I asked Lao Fei, "So what brings you here to see me today?"
Old Fei said, "Here's the thing, before the school is fully built, we want to have a group of experimental students. We'll set up some simple classrooms on the Yucai campus, recruit some students, see how it goes, and summarize our experience for future educational theories. Now we'd like to ask for your opinion."
I said, "That's great!"
"Okay, tell those people in our Liangshan Club to get ready. I'll start working on the first batch of students tomorrow."
I suddenly remembered the children in Yaocun and hurriedly said, "We have students readily available. How about the children from Yucai Elementary School? They live close by, so we don't need to worry about their food and lodging for now. Besides, they are natives of Yucai and are legitimate."
Fei Sankou chuckled, "You're doing this for Principal Zhang, aren't you? But your suggestion is indeed quite good. As far as I know, most of those children are currently out of school; wouldn't it be better to gather them together?"
I said, "I'll give it a try. After all, it's a good thing, and it shouldn't be a problem with their parents."
Seeing that our business was finished, Fei Sankou seemed to suddenly remember something and leaned back to retrieve something, saying, "Oh, by the way, I'd like to ask you for a small favor." As he spoke, he pulled out a newspaper bundle from behind him, about two sizes smaller than a football. Opening it, I found a dirty, verdigris-covered, tripod-like object. I was wondering where to knock my cigarette ash, so as I lit my cigarette, I said, "Such a big ashtray, are you planning to put it in the office?"
Fei Sankou clutched the pot to his chest, pulling away from my hand, and said nervously, "This is a national treasure, the Qin King's Ding!"
I said, "What the hell?"
Fei Sankou placed the object on his lap and said, "It's actually similar to an ashtray. It used to be an incense ash burner. According to experts, this thing was even placed on Qin Shi Huang's throne."
I quickly moved away and said, "Then you should stay far away from me. Even if you scratch a little rust, you'll have to pay ten or twenty thousand to pay for it, right?"
Old Fei said, "But we're not sure if it's real or fake. We know you have a sharp eye in the pawnshop business, so we'd like you to take a look."
I casually said, "I don't know anything. If you want to see, I can find our boss Hao or our consultant Lao Pan for you."
Old Fei asked, "Is this person reliable?"
I was taken aback, but I immediately took the so-called Qin King's Ding from his hand and said while opening the car door, "Wait for me, I'll take a look at it myself."
At first, I completely misunderstood "by the way." I should have realized it was just a euphemism. The National Security Bureau doesn't operate like a neighbor's second brother, who might come to return a bicycle and then suddenly remember he's having dumplings and happens to want to borrow some vinegar. Old Fei—meaning the National Security Bureau contacted me to look at something—must have known a lot about my recent dealings, such as my collaborations with Master Gu, so they think I'm the kind of antique dealer with a truly discerning eye. Who knows what Old Fei came for this time?
I carried the three-legged pot upstairs and called out, "Brother Ying, come help me take a look at this thing." Fatty came out of his room upon hearing this and asked, "What's this?"
I placed the three-legged pot in front of him and said, "Look, isn't this the one that used to sit on your table?"
Qin Shi Huang's eyes lit up, clearly because he felt a special connection to something familiar. He picked it up and examined it closely, muttering to himself, "Isn't this the one I had back then?"
I said, "It's rusted after all these years, shouldn't you take a good look at it?"
Suddenly, Fatty Ying cradled the cauldron in front of his lower abdomen and made a strange gesture: he rubbed one finger against the joint between the cauldron's base and the inner side of its body. After touching it for a while, Fatty Ying declared decisively, "It's fake!"
I asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
At this moment, Jing Ke walked over and held out his hand: "Let me see." He took the cauldron, turned it upside down on the table, and carefully examined the area where Qin Shi Huang had rubbed, even scratching it a few times with his own fingers. Then, he decisively said: "Fake!"
I couldn't resist touching that area myself. Nothing special, except for the slightly rough feel of bronze particles; it was quite smooth. I asked them both, "How did you figure that out?"
Qin Shi Huang glanced at Jing Ke, signaling him to tell me. The two fools revealed a rare glint of wisdom in their eyes, and after recalling the past for a moment, they said, "Back then, in the main hall, I thrust like this..." As they spoke, they made a gesture of raising a sword to strike, "and he blocked it like this." Then they lifted the cauldron, making a blocking motion, "and that sword left a mark on the leg below the thunder-shaped pattern on this cauldron."
I was shocked. It turns out that this cauldron not only sat on Qin Shi Huang's table, but it was also the one used in Jing Ke's assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang. Cauldrons at that time were not mass-produced; each style was absolutely unique. Therefore, the two people involved quickly determined the authenticity of the cauldron.
The two of them looked around the cauldron for a while, and it brought back many memories and details. In the end, Ersha even used a fan to give me a modern-day performance of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin.
...
I lit another cigarette and carried the "Qin King's Tripod" back to the car. I tossed it at the ground, casually tapping my cigarette ash into it, and said, "From now on, tap your cigarette ash in there, it's fake." My arrogance was based on solid reasoning; even the most renowned experts couldn't match the authority of my two companions, could they?
Fei Sankou chuckled, seemingly unsurprised. I said, "Did you already know this was a fake? Otherwise, even if you were from the National Security Bureau, would you dare to travel the world with this treasure and entrust it to me so confidently?"
“Before, it was just a suspicion, but now it’s certain.”
I said, "But this thing is really well made. They... well, I had to use very special methods to identify it."
Fei San said, "I have to say that the other party has put in a lot of effort. Not only is the outer coating made with high technology, but the texture and weight of the core inside are exactly the same as the real thing."
I asked, "What happened? Where's the real one?"
Old Fei sighed softly and slowly recounted, "The genuine Qin King's Ding and more than 20 jade burial suits, as first-class national cultural relics, were publicly exhibited for a week at the national history museum of Country F under the protection of our personnel. During this time, our people performed their duties diligently without any problems. Experts even inspected these cultural relics the moment they safely set foot on Chinese soil, and there were no issues. But at this point, Country F made a small request: they hoped that the return of these cultural relics could be delayed by one day so that they could be exhibited in their embassy. We agreed, and there were no major issues during the process; the cultural relics were returned on schedule. However, because they were on our territory, the people who went to receive them were still careless. After these treasures were handed over to us, it was only when they were put into storage that someone finally discovered that there was a problem with the Qin King's Ding—it had been replaced with a high-quality replica!"
Country F frequently appears in international news; it is a relatively influential country in Europe.
I slapped my thigh and shouted, "Go find them! Are you just going to let it go like this?"
Fei Sankou smiled bitterly and said, "They deny it afterward. That's how it is between people, and it's the same between countries. Who told you not to notice it at the time? Once they insist on the fact, there's nothing you can do. They might even use it as an opportunity to smear us. Judging from the craftsmanship of this fake, there must be a country supporting this behind the scenes, and it's been planned for a long time."
I slammed my fist on the windshield and cursed, "These heartless bastards! They robbed the Eight-Nation Alliance back then, and now they're stealing in all sorts of new ways!" I asked, "Where are our People's Liberation Army? Where are the reconnaissance companies? Where are the Fifth Army units? Why don't they just storm into their embassy and take it all back intact?"
"...It will cause international disputes. Sending troops to storm a country's embassy is the same as launching a war of aggression."
I rolled up my sleeves and said, "Let's fight! I'll donate a month's salary afterward!"
Old Fei chuckled dryly.
After I calmed down, I held up my hand and waved it in front of Lao Fei's eyes, saying, "Then, could we adopt some roundabout tactics? For example, disguise ourselves as Japanese people engaging in group sex and slowly approach their embassy, and then seize it with lightning speed?"
Old Fei said, "It's not easy to find actors who can portray characters. No matter how fluent you are in Japanese, it's hard to imitate the unique lewdness of the Japanese. Besides, if something happens in your country, we still can't escape responsibility."
I said, "Then what should we do?"
“We will try to find a way. Recently, people from their embassy have been frequently traveling between different parts of the country under the guise of work. We suspect that on the one hand, they want to distract us, and on the other hand, they want to take advantage of the chaos to smuggle stolen goods back to China. Two of them have already arrived in this city.”
I casually asked, "How much would the Qin King's Ding (a bronze vessel) sell for?"
Fei Sankou solemnly declared, "The Qin King's Ding is our national treasure, a testament to five thousand years of Chinese civilization. As long as the People's Republic of China exists, our government will never buy, sell, or transfer it in any form, much less allow it to fall into foreign hands. Anyone who violates this principle will become a historical sinner, condemned by 1.3 billion people!" By the end, the moderate Fei Sankou's voice was stern and forceful. I couldn't help but shudder, because I realized that the national treasures I had lost through my hands were all of immense importance—if the country knew about this…
I quickly told Lao Fei, "If you need my help when you're stealing back, just let me know." I felt it was necessary for me to do something to make amends.