"Besides," Lei Yunzhang chuckled, a hint of cunning dancing in his eyes, clearly seeing further profit margin in that blue-and-white porcelain brush rest mountain, "given yesterday's situation, you really should have revealed your identities sooner. Perhaps I could have offered you a better price."

Wang Guan offered a soft smile, perfectly understanding that this was entirely normal.

After all, a merchant would never willingly take a loss. If they could lower the price for you, it meant there was definitely room for profit in the item. As for talk of 'cost price' or 'bleeding-dry clearance sales'? If you believed that, you were already fooled.

While chatting, Wang Guan noticed Lei Yunzhang occasionally glancing at his watch. A realization dawned on him, bringing a touch of awkwardness. "Uncle Lei, am I arriving at a bad time? If you have pressing matters, please go ahead and take care of them."

"Ah... nothing urgent," Lei Yunzhang paused, then his face brightened with a full smile. "I have an appointment to look at some things. Since you're also in the trade, why not come along and see the excitement?"

"That... might not be convenient," Wang Guan hesitated.

"It's just appraising some properties, nothing inconvenient about it," Lei Yunzhang said breezily. "Though, the journey is quite long. If we go, we might not make it back tonight."

"Appraising an old estate?"

Wang Guan’s eyes lit up. He hadn't intended to impose on Lei Yunzhang, but now, genuine interest was sparked.

"Not exactly an old estate," Lei Yunzhang shook his head gently, a hint of melancholy in his tone. "An old collector passed away a few months ago, leaving behind quite a collection of fine pieces. But his descendants aren't interested in maintaining them and are now selling everything off."

"I see."

Wang Guan frowned slightly but conceded that such things were common enough.

In the current antique collecting craze, most people weren't concerned with the preservation of history; they were focused solely on the asset value of the artifacts. They treated collecting antiques as a form of financial investment.

Therefore, rumors were frequent within the circle: someone passes away, and their family immediately liquidates the entire collection accumulated during their lifetime. While many might curse the prodigal heirs, they were often quietly pleased to see such events occur. At least, in some ways, it facilitated the circulation of antiques.

"So, interested in taking a look?" Lei Yunzhang asked.

"Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Lei," Wang Guan smiled, ready to witness whatever unfolded.

Without further ado, the two left immediately. Soon after they hit the road and drove out to the suburbs.

For a first-time trip to 'dig' an estate, the sense of novelty was intoxicating. Wang Guan felt a surge of excitement, gazing constantly out the car window, appreciating the passing scenery from Lei Yunzhang's vehicle.

However, after about an hour, Wang Guan began to feel fatigued and quieted down. Another two hours passed, and he leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, resting in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Along the way, they seemed to pass through a bustling, prosperous city where they stopped for lunch. Then, the journey resumed. Finally, around two or three in the afternoon, they reached their destination: a county town that appeared quite prosperous. Wang Guan even spotted several tourist buses, packed with visitors, arriving simultaneously.

Curious, Wang Guan asked directly, "Uncle Lei, where are we? It seems there’s a famous tourist spot nearby."

"Yanting," Lei Yunzhang laughed. "It's said to be the hometown of Leizu, the Yellow Emperor’s first consort. The county has structures like the Leizu Mausoleum and Qibo Palace. Oh, and west of Yunxi Town, there’s a national-level high mountain forest park. Within the park, you can find the Tan Yun Hermitage where Du Fu once stayed, the tomb of the Tang Dynasty Prime Minister Yan Zhen, and the Wenhuzhou Shrine dedicated to the Song Dynasty writer and calligrapher Wen Tong..."

"Wen Tong Shrine?" Wang Guan paused, feeling a strange coincidence.

"Yes. Speaking of which, Yanting has quite a few famous figures," Lei Yunzhang mentioned casually. "Du Fu lived in seclusion here and wrote the lines, ‘Passing Yanting by the Horse Road, high mountains embrace the green county.’ Also, the teacher of the Bard, Li Bai, Zhao Rui, was a native of Yanting."

"Zhao Rui might not be widely famous, but the great poet Li Bai held him in the highest esteem. Li Bai followed him to study the arts of governance and diplomacy, which gave rise to the saying, 'Zhao Rui's numerology, Li Bai's prose,'" Lei Yunzhang listed. "Furthermore, Yanting produced two prime ministers. One doesn't have a great reputation, but you should know him. He was the Prime Minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, known as the 'Cat official,' and nicknamed the 'Smiling Dagger of Yifu.' That's Li Yifu. The other was Yan Zhen."

"Yan Zhen served as the Military Governor of the Shannan West Circuit during the separatist warlord period of the Tang Dynasty. However, he remained fiercely loyal to the imperial court. During the reign of Emperor Dezong, he rendered meritorious service by protecting the emperor, eventually being promoted to Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (Chief Councillor). After his death, he was posthumously titled Taibao and given the posthumous name Zhongmu—a rare, upright official in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty."

Sighing lightly, Lei Yunzhang smiled. "However, after the Tang Dynasty, Yanting's only other notable figure was Wen Tong, Su Dongpo’s cousin and a great painter, during the Northern Song period. Following that, the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties produced no one particularly remarkable."

As they spoke, Lei Yunzhang's car turned into an alleyway and slowly pulled to a stop.

"Uncle Lei, we're here?" Wang Guan asked, stepping out to look around.

The car was parked within a rather spacious courtyard. Two large trees grew inside, clearly aged, their dense foliage covering most of the yard. Through the gaps in the leaves, one could see a three-story building with overhanging eaves, topped with glazed tiles, possessing an antique charm.

"Ding-dong..."

After ringing the doorbell, a young man in his early thirties emerged from the house and opened the door with a smile. "Boss Lei, you've arrived."

"Mr. Song," Lei Yunzhang greeted him, glancing at the other vehicles parked nearby, and smiling, "I wonder who else has arrived besides myself?"

"Boss Lü and Boss Tan. They just got here too, having tea in the main hall," the young man replied, appearing dignified, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, presenting a serious demeanor that didn't match Wang Guan's imagined image of a spoiled heir.

"In that case, I haven't arrived too late," Lei Yunzhang chuckled, stepping into the courtyard.

Wang Guan followed him in, and under the young man's guidance, they proceeded to the living room. Inside, two middle-aged men were seated, apparently acquainted with Lei Yunzhang. Upon seeing him enter, they both rose to greet him.

"Brother Lei, you timed that perfectly; we just sat down when you arrived."

"Brother Lü, Brother Tan..." Lei Yunzhang greeted them warmly, exchanging pleasantries.

The three engaged in a lively back-and-forth of courtesy and deference for a full three minutes before finally sitting down. As for Wang Guan, he was dismissed by Lü and Tan as merely Lei Yunzhang’s attendant and was entirely ignored.

Wang Guan was content with the quiet, taking a seat in a side chair and casually observing the furnishings of the hall.

After a brief period of small talk and sipping tea, Boss Lü grew impatient. "Mr. Song, now that everyone is here, shouldn't we look at the items?"

"Very well, please follow me, everyone," the young man said with a faint smile, rising to lead the way.