Chapter 728: Have to Buy It, No Matter How Expensive

Li Mu knew Zhan Chi and Dean Chen had once been on good terms. Rushing into the city like that, he had most likely gone to find the dean. Otherwise, why would Zhan Chi have come to Nanyuan at all?

There was no way Beili would officially celebrate Chen Rentian’s birthday, and as a General of Beili, Zhan Chi couldn’t either.

"Go and bring him back."

"Yes."

"Wait."

"What are your orders, Lord Li?"

"Never mind. Come with me. We’ll browse the major shops in the city and see if we can find anything worthwhile." Li Mu rose, straightened his robes, and walked out the door.

The Guard Commander hurried to follow.

Within Dayu City, nearly everyone knew that Elder Chen and Old Prince Feng shared the same birthday. The Xi Yan trading house had also received two invitations and, after some consideration, decided to prioritize the royal family.

The envoy from the East Shu trading house, however, only received an invitation from Old Prince Feng, not one for Elder Chen’s celebration. Everyone else in the city, from imperial princes and nobles down to the humble merchant representatives, had received an invitation from Elder Chen.

East Shu was the sole exception. Their envoy even sneered at the situation. ’So arrogant for a man with no country.’

East Shu had no interest in celebrating some old man’s birthday anyway.

The city streets were bustling. With invitations in hand, everyone naturally needed to prepare birthday gifts, so all the jade and antique shops were packed to the rafters.

Ye Qianning strolled through the city for a long time. Every antique shop was overflowing with customers. A great deal of merchandise had been sold; after all, no one would buy cheap trinkets as a gift for the Old Prince’s birthday.

So, she had instructed Old Man Qian to inform all the shopkeepers to triple the price of every high-end item. This left those shopping for birthday gifts looking grim, but they had no choice but to pay the exorbitant prices.

Old Prince Feng’s birthday was only a few days away, and the nearest city was a journey of several days. Even if one could rush there and back in time, the surrounding cities had no antique shops to speak of.

To attend Old Prince Feng’s banquet, one had to buy a gift, no matter the cost.

Ye Qianning strolled down a few more streets, feeling quite satisfied. ’Thanks to Old Prince Feng’s birthday banquet, Dayu City’s antiques are about to be completely sold out. Gu Shuo is going to make a killing.’

Moreover, she had taken over a dozen priceless items from her personal storage space and distributed them among the shops to serve as their crown jewels, each priced at over one hundred thousand taels of Gold.

’The wealthy, the sycophants, and the show-offs—they won’t be able to resist. When there’s an opportunity to fleece them, you have to take it.’

"Sister Ye!"

Ye Qianning looked up to see Jiang Yue waving at her joyfully from a short distance away.

"Sister Ye, what a coincidence!" Jiang Yue exclaimed, running over through the crowd.

"Yes, it is."

"Sister Ye, did you see your father yesterday?" Jiang Yue asked.

"How do you know about my father?" Ye Qianning asked, curious.

"Yesterday, outside the city! Your father beat up members of the Huo family. He was so imposing, it was terrifying." Even now, the memory of the black-robed figures from the day before made Jiang Yue shudder.

Ye Qianning grew even more confused. "Why would my father attack them?"

’Yesterday, Dad probably didn’t even know I was in Dayu City.’

"It was that Huo Liran! She has such a filthy mouth. She was walking along, cursing you out, and your father happened to overhear."

...

’That sounds exactly like something Huo Liran would do.’

"Miss Ye." Jiang Chenyi approached from behind them.

Ye Qianning nodded in acknowledgment.

"Dayu City is so lively! Sister Ye, let’s look around together," Jiang Yue said cheerfully.

"I can’t. I still need to buy something."

"What are you buying, Sister Ye?"

"A birthday gift."

"You received an invitation too, Sister Ye?" Jiang Yue asked, surprised. But then she remembered how impressive Ye Qianning’s father had been the day before. "Then again, it’s obvious you’re no ordinary person, Sister Ye. Of course you’d get an invitation. We weren’t so lucky."

"Did you also receive two invitations, Miss Ye?" Jiang Chenyi asked. Since entering the city, he’d heard many people talking about receiving two.

"Just one. For Elder Chen’s birthday banquet."

"An invitation for Elder Chen’s birthday? Oh, that’s perfect! My brother said he deeply admires Elder Chen and was hoping to pay him a visit. He needs to choose a gift, too. Why don’t we all go together?" Jiang Yue’s face lit up again.

Ye Qianning considered it for a moment, but before she could answer, Jiang Yue had already linked arms with her and was pulling her forward.

"Come on, Sister Ye, let’s go! Since we’re both getting gifts for Elder Chen, it’ll be better if we choose together."

Ye Qianning sighed in resignation. "Alright."

Jiang Chenyi had felt a pang of disappointment when she initially refused. But now, seeing his sister cling to her until she agreed, a flash of delight crossed his face. He quickened his pace to catch up. "I’m so sorry, Miss Ye. My sister can be a handful."

"It’s no trouble. I needed to buy something anyway," Ye Qianning said with a smile.

"Do you know Elder Chen, Miss Ye?" Jiang Chenyi asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes. When I was a child, I accompanied my father to Lou Mountain Academy and met him a few times."

"You went to Lou Mountain Academy as a child, Miss Ye?" Jiang Chenyi’s eyes lit up. "I’ve heard it’s the most prestigious center of learning in the four nations. No wonder you have such an extraordinary air about you, Miss Ye."

"You’re too kind, Young Master Jiang."

"When my brother was little, his dream was to attend Lou Mountain Academy," Jiang Yue said, shooting a glance at her older brother.

"As long as your academics were outstanding and you didn’t miss the entrance exam, it was quite easy to get into Lou Mountain." Back in the day, Lou Mountain Academy had admitted students based on merit.

"My brother has always been an excellent student; he definitely would have passed the exams. But later, when our father offered to send him to Lou Mountain, he didn’t want to go anymore and enrolled in Nanyuan College instead."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because Dean Chen had left the academy. And then, not two years later it seems, the royal family drove out the rest of the teachers as well. Lou Mountain Academy has been renamed the Royal Academy now, and its reputation for scholarship has plummeted. Who would want to go there anymore?"

’I hadn’t known that the teachers had been driven out as well. Lou Mountain Academy was my master’s life’s work. For the Beili Emperor to turn it into a Royal Academy... how shameless!’

"Yue’er, don’t speak so carelessly," Jiang Chenyi chided.

"I’m not being careless! I heard you talking with Father back then. You were the one who said you wanted to go to Lou Mountain Academy out of respect for Elder Chen’s wisdom, and that there was no point in going after he left." Jiang Yue tilted her head, teasing him. "Didn’t you say that? Huh? Admit it, that’s what you said."

Jiang Chenyi shot her a glare. "Miss Ye, please don’t listen to her nonsense."

Ye Qianning simply smiled and added a word of praise, "Elder Chen’s knowledge is indeed profound."

"Indeed. I read his books often when I was young and benefited greatly from them."

"So, what are you thinking of buying, Young Master Jiang?"

"Well, I’m at a loss. Elder Chen is a man of great prestige and virtue. Most books or works of calligraphy aren’t fine enough to be presentable, yet gifts of gold, silver, or porcelain seem too vulgar. I’ve been wandering all day and still haven’t found anything suitable. What do you plan on giving, Miss Ye?"

"The Four Treasures of the Study."

"An excellent choice."

Seeing how troubled he was, Ye Qianning added, "Young Master Jiang, don’t worry so much about the gift. Elder Chen values the person, not the present."

Jiang Chenyi nodded slightly. "Thank you for the advice, Miss Ye."

"Sister Ye, look! There’s a big crowd up ahead. Come on, let’s go see what’s happening!"

A noisy crowd was packed around the entrance of Jisheng Hall. Inside the shop, two groups of people were arguing, their faces flushed and voices raised in a heated debate.