"Sir!"
Meng Ruyi heard a helpless sigh from behind. Immediately afterwards, someone said to her, "If the sir is really interested, we can still discuss the price."
Just as expected.
Meng Ruyi stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at him, and said gently, "Then according to the shop owner, how much silver would be a suitable price for this dagger?"
The man was rather reluctant. He stepped forward with the dagger in his hand, held it in his palm, and said to Meng Ruyi, "Sir, why don't you take another look?"
Meng Ruyi took the dagger from his hand.
It was really beautiful. It felt heavy in the hand but had an excellent texture, being cold and sharp.
Meng Ruyi examined the dagger carefully bit by bit, thinking of a way in her mind.
However, Tang Xiyi's eyes slightly paused. His gaze couldn't help but linger on Meng Ruyi's fair earlobes for a moment.
There were a pair of tiny ear - holes there.
"It's really good," Meng Ruyi looked up at Tang Xiyi. Seeing him staring fixedly at her, she felt a bit strange in her heart. But still, she patiently asked, "How about 350 taels of silver?"
"This dagger is rare, but the material has a slight flaw, which is hidden at the end of the handle," Meng Ruyi said. She picked up the end of the dagger and showed it to Tang Xiyi, then pointed to the wolf's head and said, "If I'm not mistaken, there might have been a small mistake during the forging of this dagger. Fortunately, the craftsman was skillful and managed to make a temporary remedy."
"Although it's a defective product, it benefits from the craftsman's ingenuity and the rarity of the material. I'm willing to pay 350 taels of silver to buy it. It's just to make an acquaintance with the shop owner."
Meng Ruyi smiled, put the dagger back in her palm, and returned it to Tang Xiyi. She asked, "I wonder if the shop owner would agree?"
I don't know where this little girl came from. She was really glib - tongued and bold. She actually went out on the street dressed in men's clothing and was well - versed in bargaining. A dagger made of high - quality iron material was instantly described as a defective product by her.
Now this little girl had the upper hand.
Seeing Meng Ruyi holding the dagger and looking at him with a beaming smile on her face, Tang Xiyi somehow found it quite amusing in his heart. So he said to her, "Sir, you really have a good eloquence."
He reached out his hand to take the dagger from Meng Ruyi. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Then let's consider it making a good connection."
"Shopkeeper, wrap up this dagger."
Tang Xiyi smiled and handed the dagger to the shopkeeper who was standing respectfully on one side. He whispered a few words in his ear, then looked up and said, "I wonder what the sir's surname is. I'm Tang Xiyi, the owner of this shop."
"My surname is Meng." Meng Ruyi thought about the price of the dagger and felt a bit pained. But she didn't dare to bargain too hard with the male protagonist all at once and let him take notice of her.
It was just that this dagger was really good. Song Huaizhi would surely like it.
After that, as if noticing Meng Ruyi's evasiveness, Tang Xiyi didn't say much more. He bid farewell to her, saying that there were still things to do in the shop.
After receiving the dagger, Meng Ruyi directly planned to return to the inn to give Song Huaizhi a surprise.
...
In the elegant private room of the teahouse.
The sound of the qin and xiao came from downstairs. A man pushed open the door and broke the silence in the room.
"I've long admired your name," Tang Xiyi bowed to Song Huaizhi who had stood up. He apologized, "There was a small incident in the shop just now. I dealt with it and accidentally came late. I hope the sir will forgive me."
Thinking of that Miss Meng just now, Tang Xiyi fell into deep thought.
"It's okay," Song Huaizhi's expression was cold. He said to Tang Xiyi, "I wonder what business you have when you come here, Mr. Tang?"
"Mr. Song is joking. You're really making me feel flattered. I, Tang, only have a little property. Mr. Song doesn't need to be so polite to me."
Song Huaizhi didn't say a word and continued to wait for him to go on.
Tang Xiyi, the eldest legitimate son of the royal merchant Tang family, had started to take over the Tang family's business two years ago. He was a complete smiling tiger.
Now he suddenly came to him. He must have some intentions. It was just that Song Huaizhi didn't know what he wanted from him.
"Mr. Song is really as smart as the rumors say," Tang Xiyi sighed and said to him, "Then I'll just come straight to the point."
"Although Mr. Song has always stayed in that small town, many families in the capital have heard of your name long ago. Mr. Song is erudite and is a disciple of Mr. Lin. Moreover, there has emerged a Meng family in the southwest region in recent years. It is rumored that this family is related to Mr. Song. I think you must have contributed to it."
Hearing about the Meng family, the nonchalance on Song Huaizhi's face disappeared. He slightly raised his head to look at Tang Xiyi. His face turned a bit cold and his eyes were obscure.
"So I'd like to seek Mr. Song's help."
"What can I do for you?" Song Huaizhi sneered secretly. He reached out his hand to pick up the teacup, took a sip, and then continued, "The Tang family is extremely wealthy. Mr. Tang is overestimating me."
Song Huaizhi was a bit annoyed with him.
He rarely interacted with this person before. He didn't know what wind had blown this trouble to his doorstep this time. As early as last month, he didn't know where Tang Xiyi got the news from. He sent a letter saying that he wanted to visit him.
Song Huaizhi always speculated about the intentions of the people in the capital with the greatest malice. Obviously, Tang Xiyi was one of them.
Tang Xiyi gritted his teeth. For a rare moment, a look of unease appeared on his face. His Adam's apple rolled slightly, but his eyes were still slightly red. "Sorry."
"To be honest, this matter is related to the noble concubine."
"Concubine Tang?"
"Exactly," a look of indignation appeared on Tang Xiyi's face. He said to Song Huaizhi, "My elder sister is Concubine Tang. For some unknown reason in the past few months, after the southern border envoys left the capital, she suddenly seemed to be poisoned by a Gu."
"So I've come here specifically to look for medicine, thinking that I might be able to find a solution from Mr. Song."
Gu poison?
Song Huaizhi frowned and began to weigh whether it was worth his while to take action.
But Tang Xiyi thought he was worried about something else, so he quickly added, "If it doesn't work, our Tang family will surely treat Mr. Song as an honored guest. We will never neglect you."
Song Huaizhi's expression remained unchanged.
Tang Xiyi's eyes were slightly red. His gaze towards Song Huaizhi was full of hope.
It was very strange.
Song Huaizhi felt a sense of disharmony about the grief shown by Tang Xiyi. There was a faint uneasiness in his heart.
Concubine Tang was just the daughter of the previous mistress of the Tang family. She was only Tang Xiyi's half - sister. Would the profit - oriented Tang Xiyi really show his emotions like this for her?
Song Huaizhi slightly touched the brocade pouch on his waist.
...
Meng Ruyi returned to the inn but was told that Song Huaizhi hadn't come back yet. So she could only return to her room regretfully with the dagger box in her arms.
She sat down and couldn't help but open the box. She saw that there was also a small jade pendant beside the dagger, and there was a note next to it.
She unfolded it ——
[I've long admired Miss Meng's name. I have no ill intentions. This jade pendant is the private seal of the Tang family. I hope the miss will accept the jade pendant and make a good connection with the Tang family.]
Meng Ruyi: "??????"
She couldn't help but turn her head and ask Jingzhe, "Was my men's clothing disguise such a failure today?"
Jingzhe recalled her words and deeds and hesitated, "Miss, you've already done a very good job."
Terrible. This Tang Xiyi was really not an easy person to deal with.
But now he was showing her goodwill. She wondered if he had some plot?