Chapter 7: A Basket of Miscellaneous Items

It was an old wicker basket with broken edges.

The basket was filled with various items.

He glanced at the basket and was immediately stunned by its contents.

Jiang Ning looked up at him, "What's wrong with you?"

Is he planning to rob this place?

What could he possibly steal from such a bare house?

"What is that?" Jiang Ruobai swallowed and pointed at the wicker basket, asking.

"Oh, it's just a basket for storing old miscellaneous items."

"Miscellaneous… items?" Jiang Ruobai's eyes widened as he uncontrollably walked over, picked up the topmost gray-blue teacup, and examined it closely before rubbing it hard with his sleeve.

Was it polished from a sapphire?

How much would a whole gem like this be worth?

Jiang Ning watched his actions, opened her mouth, and mumbled, "Uncle, this is not Aladdin's lamp, you can't summon a genie by rubbing it."

Jiang Ruobai glanced at her, put the teacup back silently, and picked up a soft cloth.

He rubbed the cloth and almost dropped it in shock.

Was it…

Made of tiger skin?

There were numerous messy and strange lines drawn on it.

An ordinary person couldn't tell and would only think of them as creases and worn patterns.

But Jiang Ruobai was no ordinary person.

He was, after all, a distinguished scholar and the current Minister of Revenue, in charge of the empire's finances and conferred the title of Glorius Grand Master Ziqing.

Identifying calligraphy, paintings, and antiques was a piece of cake for him.

The lines painted on this tiger skin represented the twenty-eight constellations used by ancient people to deduce celestial movements and predict the future.

Although predicting the future was elusive, this tiger skin was a genuinely precious antique.

It was far more valuable than the gem-encrusted cup he had seen earlier.

Just two items, and both were treasures.

What about the rest?

Jiang Ruobai craned his neck to get a closer look at the basket and gasped.

Every item in this broken basket was a treasure.

Either precious antiques or small trinkets made from porcelain, metal, or stone.

Items that looked unremarkable but only insiders would understand.

Taking out this whole basket of items would drive people crazy.

Jiang Ruobai looked around the thatched hut and then back at the young girl outside the door.

What was going on?

Could it be that the family who had adopted his daughter was actually a wealthy hidden household in disguise?

Were these humble huts just a cover?

"Seventh Sister, where did you get these things?" he carefully asked.

"Old Man Li gave them to me."

"Old Man… Li?" Jiang Ruobai was taken aback.

Li was a royal surname.

Jiang Ruobai picked up a round thumb ring and vaguely remembered seeing it on someone's hand before.

Whose was it?

He looked at Jiang Ning for a moment, and an idea flashed through his mind.

Ah!

Wasn't this something that belonged to His Majesty?!

Li...

Old Man Li...

Could it be that the "Old Man Li" she was talking about was actually...

Jiang Ruobai started to tremble.

Was the person who adopted his daughter actually the emperor?!!

"Seventh Sister, who is Old Man Li to you?" he asked.

"He's just a poor and fat old man who comes to our restaurant to eat. He used these items to pay for his meals," Jiang Ning casually explained. "Although these things are just some worthless junk, he's actually a nice guy. It's strange, though, that this unattractive old man has such a cute grandson."

Jiang Ruobai: "..."

Jiang Ning frowned, "Right, if I leave, Old Man Li and Xiaoqian won't be able to find me. I should leave a note."

Xiaoqian?

Li Tingqian, the emperor's eldest grandson?

Jiang Ruobai shuddered and quickly stopped her, "Seventh Sister, you don't need to leave a note. I will have someone stand guard here and inform them when they come."