Four years have passed.

Li An had been waiting for this moment all along!

In fact, in a certain sense, all of this was the result of his deliberate guidance and scheming.

He had collected a large amount of evidence, but focusing only on tampering, embezzlement, and corruption was still not particularly secure.

After all, this is a common phenomenon within the Treasure Pavilion; almost all artifact evaluators engage in such practices.

Therefore, it wasn't until this crucial shipment arrived in the warehouse that he painstakingly plotted everything out.

A key piece in this plot was Zhang Qingqing.

She was originally a veteran in the treasure house, with the most seniority, but was replaced by Li An, who supported Wang Zi, which left her resentful.

For the past six months, Li An subtly guided and allowed things to unfold, and sure enough, she connected with Xu Changkong's people.

Actually, with Zhang Qingqing's abilities, she couldn't discern whether there was an issue with the treasures, but Li An would inadvertently reveal and hint at issues with Lu Hua's treasures, which she took note of.

So she was able to make corresponding annotations on the treasures appraised by Lu Hua based on Li An's words and passed these to Xu Changkong.

At this moment, after speaking, he looked calmly at Mo Rong.

Mo Rong frowned!

She too had some suspicions; there were many oddities in this affair worth pondering.

But now, those concerns were no longer important.

The critical issue was that even she herself had fallen into the trap, and if she didn't act promptly, she might be implicated.

"Does Manager Zuo have any method to resolve this predicament?"

She lifted her eyes and looked at Li An.

Li An respectfully replied:

"I do not know."

Said nothing more.

Because Mo Rong was no ordinary person, she would certainly realize the only solution within this trap.

Mo Rong looked deeply at Li An, and said:

"Alright, thank you Manager Zuo."

"I shall go immediately to see the Pavilion Master, explain this matter, and request the Pavilion Master investigate Lu Hua for embezzlement and tampering!"

Currently, that was the only solution.

Lu Hua was already in a hopeless situation; Xu Changkong, who had obtained the evidence, would undoubtedly leverage this matter.

The batch of Fetal Soul Herbs already involved the Prince Mansion, so even if Mo Rong wished to protect Lu Hua, she couldn't.

The only course of action was a swift cut!

Detach herself completely.

Even though she wasn't aware of these things, since Lu Hua was her subordinate within the pavilion, taking proactive action could still preserve her reputation and position.

Li An said:

"Your prudence is admirable, Deputy Mo!"

Mo Rong stood up with significance, looked at Li An, and said:

"Lu Hua will definitely lose his position as an artifact evaluator this time, leaving a vacancy..."

"You must have some interest, so it's time to prepare and perform well. I will recommend you to the Pavilion Master..."

Li An responded respectfully, "Understood!"

"Upon returning, I'll be sure to take it as a warning and immediately clear out Zhang Qingqing, the mole..."

"Additionally, I have already discovered that apart from Lu Hua, the artifact evaluator Jin Duo also has some issues with this batch of goods, although not as serious as Lu Hua's... Here are the related accounts concerning him, please take a look, Deputy Mo."

"Perhaps this information might be useful when you report to the Pavilion Master."

Mo Rong's eyes brightened as she took the accounts and, after reviewing them, felt considerably more at ease!

If only Lu Hua had issues, even if she took proactive measures to separate herself, it might still leave a bad impression with the Pavilion Master or even the Prince Mansion—showing leniency in managing subordinates!

But now, there were issues with Xu Changkong's subordinates as well.

So she could turn this matter to her advantage!

——She could righteously and openly report to the Pavilion Master that she discovered some artifact evaluators behaving improperly, and then reveal the issues with Lu Hua and Jin Duo together.

In doing so, the Pavilion Master would see her as someone who understood the bigger picture, willing to cut off even her own people for the Treasure Pavilion's interests!

After all, reporting a singular internal issue and reporting a widespread issue are two entirely different things!

The effects are also distinctly different.

It could be said that the accounts Li An provided were enough to turn her predicament into a beneficial hand.

"Not bad, not bad!"

She praised repeatedly, while in her heart, it was crystal clear that Li An was showing his loyalty, demonstrating his worth,

that he'd continue to be of service to Mo Rong even after replacing Lu Hua, and perhaps do much better than Lu Hua.

Mo Rong said, "You may go now; don't let anyone discover you."

"In the future, when you come to the mansion, if I am not present or occupied with other matters, you can wait for me directly in the study."

It was with this single line that Li An realized he had achieved the desired effect...

He succeeded!

"Thank you, Deputy Mo!"

He bowed deeply and immediately took his leave.

He had been gone for quite some time.

"What a Zuo Wen..."

Mo Rong couldn't help but feel a chill, realizing that Zuo Wen was an extraordinarily complex individual.

Thinking things over, many peculiarities likely involved Zuo Wen.

He might even have deliberately harmed Lu Hua!

But, she couldn't probe any further, nor could she blame Li An for Lu Hua's downfall.

The situation had reached a point where Lu Hua's demise was inevitable.

Moreover, Zuo Wen managed the situation with exceptional precision, not only eliminating Lu Hua but left her room for maneuver, leaving her interests unharmed, perhaps even assisting her slightly.

"Truly a talent..."

She sighed briefly and then tidied her clothes, preparing to meet the Pavilion Master!

...

Early the next morning.

The Treasure Pavilion was in turmoil, and Qin Xuan, the Pavilion Master, arrived personally. In a radiant long dress that accentuated her dignified elegance, she cut an imposing figure. Wherever she went, almost everyone in the Treasure Pavilion couldn't help but gaze at her.

She was stunningly beautiful!

The Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion, acclaimed as one of the four great beauties of Celestial Yang City.

Qin Xuan summoned all artifact evaluators for a meeting.

The atmosphere in the council hall was exceedingly solemn; everyone was aware that Qin Xuan was not only stunningly beautiful with extraordinary charisma but also incredibly capable, wielding impeccable means. No one in the Treasure Pavilion, top to bottom, dared disrespect her.

"Pavilion Master, I have a matter to report!"

Xu Changkong, the elder with silver hair, spoke first, a smile on his lips as he produced several account books, "Someone has audaciously tampered with the goods intended for the Prince Mansion!"

"This person is Lu Hua!"

He directly handed the accounts to Pavilion Master Qin Xuan and then pointed at Lu Hua, "It's him! For years, he's been embezzling and betraying, and this time he's even schemed against the Prince Mansion's Fetal Soul Herbs. According to the pavilion's regulations, he should be expelled from the Treasure Pavilion and all associates investigated!"

His words were extremely sharp, directly targeting Mo Rong!

At the far end, Lu Hua's face visibly changed, filled with panic, and he instinctively said, "No... no, I didn't!"

He wanted to resist!

"You still want to argue?"

"Four years ago, you appraised a sub-second grade spirit medicine as a second grade spirit medicine during acquisition; three years ago, you appraised four tier one artifact refining materials but were paid at the rate for tier two materials..."

Xu Changkong articulated each word carefully.

Lu Hua was utterly stunned. What in the world???

How could these matters have come to light?

He seemed as though struck by a bolt from the blue, momentarily dumbstruck, unable to utter a single word.

He genuinely couldn't fathom what on earth was going on...

Everything was fine, he was sitting at home, and disaster struck out of nowhere. How did everything suddenly end???

"During the past three months, the Fetal Soul Herbs you handled had a substitution rate of as high as thirty percent!"

Xu Changkong's voice rang out crisply, then continued, "Pavilion Master, please administer justice and conduct a thorough investigation to prevent such issues from recurring. They could affect the entire Treasure Pavilion's reputation, even its image and standing in the eyes of the Prince Mansion!"

Above, seated at the head, Qin Xuan spoke easily:

"Elder Xu, aside from Lu Hua, do you know of anyone else involved in this matter?"

Xu Changkong shook his head and said, "As of now, I'm not aware, but this needs investigation!"

Of course, he wouldn't directly name Mo Rong, though his heart was already filled with cold laughter, thinking the Pavilion Master seemed angry, and an investigation was imminent!

But Qin Xuan said:

"No need to investigate further, I will tell you; besides Lu Hua, there's also Jin Duo, who did the same things as Lu Hua—"

Saying this, she casually waved her slender hand.

A maid immediately stepped up, handing a booklet to Xu Changkong.

Upon hearing Qin Xuan mention Jin Duo's name, Xu Changkong's face had already changed, and upon receiving the booklet, his expression turned grim!

"This, this..."

For a moment, he found it hard to speak.

His hand shook slightly because, in that instant, he realized...

He seemed to have fallen into a trap???

...

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