Returning to the capital, returning the horses to the horse dealership, and getting back the deposit, Xu Qi'an walked out of the shop and said, "Cijiu, you go back first, I still have something to do." Xu Xinnian nodded and left alone in the direction of home.

Xu Qi'an bought a piece of osmanthus cake on the street and ate it while walking. Soon, he arrived at a jewelry shop: Treasure Pavilion!

The owner of Treasure Pavilion was a scholar. In fact, it was very common for scholars to do business, especially those from wealthy families. Relying solely on collecting land rent was not enough to support the extravagant lifestyle of a large family.

Behind the profitable industries such as large commercial shops and brothels in the capital, there were always the shadows of nobles.

"The commercial industry in the Great Feng is unprecedentedly prosperous, but heavy taxes are imposed on the peasants... I have reason to suspect that the aristocrats are behind this."

"You can't make much money from farming. If you want to be rich, you have to fleece the merchants."

"If you want to make the people's lives better and make the Great Feng treasury richer, you must reform. But the officials in the court are too powerful, how can a small constable like me speak up? Hmm, let's set a small goal and cultivate Er Lang to become the prime minister of the Great Feng..."

Thinking about the appearance of his arrogant little brother as a high-ranking official in the future, Xu Qi'an's mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Xu Qi'an stepped into the shop and glanced over the counter, seeing the jewelry displayed on red silk.

Hairpins, combs, hair ornaments, hairpins, bangles, and Hua Sheng... dazzling.

Among them, gold was the most expensive, and the price of jade depended on the type. Some were more expensive than gold, while others were similar in price to silver.

Xu Qi'an touched the three taels of silver in his pocket and muttered to himself that this little money couldn't buy any precious jewelry at all.

He was feeling short of money when he stepped on a hard lump under his foot. Naturally, he picked it up and put it in his pocket without changing his expression. Perhaps because he was too natural, no one noticed.

"One tael of silver is useless, but one tael of gold is almost enough."

He felt like he was browsing a luxury store in his past life. Anyway, he couldn't afford it. The only difference was that the shopkeepers now were more reserved and not as annoying as the service staff in his past life, who would stick to you and make you consume immediately.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any discounts here?" Xu Qi'an knocked on the counter.

The shopkeeper was an old man with a goatee and dressed like a scholar. He was not surprised by Xu Qi'an's question.

The shopkeeper pointed to the sign hanging on the wall and smiled, "If you can solve the riddle, the things in the store can be half off for you."

This was the rule of Treasure Pavilion.

Guess the riddle and get a fifty percent discount... interesting... Xu Qi'an walked to the wooden sign and scanned the riddle on it: "The clouds break, the moon comes, and the flowers play with shadows!"

With his abundant knowledge and logical reasoning ability, he quickly solved the riddle.

"Some of the jewelry weighs several taels, plus the labor cost..."

Xu Qi'an estimated that even with a fifty percent discount, he still couldn't afford the best jewelry. But he soon had a solution.

Women who could come to Treasure Pavilion to buy jewelry were all from wealthy families and had read for several years. They were at least not completely ignorant. These women all had a problem: they were half-baked.

They thought they were cultured and liked to be associated with elegance. Therefore, they were particularly obsessed with Treasure Pavilion's little tricks.

Women at the same price range preferred to buy from Treasure Pavilion, not for anything else, but to solve the riddles.

If they solved the riddles, the shopkeeper would engrave the correct riddle under the wooden sign and give the jewelry to the customer for free.

If they couldn't solve the riddles, it didn't matter. Once they solved one or two riddles, they could brag to their girlfriends.

This was the shopkeeper's trick that Xu Qi'an analyzed after listening to the discussion of two young women nearby."It's no wonder that this shop is run by a scholar. He knows how to attract high-end customers."

"Sister Yu, I can't solve any of the word puzzles here. They're so difficult."

"You're right. The shop owner is a scholar with a title, so naturally, the puzzles he creates are hard. Even casual readers may not be able to solve them."

"Sister Yu, my husband says the same thing. If I can solve the word puzzles and take away the wooden sticks, my husband will surely be impressed."

"Daydreaming."

"Hey, you're mean..."

The two young married women frowned at the wooden sticks for a while, muttering to themselves. They were both well-dressed and well-educated, indicating that they came from good families.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Suddenly, a man's voice sounded beside them.

The two beautiful young women turned their heads warily and saw Xu Qi'an, who had a handsome face and a tall figure. Their guard dropped slightly, but they remained silent.

Although the Great Feng Dynasty had a relatively free atmosphere, it was still impolite to talk to strange men on the street.

Xu Qi'an didn't mind and straightforwardly expressed his intentions, "I can solve the word puzzles for you two ladies, but if you save any money, you have to give me half. If you save five silver coins, you give me two and a half. If you save four silver coins, you give me two."

Upon hearing Xu Qi'an's proposal, the shop owner looked up in surprise, scrutinized him for a moment, sneered, and ignored him.

Although Xu Qi'an was dressed in a scholar's robe, anyone who observed his physique and skin color could tell that he was not a scholar. Have you ever seen a scholar with a physique like a bull and wheat-colored skin? The robe didn't even fit him.

The younger woman's eyes brightened when she heard Xu Qi'an's proposal, while the older woman remained reserved and cautious. She said calmly, "Do as you wish. If you can really solve the word puzzles, I won't default on the payment."

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Ladies, choose one."

The older woman hesitated, while the younger one was eager to try. Seeing that her sister didn't object, she pointed to one of the wooden sticks and said softly, "Breaking clouds, playing with shadows."

Xu Qi'an immediately replied, "The character 'neng' (able) is the key."

The two young women turned their heads instinctively to look at the shop owner, whose stunned expression said it all.

The younger woman bought a golden hairpin and happily held it in her hand. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Qi'an.

After she put away the wooden stick, she turned to Xu Qi'an and asked in a friendly tone, "Can you continue to solve word puzzles for me?"

"Lian'er..." the woman called Yu pulled her sleeve.

"Sister Yu, we came together. It's not good if I have something you don't have." Lian'er said, looking at Xu Qi'an expectantly.

Xu Qi'an smiled warmly and said, "No problem, lady. Pick another one."

She pointed to another wooden stick and said, "The eastern sparrow flies southeast."

"Sun!" Xu Qi'an said.

The shop owner was dumbfounded.

"Thank you, sir," the two young women said, choosing their desired jewelry and leaving the shop satisfied.

Xu Qi'an had excellent hearing and overheard Lian'er say, "This gentleman is really talented and handsome. He's much stronger than my husband."

"Don't talk nonsense," the older woman scolded her.

She seemed afraid of Xu Qi'an hearing her and quickly pulled Lian'er away.