Hu Hai beside them kept his eyes lowered, his temples twitching. Perhaps his imperial brother hadn’t noticed, but today he was unusually talkative, quite different from his usual self.
Lu Zigang just standing nearby could feel the intense killing intent here, as if the temperature had instantly dropped several degrees, sending chills down one’s spine. Just as he was about to find an excuse to leave, he heard the music in the hall stop. The host came on stage to invite everyone to take their seats, announcing the auction was about to begin. Lu Zigang went to find Professor Tang, secretly relieved to finally escape the storm’s center, only to discover Professor Tang was chatting with the director and they had sat together. The director then invited the Boss to join them, and the Boss brought along the Doctor and Young Master Hu. Professor Tang and the director’s row was full, so Lu Zigang was forced to sit in the row behind with the Boss and others, feeling utterly helpless and could only lower his head to flip through the partial collection catalog.
After the host came on stage and said some polite words, mourning the deceased collector and welcoming the attendees, he got straight to the point without further delay. The first ten items auctioned were designated for private collection. Though the director and Professor Tang found these collections valuable, they were still somewhat lacking. They had communicated privately and knew that today’s auction included fifteen items total – the five items after these ten would be national treasure level. Those five items were too expensive for ordinary people to maintain even if they could afford them, so they were specifically auctioned to the various museums in attendance. However, museum budgets naturally couldn’t compare to private wealth, so while the first ten items could reach astronomical prices, the five national treasure items might not collectively match the price of one earlier piece.
The director was in good spirits, having learned upon arrival that today’s auction was arranged this way, greatly admiring how well this family handled things. He no longer had to worry about the Boss competing with him, since the celadon carved flower secret-color porcelain cups and saucers he wanted were definitely national treasure level collections.
When the fourth item was being auctioned – a Ming Dynasty crab shell green clay inkstone – the director noticed the Boss hadn’t raised his paddle once and turned around puzzled: “Boss, what’s wrong? Nothing catching your eye?”
The Boss nodded without answering.
After asking, the director slapped his forehead, thinking he had been foolishly excited. He had seen the items in the Silent House – just what was displayed on the treasure cabinet outside was priceless. Though the clay inkstone was valuable, the Boss casually used a Song Dynasty plum blossom pit Duan inkstone on his counter daily – how could he care about this one?
The director quietly turned back around, no longer getting carried away. Couldn’t he see the Boss’s expression wasn’t good? It must be because those five collections weren’t open for private auction. He should keep a low profile…
The Boss’s expression was indeed poor, but definitely not for the reason the director imagined.
Lu Zigang sat on the outside but desperately leaned forward, quietly consulting Professor Tang. Professor Tang enjoyed teaching, and since these weren’t the museum’s target pieces, he was happy to give guidance. But the more he answered, the more he wondered why this Comrade Little Lu’s basic knowledge seemed shaky – he didn’t even know which pits produced clay inkstones. Lu Zigang naturally wasn’t that unprofessional, but if he didn’t find topics to chat about, he felt he’d be pierced through by the Doctor’s gaze from the Boss’s other side! Though he knew those eyes weren’t looking at him!
Fortunately, Young Master Hu sat on the far side away from him. In Lu Zigang’s view, Young Master Hu was naturally a thousand, ten thousand times more dangerous than the Boss.
However, this arrogant Young Master Hu was surprisingly well-behaved today! He hadn’t said a single word – truly strange…
“King of Qi!” He snapped out of his daze to suddenly find himself standing on city walls, with his army engaged in combat exercises nearby. Of course, it was all form without killing intent, since this wasn’t a battlefield but daily training.
He slowly blinked, then opened his eyes again, confirming the scene wasn’t his imagination – he was probably dreaming again.
“King of Qi, regarding what this subordinate advised previously, has Your Highness reached a decision?” This nagging voice by his ear he had heard not long ago, so without turning to confirm, he knew the speaker was that debater Kuai Che.
He held a command flag in one hand while slowly tapping the gray-blue city bricks with the other. Why did he keep recalling what happened then?
“When the birds are gone, the good bow is stored away; when the cunning hares die, the hunting dogs are cooked; when enemy states are destroyed, the strategist ministers perish. The Han King is not a magnanimous person – Your Highness must think thrice!” Kuai Che spoke earnestly and persuasively.
He raised the command flag and waved it once. Deafening war drums suddenly rose in long and short intervals, and the soldiers below the wall obeyed orders in perfect unison, quickly changing formations.
“Your Highness, in emperors’ eyes, meritorious ministers are naturally guilty – who told them to have the ability to rebel? All emperors guard against meritorious ministers like guarding against thieves, without exception.” Kuai Che couldn’t understand why this King of Qi was so foolishly loyal. “Are kings, marquises, generals, and ministers born noble?” If positions were reversed and he, Kuai Che, had such elite troops and world-shaking achievements, he would definitely compete for the throne.
“Without exception… indeed…” He murmured to himself, but his thoughts weren’t of Liu Bang, but of another person.
“Bizhi…”
The Boss opened his eyes to find voices bidding competitively around him. After a moment of confusion, he realized he had lost consciousness at the auction venue.
“Bizhi? What’s wrong?” Fu Su beside him asked with concern, even wanting to reach out and feel his forehead for fever.
The Boss subtly avoided his hand and shook his head lightly without much explanation.
Dreaming repeatedly of past events – was it because his heart was disturbed by retrieving that object?
Setting aside this small incident on the Boss’s side, the auction continued smoothly until the tenth item was sold, with no bidding from their row. This seemed perfectly normal to others – these four people all looked to be in their twenties, clearly just spectators.
Of course, Lu Zigang was indeed there to make up numbers, but the others weren’t. The Boss looked down on these collections, Fu Su was like Xiang Zhuang dancing with sword while aiming for Duke of Pei, and Hu Hai had extremely high standards, judging these antiques had no spiritual essence and weren’t worth a penny.
The Doctor’s rabbit doll had long stopped lying obediently in the Boss’s pocket and was already poking its little head out. But he never looked at the stage displays, instead staring fixedly at Fu Su nearby.
More precisely, staring at his own body.
Though resentful of this nest-stealing thief, the Doctor had to admit this guy’s temperament was completely different from his own.
Wearing designer casual clothes, clearly a life winner. His unglassed face showed an intimidating authority that was hard to ignore, yet well-controlled without being sharp-edged. Just sitting there casually, he had the bearing of a superior.
Recalling his former self, they were like two different people! The Doctor felt increasingly depressed, his gaze growing more vicious.
Of course, no matter how vicious a rabbit doll’s expression, it remained cute and helpless. The Doctor’s long ears drooped as he vowed to have the Boss get him a tiger doll when they returned, or a T-Rex! Actually, a Gundam would work too…
The Doctor’s thoughts wandered off-track again, while Fu Su didn’t spare even a peripheral glance for this opponent, completely dismissing him.
When the host announced the next collection, the previously relaxed director straightened up, and Professor Tang stopped addressing Lu Zigang’s basic knowledge questions, gripping his invitation tightly. Each invitation had numbers on the back for bidding purposes.
The remaining five collections were predetermined for museums, with only special numbered holders able to bid, so the atmosphere was less heated and proceeded quickly – clearly these museum representatives had reached prior agreements. The director acquired his desired celadon carved flower secret-color porcelain cups and saucers, Professor Tang got a painting by Qing Dynasty Giuseppe Castiglione titled “Emperor Qianlong Stabbing a Tiger,” and the other three items were successively sold.
The host said a few closing words and dismissed the gathering. Those who won items took their invitations to the relevant staff, while others left successively, and the venue quickly emptied. Professor Tang and the director didn’t get up – they had formal procedures to follow, so weren’t in a rush. Professor Tang was about to say something when his gaze fell somewhere and his brow furrowed tightly.
“Eh? Isn’t that Old Chen? Why is he going to the rest room?” The director also noticed something amiss. This venue connected to a rest room next door. The deceased collector’s descendants must have come for this auction but hadn’t appeared.
Lu Zigang was startled – he knew the person they mentioned, Chen Miao who owned a private library. Lu Zigang wasn’t stupid and quickly whispered to Professor Tang: “This person never bid once at the auction. He has real resources – he wouldn’t come for nothing.” Lu Zigang observed so carefully because he had been too idle. Besides the Boss and others, Chen Miao was the only person he recognized here.
At this moment, the Boss sitting beside Lu Zigang stood up, walked past him, and headed straight for the rest room Chen Miao had entered. Naturally, when he moved, Fu Su and Hu Hai beside him followed.
The director tapped his cane on the ground and immediately said energetically: “Oversight! The host family definitely has treasures they didn’t put up for auction!” He quickly stood and followed the Boss with his uneven gait.
Professor Tang certainly wouldn’t fall behind and immediately followed. Lu Zigang silently complained in his heart – originally Chen Miao acting alone wasn’t conspicuous, but their group of six people making such a commotion would definitely attract attention. Fortunately, most people had left the venue by now, so it didn’t cause much of a stir.
The rest room was actually quite large – when the door opened, it was about the size of a conference room with a long table. Chen Miao had been secretly pleased with his keen eye while chatting up a young lady in the rest room, when he was shocked to see the door open and five or six people enter successively.
“Well! Old Chen, so you wanted to eat alone? Caught red-handed!” The director chuckled smugly and sat down across from Chen Miao.
Chen Miao smiled wryly, touched his nose, and sighed: “I knew there was something that wasn’t put up for auction! So I came to ask.”
“What is it?” Professor Tang asked curiously after taking a seat. However, being well-mannered, he first handed his business card to the woman and they exchanged names.
This woman was surnamed Zhang, not a descendant of the collector but a lawyer. She appeared to be in her thirties, with an oval face and a capable, shrewd appearance. Chen Miao deflated upon hearing this – he couldn’t negotiate anything with a lawyer. He had thought she was the old gentleman’s descendant! It seemed the other party really didn’t want to show their face.
“Eh? Looking at your expression, what exactly is it?” The director was also interested. They had all seen too many antiques – what kind of antique could disappoint someone like Chen Miao so much? “It’s not some ancient musical score like ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water,’ is it?” The director teased, since Chen Miao was obsessed with ancient books, naturally including musical scores.
While they chatted, Lawyer Zhang had already gotten up to exchange business cards with the Boss’s group – all social etiquette they paid no mind to.
Chen Miao wiped his face and regained composure, sighing lightly: “It’s an immunity tablet.”
“Immunity tablet?” The director and Professor Tang exclaimed simultaneously.