Chapter 317: The Crime of Unexplained Wealth New
Whoever controls gossip holds the power to speak.
The table was already set with fine food and drink, but Xu Yanmiao remained impartial: “Let’s talk about Master Quan first!”
Princess Xiangyang attempted to curry favor by pouring Xu Lang a cup of warm water, but Xu Lang declared righteously, “I never accept bribes!”
The princess had no choice but to hold onto her own cup of warm water, sitting there like a little mountain, her expression solemn.
Xu Yanmiao asked, “Have you heard the recent rumors in the streets?”
Princess Xiangyang immediately lost her heavy demeanor, her eyes lighting up. She sweetly pushed a dish of crispy salted peanuts—Xu Yanmiao’s favorite—toward him. “No, I haven’t. I haven’t been to the marketplace lately, you know that.”
Xu Yanmiao gave her an approving glance, picked up a peanut, and crunched on it. Only after swallowing did he begin his story:
“It’s like this—there’s a story going around about a poor family in Min-Guang. They were so destitute that they often ventured into the mountains to catch snakes. But one time, they couldn’t find a single snake for half a month. With no food or clothing, they wept bitterly in a mountain temple.”
“They cried themselves to sleep and were suddenly awakened in the middle of the night by someone calling their name. But when they opened their eyes, no one was there—only several luminous pearls before them. The family assumed the mountain god had taken pity on them, expressed their gratitude profusely, and sold the pearls when they returned to town. The pearls were valued at a whopping one hundred thousand taels.”