In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

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Amidst the colorful array, each woman wore a pair of earrings, a bracelet, and several brooches with tassels... and at least half of them remained.

The second tier contains jade hairpins, jade hair ornaments, and hair ornaments with dangling pendants...

Gold is already dazzling and radiant, but when adorned with lush green jade, blood-red jasper, and elegant violets, it becomes even more charming when decorated on flowing black hair, creating a majestic and verdant effect.

The third layer consists of hair clips or headdresses, tassels, a phoenix carved from blood jade reborn from the ashes, lush green jade leaves, and azure hues adorned with emerald feathers...

These pieces of jewelry are either bright and grand, noble and elegant, or like mountain spirits; each 010 set is unique and extravagant.

The fourth layer consists of jade bracelets, not glass-type jade bracelets, but jade bracelets carved from the finest jadeite, a total of seven.

There are also two strings of jadeite beads: one string of eighteen imperial green beads the size of longan fruits; and the other string of fifty-four black jadeite prayer beads.

The two strings of sandalwood prayer beads were naturally prepared for Master Mingchen.

"Finished distributing? Leave anything else you want, and I'll take it with me later to give to the girls in the Red Mansion."

Firstly, it was a reward for their years of service in the Hong family; secondly, they were the best candidates for advertising for the Zhang family.

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's words, the women looked at the items in their hands but realized they didn't need any of them.

So Zhang Xiaoshan delivered the bracelets to the study, then left the villa on the hillside with the repacked jewelry box.

···

"Young master!"

As soon as he entered, four pretty Silla maids bowed respectfully.

Inside, Hongfu is always packed with customers and its business is booming, no matter the time of day.

After all, Lin'an Prefecture was bustling with ships coming and going. As the economic center of the Southern Song Dynasty, its prosperity was self-evident. It was not lacking in wealthy people, nor was it lacking in merchants traveling between the two cities.

For most merchants who come here, Hongfu is the go-to choice.

However, Manager Feng, who should have been at the counter, was one of the few who was not there at the moment.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan went straight to the third floor. At this moment, in the living room of Manager Feng's room, three graceful figures were dancing. In particular, Manager Feng, dressed in a red dress, was as beautiful as a floating fiery cloud.

The other two are women dressed as Dongfang Bubai, who is also a beautiful woman with a graceful figure and alluring charm;

First, there was the renowned dancer Zhang Xiaoshan invited—the Snow Maiden who traveled here during the Later Zhou Dynasty.

Indeed, it is the Snow Maiden from the Mo family!

Zhang Xiaoshan was unaware of why the other party had traveled here, and that he was accompanied by a world-renowned qin (sword) master—Gao Jianli.

But since this Snow Maiden appeared in Lin'an Prefecture, the Zhang family naturally invited her to stay at the Red Mansion. Apart from performing once every three days, she basically stayed at home and rarely went out.

The connection between the Zhang family and Xue Nu was primarily facilitated by Manager Feng.

This also reveals the Zhang family's attitude!

After Dongfang Bubai arrived, Zhang Xiaoshan arranged for him to become Xue Nu's disciple.

This is one of the benefits of the Red Mansion!

Whenever the Snow Woman travels to a new place, in addition to staying for a period of time to perform, she will also teach some songstresses or exchange ideas with famous local dancers!

The Red Mansion was the most prestigious place in Lin'an Prefecture.

In addition, the environment here is quiet and secluded. Although the courtesans often receive guests, they are mostly refined people.

As for teaching dance techniques?

Most of the interactions were exchanges between the two, with only Dongfang Bubai and Manager Feng providing genuine guidance.

Although the two were top-notch experts, they had absolutely no dance background.

At first, Xue Nu was against it, but after seeing Shopkeeper Feng's yoga and Dongfang Bubai's movement techniques, she undoubtedly believed that the two women, if they put their hearts into it, had the potential to become great masters.

Moreover, neither of the women was unintelligent.

In just a few days, their movements became seemingly on par with those of the Snow Woman.

But besides her graceful movements, the Snow Woman's every smile and frown is charming and captivating.

This is the difference between a dance apprentice and a dance master.

Even so, (bjca) was already considered exceptionally talented by the Snow Woman, making rapid progress.

But this kind of imitation, which is a skill honed through countless trials, made all the women realize that the other party was no ordinary person.

Manager Feng knew their backgrounds, but Xue Nu and Dongfang Bubai suspected Manager Feng's hidden identity. How could such a person be just a simple manager?

In particular, Dongfang Bubai noticed that Bai Lianhua, who was beside Manager Feng, was no less skilled in martial arts than Xue Nu.

Zhang Xiaoshan didn't know?

All she could say was that the Zhang family had many experts, and they were hiding their strength very well.

"Young master!"

As the music of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" abruptly stopped, everyone looked to the side, where Zhang Xiaoshan was carrying a jewelry box.

The moment Manager Feng looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, her beautiful eyes were gentle as water, yet they concealed a fiery passion.

Upon noticing this scene, Xue Nu and Dongfang Bubai immediately realized that there was an affair between them.

"Miss Xue Nu, the Zhang family has been neglecting you recently, please forgive them."

"These are newly crafted pieces of jewelry by the Zhang family, originally intended as a reward for the young ladies. We hope you won't refuse this small token of our appreciation for Miss Xue Nu's hard work these past few days!"

After Zhang Xiaoshan opened the jewelry box, except for the fourth shelf where only one bracelet remained, at least half of the items on the other three shelves were still there.

"Miss Snow Maiden, please feel free to choose whatever you like. The rest can be divided among the ladies later!"

The Snow Maiden gazed at the pile of jewelry before her. Amidst the shimmering light, the reds were vibrant, the greens lush, the purples noble… each piece would be a rare and priceless treasure. She hadn't expected the Zhang family to be so generous.

You should know that these were all gifts.

"Thank you very much, young master!"

The Snow Woman genuinely liked it and didn't refuse it.

As for the bracelet, Zhang Xiaoshan naturally put it on Manager Feng's jade wrist.

"A soulmate! Young Master Zhang is quite the charmer!"

"There's no way around it, he's just too outstanding!"

vomit!

Faced with Zhang Xiaoshan's half-joking remark, Dongfang Bubai almost vomited.

However, it must be said that Zhang Xiaoshan's own conditions, while not exceptional, are still remarkable enough to make him a rare hero of the Nine Provinces.

Besides, it's not like it's an affair or anything. Imagine the new mansion filled with beautiful women. You can only say that no one is perfect!

Besides, what business is it of hers if he has three wives and four concubines?

As for the Snow Woman, she felt nothing at all.

The Zhang family is large and powerful, with only one heir per generation, and they are not evil people.

On the contrary, based on what I've learned during this period, the Zhang family has treated those Silla maids and courtesans extremely well.

They even prepared a backup plan for them!

"These three will do!"

A pair of purple earrings, a headdress adorned with blue jade and kingfisher feathers, and an anklet with eighteen loyal and devoted beads.

Watching the Snow Maiden put away her jewelry, Zhang Xiaoshan glanced at the envious Dongfang Bubai and the gatekeeper Bai Feifei, and chuckled:

"Miss Dongfang, Miss Bai, you've both worked hard these past few days. Please select a few pieces of jewelry that you like; this is a token of the Zhang family's appreciation."

"Thank you, sir!"

Aside from Bai Feifei's affectionate eyes, Dongfang Bubai's "thank you" sounded like he deserved a beating.

Seeing their reactions, the Snow Woman couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It seems that this young master Zhang's charm is more than just a little bit.

Bai Feifei had already fallen in love with someone, and the affection in her eyes was undisguised; as for Dongfang Bubai, although he seemed casual, he did not actually treat Zhang Xiaoshan as an outsider.

But can there truly be pure friendship between men and women?

Chapter 279 The Mohists, Yin-Yang School, and Quicksand Gather in Jiangnan

"What a great handwriting!"

Back in her villa, Xue Nu looked at the jewelry in her hands. Each piece was stunningly designed, shimmering and glowing under the lights.

The blue feather inlay technique is an extremely delicate filigree craft, and the craft itself is of extremely high value.

Any woman would love jewelry like this.

"These three pieces of jewelry are all made from the glassy variety of jadeite, and with top-notch craftsmanship, their value is no less than a thousand gold pieces. Each bracelet alone is worth no less than ten thousand gold pieces."

I've often heard people say the Zhang family is incredibly extravagant; seeing it for myself today, it's certainly true.

Gao Jianli was surprised to hear Xue Nu's words; he hadn't expected that just three small pieces of jewelry could be so valuable.

It should be noted that the jewelry worn by the Snow Woman was only worth twenty or thirty taels of silver, equivalent to one or two taels of gold.

It's not that the snow woman isn't valuable enough, but rather that snow women generally don't like to flaunt their wealth.

Moreover, most of those jades that are said to be worth a fortune are top-grade Kunlun goat fat jade, dazzling rubies, cat's eye stones, etc., which are not in line with the 'simplicity' of the Snow Woman.

As for jadeite, even the highest quality pieces used to cost at most a hundred taels of silver.

The Zhang family has recently hyped up the value of jade.

No special methods are needed; simply having an interest in gambling on rough stones will naturally drive up the price of jadeite.

Even after knowledge about jade has become more widespread, the value of low-grade jade remains low, while high-grade jade can fetch ten times the price of a first-grade jade, leading to astronomical prices.

"Moreover, this young master of the Zhang family is quite charming, and countless beauties in the Hong family are captivated by him."

"Ah Xue, do you mean to start with Manager Feng of the Hong Mansion?"

"No!"

Snow Maiden shook her head; Shopkeeper Feng's infatuation was only directed at Zhang Xiaoshan.

Having managed the Hong Mansion for five or six years, Manager Feng's methods were renowned throughout Lin'an Prefecture, making her extremely difficult to deal with.

Moreover, Manager Feng didn't have much time to contact their targets. (Tunnel)

"This Manager Feng seems easy to get along with, but in reality she is a ruthless person who hides a knife behind her smile."

Besides, the Hong residence is full of people and eyes; how could anyone possibly leave something here? It would at least be in the new residence or the Zhang family's old house.

Indeed, their visit was not merely a simple tour; they had a purpose—

Meteorite!

Recently, in the Later Zhou court, the Yin-Yang School's Donghuang Taiyi suddenly advised Emperor Qin of Later Zhou that in order to refine the elixir of immortality, one must obtain the legendary meteorite copper.

Meteorite is recorded in a few unofficial historical accounts, and each piece is a mysterious object.

The only clue to the meteorite now lies with the Zhang family—

The Zhang family's bronze-armored warriors, the incredibly mysterious dragon ball, and even the meteorite bronze jade pendant...

However, the Zhang family is different from other forces; the Yin-Yang School can obtain them easily.

Even after the Yin-Yang School arrived here, they were still searching around.

I will never reveal my hand until the very last step.

Moreover, the meteorite copper is in the hands of that young master Zhang, who is said to be a grandmaster-level expert comparable to the contemporary Master Guigu and Donghuang Taiyi. With his Pure Yang Finger, he can unleash the sword energy of ten thousand swords returning to their origin, and can also unleash a ten-zhang sword aura that can cut through mountains and rivers.

Although it was a finger technique, Gao Jianli also wanted to see the legendary Ten Thousand Swords Return to One and the Ten-Zhang Sword Qi!

However, a lack of patience in small matters can ruin great plans.

Their current task is to find out the location of the meteorite so that the world's number one thief can steal it.

As long as it doesn't involve Zhang Xiaoshan, they all have a chance.

As for stealing from this young master, his Grandmaster-level strength is no joke.

"However, this young master Zhang seems unusually wary. Throughout our conversation today, he was actually quite cautious!"