Imperial Treasure

Chapter 630 - 410 Conspiracy

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The authenticity of Misty the Pearl was an overt crisis, but it was actually a crisis for Duke Zheng’s Mansion. Sui Yi was not usually one to meddle, though she knew the value of the knowledge she held. However, she couldn’t rashly capitalize on it. If she were to tell Duke Zheng now that the item was fake, whether he would believe her was another matter. Ultimately, she couldn’t avoid revealing her possession of the real Misty the Pearl, which would only complicate matters...

Had it not been for Gong Jiu and Yi Chilian’s reminder, she might not have minded exposing Misty the Pearl to Duke Zheng’s Mansion and forming an association, but now she did not wish to.

Let nature take its course.

Sui Yi made up her mind, nodded to Yi Chilian, and prepared to leave, but she was stopped by someone as she passed a corridor.

That person, who unexpectedly appeared at the end of this secluded corridor.

Clad in a red dress, graceful and enticing under the brilliant sun.

The long whip hanging from her waist swayed by her thigh; she cradled her chest, her gaze both mocking and non-mocking, her long, upturned eyelashes fluttering like geese in flight, her features fiercely beautiful.

"I had thought you were above worldly desires, but it turns out you are no different from ordinary people. I wonder how Fan Yin would feel if she knew," she said.

"I imagine it wouldn’t be similar to Miss Zhong’s feelings," Sui Yi replied.

"What feelings could I have? It’s just seeing some things I shouldn’t have..."

Sui Yi’s tone was calm, but Miss Zhong Buli’s tone clearly carried a bit of anger and sharpness.

Perhaps it was provoked by Sui Yi’s calmness, or maybe she was still dwelling on the incident at Clear Pond Temple—a memory definitely not pleasant or easy to forget for the always proud Zhong Buli.

Sui Yi glanced at her, didn’t pick up on her provocation, and shifted her stance slightly to leave.

Zhong Buli found her gaze too infuriating, as if looking at an unreasonable child...

So she couldn’t help but block her...

With a slap of her hand, Zhong Buli was sent reeling back into a door...

The force wasn’t very strong, yet it made a disproportionally loud noise.

Then the door opened...

"Ha~ both of you seem quite inflamed," Sui Yi said as she turned to see Miss Cao’s cute and arrogant face.

"Sorry," Sui Yi said with a slight nod.

Cao Ling waved at her bodyguards behind her, stopping them from drawing their guns, and laughed, "If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t mind setting them straight, but if it’s Miss Sui... I’d rather invite you in for a sit, and perhaps to share a drink."

The Cao Family were no pushovers either; the siblings were cunning like foxes. Sui Yi had no desire to get more involved, so she politely declined.

Cao Ling wasn’t offended, but overheard Zhong Buli mutter, "Flirting with disaster..."

Sui Yi lowered her gaze; "Should I thank Miss Zhong for not describing me with a tackier idiom?"

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, clearly feeling an unexplained remorse towards the girl, perhaps because of Fan Yin.

With that, she turned and left.

Cao Ling was surprised and chuckled, then looked back at Zhong Buli, seeing an indefinable melancholy on her face.

"Miss Zhong, would you like a drink?"

Zhong Buli came to her senses, twisted her wrist, and replied calmly, "Today is not suitable."

Not suitable?

After Zhong Buli left, Cao Ling turned to the seated Cao Yu and said, "It seems something special might happen today..."

Cao Yu, drinking lowly, replied, "Like you being refused twice in a row?"

"...." Cao Ling fell silent, sometimes quite disliking this brother who was not at all warm-hearted.

The auction was about to start. Sui Yi sat in a private booth and watched as various well-known antiques and treasures were auctioned off for prices much higher than their market value—sometimes by fifty percent or even double wasn’t out of the question...

"No matter what outsiders think of these wealthy individuals, you can’t deny that sometimes a simple gesture from them can benefit many," Gong Jiu unenthusiastically remarked as he watched the dignified and elegant crowd below.

The prices for the first three items were only in the hundreds of thousands, but soon escalated to a steady stream of millions—multi-millions were not uncommon either.

It was expected, given that the auction included many prominent figures from the business world...

It wasn’t just money that was auctioned, but reputation and face as well.

"Over there, aside from Zhong Buli and Sherlock and their group, look at that side, that’s the Sect Leader of Zixiang West Garden, known as ’Old Master’... always influential in this field," Gong Jiu pointed out.

Sui Yi looked over to see a man in a brown jacket sitting by Sherlock’s neighboring balcony.

"Hey, I don’t see any old man," Gong Jiu puzzled.