Chapter 2 Chapter 1 An Unexpected Discovery at the Foot of Phoenix Mountain
This is an old courtyard house located in Tong County, next to the Yongding River.There are two squatting tiger stone piers at the door, which are so worn that the shape can't be seen clearly. There are still patterns on the lintel. It seems that it is an old house from the Qing Dynasty. The original owner's identity is probably not low.
It's a pity that what was so beautiful in the past has become a cloud now.The house has gone through many changes, the front door is dilapidated and mottled, there is a smoky trace in the east, "Cultural Revolution" slogans that have not been wiped clean in the west, garbage baskets line the wall, and a broken bicycle without wheels is lying on the big bamboo. Next to the broom, the front fenders were raised high.
The gates are two wooden doors painted black, the paint is quite new, but the door panels are full of ravines, which seem to be quite old.I stood in front of the door, raised my arms, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
On the other side of the door is Lao Chaofeng.
There is only a door between me and him.
The grievances between the three generations of our Xu family and him will be settled today.
I stretched out my arm and pushed forward lightly. The door was ajar, and it opened with a push.The rusted door hinge made a jerky creaking sound, as if reminding the host that a guest was coming.
The screen wall behind the door has been demolished, and half of the ruins remain.As soon as I enter the door, I can have a panoramic view of the entire courtyard.The yard was not big, and the first thing I noticed was a locust tree standing in the middle of the yard. Half of the locust tree was destroyed by lightning, and the remaining half of its crooked branches stretched towards the sky, like a giant raising his hands and shouting for help.
Judging by the thickness of this pagoda tree, it is expected to have a lifespan of several hundred years.In old Beijing, it is generally not auspicious to plant pagoda trees in the courtyard, but there is also a saying that "if there are ancient pagoda trees in the courtyard, it must be an old house".To have such an old locust tree, the origin of this house should be unusual.
Standing alone in front of the pagoda tree, with his back to me looking up at the top of the tree, it seemed like he was admiring a post-modern oil painting.He is tall and straight, a head taller than me, and his suit is neat and straight, without any wrinkle.
The strange thing is that he is not old in terms of figure - this cannot be the old court.
The man heard my footsteps and turned slowly.My first reaction was surprise, and I couldn't help shouting: "Is it medicine?" But when the last word slipped out of my mouth, I realized that I had admitted the wrong person.
His appearance is 80% similar to Yao's, but his temperament is completely different.Otherwise, Yao always has a hippie smiling face and a cynical look.But the face of the person in front of him was dull, with three faint wrinkles in the Sichuan character between his brows, and his hair was combed meticulously.
"You don't need to look for it, there is no one in this yard, Lao Chaofeng is not here."
He told me that it is very standard Mandarin, without any trace of Beijing accent.I hurriedly looked around, and sure enough, the rooms on both sides were quiet.I couldn't believe it, so I went into the house and looked around. It was neatly arranged, but there was no one there.
I suddenly became angry.What's going on?I paid such a high price, and finally got to see Lao Chaofeng, why should this intruding guy point fingers?
"Who the hell are you?" I growled, fists clenched.
He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses: "You are as impulsive as the legend says, make a wish."
"Don't change the subject! Who are you?" I stepped forward aggressively.
He didn't flicker, and his tone didn't fluctuate at all: "The first time we met, I'm Yao's elder brother, and my name is Yao."
It's not medicine... Brother? !
I couldn't help but look at him carefully, the other person's expression was cold and indifferent, like a piece of ice.I vaguely heard it mentioned before, that he has an older brother who is three years older and has no interest in the antique business, so he was sent to the United States by his family very early.The style difference between these two brothers is really not small, apart from the similar appearance, there is no similarity in one place.
But why didn't the medicine suddenly return to China?Why did he suddenly appear in Lao Chaofeng's courtyard?Could it be that he is also one of Lao Chaofeng's subordinates?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help feeling vigilant and took two steps back.Yao Bubu opened his mouth and said: "I just arrived not long ago, Lao Chaofeng should have left early, I didn't see him."
He spoke frankly, but it pissed me off.It turned out that this was the case. Lao Chaofeng originally only made an appointment with me, but when he saw an outsider running over first, with his vigilance, he naturally withdrew and left immediately—probably the most important meeting in my life. Get messed up by this irrelevant person!
"How do you know where we meet?"
"I've been monitoring your phone calls."
I didn't care about my demeanor, and grabbed Yao Bu's tie: "This is my Xu family's grievance, what are you messing with?"
Yao is not tall, so when I pulled down his tie, he bent forward.He just looked down at me like this, word by word: "My grandfather was forced to commit suicide because of the old court, and my younger brother became a wanted criminal - do you think this has anything to do with me?"
With a trembling hand, I loosened his tie abruptly.
That's right, my Xu family was not the only one who was harmed by the old court. Yao Lai was coerced by him and died in front of me;The two generations of the backbone of the Yao family died and rebelled, which can be said to be severely damaged.
I stared at the drug, trying to see the rage of an Avenger in his eyes, but all I saw was calm, dead calm.
Yao didn't take a step back, smoothed the tie again, and said in a calm tone: "The family has undergone such a drastic change, and no one else can rely on it, so I have to go back to China to solve it myself." At this point, he helped the frame of the mirror, and said coldly, "I Must say, make a wish, you've really disappointed me."
I was a little taken aback, not knowing why he said that.
"When Lao Chaofeng was mentioned just now, you yelled like a lunatic and completely lost your composure. With your mentality, even if you really see Lao Chaofeng, what kind of revenge can you get?" The javelin was thrown.
"You sound like you know me very well." I muttered in a low voice.
"I have carefully studied all your actions after returning to Wumai. In the matter of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", you were eager to seek revenge from Lao Chaofeng, and you were so impulsive that you stepped into Bai Ruilian's trap. I I thought you would learn a lesson because of this, but your performance just now proves that you have not improved at all!"
I couldn't help retorting: "I'm not the one who scared Lao Chaofeng away."
Yao Bu said: "Even if you see Lao Chaofeng, what then? Have you seriously thought about it?"
His words reminded me all of a sudden.Earlier, I was immersed in the excitement of seeing Lao Chao Feng's true face, but I hadn't thought about how to settle the grievances with him once we met - whether to wrestle the local police station to justice, or kill the culprit?
I didn't say a word, and Yaobu continued: "Have you ever thought about how such a cunning person, Lao Chaofeng, would take the initiative to show up and invite you to meet him? He definitely didn't realize his conscience, he must have plots. You can't even think about it If you don’t see through, you will rush over in a panic, and you will just fall into the trap and repeat the mistakes of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."
His voice was cold and clear, like a scalpel, cutting off my luck one by one.I was a little annoyed by his criticism: "This has nothing to do with you!"
Medicine is not raising eyebrows slightly: "Why is it okay? You have to go with me to find out Lao Chaofeng. My partner can't be an idiot."
I was speechless for a while, but this ability to talk to himself is in the same line as his brother.It's been less than ten minutes since we met, and he hasn't made it clear about his unauthorized monitoring of my phone, but he has already started to pick on my quality.
"Neuropathy!"
I said nothing, turned around and walked towards the door.An inexplicable person, an inexplicable proposal.If I listened to him without saying anything, I would be insane.
"You don't want to catch Lao Chaofeng?"
"I'll figure it out myself."
"Don't you want to find out why my brother betrayed you?" Yao Bu's voice sounded from behind me.My movement of stepping out of the door froze, as if my ankle was being held by a rope.
Medicine or else is now the biggest thorn in my heart, a mystery.If Lao Chaofeng is the hatred I want to end, then the medicine is the knot in my heart that I urgently need to untie.He did betray me, but he also saved me.Behind that guy's cynicism, I have never figured out what kind of thoughts are hidden behind that guy's cynicism.
Yaobu sighed softly: "I didn't expect him to come to this point. I, as the eldest brother, have never figured out what this guy is going to do. Maybe we can figure it out together. "
I hesitated for a moment, the proposal sounded tempting.But I thought about it again, this is probably Yaobu's strategy, I can't let him control the rhythm of the conversation.
A guy who showed up out of nowhere, an invitation out of the blue.Although I am reckless, I am not so gullible.
I pondered for a moment, then turned around: "This matter is too big, just the two of us are not enough. There is a party at home tonight, and the five branches gather together. If you have any ideas, you might as well bring them up at that time, so that everyone can work together."
Wumai does have a party tonight.Lao Chaofeng's strength is unfathomable, and if he wants to catch him, he must rely on the power of the five veins.
Unexpectedly, Yao didn't let out a "chi" sound, and shook his head with contempt on his face: "I will seek justice from the Yao family—but I won't count on them, none of those guys can be trusted."
I squinted my eyes, it was interesting.Listening to the tone of the medicine is not, obviously intending to get rid of Wumai and go it alone.But as I remember, he wasn't in the antique circle at all.A layman who has been abroad all year round, wants to challenge Lao Chaofeng single-handedly?
Fortunately, he also said that I was brave and foolish, and I think he is beyond his control.
Yao didn't seem to have any intention of explaining. He waved his hand and threw a business card: "When I return to China this time, almost no one knows about my five veins. I'm not interested in boring parties—if you change your mind, come to China Resources Hotel Find me."
After finishing speaking, Yao turned around and continued to look up at the twisted and weird locust tree.I don't know what he was watching so fascinated by.
I sighed a long time, and I was full of expectations when I came here, but I didn't expect the ending to be so inexplicable.With regret and resentment, I walked out of the house.The door of the old mansion closed with a "squeak", leaving only an empty yard, a person and half a broken pagoda tree.
Stepping out of the yard, I suddenly remembered an ancient Feng Shui story for no reason.
A wealthy businessman planted a tree in his yard, but he didn't expect that his family would be plagued by disasters.A Feng Shui master passing by said that your yard is unlucky. There are trees in the yard, which is a word for "sleepy".The rich businessman was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly cut down the tree, but accidents still happened.Mr. Feng Shui said, you cut down the tree, and there are only people left in the yard. Isn't it a word for "prisoner"?
One tree and one person in this courtyard, isn't it the layout of the old mansion behind me?I'm not superstitious, but this time Lao Chaofeng didn't see it, but plunged into such a feng shui pattern.
The words "sleepy" and "prisoner" are really some kind of prophecy?
The gathering of five veins is not an excuse.There was indeed a family banquet that night, in the name of welcoming the smooth return of "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival" to Beijing, Liu Ju took the lead and called Wumai members to celebrate. Liu Bureau took great pains to save this round. I caused the turmoil in "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival". Many people in the Five Meridians are very dissatisfied with me. Taking this opportunity can be regarded as bridging the conflict and paving the way for the Xu family to return to the Five Meridians. It is a pity that several important family members were absent: Yao Lai passed away, Huang Kewu was recuperating in Hong Kong and did not return, and Liu Yiming was not feeling well.Yanyan stayed in Hong Kong because she had to take care of her grandfather.As a result, at the big table, apart from Liu Ju, the only acquaintances I had were Shen Yunchen from the Qingzi Sect, and the others were all juniors from various sects, so I couldn't talk much. A thousand cups of wine is less when you meet a bosom friend, but a few words are more than a few words if you don't speculate.Although Director Liu talked loudly during the meeting and tried his best to make the atmosphere warmer, there was really nothing to talk about between me and these attendees. After a round of toasting, everyone basically ate their own food, and the atmosphere during the meeting was a bit embarrassing . Among the people present, Shen Yunchen has the highest seniority.She treated me well, and gave me a small sandalwood gourd ornament from Dao Guangnian as soon as we met, saying that it can turn bad luck into good luck.The upper and lower sections of the gourd are each engraved with the words "Zheng" and "Xu". They are not worth much, but the lottery is a good one, and they were chosen with great care. The Shen family of Qingzimen is not a major sect in Wumai, and mainly deals in wooden wares, so whether it is the Buddha head case or the "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival", the Shen family did not participate in it.Except for a Shen Jun who followed the old court, Qingzimen has been staying out of things, and the sense of existence is not very strong.Because of this, I was able to chat with Shen Yunchen calmly. Speaking of what happened to the heads of Liu, Huang, and Yao, Shen Yunchen sighed a few words.She told me that the business plan of the Antiquity Society has almost been prepared, and after successfully blocking the landing of Bairuilian this time, it is a good time to start it. I have always had reservations about the commercialization of Wumai. The reputation of Mingyan Meihua for so many years is obtained by standing upright.Now that the referee goes into the water to play football in person, with too many interests involved, the degree of fairness may have to be discounted.But having said that, Wumai's shops have already opened one after another, and now it's just lifting the veil.Opening up and invigorating, economic construction first, this is the general trend of the whole era and it is irreversible. "So let me tell you, if we don't occupy the position of antiques, the enemy will." Shen Yunchen said cheerfully, his eyes sparkling. It's no wonder that she is so caring. If the Antiquity Society's commercialization is really activated, the Qingzimen will probably benefit the most. You know, wooden ware is called "small ware" in the antique world, also called "green ware".This "green" refers to both the greenness of the wood and the "youngness".Other categories, such as gold, stone, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, can be traced back to the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties.It is not easy to preserve woodware, and the collections are mainly in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there are not many in the future. From young to young, woodware has always been a lucrative industry.Antiques pay attention to not opening for three years, and eating for three years after opening.Woodenware is small profits but quick turnover. The price of each piece is not high, but many people buy it.The reason is very simple, other antiques are for entertainment, and wooden objects—especially furniture—are for use.After the liberalization of commercialization, the sales of antique furniture alone cannot be underestimated. Shen Yunchen was very interested, and chatted with me about these things in the woodware business, and also talked about the plan to organize a nationwide tour of antique furniture.I listened with a smile and an occasional nod.Shen Yunchen talked for a long time, and realized that she was the only one who said it herself, so she turned sideways and asked me what my plan is next. I thought about it and thought it was a good opportunity, so I picked up a spoon and knocked on the teacup.After a few clangs, everyone at the table stopped talking and all stared at me. "I have something to discuss with everyone. I went to see Lao Chaofeng today." As soon as I said that, the whole meeting fell silent.In Wumai, Lao Chaofeng is a taboo word. When I suddenly mentioned this name, everyone held their breaths.Even Liu Ju and Shen Yunchen put down their chopsticks and looked over with different expressions. I briefly talked about the ins and outs of my meeting with Lao Chaofeng today - of course, I didn't mention the fact that the medicine was not good, I only said that after I found the old house, it was all in vain. I looked around and said, "I don't think I need to say much about who Lao Chaofeng is. You all know very well. I didn't catch Lao Chaofeng this time, but I can't let him continue to harm others. Together, I will completely cut off this black hand that manufactures and sells counterfeit cultural relics, and fulfill the responsibility of Wumai." Everyone present nodded and raised their glasses to show their support.Lao Chaofeng is Wumai's natural enemy, and it is only natural to deal with him. "Lao Chaofeng asked you to meet him there, but he didn't show up?" Ju Liu interjected, frowning. "yes." "Did you find anything?" Shen Yunchen asked. "Yes, I found this there. I guess it was left behind by the old court." I took out something from my pocket and gently placed it on the glass turntable on the table. call. There was a moment of silence during the dinner, everyone looked at me and I looked at you, the direction of the wind began to change subtly and interestingly. "Wumai has just passed through the crisis. Personally, I think it's not appropriate to act rashly now." "It's right to arrest Lao Chaofeng, but I made a wish before that your boy's whimsical ideas made the family uneasy. You have to think clearly this time, and don't fall into other people's traps again." "We are a non-governmental association, and we should give clues to relevant departments and let them catch them." "Since ancient times, fakes have never been cut off. If you win an old imperial enshrin, you can guarantee that there will be no more fakes? Naive!" Many people who were nodding in approval just now have become ambiguous, and some people poured cold water on it, and there is no one who clearly supports it.Even Shen Yunchen patted me on the shoulder: "Xiao Xu, this matter is too involved, we have to think long term." Listening to these words, my expression is still smiling, but it is getting colder and colder. The thing I put on the table is a Qing Dynasty broken bean green pill porcelain bottle.The elixir bottle is not big, eight centimeters high, the surface is glazed and has no grain, it is a very small thing. This is actually a fake with a wide open door, the glaze color is flimsy, and the fracture is white, anyone with a little knowledge of cultural relics can see it.But this thing is also a temptation.There are few fake medicine porcelain bottles, which are not economical, and it is not worthwhile to fake them alone.When there are fakes, it means that there is a huge counterfeiting force hidden behind them. They have reached a certain scale, and even such small objects can generate profits. In fact, this small medicine bottle was taken by me before I came, and it has nothing to do with Lao Chaofeng.I just want to test it out and see the true attitude of the people in the five veins.Sure enough, when these guys saw this small porcelain medicine bottle, some of them were frightened by the counterfeit strength displayed behind the porcelain bottle, and some of them had ghosts in their hearts, so they could see the possibility of being implicated from this porcelain bottle. sex. As the saying goes, it is easy to learn from the past, but difficult to learn from others.Now it seems that people's hearts are not so hard to learn. A small porcelain vase reflects all kinds of thoughts. They opposed me for a thousand reasons, but I know what their true intentions are: now that commercialization is imminent, and everyone is busy making money, it is thankless to track down Lao Chaofeng, so why bother with that. It's no wonder that Yao didn't intend to use the power of the five meridians. He was born in the five meridians, so he knows the temperament of these people too well. I was still lucky, but now I fully understand. I silently put away the medicine bottle, stood up, and walked outside without saying a word.Everyone at the table whispered to each other, but none of them sat still. Only Shen Yunchen stood up tremblingly, and grabbed my arm to stay: "This child, why is he a donkey temper? We should discuss this." I bowed my head and smiled at her, "There must be one or two people to persist in the way of the five veins. Everyone is busy, but I am more free, so I will go." Seeing that Shen Yunchen couldn't help it, he said that you should wait for Mr. Liu Yiming to come back anyway. It's not too late to make up your mind.But I shook my head: "If my guess is right, Lao Chaofeng is almost seventy years old. If he dies before I catch him, he will be unstable for the rest of his life—time waits for no one." Seeing that I was talking about this point, Shen Yunchen finally frowned and let go of his hands.I picked up the wine glass and drank it in the direction of Bureau Liu. The spicy Moutai rolled from my throat into a line of fire into my stomach.Director Liu sat on the spot, frowning slightly, and had no choice but to lift his cup slightly, which was a response to my actions. He is a member of the officialdom. After all, he should focus on balance and stability, and he cannot be too impulsive. I put down my wine glass and left the room, with both the lightness of relief and the accumulation of heavy resentment in my heart.I'm not qualified to comment on what others are like, but I must find out the truth about Lao Chaofeng. When I walked to the entrance of the hotel, I saw a figure leaning against the colonnade, under the dim light, the mountain was not visible, as if it was about to melt into the darkness.He held a lit cigarette in his hand, and the smoke curled up. "Fang Zhen?" I was quite surprised, but then I thought about it, if Director Liu is here, he will naturally follow.Unexpectedly, Fang Zhen said to me: "I'm not waiting for Bureau Liu, I'm waiting for you." "Uh...you want to stop me too?" I looked at him warily.This guy is my life-and-death partner, but he is also a policeman, and his relatives will not recognize him when he is ordered. "No, I'm here to see you off." Fang Zhen still had that calm demeanor.He dropped the cigarette butt on the floor, stomped on it, and walked down the steps.A silver-gray Santana was parked under the steps, bearing the Armed Police sign.I didn't understand what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd, so I curled my lips and lowered my head to sit in the passenger seat. I want to see how he will give me a ride. Fang Zhen started the engine, the car started slowly, and quickly left the hotel.I rolled down the car window, poked my head out, and let out a long breath.It wasn't until I got out of there that I felt I could breathe easier.In the restaurant just now, looking at the eyes of those people, I really felt breathless and stuffy, as if my lungs were filled with plastic bags. The car moved forward at high speed, and I watched the street recede to both sides, and suddenly felt something was wrong. "Hey, I said, this is not the way back to Siguizhai." "I know, you don't want to go back there anyway." Fang Zhen stared straight ahead, holding the steering wheel firmly. "You know where I want to go?" "China Resources Hotel." Fang Zhen replied.
The China Resources Hotel is located in the east of Beijing. It is a cylindrical building with more than 30 floors. There is a 360-degree revolving restaurant on the top. It is quite famous. Many returned overseas Chinese like to live there.I've heard of it for a long time, but never been there. The two of us went downstairs to the hotel and entered the lobby.Fang Zhen didn't even ask, and went straight to the elevator.I wondered, didn't Yao already tell Fang Zhen about returning to China?Didn't he return home secretly this time? But I didn't ask, and it was useless to ask.This guy Fang Zhen will take the initiative to tell you what should be said, and you will not be able to pry out a word of what should not be said.I sneaked a sideways glance, he was leaning against the elevator, his eyes slightly lowered, like a Buddha.You can't figure out what's going on in his heart right now. Otherwise, Yao talks too much, Fang Zhen talks too little, and there are really no normal friends around me.When I think of the word "friend", my heart suddenly becomes heavy.Otherwise, is it my friend now?He is a traitor, with a few lives in his hands, unforgivable, but he gave up his life to save me in the Kowloon Walled City.Originally, I persuaded him to surrender, but he was later taken away by Lao Chaofeng, and his whereabouts are unknown. I don't even know if I'm so obsessed with finding the old court priest, whether it has something to do with medicine or not. With our minds full of cranky thoughts, we walked to a room at the end of the corridor.Fang Zhen rang the doorbell, and the door opened immediately.It's already so late, isn't Yao still in a suit and his hair combed meticulously. "I knew you would come." He lifted his chin slightly, and his tone sounded like a fortune teller.I shook my head with a wry smile, walked straight into the room without saying anything.Yao didn't close the door with a "bang". I noticed something was wrong, and when I looked back, I found that Fang Zhen hadn't come in. Yao Bu said: "We have known each other for many years, and among all the people related to Wumai, he is the only one I fully trust—but because of his limited status, it is inconvenient to participate in the following matters." I nodded.After all, Fang Zhen is a police officer, and he has strong personal principles.If he can keep this kind of folk behavior a secret, it will be a big help, and he doesn't expect to be able to assist secretly. Fang Zhen's attitude also hinted at the position of Bureau Liu and the relevant departments - they were not very active in arresting Lao Chaofeng, at least they did not approve of the participation of civilians like me in the arrest.So all Fang Zhen could do was send me to the China Resources Hotel. But I didn't know that Yaobu and Fang Zhen had been friends for many years.Of these two people, one is serious and the other is taciturn. They really don't know how to chat when they get along. When I go to a new place, I am used to looking around first.The furnishings in the room are exquisite and simple. There is a huge suitcase next to the big bed, a wallet and a stack of documents are placed on the bedside table, and there is also a delicate electric shaver.This is why medicine is not the whole luggage of returning home this time. It seems that he has very low personal desires and strong self-discipline.The purpose of returning to China this time is very simple, it is to avenge the medicine family. It's not that Yao doesn't like polite greetings, he doesn't even make a cup of tea, each sits down, and straight to the point: "Since you came to my place, it seems that the dinner party didn't go well?" "Hehe." I gave a dry laugh, took out the bean green medicine bottle, and put it on the coffee table, "Loyalty engraved on the tablet, money touches people's hearts, this is human nature. A small bottle, they found their bottom of the sea." Yao didn't wave his hand: "I'm not good at antiques, don't use these quack jargon, just come to the conclusion." "Everyone is so busy making money that no one wants to make a fuss -- except me." Yao didn't say "hmm" and crossed his arms: "I told you in that house that people from Wumai are not trustworthy. If you want to arrest the old court minister, you can only cooperate with me." I raised my hand: "Don't worry. I have another question: You are not an antique major, you don't even understand basic terminology, you have lived abroad for a long time, and you lack contacts in China. Why should I cooperate with you?" Yao didn't seem to have expected that I would question it, he slowly walked up to me and stared intently for a while, which made me flustered for a while.Then he said, "Don't you think that the mistake you made before was because you were too obsessed with antiques?" I don't understand what he means. "In the case of the Buddha's head, if you hadn't been attached to the Buddha statue itself, you would have discovered that the medicine was not appropriate; if you hadn't been smart enough to think you had discovered the truth in the picture, how could there be the later incident? A series of turmoil? Make a wish, you are indeed a good expert in antique appreciation, but sometimes this will become an obstacle and make you detour a lot." "You mean a mallet would make it easier to find out?" I countered, half-sarcastically. Yao Bu said, "Have you heard the story of Edison?" "No……" "Once, Edison wanted to measure the capacity of a light bulb. One of his senior assistants was calculating the depth and arc, and was sweating profusely. At this time, the intern in the laboratory took over the light bulb, and the Fill it with water, then pour the water into the measuring cup, and calculate the volume with ease - the senior assistant's math skills are much better than the intern's, but because he is too obsessed with calculations, he ignores the simplest solution. You The same is true for the problem of connoisseurship, knowledge of appreciation allows you to focus on antiques, and to solve problems is often preconceived, ignoring other possibilities." Speaking of this, Yao Bu pointed at the tip of his nose: "I don't understand antiques. I used to study medicine, but later I changed to business. Both of these majors require logic--I will use logic to guide you. Find a correct, efficient, and clear path instead of being dazzled by the endless stream of antiques.” This guy really has never known humility, and he speaks straightforwardly.Among the people I knew before, Dai Haiyan was probably the only one with this style. "Old Chaofeng is a man with meticulous thoughts and vicious methods. If you want to catch his tail, it is impossible to do it with ordinary thinking, you can only catch him by surprise. He knows you, but he doesn't know my existence—this is our Chance." Didn't Yao obviously have thought about it thoroughly, talking about it with eloquence, like giving an academic report.I stared at him, gradually having a decision in my heart. What he said was right, last time I went to track down Lao Chaofeng with confidence, but Bai Ruilian was used as a gunman instead.I really need a partner who can fill in the gaps and help me detect problems early on. "There is only one problem. How do I know that what you said is true? It wasn't Lao Chaofeng who deliberately sent someone to lie to me." I asked sharply, a question that would probably upset him, but it had to be made clear.Yao Otherwise, Zhong Aihua, I have been betrayed twice, and the other party is someone who I think will never betray me.Once bitten by a snake, I am afraid of well ropes for ten years, not to mention being bitten twice, I must be cautious. Yaobu nodded approvingly: "Good question, it means that you have started to learn to think now. Of course what I said is true, but I can't prove it, you can only gamble on luck." It was a frank and open conversation.The two of us looked at each other for a moment, and smiled at the same time—to be precise, only I smiled, and the corners of his lips were slightly upturned, not so much a smile, but a kind of reserve. "I bet." I held out my hand, and the two shook hands briefly.A small anti-theocratic alliance was formed. "Then what should we do next?" I asked, and then mentioned several possible investigation directions, "My big brother keeps turning on at any time, Lao Chaofeng may call again, we can see what he has in mind. Also, some people in the five veins also have a lot of relationship with him, let's grasp a little bit and follow the clues..." "None of these will work." Medicine is not about pressing down on everything with the palm of your hand. "what?" "Old Chaofeng knows you too well. Any clues you have access to so far may all be traps arranged by him and are not usable." "Then what should I do?" I was a little dazed. Yao didn't raise two fingers: "First of all, you have to cut off all connections with the five meridians, and completely disappear from their sight, so that the old court cannot grasp your whereabouts. Then, we will dig new clues." "New leads?" "That's right. The benefits of being delivered to your door are all suspicious. Only by actively digging yourself can you get clean clues. This is like a mountain occupied by bandits. There must be traps buried in the main roads that we often take. We can only find another way to find out in person. Only by cutting a safe path among the thorns can we go straight to the snake's lair." He rarely used a metaphor. "Then... where should we go to find new clues?" Yao didn't walk to the bedside table, pick up a document and hand it to me: "I happen to have a ready-made key here." It seems that he has already started preparations in the United States. This is a photocopied English document, but fortunately, a Chinese translation is attached next to it.On the first page of the document, there are several colored photos of the bronze furnace, from various angles, with scales marked on the side.Our Xu family's main business in Wumai is gold, stone and jade wares. When we saw this incense burner, we immediately fell in love with it. The censer in the photo is not very big, with tall legs and ears, decorated with Taotie patterns, and its appearance is intact, but its texture is different from that of Youxuan bronze.When I saw the inscription on the bottom of the belly, I was quite surprised, and couldn't help but blurted out: "This... this is Luwang Furnace!" The origin of Luwang Furnace comes from a legend of Henan Weihui. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Wanli named his younger brother Zhu Yixuan the King of Lu, and the feudal domain was placed in Weihui Mansion. Zhu Yiliu was deeply loved by Wanli, and he received countless rewards. The gold and silver in Prince Lu's mansion filled ten warehouses.One day, the mansion suddenly flooded, and the rescue failed, and one of the warehouses was burned to the ground.The gold and silver in the treasury were burned by the fire and smelted into a large group of gold cakes.King Lu was rich and didn't care about it, so the gold cake was left idle in the mansion without any use. Zhu Yimiao has a son named Zhu Changhao, who likes to collect cultural relics the most, and the name is Jingyi Master.After he took over the position of the vassal king, he accidentally found this ball of gold cake, and suddenly had an idea and thought of an elegant way to deal with it. Zhu Changhao invited craftsmen to re-melt the gold cakes and recast them into Yanshan incense burners.The gold cake was too big, and the craftsmen cast a total of three hundred and sixty incense burners before they ran out of raw materials.Zhu Changhao felt that although the shape of the incense burner is antique, the ancient meaning is not enough, so he chose a place with good geomantic omen, wrapped the 360 incense burners in cowhide, buried them, and absorbed the atmosphere of the earth - in the eyes of modern people, In fact, acid soil is used to bite out the rust marks on the furnace body so as to make it old. Unexpectedly, just a few years after the burial, Li Zicheng's army attacked Wei Hui.Zhu Changhao fled to Hangzhou to avoid the sharp edge, and was later captured by Qing soldiers and sent to Beijing, where he was brutally killed.It is also unknown where the three hundred and sixty incense burners are buried. This set of incense burners is collectively referred to as the Luwang Stove in the antique circle.In my grandfather's "Su Ding Lu", this was specifically mentioned and praised as a work of conscience.why?Because Zhu Changhao, as a nobleman in heaven, doesn't bother to make fakes, imitating antiques is imitating antiques, but it's not used to deceive people.On the bottom of each furnace, there is a row of small characters engraved with a row of "××ware made in Luguo in the eighth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty", where ×× refers to the serial number-to tell you clearly, this is an imitation by me, and it even has a serial number. In the market, several stoves have sporadically appeared, all of which are said to be the incense burners of Luwangfu.But how many of the 360 incense burners were dug up?Who dug it out?Where did it come from?No one knew it all the time, and it became a small local treasure legend. The report was not obtained by the medicine, but it was actually related to Luwang Furnace, which greatly increased my interest, and I couldn't wait to read it. The report is very long and should come from a professional investigation agency.In short, in 1937, two local ruffians in Weihui became greedy and wanted to steal Zhu Yiliu's tomb of King Lu.Their actions were discovered by the villagers guarding the mausoleum and they were forced to flee.The two hooligans took the second best option and wanted to steal the tomb of Concubine Lu, but they miscalculated the location when digging the robbery hole, and dug a big hole in a daze.在这个坑里，地痞发现了一个潞王金炉，题款是“大明崇祯捌年潞国制伍拾贰器”，编号是52。 他们如获至宝，把炉子拿回家，结果却因为分赃不均打起来了。当地的保长听到这个消息，打着惩办盗墓贼的旗号，把两个地痞抓进牢里，严刑拷打，两人挨不住，只得乖乖把金炉交出来。 当地古董业有懂行的人告诉保长，潞王埋炉，不可能只埋一个。那个坑里附近，一定还有更多的金炉。保长闻言大喜，再回过头去找那两个地痞，询问埋炉地点。可两人因拷打过度，已经咽气了，临死前只留下三个字：凤凰山。 卫辉当地有凤凰山，占地极广，潞王陵寝就在附近。保长带人找了几个月，也没找到真正的埋炉之处，只得作罢。日本人占领河南之后，保长携家中细软逃跑，一路随中央军退到昆明。保长不久就病死，他儿子为了维持生计，把那个金炉卖给一个陈纳德飞虎队的飞行员。飞行员把它连同它背后的故事都带回美国。几经辗转，这个金炉被飞行员的后人捐赠给了一家私人博物馆。 像这样的博物馆，对于文物来源很重视，聘请了专业人士调查其背景来源。这就是这份报告出台的前因后果。 我看完报告，抬起头来，疑惑不已：“这尊潞王炉，现在你的手里？” “我从来不收古董，没兴趣。现在它还在那家博物馆里摆着呢。” “那么你知道真正的埋炉处吗？” “我知道的和你一样多。” “那么……这炉子里有关于老朝奉的线索？” “可能吧，但我不知道。” 我彻底迷糊了，他的葫芦里，到底卖的什么药？潞王炉固然是一件珍贵文物，但和我们的目标似乎毫无关系。 药不是斜靠在窗边，露出那种教训别人的表情：“这就是我要指出的，许愿，你不能执著于文物本身。换一个思路，再想想。”说完他的右手手臂平伸，猛然抬起，然后徐徐放下，重复了三次。 “你这是在钓鱼吗？”我有点不耐烦了。 "That's right." 药不是认真地点了一下头，表示我的智商还有挽回的余地。
我回去之后，第一件事就是把四悔斋落锁关门。最近乱七八糟的事太多，我的这家小店关门倒比开张的时候多，闹得邻居们纷纷传言，说我不是欠了巨债，就是赚了大钱。 然后我找了一个北京台的编导朋友，他们正好要去西安拍文物纪录片。我好说歹说，让他给我在剧组里弄了个顾问的身份。谈妥了以后，我把这事知会给了方震，让他转达给刘局，说我随剧组去外地，恐怕得几个月不在北京。 这样一来，五脉中人都知道我是寻找老朝奉未果，外出散心——至于信不信，那是不归我管了。 在一个弥漫着轻雾的清晨，我在北京站跟随剧组上了火车，什么都没带，连大哥大都扔家里了。 按照药不是的要求，我要彻底消失，断绝一切联系，让任何人包括老朝奉都找不到我。隔离得越干净，老朝奉可玩的手段就越少。 火车缓缓驶出北京，我向车窗外看去，窗上的露水还未消散，缓缓后移的高楼大厦如同笼罩在一片暧昧不清的水汽中。 此时我的心里，颇有些忐忑。瞒着别人也就罢了，连刘一鸣都要隐瞒，让我有点过意不去。当初我闯下滔天大祸，若不是刘老爷子力排众议，出手维护，恐怕我早就沉沦下去了。 好在我们此行的目标是老朝奉，大不了抓住他之后，再去跟刘老爷子赔罪。我相信，刘老爷子若是得知老朝奉伏法，一定很高兴。 火车出发大约半天之后，我先换了节车厢，和剧组分开，然后随便找了个车站下车。我在月台上待了一阵，重新补了张票，登上另外一个方向的列车，再坐了两三个小时，下车出站。接下来我没和任何人接触，找了一处僻静的公共厕所，做了一番打扮，重新出现在街头。 此时的我，戴着一副厚底近视眼镜，头上故意剃成地中海式秃顶，用一顶褐色画家扁帽盖住，嘴边还拿炭笔画了几撇胡子。哪怕是熟人，不近距离看也认不出我是许愿。 这样一来，除非老朝奉有能力动用省级公安的刑侦力量，否则不可能锁定我的行踪。 我本来觉得用不着如此谨慎，只要随便找个地方一换车，应该就没人知道了。药不是却坚持说一切都必须谨慎为上，结果这一连串行动，搞得我跟国外小说中的间谍似的。 而在这期间，药不是也去做了一些准备。我们两个分别走不同的路线，而约定碰头的地方，正是潞王炉的出土地点——河南省卫辉市。 河南这个地方，历史底蕴实在是太厚了。随便一个县市，都会牵扯到如雷贯耳的历史名人；随便一个乡镇，一追溯过往都是几千年。卫辉位于豫北，打从商周就有这地方，乃是姜子牙和比干的故里，当时叫作牧野——没错，就是周武王和商纣王大决战的那个牧野。您想这地方得多古吧。 除了这些名人，这地方还曾经出过一起特别有名的盗墓案，成就了文化领域一个著名事件。在西晋年间，这里叫作汲县。一个叫汲不准的盗墓贼，盗掘了一座春秋时期的古墓，挖出好几车竹简。西晋朝廷组织知名学者把竹简进行整理，发现里面记载了许多先秦典籍，还记录了一段隐秘的周代历史，讲述周穆王驾八骏西游昆仑山，与西王母把酒言欢的经历。后来这些竹简结成了《竹书纪年》，成为研究先秦史的重要材料。 我们许家是金石专业，接触的多是三代器物，所以对这段历史很熟稔。一想到即将抵达的卫辉，是《竹书纪年》的发源地，我就有种慢慢步入历史的兴奋感。 火车进站停稳，我发现眼前是一栋颇有欧洲风格的候车室，正中顶端凸起一个三角形的翘檐钟塔。晚清到民国时期，这里是豫北最繁忙的铁路枢纽，这么算下来的话，这个候车室估计也快百年历史了。虽然明显翻修过几次，可那一股子历经百年的故旧味道，玩古董的人一嗅就能嗅得出来。 走出候车室，我看到一个戴墨镜的小年轻倚在出站口的栏杆边，举着一张打印纸，上头印着“接北京汪怀虚老师”。 汪怀虚是我的化名，我现在伪装的身份，是北京来的历史系讲师。 我走过去说我是汪怀虚，小年轻的打量了一番，说您跟我来吧。他开的是辆绿色老嘎斯，年头不小，一开就抖。我一低头上了后座。小年轻的回头道：“您要没别的安排，咱们就直接去宾馆吧，康主任等着呢。”我说“好”，然后问他李约瑟先生到了没，小年轻说他们正一起谈事呢。 卫辉市不算大，才撤县立市没几年，就是个普通中国北方小城市的布局。街面上以自行车和牲畜车居多，两边小摊小贩不少，车铃声和马鸣声此起彼伏，还夹杂着当地骂人的土话。虽然场面有些混乱，但洋溢着一股粗砺的活力。 我们去的地方叫新乡宾馆，新落成的，一靠近就能闻到刺鼻的装修味道。停车的时候，旁边是一辆国内还不多见的奔驰FC轿车。这是一汽引进奔驰技术组装的礼宾车，全国一共只有九百辆，用作政府部门接待。 年轻人羡慕地啧了啧嘴：“看看人家这做派，直接把礼宾车开过来了，太帅了。”我也大为惊叹，这药不是的手笔，还真是不得了。 一进大厅，我就看到药不是在和一位大腹便便的中年干部聊天，干部不时发出爽朗的笑声。 药不是一身西装革履，比我在北京看到时还要趁头，俨然一副国际精英范儿。他看到我来了，立刻和干部走了过来，指着他道：“介绍一下，这是卫辉市招商办的康主任。这是北京大学的汪怀虚。” “汪教授你好，你好。”康主任热情地握住我的手，拼命摇晃。我不动声色地纠正：“我不是教授，是讲师。”康主任也不尴尬，反而更加热情：“哎呀，反正都是学问人，没区别。欢迎老师来卫辉呀。咱们这地方，可是有深厚的历史底蕴，一会儿得跟你和李约瑟先生好好说道说道。” 我“扑哧”一声，差点没憋住乐。药不是这家伙看着不苟言笑，起个假名可真是够欠的。李约瑟这名字，稍微懂历史的人都知道，那可是英国著名的汉学家啊，就这么被他拿来当名字了。 康主任这么热情是有原因的。药不是这次来卫辉，打的旗号是归国华侨投资考察。不仅开着礼宾奔驰前来，还送了相关领导一人一块手表，出手阔绰，对当地官员产生了极大震撼。因此当地政府非常重视，都指望这金主能投个大项目落地。 不过康主任对我和药不是的态度，有着微妙的差异。投资考察为何要叫个历史讲师来作陪？药不是没有解释，只说是个朋友，所以当地官员大概以为，我只是借熟人面子来蹭吃蹭喝。 我和药不是对视一眼，没有多说什么。就是要他们这样误解才好，这对接下来的计划至关重要。 中午招商办在当地名店德胜楼设宴款待，吃完饭之后，康主任主动提出来，说带两位在卫辉附近逛逛。我和药不是自然说好。 卫辉市附近值得逛的古迹还真不少，市中心有南马市街、北马市街，在明代是卖马的集市，虽然现在早没了痕迹，但明朝崇祯皇帝亲自立的关岔牌还在。再往远处去，什么姜子牙故里、比干庙、徐世昌家祠、香泉寺什么的，都离卫辉不远。我们花了一天时间走马观花转了一圈，最后来到了卫辉古城的东北角。 这里有一个国家重点保护文物——望京楼，号称是中国最大的石构无梁殿建筑。我们走近一看，这是个碉堡一样的建筑，楼高有三十多米，坐北朝南，是个长方形的砖石建筑，石料外青内白，很是考究。本来二层还有五间歇山大殿，可惜现在只剩殿柱石础。 在望京楼的顶层，还立着一座四柱三楼的石坊，名曰“诚意坊”。如意抱鼓石和须弥座都还在，雕花依稀可见，十分精致。只是如今杂草丛生，昔日辉煌只余石迹空存，一时顿生苍凉之感。 药不是站在楼上，双手插在口袋里向远处望去。这里可以俯瞰整个卫辉故城，附近地形尽收眼底。 康主任不愧是招商办的，他见客人远眺不语，立刻见机凑过去解说道：“卫辉这个地方，地理位置可是相当优越。当年万历皇帝给咱们这儿批了八个字：'南通十省，北拱神京'。您站在这儿，能一目了然，往南往北都是一马平川，贯穿太行、黄河的枢纽所在，从投资环境考虑，可是块风水宝地。” “那边，是凤凰山吗？”药不是忽然问，伸出手臂指向西边。 康主任愣了一下，随即惊喜：“想不到李先生你对卫辉这么了解。没错，那儿就是凤凰山。” “李约瑟”说：“我曾经听过凤凰山下有个潞王陵，可是真的？” 康主任连连点头：“真的，现在还在呢。明代潞王朱翊镠的坟，陵园可大了，搁到十三陵都得往前排。对了，咱们脚下踩着的这个望京楼，就是潞王给他母亲建的——您在美国生活，还知道这些呢？” “李约瑟”道：“我家祖上，曾经传下来一件金炉，据说就是从这凤凰山里出土的。” 康主任眼神一闪，立刻笑道：“那敢情好，这说明您跟咱们卫辉有缘分啊。”然后吹捧了几句，没就这个话题继续说下去。 接下来的三天里，康主任拽着药不是去考察投资环境，药不是全程一脸淡定，满口都是生意经，绝口不提金炉的事。而我则申请自由活动，自己去潞王陵转了一圈，那里可以买票入内，不过生意不好，除了我没几个游客。 我乐得清静，边转边写写画画，逛完了陵园，还顺便把凤凰山周边也溜达了一圈，玩得不亦乐乎。 到了第四天，考察基本结束。招商办在宾馆再次宴请，几位主任作陪。席上大家推杯换盏，喝得酒酣耳热。不知道为啥，那几位官员对我特别热情，连连劝酒，把我灌得最后冲进厕所抱着马桶吐。 康主任一看我喝得不行了，说我送汪老师回房间，你们继续喝。我被他搀着往房间走，路过药不是时，我有气无力地抬起胳膊，食指拇指捏成一个圈，其他三指抬起，在他面前晃了晃。 进了房间，康主任给我倒了杯热水。我一饮而尽，然后瘫倒在沙发上喘着粗气。康主任看了一眼门口，笑眯眯地说：“汪老师，李约瑟先生把您叫来卫辉，不是为了投资的事吧？” “嗯？”我抬起头，双眼迷茫。 “我本来还挺纳闷呢。商务投资，干吗特意叫一个历史讲师来，来了也不参加考察，反而自己去凤凰山附近转悠，肯定是醉翁之意不在酒哇。” 我摇摇头，说：“不知道你在讲什么。” 康主任走得近些，压低了嗓门：“汪老师，你的真正目的，是替李约瑟先生寻找潞王炉，我猜的对不对？” 要不说官场上没傻子呢，我和药不是只露出了一点暧昧暗示，康主任就揣摩出来了。我装作慌乱的样子，把视线往床头柜那看。那里搁着一摞资料，中间夹着那份美国那尊潞王炉的调查报告。 我在那份调查报告上搁了一个茶杯，留有一圈水渍。现在茶杯还在，杯底和水渍却没重合。一定是有人偷偷潜入我的房间，把报告拿出来看了。 康主任露出那种洞悉一切的笑意，也不说破，又凑得近了些：“您别紧张，我不是文物部门的，就算是，也不能把您怎么样。其实吧，我就是想让您知道，那三百六十个潞王炉的事儿，我多少了解一点，因为我认识几个玩古董的朋友，听他们说起过。” 我忽然一阵干呕，挣扎着要起来。康主任殷勤地把我扶到马桶前，边帮我捶背边说：“凤凰山大得很，没有当地人指引的话，埋炉坑可不是那么好找。汪老师，要不要我把那几个玩古董的朋友介绍给你，看能不能帮上什么忙？他们可是都很有诚意的。” 我一脸虚弱地抬起头：“李约瑟先生久居海外，所以这次委托我来进行调查。希望你的几位朋友能够保密。” 我这句话精心打磨了很久，暗示了四件事。一、李约瑟不懂行；二、我跟李约瑟是雇佣关系，不是至交好友，存在可操作的空隙；三、这潞王炉的事，我代表了最终专家意见；四、希望你的朋友能保密，自然是我很愿意接受他们的帮助。 这些话里的小扣儿，康主任久混官场，自然是心领神会。他哈哈一笑，顺手递过一块热毛巾来：“那我让他们帮忙去找找吧，有消息立刻告诉您。” 我把热毛巾敷到脸上：“辛苦，回头我可得好好谢谢您。”康主任笑逐颜开。 天下没有能保密的消息，尤其是反复叮嘱只告诉你一个人的事。康主任告诉那几个玩古董的朋友，那几个朋友再告诉自己的亲朋好友，一传十，十传百，很快就传遍了整个卫辉的古董圈子。 卫辉是个小地方，没过多久就疯传开了。说来了一个有钱的归国华侨，祖上是卫辉人，传给他一尊潞王炉。他这次回国，想寻找其余三百五十九尊潞王炉。无论是流落民间的单件还是埋炉处的线索，都愿意高价换取。更有甚者，甚至传言那个归国华侨乃是潞王后人，这次凑齐三百六十个金炉，就能找到潞王陵内埋藏的宝藏。 这个故事传到我们耳朵里，让我为之大笑，药不是也是神情轻松，嘴角略带嘲弄。 这一切，都是在我们的掌握中。 这个计策说来简单，用四个字来形容就是——欲擒故纵。人的心理总是如此，你越给他推销什么，他越不相信；你越藏着掖着不给他知道，他越是笃信不疑。在古董行里，这是个非常实用的技巧，想出手什么物件，切不可主动劝说，非得一脸心疼舍不得放，买主才会毫不犹豫地买下来。俗话说，上赶着不如冷脸子，就是这个道理。 经过我们前期这一系列暗示，康主任已经认定李约瑟是个大款，来卫辉的目的是来寻找潞王炉。他除了官员这一重身份，恐怕在当地古玩圈子里，也有影响，所以才会拍胸脯主动联系朋友来“帮忙”。 其实行内人都明白，那三百五十九尊潞王炉的埋炉处在哪里，这么多年都没找到，怎么可能在这短短几天就有眉目。康主任所谓的“帮忙”，只可能是民间献宝，那炉子哪里来的？The answer is ready to come. “那些家伙，赝品差不多该做出来了吧？”药不是站在窗边，手端着咖啡，俯瞰着外面的城市景色，讽刺地说。 我跷起二郎腿，慢悠悠地回答：“做出香炉坯子，这个耗时不多，关键是做旧。过去是把东西埋到酸土里咬出锈蚀，怎么也得三五年功夫，现在技术发展了，在草酸池或醋酸池子里泡就成，三天顶三年。给他们一天时间打磨，明天这个时候，差不多就该来献宝了。” “这么短时间做出来的东西，破绽肯定不小，他们也敢拿出来？” 我微微一笑：“别忘了，你是个棒槌，鉴定都得听我的。只要他们把我买通，合起伙来蒙你，一切都不是问题。” 这是一个美妙的钓鱼计划，它的原理非常简单：故意造势，把李约瑟打造成一枚香饵，借潞王炉钓出卫辉附近的制假团伙，让他们主动送上门来。然后我们便有机会从中找出和老朝奉关系密切之人。 如药不是所说，我们不是去寻找已知线索，而是去制造一个新的线索出来。 仔细想想，这个计划其实跟古董没关系，把潞王炉换成其他任何一样物件，逻辑都成立。这无关器物，只关乎人性。药不是啜了一口咖啡，露出那一副好为人师的神情：“你看，这就是操纵人性，如果执著于香炉的细节，反而不能成事。你能明白，这很好。” 我翻翻白眼，这家伙最讨厌的地方，就在于自说自话。我弹了弹手里的调查报告：“不过，有一点我一直没想明白——你怎么笃定老朝奉的人会前来献宝？” “很简单，两个字，利益。”药不然再次竖起两个指头，“老朝奉是中国古董造假行业里最大的一只黑手，为了维持这么大的产业，各地代理人的盈利压力肯定不小，注定了经营策略会以短期利润最大化为导向。咱们放出潞王炉的风声，在外界看来是块肥肉，他们绝不会缺席。” “来献宝的造假团伙，估计会有很多，你怎么分辨哪个是老朝奉？” “自然是承诺给最多香炉的那个。”药不是毫不犹豫地回答。 "why?" “两个字，规模。”药不是又竖起两根指头，“别忘了，我们要的潞王炉不是一个、五个或十个，而是三百六十来个。这么大的数字，加上咱们又故
The gathering of five veins is not an excuse.There was indeed a family banquet that night, in the name of welcoming the smooth return of "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival" to Beijing, Liu Ju took the lead and called Wumai members to celebrate. Liu Bureau took great pains to save this round. I caused the turmoil in "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival". Many people in the Five Meridians are very dissatisfied with me. Taking this opportunity can be regarded as bridging the conflict and paving the way for the Xu family to return to the Five Meridians. It is a pity that several important family members were absent: Yao Lai passed away, Huang Kewu was recuperating in Hong Kong and did not return, and Liu Yiming was not feeling well.Yanyan stayed in Hong Kong because she had to take care of her grandfather.As a result, at the big table, apart from Liu Ju, the only acquaintances I had were Shen Yunchen from the Qingzi Sect, and the others were all juniors from various sects, so I couldn't talk much. A thousand cups of wine is less when you meet a bosom friend, but a few words are more than a few words if you don't speculate.Although Director Liu talked loudly during the meeting and tried his best to make the atmosphere warmer, there was really nothing to talk about between me and these attendees. After a round of toasting, everyone basically ate their own food, and the atmosphere during the meeting was a bit embarrassing . Among the people present, Shen Yunchen has the highest seniority.She treated me well, and gave me a small sandalwood gourd ornament from Dao Guangnian as soon as we met, saying that it can turn bad luck into good luck.The upper and lower sections of the gourd are each engraved with the words "Zheng" and "Xu". They are not worth much, but the lottery is a good one, and they were chosen with great care. The Shen family of Qingzimen is not a major sect in Wumai, and mainly deals in wooden wares, so whether it is the Buddha head case or the "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival", the Shen family did not participate in it.Except for a Shen Jun who followed the old court, Qingzimen has been staying out of things, and the sense of existence is not very strong.Because of this, I was able to chat with Shen Yunchen calmly. Speaking of what happened to the heads of Liu, Huang, and Yao, Shen Yunchen sighed a few words.She told me that the business plan of the Antiquity Society has almost been prepared, and after successfully blocking the landing of Bairuilian this time, it is a good time to start it. I have always had reservations about the commercialization of Wumai. The reputation of Mingyan Meihua for so many years is obtained by standing upright.Now that the referee goes into the water to play football in person, with too many interests involved, the degree of fairness may have to be discounted.But having said that, Wumai's shops have already opened one after another, and now it's just lifting the veil.Opening up and invigorating, economic construction first, this is the general trend of the whole era and it is irreversible. "So let me tell you, if we don't occupy the position of antiques, the enemy will." Shen Yunchen said cheerfully, his eyes sparkling. It's no wonder that she is so caring. If the Antiquity Society's commercialization is really activated, the Qingzimen will probably benefit the most. You know, wooden ware is called "small ware" in the antique world, also called "green ware".This "green" refers to both the greenness of the wood and the "youngness".Other categories, such as gold, stone, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, can be traced back to the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties.It is not easy to preserve woodware, and the collections are mainly in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there are not many in the future. From young to young, woodware has always been a lucrative industry.Antiques pay attention to not opening for three years, and eating for three years after opening.Woodenware is small profits but quick turnover. The price of each piece is not high, but many people buy it.The reason is very simple, other antiques are for entertainment, and wooden objects—especially furniture—are for use.After the liberalization of commercialization, the sales of antique furniture alone cannot be underestimated. Shen Yunchen was very interested, and chatted with me about these things in the woodware business, and also talked about the plan to organize a nationwide tour of antique furniture.I listened with a smile and an occasional nod.Shen Yunchen talked for a long time, and realized that she was the only one who said it herself, so she turned sideways and asked me what my plan is next. I thought about it and thought it was a good opportunity, so I picked up a spoon and knocked on the teacup.After a few clangs, everyone at the table stopped talking and all stared at me. "I have something to discuss with everyone. I went to see Lao Chaofeng today." As soon as I said that, the whole meeting fell silent.In Wumai, Lao Chaofeng is a taboo word. When I suddenly mentioned this name, everyone held their breaths.Even Liu Ju and Shen Yunchen put down their chopsticks and looked over with different expressions. I briefly talked about the ins and outs of my meeting with Lao Chaofeng today - of course, I didn't mention the fact that the medicine was not good, I only said that after I found the old house, it was all in vain. I looked around and said, "I don't think I need to say much about who Lao Chaofeng is. You all know very well. I didn't catch Lao Chaofeng this time, but I can't let him continue to harm others. Together, I will completely cut off this black hand that manufactures and sells counterfeit cultural relics, and fulfill the responsibility of Wumai." Everyone present nodded and raised their glasses to show their support.Lao Chaofeng is Wumai's natural enemy, and it is only natural to deal with him. "Lao Chaofeng asked you to meet him there, but he didn't show up?" Ju Liu interjected, frowning. "yes." "Did you find anything?" Shen Yunchen asked. "Yes, I found this there. I guess it was left behind by the old court." I took out something from my pocket and gently placed it on the glass turntable on the table. call. There was a moment of silence during the dinner, everyone looked at me and I looked at you, the direction of the wind began to change subtly and interestingly. "Wumai has just passed through the crisis. Personally, I think it's not appropriate to act rashly now." "It's right to arrest Lao Chaofeng, but I made a wish before that your boy's whimsical ideas made the family uneasy. You have to think clearly this time, and don't fall into other people's traps again." "We are a non-governmental association, and we should give clues to relevant departments and let them catch them." "Since ancient times, fakes have never been cut off. If you win an old imperial enshrin, you can guarantee that there will be no more fakes? Naive!" Many people who were nodding in approval just now have become ambiguous, and some people poured cold water on it, and there is no one who clearly supports it.Even Shen Yunchen patted me on the shoulder: "Xiao Xu, this matter is too involved, we have to think long term." Listening to these words, my expression is still smiling, but it is getting colder and colder. The thing I put on the table is a Qing Dynasty broken bean green pill porcelain bottle.The elixir bottle is not big, eight centimeters high, the surface is glazed and has no grain, it is a very small thing. This is actually a fake with a wide open door, the glaze color is flimsy, and the fracture is white, anyone with a little knowledge of cultural relics can see it.But this thing is also a temptation.There are few fake medicine porcelain bottles, which are not economical, and it is not worthwhile to fake them alone.When there are fakes, it means that there is a huge counterfeiting force hidden behind them. They have reached a certain scale, and even such small objects can generate profits. In fact, this small medicine bottle was taken by me before I came, and it has nothing to do with Lao Chaofeng.I just want to test it out and see the true attitude of the people in the five veins.Sure enough, when these guys saw this small porcelain medicine bottle, some of them were frightened by the counterfeit strength displayed behind the porcelain bottle, and some of them had ghosts in their hearts, so they could see the possibility of being implicated from this porcelain bottle. sex. As the saying goes, it is easy to learn from the past, but difficult to learn from others.Now it seems that people's hearts are not so hard to learn. A small porcelain vase reflects all kinds of thoughts. They opposed me for a thousand reasons, but I know what their true intentions are: now that commercialization is imminent, and everyone is busy making money, it is thankless to track down Lao Chaofeng, so why bother with that. It's no wonder that Yao didn't intend to use the power of the five meridians. He was born in the five meridians, so he knows the temperament of these people too well. I was still lucky, but now I fully understand. I silently put away the medicine bottle, stood up, and walked outside without saying a word.Everyone at the table whispered to each other, but none of them sat still. Only Shen Yunchen stood up tremblingly, and grabbed my arm to stay: "This child, why is he a donkey temper? We should discuss this." I bowed my head and smiled at her, "There must be one or two people to persist in the way of the five veins. Everyone is busy, but I am more free, so I will go." Seeing that Shen Yunchen couldn't help it, he said that you should wait for Mr. Liu Yiming to come back anyway. It's not too late to make up your mind.But I shook my head: "If my guess is right, Lao Chaofeng is almost seventy years old. If he dies before I catch him, he will be unstable for the rest of his life—time waits for no one." Seeing that I was talking about this point, Shen Yunchen finally frowned and let go of his hands.I picked up the wine glass and drank it in the direction of Bureau Liu. The spicy Moutai rolled from my throat into a line of fire into my stomach.Director Liu sat on the spot, frowning slightly, and had no choice but to lift his cup slightly, which was a response to my actions. He is a member of the officialdom. After all, he should focus on balance and stability, and he cannot be too impulsive. I put down my wine glass and left the room, with both the lightness of relief and the accumulation of heavy resentment in my heart.I'm not qualified to comment on what others are like, but I must find out the truth about Lao Chaofeng. When I walked to the entrance of the hotel, I saw a figure leaning against the colonnade, under the dim light, the mountain was not visible, as if it was about to melt into the darkness.He held a lit cigarette in his hand, and the smoke curled up. "Fang Zhen?" I was quite surprised, but then I thought about it, if Director Liu is here, he will naturally follow.Unexpectedly, Fang Zhen said to me: "I'm not waiting for Bureau Liu, I'm waiting for you." "Uh...you want to stop me too?" I looked at him warily.This guy is my life-and-death partner, but he is also a policeman, and his relatives will not recognize him when he is ordered. "No, I'm here to see you off." Fang Zhen still had that calm demeanor.He dropped the cigarette butt on the floor, stomped on it, and walked down the steps.A silver-gray Santana was parked under the steps, bearing the Armed Police sign.I didn't understand what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd, so I curled my lips and lowered my head to sit in the passenger seat. I want to see how he will give me a ride. Fang Zhen started the engine, the car started slowly, and quickly left the hotel.I rolled down the car window, poked my head out, and let out a long breath.It wasn't until I got out of there that I felt I could breathe easier.In the restaurant just now, looking at the eyes of those people, I really felt breathless and stuffy, as if my lungs were filled with plastic bags. The car moved forward at high speed, and I watched the street recede to both sides, and suddenly felt something was wrong. "Hey, I said, this is not the way back to Siguizhai." "I know, you don't want to go back there anyway." Fang Zhen stared straight ahead, holding the steering wheel firmly. "You know where I want to go?" "China Resources Hotel." Fang Zhen replied.
The China Resources Hotel is located in the east of Beijing. It is a cylindrical building with more than 30 floors. There is a 360-degree revolving restaurant on the top. It is quite famous. Many returned overseas Chinese like to live there.I've heard of it for a long time, but never been there. The two of us went downstairs to the hotel and entered the lobby.Fang Zhen didn't even ask, and went straight to the elevator.I wondered, didn't Yao already tell Fang Zhen about returning to China?Didn't he return home secretly this time? But I didn't ask, and it was useless to ask.This guy Fang Zhen will take the initiative to tell you what should be said, and you will not be able to pry out a word of what should not be said.I sneaked a sideways glance, he was leaning against the elevator, his eyes slightly lowered, like a Buddha.You can't figure out what's going on in his heart right now. Otherwise, Yao talks too much, Fang Zhen talks too little, and there are really no normal friends around me.When I think of the word "friend", my heart suddenly becomes heavy.Otherwise, is it my friend now?He is a traitor, with a few lives in his hands, unforgivable, but he gave up his life to save me in the Kowloon Walled City.Originally, I persuaded him to surrender, but he was later taken away by Lao Chaofeng, and his whereabouts are unknown. I don't even know if I'm so obsessed with finding the old court priest, whether it has something to do with medicine or not. With our minds full of cranky thoughts, we walked to a room at the end of the corridor.Fang Zhen rang the doorbell, and the door opened immediately.It's already so late, isn't Yao still in a suit and his hair combed meticulously. "I knew you would come." He lifted his chin slightly, and his tone sounded like a fortune teller.I shook my head with a wry smile, walked straight into the room without saying anything.Yao didn't close the door with a "bang". I noticed something was wrong, and when I looked back, I found that Fang Zhen hadn't come in. Yao Bu said: "We have known each other for many years, and among all the people related to Wumai, he is the only one I fully trust—but because of his limited status, it is inconvenient to participate in the following matters." I nodded.After all, Fang Zhen is a police officer, and he has strong personal principles.If he can keep this kind of folk behavior a secret, it will be a big help, and he doesn't expect to be able to assist secretly. Fang Zhen's attitude also hinted at the position of Bureau Liu and the relevant departments - they were not very active in arresting Lao Chaofeng, at least they did not approve of the participation of civilians like me in the arrest.So all Fang Zhen could do was send me to the China Resources Hotel. But I didn't know that Yaobu and Fang Zhen had been friends for many years.Of these two people, one is serious and the other is taciturn. They really don't know how to chat when they get along. When I go to a new place, I am used to looking around first.The furnishings in the room are exquisite and simple. There is a huge suitcase next to the big bed, a wallet and a stack of documents are placed on the bedside table, and there is also a delicate electric shaver.This is why medicine is not the whole luggage of returning home this time. It seems that he has very low personal desires and strong self-discipline.The purpose of returning to China this time is very simple, it is to avenge the medicine family. It's not that Yao doesn't like polite greetings, he doesn't even make a cup of tea, each sits down, and straight to the point: "Since you came to my place, it seems that the dinner party didn't go well?" "Hehe." I gave a dry laugh, took out the bean green medicine bottle, and put it on the coffee table, "Loyalty engraved on the tablet, money touches people's hearts, this is human nature. A small bottle, they found their bottom of the sea." Yao didn't wave his hand: "I'm not good at antiques, don't use these quack jargon, just come to the conclusion." "Everyone is so busy making money that no one wants to make a fuss -- except me." Yao didn't say "hmm" and crossed his arms: "I told you in that house that people from Wumai are not trustworthy. If you want to arrest the old court minister, you can only cooperate with me." I raised my hand: "Don't worry. I have another question: You are not an antique major, you don't even understand basic terminology, you have lived abroad for a long time, and you lack contacts in China. Why should I cooperate with you?" Yao didn't seem to have expected that I would question it, he slowly walked up to me and stared intently for a while, which made me flustered for a while.Then he said, "Don't you think that the mistake you made before was because you were too obsessed with antiques?" I don't understand what he means. "In the case of the Buddha's head, if you hadn't been attached to the Buddha statue itself, you would have discovered that the medicine was not appropriate; if you hadn't been smart enough to think you had discovered the truth in the picture, how could there be the later incident? A series of turmoil? Make a wish, you are indeed a good expert in antique appreciation, but sometimes this will become an obstacle and make you detour a lot." "You mean a mallet would make it easier to find out?" I countered, half-sarcastically. Yao Bu said, "Have you heard the story of Edison?" "No……" "Once, Edison wanted to measure the capacity of a light bulb. One of his senior assistants was calculating the depth and arc, and was sweating profusely. At this time, the intern in the laboratory took over the light bulb, and the Fill it with water, then pour the water into the measuring cup, and calculate the volume with ease - the senior assistant's math skills are much better than the intern's, but because he is too obsessed with calculations, he ignores the simplest solution. You The same is true for the problem of connoisseurship, knowledge of appreciation allows you to focus on antiques, and to solve problems is often preconceived, ignoring other possibilities." Speaking of this, Yao Bu pointed at the tip of his nose: "I don't understand antiques. I used to study medicine, but later I changed to business. Both of these majors require logic--I will use logic to guide you. Find a correct, efficient, and clear path instead of being dazzled by the endless stream of antiques.” This guy really has never known humility, and he speaks straightforwardly.Among the people I knew before, Dai Haiyan was probably the only one with this style. "Old Chaofeng is a man with meticulous thoughts and vicious methods. If you want to catch his tail, it is impossible to do it with ordinary thinking, you can only catch him by surprise. He knows you, but he doesn't know my existence—this is our Chance." Didn't Yao obviously have thought about it thoroughly, talking about it with eloquence, like giving an academic report.I stared at him, gradually having a decision in my heart. What he said was right, last time I went to track down Lao Chaofeng with confidence, but Bai Ruilian was used as a gunman instead.I really need a partner who can fill in the gaps and help me detect problems early on. "There is only one problem. How do I know that what you said is true? It wasn't Lao Chaofeng who deliberately sent someone to lie to me." I asked sharply, a question that would probably upset him, but it had to be made clear.Yao Otherwise, Zhong Aihua, I have been betrayed twice, and the other party is someone who I think will never betray me.Once bitten by a snake, I am afraid of well ropes for ten years, not to mention being bitten twice, I must be cautious. Yaobu nodded approvingly: "Good question, it means that you have started to learn to think now. Of course what I said is true, but I can't prove it, you can only gamble on luck." It was a frank and open conversation.The two of us looked at each other for a moment, and smiled at the same time—to be precise, only I smiled, and the corners of his lips were slightly upturned, not so much a smile, but a kind of reserve. "I bet." I held out my hand, and the two shook hands briefly.A small anti-theocratic alliance was formed. "Then what should we do next?" I asked, and then mentioned several possible investigation directions, "My big brother keeps turning on at any time, Lao Chaofeng may call again, we can see what he has in mind. Also, some people in the five veins also have a lot of relationship with him, let's grasp a little bit and follow the clues..." "None of these will work." Medicine is not about pressing down on everything with the palm of your hand. "what?" "Old Chaofeng knows you too well. Any clues you have access to so far may all be traps arranged by him and are not usable." "Then what should I do?" I was a little dazed. Yao didn't raise two fingers: "First of all, you have to cut off all connections with the five meridians, and completely disappear from their sight, so that the old court cannot grasp your whereabouts. Then, we will dig new clues." "New leads?" "That's right. The benefits of being delivered to your door are all suspicious. Only by actively digging yourself can you get clean clues. This is like a mountain occupied by bandits. There must be traps buried in the main roads that we often take. We can only find another way to find out in person. Only by cutting a safe path among the thorns can we go straight to the snake's lair." He rarely used a metaphor. "Then... where should we go to find new clues?" Yao didn't walk to the bedside table, pick up a document and hand it to me: "I happen to have a ready-made key here." It seems that he has already started preparations in the United States. This is a photocopied English document, but fortunately, a Chinese translation is attached next to it.On the first page of the document, there are several colored photos of the bronze furnace, from various angles, with scales marked on the side.Our Xu family's main business in Wumai is gold, stone and jade wares. When we saw this incense burner, we immediately fell in love with it. The censer in the photo is not very big, with tall legs and ears, decorated with Taotie patterns, and its appearance is intact, but its texture is different from that of Youxuan bronze.When I saw the inscription on the bottom of the belly, I was quite surprised, and couldn't help but blurted out: "This... this is Luwang Furnace!" The origin of Luwang Furnace comes from a legend of Henan Weihui. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Wanli named his younger brother Zhu Yixuan the King of Lu, and the feudal domain was placed in Weihui Mansion. Zhu Yiliu was deeply loved by Wanli, and he received countless rewards. The gold and silver in Prince Lu's mansion filled ten warehouses.One day, the mansion suddenly flooded, and the rescue failed, and one of the warehouses was burned to the ground.The gold and silver in the treasury were burned by the fire and smelted into a large group of gold cakes.King Lu was rich and didn't care about it, so the gold cake was left idle in the mansion without any use. Zhu Yimiao has a son named Zhu Changhao, who likes to collect cultural relics the most, and the name is Jingyi Master.After he took over the position of the vassal king, he accidentally found this ball of gold cake, and suddenly had an idea and thought of an elegant way to deal with it. Zhu Changhao invited craftsmen to re-melt the gold cakes and recast them into Yanshan incense burners.The gold cake was too big, and the craftsmen cast a total of three hundred and sixty incense burners before they ran out of raw materials.Zhu Changhao felt that although the shape of the incense burner is antique, the ancient meaning is not enough, so he chose a place with good geomantic omen, wrapped the 360 incense burners in cowhide, buried them, and absorbed the atmosphere of the earth - in the eyes of modern people, In fact, acid soil is used to bite out the rust marks on the furnace body so as to make it old. Unexpectedly, just a few years after the burial, Li Zicheng's army attacked Wei Hui.Zhu Changhao fled to Hangzhou to avoid the sharp edge, and was later captured by Qing soldiers and sent to Beijing, where he was brutally killed.It is also unknown where the three hundred and sixty incense burners are buried. This set of incense burners is collectively referred to as the Luwang Stove in the antique circle.In my grandfather's "Su Ding Lu", this was specifically mentioned and praised as a work of conscience.why?Because Zhu Changhao, as a nobleman in heaven, doesn't bother to make fakes, imitating antiques is imitating antiques, but it's not used to deceive people.On the bottom of each furnace, there is a row of small characters engraved with a row of "××ware made in Luguo in the eighth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty", where ×× refers to the serial number-to tell you clearly, this is an imitation by me, and it even has a serial number. In the market, several stoves have sporadically appeared, all of which are said to be the incense burners of Luwangfu.But how many of the 360 incense burners were dug up?Who dug it out?Where did it come from?No one knew it all the time, and it became a small local treasure legend. The report was not obtained by the medicine, but it was actually related to Luwang Furnace, which greatly increased my interest, and I couldn't wait to read it. The report is very long and should come from a professional investigation agency.In short, in 1937, two local ruffians in Weihui became greedy and wanted to steal Zhu Yiliu's tomb of King Lu.Their actions were discovered by the villagers guarding the mausoleum and they were forced to flee.The two hooligans took the second best option and wanted to steal the tomb of Concubine Lu, but they miscalculated the location when digging the robbery hole, and dug a big hole in a daze.在这个坑里，地痞发现了一个潞王金炉，题款是“大明崇祯捌年潞国制伍拾贰器”，编号是52。 他们如获至宝，把炉子拿回家，结果却因为分赃不均打起来了。当地的保长听到这个消息，打着惩办盗墓贼的旗号，把两个地痞抓进牢里，严刑拷打，两人挨不住，只得乖乖把金炉交出来。 当地古董业有懂行的人告诉保长，潞王埋炉，不可能只埋一个。那个坑里附近，一定还有更多的金炉。保长闻言大喜，再回过头去找那两个地痞，询问埋炉地点。可两人因拷打过度，已经咽气了，临死前只留下三个字：凤凰山。 卫辉当地有凤凰山，占地极广，潞王陵寝就在附近。保长带人找了几个月，也没找到真正的埋炉之处，只得作罢。日本人占领河南之后，保长携家中细软逃跑，一路随中央军退到昆明。保长不久就病死，他儿子为了维持生计，把那个金炉卖给一个陈纳德飞虎队的飞行员。飞行员把它连同它背后的故事都带回美国。几经辗转，这个金炉被飞行员的后人捐赠给了一家私人博物馆。 像这样的博物馆，对于文物来源很重视，聘请了专业人士调查其背景来源。这就是这份报告出台的前因后果。 我看完报告，抬起头来，疑惑不已：“这尊潞王炉，现在你的手里？” “我从来不收古董，没兴趣。现在它还在那家博物馆里摆着呢。” “那么你知道真正的埋炉处吗？” “我知道的和你一样多。” “那么……这炉子里有关于老朝奉的线索？” “可能吧，但我不知道。” 我彻底迷糊了，他的葫芦里，到底卖的什么药？潞王炉固然是一件珍贵文物，但和我们的目标似乎毫无关系。 药不是斜靠在窗边，露出那种教训别人的表情：“这就是我要指出的，许愿，你不能执著于文物本身。换一个思路，再想想。”说完他的右手手臂平伸，猛然抬起，然后徐徐放下，重复了三次。 “你这是在钓鱼吗？”我有点不耐烦了。 "That's right." 药不是认真地点了一下头，表示我的智商还有挽回的余地。
我回去之后，第一件事就是把四悔斋落锁关门。最近乱七八糟的事太多，我的这家小店关门倒比开张的时候多，闹得邻居们纷纷传言，说我不是欠了巨债，就是赚了大钱。 然后我找了一个北京台的编导朋友，他们正好要去西安拍文物纪录片。我好说歹说，让他给我在剧组里弄了个顾问的身份。谈妥了以后，我把这事知会给了方震，让他转达给刘局，说我随剧组去外地，恐怕得几个月不在北京。 这样一来，五脉中人都知道我是寻找老朝奉未果，外出散心——至于信不信，那是不归我管了。 在一个弥漫着轻雾的清晨，我在北京站跟随剧组上了火车，什么都没带，连大哥大都扔家里了。 按照药不是的要求，我要彻底消失，断绝一切联系，让任何人包括老朝奉都找不到我。隔离得越干净，老朝奉可玩的手段就越少。 火车缓缓驶出北京，我向车窗外看去，窗上的露水还未消散，缓缓后移的高楼大厦如同笼罩在一片暧昧不清的水汽中。 此时我的心里，颇有些忐忑。瞒着别人也就罢了，连刘一鸣都要隐瞒，让我有点过意不去。当初我闯下滔天大祸，若不是刘老爷子力排众议，出手维护，恐怕我早就沉沦下去了。 好在我们此行的目标是老朝奉，大不了抓住他之后，再去跟刘老爷子赔罪。我相信，刘老爷子若是得知老朝奉伏法，一定很高兴。 火车出发大约半天之后，我先换了节车厢，和剧组分开，然后随便找了个车站下车。我在月台上待了一阵，重新补了张票，登上另外一个方向的列车，再坐了两三个小时，下车出站。接下来我没和任何人接触，找了一处僻静的公共厕所，做了一番打扮，重新出现在街头。 此时的我，戴着一副厚底近视眼镜，头上故意剃成地中海式秃顶，用一顶褐色画家扁帽盖住，嘴边还拿炭笔画了几撇胡子。哪怕是熟人，不近距离看也认不出我是许愿。 这样一来，除非老朝奉有能力动用省级公安的刑侦力量，否则不可能锁定我的行踪。 我本来觉得用不着如此谨慎，只要随便找个地方一换车，应该就没人知道了。药不是却坚持说一切都必须谨慎为上，结果这一连串行动，搞得我跟国外小说中的间谍似的。 而在这期间，药不是也去做了一些准备。我们两个分别走不同的路线，而约定碰头的地方，正是潞王炉的出土地点——河南省卫辉市。 河南这个地方，历史底蕴实在是太厚了。随便一个县市，都会牵扯到如雷贯耳的历史名人；随便一个乡镇，一追溯过往都是几千年。卫辉位于豫北，打从商周就有这地方，乃是姜子牙和比干的故里，当时叫作牧野——没错，就是周武王和商纣王大决战的那个牧野。您想这地方得多古吧。 除了这些名人，这地方还曾经出过一起特别有名的盗墓案，成就了文化领域一个著名事件。在西晋年间，这里叫作汲县。一个叫汲不准的盗墓贼，盗掘了一座春秋时期的古墓，挖出好几车竹简。西晋朝廷组织知名学者把竹简进行整理，发现里面记载了许多先秦典籍，还记录了一段隐秘的周代历史，讲述周穆王驾八骏西游昆仑山，与西王母把酒言欢的经历。后来这些竹简结成了《竹书纪年》，成为研究先秦史的重要材料。 我们许家是金石专业，接触的多是三代器物，所以对这段历史很熟稔。一想到即将抵达的卫辉，是《竹书纪年》的发源地，我就有种慢慢步入历史的兴奋感。 火车进站停稳，我发现眼前是一栋颇有欧洲风格的候车室，正中顶端凸起一个三角形的翘檐钟塔。晚清到民国时期，这里是豫北最繁忙的铁路枢纽，这么算下来的话，这个候车室估计也快百年历史了。虽然明显翻修过几次，可那一股子历经百年的故旧味道，玩古董的人一嗅就能嗅得出来。 走出候车室，我看到一个戴墨镜的小年轻倚在出站口的栏杆边，举着一张打印纸，上头印着“接北京汪怀虚老师”。 汪怀虚是我的化名，我现在伪装的身份，是北京来的历史系讲师。 我走过去说我是汪怀虚，小年轻的打量了一番，说您跟我来吧。他开的是辆绿色老嘎斯，年头不小，一开就抖。我一低头上了后座。小年轻的回头道：“您要没别的安排，咱们就直接去宾馆吧，康主任等着呢。”我说“好”，然后问他李约瑟先生到了没，小年轻说他们正一起谈事呢。 卫辉市不算大，才撤县立市没几年，就是个普通中国北方小城市的布局。街面上以自行车和牲畜车居多，两边小摊小贩不少，车铃声和马鸣声此起彼伏，还夹杂着当地骂人的土话。虽然场面有些混乱，但洋溢着一股粗砺的活力。 我们去的地方叫新乡宾馆，新落成的，一靠近就能闻到刺鼻的装修味道。停车的时候，旁边是一辆国内还不多见的奔驰FC轿车。这是一汽引进奔驰技术组装的礼宾车，全国一共只有九百辆，用作政府部门接待。 年轻人羡慕地啧了啧嘴：“看看人家这做派，直接把礼宾车开过来了，太帅了。”我也大为惊叹，这药不是的手笔，还真是不得了。 一进大厅，我就看到药不是在和一位大腹便便的中年干部聊天，干部不时发出爽朗的笑声。 药不是一身西装革履，比我在北京看到时还要趁头，俨然一副国际精英范儿。他看到我来了，立刻和干部走了过来，指着他道：“介绍一下，这是卫辉市招商办的康主任。这是北京大学的汪怀虚。” “汪教授你好，你好。”康主任热情地握住我的手，拼命摇晃。我不动声色地纠正：“我不是教授，是讲师。”康主任也不尴尬，反而更加热情：“哎呀，反正都是学问人，没区别。欢迎老师来卫辉呀。咱们这地方，可是有深厚的历史底蕴，一会儿得跟你和李约瑟先生好好说道说道。” 我“扑哧”一声，差点没憋住乐。药不是这家伙看着不苟言笑，起个假名可真是够欠的。李约瑟这名字，稍微懂历史的人都知道，那可是英国著名的汉学家啊，就这么被他拿来当名字了。 康主任这么热情是有原因的。药不是这次来卫辉，打的旗号是归国华侨投资考察。不仅开着礼宾奔驰前来，还送了相关领导一人一块手表，出手阔绰，对当地官员产生了极大震撼。因此当地政府非常重视，都指望这金主能投个大项目落地。 不过康主任对我和药不是的态度，有着微妙的差异。投资考察为何要叫个历史讲师来作陪？药不是没有解释，只说是个朋友，所以当地官员大概以为，我只是借熟人面子来蹭吃蹭喝。 我和药不是对视一眼，没有多说什么。就是要他们这样误解才好，这对接下来的计划至关重要。 中午招商办在当地名店德胜楼设宴款待，吃完饭之后，康主任主动提出来，说带两位在卫辉附近逛逛。我和药不是自然说好。 卫辉市附近值得逛的古迹还真不少，市中心有南马市街、北马市街，在明代是卖马的集市，虽然现在早没了痕迹，但明朝崇祯皇帝亲自立的关岔牌还在。再往远处去，什么姜子牙故里、比干庙、徐世昌家祠、香泉寺什么的，都离卫辉不远。我们花了一天时间走马观花转了一圈，最后来到了卫辉古城的东北角。 这里有一个国家重点保护文物——望京楼，号称是中国最大的石构无梁殿建筑。我们走近一看，这是个碉堡一样的建筑，楼高有三十多米，坐北朝南，是个长方形的砖石建筑，石料外青内白，很是考究。本来二层还有五间歇山大殿，可惜现在只剩殿柱石础。 在望京楼的顶层，还立着一座四柱三楼的石坊，名曰“诚意坊”。如意抱鼓石和须弥座都还在，雕花依稀可见，十分精致。只是如今杂草丛生，昔日辉煌只余石迹空存，一时顿生苍凉之感。 药不是站在楼上，双手插在口袋里向远处望去。这里可以俯瞰整个卫辉故城，附近地形尽收眼底。 康主任不愧是招商办的，他见客人远眺不语，立刻见机凑过去解说道：“卫辉这个地方，地理位置可是相当优越。当年万历皇帝给咱们这儿批了八个字：'南通十省，北拱神京'。您站在这儿，能一目了然，往南往北都是一马平川，贯穿太行、黄河的枢纽所在，从投资环境考虑，可是块风水宝地。” “那边，是凤凰山吗？”药不是忽然问，伸出手臂指向西边。 康主任愣了一下，随即惊喜：“想不到李先生你对卫辉这么了解。没错，那儿就是凤凰山。” “李约瑟”说：“我曾经听过凤凰山下有个潞王陵，可是真的？” 康主任连连点头：“真的，现在还在呢。明代潞王朱翊镠的坟，陵园可大了，搁到十三陵都得往前排。对了，咱们脚下踩着的这个望京楼，就是潞王给他母亲建的——您在美国生活，还知道这些呢？” “李约瑟”道：“我家祖上，曾经传下来一件金炉，据说就是从这凤凰山里出土的。” 康主任眼神一闪，立刻笑道：“那敢情好，这说明您跟咱们卫辉有缘分啊。”然后吹捧了几句，没就这个话题继续说下去。 接下来的三天里，康主任拽着药不是去考察投资环境，药不是全程一脸淡定，满口都是生意经，绝口不提金炉的事。而我则申请自由活动，自己去潞王陵转了一圈，那里可以买票入内，不过生意不好，除了我没几个游客。 我乐得清静，边转边写写画画，逛完了陵园，还顺便把凤凰山周边也溜达了一圈，玩得不亦乐乎。 到了第四天，考察基本结束。招商办在宾馆再次宴请，几位主任作陪。席上大家推杯换盏，喝得酒酣耳热。不知道为啥，那几位官员对我特别热情，连连劝酒，把我灌得最后冲进厕所抱着马桶吐。 康主任一看我喝得不行了，说我送汪老师回房间，你们继续喝。我被他搀着往房间走，路过药不是时，我有气无力地抬起胳膊，食指拇指捏成一个圈，其他三指抬起，在他面前晃了晃。 进了房间，康主任给我倒了杯热水。我一饮而尽，然后瘫倒在沙发上喘着粗气。康主任看了一眼门口，笑眯眯地说：“汪老师，李约瑟先生把您叫来卫辉，不是为了投资的事吧？” “嗯？”我抬起头，双眼迷茫。 “我本来还挺纳闷呢。商务投资，干吗特意叫一个历史讲师来，来了也不参加考察，反而自己去凤凰山附近转悠，肯定是醉翁之意不在酒哇。” 我摇摇头，说：“不知道你在讲什么。” 康主任走得近些，压低了嗓门：“汪老师，你的真正目的，是替李约瑟先生寻找潞王炉，我猜的对不对？” 要不说官场上没傻子呢，我和药不是只露出了一点暧昧暗示，康主任就揣摩出来了。我装作慌乱的样子，把视线往床头柜那看。那里搁着一摞资料，中间夹着那份美国那尊潞王炉的调查报告。 我在那份调查报告上搁了一个茶杯，留有一圈水渍。现在茶杯还在，杯底和水渍却没重合。一定是有人偷偷潜入我的房间，把报告拿出来看了。 康主任露出那种洞悉一切的笑意，也不说破，又凑得近了些：“您别紧张，我不是文物部门的，就算是，也不能把您怎么样。其实吧，我就是想让您知道，那三百六十个潞王炉的事儿，我多少了解一点，因为我认识几个玩古董的朋友，听他们说起过。” 我忽然一阵干呕，挣扎着要起来。康主任殷勤地把我扶到马桶前，边帮我捶背边说：“凤凰山大得很，没有当地人指引的话，埋炉坑可不是那么好找。汪老师，要不要我把那几个玩古董的朋友介绍给你，看能不能帮上什么忙？他们可是都很有诚意的。” 我一脸虚弱地抬起头：“李约瑟先生久居海外，所以这次委托我来进行调查。希望你的几位朋友能够保密。” 我这句话精心打磨了很久，暗示了四件事。一、李约瑟不懂行；二、我跟李约瑟是雇佣关系，不是至交好友，存在可操作的空隙；三、这潞王炉的事，我代表了最终专家意见；四、希望你的朋友能保密，自然是我很愿意接受他们的帮助。 这些话里的小扣儿，康主任久混官场，自然是心领神会。他哈哈一笑，顺手递过一块热毛巾来：“那我让他们帮忙去找找吧，有消息立刻告诉您。” 我把热毛巾敷到脸上：“辛苦，回头我可得好好谢谢您。”康主任笑逐颜开。 天下没有能保密的消息，尤其是反复叮嘱只告诉你一个人的事。康主任告诉那几个玩古董的朋友，那几个朋友再告诉自己的亲朋好友，一传十，十传百，很快就传遍了整个卫辉的古董圈子。 卫辉是个小地方，没过多久就疯传开了。说来了一个有钱的归国华侨，祖上是卫辉人，传给他一尊潞王炉。他这次回国，想寻找其余三百五十九尊潞王炉。无论是流落民间的单件还是埋炉处的线索，都愿意高价换取。更有甚者，甚至传言那个归国华侨乃是潞王后人，这次凑齐三百六十个金炉，就能找到潞王陵内埋藏的宝藏。 这个故事传到我们耳朵里，让我为之大笑，药不是也是神情轻松，嘴角略带嘲弄。 这一切，都是在我们的掌握中。 这个计策说来简单，用四个字来形容就是——欲擒故纵。人的心理总是如此，你越给他推销什么，他越不相信；你越藏着掖着不给他知道，他越是笃信不疑。在古董行里，这是个非常实用的技巧，想出手什么物件，切不可主动劝说，非得一脸心疼舍不得放，买主才会毫不犹豫地买下来。俗话说，上赶着不如冷脸子，就是这个道理。 经过我们前期这一系列暗示，康主任已经认定李约瑟是个大款，来卫辉的目的是来寻找潞王炉。他除了官员这一重身份，恐怕在当地古玩圈子里，也有影响，所以才会拍胸脯主动联系朋友来“帮忙”。 其实行内人都明白，那三百五十九尊潞王炉的埋炉处在哪里，这么多年都没找到，怎么可能在这短短几天就有眉目。康主任所谓的“帮忙”，只可能是民间献宝，那炉子哪里来的？The answer is ready to come. “那些家伙，赝品差不多该做出来了吧？”药不是站在窗边，手端着咖啡，俯瞰着外面的城市景色，讽刺地说。 我跷起二郎腿，慢悠悠地回答：“做出香炉坯子，这个耗时不多，关键是做旧。过去是把东西埋到酸土里咬出锈蚀，怎么也得三五年功夫，现在技术发展了，在草酸池或醋酸池子里泡就成，三天顶三年。给他们一天时间打磨，明天这个时候，差不多就该来献宝了。” “这么短时间做出来的东西，破绽肯定不小，他们也敢拿出来？” 我微微一笑：“别忘了，你是个棒槌，鉴定都得听我的。只要他们把我买通，合起伙来蒙你，一切都不是问题。” 这是一个美妙的钓鱼计划，它的原理非常简单：故意造势，把李约瑟打造成一枚香饵，借潞王炉钓出卫辉附近的制假团伙，让他们主动送上门来。然后我们便有机会从中找出和老朝奉关系密切之人。 如药不是所说，我们不是去寻找已知线索，而是去制造一个新的线索出来。 仔细想想，这个计划其实跟古董没关系，把潞王炉换成其他任何一样物件，逻辑都成立。这无关器物，只关乎人性。药不是啜了一口咖啡，露出那一副好为人师的神情：“你看，这就是操纵人性，如果执著于香炉的细节，反而不能成事。你能明白，这很好。” 我翻翻白眼，这家伙最讨厌的地方，就在于自说自话。我弹了弹手里的调查报告：“不过，有一点我一直没想明白——你怎么笃定老朝奉的人会前来献宝？” “很简单，两个字，利益。”药不然再次竖起两个指头，“老朝奉是中国古董造假行业里最大的一只黑手，为了维持这么大的产业，各地代理人的盈利压力肯定不小，注定了经营策略会以短期利润最大化为导向。咱们放出潞王炉的风声，在外界看来是块肥肉，他们绝不会缺席。” “来献宝的造假团伙，估计会有很多，你怎么分辨哪个是老朝奉？” “自然是承诺给最多香炉的那个。”药不是毫不犹豫地回答。 "why?" “两个字，规模。”药不是又竖起两根指头，“别忘了，我们要的潞王炉不是一个、五个或十个，而是三百六十来个。这么大的数字，加上咱们又故