Chapter 51: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part 8)
Cities near the border naturally couldn’t compare to the prosperity of the capital; there weren’t as many things that caught the eye.
Xiang Yinnian walked around the jewelry shop and didn’t see anything eye-catching.
Xiao Ji was the Empress’s legitimate daughter; what good things hadn’t he seen? Ordinary gold, silver, and jade artifacts would likely fail to please him.
But since Xiang Yinnian was already here, walking out empty-handed felt unsatisfying.
Just then, a lady brought two maids into the jewelry shop. Judging by her attire, if she wasn’t the daughter of a local official, she must be the young lady of a wealthy merchant family.
As soon as the lady entered, the shopkeeper, who had previously ignored Xiang Yinnian, immediately welcomed her with a beaming smile.
“Miss Zhao, you’ve come just in time. The hairpin you ordered was just crafted by the master yesterday. Let me get it for you to see.”
Miss Zhao nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”
“No trouble, no trouble, it is my duty.” The shopkeeper took out a rosewood box from a locked cabinet and placed it before Miss Zhao. “Please take a look.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yinnian also leaned over from a distance, stretching his neck to look into the box.
The shopkeeper opened the box. Inside lay a wooden hairpin.
Xiang Yinnian was greatly disappointed. Just as he was about to leave, he couldn’t help but look closer.
He saw that carved upon the seemingly ordinary, slender rosewood hairpin was clearly an image of a Phoenix in Flight.
Now, Xiang Yinnian was somewhat surprised. He asked:
“Miss, could you lend this hairpin to me for a look?”
Miss Zhao turned her head and assessed Xiang Yinnian discreetly. Northern Border Black Cavalry armor—barring any surprises, he was a soldier of the seventeen cities.
Nearing the cities of the Northern Border, no one was willing to provoke these people.
Miss Zhao didn’t speak to Xiang Yinnian; she only lowered her eyes and let the shopkeeper hand the hairpin to him.
The shopkeeper padded it with a handkerchief and took the wooden hairpin out, handing it to Xiang Yinnian with both hands.
Xiang Yinnian took the hairpin and examined it carefully. The carving was exquisite and lifelike; the down on the phoenix’s tail feathers seemed to be swaying gently.
He studied the wooden hairpin for a moment and said to the shopkeeper:
“With this craftsmanship, even the masters in the Imperial Palace would likely sigh in inferiority. Does the shop have any other items made by this master?”
The shopkeeper exclaimed, saying proudly, “Naturally. The master in my shop has quite the background. The jewelry he made in his early years was hard to buy even for a thousand gold.”
Then, he added somewhat helplessly, “It is a pity he is old now. Just this one hairpin took over a month to carve. It can be considered his final work.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yinnian immediately said to Miss Zhao, “Miss, could you part with this treasure? I am willing to pay a high price.”
Miss Zhao paused. “Sir, please forgive me. This hairpin is a birthday gift my mother prepared for an elder. It is likely inconvenient.”
Xiang Yinnian raised a brow. “Your own elder?”
Miss Zhao shook her head. “A friend.”
From the moment Xiang Yinnian took a fancy to this hairpin, he had been subtly sizing up this Miss Zhao. She wore smoky silk, gold and jade on her head, and the jadeite bracelet on her wrist was of excellent quality.
Outside the jewelry shop stood a soft sedan chair with four bearers dressed as pages waiting at the door. Not overly ostentatious, but obviously with no intention of hiding her identity.
He had said his piece and didn’t ask further. Returning the wooden hairpin to Miss Zhao, he watched her leave before fishing a large ingot of silver from his chest and slamming it down in front of the shopkeeper.
“Not buying anything. Just asking you something.”
Seeing the silver, the shopkeeper immediately beamed. “Officer, please ask. This lowly one will say everything he knows.”
Xiang Yinnian asked, “This Miss Zhao, which family’s daughter is she?”
“County Magistrate Zhao’s only daughter.”
It wasn’t a secret; the shopkeeper spoke very bluntly. “She reached coming-of-age three years ago but hasn’t married yet. An engagement was set in earlier years…”
“Didn’t ask you that,” Xiang Yinnian interrupted the shopkeeper. “Do you know whose elder Magistrate Zhao wants to celebrate a birthday for?”
News in the marketplace was fast. If a prominent family was having a birthday, it would be known to everyone long in advance.
“The wife of Prefect Xu of Shaobei. With the Northern Border’s power growing these years, those officials are all very sensible. Being right next to the seventeen cities, trying to curry favor with the Imperial Court is less effective than currying favor with the Beichen Wang’s subordinates.”
The shopkeeper had seen Xiang Yinnian’s Black Cavalry armor early on. Though these words were somewhat flattering, they were the truth.
Xiang Yinnian understood. Although Prefect Xu was sent by the Emperor, the tribute he paid to the Beichen Wang’s manor over the years was much more than what he gave to the Imperial City. He could be considered sensible.
To put it plainly, going around in circles, it was still that Magistrate named Zhao wanting to climb the high branch of his Northern Border.
This made things much simpler.
Xiang Yinnian came out of the jewelry shop empty-handed. He dug around in his chest for a long time but pulled out nothing, so he had to ask Lin Heng:
“Do you have a token for entering and exiting my manor?”
Hearing this, Lin Heng fished out a jade token carved with the character 【North】 from his waist. “Of course I do.”
Xiang Yinnian took the token and tossed it casually to a soldier behind him.
“Make a trip to Magistrate Zhao’s residence. Exchange that wooden hairpin his daughter took back today. Say that Lin Heng agrees to owe their family a favor.”
Lin Heng gasped. “Master, then what will I use to enter the Prince’s manor later?”
Xiang Yinnian looked at him like he was looking at an idiot, raised his hand, and slapped the back of his neck.
“From the day you ran around bare-assed, I haven’t seen you use a token to enter the manor. Keeping it is a waste. Exchanging it for a hairpin for the Wangfei is your honor. What do you have to pick at?”
Lin Heng said “Oh,” then, “Alright then.”
He paused, somewhat puzzled. “Master, I see you are quite attentive to that Ninth Princess. Is this appropriate?”
Everyone knew that the Emperor’s princesses, coming to the Northern Border, mostly carried Imperial orders and selfish motives. It was hard for them to be of one heart with the Northern Border. Marrying one back was just for show; not only useless but requiring constant vigilance.
Moreover, everyone knew that another female Vice General under Xiang Yinnian, Yu Qing, was infatuated with him. She was devoted, willing to charge into battle for him, risking her life.
Unfortunately, Xiang Yinnian was blind. Let alone having any affection for Yu Qing, he often forgot that Yu Qing was originally a woman, calling her ‘big brother’ all the time.
Since Xiang Yinnian agreed to marry the Royal Princess, not a single person in the Northern Border was happy.
Hearing this, Xiang Yinnian glanced at Lin Heng. “Inappropriate? If I’m not attentive to my own wife, should I be attentive to yours?”
Lin Heng curled his lip. “I’m not marrying. I won’t be able to pass the old man’s test at home. If I’m forced to marry and you take a fancy to her, feel free to take her to your own manor to raise.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yinnian gave him another slap.
“You bastard. Even you don’t want the goods, yet you dare try to stuff them onto me? I think you’re tired of living.”
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