I leaned in the car, my head resting on the window, my eyes staring blankly ahead. The front of the car was as dark as ink, and only two headlights barely illuminated the road within a few meters in front of it, and white marks could be seen moving backwards one after another. I felt like I had traveled back to the time when I was eating with the big-eyed thief, and alas, how happy I was at that time compared to now.

After Yao Dou and I left the riverside villa, I thought that I would go back to the city to rest for the night and then set off the next day, but Yao Otherwise didn't stop all the way, and drove directly into the Purple Mountain in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. It was already past ten o'clock in the night. There were almost no pedestrians or vehicles on the road, and we were all in a car hurrying through the night, like a lonely soul running on the underworld.

It had been quiet in the carriage, and we hadn't spoken since Yao Ran said that strange thing. He drove with his head down, and I stared out the window at the tall mountains.

The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, located in Maoshan Mountain, the eastern peak of Zijin Mountain, was built in 1929, and Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the country, was buried here. Once upon a time, there was a feng shui gentleman who was from the south, and he mentioned in my chat that in terms of feng shui, the geographical location of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is not very good. Although it is like a screen by the mountain, sitting in the north and facing south, but the whole mausoleum is high and low, high and exposed, open and no return, and has committed the taboo of "getting wind and hiding water" in the yin house. However, Mr. Feng Shui also said that the best dragon's lair in the whole of Nanjing is under Mount Everest on the west side of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, but there is already a Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum - that is Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb. There has to be a first-come, first-served basis.

According to the feng shui gentleman, after Sun Yat-sen's revolution was successful, he immediately went to visit the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and comforted Ming Taizu as a Hanchen. That night, Zhu Yuanzhang gave Sun Yat-sen a dream, saying that he had a meritorious role in driving out the Tartars, and allowed him to share half of the feng shui of the Purple Mountain. But Mr. Sun is a great man, he is unwilling to encroach on the feng shui of the Ming Tomb of filial piety, so he left a will before his death and set his tomb in the position of a minister, which can not only defend the tomb of filial piety, but also will not divide the dragon qi. If a loyal minister enters the mountain in the middle of the night, he can see a white dragon circling back and forth in the valley between the Zhongshan Mausoleum and the Ming Filial Piety Mausoleum, which is the dragon spirit of the two of them who are humble to each other.

Most of these folklore are nonsense and superstitions – but now that I'm in the Purple Mountain, I do feel that the Purple Mountain is different from other mountains. When you go into the mountains late at night, you will often feel cold and shivering, as if fear is hidden in the darkness around you. And now, instead of feeling unwell, I feel that there is some force overlooking me among the mountains, a gentle concern that is broad and not aggressive, elusive and yet pervasive.

I don't know if that's a delusion. But under this or non-existent gaze, my state of mind did calm down a lot.

Am I a loyal servant? A ridiculous question popped into my head. I glanced sideways at the medicine, and he was engrossed in the steering wheel, his mouth unusually shut, and he stopped chattering. Is he a loyal servant? Will he be able to feel the wonderful experience from the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum?

The delusion ended, and I quickly returned to the most realistic question. He and Lao Chaofeng brought me to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, what are they going to do? Otherwise, if he says that it will make me change back to the previous wish, what is he going to do? Can't I be allowed to guard the tomb in the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum?

The car traveled for about half an hour, and suddenly left the main road and drove along a mountain road for about ten minutes, and finally stopped the car. I squinted my eyes and looked ahead with the help of my headlights, which was a rolling foothill with a tall cliff in the back, and two rocky slopes to the left and right, and a small flat land between them. In the middle of the flat ground, there is a rectangular brick house that looks like a military camp in the fifties and sixties, and there seem to be mottled slogans on the wall, but it is not easy to see clearly. From this angle, there seemed to be a lot of dark shadows standing around the brick house, but it was impossible to see what they were.

"Let's go." The medicine waved at me.

"This is it?" I wondered.

"That's right." The medicine otherwise didn't explain much.

After a few more steps forward, I suddenly stopped, and I felt a chill all over my body. The moon came out of the clouds, and now I could barely see clearly, the black shadows beside the barracks were a series of tombstones, long and short, high and low, clustered around the camp, gloomy and eerie.

Could it be that this is a cemetery in the Purple Mountain? But what barracks would be built in a cemetery? What the hell did you bring me here? It can't really be a ghost place, right?

A series of questions arose, and just then, a light came on in one of the rooms of the barracks. The light was dim, barely illuminating a small area by the window. Before I could see if there was anyone inside, a German black back suddenly burst out of the house and yelled at us. The barking was loud, and all of a sudden it disturbed the resident birds in the surrounding trees, and they flew up one after another.

Otherwise, the wolf dog whistled, and the wolf dog immediately obediently closed his mouth and wagged his tail to meet him. It seems that he is a regular visitor here. The dog led us to the barracks. At this time, I noticed that there were a lot of tombstones around the barracks, but most of them were not standing on the graves, but on the ground, and the front and back of the lower side were braced diagonally with two stone slabs to avoid falling, and there were many stone tablets that were placed horizontally and vertically on the ground, like a table of mahjong tiles that had just been played. However, these monuments are very old, and most of them have bruises and cracks on them, and I don't know if this is real or old.

Yao Otherwise, he lowered his voice and said to me: "Wait a minute, the people we meet are very simple, and they have no intersection with you and me, you don't have to bother to say anything, just stay here and work with peace of mind." ”

"What do you do?"

"You do whatever he says."

At this time, a man walked out of the barracks with his hands behind his back. The man was in his forties, with a furrow on his face and a particularly striking black mole on his left cheekbone. He was short and stocky, and when he stood there, he was extremely steady, like a stone lion.

"Lao Xu, I brought him to you." Yao Otherwise, he smiled and pushed me. Lao Xu just said "um", and his attitude was lukewarm. I reached over and shook his hand briefly. I noticed that his palms were very large, and he had calluses on his mouth, which he should have been a stonemason. Lao Xu looked at me, didn't say anything, and took the wolf dog back to the house.

Yao Otherwise, he said to me, "Okay, you can stay here in a down-to-earth manner, and I'll go." "I'm a little stunned, it's so simple to be finished? Yao said: "Lao Xu is not dumb, he is such a silent person." ”

"And when are you going to pick me up? Five days? Ten days? ”

"The old courtier said, you will naturally know when the time comes."

I frowned: "Yanyan is still in prison, and Old Man Liu can last up to a month in Beijing." We don't have that much time. ”

"If you can't cultivate your mood here, it's useless to give you a year." Otherwise, the medicine pushed me back with a word, and then relieved, "Yanyan will find a way over there, even if I can't get her, I won't let her suffer." ”

"The key is Dai Hexuan." I'm worried. He was the only hope to save the five veins, but after losing the gamble, I had no more chips in my hand to argue with him. Even if I achieve positive results here, what use will I have? Otherwise, he saw through my thoughts, and he pinched his chin and sneered: "Don't worry about this." Today we are not all without gains, I noticed a very interesting thing in that god's house, which is worth making a fuss. ”

"What is it?"

Otherwise, he looked like a hanger, and a ruthless look flashed in his eyes: "You wait and see, it's my turn to show my means." ”

I didn't know for a moment whether to say thank you or remain hostile. Fortunately, the medicine didn't expect any response from me, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

After the car drove away, I turned and walked into this mountain hut. It can be seen that this place was originally an army barracks, but now it has been renovated, and there is only a simple marching bed inside, and the rest of it is filled with stone tablets, green square bricks, white paper of various textures, and some strange utensils. There was also a large desk with a large pile of books and manuscript papers.

I noticed that there was not a hint of modernity in sight, except for the camp bed. The paper is rice paper, and the rolls are packed in bamboo baskets; There are no pens and ballpoint pens on the table, only two tubes of brushes, as well as a piece of ink and an inkstone, all of which are sold in stationery stores. At the other end of the camp, a stove was built, on top of which was a large black iron pot, and the firewood next to it was neatly stacked in a pile. A kerosene lamp hangs from the roof, emitting a faint glow.

"You go to bed and get up at six o'clock tomorrow." Lao Xu pointed to the marching bed.

I thought to myself, if I came, I would be safe, and see what tricks they played, so I asked Lao Xu: "What are you going to do tomorrow?" ”

"Rubbing." Lao Xu didn't even raise his eyelids. I was stunned, I didn't expect it to be this kind of work.

The rubbing is also called Motuo. In ancient times, there were no photocopiers or cameras, and the only way to copy the text on the stele was to use ink. The principle of this thing is very similar to that of engraving printing, that is, the white paper is wet on the surface of the stele, and the inscription is concave and convex, and then the ink is applied on it, and then the paper is removed, and the inscription is extended in its original form. Therefore, the rubbings are mostly white characters on a black background, similar to reverse white negatives.

The stele is too heavy and not easy to move, so most of the antique circles circulate refer to the rubbings of the stele, also called the stele post. This kind of thing is known as the black tiger, and it is very valuable, but there are also a lot of fakes, and if you are not careful, you may be cheated by the tiger.

There's nothing mysterious about Motuo, it's just a craft at best, and although I haven't done much of it, I still understand the basics - can I recover my mood by relying on this? I secretly muttered a word of confusion in my heart, feeling a little unbelievable.

However, Lao Xu was silent, and it was probably useless to ask him. I just went straight to bed and saw what they had to do tomorrow.

The next morning, I was asleep and dazed, when I suddenly felt someone tugging on my arm. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw that the wolf dog of the old Xu family was pulling my sleeve. When I got up, Lao Xu had already boiled a pot of porridge in an iron pot, a few bags of mustard, and a few slices of blackened bacon on the plate. The porridge boiled in the stove pot is stronger than the rice cooker, the rice grains taste viscous and sweet, and I drank two bowls in one go.

After breakfast, Lao Xu made a gesture to me and led me to the backyard. I looked around, at this time the sun is rising, the mountain breeze is fresh, the insects and birds can be heard in the ears, and the majestic Zhongshan Mausoleum in the distance is faintly visible, which is really a good environment suitable for self-cultivation. I looked around the backyard, good fellows, the yard was full of stone monuments of all sizes, more than in front of the house. They can stand or lie down, enough to build a stele forest.

Lao Xu lives in such an abandoned barracks and actually hoards so many stone tablets, what is his origin?

Lao Xu led me straight to a flat stone tablet. This stele is about one and a half meters high, and more than 100 characters are engraved on it. I read the content, the cultural relics of this tablet are of little value, it was set up by a local squire in Nanjing during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty to his mother, and the text is not surprising, briefly introduced her life, and then it is gone.

In front of this stele, there are rubbing paper, ink, vertebral bag, brown brush, row pen, felt and other rubbing tools in a row, the row of pens is slightly bald, and the edge of the felt is quite worn and worn, presumably these things are used by Lao Xu on weekdays.

It seems that Lao Xu's main job here is probably to rub the monument. Obviously everyone uses cameras now, and he still insists on using such an ancient method, coupled with the pitiful number of modern inventions in his house, it can be seen that this is a hermit with an ancient style. I glanced at him and suddenly thought this taciturn guy was interesting.

"Today, stretch it out." Lao Xu said a total of six words and left, without mentioning what to pay attention to in the rubbing.

Forget it, if you don't say it, you won't say it. As for how to rub the stele, I have read it many times in the book, and there are more than a dozen steles in my hands. I looked down for a while, rolled up my sleeves, and thought to myself that one day I would go into battle myself.

At this time, Lao Xu went back and brought a bowl of steaming rice soup. I started to think that he was afraid that I didn't have enough to eat, and then I saw him clarify the miscellaneous rice in it, and then I realized that this thing was used for paper.

An important part of the stele is the paper. In order to make the tablet and the paper stick together, the paper is generally fully moistened with water or rice soup. If you are an exquisite pioneer, you also need to use boiling water to soak the glue boiled by baiqi - Lao Xu's residence is hidden in the mountains, the conditions are relatively simple, and the rice soup is the most convenient.

Lao Xu put down the bowl, didn't explain anything, and walked away with his hands behind his back. I went through the process in my head, did a few chest expansion exercises, and then crouched down, ready to start moving.

The first step in rubbing the stele is to clean the stele surface. I picked up a large brush, dipped it in water, first brushed the entire surface of the tablet, brushed off the floating soil, and then replaced it with a small brush to sweep away the sand and weeds between the words. This preparation alone took more than half an hour. This is considered lucky, some of the ancient monuments are covered with moss, and they have to be burned with fire. Sometimes after burning it several times, the stone becomes brittle and cracks directly, and there is no chance to remedy it when the time comes.

Strange to say, when I was cleaning, I did have fewer distractions in my head. It seems that when a person is fully engrossed, it is indeed not easy to wander.

After cleaning the ancient monument, I picked up a piece of paper from the side, Lao Xu had already cut the size, which happened to be two circles larger than the monument. I twisted my hand and recognized that this was Wang Liuji's thin cotton paper. Wang Liuji is an old brand handed down from the early Ming Dynasty, and won the silver medal of the Ministry of Light Industry two years ago. Their rice paper is moderately thick and feels tough when twisted in your hand. The stele must be tenacious, and it can be seen from this point that this old Xu Ting has a vision and is indeed an expert.

I folded the paper into a rectangle, soaked it in the rice soup, then took it out and put it on a damp cloth, and then folded a piece of dry paper on top of it. I pressed it with my hand to make sure the humidity was even. After I got it done, I picked up the pen and dipped it in the rice soup and brushed it on the paper, and then stuffed it on the tablet and fit it on all sides. I sucked the water carefully with the felt next to my hand, changed the brown brush, and brushed away all the bubbles between the paper and the tablet. This set of processes is complicated, but it is very fast. I thought to myself that this is simply the difficulty of the handicraft class in elementary school, and just as I was thinking, I shook the brown brush in my hand, and I used it a little harder, and suddenly the paper was broken.

If this kind of thing is damaged, the whole sheet will be scrapped. I thumped my head in frustration, took the paper off, and replaced it with another one. This time I was cautious, and finally there was nothing wrong, so that the paper was completely flattened.

After the paper, it's time to smash the words. This is a very delicate work, which requires people to use a brush and a small wooden clay to strike the gap between the strokes, so that the rice paper enters the mouth of the word and completely adheres to the concave surface of the stele. There are more than 100 words on this stone tablet, and the font is not very large, so it takes a lot of patience to type it in one by one. I lay there and smashed about twenty or thirty words, and I got a little impatient. By the fiftieth word, I stood up panting, a little dizzy from exhaustion.

"Does such meaningless physical work really calm my mind? How do I feel like I'm getting more and more irritable? I complained silently at the medicine in the distance. At this time, a question swam into my mind, the old fox of the old court, wouldn't they want to trip me here, what kind of conspiracy did they plan?

Wouldn't you also say the medicine? It's time for him to show his means. Is this a trick against Dai Hexuan, or is it against me?

I thought a little impetuous, threw down the brush, and wanted to leave the backyard. At this time, Lao Xu came out of the barracks and saw that I was leaving, so he didn't say anything, just put his right hand on my shoulder. It doesn't matter if this ride is like Mount Tai pressing on the top, I can't move at all, and I suddenly became shorter.

"There is a beginning and an end to doing things." He said.

It seems that this old Xu also has some responsibilities to spy on me. I turned around and returned to the monument, where I continued typing. This beating was not completed until noon. I stood up with a sore back, intending to eat, but when I walked into the barracks, I saw that Lao Xu was gone, leaving a note. On the note, there was a beautiful little block letter, saying that he went to the city and asked me to cook for myself.

I took the note and was stunned for a while, didn't this old Xu look at me? Why are you just taking care of yourself? I walked over to his desk and saw a thick stack of manuscript paper, full of transcribed inscriptions, as well as the inscriptions surrounding the ancient monuments. One stroke at a time, the words are meticulously written, and the mistakes are pasted with white paper, which is quite careful. It can be seen that Lao Xu has put a lot of thought into it here. Next to it are all kinds of rubbings, some are photocopies, some are Lao Xu's own rubbings, and in the lower right corner are written the time and place numbers and Lao Xu's own name - Xu Shuchuan.

I counted it carefully, and there must have been more than 200 such rubbings, and there were seven or eight years before and after the time, and I couldn't help but feel a pang in my heart. These ancient monuments need to be searched, expanded, and examined, which all take a lot of time, and he is afraid that he has only been on this matter all these years, and has not done anything else.

What kind of spirit is it that a person lives in seclusion in the mountains and forests and is isolated from the world, and has been studying the ancient monuments wholeheartedly for nearly ten years? You know, it's the 90s of the 20th century! Who would do something that doesn't make sense to be economical?

I closed my eyes, as if I saw Lao Xu lying alone here, standing alone in the lone lamp. Between the lines of these ancient monuments, I feel a spirit of awe, which is very similar to the kind of power I felt in the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum last night, and it is a powerful will to completely dedicate oneself to a certain cause.

Instead of peeking into what was written in the manuscript, I respectfully exited his "study", ashamed that I had mistaken him for a security guard. I believe that people who have this determination and strong will cannot be restrained or controlled by others. It seems that it is still medicine, otherwise it is right, Lao Xu is a person who is pure to the extreme, he does not belong to any circle at all, and is completely immersed in his own world.

I can understand the medicine a little now, otherwise the purpose of sending me here.

I glanced at the barracks gate, but in the end I didn't step out.

At noon, I scrambled myself a random egg, ate it hastily, and then returned to the backyard and stood in front of the stone monument. The words have all been smashed, and the next work is to officially rub the ink. I looked down at the snow-white rice paper on the surface of the tablet, trying to drive away the distractions in my mind, and concentrated on the more than 100 Chinese characters.

Lao Xu had already prepared the ink puff out. These are two garlic-shaped cotton bales, covered with two layers of silk, with a slightly flat bottom. I used a brush to smear the ink in the porcelain plate, this is pine smoke ink, the ink quality is very good, and Lao Xu also added half a bowl of egg whites to it, so it is shiny. I rubbed the rubbing bag with good ink and rubbed each other, and it was very even. Then I picked one of them up and threw it at the paper.

According to the book, the ink flutter needs to be lightly hammered, first light and then heavy, and brushed three or four times repeatedly until it is as black and bright as black and white, and it is finished. But I soon found out that this Motuo is as easy as ice skating, but it is actually quite difficult. I held the rubbing bag in my hand, how awkward it was, let alone to splash the ink.

The book also says that rubbing ink should be "light first and then heavy", which makes me even more embarrassed. What counts as light and what counts as heavy? I took the rubbing bag and wiped it one by one, either it was too shallow, or it became a big ink ball. finally extended a line, but it looked like it was mixed with ink and miserable. I wanted to touch it up, but I used it too hard again, and the rice paper wrinkled, so I had to hammer it out before getting it. I gritted my teeth and finally finished it, looked down, and didn't say whether the ink was evenly applied or not, just looking at the words were all rough and shallow, and I couldn't bear to read them at all. I carefully analyzed, probably in the morning when I smashed the word mouth was not serious enough, the paper and the tablet surface did not fit completely, the concave and convex sense of the carved words could not be revealed, and it was naturally impossible to see it.

I worked all afternoon, using seven or eight pieces of discarded rice paper, and I was so tired that I didn't get a single one. Only then did I realize that this craft seems easy, but it is more difficult than ballroom dancing.

When it was almost evening, Lao Xu came back with a bag of rice. He walked to the backyard, I was sweating profusely but found nothing, Lao Xu stared at me for a while, leaned over and demonstrated a few times in person. I didn't see how his arm moved, and the tablet surface had been coated with a layer of thick and uniform black ink, and the action was refreshing.

Lao Xu put down the ink flutter and said eight words lightly: "Don't move your fingers, just use your wrist strength." "I tried it once and it worked well. I was about to lean over and continue to wipe, but Lao Xu stopped me.

"It's getting late, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Lao Xu said.

The two of us packed up our things and moved back into the house. The meal was already cooked, white rice with sautéed greens, and a few pieces of mushrooms.

The two of us crouched down by the stove and finished our meal without saying a word. I put the bowl down, wiped my mouth, and asked a long-held question: "How long have you been here?" ”

"Eight years." Lao Xu replied dryly.

"You've been rubbing the monument?"

"Yes." When the old Xu Tuo monument was splashed with ink, he cherished ink like gold when he spoke.

"Why?" I dared to ask the question.

Lao Xu put down his chopsticks and glanced at me: "Because the monument is there." ”

This answer is very philosophical, but it is really not the answer asked. He seems to be avoiding the question, and I don't want to ask it...... So the two of us finished our meal in silence. I offered to wash the dishes, but Lao Xu didn't give in, turned around and went into the house, lit the kerosene lamp, and began to write. After I finished cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks, I felt a little stretched, and I couldn't lie down, so I wandered around in the woods near the house. When people are idle, miscellaneous thoughts come back to their minds. I don't know what happened to Yanyan in prison, and I don't know what the condition of Liu Yiming and Wumai is. Countless questions resurfaced in my mind.

I know I should have no distractions, but these are not distractions.

I walked around the outside a few times, and the more I turned, the more upset I became, and a few times I even had the urge to just leave. But when I thought of Zhong Aihua and Dai Hexuan's two treacherous faces, I finally resisted my childish impulse and returned to the barracks.

As soon as I entered the door, I happened to see Lao Xu coming out of the study. He looked at me deeply, said nothing, and handed me a few pieces of silk and cotton: "Make a few ink flutters." "I took it, I was stunned for a moment, and then I figured it out. Cotton can no longer be washed when it is stained with ink, so an ink pod can only expand one or two tablets, which is a consumable, and must be made new often. With my free labor, how could Lao Xu not use it.

This ink flutter looks simple, and it is not so easy to do. Silk and cotton have different textures, so they should be tied into a garlic shape, the side of the stone is as flat and wide as an iron, and the silk and cotton should be separated in layers so that the ink can penetrate evenly. With such a simple tool, I tied it for half a night before I could barely tie six of them. A touch of the head, a sweat of the head.

I took it to Lao Xu to show his merits, but Lao Xu was noncommittal, only asked me to put it in the toolbox, and then went to bed early. I struggled with Mo Phu all night, and I was indeed exhausted, and I fell asleep in bed, and no other "distracting thoughts" flashed in my mind.

Nothing was said all night. The next day, I got up early and continued to fight against the monument. With yesterday's experience, I performed much better today. Lao Xu writes in the house and occasionally comes out to guide me. The master led the way into the door, and the cultivation is personal, and there is really nothing wrong with what he said. There are actually so many doorways for this thing to be crafted, Lao Xu taught me a few tricks, and the rest is proficiency. It's still the phrase of the oil seller - "only familiar hands".

I now kind of understand why the old courtier arranged for me to come to learn the inscription. This thing is very particular about full attention, and the rhythm of the eyes, hands, and heart is in harmony, and there is nothing wrong with it. The slightest distraction, the entire stele may be wasted. Several times I pounced on the last piece, and my spirit was a little slack, and I fluttered, and I was completely wasted. In this state of high tension, I held the ink flutter in both hands, staring at the tablet and the paper all the time, and I had no time to think about it.

In the evening, before the sun set, I finally managed to remove the paper from the first tablet. This extension is not perfect, but there are generally no flaws, and it is already considered a passing grade. I was holding the rubbing paper that I hadn't done much yet, and I couldn't put it down, and I felt like I was taking a handicraft class for the first time in elementary school.

Before I was happy, Lao Xu pointed out another stone tablet to me: "Tomorrow you will come to expand this side." ”

When I looked, it was dark. This stele is about the same size as the last time, but it is densely packed, and there are more than 300 characters to say the least, and they are all small characters. The inscription says that it is a former Qing Ju person, who is naturally four and six beautiful, catchy, and uses a lot of cold words. From Motuo's point of view, it doesn't matter if the words are cold, what I hate is that there are too many strokes, and it is too troublesome to knock on the words.

You should know that the rice paper should be kept dry and wet properly when ink extension, and if you stop halfway and then re-ink the water, there will be slight differences in ink color. Therefore, the rubbing pays attention to one go, and it cannot be stopped in the middle. It took me two days to work on more than 100 words, and I don't know when I will be busy with these more than 300 words.

Lao Xu doesn't have a clock here, so I can only count the time by sunrise and sunset. It took me three days to finish this stele. One day smashing words, two days of splashing ink, tossing from morning to night every day, using countless waste paper and ink in the middle, my eyes are painful. Lao Xu never spoke, so he left me busy working there alone. In the past three days, I have been exhausted, as if I had run a marathon, and I fell asleep.

I gritted my teeth, and finally took the stele off the stele little by little and showed it to Lao Xu. Lao Xu brushed it with his hand and nodded slightly: "You can start to formally learn the tablet." When I heard this, my eyes went dark and I almost fell to my knees. Frightened, Lao Xu's wolf dog barked, barking and shrinking back.

At dinner in the evening, Lao Xu was still silent as usual, I took two bites of rice, and finally couldn't help but ask again: "Why do you want to rub the monument?" ”

Lao Xu didn't say anything. I thought I had touched his sore spot and would be scolded. Unexpectedly, Lao Xu didn't get angry, he stuffed his head and picked up the last grain of rice in the bowl and put it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, and then said to me: "The stele is written by people's hands, chiseled by people's hands, and expanded by people's hands." Therefore there is a soul in the stele, which is alive. Cameras and videos can keep their shape, but it is difficult to keep their minds, and non-extension is not enough to bear their intentions. ”

This is the longest sentence Lao Xu has ever said to me, and it is also very philosophical. But I think he still seems to be avoiding the question.

The next day, Lao Xu pointed out to me a stone tablet. This stele is amazing, it is an edict from the Son of Heaven to commend an official in Nanjing, and the family specially asked someone to show off on the stele. The edict of the Son of Heaven, every word is golden words, naturally I don't dare to omit a pen, as well as the praised life and previous official positions, the whole tablet is densely packed, and I will be dazzled for a while just after reading it. I didn't even have the courage to count the exact number of words.

Fortunately, after the training of the first two tablets, I have become perfect with practice, and all I need is more patience and a more meticulous mentality.

This time Motuo was an unprecedented success, and I had never been so calm and engrossed in doing one thing. Everything around me doesn't seem to have anything to do with me. I just stared at the stele in front of me, and the words on it, they were all I had.

In this world without clocks, I finished eating, eating, and I can't remember how many days have passed. I finally miraculously finished the stone tablet, black and white, and it can be called the most beautiful rubbing I have ever completed. Lao Xu read it, and finally spit out two words: "Not bad." ”

I saw that I couldn't miss the opportunity and asked the question for the third time: "Why are you rubbing a monument here?" ”

Lao Xu glanced at me, didn't say anything, turned around and left. I thought to myself, the first two times I asked, he didn't get angry, why did he get annoyed this time?

When Lao Xu left, he didn't tell me which monument to continue to expand, and I was idle, but suddenly I was not used to it. I was afraid that I would be idle and cranky, so I walked around the courtyard and decided to go to Lao Xu to ask what to do next, as soon as I entered the barracks, Lao Xu happened to come out of the study, still holding a stack of manuscript paper in his hand.

I was stunned, is this what is going to do? Lao Xu handed me the manuscript paper: "Proofreading." Then he went out with his hands behind his back.

Yes, I changed my career from a pioneer to an editor.

This stack of manuscripts is the same pile I didn't peek at in his study last time. Now that I have Lao Xu's permission, I can read with confidence. But to be honest, I am really ashamed to do proofreading this manuscript, the handwriting is extremely beautiful, the paper is neat, and there is not a drop of extra ink. When you get the feudal era, you can go to the top exam - does this still need me to "proofread"?

I lay down on the marching bed, took a comfortable position, touched the head of the big wolfdog, and read page by page. The name of this manuscript is called "Nanjing Examination Inscription", and at first glance, you can tell that it is about Nanjing inscription. As soon as I read the preface, I was taken aback.

Xu Shuchuan said in the preface that his father, Xu Nian, was a guard under Mr. Sun Yat-sen. After Mr. Sun was buried in Nanjing, his father volunteered to become a member of the tomb protection army. After the liberation of Nanjing in 1949, the People's Liberation Army and the Tomb Protection Army fought peacefully, and Xu Nian immediately retired from the army. With the skill of copying a good stele, Xu Nian was transferred to work in the Nanjing Cultural Relics Store and was in charge of the stele. Xu Shuchuan grew up with his father since he was a child, and was deeply influenced by it, and had great feelings for the ancient monument.

No wonder Lao Xu lives in this abandoned barracks, it turns out that he has such a deep relationship with Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

Lao Xu said that the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties in Nanjing has a history of more than 2,000 years, but there is no Nanjing inscription in the past dynasties, and no one is preparing for the Nanjing Stele Forest, which is a pity. The ancient capital and historic sites, the war of the past dynasties destroyed a lot, and smashed a lot during the "**" period, the reform and opening up Vientiane was renewed, and many places broke ground, and I don't know how many were smashed. He saw that Nanjing's culture was lost and forgotten little by little, and his soul had nowhere to return, so he made a vow to visit all the Nanjing inscriptions in his lifetime, and reexpand them one by one, so that the efforts of his predecessors would not be scattered.

Only then did I realize that Lao Xu didn't ask me to proofread, and he was clumsy in expressing himself, and this was how he answered my questions.

His answer really stunned me. Modern people, who would have this kind of thought, immerse their whole life in the cause of searching for ancient monuments? But he was the only one who chose such a cold and narrow road without hesitation. Lao Xu's reticent words, his isolation and solitude, perhaps it is because of this persistent loneliness. This is a true hermit with an ancient style.

He may be stupid, but who's to say that his life isn't satisfactory? With this in mind, I turned to the text of the manuscript. The first part of the text is the original manuscript of the inscriptions of various ancient monuments, and the other part is based on the content of the inscriptions, the time when the monument was erected, and the place where it was excavated, as well as the reasons. It's not a long draft, but I know how much effort it takes to write every paragraph. These texts are very boring, but they are logically thorough, their reasoning is meticulous, and they cite a lot of information. I don't know how he lives in such a small room, how he has so much information to check, and how much effort it takes to transport those ancient monuments outside. The more I read, the more amazed I became.

I read it all night, and I didn't finish it until the sun rose. It's not that I'm slow to read, it's that I'm in awe and don't dare to skim through it. After I got up, I rubbed my bloodshot eyes and handed the draft back to Lao Xu, who was squatting next to the stove and boiling porridge. Lao Xu didn't look at it, and put the manuscript on the side of the pot casually, not far from the tongue of fire in the stove. He didn't care, but I was so frightened that I quickly picked up the manuscript and sent it back to the desk myself.

"Lao Xu, I have a question." I crouched back next to him and watched as he delivered firewood to the stove. Lao Xu didn't say a word, and continued to fiddle with the fire.

I asked him, "I asked you the same question three times, why did you give me different answers three times?" ”

Lao Xu put down the wooden stick: "You extend the first tablet and use the Forceto Tablet, and I will answer you with strength; If you extend the second tablet and control the ink with skills, I will answer you with skills; When you reach the third tablet, although the technique is rough, you can feel that there is a heart and soul in it, and I will answer you with my soul. ”

I didn't expect him to say so many words in one breath this time, and after pondering it carefully, it was really a taste of every word, and I couldn't help but sigh: "The ancients said that the Tao is proved by the text, and the Tao is proved by the heart, but I didn't expect you to elevate this monument to a realm." ”

Lao Xu was unmoved by my compliments, and threw another piece of firewood in: "Have you seen the ancient monuments around the courtyard?" "I nodded. Lao Xu sighed: "These are all rescued by me from all over Nanjing, a total of two hundred and seven pieces, I spent eight years, and I expanded it six times. ”

I was stunned by this number, how much energy and perseverance did it take? I admired it at first, but after thinking about it carefully, I couldn't help but have a thought, what kind of things did Lao Xu have experienced before that would make him choose to do such a difficult and unnecessary thing? If he was just a simple stele idiot, he could live in the city, wouldn't it be more convenient to find the ancient stele? There is really no need to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests. What's more, as long as the stele is extended once or twice, it is enough to preserve its original appearance, but he has repeatedly expanded it six times, and this kind of almost masochistic behavior must have a decisive motive.

"I'll ask you for the fourth time, why on earth are you here?" I said seriously.

The first time I asked, I answered it with strength; The second time is to answer with skill; The third time is to answer with a soul; Then the fourth question, the one who can answer it should be the heart.

I saw that Lao Xu didn't move, so I started to tell my story first. From my grandfather Xu Yicheng to my father Xu Heping, and then to me, to the Buddha head case that involved three generations of our ancestors and grandchildren. This breath was spoken until noon. Although Lao Xu didn't speak, I knew that he must be listening attentively, because the porridge in the pot was almost dry, but he still couldn't stop adding firewood.

I finished my story: "I ask you for the fourth time, why are you here to make a monument? ”

Lao Xu looked at me with firm eyes, finally shook his head, sighed, got up and took out a thin page of manuscript from the study and gave it to me. The paper looks to have been stored for years, with a few words on the special letterhead of the Nanjing Cultural Relics Store, and some yellowing around the edges. I took it and looked at it, and it turned out to be a review.

The handwriting of the review book is very similar to that of Lao Xu, but it is more sophisticated than him. It said that "I" purchased a Song Dynasty rubbish of Liu Gongquan's "Tang Huiyuanguan Bell Tower Inscription" for the Nanjing Cultural Relics Store, which is known as a Song Tuo boutique, and there is an inscription of Li Yu, a great opera artist in the Ming Dynasty. But "I" soon found out that Li Yu's inscription was dug up from another post and made up here, so Ming Tuo became Song Ta, and the price was inflated several times. Because "I" did not pay attention to details and was careless in my work, I caused huge losses to the Nanjing Cultural Relics Store, and I must make a deep reflection.

The payment is Xu Nian, Lao Xu's father.

Things like calligraphy, paintings, rubbings and the like are all paper, which can be cut and repaired, which has also been common knowledge in the antique world for many years. Therefore, these types of things are the most prone to fakes. The most unscrupulous businessmen will break up some genuine products and cut them into several pieces, and make up for a few fake paintings, and the income will naturally double. For example, Song Ta's rare book inscriptions often have seals and untitled inscriptions, just because they were stolen and dug up by others.

It seems that when Xu Nian was working in the cultural relics store, he had to make a review. I noticed that there was a line of reply at the bottom of the review: "The thinking is not correct enough, the review is not sincere enough, and the people's property is not valued enough." Three "not enough", in that era, this batch of words was quite serious. With Xu Nian's background, I am afraid it will be difficult to survive the next political turmoil.

I didn't follow up. Lao Xu didn't say it, I also guessed that this must be a tragic story, and it hit him very hard, so he made this self-exiled choice. I empathize with what happened to him, isn't it the same for my Xu family? This is the tragedy of the times, but it is also the tragedy of fakes that has been repeated countless times in the world of antiques. Such things have existed in the past, are there now, and will continue to exist in the future, and it is not the duty of those of us to stop them?

Thinking of this, I suddenly woke up and thought of my mission. I am a member of the Xu family of the Five Veins, and my mission is to remove the false and retain the true. I've been here for so long that I've almost forgotten about it.

When I thought of this, I was instinctively startled, and warned myself again and again not to think wildly, lest I go crazy again. But I was surprised to find that this time, when I was thinking about these things, the evil breath in my chest not only did not come back to me, but disappeared.

What's going on here?

With doubts, I asked Lao Xu, "How many more tablets do I need to expand before I can leave?" ”

"Have you been able to sleep these days?" Old Xu Tou said without replying.

"Hmm." In the past few days, I have been so tired that I fall asleep every day.

"Still thinking about something?"

"I can't take care of it."

"Then you go." Lao Xu stopped talking.

I was stunned, and then I looked up to the sky and laughed, laughing very heartily and comfortably. The ancient Zen master can have an epiphany and become a Buddha in one word, and Lao Xu's three big vernacular words are not small, and they broke the mystery of the old court's plate at once.

Before that, I was obsessed with my own mistakes, ashamed all the time, blaming myself, almost lost in the mire, and the whole person was completely stunned, so I was completely defeated. In these days of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the heavy work of the monument has dispelled all my superfluous thoughts, and I have no chance to worry.

I used to read articles saying that some young people in the city were pampered, and they didn't eat this or that, and they were sent to the countryside for a month, and all the stinky problems were cured. In fact, my situation is very similar to this, it is not a panacea that cures me, but busyness - to put it bluntly, it just makes me have no time to think about it. In fact, there are many things that you don't have to worry about before they can make sense. Not to forget, not to escape, but to take a step back for a while and allow the mind to regain clarity. As long as I understand this, the demons in my heart will be eliminated naturally, and I will no longer be trapped in it.

Nanjing is worthy of being the ancient capital, and the purple gold royal qi can not only raise jade and pots, but also raise people. These rubbings in the Purple Mountain have lifted the haze in my heart, and the whole person's chest is clear and comfortable.

"What time is it?" I asked, feeling completely alive.

"Ten days." What Lao Xu means is that it has been ten days since I came.

"I'm leaving." I made a request.

Lao Xu didn't press my shoulder this time, but stood up, stretched out his arm and pointed in one direction: "Walk out of Wuli Road from here, there is a sentry box." There you can borrow a phone and then walk a few miles to the tourist area, where there will be a car to take you to Nanjing. ”

My demons have been removed, there is nothing to be nostalgic about, not even luggage, goodbye to Lao Xu immediately. Lao Xu had no intention of keeping it, he went back to the house and carefully folded the three tablets I had extended and handed them to me. I held his hand and wanted to say a few words of thanks to this contemporary hermit who was hidden in the Purple Mountain, but I couldn't say it, and all the vulgar words were not suitable for Lao Xu. After thinking about it for a long time, I didn't come up with any good words, so I had to say shyly: "Thank you." ”

Lao Xu had no joy or sadness on his face, simply waved his hand, turned around and went back to the house. My ten days mean a lot to me, and to him they can only be regarded as a murmur in his seclusion.

I took a big stride and walked towards the sentry box according to Lao Xu's instructions. Walking alone on the mountain road, my body was more relaxed than ever, and the haze was like a tablet, peeled away layer by layer, revealing my true face.

"I'm back." I waved my fist and shouted out of the mountain like a silly child.

I quickly arrived at the sentry box, gave my medication or made a phone call, and then took the bus from the tourist area back to the city. As soon as I got out of the car, the car had been waiting next to me for a long time.

As soon as we met, Yao Ran smiled at me and said, "You can't eat meat for the past ten days, and you've lost weight again." ”

While driving, I was told about the changes in the past ten days. In the past few days, the crisis of the five veins has intensified. After a long period of silence, the Forbidden City took the lead in issuing a public statement in Beijing, claiming that Hong Kong's so-called "original copy of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" was pure nonsense. Immediately, the auction house issued a statement, saying that it was willing to publicly accept the carbon-14 test of the authority together with the collection of the Forbidden City.

Carbon-14 dating is a scientific and technological means to detect the age of cultural relics, also known as radioactive dating. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope that animals and plants on Earth will inhale through breathing as long as they are alive; When organisms stop breathing after death, the carbon-14 in their bodies stops growing and decays and decreases over time. Since the decay rate of carbon-14 is very stable, with a constant half-life of 5730 years, it is possible to estimate its age by detecting the amount of carbon-14 in biological remains.

"Now even silk paintings can be detected with carbon-14?" I wondered. "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" is a silk painting, it doesn't matter about life and death, it is not a living organism, how can this technique be applied?

Yao Otherwise: "It turned out that it couldn't, but now it can be done technically, and Professor Zheng has been doing this." You think, although silk fabrics are not living creatures, silk is woven from silk, and the life cycle of silkworms from spinning silk cocoons to death is very short. Therefore, the year when silk is produced is basically equivalent to the year when silkworms survive, and it is also equivalent to the year when silk is made. ”

"How many years can you be accurate now?"

"Originally, this method could only detect tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, but now, if you are lucky, it will be accurate to about 500 years."

"Whew, that's enough."

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne in 1100, and Wang Shizhen's falsification of the Qingming Riverside Map would not have been earlier than 1526. There is a difference of 400 years, which is barely enough to reach the limit of carbon-14 application. In fact, there is no need to calculate these 400 years, as long as you look at which era of these two "Qingming Riverside Pictures" is in front and which era is behind, all doubts will naturally be solved.

Yao Ran sneered: "It's a pity that carbon-14 is not non-destructive testing, and the sample must be extracted, and a piece of the painting must be cut off from the painting, and the heart of the painting must be drawn." Bai Ruilian is really open this time, and even their "Qingming Riverside Map" is willing to be injured, it depends on whether the Forbidden City dares to accept it. ”

As soon as I heard the medicine say this, I immediately realized that the five veins were in big trouble this time. What Bai Ruilian has in her hand is a fake, and they are willing to cut a piece down, how can the Forbidden City accept this kind of detection? However, carbon-14 testing is currently the most fair means, and if the Forbidden City does not accept it, it will be weak in the eyes of public opinion.

Agree or not, you will be in a dilemma.

Sure enough, Yao Kuo told me that the Forbidden City had been silent about this request, but public opinion had been in an uproar. Domestic newspapers are okay, and they have been suppressed by Liu Yiming with connections, but foreign media have questioned the authenticity of the Forbidden City collection at length. The news I poked up was particularly hot, and some reporters even wrote articles claiming that the whistleblower of "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" had been detained and needed to be rescued by the international community.

I shook my head, Bai Ruilian's punch was steady and ruthless, and it really forced the five veins into a corner.

Actually, I've always had doubts. If the Forbidden City is genuine, it is enough to calmly take it out and fight with Hong Kong's fakes, why would Mr. Liu rather withstand the huge pressure and wait for me to find the hole cards to counter the opponent?

Could it be that the Forbidden City collection is fake?

I shuddered when I thought about it, but the stele extension of a few days was not done in vain, and I quickly came back to my senses. Old Man Liu has clearly told me that the Forbidden City is genuine, so I shouldn't doubt him. There is no doubt that I am looking for hole cards, and other things are not considered for the time being.

Yao Otherwise, he put the steering wheel on his head and smiled sideways: "Yo, I thought you would have to have some heartache after hearing this news, it seems that you are recovering well." ”

I said with a cold face, "Hmph, how is the smoke?" ”

"Oh, the smoke hasn't come out yet, but I've already dotted the people in the detention center, she can't endure hardship, don't worry."

"What about Dai Hexuan? Didn't I remember you saying you were going to show your means? ”

Yao Otherwise, he slapped the steering wheel and showed a sly smile: "Hehe, even if you kid is in a hurry, the net will be closed tonight, you can come and see the excitement together." ”

I didn't ask any more questions, my hands folded in front of the car, and I looked ahead, full of fighting spirit.

The jeep was speeding around the city of Nanjing, and instead of taking me to the riverside, the medicine took me to the Nanjing Hotel. This is one of the most exclusive foreign-related hotels in Nanjing in the early nineties. The interior is decorated in an imposing manner, not far from the Hong Kong hotels in the videotape.

But why didn't the medicine bring me here? Could it be that Lao Chaofeng has been in a good mood recently and plans to pay for us to live in a high-end hotel?

Otherwise, he parked his car nearby and walked into the hotel lobby with me. He had already opened the room, and the floor was quite high. After we entered the room, the medicine said that I will go and prepare, you can rest first, and call you later. Anyway, it's the money of the old court, and I'm not welcome, so I went to take a hot shower first.

I tilted my head in the shower room and let the hot water splash on my body, dispelling the cold accumulated in the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the past few days and washing away the haze in my heart. "Grandpa, Dad, I'm back." I muttered to myself in the shower.

After taking a shower, I wiped my head with a bath towel, and suddenly saw two sets of white pants and red vests on the bed, the same as the waiter who opened the door for us in the lobby. There is also a stack of promotional materials next to the clothes, coated paper, which is very beautifully printed. I flipped through a few pages, all of which were about all kinds of precious porcelain. I didn't know what was going on, so I asked the medicine that had just entered the door. Otherwise, I was asked to change my clothes, but he didn't tell me why, just that you listen to me.

I don't know what kind of medicine he sells in the gourd, anyway, it doesn't make sense for him to betray me at this stage, so I just listened to his instructions and changed my clothes. Otherwise, we will change to a set of medicines, and the two of us will become hotel waiters. He also made two red hats and buttoned them to my head, which was very funny.

Otherwise, I looked at the time, it was almost five o'clock, and he beckoned me to pick up the materials and leave the room. We walked to the corridor of the banquet hall on the second floor, and the medicine suddenly stopped, raised his hand, leaned forward with his hand on the railing next to him, and smiled at me: "The main master is here." ”

There is a spiral marble staircase leading from the lobby to the ballroom on the second floor, and a group of people are walking up the stairs. I looked closely, and in the middle to the right was Dai Hexuan, dressed in a Tang costume, holding a rosewood box in both hands, which seemed to be a very valuable thing. In the middle of the crowd was a kind old man with gray hair, holding a cane and wearing a four-pocket tunic suit. Around the two of them were some middle-aged people, each of whom looked like government officials, including Director Wang, whom I saw at Dai Hexuan's house that day, who cautiously kept a little distance from Dai Hexuan and the old man; On the periphery, there were several secretaries-like people and Dai Hexuan's disciples. This small team, forming three distinct circles, slowly moved towards the second floor.

I looked at the medicine or not, and the medicine was not or said proudly: "As soon as I entered the riverside villa that day, I heard Dai Hexuan tell the director surnamed Wang that there was a banquet this week. I guess the level of this banquet can't be low. The chef of Nanjing International Hotel is particularly famous, he is a master of Huaiyang cuisine, Dai Hexuan wants to invite someone, and Bacheng is here. ”

"Who's that old man?"

"I don't know, but my status can't be low. Have you noticed? The man who stood in the third circle wearing a suit and brown sunglasses, he was the vice president of the hotel, he couldn't squeeze in the second circle, how big do you think the old man was. ”

Otherwise, seeing that they are coming up, beckoned me and told me to go quickly. The two of us hurried to the private room area located on the right side of the banquet hall, and it seemed that we had done a thorough investigation in advance, and without hesitation, we went straight to a private room called Xuanyue Pavilion. Each private room here is equipped with a small room for serving food. Otherwise, as soon as I pushed the door in, the waiter inside was busy cutting the fruit plate, and I was stunned when I saw us.

Yao Ran said unceremoniously: "The chief eats here, for the sake of safety, we will take over the reception of the private room, and the people in the hotel are not allowed to stay here." The waiter muttered, "I didn't receive a notice from the manager." I suddenly remembered that Fang Zhen gave me a certificate of the Eighth Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security before leaving, and I also took it out and shook it in front of him, and said with a calm face: "This is an order from the Ministry of Public Security, and your manager is not qualified to know." ”

The waiter was probably frightened by the name of the "Ministry of Public Security", and he put down his knife tremblingly and left in a hurry. Yao Otherwise, he glanced at me: "I didn't expect you to still have such a good thing hidden, Fang Zhen gave it, right?" If I had known, I wouldn't have had to put so much effort into it. ”

I didn't bother to talk to him: "What the hell are you going to do?" ”

"It's very simple, look at the timing, let's send these materials to the guests."

"Is there any code hidden in this album?" I frowned.

"No, this is the brochure of the collection directly from the Nanjing Museum."

I'm getting more and more confused, what the hell is going on? Otherwise, he blinked, said that you will know when the time comes, and then secretly opened a crack in the door and looked into the main hall.

The guests in the main hall were basically seated, Dai Hexuan sat in the main seat, the old man was in the guest of honor, and the others gathered in a circle in order. There were only seven or eight people in the room who were qualified to sit down, and no one else was allowed in. This banquet is really not small. The old man took a sip of hot tea, pointed at Dai Hexuan and said, "Xiao Dai, your Yellow Emperor Qigong, I have mentioned it to several old leaders. They all expressed their support, saying that they were Chinese treasures that deserve to be vigorously carried forward. ”

Dai Hexuan's face was happy, but he tried his best to pretend to be indifferent: "The Yellow Emperor's qigong can be recognized by you, Mo Lao, it is really a blessing for the country and the nation." Mo Lao said: "Didn't you say that you brought a treasure today?" Take it out. Dai Hexuan said with a smile: "Mo Lao, the dishes haven't been served yet, you are a little anxious." ”

"10,000 years is too long, just seize the day." Mo Lao smiled, and the whole seat laughed.

Dai Hexuan stroked his palms and said: "It's okay, the treasure is sent to the true gentleman, and the Buddha is destined for people." This treasure can meet a virtuous person like Mo Lao, and it can be regarded as a timely meeting. He snapped his fingers, and one of the apprentices hurriedly and carefully picked up the sandalwood box and placed it on the dining table. The people around couldn't help but be curious, and stretched their necks to look over, but Dai Hexuan was not in a hurry to take it out, but closed his eyes, holding the box in his palms and trembling slightly, as if he was exercising. Mo Lao didn't urge, and the others didn't dare to speak, and the entire banquet hall was quiet for a while.

After about three minutes, Dai Hexuan withdrew his hand, let out a long breath, and looked around: "This treasure is not trivial, and it can't be easily shown." I used my internal force to suppress it before I dared to open the box. ”

When he said this, everyone's curiosity became stronger, and they didn't dare to take a breath. Dai Hexuan slowly opened the wooden lid of the box and took out a white porcelain bottle that was as crystal as jade and had plump shoulders and abdomen. The porcelain vase is pure white, with two blue characters on it: "Inner House".

The grace of this porcelain vase shocked the audience. Dai Hexuan gently rested the bottle on the table, glanced around, and his tone became deep: "Do you recognize what kind of bottle this is?" "All of you here are leaders, but none of them are playing antiques, and they look at each other on this issue. Only Mo Lao stared at the bottle with interest, waiting for the following. Dai Hexuan said: "This is the inner plum bottle in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. ”

There was a wave of amazement, but surprise was mixed with a hint of disappointment. Although the porcelain vase of the Ming Dynasty is precious, Dai Hexuan raised everyone's psychological expectations too high before, but it seems that the gap is too big, and even Mo Lao frowned slightly, waiting to see how he explained.

Dai Hexuan smiled slightly: "Your fate is really not shallow. This plum vase, which was made by Zhu Di, the Son of Heaven, was made by the Inner Mansion during the Yongle period, and has been hidden in the folk of Nanjing, and has not been discovered for hundreds of years, and was just visited by me last month. But this treasure is not here. And in this bottle sealing. ”

He leaned the plum vase over it, and those present saw that the mouth of the bottle was plugged with a porcelain cap, and the surrounding gap was a dull yellow color, apparently sealing mud for sealing. Dai Hexuan said: "Everyone looks carefully at this circle of mud sealing, and there is no trace of breakage. Do you know what that means? It means that the bottle has never been opened since the Yongle period. After finishing speaking, he grabbed the bottleneck and shook it, and there was a sound of water inside, and the faces of the people present changed at the same time.

Dai Hexuan said: "The plum bottle is a wine vessel, and the plum bottle in the inner mansion is naturally the imperial wine for the emperor to drink. It's just that somehow, this bottle was lost to the people before it was opened, and it has been preserved to this day. After more than 700 years, the bottle of ancient wine has never been opened, and the taste of the wine can be described as mellow as a fairy. ”

Hearing Dai Hexuan say this, the leaders' eyes lit up. If Moutai is left for twenty or thirty years, it is already an aging national treasure, and the wine of more than 700 years is simply immortal pulp. Mo Lao looked at the wine bottle, and suddenly asked, "Isn't this bottle called a plum bottle?" It's supposed to be a flower arrangement, how do you modify the wine? ”

"Mo Lao, you don't know, this plum bottle was originally called a bottle in the Song Dynasty, and later came to the Ming Dynasty, because it has a thin mouth and a short neck, and can only accommodate a plum blossom and thin bone to insert, so it is also named the plum bottle - but it is not really used for flower arrangement, it is still a wine vessel."

Mo Lao picked up the bottle and looked at it a few times, and praised it repeatedly: "Good, good, it's really a good baby." Then he handed the bottle back to Dai Hexuan, with reluctance in his eyes. Director Wang also sighed: "Oh, I don't know what the taste of the wine that has been treasured for 700 years is unknown. He looked up, and the others chimed in. These guys are all good at wine, and when they see such treasures, where can they continue to be calm.

Dai Hexuan held the plum bottle in his hand and said to everyone: "I just said it. Treasure gift true gentleman, Buddha is destined for people. Gathering here with you today is fate. If fate is not enough, you can't force it. When fate arrives, you can't miss it. The apprentice wasted no time in handing over a small hammer. Dai Hexuan picked up the hammer: "Today I will break the seal and open the bottle and enjoy this Yongle wine with you!" ”

As soon as he spoke, the audience was shocked. Mo Lao hurriedly stopped: "Xiao Dai, this is not appropriate." The wine in the Yongle period, the whole country, no, I am afraid that there is only this one in the world, and it is more expensive than a thousand gold. It's not worth it for you to destroy such a valuable treasure for the sake of a few of us laymen. ”

Dai Hexuan said indifferently: "Elder Mo, I am here today with this treasure just to share it with you. Since this wine is born between heaven and earth, it is its duty only to be drunk freely. When I got the treasure, I made a hexagram for myself, and the hexagram said that it was the image of 'I have a guest', and I should not enjoy it exclusively. And my best guests, aren't they all here today? ”

His words made everyone present look bright, and Mo Lao also bowed his head frequently. I couldn't help but admire this guy, and after a few words, he not only dispelled the suspicions of the guests, but also slapped a loud sycophant without a trace.

Mo Lao said: "Since Xiao Dai said so, then we will be disrespectful." As soon as Mo Lao spoke, the others nodded their heads again and again, praising Dai Hexuan's generosity and righteousness, and the atmosphere was very warm for a while.

Dai Hexuan picked up the small hammer and slammed it at the mouth of the bottle. This knock was precise and precise, only to hear the sound of "pop", the porcelain pieces flew, and the entire bottle mouth was smashed along with the stopper and sealing mud, revealing a large opening. A mellow aroma of wine came to the nostrils, and the throats of those present rolled involuntarily.

Dai Hexuan picked up the wine bottle, filled it for the small cup in front of Mo Lao, and then poured half a cup for each of the others, and finally poured half a cup for himself. At the end of this lap, there are no more drops of wine left in the plum bottle. Dai Hexuan picked up the wine cup, got up and said, "Let's get our share for this wine today, cheers." ”

Led by Mo Lao, everyone stood up and touched their glasses. However, no one drank it all, everyone took small sips, for fear of swallowing it like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit. Mo Lao took a few sips, and his eyes lit up: "What a mellow wine!" Others also praised: "Good wine!" "The standard jade liquid elixir!" "700 years old, well deserved!"

Otherwise he winked at me and turned the page of the brochure. As soon as I saw it, I immediately understood his intentions - this guy's methods are really ruthless.

The two of us each carried a plate of cold food and brought it to the table. The other people at the table were still indulging in the aging of the Yongle period, and they didn't even notice the waiter coming in to take the dishes. Yao Ran and I quietly came to both sides of Dai Hexuan.

Dai Hexuan was smiling at the cup, and suddenly noticed that there were two more waiters beside him, he glanced at it casually, first stunned, and then his face suddenly became gloomy.

"You two don't go back to Beijing, what are you doing here!" Dai Hexuan was afraid of startling Mo Lao, so he had to lower his voice and shout. Otherwise, he leaned over with a smile on his face and opened the brochure with a snap: "Teacher Dai, we want to ask you to order." ”

Dai Hexuan looked over there and immediately stopped talking.

In the brochure of the Nanjing Museum's collection, there is a page that introduces it, which happens to be a plum vase. This is a piece of "Xiao He Yue chasing Han Xin" blue and white plum vase, unearthed in the 50s in the Ming Dynasty Qianning Wang Muying tomb in the General Mountain, is a national first-class cultural relic, the treasure of the town hall of the city museum. In the text introduction of this plum vase, it is clearly written: There are only three plum vases in the early Ming Dynasty, and in addition to this one, there are two other pieces in the Ataka Museum in Osaka, Japan. There is no fourth piece other than that. (In fact, there is also one in the collection of the National Palace in Taipei, but it was not officially made public until 1996, and no one knew about it before.) ）

Dai Hexuan is so smart, he can know what the medicine is going to do at a glance.

These leaders here just lack common sense, but they are not stupid. As long as someone points out the preciousness of this inner plum vase, they can immediately detect the cattiness in it. There are only three treasures in the world, and you would find the fourth one so easily, and be willing to pick up a hammer and smash the mouth of the bottle?

With these doubts, they will definitely go to someone who understands to ask, and when they ask, they will know that the wine that has been treasured for more than 700 years cannot be drunk at all, not to mention what changes will be made in the quality of the wine, and the permeability of the bottle glaze alone can make this bottle of wine become a bottle of lacquer.

But they did drink half a cup each, and they thought it was good. Why is that? This is because the bottle is filled with other brands of liquor. Ordinary people are very subjective about the taste of wine and can easily be influenced by their surroundings. Dai Hexuan hung up the appetite of these people in front, and then used words to set off, one or two people echoed first, and everyone would feel that this wine was indeed very mellow. To put it bluntly, this is a psychological effect.

When the leaders figure out these things, then there is only one truth - the so-called "Yongle Liquor that has been sealed for 700 years" is simply false.