Chapter 136 If all else fails, I'll do it myself!
Guan Xingmin gripped the armrest of the sofa and leaned his upper body forward forcefully.
Hao Jun's eyes kept darting around, glancing at the porcelain jar one moment and then at the rhinoceros horn cup the next.
The emperor's cupping therapy was already shocking enough, but then suddenly a Wanli Emperor's Crimson Cloud Cup appeared?
Lin Sicheng, did you go to the imperial tombs to buy wholesale goods?
Each gaze, sharp as a tangible object, fixed on his face. Lin Sicheng seemed not to hear, and beckoned, "Gu Ming, come here!"
Gu Ming, who had been pretending to be invisible, stood up. Lin Sicheng told him to unbutton the second button of his shirt and pull down the collar at the back of his neck.
Then I picked up a small jar, wiped it, washed it, and warmed it.
Simultaneous narration:
"Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government, Song Dynasty, Volume 105 (Zhao Gou): The Jin people captured Lin'an... The emperor went to Mingzhou. The Jin people captured Yuezhou... The emperor stopped at Dinghai County, and then went to Wenzhou, visiting the prefectural capital..."
"At that time, I lived in a place surrounded by evil spirits, plagued by diseases, and attacked by malaria. I was ill for a long time and could not be cured..."
"Then he summoned his ministers for a discussion, and the Imperial Diarist Fu (Su Fu, grandson of Su Shi) reported: His grandfather (Su Shi) was exiled to Qiongzhou (Hainan), where the local climate and climate caused him dizziness, headaches, and alternating chills and fever. Later, he wrote a prescription himself:"
(The jar) was soaked in medicine, then heated and applied to the affected area. The heat was then applied to the affected area. Immediately after the jar was removed, a tight suction sensation was felt, and the miasma was expelled… The emperor then ordered (the Imperial Physician) to practice this method, and the emperor (Zhao Gou) recovered…”
"After that, this prescription was preserved. It was first recorded in 'Su Xueshi Fang' (a prescription written by Su Shi himself), and later combined with 'Shen Kuo Liang Fang' to form 'Su Shen Liang Fang'..."
Lin Sicheng tested the temperature of the jar, then took out a tissue, lit it, swirled it around inside the jar twice, and then put it over Gu Mingli's neck.
With a "snap," the jar stuck tightly to the skin.
The others' eyelids twitched.
Lin Sicheng continued, "Although it is recorded in historical books and medical books, both historians and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe that it is a misconception... And it is indeed a bit far-fetched: using cupping to treat malaria is indeed a bit of nonsense."
"Until 1978, a complete set of twelve porcelain cupping sets was unearthed from a Southern Song Dynasty tomb in Zhangshu, Jiangxi. Traces of malaria parasite eggs were detected in the human blood cells remaining on the inner walls..."
"Afterwards, it was sent to the capital for further research, which confirmed that both the porcelain body and the glaze contained twenty-six kinds of medicinal materials, including cinnabar, realgar, and mugwort ash. When the temperature reaches forty degrees, the medicinal properties will be released automatically... Sixty degrees is the optimal temperature!"
"Pop~" Lin Sicheng pulled the small can off and placed it on the table: "Just like now!"
The group sniffed, their expressions changing simultaneously: the small jar was still warm, and wisps of steam were drifting out from its opening.
Crucially, it carries the scent of medicine.
They didn't know about other things, but they could still distinguish the smells of mugwort and realgar.
"Whether it's the rough, thin glaze, the raised dots on the surface, or the twelve raised ridges inside, all are designed to better absorb the medicinal properties and release their effects. At the same time, it subtly corresponds to the twelve meridians… Of course, the last point is somewhat mystical, but there's more…"
Lin Sicheng picked up his flashlight and shone it inside, and the group of people all crowded around.
Under the light, countless tiny dots are clearly visible on the walls and bottom of the can, yet they are extremely symmetrical.
Hao Jun's eyes lit up: "A micro-graphic!"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "To be more precise: the bronze statue's acupuncture points!"
The group of people were stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Whether it was cupping therapy from the Southern Song Dynasty, and whether it was as miraculous as Lin Sicheng claimed, capable of curing malaria, remains to be seen. But the faint medicinal fragrance and the acupoint diagrams on the bottom and sides of the jars—surely they are genuine?
But to say this is a royal artifact?
Hao Jun and Guan Xingmin exchanged a glance, then looked at Wang Qizhi.
They finally understood why Lin Sicheng's phone was always unreachable and why Professor Wang's face was so dark.
These four jars were definitely bought by Lin Sicheng from tomb raiders. And most likely, they were dug out from the Six Tombs of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Coming from the imperial tomb, isn't it an imperial artifact?
But daring to rob an imperial tomb is absolutely a risky business, you're just asking for trouble.
Just as he was still in shock, Lin Sicheng picked up the rhinoceros horn cup again.
The group's spirits lifted.
Ordinary rhinoceros horn is mostly jet black, or black with a grayish tinge. Only higher quality rhinoceros horn will have a bone texture that gradually lightens in color from the tip.
It looks roughly like this:
But this one looks like this:
The one in the back has definitely been dyed.
But how it was dyed, and what its connection was to Emperor Wanli's "Crimson Cloud Cup," Guan Xingmin and Hao Junzhen had no idea.
Startled, Lin Sicheng began to fiddle with things again: first, he poured a cup of warm water, and then he found two thermometers.
One was held in Hao Jun's palm, and the other was used to measure the water temperature.
"I haven't actually seen what the one unearthed from the Dingling Mausoleum of Emperor Wanli looks like. But during the Republic of China era, one of the bronze vessels from the Jingling Mausoleum of Emperor Xuanzong (Zhu Zhanji) was looted and ended up in Britain, where it was featured in the *British Medical Journal* (a renowned medical journal, ranked third in the world...)."
"After testing and analysis, it was found that the rhinoceros horn was harvested from a live animal: the horn base was cut off when the Asian rhinoceros was near death, and the residual warmth of its heartbeat was used to induce blood to seep into the keratin fibers. Microscopic examination showed that the hemoglobin crystals were snowflake-like..."
Afterwards, it undergoes a seven-year immersion in a medicinal soaking solution made of cinnabar, human hair ash, and children's urine, allowing the blood-red color to penetrate to a depth of 7-9mm. Then, the blood-red color is solidified with arsenic vapor. Only then is it carved…”
"After further testing, active platelet-bearing growth factor (PDGF-BB) was detected on the cup wall. This substance has only one function: to accelerate wound healing, but the British have not yet figured out the specific mechanism."
Secondly, after 30 minutes of storage, the concentration of flavonoids in the rice wine increased seventeenfold. The mechanism and reason for this are also unknown.
"Later, it was found that when held, the temperature of the cup body abnormally increased by 2°C within one minute... The principle behind this is also unknown."
Lin Sicheng retrieved the thermometer: the water temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, and Hao Jun's hand temperature was also 32 degrees Celsius.
He raised his cup: "Senior brother, shake hands!"
Hao Jun was skeptical, but he took it.
Then, the mercury level on the thermometer inserted in the cup rose at a visible rate.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, as if they had seen a ghost. This included Wang Qizhi and Ye Anning.
My hand temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature was 32 degrees Celsius. Why did the temperature rise by two degrees just from holding it for a moment?
Guan Xingmin looked surprised and placed his hand on Hao Jun's chest: "Is your heart beating too fast?"
"I'm curious, not nervous. Why is my heart beating so fast?"
Hao Jun put down the cup and took out the thermometer. Suddenly, the reading began to drop.
Five people stared with ten eyes: This is truly eye-opening!
So, how could this be fake?
As Hao Jun watched, he suddenly realized something, exchanged a glance with Guan Xingmin, and then their expressions both darkened.
There's only one in China, right? It was unearthed from the Dingling Mausoleum and is now kept in the Palace Museum.
According to Lin Sicheng, there is also one abroad, which means this is the third one, right?
They don't mention any active factors or flavonoids; they just say that it can raise the temperature by two degrees out of nowhere, which proves how amazing this thing is.
I feel that even the word "national treasure" is insufficient to describe how rare this thing is.
So, how bold must Lin Sicheng be?
Guan Xingmin murmured, "Why didn't they bury you in the grave?"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "They don't know what this is, they just think it's a dyed rhinoceros horn cup!"
"Nonsense!" Hao Jun gritted his teeth. "If they knew, you would have been torn to pieces long ago!"
"Then what can we do?" Lin Sicheng sighed. "We can't just pretend we didn't see it, can we?"
The group was stunned and speechless.
Without a doubt, if Lin Sicheng hadn't bought it, there would have been only one outcome for this item: it would have ended up overseas.
Or it might be bought by someone who doesn't know anything about it, change hands several times, and eventually be discovered by someone who does.
Or they might just sit on the shelf, waiting for someone knowledgeable to buy them. But either way, they won't end up in China.
Lin Sicheng certainly didn't intend to keep this item for himself, or anything like that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so openly taken it out to show them and explained it so clearly.
For a moment, Wang Qizhi felt a mix of emotions.
His student was truly... he didn't know how to describe him anymore.
With a sigh of disappointment, he pointed again: "What are those three boxes?"
"Southern Song Dynasty documents!"
After replying, Lin Sicheng opened the pouch and took out one of each item without taking much.
Everything is new: the silk pouch is new, the documents are new, and even the scroll ends are new. At first glance, it looks like a recent imitation, not yet aged.
Instinctively, the group recalled Ma Yuan's two paintings: they were almost identical.
Wang Qizhi had never met him, but he had heard of him and knew that Lin Sicheng had gone to Hangzhou for those paintings.
It can't be that this thing has any connection with Ma Yuan's paintings.
While pondering this, Lin Sicheng untied a silk pouch, took out the documents, and then poured water into it.
At first, everyone was puzzled, but then they narrowed their eyes.
Although it was made of cotton, the pouch, which was about the thickness of a thumb, was filled to the brim, yet not a drop of water was seen.
No, it doesn't even seep out?
Modern high technology?
Just as he was wondering, Lin Sicheng emptied the water and spread the bag on the table:
"Fish bladder, pig skin, and tung oil are combined to make gelatin, then three parts glue and one part alum are added to make alum glue, which is then evenly applied... for two reasons: first, to prevent corrosion, and second, to make it waterproof!"
Lin Sicheng then picked up the scroll, which was only as thick as an index finger: "Seal both ends, then seal the gaps with a mixture of beeswax, cinnabar, and mud: firstly, to prevent water damage; secondly, to prevent corrosion; and thirdly, to prevent oxygen: so that an oxygen-free vacuum is formed inside the scroll..."
Lin Sicheng removed the caps from both ends and unfolded the document: "Wuzhou (now Jinhua) bamboo paper, treated to prevent insect damage and decay, then coated with alum glue: water-resistant, oxygen-resistant, decay-resistant, and insect-resistant..."
And special pine soot ink: one pound of pine soot, one ounce of glue, and one ounce of spikenard and patchouli... Similarly: water-resistant, oxygen-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and insect-resistant...
After setting down the documents, Lin Sicheng took out a wooden box about the thickness of his arm from the trunk: "The wood is camphor. Place the documents inside, then seal it with lacquer..."
He paused for a moment, then gestured around the room: "After the tomb raiders went down into the pit, all these Southern Song Dynasty documents were soaked in water... Therefore, the lost techniques of lacquer sealing, wax sealing, and bag sealing, as well as the papermaking and ink-making processes that represent the highest level of the Southern Song Dynasty, were preserved."
Then, Lin Sicheng laid out the three documents one by one:
"Seven written confessions: Recording Xu Weili's career during the Jiading era, from Chengwu Lang (a ninth-rank official), Xiuzhi Lang (a ninth-rank official official), Congshi Lang (a eighth-rank official official), Tongzhi Lang (a eighth-rank official official), Zhou Tongpan (a seventh-rank official official), Dali Si Ping Shi (a seventh-rank official official), and finally Zhi Xinzhou (a sixth-rank official official)..."
"By imperial decree to Vice-Prefect Huang: For his meritorious service in Jianchang Army, in exempting Xinzhou from drought-stricken land taxes, and in controlling floods, he is hereby granted a scarlet fish-shaped pouch..."
"Of the twenty-five items printed on paper, this is the most important: including tax collection, judicial fairness, encouragement of agriculture and sericulture, population growth, and border security..."
"This means that over the forty-odd years from Jiading to Chunyou, the Southern Song Dynasty's politics, military, civil affairs, taxes, judiciary, agriculture, water conservancy, and even the official system, government operations, and people's livelihood were all clearly recorded..."
Lin Sicheng straightened up and exhaled: "But there's no need for authentication. Just like Ma Yuan's two paintings, no matter how you examine them, they're obviously fake. And there's no need to doubt that they're genuine..."
Most importantly, the majority of the content differs greatly from, or even contradicts, previous historical research…
Wang Qizhi's pupils contracted slightly, and his finger twitched involuntarily: What is the significance of archaeology and the study of history?
Filling gaps in historical records, extending the timeline of civilization, and correcting historical misinterpretations are the first steps before protecting and passing on cultural heritage.
That's why Lin Sicheng emphasized that the last twenty-five blank copies of the paper were the most important.
More importantly, he said in his last sentence: "Most of the content is quite different from, or even contrary to, previous historical research..."
So, if these documents are genuine, the historical community will be in an uproar!
So many papers, so many conclusions, so many research results—all rendered invalid. Shouldn't this affect the "honor," reputation, and even the status and position of so many people...?
Wang Qizhi was a man of considerable experience, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Guan Xingmin and Hao Jun were already numb. After Lin Sicheng laid out the three documents and said "Southern Song Dynasty documents," they didn't listen to the rest at all.
It is often said that a single page of a Song Dynasty edition is worth an ounce of gold. This is not a metaphor, but a factual account, and perhaps even an understatement: even the most ordinary Buddhist scriptures, once proven to be Song Dynasty editions, have never been sold for less than ten million.
What if it wasn't a printed copy, but a manuscript, or even an official document?
Even so, an imperial edict was issued.
What is an imperial edict? It is a decree issued by the emperor. Now look at this document on the table: it begins, "Imperial Edict to the Imperial Censorate"... and ends, "By imperial decree, as per the order, this document is to be carried out"... written on yellow paper and stamped with the imperial seal... This is an imperial edict!
How many imperial edicts from the Qing Dynasty have survived?
But at their feet were three large boxes...
Guan Xingmin and Hao Jun were at a loss for what to do.
Even the cupping therapy of the Southern Song emperors and the rhinoceros horn cups of the Ming emperors, which are inexplicable even by scientific standards, seem rather ordinary.
For a moment, it was as if the pause button had been pressed. The small office, with its six people of varying sizes, was as quiet as if the pause button had been pressed.
Ten eyes, gleaming, were fixed on Lin Sicheng's face.
Lin Sicheng lied slowly and seriously: "When I bought the painting that day, I always felt something was wrong: the painting looked so real, but the rest of the painting looked so fake."
Afterwards, I thought the old lady was knowledgeable and had lived a long time, so maybe she knew something. So I made a phone call to Zhao Xiuneng...
Then, Zhao Xiuneng suggested I go to Hangzhou: after all, Ma Yuan, Ma Lin, and Dai Jin were all from Hangzhou. He also had friends there, who were said to be very experienced, so maybe I could get some information…”
A seasoned tomb raider, huh?
Wang Qizhi secretly grumbled to himself and glanced at him.
Lin Sicheng pretended not to see it and continued, "But when I got there, the other party was very cautious. I gave them Zhao Xiuneng's and the old lady's shop names, but they said I had come to the wrong place. I figured I was already there, so I couldn't just leave empty-handed, and I wandered around the shop. I didn't expect there to be so many good things there?"
There are quite a few.
If it were less, would you have been able to bring back these several large boxes?
The group looked at each other, each with a strange expression.
Wang Qizhi sighed again: "How much did it cost?"
"We spent a little over a million on the first day!" Lin Sicheng pointed. "The jade disc, lacquer box, and ancient books were all bought that day. At the time, we also bought a bronze fish-shaped key from the Western Han Dynasty's Grand Historian..."
What is that?
Grand Historian of the Western Han Dynasty?
Subconsciously, the group thought of Sima Qian.
Even if it isn't, that thing is worth tens of millions on the black market.
Hao Jun looked down and asked, "Where are the things?"
“I returned it!” Lin Sicheng spread his hands. “They didn’t recognize the thing, or even know which dynasty it came from, so I gave them a heads-up… and then, they met the boss the next day!”
What boss? He's the leader of a tomb raider.
It's like Lin Sicheng used that item as a stepping stone...
Wang Qizhi was both angry and amused: "With your eyesight, didn't they even invite you to join them or anything?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "I was invited, but I didn't accept!"
The group of people were all stunned, their lips moving as they hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Lin Sicheng's audacity goes beyond mere "greatness"...
Wang Qizhi sighed: "And then?"
"Then, to thank me, they let me pick two more items, saying they were gifts for me. I did pick two items, a cupping jar and a rhinoceros horn, but I paid for them, and not a single item was shortchanged: 380,000!"
hehe……
How about those two items, three hundred for 380,000 each?
"After that, I took out Ma Yuan's painting and asked them to help me find it. Two days later, although they didn't find the painting, they did find these sixty-odd documents..."
After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng emphasized again, "But it wasn't a wasted effort; it cost 100,000..."
One hundred thousand?
The group was speechless with frustration.
If you do the math, Lin Sicheng spent about 1.6 million from start to finish. Selling that jade disc would more than cover that cost.
The rest is basically free.
But in terms of monetary value, these figures alone would easily exceed 100 million.
The question is, how do we handle it?
Apart from the two printed ancient books and the jade disc, the rest are all first-class cultural relics. They even deserve a note: National Treasure.
So, selling is out of the question: if you sell, you'll be in jail for life.
Collecting them is impossible; they could be confiscated anytime, anywhere, in a matter of minutes...
After a moment's thought, Hao Jun frowned: "So, you're planning to donate?"
Lin Sicheng gave him a strange look.
Brother Hao, after all I've said, did you only remember three words: "extremely valuable"?
"Senior Brother Hao, I'm a graduate student... oh, not yet, but I will be soon. And I also have a studio..."
Hao Jun was suddenly stunned.
He was so shocked that his scalp tingled. His mind was filled with thoughts of national treasures and their value, and he momentarily forgot that Lin Sicheng was also a researcher.
The lacquer box employs the techniques of lacquer application and gold inlay, which both inherits from the Tang Dynasty's gold and silver inlay technique and paves the way for the development of mother-of-pearl inlay and gold inlay with fine lacquer filling techniques in the Yuan Dynasty.
These two points alone are enough to apply for a provincial-level project.
Cupping therapy and rhinoceros horn cups can be studied in collaboration with the Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Xi'an Jiaotong University.
Regardless of which company it is, the person in charge will definitely be grinning from ear to ear: This is specimen material that can be published in top international journals, something that can't be bought with any amount of money.
As for the documents... with just one phone call, people from the provincial or municipal museums will probably rush to the school in less than ten minutes.
Thinking about these items and the project itself, the group looked at Lin Sicheng with strange expressions.
With so many research topics spanning so many disciplines, how can you possibly manage to research them all with just one head and two hands?
Lin Sicheng remained silent: It was merely a stopgap measure.
Cupping and rhinoceros horn cups are irrelevant to Lin Sicheng; he doesn't know much about traditional Chinese medicine and has no intention of switching fields. So whether he studies them or not is uncertain. The key is just not to have them confiscated.
However, it's best to collaborate with cultural and museum institutions in Zhejiang Province for document review; otherwise, you won't be able to access the information.
We can't possibly make a trip to Hangzhou every month and then beg and plead with everyone.
Of course, that's not possible now. At least we have to wait until the local authorities take it seriously and start excavating Xu Weili's tomb.
So we have to wait for the old lady.
It wasn't Old Lady Zhao from Qishan, but Old Lady Wang from the Forbidden City.
But as I said before: if it doesn't work, you'll have to do it yourself...
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