Chapter 499: Ten Thousand Eight Thousand Li (Two-in-One, Supplementary Update)

The sun was bright, and a light breeze drifted through the hall, swaying the pothos by the window.

Song Jingqiu was a northerner; the cold didn't affect him much. There was only one thing he couldn't stand: the humidity of the south.

He had specifically equipped his office with two small electric heaters, keeping them on to dry the air whenever someone was inside.

It was dry, certainly, but also a bit hot. When the heat became unbearable, he had no choice but to open the window for a breeze.

After a short while, the dampness would creep back in.

Just as he was scratching his head, pondering another solution, there were two "knock-knock" sounds at the door.

He called out "Come in," and Wei Ziyu pushed the door open, followed by the Supervisor, who was holding several documents.

Unless necessary, these two rarely came together. Song Jingqiu glanced at them: "What case is it?"

"The one from the day before yesterday!" Wei Ziyu sat down. "Those forty-nine Cultural Relics that Hu Hai declared..."

Good heavens, only a day had passed in between?

Song Jingqiu perked up: "Who pulled strings?"

"No one pulled strings, but it's even more interesting than if they had!" Wei Ziyu took the document folder from the Supervisor and opened it. "Group Leader, look!"

Song Jingqiu took a glance and was stunned: an "Appeal Explanation," a "Review Application," and the rest were the same contents from the day before—no changes, no format changes, not even the positions of the signatures and seals had changed.

What did this amount to?

It amounted to them just adding two pages of explanation and application, and sending it back exactly as it was.

Song Jingqiu was so angry he laughed: "So confident?"

More than just confident? It could be summed up in two words: arrogant!

You want an appeal, right? You want a review, right? No problem.

Look, I wrote the explanation, I wrote the application, and the higher-level units agreed. The required signatures are signed, and the required seals are stamped.

The other materials haven't changed by a single word; they were sent back exactly as they were from the day before. Let's see what excuse you have now! Wei Ziyu chuckled: "Group Leader, isn't it quite interesting?"

Song Jingqiu flipped through the documents, looked at the official seals on them, and nodded in agreement.

Never mind whether their attitude was good or whether they held them in any regard; just look at this speed!

These materials were delivered the morning before last, and they only saw them after their meeting. They discussed it afterward before giving a reply to the port; that was around eleven o'clock.

Then, the other party wanted a written receipt, so the office had to issue a supplementary one in the name of the Provincial Branch Anti-Smuggling Bureau and the Port Supervision Division. By the time it was faxed to Luohu Port, it was already past four in the afternoon.

By the time the receipt was obtained and sent from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, the Provincial Branch had already finished work for the day.

Therefore, this explanation could only have been submitted to the branch by yesterday morning at the earliest.

First, it had to be approved by the Port Supervision Division, then by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau. Only after these two departments agreed to the appeal would there be this stamped and signed "Appeal Explanation."

With this explanation, one could then apply to the Cultural Relics Administration Department for a review. Only after the relevant departments agreed would they entrust a qualified review unit to conduct the appraisal. Only after coordinating with the review unit would there be the second "Review Application."

If following the normal process, how long would this take?

The Port Supervision Division would take at least a week, and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau would need a week as well.

Song Jingqiu had never dealt with the Cultural Relics departments in Guangdong, but when he was in Beijing, he had worked with the Cultural Relics Bureau and various major museums many times; he knew the process at least.

They would need to pull personnel and coordinate Experts, all while not affecting the normal operations of their own units; they would certainly have to hold meetings for Research. At the very least, just for the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, it would take over a week.

By the time it was sent to the Provincial Museum, that would be at least another week. Adding it all up, it would take at least a month.

But how long did the other party take?

To get all four units to agree, to get the leading Supervisors to sign everything, and to get all the seals stamped—it only took one day!

So, old Wei was not wrong at all: this is much more interesting than someone pulling strings.

Thinking to himself, Song Jingqiu flipped through the materials again: "What did the Port Supervision Division and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau say?"

"The same rhetoric as the day before yesterday: the nature of the Forbidden City is quite special, so special cases must be handled in a special way; that's why the approval was so fast!"

True, in a situation like this, it really does require handling special cases in a special way.

But the problem is, didn't you handle this a bit too fast?

Song Jingqiu continued flipping: this "Review Application" was likely the same.

After all, it's the Forbidden City. Even the Provincial Branch gave them such face, let alone the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Provincial Museum, which are in the same Cultural Relics and Museology Department system?

It's even possible they got the "Review Application" approved by the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Provincial Museum first, before going to the Provincial Branch to get the "Appeal Explanation" approved. Thinking to himself, Song Jingqiu pointed at the documents: "Did anyone from the Provincial Museum come?"

"They did, they're downstairs!" Wei Ziyu nodded. "This 'Review Application' was delivered by someone from the Provincial Museum." Song Jingqiu sighed inwardly: as expected.

According to the process, it really does require someone from the review institution to assist in the handling and communicate with both parties. But the problem is, isn't this speed a bit too fast? Just as he was lamenting, Wei Ziyu looked wistful: "Group Leader, you definitely wouldn't guess who came from the Provincial Museum? We've both met him: Director Peng of the Exhibition Department!"

Song Jingqiu paused: Impressive?

The two of them had not only met Peng Yanzhi, but they had also eaten together.

It was also a Cultural Relics case, but much larger than this one; not only were there more items, but the case was also much more complex.

To be safe, they requested support from the local Cultural Relics department, and at that time, it was this Director Peng Yanzhi who led the team.

The key is that he is not only responsible for the exhibition work at the Provincial Museum, but he is also an authoritative Expert in ancient ceramic Research within the province.

He specifically ran over here just to deliver a document to the other party?

Imagine how much face the person who invited him must have!

Song Jingqiu looked strange: "Where is he, downstairs?"

"Yes!" Wei Ziyu nodded. "Group Leader, you definitely wouldn't guess who he came with? Director Lu of the Forbidden City Ceramic Research Institute..."

Song Jingqiu froze, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, the word "who" rushing to his lips.

He had heard clearly, of course; he just hadn't expected it, feeling it was too sudden.

He had only worked with Peng Yanzhi that one time; to say he knew him well would be nonsense.

But Song Jingqiu had worked with Lu Chenglong many times.

Whenever they encountered a major case, or encountered ancient ceramics that were extremely difficult to appraise—such as those with unclear authenticity or ambiguous dating—there were only two or three places in Beijing one could turn to for help.

The Forbidden City Ceramic Research Institute was absolutely the most authoritative one among them, bar none.

As for Director Lu, his ability to preside over the work of the Ceramics Research Institute, both in terms of business and professional capability, is beyond doubt. I wouldn't dare say he is the top expert in the field of ancient ceramics research in the country, but he is definitely among the best.

That is the first point; the second is that Director Lu is a typical research-oriented, scholarly personality. A scholar who is so devoted to academic research that even his family comes second—do you dare let him engage in social maneuvering, do you dare let him engage in fraud? Believe me, he would flip the table on you.

But this time, not only did he do it, he even traveled thousands of miles from Beijing to Guangzhou?

Song Jingqiu cannot help but think: what is the reason that made him leave behind the laboratory he views as his home, leave behind the projects he views as his life, and willingly run errands for someone?

Honestly, to tell the truth, this is even more surprising to Song Jingqiu than the fact that the other party managed to deliver the appeal and Review Application materials to him in just one day. He thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so Song Jingqiu frowned: "Is Director Lu also downstairs?"

"Yes, sitting with Director Peng, chatting quite happily!"

Chatting, and quite happily at that, so he wasn't forced.

But why?

Just consider one point: if this matter goes wrong, someone has to take the blame.

The Forbidden City has to take the blame, and Lv Chenglong even more so.

Is he willing to throw away a lifetime of reputation?

Song Jingqiu pinched the bridge of his nose and thought for a long time.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he sat up straight: "Old Wei, could it be that we identified them incorrectly?"

Meaning, it is indeed as Hu Hai's customs declaration documents and the Forbidden City's appeal documents stated: the forty-nine items seized by Customs are all imitations and fakes.

Otherwise, this logic doesn't hold up, and it makes no sense.

Wei Ziyu was stunned: "That would mean... the machine made a mistake?"

Song Jingqiu didn't say a word.

Having worked for so many years, he, at least, had never seen that happen.

As long as it passes the machine inspection, it is usually accurate.

Taking a step back: if the machine had a problem, it would require an even more authoritative and impartial institution to conduct a review.

There are many reasons, but just consider the most critical point: if it is wrong this time, what about the previous ones?

After pondering for a good while, Song Jingqiu tapped the table: "Old Wei, then how do you think we should handle this?"

Wei Ziyu began to ponder.

Releasing the goods is impossible; otherwise, the previous approval would be a joke.

What needs to be reviewed must be reviewed, and what needs to be re-appraised must be re-appraised.

But what if, just what if, someone goes against their conscience and tells lies with their eyes open?

At least at this stage, in the field of Cultural Relics and appraisal, the gold content and authority of an Expert are definitely greater than that of a machine.

Therefore, if you set aside the machine, Customs is not a particularly professional or authoritative department. Otherwise, the state would not have stipulated in the "Interim Measures for the Administration of Cultural Relics Identification":

If a dispute arises over the identification of Cultural Relics, the Cultural Relics Administration Department at the provincial level or above shall make a ruling and entrust a specialized institution to conduct the appraisal.

The so-called Cultural Relics Administration Department is only one: the Cultural Relics Bureau. There are many so-called specialized institutions, but the most authoritative are naturally the Museums at various levels, followed by the Appraisal Committee under the Cultural Relics Bureau at various levels.

To put it bluntly: if they agree to the appeal and agree to a review, it will definitely be ruled by the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. The one conducting the appraisal will definitely be the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. So, the problem arises again: the one applying for the appeal and the one responsible for the appraisal are currently sitting together, and chatting quite happily.

No need to doubt: both being Level One museums and both being well-known scholars in the field of ancient ceramics, Lv Chenglong and Peng Yanzhi definitely know each other, and their relationship is definitely good enough.

Including the Cultural Relics Administration Department responsible for the ruling, they also have some unclear connections with the appellant: otherwise, why would this approval for the "Review Application" be so fast?

This is equivalent to the athlete and the two referees wearing the same pair of pants.

That is the first point; the second is, Wei Ziyu cannot figure out: why did Lv Chenglong come?

The fact that he came shows that the Forbidden City will definitely see this matter through to the end.

Just ask, whose face is big enough for that?

Wei Ziyu had a thought: it couldn't be that the other party invested millions or tens of millions into the Forbidden City, or even the research project in charge?

It's really hard to say: those who do research on Cultural Relics, apart from funding from superiors, really don't have many sources of funding.

As for the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, the method is probably about the same.

But the problem arises again: such units don't dare to accept just anyone's donation.

It is indeed quite a headache, but Wei Ziyu doesn't feel intimidated. On the contrary: deep down, he is actually feeling a bit excited?

Only with challenges can there be a sense of achievement... isn't the so-called Supervision Division here to do exactly this?

He looked up, just about to share his thoughts. The words reached his lips, and he swallowed them back.

It's just a guess, it's too early to say these things. Whether it's the case or not, we have to investigate to know.

As for how to handle it, that doesn't need to be considered at all. When he first walked in, Wei Ziyu had already stated his attitude: Group Leader, this is even more interesting than someone trying to pull strings.

"Group Leader, my opinion is to reject it."

Song Jingqiu nodded solemnly: he thought the same.

With this kind of energy and this kind of speed, if you dare to agree to a review, believe it or not, by tomorrow at the latest, they will dare to slap the re-appraisal results in your face? Look, even the Shaanxi Provincial Museum and authoritative experts have identified them as fakes, what reason do you have not to release them?

Get it done quickly.

If you really let that happen, you don't need to be a Supervision Division anymore; you might as well pack your bags and roll back to Beijing.

"If we don't reject it, we will become a joke!" Wei Ziyu sighed, "I just don't believe that their reach can really cover the sky."

If rejected this time, the other party can only appeal to the National Cultural Heritage Administration. The same goes for the review: it would be approved by the General Administration of Customs and entrusted to a designated party. The Forbidden City certainly has the qualifications, and in some fields, it is the most authoritative, or even the only, specialized appraisal institution in the country.

But this time it definitely won't work; even if they find a slightly inferior one, they can't find the Forbidden City.

There is no logic in being both the referee and the athlete.

"Group Leader, if the leaders ask us for a recommendation, which one should we find?"

Song Jingqiu answered without hesitation: "Don't bother two masters for one task, just the Cultural Relics Bureau."

"Hmm, the Cultural Relics Bureau is good!"

Add the General Administration of Customs, I don't believe you can handle two ministries?

Song Jingqiu tapped the document again: "Old Shen, approve it quickly, don't drag it out!"

The Office Director nodded: Strike while the iron is hot; one cannot give the other side a chance to react.

He put away the documents and left the office.

Wei Ziyu glanced left and right, and the secretary understood in a second: the two leaders needed to discuss matters.

He followed behind the Director and also exited the office.

Wei Ziyu took out a cigarette case, handed one to Song Jingqiu, and then took out a lighter to help him light it.

"Group Leader, should we investigate first?"

Song Jingqiu exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded.

The great man said it well: Do not fight a battle you are not prepared for.

This has already gone on for several rounds, yet we still don't even know who the opponent is. If the other side makes another move, how will you respond?

Being able to make the Forbidden City come forward, and even being able to make Director Lv show his face, the root must be in Beijing.

But it is quite surprising that local agencies, especially Customs and the Cultural Relics Bureau, approved it so quickly.

Not to mention anything else, at the very least, Luohu Port, the Shenzhen Customs, the Provincial Branch Port Division, and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau all know that this case is ultimately the responsibility of the Supervision Division.

This includes every set of materials and documents, which are all sent to these departments first before being sent to the Supervision Division for approval. It amounts to several extra procedures and a very long detour.

Therefore, this process should definitely be much, much slower than usual.

But the strange thing is, these two times it was not only fast, but ridiculously fast, like riding a rocket?

After pondering for a long time, Song Jingqiu flicked the cigarette ash: "I will report to the leadership side, you coordinate with the Provincial Branch side!"

"Understood!" Wei Ziyu asked another question, "Group Leader, who should be in charge?"

Song Jingqiu thought for a moment: "Let's investigate both!"

Wei Ziyu suddenly understood: "Two-pronged approach?"

Song Jingqiu was noncommittal: There is also beating the grass to startle the snake, and knocking on the mountain to shake the tiger.

This is telling you plainly: if you have strength, use it quickly; if you have connections, use them quickly.

Otherwise, it will be too late...

"Alright, I know!" Wei Ziyu stubbed out the cigarette butt, "I'll go notify them now!"

"Pay attention to the methods!"

"Understood!"

One hour later, the three assistants received the notification respectively.

Among them, it included Ye Anqi...

The car window was open, Wang Qi Zhi held a cigarette, his body leaning as far out as possible.

Even when exhaling smoke, he did so as far outward as possible.

Lin Sicheng looked awkward: "Teacher, it doesn't matter, you go ahead and smoke!"

Wang Qi Zhi shook his head: "Forget it, this thing hurts the brain and causes memory loss; I'll try to let you suffer less pollution."

Hearing him say this, Ye Anning, sitting in the back row, perked up: "Uncle, you actually know that, so why don't you quit?"

Wang Qi Zhi was full of justifications: "Having Lin Sicheng use his brain is enough, why do I need to use mine?"

What a powerful reason?

Ye Anning opened her mouth, speechless.

Having said that, Wang Qi Zhi still stubbed out the cigarette butt and checked his watch: "The materials should have been sent in by now, why haven't those two come out yet?" "Probably waiting for a reply!"

"It shouldn't be that fast, right?" Wang Qi Zhi calculated, "It should take at least a week or two, even if it's fast, it would be next Monday!"

"Teacher, believe me!" Lin Sicheng was exceptionally certain, "At the latest by this weekend, there will be a result!"

When they came, Lin Sicheng had said as much, and also said: there is a high possibility it will be even faster.

But Wang Qi Zhi didn't believe it, and neither did Lv Chenglong or Peng Yanzhi.

In government agencies, they had never seen anything this fast.

Then, Lin Sicheng made a bet with him: whoever loses treats the other to White Swan.

Wang Qi Zhi felt that Lin Sicheng was destined to pay for this meal.

Just as he was calculating what dishes to order, Lin Sicheng pointed outside: "They're out!"

They had indeed come out; Director Lv and Section Chief Peng came side by side, followed by their two assistants.

Wang Qi Zhi jumped out of the car first: "Director Lv, were the materials submitted?"

"Submitted!" Lv Chenglong sighed and raised the document bag in his hand, "And it was approved!"

Wang Qi Zhi looked as if he were stunned: What the hell?

He thought the bet Lin Sicheng made with him was already fast and ridiculous enough.

But he didn't expect it could be even faster and more ridiculous?

Appeal on the same day, and get approved on the same day?

He subconsciously looked up at the long plaque in front of the building: GD Provincial Customs Branch.

That's right, Customs Branch, a vertical department of the Ministry.

Wang Qi Zhi even suspected he had come to the wrong place?

After being suspicious for a long while, he stared at the document in Director Lv's hand: "How was it approved?"

Looking at Lin Sicheng, Director Lv sighed: "Rejected!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned again: Alright, Director Lv lost too.

Before coming, what Lin Sicheng said was: one hundred percent rejected.

But Director Lv didn't believe it and also made a bet with Lin Sicheng.

And the result?

Wang Qi Zhi bared his teeth: he could understand why it would be rejected.

The reason was simple: the ones who came to deliver the documents were Lv Chenglong and Peng Yanzhi.

If Customs agreed to a re-examination, the re-appraisal unit would be the Provincial Museum, and it was one hundred percent certain that Peng Yanzhi would be responsible for the appraisal.

The approving unit wasn't blind: you two are already this close, you'd have to be brain-damaged to agree to a re-examination.

But Wang Qi Zhi couldn't figure out why the approval had come so quickly.

"Afraid that a long delay will lead to more trouble!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "Of course, that refers to us!"

Wang Qi Zhi understood: "So you mean, the other side is actually being quite considerate of us?"

Lin Sicheng chuckled: That's roughly what it means.

If the Provincial Branch doesn't agree to a re-examination, then one can only appeal to a higher level. There are only two competent authorities: the General Administration of Customs and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

But be clear, these are ministries, and there are two of them.

And the application time limit is so short: within fifteen days of receiving the approval from the previous level, you must submit the appeal materials to the new level. With only fifteen days, don't you have to pull out all the stops to pull strings and call in favors?

Thinking of it this way, the Provincial Branch really was being quite considerate of them.

Wang Qi Zhi looked constipated: "Then back to Beijing?"

"We do have to go back to Beijing!" Lin Sicheng calculated, "But I estimate that in two weeks at most, we'll have to come back!"

Wang Qi Zhi deeply agreed.

This time there was no need to bet or guess; he could figure it out: once it reaches the ministry level, the Customs department will definitely approve it as fast as possible. Then, sit back and wait for the fish to take the bait.

And over at the Forbidden City, especially at the Porcelain Research Institute, they are waiting for the project to be approved. But just as there was a glimmer of hope, the most critical research materials were actually seized. To be honest, they were even more anxious than Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi, so naturally, they would exert 120 percent of their effort.

Although the Palace Museum is managed by the Ministry of Culture and does not have a direct subordinate relationship with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, that is how it is now.

In the past, the Palace Museum was definitely considered the favorite child of the Cultural Relics Bureau, and the Dean was always concurrently held by the Deputy Bureau Chief.

Even now, the Cultural Relics Bureau still provides industry guidance to the Palace Museum.

Lin Sicheng is certain that as long as the General Administration of Customs agrees to the appeal, he can get the re-examination approval from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in no more than a week. Regardless of which institution is finally designated to be responsible for the appraisal, the appraisal team can be in place in at most another week.

And then, back to Guangzhou...

Wang Qi Zhi had a strange look on his face, blinking his eyes as he stared at Lin Sicheng, who was comforting Lv Chenglong.

In the past, he often heard Zhao Xiuneng and his two sons say that Lin Sicheng was like someone who could tell fortunes.

He had never believed it, thinking Old Zhao was joking. Until today, he had finally experienced it for real.

As for the result, there shouldn't be any surprises. Just as Lv Chenglong said: the real is real, and the fake is fake.

Therefore, Director Lv was particularly unable to understand: "I really didn't expect the branch to approve it so quickly?"

"I was even more surprised that it was rejected directly?"

Peng Yanzhi nodded thoughtfully, meaning he was also very confused.

Just take one point: why was the branch—oh no, to be precise, why was the Supervision Division so confident that the report they issued, as well as the appraisal results, would not have any accidents?

In any case, the Forbidden City Porcelain Research Institute is also an authoritative institution in the domestic ceramic research field, and Lv Chenglong is even more renowned.

When the most authoritative institution and the most professional scholars raise questions, why is the reply still a rejection?

At the very least, shouldn't you suspect that there might be a problem with the previous appraisal result...

Lin Sicheng didn't know how to say it.

Director Lv and Director Peng were both stuck in habitual thinking; one started from research, the other from the individual, but neither switched perspectives.

Standing in the position of Customs: to put it mildly, they had already issued a report, and if you appeal, it is equivalent to overturning the case. Not to mention the trouble, the impact is also bad. To put it broadly: if the report is wrong, it is not just these forty-plus Cultural Relics this time that are wrong. It is the system they have been running for more than ten years that has been wrong.

This time it's only forty-plus pieces, how many were there before?

Therefore, they have to be as cautious as possible. Specifically regarding the approval, naturally, they reject it whenever they can, until it can no longer be rejected. Secondly, they still feel that the incident this time has too many traces of human manipulation.

More likely, they should be treating this as a case of collusion and backroom dealing, perhaps even one they can set up as a typical example. It's no wonder they are suspicious: Director Lv was too anxious, and things were handled too quickly.

It seems the Supervision Division has already started investigating. But Lin Sicheng estimates that the more they find, the deeper the misunderstanding will be.

Just as he was thinking this, Wang Qi Zhi's phone rang with a "buzz, buzz."

He glanced at it and answered it casually: "Anqi..."

Not knowing what was said, Wang Qi Zhi's expression became increasingly strange, and finally, he let out a "ha": "Haha, you kid are going to perform a meritorious service?" "It doesn't matter, report it up... Yes, I said it..."

"Really, if you don't believe me, ask your Fourth Uncle, or ask your dad... Or just ask your Third Uncle..."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Qi Zhi laughed "hehehe."

Lin Sicheng knew what he was thinking as soon as he saw it: there's a good show to watch...

Listening to the dial tone on the phone, Ye Anqi was baffled: meritorious service, what kind of meritorious service?

Putting righteousness before family?

The leaders have to believe it first...

Thinking secretly, he picked up his coat and left the office.

Since the leader had assigned a task, it must be completed.

As for how far to complete it...

Ye Anqi called his dad while going downstairs.

It was still early before getting off work, and his dad was still at the unit, but as soon as Ye Anqi started, he was interrupted by Ye Xingguo.

He told him to go home first.

When Ye Anqi returned home, Ye Xingguo had already arrived one step ahead. Not only was he there, but Ye Xingchi was there too.

Upon asking, he found out that Ye Xingguo had come back specifically for his matter. Ye Xingchi was just bored and purely joining in the fun.

"Wang Qi Zhi wasn't wrong; since it has reached the ministry level, there's no need to play games, just report it up..."

"Of course, I'm referring to personnel connections..."

Ye Anqi had a strange look on his face: "Should I also report my relationship with Wang Sanshu up?"

"Nonsense!" Ye Xingguo glared at him, "Even if you don't report it, others can still find out!"

"Then how will the leaders view it?"

"No need to view it! You just make your report; how the leaders specifically handle it has nothing to do with you."

It truly had nothing to do with him; given his rank, they were a hundred thousand miles apart...