Chapter 96: A Robbery at Home

Li Qing’an was in an especially good mood. Although nothing substantial had been accomplished today, at least Wu Yi was willing to go with him to offer incense—a good start. Moreover, she had agreed to teach Ru Shi Ru Hua how to play the pipa. Of course, she actually wanted to hear him play the guitar. The more Li Qing’an thought about it, the more pleasing it seemed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Big brother, you look so happy. Did you get some advantage from going to Guanyin Temple to offer incense today?” Ru Shi Ru Hua joked from inside the carriage.

Xiao Lian couldn’t help but say, “Big brother, Miss Wu Yi is really nice. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also gentle—she’s the perfect match for you.”

Xiao Lian was also filled with admiration. Only after meeting Wu Yi today did she realize that women could be this stunning. In comparison, Wu Niang was far inferior. Although Wu Niang had asked her to keep an eye on her big brother, now she felt that if she didn’t help him win Wu Yi’s heart, she wouldn’t forgive herself.

“You all did well today. You said many kind things about me and helped my big brother. I want to reward you properly. Tell me! What do you want? Jewelry, clothes, powder—whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Big brother, I want some jewelry. I’ve wanted a feather hairpin since I was little,” Ru Shi Ru Hua said eagerly.

“No problem. I’ll buy it for you. What do you want, Xiao Lian?”

“Big brother, I’d like to buy a set of fine tea sets! I really love beautiful porcelain.”

“That’s easy. What about Ru Shi?”

Li Qing’an suddenly noticed that Ru Shi hadn’t said a word since returning. Concerned, he asked, “Ru Shi, what’s wrong?”

“Big brother, I’m not feeling well. I feel very dizzy,” Ru Shi said softly.

“Alright, I’ll take you back to rest first.”

Li Qing’an sped up, and soon they arrived at their residence. He opened the door, and Ru Shi Ru Hua and Xiao Lian got out. Li Qing’an extended his hand to Ru Shi, “Come! Let me help you down.”

“Big brother, I might be sick,” Ru Shi said, her face pale.

“I know. You must be tired today.”

Li Qing’an took her hand and helped her out of the carriage. Seeing Ru Shi Ru Hua and Xiao Lian enter the house first, he whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I care about you.”

Ru Shi shuddered. With a complex expression, she raised her head. She knew her feelings had been seen through by her big brother. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she lowered her head and said, “Big brother, I didn’t…”

“Ru Shi, I understand your feelings for me. I will surely give you both a proper status. In a few days, I’ll re-register you both.”

Ru Shi’s heart was filled with sweetness and gratitude. Women of their humble status had always been playthings of the powerful, gifts given away at will, yet they had been fortunate enough to meet a man who truly cared for them, who loved and protected them and gave them a home. Suddenly, Ru Shi felt like crying. She suppressed her emotions and said softly, “Big brother, it was my fault just now. I shouldn’t have been willful.”

Li Qing’an smiled and kissed her cheek. “I like it when you get a little temper.”

Ru Shi shyly lowered her head. “Big brother, someone might see us outside.”

“Then let’s go inside and kiss; no one will see us then.”

Li Qing’an wrapped his arm around Ru Shi’s waist and led her into the mansion, laughing as they walked. “Tonight, big brother will take you all shopping. Ru Shi, what do you want?”

“Um! Big brother, I’d like to buy some powder.”

“No problem. I’ll take you to the East Market tomorrow.”

……

Just as they reached the entrance to the courtyard, a scream from Xiao Lian came from inside. Li Qing’an was startled and rushed into the courtyard.

“What happened?”

Xiao Lian and Ru Hua rushed out of the room. Xiao Lian pointed anxiously inside and said, “Big brother, there’s a thief! A thief was here!”

“Come here quickly!”

Li Qing’an grabbed a stick from the wall and rushed into the room. The door to the inner room had been pried open; the room was in disarray—the curtains were torn, the bedding and pillows were slashed, and the two nanmu chests by the bed had been forced open, with clothes scattered everywhere.

Li Qing’an knelt down and glanced under the bed. The several hundred guan of money there remained untouched, and the twenty-five silver ingots covered by copper coins were also all there.

It wasn’t a thief who came to steal money. He realized this. He then opened the chest closest to the bed. All the clothes were in chaos, and the sandalwood box containing the ruby had disappeared.

At that moment, the three maids rushed in and said, “Big brother, the east wing room is fine. The thief didn’t go there.”

Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “I know this thief.”

The three maids looked at each other. If he knew him, then he wasn’t a thief.

“Big brother, what did he steal?”

“He stole one of big brother’s rubies.”

“Ah! That’s worth a lot of money!”

Ru Hua exclaimed in shock. Li Qing’an smiled and patted her cheek. “Don’t worry! They didn’t steal any of big brother’s valuable gems.”

He casually picked up a vase on the windowsill, removed the wintersweet from it, and slowly poured out the water. He shook it again, and with a clatter, a ruby rolled out of the vase. Li Qing’an picked up the gem and smiled, saying, “See? The ruby they wanted is right here.”
……
As night fell, most shops in the Eastern Market closed down. On the 29th day of the 12th lunar month, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, shops usually closed for three days, reopening on the second day of the new month. The streets were deserted, but light still seeped from many shops as employees prepared goods for the next day. However, the Hu merchant’s jewelry store, “Tuozhi Xiang,” was completely dark, seemingly empty.
At that moment, a carriage arrived, and two dark figures jumped out and rushed toward the jewelry store. They went around to the side door and knocked. The door creaked open, and they slipped inside.
“Did we succeed?”
“We have.”
A faint light came on, revealing a pair of excited eyes in the darkness. “Quick, show it to me!”
“Boss, what about our other half of the reward…”
“Don’t worry! You won’t be shortchanged by a penny.”
A sandalwood box was gently placed on the table. “The gem is inside the box. Please take a look, boss.”
The owner of Tuozhi Xiang carefully opened the box, and a ruby the size of an egg appeared in the light.
He glanced at the two men and said, “You may go back first! Come back tomorrow morning to collect the other half of the reward.”
The two dark figures bowed and left quickly. The owner carefully closed the door and lit the lamp again. He held the gem in his hand, squinting at it for a while before exclaiming, “Is this the Eye of Light?”
Suddenly, he frowned again. “Strange… why is there no flame?”
He focused for a moment before suddenly slapping his forehead. “I see! It can only be seen in sunlight—that must be it!”
Not daring to stay longer, he quickly put away the gem, got into the carriage, and rushed toward Shengping Fang. Soon, the carriage stopped in front of a modest mansion.
He stepped up the steps and knocked on the door. It opened slightly, and after whispering a few words, he slipped inside. He approached a door, and the guard there immediately said, “Your Highness, Boss Mita has arrived.”
The door suddenly opened, and Prince Yuan’en of the Stone Kingdom stepped out, asking right away, “Have we obtained the gem?”
“Your Highness, we have,” he replied.
Yuan’en was overjoyed. “Give it to me quickly!”

He took the box and hurried back to the room, where two others were already there. One was a middle-aged man who was his master, the Turk Huo Yanbai, and the other was Su Ning, the same man who had tried to buy Li Qingan’s gem for a huge sum of money. After Du Luoxian died at Li Qingan’s hands, his father, Du Mozhi, was furious and wanted to hold Su Ning accountable for bringing disaster upon them. Su Ning, terrified, had been hiding in Tarim City until he was found by Prince Yuanen, who brought him to the Tang Dynasty in search of the Eye of Light.

Yuanen placed the box on the table, and the other two gathered around it, their faces filled with excitement, especially Su Ning. If he could find the gem, he could clear his name from the crime of losing it years ago.

Yuanen prayed, placing his hand on his chest, “Oh, Ahura Mazda! Show me your miracle!”

Trembling, he opened the sandalwood box. A ruby the size of an egg lay quietly inside. Just as Yuanen was about to pick it up, Su Ning exclaimed in shock, “That’s not it! It’s not the gem!”

Yuanen was startled. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the Eye of Light. Its shape is wrong. The Eye of Light is perfectly round and smooth, while this gem has edges.”

“What?”

Yuanen held the gem up to the light for a long time, but no flame appeared. Fuming, he grabbed the shopkeeper by the neck and shouted, “Tell me! What’s going on here?”

The shopkeeper turned pale with fear and stammered, “I… I don’t know.”

“You dare deceive me with a fake gem!”

Yuanen threw him to the ground violently, drew his sword, and pressed it against his throat. “Speak quickly! Where did you hide the real gem?”

“Your Highness! I didn’t steal the gem! This is all I have—it just arrived.”

“Nonsense! If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll kill you!”

At that moment, Huo Yanbai stepped forward to calm him down. “Your Highness, please calm down. Let me ask him.”

Yuanen snorted coldly. “Answer honestly, or I’ll kill you tonight.”

Huo Yanbai knelt down and asked, “First, tell me how you discovered this gem.”

“Mr. Huo, I already told you last time. That Tang officer came to my shop a month ago to buy gems and casually mentioned the Eye of Light. So I sent people to keep an eye on him. Later, you confirmed that the gem was in his possession.”

“It’s true the gem was in his hands, but were you discovered by him?”

“No! Impossible,” the shopkeeper quickly denied. “I was afraid he might become suspicious, so I waited for over a month before acting. He couldn’t know we were going to steal the gem.”

“Then who did you send to steal the gem?”

“It was two thieves I hired at a high price; I offered them 200 taels of gold.”
“Was that gold paid to them?”
“I paid half in advance, and they’ll come to collect the rest tomorrow morning.”
Huo Yanbai snorted inwardly. This fool actually paid 200 taels of gold! After thinking for a moment, he asked again, “When did those two bring you the gem?”
“Just now, less than half an hour ago.”
Huo Yanbai shook his head. “You gave them too much, allowing them to guess the gem’s value.”
He sighed, stood up, and said, “There are three possibilities now. First, the gem is still in that officer’s hands; he must have prepared a fake gem in advance, though this seems unlikely—the shopkeeper was very cautious, waiting a month before acting, so he probably isn’t that vigilant. Second, the shopkeeper hid the gem himself, but this is even less likely; if that’s the case, we won’t see him tonight. The third possibility is those two thieves—200 taels of gold made them realize how valuable the gem is. If I’m not wrong, they probably stole it during the day and bought a similar gem to hand in, aiming to keep the rest of the reward.”
Yuan En grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar and demanded fiercely, “Tell us quickly—where do those two thieves live?”
“I don’t know. It was the owner of Wenhua Tavern who introduced them to me.”
Huo Yanbai quickly interceded, “Your Highness, don’t rush. Those thieves don’t know the value of the Eye of Light. I think they’ll come back tomorrow morning—after all, 100 taels of gold isn’t a small amount.”
Yuan En gritted his teeth and said, “No! If they take the gem and run away, our chances are gone. I can’t take that risk.”