Chapter 426: National Treasure-Level Artifacts

The two shook hands, and Lv Chenglong said half-jokingly, "Little Lin, you didn't need to send a car; we could have just hailed a taxi. Why did you have to make the trip yourself?"

Lin Sicheng smiled, "I had a small errand to run on the way!"

They were old friends, and since they were about to cooperate with the Palace Museum Porcelain Research Institute to jointly conduct Artifact Research on Shadow Blue Porcelain and Thin-body Porcelain, there was truly no need to be overly formal.

But when he learned that General Manager Chen from Hong Kong had smashed that Brush Washer, Lin Sicheng felt it was better that he come in person.

Being able to thrive in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, this General Manager Chen was definitely no simple character. Moreover, before long, Lin Sicheng would need to have Feng San and Hu Hai go abroad to help him investigate the origins of those few Brush Washers; if they were targeted by this General Manager Chen, they wouldn't be able to accomplish a thing.

The problem was that the two sides not only had a grudge, but it was a blood feud passed down from the previous generation.

Lin Sicheng knew full well that this knot could not be untied, but he still wanted to try. He didn't ask to shake hands and make peace or turn hostility into friendship, but at least he had to slow things down.

More importantly, that Brush Washer was truly quite significant. Even though it had already become a broken piece, it was still quite significant.

In fact, from another perspective: it was better that it was broken. It saved him from having to hesitate over which of the five in his possession would be appropriate to smash—

Thinking this to himself, he raised his head and took a look.

It was very high, about twenty stories up, and with the glass in between, he could only vaguely see a few figures standing behind the window.

But Lin Sicheng was certain that one of them was that General Manager Chen.

He turned around and waved his hand; with a "clatter," the door of the Santana was pushed open. Feng Laosan, Hu Hai, and Ding Aqin got out of the car one after another.

But the three of them didn't move, just standing by the side of the Santana.

Lin Sicheng took out his phone again, gestured toward the building, and then dialed a number.

Upstairs, Chen Weihua narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the Santana.

He hadn't yet figured out if this man surnamed Lin and these three were in the same group. If not, why were they together?

But he at least knew that these three petty thieves truly didn't hold him in any regard.

Since they dared to deliver themselves to his doorstep, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Just as he was fuming, "ring-a-ling," the phone on the coffee table rang.

Chen Weihua was stunned for a moment and glanced down: Lin Sicheng was holding up his phone and waving it at him, signaling that he was the one calling.

What does this person want?

Suspicious, he picked up the phone and answered.

A gentle laugh came from the other end: "Hello, General Manager Chen, my surname is Lin; we have met!"

Not knowing if he was friend or foe, and with a high probability that this person might become an enemy, Chen Weihua's tone was not very good: "Yes, we've met, so what?"

"There were some misunderstandings before; could I ask General Manager Chen to do me the favor of talking in person?"

Heh—now you tell me this is a misunderstanding?

And what does it have to do with you?

"How shall we talk?" Chen Weihua suppressed his anger, "And in what capacity are you coming to talk to me?"

"Business is business, General Manager Chen; we are both businessmen, and I don't think there is anything that cannot be discussed. As for the capacity—" Lin Sicheng smiled and pointed behind him, "We were strangers before, but now we can be considered friends!"

"They are your friends, but they are not my friends!" Chen Weihua's voice was cold, "If you want to stick your neck out, fine, bring two million first!"

"Alright!"

Chen Weihua was taken aback.

This "Alright" from Lin Sicheng left him unable to respond.

This was two million, not two hundred.

In the underworld, where is there any logic to spitting out meat once it's in your mouth?

Chen Weihua narrowed his eyes, staring at the three swindlers by the car.

If he were to tell the truth: what is two million? If this were abroad, he could make these three swindlers regret why their mothers ever gave birth to them.

But this was in the Mainland?

And he was very clear: compared to revenge and venting his anger, what was more important was how to minimize the impact of this incident.

Being fooled was not scary, and being swindled was even less scary. In this line of work, who could claim they had never misjudged or fallen into a trap?

The problem was that the swindle he fell for this time was too cliché, and what was more serious was the item that made him fall for it: a foreign imitation?

Business partners wouldn't care how much like the real thing this item was imitated to be; they would immediately suspect: Chen Weihua, is that all the eye you have?

Therefore, the top priority was how to suppress this matter so it wouldn't become the talk of the town.

As long as he could get back those two million and make this group of swindlers bow their heads and admit their mistake, once the business partners knew, they wouldn't mock him; instead, they would hold him in higher regard.

The reason was simple: this was the Mainland, not Hong Kong or Taiwan, and certainly not abroad—

Thinking of this, Chen Weihua forcibly suppressed his anger: "Boss Lin, where shall we talk?"

"I want to invite General Manager Chen to look at a few items, so I must ask you to move!"

Chen Weihua pondered for a moment: "Look at what?"

"The same as the one General Manager Chen smashed before, a Japanese-imitation Sky Blue Glaze Brush Washer!"

Japanese imitation, and more than one?

Chen Weihua stared at the broken porcelain shards on the table and thought for a long while: "Alright, I will come down shortly!"

After hanging up, he turned around and looked at Yang Boda and Ye Peilan: "That person said he has several such Brush Washers?"

The two looked downstairs and then exchanged a glance: sure enough, it was Lin Sicheng?

Seeing them not speaking, Chen Weihua frowned: "But if it's a Japanese imitation, why is it worth so much money?"

Because Lin Sicheng dared to spend eight million.

But that was just their guess, and it wasn't easy to speak too definitively. Yang Boda thought for a moment: "General Manager Chen will know once you go and take a look!"

"Are you two going?"

Yang Boda did not hesitate: "We won't go; Zhaoting can go!"

This time it wasn't for appraisal, and certainly not for admiring treasure, but for making peace. And in all likelihood, a conflict would occur.

They were not young people; naturally, they were curious, but they had long since passed the age of enjoying watching a spectacle.

Chen Weihua expressed his understanding and then dialed the driver again.

It rang four or five times before it was answered, and Chen Weihua said straightforwardly: "Tell your people to wait a moment, don't be in a rush to act, go prepare the car first, and go on a trip with them!"

"Mr. Chen, why?"

"That man surnamed Lin said he is willing to pay!"

The driver stared at the three swindlers outside the hotel, looking completely bewildered: How could there be such a good thing?

"Mr. Chen, could there be a trap?"

Chen Weihua paused for a moment: "A Jun, this is the Mainland!"

Of course I know this is the Mainland?

But if pieces of trash like that dare to stand on our heads and shit, if we act like shrinking turtles this time, how will we get by in the future?

The driver looked unwilling: "Mr. Chen, so this matter, are we just going to let it go like this?"

Chen Weihua sighed: "A Jun, we are businessmen, not a triad."

Even if it were a triad, whether it's hacking people or negotiating, isn't the ultimate goal still for money?

There was no time to explain, and Chen Weihua said in a cold voice: "Suppress the matter first; if you want to settle the score, we'll talk about it later!"

"Mr. Chen, I understand!"

A three-paneled storefront, antique and elegant.

Standing above the door was a large vertical plaque: Baishan Studio.

After getting out of the car, Chen Weihua took a look. Three men were standing on the steps; the older one was over sixty, and the two younger ones were in their thirties.

They must have known those people from the Forbidden City, as they shook hands and chatted and laughed.

Lin Sicheng waited specifically at the bottom of the steps and gestured to the side: "General Manager Chen, please!"

Chen Weihua nodded slightly and looked at those behind him.

That's right, it was that man in the cotton jacket, that woman, and that Pangzi who was impersonating Liu Yida.

After a rough glance, Chen Weihua paused slightly: The two in front were fine, expressionless, and nothing could be read from them. But he didn't know if it was an illusion, he just felt that this Pangzi was hostile toward him, as if there were knives hidden in his eyes.

Just as he was feeling suspicious, the man who had previously shaken hands with Lv Chenglong came down the steps, and Lin Sicheng introduced them from the center: "General Manager Chen, this is Senior Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Xiuneng did not shake hands, but instead cupped his fists: "General Manager Chen, nice to meet you, I am Zhao Xiuneng!"

Chen Weihua was stunned for a moment: This demeanor clearly belonged to a man of the underworld.

The rust on his hands was thick, and one could clearly see the brown spots on his face and neck. There was no need to guess; he had been Grave Robbing for years.

Moreover, his aura was very strong, with a hint of ferocity hidden between his brows.

But what was strange was that Chen Weihua did not remember ever hearing of a figure named "Zhao Xiuneng."

Seeing him frowning and struggling to recall, Zhao Xiuneng smiled: "Thanks to the kindness of my peers in the underworld, in my earlier years, I had a nickname: Zhao Polan—"

Before he finished speaking, several people were stunned in unison, including Chen Weihua, as well as his secretary—who was not young—and the driver who doubled as a bodyguard.

If it were Zhao Xiuneng, they naturally wouldn't know, but if it were Zhao Polan, it was truly like thunder to the ears.

The reason was simple: at least nine out of ten pieces of antique art abroad flowed out from the country. And of these nine pieces, at least eight did not come from legitimate sources.

Therefore, for an antique dealer like Chen Weihua, as long as it was a major player based in the country, he wouldn't dare say he knew them all, but he had at least heard of them all.

What's more, Zhao Xiuneng had been able to stand tall for decades without falling, and in the end, was even able to retreat unscathed; he could be called a legend in the world of Grave Robbing.

Chen Weihua did not dare to be negligent and cupped his fists: "Manager Zhao!"

Immediately, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the three swindlers beside him: "Is Manager Zhao the patron of these three?"

"General Manager Zhao has misunderstood; I washed my hands of that years ago. These few are new friends my Junior Brother has met."

Zhao Xiuneng smiled and emphasized again, "Junior Brother Lin does not engage in crooked business!"

A Senior Brother who didn't mix in the straight path had a Junior Brother who didn't engage in crooked business; it seemed this man surnamed Lin only did Artifact Restoration. And his skills were so high, and he was so young, he must have apprenticed with his skills already in hand.

Since he had such ability and such a background, why was he entangled with a few con artists?

Just feeling suspicious for a moment, Chen Weihua did not ask any more questions.

The group entered the shop and then went into a private room.

Lin Sicheng did not deliberately separate the people; everyone went into the private room.

Just as they sat down, he got straight to the point, took out a check, and pushed it forward.

Looking at the "2" at the very front and the long string of zeros behind it, Chen Weihua narrowed his eyes: Is he really giving it?

As the saying goes, money in the pocket is safe; logically, he should take the check and immediately have his secretary go to the bank. Only after the money arrived in the account would he talk about other things.

But Chen Weihua didn't quite understand: Who was paying this money, the man surnamed Lin or these three swindlers?

Secondly, why would they spit out fat meat that had already been eaten?

Although he was a Hong Kong businessman, Chen Weihua at least knew how big China was. If this group of swindlers was determined to scam him, they could take the money and run; with his connections, he definitely wouldn't be able to catch them in a short time.

If it dragged on for a year or a year and a half, the opportunity would be long gone.

Therefore, Chen Weihua did not move, just staring at Lin Sicheng. The meaning was very clear: You need to provide an explanation.

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "The reasons, the rights and wrongs, who is right and who is wrong, cannot be explained in a word or two. General Manager Chen should just treat this as a transaction: money in one hand, goods in the other!"

Chen Weihua stared at the check, his eyes flickering: A transaction?

The money is here, but what about the goods?

Spend two million just to buy a pile of broken porcelain shards?

Recalling again, when he was in the room, when Yang Bo and Ye Peilan spoke of this person, they were full of sighs and expressions of admiration.

Thinking again of his intimate and warm behavior with Lv Chenglong, and the presence of Manager Zhao beside him, who had already washed his hands of the business but still held great prestige.

Chen Weihua had eyes and even more experience; he could tell: This Manager Zhao was silent and let his Junior Brother take charge, not because he was deliberately being modest, but because of a habit formed over a long time: whenever there was a major event, this man surnamed Lin was the one in charge.

He didn't know why it was like this, but Chen Weihua was clear: such a person could not possibly be trying to smooth things over just because he was afraid of him, right?

Besides, even if there were fear, it would be of the three swindlers, not him—

Chen Weihua leaned back against the chair and pointed at the box containing the broken Brush Washer: "Before I came, Dean Yang and Director Ye said: this item might be very valuable. But I think, no matter how valuable it is, isn't it just a pile of broken porcelain shards?"

Not to mention a box of fake Ru Porcelain shards, even if it were genuine Ru Porcelain, a few pieces of porcelain would absolutely not be worth two million.

"Correct!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "But I am an expert in Artifact Restoration!"

Chen Weihua was stunned for a moment, then let out a "pfft" sound.

You are just an expert in Artifact Restoration, not a deity. No matter how high your craftsmanship is, it is impossible to make a broken mirror round again, or restore a smashed-to-bits Brush Washer to its original state.

When all is said and done, no matter how well it is repaired, this is still just a damaged piece. Let alone a Japan imitation, even if it were a Ming Imitation, is it worth two million?

"General Manager Chen doesn't believe it?"

"Of course I don't believe it!"

Chen Weihua had never believed that pies would fall from the sky.

What's more, this was on someone else's turf.

"Fine, General Manager Chen, shall we make a bet?" Lin Sicheng pointed at Pangzi and Feng Laosan behind him, "If it isn't worth it, they are yours to deal with: whether it's paying money, hosting a banquet, kowtowing, or even chopping off hands, you call the shots!"

Chen Weihua narrowed his eyes: "And if it is worth it?"

"You take the money, leave the item, and this matter is wiped clean!"

Chen Weihua was lost in thought: no matter how he calculated it, he didn't seem to be at a disadvantage?

"Can Boss Lin make the call?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Of course!"

Because it was impossible to lose—

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Weihua spat out one word: "Fine!"

That was good.

Lin Sicheng nodded, and Zhao Da and Zhao Er carried in several boxes and opened them one by one.

The group of people was collectively stunned: a Brush Washer, another Brush Washer, and still another Brush Washer?

Counting them again: a total of five pieces, almost exactly the same.

The vessel shapes were the same, all Kui Mouth Washers, and the sizes were also the same. Even the glaze colors were exactly the same.

Only when viewed under side lighting could one see slight differences in the surface patina and soil stains.

Amidst their suspicion, Lin Sicheng opened the box Chen Weihua had brought and poured out all the porcelain shards. Then he pointed at them: "General Manager Chen, let me state my conclusion first: although these Brush Washers differ in age, material, and even craftsmanship.

But without exception: they are all Japan national treasure-level Cultural Relics—"

Chen Weihua was stunned for a moment, then let out a "heh" sound: are you telling a joke?

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