss if they could let Zhenbao Square have this set of headdress. Zhenbao Square would not treat them unfairly.
This headdress was crafted from the finest Emperor Green Jade, with the design provided by Su Ran, details meticulously finalized, and made by Master Wang and other skilled craftsmen. The workmanship was exquisite, and the design was unique yet remained elegant, truly magnificent, a rare sight in the world.
When Yin Luoyang, the young owner of Zhenbao Square, first saw the block of Emperor Green Jade and the proposed design, she anticipated that the finished product would be extraordinary, not a vulgar item. She specially instructed Master Wang and others to put in their utmost effort for this set of jewelry.
Once completed, this jade headdress turned out even better than she had imagined, making even Zhenbao Square’s treasured item pale in comparison.
Yin Luoyang was moved, wanting to negotiate a deal to acquire this headdress.
If Zhenbao Square could keep this jade headdress as the store’s treasure, their status in the capital would remain unshakable for the next ten years, twenty years, or even decades.
Thinking of this, Yin Luoyang was thrilled, eagerly waiting day and night for someone to come and collect it.
Little did she expect that the person who came to collect it was him, the man who, on Longevity Day, caught her veiled hat with his mouth, making her think he was a rogue, and later avoided him only to bump into someone else.
Yin Luoyang, usually calm, involuntarily exclaimed upon seeing Lian Wanzhen for the first time, then blushed as he stared at her.
Though slightly annoyed, she knew she had been the one who lost her composure first, so she couldn’t really scold him. However, when Lian Wanzhen finally averted his gaze, she felt a somewhat inexplicable sense of loss.
As Lian Wanzhen deftly made to leave, Yin Luoyang came to her senses, hurriedly stopping him, hoping to retain the headdress with generous terms.
The principal owner of Zhenbao Square had not appeared for a long time, having almost completely entrusted Yin Luoyang to manage the store. She offered a very generous deal to acquire this headdress but was still refused.
Seeing him still wanting to leave, Yin Luoyang got a bit anxious: “The price is negotiable. Name any price you want. If our Zhenbao Square can afford it, we won’t haggle.”
Lian Wanzhen saw how much the woman adored the headdress, so he stopped but was adamant that this headdress would not be sold.
He straightforwardly said, “The sum you offer is quite sizable. If it were anything else, then maybe. But this headdress is a gift for my little sister, sorry, I cannot let you have it.”
With that, he nodded his head and took a step to leave, decisively and efficiently.
Yin Luoyang thought quickly, and upon hearing the reason, she immediately suggested, “Young Master, how about this: Zhenbao Square has many other pieces of jewelry, with no lack of unique headdresses. How about you choose a set for your sister from our collection, and we’ll still offer you the original price we discussed?”
Lian Wanzhen turned back in astonishment, wondering why this woman was so determined to have his sister’s headdress.
After several persistent attempts, Yin Luoyang couldn’t help but blush, explaining, “To be honest, this headdress, whether in terms of jade quality, craftsmanship, or design, is unparalleled and most represents the ‘treasure’ part of our Zhenbao Square…”
She gave a brief explanation: Zhenbao Square had been one of the most famous jewelry stores in the capital for decades, comparable to another jewelry store.
It is said that, in the same trade, competitors are enemies. The two jewelry stores had been competing for many years and were evenly matched, but recently, the other jewelry store acquired a unique treasure, which vaguely overshadowed Zhenbao Square, drawing many noblewomen to that store. This was why Yin Luoyang was so anxious.
After Lian Wanzhen patiently listened, she nodded understandingly. When Yin Luoyang thought there was hope, he simply dropped two words: “No exchange.”
With that said, he never looked back and strode away. He was racing against time!
Yin Luoyang stood there dumbfounded, watching him leave. After a moment, she snapped out of it, her face grew irate. What’s the point of listening to her say so many words if he wasn’t going to exchange anything? This person is really… really… left her with no good impression, humph.
At this moment, Lian Wanzhen, seeing the headdress, couldn’t help but think of that woman. If this jewelry wasn’t a gift for his little sister, he would persuade his mother to give it to that woman, as it seemed quite important to her.
But since it was a gift for his little sister, he couldn’t. Though he didn’t understand much about these things, he felt that this piece of jewelry was perfect for his little sister and would not trade it for anything.
Soon, everyone packed up, and the family quickly ate a simple breakfast, opened the courtyard doors, and began eagerly awaiting the people from the palace to arrive.
The waiting time was unbearable, and Lian Changhe felt restless and began pacing back and forth, eventually sending Lian Wanzhen to wait at the end of the street.
Finally, Lian Wanzhen’s voice shouted from outside the courtyard: “They’ve arrived, they’ve arrived, Parents, they’re here.”
The sound of carriage wheels rolled from outside, and Lian Changhe and others happily went to welcome and officially embarked on the journey to the palace.
In Canglan Court, Zhang Qing led people to move the things Lian Hua had prepared to Star Palace.
Meanwhile, Lian Hua had already gone to Star Palace with the Emperor because she couldn’t stay still. Having risen early, she ate breakfast early, then started urging Xiao Qing to comb her hair and change her clothes, asking every now and then what Shichen it was, if the people had arrived.
In the end, she was so impatient that she suddenly remembered the meeting wasn’t at Canglan Court, and the Harem wasn’t somewhere one could enter at will, so waiting there was useless.
If the people arrived, and the message was passed along, by the time she hurried over, who knows how long it would have taken, wasting an hour in the process.
In the palace, unlike visiting outside, you couldn’t stay as long as you wanted, no matter how pleasant the stay, and certainly couldn’t stay overnight.
When she met her elder brother, it was only for a short period, and they hadn’t said much before he had to leave.
Thinking this, she became even more restless and couldn’t help but glance at the Emperor, who sat reading calmly.
She rolled her eyes thoughtfully, then began to pace before the Emperor, occasionally asking:
“Majesty, what book are you reading?”
“Is it enjoyable?”
“Have you finished it?”
“Huh, is this page very difficult? Majesty, you were already on this page earlier.”
After circling around the Emperor, Lian Hua fired off four or five questions. Upon seeing the contents of the Emperor’s book, she couldn’t help but voice her curiosity, realizing she had accidentally glanced at this very page earlier in her wait.
The book was quite thick. If His Majesty continued at this pace, how long would it take to finish the book, and when would they set off? Lian Hua was very concerned.