Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 173 Dark Gathering
Changfeng wiped the tears from his face, glanced at Sixth Uncle indifferently, his expression unreadable, and then walked out without a word.
"Changfeng, you really trust those people surnamed Yan so much? We're family!" Uncle Liu shouted, his voice hoarse.

Changfeng didn't even turn his head. Recalling his childhood, a sliver of warmth finally appeared in his heart: "I don't know the truth of the matter, but it was Madam who saved me during the darkest time of my life. I believe in the adults, and I also believe in Madam and Master. They would never do such a thing. It's not that I don't believe you, it's that you don't understand Madam and Master."

After Changfeng finished speaking, his steps seemed lighter, and he walked out quickly, closing the study door behind him.

Uncle Liu felt very complicated. He knew that he and Changfeng were completely estranged. Although he was not a very kind person, Changfeng was, after all, his only blood relative in the world and his hope for his old age. It was all shattered just like that. Perhaps this was retribution.

Mo Yun sneered, drawing a dagger from his boot. Its chilling gleam made Sixth Uncle's face turn deathly pale. He slowly pressed the dagger against Sixth Uncle's neck, his tone icy: "I'm not Changfeng. I'm very hard-hearted! If you tell me a lie, I'll cut you. Don't worry, I'm very skilled. The cut will be thin enough to read the words through it, and you won't die so quickly."

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yun's dagger had already slid down his neck, the sharp blade grazing his rapidly beating Adam's apple before finally stopping at his heaving chest. Mo Yun gently poked Sixth Uncle's chest with the tip of the blade, continuing with a half-smile, "Where should I cut? Where should I start with the first strike?"

Seeing Mo Yun's bluff, Rong Wanyin couldn't help but laugh. She turned away, trying her best to suppress her laughter.

Yan Mingzhang remained expressionless and said solemnly, "You told Changfeng that you did not participate in the assassination, but you actually did. You lied."

Uncle Liu nodded stiffly.

Yan Mingzhang's gaze was piercing as he continued in a deep voice, "You took that jade bottle from the cart loaded with goods. You later sold it. Where did you sell it?"

Uncle Liu's face instantly turned even uglier, and he stammered, "I... I don't remember where I sold it. Who would remember something that happened so long ago?" His eyes darted around nervously, hoping against hope.

Yan Mingzhang's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. He thought to himself, "I guessed right. He really did pawn the jade bottle." On the surface, Yan Mingzhang merely narrowed his eyes slightly, continuing to stare at Sixth Uncle with his cold gaze, waiting for more flaws in his opponent.

Yan Mingzhang pondered: This would narrow down the search area; all he needed to do was go to a pawnshop. However, although the Zhang family lived in Chanzhou at the time, it was possible they hadn't gone there—to avoid suspicion, they might have pawned the jade bottle in another city. But it was most likely near Chanzhou; to avoid attention, they might have even taken it to the black market.

After a moment's thought, Yan Mingzhang squatted down, reached out and took his sixth uncle's pulse, staring intently into his pupils, and calmly said, "You sold the jade bottle to Chanzhou?"

Uncle Liu's expression remained unchanged; he neither shook his head nor nodded, his eyes showing no emotion.

Yan Mingzhang then asked, "That doesn't seem right. So you sold the jade bottle to Daming Prefecture?"

Uncle Liu panicked. Yan Mingzhang was testing him. No, he absolutely couldn't give himself away! Uncle Liu remained calm and didn't respond, as if the other party's guess had nothing to do with him.

Yan Mingzhang continued, "It seems it wasn't Daming Prefecture, so... you sold the jade bottle to Weizhou."

Sixth Uncle looked away, pretending that his thoughts had been guessed. "Still not right. Looks like I need to try a different approach." Yan Mingzhang's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.

Sixth Uncle looked at Yan Mingzhang with some surprise, realizing that he hadn't fooled him!

"You sold the jade bottle to... Xiangzhou." As soon as Yan Mingzhang finished speaking, Sixth Uncle's eyelids lifted slightly, and his pulse quickened a few beats.

Yan Mingzhang sneered and said confidently, "Fine, thank you, I understand. You sold it to Xiangzhou."

Uncle Liu's thoughts were guessed, and he immediately deflated.

Yan Mingzhang was very satisfied and said with a smile, "It seems I guessed right, it's Xiangzhou."

Uncle Liu suddenly realized that Yan Mingzhang was bluffing him: "You're lying to me!"

Yan Mingzhang didn't even glance at his sixth uncle. He stood up, took out a map of Xiangzhou from several scrolls, spread it out, and slowly said, "These are all the pawnshops in Xiangzhou 15 years ago, a total of eighty-seven. If you can just tell me directly, it will save you some pain. If I ask the wrong question..." He glanced at Mo Yun, who was playing with a dagger beside him, "I will cut you for every wrong question."

In fact, Yan Mingzhang knew that the jade bottle had an unknown origin. It might not have been sold through a legitimate pawnshop, but most likely through the black market. However, if he investigated it himself, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. The only way he could get his sixth uncle to tell him was through this method.

Sixth Uncle had already witnessed Yan Mingzhang's methods and knew that any resistance would be futile. His tense body instantly deflated, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with despair and resignation. His legs buckled, and he knelt down with a thud, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. His voice trembled with a sob: "I'll talk, I'll talk, okay? Please, please stop asking me, I'll talk!"

“Back then, I took that jade bottle, but I didn’t dare pawn it at a legitimate pawnshop, nor did I dare sell it in Chanzhou, for fear the Yan family would find out. So, I ran away to Xiangzhou.” Uncle Liu stammered, after all, he had done something wrong. “There’s a large shady market in Xiangzhou. People sell anything they can’t openly there. There’s a pawnshop called Jiuqu in that market, which is the most important one. Not just anyone can enter that pawnshop. There’s a white-robed boy at the entrance who oversees the transactions…”
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In front of the vermilion gate of Jiuqu Pawnshop, a boy with his hair in two buns stood there. He was dressed in white with delicate patterns embroidered in fine black thread. He subtly blocked the middle-aged wealthy merchant wearing a jade crown, brocade robe and jade belt with his body: "Esteemed guest, may I ask if you are here to pawn something or to buy something?"

The wealthy merchant glanced around, then pulled a gilded box from his sleeve; the brass clasp still gleamed with fresh oil. The white-robed boy smiled, but remained motionless in the middle of the stone steps. The merchant, feeling embarrassed, naturally knew the rules of the Jiuqu pawnshop, and with a clang, he lifted the box lid—inside lay a porcelain vase with a lotus scroll design, its glaze dazzlingly bright.

"This is a counterfeit porcelain vase. We will not accept it. Please leave, esteemed guest." The boy in white only glanced at the signature on the bottom of the vase before making a gesture of dismissal with his hand behind his back.

The wealthy merchant's neck flushed red: "Whose porcelain vase are you calling a fake? Mine is from the official kiln in Bianliang..."

The wealthy merchant cursed and tried to force his way in, the jade buckle hanging from his waist jingling.

The boy in white smiled slightly and suddenly made his move.