Chapter 6 They dare to steal national treasures?! Citywide lockdown and massive manhunt!
He Kai shook his head with an awkward smile.
Ning Hai narrowed his eyes. "Forty-seven million."
He Kai's smile froze instantly.
Ninghai continued:
"I just went to the inpatient department and asked. Ning Jinli brought in a person with kidney failure for a kidney transplant."
"She only made about 400,000 yuan selling gold bars and jade pendants, yet she still had the ability to pay for someone else's kidney transplant."
"The only proof that she can be so generous is that she has become rich. And she has become rich enough to disregard her 70 million debt."
Hearing this, He Kai was both surprised and puzzled.
Ning Hai beckoned to him, and he immediately moved closer.
“Xiao Kai,” Ning Hai lowered his voice, “I’m pretty sure that when I kicked Ning Jinli out of the Ning family ten years ago, she didn’t take anything with her. The old man was seriously ill until his death, so there was no way he could have given her anything in private.”
"Uncle means..."
"After thinking it over and over, there's only one possibility: the factory that was assigned to her had a lot of antiques buried underground, and she just happened to be incredibly lucky to find them."
He Kai was dumbfounded.
On second thought, this is indeed the only reasonable explanation.
That factory actually had a vacant lot that hadn't been used when it was built.
Ning Hai's eyes gleamed with a sinister and cunning light. "The gold bars and jade pendants must only be a small part of it. It would be such a waste for her to have so many treasures in her hands, wouldn't you say?"
"Uncle, I know what to do, I'll go right now—"
"No rush, let's observe further. I've already sent people to keep watch around the factory. Once we're completely certain, then it'll be your turn to take action."
"Yes, Uncle!"
...
In the afternoon, Ning Jinli returned to the factory.
As soon as she arrived at the warehouse, she saw Xiao Qidi waiting for her.
“Miss Ning, I promised to give this to you, and now it is yours.”
He took out the Azure Jade from his bosom and presented it with both hands.
Seeing how seriously he was taking it, she took it and asked, "Is there anything special about this?"
Xiao Qidi said, "It is called Canglan Bi, a rare treasure of the world."
Ning Jinli's head exploded.
"Azure...Azure Jade?!"
"Miss Ning, you also know about this jade?"
"I……"
Ning Jinli's heart raced, and goosebumps rose all over her body.
She knew more than just that!
The Azure Jade Disc is recorded in historical texts.
It is mentioned in history textbooks, and there are also related literary works in Chinese language textbooks.
It is hailed as a top-tier national treasure on par with the Imperial Seal of the State!
Oh, by the way, the Imperial Seal of the State was also commissioned by Xiao Qidi after he unified the country.
Unfortunately, they all disappeared in the long river of history.
But unexpectedly... the Azure Jade, which had mysteriously disappeared for more than two thousand years, was now given to her directly by Xiao Qidi!
"Miss Ning?" Xiao Qidi called out when he saw her in a daze. "I'll go over first. There are still many things to arrange with the villagers."
Ning Jinli responded blankly, "Oh... okay, take care..."
Holding the Azure Jade Disc, she sat on the ground as if she had lost her soul.
If we sell this stuff, the money we make will be more than enough to pay off the factory's debts, and we could spend it all in our lifetime!
But this is a top-tier national treasure, a cultural relic, with a value that cannot be measured in monetary terms.
She's desperate for money, but she wouldn't stoop to making money that would betray the country.
The Azure Jade must be handed over to the state!
Without any hesitation, she went online and found the contact information for the relevant departments.
At first, the person who answered the phone in the relevant department thought she was joking.
Until she took photos and videos and sent them over...
Less than three hours.
Several people who had come from the capital arrived at the factory.
The person keeping watch nearby secretly took a picture and sent it to Ninghai.
Ning Hai didn't recognize him, so he quickly asked Wu Sanye, the owner of an antique shop, to identify him. He learned that the simply dressed, white-haired old man in the photo was actually a leading figure in the field of antique appraisal.
Ninghai was overjoyed!
This proved that he was right; there were definitely valuable antiques underground in the factory!
Previously it was gold and jade pendants, I wonder what Ning Jinli has dug up this time. Anyway, it must be something good, and there are probably still many things that haven't been dug up yet!
He immediately contacted He Kai and asked him to go to the factory with him.
Today, we must snatch that enormous wealth back from Ning Jinli!
Inside the factory, Professor Zheng confirmed that what Ning Jinli had provided was indeed the Azure Jade.
The accompanying staff from the Cultural Relics Bureau immediately reported the news to higher authorities.
"Xiao Ning, on behalf of all cultural relics workers and on behalf of the country... thank you! Thank you!"
Nearly ninety years old, Mr. Zheng tremblingly grasped Ning Jinli's hand, tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly, he looked pained and clutched his chest with one hand.
"Grandpa Zheng?" Ning Jinli was startled.
Mr. Zheng's secretary quickly gave him a heart-protecting medicine, but his condition did not improve and he was on the verge of falling into a coma.
"What's wrong with him?!" Ning Jinli asked.
The secretary calmly informed:
"He's too old. He came all this way and was busy with the assessment without even taking a break. He's exhausted both physically and mentally. Plus, he got emotional, and his old ailment flared up. He needs to be taken to the hospital right away."
“Ms. Ning, it’s inconvenient for us to carry the Azure Jade. Could you please keep it for about an hour? A special team will come to retrieve it after that. Please save my phone number so we can stay in touch.”
Ning Jinli nodded, "Okay!"
at the same time.
Suddenly, a scout from Xitun Pass, wounded by an arrow, arrived at Linxian Village, where Xiao Qidi lived.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, 50,000 troops from the border of the Yu Kingdom... are coming to attack."
"The commander guarding the pass has been killed in battle..."
"We...can't stop them, right now..."
The scout died in Xiao Qidi's arms before he could finish speaking.
The soldiers in the village present changed their expressions drastically.
Xitun Pass is the only border pass in the vicinity.
Because the region is barren, the neighboring Yu Kingdom has never bothered to seize it.
The imperial court did not pay attention to it and only arranged more than 10,000 soldiers to guard the pass, leaving the border defenses as leaky as a sieve.
The surrounding villages also had to spontaneously form their own defense forces to deal with bandits and the occasional incursions by villagers from neighboring countries' borders.
That's how the dozens of soldiers from Linxian Village came to be.
"Your Majesty, why did the Yu Kingdom suddenly launch such a large-scale attack? It doesn't make sense!" a soldier said anxiously.
Xiao Qidi's eyes were filled with gloom. "Let's not worry about the reasons for now."
"I'm going to Xitun Pass. You should send the message to the capital as soon as possible."
"Also, notify the villagers to evacuate, as this place may become the next battlefield."
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately took action.
Xiao Qidi rode the fast horse he had obtained from the bandits the night before and headed straight for Xitun Pass.
At the factory—
Just as the people from the Cultural Relics Bureau left with Old Zheng, Ning Jinli hadn't had time to close the door when Ning Hai and He Kai burst in.
Ning Jinli blocked their way, "What are you doing?"
"I need to talk to you about something."
Ning Hai walked toward the office building as he spoke.
Ning Jinli's expression changed slightly.
She just asked Mr. Zheng to appraise the Canglan Jade in the conference room.
Before seeing the person out, she put the Canglan Bi into the filing cabinet.
"What's there to talk about? Get out!" Ning Jinli roared. "Believe me or not, I'll call the police!"
"Is it illegal for an uncle to visit his niece?" Ning Hai asked nonchalantly as he strode into the office building.
Unexpectedly, he walked into the conference room.
Ning Jinli felt extremely uneasy.
But upon closer reflection, Ning Hai didn't know that Cang Lan Bi was here, and even if he saw it, he wouldn't recognize it, so there was no need for him to be nervous.
Ning Hai sat down, putting his feet up on the conference table. "I'm not going to waste time with you. Hand over everything."
Ning Jinli frowned. "What is that?"
"Xiao Kai, you tell her." Ning Hai lit a cigar.
He Kai wandered around the conference room, rummaging through things, and said:
"The factory belongs to you personally, but the land still belongs to the Ning family."
Seeing He Kai walk up to the filing cabinet, Ning Jinli walked over and leaned her shoulder against the cabinet door, asking, "What exactly do you mean by this?"
He Kai wore a sly smile.
"It means that whether you've already dug out anything from this land or not, it all belongs to the Ning family. If you dare to embezzle it, I will sue you and guarantee to send you to jail."
Ning Jinli said blankly, "I didn't dig anything up..."
"Then why are you stopping me? Are you hiding here?!"
He Kai pushed her aside and yanked open the filing cabinet door.
The Azure Jade suddenly appeared before our eyes, dazzling with light.
He Kai didn't recognize it, but it looked very valuable, so he grabbed it and showed it to Ning Hai, "Uncle, this is a good thing!"
Ning Hai gave him a knowing look.
He Kai understood immediately, stuffed the jade disc into his pocket, and ran away!
"Hey hey hey? You..." Ning Jinli instinctively wanted to chase after him, but fearing she might damage the national treasure, she didn't dare to snatch it from him.
Ning Hai quickly stood up, grabbed her shoulders, and exhaled smoke as he said:
"Xiao Li, stop digging on this land for the factory. I'll handle it from now on."
"Don't touch what isn't yours."
“If He Kai says he'll send you to jail, he will. If you don't understand, don't blame your uncle for not showing any kinship, understand?”
After issuing his warning and threats, Ning Hai swaggered away, a cigar dangling from his lips.
Ning Jinli then took out her phone and made a call to Old Zheng's secretary.
She finished her call less than ten minutes ago.
The highest law enforcement department in Xinghan City received an urgent mission from a high-level national department to locate the national treasure, Canglan Bi.
Thus, a citywide operation with the highest level of authority was secretly and swiftly launched:
All special police officers were deployed!
Law enforcement personnel at all levels must cooperate unconditionally with the search!
All land, sea, and air transportation and logistics are under strict lockdown; everything that can be blocked is blocked! Anyone or anything attempting to leave the city will be subject to top-level inspection!
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