Chapter 88: Qianlong

The floor-to-ceiling window reflected the light, cutting cold, hard angles across his face.

His knuckles turned white as he held the coffee cup, then with a "clatter," he set it down on the coffee table.

Wang Qi Zhi was just about to ask something, but Lin Sicheng quickly reminded him: "Teacher, there's surveillance!"

He suddenly realized: the contract hadn't been signed yet, the paperwork wasn't finished, and the item wasn't in his hands; variables could appear at any moment.

But Qing Imperial Collection?

He had seen plenty of Qing Imperial Treasury items, but he had never imagined: would it be in this way, in such an occasion?

The seller was selling a Qing Imperial Collection item as a fake, and you couldn't refuse even if you wanted to... it really was a damn eye-opener, wasn't it?

That was what Wang Qi Zhi was shocked by.

He controlled his emotions: "Which seal?"

"That one on the top left of the painting's heart!"

Wang Qi Zhi recalled it: he did have an impression, but it was useless; it was all Sanskrit, and he didn't recognize a single character.

Instinctively, he felt some doubt in his heart: after all, it was a stone seal, not the porcelain or even bronze that Lin Sicheng was most skilled in.

The key was, Lin Sicheng had never mentioned anything about this aspect before... was he certain?

"What other evidence is there?"

"There is also Xiang Mo Lin's 'Ren' character seal, that circular one!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: no wonder he was so certain?

Before Dan Wangshu accompanied him to Xijing, she worked at the Forbidden City's Calligraphy and Painting Gallery. Wang Qi Zhi had never seen what Xiang Mo Lin's seals looked like, but at least he had heard: there were nearly five thousand pieces of calligraphy and painting in the Forbidden City stamped with Xiang Mo Lin's collection seals.

Lin Sicheng deduced from this that the calligraphy came from the Qing Imperial Treasury.

"Does Ye Anning know too? I mean this 'Ren' character seal..."

"Yes, Teacher!"

Suddenly, Wang Qi Zhi believed it ninety percent: because Ye Anning had grown up immersed in the Forbidden City, her accumulation of knowledge regarding stone seals should be deeper than Lin Sicheng's.

But it was strange, to actually encounter such an item in a place like this?

If it were real, just based on these two seals, the price would at least triple: three million.

This kid is capable, and Ye Anning is too...

Secretly praising them, Wang Qi Zhi picked up his coffee cup.

But before he could take a sip, Lin Sicheng added another sentence. He still covered his mouth with the coffee cup, his voice still extremely low, as thin as a mosquito's hum.

But to Wang Qi Zhi's ears, it was earth-shattering and deafening: "Teacher, there is one more: Qianlong's Scripture Collection seal!"

What the hell?

Wang Qi Zhi's hand couldn't help but tremble, and a few drops of coffee splashed onto the table.

Qianlong, Scripture Collection seal... isn't that an imperial seal?

The problem was, the expressions he and Ye Anning had at that time?

The more Wang Qi Zhi thought about it, the more he felt like an idiot...

Lin Sicheng hurriedly pulled out a tissue and handed it forward: "Teacher... Teacher!"

Wang Qi Zhi woke up as if from a dream: "Lin Sicheng, I'm impressed!"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, but his expression was a bit strange: you go to the Forbidden City like you're going home, what kind of treasures haven't you seen?

This isn't a real imperial seal, just a Qianlong seal mark, why be so shocked?

The rapport between teacher and student was no joke; as soon as he saw his expression, Wang Qi Zhi knew what Lin Sicheng was thinking.

He glared and cursed: "What the hell do you know?"

Lin Sicheng laughed happily: "Right, right!"

Wang Qi Zhi glared at him again.

Really, without swearing, Wang Qi Zhi truly couldn't express his current mood. He felt that if he didn't curse it out, his chest would explode.

"Am I shocked by that seal and that calligraphy? I'm shocked by you and Ye Anning..."

Wang Qi Zhi's gaze was extremely strange, staring at Lin Sicheng as if looking at an alien, "When you two were exchanging glances, were you thinking: these three people, are they fucking pigs?"

Think about it before, Lin Sicheng and Ye Anning's back-and-forth: Yuan Dynasty Mounting, Ming Dynasty Imitation Paper, and it was even imitating Mingren Hall Paper?

And, they even clearly stated the person who did the imitation: Dong Qichang.

What did this amount to? It meant the two of them had stated the appraisal results clearly and laid them out openly.

And the result... haha, nobody believed it? Ye Anning's boss didn't believe it, and the seller believed it even less.

If that wasn't enough, that woman acted like she was forcing it on them, insisting on selling that calligraphy to Lin Sicheng?

It's no exaggeration: Wang Qi Zhi has lived this long and heard many stories of picking up treasures, but picking one up like this is unheard of.

It's too fucking magical...

Lin Sicheng was humble: "I'm not one hundred percent sure either, when there's time, I can have Sister Anning take it to Beijing to make a comparison!"

Wang Qi Zhi nodded vigorously: Of course it must be compared.

But he already believed it ninety percent.

First is Xiang Mo Lin's 'Ren' character seal: not only is it obscure, but it was also a secret code seal used professionally for anti-counterfeiting. Let alone appraising it, there are barely any who even know what this thing looks like.

Second is the Sanskrit seal: this is even more obscure; he had never heard of it being recorded in any classic. Before this, Wang Qi Zhi had absolutely no idea: Qianlong had actually carved a Sanskrit seal?

And to be able to research it to the point of imitating the carving, what kind of person must that be? With that effort and energy, wouldn't it be better to imitate two of Qianlong's Han Dynasty imperial seals?

Thinking of this, Wang Qi Zhi felt even more stifled: "Lin Sicheng, if I ask you, you'll definitely say: I learned it from books... but do you realize what this means?"

He paused, loosened the button at his collar, and let out a forceful breath:

"Ye Anning being able to appraise that calligraphy with ninety percent accuracy, that's what she should do: because ever since I got married, she has spent every holiday immersed in the Forbidden City; when Wangshu was at work, she was at work, and when Wangshu got off work, she got off work...

She spent ten years doing that, until she graduated from university, and she doesn't even know how many times she has flipped through the calligraphy and paintings in the gallery. If she didn't have that much of an eye for it, she might as well go drown in a latrine..."

Wang Qi Zhi gave a thumbs up, "But you, learning from books? Teacher can only say: you are the one!"

It is indeed quite excellent, and worth praising, but one must still be humble when it is time to be humble.

"Teacher is too kind!"

Wang Qi Zhi waved his hand: "Whether I am too kind or not, I know myself!"

Lin Sicheng said nothing more.

Just saying, how is Ye Anning so close to the teacher's wife? It is equivalent to her being brought up single-handedly by the teacher's wife...

No wonder her ability to appraise calligraphy and painting is so high, knowing Mingren Hall Paper, and even recognizing the Xiang family's 'Ren' seal?

So it turns out she was basking in the light of Professor Wang.

Amidst his reflections, Wang Qi Zhi snorted coldly again: "That piece of calligraphy, it was Ye Anning who asked you to buy it, right?"

Lin Sicheng nodded.

"Heh, quite capable of enduring, worthy of being the biological child of the second sister!"

Lin Sicheng did not speak, but gave a mental thumbs up: Indeed, if one does not move, so be it; once one moves, it is drawing the firewood from under the cauldron.

Steady, accurate, and ruthless... and capable enough of enduring!

Thinking again of Ye Anning's age: tsk tsk, only twenty-something.

It is not Lin Sicheng belittling himself: in his previous life, when he was twenty, he estimated he could have been played to death by Ye Anning...

Fearing that walls have ears, the teacher and student did not dare to chat much; Lin Sicheng pulled out paper and wiped the coffee off the coffee table.

Just as he wiped it clean, the sound of "rustling" footsteps came from behind.

It was two Poly staff members, looking like they were passing by. But their footsteps were very slow, and their eyes kept glancing at Lin Sicheng.

In just those few steps, they actually walked for almost a minute. The two of them crawled past the reception area like snails.

Just as they entered the restroom, several others came over from the opposite side.

The same eyes, the same speed, the same expression.

Then came the second batch, the third batch... Ha, are they forming a group to watch the excitement?

If it was mockery, disdain, and schadenfreude before, then now it was envy plus jealousy.

This is eight hundred thousand, not eighty thousand, eight thousand, and certainly not eight hundred.

Eight hundred thousand can buy three apartments in the Center, and even more so, it can buy a commercial storefront of over a hundred square meters on the most prosperous commercial street in Xijing. Just like the Bell Tower downstairs...

It is always said that one would risk everything for a beautiful woman, but in this fickle and snobbish era, how many men are willing and able to pay so much for a woman?

Let alone a girlfriend, I am afraid even a wife would have to weigh it up.

Of course, there are many who are envious and jealous, and not a few who mock: spending eight hundred thousand to pick up girls, was your brain kicked by a donkey?

In this society, how many such fools and suckers are left?

But strangely, the eyes of several girls grew increasingly intense, their hands clutching their phones, with a posture of being eager to try.

What is this for, preparing to ask Lin Sicheng for his phone number?

Wang Qi Zhi frowned, his upper body leaning forward subconsciously.

Just as he was thinking about whether to remind Lin Sicheng to stay away from these types, that Teacher Ma returned and sat down opposite Lin Sicheng.

Her eyes were very strange... no, they were equally intense.

Compared to those young girls, it was even more so.

Wang Qi Zhi's eyes went straight: No... big sister, how old are you?

Staring for a good while, the woman shook her head: "Tsk tsk... little puppy, truly handsome!"

Lin Sicheng was still relatively calm, only frowning.

Wang Qi Zhi, however, was provoked to the point of anger in his heart, even having the impulse to splash coffee on this woman's face.

He endured and endured, tapping the coffee table: "Teacher Ma, has the money arrived?"

"It has arrived, and I have also signed the contract with Poly. But they said there is some trouble with your contract, and it needs to be redone!"

Hearing this, the teacher and student both felt a sense of relief in their hearts.

Wang Qi Zhi directly issued an order to leave: "Then do you have anything else?"

"That is a ridiculous thing to say: can't I sit here if I have nothing to do? This isn't your house, is it?"

Wang Qi Zhi opened his mouth, unable to speak.

The woman glared at him, then took out a business card and handed it over with a smile.

A pair of peach-blossom eyes stared straight at Lin Sicheng, as if they were pulling threads: "Little brother, if you have needs in the future, just call your big sister... um, treasures like the Dong Qichang Authentic Work, big sister has many here..."

Fearing Lin Sicheng would not believe her, she even patted her chest hard and shook it vigorously a couple of times: "Really, I'm not lying to you!"

Lin Sicheng felt his scalp tingle.

He was very clear about this woman's goal: a sucker who spends eight hundred thousand to pick up girls, if she doesn't fleece him, it would truly be a disservice to her rather plump conscience.

And it doesn't matter how she fleeces him, as long as she can get the money. But big sister, even if you want to fleece, you can't fleece like this, right?

How heavy must my taste be?

Seeing Lin Sicheng not making a sound, she thought he didn't believe her, and the woman blinked: "Little brother, don't disbelieve me, I really have good things here: a Sanskrit seal by Dong Qichang, have you ever seen one?"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: What did you say?

In suspicion, the woman took out a small box, opened it, and placed it on the coffee table.

Lin Sicheng took a look, his eyes narrowing slightly: A lion-knobbed Iron Seal?

It was not big, with a total height of no more than five centimeters, the knob and the seal each half, the square base about three centimeters, and the styling relatively rugged.

At first glance, the knob looked like a crouching lion, but looking closely: the lion beast had a golden bead in its mouth, and its front paws were like human hands, each clutching a dragon.

This is the "Zhizha" of Esoteric Buddhism, mostly in the form of a lion, as a guardian beast. The iron used to cast the seal is also not ordinary iron, but meteorite iron, also known as Heavenly Iron.

Full name: Zhizha Beast Meteorite Dharma Seal; the holder of this seal must be a Rinpoche (leader of Esoteric Buddhism). In the Qinghai-Tibet region, among the followers of Esoteric Buddhism, it is even higher than the Golden Book and Golden Seal granted by the Qing Dynasty emperors.

The latter only represents status, while the former symbolizes a heaven-sent divine mandate and supreme magical power capable of communicating with heaven and earth; the difference in rank is immediately clear.

As for which Rinpoche it belonged to, that depends on the seal script and the inscriptions around the seal base.

Lin Sicheng first took a look around: Mahakala, Heavenly King of Wealth, Yama Dharma King, Palden Lhamo, Vishnu, Garuda... the guardian deities of Esoteric Buddhism, could it be that not a single one is missing?

He was somewhat skeptical: if this seal were given to a Rinpoche, would they dare to use it?

The key point is, it looks quite authentic.

The seal material is dark gray with a brownish tint; the main material is bell metal, but the meteoric iron content is at least forty percent.

Where the Gold-gilding layer is missing, one can see snowflake-like patterns: these are the traces left by the typical plateau and Nepalese "clay crucible smelting, casting into ingots followed by Cold Forging" Hammering technique used to forge the seal blank.

The style of the Relief Carving layer is rugged and the knife work is bold, yet the lines of the flat engraving layer are complex and precise... unsurprisingly, this should be the "Tibetan Chasing and Engraving System" craft that flourished in Lhasa and Shigatse during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

There is no need to doubt its age either; compared to paper or ceramics, the sense of age in Cultural Relics made of metal is harder to forge. Experts like Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi can judge it with seventy or eighty percent accuracy at a single glance.

Looking at it this way, could it really be the Dharma seal of some great Lama?

While suspicious, Lin Sicheng reached out his hand, but just as he reached the seal knob, he paused: "Ms. Ma, you just said, whose seal is this?"

The woman looked matter-of-fact: "Dong Qichang, right?"

"Impossible!"

It is true that Dong Qichang believed in Buddhism, but he believed in Zen Buddhism...

"Why would I lie to you? I bought this seal and that calligraphy together, I even have the receipt..." the woman insisted, "And I have compared them repeatedly: the seal script on this is exactly the same as the seal on the center of the painting!"

What on earth?

Lin Sicheng's heart skipped a beat; he grabbed the knob and picked up the seal.

He took one look, just for a split second, and his eyes felt as if they had gone blind:

What difference was there between the seal script on this and the Seal Mark on the damaged scroll?

The size is the same, the seal frame is the same, including the arrangement and order of the Sanskrit letters; there is not the slightest bit of difference.

In an instant, his heart could not stop pounding, his pupils shrank rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, his palms were sweating.

Heaven is my witness: having lived two lives, Lin Sicheng has seen countless treasures, but this is the very first time he has been only a "swipe of a card" away from obtaining one.

Fearing that he might have misjudged it in his excitement, Lin Sicheng exhaled slowly, and his mood gradually calmed down.

Then, he picked up the Magnifying Glass again.

Wang Qi Zhi realized what was happening and grabbed the High-intensity Flashlight.

Teacher and student put their heads together, examining it inch by inch:

The material is correct, the decorative patterns are correct.

The seal script, as well as the casting and Engraving craft, are also correct.

The characteristics of the era are even more correct.

Furthermore, from front to back, no traces of any artificial imitation or aging were found.

For nearly ten minutes, turning it over and over, Wang Qi Zhi and Lin Sicheng could not find a single flaw.

Then, the teacher and student faced each other, eye to eye: Good heavens!

A Qianlong Imperial Treasure?