Chapter 216: Not Worth Mentioning

"This... this... this..."

Shang Yan stuttered as if her tongue had become tangled in her mouth, and after "this-ing" several times, she finally spat out two complete words: "Yongzheng?"

No one spoke; the air seemed to have frozen solid.

Hao Jun took the seal into his hands and stared at it for a long time.

It would have been one thing if no one had pointed it out, but once that layer of window paper was pierced, everything suddenly became clear: the engraving of this seal, even if not from the inner palace, was at the very least official-made.

After pondering for a while, he held it up again: "Junior Brother Lin, where was this engraved?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "There were only two places for imperial seal-making in the Qing Dynasty: one was the Imperial Casting Bureau of the Ministry of Rites, and the other was the Imperial Household Department Jade Workshop. But this piece is less than four fen wide and less than three fen high, with no titles or ranks in the inscription, neither official nor professional; it certainly isn't from the Casting Bureau!"

"Look at the engraving: the lines are smooth and fine, the curved surfaces are rounded and polished, the tiger knob uses the 'reducing ground' technique to highlight the main decorative patterns, combined with shallow relief and high relief, creating progressive layers. The vessel shape is exquisite, the body is delicate, and the intaglio lines are repeatedly polished... it is typical of the Qing Imperial Household Department's jade craftsmanship."

Zhao Xiuneng gasped: "An Imperial Seal?"

It wasn't that exaggerated.

Lin Sicheng shook his head and pointed to the tiger knob above: "Zhao Shixiong, look at the knob: since it is a crouching tiger, it must denote a military rank. This seal should have been carved after the fifty-first year of Kangxi, when Yinzhen was appointed as a Minister of the Imperial Guard and in command of the Forbidden Army... At that time, Yinzhen had just been enfeoffed as Prince Yong, so at most, it can be considered a Prince's leisure seal..."

"Hehe..."

Hao Jun gave a dry, mirthless laugh: Even if it is a leisure seal, this is still a leisure seal from when the Emperor was a Prince!

Lin Sicheng said it wasn't an Imperial Seal, but that was only according to the Great Qing ritual system. But for private collectors, this is an Imperial Seal.

Because Yongzheng had been an Emperor.

Setting that aside, and putting everything else aside, let's just talk about how expensive it is.

There has never been any record of a Yongzheng seal circulating among the public, let alone any transaction records, but one can make a horizontal comparison: in 2003, at a Sotheby's Hong Kong auction, a leisure seal of "Bamboo Relieves the Heart's Emptiness" from when Qianlong was a prince sold for 3.7 million.

In 2005, at a Christie's Japan auction, "Jingshe Jingxun" from when Qianlong was a prince sold for 5.2 million.

Although those two were much larger than this one and the material was slightly better—both being Hetian White Jade—just consider one point:

Qianlong was known as a 'seal-stamping maniac,' with over 1,800 seals that can be verified. There are at least two or three hundred, if not five hundred, circulating on the market.

Whereas for Yongzheng, there isn't a single one...

Even if this one is only the size of a fingernail, if it went for four million, Hao Jun would dare to chew it up and swallow it.

In an instant, his eyes began to glow, and just as he was about to ask "Are you selling it?", Wang Qi Zhi glanced at him.

Hao Jun paused and swallowed his words.

That's right, Lin Sicheng's head hadn't been kicked by a donkey, had it?

He had been impulsive for a moment and lost his composure: as a friend, such a question shouldn't even be asked.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he looked around aimlessly and picked up the last book, "Liu Zhuang's Physiognomy."

He had intended to cover up his awkwardness, but as he flipped through it casually, he froze again:

"'Liu Zhuang's Physiognomy'... and it's a Wuying Hall Edition?"

This book is not ordinary: the "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries" only contains four books on physiognomy, and "Liu Zhuang's Physiognomy" is one of them, and it is the only one personally selected for inclusion by Qianlong.

Muttering to himself, he opened the cover: Tsk, so many seals?

Big ones, small ones, round ones, square ones—there were twenty or thirty in total, and on the small two pages of paper, they were stamped densely.

"'Returning to Truth,' 'Listening to Clouds Hall,' 'Coming Jade Hermit,' 'Embracing Simplicity,' 'Nurturing Virtue Pavilion'... eh, 'Clear River Hermit'? It seems this was passed down from the Daoist Fan?"

Hao Jun identified them one by one, muttering to himself. But as he looked, he suddenly stopped.

Zhao Xiuneng glanced over: "What's wrong?"

"General Manager Zhao, look at this..." Hao Jun pointed with his finger, "This Nine Fold Seal Script one, this is Leshan something... Leshan, right?"

"Right, it is Leshan!"

Zhao Xiuneng also muttered, and then his pupils contracted.

At first glance, it looked quite ordinary. The artistic conception wasn't even as high as the previous "Returning to Truth" or "Embracing Simplicity." If a hundred people looked at it, ninety-nine point nine would just take it for a leisure seal and glance past it.

But they had just seen the portraits of the two emperors and the Prince's leisure seal of Yongzheng. Anyone with even a little knowledge of Qing history would think of the Leshan Hall where Qianlong studied when he was a prince the moment they saw "Leshan."

Hao Jun hadn't been there, and neither had Zhao Xiuneng, so they weren't clear on exactly where it was. But they at least knew that Qianlong's most proud collection of poetry and prose, the "Leshan Hall Collection," was created at Leshan Hall.

Rongbaozhai had once auctioned two volumes of the Imperial edition, and they were stamped with this very seal; Zhao Xiuneng had also seen calligraphy and painting from the Qing palace collection stamped with the "Joy in Goodness" Hall seal, and it was this same seal.

Looking carefully again, and trying hard to recall: it was exactly the same...

The two continued to look further down, went back and forth twice, and then simultaneously reached out and pointed to "Peach Blossom Dock" next to "Leshan."

At first glance, the meaning was also quite ordinary; if you pulled out ten scholars from the Ming and Qing dynasties, at least three or four would have such a leisure seal. It wasn't even as nice-sounding as the previous "Tingyun Hall" or "Yangzhuo Pavilion."

But the problem was, looking at the engraving and the seal-cutting style, it was no different from that "Leshan" seal.

Comparing it again with the "Resident of the Old Summer Palace" seal from just now: these two seals had a more orderly structure, finer lines, and more rigorous characters.

This was clearly "Qianlong Craft" from the peak period of the Imperial Household Department's jade workshop...

The two looked at each other, then raised their heads and stared at Lin Sicheng: "Is this book from Qianlong's collection?"

"Qianlong established his heir status relatively early, but was enfeoffed as a Prince relatively late; this can be considered a book from his collection when he was a prince..."

Lin Sicheng nodded and pointed to "Leshan": "There were originally two locations. One was in the Old Summer Palace, built at the end of the Kangxi reign and bestowed upon Qianlong in the fourth year of Yongzheng. Yongzheng personally inscribed the plaque, the garden was named 'Peach Blossom Dock,' and the hall was named 'Leshan'..."

"Qianlong studied here and wrote the 'Leshan Hall Collection.' After ascending the throne, he expanded it and renamed Peach Blossom Dock to 'Wuling Spring Scenery,' making it one of the Forty Views of the Old Summer Palace..."

"The other was at the Qianxi Second Residence in the Forbidden City. When Qianlong was still Hongli, Yongzheng bestowed it upon him as his residence when he married, and personally inscribed the 'Leshan Hall' plaque. After Qianlong ascended the throne, it was changed to Chonghua Palace..."

The few of them looked at each other: the meaning was that whether it was Peach Blossom Dock or Leshan Hall, it only existed for seven or eight years from beginning to end?

With such constant changes, who could remember it unless they specifically studied it?

Including this "Leshan," if it weren't for the fact that Qianlong's "Leshan Hall Collection" was so famous and the editions were so widely circulated, Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng wouldn't have been able to recall it at all.

Yet Lin Sicheng remembered it clearly, in such great detail?

Secretly astonished, Hao Jun turned the front page.

The engraving was excellent, the characters were clear, the structure was orderly, and it was spacious. There was only one drawback: there were too many handwritten annotations; the small regular script was like ants, written even more densely than the original text.

After staring at it carefully for a few moments, he flipped past it, but feeling that something was wrong, Hao Jun flipped back.

There were five or six different handwritings in total; the rest were in regular script, written neatly with rigorous structure, the characters revealing respect, the handwriting subtly showing humility.

Only one person wrote in running-regular script?

The calligraphy was not bad, elegant and charming, rounded and beautiful. But the feeling was extremely free and easy, and it revealed a sense of casualness.

The key was, the more Hao Jun looked at this writing, the more familiar he felt it was?

Subconsciously, he flipped further down; every few pages, a few passages would appear. Hao Jun looked while tracing on the table.

After flipping through more than a dozen pages, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind; he suddenly looked up, the flesh on his face twitching twice.

No wonder it felt so familiar?

Rongbaozhai specializes in Calligraphy and Painting, has been rooted in Beijing for three hundred years, and how many authentic works by Qianlong have they auctioned and appraised, let alone just one?

Looking down again, the more he looked, the more it looked like it?

After pondering for a good while, Hao Jun moved his lips: "This is an Imperial Brush by Qianlong!"

What is it?

Several people leaned forward abruptly.

But it was useless; apart from Ye Anning, none of the others had even seen what Qianlong's handwriting looked like.

They all turned their heads in unison; Lin Sicheng remained calm and unruffled.

Turning the computer again, the screen showed a piece of "Lüduan Jieqing".

"This is the earliest authentic work by Qianlong that has survived to this day. During this period, he specialized in imitating Mi Fei and Dong Qichang, mostly writing in running-regular script and running script... the dots and strokes are rounded and even, the structure is graceful and smooth, but the characters are slightly too thin and long, lacking variation and charm..."

"In his middle years, he specialized in Zhao Mengfu, blending the spirit of the two Wangs; the characters gradually became fuller, and the style gradually became vigorous..."

Lin Sicheng spoke earnestly, but no one was listening at all. Eight people, men and women, young and old, had sixteen eyes wandering back and forth, now on the book, now on the screen.

Even Zhao Da and Zhao Er, who had the poorest skills in Appraisal, could distinguish that the handwriting on the book and on the computer was from the same person.

Flipping through it again in a hurry, it was still a bound volume of "three scrolls in one," and from time to time, one could flip to extremely conspicuous annotations in running script and running-regular script.

A rough calculation showed that even if there weren't a thousand characters, there were at least seven or eight hundred.

This was even rarer, rarer than Qianlong's seals.

It is unknown how many are treasured in the Forbidden City, but the number of authentic Qianlong works circulating among the people, counting both calligraphy and painting, does not exceed thirty.

Let's add it all up: an Imperial Brush by Qianlong, a Yinzhen seal, two imperial portraits, and a Double Crane Furnace... I wouldn't dare say ten pieces worth two million each, but six or seven pieces worth two million each is easy.

And Lin Sicheng only spent a fraction of that?

Wang Qi Zhi's eyes gleamed, sweeping over the Incense Burner, the portraits, the seals, and the "Physiognomy of the Willow Villa". Afterwards, they landed on the faces of Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng.

Zhao Xiuneng was calm and composed, not caring at all, while Hao Jun's face couldn't help but turn red.

You can't blame Wang Qi Zhi for such a look: these things were looked at by the three of them together, right?

But what was the result?

Even just now, when Lin Sicheng took these things out, Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng were still suspicious: they knew Lin Sicheng had picked up a bargain, but they didn't know where the bargain was, or what was tricky about each piece.

But this couldn't be blamed on them: there were eight items, and Lin Sicheng only looked at them for half an hour from start to finish. And at least ten minutes of that was spent acting.

Averaging less than three minutes per item, Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng wanted to look more carefully, but they had to have the time to do so.

To go into detail, let's talk about the three paintings first: even if they were asked to evaluate them again now, Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng would still dare to pat their chests and say: the paintings are very ordinary.

But who would have thought that these things were actually imperial portraits? You don't look at whether the painting is good or not, but whether it looks like the person.

For example, Ye Anning, she stayed in the Forbidden City longer, right, and specialized in Calligraphy and Painting, and had seen both original works. Think about her reaction when she saw the paintings:

Vaguely, it seemed familiar... even she was like that, let alone Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng?

Let's talk about the seal of Yinzhen: it was either "Clear River Hermit", or "Righteousness Hermit", or "Mysterious Perfection Daoist"... all ten or more seals, large and small, were Daoist seals. Which one wasn't bigger than this one, and which one wasn't made of better material than this one?

What's even more ghostly is: even according to the genealogy of the Longmen Sect, this seal still matches; how were they supposed to appraise it?

Let's talk about the Imperial Brush by Qianlong: at first thought, it's quite simple, as if there's only a layer of window paper separating it; as long as you recognize Qianlong's handwriting, you can infer the origin of this thing.

The problem is, you have to first conclude that this thing is related to the imperial palace. Secondly, you have to recognize the inconspicuous "Leshan" and the incomprehensible "Peach Blossom Dock" from a pile of messy, miscellaneous seals, and only then can you connect it to Qianlong.

To tell the truth, if Lin Sicheng hadn't pointed it out, Hao Jun wouldn't have thought this was an Imperial Brush by Qianlong even if he thought about it for another eighty years.

And that furnace: it was just a common material of wrought copper, the decorative patterns were double cranes, the border was sea waves and auspicious clouds, the bottom had the mark of the "Dust-Breaking Recluse", and the shape was strange. No matter who you showed it to, they would think it was a Daoist Incense Burner, at most one with a long history.

Unless you sent it to the Forbidden City, otherwise no matter where else you sent it, if you told the Expert that this was an Incense Burner used by Yongzheng when he was practicing Daoism, would they not spit in your face?

What, Dust-Breaking Recluse... are you kidding me?

If Yongzheng had ever used this Daoist name, wouldn't it have been recorded in the History Books?

There were indeed records at the time, but three days after Yongzheng died, Qianlong burned them all clean with a fire...

And Peach Blossom Dock, Shuanghe Studio, they only existed for five or six years, and it's been almost three hundred years since the names were changed; who could remember them so clearly?

Therefore, it's not that Hao Jun and Zhao Xiuneng's eyes weren't good enough, and it's even less that they lacked experience, but that Lin Sicheng was too monstrous...

For a moment, there was shock, and stunned silence.

After a long time, Wang Qi Zhi let out a sharp breath: "How did such things end up in the hands of a Daoist?"

Several people paused, nodding continuously.

At this point, it's not hard to judge the authenticity; one just needs to appraise the paper, the ink marks, the composition of the ink paste, and Qianlong's handwriting.

But apart from authenticity, if you want to maximize profits, you also have to look at whether the provenance is orderly, and its history.

And don't underestimate these two points: in 2009, a Henan farmer named Zhu Yun took an authentic Qianlong work passed down in his family, the "Songyang Han Cypress Painting", to participate in a nationwide popular Appraisal program, and it was finally appraised as a fake by the Expert Liu Yan, who bought it for seventeen.

A year later, at the Beijing Poly autumn auction, it sold for a full eighty-seven million three hundred and sixty thousand.

Afterwards, everyone said the Expert was too dark-hearted and Zhu Yun was too honest. But many people didn't know that before going on the show, Zhu Yun had sought out no fewer than ten experts, but the appraisal result each time was two words: fake!

If you ask why?

In 2009, an era when people still used candy-bar phones, how many experts had seen an authentic Qianlong work?

Looking again, apart from Qianlong's own ten seals, there wasn't even a single extra appraisal seal; would you dare to say this is an authentic Qianlong work?

And asking where it came from... ancestral inheritance?

Heh heh...

Don't talk about seventeen thousand; the two brothers sold it for four or five years, and no one wanted it even for seven thousand. That's why it sold so quickly in the end.

Looking back at *Physiognomy of the Willow Village*: there are quite a few seals, and even more annotations, roughly equivalent to collector's inscriptions. But the problem is, are they all Daoists?

One doesn't even know who they are; it would be better if not a single seal were stamped, and not a single extra word were written. That is why, when Lin Sicheng first saw it, he said it was a waste of a precious object, ruining the thing.

Nowadays, if one wants to sell it for a high price, one can only find a way to verify its provenance...

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Records regarding Fan Qinghe are limited to a few sparse lines in the Local Chronicles. I don't know if there are records in the Forbidden City's historical materials, but I estimate they are hard to check.

Because on the third day after Yongzheng died, Qianlong issued an edict to destroy all the altars and alchemy rooms in the palace. At the same time, he burned all materials related to Yongzheng's Daoist cultivation, alchemy, and ingestion of elixirs, and issued a gag order..."

"Of course, it's just hard to check; traces can still be found!"

Lin Sicheng gestured in a circle: "It's a Prince's seal, imperial calligraphy, and an imperial portrait... There is only one possibility for being able to bring these things out of the palace: Imperial Gift! But the problem is, with such heavy Imperial Favor, how could he be completely unknown in history?"

"Just take one point: for Fan Qinghe to enter the palace, there must have been an imperial decree of summons, and the local government must have had a record. Even if the materials in the palace were all burned by Qianlong, the local historical records of Gansu must have recorded it; it's impossible not to be able to find it... But the problem is, one really can't find it?"

"So I suspect that after the Daoist Qinghe left the palace, he might have changed his name, or perhaps he wasn't from Lanzhou at all. However, it was relatively far from Beijing and relatively remote, so he ran to Gansu... The reason is not hard to guess: he was afraid of Qianlong's fickleness and being held accountable after the fact..."

Zhao Xiuneng scanned left and right: "If he was expelled from the palace, even if it were an Imperial Gift, it should have all been confiscated."

"Zhao Shixiong, it wasn't necessarily that he was driven out; it could have been a voluntary resignation! Because at that time, Qianlong did not drive away all the Daoists recruited by Yongzheng; he only drove away the part that practiced alchemy, and many remained. For example, Lou Jinyuan..."

Lin Sicheng tapped on the keyboard a few times, and several people gathered around.

Lou Jinyuan studied under the Daoist Zhou Dajing of the Three Brilliances Courtyard on Longhu Mountain. In the fifth year of Yongzheng, he followed the Celestial Master Zhang Xilin to the court to offer congratulations (entered Beijing to meet the Emperor). While serving in the capital, he prepared for rituals and held a concurrent post for imperial diagnosis (treating Yongzheng's illnesses).

In the eighth year of Yongzheng, (Yongzheng) bestowed upon Lou Jinyuan a pair of imperial calligraphy couplets...

In the ninth year of Yongzheng, (Yongzheng) was unwell, so he ordered Lou Jinyuan to treat him, and the illness began to heal. Having proven effective in treating the Emperor's illness, he was enfeoffed as the Fourth-Rank Superintendent of Longhu Mountain and Abbot of Qin'an Hall.

In the first month of the twelfth year of Yongzheng, he was bestowed an imperial calligraphy plaque, a pair of imperial calligraphy couplets, and an imperial poem by Lou Jinyuan...

On New Year's Day (the day Qianlong ascended the throne), Lou Jinyuan was granted a promotion to the Third Rank, with honors extending to his ancestors, father, and family members...

In the first year of Qianlong (the year after his ascension), he ordered Lou Jinyuan to manage the seal affairs of the Daoist Registry in the capital and to be the abbot of Dongyue Temple and other places, with the rest remaining as before.

In the third year of Qianlong, he was bestowed a pair of imperial calligraphy couplets...

In the fifth year of Qianlong, he was bestowed an imperial poem and a piece of imperial calligraphy...

In the eighth year of Qianlong, he was granted the opening of a sect and preaching at Daguangming Hall (a Qing Dynasty royal Daoist temple)..."

In the fifteenth year of Qianlong, he was imperially titled the Perfected Person Miaozheng and bestowed a golden tripod and a jade furnace. He concurrently managed the Daoist Registry (the highest institution in charge of Daoist affairs in the Qing Dynasty) and the Superintendent Office of Longhu Mountain..."

There were dozens of dense entries; from entering the capital in the fifth year of Yongzheng to the forty-first year of Qianlong when Lou Jinyuan passed away, the rewards for Lou Jinyuan never stopped for forty-eight years.

There were imperial calligraphy couplets, imperial calligraphy poems, and imperial calligraphy plaques... Just the seals with inscriptions in the handwriting of Yongzheng and Qianlong alone numbered thirteen.

He also enfeoffed Lou Jinyuan's father, ancestors, and family, and concurrently managed the Daoist sects of the world.

Even the Longhu Mountain of that time was managed by Lou Jinyuan; he was Third Rank, while the Orthodox Celestial Master Zhang Yulong was only Fifth Rank and had to bow to him when they met. Can one see how heavy the Imperial Favor was?

The root cause was that he knew how to treat illnesses and his medical skills were exceptionally high. It is estimated that it was also because of Lou Jinyuan that Yongzheng lived two more years. Grateful for this, Qianlong was extremely generous.

Looking back and comparing: these few items of Fan Qinghe suddenly become much more reasonable.

Because Fan Qinghe also knew how to treat illnesses; the historical records state it clearly: Liu Yiming... suffered from a serious illness at seventeen, and for five years, he visited famous doctors in the three provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu, and no medicine could cure him... He met the Daoist Fan, and the illness began to heal.

It is hard to say if he was also treating Yongzheng's illnesses during his six or seven years in the palace. In his gratitude, Yongzheng bestowed that Double Crane Furnace and that seal.

Moreover, he had the relationship of teacher and student with Qianlong, and then that painting of *Changchun Zhenren*: "To celebrate the longevity of Changchun Zhenren, disciple Fan Zhengze respectfully presents."

Compared to this, compared to the heavy Imperial Favor and numerous rewards of Lou Jinyuan, these things on the table are simply not worth mentioning...