"Ah! Dad, please spare me. I truly know I was wrong. I'll never dare to do it again."
However, Wu Lei still hadn't vented his anger. He continued to beat him relentlessly with the stick, soon leaving him bruised and swollen.
Qian Long watched from the side, laughing heartily as if enjoying a show. He thought, "Let's see you act tough again, Young Master Wu. This is the consequence of your arrogance."
"Alright, Old Wu. While he made mistakes, your health is more important. Please stop hitting him."
After Wu Lei stopped, he angrily threw down the stick and said, "This beast! I wish I could beat him to death. He always puts on a good show in front of me, but behind my back, he does such things, damaging the reputation of my Wu family."
"Get out! Go home and reflect in isolation. Then, confess all the wrongdoings you've committed. When I return, I will deal with you according to family rules. If you dare to disobey in the slightest, you will be kicked out of the Wu family."
Wu Lei roared at him furiously. Terrified, the young man scrambled to his feet and fled Shen Shi Pavilion.
However, after he limped away, clutching his wounds, his face contorted with anger. He glared back fiercely in the direction of Shen Shi Pavilion and vowed, "Qian Long, you better watch out. If you dare to ruin my reputation, I can make your Qian family disappear."
"Don't think that just because you and Li Yang ganged up on me today using my father's influence, you're safe. With my own strength, dealing with both of you is as easy as crushing ants."
With that, he made a call to his connections. "Master Hei," he said into the phone, "I need you to take care of two people. They are in the provincial capital..."
Inside Shen Shi Pavilion, after Wu Lei had driven away his wayward son, he remained furious for a long time.
He felt more guilt towards Li Yang. Once he had calmed down a little, he looked at Li Yang seriously and said, "Mr. Li, today's incident was all my fault. I apologize for the trouble my unfilial son has caused you."
"Old Wu, there's no need to be so polite. You've already disciplined him, and he has received his due punishment. As long as he mends his ways in the future, I naturally won't hold it against him."
Li Yang comforted Wu Lei, then added, "Old Wu, you should take good care of your health. I noticed your breathing was clearly labored when you were angry earlier. You likely have some chronic illness. How about I write you a prescription? You can get the medicine according to the formula, and your illness will recover quickly."
"Really? That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Li."
Wu Lei thanked Li Yang respectfully.
Shortly after, the middle-aged manager brought paper and a pen. After Li Yang wrote a prescription for Wu Lei, Wu Lei asked, "By the way, Mr. Li, is there anything important you came to Shen Shi Pavilion for today? Is there anything this old man can help you with?"
"There is indeed one thing. I came today hoping to find a piece of lavender jade. I wonder if this shop has any?" Li Yang stated directly.
"Lavender?"
Wu Lei turned to look at Zheng Tao, seemingly asking him for the results.
Since Wu Lei rarely visited the shop, he was not familiar with its inventory.
Zheng Tao quickly understood Wu Lei's meaning and hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Li. I will go and retrieve the jade for you. Coincidentally, I just acquired a high-quality piece of lavender jade this morning."
"That's excellent. Thank you, Manager Zheng."
Li Yang knew Zheng Tao was a good person, so he treated him with relative courtesy.
"You're welcome."
Zheng Tao replied. In a short while, he went upstairs and brought down a solid wood brocade box from his office. Inside this box was the superior lavender jade bead he had acquired that morning.
The moment he personally opened the brocade box, everyone present was astonished!
What was inside was actually a phoenix jade bead that had been worn by a Tang Dynasty imperial concubine. The bead was also exquisitely carved.
This bead was truly priceless!
He personally took out the bead and handed it to Li Yang, saying, "Mr. Li, please examine it. This is the bead I acquired this morning."
"Manager Zheng, how much did you purchase this bead for?"
Li Yang looked at the bead, examined it carefully, and then asked with a solemn expression.
"I paid fifty million for this bead. As far as I know, this is the only one of its kind in the world. If it were put up for auction, it would fetch at least eighty million." Zheng Tao stated decisively.
"If it were a genuine bead, its value would indeed be around eighty million. However, Manager Zheng, please examine it closely. This bead is not a genuine Tang Dynasty bead but a modern imitation." Li Yang handed the bead back to him.
"What?"
Hearing this, Zheng Tao was greatly shocked and said incredulously, "Mr. Li, you must be joking. I've appraised this bead four or five times, and there were no issues."
"Furthermore, I, Zheng Tao, am considered a person of some standing in the appraisal circle in the provincial capital. My appraisal results cannot be wrong."
"Manager Zheng, please pay attention to the detailed carvings on this bead. The carvings on genuine Tang Dynasty beads were all hand-carved, and hand-carving inevitably leaves some minor imperfections, such as residual marks from the carving process on the smooth lines."
"But look at this bead. Although its lines also show clear signs of handcrafting, they are very unnatural. In fact, there's a fixed pattern to be found between five or six lines, which indicates it's machine-carved."
Li Yang meticulously appraised the jade bead for him, reminding him to pick up a magnifying glass. He continued, "Look at the material of this bead. Within the carving craftsmanship, one can discern the material inside the jade."
"The greatest characteristic of lavender jade is its pure color. Especially for superior lavender, the color emanates a purple glow from the inside out. It's not too dazzling, but it retains its elegance."
"But this bead, although its purple hue is pure, lacks any spiritual energy. Instead, it appears lifeless. Therefore, fluorescent pigment must have been added."
"Although the imitation craftsmanship is superb, it still reveals flaws in some details. If Manager Zheng examines it closely, he should be able to spot the problems."
"This..."
Zheng Tao was starting to panic. If Li Yang's appraisals were all correct, then this deal would be a huge loss!
He absolutely could not afford to bear this responsibility!
Fifty million was enough for him to earn for ten years!
Wu Lei was also deeply astonished. He took the bead into his own hands and examined it carefully. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Zheng Tao, you were indeed careless. Mr. Li's appraisal of this bead is correct. It is indeed fake."