The Eastern Pearl, also known as the pearl produced in the Northeast.
I heard that a batch of new goods has arrived at Treasure Street in Yuhang Prefecture. They are exceptionally large and round, with a bright, lustrous sheen - a rare top-quality find.
Zheng Ruqian immediately abandoned the business at hand and rushed over post-haste.
"Young Master Zheng, slow down, slow down!" Wang Xiaosong puffed as he tailed behind. "Don't forget your current status."
Status? What status?
Zheng Ruqian glanced down at the luxurious silks and satins draped over his body, and remembered that with the help of Little Fifth Brother, he had ascended from a humble Imperial Merchant of lychees to a distinguished one.
Now he represented not just himself, but the Imperial Family's reputation.
Zheng Ruqian coughed twice, immediately halted his steps, and fanned himself leisurely as he strolled on, completely ignoring the strange looks from the commoners on both sides.
As the name suggests, Treasure Street is full of treasures.
At the head of the street lies a bronze sword from a past dynasty, and a imperial spittoon from an even earlier dynasty lies at the end, but for attractiveness, nothing beats the rare find of Eastern Pearls.
A few dynasties ago, Eastern Pearls were not so scarce. After centuries of over-harvesting, the lustrous top-quality pearls had not been seen for years.
Alas, an ill-advised childhood promise to his sister meant that the second young master now had to undertake an arduous journey to fulfill it.
"Ah, Eastern Pearls, now so rare, I hope you do not become an imperial monopoly in the future. In that case, I must stock up for my descendants. They will become family heirlooms," Zheng Ruqian muttered as he elbowed his way eagerly to the front of the stall.
Wang Xiaosong clicked his tongue. "Young master, as you said, if the Eastern Pearl becomes an imperial monopoly, commoners will be executed for possessing it."
"Foolish Xiaosong, that's where you don't understand," Zheng Ruqian said as he rolled up his sleeves. "It may be forbidden to others, but not to me. I have connections!" He was bursting with arrogance, his large eyes gleaming with excitement. Finally squeezing to the front of the stall, before he could crow triumphantly, he heard the vendor say lightly, "Sold out."
Sold...out?
Zheng Ruqian could not believe his ears. Raising his voice, he asked, "I came all the way from Anshui Prefecture! How could you be sold out? Isn't there any left, even one?"
The boss did not even lift his head. "There were only five top-quality pearls due to their rarity. The last two were just purchased by someone."
The world is strange.
When you are poor, it seems everyone is poor - hungry, dressed in coarse cloth and struggling to survive in the mud.
Only when you become rich do you realize there are many wealthy people, with deep pockets buying up things you thought were rare and precious, right before your eyes in the blink of an eye.
Zheng Ruqian was crestfallen, but his unwillingness compelled him to ask, "Boss, who bought the Eastern Pearls? Have they gone far?"
If he was willing to pay extra, perhaps he could buy them back. Even if chances were slim, he could not give up so easily.
To his surprise, the boss lifted his head and pointed to a middle-aged man nearby. "There."
It was he who had bought the Eastern Pearls.
Zheng Ruqian's eyes lit up as he seamlessly shifted into shrewd merchant mode. In the blink of an eye, countless tactics fluttered through his mind - pleading, fervent appeals, even sob stories.
But when he stepped up and called out "Brother!" all other words stuck in his throat as the middle-aged man turned around.
Wang Xiaosong, ever the faithful lackey, was first to goggle his eyes in disbelief, swiveling his head left and right before crying out, "So alike!"
The same bushy brows, big eyes, square face and broad mouth. A taller than average build that looked robust in youth but prone to stoutness with age.
The eighteen-year-old Zheng Ruqian was full of vigor. The middle-aged man before him was plump with fortune, his protruding belly seeming to connect their past and future.
To claim they were unrelated would fool no one.
Apart from looks, there was an inexplicable attraction flowing in their blood, like two hands never joined yet trying to clasp one another.
"You... who are you? Where are you from?" The middle-aged man recovered first, exceptionally shocked.
Zheng Ruqian immediately followed by turning to leave.
"Young Master, Young Master," Wang Xiaosong scurried after him. "Why are you leaving?"
Zheng Ruqian's brows furrowed as he recalled discussions with his siblings at Fengjing Residence about their unknown parents. He mocked himself, "I have no father. I've never met my father. Even if I did, I wouldn't recognize him."
"That's not necessarily true," Chang Yan chimed in. "Second brother's looks are quite unique in Dayu. If he takes after Father, I bet he'd recognize him at a glance."
His words came true.
On a street in Yuhang Prefecture, he really did meet that man.
After he had already become self-reliant, no longer needing parental care.
"Why aren't you leaving? Go, hurry up and go. Go slowly and you'll be asking for trouble," Zheng Ruqian said coldly.
"But Young Master, what about the Eastern Pearl?" Wang Xiaosong scratched his cheek in confusion. "Aren't we getting it anymore?"
The hurriedly retreating youth halted abruptly, his robes billowing forward in the wind behind him.
Ah, that's right, the Eastern Pearl.
It was the promise to his sister, the treasure he had dreamed of since youth. Why did he no longer want it?
He only wanted the Eastern Pearl, nothing more.
Zheng Ruqian repeated this to himself inwardly and slowly turned back to meet the middle-aged man's gaze, both still gasping for breath.
"Is the Eastern Pearl for sale?" he asked woodenly. "I'll pay double the price."
"It's for sale," the man replied similarly. "But I have some questions."
And so Zheng Ruqian went from Treasure Street to sit in the hall of the prominent Ren Family in Yuhang Prefecture.
Every prefecture had great families who became local overlords. The Ren Family was undoubtedly the foremost of Yuhang Prefecture, on par with the Wang Family in Anshui Prefecture.
The middle-aged man before him was none other than Ren Lord, former prefect of Yuhang. His eldest son had already gone to the capital for the imperial examinations, making them a more established scholarly clan than the Wangs.
At this moment, Ren Lord sized up Zheng Ruqian, a mix of emotion, appraisal and probing in his eyes. "What is your full name, where is your family from? Do you still have relatives?"
"Alone in the world," Zheng Ruqian replied, eyes downcast. "How much for the Eastern Pearl?"
"Where are you from? Why have I never seen you in Yuhang Prefecture before?" Ren Lord persisted.
"Anshui Prefecture," Zheng Ruqian said impatiently. "Are you selling the Eastern Pearl or not?"
Ren Lord sank into troubled recollection. Nineteen years ago on a trip through Anshui Prefecture, he had an affair at a certain brothel. He no longer remembered the woman's face, only the startling realization there was still his bloodline out there.
"My good child, could you tell me your date of birth?" he decided on a final probe. "And are you willing to undergo a blood legacy ritual to recognize...."
"I cannot, and I am not willing," Zheng Ruqian cut him off brusquely.
"I came to buy the Eastern Pearl. Sell it or don't sell it." The youth's voice was sullen. "I'm here to conduct business, nothing more."
Ren Lord stood there in shock.
Unable to endure any further, the steward behind him raised his voice. "You should consider yourself lucky to be acknowledged by the Ren Family as an illegitimate son. With the Ren Family's support, the Lord's connections, and the future accomplishments of Eldest Young Master Jiang in court, countless people vie for this fortune to no avail. You should cherish it!"
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