I was a little confused, but when I looked at Professor Zheng again, I found that he was also frowning and serious. I asked what was going on, and the medicine said, "Hehe, you see that name, don't you remember it?" ”

Rui Feng ...... Rui Feng ...... Rui Fenfeng.

The one who is light yellow also. Could it be that this store is an industry of the five veins and belongs to the Yellow Gate?

But isn't the Yellow Gate in charge of bronze vessels? How do you sell Buddha heads? That should be my Xu family's scope of expertise.

"Oops, that's the old calendar. Since the reorganization of the Chinese Society for the Study of Antiquities, the family system has been broken, and the specialties of these five veins have not been so finely divided, and they have been integrated with each other. Professor Zheng hesitated for a moment before continuing, "After the reorganization, the five veins have some external branches, so they broke the rule of 'only learning and not selling', and secretly opened a business outside, relying on the way of learning to make some money. ”

Yao Otherwise, he said, "Teacher Zheng, you are too tactful. What makes money is simply cheating money. This person's heart, as soon as he touches the word 'profit', his taste changes. Some people dare to ignore the rules of the society for the sake of small profits. This Rui Feng is the industry of the Yellow Gate, I have heard a lot of their bad deeds, I didn't expect to deceive us today. ”

Hey, unconsciously, I and Yao have become "us".

"Go, go, go to them. I don't believe it, Huangzimen blatantly engages in this thing, and the old men who learned it will not care. Yao Ran waved his arm angrily.

I was secretly a little frightened. Unexpectedly, a gambling fight actually implicated Xuan and Huang Ermen. Look at that Buddha head, the method of forgery is very clever, and it is definitely from the hands of his own family. Only the professional society of Wumai, which has accumulated hundreds of years of experience in appreciating treasures, can make such a high-level imitation method.

Professor Zheng grabbed the arm of the medicine: "Xiaoyao, don't be impulsive, now the Buddha's head has been broken, and people don't know if they recognize it." Besides, if you go straight to the door, it's not in accordance with the rules. It is also necessary to ask the board of directors of the society to arbitrate. ”

"When those old men come to a conclusion, the daylilies will be cold!" Otherwise, the medicine shouted, "What are you afraid of if the Buddha's head is broken?" The stone is the stone, the sandstone is the sandstone, put those wreckage together in a pile and take it back, can they still not admit it? ”

"Forget it......" I said.

Antiques are not to go to the department store to buy leather shoes, and if you are not satisfied, you can return them. People in this circle know the truth of "both goods and money, and no regrets". As long as you pay the money and leave the store, this thing is yours, whether it is a fake, good or bad, you can't go back - if you are unfortunate enough to buy a fake, sorry, it is your clumsiness, and it has nothing to do with the owner. If you buy a fake by mistake and have to come to the door to ask for it, this is something that only a mallet can do.

Besides, my gut tells me that this seems to involve a historical feud within the Society, and I'd better keep it from meddling.

Otherwise, seeing that I was not very active, I couldn't help but be anxious, grabbed me by the collar and said, "Is your brain in water?" It's thousands of dollars. You still claim to be an expert, which makes people fool, and it is a shame to spread it. ”

"I'll just open a small shop, it's not well-known, it's a shame to be ashamed." I don't think more is better than less.

Yao Otherwise, he was furious and waved his arm: "Dude lost to you today, if you are hit by them, doesn't that mean that I can't indirectly?" Good! You don't go! I'll go on my own! I don't believe in it! With that, he shook me off, turned around himself, and walked angrily towards Rui Xuanfeng.

Professor Zheng and I looked at each other and were stunned for a while. Professor Zheng said, "Xiao Xu, I have to go over and have a look." Xiaoyao's temper is a bit straight, I'm afraid he will cause some trouble. These shops are intertwined, and there are forces hidden behind them, and if one is not good, he may suffer. ”

After speaking, Professor Zheng also hurriedly followed. I thought to myself that although this medicine has a problem with his personality, he is a rare straightforward person, and now he ran over to find Rui Xuanfeng's theory, and in the final analysis, it is also for me. If I'm indifferent, it's a bit of a stretch.

Thinking of this, I lowered my head and picked up the dozens of fragments of the Buddha's head, threw them into a plastic bag, and then carried the bag and rushed away. As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard a fierce quarrel coming from inside. I thought to myself that this medicine was really enough, and it hadn't been two minutes before and after he entered the shop, and he had already made such a fierce noise.

I pushed the door in, and the scene before me was incredible.

It turned out that it was not a quarrel, but a one-sided reprimand. Otherwise, the medicine crossed his waist and said loudly, spitting everywhere. The boss who sold me Buddha head kept nodding his head, like a primary school student who hadn't finished his homework. Professor Zheng stood aside, looking helpless.

When they saw me walk in the door, they snorted coldly from their noses and said to the boss: "The bitter master is here, he is a coward who has no guts." What are you going to do about it? I'll hear it. ”

The boss said: "Second Master Yao, I can't do anything about this." ”

Listening to this title, the identity of the medicine is quite high, and the boss is in his forties, so he has to call him the little second master.

Hearing the boss speak, Yao Ran glared: "Let go of your black fart!" Can't be the master? Then you can call the shots when it comes to selling fakes? How big of a deal is that, you don't know? ”

"I'm just a shopkeeper. I will sell whatever I buy from above. If you have any comments, you can talk to Manager Huang. "The owner was smiling.

I can understand it, this is not a lecture, this is Tai Chi. No matter what the medicine says, the boss is a trick, slowly pushing it away, and answering it without leaking, but there is no useful information at all when he listens carefully.

Otherwise, he dragged me over: "This person just bought a Buddha head from your store, do you admit it?" ”

The boss nodded.

"The store we learned has rules, and there must be no fakes, right?"

When the boss heard the word "learn", his eyes suddenly contracted, and then returned to normal and nodded.

"The Buddha head he just bought is carved out of Mao stone, an out-and-out fake, grandson, how do you explain it?"

"I just look at the store, and I sell whatever comes in. If you have any comments, you can talk to Manager Huang. "The owner was smiling.

“……”

Otherwise, I don't see the boss salt sauce in it, it's really annoying. He handed over the plastic bag containing the remains of the Buddha's head: "The evidence is here, see for yourself, what is this?" ”

The boss glanced at it and replied with a smile: "It's a pity that it's too broken, I'm clumsy, and I can't tell whether it's a Qin brick or a Han tile." ”

When I meet such a person, I really don't have a problem at all. Otherwise, his face was flushed with anger, his fists were clenched, and he was about to have a seizure on the spot, Professor Zheng walked up and pressed his shoulder, and said in a low voice: "Don't make trouble." This is just a little minion with the surname of the Huang family, what's the use of you losing your temper with them? It's better to go and learn to solve it. ”

The boss said: "The second master of medicine should be cautious when making friends in the future, so as not to be dragged down by them." ”

Yao Ran was furious, and I patted Yao Otherwise's shoulder: "Leave it to me." Yao Otherwise, he said, "Can you handle it?" I smiled slightly: "I don't want to pursue this matter, but if you really bully it, it is not easy to be taken advantage of." ”

I walked up to my boss. The boss thought that I was going to confront him, and I was lucky enough to defend myself, but I suddenly bypassed him and lifted another Buddha head behind him.

When I bought it, the boss took out a total of two Buddha heads, one I bought and the other was still behind the counter and confiscated it.

"How much does this cost?" I asked.

The boss didn't know what my intentions were, so he casually quoted a price. I held the Buddha's head and shook it with both hands: "Mao Tuo's method was no longer passed on in the Republic of China, but it is not easy to see it with my own eyes today." I wish I had the opportunity to get to know the author. ”

The boss changed from nodding just now to a lazy face: "Sir, you are joking, there are no fakes in our shop, and I have never heard of any Maotuo toilets." I smiled: "I can't see it, can I?" I didn't intend to pursue it, but since you said such a thing, I want to protect the rights and interests of consumers. ”

The boss looked dazed, pretending not to understand.

I weighed the Buddha head in my hand: "Maoshi Buddha statues will deliberately make the cracks into straight lines, fold the corners and sharp angles, and pretend to be sandstone thermal expansion and cold contraction. But if it is broken directly, the crack will become a crab claw pattern, thin and scattered. ”

At this point, I narrowed my eyes and glanced into the back room, "My one has been broken, but this one was laid out in your store." I stumbled and stumbled to see what the rift looked like. If it's sandstone, I'll pay you ten times the price, and if it's Maoyan, then ...... "medicine" or help on the side: "This cost buddy bears!" You take it out, but you fall hard! ”

The boss's face changed greatly, and he stammered: "That Buddha head shop is not sold now, you can't force it to buy." ”

I didn't hurry and said, "Why are you out there if you don't sell it?" Why did you make an offer just now? It's okay if I don't buy it, I'll report it, and then invite experts to make a public appraisal, but it's not the same thing. "After saying that, I was about to fall.

This boss, I can see that he is a strong outsider, and he is already panicked in his heart, as long as he is forced to force, he can be convinced. Sure enough, the boss was embarrassed for a long time, but finally relented, took out 1,700 yuan from his pocket and returned it to me, snatched the Buddha's head back, and hurriedly threw it to the back room.

I pulled the medicine or left Rui Feng with Professor Zheng. Before leaving, Yao Ran said with a calm face: "The reputation of the society cannot be ruined by you people. We're not done with this. The boss was expressionless, watched the three of us leave, and then closed the door.

This toss is more than three o'clock in the afternoon. After leaving Panjiayuan, the three of us took the car back to my shop in Liulichang. After the car stopped, I said to Yaowu: "You wait for me, I'll go get the copy of "Su Ding Lu" for you, but you have to return the book after you finish copying." I'll just have that one, but I can't give it to you. ”

Otherwise, he pushed his hand: "Hmph, buddy will lose if you lose, what do you want to pretend to be generous?" "He didn't move, his ass didn't even move.

I opened the car door and walked out, and said through the window: "I bought a fake by mistake, my skills are not as good as others, what do you have to accept?" ”

"Don't talk to me, you're done. Pretend to be polite, buddy listens to the liver trembling! In the future, we will never get along with each other. After speaking, he rolled up the window glass and urged the driver to leave quickly.

The two of us were at a stalemate, when suddenly a person walked over to us: "Excuse me, two. ”

I and Yao Else turned our heads at the same time to look, and it was Fang Zhen, who I hadn't seen for several days. Fang Zhen's expression was still the same, holding half a cigarette in his hand, and said to me slowly: "It's a coincidence that you came back, your house was robbed." ”

I was shocked, this thief came so coincidentally, so inch, he actually specially selected medicine, otherwise he asked me to come when I went to Panjiayuan to gamble.

When he heard this, he frowned, pushed the car door, and came over to see what was going on. When I walked to the door of Si Cheng Zhai, I saw that the door and windows of the store were wide open, and several public security officers were going in and out of the store, taking pictures and fingerprints, and two people were talking to my neighbors with small notebooks.

It seems that what Fang Zhen said is true, he set up surveillance police forces around here, and as soon as he found out about the theft, he immediately arrived, faster than me, the master, knew.

"Hurry up and find out if you have lost anything!" Fang Zhen reminded me.

I swept around the front room, not missing anything, and walked up my leg to the back room. The back room is even less valuable, just a large dark green safe, and on top of it is a Harlow-format mechanical combination lock. I crouched down, turned around a few times according to the code, and with a twist of the handle, the spring and deadbolt of the safe "clanged" and loosened.

There are two or three pieces of jade in the safe, all of which are entrusted by the customer for safekeeping, and they are still there; Under the jade is a deposit book of a commercial bank, and there are only a few hundred yuan of deposits in it; The next grid is a thick stack of materials that I prepared for my parents' rehabilitation a few years ago, and I put them there a lot.

"What's missing?" Fang Zhen asked.

"The book is gone." My face is like earth.

I put "Su Dinglu" in the cabinet next to my parents' appeal materials, but now it is gone.

Fang Zhen told me that the doors and windows of Si Cheng Zhai were intact, and the police monitoring around him did not find any abnormalities or noises, and there were no suspicious people entering or leaving. I confirmed their suspicions, because when I left, I would put some marks near the doors and windows that only I knew. These markings are intact, indicating that the doors and windows have not been opened.

Fang Zhen asked me about the password of the safe, and who else knew it except me, and I said that I had never told anyone.

"But that doesn't mean anything." Fang Zhen said, "Our people from the technical department can open this kind of lock in thirty minutes, leaving no traces. It's an old-fashioned lock, after all. ”

He narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, trying to find clues hidden in the room, like an old detective.

Then I suddenly remembered something: "I said, since the doors and windows are fine, the safe has not been pried open, and no one has noticed—how did you know that my house was stolen?" Fang Zhen smiled: "Because we have installed a gadget on the safe, as long as the safe is opened, it will automatically send a signal to the nearby public security bureau." ”

“…… When did you install it? "I'm a little angry that they did it without my consent.

"The day you went to see Bureau Liu."

It seems that Fang Zhen and the others have already premeditated, and the relevant departments are really powerful. Seeing that I was no longer pursuing the matter, Fang Zhen took a puff of cigarette, spewed out of his nostrils again, and continued to introduce the case: "The time when the Public Security Bureau received the signal to open the safe was at one o'clock at noon today, and we knew that you were in Panjiayuan at that time, so we immediately sent someone to investigate." When the person arrived at the fourth penance, it was 1:15 a.m., no abnormalities were found, no traces of intrusion, no fingerprints, and the safe was closed. In other words, it took less than a quarter of an hour from the time the thief infiltrated your house and opened the safe to the time he left. ”

Fang Zhen's tone was very flat, I don't know whether he was admiring or sighing.

I've read a few Japanese mystery novels, and I know that there is a crime called a closed room case: criminals use strange tricks to enter a room that is impossible to enter, and the situation in front of me seems to fit that definition.

I straightened up from the safe, looked left and right, then reached over to the flat top of the safe, wiped it with my fingers, and kneaded it in front of my eyes. Fang Zhen saw my actions, and also learned from my appearance to twist the soil: "You guys have a good eye for playing antiques, sometimes better than criminal investigation Turin." Do you see any clues? ”

"It's not dust, it's dry soil, and it's supposed to be formed by long-term drying of the soil used to build walls." I rubbed my fingers and let some of the delicate particles remain in my fingerprints.

Fang Zhen and I craned our necks at the same time and looked up.

When I first opened this shop, I didn't look for a bungalow for the sake of antiquity, but rented a large tiled house. The tiled house is a few years old, with layers of roofs and blue-gray tiles arranged in fish scales. If the thief had jumped from the roof to untiled it, it would explain why there was roof dirt on top of the safe.

Fang Zhen immediately ordered two police officers to check the roof. Sure enough, as I expected, on the roof directly above the safe, there were four tiles that were relatively loose, as if they had been pulled out and forced back in, so the tiles in this area were not squeezed tightly enough, and the gaps were uneven.

In other words, the man climbed to the roof, secretly unloaded the four tiles, hung them down with a rope, opened the safe, took the things, and then hung them up again, covering up all traces and fleeing the scene.

"The hands and feet are neat enough." I praise it. The skill of that snitch is very high, and if you don't look closely, you really can't see any traces.

Fang Zhen finished the last puff of cigarette, found a small glazed teacup in the room, and threw the cigarette butt into it. He knows I don't have any rare treasures here, so I'm not afraid to spoil things. But when I saw it, I was still distressed, so I quickly changed him to a small porcelain bowl.

"I said, you're all done investigating, can you remove all the police?"

"Why?"

"I'm an antique shop, and safety is the most important thing. If the news of the thief spreads, how can people rest assured that they will store things with me? At that time, business will not be able to do anything. ”

Fang Zhen said okay, let the surrounding police lift the blockade and close the team. Yao Otherwise, he happened to step in: "So many policemen, what's wrong?" "I told him that the copy of Su Ding Lu was lost." I didn't take it, really. "Medicine, or open your mouth and say.

"Nobody said it was you." I replied angrily, this guy, lest others not treat him as a suspect. Fang Zhen narrowed his eyes, looked at the medicine, and suddenly laughed: "You are the second child of the medicine family, right?" ”

"Yes." Otherwise, he replied angrily. This person can call out his ranking, and he is also an insider, so he doesn't dare to make too many mistakes.

Fang Zhen said: "So who stole it this time, you must have a good idea in your heart, right?" Upon hearing this, Yao Ran looked unhappy: "Yes, I really want to see that book, but I'm not interested in being a thief." ”

"I didn't say you stole it, but you can definitely guess who instigated it, am I right?"

Yao Otherwise, he hesitated: "Take the thief and take the stolen goods, and catch the traitor in pairs." If you don't have evidence, buddy won't talk nonsense. ”

I looked thoughtfully at the medicine. His words have already hinted that this black hand who stole "Su Ding Lu" came out of the Chinese Society for Ancient Studies, and as for what purpose, I don't know. The ancient technology in "Su Ding Lu" is actually not so mysterious. Like "suspensory silk diagnosing pulse", "examining the Buddha's corpse" or something, like magic, it seems to be magical, and if you get the trick, everyone can learn it. There are also technologies that are outdated and can now be done more precisely with scientific instruments.

To put it bluntly, this book is like a college entrance examination review material, and every point is set up specifically for the exam, but if you really want to master knowledge, it is definitely not enough to just look at these. Like traditional Chinese medicine, in the final analysis, it is necessary to rely on experience. I haven't worked hard for decades, and I see that the cheats are all fists and legs. Everyone who really has connotation, no one will covet this chicken-like notebook.

What's more, this notebook has also been tampered with.

Fang Zhen and Yao Ran looked at me at the same time, their eyes were full of surprise, and the two of them asked in unison, "The notes have been tampered with?" ”

"Yes, that's one of the anti-theft measures." I told them that the content of "Su Ding Lu" was written in a password, and people who didn't know the key couldn't understand it.

"Good boy, no wonder you agreed so simply when you said to lend me the book! It turns out that I have already done my tricks, and I can't understand it when I borrow it. It's really a world that is declining, and people's hearts are not ancient! The medicine reacted and jumped three feet high.

"The rivers and lakes are sinister, and the heart of guarding against people is indispensable." I said frankly.

At this moment, there were footsteps outside the door, and a policeman poked into the door: "Fang, phone." Fang Zhen said "oh" and turned to answer the phone. I stood in the room with Yao Ran, staring wide-eyed.

"I said, you learned all these methods from that book?" Medicine or ask.

I shook my head again and again: "How can I learn a few things from it, and I have to rely on experience to learn from the past." "Hearing me say this, Yao Otherwise's face looks a little better.

He suddenly looked left and right, lowered his voice and said, "Let me tell you, the Chinese Society for Ancient Studies is not monolithic. Since the reform and opening up, the people of the four veins have fought hard in the society, and their ideas are different. Like our Xuanzimen, it is still a rule-abiding, and there are a few veins that are simply tossed up now, and they will do whatever it takes for the sake of the end. Your book, the Eight Achievements, was stolen by those who are in those veins. ”

"Like today's store called Rui Feng, does it belong to the yellow door? I guess the Huangzimen doesn't deal with you Xuanzimen, so Professor Zheng won't let you make too much trouble with them, am I right? ”

I said my observation today, or the medicine was silent, which was a tacit acquiescence to my conjecture. Originally, he shouldn't have said these secrets, but for the sake of me being a descendant of the Xu family, he was willing to reveal one or two.

Now it seems that the four veins in the Ancient Society all want to get the "Su Ding Lu" in my hand, but some people come directly to ask for it - for example, medicine; Some are directly stolen. Liu Ju had expected this, so Fang Zhen arranged monitoring in advance. The book was like a blood-stained pork, and when its sharp corners were revealed, it immediately attracted a swarm of flies.

Yao Ran looked up at the roof tiles, and said, "You are too unsafe here, a person is uncovering the roof tiles in broad daylight, and no one sees it." It took fifteen minutes for the police to arrive, and the thief was able to run away with tai chi. ”

When I heard this, my heart moved.

No, Fang Zhen said that it took a total of fifteen minutes from receiving the signal that the safe was open to the police and the police arrived at the scene. But the nearest police station is at the corner of the street, less than 800 meters away from Si Confession, and it only takes a minute or two to run. With Fang Zhen's old way, how could he give up the near and far and put the surveillance force so far away?

Could it be that he deliberately connived at the thief to steal? What exactly is Liu Ju's plan?

I was thinking about it when Fang Zhen came back. I hurriedly said something to the medicine, lest Fang Zhen see my suspicion of him. Fang Zhen didn't suspect it, happily lit another cigarette, and said to me: "We will investigate the loss of the book as soon as possible." But just now Liu Ju called and said that he wanted to invite you to dinner. ”

Just as he was about to speak, Fang Zhen said to him again: "Bureau Liu asked you to go with you." ”

Yes, it seems that I have opened for business this day.

The place to eat was near Houhai, and Fang Zhen personally drove us there. Professor Zheng was old, so we sent him home first.

In the past few years, the city has become more and more lively in the summer evening, enjoying the shade, walking, and all kinds of vendors and vehicles whistling on the road, which is more prosperous than during the day. Otherwise, I got a Beijing jeep and took me to the newly built Second Ring Road, there was no traffic light all the way, and after a while, I arrived at Gulou Street and went straight to Houhai. The car turned around in the narrow alley, and soon came to a courtyard house.

This courtyard house is obviously different from what ordinary people live in, the street gate sits north and faces south, there is an Asmen on the left and right, and there are two tall ginkgo trees in front of the door. There are two stone lions in front of the main gate, and there are stone drum door pillows on the ground. The two lacquered mahogany doors were graceful, and the thresholds were four inches above the ground. Looking at this system, I am afraid that it is the courtyard of the original Qing Dynasty. There were several cars parked outside the courtyard, either Santana or Hongqi.

We got out of the car, and the big red door squeaked open, and a little waitress stepped out of it. She bowed slightly to us, made a gesture to follow us, and led the two of us into the courtyard. Fang Zhen leaned against the car as usual, smoking a cigarette leisurely, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

We walked around a figure eight brick carved shadow wall, through the verandah, to the inner courtyard of the courtyard. The inner courtyard is particularly spacious, surrounded by the main house, the east and west wings, and the south room. In the middle of the courtyard is a large pomegranate tree, under the pomegranate tree resting two large water tanks with wide mouths, and there are several bamboo bird cages hanging on the tree.

I looked up vigilantly and saw that a large round table of jujube red had already been set up under the pomegranate tree. There were several plates of dishes on the table, and there were only four people sitting next to them. I know Liu Ju in the main seat, and the other two men and one woman are all around 60 years old. Behind them, there was a young man, as old as me, with his hands behind his back and a serious expression. I saw that the secretary last time was also standing behind Liu Ju.

There was only one old man who was empty behind him. I was curious, but the medicine was already busy running over and bowing to him: "Grandpa." The old man glanced at him: "You're causing trouble for me again?" ”

"No, I'm just going to check it out."

"Hmph, I'll talk about you later, you can stand next to me first." The old man said. Yao Otherwise, he glanced at me, stood behind the old man, put his hands behind his back, looked at his nose and nose, and looked at his heart, looking like an old monk.

I see that he is also in his place, and he is a little at a loss. There was an empty chair in front of me, but all the people sitting there now were old-timers, and I was a stunned young man in my thirties, and I couldn't stand or sit.

"Xiao Xu, I haven't seen you for a few days." Liu Ju greeted me.

"You've delayed my business for another day." I smiled wryly. What did this Liu Bureau treat me for, come as soon as I was called, and leave as soon as I was called. Now is a new society, everyone is equal, even if he is a big official, he can't call people like this.

"Hey, Xiao Xu, the main reason is that this banquet is also improvised, so I don't have time to notify in advance. I didn't think it through, so I apologize to you. I'll punish myself with a cup, which can be regarded as reparation. Liu Ju stood up and drank the wine glass in front of him.

"I can't see it." I glanced at the audience, "When I came in just now, I saw ginkgo biloba leaves on the cars parked outside, and there were dried bird droppings on the ginkgo leaves, which shows that you have not been short when you came." ”

"At a young age, the suspicion is quite serious, and this is not a Hongmen banquet." The old lady sneered.

Seeing that the situation was a little embarrassing, Liu Ju smiled at me and said, "Xiao Xu, let me introduce to you, these are all directors of the Chinese Society for Ancient Studies, and they are also the current managers of our five veins." ”

After his introduction one by one, I learned that the old man in front of Yao, called Yaolai, was the parent of the Xuanzi Sect; Another old man in Tang costume, named Liu Yiming, is the parent of the red letter door; The crane-haired grandmother is called Shen Yunchen, from the Qingzi Gate. These people are all Taishan Beidou in the ancient realm of the capital, and they are also the heads of several families that are inextricably linked to my family.

I counted, and it seemed that there were only three, and there was one more?

Liu Ju saw through my thoughts: "Mr. Huang from Huangzimen hasn't arrived yet, and he is delayed on the way." He pointed to me and said to them, "Everyone knows, this is Xiao Xu, Xu Heping's son." The white character gate is now the only bloodline heir. ”

The three parents, Yao, Liu, and Shen, each glanced at me, their expressions were all cold, and they didn't see the excitement of the old man's son at all, but were a little vigilant. I muttered to myself, I don't know how much fault the ancestors of the Xu family were that made them hold grudges to this day.

Shen Yunchen was the first to speak: "How can there be anything in this and that door now, it is already a research society, why should it be so clear?" Her voice seems to be the taste of the Beijing rhyme drum, which is very rhythmic and beautiful. I suddenly noticed that the person standing behind Shen Yunchen seemed to have seen somewhere. Shen Yunchen briefly introduced: "His name is Shen Jun, and he is a top student in our family. Shen Jun nodded slightly, hid his face in the shadows again, and didn't say a word.

At this time, Liu Ju smiled and said, "Sister Shen is right. But today we are a family banquet, not to mention official affairs, only to talk about old feelings. The ancients said it well: in June, the cool green shade is clear, and the small pavilion lies high and cleanses the trouble. Come, I'll give a few glasses first, and then I'll open the table. After saying that, he took the wine glass in front of him and drank it all, and the people at the table also took it up and toasted lukewarmly.

It can be seen that Liu Ju is not in the Society for the Study of Ancient Studies, but he is quite influential. His every move guides the whole situation, and in the end, he is the leader, and his momentum is very different from the demeanor of several other scholars who are idle clouds and wild cranes.

After drinking, Liu Ju gently put down the wine glass, folded his fingers, and said slowly: "I called everyone over for dinner today, not for anything else, but for what we have been discussing in the past two days: the gathering of the five veins." Today, I specially called Xu Xiaoxiao to come over, democracy is to express their own opinions and speak freely. ”

As he finished speaking, I felt several lines of gaze sweep over me, some prickly, some cold. From the time I entered the hospital to the present, Liu Ju has not let me sit down, I don't know if I was deliberately neglected, or if I had other ideas. But since he had already figured out the purpose, I couldn't leave directly, so I had to stand in place awkwardly.

Shen Yunchen said: "Xiao Liu, you have to make it clear, what does this five-vein gathering mean?" Liu Ju replied: "Since I have found the heirs of the Xu family again, I want to welcome the white character gate back and let them return to the five veins, otherwise our society will not be complete enough." ”

Shen Yunchen sneered: "Our five veins have always relied on the craftsmanship of the ancient times, not any bloodline. He is a small child, even if he is lucky enough to identify a few things, why should he monopolize the same line and discuss things with us? ”

The old man slapped it on the table and said, "The sister of the Shen family is right. Whether it is the five veins or the ancient society, they all speak with their strength, and they don't ask who his mother is. The medicine was listened to on the side, and hurriedly interjected: "The level of the ancient appreciation of the wish is not bad, I ...... today."

"Shut up, it's not your place to speak." The old man of medicine shouted, otherwise he had to shut up and retreat to the back of his head.

In the face of the opposition of these two elders, Liu Ju had already prepared, he picked up chopsticks and drew a circle in the air: "No talent is not convincing." I specially called him here today, and I also hope that several directors can give him a chance to prove himself. ”

Old Man Yao and Shen Yunchen discussed for a while, and then turned his face to me: "Xiao Xu, for the sake of you being a descendant of the Xu family, we are not sincere in making things difficult for you." You see, there's already a dish on this table. If you don't use your chopsticks and guess the origin of the vessel that holds this dish, we'll put you on the table. ”

At this time, Liu Yiming, who had not spoken, opened his eyes and said slowly: "This is all your porcelain work in the Xuanzi Gate, and you can think of this person who compares the Baizi Door to this test." The old man raised his chin: "So what?" If he can't even say these things clearly, then I think we'd better disperse, don't delay the work, I still have to go to Tianjin to listen to cross talk. ”

Only then did I notice that Liu Yiming's eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Liu Ju, and the two might have some kinship.

Liu Ju asked me, "How is it?" Xiao Xu, what do you think? ”

I had no choice but to answer, "Do your best." ”

The question of the old man of medicine is really tricky. There were all kinds of dishes on those plates, and I couldn't move my chopsticks. I don't even see it, I can't even look at it, and I can't use the ordinary method of appreciating the ancient times this time - it seems that I can only make a fuss about the dishes.

Seeing my embarrassed look, the old man said, "I won't ask you to tell which kiln it is, nor will I ask you to judge the authenticity." All you have to do is tell when and what vessel. ”

Just to earn a chair, you have to work so hard. I really don't know what I'll have left after this meal. Whoever says that this meal is not a Hongmen banquet, who am I anxious about! Of course, I had no choice but to take a deep breath and focus on the dishes on the table.

In the center of the table is a large celadon plate. On the plate are two charcoal-grilled lamb shanks, overlapping each other, with shiny skins, a layer of dark orange puff pastry, and scattered with cumin, which is full of aroma. The plate under the leg of lamb can be faintly decorated with lotus flowers.

I stared at this porcelain plate for a long time, and said, "This should be a blue and white Pisces lotus pattern porcelain plate from the Yuan Dynasty, right?" ”

The old man raised his eyebrows: "You can look carefully." ”

"I looked carefully, it was indeed Yuan Qinghua. Roast sheep is a grassland property, and it must be a generation; The skin of the leg of lamb is roasted into a dark orange, suggesting that the carcass foot is flint-red, which is a characteristic of Yuan porcelain. The two conditions overlap, and it is natural to understand. ”

At this time, I saw that Yao Ran waved his hand behind the old man Yao, and then said, "Unfortunately, this is not real, it is a high imitation." ”

"How so?"

"If it is genuine, the flint red at the bottom of the fetal foot should be distributed at the boundary between the tire and the glaze, shining and seeping into the fetus. And this plate is obviously fired by later generations on the iron powder smeared on the bottom of the plate, and the color is vain. ”

"That's why you say that?"

"There's another reason." I said solemnly, "The authenticity of this Yuan blue and white Pisces lotus pattern porcelain plate is in the collection of the Hunan Museum, a first-class cultural relic, I have seen it in Changsha before." ”

The old man laughed and made a gesture at me: "Good boy, I can't scare you, sit down." "The medicine or squeezed his eyes at me, and the two of them tacitly agreed. I don't know much about porcelain, so let me appreciate it, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it in ten. But since the medicine has given me a hint, I can face the correct answer and apply the theory, and naturally there is no flaw.

I succeeded in cheating, breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over and was just about to sit down, when suddenly Shen Yunchen shouted: "Slow." I suddenly owed my ass again: "You...... What are the commands? Shen Yunchen glared at the old man Yao: "Just now, they made their own decisions in the Xuanzimen, but our Qingzimen has not yet come up with a problem." ”

I thought of medicine otherwise, the main business of this Qingzimen is wood, and I thought that they had all rushed together anyway, so I simply put down a heart and gritted my teeth: "You say!" ”

Shen Yunchen said: "Since the medicine family doesn't embarrass you, I won't bully the juniors." Come and see, the chair under your ass is real or fake. ”

That's when I noticed that the wooden chair had a different shape. The texture of the sour branch mahogany, the hand feels smooth and smooth, there are twelve hanging beads in front of the chair skirt, and the three flowers on the back of the chair are carved auspicious clouds arching a stone slab. In the summer, people sit on it, and their backs are close to the stones, which is unusually cool.

But that's what I know. I can still fool around with porcelain, but I really don't know anything about wood.

To say that this ancient research society, the pomp is really not small. For an ordinary private banquet, the courtyard of the palace was used, and the plate of Yuan blue and white was served for dinner—although it was an imitation—and the stone chair was still sour-branched wood. What a luxury.

I pretended to touch the back of my chair to buy time while I mentally figured out what to do. It's easy to judge the truth or falsehood, even if I don't understand, there is a fifty percent probability of guessing, even if Shen Yunchen's grandmother asks me why, I can't say that I am blind, right......

In the ancient profession, there is a tacit skill. Sometimes I can't see any clues in the common sense of antiques, so I rely on logical reasoning. If it doesn't make sense logically, then this thing is probably fake. Fang Zhen said that playing antiques is similar to engaging in criminal investigation, which is reasonable.

I don't know anything about wood, so I can only rely on observation and logical judgment to see if I can find contradictions in the chair that don't make sense.

I swept round and round, but didn't speak. Shen Yunchen said: "Xiao Xu, if you can't answer, just say it, you don't have to pretend in front of grandma." After she finished speaking, she glanced at Liu Ju proudly. Liu Ju remained silent, tore off a trace of meat from the leg of lamb with chopsticks, and ate it with white wine.

Liu Yiming continued to close his eyes and recuperate, as if these things had nothing to do with him. Otherwise, Yao took this opportunity to mutter in the ear of the old man Yao, probably talking about Pan Jiayuan.

My hand touched the arm of the chair and from the arm to the stone back of the chair.

I'm not familiar with woodwork, but gold and stone are my old trade.

The stone was set in the shape of an oval mirror, and I tapped it with my fingers, and it was hard and solid. It stands to reason that this kind of chair is only used in summer, so the stone should be soft and cold, the skin is smooth, and the back is very comfortable. However, the skin of this stone is rough and rough, and there are oblique stone patterns one by one, which are uneven.

There is no doubt that the workmanship is so rough that it should be fake.

I raised my head with confidence, but I saw that Shen Yunchen's eyes were quite meaningful, and my heart was suddenly shocked. Fake? I can't see it. I hurriedly went to look at it again. My fingers ran over the curved armrest of the sorrel again, and suddenly I felt that something seemed to be engraved on it. I took a closer look, and it turned out that there were six lines of the same length on the armrest, arranged in sequence from top to bottom.

I went to look at the other handrail, and there were two Chinese characters written on it: 九三.

A flash of inspiration flashed through my mind.

Six bars and ninety-three, then this thing, there is only one possibility.

In the Qiangua in "Zhou Yi", the hexagram is like a double dry layer, and the six lines are all yang, and the six lines are drawn. And Jiusan obviously refers to the title of the Qiangua. Nine is the yang, and the third is the position. As a person in the antique circle, "Zhou Yi" is the basic common sense that must be memorized. I remember that the epigram of this sentence was "A gentleman works all day long, and he is violent, vigorous, and not to blame." It means that a gentleman should work hard during the day and refrain from fear and introspection at night.

I suddenly became enlightened, straightened up, and said to Shen Yunchen: "This chair is an old sour branch hanging bead stone chair in the late Qing Dynasty, it must be true." ”

Shen Yunchen seemed to smile: "Why are you so sure?" ”

"Because this chair is not for sitting, it's a commandment chair."

Shen Yunchen nodded slightly, stretched out his right hand and lifted the white hair on his forehead, his expression was not as cold as just now. It seems that my answer is correct.

"Please be seated." The old grandmother said kindly.

If it weren't for the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly, I would really have the heart to scold a swear word.

The commandment chair, as the name suggests, refers to the chair that admonishes one's children and nephews. The ancients believed that people should be known by observing the deeds, so they paid special attention to standing like a pine and sitting like a clock. If the body leans over, the back will be grinded to pain, and the person sitting must sit upright, taking the meaning of "day and night", and be vigilant at any time, and dare not relax. It not only corrects the sitting posture, but also expresses the way of a gentleman, which is also known as the dry chair. This kind of allegorical technique in utensils is a typical traditional cultural feature.

They are simply intentional, and I am afraid that this commandment chair has been prepared long ago, and they want to give me a dismount, implying that I am a junior, and I have to listen to their admonitions.

I was no longer polite, pulled out the chair and sat down, picked up the wine glass in front of me, and looked around: "Regardless of the five or six veins for the time being, several of you here are elders, no matter what, as a junior, I should toast you first." Then without waiting for them to speak, he threw his neck up and drank it all.

"Hehe, you kid, you are so small. Okay, I'll be with you! The old man slapped the table, filled the wine glass, raised it at me, and drank it all. Liu Yiming and Shen Yunchen also raised their glasses and took a sip.

"Alright, alright, let's all take a seat." Liu Ju clapped his palms, and the people behind several directors took their seats one after another, and there were suddenly eight people sitting around the table, which was much more lively than just now. Yao Else sat down on my left hand side and whispered, "Do you see it?" Those few standing behind him are either elite children of various sects, or proud protégés, all of whom look like foxes and tigers. ”

"Aren't you one of them?" I asked.

"Hmph, I have ideals, morals, thoughts, and pursuits, and I have young people, and they can't be compared."

The little waiter continued to serve hot and cold dishes one after another, mainly Jianghuai cuisine, and several Sichuan dishes, all of which were extremely exquisite. The plate of Beijing-style roast lamb leg rests in the center, but it looks a little bold and abrupt. I was so hungry that I didn't care about thirty-seven twenty-one, so I first grabbed a piece of squirrel and threw it into my mouth. This fish is made soft and crispy, worthy of the handwriting of a famous chef, and when you put it in the restaurant outside, you are afraid that it will not be eight or ten yuan a plate.

Shen Yunchen didn't move his chopsticks, and said to me slowly: "Xiao Xu, we just said that we only promised you that after passing the test, you will be eligible to sit down, but we didn't say that we agreed to allow your Xu family to return to the five veins." ”

I put down my chopsticks and said calmly: "The younger generation just wants to know more about the deeds of the ancestors of the Xu family, as for the return of the five veins or something, it is up to the arrangement of the Liu Bureau, and I don't have any heart to gain or lose." ”

Shen Yunchen was a little helpless, turned to Liu Ju and said, "Did you hear that?" People are not particularly reluctant. Liu Ju smiled falsely: "Everyone meets each other first, and they are familiar with each other, both are beneficial, and they are all beneficial." ”

At this moment, a voice that was neither yin nor yang fluttered into the courtyard and spread above everyone's heads: "You are eating so happily." ”