"The Imperial Seal of the State? Wasn't that supposed to be on display at the Gallic delegation's place? How could it be here?"
The female reporter Bingbing may not know much about antiques, but she is quite knowledgeable about all kinds of news.
Upon hearing Old Zhao's shout, she immediately voiced her question.
Old Zhao paused for a moment, then examined the jade seal on the coffee table more carefully, and said to Xu Lu:
"Mr. Xu, may I pick up this jade seal and take a look?"
That's right!
The experts from the three expert groups had been looking at it for a long time, but none of them dared to take it. It was only at this moment that Old Zhao was the first to ask Xu Lu for help.
“Okay!” Xu Lu nodded and said.
Old Zhao and the others brought out their professional equipment again, the same padded plate. This time, Old Zhao even put on gloves before slowly picking up the jade seal.
Thus, the bottom of this jade seal was finally revealed to everyone.
Of course, the female reporter Bingbing and the cameraman were just watching the show, because they couldn't read the words below at all.
"By the mandate of Heaven, may its reign be long and prosperous! It is undoubtedly the Imperial Seal of the State!"
Old Zhao said decisively, then looked at Xu Lu with a suspicious expression and said:
"Mr. Xu, how did such an extraordinary treasure end up in your hands? Could it be that your ancestors..."
"Ahem, this is not convenient to say. Does Elder Zhao believe that this is the Imperial Seal of the State?"
Xu Lu coughed and asked.
Old Zhao hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking:
"In my personal opinion, this is the real Imperial Seal of the State, and it matches the historical records perfectly."
At this point, the female reporter interjected again:
"Old Zhao, do you mean that the Imperial Seal of the State on the side of the Gallic delegation is fake?"
I've heard that many private investors are currently in contact with the diplomatic corps, hoping to buy back the Imperial Seal of the State!
"Before today, I also thought that the real Imperial Seal was in the hands of the Gallic delegation."
However, seeing the jade seal in Mr. Xu's hand, I think the one belonging to the Gallic delegation still needs further consideration.
Old Zhao pointed to the bottom of the jade seal in his hand and said:
“Look at the bottom of this jade seal. The eight characters are engraved in the insect and bird seal script. The content is ‘Received the mandate from Heaven, may it live long and prosper.’”
This is consistent with historical records, and as you can see, one corner of the jade seal was repaired with gold, which also matches history.
I've also seen the jade seal from the Gallic delegation; the bottom is inscribed with the words "By the mandate of Heaven, may the Emperor enjoy longevity" from the Book of Han…
Even the female reporter and others who didn't know much about antiques felt that Xu Lu's side was the real deal after hearing the explanation.
Since they are really here, then the Gallic delegation must be fake without a doubt!
Thinking of this, the female reporter Bingbing's heart pounded with excitement.
She had previously thought that reporting a news story about a "folk chicken cup selling for 300 million yuan" would be tomorrow's front page headline.
She was only surprised to discover this now.
Compared to the topic of 'authentic and fake Imperial Seal of the State,' a tiny chicken cup is nothing!
If she keeps following the story of the Imperial Seal of the State, she'll dominate the front page headlines for the next week!
"Luckily, I stubbornly stayed both times, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to discover such a shocking scoop!"
Bingbing immediately felt relieved.
But soon, she asked nervously:
"Mr. Xu, may I report on the matter of the Imperial Seal of the State?"
"sure!"
Xu Lu nodded nonchalantly and said:
"However, I make no guarantee as to the authenticity of this jade seal. You should make that clear when you report on it."
"Mr. Xu, rest assured, we will definitely report this truthfully!"
The female reporter, Bingbing, nodded almost as if making a promise, her expression extremely serious.
Upon hearing this, Old Zhao on the other end coughed and said:
"Comrade reporter, well... I make no guarantees. My comments were just a discussion between friends!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, your words will be reported truthfully."
Bingbing quickly replied.
Old Zhao nodded, then suddenly looked at Xu Lu and said with a hint of reproach:
“Mr. Xu, such a precious treasure, even if you don’t keep it in a safe, you should at least put it in a padded box. How can you just stuff it into a drawer like that!”
If you don't have any of these, I'll have someone send you a few. Ah, what a waste! It really is…”
"Thank you very much, Elder Zhao. Please send me more; I might need them in the future!"
Xu Lu nodded readily, without any hesitation.
Old Zhao wasn't angry at all; instead, he said meaningfully:
"The Imperial Seal of the State... Take advantage of this opportunity to look at it a few more times. Such a precious treasure cannot be possessed by just one person..."
No one dared to respond to such remarks.
But then female reporter Bingbing suddenly said:
“Mr. Xu, perhaps I should stop reporting on the Imperial Seal of the State? That way…”
Upon hearing this, everyone knew the female reporter meant well, but Xu Lu, however, didn't appreciate it and said:
"That won't do! Report the facts as they should be reported. It's just a jade seal, I don't care about it. I'll donate it when the time comes..."
While uttering grand and righteous words, Xu Lu secretly thought to himself:
"I finally found this opportunity. If you don't report on it, wouldn't all my efforts have been in vain?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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