Chapter 214: Blind as a Bat?

Several scroll paintings were spread out on the coffee table, and Lin Sicheng examined them carefully.

Without entering the imperial palace, it would be impossible to forge Huang Ji's "Sword-Sharpening Painting" to such a likeness.

Without entering the inner court, let alone painting portraits for the Emperor, he wouldn't even know what the Emperor looked like.

And in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng, Qianlong was already the undisputed heir apparent, only one step away from ascending the throne. This title of "disciple" from Daoist Fan was not something he could just claim whenever he wanted.

To be able to take Qianlong as a master, to enter and exit the inner court freely, to paint portraits for the Emperor, and even to bring imperial portraits out of the palace to be passed down generation after generation?

It is easy to imagine that Daoist Fan was deeply trusted by two generations of emperors and possessed no small amount of capability.

Because of this, he was able to break free from the barriers and establish his own sect.

Unfortunately, his later disciples were unworthy, falling to the point of swindling and cheating, and even selling off the family heirlooms left behind by the ancestors of past generations all at once...

Secretly guessing and pondering, Lin Sicheng glanced at Daoist Jing and pointed to the painting: "Daoist Priest, one hundred thousand for this one, is that acceptable?"

Double what it was before?

Daoist Jing's heart stirred, and he feigned dissatisfaction: "Lay Buddhist, this was penned by the grandmaster of our sect, respectfully depicting the Dharma image of the Changchun Zhenren, the Quanzhen sect leader and founding ancestor of the Longmen Sect!"

Sure enough, he only thought this was the Changchun Zhenren, Qiu Chuji?

"Fine!" Lin Sicheng laughed, "Since the Daoist Priest feels it is inappropriate, then let's roll it back up first."

Daoist Jing looked depressed: Again?

If the words aren't quite to his liking, this kid just drops the matter and stops talking?

Of course, he didn't understand much, but he knew how to read people: every time Lin Sicheng made an offer, Hao Jun would curl his lip. At the same time, a few traces of disapproval would appear in his eyes.

What did that mean? It meant Lin Sicheng's offer was ridiculously high.

Besides, it wasn't the first time they had brought them out to sell; let alone one hundred thousand, there hadn't even been anyone offering ten thousand.

Secretly changing his mind, the Daoist feigned reserve and hesitated for a moment, then rolled it up in a few quick motions and handed it forward again: "One hundred thousand!"

Lin Sicheng nodded and let Zhao Da put it away.

The old Daoist continued to unpack, revealing two more scroll paintings: one was "Purple Qi Comes from the East," featuring a red sun, and the other was "Penglai Immortal Mountain."

Daoist Jing explained as he unpacked: "This 'Purple Qi Comes from the East' was created by the second-generation ancestor, Zizai Zhenren. 'Penglai Immortal Mountain' is the authentic work of the third-generation ancestor, Qiyun Shanren..."

"The two grandmasters were better than their predecessors, proficient and refined in everything from zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting to Daoist alchemy, medicine, and divination... During the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang reigns, the two ancestors provided free medical consultations and medicine, helped those in danger and distress, and widely propagated the Daoist Dharma, earning fame across the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi..."

"In the realm of calligraphy and painting, the two ancestors drew upon the strengths of many, forming their own unique style. Both 'Sequel to the National Dynasty Painting Collection' and 'Mo Xiang Ju Painting Knowledge' (a collection of painter biographies and monographs compiled by the Qing dynasty scholar Feng Jinbo) contain entries on them..."

The old Daoist was quite self-satisfied and spoke incessantly, while Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng were half-believing and half-doubting.

They didn't know about the others, but these two paintings were indeed better than the previous three. Especially "Penglai Immortal Mountain," with its vigorous brushwork and bold ink splashes. It possessed both the surreal artistic conception of Daoist reclusion and the vast, ancient beauty of a landscape pattern, with the momentum of a thousand cliffs and ten thousand ravines.

In the upper right, there was only a short colophon: Second year of Daoguang, written by Qiyun Shanren at Wu Quan Academy.

The calligraphy was even better: archaic, elegant, and robust, with the hidden essence of Zhong (Zhong Yao) and Wang (Wang Xizhi).

With the skill level of this painting and the brushwork of this colophon, the author could not be a nobody.

But Qiyun Shanren... to be honest, neither of them had heard of him.

After watching for a long while, Hao Jun raised his head and pointed to the colophon: "Daoist Jing, may I ask for the Zhenren's name?"

Daoist Jing paused, then shook his head: "This old Daoist dares not speak the grandmaster's name directly!"

What does that mean, he can't say it?

You say he's a famous master, but when asked for his name, you won't say it; how are we supposed to make an offer?

The two looked at Lin Sicheng, and Lin Sicheng still pointed a finger: "Daoist Priest, fifty thousand for this one, is that acceptable?"

The Daoist was stunned: "Lay Buddhist, look closely, these two are much better painted than the previous ones!"

"Is that so?" Lin Sicheng smiled: "Then forget it!"

No, this routine again?

The Daoist thought for a moment and rolled it up.

This painting was definitely worth fifty thousand, but the implications were somewhat heavy, so he couldn't easily say who painted it.

Anyway, he wasn't worried about selling it; if they didn't want it, so be it...

That was all for the paintings, and the Daoist unpacked the pile of small boxes. In no time, he pulled out a dozen or so books and several seals.

A few Daoist classics, essentials of inner alchemy, two books on physiognomy and divination. A few medical books, as well as some miscellaneous essays on calligraphy and painting and treatises on seal carving.

Most were official editions from the mid-to-late Qing dynasty, engraved quite well, and Lin Sicheng flipped through them casually.

When he opened a copy of "Liuzhuang Divine Physiognomy," he couldn't help but pause.

Huh, Kaihua paper?

This was imperial tribute paper from before the Guangxu reign, which had been lost after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. If it could be used for printing books, then this copy must be an inner-court edition.

Looking closer, it was nine times out of ten a Wuying Hall Edition.

The engraving was exquisite, the characters were square, the layout was relatively sparse, and the blank spaces between the lines were filled with annotations.

The handwriting varied, with different styles, clearly not left by one person.

Flipping to the title page, it was densely covered with seals, some large and some small, some intaglio and some relief, totaling more than a dozen.

After carefully identifying them, Lin Sicheng's eyelids jumped: one relief seal, inscribed "Peach Blossom Dock," and slightly to its right, another relief seal with nine characters, inscribed "Joy in Goodness."

At first glance, the seals were not very large, nor particularly eye-catching, but Lin Sicheng could clearly see that these two seals were clearer and neater than the other dozen or so.

If asked why, it was of course because the seal paste used was better, and the carving of the seal was even better.

Secretly palpitating, he flipped to the front again, looking at the regular script interspersed among the dense annotations, and Lin Sicheng didn't know what to say: a waste of heaven's gifts, ruining things.

But then again, if it hadn't been ruined like this, these things wouldn't have ended up in his hands.

Without asking the price, he set it aside and flipped through the pile of Daoist seals.

One "Pure Yang Emperor" (Lv Dongbin), one "Ziyang Zhenren" (Zhang Borui, one of the Five Ancestors of Quanzhen), one "Fuji Emperor" (Wang Zhongyang), and one "Changchun Zhenren" (Qiu Chuji).

In the Quanzhen sect, there is a specific term for this kind of seal: Venerated Divine Holy Immortal, used exclusively for suppressing the altar during fasting and offering rituals.

There were several others, all Daoist seals: the first "Qinghe Hermit," the second "Yiming Mountain Dweller," the third "Yangcheng Daoist," and the fourth "Yuanming Lay Buddhist."

There were nine seals in total, some large and some small, some jade and some copper, with different inscriptions. But basically, they were all the cloud seal script and Jade Chop Seal Script unique to Daoism.

After taking a casual look, Lin Sicheng asked offhandedly, "Does the Daoist Priest's sect still use the Longmen Sect's generation naming system?"

"Of course!"

The old Daoist performed a hand salute, "Although my sect established its own school, our lineage is inherited from Longmen Cave, and our Daoist methods and doctrines are passed down in one continuous line, so naturally, we still follow the Longmen generation naming system... Just like this old Daoist, I am both the twenty-third generation successor of the Natural Sect and the thirty-second generation successor of the Longmen Sect..."

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled: No wonder the Daoist Priest Jing didn't dare to say who the third-generation founder was.

After all, since the Qing Dynasty, the Longmen Sect has always held a dominant position, including now. With this identity, no matter where Daoist Priest Jing goes, he can always make a living.

But as soon as he mentions the third-generation founder, anyone who knows a little history would know that his sect has absolutely no connection to the Longmen Sect...

Just asking offhandedly and taking a rough look, Lin Sicheng put all the seals back.

After pulling his hands back, he suddenly paused, took two looks, and picked up the last one.

It was made of Shoushan stone, the knob was a crouching tiger, and it had standard Jade Chop Seal Script in relief, but the seal was extremely small.

The other seals were either two inches square or three or four inches square, which was ridiculously large. Only this one was only three or four fen, just over a centimeter, like the size of a thumbnail.

Looking at the inscription again, Lin Sicheng's eyelids twitched: "Lay Buddhist Yuanming."

If following the Longmen Sect generation naming system, the founding ancestor of Daoist Priest Jing's sect would be the tenth-generation successor of the Longmen Sect, which is the "Qing" generation. The seal must follow the generation name, which would be "Qinghe Hermit," not the alternative name "Perfected Person Kanggu."

Looking at the hundred-generation poem of the Longmen Sect: Dao, De, Tong, Xuan, Jing, Zhen, Chang, Shou, Tai, Qing. Yi, Yang, Lai, Fu, Ben, He, Jiao, Yong, Yuan, Ming... The character "Yuan" is the nineteenth generation of the Longmen Sect, which is the tenth-generation successor of the Natural Sect.

So at first glance, this was the dharma seal of the old Daoist's tenth-generation ancestor.

In fact, it was not like that at all: this Yuanming was the Yuanming of the "Old Summer Palace."

To put it more directly, this was the Daoist name self-bestowed by Yongzheng when he was an imperial prince.

But with nine seals mixed together, containing both immortals and Daoist names, and this one being so small, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Only after putting it down did Lin Sicheng realize that the others were either turtle knobs, crane knobs, or toads and bats, and only this one was a crouching tiger, which made him realize something was wrong:

How could a Daoist's seal knob be a tiger?

So, it had almost slipped past him.

Looking at the engraving again, then at the seal script... After going back and forth twice, Lin Sicheng's eyelids weren't just twitching; his heart was pounding too.

This look lasted for two or three minutes.

Not to mention Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng, even the old Daoist became suspicious: Could this thing be some kind of treasure?

Seeing this, Lin Sicheng sighed: Having lived two lives, his composure was still lacking.

But he couldn't be blamed: having seen an Imperial Seal, if anyone dared to say they wouldn't be excited and could keep a straight face, Lin Sicheng would dare to kneel down and call them father...

In a flash, he put it down and picked up the three-inch "Qinghe Hermit": the engraving was average, but the material was good, top-quality Hetian Jade.

After looking for three or four minutes, Lin Sicheng put it down and picked up the Field Yellow Stone "Yiming Shanren."

This one was relatively small, about two inches, but he looked at it even longer, for a full five or six minutes.

The Daoist became suspicious again: Which one does this kid actually want to buy?

In this way, with feints and real moves, after looking at the nine seals twice, Lin Sicheng gave a bundle price: "Clear River Hermit," "Righteousness Hermit," and "Lay Buddhist Yuanming," three seals for a total of 250,000.

Daoist Priest Jing didn't hesitate at all, immediately packed them into a box, and pushed it over.

Lin Sicheng struck while the iron was hot: "Add 'Iron Crutch Li,' 'Immortal Riding a Raft,' and that book 'Liuzhuang Divine Physiognomy,' and I'll give you another 300,000!"

Daoist Priest Jing paused and calculated: "Changchun Zhenren" for 100,000, the three seals for 250,000, and this is another 300,000?

Plus the 1.09 million for the Incense Burner. Adding it all up, it was nearly 1.8 million; he could lie flat for the rest of his life without any problems.

The Daoist was satisfied and nodded continuously: "Fine!"

"Still going to the bank?"

"Can do!"

As long as it's possible!

After collecting the items, the group went to the bank. Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng followed behind, constantly exchanging glances.

In their view, only that painting of "Penglai Immortal Mountain" had a little value, and the rest were of average value.

But it was that very one that Lin Sicheng didn't even mention, as if he had forgotten it?

So they guessed: nine times out of ten, Lin Sicheng was playing the "openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chencang" strategy.

There were definitely leaks, but they didn't know which one it was...

They didn't go to the VIP room and finished the transfer directly at the counter; the Daoist's mouth couldn't stop smiling.

He said he wanted to treat them to a meal, but Lin Sicheng declined.

Seeing Senior Brother Hao and General Manager Zhao with their eyes burning with curiosity, how could they have the heart to eat.

After exchanging a few polite words, both sides said goodbye.

There were storage boxes in Zhao Xiuneng's car, so they did some rough sorting. Just as they finished packing, Hao Jun snatched the Mercedes-Benz keys from Zhao Da.

Zhao Da was helpless and had to go drive the Audi.

As soon as they got in the car and closed the doors, Hao Jun couldn't wait: "Did you find a leak?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Pretty much!"

Not counting the rest, that Incense Burner alone was worth two 1.8 millions.

"Which one!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Pretty much all of them!"

What?

The two turned their heads: What happened to the "openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chencang" they agreed on?

They had previously thought that out of seven or eight items, it would be good to have one or two.

Just as they were about to ask, Lin Sicheng picked up the "Lay Buddhist Yuanming" seal and kept tracing his right hand on his thigh.

The two looked at each other and didn't say another word.

Near noon, the street was still full of folk performances; it took over half an hour to drive the roughly five kilometers.

As soon as the car arrived downstairs, Wang Qi Zhi poked his head out from a third-floor window and came running down with a clatter.

The four of them entered the door and ran straight into Ye Anning.

Lin Sicheng was taken aback: "You aren't at work?"

Ye Anning didn't make a sound: with a Haitian auspicious cloud Double Crane Furnace, of which there were only a few in the Forbidden City, how could she have the heart to work?

She hadn't slept much all night, worrying for Lin Sicheng the whole time. She had it all planned out to go with Lin Sicheng in the morning.

But as it turned out, once they were in the car, Lin Sicheng kicked her out. He said that old Daoist was an old hand and might play dirty tricks.

He even said if she didn't get out of the car, he would carry her out...

Ye Anning glared at him: "Where is the incense burner?"

"In the bag!" Lin Sicheng pointed to the case in his hand, "Let's go inside and talk!"

They crowded into the office, and before they could even sit down, Wang Qi Zhi and Shang Yan pushed the door open and entered.

The word "incense burner" was on the tip of their tongues, but the two of them froze in unison: Lin Sicheng was carrying a case, Zhao Xiuneng and Hao Jun were also carrying cases, and Zhao Da was carrying two.

Did they go to buy antiques, or did they go to restock?

Just as they were stunned, Lin Sicheng pointed: "Sister Anning, do you have an account for the National Library?"

"I do!"

"Help me log into the 'Forbidden City Calligraphy and Painting Catalog'; I picked up a few paintings and need to verify them!"

What kind of Calligraphy and Painting would require comparing it against the Forbidden City's collection?

Ye Anning was suspicious, but she moved quickly, sitting down in front of the computer.

Lin Sicheng opened the case and took out the "Sword Sharpening Picture."

Ye Anning had just logged into the account and was stunned for a moment: "The Ming dynasty 'Sword Sharpening Picture' by Huang Ji... no, this is a replica... but, hasn't the original always been in the Forbidden City?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "That's why we need to verify it!"

Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng realized belatedly: since the original has always been in the Forbidden City, where was this one replicated?

The two looked at each other: "The Daoist's grandmaster, did he enter the palace?"

More than just enter the palace?

"If nothing goes wrong, Daoist Fan should have entered the palace in the eighth year of Yongzheng and left the capital in the first year of Qianlong, having stayed in the imperial palace for about six years, and he was deeply trusted by both Yongzheng and Qianlong..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng tapped the keyboard twice and turned the computer around; the group gathered around in a flash.

Looking at the computer screen, then looking at the painting on the coffee table, the group was stunned and speechless.

It wasn't just a matter of resemblance; it was almost exactly the same, as if it had been photocopied.

The only difference: the one on the computer was better preserved, with clear lines and vivid colors. The latter one had been blackened by smoke, and the image was somewhat blurred.

After looking for a long time, not knowing what he thought of, Hao Jun suddenly gave a start and lifted the painting: "General Manager Zhao..."

Zhao Xiuneng realized belatedly and lifted the other end of the painting scroll.

The two took out Magnifying Glasses in unison, looking and touching, and finally even scraped at it:

The paper was Carving Flowers stationery, the ink was Hui ink from the Three Weaving Bureaus, and the pigments included azurite, foreign green, silver cinnabar, vermilion... and even during the Rendering, was gold leaf applied and powder pasted?

In short, it was all Imperial Tribute from the inner palace...

But how did they not notice it at the time, as if they were blind?