Chapter 622: Welding an Iron Gate (Supplementary Update)

"Xianzhai Notes" (Southern Song Dynasty note-style history): Xinglin Glaze, a relic from the previous dynasty, crafted by Cizhou Kiln, wide mouth and round belly, base slightly tapered, mouth diameter three inches, belly depth four inches, specifically for imperial medical use.

Take cinnabar, realgar, and mugwort ash, combine with two thousand-plus ingredients including atractylodes, cloves, Szechuan Lovage Rhizome, and pubescent angelica, grind into a coarse powder, soak in clear wine, seal in a jar to pickle, and remove after one hundred days.

The medicinal properties are stored within the vessel, usually condensed and inactive. When using, ignite mulberry paper inside the jar, use the fire to warm the jar body, and only then will the medicinal Qi within the clay penetrate and leak out; combined with the suction force, the medicinal Qi enters the pores, dispelling cold and unblocking obstructions.

Gaozong (Zhao Gou started it, and it was used all the way until the third-to-last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gong of Song, Zhao Xian. Calculating the time: from 1127

to 1274, spanning six emperors, nearly one hundred and fifty years.

But I have never heard that cupping existed in the Song Dynasty————

In shock and suspicion, He Jian brought the data close to his eyes, reading it word for word. Gradually, his eyes opened wider and wider, wider and wider————) In the autumn of the third year of Jianyan, the Emperor resided in the Forbidden City and caught a cold, suffering from pain in his shoulders and back, stiffness in his waist and back, and difficulty in bending and stretching; the Taiyi Bureau used the method of fire suction to disperse the cold stagnation.

Thereafter, whenever he encountered such pain, he would use this method and order the palace attendants to manage it.

There is also "Xianzhai Notes" (Southern Song Dynasty note-style history): In the first year of Jingding, the Emperor suffered from shoulder and back pain, with cold evil stagnating in the pores. The imperial physicians administered decoctions and moxibustion on the Gaohuang acupoint, but it was ineffective.

An imperial attendant presented the Xinglin Glaze, ignited mulberry paper inside the jar, and while the fire was not yet extinguished, covered it over the painful area. After it had suctioned firmly, it was removed after half a stick of incense. After three times, the pain gradually eased.

There are several more entries like this later on, each one about a Southern Song emperor or some other illness, cured by the imperial physicians using cupping jars.

He Jian really wanted to say it was nonsense.

Although he was not a professional historian, he at least remembered: cupping only appeared during the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Sicheng brought out four small jars, and suddenly he moved this part of history forward by two or three hundred years?

He Jian did not quite believe it, but looking at the test report in the data: there were human tissue remains in the jars, and after testing, they were indeed from nine hundred to one thousand years ago.

Calculating the time, it was exactly the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty and the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Just as he was half-doubting, Liang Shiya suddenly asked: "Master He, if these small jars are truly the cupping jars of a Southern Song emperor, what is the maximum estimated value?"

He Jian paused for a moment, not knowing how to calculate it for a while.

If these were tea utensils and truly items for Southern Song imperial use, then they would be one hundred percent unique, one-of-a-kind treasures. A single small jar like this would be worth at least one hundred million.

If they were medicine jars, they certainly wouldn't be worth that much, but these items could not be viewed as ordinary medicine jars: they had treated an emperor, been used for personal cupping, and as Lin Sicheng said, there were even human tissue remains inside.

If the emperor used them, they could only be for his exclusive use, so whose tissue remains were these?

He Jian struggled for a long while, then gritted his teeth: "Four or five hundred million should be about right!"

Four or five hundred million?

Liang Shiya's eyelids couldn't stop twitching: this one piece was four or five hundred million, then what about the remaining three?

That's almost two billion————

"Is there any way to verify if they were for the exclusive use of a Southern Song emperor?"

Of course there is.

Even the DNA of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, can be verified, let alone the Southern Song Dynasty?

He Jian nodded, and Liang Shiya's heart sank to the bottom.

Guo Yongxin was just saying: even if Lin Sicheng sold the bones piece by piece, he wouldn't be able to scrape together three billion. But in the blink of an eye, he had already come up with several hundred million?

"Master He, look at the next one!"

"Alright, General Manager Liang!"

He Jian flipped to the second item.

The second item was that "Yuedian Music": a Japanese court music collection, formerly in the collection of the Japanese Zhengcangyuan and the Japanese Prince Fushimi-no-miya.

Based on this alone, it would only be worth a few million, but the key lay in the latter part of the music collection: the Jinghong Dance, created by Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty and lost since the Song Dynasty.

He Jian gasped: the four jars just now were only the cupping jars of a Southern Song emperor, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Sicheng had produced a dance piece created by a Tang emperor?

Since it had been lost since the Song Dynasty, it went without saying: it was a one-of-a-kind, peerless treasure.

The key was, it was linked to an emperor again?

He Jian thought for a long time: "General Manager Liang, the academic value of this item is far higher than its actual value, and it is much, much higher: if auctioned, it would only be a few million or ten million. But if given to a professional research institution, this is a priceless treasure————"

"For example, the Ancient Music Art Research Institute, the National Library, and the Dunhuang Academy————put yourself in their shoes, if it were researchers from these institutions, they would be willing to trade hundreds of millions for it————"

He Jian paused: "But these institutions have no money!"

Liang Shiya breathed a sigh of relief: "What if they seek a bank guarantee?"

"It won't work if they go to a bank, but they can go to the Cultural Relics management department, or even higher-level departments————"

He Jian thought for a moment, "For departments of a certain level, even if it's just an administrative guarantee, a few hundred million is not difficult————"

In an instant, Liang Shiya's heart jumped to her throat again: calculating conservatively, two or three hundred million, that's already seven or eight hundred million?

She gritted her teeth: "Master He, there's more, you calculate and estimate!"

He Jian nodded and continued to flip through. But after just one glance, he gasped: Song Dynasty Official Record White, appointment documents, Imperial Edict Yellow, Seal Paper, performance evaluations?

And it's a complete set————

Where did Lin Sicheng find so many unique items?

After calculating the estimated value again, He Jian's hands couldn't help but tremble: this is far more than three billion?

There were no physical objects on the table, only photos on the big screen.

Lin Sicheng introduced them one by one, and the guests listened while flipping through the small booklets in their hands.

The dance music compiled by Li Longji felt quite interesting.

This person was not only an emperor but also the founder of the Pear Garden, and he had left a very heavy chapter in history.

And what people talked about most was his illicit love affair with his daughter-in-law, Yang Yuhuan. Thinking about it, this dance must have been choreographed by the Tang Emperor for————

Consort Yang.

In other words, it had historical depth and a story to go with it.

There was only one point: this book was a Japanese woodblock print, formerly in the collection of the Japanese Emperor.

If it were a Chinese imperial edition from the same period, and had been in the collection of the Chinese imperial court throughout the dynasties, it would definitely be a priceless treasure.

Of course, the pity is only relative. At least ninety-nine percent of the guests in the room couldn't afford it and could only feast their eyes on it.

The Persons in Charge of several funds were quite interested and immediately consulted their evaluation teams; the opinions of the appraisers from each firm were much the same:

If you treat this item as an antique and only count its economic value, it is at most in the tens of millions. But if you treat this item as a Cultural Relic, its historical and academic value could be explosively high.

Don't look at it as just a piece of dance music; it is a true, thousand-year-old lost masterpiece. Once it enters the world, it will not only fill the gaps in the history of Tang Dynasty music and dance, but it is also the only text that can correct the history of Tang Dynasty literature and music and dance.

Why are antiques expensive? Isn't it because "things are valued for their rarity"? What if this is the very last one left?

Secondly, consider its influence on the history of cultural exchange between China and Japan. To put it bluntly: I am your father, and I will always be your father.

In the past, the son stole the father's things and always claimed they were his own. The father had no evidence before and couldn't say much, but now there is evidence, and it is ironclad proof.

If I, the father, don't slap you a few times and teach you how to behave in the future, what kind of father am I?

To go a bit deeper: this item can reverse the ownership of culture and the right to historical discourse. Compared to this, the value of this part even exceeds filling the gaps in history and culture.

Therefore, if it reaches the hands of the appropriate department, its effect will be even greater than that of Li Longji's handwritten manuscript. If promoted well, it could completely trigger nationwide attention and become a social hot topic.

But there is one point: the cycle is relatively long.

Because it requires research and verification, it will take at least two or three years, or as many as four or five years, to produce results. Only then will there be concentrated reporting.

After analyzing the pros and cons, several private equity funds immediately backed out: they pursue short-term benefits, and in two or three years, it is a question of whether their funds will even exist.

Only the Persons in Charge of the three state-owned funds remained, and the three men's thoughts were surprisingly consistent: if it takes two or three years, or even four or five, they can absolutely afford to wait.

Furthermore, it is not necessarily required to wait until there are results before promoting it; as long as there is thirty percent certainty, one can summon one hundred percent of the momentum, pat one's chest, and say: I have finally found the evidence of the son stealing the father's things.

After all, among the 1.4 billion people in China, 1.399 billion have a red heart. As long as the news is released, the resulting public opinion heat will definitely be a phenomenal event.

Therefore, now we only need to consider two points: how much money can be obtained through a mortgage, and then which unit to cooperate with?

With this thought, Sun Yan raised his hand: "General Manager Lin, how much are you planning to mortgage this music score for?"

Lin Sicheng looked down: "General Manager Sun, according to the investment plan, the financing amount for 'Yuedian Music' and 'Jinghong Dance' is 600 million!"

Sun Yan was stunned: That much?

He had been thinking that this item could be mortgaged for at most two or three hundred million.

If it were before, there would be no difference between three hundred million and six hundred million, but now it won't work:

Because the Gold Thread Jade Suit case just broke, various financial institutions are currently like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. With a quota of 600 million, even if Sun Yan dared to think about it, his superiors would not dare to approve it.

He immediately gave up.

Including Zheng Shanghui and Jiang Cheng, as soon as they heard 600 million, they shook their heads in unison.

Lin Sicheng did not mind and continued to introduce the second item: four Xinglin Glaze ceramic jars.

Strictly speaking, the historical and research value of this item is higher than that of the music score: it not only fills the gaps in medical history, Southern Song Dynasty imperial history, and court history, but it is also empirical evidence for understanding and researching ancient medical technology.

And there is something even more critical: the biological traces left by ancient royalty to this day are not just rare, but infinitely close to zero. As long as someone dares to research them, they will definitely be able to achieve major breakthroughs in archaeology and molecular biology.

Therefore, the financing plan for these four jars is higher: 800 million RMB.

After hearing the amount of "800 million," Zheng Shanghui, who was the only one with a bit of interest, also gave up: Fujian Province at least has a bank as a backer and still doesn't dare to approve loans recklessly; Taikang is just an insurance company, and dares even less.

But there was a lot of curiosity, so there were many questions, yet not a single person had any intention. Lin Sicheng was not in a hurry and introduced them methodically.

Next is the third item: the Xu Weili Documents.

If you only look at the photos, nine out of ten people will have an intuition: is this thing fake?

The paper is snow-white, the ink is pitch-black, and even the silk threads used for binding reflect light.

Let alone Chen Yang or the old experts, there isn't even a trace of human wear and tear.

And if you calculate the time, it has been nearly eight hundred years since the reign of Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty; what kind of paper Cultural Relics can be kept for eight hundred years and still look as good as new?

It was not until Lin Sicheng introduced them that the guests understood: the reason this item is new is, first, because the tomb was sealed, almost in a vacuum environment, basically isolating oxygen and water vapor, with no living environment for microorganisms like mold.

Secondly, the documents themselves have multiple layers of protection: they were first rolled into scrolls, then wax-sealed on the outside, and finally placed into a container. This is equivalent to setting up two more protective shields against oxygen, water, dust, and bacteria.

But the point is not this, but the value: the seventeen volumes of documents record in detail Xu Weili's thirty years from entering officialdom to retiring, his transfers to thirteen positions, from the capital to the provinces, then back to the capital, and then to the provinces, along with various archives.

Including the appointment certificates, which are the official rank (official grade, salary level) appointment letters, which record in detail the time of appointment, official rank,

the authorizing agency, the information signed by the prime minister, and the reasons for the transfer of office.

Next is the Imperial Edict Yellow, which is the appointment letter for the mission (the actual work done), issued by the Imperial Secretariat, written on yellow silk, hence called Imperial Edict Yellow.

It records in detail all of Xu Weili's actual mission appointments, including the name of the mission position, the time of appointment, the instructions for appointment, authorization, and the conditions of the appointment.

The third part is the Seal Paper, which is the official's complete assessment file, also known as the Seal Calendar. It records in detail the entire process of Xu Weili's performance of his duties in each position.

Including the arrival approval (handover of new duties), assessment approval (annual performance review), recommendation guarantee approval (superior's recommendation and guarantee records), departure approval (records of money, grain, and official business handover upon completion of term), and reward and punishment approval (records of impeachment, disciplinary action, rewards, and commendations).

As well as the relevant approvals for mourning (observing filial piety), temple salary (suspension with pay, keeping a nominal position to continue receiving salary after being dismissed), and official change (local county officials promoted to capital officials through specific procedures), as well as employment records and approval procedures.

In addition to this, it also records a large number of archives on local government political systems and government operation mechanisms.

Especially the latter two points: to date, among all historical materials related to the Southern Song Dynasty, only the resumes of prime ministers and famous officials are recorded, and only their promotion routes and positions held are known. But the official ranks and missions involved that can be fully verified are less than one-third of the original historical appearance.

Even now, we only know that the Southern Song Dynasty had official appointment, transfer, assessment, mission, performance review, and recommendation systems, but we are limited to knowing the names, and do not know what the specific processes are, or what standards and requirements need to be met.

Well, now we have them.

Including the operating system of local officialdom: previous historical materials only recorded the operating systems of the capital, circuits, and prefectures, and even records at the prefecture level are very few.

But in these documents, not only are the administrative systems and operating states of places like prefectures, sub-prefectures, and counties included, but the systems below the county level, such as tax collection, warehouse money and grain, righteous granary management, local public security, and land measurement, are recorded clearly and plainly.

It can be said that this set of documents is a living dictionary covering the Southern Song Dynasty's official system, personnel system, local government affairs, document system,

finance, and officialdom ecology.

It is also the largest and most complete archive of Song Dynasty official documents unearthed to date. It is even more of a guidebook for the official resumes of middle and lower-level Song Dynasty officials, and the bureaucratic system, politics, finance, economic operation, and social ecology at the county level and below, which are still in a blank stage in the field of history.

To put it bluntly: even the historical materials of the Ming Dynasty are not this complete.

But the strange thing is that most people do not have a concrete concept of this item. They are still stuck at the level of "Song Dynasty official engraving" or "Song Dynasty document." They instinctively think that the value of this item is not as high as the previous two.

Therefore, seeing that Lin Sicheng is prepared to mortgage this item for 1.5 billion, many guests do not understand.

Except for a few, such as Sheng Guoan, Tian Rulong, and Zhang Xianzong, because their research on Cultural Relics is deeper than that on antiques.

He Jian counts as half: his father was the steward of the Republic of China Cultural Relics merchant Zhang Boju, specifically responsible for the overseas market, so He Jian has inherited some family learning.

Furthermore, he previously served as a Supervisor at the Sotheby's Hong Kong Art Center, so he can at least distinguish between what is an antique and what is a Cultural Relic.

He Jian knew the specific value of this item very clearly: if one were to make a comparison, the Zhu Zi Manuscript would be a younger brother among younger brothers.

If this item were not in China, but abroad, and if he were in charge of the operation, he would cut his own head off if it didn't sell for a billion.

The unit is USD—

Seeing him staring at the screen, like a statue, Liang Shiya coughed.

He Jian woke as if from a dream: he had been thinking too intently and had momentarily forgotten the question Director Liang cared about most—how much money could this item be mortgaged for?

But if he were to tell the truth: as long as this item was in hand, what kind of funding gap could Lin Sicheng not resolve?

Never mind 1.5 billion, 5 billion would be no problem at all.

What Director Liang had always hoped for—to stump Lin Sicheng with massive Artifact Research funding—had already become a joke.

And don't think there was no reaction in the venue just because the guests' discussion was less heated than for the previous two items; that was because ninety-nine percent of the guests didn't know what they were looking at.

Even though Lin Sicheng had explained it clearly and simply enough, these people still couldn't understand.

As for those who did know, they were calculating how to make a fortune in silence: for example, Zhang Zongxian, and that Director Sheng and Director Tian.

As long as the Forbidden City dared to report it upward, the superior units would dare to coordinate a guarantee for him; guaranteeing a loan of several billion for Lin Sicheng would be like child's play.

Therefore, it could not be stopped—

He sighed deeply, and just as he was preparing to explain, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The screen flashed, the photo of the document flickered past, and it was replaced by a Rhino Horn Cup.

At first, He Jian was still a bit suspicious: although this type of thing was rare, at most it could be considered a slightly curious antique.

Although it had a dragon carved on it and might have been used by an emperor, even if it were an imperial vessel, it would only auction for ten or eight million; it had absolutely no comparability with the previous three items.

Immediately after, text information appeared below the photo, and He Jian was stunned: what is this, a medical Thesis?

And it's in English?

He squinted his eyes and carefully spelled it out: Active platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) detected within the cup wall, can accelerate wound healing, specific mechanism unknown—

Holding the cup for one minute, the cup body temperature rises by 2°C; after releasing, it subsides to room temperature after five minutes, cause unknown—

After holding Chinese yellow wine for thirty minutes, the following substances were detected in the cup: bezoar, musk, pearl, cinnabar, realgar, coptis, skullcap,

Gardenia, turmeric, Ice Flake, and other substances. Among them, the concentration of amino acids and flavonoids is seventeen times that of ordinary rhino horn, specific mechanism unknown—

After reading it once, He Jian had a flash of realization: is this cup for the emperor to steep medicinal wine?

The key was that these traditional Chinese medicines seemed a bit familiar: bezoar, musk, pearl, realgar—it seemed he had seen them somewhere?

But He Jian was also very certain that he had never taken any traditional Chinese medicine.

Including the name of this Rhino Horn Cup, he was also somewhat familiar with it: Chixia Cup!

Just as he was recalling, a voice came from beside him; three women were staring at the screen with suspicious expressions:

"Mary, British Medical Journal, does that refer to the British medical magazine?"

"Yes, Diwen, abbreviated as The BMJ, on par with The Lancet and JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), it is one of the world's four major comprehensive top medical journals."

""

"That means Lin Sicheng took this thing to the UK for testing; what is he trying to prove?"

"Maybe he wants to prove how magical the medicinal wine steeped in this cup is," Chen Jiashan joked, "Just like those four porcelain jars before; President Lin even said they could cure malaria—"

Before she finished speaking, Guo Yongxin laughed: using physical methods to treat malaria, isn't that just nonsense.

But Liang Shiya did not laugh, because her intuition told her something was not right.

First is Lin Sicheng: this is the last item, yet Lin Sicheng suddenly stopped introducing it and just let the guests look at the data themselves.

The key is his expression; it feels much more solemn than before.

Second is Zhang Zongxian, and Sheng Guoan beside him—one is over sixty, the other over eighty years old—but both old men had their waists straight as a board, staring straight at the cup in the photo, their expressions as solemn as could be.

Even carrying a hint of yearning—

The third is that the traditional Chinese medicine ingredients mentioned at the end of the Thesis looked more and more familiar to Liang Shiya.

After thinking for a long while without finding a clue, Liang Shiya looked at the other two: "Mary, CoCo, have you ever taken any traditional Chinese medicine containing bezoar?"

"I haven't taken it, but I've seen it!" Guo Yongxin said without hesitation, "My dad keeps a few Angong Niuhuang Pills at home, saying they are for my grandma and grandpa—"

Chen Jiashan followed closely: "I have them at home too, sealed in wax balls and locked in a safe; my dad won't even let me touch them—"

One word awakened the dreamer, and Liang Shiya finally remembered: that's right, doesn't Angong Niuhuang Pill contain bezoar, and even rhino horn?

And most of the traditional Chinese medicine ingredients on this Thesis are components of Angong Niuhuang Pill—

He Jian also remembered: he had indeed never taken traditional Chinese medicine, but his family did keep traditional Chinese medicine.

It could be said that in Hong Kong, for families with even a little financial strength, Angong Niuhuang Pill is a must-have life-saving medicine.

It's just that those with more money have a higher grade, and those with less money have a lower grade.

Thinking of this, He Jian slowly came to his senses: so, the meaning Lin Sicheng wants to express is: the medicinal wine steeped in this Rhino Horn Cup has the same efficacy as Angong Niuhuang Pill?

Just as he was doubting, a voice came from the venue: "Chixia Cup, why is this name so familiar?"

"It's familiar for a reason: one was dug out of the Dingling of the Ming Dynasty Wanli Emperor, and it was called Chixia Cup—"

"Oh right, I remember: Dean Guo finally transferred it to the Forbidden City!"

"What Forbidden City? It's said to be in the Forbidden City, but it hasn't been there for a long time. If you don't believe me, ask Director Sheng and Director Tian, is the Chixia Cup still in the Forbidden City?"

"If it's not in the Forbidden City, where is it?"

"It is said that using this thing to steep wine can not only prolong life but also save a life, so where do you think that thing should be?"

The person who asked was stunned for a moment, then suddenly gave a start, so shocked that their eyeballs almost popped out: it couldn't be that the one in the photo and the one in Dingling are the same thing?

The person who answered was also stunned, their eyes instantly widening, staring tightly at the photo on the screen; this cup is also called Chixia Cup?

The key is that English medical Thesis?

The two suddenly came to their senses and looked at each other: "You just said, what magazine is this?"

"The British Medical Journal, on par with The Lancet, one of the world's four top medical journals," "What are the effects of those traditional Chinese medicine ingredients?"

"How would I know that? However, most of the components overlap with those of the Angong Niuhuang Pill—"

The person answering paused for a moment, "The key is that active platelet growth factor and the flavonoid components; the Angong Niuhuang Pill definitely doesn't have them, but that Chixia Cup in the Forbidden City definitely does—"

"How do you know?"

"My grandfather used to be on the Advisory Committee—otherwise, how would I know that cup isn't in the Forbidden City?"

Perhaps because he was too excited, his voice was quite loud this time, and many people heard him, including Sheng Guoan and Tian Rulong.

Sheng Guoan turned his head and looked at the two of them with a smile: "You two really just spout off whatever comes to mind: I only saw the Chixia Cup in the Forbidden City last week, sitting perfectly fine in a vacuum display case. Who told you it wasn't there?"

"Come on, tell me, who is your grandfather? Let's see if I know him."

As if stunned, the person who answered shrank his head back: he hadn't lied; his grandfather had indeed been on the Advisory Committee, but he was only an errand runner.

But his grandfather had never said anything about the Chixia Cup; it had all been read in street-stall literature—

The person who asked also realized belatedly: had he asked a bit too much?

He didn't look at Lin Sicheng, who had been so talkative before but was now sitting there quietly like a silent gourd, not uttering a single word, letting the guests guess for themselves.

So, the question arises: is this thing real, or is it fake?

There were many who doubted, but quite a few who believed, because there was an appraisal report: this Rhino Horn Cup came from the Kangling of the Zhengde Emperor, Zhu Houzhao.

This is one of the few Ming Dynasty imperial tombs that has been robbed.

While they were discussing, Zhang Zongxian raised his hand: "Little Lin, how much are you planning to mortgage this Chixia Cup for?"

"Mr. Zhang, according to the preliminary plan, I am preparing to raise three billion!"

"How about this, I'll offer five billion: two billion for the mortgage of the Xu Weili Documents, but it requires your authorization to entrust the Palace Museum to conduct Artifact Research on it. The remaining three billion will be for the mortgage of the Chixia Cup—"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: according to what had been discussed previously, Zhang Zongxian was only helping to mortgage the Xu Weili Documents.

Zhang Zongxian did know that this Rhino Horn Cup would also be mortgaged, and Lin Sicheng had also told him its specific origin and efficacy. But Zhang Zongxian hadn't asked how it would be mortgaged, and Lin Sicheng hadn't brought it up.

And even if Zhang Zongxian had brought it up, this thing could not possibly be mortgaged to him—

In a flash, Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "Mr. Zhang, the Chixia Cup does not accept overseas funds. Secondly, it cannot leave the country. Thirdly, it must be a museum institution with the relevant qualifications—"