This is an old courtyard house located in Tong County, next to the Yongding River. There are two squatting tiger stone piers at the door, and there are still lingering patterns on the lintel, which seems to be the old house of the Qing Dynasty, and the original owner identity is probably not low.

It's a pity that no matter how beautiful it was back then, it has now become a cloud of smoke. This house has been changeable, the front of the door is broken and mottled, a trace of smoke and fire in the east, an unwiped "**" slogan in the west, a garbage basket by the wall, and a broken bicycle without wheels lying next to a large bamboo broom, the front fender is raised high.

The main doors are two wooden doors painted with black lacquer, the paint is quite new, but the door panel is ravines and ravines, which seems to be quite old. I stood in front of the door, arms raised, heart almost beating through my chest.

On the other side of the door is the old court.

I was separated from him by a door.

The grievances between the three generations of our Xu family and him are about to be settled once and again today.

I stretched out my arm and pushed it forward, but the door was open and opened. The rusted door shaft made a jerky creaking sound, as if to alert the owner to the door.

The wall behind the door has been demolished, and half of the ruins remain. As soon as I entered, I had a panoramic view of the courtyard. The yard is not big, and the first thing I noticed was that there was a locust tree in the middle of the yard, which was half destroyed by lightning, and the remaining half of the crooked branches stretched out to the sky, like a giant raising his hands and shouting for help.

Looking at the thickness of this locust tree, it has a lifespan of hundreds of years. Old Beijing generally does not plant locust trees in the yard, which is unlucky, but there is also a saying, "If there is an ancient locust tree in the courtyard, it must be an old house". To have such an old locust tree, the origin of this house should be unusual.

A man stands in front of a locust tree, looking up at the top of the tree with his back to me, as if admiring a postmodern oil painting. He was tall, a head taller than me, and his suit was straight and unwrinkled.

Strangely, looking at his figure, he was not very old - this could not be an old courtier.

The man heard my footsteps and turned slowly. My first reaction was surprise, and I couldn't help but shout: "Medicine is not the case? But when the last word slipped out, I realized that I had the wrong person.

His appearance is eighty percent similar to that of medicine, but his temperament is completely different. Otherwise, it is a hippie smiling face and cynical prodigal appearance at all times. And the person in front of him had a blank complexion, three faint Sichuan wrinkles between his eyebrows, and his hair was meticulously combed.

"You don't have to look for it, there is no one in this courtyard, and the old courtier is not here."

He said to me, very standard Mandarin, no trace of Beijing accent. I hurriedly looked around, and sure enough, there was silence in the wings on both sides. I couldn't believe it, so I went into the house and looked around, it was neatly furnished, but it was empty.

All at once, I was angry. What's going on? I spent so much money that I finally wanted to meet the old courtier, why did this guy who broke in the middle of the line point fingers?

"Who the are you?" I roared, clenching my fists.

He lifted his gold-rimmed glasses: "You are really as impulsive as the legend and make a wish." ”

"Don't change the subject! Who are you? "I stepped forward, aggressively.

He didn't flicker, and his tone didn't fluctuate at all: "The first time we met, I am the elder brother of Yao, and my name is Yao." ”

Medicine...... Brother?!

I couldn't help but look at him carefully, and the other party's expression was cold and indifferent, like a block of ice. I used to vaguely hear about medicine, otherwise I mentioned that he had an older brother who was three years older and had no interest in the antique business, so he was sent to the United States by his family very early. The difference in style between these two brothers is really not small, except for their similar appearance, there is no similarity.

However, why didn't the medicine suddenly return to China? Why did you suddenly appear in the courtyard of the old pilgrimage? Could it be that he is also one of the old courtiers?

As soon as I thought of this, I couldn't help but be vigilant and took two steps back. Yao Fei said: "I have just arrived, and the old courtier should have left early, I didn't see it." ”

He spoke calmly, but it made me angry. It turned out that this was the case, the old Chaofeng had only made an appointment with me to meet, but when he saw that an outsider came over first, with his vigilance, he naturally immediately withdrew and left - probably the most important meeting in my life, was actually disturbed by this irrelevant person!

"How do you know where we're meeting?"

"I've been listening to your calls."

I didn't care about my demeanor, and grabbed the tie that was not medicine: "This is my Xu family's grudge, what are you here to mix blindly?" ”

Yao is not tall, and when I pulled my tie down, the whole person bent forward. He just looked down at me like this, word by word: "My grandfather was forced to commit suicide because of the old court, and my brother became a wanted man—do you think this has anything to do with me?" ”

My hand trembled, and I let go of his tie.

Yes, it wasn't just my Xu family who was harmed by the old dynasty, and he was coerced by him to die in front of me; Otherwise, let alone medicine, I still don't understand why he took refuge in the old court. The two generations of the backbone of their medicine family died and rebelled, which can be said to be a great injury.

I stared at the medicine no, trying to see the anger peculiar to the Avenger in his eyes, but I saw only calm, deathly silence.

The medicine didn't take a step back, straighten the tie again, and his tone was not hurried: "With such a huge change in the family, others can't be relied on, so I have to go back to China to solve it myself." Speaking of this, he lifted the frame of his glasses and said coldly, "I must point out, make a wish, you really disappointed me." ”

I was a little stunned, wondering why he said that.

"At the mention of the old courtiers just now, you roared like a madman, and completely lost your cool. With your mentality, even if you really see the old court, what revenge can you get? His words were like javelins thrown at him.

"You seem to know me very well." I muttered under my breath.

"I have carefully studied all your actions since you returned to the Five Veins. In the incident of "Qingming Riverside Picture", you were anxious to find the old Chaofeng for revenge, and you were impulsive, so you stepped into the trap of Bai Ruilian. I thought you would learn a little more about it, but your performance just now proves that you haven't grown at all! ”

I couldn't help but sneer: "It's not me who scared the old court away." ”

Yao is not the way: "Even if you see the old courtier, then what?" Have you seriously thought about it? ”

His words reminded me all at once. Earlier, I was immersed in the excitement of seeing the true face of Lao Chaofeng, and I didn't think about it clearly, once I met, how to settle the grudge with him - whether to send him to the local police station and bring him to justice, or to be the culprit?

I didn't say anything, and Yao didn't continue: "Have you ever thought about how such a cunning person as Lao Chaofeng would take the initiative to show up and invite you to meet?" He was by no means a conscience discovery, and he must have a plan. You can't figure this out, so you run over in a panic, and you will only fall into the trap and repeat the mistakes of "Qingming Riverside Picture". ”

His voice was cold and clear, like a scalpel, slashing away my luck. I was a little annoyed by his criticism: "It's not about you!" ”

The medicine is not raised lightly: "Why is it okay?" You have to go with me to find out the old court. My partner can't be an idiot. ”

I was speechless for a while, this ability to talk to myself is in the same vein as his brother. It's only been less than ten minutes since we met, and he hasn't made it clear that he's listening to my phone without authorization, but he's already starting to find fault with my quality.

"Neurotic!"

I shook off my words and turned and walked towards the door. An inexplicable person, an inexplicable proposal. If I listen to him without saying a word, I will lose my mind and go crazy.

"You don't want to catch the old court?"

"I'll figure it out myself."

"Don't you want to find out why my brother betrayed you?" The voice of medicine is not sounding from behind me. I froze as I stepped out the door, like I was being caught by a rope.

Otherwise, it is now the biggest thorn in my heart, a mystery. If the old pilgrimage is the hatred I want to end, then the medicine is the knot in my heart that I urgently need to untie. He did betray me, but he also saved me. What is hidden behind that guy's cynicism, I have never figured out.

Yao Fei sighed softly: "I didn't expect him to get to this point today." What the hell is this guy's plan, I, as a big brother, have never figured it out. The two of us join forces and maybe we can figure it out. ”

I hesitated for a moment, the offer sounded tempting. But when I thought about it, this was probably a strategy of medicine or not, and I couldn't let him control the pace of the conversation.

A guy who appeared out of thin air, a sudden invitation. I am reckless, but I am not so gullible.

I pondered for a moment, then turned around: "This matter is too big, just the two of us are not enough. There is a party at home tonight, and the five veins are gathered. If you have any ideas, you might as well put them up at that time, and everyone will work together. ”

There is indeed a meeting in the five veins tonight. The strength of the old courtier is unfathomable, and if you want to catch him, you must use the power of the five veins to make it possible.

Unexpectedly, the medicine didn't snort, and shook his head with disdain: "The justice of the medicine family, I will get it back - but I won't count on them, none of those guys can be trusted." ”

My eyes narrowed, and it was funny. Listening to the medicine is not a tone, obviously planning to get rid of the five veins and do it alone. But as I recall, he wasn't in the antique circle at all. A layman who has been abroad all the year round wants to challenge the old courtiers single-handedly?

He also said that I was brave and unstrategic, and I think he is not self-sufficient.

Yao didn't seem to have no intention of explaining, he waved his hand and shook a business card: "I'm going back to China this time, almost no one knows about Wumai, and I'm not interested in boring parties - if you change your mind, come to China Resources Hotel to find me." ”

After saying that, Yao Bu turned around and continued to look up at the twisted and strange locust tree. I don't know what he looks at and is so fascinated.

I let out a long sigh and came with anticipation, not expecting the ending to be so inexplicable. With regret and resentment, I walked out of the house. The door of the old mansion creaked shut, leaving only an empty yard, a man, and half a broken locust tree.

As I stepped out of the courtyard, I suddenly remembered an ancient feng shui story for no reason.

A wealthy businessman planted a tree in the yard, but he didn't expect that the next disaster would be in his home. A passing feng shui gentleman said that your yard is unlucky, and there are trees in the yard, which is a "sleepy" word. When the rich merchant heard this, he was so frightened that he hurriedly cut down the tree, but he still had an accident. Mr. Feng Shui said, you cut down the tree, and there are only people left in the courtyard, isn't it a word "prisoner"?

Isn't this courtyard the pattern of the old mansion behind me? I'm not superstitious, but this time the old courtier didn't see it, but he plunged headlong into such a feng shui pattern.

The words trapped and imprisoned, is it really a prophecy?

The gathering of the five veins is not a pretext. There was indeed a family banquet that night, in the name of welcoming the smooth return of "Qingming Riverside Map" to Beijing, Liu Ju took the lead and convened the members of the five veins to celebrate.

Liu Ju took great pains to save this game. The turmoil in "Qingming Riverside Map" was caused by me, and many people in the five veins were very dissatisfied with me, so I took this opportunity to bridge the contradiction and pave the way for the Xu family to return to the five veins.

It's a pity that several important people in the family are absent: Yao Lai died, Huang Kewu recuperated in Hong Kong and did not return, and Liu Yiming was not feeling well. Yanyan has also stayed in Hong Kong because she has to take care of her grandfather. As a result, on a huge table, except for Liu Ju, my acquaintances were only Shen Yunchen from the Qingzi Sect, and the others were juniors from various sects, so they couldn't say anything.

There are fewer than a thousand cups of wine for a confidant, and there is no speculation for more than half a sentence. Although Liu Ju talked loudly during the banquet and tried his best to warm up the atmosphere, there was really nothing to talk about between me and these attendees.

Among the people here, Shen Yunchen has the highest seniority. She had a good attitude towards me, and as soon as we met, she gave me a small sandalwood gourd ornament of Dao Lightyear, saying that she could turn evil into good fortune. The gourd is divided into two sections, each engraved with the words "called" and "Xu", which is not worth any money, and the color head is good, and it is also carefully selected.

The Shen family of Qingzimen is not a major sect in the five veins, and it is mainly engaged in woodware, so whether it is the Buddha head case or the turmoil of "Qingming Riverside Map", the Shen family did not participate. Except for one Shen Jun who followed the old dynasty to confuse him, Qingzimen has always stayed out of the matter, and his sense of existence is not very strong. Because of this, I was able to have a calm chat with Shen Yunchen.

Speaking of what happened to Liu, Huang, and Yao, Shen Yunchen sighed a few words. She told me that the Antiquarian Society's business plan was almost ready, and that it was a good time to start this successful landing of Barylline.

I have always had reservations about the commercialization of the five pulses, and the prestige of the Mingyan plum blossom for so many years has been obtained by standing upright. Now that the referee personally goes into the water to play the ball, there are too many interests involved, and I am afraid that the fairness of this will be discounted. But then again, the shops of the five veins have already opened one after another, and now they are just lifting the veil. Opening up and invigorating economic construction first is the general trend of the entire era and is irreversible.

"That's why I'm telling you, if we don't occupy the antique position, the enemy will occupy it." Shen Yunchen said happily, his eyes flashing with light.

It's no wonder that she is so attentive, the commercialization of the Ancient Appreciation Society has really started, and Qingzimen may benefit the most.

You know, wood is called "small ware" in the antique world, also called "green ware". This "green" refers to both the green of the wood and the "youth". Other categories, such as gold, stone, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, can often be traced back to the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties. It is not easy to preserve wood, and the collection is mainly in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there are not many of them.

But woodware has always been a lucrative industry. Antiques pay attention to not opening for three years, opening for three years, expensive and expensive. Wood is a small profit but quick turnover, each piece is not expensive, but there are many people who buy it. The reason is simple, other antiques are used for fun, and wood, especially furniture, is used. After the commercialization is liberalized, the sales volume of antique furniture alone cannot be underestimated.

Shen Yunchen was very interested, and talked to me about these things in the woodware industry, and talked about the recent plan to hold a national tour of antique furniture exhibitions. I listened with a smile and an occasional nod. Shen Yunchen talked for a long time, and realized that she had said it herself, so she turned to the side and asked me what I planned to do next.

I thought about it and thought it was a good opportunity, so I picked up a spoon and tapped the teacup. After a few bells, the people at the table stopped talking, and they all stared at me.

"I have something to discuss with you, today I went to see the old courtier."

As soon as I spoke, the whole banquet fell silent. In the five veins, the old courtroom is a taboo word, and when I suddenly mentioned this name, everyone held their breath. Even Liu Ju and Shen Yunchen put down their chopsticks and looked at them with different expressions.

I will briefly talk about the cause and effect of meeting with the old courtier today - of course, I didn't mention the fact that the medicine is not, but after finding the old house, I pounced on it.

I looked around and said, "I don't think I need to say much about who the old courtier is, you all know it very well in your hearts. I didn't catch Lao Chaofeng this time, but I can't let him continue to harm people. I hope that you will work together with me to completely cut off this black hand that makes and sells fake cultural relics and fulfill the responsibility of the five veins. ”

Everyone in the audience nodded their heads and raised their glasses in support. The old courtier is the natural enemy of the five veins, and it is a matter of course to deal with him.

"The old courtier asked you to meet him there, but he didn't show up?" Liu Ju frowned and interjected.

"Yes."

"What did you find?" Shen Yunchen asked.

"Yes, I found this there, I guess it was left behind by the old court." I took something out of my bosom and gently rested it on the glass turntable on the table, and many people immediately heard the whispers of exclamation on the table.

There was a moment of silence during the banquet, everyone look at me, I look at you, and the direction of the wind began to change subtly and interestingly.

"The five veins have just passed the crisis, and I personally think that it is not appropriate to act rashly now."

"It's right to catch the old court, but I made a wish before that your kid was whimsical and tossed the family restless, this time you have to think clearly, don't fall into someone else's trap again."

"We are a non-governmental association, give clues to the relevant departments, and let them catch them."

"Since ancient times, fakes have not been broken. Take down an old pilgrimage and you can guarantee that there will be no more fakes? Naive! ”

Many people who nodded in approval just now have ambiguous attitudes, and some people pour cold water on them, and there is actually no clear support. Even Shen Yunchen patted me on the shoulder: "Xiao Xu, this matter is too wide-ranging, we have to think about it in the long run." ”

Listening to these words, my expression was still smiling, but it was getting colder and colder.

The thing I put on the table was a porcelain bottle of broken bean green pill from the Qing Dynasty. The pill bottle is not big, eight centimeters high, the surface is glazed without lines, and it is a very small thing.

This is actually a fake with a wide open door, the glaze is vain, the fracture is white, and anyone with a little common sense of cultural relics can see it. But this thing is also a temptation. There are very few fake porcelain bottles, which are not economical, and it is not worth counterfeiting alone. When there are fakes in all of them, it means that there is a huge counterfeiting force behind them, and they have reached a certain scale, and even such small objects can generate profits.

In fact, this small medicine bottle was taken by me before I came, and it has nothing to do with the old court. I just want to test it and see the true attitude of the people in the five veins. Sure enough, as soon as these guys saw this small porcelain medicine bottle, some of them were frightened by the counterfeiting strength displayed behind the porcelain bottle, and some of them had ghosts in their hearts, and they were not innocent, and they saw the possibility of being implicated from this porcelain bottle.

As the saying goes, it is easy to learn from the past, but it is difficult to learn from people. Now it seems that people's hearts are not so difficult to identify, and a small porcelain vase reflects all kinds of thoughts.

There are a thousand reasons why they oppose me, but I know what their real intentions are: now that commercialization is imminent, everyone is busy making money, and it is thankless to track down the old courtiers, so why bother touching that mold.

No wonder Yao didn't intend to use the power of the five veins, he was born in the five veins, and he knew too well what the temperament of these people was.

I was lucky, but now I understand it completely.

I silently put away the pill bottle, stood up, and walked outside without saying a word. Everyone at the table turned their heads and ears, but they all sat still, only Shen Yunchen stood up tremblingly, grabbed my arm and held me: "This kid, why is he a donkey temper, don't you discuss it." ”

I bowed my head and smiled at her, "The Tao of the Five Pulses, there must be one or two people to adhere to. Everyone is busy, and I'm more idle, so I'll go. Shen Yunchen couldn't help it, and said that it was not too late to wait for Old Man Liu Yiming to come back, and then make up your mind. I shook my head: "If my guess is right, the old Chaofeng is almost old, and if he dies before I catch him, he will not be stable for the rest of his life—time waits for no one." ”

Shen Yunchen saw that I had talked about this, and finally frowned and let go of his hand. I picked up the wine glass and drank it all in the direction of Liu Ju, and the spicy Moutai rolled from my throat into a line of fire into my stomach. Liu Ju sat in place, his brows furrowed slightly, and he had to lift the cup slightly, which was considered to be in response to my actions.

He is a man in officialdom, after all, he must focus on balance and stability, and he can't be too rash.

I put down my glass and left the room, feeling both relieved and resentful. I am not qualified to comment on others, but I must find out the truth about the old court.

When I walked to the door of the hotel, I saw a figure leaning on the pillar, inconspicuous in the dim light, as if it was about to melt into the darkness. He held a lit cigarette in his hand, and the smoke rose in a curling air.

"Fang Zhen?" I was quite surprised, and then I thought about it, Liu Ju was here, and he would naturally follow. Unexpectedly, Fang Zhen said to me: "I'm not waiting for Liu Ju, I'm waiting for you." ”

"Uh...... You're going to stop me too? I looked at him warily. This guy is my partner in birth and death, but he is also a policeman, and he orders it down, and his six relatives don't recognize it.

"No, I'm here to give you a ride."

Fang Zhen still had that calm look. He dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, stepped on it, and walked down the steps. At the foot of the stairs was a silver-gray Santana with an armed police sign. I didn't understand what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd, so I pouted and lowered my head and sat in the passenger seat.

I'd like to see how he's going to give me a ride.

Fang Zhen started the engine, the car started slowly, and soon moved away from the hotel. I rolled down the window, poked my head out, and let out a long breath. It was only after I got out of there that I felt like I was breathing freely. Just now in the hotel, looking at the eyes of those people, I really felt a kind of breathless suffocation, as if my lungs were stuffed with plastic bags.

As the car sped along, I watched the street recede in both directions and suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"Hey, I said, this is not the way back to the four penitents."

"I know, you don't want to go back there anyway." Fang Zhen looked straight ahead, and the steering wheel was firmly gripped.

"Do you know where I want to go?"

"China Resources Hotel." Fang Zhen replied.

To the east of Beijing, China Resources Hotel is a cylindrical building with more than 30 floors and a 360-degree revolving restaurant on it. I've heard of it for a long time, but I've never been there once.

The two of us went downstairs to the hotel and entered the lobby. Fang Zhen didn't even ask, and went straight to the elevator. I wondered in my heart, didn't the medicine already tell Fang Zhen about returning to China? Didn't he secretly return to China this time?

But I didn't ask, and if I did, it was in vain. Fang Zhen, this guy, he will take the initiative to tell you what he should say, and you won't be able to pry out a word if he shouldn't say it. I secretly squinted my eyes, and he was leaning against the elevator room, slightly lowering his eyes, like a Buddha. You can't guess what he's doing at this time.

Otherwise, Fang Zhen is too little to talk about, and the friends around me are really not normal. The thought of the word "friend" suddenly made my heart heavy. Otherwise, is it my friend now? He was a traitor, with a few lives in his hands, unforgivable, but he gave his life to save me when I was in the Kowloon Walled City. Originally, I said that I would send him to turn himself in, but he was later taken away by the old court, and his whereabouts are unknown.

I don't know if being so obsessed with looking for the old courtiers is also a little bit of medicine.

With a mind full of thoughts, we walked to a room at the end of the hallway. Fang Zhen rang the doorbell, and the door opened immediately. It's already so late, isn't the medicine still dressed in a straight suit, and his hair is meticulously combed.

"I knew you'd come."

He lifted his chin slightly, and his tone was as lame as a fortune teller. I smiled wryly and shook my head, didn't say anything, and walked straight into the room. The medicine didn't slam the door shut, I noticed something wrong, and when I looked back, I found that Fang Zhen didn't come in.

Yao Bu said: "We have known each other for many years, and among all the people related to the five veins, only he and I fully trust - but his identity is limited, and it is inconvenient to participate in the next things. ”

I nodded. After all, Fang Zhen is a public security officer, and he is a strong personal principle. This kind of folk behavior can be regarded as a great help if he can keep it secret, and he does not expect to be able to assist secretly.

Fang Zhen's attitude also hinted at the position of Liu Ju and the relevant departments - they are not very active in the arrest of the old court, at least they do not approve of the participation of non-governmental people like me in the arrest. So all Fang Zhen could do was send me to the China Resources Hotel.

But I didn't know that Yao and Fang Zhen had been friends for many years. One of these two people is not smiling, the other is silent, and they really don't know how to chat when they get along.

When I go to a new place, I get used to looking around first. The furnishings in the room are delicate and simple, with a large suitcase next to the queen bed, a wallet and stack of papers on the bedside table, and a delicate electric shaver. This is the medicine is not all the baggage of this return home.

It seems that he has a very low personal desire and a strong self-discipline. The purpose of returning home this time is very simple, that is, to avenge the pharmacist.

It's not that Yao doesn't like to be polite, he doesn't even make a cup of tea, he sits down separately, and goes straight to the point: "Since you came to me, it seems that the dinner didn't go well?" ”

"Huh." I laughed dryly, took out the bean green medicine bottle, and put it on the coffee table, "Loyalty and righteousness engrave the tablet, and wealth touches people's hearts, this is human nature." A small vial, and it poked out of their bottom of the sea. ”

Yao didn't wave his hand: "I'm not good at antiques, don't use these quacks, just say the conclusion." ”

"Everybody is busy making money, and no one wants to make a fuss about it – except me."

The medicine didn't say "um", and he clasped his arms in his hands: "I said in that mansion that people in the five veins are not trustworthy." If you want to catch the old courtier, you can only cooperate with me. ”

I raised my hand: "Don't worry. I have another question: you are not an antiques professional, you don't even know basic terminology, and you have lived abroad for a long time, and you lack contacts in China. Why should I work with you? ”

Yao didn't seem to anticipate my questioning, and he slowly paced in front of me, staring intently for a while, staring at me for a while. Then he spoke: "Don't you think that the mistake you made before was because you were too obsessed with antiques?" ”

I don't understand what he meant.

"In the case of the Buddha's head, if you are not attached to the Buddha statue itself, I am afraid that the medicine will be found long ago, otherwise it is not appropriate; The incident of "Qingming Riverside Picture", if you didn't think you were smart and thought that you had discovered the truth in the picture, how could there be a series of turmoil behind? Make a wish, you are indeed a good antique connoisseur, but sometimes this can become an obstacle and make you take many detours. ”

"You're saying that a mallet will make it easier to find out the truth?" I retorted, half-sarcastically.

"Have you heard Edison's story?" ”

"No ......"

"Once, Edison wanted to measure the capacity of a light bulb. One of his senior assistants was measuring the depth and the arc, and he was so busy sweating that he was sweating profusely. At this point, the intern in the lab took the light bulb, filled it with water, and then poured the water into the measuring cup, and easily calculated the volume - the senior assistant was much better at mathematics than the intern, but he was so obsessed with calculations that he neglected the simplest solution. The same goes for your problems, connoisseurship allows you to focus on antiques, and problem solving is often preconceived and ignores other possibilities. ”

Speaking of this, Yao Bu pointed at the tip of his nose: "I don't understand antiques, I originally studied medicine, and later changed to business." In both majors, logic is needed – I will use logic to guide you on a correct, efficient, and clear path, rather than being dazzled by the endless stream of antiques. ”

This guy really never knows how to be modest, and he speaks straightforwardly. Of all the people I knew before, Dai Haiyan was probably the only one with this style.

"The old courteous man is a man who is thoughtful and vicious. If you want to catch his tail, it is impossible to do it with ordinary thinking, you can only take it by surprise. He knows you, but he doesn't know I exist—this is our chance. ”

Isn't it obvious that the medicine has been considered holistically, and talking about it is like making an academic report. I stared at him, and a decision gradually began to emerge in my mind.

He was right, last time I went to track down the old courtier with full confidence, but I was used as a gun by Bai Ruilian, which made me always have scruples, for fear that I would be blinded by hatred again and fall into someone's trap. I really needed a partner who could help me catch up on the gaps and help me detect problems early.

"There is only one question, how do I know that what you said is true, it is not that the old Chaofeng deliberately sent someone to lie to me."

I asked sharply, a question that might well upset him, but it had to be made clear. Otherwise, Zhong Aihua, I have been betrayed twice, and the other party is someone who I think will never betray me. Once I was bitten by a snake, I was afraid of the well rope for ten years, not to mention being bitten twice, I had to be cautious.

Yao nodded approvingly: "That's a good question, it means that you are starting to learn to think now." Of course, what I say is true, but I can't prove it, you can only bet on your luck. ”

It was a frank and open conversation. We both looked at each other for a moment, and then smiled at the same time—to be exact, only me, to be exact, his lips only slightly upturned, more reserved than smiling.

"I bet."

I held out my hand, and the two of them shook it briefly. A small anti-Lao pilgrimage alliance was formed.

"So what do we do next?" I asked, and then said a few possible directions for investigation, "My eldest brother will keep the phone on at any time, and Lao Chaofeng may call again to see what he thinks." Also, there are some people in the five veins who also have a lot to do with him, let's seize a little bit and follow the vine to touch the melon......"

"None of that." Medicine is not the palm of the hand down to force everything.

"Huh?"

"Old Chaofeng knows you too well, and any clues you can get into at the moment may be a trap arranged by him, and they are not available."

"So what to do?" I was a little stunned.

Yao didn't raise two fingers: "First of all, you have to cut off all ties with the five veins and completely disappear from their field of vision, so that the old courtier cannot grasp your whereabouts." Then, we go and dig for new leads. ”

"New clues?"

"That's right. The benefits of door-to-door delivery are all suspicious, and only by taking the initiative to discover them can you get clean clues. This is like a mountain where bandits are entrenched, and the roads they often take must be full of traps, so we can only find another way and personally carve a safe path among the thorns in order to go straight to the snake cave. He used a rare metaphor.

"That'...... Where do we go for new leads? ”

Yao didn't go to the bedside table, picked up a document and handed it to me: "I happen to have a ready-made key here." ”

It seems that he has already begun to prepare in the United States.

This is a photocopy of the English document, fortunately, with a Chinese translation attached to it. On the first page of the document, there are several colorful photographs of the bronze furnace, from all angles, with graduations next to them. Our Xu family's main business in the five veins is gold, stone and jade, and when we saw this incense burner, we immediately fell in love.

The incense burner in the photo is not very large, with high feet and ears, gluttonous ornamentation, and is in good condition, but the texture is different from that of Youxuan bronze. When I looked at the inscription at the bottom of my abdomen, I was quite surprised, and I couldn't help blurting out: "This ...... This is the Luwang furnace! ”

The origin of Luwang furnace is a legend from Henan Weihui.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the Wanli Emperor named his younger brother Zhu Yiyi as the king of Lu, and the domain was placed in Weihui Mansion.

Zhu Yiyi was deeply loved by Wanli and rewarded countless rewards, and the gold and silver in King Lu's mansion filled ten warehouses. One day, the water in the house suddenly ran out, and the rescue could not be saved, and one of the warehouses was burned to the ground. The gold and silver in the treasury were burned in the fire and smelted into a large mass of gold. King Lu was rich and didn't care, so this piece of gold cake was idle in the mansion and was useless.

Zhu Yiyi has a son, named Zhu Changshu, who likes to collect cultural relics the most, and is called Jingyi Master. After he took over the throne of the vassal king, he accidentally discovered this golden cake, and suddenly had an idea to think of an elegant solution.

Zhu Changshu invited a craftsman to reopen the gold cake and recast it into a Yanshan incense burner. The gold cake was so large that the craftsmen cast a total of 360 incense burners before and after they ran out of raw materials. Zhu Changshu felt that although the shape of this furnace was antique, the ancient meaning was not enough, so he chose a feng shui treasure, wrapped the 360 incense burners in cowhide, buried them, and absorbed the earth's qi - in the eyes of modern people, it is actually to use sour clay to bite out rust marks on the furnace body in order to make it old.

Who knew that within a few years of being buried, Li Zicheng's army hit Wei Hui. Zhu Changshu fled to Hangzhou to avoid the edge, and was later captured by the Qing soldiers and taken to Beijing, where he was brutally killed. And where these 360 incense burners are buried is unknown.

This set of incense burners is collectively known as Luwang furnace in the antique circle. In my grandfather's "Su Ding Lu", this was specifically mentioned and praised as a work of conscience. Why? Because Zhu Changshu is a nobleman and disdains counterfeiting, antique is antique, but it is not used to deceive people. At the bottom of each furnace, there is a row of small characters engraved with "Daming Chongzhen Year Lu State ×× Vessels", which ×× refers to the number - to tell you clearly, this is my imitation, and even the number is there.

In the market, there have been several stoves sporadically, all of which are said to be the incense burners of Luwangfu. But how many of the 360 incense burners were dug up? Who dug it up? Where did it come from? No one has ever known about it, and it has become a small local treasure legend.

The medicine is not to take this report, but it is actually related to Luwang Furnace, which makes me very interested, and I can't wait to read it.

The report is long and should have come from a professional investigative agency. In short, in 1937, two local ruffians in Weihui were greedy and wanted to steal Zhu Yiyi's tomb of King Lu. Their actions were discovered by the villagers guarding the tomb and forced to flee. The two ruffians retreated to the second place, and wanted to go to the tomb of the princess of Lu, but when they were digging the robbery hole, they actually miscalculated the direction and dug a big pit in a daze. In this pit, the ruffian found a Luwang golden furnace with the inscription "Daming Chongzhen Year Lu State System Wu Picker", the number is 52.

They took the stove home as if they had found it, but they were beaten because of the uneven distribution of the spoils. When the local security chief heard the news, under the banner of punishing the tomb robbers, he arrested the two ruffians in prison and tortured them severely.

A knowledgeable person in the local antique industry told the chief that it was impossible to bury only one of the furnaces in Luwang. There must be more gold furnaces near that pit. The chief was overjoyed when he heard this, and then turned back to the two ruffians and asked where the furnace was buried. But the two of them had already choked their breath due to excessive torture, and only three words were left before they died: Phoenix Mountain.

There is Phoenix Mountain in Weihui, which covers a wide area, and the tomb of King Lu is nearby. The chief of security led people to look for a few months, but they couldn't find the real place to bury the furnace, so they had to give up. After the Japanese occupied Henan, the chief of the security department fled with his family and retreated all the way to Kunming with the central army. The chief soon fell ill and died, and his son sold the golden furnace to a Chennault Flying Tigers pilot in order to make ends meet. The pilots brought it back to the United States, along with the story behind it. After several turns, the golden furnace was donated to a private museum by the pilot's descendants.

Museums like this place a lot of emphasis on the provenance of artifacts and hire professionals to investigate their background sources. This is the cause and effect of this report.

After reading the report, I raised my head and was puzzled: "This Luwang furnace, now in your hand?" ”

"I never accept antiques, I'm not interested. It's still in that museum. ”

"So do you know the real burial place?"

"I know as much as you do."

"So...... Is there a clue about the old pilgrimage in this stove? ”

"Maybe, but I don't know."

I was completely confused, what kind of medicine was sold in his gourd? The Luwang Furnace is certainly a precious artifact, but it seems to have nothing to do with our goals.

Yao didn't lean against the window, showing that kind of expression of teaching others: "That's what I want to point out, make a wish, you can't cling to the artifact itself." Think about it differently and think again. After saying that, his right arm was stretched out, raised suddenly, and then slowly lowered, repeating three times.

"Are you fishing?" I'm getting a little impatient.

"That's right."

Yao nodded seriously, indicating that there was still room for redemption in my IQ.

When I went back, the first thing I did was to lock the door of the four confessions. There's been a lot of mess lately, and my little shop is closing more than it was when it opened, and the neighbors have been rumored that I'm either in debt or making a lot of money.

Then I found a choreographer friend from Beijing TV, who was going to Xi'an to shoot a documentary on cultural relics. I told him to get me a consultant on the crew. After the negotiation was completed, I informed Fang Zhen of the matter and asked him to convey it to Liu Ju, saying that I would go to other places with the crew, and I was afraid that I would not be in Beijing for a few months.

In this way, everyone in the five veins knows that I am looking for the old pilgrimage unsuccessfully, and I went out to relax—as for believing it or not, it is not my responsibility.

On an early morning filled with light fog, I followed the crew to the train at Beijing Railway Station, bringing nothing with me, even my eldest brother was thrown home.

According to the requirements of the medicine, I will completely disappear, cut off all contact, so that no one, including the old courtiers, can find me. The cleaner the isolation, the fewer means the old pilgrim can play.