Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 176 The True and False Treasures
"Our young master said he'd let me choose ten times. I don't believe my luck is that bad." The maid couldn't hide her smugness.

The boy in white smiled and agreed.

"A string of jadeite prayer beads is worth five hundred taels of silver..."

"A Hetian white jade thumb ring, worth three hundred taels..."

……

As the box was opened, the servant's voice rang out, revealing that each time the maid selected something, it was not only not the most prized item, but its value was decreasing.

The maid's face grew increasingly grim. When the tenth box was opened, everyone stared intently, and inside was the unremarkable one...

"A sandalwood spoon, worth ten taels..."

"Hahahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

The maidservant's face flushed red with anger. She pointed her finger at the white-robed boy's nose and cursed, "Who knows if you did this on purpose? What exactly is this treasure? None of us know!"

The boy in white clapped his hands, and at that moment, a servant presented an envelope. The boy held up the envelope and showed it to everyone, saying, "What this prized possession is has been written inside this envelope. Once someone makes a selection, I will open it for everyone to verify. With nearly a century of reputation, how could Jiuqu Pawnshop possibly gamble on such paltry profits? My advice to you, young lady, is that if you don't have the money, you don't have to play!"

Upon hearing this, the maid was furious, almost fuming. With a flick of her slender hand, she swept all ten drawn items to the ground. She was about to make a scene when a man's voice came from the number one room: "Yan'er, come back..."

It turned out that the maid's name was Yan'er, which matched her appearance.

The voice was authoritative without being angry, and had an indescribable sense of oppression.

Upon hearing this, the maid snorted coldly, flicked her sleeve, turned around and left, even abandoning the treasures she had chosen.

"Just who is this Number One in the Heavenly Order? How can he spoil his maid so much, letting her use 50,000 taels of silver so casually?"

"You wouldn't know this, would you? He's said to be a wealthy young master from the capital, but very few people know his name or appearance. He's quite mysterious."

Despite the maid's angry rebuke, the white-robed boy remained calm, a gentle smile playing on his lips, his eyes showing no sign of anger.

After the maidservant gracefully straightened her sleeves and nodded slightly to the attendants beside her, he said, "Organize these items and send them properly to Room Number One in the Heavenly Palace." Several attendants immediately stepped forward, efficiently gathered the items, and carried them towards Room Number One in the Heavenly Palace, leaving only the white-robed boy standing there, calmly continuing to preside over the treasure guessing game.

The boy in white looked around: "Is there anyone else who wants to try?"

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. Just then, an old fortune teller with a white beard, holding a banner, slowly approached.

The fortune teller looked the boy in white up and down and asked, "Child, may I ask a few questions before choosing a box?"

The boy in white pointed to the boy in black, gestured for him to enter, and said, "You can ask him a few questions, but that doesn't mean his answers are true. Old sir, have you thought it through? Earning five thousand taels through fortune telling isn't easy."

The fortune teller stroked his beard, chuckled, and said confidently, "I have been telling fortunes for over thirty years and have never made a mistake. People call me a divine fortune teller. How could I be wrong!" The boy in white nodded and stopped trying to persuade him.

The fortune teller handed over a five-thousand-tael silver note, then slowly walked up to the boy in black, looked at him, and asked, "Is the treasure of this place in the first box?"

The boy in black replied, "Yes."

Everyone exclaimed in surprise: "You just told him like that?"

The fortune teller then asked, "Is the most precious item in the second box?"

The boy in black replied, "Yes."

Only then did everyone realize that the boy in black had given a random answer!
The fortune teller asked 10 questions in a row, and the boy in black answered "yes" to each one.

The audience below was dumbfounded. This answer was tantamount to no answer at all. What kind of answer was this? The fortune teller, however, walked confidently to the seventh box, pointed to it, and said, "The most precious treasure is right here."

The fortune teller remained calm, while Mo Yun, sitting in his seat, scratched his head and looked even more anxious than the fortune teller.

"My lord, can he guess correctly?" Mo Yun stood up, craning his neck, looking very puzzled.

Yan Mingzhang smiled slightly and explained the mystery: "This fortune teller has some skill. He doesn't look at the black-clad boy's answer, but rather at his expression. It is said that fortune tellers have a skill that is, people's expressions are different when they tell the truth and when they lie. By observing their expressions, one can get the correct answer."

"So, if the boy in black is asked the real answer, his facial expression will be different from other times?" Rong Wanyin asked, tilting her head.

“Sir, don’t you know how to do that too? You can always spot when a prisoner lies during a trial,” Mo Yun added.

“Yes, I can too. I can always tell when you’re sneaking food,” Changfeng said with a laugh, arms crossed.

"Hey, Changfeng, when have I ever not brought your share!" Moyun pinched Changfeng's arm and said irritably.

"Yes, I also read about it in a book. I only know a little bit about it, and I'm not an expert." Yan Mingzhang's eyes were fixed on the people on the stage.

"Is it really that amazing?" Mo Yun was still somewhat incredulous.

"How can a fortune teller have so much money? And he actually spends it on this? I really don't understand." Mo Yun shook his head, puzzled. If he had lost that much money, he would be heartbroken!
Rong Wanyin pondered for a moment and said, "It seems this person has some skill. If he's fortune-telling, he must be judging many things by observing changes in people's facial expressions, and he'll be very accurate. Therefore, his so-called fortune-telling is just his guess. Since he's accurate in his fortune-telling and has gained a reputation, he can naturally accumulate this huge sum of five thousand taels of silver, just like praying to gods and Buddhas. There are always quite a few people like that. Besides, look at everyone here, they're all rich and powerful. If they find out that this fortune-teller is really that amazing, do you still have to worry about not being able to earn back these five thousand taels?"

Mo Yun nodded thoughtfully: "Miss Rong, you are absolutely right... Hey, Changfeng, let's make a bet. Do you think he can guess correctly? How about a tael of silver? I bet he can win."

Mo Yun grinned and nudged Chang Feng with his elbow.

Changfeng's lips curled up slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes, and he replied, "What, you think Miss Rong's analysis makes sense, and you want to take advantage of me to make some money? Fine, let's bet. I don't believe he's really that amazing, so I'll bet he can't win."