"Hurry! Tell me the truth! Where is that piece of blue field jade? If you hand it over, I'll give you this amount!" The middle-aged man extended ten fingers. The head掌柜 knew that ten fingers meant 1,000 taels of official silver. This was a regrettable decision—how could he have sold just three taels of silver to that merchant named Gao? Yet, the head掌柜 still wouldn't reveal the information, until one of the generals from the Qin army outside said, "Minister Li! Just now, we saw someone come here—seemed to have purchased something, though we couldn't quite make out what it was." As the identity of Minister Li Si was confirmed, the head掌柜 immediately fell to his knees, unable to look up, and repeatedly expressed his remorse: "Minister Li! Please spare my life! The blue field jade you requested was purchased by that merchant named Gao!" "Hurry! What are you all standing there for? Go after him! Remember—this is an imperial decree. If you fail to recover it, bring your heads to me!" Li Si, though courteous and composed, was resolute and decisive when it mattered most, always serving Emperor Qin Shi Huang without delay or hesitation—otherwise, accompanying the emperor would be like accompanying a tiger, and he himself would never have become the Chancellor of the Qin Dynasty. As soon as the Chancellor spoke, the Qin troops immediately scattered, pursuing the direction where Gao Liang, Zhang Yuping, and the elder had gone. Zhang Yuping took the blue field jade from Gao Liang and held it carefully, clearly delighted with it. As for Gao Liang, he turned to Zhang Yuping and said, "We didn't expect it—after just three days in Zhao, we've already found our treasures! Our mission is complete! Let's return together to the modern world!" But just as he finished speaking, he realized they were now surrounded, with the elder having already departed, as his guiding duties were now finished. "Seize them! It's the very blue field jade they bought!" the head merchant rushed over with the Qin soldiers, pointing at Gao Liang and Zhang Yuping. Li Si arrived and soon saw the blue field jade in Zhang Yuping's hands. Just by observing its luster, he clapped his hands in admiration: "Excellent! Excellent! It's exactly this jade!" "Secure them! Secure them quickly!" With a single command from a Qin general, more than a hundred Qin soldiers formed a solid wall, tightly encircling Gao Liang and Zhang Yuping. A fierce battle was about to unfold. Yet, just then, a senior general riding a high-steed, his helmet adorned with three feathers, approached, holding a portrait in hand and presenting it to Li Si. Upon examining the portrait, Li Si found it somewhat similar to Gao Liang, though he couldn't be certain at first. He immediately turned to the senior general and asked: "Can you confirm whether this is the young man who can command the winds and rains, capable of halting an entire Qin army of sixty thousand?" The senior general carefully studied the portrait, yet Gao Liang deliberately extended his tongue, making an odd gesture. The general approached Gao Liang, looking left and right, but still couldn't make a decision. Zhang Yuping also stepped in to support Gao Liang, holding the jade with a steady hand and saying to Gao Liang, "Mr. Gao! Truly unexpected—what could be so special about this jade that even the Grand Chancellor himself would want it? Well, then, if the Grand Chancellor desires it, I’ll gladly present it to him!" Upon finishing, she handed the blue field jade to Li Si, the Grand Chancellor. Li Si found Zhang Yuping’s tone carried a certain grace and immediately admired her quietly. He then clearly stated to both Gao Liang and Zhang Yuping, "As a renowned minister of the Qin Dynasty, I don’t wish to trouble you. But you know well that I serve the Emperor. Whatever the Emperor values, must not fall into the hands of others. Should you both willingly return it, I will offer you 1,000 official silver taels—on the spot, with no delay!" "And what about me?" The head merchant, upon hearing the offer of 1,000 taels, immediately brightened up, eager to share in the benefits. Yet Li Si promptly commanded, "Excellent! Come with me to the Emperor’s court!" The head manager was so frightened that his legs trembled, and dared not approach the Emperor to make the request. Qin Shi Huang was extremely dignified—many envoys from Zhao often visited Qin and either lost an arm or a leg, clearly having suffered severe punishments. Thus, he knelt down on the ground and bowed deeply to Li Si, apologizing and expressing gratitude. Although Zhang Yuping had just said she intended to proactively present the jade to Li Si, in her heart she actually didn’t want to. Yet, Gao Liang had followed her suggestion. Knowing that during this journey to the Qin dynasty, he wished to remain discreet about his true identity, Gao Liang skillfully adopted the plan and said to both Li Si and the senior generals: "Very well! Thank you so much, Minister Li! This jade—should the Emperor truly appreciate it, then I shall present it to him!" With great generosity, Zhang Yuping added: "Minister Li is so busy with official duties, and my young lord is merely a merchant—merchants always conduct fair transactions!" Li Si greatly admired this remark and immediately instructed his subordinates: "Quick! Bring the 1,000 taels of official silver!" Indeed, the four people struggled to carry over two large red boxes, revealing immediately a solid pile of white official silver coins, which made both Gao Liang and Zhang Yuping's eyes widen in amazement. Though Zhang Yuping was reluctant to part with the blue jade from Liutan, the sheer volume of official silver—freshly minted by the Qin dynasty's coin factory—was truly remarkable. In terms of archaeological value, if these 1,000 taels of silver were transported back to the Huaxia State in 2011, they would surely astonish the world and command a high price at auction. Even if not auctioned, simply spending them within the Qin dynasty era would be sufficient to ensure a lifetime of comfort for Gao Liang and her—building homes, enjoying fine meals, and living in luxury. After all, why not simply settle down together in the Qin dynasty and live out the rest of their lives in harmony, free from worries about food and clothing, loving each other deeply until old age? That would surely be a beautiful life. As Zhang Yuping was pondering these thoughts, Gao Liang had already taken his 1,000 taels of silver, and At that moment, many people stretched out their tongues toward two large red boxes. A group of toughs arrived—broad-shouldered and strong—each holding a weapon. Zhang Yупing was afraid, as these men looked like they were fierce and determined, and immediately took refuge behind Gao Liang. As for Gao Liang, however, he smiled cheerfully—this was his chance to show off. "Hey! Right now, I'm short on cash! My brothers and I haven't even been able to afford a meal together. This time, lend us 500 taels of silver!" said a sturdy man with a dark face, holding a broadaxe, addressing Gao Liang. Gao Liang snorted, saying, "Agreed! But if you've got the strength, come right on over and take it!" "Brothers! Come on! Whoever grabs the silver gets to keep it!" The leader with the dark face gave the order, and twenty-some toughs immediately surrounded Gao Liang's two large red boxes. "Crash!" With a loud crash, an axe struck the large redwood chest, opening a wide crack in its lid. The men in the crowd saw the gleaming silver coins and immediately screamed in excitement: "We've struck gold! Real cash! We've struck gold! Boss! This time, we're really treating ourselves—let's go to Huayue Lou and treat ourselves to some beautiful women!"