CHAPTER 539: CHAPTER 539 HEARING

Wude Hall and Chengde Hall are not far apart.

The Eldest Prince knows about Consort Li going to Chengde Hall.

The Eldest Prince is even more aware of the Second Prince’s wound reopening and bleeding.

Seeing the Second Prince turning fake into reality, the Eldest Prince’s mood was unprecedentedly good.

But he wasn’t the only one in a good mood.

The mood of Young Master Su’s group was even better.

Shopping is only fun when you have money.

After leaving the palace, they went straight to the rice shop.

They had been in the palace for so long, the shopkeeper of the rice shop was anxious with longing, afraid they wouldn’t come.

After all, selling a parrot for a hundred taels was like hitting the jackpot.

If they missed this opportunity, there might not be another one.

Watching the three small figures appear at the door of the rice shop, the sunlight stretched their shadows long.

The shopkeeper’s face broke into a cheerful smile.

Seeing his smile, the Ninth Prince was startled and said, "He really was waiting for us."

Since the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen had no bargaining skills.

On the way, Young Master Su was giving them an impromptu course on bargaining.

If they entered the rice shop and the shopkeeper ignored them, it meant the parrot was in demand, leaving little room for haggling.

If, as soon as they entered, the shopkeeper came up to them, it meant he considered them easy targets.

It’s not easy to earn money from getting beaten up, so it shouldn’t be spent wastefully.

Although he’d never successfully bargained at Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, Young Master Su was still confident; after all, there weren’t many people as difficult as his father, his mother, and his elder brother.

"A few young customers have arrived," the shopkeeper greeted them with a smile.

The parrot also chimed in, "Gentlemen, come in and play."

Young Master Su walked over to the parrot and asked, "Is that all it can say?"

The shopkeeper looked at the parrot, "Say another sentence."

"Dear customer, what kind of rice would you like to buy?" the parrot squawked.

"Say another one," the Ninth Prince said.

"Gentlemen, come again next time," the parrot replied.

"...."

The shopkeeper looked at Young Master Su, "There’s no other parrot as clever as this one. Did you youngsters rob some silver?"

"Clever as it is, your parrot is quite improper," Young Master Su replied seriously.

The shopkeeper, "...."

If it were a proper parrot, he wouldn’t want to sell it.

This parrot had always stayed at Baihua Building before ending up in his hands.

Influenced by what it heard, it learned how to attract customers without anyone teaching it.

When Baihua Building was closed down, everything inside was sold, and seeing this parrot was good, he spent twenty taels to buy it.

It had been in the rice shop for a long time and only learned a sentence.

Young Master Su showed an expression of disinterest in buying it.

The Ninth Prince suggested, "How about not buying it then?"

Young Master Su nodded lightly.

The three of them turned to leave.

The shopkeeper became anxious.

Having encountered such easy targets, how could he just let them slip away?

"The price can be negotiated," the shopkeeper said.

Young Master Su looked at him and pointed at the parrot, "How much are you willing to sell it for?"

"Eighty taels," the shopkeeper replied.

Young Master Su frowned.

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and then lowered the price to seventy taels.

Young Master Su still felt it was a bit too expensive.

"Fifty taels, will you sell it?" Young Master Shen asked.

The shopkeeper was somewhat unwilling.

Young Master Su and his friends turned to leave.

The shopkeeper’s face was full of pain.

"Alright, alright, I’ll sell it."

Young Master Su handed a thousand tael silver note to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper’s hands felt heavy.

Do these kids carry such large sums of silver notes when they go out?

"Whose family are you from?" the shopkeeper asked.

Young Master Su and Young Master Shen pointed at the Ninth Prince, "His father is the Emperor."

The shopkeeper’s hand shook.

The silver note nearly fell to the ground.

Though frightened, the shopkeeper did not return the silver note.

Such a young prince wasn’t worth currying favor with.

He carefully handed back nine hundred fifty taels to Young Master Su.

Young Master Su carried the parrot out of the rice shop.

Walking down the street, the parrot glanced around, occasionally saying, "Gentlemen, come in and play."

They attracted looks from everyone.

After purchasing the parrot, they also bought a turtle, and Young Master Shen wanted to buy a rabbit.

Seeing this, Young Master Su remarked, "Buy a couple more; I like them stewed in soy sauce."

Young Master Shen, "...."

They passed by Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Prince NanAn and his group, having eaten and drunk their fill, exited the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Chu Shun and his group went their separate ways, while Prince NanAn rode into the palace.

Once in the palace, Prince NanAn headed straight for the Jade Craftsman Workshop.

The Jade Craftsman Workshop.

Even before getting close, the sound of hammering could be heard.

Prince NanAn didn’t go in directly but circled to the back and vaulted over the wall into a small courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with an old locust tree planted there.

Under the old locust tree, a middle-aged man of about forty-two or forty-three was polishing a piece of Jade.

This man was Master Liu.

Prince NanAn quietly walked over, but before he got close, the middle-aged man said, "Top-quality daughter red."

"Prince NanAn hasn’t been in the palace for some time," Master Liu chuckled.

He turned around.

Two jars of daughter red wine flew towards him.

Master Liu reached out and caught them.

He placed one jar by his foot, took off the lid of the other, and took a hearty sip.

Master Liu sighed with satisfaction, "I’ve been waiting every day for this sip."

"What brings the Prince to me today?" Master Liu asked with a smile.

Prince NanAn handed a brocade box to Master Liu and said, "Help me polish a Jade Pendant identical to this one."

Master Liu put down the wine jar and reached out to take the brocade box.

He opened the box and, at a glance, his eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"This Jade Pendant..."

He stopped abruptly.

After just one sip of wine, he almost let something slip.

Prince NanAn looked at him, "What’s wrong with this Jade Pendant?"

Master Liu shook his head repeatedly, "It’s nothing, nothing."

Repeating "nothing" twice, it certainly wasn’t nothing.

Prince NanAn looked incredulous.

This Jade Pendant belongs to Young Master Zhao, and Master Liu recognized it, which is obviously problematic.

Prince NanAn kept pressing for answers.

...

Fengyang Palace.

Princess Shouning was still grappling with the palace rules.

Palace maids and eunuchs could recite them by heart, but she could barely recite half.

The palace maid was reading aloud the rules.

Princess Shouning lay on an Imperial Concubine’s Couch, covering her ears with her hands.

If she didn’t protect her ears, they might grow calluses from this.

Outside, a little eunuch rushed in and said, "Princess, Princess, Prince NanAn has entered the palace."

"Don’t shout, the Princess has her ears covered and can’t hear," the palace maid said loudly.

"Who says I can’t hear?!" Princess Shouning glared.

"I can hear!"

The palace maid covered her mouth, laughing.

Princess Shouning blushed.

She quickly sat up and looked at the little eunuch, "Prince NanAn really entered the palace?"

"He really did," the little eunuch nodded swiftly.

"He went to the Jade Craftsman Workshop and sneaked into Master Liu’s courtyard by climbing over the wall. The people tailing him didn’t dare get too close, so they don’t know why he’s in the palace."

No matter the reason, now that Prince NanAn had come to the palace, she couldn’t miss the opportunity.

She really wanted to meet him.

But asking Prince NanAn to come to Fengyang Palace was impossible.

Princess Shouning thought for a moment and said, "Go find Prince NanAn and tell him my Second Imperial Brother has something for him, so he should go to Chengde Hall."