"My Lord is a Stone"《我家君王是石头》Chapter 17

“Why is it filled with so much mud?” Zhao Jin Yu only felt her heart pound, almost impatiently asking.

That man seeing Zhao Jin Yu worked up like this, was ever more cheerful, thinking at first glance this was a young lady kept at home without having seen the world, she’ll believe whatever he said…, right from the start she started caring for his stone, a truly soft heart, immediately he turned his head to look at Chen Rong scared of the consequences, seeing her expressionless face, without showing any objections, his courage grew even more, thinking perhaps this was a hired armed escort, so long as her employer insists, the armed escort won’t pay attention to her employer’s personal matters, he said, “Young lady don’t you know, this stone doesn’t only just talk, it can also bounce, if I didn’t fill the inside with mud, it would incessantly thud inside.”

Zhao Jin Yu did not think of this reason, she couldn’t help think of the stone’s fussy manner every time it bathed, his love for cleanliness was an obsession, now it was however stuck in the mud, has it already been driven mad from rage?

“I want it!” Zhao Jin Yu felt she couldn’t wait a minute longer.

That man restrained the joy in his heart, smiling he said, “Young lady you have good taste, since the young lady likes it, then I will forsake it, if you give me this much…”The man extended his fingers on both hands, “A stone that can both speak, and jump will be yours.”

Zhao Jin Yu nodded, from her embroidered pouch she took out twenty large copper coins throwing it on the table, the smooth and round copper coins hitting each other produced a crisp noise, at the same time it made that man show an appearance like he was struck by lightning.

That man widened his eyes, somewhat displeased he spoke loudly, “I’m saying two thousand silvers!”

Zhao Jin Yu pouted unhappily, saying to Chen Rong at her side, “Auntie Chen, let us leave, this person is swindling us as if we’re idiots, not only is this stone a common Yuhua stone, it simply isn’t worth two thousand silvers, even if this stone can talk, can jump, who would believe it? If it really was this sort of extraordinary stone, if it was precisely a stone spirit, it would have been delivered to the Rare Treasures Pavilion long ago, why would it be here to be peddled?” Zhao Jin Yu paused, watching that man’s face unsightly turn green then white, her heart was delighted, again saying, “If you can truly proof this stone can talk, not just two thousand silvers, I would even buy it for twenty thousand silvers.”

Chen Rong’s excessively stiff expression finally softened a little, hearing these words, she said, “The young lady is right, we shall leave.”

That man expression was sluggish, only after a while did he awkwardly smile, urging Zhao Jin Yu to stay, “Please wait, this stone truly is an extraordinary stone, it only speaks at night.”

“Then we will wait until night.” Zhao Jin Yu lightly lifted her chin, a face showing she had all the time in the world, her mind was like a mirror, the stone was an idiot if it spoke in front of a stranger twice, allowing people to use information against it.

That man’s stubborn expression finally showed cracks, he said, “I’ll sell it to you for two hundred silvers.” Right now he simply did not have the power to make the stone talk, so long as Zhao Jin Yu picked up the stone she would know with a glance, this stone was basically badly damaged, the place below the mud was missing a huge chunk, this was also the reason why he crammed the box with mud, wanting to cover up its flaw.

Ever since he used the large stone to crush it, it didn’t talk, at first he had thought this stone spirit had died, later he discovered it still had an indescribable sheen and lustre to it, he was then certain this stone was still alive, only no matter what he did, steam and boil it, roast it, bury it alive, put it in salt water…, it wouldn’t speak for the life of it.

It was just as Zhao Jin Yu said, he had previously taken this stone to the Rare Treasures Pavilion to try his luck, the Rare Treasures Pavilion was a famous trading company, specialising in collecting rare treasures, those things with spirits would be turned into longevity pills by the Rare Treasures 

Pavilion’s Daoist priests who concoct pills of immortality, selling them to royalty and the wealthy, clearly this stone was one of the best materials, only unfortunately who was willing to accept a stone who was missing a bit and could not speak? He kneeled at the doorway imploring, the Rare Treasures Pavilion believed him for a bit, but after waiting for half a day they did not see the stone talk, they beat him out without politeness, that group of youngsters were too vicious, his legs were still somewhat painful now!

Coming back from the Rare Treasures Pavilion, he truly regretted it so much, why did he smash the stone in a moment of anger? Now he actually had a feeling that he was becoming poorer guarding a treasure, in the end he still didn’t give up, he thought he would find someone with more money than sense and sell it, settling on Tongzhou dock, people came and went here, many people only stopped over for the night, after he sold it he would slip away swiftly, later when the buyer finds out it’s a fake which cannot speak, wanting to settle the matter with him they would have to first catch a boat to Tongzhou dock right?

Yes, this person is Zhen Xiao Liu who had picked up the stone from the dried up well a few days ago.

Zheng Xiao Liu looked for someone at the door of the tavern for half the day before finally fixing his attention on Zhao Jin Yu, he actually saw Zhao Jin Yu as someone with more money than sense, mainly because he had seen Zhao Jin Yu kindly buy two steamed buns from a blatant swindling beggar, this sort of kind-hearted person was best to con.

Who knew he would unexpectedly shoot himself in the foot? This girl was very perceptive!

Zhao Jin Yu remained unmoved, she felt that paying twenty large copper coins to get something back of hers was considered very generous, if it wasn’t for the fact that if her item was lost and found and would need to talk about why the stone ended up in the dried up well…, it would make the other person sense that she knows the stone can talk, at first she had considered not giving anything.

“Twenty large coppers.” Zhao Jin Yu resolutely and decisively said.

“Twenty silvers!” Zheng Xiao Liu seeing Zhao Jin Yu’s unmoved appearance, gritted his teeth lowering the price.

“Twenty large coppers”

“Twenty silvers!”

Zheng Xiao Liu talked down to twenty silvers, no matter what he was unwilling to lower the price, Zhao Jin Yu lifted her chin, resolutely saying, “I don’t want it.” Then she made to walk out, she had thought Zheng Xiao Liu would urge her to stay at all costs, afterwards she would seize the opportunity, make him accept the price of twenty copper coins, who would have imagined, Zheng 

Xiao Liu actually suddenly kneeled down with a putong sound.

“Young lady, I ask you to give to charity, I have an eighty years old mother at home, a child crying piteously for food, only all our savings have been spent on my wife’s serious illness…, there’s actually no way for us to live nowadays, just from a glance you are a young lady of a very rich family, a bit of money through the cracks of your fingers could feed our family an entire year, please don’t haggle with me over such little money.” Zheng Xiao Liu immediately became a good man who dedicated his all to his family.

In fact Zheng Xiao Liu had a good eye for people, don’t just see that Zhao Jin Yu was wearing ordinary clothing, her adoptive father was still a government official, her adoptive mother came from a large and influential family in Jinling, from childhood she had strictly instructed Zhao Jin Yu and taught by words and example, so Zhao Jin Yu’s every movement was already different from an ordinary person.

Hearing of the eighty year old mother Zhao Jin Yu almost couldn’t resist, =.=

In the end Zhao Jin Yu still took out twenty copper coins to buy the stone, no longer saying how well she speaks, afterwards Zheng Xiao Liu practically made an unreasonable scene rolling about acting shamelessly, nevertheless Chen Rong couldn’t stand by idly and watch and made a move, scaring Zheng Xiao Liu to retreat.

Zheng Xiao Liu’s pent up frustration was across his face when he left the tavern, it’s just that recalling Chen Rong’s expert movement just now made him somewhat scared in his heart, weighing the bag with the copper coins inside with his hand, swiftly he headed back, waiting until he couldn’t see the tavern did he breathe out a sigh, he couldn’t help utter, “Wasn’t that move just now made famous by the head armed escort at Xiantian bodyguards establishment?” He shook his head immediately, thinking that was very much impossible, Xiantian bodyguards establishment was reckoned to be first or second best in the Jianghu, an average person did not dare to provoke them, that head armed escort had long ago not accepted protection jobs, now again how can she appear here, and protecting a young girl? With such a thought he did not have any more notions to be tangled with Zhao Jin Yu, comforting himself he thought eventually he had gotten some money, and had at last made up for his expenses over these two days.

At night it again started to snow, Zhao Jin Yu closed her door, sitting on the tavern’s bed she opened the box, throwing away the sludge, and took clean water to wash the stone, spending an hour.

But when she saw the stone missing a piece she couldn’t help stamp her feet, how did she not notice it before! If she had known so much was missing, not just twenty copper coins, she wouldn’t even give a single coin!

How much does this hurt?

As for why Zhao Jin Yu suddenly changed her mind and went back to get the stone, the reason was somewhat incredulous, even though after she had thrown the stone into the dried up well she had felt slightly ill at ease, but it wasn’t so bad it was unbearable, thinking it would be fine after a few days, but when she was having dinner she suddenly felt a burst of depression in her heart, soon after came a sharp heart and bone piercing pain, she couldn’t help cry out, almost collapsing to the floor.

At that moment she was dripping with cold sweat, deathly pale, only thinking something must have happened to the stone, she had to return and see.

This sort of direct connection made her recall the stone’s origin, a lot of things happened a long time ago and were forgotten already, if it wasn’t for the stone telling her lies that night, she wouldn’t have thought of it. That stone’s origin is rather unusual, it wasn’t as the stone said a treasure that the emperor lost, rather nine years ago when she travelled through time to become Zhao Jin Yu, it was a thing someone had sewn into her little pocket, she thought it was related to her own background, but could not think of anything else.

Then later, when her adoptive father took her in she placed the stone inside her jewellery box, not moving it at all, who would have imagined one day, that stone would actually speak.

The funny thing after was, this stone unexpectedly said it, itself was a treasure the emperor had lost, at that time Zhao Jin Yu felt something was wrong, in the middle of the night she suddenly woke up remembering, the stone had always been hers, and had laid in her jewellery box quietly for nine years, how could it turn into the emperor’s thing in a flash?

Recalling this Zhao Jin Yu was then certain the stone had always been lying to her, handing it over herself was almost ominous, it wouldn’t end well, that’s why she threw the stone down the dried up well.

Who would have imagined, if it’s fated to be yours you cannot leave it, going around in circles the stone yet again returned to her side.

“Is it really painful? How did they mistreat you?”

“Little thing, if it wasn’t for you lying to me before, why would I have thrown you into the dried up well? I honestly left you there temporarily. I would have definitely returned for you.”

“Little thing, I don’t know who you truly are? Maybe you have some magical power I don’t know, but…, women called Zhang Hong were arrested, it must be your doing right? It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to talk about your identity, I also won’t examine the secrets you hide.” Zhao Jin Yu paused here, thinking about her own identity, it’s not that she wasn’t keeping secrets right? “But if you have the power can you get them released.”

“If you really are able, can you help my father, I really miss him.” Zhao Jin Yu thinking of Zhao Chang Chun’s skin and bone appearance, he again thought of his former elegance and grace, she only felt a pain in her heart like taking a knife to flesh.

When the emperor opened his eyes he felt very comfortable, it turns out he was lying on a soft silk cloth, warm all around, a familiar fragrant of exotic odours assailed his nostrils, making him unconsciously take in another deep breath, he raised his head, seeing a woman lying beside him, right now sleeping with her face to the side, the candle flame in the room was hazy, shining on her fair face, like a gold plated thing from a long time ago.

These two days he had basically lived in an abyss of suffering, that man who had captured him had used all methods to make him speak, roasting him on a fire, placing him in water to boil, even putting him outside and watch drop by drop of water freeze him…, he however did not give in, if he spoke, that man would certainly think of a way to sell him, nowadays a lot of Daoist priests who concoct pills of immortality like to use these sort of spirit things for concoction, basically smashing it up and placing it into ointments, then sell to those high officials and noblemen who want to live a long life, that’s why he didn’t dare try, all he could do was rather die than speak, making Zheng Xiao Liu think he was already dead, then discard him, restoring his freedom.

In order to escape from this torture he had previously tried to use money to entice Zheng Xiao Liu to tell him his name and address, sadly Zheng Xiao Liu actually had some common sense, sneering he had said, he would not let him know, who knows if these sort of demonic things would seek revenge, afterwards he had tried not sleeping at night, but it was like he was cursed, so long as he didn’t pay the slightest attention he would slip into dreamland, then again would be tortured.

At the start he had hated Zhao Jin Yu, thinking he wants her to be dismembered into thousands of pieces, but not knowing why…, when he was frozen in water to make him speak, he actually sort of missed those days Zhao Jin Yu held him against her chest to sleep.

At that moment he started to re-examine his position as a stone, it was different than being an emperor respected and revered by all, when he changed into a stone, he was merely an ordinary stone, he also closely reconsidered at Zhao Jin Yu’s value.