Professor Zheng said to me straight to the point: "I asked you, the list has not been declassified, you can see it if you want to, take a letter of introduction from the State Council." ”

"That means you can't watch it...... I saw that you came to the door on purpose, and I thought there was some good news. "I pulled a handful of peanuts out of the bag, rubbed the skin off, and squeaked and chewed.

Professor Zheng frowned: "You mean that if I can't do something, I can't come here, right?" "I hurriedly said how can that be, you are welcome to come every day, there are university professors to show me the façade, how cost-effective. Professor Zheng snorted and moved a bench to sit down. I took a white porcelain dish with peanuts and two cups, and lifted the lid of the beer.

Professor Zheng took a shallow sip and picked up two peanuts: "You have been out for several days, and I have no place to talk to someone." ”

"What about the others?" I asked.

"Alas, in extraordinary times, they are all busy outside. Learning to transform, it's a big deal, and now everyone revolves around this. I'm just an idler. Professor Zheng's tone was slightly self-deprecating, and he took another sip, and his face began to blush slightly. He was a heavy drinker, but he was so bad that he could only drink some beer. I saw that he was not in a high mood, so I asked tentatively, "They didn't let you get involved?" ”

When Professor Zheng heard this, he put the glass on the table and glanced at me: "Xiao Xu, don't think that I feel neglected and resentful, I can't figure it out." I read Liu Lao's plan, and I always feel that when I learn to transform like this, the taste will change. What are the five veins for? Eliminate the false and keep the true! For hundreds of years, I have relied on these simple four words to make a living. But now after the transformation, it is actually going to be an auction house. ”

"Auction house?" I was shocked to hear it, I learned to transform, and I actually want to go in this direction.

Professor Zheng said a lot. Only then did I know that Liu Yiming's transformation of the Chinese Society for Antique Studies was to build the first private antique auction house in China. Auction houses are still a new thing in China, and the national policy has just been loosened recently, with Liu Yiming's vision and ambition, he must want to seize this opportunity to occupy the market first and become China's Sotheby's and Christie's. What does an auction house mean for the antiques market? The auction house is a manifesto, a propaganda team, and a seeding machine. It is a powerful engine that can make the high-end antiques market bigger and bigger, and completely change the pattern of Chinese antiques. There is no need for anything else, just auction out one or two sky-high cultural relics, and the market atmosphere will be guided immediately. Whatever you say is worth something, it's worth it. Being able to control the market trend and price is a great benefit.

With the reputation of the industry accumulated over the years, it is indeed well deserved to start an auction house. There are bright-eyed plum blossoms in charge, are you afraid that what this auction house sells is not the real thing? However, the auction house involves too much, and the operation is very complicated, and the connections, policies, funds, and talents are all indispensable, and they cannot be without the support of the entire antique industry. With such a large amount of work, it is no wonder that the five veins are busy on all fours.

"Such a toss is more profitable than before, but the interests involved in the entire five veins are too broad and complex, so it is not pure. Nowadays, it is always said in society that everything is about money, but we can't learn to be hot for a while and destroy the signboard for the sake of immediate interests, right? Wumai did this, and became the referee who played football in the next game, and sooner or later something would happen. Now the society always says that it is better to sell tea eggs than to make **, and I have always been indignant. I didn't expect our five veins to look at the money ......" Professor Zheng shook the wine bottle, "Hey, don't say it, don't say it, let's talk about you, why do you think about it, you have to care about "Qingming Riverside Map", this is not your major?" ”

"Didn't I tell you, I want to improve my cultural accomplishment."

Professor Zheng glanced at me, put the bottle on the shelf, and was very dissatisfied: "Although I am pedantic, I am not stupid. You really want to study this, there are more books in the bookstore, why bother to ask for the list of appraisers? ”

"Hey...... ......I was speechless for a moment, and finally sighed helplessly, looked at him and said, "I don't want to lie to you, I can't say this yet." ”

"Does it have anything to do with Xu Yicheng?" Professor Cheng's eyes lit up.

I nodded, it wasn't a lie, but I couldn't go on. Sister Su specially instructed me not to alarm the five veins for the time being. I don't know how much eyeliner was placed in it, so I can't trust anyone completely.

With Professor Cheng's wisdom, he should be able to see through my unspeakable secrets. He looked at me wordlessly, first the corners of his mouth twitched a few times, but at the end he didn't say anything, just patted me on the shoulder, and said in a dumb voice I won't ask, you can tell me when the time is right. I know that he thought of medicine, and his favorite student ended up being a traitor, which was quite a blow to him, and he couldn't open his mouth to me that you can trust me. I looked at him apologetically and raised my glass.

The two of us touched in silence, each drank a glass and chewed a few peanuts. Probably feeling that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Professor Zheng said: "Actually, that list may not be available. I looked up at him and was moved. Even if I refused to tell the truth, Professor Cheng was still going to help me. I don't know if it's a form of atonement or trust.

"Professor Zheng, you don't have to force ......"

Professor Zheng raised his hand to stop me, saying that he didn't care, and then said, "It's hard to know who is on the list." But on the other hand, if you have a candidate in mind and want to know if he is not on the list, this is relatively easy. ”

My eyes lit up, and Professor Zheng's words were correct. If I have a specific goal and want to know whether he participated in the appraisal of "Qingming Riverside Map", there are many ways to verify it, and it may not be through the list. The easiest thing is to ask him personally, or to check his itinerary at that time, or to ask the people around him, in short, there are many means.

"Do you have a pick?"

I thought about it for a moment and replied, "Hmm...... There is no specific one, but it should be a person in the five veins. Professor Zheng put down his wine glass and thought for a moment: "The appraisal of calligraphy and painting must be the business of the Liu family, and there are only a limited number of people in their family who are qualified to enter the expert group to appraise the "Qingming Riverside Map". You don't care about this, I'll help you inquire - but if you want to see the real "Qingming Riverside Map", I can't help this. ”

"I think about this myself, how can I always trouble you." I hastened to say. But I was very disappointed in my heart. When I return to the capital this time, I want to find out the identity of the old courtier, and I also want to verify Sister Su's conjecture. Both are indispensable. Zhong Aihua's report is still under pressure in Zhengzhou, but he can't wait for me for too long.

"Do you have to see the real thing? There should also be high-definition albums sold in bookstores, right? Or the glass factory to get a large copy of the original, the problem is not big. ”

I shook my head, this is the same as connoisseurship, it is impossible to jump to conclusions based on a photo, you have to see things with your own eyes to determine the authenticity. Besides, those so-called high-definition albums and reproductions are not clear enough to see the details – and the important information is often hidden in the details.

"It's not a real thing, how can you see it so clearly." I muttered. This is the most critical part of my plan, and I can't afford to go wrong.

Seeing that I was disappointed, Professor Zheng drank all the beer in his glass, burped, and smiled: "Have you ever tried to find a 'library'?" ”

"Which library? North Map or National Map? ”

"Neither, 'Library' he's a person."

Professor Cheng's expression became a little mysterious.

In front of me, there was a secluded and chaotic path, flanked by shampoo shops, grocery stores, and a few small restaurants, and next to a makeshift brick toilet with the words "male" and "female" written crookedly in white ash, and the smell of the smell emanating from the brick void mixed with the hoarse sound of tape recorders in the shampoo house, forming a strange symphony. The road surface is full of potholes, and garbage of different colors is piled up at the bottom of the pits, and the car will kick up a puff of dust as soon as it passes. In the distance, a green-skinned train whistles and whizzes past these low-slung buildings.

This is a small village in the southern part of the capital, not far from Fengtai. The capital is known as the east and the west are rich and the north is poor and the south is cheap, some say that it is a tradition since the Qing Dynasty, and some say that it is the feng shui of the four or nine cities. Now the north has improved, but the south city, the development has always been neither yin nor yang, to the south a little walk a few miles, the capital of the rich and noble will suddenly converge, how can not get rid of the word broken.

The place I'm going to is at the end of this little alley. There is a small courtyard there, the gate of the courtyard is wrapped in iron sheets, rusty, and the owner here has obviously not taken care of it very carefully. I pushed the door in, startled. In this courtyard, except for a rickshaw parked, there are only books, and there are almost no places to stay. I took a cursory glance, there were all kinds of books in ancient and modern times, Chinese and foreign, and they were dazzling.

"Is the library there?" I shouted at my neck.

"Yes."

Stand up in the middle of the mountain of books. The man was wearing a brown jacket, a cigarette in his mouth, and a tourist fanny pack tied around his waist. I looked closely, this guy was about the same age as me, he looked like a middle school geometry problem, he was very regular, his face was standard round, two triangular eyes, a trapezoidal nose, and his lips were as thin as a line.

"You're the library?"

"Tell me quickly, I'm busy." The library replied impatiently, pulled a piece of fiber rope from the side, bowed down, and flipped through it in his hand, and the stack of books was tied up in an instant.

Professor Cheng said yesterday that this man is not very good-tempered, but he is a strange person. You can tell from his nickname - the library, which is full of books. This guy is reselling second-hand used books, as long as it is an old book, it doesn't matter if you are a rare book or a big road goods, he collects everything, the categories are extremely miscellaneous, and there is no book that he can't get. Anyone who is engaged in academics in Beijing knows the library, and sometimes he asks about the cold materials that cannot be found in the university stacks, and he can often have unexpected gains - "as long as you ask the right questions." Professor Zheng told me before leaving.

So I didn't say anything polite to him, and got straight to the point: "Do you have "Qingming Riverside Picture" here?" ”

The library stopped what he was doing, stood on the top of the book mountain and looked at me condescendingly and disdainfully: "I won't ask." I have hundreds of "Qingming Riverside Pictures" here, in books, magazines, scores, posters, what do you want? ”

"I want the original copy of "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival"."

The library looked at me like an idiot and waved his hand: "Let's go, I don't have that thing here, you have to go to the Forbidden City to steal it." ”

I changed the question: "Do you have any exact replicas here that are the same as the real ones?" ”

"Nope." He replied without even thinking about it.

I was disappointed for a while, and suddenly remembered Professor Zheng's advice, and asked a third time: "Can I see the real copy from you?" ”

This time, the library didn't hesitate at all: "Yes." ”

I'm confused, these three questions are fundamentally contradictory to each other. He doesn't have the real copy here, so how can he show me the real one? I was in a daze, and the library jumped down from the mountain of books, patted the dust off his jacket, and reached out to me. I reached over and shook his hand. The library was stunned at first, then angrily shook it off: "Who the said they shook hands with you?" Money! Lao Tzu is talking about money! ”

I knew it wouldn't come out of nowhere, but I didn't expect him to bring it up so bluntly.

"How much?"

"Twenty thousand, let you see the real thing." The library spits out a number.

I almost didn't grab the book and smash him, blocking the road and robbing him! 20,000 yuan, this is just the price of the real book, and the sky-high asking price is not such an important method. Seeing that I hesitated, the library scratched his nose: "If you have money, take it, if you don't have money, get out, don't delay Lao Tzu to do business." ”

"You're too expensive, aren't you? Can it be cheaper? ”

"What you want to see, I have it here, you have to see it. I don't make your money, whose money do I make? I'm sorry, not a single point. The library was not shy about it at all, and said generously. He saw that my face was pale, and he took out a stack of tickets from his pocket, stuck out his tongue, dipped his saliva and counted them. After clicking once, he took a rubber band and slapped it in front of me: "You scholars, you pretend to be very tall on weekdays, as if books are vulgar as soon as they are touched by money, to put it bluntly, are you reluctant to pay?" Let me tell you, in this world, only money is the most beautiful thing, and those who collect books are stupid. ”

In my impression, people who come into contact with books are either elegant like Ji Yunfu, or a little crazy like Professor Zheng, even if they are greedy for wealth and nobility, they will cover it up to some extent. Before I came, I thought that the library was so proficient in collecting books, maybe I was a crazy person who loved books, but I really didn't think it was such a person.

Library squinted and grinned, "I know that you don't say anything for fear of offending me, and you despise me to death in your heart." I'm worried, as long as you pay for it, even if you scold me to the blood, I'll do this business with you. ”

"Even if you do business, you pay attention to an equivalent exchange. Your 20,000 is too outrageous. ”

The library shrugged: "Just because I recognize money doesn't mean I don't know the goods." What is "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival", it is no problem to sell it for millions if it is put abroad. ”

"But I'm just looking."

"That's why I charged you 20,000 yuan."

"Tell me what you think first." I won't give in. The library snorted and ignored me, turning to walk into the room. I shouted, "If you don't tell me, I'll report you!" ”

The library stopped and turned back: "Report what?" My books are all collected by the right way. ”

"Is this one too?" I picked up a copy of "***" from the pile of books next to me. This book is similar to the one found under Yan Shanchuan's bed, mixed in a large pile of magazines, and it is estimated that after the library received it, there was no time to pick it up.

"This was packaged and sold to me by someone else." The library stared at the cover, then moved away.

"You say that if I go to the police station to report you for secretly hiding obscene books and periodicals, who will the police believe? Let me tell you, we've been cracking down hard lately. ”

The library didn't expect me to come so much, and the two triangular eyes were about to stare into a quadrilateral. The two of us confronted each other like this for a minute, and he finally stomped his foot in hatred: "You are ruthless enough, come with me!" "If you really want to deal with this kind of mercenary, you have to hit its soft underbelly. I followed him into the house, which was also full of books, and on three of the four walls were large shelves with a large number of books in a mess.

The library didn't give me up his seat, so he walked to the shelves by himself, shook his head, and pointed his fingers at the rows of bookshelves in the void, and there were words in his mouth. I asked him what he was doing. He said retrieval.

I followed his gaze, and the things on this bookshelf were miscellaneous, from pictorial magazines to "Chairman Mao's Quotations", from the dirty "***" to the primary school textbooks of the Republic of China, from the Commercial Press to the translation of famous books to "Mustard Seed Pictorial Biography", a dazzling array of dazzling. In the middle there are four large bookshelves, on which the things are mainly black, yellow, brown and other colors, without covers, and dusty.

"You really have all kinds of books here......" I was amazed.

"What's so strange about books, let me tell you, the reason why I'm so awesome is because I collect all kinds of files in addition to books." The library said.

"Archives?"

"People have a lot of respect for books, but they don't pay much attention to archives. As soon as there is turmoil, it is thrown everywhere. Sheng Xuanhuai is not a cow? I left a batch of grand files, how precious and wow, but now the stars are scattered, and there is not one out of ten. I specialize in collecting this kind of thing, what kind of account book of silver number you want to find, Hurd's customs file, Zhang Xueliang's telegram code book, we can dig it out for you. Originally, these archives were not cared for, but now they are worth a lot of money, and those old gentlemen who study history have to come and beg me. Hehe, there's a lot of money. ”

He babbled and searched back and forth, and finally landed on the top of a bookshelf. He brought a few stacks of books, arranged them up a step, and then stepped on them, reaching out and digging for them on the shelves. Suddenly there was a sound of dust, and a stack of things crackled and fell down. There are wall calendars of more than eight years, black steles, and even two yellowed "People's Daily". The library jumped down the stairs and found a large brown paper bag inside.

This cowhide bag is a typical organ file bag, the color is a little dark, and it is estimated that it has not been opened for a long time. The library showed it to me, and I saw that the cover was printed with several block letters of "Cultural Relics Administration of the People's Republic of China", and there was a line of handwritten brush words underneath: "The Qing Dynasty Appraisal Archives Archive No. 1 B Reserve." "It's also covered with a big red stamp from the Cultural Relics Bureau, but it's slightly faded.

My heart was pounding, it seemed that this was the work file of the appraisal team of "Qingming Riverside Map". I don't know if there's anything I'm looking for.

"Now, you see?" The library shook the file bag angrily.

"What's in here?"

"You can't read? This is the information file left by the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Qingming Festival, which is full of physical photos. ”

"It's a picture again......" I sighed, it seemed that this trip was useless again. The photos of "Qingming Riverside Map" are overwhelming on the market, if you can use it, you still need to come here to check?

The library put the file bag away and said disdainfully, "What do you know?" Can I receive the same files as others? Let me tell you, this is the original material used in the identification. Ancient paintings could not be exposed for a long time, so at that time, dozens of high-definition photos were taken from multiple angles with special equipment before identification, and the details were meticulous. Most of the appraisal work is actually done on photographs. After the appraisal is completed, these photos will also be archived in the museum and placed in the Cultural Relics Bureau for backup. A few years ago, the Cultural Relics Bureau cleaned up the files, and I don't know which idiot threw it out, and I picked it up for a big bargain. Can the accuracy of those replicas on the market be compared with this parent book? ”

Then I understood why the library said he didn't have the real copy, but he could show me the real thing. Since these original photos can meet the requirements of the experts of the identification team, then for me, it must be enough. I thought of this, and excitedly tried to open the file bag, but the library gently withdrew and put it back.

"I only promised to tell you what to think, but I didn't promise you to see it. You can rest assured that you can see things now, right? 20,000 yuan, I will sell it to you. ”

"But 20,000 is a bit too much......"

"You don't have to watch it." The library smiled and put the file bag behind him, and then there was a fierce glint in his eyes, "Don't make the idea of reporting, if you dare to go to the police station, I will immediately throw it in the stove and burn the kebabs." ”

I was in a dilemma. It's not that I'm reluctant to pay 20,000 yuan, but the price is too outrageous. These photographs are just to be used to test an undetermined conjecture. I looked into the library's greedy eyes and it occurred to me that I had never told him what I was looking for. The reason why he dared to ask for a high price of 20,000 yuan was because he observed my eagerness after entering the hospital, and felt that he would definitely be able to eat me.

In the antique industry, this is called seeing people and offering tea. An experienced shopkeeper, even if he doesn't know anything about the customer's background, can roughly tell if he really wants it or if it's better than nothing just by observing his expression when he looks at an antique. According to this offer, nothing is missing.

Thinking of this, I stretched out two fingers: "I can't afford 20,000 yuan." Two thousand yuan, I'll finish reading it here, how about you take it back? ”

Now it was the library's turn to hesitate. Two thousand yuan is not a small amount, I can buy a few truckloads of books, and what I asked for was just a glance at the photo, which is equivalent to saying that he took these two thousand yuan for nothing. But he was a little unwilling, from 20,000 to 2,000, and the gap was a bit big. However, when the library saw me put on an expression of "I can't talk about Lao Tzu and leave", I finally compromised. Rather than setting a sky-high price that scares buyers away, it is better to earn 2,000 yuan.

The library hesitated, but reluctantly agreed. In this game, both sides put their minds into it, and they were finally happy. He earned it for nothing, and for me, it was very cost-effective to spend 2,000 yuan in exchange for the weakness of the old courtier.

I didn't have that much money with me, so I went out to the bank and withdrew. By the time I got my money, the library had already packed up a small desk, put the file bag on it, and had a pair of scissors, a magnifying glass, a small orange lamp, and a glass of orange water. This guy is a philistine, and his spirit of service is really nothing to say.

I handed him the money, and the library spat and counted it, and with a flick of my chin, I said, "Then you can watch it here by yourself, I won't bother you, and watch it as long as you like." The glass of orange water was given for free, and if you were hungry and wanted to eat, you had to pay for it. With that, he pushed the door open and went out, leaving me alone in the house.

The room is quiet again, and countless dilapidated old books are around, quite a feeling of "old carving insects in Wuyi Alley". I turned on the lamp, carefully cut the seal of the file bag with scissors, and poured out dozens of color photos from it. Most of these photos are twelve-inch in size, and a few are seven-inch, and the photographic paper is very thick, and there is a sense of numbness to the touch.

At that time, color photographs were still rare in China. At the founding ceremony in 1949, Tong Xiaopeng, who was then the director of the Secretariat of the Preparatory Committee, got a roll of color film from Hong Kong and took the only color photo of the founding ceremony, and then had to travel thousands of miles to Hong Kong to develop it. The appraisal of "Qingming Riverside Map" was in 1951, and color printing technology was used, which shows the importance of the country.

The photos were all taken in natural light, and each one has a number written in ink in the lower right corner. I arranged the order, and the photo numbered 1 is a tiled panorama of the picture scroll of "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival"; The dozen or so below are close-ups of the picture scroll taken from above, with clear details, delicate brushstrokes, and a ruler attached. Together, these photos happen to be a complete "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival". Further down, there are close-ups from various angles, even the inscriptions, water barriers, heaven, and earth are not missing, and even a few of them are held up to let the sunlight shine through, so that the texture of the silk layer can be seen clearly.

The photographer is obviously very expert in calligraphy and painting, and the lens covers all aspects. After reading this whole set of photos, you can basically understand the situation of the original copy of "Qingming Riverside Picture". This painting remains in its original state in the photo, the silk color is gray, the top is broken, there are many loopholes, and there are some stains, which shows that the Northeast has suffered a lot.

It's a pity that I am not from the Red Character Sect, and my understanding of calligraphy and painting is limited. Most of the photos to me can't say anything other than a good enough thumbs up. Fortunately, I didn't come to authenticate antiques, but to verify a few doubts according to the instructions given to me by Sister Su.

I quickly picked out a photo, this one of which is in the back row of downtown Bianliang, in a spacious tiled house, which looks like a gambling house, with four gamblers throwing dice around a table. I remembered the story of Wang Shizhen, and took out a magnifying glass, but found that the dice on the table were clearly visible, but the faces of the four gamblers were blurred, and the facial features were smeared, and it was impossible to distinguish whether the mouth was open or closed.

I took this photo and looked at it for a long time, and then took out a print of "Qingming Riverside Picture" from my arms. This is a page from the "Collection of Famous Chinese Paintings of the Past Dynasties" that I bought at an art store, printed on coated paper. This is the most popular edition on the market, whether it is a secondary school history textbook, an academic monograph on art history, or a travel book. There is a note underneath the painting indicating that the painting was copied from the Forbidden City's collection – of course, the picture is nowhere near as clear as this set of photographs.

In this version, I moved the magnifying glass to the same position and immediately paused. I saw that the gamblers in the gambling house had clear facial features and round mouths.

My mouth was dry for a moment.

At that time, the reason why Tomson was able to see through the flaws of the fake of "Qingming Riverside Picture" was because of the gambler's mouth. The real mouth shape is round, and the fake mouth shape is open.

In the original authentic photograph of the 1951 original, the gambler's facial features have been defaced; In the popular version, the same part is restored to its original shape and becomes a round mouth type. Technically, this is not difficult to do, and the Forbidden City has special technicians to repair the frame. But isn't it a bit of a coincidence that the repair happens at this critical point? It looks like something is being deliberately covered up.

What exactly is the mouth shape of a gambler before tinkering? Round or open?

I felt that my throat was a little dry, so I picked up the cup and drank half of the orange water inside, and continued to rummage through the photos, and soon turned to the close-up photos of the title.

Ancient Chinese collectors had a habit of leaving a seal or inscription on their own collection of picture scrolls, writing down their experiences or something, which is similar to the nature of "so-and-so to visit here" when going to tourist attractions now. As long as future generations look at these imprints, they can see the general inheritance of calligraphy and painting, which is similar to looking at a person's resume.

The first collector of the "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" was Song Huizong, who personally inscribed the name of the painting and also engraved the small seal of the double dragon. It's a pity that this part of the silk cloth has been stolen and cut, and it has long been gone. Fortunately, the other inscriptions are all there, counting them one by one, from Zhang Shu to Li Dongyang, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, to Lu Wan, Yan Song, and all the way to the three seals of Pu Yigai, which are vivid and clear, recording the bumpy course of this national treasure.

But I counted it three times from beginning to end, and there was one person who couldn't find the inscription. And this person's should have been indispensable.

It is the author of this painting, Zhang Zeduan.

To be precise, Zhang Zeduan's name appeared on the scroll. But that was mentioned in the inscription of a Jin Dynasty person named Zhang: "Hanlin Zhang Zeduan, the word is right, Dongwu people also, young reading, study in Beijing, after learning painting, the work of its 'boundary painting', especially fond of Zhouche City Bridge Guo Jing, don't become a family also, according to Xiang's "Commentary on Pictures" cloud, "Jin Mingchi Bidding Map" and "Qingming Shanghe Map", selected into the gods, the collector Yibaozhi. The day after the Qingming Festival. ”

According to Sister Su's teacher, it was on this basis that the appraisal team determined that Zhang Zeduan was the author, and then confirmed that it was the real copy. Strictly speaking, this technique is a circular argument. Zhang Shu said that the author is Zhang Zeduan, so this painting is real; Because this painting is real, the author of what Zhang said is right.

Isn't it strange that the author himself does not leave a name on his painstaking work, but waits for a golden man to tell the calendar a hundred years later?

And I have done a little homework before, the National Palace in Taipei has a volume of "Qingming Riverside Picture", which was copied and copied by five painters of the Qing Dynasty Painting Academy in the Qianlong Dynasty, and there is an inscription on it that reads "The History of Hanlin Painting Zhang Zeduan Presents Progress". If there is still a copy, how can the original be missed?

I put the picture and magnifying glass back on the table, leaned back, closed my eyes, and thought to myself.

Sister Su is right, these two points are just doubts, and they are not enough to cover the coffin and conclude that "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" is fake. But these doubts are enough to set off a big wave and attract the attention of the national media. As long as the "Qingming Riverside Map" is re-opened for identification, my goal will be achieved, and when the time comes, the old courteer and his criminal deeds will definitely be forced to be exposed to the sun.

It's as if the police don't necessarily have hard evidence of criminals, as long as they find a sufficient reason to detain them, and then slowly find out the truth.

I held back the ecstasy in my heart, and the long march of thousands of miles finally came to the last step.

I opened my eyes again, took out a small point-and-shoot camera from my bosom – which Miss Kido had sent me from Japan – and snapped a few pictures of the photographs I had picked out, then took the leather envelope and snapped a few pictures of the red stamps on it.

When I was done with all this, I put the photos back in the envelope and called the library in. The library came into the room and said you're done, and I said I'm done. The library picked up the envelope, reglued it and threw it back on the shelf, reaching out at me. I handed him the two thousand dollars and said, "You don't even look at the envelope, so you don't worry about me stealing two or three photos?" The library stared straight at the new ticket in my hand, I smiled slightly, reached forward and handed it over, and he snatched it up, only then did he reply that I can trust you. He didn't shy away from it, and began to count it in front of his face, dipping it in saliva. That posture suddenly reminded me of Yan Shifan, who was dipping his saliva and turning the book, and I thought that this kid would not be the reincarnation of Yan Shifan.

The library counted the money and put it in his pocket. He looked around and found that half of the glass of orange water was left, so he picked it up and drank it himself, and at the end of the day, he just received the money, and he was in a good mood and talked more: "Hey, young man, I don't think you are stupid, how can you do this stupid thing of spending two thousand yuan to look at a photo?" ”

"The value of the same thing is different in everyone's eyes." I replied lightly.

"What's so complicated? I tell you, young people, don't be brainwashed by those nonsense thoughts. What can't be exchanged for money is waste, what can be exchanged for money is good things, and what can be exchanged for big money is big good things. ”

"!" Anyway, I've seen the photos, and I'm not afraid of offending him.

The library laughed when he heard my words, and pointed to the corner of the courtyard: "Do you see that pile of blue-skinned books?" It was an old man's lifelong collection, specially framed and compiled a bibliography. But as soon as the old man died, his son sold me all these books, and went back with money to buy a bunch of Japanese electrical appliances. Let me tell you, 20% of the books in Beijing's private collection have passed through my hands. Those who love books have cared for them all their lives, felt distressed for a lifetime, and are reluctant to sell them, and they add money to them. The result? Eventually, if I close my eyes, those collections will be sold to me by unscrupulous descendants. To put it nicely, it's a collection of books, but to put it mildly, it's taken a lifetime of thinking just to change the custody. What do you mean by hiding this book? It's better to spend two dollars instead. ”

His words sounded extremely uncomfortable, but there was no way to refute them. I could only pout my lips and disagree. The library patted me on the shoulder, pretending to be old: "Young man, I think you are a refreshing person, so I have the heart to mention it." Now that the times are different, making money is the most important thing, why can't you figure it out? What did Lu Xun say? The whole history is full of benevolence, righteousness and morality, and if you look carefully, you can see from the cracks in the words that there are two words written all over the book is 'making money'. ”

I didn't want to entangle with this money fan, and since the settlement was clear, I immediately pushed the door out. The library shouted behind his back, saying that next time you want to come and see, I'll give you a 20% discount.

I sneered and was speechless. When this matter comes out, naturally someone will come to him to find the original photo, and then he will not be able to help it.

I hurried back to the four confessions, closed the doors and windows, took out a pen and paper, and began to bury my head in writing materials. My pen is not neat, at best I can only get a "clearly expressed" composition criticism, while writing and changing, it took a full bottle of ink, until more than twelve o'clock to finish, named "Revealed". This material is for Luo Tong, so I didn't mention anything about the old court, but simply raised technical questions about the authenticity of the "Qingming Riverside Map", and attached some photos as evidence, and deliberately left my name at the end.

Although our Xu family is a white-character door specializing in gold and stone, it is a bit of a dog to question the "Qingming Riverside Map", but this is just the internal rules of the antique world, and the common people can't figure out these things. For them, an antique expert is an expert who understands everything. I used to have a little name because of the Buddha head case, but now I show the Xu family's signboard, which can increase credibility.

I finished the last stroke of the word "wish" and put the pen down, and the whole person was in a state of excitement. Illuminated by the orange-yellow lamp, the paper glows with a withered yellow color, as if it has been a thousand years old. A few years ago, I sat in the same way as I sat in the Four Confessions, lighting the same lamp, and writing rehabilitations for my parents. That incident also has a lot to do with the old court. My Xu family is too deeply bound with this person, my grandfather, my father, and counting half of my life, it has been two and a half generations of bad fate, like a mess of threads, tangled.

"Grandpa, Dad, I hope that my knife can cut off the fate of our Xu family."

I looked out the window and whispered as if waiting for them to give me encouragement or care, even the slightest hint, but there was silence outside the window. I smiled self-deprecatingly, put away my unrealistic hopes, got up and put the manuscript paper in a drawer, and then went to bed.

I rested on the sponge pillow, looking at the ceiling, my limbs exhausted, but my spirits were extremely high. Tossing and turning for most of the night, I was so dazed that I couldn't sleep, and my mind was full of things about the old courtroom and our Xu family. One moment it was my family supporting each other and drifting away, and the next moment it was the fire in Mingtang, and my grandfather Xu Yicheng fought to the death with a man with a strange face. Suddenly, the old court descended from the sky, laughed and said that I had already seen through your trick, and I was so shocked that I sat up from the bed all of a sudden, and my whole body was drenched in sweat.

It was about three o'clock in the morning, and when I woke up, I found that my whole body was hot, my throat was terrible, my stomach was cramping, and the sheets were soaked out of my body with sweat. I was so angry and funny, in Chengji Village, I was digging grave soil and jumping into the river, and there was nothing to do; When I returned to Beijing, I only went to the courtyard of the library, drank half a glass of orange water, and fell ill.

Seeing that he was almost kicking the door, he couldn't fall down at this juncture. I quickly struggled to get up, found a few pieces of stomach medicine to swallow, and then pulled out a quilt from the cabinet, intending to treat it with the soil method - sweat! Then I turned on the TV and tried to distract myself. But there was no station in the middle of the night, I turned off the TV, and was about to go back to bed, when suddenly, I heard a "clang" sound from outside the four confessions.

It was the dead of night, and the sound sounded exceptionally clear. I was shocked, could it be that the old courtier knew that I was going to expose his big secret and planned to send assassins to kill me? I hurriedly put down the quilt and picked up the broom. The stick is the head of a hundred soldiers, although I haven't practiced the Gorou Bagua stick, but I still know some basic moves.

I pushed the door out of the house despite feeling unwell, and it was pitch black and no one seemed to be around. I took a few more steps outside, kicked something with a "bang" under my feet, and when I looked down, I couldn't help but laugh.

At his feet was a crouching tiger pottery, about the size of a fat cat, with a handle on its back, its neck raised, and its mouth open into an upturned round mouth, which was empty. This thing is called Huzi in the mouth of antique players, and it is used by men to pee at night. This thing is a Republic of China product, and it's not worth much. But in the middle of the night, who threw a night pot at my door when they were full? There's no such extravagant way to wake people up at night, right? I squatted down and picked up the tiger and shook it, but there was no water in it, so I threw it at the door of my house for no apparent reason, as if it was an alien object.

I thought about it for a long time, but I couldn't think of anyone who would do such a thing, so I had to throw it aside and turn around and go back to the house. As soon as I opened the door, I felt a sudden tingling in my back, and several muscles jumped a few times as if they were cramping. I was so frightened that I hurriedly turned back, but there was no movement in the night around me, only the tiger looking at me with its mouth wide open, and its throat was unfathomable. As soon as the cold wind blew, I regained my consciousness a little, and suddenly remembered an old saying from the past.

Huzi must not be put in front of the door. When the night tiger is the door, it will hurt people, which is very unlucky. In the old days, I wanted to disgust people, and often put the tiger full of human urine in front of other people's houses, and the owner opened the door in the morning and stepped over, which was easy to cause a fishy shame. So there is a saying after the break, calling the night tiger to be the door - can't be provoked, which means don't go out to cause trouble. Now that the night pot has long since become a cultural relic, these sayings are gradually forgotten. I don't know who has such a deep hatred for me, and actually gave up an antique and did such a quaint hooligan thing in the middle of the night. I looked at the darkness in the distance, my brain burned so badly that I didn't think much about it, so I moved the tiger into the house and threw it in the corner, and then went back to the back room to continue sleeping.

However, I never slept well that night. By the next morning, the condition was even more serious, and it was almost impossible to get out of bed. I forcibly dragged the sick body to call Luo Tong and explain my situation. Luo Tong was quite polite, comforted a few words, and said that he would send someone to pick it up. After more than an hour, a little girl came over and said that she was the editor of the "Capital Evening News", and brought some fruits and nutritional products, peeled apples for me, and prepared malt milk essence. The little girl is very beautiful, but unfortunately I am not well, and I am not interested in laughing, so I directly handed over the materials to her. The little girl asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital, and I thought to myself that once I entered the hospital, it was as deep as the sea, and the big thing was undecided, so it was better not to leave without permission, so I rejected her kindness. In the afternoon, Luo Tong called back and said that he had read the materials, which was very good, and that he would be able to see the newspaper tomorrow if he was fast, and he would ask me to do an in-depth follow-up report at that time.

After a while, Zhong Aihua also called. He told me the good news that he had coordinated with the police. Just today, the police will have a rescue operation against Chengji Village, and Zhong Aihua will follow. As soon as Sister Yuan gets out of trouble, a big topic exposing the shady scenes of Chengji Village will be published immediately.

That's when I was relieved. In the materials to Luo Tong, I mentioned Sister Su's name slightly, saying that she was the key person who raised the question, but did not write down her whereabouts, leaving a button. When the topic in Zhengzhou was reported, it happened to be linked to this question. First, the questioning of the fakes of the "Qingming Riverside Map", then the inside story of the fraud in Chengji Village, and then the illegal detention of national craftsmen, a three-pronged approach, several incidents were concurrent, and the attacks were endless. The reader is like watching a serial, watching step by step as the skin of the old courtier is peeled off, revealing his true face. What a pleasure!

The thought of this guy being cornered made me feel relieved, and even my physical condition felt a little lighter. I suddenly had a desire to confide in Yanyan, and wanted to call Yanyan, but unfortunately no one answered; I thought of Fang Zhen again, but when I thought of his straight face, I still forgot it; That's when I realized that I couldn't find someone to share my joy with.

So all day, I lay quietly in bed, lonely and waiting for that moment to come, like an audience waiting for the finale of a movie. The ancients said, the court heard that it is okay to die at night, as long as I let me pull out the old Chaofeng with my own hands, even if I die of illness immediately, it is worth it.

Another sleepless night. The next morning, I opened my eyes, saw the bright sunlight outside the window, and thought that the end of the day was over. I struggled to get up and went to buy a newspaper, but I couldn't move, and my dizziness became even worse. I barely bent up, drank a large sip of cold boiled water, stuffed a few biscuits into my mouth, and suddenly felt a churn in my abdomen, and with a whoosh, I vomited on the ground.

I'm so angry in my heart, I haven't even had a cold in the first 30 years, but at this juncture, why do you think I suddenly remembered to be sick? I half-propped myself on the head of the bed and swallowed my saliva, the remaining gastric juices burning my esophagus, making me extremely uncomfortable. There was a knock on the door, and I didn't have to tilt my head to look, just by listening to the long and short knock on the door, I knew who was coming. I staggered out of bed, took the latch open, and pushed the door, and sure enough, Fang Zhen was standing at the door.

"Make a wish." Fang Zhen's voice rarely revealed a hint of eagerness. I replied, "What's the matter?" He frowned when he saw that my face was not right. He probed my forehead with his hand, then lifted my arm around his neck and walked out. I asked him where he was going, and Fang Zhen looked at me like an idiot: "Hospital." I hurriedly waved my hand: "I'm fine, you let me go." "But I just struggled like this, and countless golden dots flashed in front of me, and my head shook and fell to the floor......

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was a hanging bottle shelf, attached to my arm, a plastic tube dripping with an unknown liquid. There was a smell of disinfectant water all around. I lifted my neck and found myself lying in a private room, still wearing a blue-striped hospital gown.

There was a simple plastic chair not far from the head of the bed, and Fang Zhen sat on the chair, his hands on his knees, and his body was straight. He saw that I was awake and got up and pressed the pager. A little nurse came in with a medical record board, checked my condition, wrote a few strokes, and turned to go out.

"Where am I?" I asked.

“301。” Fang Zhen replied.

A single room at Hospital 301? I'm also enjoying the treatment of a senior cadre. I asked, "What is this disease in me?" ”

"Gastroenteritis, and stupidity." Fang Zhen's face was expressionless, revealing his fangs.

I turned my head to see what time it was, but there was no clock in the room. I was about to open my mouth to ask when there was a sudden commotion outside the door, and there seemed to be a quarrel. Fang Zhen pushed the door and walked out, and the noise outside was a little quieter. Soon the door was pushed open again, and Professor Zheng and Liu Ju walked in one after the other. I saw that there seemed to be a dozen or so people with five veins standing outside the door, all with angry faces, and they looked like they would rush in if there was no Fang Zhen to block them.

Liu Ju closed the door casually with a solemn expression. Professor Zheng didn't even ask about my condition, he walked to the side of the bed in a few steps, shaking a newspaper in his hand: "Xiao Xu, this is what you wrote?" ”

I took the newspaper and looked at it, and it was today's Capital Evening News. Luo Tong really did what he said, and published the full text of the materials I wrote, with a lot of background information, that is, the news headline was very eye-catching: "The Buddha's head wizard solves the strange case again, and the famous paintings of the Forbidden City are really fakes". I just said that there was a doubt, and they directly decided that it was a fake, probably in pursuit of sensational effect, right?

"I wrote it." I put the newspaper down and felt better. The arrow was finally sent, and with the sales of the Capital Evening News, at least a few million people would have read it.

Professor Zheng couldn't help but be very annoyed when he saw my expression, and his tone changed: "This is the purpose of your listening to the "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival"? ”

"That's right."

"Such a big thing, how can you make your own decisions!" Professor Zheng roared. The muscles in his cheeks were shaking, obviously angry.

I bravely looked at it: "I didn't want to make my own decisions, but I learned to be so busy with transformation that I couldn't take care of these trivial things." I want to avenge my family, so I have to be self-reliant-" Speaking of this, I seemed to understand something, and showed a strange smile, "I understand, the old Chaofeng has been hiding in the five veins, and you are afraid that the reputation of the five veins will be damaged after the matter is exposed, so you will be jealous, right?" ”

That's right, it must be so! No wonder the Liu family did everything possible to obstruct me from the beginning to investigate deeply, the old Chaofeng was too deeply entangled with the five veins, and if he was pulled out, the five veins would be greatly injured. For the sake of "putting the overall situation first", they naturally don't want me to arrest Lao Chaofeng.

It's just that they didn't expect me to make my own decisions. Hmph, this time it was really the right thing!

When Professor Zheng saw that I was still talking back, he patted the side of the bed bitterly: "Do you know how much trouble you have caused this time!" I was angered by his left sentence of "self-determination" and the right sentence of "nonsense", and I couldn't help but reply: "I just perform the duties of a treasure connoisseur, what's wrong with this?" ”

Professor Zheng was furious: "You kid, when did you become so self-righteous!" Do you think that the level of appraisal of calligraphy and painting is higher than that of more than a dozen masters? Hearsay a little wild fox Zen, you plan to become a Buddha? ”

"Those two doubts exist objectively, and I naturally have the right to question them. Removing the false and retaining the true, isn't it the spirit of our five veins? "My neck is stiffened, and my eyes are round.

"Ridiculous!" Professor Zheng almost slapped the hospital bed over, "You kid, you usually look shrewd, why are you so confused about this!" It's not your business alone, it's a matter of survival for the five veins! You might as well discuss it with your family first! ”

I couldn't suppress the resentment in my heart any longer, straightened up and shouted, "My family has been killed by the old court!" Who do you want me to talk to? The sound exploded in the room. My heart is agitated, my emotions are up and down, the Xu family was ruined by the old dynasty, they turned a deaf ear, and now they claim to be a member of the family, there is no reason!

Professor Zheng was shocked by my words, he took two steps back, leaned on the edge of the bed and sighed: "Alas, I really regret it, I should have found out who in the five veins participated in the appraisal team earlier." If you had known, you wouldn't have done such a stupid thing. ”

"Do you know who it is?" When I heard this, I hurriedly asked.

Professor Zheng glanced out the door: "In 1951, there was only one person in the five veins who participated in the appraisal of the "Qingming Riverside Map". This person not only does you know, but also has a great kindness to you - he is Liu Yiming and Old Man Liu. ”

As soon as I heard the name, my muscles froze and I was stuck in the hospital bed.

How is this possible! I clutched the sheets tightly with both hands, and my heart was in turmoil.

Is the old courteer Liu Yiming?

A ridiculous thought popped into my head, but it was immediately dismissed. Don't say that the age is not right, Liu Yiming is the head of the five veins, how can he oppose himself? But if he is not an old courtier, then who is it?

"Is he the only one in the five veins who participated in the appraisal?"

"Yes, he's the only one." Professor Cheng replied in the affirmative.

This unexpected result overwhelmed me all of a sudden. I muttered, "I don't believe it, you're lying to me, you must be lying to me." ”

Professor Zheng pulled out a photograph from his arms. This is a black-and-white photograph of a dozen or so people, wearing Mao suits, standing in two rows, with a line of handwritten handwriting: ""Qingming Riverside Picture" expert group photo to commemorate the occasion. "The time is April 15, 1951. Among them, the front row is a middle-aged man on the left, wearing black-framed glasses, and his two eyebrows have a few traces of white.

I stared at the picture and my body began to tremble.

In my theory of revenge, Lao Chaofeng is the connoisseur of "Qingming Riverside Map", and all nets and calculations are based on this. Now Professor Zheng told me that the person who appreciated the painting was actually Liu Yiming, doesn't that mean that I threw a punch with all my might, only to find that I had hit my own person.

The whole plan was all messed up.

My original self-confidence and happiness began to collapse from the corner, and I was suddenly a little overwhelmed, and an ominous premonition came to my heart.

Liu Ju, who had been watching coldly from the side, put down his cigarette and finally spoke: "Xiao Xu, your major is Jinshi, why did you suddenly remember to question "Qingming Riverside Picture"? And who told you that the person who identified the "Qingming Riverside Map" was an old court? His tone was gentle, but his eyes were cold.

At this time, there was no need to hide it anymore, I weakly loosened the sheets and told them that Sister Su said.

Hearing this name, Liu Ju and Professor Zheng glanced at each other, and I saw that the eyes of both of them were a little strange. Liu Ju asked again: "Sister Su, is your name Mei Sulan?" "I am a little familiar with this name, and then I think about it, isn't the bottom money of the small water bowl that Sister Su gave Huang Kewu called "Mei Su Lanxiang"? So I nodded.

"Where did you meet her?" Liu Ju continued to ask, already in a bit of an interrogating tone.

"I went to Zhengzhou with the evidence of the big-eyed thief, and then found the old court's counterfeiting den in Chengji Village. It was there that I met Sister Su, and she told me about "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival". ”

Liu Ju's eyes were like knives: "The reporter who went with you is called Zhong Aihua, right?" ”

"Yes. He is a hot-blooded young man who is bent on fighting fakes, and Chengji Village is what the two of us jointly exposed. ”

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him about the grievances between our Xu family and the old court, and I want to take revenge on the old court."

"Nothing else?"

"It's gone."

Liu Ju took out a piece of paper from a folder and handed it to me, his face gloomy: "That's not what he said. ”

I took it and saw that it was a facsimile of a news report written by Zhong Aihua. This issue is called "The Righteous Destruction of Relatives by the Descendants of the Five Pulses, and the Courage to Expose the Shady Curtain of Antique Counterfeiting".

Wait a minute? What is the righteous destruction of relatives? Isn't that a problematic idiom?

I hurriedly went to read the contents. Zhong Aihua recounted in detail the process of his investigation with me in Zhengzhou, and also distributed photos along the way, the details are basically true. The article also mentions that the police successfully destroyed the den and rescued the kidnapped Mei Sulan. All the way to this point, no problem. However, when I looked down, I was amazed. In the article, I said in my tone that the counterfeiting den in Chengji Village is the industry of the Chinese Society for the Study of Antiquities. The Society was supposed to be the Dinghai Shenpin for the appraisal of antiques, but it lost itself in the economic tide and became greedy, not only counterfeiting, but also illegally kidnapping master craftsmen. As a person in the five veins, he made a wish not to see the five veins corrupted by money, so he resolutely killed his relatives and vowed to return the antique market to a clear white cloud.

"Nonsense!" I was so angry that I almost shredded the fax, what a complete lie, when did I say that!

"Are you sure you didn't say that?" Liu Ju asked.

"Absolutely not!"

Liu Ju sighed softly: "Then we will be in big trouble." ”

He tapped his finger at the edge of the fax paper, and I looked down to see that this feature was also published today, but the masthead was not Zhengzhou or Henan, but a well-known newspaper in Shanghai, whose circulation and influence were not inferior to that of the Capital Evening News.

In this ward, where the temperature is 23 degrees Celsius, I am cold, like falling into an ice cave.

All this is definitely a deliberate premeditation!

The most terrible lie is that it is seven parts true and three parts false, mixing falsehood with truth. Zhong Aihua's report, with photos, details and quotations, only told a big lie at the end, and readers accepted it all. As a result, I was cleverly portrayed by Zhong Aihua as a "hero who fights the five veins", and also planted the counterfeiting workshop in Chengji Village to the head of the five veins.

And at the same time, I openly questioned the authenticity of "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival". Looking at the two news together, everyone will think that this is another ironclad evidence of five-vein corruption, which has been exposed by this anti-counterfeiting hero again. This report was not published in Zhengzhou, but deliberately chose a Shanghai newspaper, which corresponded to each other in the south and north of Beijing, and its influence expanded several times.

Eye-piercing, falsification, and illegal detention. The impact on the society that is seeking transformation can be imagined.

My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't say a word.

Zhong Aihua lied to me, and Sister Su also lied to me, and the two of them have been acting. The whole thing, from beginning to end, is a conspiracy of the old courtiers. Zhong Aihua approached me from the very beginning with a purpose. The stunned green is just a mask for him, and he doesn't know how much scheming is hidden inside. No wonder he has been flattering me and encouraging me to investigate the truth, which turned out to be ecstasy soup poured into me. And Sister Su is probably also a chess piece arranged in advance. She took over the baton from Zhong Aihua and directed my attention to "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival". It's ridiculous that I was still complacent, thinking that I was on the road to the truth, but I didn't know that I had completely fallen into the trap carefully woven by the enemy.

The old courtier used his despicable and cunning methods to teach me a solid lesson.

It seems that what Old Man Liu said is right, my whole mentality is too vain. As the saying goes, it is easy to learn from the past, but it is difficult to learn from people. I can't even distinguish the authenticity of the ancient inkstone on his desk, so how can I see through people's hearts? I put down the fax, filled with remorse and a deep feeling of confusion.

"What did Old Man Liu say?" I asked guiltily.

Liu Ju pointed out the door: "He lives opposite you." ”

I was shocked, Old Man Liu won't be angry with me, right?

Liu Ju said: "The old man was overworked a while ago and his health was a little poor, so he stayed in medical care for a while. I've blocked the news and he doesn't know about it yet. ”

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Ju said: "But the rest of the family, I can't hide it." "When I think about it, it's no wonder that the crowd of people outside the door was so emotional. In their eyes, I was a traitor and a thief. If it weren't for Fang Zhen and Liu Ju, they might have dragged me out and beaten me.

I had no choice but to remain silent. To be honest, I also felt like I deserved to be beaten.

Liu Ju looked at me sternly: "Now the five veins are at a critical juncture in the transformation, and the impact of these two things suddenly breaking out is really bad. I've arranged for people to try to eliminate the impact. We'll make a statement for you, you don't give interviews to any reporters, no, don't see anyone for now, honestly recuperate here, understand? ”

I nodded busily, like a kid doing something wrong. I suddenly thought of something again, and asked Professor Zheng and Liu Ju: "Are the two flaws in "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" true or false?" ”

"You don't care about it, there will be a professional to explain it." Professor Zheng glared at me.

I shut up, but there was always a pimple in my heart. Although the "Qingming Riverside Map" is a cannonball fired by the old dynasty towards the five veins, the identification photo is not fake, and it does differ from the popular version. If there are really flaws in this "Qingming Riverside Map", doesn't it mean that the five veins have really been beaten?

"In short, during this time, you are a rock, you can't speak, you can't listen, and you can't move."

Liu Ju gave the order, and then left the ward with Professor Zheng.

In the empty hospital room, I was lying alone in bed, and the scenes in Zhengzhou flashed through my mind quickly. I was shocked to find that on the surface, I was scolding Fang Xuan and overcoming obstacles, but in fact, every step of the decision was quietly guided by Zhong Aihua. As an "admirer", he treated me like a puppet, and I went wherever he told me to go; I will do whatever he tells me to do.

What annoys me even more is that during this period, Zhong Aihua has obviously revealed many flaws. With a little attention, it's not hard to notice. But I was bent on catching the old courtier, and others teased me a little, like a wild dog that saw meat and bones, desperately pounced on it. My dedication to the old courtier has become his best bait.

"This damn guy......" I gritted my teeth. This bastard's acting skills are inevitably too good, what kind of freaks have been snare under Lao Chaofeng's hands.

Thinking of this, I suddenly remembered another liar.

Sister Su.

I have always wondered whether Sister Su was a participant in this plan or a pawn that was used, she deceived me, but who can guarantee that she was not deceived? Sister Su's eyes are really blind, and the technique of painting in the dark is not something that can be practiced in a few days, this is not fake; and the small water bowl given to Huang Kewu. If it's just to trick me, there's no need to make so many irrelevant details. I remember that when the name Mei Sulan was mentioned, Liu Ju and Professor Zheng both had strange looks on their faces. Her identity shouldn't be so simple.

Maybe she was really trapped in Chengji Village, and she lied to me under the coercion of the old courtier. I can't get any disgust at the woman who held the brush in the dark. The answer to this mystery will probably only be known by asking Huang Kewu.

But I made such a big disaster, if Huang Kewu saw me, he would already be very lenient if he didn't break up my bones.

"......"

I slammed my fist into the wall, and it hurt my heart.

For the next few days, I honestly lay in bed and confessed, and no visitors came to visit me. Only Fang Zhen came over to bring me food three times a day. But he basically didn't say anything.

Gastroenteritis is not a terminal disease, my body recovered in a few days, and I can get out of bed and walk slowly. However, I didn't dare to go out of the ward, because Mr. Liu lived opposite. Although this old man spoke in a cloudy veil, he had always been kind to me. I thought to myself that if he had caused such a big disaster, if he heard it and was excited, what happened, I would have to feel guilty for the rest of my life.

There was an endless stream of people visiting Old Man Liu outside. They accepted the ban from Bureau Liu and said nothing in the ward, but as soon as they arrived in the corridor, they eagerly talked to others about the five-pulse crisis. From their words, I learned that the current situation of the five veins is really not good.

During this time, the branches of the Five Pulses continued to have accidents. Either the antique shop was smashed by someone, or the research institute was censored, and even the regular workshop was investigated and dealt with by the local industrial and commercial law enforcement department, and all of a sudden, the crisis was everywhere. It seems that the old Chaofeng has already ambushed a lot of backers, and this time he broke out in one breath to create a public opinion momentum against the five veins.

The embarrassed society has used a lot of relationships to clarify it, but the negative impact on society has been caused, the people are talking about it, and the peers are even more suspicious. The matter of Chengji Village is easy to explain, but the debate on the authenticity of "Qingming Riverside Map" is extremely tricky. This painting is so famous that many fields such as the collection community, the cultural circle, the archaeological community, the art world, and the historical community have expressed serious concern, and the call for the Forbidden City to open the library for re-examination is getting louder and louder.

What a crisis of confidence it must have been for an organization that is based on credibility.

Ironically, my reputation has risen. People from all walks of life call me a hero in the fight against counterfeiting, and many reporters wander around Si Cheng Zhai every day, and it was once rumored that I was persecuted and kidnapped by Wumai. Honestly, this is the most merciless humiliation for me. This situation, coupled with the hospitalization of Old Man Liu due to illness, although Wumai's plan to open an auction house is still ongoing, it is stormy and crumbling.

I wanted to be a dagger that killed the old courtier, but he used it as a sword to pierce the five veins.

And it's a sword through the heart.

The more I listened, the more annoyed I became, the more annoyed I became, the more I blamed myself, and in the end I could only bury my face in the pillow and have no face to see anyone again.

"If it's a nightmare, let it end." I murmured in the dead of night.

Little did I know that this was just the beginning.