At three in the morning, the woman leaned against a tree and slowly awakened, hugging her arms tightly as she shivered from the cold. Her lips were a dark purple.
She stood up and stretched out her stiff, frozen limbs, feeling utterly confused.
Strangely, she had co out to retrieve the dragon bone, but suddenly fainted. After that, she recalled nothing.
Dragon bone...
She imdiately walked toward Tan Garden.
After taking a few steps, she abruptly stopped.
Sothing must have happened. At this hour of the night, rushing into Tan Garden would only arouse suspicion from the guards. Here, a servant had no valid excuses. She didn’t want to die a aningless death.
After thinking for a mont, she changed direction.
In the northwest corner of Tan Garden, there was a dog hole covered by weeds. The guards had once sealed it, but a food-stealing weasel had dug it open again. She was petite and could easily crawl through.
Shen You’an witnessed this scene, his gaze rippling with a faint smile.
A clever person.
This mansion, opulent and decadent, resembled a grand, gilded cage. Though it appeared impenetrable, in reality it was like foam under sunlight—beautiful to behold but easily punctured.
The collapse of a structure often isn’t caused by external attacks; rather, it originates from internal decay.
~
Wei Zhuhua went to et the elderly matriarch in the afternoon, inevitably enduring a round of reprimands.
Returning to the old mansion in the city center, she developed a high fever that evening.
"Huanhuan... still hasn’t been found?"
Zi Xun shook her head and said, "Madam, I must insist on taking you to the hospital. You cannot delay any longer."
"I’m fine." Wei Zhuhua sipped so warm water to soothe her throat.
"Is there anything urgent tomorrow?"
"Madam, have you forgotten? Tomorrow is the Tianbao Pavilion auction."
Wei Zhuhua hesitated for a mont. "I can’t believe I forgot such an important event."
In the antiques world, there’s Qingge Auction. In the stationery trade, there’s Hanhai Auction. In the dicinal sector, naturally, there is Tianbao Auction.
Tianbao Pavilion was established by the Wei family, specializing in rare and extraordinary dicinal ingredients from across the world. As long as one could pay the price, anything could be acquired here.
Each year, Tianbao Pavilion held an auction, featuring rare dicinal materials that were difficult to find on the market. According to auction house rules, the highest bidder takes the prize.
Of course, for a high-profile auction of this caliber, invitations weren’t sothing ordinary people could easily obtain.
Wei Zhuhua, as a daughter of the Wei family and the daughter-in-law of the Yu family, attended every year to oversee the event, ensuring no one made trouble.
This year, due to the Leng family’s influence, the Wei family’s business had been floundering. They desperately needed revenue from this auction, making tomorrow’s event crucial. Wei Zhuhua had to be there.
Wei Zhuhua struggled to sit upright. "What items are up for auction this ti?"
"There’s the Jade Mountain Snow Lotus, premium natural yellow ox, and the thousand-year-old purple Ganoderma..."
Wei Zhuhua looked sowhat surprised. "The Wei family is actually auctioning off the thousand-year-old purple Ganoderma. It seems the situation is worse than I imagined."
The thousand-year-old purple Ganoderma was once housed in the imperial palace. Its rarity and historical value were beyond question. Back then, the Wei family held the position of Imperial dical Institute Director—at rank five. The Institute’s supervisor at the ti was Leng Baiji. The Leng family and Wei family had been bitter rivals for centuries, continuously competing, until the Leng family erged victorious. From then on, the Wei family could no longer practice dicine and shifted to selling dicinal materials, thus founding Tianbao Pavilion.
However, as eras changed, a devastating fire destroyed the final feudal dynasty. Treasures from the palace were either lost or scattered. Luckily, a Wei family descendant seized the thousand-year-old purple Ganoderma amidst the chaos. Since then, it had been carefully safeguarded by the family, becoming the Pavilion’s crowning jewel. The Leng family had coveted it for years, consistently pressuring the Wei family to surrender the purple Ganoderma. It wasn’t until she married into the Yu family, becoming the eldest daughter-in-law, that the Leng family gradually abandoned their pursuit.
In recent years, the Leng family’s ambitions had grown rapidly. They not only monopolized hospitals and pharmaceuticals but also began encroaching on dicinal trades. The Leng family was highly skilled at monopolization. These years had seen the Wei family’s market dwindling, with sales figures declining consecutively. Even in biopharmaceuticals, the Wei family’s specialty, the Leng family maintained a firm grip.
Offering up the purple Ganoderma this ti was surely the Wei family’s breaking point—a signal of surrender.
Wei Zhuhua felt helpless. Although the Leng family dealt in comrce and ranked the lowest among the four major clans, who could avoid illness? Even the elderly matriarch sought the Leng family’s miracle physicians. Which prominent family didn’t owe favors to the Leng family? To act against them was akin to wishful thinking.
"So be it. If the Leng family acquires the purple Ganoderma, I imagine they’ll stop making things difficult for the Wei family."
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