After speaking, he glanced at Manbao squatting next to the box, somewhat displeased as he said to Bai Shan, "You know how to win her favor, can’t I win her favor too?"

Bai Shan knew the ’her’ he referred to was Princess Mingda, and smiling, he said, "When we reach the Western Regions, I’ll take you to find something. I’ve heard there are many gemstones there, surely there will be something more suitable for the princess."

Manbao replied, "Mingda prefers jade."

"Impossible, she prefers gemstones," Bai Erlang asserted confidently. "Last time I gave her pearls, she was so happy when she saw them. Who wouldn’t like these sparkling gemstones?"

And the cat’s eye stone is the best among them. He still believes that cat’s eye stone is good.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Shan said, "If you really like it, we could privately discuss it with Governor Duan."

"How to discuss this? The value of that cat’s eye stone is worth more than all the things in the box combined." Speaking of this, Bai Erlang also thought that these bandits didn’t recognize its true worth. Such a good thing shouldn’t be lumped together with others, they simply were wasting it.

Bai Shan said, "Don’t you have another treasure in your hand?"

"Styrax? Can that be exchanged for the cat’s eye stone?"

Bai Shan said, "Such things depend on personal preference. Cat’s eye stones are precious, but unless someone personally likes it for private use, trying to liquidate it shows it may not be as valuable as your box of styrax."

He continued, "Such a large cat’s eye stone would not sell in Liangzhou. For travelers heading to the Western Regions or to the Central Plains, none could afford such a price. To sell it directly in the capital, there are buyers, but few would spend such a huge amount on one stone."

"He’s a court official, selling under his name would be problematic no matter the price. Without his name, who’s to say there won’t be forcible buying issues?" And a governor from a peripheral area like Liangzhou certainly doesn’t have much clout in the capital.

Now, Governor Duan is very excited. Once he calms down, he’ll realize how difficult it is to liquidate this item. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In contrast, styrax is much simpler.

This incense is precious, its pieces are liked by the nobility, and if people find it expensive, more pieces could be divided. Without using his name, a steward posing as a Western Regions merchant could sell it.

Not to mention the capital, even in Xiazhou, such good items would attract plenty of buyers who could afford it.

The cat’s eye stone is unique and can’t be divided. Its price is high, but precisely because it’s high, even wealthy and noble people rarely buy it.

Bai Erlang trusted Bai Shan greatly, so he became cheerful again, eagerly squatting down and rummaging through the jewelry box with Manbao, "Why did these people put everything together?"

It was difficult to count in the cave, so besides selecting several of her favorites for another box to distinguish them, Manbao ordered the soldiers to carry out the entire chest.

Bai Shan handed that box to Governor Duan’s personal soldiers, saying, "Keep it separate. We want these when dividing... the spoils."

The personal soldiers respectfully collected for them.

Governor Duan had already hidden the cat’s eye gemstone. Now, with a radiant face, he approached them to invite, "Come, come, everyone, let’s inventory the items in this cave."

The cave held much more than the tree hole; in terms of value, a box of jewels could rival the gold and silver in the tree hole.

So Governor Duan thought they should mostly have extracted just about all the bandits’ treasures, though he still recalled Bai Shan’s deduction. With a keen eye, he asked, "What if there are two more such dens..."

Bai Shan: "...It’s uncertain. That’s just my guess." He glanced at Manbao and continued, "Even if there is, I estimate there might be just one more because there are quite many things in this cave."

Manbao nodded.

Governor Duan, after a brief consideration, nodded too, "Indeed, they rob for profit, but it shouldn’t be enough to rival a country’s wealth. Another den like this should be the limit."

Governor Duan enthusiastically proposed, "How about handing this over to them while we search elsewhere?"

Manbao also became enthusiastic, while Bai Shan looked up at the sky.

Everyone instinctively followed and looked up, Governor Duan asked, "What’s with the sky? They surely can’t be hiding up there, can they?"

Manbao: "...It’s dark now!"

Governor Duan then noticed it indeed was getting dark. He lamented, "How did today pass so quickly?"

Bai Shan furrowed his brow and said, "It’s unsafe in the mountains at night. Let’s descend now and return tomorrow."

Governor Duan naturally had no objections, so he ordered people to go to the bandit’s den to call the soldiers dismantling buildings to come down and bring all the gold, silver, and jewels they found.

The items just moved from the cave were fine as they were in boxes, but the sacks carrying the copper coins were not durable; even the ropes had signs of decay. If they continue transporting it like this, it’s possible coins might scatter along the way.

Governor Duan certainly wouldn’t let that happen, so when he ordered people to call from the bandit’s den, he also instructed them to bring some sacks or boxes down.

They rolled up their sleeves and squatted to pick up the scattered coins from the ground, feeling no disdain for such manual labor, even finding it quite engaging.

Even though these were copper coins, for some reason, counting them felt more delightful than counting gold and silver.

Manbao picked up each scattered copper coin from the ground, placed them on a piece of torn cloth, and when gathered enough, lifted it and poured them into an empty box. The jingling sound was particularly pleasing.

Bai Erlang picked one and threw one, and throughout the scene, the sound of him continuously tossing copper coins could be heard.

With many people, and however much money there was, it wasn’t enough to gather all. Everyone transferred all coins into new cloth sacks and boxes and began their descent full laden.

Manbao found the guards and personally carried down the jewelry she had picked.

Upon reaching the mountain base, everyone was a bit dumbfounded.

Governor Duan apparently didn’t hold much hope for this treasure hunt, so they rode up, half of the soldiers were on horseback and half ran; no cart accompanied.

As for results now...

After pondering a moment, Governor Duan decided to send someone back posthaste to fetch a carriage while he took the opportunity to inquire with Bai Shan about how they would handle the loot... the spoils after division.

Bai Shan laughed, "We are many, and Liangzhou isn’t far from Xiazhou. We could send a few people to transport some items back to Xiazhou first. But if Lord Duan would settle all gold and silver for us, we’d have no such worry."

Governor Duan skipped over the last comment, asking with a smile, "So, does Young Master Bai have personnel stationed in Xiazhou?"

Bai Shan smiled and replied, "The newly appointed Governor of Xiazhou, Yang Heshu, is our study elder brother. We could temporarily store the items with him, and Lord Zhou’s brother often travels between the grasslands and the capital. We could have him carry the goods back then."

Governor Duan’s eyes flashed. Hence, Bai Shan and his companions have channels to handle these goods.