Chapter 159 Is this the truth about the gilded plate?
The news spread quickly. The next morning, groups of people gathered in the offices, corridors, and tea rooms of the Shanghai Museum, whispering to each other.
"No way! 矅变天目?? So she went to Japan because she got the news?"
"I don't know. Anyway, this is a great achievement. It's not just a matter of a few words of praise from the museum. I guess there will be commendations from the city, or at least the bureau."
"I heard he came back with Tong Zhongyuan? Why did he go to Japan? Wasn't he restoring Yuan blue and white porcelain?"
"It seems like they went to Jingdezhen together before. Maybe there's something going on between these two."
As Song Suiyang walked along, the names of Qin Tian and Tong Zhongyuan filled the air, making it impossible to avoid them. She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Just the day before yesterday, Tong Zhongyuan's face was indescribably grim after learning Qin Tian was on vacation. He even skipped work the next day. It turned out he'd gone to Tokyo to pursue her. Who would have guessed that this arrogant, fairy-like man was also a romantic? This was far more captivating than a romantic drama. She'd originally suffered from having no one to share her feelings with, but now it seemed their relationship wasn't far from being exposed. Then, as a source of firsthand intelligence, she'd have plenty of room to shine. It was a beautiful thought.
Just as she expected, she entered the restoration room. The man she had been rumored to be with was already there, wearing glasses and concentrating on restoring Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain. She hadn't seen him for a few days, but she felt he looked even more handsome. She greeted him cheerfully.
"Good morning, Teacher Tong. Is Qin Tian here?"
"She didn't come. She needs to rest for a few days."
Emma! Song Suiyang covered her mouth in surprise. The male protagonist was so frank.
"Um," she moved closer to him while he was in a good mood, "Did you really bring back the Tianmu?"
"Yeah. Probably."
Tong Zhongyuan worked tirelessly and successfully connected a small piece of porcelain to the bottle body.
After arriving at the Shanghai Museum last night, Ming Yuanxing personally examined the cup and bowl and confirmed that it was undoubtedly a Tianmu (a type of 矅变天目) ware. In the coming days, he will invite experts from around the country to conduct appraisals. Once the expert reports are released, the matter will be settled.
Qin Tian had been through a lot over the past few days, exhausted both physically and mentally, and decided to take the rest of his vacation. He was very supportive, and after sending her home, he stopped clinging to her and let her rest well.
Besides, he also had things to do while she was away. He knew Ming Yuanxing would be very busy these days, but he had more important things to do than transforming his Tianmu. And here, the only person he could rely on and trust was Ming Yuanxing.
Ming Yuanxing was momentarily puzzled when he received Tong Zhongyuan's call. Last night, he, Qin Tian, and Tong Zhongyuan had been at the Shanghai Museum until 2 a.m. Tong Zhongyuan had simply explained the process of acquiring the Tianmu. Only seven or eight hours later, he called to say he had something important to discuss in private. It seemed like the important matter he was discussing was something even Qin Tian couldn't possibly know.
He was so busy that he had to ask Secretary Su to go to the cafeteria to get two meals, planning to chat with Tong Zhongyuan while eating at noon. When there was a knock on the door, he said without even looking up, "Come in."
The person who came in was not Tong Zhongyuan, but Wang Qiqing.
Ming Yuanxing quickly stood up and said, "Master Wang, have you had lunch yet? If not, let's eat together."
Wang Qiqing looked at the two meals on the table.
"You have a date?"
"Yes, Xiaotong and Xiaoqin brought back the Tianmu yesterday. I asked Xiaotong to talk to me in detail."
"Then I'll make it short. Mingguan, I heard that Qin Tian brought back the Tianmu, and it was Zhuang Beiyao who put it there? Is that true?"
"Oh, Wang Guan, you're well-informed. Qin Tian mentioned this matter yesterday, so I didn't know much about it. But it's definitely related to Zhuang Beiyao. The little girl is very sad about this, so I can't ask too much. I'll find out more details when she's calmer."
Wang Qiqing frowned. "If that's really the case, the matter of the Transformed Heavenly Eye must be kept low-key. Zhuang Beiyao is a Shanghai Museum insider and is the director of a museum in Tokyo. If Qin Tian found the Transformed Heavenly Eye, it's fine. But if Zhuang Beiyao set it up, then what is our Shanghai Museum? Did they work together inside and outside to bring back Japan's national treasure? I want to remind you not to turn a good thing into a bad thing."
"Yes, yes. We must be cautious in everything, not just this matter. The Transformation Heavenly Eye just returned last night, and he hasn't even obtained an identity yet. At least several well-known experts must approve it before it can be officially determined. I know you're worried, don't worry, I will keep an eye on this matter."
Wang Qiqing saw that he was doing nothing, clearly not taking his opinion seriously, but he could do nothing about it. He left the office feeling 30% unhappy and 50% angry.
As soon as he went out, he saw Tong Zhongyuan walking towards him. Seeing him, Tong Zhongyuan smiled and nodded, and stepped aside to make way for him.
Wang Qiqing glanced at him and walked away.
Tong Zhongyuan's eyes fell on his back until he turned and disappeared.
"Little boy, come in."
Ming Yuanxing called to him through the crack in the door. Tong Zhongyuan withdrew his gaze and entered the office.
"You haven't eaten yet, let's talk while you eat. I'm starving."
Tong Zhongyuan sat down obediently and ate the box lunch with Ming Yuanxing.
"Xiao Tong, you went to Tokyo without saying a word this time. Was it because of what we talked about last time? Are you worried about Qin Tiancai?"
Ming Yuanxing ate his meal with a chuckle, a subtle hint of teasing in his voice. He'd noticed yesterday that Tong Zhongyuan's gaze on Qin Tian was unusual. He'd never had the chance to see them together before, so he'd never noticed. Only yesterday did he suddenly realize why Tong kept staying at the Shanghai Museum. It wasn't a matter of nostalgia for the museum, nor was it a sentimental attachment to the old man.
Tong Zhongyuan put down his chopsticks and sat upright. After Ming Yuanxing finished swallowing his food, he spoke clearly, "In fact, the counterfeiting gang found Qin Tian in Tokyo, kidnapped her, and threatened her. I did something to get out of this."
Ming Yuanxing stood up suddenly, horrified.
"What did you say!"
Tong Zhongyuan looked at him steadily, picked up the A4 envelope at hand and put it on the table.
Qin Tian had a night of bizarre dreams. When she awoke, sunlight had already filtered through the slits in the curtains, casting thin, thin specks of light across the floor. She squinted, shielding herself from the glare with her hand. Those three days in Tokyo had been like a dream, a movie, distant and unreal.
The distorted Tianmu, the counterfeiting ring, the paper, the slap in the face, and the physical contact—each one of them was a far cry from her uneventful life. Especially… Tong Zhongyuan. She pulled the covers over her head. What should she do with him? Bringing the distorted Tianmu back home had briefly made her forget the danger he faced, but now she had to reconsider the issue. He had been here for six months, and in those six months, he had only experienced illness, injury, and disaster. Now, even his life was in jeopardy. And all of this was caused by her, by her.
She lay huddled in the quilt for an indefinite amount of time before finally sitting up. The familiar room was bathed in a soft, feeble glow, the sunlight filtering through the fabric. The furniture was old, lacking even a dresser, only a plain bookshelf. It was a room devoid of any decoration, a dull spectacle, much like her. This was the scene that best suited her, a silent reminder that it was time to return to reality.
Walking under the warm winter sun, after three subway rides, she arrived at the hospital ward in Xincheng District. The nurse, upon seeing her, quickly stopped her and took her to Director Qian's office. Director Qian handed her the discharge summary, his expression both kind and relieved.
Qin Tian bowed to him and thanked him deeply. Amidst his flustered politeness, he left the office and completed the discharge procedures.
Pushing open the door of the ward, Qin Yunjie was half-lying on the bed, drowsy in the afternoon sun. Hearing the sound, he opened his squinting eyes a little and smiled vaguely.
"Coming?"
Qin Tian didn't know whether he was awake or confused. She sat down in front of the bed and looked at him.
"I met Zhuang Beiyao. He really wanted to come visit you."
Qin Yunjie's eyes gradually cleared up. He closed his eyes and smiled, "You kid, you should go find him. How is he?"
Qin Tian's eyes were filled with tears, and he choked up and said, "He's fine, he hopes you don't blame him."
"I never blamed him."
"Yes," she nodded vigorously, "then I will definitely tell him."
Qin Yunjie reached out and stroked her head slowly.
"Thanks for your hard work."
She hunched over the hospital bed. On the bedside table was her father's 30-year-old thermos, the words "Shanghai Asian Museum" on the bottle already faded.
"Dad, let's be discharged from the hospital."
"good."
In the taxi on the way to the nursing home, she showed Qin Yunjie the photo of the gilded plate taken by the Tang Dynasty Museum.
"We were all wrong. It's a Qing Dynasty imitation of a Han Dynasty gilded plate. But it's indeed made very finely, even the traces of silk screen are there." Qin Tian explained one by one.
Qin Yunjie enlarged the photo on his mobile phone and looked at it carefully for a long time without answering.
"No wonder it was so hard to find. It's no longer in China. Anyway, we finally found it," she said with a casual air. Qin Yunjie's twenty-year search for the gilded plate had come to such a regrettable and melancholy end.
Yes, judging by the details, the gilded plate in the Tang Dynasty Museum is identical to the photo Han Yehua left behind. He returned the phone to Qin Tian and smiled, "That's great. Grandpa's treasure has gone abroad and is still placed in the center of the hall for foreigners to see every day. If your mother knew, she would be very happy. You can tell her the news during next year's Qingming Festival."
"You can go now. If you want to tell Mom, we can go this weekend."
Qin Yunjie smiled and shook his head: "You just came back and you are busy with work, so take a good rest. This is not urgent."
It was indeed the same, a perfect match for the photo he had destroyed. He had searched for years without success, finally doubting the clues he had. To forge a new path, he destroyed all the misleading clues. By chance, Qin Tian still saw it in the negative and found it.
Is this truly Han Yehua's heirloom? Is the truth revealed in a photo he once destroyed? The Han Dynasty gilt plate for which his master, Han Yehua, achieved fame at the age of 17, a family heirloom that a legendary connoisseur of Beijing, Tianjin, and Henan would rather serve prison time than surrender, is ultimately just a Qing Dynasty replica? Half a century has passed since Han Yehua's death, and the world no longer trusts the discernment of a pre-Liberation antique dealer. That once powerful legend is gone. So be it, legend or exaggeration, his story has ended. His daughter, Qin Tian, will eventually embark on a new path. The turbulent times, the joys of revenge, are no longer hers.
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