Looking at the large and small boxes occupying most of the yard in front of him, Xia Shang's eyes widened. He casually took a brocade box beside him, with a small note on it, which read: "Prince Fang of Honglu Temple."
A gift from his wife Jiang, a green and white jade dripping grape.
Xia Shang opened it and saw that there was really a grape inside!
But taking a closer look, I found that it was not that simple. This was not a real grape, but a jade shaped like a grape. It was about the size of a thumb. It looked crystal clear, and there was a hint of moisture in it.
It is green in color and polished very delicately. At first glance, it seems to be no different from real grapes.
Xia Shang was playing with it, and Liu Ruyan beside him thought that her husband didn't know this thing, so she took the initiative to explain: "Grapes are a fruit that is said to come from the Western Regions. They are like strings of beads hanging from green vines. They are not only beautiful in shape, but also very sweet in taste.
It is the best among fruits. Unfortunately, the western region is too far away from the capital, and real grapes cannot be sent to the capital. Therefore, very few people in Dahua can taste such rare things. Therefore, some craftsmen use it to carve grapes.
shape, so that people can know what real grapes look like. This blue and white jade dripping grape can be regarded as a rare treasure, and it is worth a lot of money."
Xia Shang nodded after hearing this, closed the brocade box and put it down, and then looked at the booklet in Ruyan's hand. There were already several pages of records in it, corresponding to the things sent by each household.
"How many more have not been counted?"
Ruyan pointed to the distance: "The piece over there has been counted, and the rest here has not yet been counted."
"Why bother doing this?"
Li Xiaoxian yawned: "Ha... I said the same thing. Since it's a gift, just accept it, no matter who gave it."
Ruyan replied: "These gifts received must not be misplaced even by a single cent. When we have established a firm foothold in the capital in the future, the gifts must be returned to every household, even if they are missed by one household."
Li Xiaoxian still didn't take it seriously: "These people are insignificant people. They give gifts because they are afraid of my husband. With our current status, why should we have a good relationship with them? They are the only ones who can please us, so how can we please them."
After Li Xiaoxian finished speaking, she looked at Xia Shang seriously, as if expecting Xia Shang to give her some recognition.
Li Xiaoxian's status is extraordinary. In her eyes, no matter what official he is, he is just a petty official and has no use at all.
Go with a straight face.
Such a mentality is definitely not good, but it is very consistent with Xia Shang's thoughts.
In Xia Shang's heart, he also believes that there is no need to do such work with small benefits but big efforts. He will not look at the faces of these people in the capital. He only cares about the top few big shots, and there is no need to deal with these people.
People who don't appear on stage waste time.
But seeing that half of the work was done, Ruyan followed her own will.
"Where's Huairou? I saw her coming in just now, why did she disappear in the blink of an eye?"
"There are still guests in the living room. My sister has gone to meet the distinguished guest."
"Dignified guest..."
"He's our neighbor. The person from the Prince's Mansion across the street seems to be a Taoist priest, and he looks a little weird."
"Taoist? From the Prince's Palace?" Xia Shang muttered, and Taoist Master Ma suddenly appeared in his mind.
If it is really such a long horse, it becomes a bit strange.
What's strange is not this thing, but Taoist Master Ma. When he met this man in the Prince's Mansion a few days ago, he looked at me a little strangely.
Xia Shang didn't take this person seriously before, but later he heard that Taoist Ma was now a popular person around the prince.
If he was just a charlatan, how could he fool the noble prince with just one mouth? This is obviously unreasonable, but it shows that Taoist Ma is still somewhat capable.
Xia Shang didn't say anything more and walked quickly to the living room. As expected, he saw Qin Huairou talking to Taoist Master Ma down the hall.
Xia Shang seemed to have arrived at the wrong time. Just as he was about to enter, he saw Taoist Master Ma standing up and gesturing to leave.
As soon as Taoist Ma turned his head, he saw Xia Shang standing at the door. He was stunned for a moment, and then raised his hands to Xia Shang: "Master Xia, I am very happy to be promoted to the head of the national treasury."
"Why is Taoist Master Ma here today?"
Taoist Master Ma did not answer: "The matter has been explained clearly to Madam. I still have some trivial matters to attend to. I need to return to the Prince's Mansion immediately. I won't disturb you anymore today. Ma will come to visit another day."
After saying that, Taoist Master Ma hurried away without saying another word to Xia Shang.
Xia Shang was a little suspicious. When he entered the house, he had just seen his wife returning home from outside the hospital. It had only been a few minutes before and after. He also said that he had explained everything to his wife clearly.
So what is it that only takes so little time?
Just as he was wondering, Qin Huairou came to Xia Shang and asked in a low voice: "Ms. sir, why are you back?"
Xia Shang briefly told his experience again, then turned around and asked, "What did that person say? He also said that everything has been clearly explained to you."
Qin Huairou also frowned after hearing this, and then took out a yellow talisman with a strange pattern from his sleeve.
"Well, this is it."
Xia Shang took it and looked at it to see what kind of talismans it was, but these were completely baseless things.
"Taoist Master Ma said that the feng shui of our house is not good. He said that if we bury this yellow talisman in the soil of our backyard and open a vegetable garden on it, we can solve the feng shui problem. I thought about it, and my husband is also familiar with it.
Those who practice Feng Shui have also verified the theory of Feng Shui in the past. After hearing what Taoist Master Ma said, I felt worried and was planning to find a time to ask my husband."
Xia Shang frowned immediately after hearing this: "What nonsense!"
With that said, Xia Shang was about to tear off the yellow talisman.
Qin Huairou saw the anxious look on her face and immediately stopped her.
Xia Shang did not expect his wife to react so violently, and she actually snatched it from him.
Xia Shang immediately became unhappy: "Madam, what are you doing?"
"I just want to ask my husband why he is acting like this suddenly?"
"That thief Taoist priest has evil intentions. It doesn't matter that the Prince's Mansion was deceived by him. He actually transferred his tricks to the Xia Mansion. It's really unreasonable."
"I would rather believe it than believe it. Even if he is lying, my husband's reaction is too much. If my husband doesn't like it, we don't have to destroy the yellow talisman. At least keep it for now, maybe it will be useful in the future.
When it’s time to go up.”
Xia Shang looked at his wife with some confusion: "What did the Taoist priest tell you? My wife seems to believe him."
"I don't believe in him, but I believe in you. In the past, my husband relied on divination to predict changes in the wind and clouds. It was an exhaustive strategy. This proves that the theory of Feng Shui is true. That Taoist priest Ma is also close to the prince.
A famous person can gain the trust of the prince by more than just his words. He must be outstanding. Therefore, it is best to put this yellow talisman first, so that I can have peace of mind."