Chapter 361: Ancestral Relics

Dai Sigong was the second Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine of the Ming Dynasty, and Jiang Yongwen was the third.

Liu Chun was a famous physician of the Ming Dynasty who practiced medicine in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces for over eighty years and lived to be one hundred and twenty-six.

All three of these men authored medical books: *Subtleties of Diagnosis and Treatment*, *Hooking the Origin of Therapeutic Effects*, and *Subtle Meanings of the Jade Machine*.

Do you find the names very similar?

You are right to think so.

These three men were from the same school and shared the same lineage; Dai Sigong and Jiang Yongwen were both disciples of the famous Yuan Dynasty physician Zhu Zhenxiang, while Liu Chun was his grand-disciple. The thoughts and theoretical foundations of the medical treatises written by the three all originated from the medical masterpiece written by Zhu Zhenxiang, *Jinkui Hook Line*.

Besides this, the three also had a senior brother and senior fellow apprentice: the Ming Dynasty man of letters, painter, and physician Wang Lü.

He was Zhu Zhenxiang's eldest disciple and, furthermore, the first Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine of the Ming Dynasty; he took office in the third year of Hongwu and served for twelve years.

It was not until the fifteenth year of Hongwu that Wang Lü submitted the *Petition to Compile the Zhuyou Department*.

To translate: first witchcraft, then medicine; no matter the illness, one must first treat it through talismans and incantations, and if that fails, then use medicine.

This happened just as Ma Huanghou passed away; although Zhu Yuanzhang did not punish the Imperial Academy of Medicine, he was deeply resentful at the time. Upon seeing this memorial, he flew into a rage and immediately dismissed Wang Lü from his position as Head.

At that time, the Prince of Qin, Zhu Sheng, happened to have a carbuncle on his back, so he demoted him to Chief Physician of the Qin Prince Mansion.

After arriving in Chang'an, he cured the Prince of Qin's illness in a few strokes, and with nothing to do, Wang Lü traveled and enjoyed the landscape.

The following year, which was the sixteenth year of Hongwu, Wang Lü visited Huashan; after returning, he spent eight years creating seventy-two paintings, five records, and over one hundred and fifty poems.

This is the famous *Huashan Paintings* of later generations.

At the beginning of the Xuande era, Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, and the fourth Prince of Qin, Zhu Zhijun, offered congratulations, sending all seventy-two *Huashan Paintings* into the palace.

Later, due to wars, most were lost; after the founding of the country, relevant departments conducted a census, and only twenty-nine remained in the Forbidden City. Afterward, the National Cultural Heritage Administration collected more from the public, finding eleven more, which were stored in the Shanghai Museum.

And this one before his eyes should be one of the thirty-two that were not found.

The key is that this one before his eyes is nine times out of ten the main painting: Thirty-six strange peaks of Huashan, with Luoyan as the supreme one.

The mountain ranges are like lotus petals guarding it, with only the South Peak standing proudly like a lotus pod.

These two sentences were not said by Lin Sicheng, but were written by Wang Lü in *Travels to Huashan*.

Then how did Lin Sicheng recognize it?

Because of that medical book: *Hooking the Mysteries of One Hundred Diseases*.

This was written by Wang Lü when he was Head of the Academy and was lost by the end of the Ming Dynasty; only a few words existed in extremely rare historical materials such as the *Veritable Records of the Ming* and the *Diaries of Activity and Repose*.

Moreover, he did not leave his real name on this book, but his pseudonym "Fen Weng," so Lin Sicheng only had a slight impression of it.

But when he saw the prefaces written by Dai Sigong, Jiang Yongwen, and Liu Chun—the first two calling the author "Brother" and the latter calling the author "Master"—and the fact that all three repeatedly mentioned the author as the Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, if Lin Sicheng still could not remember who this was, then his eight years in the Forbidden City would have been wasted.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was only this one Head of the Academy earlier than Dai Sigong.

And in the early Ming, with such powerful brushwork, such a unique painting style, such obvious characteristics, and having painted a colored landscape album of Huashan, there was still only this one.

The Chief Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Lü, Wang Andao.

Just by the fact that this painting was collected by the Imperial Household Department of the Ming and Qing dynasties, if one were to estimate its value, it would be worth more than two five-hundred-thousands—

Thinking secretly, Lin Sicheng flipped further.

He vaguely remembered that *Hooking the Mysteries of One Hundred Diseases* had over a dozen volumes, and this was clearly just one of them. Looking at the content, this volume mainly analyzed four major categories: closed syndrome, collapse syndrome, transformation syndrome, and excess syndrome.

If translated into modern terms: various causes of cerebral infarction, shock caused by various reasons including trauma and blood loss, heart failure caused by various reasons, myocarditis, and sudden myocardial infarction caused by various reasons.

Each category is subdivided into five or six types of illnesses, including pulse analysis, complexion, pathology and symptom analysis, as well as medication, prescriptions, and even emergency methods such as acupuncture.

Lin Sicheng did know a little about traditional Chinese medicine, but he only learned it incidentally; as the saying goes, greed for too much leads to poor digestion, and he had never thought about studying it in depth.

It was enough to confirm that this book was indeed written by Wang Lü and was the long-lost *Hooking the Mysteries of One Hundred Diseases*, rather than a forgery by a later person.

As for how high the value was, Lin Sicheng could not judge for the moment. But at least he knew: just by the Changshan notes and the Hongwu Imperial Household Department woodblock print, this book was worth at least two *Huashan Paintings*.

This did not even count the additional influence of Wang Lü being a famous Ming physician, a renowned medical expert, and having served as Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine for twelve years.

What's more: if it recorded methods for diagnosing rare miscellaneous diseases, or even pulse patterns and illnesses not recorded in current traditional Chinese medicine canons, then the value would absolutely skyrocket.

After flipping through it roughly, Lin Sicheng only looked at the general idea, thinking of buying it first and then finding a traditional Chinese medicine Expert to take a look later.

In a flash of thought, he prepared to put it away; the book was already closed and about to be put into the box when Lin Sicheng suddenly paused.

The moment the pages closed, a line of text suddenly caught his eye: Eight Treasure Tablet, treats fright-epilepsy, stroke, heat toxin, carbuncle, yin deficiency—

Wait, what is this, Eight Treasure Tablet?

Lin Sicheng gave a start and hurriedly opened it, staring word by word: That's right, it is Eight Treasure Tablet.

Looking further down: Panax notoginseng, dragon's blood, musk, bezoar, snake bile—

In an instant, Lin Sicheng's pupils shrank.

He had not studied traditional Chinese medicine in depth and only knew a little about Chinese medicine, but having studied Cultural Relics and history for two lifetimes, he at least knew what the Eight Treasure Tablet in Ming Dynasty palace prescriptions was.

He knew even better which traditional Chinese medicines contained Panax notoginseng, musk, bezoar, and snake bile at the same time.

There is only one: Pien Tze Huang!

This thing is a top-secret national level, and the formula is permanently kept secret; regardless of whether it is because the efficacy is truly as miraculous as the legends say, a life-saving medicine, or because of economic benefits, it is simply top-secret.

To prevent the secret formula from leaking, both the research Center and the production line are guarded by Armed Police.

Lin Sicheng never thought that in his lifetime, he would be able to see it in an ancient medical book?

Not only is there a formula, but it is detailed in great detail:

Treating stroke, treating exuberant heat toxin (sores), treating carbuncles (tumors), treating stasis and heat combined (trauma), treating yin deficiency and fire excess (cancer fever), treating liver accumulation (tumors), and so on and so forth.

Which medicine is the main drug for which disease, which is the secondary drug, what is the dosage for each, and what method is used to process each, are all clearly recorded above.

Having lived two lifetimes, Lin Sicheng was steady and calm enough, but his heart still could not help but beat faster: just this one formula might be worth more than that Rhino Horn Cup he brought back from Hangzhou—

He let out a breath and with a "pop," closed the lid of the box.

In fact, not much time had passed, only five or six minutes, which was not long for someone doing appraisal.

So no one felt anything was abnormal; on the contrary, whether it was Yan Wenjing, Jing Zeyang, or Tang Nanjin, Tang Nan Yan, and even Xu Qin, all knew that Lin Sicheng understood traditional Chinese medicine, so wasn't it normal to look at an ancient medical book for a longer time?

Thinking secretly, Lin Sicheng gathered the three items together: "Fifty thousand, right?"

The young man's spirits lifted, and his eyes lit up with a "ping": buying it just like that, so straightforward?

Immediately, his two eyeballs began to roll around again. Just as he was about to say something, the woman shot him a glare: Do you think he's one of those ignorant coal bosses?

Whether he was knowledgeable or not, she didn't know, and whether he was as rich as a coal boss, she also didn't know, but she at least knew how to read people.

After the mother and son arrived, they only had the Appraiser take a look; it took no more than ten minutes, and the two master craftsmen were already looking impatient.

Yet this young man had been looking for over half an hour, and had the two master craftsmen said anything?

Not only did they not dare to make a peep, they didn't even dare to walk away, just sitting there quietly. What did this signify?

Either this young man was no ordinary person, or his friend was no ordinary person—

While pondering this, the woman smiled: "Right, just as we agreed before, fifty thousand for the three items!"

"Good!" Lin Sicheng nodded and took out his bank card, "Manager, please draft a contract!"

The manager was stunned for a moment.

Of course, he knew what Lin Sicheng meant: escrow transaction. Roughly speaking, it meant paying the money to Daiyuexuan, and then Daiyuexuan would transfer it to the seller.

But Daiyuexuan only provided the escrow account and the transaction contract; they did not provide any guarantee regarding the authenticity or flaws of the items.

The point was that one had to pay an additional seventeen percent commission and three percent tax. On a transaction of fifty thousand, that was ten thousand coming and going.

In 2008, ten thousand yuan was roughly the salary of a Beijing white-collar worker for three years—

The two master craftsmen were also stunned: You're really buying it?

These three items were indeed old objects, and old enough at that, but the problem was, antiques didn't necessarily become more valuable the older they were.

As for that Imperial Edict, those who knew, knew; let alone fifty thousand, even twenty thousand would be a stretch.

That book was missing characters and frames so severely, with so many filled-in strokes, that it was clearly a woodblock print from a small folk workshop. If it had been something like the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, it might have been worth three or five hundred. But *Hooking the Mysteries of All Diseases*? Never even heard of it.

At most, that painting had some value, but it had no name, no seal, no title, and no colophon; it didn't even have a stamp. It was worth two or three thousand at the very top.

And this young man, he didn't even blink at fifty thousand?

The two master craftsmen exchanged a glance: It couldn't be that this person really mistook that patent of nobility for an Imperial Edict, could it?

It was actually possible: judging by his appearance, he was only in his early twenties. At this age, how much of an eye for antiques could he have?

But that was secondary; the key was, who had so much money to burn that they insisted on paying an extra ten thousand?

The more they thought about it, the more something felt wrong. One of them stood up, slightly hunched over, with a smile on his face: "Captain Yan, company policy states that for transactions within the shop, a commission must be collected. What do you think?"

Yan Wenjing was also a bit strange, looking at Lin Sicheng: This was ten thousand yuan, not one hundred. Wouldn't it be better to save it?

Lin Sicheng knew exactly what these two master craftsmen were worried about: "Fine, then let's go to the bank. But I'll have to trouble the manager—could you print out a standard contract for me? A regular bilateral transaction contract will do—"

The two nodded, and one of them gave Yan Wenjing a wink.

Yan Wenjing understood in a second: These two meant that there was a problem with the items!

But to be honest, the two had known each other for so long; was Lin Sicheng professional or not, and was his eye for antiques good or not—didn't Yan Wenjing know?

If Lin Sicheng said it was real, then it was definitely real—

Yan Wenjing shook his head: "Get a contract!"

Good words cannot persuade a ghost destined to die—

With a secret sigh, the two nodded at the manager.

It was just a standard contract; it was only a matter of wasting a few sheets of paper, and the shop had them ready-made.

Seeing the two master craftsmen nod slightly, the manager hurried to the back room and brought out two contracts.

Both parties signed and stamped them on the spot.

After seeing them out the door and watching their retreating backs, the two master craftsmen shook their heads and exchanged a smile.

So-called ignorance is fearless; thinking oneself to have an eye for antiques, they stubbornly treated trash as a treasure.

Fifty thousand, just to buy a High Imitation?

Truly a young man, knowing neither the height of the sky nor the depth of the earth—

There was a branch in Liulichang, just a few steps away; in less than three minutes, the fifty thousand arrived.

Looking at the balance on the woman's phone, the young man beamed with joy. He even left his phone number for Lin Sicheng, saying that when he returned to Xijing, he would definitely treat Lin Sicheng to a meal.

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal, but he also left his number, though it wasn't a Xijing number, but the Beijing number specifically assigned to him by the General Team.

The two parties said goodbye at the entrance of the bank, and as if afraid Lin Sicheng would go back on his word, the mother and son left in a hurry.

Suddenly, five people and ten eyes looked over in unison.

Some were surprised, some were suspicious.

Among these people, Tang Nanjin had the least contact with Lin Sicheng. Although he had never seen Lin Sicheng pick up a bargain with his own eyes, he had read Lin Sicheng's file.

It could be said that starting from scratch, from nothing, in just one year, Lin Sicheng had earned a net worth of at least thirty or forty million.

One couldn't say it was all due to picking up bargains, but at least half of it was from treasure hunting in the antique market.

The key was that he had never misjudged, never missed a shot.

If he dared to spend fifty thousand to buy these three items, he would definitely earn more than fifty thousand—

In a flash, he glanced at the box in Lin Sicheng's hand: "Sicheng, which one is it?"

It couldn't be that all three were genuine, could it?

It wasn't that he couldn't tell them, but the key was that this place wasn't appropriate. With so many people and prying eyes, one doesn't fear a thief stealing, but a thief coveting.

Secondly, it was too shocking; he had to let them have a process of acceptance. Setting everything else aside, just that patent of nobility alone could shock these people into a panic.

Lin Sicheng was ambiguous: "Hard to say, I need to find someone to take a look!"

It's not that you can't say, it's that you don't dare to say, right?

He didn't dare to think about the Imperial Edict, but that painting and that Medical Book definitely had some background; otherwise, Lin Sicheng wouldn't have looked at them for so long.

In a flash, Jing Zeyang's eyes lit up: "Cousin Lin, who are you planning to have look at it? I'll help you find someone—"

"San'er, don't make trouble!" Before he could finish, Tang Nanjin gave him a look, "With Uncle Wang Sanshu here, it's not your turn to find anyone!"

""

Jing Zeyang realized belatedly: That's right, Third Aunt Ji's surname is Ji; what kind of expert couldn't she find?

There is no need to even look for Dean Ji; Third Aunt Ji's teacher is Mr. Liu Anda, a leading expert and a rare titan remaining in the domestic appraisal circle.

Mr. Liu Anda is already ninety-eight years old, so it would certainly be inappropriate to bother him, but his students are everywhere. The National Art Academy, the Calligraphers and Painters Association, and the Forbidden City all have his students, including the well-known domestic calligraphy and painting appraisal expert, Director of the Display Department of the Forbidden City, Sheng Guoan.

There is no need to invite the others; inviting this one person is enough—

Thinking of this, Jing Zeyang became even more excited: "Cousin Lin, when will you look at them? I'll tag along to join in the fun—"

He had already stated outright that he wanted to join in the fun; could you really not let him?

For the few people around him, there was nothing to hide; as for the so-called making a name for oneself, since he had decided to come to Beijing in the future, he would definitely have to build his reputation slowly.

They would find out sooner or later, so to avoid creating a rift, it was better to be generous.

"Sure!" Lin Sicheng looked at the other two, "Brother Yan, Brother Jing, if you want to see, I'll call you once I've made the arrangements!"

Seeing that Lin Sicheng didn't mention her, Tang Nan Yan hurriedly raised her hand: "What about me? What about me—"

The case was still in the investigation stage; where would Tang Nan Yan find the time to join in the fun?

But Lin Sicheng only thought to himself: "Okay, I'll call you, and Section Chief Xu too!"

Tang Nan Yan nodded vigorously, but Xu Qin sighed: The Wang case was at its most critical moment; the technical inspection and technical investigation teams were as busy as a donkey pulling a mill in a tofu shop.

No, even busier than a donkey; Tang Nan Yan had no time, and she had even less time.

She didn't speak, just smiled.

Originally, he was helping Yan Wenjing and Tang Nan Yan look at items, but he hadn't seen the items yet and had instead picked up three pieces himself. Lin Sicheng contacted a nearby restaurant, preparing to treat them to a casual meal.

It was inconvenient to carry the box, so he called Zhao Da and Zhao Er, asking them to take the items back.

It was a coincidence that the two brothers and Zhao Xiuneng happened to be at Liulichang on business; less than five minutes after the call ended, the father and his two sons arrived.

After arriving, they patiently exchanged pleasantries with Yan Wenjing and got to know Tang Nanjin, while Zhao Xiuneng stared straight at the box.

He didn't speak, just watched, and then looked at Lin Sicheng again.

This was not a layman like Tang Nanjin or Yan Wenjing, and furthermore, they were Senior Brothers who had shared life-and-death experiences; it was impossible to fool them casually.

Lin Sicheng was direct: "Senior Brother, we'll talk when I get back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiuneng's heart thumped twice: He knew it would be like this?

If it were just ordinary items, Lin Sicheng wouldn't be in such a rush, calling his apprentice to come and take the items the moment they were in his hands.

And he had specifically emphasized for the two brothers to come together.

If they were ordinary items, Lin Sicheng would have told him directly; there would be no need to be secretive.

It was evident how important the items in the box were.

In an instant, Zhao Xiuneng filled in the blanks, nodding solemnly: "Junior Brother, are we sending them to Professor Wang?"

"Yes, it just so happens that Teacher and his wife are there too; wait for me to return, and we can study them together!"

As expected?

Zhao Xiuneng understood instantly and took the box.

The Senior Brothers were both steady in temperament and spoke without a single leak; the others did not notice anything unusual.

The father and his two sons came quickly and left quickly; the group walked toward the restaurant, talking and laughing.

As they chatted, Yan Wenjing suddenly remembered: "Teacher Lin, I forgot to ask you, why did you have to trade in the shop? Were you afraid that the mother and son would go back on their word?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: Real gold and silver, black and white on paper—how could it be easy to go back on their word?

It was just because they were in someone else's shop; regardless of whether the items were real or fake, as long as you traded, it meant a three-party contract was established. Even if you asked someone to act as a witness, there was no reason to let people help for free.

Otherwise, it would be Stealing Cold Rice or Lower Out of Cage.

As the saying goes, good deeds don't leave the house, but bad deeds spread a thousand miles: if you deliberately manage your reputation, it might not necessarily spread well or loudly. But if you deliberately damage it, you can be sure the whole world will know.

Since he wanted to gain a foothold in Beijing, he had to pay attention when he should.

Lin Sicheng explained briefly, not mentioning anything about reputation or making a name for himself, saying only that it was the custom of the trade.

Suddenly, the expressions of the group became strange again.

What era was this, and they still cared about this?

Thinking back to the clever tricks and strokes of genius he used to deal with Wang Chun, it really didn't have anything to do with being "rigid"—

Just as he was turning these thoughts over, a "buzzing" sound occurred, and Lin Sicheng took out his phone.

He glanced at it, smiled apologetically at the others, and walked to the side with his phone: "Teacher!"

Wang Qi Zhi's voice came through the phone, sounding slightly lazy and yawning repeatedly; it was clear he had just woken up.

"General Manager Zhao just called and said you picked up a few items and want to send them home?"

"Yes, Teacher!"

"What are they?"

Lin Sicheng looked left and right, and seeing no one nearby, lowered his voice: "A painting of Huashan by the Ming Dynasty imperial physician Wang Lü, a volume of his medical book 'Hundred Diseases Hooking Strings', and also a patent of nobility from the Ming Dynasty for Wang Shu—"

At first, Wang Qi Zhi didn't pay much attention. Because he couldn't immediately recall who Wang Lü was, and hearing he was just an imperial physician, he assumed he was a less famous historical figure.

Since he wasn't very famous, he figured the value of the painting or the medical book would be average.

But upon hearing the last sentence, Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: "Wait, who did you say?"

"The famous official of the Great Ming, who served five dynasties and rose to the rank of Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, Wang Shu from Sanyuan, Shaanxi!"

"Good heavens!" Wang Qi Zhi exclaimed, "That's my ancestor!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned: "What?"

"What's there to be surprised about? Who doesn't have a few wealthy relatives in their ancestry? Three generations back, whose family wasn't just peasants?"

Wang Qi Zhi mocked himself: "What did you just say about Wang Shu?"

"A patent of nobility, the imperial conferment: the 'Gao' in 'Zhao, Zhi, Gao, Chi'—"

In an instant, Wang Qi Zhi looked as if he had been stunned.

Just a moment ago, he had been too busy being surprised by "Wang Shu" to pay any attention to what was being said.

But even if one knew nothing else, anyone who had attended school would know what an "Imperial Conferment" was. Not to mention, Wang Qi Zhi was a university professor who taught archaeology and museology, and was furthermore a well-known Cultural Relics Expert.

An Imperial Conferment—this was an Imperial Edict.

The key point was, it was also an heirloom of the Wang ancestors?

With a "buzz," Wang Qi Zhi felt his head go numb: "Where is the item?"

"I asked Senior Brother Zhao to send it back—"

"Oh, right, right—"

Too shocked, he had lost his head—

"No—you shouldn't have ever seen this kind of thing, right?"

"I flipped through some miscellaneous books when I had free time and happened to see it."

Here we go again?

The current Lin Sicheng was fooling him, his teacher, without even a hint of hesitation, just making things up on the spot?

Wang Qi Zhi took a sharp breath, "Lin Sicheng, how certain are you?"

At least ninety-nine percent, but Wang Qi Zhi certainly wouldn't believe that.

The reason was simple: Lin Sicheng, who was only twenty-one, had one hundred percent never seen this thing before—

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Fifty percent, I was planning to find someone to take a look!"

Why would Lin Sicheng need to go looking?

Wang Qi Zhi made a prompt decision: "Leave it alone, I'll find someone, and I'll have your teacher's wife find someone too—come back as soon as you're done, that's all for now—"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a beep.

Listening to the dial tone coming from the phone, Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then looked at the screen: he hung up?

Why was he suddenly so excited?

It felt like even when the teacher first saw the Xu Weili Documents and the Rhino Horn Cup, he hadn't been this agitated.

Never mind, time to eat—

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