Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

"Uncle Fu, don't stand, sit down and have a drink with me."

Gu Yannian smiled, pointed to the stone bench opposite him, and casually pushed another glass of wine over.

Uncle Fu waved his hands repeatedly, his dark face full of fear.

They seemed to think that having a master and servant sit at the same table was extremely disrespectful.

Gu Yannian didn't insist, but just smiled and poured the cup of wine onto the bluestone slab outside the corridor.

Consider it a tribute to the beauty and charm of Jiangnan.

The next morning.

After the rain, the air in Suzhou was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Gu Yannian changed into a simple blue robe and slowly strolled out of the courtyard.

The bluestone slabs on Pingjiang Road were washed clean and shiny by the rain.

The shops on both sides had already taken down their doors, and the breakfast vendors had set up steaming hot steamers.

The white steamed buns, the golden and crispy pan-fried buns, and the sweet and glutinous red bean dumplings.

They intertwine to form a picture scroll full of the everyday life of ordinary people.

Gu Yannian sat down at a noodle stall he frequented and ordered a bowl of braised pork noodles.

The noodles were as thin and white as silver threads, and the soup was crystal clear.

It was topped with a piece of stewed pork belly that was so tender it melted in your mouth.

He finished his meal slowly, left a few copper coins, and continued strolling along the canal.

Before long, they arrived at the largest teahouse in Suzhou.

Songhelou (Pine and Crane Tower).

Songhelou is not only a great place to enjoy tea and listen to music.

It was also an elegant place where wealthy merchants, literati, and scholars of Suzhou Prefecture gathered to discuss business.

As soon as Gu Yannian stepped into the lobby on the first floor, he heard a considerable commotion coming from the private rooms on the second floor.

"Young Master Yan, you're mistaken. While our silk shops may have some connections with the Yan family, such a priceless imperial gift..."

"You want several of us to chip in to buy it and enshrine it in the Chamber of Commerce? This... this expense is just too much."

The voice sounds somewhat familiar.

Gu Yannian looked up and saw that the person speaking was Manager Wang, who had delivered the official gazette to his courtyard yesterday.

At this moment, Manager Wang was standing by the railing on the second floor, sweating profusely with anxiety.

She was still clutching a silk handkerchief tightly in her hand, wiping her forehead.

Opposite him sat a young gentleman dressed in a brocade robe, holding a folding fan.

This person had a fair complexion, but his brows revealed an unyielding arrogance and mercenary air.

He was Yan Shikuan, the second son of the famous wealthy Yan family in Suzhou Prefecture.

The Yan family ancestors had served as officials in several insignificant government departments in the capital.

Although they weren't from any particularly prominent family, they were adept at using others' names to intimidate others in the local area.

Using his family's meager background as officials in Beijing, he ran rampant in the Suzhou business world.

Yan Shih-kuan snapped his folding fan shut, sneering repeatedly.

His gaze was as if he were looking at a bunch of ignorant bumpkins.

"Manager Wang, you lot are truly short-sighted. The painting I've brought out is a precious gift bestowed upon my grandfather by the late Emperor Zhengtong!"

"The painting bears the late emperor's personal seal. The current emperor is currently compiling the 'Comprehensive Gazetteer of the World,' a comprehensive inventory of the nation's resources. If your merchant guild could purchase this imperial gift and hang it in the main hall, it would be like having a protective talisman!"

"Those officials who come down to inspect land and taxes, upon seeing the late emperor's imperial edict, who would dare to cause you any trouble?"

Yen Shih-kuan's words were a mix of temptation and threat.

Several local Suzhou merchants around looked at each other, all feeling extremely distressed.

The emperor's iron-fisted methods of auditing accounts were well-known even in Jiangnan.

If one truly possesses a piece bestowed by the late emperor to ward off evil spirits, it could indeed prevent a great deal of extortion and blackmail.

But this young master Yan asked for five thousand taels of silver right off the bat, which was clearly an attempt to extort money from him.

Gu Yannian stood at the top of the stairs, listening to Yan Shikuan's rambling nonsense, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

A precious item bestowed by the late Emperor Zhengtong?

It even has a personal seal on it?

That boy Zhu Qizhen reigned for fifteen years, and he was so poor that he couldn't even afford to use good wood to repair the broken threshold of the Qianqing Palace.

Ask him to take out a painting worth five thousand taels of silver and give it as a reward to a local official who has long since retired.

This is even rarer than an iron tree blooming.

Gu Yannian shook his head, not wanting to meddle in other people's business.

I was just about to turn around and find a quiet seat in a corner on the first floor to listen to Pingtan.

Upstairs, Manager Wang, with his sharp eyes, spotted Gu Yannian standing at the top of the stairs. As if he had seen a savior, he immediately called out to him.

"Brother Gu! You've come at the perfect time! You've traveled all over the country in your younger days and have seen a lot of things. Come on up and give us your expert opinion!"

As soon as Manager Wang shouted, all eyes in the lobby turned to him.

Yan Shikuan frowned and looked down at the ordinary old man in a blue robe who was playing with walnuts in his hand.

His eyes were full of disdain.

"Manager Wang, are you perhaps grasping at straws in your desperation? How could some old country bumpkin possibly understand such a precious imperial treasure?"

Gu Yannian, who had already turned around, paused slightly.

He looked up at Yen Shih-kuan.

A deep, mocking glint flashed in those somewhat cloudy eyes hidden beneath the mask.

For him, who longed for immortality and long life, the thing he couldn't stand the most was people using the past stories of those emperors to swindle and deceive him.

"I may be an old man from the countryside, but my eyes are still quite clear."

Gu Yannian walked up the wooden stairs in a relaxed tone.

Manager Wang hurriedly stepped forward and pulled Gu Yannian to the Eight Immortals Table.

In the center of the table, a landscape painting with exquisite mounting was laid out.

The painting style is simple and elegant, with delicate brushstrokes.

A bright red inkpad is neatly stamped in the lower right corner.

"Brother Gu, please take a look at me."

Manager Wang lowered his voice, his tone pleading.

"This young master Yan insists that we pay five thousand taels to acquire this painting, but our families are small and our profits are meager, so we really can't afford it."

Gu Yannian did not reply.

He simply tucked the walnuts into his sleeve and put his hands behind his back.

He bent down and examined the painting for a moment.

His gaze swept across the paper and ink of the painting, finally settling on the bright red seal.

"Young Master Yan."

Gu Yannian straightened up and looked at Yan Shikuan, who had a smug look on his face.

"You're saying this painting was a gift from the late emperor to your grandfather?"

"Of course!"

Yan Shikuan raised his chin slightly, opened his folding fan, and shook it.

"My grandfather served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in the capital, where he was diligent and dedicated to his duties. The late emperor, mindful of his hard work and great achievements, bestowed upon him this painting, 'Solitary Angler on a Cold River,' by a renowned artist of the previous dynasty, on the Mid-Autumn Festival of the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, as a sign of imperial favor."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yannian's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

He walked to the table, extended a long, slender finger, and gently tapped the edge of the painting.

"The painting is excellent, and the brushwork certainly retains the style of the previous dynasty. However, the Xuan paper used for mounting is as white as jade, tough yet not brittle."

"If I am not mistaken, it is the finest Wang Liuji Xuan paper produced in Jing County, Huizhou."

Yan Shikuan snorted coldly: "You old man do have some discernment. Royal gifts naturally deserve the finest framing."

"Royal gifts should naturally be used in the best way."

Gu Yannian changed the subject, his tone still gentle, but with a certain confidence that every word was precious.

"But that depends on which emperor bestowed the gift."