Miss Truth
Chapter 234 - 147: The Elegant Gentleman

Chapter 234: Chapter 147: The Elegant Gentleman

Originally, it was just for fun, but now a large piece of fine Lantian jade had unexpectedly emerged; there is a saying, "A man is not guilty, but possessing jade brings guilt." The Ran family was naturally not considered commoners in Suzhou, but there were many powerful and influential figures around; whether it was a blessing or a curse was still unknown.

Ran Yan and Ran Yun also understood the principle that "calamities are hidden within blessings," and the silent Ran Yunsheng boarded the "Lin Jiang Xian."

Ran Yun touched the large piece of Lantian jade over and over again, unable to let it go.

"Ah Yun, stop looking. Once it is finely carved, the jade’s brilliance will shine through," Ran Yunsheng said.

Ran Yun turned back and sat across Ran Yan, curiously asking, "Seventeen-sister, how did you discern there was jade in that stone?"

Ran Yan placed her mask on the table and smiled faintly, "The stall owner told me."

"The stall owner?" Ran Yun became even more puzzled.

Ran Yunsheng, also wearing a puzzled look, smiled and asked, "Ah Yan, how did you get the stall owner to tell the truth?"

"Did you observe the order in which they carried the raw stones?" Ran Yan asked.

Ran Yun shook her head, Ran Yunsheng thought for a moment and said, "It seemed that the sides were loaded first, the middle last."

At that time, everyone’s attention was on the jade craftsman on the side, and their memory of the sequence in which the raw stones were presented on stage was very vague.

"Correct. Shilang was not even sure about this, you probably didn’t notice the stall owner’s demeanor when the people were lifting the raw stones," Ran Yan recalled the scene and continued, "The stall owner always appeared indifferent, but when the last piece of raw stone was brought up, he said, ’Be careful.’"

"That’s it?" Ran Yun frowned, thinking it was rather risky.

"Of course, there is more," Ran Yan continued, "Before that batch of big stones was presented, you had mentioned buying a stone. At that moment, the stall owner glanced at you, and then you impulsively bid against Yang Langjun. Shilang spent a generous amount of money for the entry, and considering our young ages, surely someone sensed an opportunity."

The human brain is very honest; its movements usually reflect the truth through the body, and even if one is pretending, various small movements will betray them. For instance, when the brain recalls something that really happened, the eyes first look up and then turn left. However, if one is fabricating an image, the eye movements during speech are exactly the opposite. Yet, each person’s range of eye movement is different, which truly tests the observer’s acuity.

Many things are deduced through minute observations, but Ran Yan could not disclose everything, instead she picked a few crucial points to share, "I lingered in front of every raw stone for a long time, and the stall owner’s reactions were quite telling!"

"What do you mean by telling?" Ran Yun asked eagerly.

Ran Yan slightly smiled and took a sip of water, "When people are nervous, they exhibit many small gestures. Each person has different habits and will display different actions, like some ladies like to twist their handkerchiefs or pluck at the corners of their clothes, and some gentlemen like to scratch their heads or avoid paying attention to things or people they care about... The stall owner, on the other hand, liked to continuously wipe his hands with a handkerchief."

Many people’s palms sweat severely when they are nervous, and some choose to wipe them. Not only did the stall owner wipe his palms, but his gaze deliberately avoided the middle piece of raw stone, fearing others might discern something from his eyes.

Ran Yun tilted her head and thought; she had also seen the stall owner wiping his hands, but had not thought much of it. Now recalling it, it indeed seemed very suspicious. The stall owner had not touched anything else, so why did he continuously wipe his palms?

"What did Ran Yan say to young master Yang on the stage?" Ran Yunsheng noticed that after Ran Yan approached young master Yang, the bidding began to hesitate, not as unrestrained as at the start, surely influenced by something.

"Shilang also said that in Suzhou there are no families of Eighth or Ninth Rank officials that are not well-established, and the young master Yang’s collar shows his undergarment is of plain hemp, yet his outer garment is an embroidered robe. May I ask, Shilang, how much is the monthly salary of an Eighth Rank official? The money he spent on raw stones would probably be an all-out effort for an average family," Ran Yan stated.

Ran Yunsheng looked down at his own clothes. Only a tiny slit of his undergarment was visible, and even in the brightly lit room, the material couldn’t be discerned clearly. It was truly not easy for Ran Yan to make such a distinction under those conditions.

Ran Yan smiled and said, "Therefore, I only mentioned to him that the material of young master Yang’s undergarment was quite unique, and I wondered how much it had cost?"

"Are you saying that this entire guessing game was a scam from the start?" Ran Yun exclaimed in surprise.

Ran Yan nodded, based on her speculation, the stall owner had acquired a batch of raw stones and after being evaluated by experts, received a not so favorable outcome—out of twenty raw stones, only a few might contain good jade! Perhaps he spent a decent sum when purchasing the raw stones, or maybe he was dissatisfied with his greed, intending to use those worthless raw stones to make more money, thus he concocted this guessing game.

In the beginning, people did not know the truth. To stir up enthusiasm among the crowds and to mislead them, he enlisted young master Yang, dressed in ordinary blue robes yet clearly not ordinary, and everyone could tell at a glance he was an official. Though collusion between officials and merchants was not unusual, people were still unconsciously lured in.

When the first round ended, the piece of jade young master Yang purchased was precisely cut open, immediately causing a public frenzy.

So it is said, humans are emotional creatures, easily swayed by circumstances, thus overlooking other things.

"Wife has a pair of keen eyes," a young man’s voice suddenly came from outside the door, startling everyone inside.

With a swoosh, the door was pushed open, and a young man dressed in an embroidered robe stepped in. His black hair was untied, with a thin and long face, a full forehead, long eyebrows that reached his temples, though not as sharp as Su Fu; narrow eyes, a distinct nose with a slight hook, and thin lips curled into a smile.

Ran Yunsheng felt vaguely that this person looked familiar, but having met numerous people daily, he couldn’t quite remember.

Ran Yan’s calm gaze met him, her peripheral vision noticing an unfamiliar guard standing outside, and she could faintly see the corner of the original guard’s clothing, paused for a moment before saying, "Since the visitor has arrived, young master, please sit down and we can talk."

The visitor had ill intentions. She did not believe that someone who stirred up such a commotion to show up at her door was looking to make friends.

The young man in fine clothing was slightly startled, his right hand now unknowingly holding a folding fan; he gently tapped his palm with it, strolled up to Ran Yan, slightly bowed, his black hair sliding off his shoulders. He opened his thin lips slightly, and in a soft voice said, "Wife’s intelligence in fighting the crooked merchant was truly spectacular."

"You flatter me, it’s just a wife’s meticulous mind, hardly worth the ’intelligence’ title." Ran Yan picked up a cup of tea and sipped on it.

The reaction from Ran Yan, although the young man in fine clothing had never underestimated Ran Yan, to see a wife handling situations with such composure was truly astonishing!

Ran Yunsheng frowned slightly, his voice cold yet somewhat polite, "Young master, you are an uninvited guest. May I know your esteemed purpose?"

"Ran Shilang." The young man in fine clothing sized up Ran Yunsheng from top to bottom, directly calling out his identity, his lips lightly curved, "Truly handsome."

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