Chapter 140 Wenming in the East Garden
The sun was setting in the west as the three walked along the stone path.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet, and my mood was somewhat heavy.
Ye Anning lowered her head and remained silent.
She never imagined that in such a large village, there would be so few men. And the reason they were nowhere to be seen wasn't because they had gone out to work, but because they were criminals in jail, and because they were afraid of going to jail after committing crimes, so they had no choice but to flee?
She also knew that the average person only earns about a thousand a month, and if they can save ten thousand or eight thousand a year, that is considered a high income.
But she never knew that for eight thousand yuan, someone would die, and two families would be torn apart, with wives and children separated and lives destroyed.
Subconsciously, she recalled what her uncle had said last night:
"A heart brimming with turbulent energy, yet a face as calm as a still lake—this is the kind of person who can be appointed a general. As the saying goes, a skilled warrior achieves little without illustrious feats. Lin Sicheng's character allows him to soar to the heavens and descend into the mud with equal skill."
Otherwise, how could he have so easily and effortlessly retrieved several large boxes of national treasures from tomb raiders and antique dealers, all while only having Gu Ming, a mere child who knew nothing? And these people are still helping him search for them now?
Why didn't the criminals see him as an outsider because of his exceptional eyesight, extraordinary abilities, or even because of his age or status? Instead, they felt an instant connection, as if they'd known each other for a long time. Because he understood, he was knowledgeable, and crucially, he could fit in.
"Ye Anning, have you ever thought that Lin Sicheng knows exactly what your aunt is thinking, and he knows exactly what you are thinking, yet he's been pretending to be oblivious? Because integrating downwards is called merging, while building upwards is called creating barriers!"
“He wasn’t afraid; he was assessing whether he had the ability to overcome the obstacle and how long it would take. If he couldn’t, or if it took too long, then he wouldn’t hurt you…”
At the time, his aunt scolded him, saying he was making a mountain out of a molehill. But his uncle only said one thing: "Go with us tomorrow and you'll understand!"
Ye Anning finally understood: Could a vibrant life be driven to its death for just eight thousand yuan?
Even worse, two families were destroyed, and some even died without a proper burial.
History books have many stories about this, and television has shown it many times; wartime was far worse. But when she saw it with her own eyes and felt the unprecedented shock, Ye Anning finally understood what her uncle meant: class.
It is formless and intangible, yet it is omnipresent.
Therefore, what ordinary people see as advantages are all strengths. But for Lin Sicheng, they are all weaknesses?
To put it bluntly, given his abilities, how bad could he possibly be in the future? Why invite trouble upon yourself when there is none? Why seek suffering where there is none?
You might even be misunderstood or mistreated?
Thinking about it this way, it's good enough that he didn't avoid me like the plague...
As she thought about it, Ye Anning's mood improved immediately. She pursed her lips and curled the corners of her mouth.
Gu Ming was still baffled, thinking to himself that his cousin Ye had a strong heart. Just a moment ago she looked so uncomfortable, but after only a few steps she was smiling?
Then, he gave Lin Sicheng a wink.
Lin Sicheng remained unmoved, but secretly gave Professor Wang a thumbs up in his heart.
When it comes to relationships, it's best to let things happen naturally. But Lin Sicheng genuinely couldn't afford to, and had neither the energy nor the time.
It's really difficult to find someone who shares your ideals and beliefs, is tolerant and understanding, and continues to understand.
From this perspective, Ye Anning is indeed a very suitable candidate. Of course, it's quite difficult, and he can't afford to deal with that right now, nor does he have the time…
Lost in thought, the group entered the main street. It was almost five o'clock; some were picking up their children, others were cooking, and the streets were much quieter.
Continuing on, as I walked, I came across an old woman huddled at the alley entrance, furtively beckoning: "Young man, young man, come here, come here..."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the same old lady who had asked for directions earlier.
Lin Sicheng walked over and stopped three steps away: "Old man, what is it?"
The old man looked them up and down, then glanced at Ye Anning and Gu Ming behind him: "Kids, you're here to find treasure, aren't you?"
Huh?
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "How did the old man know?"
The old man curled his lip: "What else could you possibly want to do here looking for Tao Qizhi? He may have a lot of stuff, but he was sentenced last year to eighteen years!"
Lin Sicheng remained calm: "And then?"
“There’s no one left at his house, you definitely won’t find him. But kid, my family has a treasure too, really…” the old man lowered his voice, “the kid ran away, but his father has been gone for nine years!”
Sure enough?
Lin Sicheng stood there, stunned, unsure of what to say.
He wasn't surprised that people in this place were so blatant in this era. This was a special social phenomenon created by a special period of development.
Just like Boshe Village in Lufeng, it wasn't until 2014 that it was destroyed.
He was moved by what the old man meant: the longer the sentence, the more genuine the evidence!
Seeing that Lin Sicheng remained silent, the old man assumed he was doubting him and tugged at his arm: "If you don't believe me, come with me and take a look. You'll know once you see it..."
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and then nodded.
The old man smiled broadly and led the way, with the three people following closely behind.
The second house in the alley, a small two-story brick building, had a slightly plump woman in her thirties drying cowpeas in the yard.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, the old man closed the iron gate. The woman paused for a moment, then stood up.
"Come inside, come inside first, I'll go get something... Cuiqin, make some tea!"
The woman quickly agreed and invited the three of them into the house. After boiling water, the old man carried a clay pot into the house.
Lin Sicheng glanced at it, his eyelids twitching slightly: Han pottery?
At first glance, it looks dirty and old, with its head tilted and ears pulled, but just by looking at the few simple lacquer patterns on the jar, you can tell that it was dug out from a Han Dynasty official tomb.
There are a lot of them in existence, but they're not very valuable, maybe a hundred or eighty. But if you're really serious about it, it would take at least three years to dig one up.
Then, the old man tilted the jar and poured out a full jar of copper coins with a "whoosh," scattering them all over the ground.
Lin Sicheng glanced at it again, paused for a moment, and then looked at the old man.
The old man was quite enthusiastic: "Young man, why are you looking at me like that? Want to pick one? It's not expensive, one for a hundred!"
Lin Sicheng glanced at it again: there were probably less than three hundred copper coins on the ground, but it really was less than one-fifth.
Extremely mixed and chaotic, it includes almost every type of coin from the Western Han Dynasty. Crucially, the forgeries are remarkably accurate?
Moreover, the price is not low: there are a lot of Han Dynasty Wu Zhu coins in existence. Even for Western Han Dynasty Wu Zhu coins, the ordinary ones are only fifty or sixty yuan, and the ones in good condition are only one hundred or eighty yuan.
The ones on the ground are extremely rare, and their condition is generally poor.
This is because the old man saw that he was young and wanted to take advantage of him.
But since we're already here...
Lin Sicheng sighed, glanced at them briefly, and picked them out one by one.
With each item they picked, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's eyelids twitched.
The real ones were collected from the village years ago before the man went to prison. The fake ones were brought back by the son from outside over the years; it's basically a mix of real and fake.
They really did make subtle marks, so subtle that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law could recognize them, but outsiders rarely could. That's how they managed to support themselves, their daughter-in-law, and their three grandsons all these years.
Five or six years have passed, and the amount of real money in the jar has barely decreased.
But now, this young man is picking out one real one after another?
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance but remained silent.
If it's true, then it's true. One hundred yuan a piece isn't a bad deal.
After picking out about seven or eight, Lin Sicheng pointed and said, "Gu Ming, come here, take a look and see what the differences are between these eight?"
Gu Ming frowned: To be honest, apart from the different colors, he really couldn't see any difference.
But after spending so much time with Lin Sicheng, I would sometimes hear my godfather talk about it. He at least knew that the different colors were due to the different places and depths where the coins were buried, and had little to do with the coins themselves.
So, he really couldn't see any difference?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Sicheng pointed again: "Compare yourself with the others!"
Gu Ming pouted: How can I compare?
The fact that Lin Sicheng was able to pick them out individually suggests that these few are definitely genuine. Conversely, the rest are almost all fake.
However, even when they were arranged in two piles, he still couldn't tell the difference between the real and the fake ones.
Suddenly, Gu Ming's eyes widened, a clear light shining in them. Then, he mumbled, "Didn't I already say I'd never touch this line of work again..."
Good to know!
Lin Sicheng nodded and took out his wallet: "Grandpa, is eight hundred right?"
The old man paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, yes!"
She was just thinking that if the young man tried to bargain, she wouldn't sell it.
The old man took the money, then smiled with narrowed eyes: "Young man, you have good taste. What do you do at home?"
Lin Sicheng put away the copper coins: "My grandfather did this kind of work, he set up a stall at Xiaodongmen!"
"Oh~"
No wonder?
She was very young, but had a sharp eye: in five or six years, she had sold at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, copper coins. But the first time she came across more than two hundred coins, she dumped them all on the spot, and someone picked one out and found it to be genuine, and then picked another out and found it to be genuine as well.
Not only are they all genuine, but they're also fast...
The old man stared at Lin Sicheng, thought for a moment, and said, "Kid, I have some good treasures here, with words on them. Do you want them?"
With words?
Lin Sicheng paused, then looked at the copper coin in his hand: "A cauldron?"
The old man was startled, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed: "If it were Ding, the child's father would only get nine years? Life imprisonment wouldn't even be enough..."
"Oh, okay~" Lin Sicheng quickly smiled, "Then you take it!"
"Okay, you can sit down!"
The old man responded and went out of the house with his daughter-in-law.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Ye Anning lowered her voice and asked, "Among those eight coins, is there one Martial Emperor Five Zhu?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Two coins, one Chize Wuzhu and one Sijue Wuzhu!"
Ye Anning's eyes lit up.
After the Han Dynasty replaced the Qin Dynasty, due to years of war, half of Qin's capital was melted down into weapons, leaving the people with no money and causing prices to skyrocket.
In order to maintain social order, Liu Bang allowed private minting of coins, which is the origin of the Wuzhu coins issued by prefectures and kingdoms.
Later, during the reign of Emperor Jing, in order to strengthen centralized power, the right to mint coins was taken back to the central government, which led to the Rebellion of the Seven States.
Later, during the reign of Emperor Wu, the right to mint coins was completely taken back: the three officials of Zhongguan (in charge of minting), Biantong (in charge of judging), and Junshu (in charge of transporting) were unified to manufacture Wuzhu coins in Shanglin Garden, which was historically known as "Shanglin Three Officials Wuzhu".
Due to different periods and the different political significance given to them by major historical events, the names used by later generations have varied.
For example, the first batch of Chize Wuzhu coins had an inner circle of bronze and an outer circle of pure copper, so the edges of the coins would have a distinctive reddish-brown color, historically known as "Chize" Wuzhu coins.
The main purpose was to quickly reclaim the right to mint coins and to distribute them to the general public as soon as possible; the quality of these coins was extremely high.
Later, in order to fight the Xiongnu, but because the country was short of money and even more so of copper, Emperor Wu of Han had no choice but to resort to exploiting the Xiongnu. So he minted coins on a large scale, and the quality of the coins deteriorated with each minting, eventually to the point that only the outermost thin ring of copper was made of copper, while the inside was all iron.
They even came up with some unique ideas, such as creating deer coins and leather coins.
After winning the battle, Emperor Wu readily issued an edict of self-reproach, then collected the inferior coins and minted the superior ones. This led to the establishment of the "Shanglin Three Officials and Four Judgments of Five Zhu".
But not long after, they had to fight the Xiongnu again, and Emperor Wu had no choice but to repeat the same old trick.
In this way, back and forth, the number of Wuzhu coins minted during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty alone was astronomical, but few were exquisite. For example, the first batch of Shanglin Sanguan coins, namely the Chize Wuzhu coin and the Sijuewen coin, are among the finest of the fine.
A single red-colored 5-zhu coin costs around 5,000 to 6,000 yuan, while a single four-claw pattern coin costs 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.
But if given to Ye Anning, she could at most recognize it as the Wudi Wuzhu coin. However, she couldn't distinguish which one was from the Wudi era.
The two copper coins together are only worth thirty or forty thousand, which is nothing compared to the several boxes of national treasures that Lin Sicheng brought back yesterday.
But one can't help but sigh: unless he never comes across anything, finding a bargain is as easy for Lin Sicheng as eating and drinking.
And more than 90% of people, like Gu Ming, can't tell the difference between the real and the fake even if they separate them...
They discussed it in hushed tones for a few minutes, and almost half an hour later, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law returned.
Each of them was holding something, wrapped tightly in cloth. Only the daughter-in-law's item was clearly visible; it was long, like a stick. The mother-in-law's item was thick, like a box.
After setting it down, the old man first opened the longer piece. His voice was low and mysterious: "Kid, you're lucky! You've stumbled upon a real treasure!"
Lin Sicheng remained noncommittal, but then narrowed his eyes.
It was indeed a stick, but it was cut extremely neatly, and more importantly, it was covered with writing.
It looks roughly like this:
This thing is called a wooden gu. In Zhang Binglin's "Qiu Shu: Confucianism and Legalism", it says: "Chopsticks are used on bamboo slips, and wooden gu are used for wiping." That is, bamboo slips used for writing before paper became widespread in ancient times.
If you were to call these bamboo slips, that wouldn't be entirely wrong: they are made by carving wood, and they come in three, four, five, six, and seven ridges, with characters written on the ridges.
They have been unearthed in various places, the most famous being the "Edict of Emperor Wu of Han" unearthed in Jiayuguan, Gansu.
But this one is definitely not it, because what's written on it is incorrect. Let's look at it more closely:
Black turban, covered robe, ribbon and seal... Is this a legacy?
To put it bluntly: In ancient times, the list of burial goods was used to document the funeral arrangements of high-ranking officials.
As Lin Sicheng continued reading, his heart skipped a beat: jade mat, jade pillow, jade warm light...
What is meant by "jade warmth and brightness"?
The Book of Han, Biography of Huo Guang: When Huo Guang died, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager personally attended his funeral... They bestowed upon him gold coins, silk floss, a hundred embroidered quilts, fifty chests of clothing, and a jade burial suit with jade and pearls...
One coffin, one side chamber, and one set of yellow cypress wood coffins were provided, along with fifteen outer coffins made of fir wood. The East Garden was bright and well-maintained, all according to the imperial carriage system…”
To put it simply: During the Qin and Han dynasties, only emperors and their wives and concubines could use Huangtang Ticou jade. Secondly, it was reserved for favored ministers specially granted by the emperor. Even feudal lords did not have this privilege, which is why it was referred to as "bestowed".
Wenming is the box that covers the head.
This is definitely not from the tomb of an emperor or empress, because the regulations recorded in the posthumous document are incorrect; it could only have come from a feudal lord or minister.
According to historical records, the number of people in the Han Dynasty who were granted the honor of being honored with the Dongyuan Wenming (a type of garden ornament) could be counted on two hands.
Looking at the specific age, it has typical loess plateau soil in Northwest China. Let's narrow the scope a bit: Xi'an and its surrounding areas.
So, whose grave was robbed?
Zhang Tang, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Huo Guang, or even Princess Taiping?
Secretly wondering, Lin Sicheng looked up and asked, "Old man, where did this come from?"
"I don't know either, but the old man specifically told me before he went in that the minimum price was 30,000, and he wouldn't sell it for less. He also told me: 'If you don't recognize the person, don't take him out...'"
Lin Sicheng remained silent: How did she come to see him as the right person?
Driving a car worth six or seven hundred thousand yuan and dressed smartly, he must be rich.
They come here looking for Tao Qizhi; they're definitely here to find something.
With such a sharp eye and such a young age, he definitely isn't Lei Zi.
The key point is that they are generous and decisive in their spending.
"Okay, thirty thousand!"
Suddenly, the old woman beamed with joy.
That's what they say, but actually quite a few people have seen this thing, and they either say it's not the right thing or that the price is too high.
This young man is the most capable.
A stick sold for 30,000, although it is from the Han Dynasty and is covered with writing, is at most an account book.
The crucial point is that the owner is unknown. For someone dealing in antiques, 30,000 is certainly too high.
From a historical and archaeological perspective, however, this stick is undoubtedly a first-class cultural relic. Calling it a national treasure is not an exaggeration.
Lin Sicheng paused again: "I've been talking about this a lot these past few days, and it feels like the word 'national treasure' has become a bit worthless?"
He quickly took out his card and handed it to Gu Ming, saying, "Go and get me some money!"
Gu Ming took the card and stood up, but the old man stopped him, pointing to the item next to him: "There's another one, you definitely need one too, take it all after you've looked at it!"
As she spoke, she lifted the outer cloth again.
Layer upon layer, a square box is revealed.
It looks roughly like this from the outside, like a small house.
When stood upright, this is what the inside looks like from the open side:
After glancing at it twice, Lin Sicheng didn't know what to say: He was just thinking about Yu Wenming, and this old man took out a Yu Wenming for him.
In terms of regulations and grade, this item is one level higher than a jade burial suit:
The Book of Han only mentions it once in the Biography of Huo Guang, and then there is another instance: The Beitang Shuchao, Volume 13, on Rites and Ceremonies, quotes the Jin Gongqing Lizhi as saying: When Anping King Fu died, he was given Wenming Secret Utensils from the Eastern Garden.
There is not a single example in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty.
There are several instances in the Records of the Grand Historian, such as those involving Zhang Tang, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing, but they are not included in the Book of Han, so their authenticity is questionable.
Some have been unearthed, such as the lacquer cover from the Hu Chang Han Tomb in Hanjiang, Yangzhou, Jiangsu.
Wenming, a Han Dynasty tomb in Sanjiaowei, Tianchang County, Anhui Province, made of pine wood.
It's made of jade; this is the first one.
Thus, Lin Sicheng also learned where this item and the previous strategy came from: Zhang Anshi, son of Zhang Tang, who was the Grand Marshal during the reign of Emperor Xuan and the Marquis of Fuping County, located next to Duling.
In the Western Han Dynasty, he was a figure as famous as Huo Guang, but later generations regarded him as far superior to Huo Guang.
Lin Sicheng sighed: "How much?"
The old woman's eyes lit up: "120,000!"
Lin Sicheng didn't even frown: "Gu Ming, take this lady to transfer the money!"
Ye Anning hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "It's nothing!"
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