Chapter Two: Failing to Recognize True Worth

When Wenle Shi heard this, he couldn’t help but sneer.

“What age are we living in, Yan Yuanqing? You’re making such a fuss over a mere carrot, calling it a priceless treasure? If you want a carrot bigger than this, just rummage through the market stalls and you’ll find one easily!”

“And besides, your pathetic acting skills! Even a blind man could see through you. Smear some dye on a carrot and it’ll turn bright red all over, won’t it?”

With that, Wenle Shi stepped forward, glanced at the so-called “carrot,” touched it, and shook his head in mockery.

“Yan Yuanqing, if you’re going to pretend, at least try to make it convincing, will you? Look, the color’s already coming off.”

He raised his hand for everyone to see, and indeed, his fingers were stained a vivid red.

Instantly, the whole hall burst into laughter.

Yan Yuanqing’s face flushed with anger. “Blood ginseng gets its name because its sap resembles fresh blood. Is this something you all truly know nothing about?”

“Oh, enough! Yan Yuanqing, it’s one thing for you to act crazy at home, but today is Grandfather’s eightieth birthday, and you’re here making a fool of yourself and bringing shame to us? Do you really think the Shi family has no one left?”

But none of the others knew that Yan Yuanqing’s odd behavior these past three years was due to inheriting a legacy of ancient mystical medicine.

Wenle Shi had never thought much of Yan Yuanqing, and now that the opportunity arose, he naturally seized it to humiliate him.

Bang—

A sharp knock on the table.

“That’s enough!”

The room fell silent.

Turning around, they saw Tianhe Shi rising with the help of his cane. His face remained calm, but his heart was seething with anger.

To be made a spectacle of like this—how could he not be enraged? Receiving a carrot as a gift? How could he, a former governor, not feel his dignity trampled?

He glared at Yan Yuanqing, then gave an order: “Master of Ceremonies, take it.”

“Yes, sir!”

The ceremonial attendant handed over the gift box. Tianhe Shi took it and glanced inside.

Harrumph!

“I have practiced medicine for decades and have seen countless rare herbs. Blood ginseng has not appeared in a thousand years—would I mistake it?”

After a pause, he continued, “Blood ginseng or carrot, to me they’re all the same in value.”

“That’s the end of the matter.”

Everyone in the hall understood his meaning; he was clearly trying to smooth things over.

Just as the crowd was ready to let things rest, a servant’s voice rang out.

“Clan Leader Yao has arrived!”

Everyone turned to see a thin old man being welcomed inside. Though advanced in years, his energy was undiminished, matching Tianhe Shi’s vigor.

“Old Shi, your brother’s come to wish you a happy birthday, and you didn’t even come to greet me?”

Tianhe Shi’s face lit up with joy and he was about to step forward when Xinghuai Yao halted in his tracks.

“Shi, you scoundrel! That thing in your hand—where did you get it?”

Tianhe Shi was puzzled. Why was his old friend so stunned by what he was holding? Teasing, he replied,

“A gift of blood ginseng—or just a carrot, really!”

Xinghuai Yao had spent his entire life dealing with medicinal herbs and was revered as the foremost authority in traditional medicine. For a man like him to show such shock—could it be mistaken?

“Let me have a look!”

Tianhe Shi hurried over and handed it to him.

Xinghuai Yao examined it closely, sniffing and rubbing at it. The more he scrutinized, the more his aged face seemed to glow with excitement. In the end, he was nearly speechless with emotion.

“This… this is truly a millennium blood ginseng!”

Boom—

The hall was thrown into stunned silence. Everyone was utterly astonished, exchanging incredulous glances.

“Is it really?”

No one doubted Xinghuai Yao’s words.

For a moment, the hall buzzed with amazement.

Tianhe Shi urged Xinghuai Yao to take another careful look, since it was he himself who had just claimed that millennium blood ginseng did not exist.

Now his old friend had overturned his assertion with a single sentence.

Where could he put his pride?

Xinghuai Yao examined it again, then laughed.

“There’s no mistake, none at all. Am I, the clan leader of the Yao family, likely to misjudge such a thing?”

At these words, the assembly broke into good-natured laughter.

Astonishment still reigned throughout the hall.

“Elder Yao, you’re too modest!”

They all knew that Xinghuai Yao’s status as clan leader was owed not only to his vast knowledge but also to his unparalleled expertise in medicinal herbs.

Not just in Cangzhou, but across the entire Summer Kingdom, Xinghuai Yao was recognized as a titan of the medical world.

Who would dare doubt his judgment?

Because of this, the crowd’s attention subtly shifted to Yan Yuanqing.

After all, it was the “carrot” brought as a gift by the grandson-in-law…