Chapter 223: Chapter 223

For some reason, he sensitively noticed a slight shift in the youth’s emotions after receiving the jade token.

The gaze fixed on the jade token carried an indescribable... sorrow.

"Madam, my brother has a friend who owns a winery abroad. He personally crafts the wine, and its taste is wonderfully mellow. I brought it here especially for you to try."

As Lady Luuo finished speaking, Luuo Yunqi carefully placed the sandalwood box she was holding onto the coffee table.

Helian Yu opened the box for a glance and smiled, saying, "Very considerate of you, I like it very much."

Lady Luuo smiled gently. "As long as madam likes it."

Helian Yu closed the box lid. "Take a seat."

A servant walked over with a lowered gaze, silently pouring tea for the two women.

Lady Luuo and Luuo Yunqi took their seats on the opposite sofa. Luuo Yunqi restrained herself from looking around, maintaining her poised demeanor.

Lady Luuo lifted her teacup, sipped slightly, and said with a soft smile, "Madam, there’s quite the spectacle happening at tonight’s auction."

Helian Yu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Lady Luuo set her teacup down slowly and continued, "Madam, are you familiar with Qing Country’s Winged Jade Token?"

Helian Yu squinted slightly. "What did you say?"

Lady Luuo remained calmly composed. "The token is the centerpiece of tonight’s auction and has been bid up to an extraordinary price of ten billion."

Helian Yu abruptly raised her head, her teacup falling heavily onto the coffee table, producing a crisp sound.

Lady Luuo’s heart tightened slightly. Could it be that Mrs. Liu was interested in the jade token as well?

Luuo Yunqi didn’t catch what the two were discussing. She stole a glance toward the second floor, her hands resting on her knees silently clenching into fists.

"Qing Country’s Winged Jade Token?" Helian Yu pronounced the seven words with deliberate slowness, enunciating each syllable carefully.

"Indeed. That’s what the auctioneer and curator stated. I’ve heard a little about this jade token before, but bidding up to ten billion startled me profoundly. Madam, do you share my feelings?"

"The Leng family won the bid?" Helian Yu asked slowly.

In Qingzhou, only the Leng family had such financial power.

Lady Luuo shook her head. "No, it was a blue-eyed, golden-haired youth. Likely not from Hua Country."

Helian Yu fell into a pensive silence.

Lady Luuo glanced at the clock, it was already late, so she proposed to take her leave.

Luuo Yunqi reluctantly followed behind Lady Luuo as they departed.

Helian Yu remained seated, motionless until the butler approached her, leaning slightly to fill her porcelain cup with freshly brewed tea.

"What is madam contemplating?"

Helian Yu stared into the void and murmured, "Do you know Sang Kunrou?"

The butler’s pupils contracted sharply. Alertly inspecting the surroundings, he lowered his voice and cautioned, "Madam, speak cautiously."

Seventy years ago, Sang Kunrou betrayed the country and was personally executed by Grand Master Yu. At that time, the Helian family survived by relying on the Sang family. Had the old master of the Helian family not prepared ahead and turned allegiance to the Wen family, they would have been eradicated alongside the Yu family’s purge.

Helian Yu spoke slowly, "The Sang family, descendants of a former dynasty’s royal lineage, amassed a wealth rivaling nations. Among their treasures was none other than Qing Country’s Winged Jade Token, Sang Ziming’s prized possession."

Within this, woven deeply, was an achingly beautiful yet tragic love story. Unfortunately, with the fall of the Sang family, it had become taboo.

Helian Yu came to know this so intimately because her grandmother had been Sang Ziming’s closest confidante. Growing up together, she understood all there was to Sang Ziming.

"Sang Ziming has been dead for decades. It was rumored the jade token was buried with her, yet now, it has surfaced anew. Tell me—why is that?"

The butler suddenly considered a possibility. "Perhaps Sang Ziming left the jade token to her descendants. Under the oppression of the second branch, the Sang lineage has completely declined. Struggling to survive, one might be forced to sell ancestral treasures to get by."

The Sang family was once as wealthy as a nation, but after their treasure was partly confiscated and partly monopolized by the Yu family, the Sang lineage grew sparse, unable to sustain themselves. Selling heirlooms isn’t an impossibility.

Helian Yu chuckled softly. "Fate truly favors me. Investigate immediately. Find out exactly who has possession of this jade token and trace its origins without delay."

The news was still confined to Qingzhou and hadn’t yet reached Jingzhou. If the Yu family got wind of it and began their own probe, her window of opportunity would vanish.

Thus, she had to uncover the truth before the Yu family could intervene.

She had a gut instinct—the mystery behind the jade token concealed an earth-shattering secret, a secret substantial enough to let her leverage it and align herself with the Yu family to enact her plans.

At the corner of the second floor, a youth stood in the shadows, silent, the time he had been there undetermined.