Jiang Wanyue scratched her head, thinking to herself that she should have washed it after drinking last night.
She gave an awkward smile.
“Um, my younger brother at home is mischievous and poured some homemade wine into it. It’s fine, just needs a wash.”
The shopkeeper’s face remained expressionless, clearly thinking about the price.
“Madam, are you planning to pawn it permanently or temporarily?”
“Permanently.”
Jiang Wanyue answered without hesitation.
She had a whole bunch of these in her space—who would want to redeem it anyway?
The shopkeeper suppressed his excitement: “This Glazed Jade Purity Vase, um, isn’t clear enough.”
He tried hard to find flaws but discovered there were none—it was even more beautiful and transparent than the pair of Glazed Cups from last year.
“Madam, name your price.”
Jiang Wanyue blinked and held up five fingers.
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, and he blurted out a scream: “What? Five thousand taels? Why don’t you just go rob someone?”
A normal fourth-rank official’s annual salary was only a few hundred taels of silver—she really had the nerve to ask for such an exorbitant price.
Last year’s pair of Glazed Cups had only sold for one thousand taels.
Jiang Wanyue looked at her hand—she had meant fifty taels.
She cleared her throat twice: “Exactly five thousand taels, not a tael less. This is a family heirloom, the only one in the world.”
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth: “Four thousand taels.”
“Four thousand five hundred taels.”
“Deal.”
With the banknote in hand, Jiang Wanyue still felt a sense of unreality.
Based on the original owner’s memory of money, she was now a wealthy woman.
Thinking of the many miscellaneous items in the space’s warehouse, such as mirrors, lighters, and so on.
All of them could be sold for money!
At this thought, Jiang Wanyue couldn’t help but smile.
Heavens, you’re really something—knowing she had lived too hard in her previous life, you sent her to ancient times to retire.
Well, there were many modern things in the space, but she couldn’t take them all out at once. That would make them less rare, and rarity increases value.
After sleeping all night and eating some Spirit Fruits from the space, the injuries on her back had not only completely healed, but her body had also become much healthier.
Unlike before, when she felt weak and listless.
She soon arrived at the bustling market, filled with vendors selling all kinds of goods, their shouts rising and falling endlessly.
Willow trees and painted bridges, wind-blown curtains and emerald screens—the streets were bustling with people coming and going.
Pearls and silks were displayed in rows, brocades and embroideries dazzled the eyes, and the array of goods was overwhelming.
Teahouses and taverns were packed, with clinking cups and continuous laughter and chatter.
Jiang Wanyue couldn’t help but marvel—this was indeed the capital city. Such a scene of prosperity was like a moving painting.
Jiang Wanyue came to a stall selling seeds and bought various vegetable seeds.
There were also stalls selling firewood, rice, oil, salt, cosmetics, and rouge, as well as troupes performing acrobatics and wooden carved toys…
“Candied hawthorn…”
“Sugar figurines…”
Peddlers carrying shoulder poles weaved through the streets and alleys.
Jiang Wanyue then came to a book stall, where there were various travelogues and historical books. She bought one of each.
To pass the time in the future.
The original owner had entered the Marquis Manor at the age of ten, staying by the old madam’s side and learning to read for a few years.
She wasn’t highly educated, but she could still understand ancient characters.
She couldn’t help but sigh again at how expensive ancient books were!
She had only bought a few, but it cost her over twenty taels of silver.
No wonder they say studying is the most expensive pursuit; for a poor family to support a scholar, it takes the entire household's effort, eating chaff and vegetables for a lifetime.
She placed those books into the basket, but in reality, stored them in her space.
Following her memory, she arrived at the food market—this was where ordinary people lived their lives.
Most were selling vegetables, mainly greens and radishes, along with places for slaughtering pigs and sheep.
"Freshly steamed meat buns, just out of the steamer, five wen each!"
Jiang Wanyue smacked her lips. Indeed, this was the capital city—even meat buns were this expensive.
In an ordinary small county town, meat buns cost at most two wen each; in remote towns, just one wen.
"Boss, I'll take all your meat buns."
Fortunately, she had money now, so she bought them all.
The vendor was taken aback. Seeing the woman dressed decently, he thought she must be a servant from a wealthy household out shopping.
With a big customer arriving, the vendor's face broke into a sincere smile.
"Alright! That's a total of one hundred and fifty buns, seven hundred and fifty wen. Old woman, come quick and pack these up for the customer!"
The vendor was also generous, giving Jiang Wanyue ten extra steamed buns for free.
Just these items filled the basket to the brim.
After wandering around the streets, she stored all the buns in her space and came out to shop again, creating the illusion that she had taken the goods home.
Feeling this method of shopping was still too slow, she decided to buy a horse-drawn carriage first.
Passing by a wonton stall, she ate a bowl of wontons and bought a basket of flatbreads from the neighboring stall, making the shopkeeper's wife grin from ear to ear.
Jiang Wanyue casually asked, "Auntie, I wonder if there are any horse-drawn carriages for sale around here?"
The shopkeeper's wife was startled.
"Oh dear, young madam, don't speak carelessly! Horses aren't something just anyone can buy—you need connections."
Only then did Jiang Wanyue remember that in the Tianqi Dynasty, horses were exclusively for military use.
They were not allowed to be sold on the market.
Unless one had connections to buy an old or sick horse—and even then, official documentation from the authorities was required.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
She wanted to return to Taiping County, that remote small county town. Without a horse, it would likely take a year or more.
Just then, the shopkeeper's wife from the neighboring rice porridge stall slapped her thigh.
"Well, isn't this something! My family happens to have an old horse. My nephew bought it from a wealthy household. A few days ago, his wife fell seriously ill and needed money urgently. So now, he's worried about selling that old horse. What do you think…"
"Where is the horse?"
The old woman was delighted and immediately left the stall to her husband. "You watch the rice porridge stall. I'll take the young madam to have a look."
Out of habitual caution, Jiang Wanyue didn't allow the old woman to get too close.
The old woman wasn't offended and instead enthusiastically introduced the old horse.
"That's a warhorse retired from the military—tall, majestic, and quite the charmer!"
Unfortunately, it was too old and didn't have much time left, so it was sold to a wealthy household.
That wealthy household used it for over a year, but the horse kept falling ill. Eventually, it ended up in her nephew's hands.
Jiang Wanyue understood the situation.
The family member's illness and urgent need for money were just a pretext. Most likely, the horse was too old to do heavy work, so they wanted to sell it.
Still, there was no other choice. If she bought a donkey, it would be too slow.
Soon, they arrived under a large willow tree on the outskirts of the capital, where an old horse was tied to the trunk, looking listless.
The horse was very thin, clearly not well cared for.
A horse's lifespan is around thirty-some years, and this one is at least in its twenties, with not many years left to live.
Once a majestic warhorse, now old and desolate to this extent—it's quite lamentable.
The old woman grinned from ear to ear.
"Young Madam, do you fancy it?"
Jiang Wanyue wore a troubled expression.
"Well, this horse clearly looks sick, without any vitality. What if I buy it and it dies right after?"