Chapter 48 Chapter Forty Seven

In recent years in Beijing, although many luxury five-star hotels have been built, such as Pangu, Regent, Grand Hyatt, etc., for many overseas successful people, the favorite place is the Beijing Hotel built in the last century. They like the strong Chinese taste, the traditional Chinese flavor, and the unique ethnic customs of Beijing Hotel.After working overseas for many years, what haunts them the most is the unforgettable Chinese flavor. Mr. Lu Feng, a famous American cultural scholar, is over seventy years old. With the help of Tan Xiaoming, a beautiful student, and Duan Tiansheng, secretary of the Meicheng City Party Committee, he lives in the ancient Beijing Hotel.

Strange to say, on the day of check-in, the personal collection exhibition of the famous French collector Pierre was being held in the lobby of the Beijing Hotel, many of which were precious early Chinese Buddha statues. "Born, have you seen that? Many of these Buddha statues are from the Northern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasties. Chrysanthemum head, water pattern, bench Buddha, big backlight, small eyes, sunflower face... typical Northern Dynasty style." Lu Lao pointed to the statue in front of him. A row of Buddha statues, "If I'm not mistaken, these things all came from Shanxi. The capitals of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty were both in Shanxi, and it was the people of Shanxi who created the splendid culture of the Northern Dynasties. What a pity, what a pity!"

"It would be great if someone like Zhang Boju can come out of Shanxi. At least the precious things will not be lost to foreigners." Tan Xiaoming interjected casually. Seeing the regretful expression of his beloved woman, Duan Tiansheng also sighed: "If you say that the people in Coal City have no money, the streets are full of Mercedes-Benz and BMW; invest." The three looked carefully at the precious Buddha statues. Duan Tiansheng felt very regretful: "The boss of Big Coal, Zhao Guozhong, I have taught him painstakingly for many years, and I want him to be included in the protection of cultural heritage. But on the surface, that guy is arty, and even set up a Wannianqing calligraphy and painting academy, just under the banner of culture, Pulling relationships through the back door, in fact, he is not willing to invest heavily in the cultural industry. It is difficult to get Zhang Boju out of Coal City!"

"In my opinion, you, the secretary of the municipal party committee, have not fulfilled your responsibilities." Mr. Lu pointed him with a walking stick, "I heard that the governments of Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places have dedicated funds to save important folk heritage and train a new generation of collectors. Invite the young master and princess of the new rich man to Peking University to participate in the training of cultural relics collection, and I also went to give a special lecture. Only when the government does something, can entrepreneurs enhance the awareness of cultural relics protection.”

"Antique collection has another unexpected benefit." Tan Xiaoming talked about his personal experience, "In the past, I filmed a lot, earned a lot of money, and spent money like water. Since I like collecting, I have become very frugal and stingy. , whenever I spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, a thought suddenly pops up in my mind: After spending all this money, maybe a Qing Dynasty bottle or a Ming Dynasty jar will be gone. With the awareness of collection, people will naturally become frugal." "Xiao Ming is right. Anyone who collects is very stingy." Duan Tiansheng turned to Xiao Ming: "Xiao Ming, I have been with you for such a long time, and I have never seen your collection."

"It's not surprising, is it? Our home in Beijing has just been settled, and everything is in Los Angeles. You can ask Mr. Lu, how many famous paintings do I have in my collection?" Tan Xiaoming smiled slightly, "Is that right, Mr. Lu? I something you've seen." "Yes! Yes! Yes! Xiao Ming is also a collector. I have seen her things." Lu Lao agreed with the beautiful star without thinking. "When will it be transported to our house in Beijing, let me open my eyes." The relationship has developed to the point of living together, and Duan Tiansheng has no scruples in front of Mr. Lu.

"This time Mr. Lu returned to the United States, I will go, and then bring the things back." Tan Xiaoming raised his thick eyelashes, "Beijing is my home after all, you are satisfied." A man and a woman flirted face to face. The old man over seventy years old didn't know whether he couldn't get used to it or couldn't bear it, and his face showed displeasure: "Let's go back to the room. A Singaporean is coming right away. Let me appraise a famous painting of the Sui Dynasty." , open your eyes too." "Famous paintings of the Sui Dynasty?" Duan Tiansheng was quite surprised.

"Of course. The Singaporeans specially invited Mr. Lu to help him hold eyes this time." Tan Xiaoming added. "Then I must take a look." Duan Tiansheng immediately became interested, "Mr. Lu, you know, although our coal city is an ancient cultural city, the earliest famous paintings left in the museum are not from the Song Dynasty. I haven't seen the Sui Dynasty yet. s things." "That's not right, the authentic calligraphy of the famous Sui Dynasty master Xue Daoheng in the Coal City Museum was authenticated by me back then, haven't you seen it?" The old man remembered what happened 30 years ago.

"Don't mention the matter of authenticating Xue Daoheng's work back then." Duan Tiansheng smiled wryly. "What's the matter? Fake? I can tell you that in the past 30 years, not a single fake has passed under my nose." Mrs. Lu has the character and self-esteem of everyone. "It was because what you said was true that the State Administration of Cultural Heritage officially issued a letter to transfer that national treasure back to Beijing, and finally the National Museum came forward to collect it." Duan Tiansheng regretted it very much. "At that time, I was still working at the grassroots level. I didn’t have a chance to take a look at it, so the thing arrived in Beijing. Later, I visited the National Museum several times, and I wanted to see the treasure from Coal City with my own eyes. But people say that the more precious something is, the more it is kept underground. Never Let us people visit."

"Some policies of the country are too unreasonable and unreasonable. The things passed down from generation to generation in the coal city have to be transferred to Beijing for collection." Tan Xiaoming complained. Lu Lao became angry: "What do you know! All cultural relics belong to the state, which is stipulated by law. No matter how powerful anyone is, he must abide by the law." Seeing that the old man was angry, Duan Tiansheng gave Tan Xiaoming a wink on purpose: "Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Lu is right. As a local government, it should obey the central government in everything. Besides, the storage conditions in Beijing are better than those in Coal City. It is conducive to passing on treasures from generation to generation."

"This is what a municipal party secretary looks like." Mr. Lu was very satisfied. "By the way, Mr. Lu, you have a son who seems to be in China." Duan Tiansheng suddenly remembered. For some reason, when mentioning his son, Mr. Lu felt a little embarrassed, and Tan Xiaoming was even more embarrassed. "Last time I heard from Xiao Ming that his name seems to be Lu Gang, and he works in the Academy of Arts. It will not be easy for you to return to China this time. Why didn't you see him?" Duan Tiansheng expressed his doubts. "I don't want to see him!" Old Lu was obviously very angry. "Tiansheng, you don't want to leave any pot unopened! Do you want him to pester me?" Tan Xiaoming pulled his face down. "That's not what it means. I mean that if he's here, the old man will take care of him at night." Duan Tiansheng explained. "If you don't need him to take care of you, just pretend that I don't have this son." The old man seemed to have a deep prejudice against Lu Gang. "I'll take care of you during the day, and it's enough to have a waiter take care of you at night. Who told me to be Mr. Lu's disciple!" Tan Xiaoming felt helpless. "Shouldn't you take care of me?" The old man became angry again. "Should, should!" Without waiting for Tan Xiaoming to answer, Duan Tiansheng interjected, "Mr. Lu is well-known at home and abroad, and it is Xiaoming's honor to take care of you." "Born, if only you were Zhang Boju." Old Lu looked back at those precious Buddha statues, feeling extremely distressed, "There are strange things in the world, but Zhang Boju is missing." "Yes, if Zhang Boju, who was not one of the four sons of the Republic of China, sold his ancestral property and raised hundreds of taels of gold, the world-famous Sui Dynasty Zhan Ziqian's "You Chun Tu" would have fallen into the hands of foreigners." Tan Xiaoming is worthy of being Mr. Lu. The students are well aware of the famous collection event in modern history. "The ancient picture scroll at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is Zhan Ziqian's "Spring Tour"." Duan Tiansheng suddenly remembered. "That's right. I saw the live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in the United States, especially when I saw the "Spring Outing" displayed in front of the world, and tears flowed." Mr. Lu was a little emotional, "Back then, Zhang Boju's loving wife Pan Su was He didn't even sell his ancestral property when he was kidnapped by someone. However, after seeing that masterpiece handed down from generation to generation, he didn't hesitate to go bankrupt and redeem that treasure. That's why we are lucky enough to see it today." "There are so many coal bosses in the coal city, if there is one like Zhang Boju, those Buddha statues will not be in the hands of the Frenchman Pierre." Since Tan Xiaoming lived with Duan Tiansheng, he also has a coal city complex. "Don't worry, as long as there are good products, we still have a solution." Duan Tiansheng said quietly. "There are no high-end and tasteful rich men in the coal city." Mr. Lu immediately denied, "Even though I am in the United States, I know everything. The coal bosses in Shanxi only know about gambling, taking mistresses, and buying luxury houses, and have no interest in the cultural industry at all. .” "They don't, but I do." Duan Tiansheng patted his chest. "You are a poor secretary, where did you get so much money?" Mr. Lu didn't believe it at all. "Of course I don't." Duan Tiansheng didn't reveal his wealth, "but my brother, the coal boss Zhao Guozhong, has it. If he doesn't buy it, I can borrow money from him to buy it." "Stop making jokes soon. How do you pay back so much money you borrowed?" Lu Lao pushed him back with one word. "This... this... this..." Duan Tiansheng, who was extremely smart, suffered from aphasia for the first time. "Let me find a way for you." Tan Xiaoming stood up like a savior, "You can borrow money from Zhao Guozhong, how can you pay him back? There is a best-of-three solution. Whether it is antiques or cultural relics , the appreciation is very fast. As long as the value increases, you can use the financial money to take back the things that apparently belonged to Zhao Guozhong through the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau. In this way, first, the loan is repaid; second, the things can still be kept in the coal mine. City, you, the secretary of the municipal party committee, can see it whenever you want; third, you can earn interest in the middle.” "It's too much! It's purely using power to enrich one's own pocket." Lu Lao has a relatively traditional concept and expressed dissatisfaction with this. But Duan Tiansheng took advantage of Mr. Lu's inattention, and gave his beloved woman a thumbs up, expressing his appreciation: "This method is good!" "There are also many difficulties." Tan Xiaoming knew very well. "That's right. After all, it is for the public to buy treasures. The public's procedures are complicated, and the financial money will be in place immediately. There is a certain degree of difficulty. It must go through the approval process. If the process is too slow, the good things will slip away. At this critical time, If we can bring in Zhao Guozhong and give him some money, it is a bridge fund, so it will definitely be done!" Duan Tiansheng is full of confidence. "I only care about not getting good things from China into the hands of foreigners." Mr. Lu dismissed the following things. "As an actual operator, only by taking appropriate measures can we ensure that good things will not be lost." The female star is the kind of smart and lovely woman, one in a million. "I like Tan Xiaoming. No! I like the method proposed by Tan Xiaoming!" Duan Tiansheng said casually, and immediately corrected the slip of the tongue in the process of speaking. "Let's go and see the sacred relics of the Sui Dynasty sent by the Singaporeans." Mr. Lu didn't want the two of them to continue discussing. The three walked from the lobby to the room. After waiting for a while, a Singaporean who spoke not-so-fluent Beijing dialect came in with something in his hand. "Master, you also know about the current financial crisis. My real estate business has lost its funds. Otherwise, I would not have brought out this ancestral thing for you to appraise and evaluate." Singaporeans are very small. Very shrewd. "I just focus on looking at things and nothing else." Mr. Lu took out his glasses. "Ancestral? What did your ancestors do?" the female celebrity asked casually. "Miss Tan, my ancestors are Fujianese from mainland China. They used to be the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the former Qing Dynasty. This thing was given to our family by Lord Qianlong." The Singaporean replied cautiously. "Why, do you know each other?" Duan Tiansheng found that his woman had a lot of contacts. "Oh, how did you see that?" Tan Xiaoming panicked. "Just now, we didn't introduce each other, so he knew your surname was Tan, which means you know each other. See it, you can't hide anything from me!" Duan Tiansheng was proud. "Don't talk nonsense, just open your picture scroll." Mr. Lu only cared about treasures and nothing else. "Good, good, good!" The little Singaporean shook off his embarrassment. A stunning masterpiece is displayed in front of you: high mountains, surrounded by auspicious clouds, swaying bridges, rushing streams, hidden temples, monks shuttling, urchins playing, Buddha looming, shepherds pointing, moonlight hazy... "Why is the scenery so familiar?" Duan Tiansheng was amazed. "Look at who signed it?" Mr. Lu reminded him. "Ah! Longmen Xue Daoheng." Duan Tiansheng gasped nervously, "Thirty years ago, you appraised Xue Daoheng's calligraphy in Coal City." "Spider webs hang in the dark, swallow mud falls from empty beams." Lu Lao chanted casually, "If I remember correctly, the poem handwritten by Xue Daoheng is the one handed down from Coal City. The self-confident Sui Yang Emperor also Because I saw that quatrain, I felt jealous and killed Xue Daoheng, the number one talent in the world." "This is his painting, it seems to be a scene in Shanxi "Mengshan Xiaoyue"." Duan Tiansheng is very perceptive, "Xue Daoheng, from Longmen, Jiangzhou, is today from Wanrong, Shanxi, and is very familiar with the Mengshan Giant Buddha .” "It seems that in the calligraphy and painting market, paintings are much more valuable than calligraphy works." Actress Tan Xiaoming values ​​money too much. "You are right!" Duan Tiansheng praised. "I only value it as an authentic work." Mr. Lu said with an air of aloofness. Duan Tiansheng admired it carefully, and suddenly had a question: "Why do I feel that this painting is not old enough? You see, the silk painting is not so old, it is a little new." "You don't understand this. If you look carefully at the inscriptions and seals of Tang Wenzong, Song Yingzong, Ming Shenzong, Kangxi, and Qianlong, you will understand everything." Lu Lao pointed to the ink marks and red seals beside him , "This is handed down from the palace. The preservation conditions of the palace are many times better than those of the folk. What you usually see are folk things. As long as they are in the hands of the common people, it is inevitable that people will often see the sun, so Aging quickly." "I finally learned the truth." Duan Tiansheng came to his senses. "Master, I don't care about art, I only care about the value of things inherited from my ancestors?" the little Singaporean asked. "Just now, I've already said it. It's only for authenticity, not for valuation." Mr. Lu is a very stubborn person. "Then I will let you palm your eyes for nothing." The little Singaporean was a little annoyed. "Mr. Lu, I understand how you feel." Tan Xiaoming interjected, "If it wasn't for the economic crisis, people wouldn't take out the things that have been passed down from generation to generation. Since we appreciate it, you can help them. It is convenient for him to have a reference when he makes a move." Old Lu didn't raise his eyebrows. "Mr. Lu, it's inconvenient to say the exact number, so you can give him an approximate number." Seeing the woman winking at him, Duan Tiansheng quickly pleaded with the little man, "It won't violate your academic principles, but it can also make him feel confident. " "Okay, Tiansheng, in terms of you as the secretary of the municipal party committee, let me say a big number." Despite this, Mr. Lu still did not directly evaluate, "Tell me, what we talked about just now was displayed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. What is the value of Zhan Ziqian's "Outing in Spring" that Zhang Boju contributed to the country?" "It seems that I have made an assessment, and it should be no less than 200 million." Duan Tiansheng thought for a long time, "Compared with Zhan Ziqian's work of the same period, this work of Xue Daoheng is more important, regardless of fame, talent, and history. The influence is above "You Chun Tu", not below it." "So, it should be more than 200 million." The female star judged. "It must be more than that." Duan Tiansheng gave a clear answer. "I still say the same thing, only for identification, not for evaluation. Two hundred million, but what you said has nothing to do with me!" Lu Lao repeatedly emphasized his intention of speaking. Singaporeans are very happy. Tan Xiaoming was silent. In Duan Tiansheng's view, the master did that to maintain his academic image.I don't want to tarnish my reputation because of the smell of copper. "Okay, I've made up my mind." The little Singaporean looked at Duan Tiansheng. "What are you doing?" Duan Tiansheng realized that he was going to pack something, his face immediately changed, and he became anxious, "We haven't finished talking yet!" "I have already said that the purpose of my coming today is to sell the treasure because the financial crisis cannot be turned around." The Singaporean buried his head in packing his things. "He wants to go out to find a buyer, so don't stand in the way." The female star became anxious when she saw Duan Tiansheng stop him. "Since we want to sell it, we can also sell it here." Duan Tiansheng blocked the road sideways. "Tiansheng, what are you doing! Let the merchant go quickly." Lu Lao tried his best to get rid of the current situation. "You asked me to rescue the cultural heritage just now, and you asked me to be Zhang Boju! How can you spit out the fat you have now?!" Duan Tiansheng was afraid that Mr. Lu would let the Singaporeans go. "Since you want to buy it, let's say a price." The Singaporean put the package on the table. "180 million!" Duan Tiansheng said immediately. "You said just now that this item is not less than 200 million yuan! Now you are asking such a low price. Are you sincere?" Singaporeans are not happy. "The price I said was the price at the auction. You must know that the auction house will also earn more than 10% of the fee. In the end, it will be 180 million in your hands." Duan Tiansheng explained the auction house the rule of. "Tiansheng, don't stop him. If you do this, it will appear that we are buying and selling hard, and we have a bad reputation. After all, you are different from ordinary people." This time, Tan Xiaoming took the initiative to stop Duan Tiansheng. "Yeah, doing this really feels like robbery halfway." The Singaporean was very rude. "I'm not buying or selling by force, let alone robbing halfway, it's all for your own good." Duan Tiansheng tried his best to keep the things. "For my own good? Stopping me from going out is for my own good?!" The Singaporean looked angry. "Of course, think about it: why are you so anxious to sell your ancestral things? It's to understand the urgent need. But you have to know that any auction house will help you sell it, and it will take half a year to give you the money. If you don't believe me, go ask Inquire. If you give it to me, you can get the cash within three days!" Duan Tiansheng knew the benefits. Singaporeans suddenly hesitated. Tan Xiaoming reacted: "Old Duan often goes to the auction house, so he really knows the details." "In three days, are you sure you can come up with so much cash?" Singaporeans doubted. "I can call you any designated account." Duan Tiansheng said firmly. "I want you to call the designated account in Singapore." The Singaporeans were not as determined as before. "Okay! It's a deal. The money will be picked up." Duan Tiansheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Congratulations to you, and to Coal City, for getting a priceless treasure left by our ancestors." Mr. Lu admired Duan Tiansheng's charitable deeds, but at the same time he was a little annoyed by the Singaporeans who resold the treasure, "You go away." "Okay, I will send the things after I receive the payment in three days, please ask Ms. Tan as a guarantee." The Singaporean packed up his things and went out. "Mr. Lu, it's a pity that those precious Buddha statues were lost to France. However, I'm sure I can get this Xue Daoheng's "Dawn of Mengshan Mountain". I must be a big collector like Zhang Boju." Duan Tiansheng's blood boiled. "Okay, okay. Protecting cultural heritage is indeed a merit for thousands of years. I am old and powerless, and the rest is up to you and Xiao Ming. By the way, I will return to the United States tomorrow, and Harvard University will hold a Chinese cultural event the day after tomorrow. I can't delay the summit forum." Mr. Lu looked at a man and a woman in front of him. "Okay, we will take you to the airport tomorrow." Duan Tiansheng understood the master's complicated mood. "Master, after I helped Tiansheng get the treasure, I also rushed to the United States." Tan Xiaoming seemed to comfort the old man and Duan Tiansheng, "I said that I will make my home in Beijing in the future. Take it back." Mr. Lu was at a loss... Duan Tiansheng, who was in his early fifties, was so excited when he came across a rare treasure in the world by accident. He didn't take any medicine at all, and tossed the female star twice in one night. "180 million, do you have that much money? It's too greedy to promise people indiscriminately." The female star was exhausted. "To tell you the truth, I personally have a deposit of 150 million yuan. In addition, as long as the remaining 30 million yuan is opened to Zhao Guozhong, I promise to borrow it on the same day!" Duan Tiansheng said his wishful thinking, "I also With treasures as precious as the Buddha statues of the Northern Dynasties, I can be like Zhang Boju and Pierre in the future, because the names of antique treasures go down in history." Three days later, the supernatural Duan Tiansheng really raised 180 million yuan, and bought the dreamy Sui Dynasty Xue Daoheng's famous painting "Mengshan Xiaoyue" from the hands of a small Singaporean. Duan Tiansheng, Secretary of the Coal City Party Committee, was ecstatic...