Chapter 132

After chatting a while longer with the shocked Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong, Zhang Jie said goodbye and left.

Today's shock was too great; they needed enough time and space to digest it.

"Young Master, there is a letter for you."

As soon as Zhang Jie returned to the small courtyard where he was staying at the Great Xiangguo Temple, Wu Song came to report.

Well, although Zhang Jie and Li Gang had no intention of moving out even after the palace examination, having a great intention to live here for a long time,

the elders and abbots of the Great Xiangguo Temple not only didn't come forward to drive them away,

but instead raised the treatment of Zhang Jie and Li Gang by another level.

A Jinshi and a third-place finisher!

As long as this news spread, not to mention the entire Great Xiangguo Temple,

at the very least, their reputation for the business of hosting guests would rise several more floors.

Fame and profit, fame and profit; once you have fame, are you afraid of not having profit?

So the elders were happy to see Zhang Jie and the others continue to live there and provided a lot of convenience for this.

And Zhang Jie and Li Gang were also happy to freeload, intending to live at the Great Xiangguo Temple until they left Bianliang.

Zhang Jie: Freeloading makes me happy~

"A letter?"

Zhang Jie took the letter from Wu Song's hand.

Then, with his keen sense of smell, he smelled a very familiar fragrance.

"Heh, it must be from Qingzhao."

Without Wu Song's explanation, Zhang Jie guessed the source of the letter at once.

Since he received a letter from Li Gefei's mansion after the preliminary examination ended,

the exchange of letters between them had not stopped during this period.

Although the name of Li Gefei had always been used on that side,

as the content of the conversation shifted from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to poetry, songs, and antiques,

how could he not know who the true owner of the letters was.

And the clever Li Qingzhao probably also knew that Zhang Jie had guessed it was her,

but she had never pointed it out, and the two had always communicated like this, which was quite harmonious.

Rip.

Zhang Jie peeled off the wax seal, took out the letter paper, and after opening it, found only a few words on it:

The moon is above the willow branches.

And the affairs between Liu Yong, also known as Liu Sanbian, and many beauties are still celebrated to this day.

Looking at these five words, Zhang Jie couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Yuan'er, do you think Zhang Lang can understand my heart?"

At the Li mansion, Li Qingzhao, who had personally sent the letter, was feeling a bit anxious.

Yuan'er, who was standing by, rolled her eyes secretly:

Her young lady was usually in control of everything,

but whenever someone was involved, she became flustered.

Could this be the legendary love that makes a person's IQ drop?

She comforted her softly: "Young lady, you are worrying too much.

With the young master's literary attainments, how could he not understand your hint?"

"That's true, he is a good man who placed third in the imperial examination."

Li Qingzhao, thinking of Zhang Jie winning the third-place crown in the palace examination, nodded her head in deep agreement.

At the same time, the anxiety in her heart dissipated a little.

"Yuan'er, which dress do you think I should wear?"

The next second, Li Qingzhao fell into trouble again.

She had just tried on several dresses but always felt a bit dissatisfied.

"Hee hee!"

Yuan'er, like a happy lark, laughed and said:

"Young lady, you are naturally beautiful; no matter what you wear, you are so pretty, the young master will definitely like it."

"Mm, this one it is."

Finally, Li Qingzhao picked and chose and finally settled on a set of clothing.

"Young lady, let me help you."

Yuan'er earnestly fulfilled her duties as a maid and began to look for various matching decorations.

After a while, the beautiful person was dressing in front of the mirror, more beautiful than the flowers...

In the evening, Zhang Jie, who had changed into white clothes, walked towards the Li mansion with light steps.

"Young Master Zhang, would you like me to inform the master?"

The doorman greeted Zhang Jie very skillfully: during this period,

Zhang Jie's name was almost about to form calluses in their ears.

And if there were no accidents, this former Young Master Zhang,

now the little Third-Place Zhang, would soon become one family with them.

Zhang Jie shook his head slightly: "No need, I'm here waiting for someone."

"Then please come and wait here."

The doorman enthusiastically invited Zhang Jie to wait in the small room where he was on duty.

Zhang Jie was about to agree, but saw a beautiful figure enter his line of sight,

and he couldn't help but smile: "No need, the person I'm waiting for has arrived."

The next line after "The moon is above the willow branches" is "We meet after dusk," which is a subtle expression of affection in poetry.

The doorman looked in the direction of Zhang Jie's gaze and instantly understood what was going on:

"Young Master Zhang, I will take my leave."

After saying this, he turned into a corner and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Jie, watching him leave so quickly, could only sigh,

that people who can make a living in high-ranking families are truly skilled.

"Breath, breath."

The beautiful person was panting slightly because she had run too fast.

Walking to Zhang Jie's side, she smiled brightly and said softly with some apology:

"Sorry, I'm late."

Zhang Jie waved his hand nonchalantly:

"I just arrived too; you arrived just in time."

The beautiful person lifted her skirt slightly and introduced herself formally:

"Li Qingzhao has met Brother Zhang."

Zhang Jie also introduced himself formally: "Zhang Renjie has met Sister Qingzhao."

"Pfft!"

Li Qingzhao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

People who didn't know would think they were strangers meeting for the first time!

But in reality, they had been writing to each other for quite a while and knew each other very well.

"Shall we go for a stroll?"

Zhang Jie thought for a moment and suggested.

Although he hadn't flirted much in this life, his knowledge from his previous life told him that

when you don't know what to take a girl to do,

the three-piece set of strolling, shopping, and watching a movie is never wrong.

Although the Great Song didn't have movies, the commodity economy of Bianliang was very developed,

and goods from countries like the Great Song, Great Liao, Dali, and Western Xia were collected and distributed here.

Although the Great Song used a curfew policy at its founding,

the curfew system was completely abolished after the middle period, and urban nighttime activities were active.

The most typical representative of this was Bianliang, where night markets lasted all night,

and restaurants, teahouses, and night markets were everywhere, such as performances in entertainment districts, fortune-telling,

and night tours were prevalent, and it was even known as the "City That Never Sleeps."

"Okay."

Li Qingzhao smiled beautifully and agreed happily.

'Young lady, come on!'

She turned her head slightly and saw Yuan'er hiding in the corner cheering her on.

Zhang Jie and Li Qingzhao walked through Bianliang, passing through the Imperial Street, the central street of Bianliang,

and passing through the very prosperous Zhou Bridge, located at the intersection of the Imperial Street and the Bian River,

where snack vendors and entertainment activities were endless.

As they walked further along the streets, the distance between the two became closer and closer.

A jewelry store owner, seeing the handsome man and beautiful woman, Zhang Jie and his companion, who could be called a perfect match, had his eyes light up:

'What a pair of jade people!'

Then, his eyes rolled, and he knew business had come to his door:

In front of a woman, even the stingiest man will become generous.

He immediately began to solicit business, chuckling:

"Young master, buy some hairpins and pearls for your fiancée."

'Fiancée?'

Li Qingzhao's cheeks flushed red upon hearing this, and she felt a bit embarrassed.

Although she and Zhang Jie were in love, they hadn't officially concluded a marriage contract and couldn't be considered an engaged couple.

Zhang Jie, however, smiled slightly, took her slightly cold little hand, and asked loudly:

"Boss, is your jewelry complete?"

"Oh my!"

Li Qingzhao, who was suddenly ambushed by Zhang Jie's large hand, exclaimed,

but didn't struggle, obviously she had already prepared herself mentally.

"Haha! Young master, you've come to the right place.

My shop has hair clips, head flowers, hair combs, hairpins, hair ties, earrings, and ear pendants, all available!"

The shopkeeper had the air that even if the guest wanted the stars in the sky, his shop would have them.

"Shall we go in and look around?"

Zhang Jie asked softly.

"Mm."

Li Qingzhao nodded her head generously.

"Please come in, the two of you!"

The boss, knowing business had arrived, led the way with a chuckle.

Zhang Jie looked around and found that although the shop was not big, the layout was reasonable and not messy at all.

Especially since even though it was very noisy outside, it was much quieter inside, which had a very good effect of finding peace in the midst of noise.

Obviously, the person who designed this small shop must be an expert who understood the direction of Feng Shui.

"Do you like this hairpin?"

Zhang Jie took a fancy to a hairpin shaped like a lotus flower at a glance.

This hairpin would surely complement the beautiful Li Qingzhao.

"I like it very much."

Li Qingzhao was not pretentious but admitted it generously.

"Young master, young lady, please look."

The boss, who was very observant, immediately took the hairpin out of the cabinet.

"Come, let me put it on for you," Zhang Jie said softly.

"Mm."

Li Qingzhao, with her cheeks flushed, lowered her head slightly.

Zhang Jie took the hairpin and inserted it in a suitable position.

"How is it? Does it look good?"

Li Qingzhao asked with some trepidation.

"The hairpin is beautiful, but the person is even more beautiful,"

Zhang Jie praised from the bottom of his heart.

"Hee hee."

Li Qingzhao, being praised so directly by her beloved, blushed even more.

"Boss, how much?"

Zhang Jie, deciding to buy this hairpin, began to ask for the price.

"Easy to talk about, easy to talk about."

The boss's face was full of smiles: "This hairpin is only one hundred guan!"

"So expensive!"

Li Qingzhao was shocked.

Even though she didn't manage the family's finances much, she knew that one hundred guan was a large sum of money.

Her father's annual salary was only three or four hundred guan.

Facing the questioning, the boss still explained with a smile:

"The gemstone on this hairpin comes from the Western Regions ten thousand miles away,

and it was then crafted by a famous master over several months; this one hundred guan is absolutely worth more than the price."

"Renjie, let's not buy it."

Li Qingzhao lifted her hand slightly and was about to take off the hairpin to return it to the boss.

The boss's smile froze upon hearing this: Why didn't they play according to the routine?

As the saying goes, ask for a sky-high price and pay back on the ground; he asked for such a high price,

just to give Zhang Jie and the others room to bargain!

If all customers were as direct as Li Qingzhao, how could his business continue?

"Let me handle it."

Zhang Jie stopped Li Qingzhao with a smile.

The boss's suspended heart finally relaxed a little:

Things were finally back on track!

Zhang Jie thought for a moment and had a judgment on the actual value of this hairpin:

"Boss, it is true that this gemstone comes from the Western Regions ten thousand miles away, and it was also crafted by a master,

but it should only be a low-grade piece of jewelry used by the master to practice his skills."

'Looks like I've met an expert!'

Seeing Zhang Jie recount the origin of the jewelry and so on,

how could the boss not know he had met an expert.

'Looks like I won't be able to slaughter a fat sheep today.'

A trace of regret flashed across the boss's face.

He then showed an expression of extreme pain:

"Since this young master is so knowledgeable, I won't speak in riddles.

How about this, you and I each take a step back, and I'll give you a 50% discount, how about that?"

"No, no."

Zhang Jie held up two fingers: "I'll only give you twenty guan.

If you don't sell it, we won't buy it."

"Twenty guan?!"

Hearing this quote, the boss looked like he had lost a close relative.

From one hundred guan to twenty guan, this was no longer a question of a discount, this was a direct bone-breaking discount!

The clever Li Qingzhao also saw through the boss's bluff, so she helped:

"Renjie, let's not buy it, let's go."

Saying this, she took off the hairpin from her head and placed it on the counter.

"Okay."

Zhang Jie also seemed to have made up his mind and turned to leave.

Just as they were about to step out of the shop door, the boss's voice sounded, gritting his teeth:

"Twenty guan it is!

Who made me feel so compatible with the two of you?

Today I'll treat it as making a friend at a loss!"

"Pfft."

The boss's humor made Li Qingzhao couldn't help but laugh.

"Here, this is the money."

Zhang Jie turned around and smiled, handing two Jiaozi to the boss.

The boss took the Jiaozi and looked at them carefully, finding the marks and

handwriting on them were clear and distinct, and only then did he nod with satisfaction.

"Young master, your item."

The boss, having received the money, skillfully packed the hairpin into an exquisite wooden box.

"Qingzhao, let's go."

Zhang Jie took the wooden box and left with Li Qingzhao.

"Come back often, you two!"

The boss said goodbye enthusiastically from behind.

Zhang Jie waved his hand in response.

After Zhang Jie and the others were far away, a brilliant smile bloomed on the boss's face,

and he stroked the two Jiaozi in his hand, each worth ten guan of copper coins, with satisfaction, saying triumphantly:

"Didn't expect it, right?

Even with an 80% discount, I can still make at least ten guan!

What is this called?

This is called you might make a profit, but I will never lose!"

Zhang Jie, outside, twitched his ears slightly, taking the boss's triumphant self-talk into his ears,

and he looked at the happy Li Qingzhao beside him, a smile also appearing on his face:

He naturally knew that according to the actual value, this hairpin wasn't worth twenty guan,

and if he had bargained with the boss further, he might have been able to get another discount;

but what was the necessity of that?

He wasn't a person who lacked those few guan of money.

Zhu Wushi, the Iron-Gall God of War in "The World's Number One," had a good saying,

which is that a man can lose anything,

but he absolutely cannot lose his demeanor in front of the woman he loves!