Chapter 637: Analysis

The morning sun rose, the sunlight was bright, and the air held a cool, refreshing scent.

Sheng Guoan went downstairs with his hands behind his back and strolled slowly out of the residential compound.

A beep sounded at the entrance; Tian Rulong poked his head out of the car and urged loudly, "Director Sheng, hurry up, you're going to get a ticket."

Sheng Guoan remained unhurried: he had lived here for decades; how could he not know what time the traffic police came every day?

Closing the car door, Sheng Guoan fastened his seatbelt: "It's so early, why did Museum Curator Tang invite us over?"

Tian Rulong started the car: "Do you remember what I told you a few days ago, that Lin Sicheng encountered a Tree Bark Pot?"

Sheng Guoan certainly remembered.

He had worked in Cultural Relics and appraisal for so many years, and this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

Even more bizarre was that a map, which looked like a Treasure Map, was hidden in the lining of the pot?

Sheng Guoan had originally wanted to take a look, but Tian Rulong said the owner who submitted it for inspection not only took the pot away but even demanded that Lin Sicheng delete all records of the information.

A pity, wanted to see it but couldn't—

Director Sheng was confused: "What's wrong with this pot?"

Tian Rulong looked amazed: "You don't know yet, Lin Sicheng drew that map out."

Sheng Guoan was stunned for a moment: "Didn't they say all photos, videos, written records, and machine inspection data were all deleted?"

"He drew it from memory. Director Sheng, it's not like you don't know how good Lin Sicheng's memory is."

Sheng Guoan certainly knew, but the problem was, that was a map, and an ancient map at that: a deviation of a millimeter on paper could result in a difference of hundreds of kilometers in reality.

"And then?"

"Then, Lin Sicheng handed this map to Museum Curator Tang."

"What does that mean, he wants Museum Curator Tang to help him research it?"

"It's not helping him research it, it's gifting it to Museum Curator Tang for research."

Tian Rulong shook his head, "Lin Sicheng said that if conditions permit and Museum Curator Tang has the time, she can organize personnel to study it. If she doesn't have time, it can be handed over to the cultural relics and archaeological units in Neimenggu to let them conduct in-depth research, preferably a field investigation!"

Sheng Guoan looked strange: up to now, it wasn't even known if the map was real or fake. Even if it were real, it was only drawn by Lin Sicheng from memory; how high could the accuracy be?

Lin Sicheng was actually being serious, solemnly handing it over to Museum Curator Tang, not only suggesting she conduct in-depth research but even proposing that the relevant units in Neimenggu conduct a field investigation?

The problem was, Museum Curator Tang actually believed it? And even solemnly invited the two of them over to help with the research?

He didn't understand, and he couldn't figure out how these two had made such a decision?

"The problem is, what can we do if we go over?"

One of them studied ancient Calligraphy and Painting, the other studied ancient ceramics. They were poles apart and had nothing to do with a Treasure Map.

"Museum Curator Tang didn't say specifically, but it's very urgent; she said we must spare the time to go over and provide guidance. I heard she also invited several experts in the field, preparing for in-depth research."

Director Sheng was stunned for a long while: he didn't think a map drawn by Lin Sicheng purely from memory had any research value.

Of course, this wasn't a lack of trust in Lin Sicheng, nor was it saying Lin Sicheng wasn't professional, but this matter was too absurd.

One dared to make a suggestion, and the other actually dared to believe it?

But since he had agreed, he definitely had to go over and take a look.

Tian Rulong wasn't as pessimistic as him: after all, he had seen with his own eyes how peculiar that pot was and how deeply that map was hidden; it definitely had some sort of origin.

But in all honesty, Museum Curator Tang was indeed a bit rash and a bit casual: you believe whatever Lin Sicheng says?

Turning these thoughts over in his mind, in no time at all, the car drove to Shoubo. Just as it came to a stop, two men walked quickly down the steps to greet them.

One was the director of the Exhibition Department at Shoubo, the other was the director of the Cultural Relics Research Institute; the two museums communicated often, and they were all old acquaintances.

"Director Sheng, Director Tian, thank you for your hard work!"

"You're too kind, it was only a few steps, nothing to be tired about."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group entered the lobby and then went to the conference room.

Just as they stepped through the door, Sheng Guoan and Tian Rulong took a look around.

The conference room wasn't large, and only five or six people were sitting there, but they were all quite elderly.

Looking closer, Tian Rulong gasped: Good heavens, how much does Museum Curator Tang value this, and how much does she trust Lin Sicheng?

She couldn't possibly really think that map was a Treasure Map?

If you don't believe it, look at the experts she invited.

First, let's talk about the youngest one, who was just over sixty; this was Director He of the Institute of History at the Neimenggu Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences.

The "Series on the History of Ancient Northern Ethnicities in China," which he edited, was a major commissioned project of the National Social Science Fund.

He had been engaged in the study of Khitan history, Liao history, and the history of northern ethnic groups since the early 1980s, publishing over a hundred theses and monographs. He had won seven provincial and ministerial-level awards and two National Level awards, and was one of the recognized academic leaders in the field of Khitan and Liao history.

Then look at the relatively younger one, who was about seventy: this was Editor-in-Chief Jing of the "Liao, Jin, and Western Xia Research Yearbook," who was also a council member of the China Liao and Jin History Society.

His research direction spanned Liao dynasty archaeology, environmental history, Liao and Jin literature, and research on sites from the Jin and Liao periods. In the nineties, he already enjoyed a special allowance from the State Council and was awarded the title of Expert with Outstanding Contributions at the National Level.

And what was even more famous than his research on history and archaeology was: he was the most authoritative expert on desertification control in northern China in the country. The book he edited, "Causes and Countermeasures of Desertification in Northern China," was a key scientific and technological monograph of the National Eighth Five-Year Plan, and it was these very works that directly promoted the policy of returning farmland to forests and grasslands.

An expert who could influence and even participate in the formulation of national policies—think about the weight of that?

Sitting next to Editor-in-Chief Jing was another person, even older, looking to be about seventy-six or seventy-seven. This was Deputy Director Liu of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and also a visiting Researcher at the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History at Peking University.

More crucially, he was the recognized chief academic authority on the Khitan Script in the international academic community, the Chinese historical community, and the archaeological community, bar none. The "Supplementary Corrections to the Jurchen-Chinese Glossary" and "Jurchen Dictionary" he compiled were essential reference books for professors and students studying Liao and Jin history and the Khitan small script.

It could be said that these three were currently the most professional and top-tier experts in Khitan history and Khitan Script research in the country; there were none more authoritative than them.

Tian Rulong didn't know how Museum Curator Tang had managed to invite them over. In any case, if he were to go and invite them, he definitely wouldn't be able to.

In astonishment, the two hurriedly went up to greet them, shaking hands one by one.

After a few polite words, Museum Curator Tang went up to the podium and opened the large screen, on which appeared a large, hand-drawn map.

"Once again, I thank all the teachers for sparing the time to come; I am deeply grateful."

Museum Curator Tang thanked them first, then pointed to the screen: "I presume all the teachers have seen this map. Today, I invited you all here to ask you to analyze the authenticity of this map, as well as the possibility of its existence—"

Museum Curator Tang first expressed his thanks, then pointed at the screen: "This map, I presume all you teachers have seen. I invited you all here today to ask you to analyze the authenticity of this map, as well as the possibility of its existence—"

Before the words were even finished, Director Sheng raised an eyebrow at Tian Rulong. Although he didn't speak, the meaning was clear: Had Lin Sicheng shown this map to the veteran experts present?

Otherwise, where could the veteran experts have seen it?

Tian Rulong shook his head. "How would I know?"

But upon second thought, it wasn't impossible.

Scholars who could be called experts in Liao Dynasty history were few and far between in the country. If Lin Sicheng wanted to verify the authenticity of this map, he would certainly have to seek advice from the most authoritative experts.

There was only one point: he didn't know any of these people, so he definitely had to find someone to introduce him.

Amidst the suspicion, Director He raised a hand: "Little Tang, where is the original map?"

Museum Curator Tang scrolled the mouse: "Director He, it's right here."

The large screen split in two, and a small map the size of a palm appeared.

The paper quality was very rough, the color was yellowish, and it was marked with lines and symbols in colorful pigments.

"Huh, no, this isn't paper, this is tree bark—"

Tian Rulong was suddenly stunned. Isn't this the one He Youhan had?

Director Sheng also reacted: Director He was talking about the original map, which was the one that General Manager He had sent to Lin Sicheng for appraisal.

But wasn't it said that all photos and videos had been deleted? So where did this photo come from?

He turned his head abruptly and stared at Tian Rulong. Tian Rulong thought for a moment, then shook his head again.

He still trusted Lin Sicheng's character; if Lin Sicheng said it was deleted, then it must have been deleted.

Furthermore, He Youhan was no pushover; not only did he watch the whole process, but he also checked it carefully afterward. Lin Sicheng wouldn't have had a chance to play any tricks.

Thinking about it, this original map might have been found by Museum Curator Tang from somewhere else.

Seeing the astonished expressions of the two, Museum Curator Tang could roughly guess what they were thinking and specifically explained.

"This hand-drawn map was sent over by Teacher Lin a week ago. But it wasn't until the day before yesterday that I learned: that General Manager He had entrusted people and used connections to send the original map to the three teachers. He asked them to help with appraisal and analysis. After I learned the news, I hurriedly made an appointment with the teachers—"

As she spoke, Museum Curator Tang smiled, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face: "Although I didn't think the possibility was very high, nothing is absolute. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, it is worth a try—"

The words were vague, but Sheng Guoan and Tian Rulong could both understand, and they knew what she was embarrassed about: when Lin Sicheng sent the map over, Museum Curator Tang hadn't valued it at all.

It wasn't until she received the news and learned that He Youhan valued it immensely and had even entrusted the three most authoritative experts in the country to help him appraise it, that Museum Curator Tang began to take it seriously.

At the same time, she also became alert: what if the Treasure Map was real, and there really was treasure? Could she just watch and let He Youhan dig it away?

This indicated that these three experts should have appraised something. But the point was not this, but the two maps on the screen.

Sheng Guoan raised a hand: "Museum Curator Tang, please enlarge the original map."

Museum Curator Tang scrolled the mouse twice, enlarging the original map to the same size as the hand-drawn one.

The image was a bit blurry, and the small characters on it were somewhat indistinct, but the positions of the lines, trajectories, and marked symbols had not changed; at least they could be compared with each other.

Sheng Guoan squinted his eyes and examined it carefully, his expression becoming more and more surprised: What was the difference between these two maps?

"Museum Curator Tang, set it to semi-transparent and overlap them again."

Museum Curator Tang did as requested again, stacking the two maps together.

Sheng Guoan widened his eyes: On both maps, whether it was the long lines representing river channels, the short lines representing tributaries, the zigzag lines representing mountain peaks, or the dots representing the turning points of various terrains, the positions and orientations were almost identical.

He turned his head abruptly and stared at Tian Rulong: "You said before that it only took Lin Sicheng one night to draw this map?"

Tian Rulong shook his head: How could it have taken a whole night? It probably only took ten to twenty minutes.

Lin Sicheng had spent the whole night checking materials.

Sheng Guoan didn't know what to say: This was a map, not text. Even if one wanted to memorize it, to keep it in one's head, didn't one need a basis?

Tian Rulong sighed: "Director Sheng, isn't asking me like asking a blind man for directions?"

Both of them had witnessed how good Lin Sicheng's memory was. But this was the first time they knew it was good to this extent.

Just as they were astonished, the image on the screen flashed, and two more pictures appeared.

The first one was when that Tree Bark Pot hadn't been dismantled yet. It was inlaid with Gemstones. The earrings and Silver Ornaments were all there.

The second one showed half of the pot body flattened out, and in the center of the topmost thin layer of bark, the outline left by the Treasure Map could be vaguely seen.

Museum Curator Tang held the microphone: "All three teachers have appraised it and believe that this pot should be a wine pot belonging to a Liao Dynasty emperor. The disagreement only lies in the production institution, production time, and the corresponding person."

"But there is one point that also proves the uniqueness of this map."

The three veteran experts nodded in unison.

"This Teacher Lin's appraisal skills are quite strong, and he has a very comprehensive understanding of Khitan history, military affairs, and the Four Seasons Nabo system."

"His understanding of the cultural characteristics and national crafts of various periods of the Khitan is also not bad."

"The key is this craftsmanship; how many years has it been since we've seen it?"

"This is the technique of peeling paintings, right? It feels like it's almost catching up to Director Sheng?"

The veteran experts kept praising, and Tian Rulong had a strange look on his face: You call Lin Sicheng 'Teacher'?

Although it was just a form of address, it was even more of a designation. But thinking of Lin Sicheng's age and that face so tender it could be pinched to produce water, Tian Rulong felt extremely weird.

Sheng Guoan didn't go that day and didn't know the specific process. But seeing the photos released by Museum Curator Tang and the admiration of the experts, he finally realized:

Why Lin Sicheng would solemnly hand a map drawn from memory to Museum Curator Tang and suggest that it would be best to organize people to verify it, or even conduct a field investigation.

To put it in the simplest terms: a map was hidden in an emperor's wine pot; no matter who it was given to, wouldn't they have to ponder:

What did this map represent, and did it imply something else?

Secondly, he had a further understanding of Lin Sicheng's appraisal ability. This was not an ordinary Cultural Relics, nor was it a common one; it was made of special materials and was the first imperial utensil of a Khitan emperor to be brought to light.

Setting aside the material and craftsmanship, just speaking of its ethnic attributes: in the entire Beijing, or even the entire country, how many experts and scholars had studied Khitan Cultural Relics and dared to take them for appraisal upon seeing them?

Amidst his emotions, Museum Curator Tang picked up the microphone: "Let's first talk about Teacher Lin's inference: he believes that this pot was made during the Song Dynasty Huizong period and the Liao Dynasty Tianzuo Emperor period, by a high-level Craftsman who had worked in the Wensi Institute of the Ministry of Palace Supplies in the Song Dynasty and defected to the Liao Dynasty, combining the craftsmanship characteristics of both the Song and Liao dynasties."

"These are some clues he found, and also the basis for his inference."

As she spoke, Museum Curator Tang posted the entry from "Collected Talks on the Iron-Walled Mountain": During the Chongning period, the master thief Shan He entered the imperial palace at night to have a secret meeting with Empress Dowager Chong'en. After the incident, Shan He and Shen Gongwei, who had built the flying ladder for him, fled to the Liao Dynasty.

The point lies in Shen Gongwei's identity: an official of the Ministry of Palace Supplies, concurrently serving as the Chief of the Wensi Institute.

This is the first item; the second item is the record of Shen Gong in "Liao Ye Shi Yi · Fang Ji Zhuan".

In official history, after Shen Gong fled to the Liao Dynasty, he changed his name to Shen Gong. He accidentally met Li Chuwen, who was serving as the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Treasury of the Liao Dynasty, and later, through his introduction, entered the Liao Imperial Treasury and served as the Assistant Director of the Shangfang Office.

Both items focus on recording Shen Gong's technical proficiency in gold and silver forging and carving.

Then there is the third item. When Emperor Tianzuo of Liao saw the artifacts made by Shen Gong, he was greatly pleased and promoted Shen Gong, putting him in charge of the production of imperial wares.

The fourth item is: when Xiao Fengxian framed Xiao Sese and Prince Jing, Shen Gong was implicated, but Emperor Tianzuo pardoned him.

The fifth item, which is also the most important one. Two years remained before Emperor Tianzuo was captured and the Liao Dynasty perished. Emperor Tianzuo fled to Jia Mountain, had his baggage seized by Jin soldiers, and in a fit of rage, beheaded Shen Gong.

The key lies in the sentence Shen Gong shouted before he died: "What the subject has lost are all ordinary vessels; the Supreme's treasure remains undamaged by even a hair."

But before he could finish speaking, Emperor Tianzuo ordered his attendants to cover his mouth and cut off his head.

These are the five items, and then Museum Curator Tang deliberately enlarged them and listed the specific sources of these documents below each item.

"Tie Wei Shan Cong Tan", the sequel to "Fen Jiao Lu", "Chao Ye Yi Shi Yu Lu", "Liao Ye Shi Yi", and "Song Mo Ji Lue".

The more General Manager Sheng looked, the stranger he felt, because he had no impression of any of these five books.

He subconsciously turned his head and looked at Tian Rulong: "Have you read these History Books?"

Read them? Like hell I have.

Tian Rulong gritted his teeth: "There are five books in total, four are in Khitan Script, how do you expect me to read them?"

Sheng Guoan paused, suddenly stunned.

Museum Curator Tang only wrote the sources and did not post the original text, so General Manager Sheng really did not know.

"Then how did Lin Sicheng find these historical materials in just one night?"

Tian Rulong shook his head.

He only knew that after He Youhan left, Lin Sicheng first drew the map and then searched for information overnight. By about the next afternoon, he had bundled up the hand-drawn map and all the documents, historical materials, and inferences and sent them to Shoubo, handing them over to Museum Curator Tang.

Tian Rulong really did not know exactly what was found or what was inferred.

It was not until yesterday, when Museum Curator Tang called him and invited him and General Manager Sheng to come over today to provide some guidance, that he mentioned that most of the documents Lin Sicheng found were in Liao language.

As for how he searched for them, or whether he invited an Expert or consulted some authoritative scholar in the process, Tian Rulong knew even less.

It was not just the two of them who were surprised, but also several old Experts.

However, what they were surprised by was not this, but the origin and source of these Chinese historical materials.

There are five books in total, whether it is the first one in Chinese, "Tie Wei Shan Cong Tan", or the other four Khitan Script historical materials, they are all anecdotal histories. To put it bluntly: they are all unofficial histories.

And even among unofficial histories, there are levels: the first type is compiled by professional historians for the purpose of textual research, analyzing historical materials,

and examining institutional records in academic notes and historical research notes.

The second type: records of the previous dynasty, contemporary historical facts, anecdotes of monarchs and ministers, court customs, and social customs, used to supplement the omissions of official history.

These two types are relatively authoritative and are often introduced into official history by historians or official historical compilation institutions.

Then there is another category: purely fictional stories, anecdotes, ghosts and gods, strange news, and legends.

It is roughly writing down whatever one hears, never verifying or analyzing it.

And the five books Lin Sicheng found all belong to this category.

So several Experts were wondering: from what obscure corners did this Teacher Lin find these historical materials?

Even most of them had never heard of them?

Secondly, and most importantly: these four are all in Khitan Script, how did he translate them?

"Little Tang, is there an original text? Post it!"

"Alright, Director He!"

As he spoke, Museum Curator Tang put up those photos.

They were all photos, but the collection unit was noted below each one.

Director Liu was stunned for a moment: among them were two books that were part of the collection of the History Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, but to be honest, he really had no impression of them.

After all, it was Khitan Script, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences did not have many, so he must have seen them. The reason he had no impression was likely because they had no Artifact Research value.

However, these vocabulary words and the semantics after literal translation seemed to be correct?

After carefully reading and distinguishing them, Director Liu was even more astonished: it was not just correct, but could be called precise. Especially his understanding of the sound and meaning of the Khitan Script was not just deeply profound.

To put it simply: the Khitan language is an agglutinative language that requires constant addition of suffixes after nouns and verbs to indicate person and tense. The more twists and turns, the more people involved, the more complex the meaning, and the more characters used.

Take one sentence as an example: "The Emperor scolded the attendants to cover his mouth and immediately beheaded him" — it only takes ten characters in Chinese, but translating it into Khitan Large Script requires more than thirty square characters.

And translating these thirty-plus Khitan Large Script characters into Chinese involves nearly a thousand variations and combinations, which is also the main reason why Khitan Script is difficult to learn, difficult to translate, and eventually became a dead language.

But looking at these few documents: to be able to translate them so precisely, one would have to put in at least twenty or thirty years of hard work.

As far as Director Liu knows, there are no more than a handful of people in the world who have this foundation, including himself.

Three are in the country, and two are abroad. Of the three in the country, two are sitting here right now—

After reciting it a few times and being unable to distinguish which teacher did the translation for a moment, Director Liu tapped the table: "Little Tang, which teacher was invited to do this mutual translation?"

"Ah, it seems no one was invited? It should have been translated by Teacher Lin himself!"

Museum Curator Tang recalled: Yes, definitely no one was invited.

Because Lin Sicheng only used one night.

Director Liu was stunned for a moment: "Then his research direction is also Khitan Script? Whose student is he?"

Museum Curator Tang was also stunned: if you want to talk about Lin Sicheng's teachers, there must be many, because he has not graduated yet.

If you want to talk about research direction—it should have nothing to do with Khitan Script.

"Professor Liu, Teacher Lin's main research direction is Cultural Relic Restoration and protection. As for Khitan Script, it should be an amateur study, because Northwest University does not teach this—"

"Oh right, he is currently still a graduate student at Northwest University—"

Hearing this, Director Liu was completely bewildered: What did you say?