Chapter 685 Yang Jian
Zhuang Rui's current collection of cultural relics is still too small. Even if Huangfu Yun's collection of swords is included, the total is less than 1,500 pieces. Compared with those large museums with tens of thousands of exquisite collections, the cultural heritage is much weaker.
In terms of size, Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Museum, although not as large as the newly built National Museum, is comparable to, and even surpasses, other national-level museums.
In the previous plan, Zhuang Rui planned to open a total of 6 exhibition halls according to the categories of antiques, namely the calligraphy and painting hall, ceramics hall, swords hall, bronzes hall, antique wood art hall and miscellaneous exhibition hall. However, judging from the current situation, it would be good if half of the exhibition halls could be open to the public.
Of the museum’s more than 20,000 square meters of space, only a little over half is actually in use. According to Zhuang Rui’s vision, the calligraphy and painting museum currently lacks antiques such as rubbings, steles, and ink rubbings, and can only be considered to be barely operating. A large number of related items still need to be added.
While the ceramics museum boasts Yuan blue and white porcelain as its crown jewel, it has very few ceramic pieces from before the Yuan dynasty. For example, it doesn't even have a single piece of the famous Tang tri-color pottery, resulting in a significant gap in dating and a lack of Han and Tang dynasty ceramics.
The only place that can be considered to have a rich collection and be presentable is the sword and saber exhibition hall. However, it seems that only the "Dingguang Sword" belongs to Zhuang Rui, while the rest are all Huangfu Yun's collection.
As for the bronze ware exhibition hall, Zhuang Rui only had a three-legged bronze ding he bought from Jinan, which was a small and inconspicuous item. The Dingguang sword was a bronze ware, but according to its intended use, it had already been assigned to the swords and knives exhibition hall.
The antique woodcraft hall and the miscellaneous items hall were completely empty, with only signs hanging on them. The few pieces of Ming and Qing dynasty gold and silver artifacts and jewelry that Zhuang Rui brought back from Myanmar were simply not enough to support the collection needed for an entire exhibition hall.
But there was no other way. Zhuang Rui planned to travel all over the country to antique markets when he had some free time, sifting through them all to find a batch of antiques that had been hidden away and scattered among the people, and then decorate his own museum.
Major domestic auction houses are also Zhuang Rui's main targets. Although with his current wealth, he is not yet able to compete with some of the big collectors, after a while, when his various investments start to pay off, Zhuang Rui will definitely be able to dominate the domestic auction market.
"Brother Huangfu, I'll leave the museum to you for the next few days. I heard there's an auction in Hanhai in a few days, go check it out. If you find anything good, bid on it, and try to get more of the cheaper little items..."
During his time back in Beijing, Zhuang Rui spent approximately 10 million yuan. He now only has a little over 20 million yuan left, and he still owes Huangfu Yun his wages.
What kind of items are you photographing? What price range?
Huangfu Yun quickly adapted to his new role. Since returning to China, he not only took charge of the museum's affairs but also reorganized all of Zhuang Rui's businesses.
However, Huangfuyun suggested that Zhuang Rui should try not to divert funds from Pengcheng's several industries and Qin Ruilin's funds, in order to prevent the cash flow from being cut off in case of unforeseen events.
This is also the main reason why Zhuang Rui has been short of money recently. Otherwise, with Qin Ruilin's gold-making ability, he should have made at least 20 to 30 million in the past few months.
"Let's mainly photograph modern calligraphy and paintings, as well as ceramics from the Han and Tang dynasties. Those other exhibition halls won't be open anytime soon, so let's supplement our coverage with the ones that are already open..."
Zhuang Rui paused here, thought for a moment, and then continued, "20 million, that's the most I can give you..."
After giving Huangfu Yun 20 million, Zhuang Rui probably only has three or four million RMB left. However, the second Myanmar jadeite auction this year is in full swing, and in about ten days, he will receive his first income from his jadeite mine. According to Hu Rong's estimate, it should not be less than 300 million RMB.
If it weren't for the numerous domestic affairs he was tied up with, Zhuang Rui would have liked to participate in this auction again. To him, gambling on stones was tantamount to robbing people. However, Zhuang Rui didn't know that if he went again this time, it probably wouldn't be so easy.
Many people were eager to follow Zhuang Rui and take advantage of the situation, so he was sure to be surrounded by a bunch of swarms of flies. Zhuang Rui's absence from this auction was a huge disappointment to many.
With the money from Myanmar as a foundation, plus the jade mine output from Xinjiang next month, Zhuang Rui felt much more confident. He planned to dominate the domestic auction market in the next few years, aside from his studies.
The Dingguang Museum currently has a gap in its collection of calligraphy and paintings by some modern masters. If the calligraphy and paintings are not too large, the prices are not too high. Therefore, Zhuang Rui plans to have Huangfu Yun bid for some of them to enrich the museum's exhibits.
As for Han and Tang dynasty ceramics, they are relatively rougher in production compared to those from the Yuan, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Apart from Tang tri-color ware, their prices are not very high. The reason for auctioning these kinds of antiques is simply that Zhuang Rui does not want the ceramics museum to have too obvious a gap in dating.
"Okay, I got it. But bro, you'd better pay me my wages later, I'm almost out of money to go out and pick up girls..."
Huangfu Yun nodded in agreement and jokingly told Zhuang Rui with a smile.
As the two were chatting, a patrol of four security guards walked towards Zhuang Rui. Unlike the uniformed security guards in China, they were all dressed in black suits and had wireless headsets hanging on their ears, looking exceptionally smart.
This was something Zhuang Rui learned from abroad: thieves who dare to steal from museums are definitely not deterred by a few security guard uniforms. Moreover, Zhuang Rui thought the uniforms were too ugly and would lower the level of his museum.
"Hello, Mr. Zhuang! Hello, Director Huangfu!"
As the leader in a black suit walked past Zhuang Rui, he nodded slightly to greet Zhuang Rui and Huangfu Yun, but his eyes remained fixed on the workers installing the display cases, displaying a very professional demeanor.
"Hey, Cris, don't be so nervous. Many of the artifacts haven't been put on display yet. How are you doing here? Are you getting used to working here?"
Zhuang Rui smiled and greeted the man in the lead. The man's Chinese name was Yang Jian and his English name was Cris. He was Hao Long's comrade-in-arms and also the security director of the Dingguang Museum.
Unlike Hao Long, Yang Jian was born into a martial arts family. As the saying goes, "the poor are scholars, the rich are martial artists," Yang Jian's family was much better off. After graduating from university, he joined the Special Forces Division, which was then commanded by Ouyang Lei. Because he knew English, he was sent abroad as a lieutenant in his third year to participate in China's peacekeeping forces stationed overseas.
Yang Jian's English name, Cris, was given to him abroad. Cris means short sword and dagger. Because of his superb knife skills, he was given this name by members of peacekeeping forces from another country, and it gradually became the name he was called.
Zhuang Rui started calling him by his English name after he overheard Yang Jian's foreign wife calling him by his English name.
While abroad, Yang Jian successfully prevented a refugee attack on a military camp and rescued a young female journalist from the United States, for which he was awarded the UN Peacekeeping Medal.
Logically speaking, Yang Jian's career development has always been perfect. After spending a few years abroad, he would definitely be a key talent that the military would cultivate upon his return to China.
However, things gradually went off track. Whether it was due to a hero complex or because Yang Jian was too handsome, the female reporter, who had a pure and innocent look and was comparable to American star Jessica Chastain, began to pursue Yang Jian madly.
Yang Jian had been avoiding the female reporter, but his superiors, wanting to promote the image of the Chinese peacekeeping force, encouraged him to interact with her more. Eventually, even this seemingly invincible man fell into the arms of a woman.
If this happened in other peacekeeping forces, it wouldn't be a big deal at all. It's a matter of mutual consent, so why should anyone else interfere?
However, in Chinese peacekeeping forces, such a thing would be a huge violation of discipline. In the words of the military leaders, this comrade's ideology was not strong enough.
However, that leader completely forgot that it was he who had asked Yang Jian to have more contact with that female reporter in the first place.
The result was predictable: he was repatriated and forced to retire from the military. The only thing that made Yang Jian feel gratified was that the female reporter actually followed him from abroad to China and remained loyal to him.
However, after being discharged from the army, another problem arose. Yang Jian was from Shandong, and his family was quite traditional. They simply could not accept his foreign wife, which made it impossible for Yang Jian to stay at home. For nearly half a year, Yang Jian had no job and relied on his foreign wife to support him.
This old man must feel resentful being supported by a woman, so after receiving Hao Long's call, Yang Jian immediately took his wife to Beijing.
Yang Jian had received extremely professional security training and had also led troops, possessing rich management experience. His skills were also exceptional; he exchanged blows with Peng Fei twice, and both were evenly matched. Zhuang Rui immediately decided to appoint Yang Jian as the museum's security director, with a monthly salary of 30,000 yuan.
Yang Jian's wife went to work as a teacher at a university, and the two of them are temporarily living in a house provided by Zhuang Rui, so their lives have become stable.
Yang Jian was very satisfied with this job. In less than a month, he had managed to keep more than a dozen former special forces soldiers under his command, and he also made many suggestions to address the weaknesses in the museum's security, eliminating many potential hazards.
"It's a habit, thank you, Mr. Zhuang. Please give my regards to Hao Long; it's been almost half a month since I last saw that kid..."
People who practice martial arts are generally quite forthright. Yang Jian didn't feel restrained in front of Zhuang Rui, unlike Hao Long's other comrades who were a bit hesitant when they saw Zhuang Rui.
Chapter 686 The Shadow Reappears
"You'll get used to it, Yang Jian. I'll be going out of town for a few days. If there's anything you need to discuss with Brother Huangfu, make sure to take safety precautions. It's okay to spend a little more money..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui still gave Yang Jian a few instructions. His Guiguzi Yuan blue and white porcelain jar and Dingguang sword were unique in the country. Even if they were just scratched or bumped, Zhuang Rui would be heartbroken, let alone if they were stolen.
"Mr. Zhuang, don't worry, I'd feel guilty taking your money if I couldn't even handle something this simple..."
Yang Jian smiled, reassuring Zhuang Rui. And indeed, Zhuang Rui felt much more at ease after hearing this.
"I need to take this call, Yang Jian. You go ahead and get busy. Relax these next few days. Things will get serious when the exhibits are on display before the opening..."
Zhuang Rui's phone suddenly rang. He took it out, looked at the number, said a few words to Yang Jian, and then pressed the answer button.
"Monkey, have you memorized those scripts? If you mess things up on opening day, I won't let you off the hook..."
The call was from Monkey. A while ago, Zhuang Rui gave him a few books and told him to study them carefully so that in addition to working at "Xuanrui Zhai", he could also work as a tour guide at the museum in his spare time.
Zhuang Rui originally wanted to transfer the monkey over, but Huangfu Yun persuaded him against it. It would be better to find some younger girls to be the museum guides. If the monkey, with its majestic appearance, were to wear ancient costumes, it might be mistaken by tourists for the "Grand Eunuch".
Monkey himself felt that working at the museum was not as comfortable as working at Xuanrui Studio, so Zhuang Rui let him be. However, he still encouraged him to read more books and learn more, and asked Master Ge to take care of Monkey and teach him some seal carving techniques.
"Brother Zhuang, my role as a commentator is a backup; whether I'll even be needed is still uncertain..."
The monkey chuckled on the other end of the phone and continued, "Hey, I almost forgot the important thing. Brother Zhuang, that guy surnamed Ren called and said he has a few things to sell. I don't dare to make a decision, so I told him to call back later. What do you think?"
"Someone surnamed Ren? I don't know anyone surnamed Ren..."
Zhuang Rui was taken aback when he heard this. Apart from knowing that there was a Ren Woxing and a Ren Yingying in Jin Yong's novel "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer", he didn't actually have any friends with the surname Ren in real life.
"Hehe, Brother Zhuang, it's the guy who sold you the bronze goblet a few months ago, the short guy..."
The monkey reminded Zhuang Rui that, not to mention Zhuang Rui, even the monkey was stunned for a long time after receiving the call from "Boss Ren" before realizing who had called him.
"It was him?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly shuddered. More than two months had passed since this incident, and Yu Zhenping had vanished without a trace, as if a stone had sunk into the sea. The special task force was now on the verge of being disbanded, but unexpectedly, Yu Zhenping had reappeared.
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui said, word by word, "Monkey, listen carefully. If 'Boss Ren' calls again, give him my number and have him contact me. Tell him that as long as there's something, money is no problem..."
The guy on the other end of the phone nodded and said, "Brother Zhuang, I understand. That kid isn't very honest. He borrowed the money without saying a word. You'd better be careful..."
"Get out of my way, do I need you to teach me?"
Zhuang Rui laughed and cursed, then hung up the phone and immediately started searching for phone numbers in his phone before dialing them.
"Team Leader Jiang? Hello, this is Zhuang Rui. I have news about Yu Zhenping. He handed the phone to one of my shop's staff members, and they might call me back in a bit. Is there anything you need to tell me?"
Miao Feifei withdrew from the task force a month ago. The phone number belonged to Jiang Hao, the head of the criminal investigation department of the Ministry of Public Security, who was also the leader of the task force.
"What? Bang!" came a startled exclamation from the phone, followed by the sound of something being knocked over.
"Xiao Zhuang, are you... are you telling the truth? Are you sure that person is Yu Zhenping?"
Jiang Hao's voice was a little anxious. He had already lost hope in Yu Zhenping's reappearance, and the department was very dissatisfied with his work during this period. Team Leader Jiang was under a lot of pressure. Unexpectedly, news of Yu Zhenping suddenly came, which surprised and delighted Jiang Hao.
"It's him, there's no doubt about it, Team Leader Jiang. Could you give me some guidelines? Don't make me make a mistake again..."
The fact that Zhuang Rui gave Yu Zhenping 2,000 yuan last time greatly displeased the task force. If it weren't for Zhuang Rui's powerful background, he would probably have been invited to the station for questioning long ago.
"No, no..."
Even if Zhuang Rui points his finger at Jiang Hao and curses him, Jiang Hao will still give him a smile in return.
Jiang Hao thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do, Xiao Zhuang. If Yu Zhenping calls you, don't ask where he is. Just say you want some valuable bronze artifacts. Don't say anything else..."
Jiang Hao knew that Yu Zhenping was timid and suspicious, so he asked Zhuang Rui to say this because he didn't want to alert Yu Zhenping.
"Okay, I got it. I'm hanging up now. I wonder when that person will call back..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui about to hang up, Jiang Hao on the other end of the phone quickly said, "Wait, Zhuang, we need to monitor this call temporarily to find out where it came from. I hope you understand..."
If this were an ordinary person's phone call, Jiang Hao wouldn't have bothered to inform Zhuang Rui. However, although Zhuang Rui was just a self-employed individual, he was also a relative of a national leader. It wasn't like a mere section chief like him had the right to monitor his communication facilities.
"It's alright, Team Leader Jiang, please follow the regulations..."
Zhuang Rui agreed nonchalantly. This particular phone number was for work, while the one in his bag was for family and relatives; there was no conflict between the two.
"Zhuang Rui, what's going on? Why are you being so secretive?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui hang up the phone, Huangfu Yun came over.
"Nothing much. Well, it seems there won't be any peace and quiet today, Brother Huangfu. I'll head back now..."
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, his phone rang again, and seeing that the number was unfamiliar, he quickly went outside.
Hello, who is this?
Zhuang Rui pressed the answer button.