Chapter 302 Priceless Treasure

The two of them looked at the white-haired old man with a cane, limping towards them, and felt a little strange.

"Old man, is there something wrong?"

Yang Huan was cheated and was in a bad mood, but he was still polite to the old man.

The old man came over, holding his cane and saluted with his fists clasped.

Yang Huan discovered that people who love antiques seem to like this style.

Just now, the boss of the Treasury Pavilion and the middle-aged scholar also imitated the ancients when they met.

"You two, I just looked at the jade pendant that this young master bought and found it a little novel, but I took a quick glance and couldn't see it clearly."

Yang Huan nodded, unable to guess what the old man was going to do.

"I have been fond of antiques since I was a child, and I have dabbled in antiques to some extent, but this is the first time I have seen such a unique jade pendant. I wonder if you can lend it to me to take a closer look?"

Yang Huan and Zhuang Zicheng looked at each other and both felt it was awkward.

However, the owner of the Treasury Pavilion has just identified it and it is not a treasure.

What’s more, the person opposite is an old man in his seventies or eighties, leaning on a cane. What is he afraid of?

So Yang Huan didn't say much, just took out the wooden box and handed it over.

The old man took the wooden box, looked at it from left to right, and marveled at it.

"This box is carved from Indian red sandalwood and is as valuable as gold. However, the carving style is a bit like that of the British aristocracy. It must be a treasure from the UK!"

Yang Huan glanced at Zhuang Zicheng, who was also a little surprised.

It's really amazing, I can see it with just a glance.

"If I'm not mistaken, the character in the middle of the jade pendant is in Qin Dynasty's small seal script, but it's not very neat, so it should be the writing from the early Han Dynasty, 彘!"

"Zhi?" Yang Huan thought it meant ambition.

"Yes, 彘 means pig. In ancient times, there was a torture called 人彘, which was to chop off a person's limbs, dig out his eyes, and cut off his tongue to turn him into a human pig. For example, Empress Lü used this torture on Concubine Qi of Liu Bang in the early Han Dynasty."

Yang Huan had heard of this story.

"So, this jade pendant is an ominous object?"

If it is a mascot, why would it have such words engraved on it?

If it is really an ominous thing, then Yang Huan definitely cannot give it to others as a gift, otherwise it will not be a blessing but a curse!

But the old man shook his head and said, "No, no."

He took the jade pendant in his hand, played with it very carefully, and gradually discovered the mystery.

That is, after the jade pendant comes into contact with the human body, its temperature increases. The jade pendant, which originally had little luster, becomes more moist and has a little red luster. The longer it is kept close to the body, the more obvious the luster becomes.

"Sure enough, this is an extremely rare warm and fragrant jade from the ancient Western Regions!"

"What do you mean?" Yang Huan and Zhuang Zicheng were both confused.

"Dai Shulun, a Tang Dynasty poet, once used the phrase 'the sun is warm in Lantian, and the fine jade is smoking' to describe the artistic conception of something that is desirable but unattainable. Later, the great poet Li Shangyin wrote in his poem 'Jinse', 'the moon is bright over the sea, and the pearls are weeping; the sun is warm in Lantian, and the jade is smoking.'"

"Both poets used warm jade to describe an artistic conception."

Yang Huan has always despised this kind of behavior of showing off one's knowledge.

But considering that the other party is an old man and can find out the origin of this jade pendant, I can only bear with it.

"Old sir, do you mean that this is a warm jade?"

"more than!"

"Not only that?" Yang Huan didn't expect there would be another surprise.

"Whether warm jade really exists or not, there has always been disagreement in the archaeological community. Some believe it exists, but others believe it is just a hypothesis. But without exception, if warm jade really exists, it must be extremely rare, and only dignitaries, or even the royal family, have the right to use it."

In the ancient imperial society, extremely rare treasures were often used by the most powerful people.

"I see that the carving technique of this jade pendant is very similar to that of the early Han Dynasty. The small seal character 彘 is a person's name."

"Name?" Zhuang Zicheng found it funny.

"Old man, didn't you say that the word 彘 means pig?"

Isn't this just like someone naming their child Pig?

Are there such stupid parents?

"Master Zhuang, you misunderstood!" the old man replied with a smile.

"Misunderstand?"

"Yes. In ancient times, living conditions were poor. Even the children of nobles often died before reaching adulthood due to various reasons. Therefore, many nobles, even those in the royal family, would deliberately give their children lowly and humble names in order to make their children strong."

"This tradition is still preserved in many places today, but people nowadays prefer nicknames."

Yang Huan had some understanding of this.

This situation is more common in rural and countryside areas, such as Chen Ergou or Xiaozhu.

Parents often give their children this name in the hope that they will grow up healthily.

"Who in ancient times had this name?" Yang Huan was quite curious.

"Yes!" The old man nodded solemnly, "Emperor Wu of Han!"

Yang Huan frowned, "Isn't Emperor Wu of Han called Liu Che?"

This is all in the history books.

Are you bullying me because I have little education?

"That was the name he changed after he became the crown prince. Before that, he was called Liu Zhi."

Yang Huan was a little skeptical and didn't know whether it was true or false.

So, with the principle of asking Baidu when I have any questions or confusions, I logged into Baidu on my mobile phone and typed in Liu Che.

Sure enough, I saw that Liu Che's nickname was Liu Zhi.

"You mean, this jade pendant is the personal warm jade of Emperor Wu of Han?"

"That's right!" The old man nodded very affirmatively.

"But the boss of Zangjin Pavilion just now swore that this is a fake!" Yang Huan was a little skeptical.

Could it be that the old man in front of me has better vision than the owner of the Treasury?

"He only took a quick glance and didn't pay full attention to it. Plus, the idea of ​​warm jade is controversial and rare in the world, so it's not surprising that he didn't recognize it at first."

Yang Huan saw that he spoke very logically and began to believe it a little.

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense for the British royal aristocrats to have treasured it for so many years. They are not fools.

If it is really the personal warm jade of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, then this thing must be valuable, a priceless treasure!

"As the saying goes, a man is innocent until he is found guilty of possessing a precious gem. In the imperial era, whoever possessed this warm jade would definitely not dare to make it public, and it would probably end up in the hands of the royal family. If I'm not mistaken, it should have been lost in Europe in the late Qing Dynasty."

Now Yang Huan can draw a blueprint in his mind.

This warm jade fell into the hands of British aristocrats, who then colonized India. They used Indian red sandalwood to make this wooden box as a family heirloom.

British aristocrats seem to highly recommend wooden boxes. The Duke of Westminster used wooden boxes to pack his invitations.

The old man soon found supporting evidence.

He held the jade pendant in his hand, and soon it glowed redder and the whole pendant became warmer.

There is also a faint fragrance.

"I can be 100% sure that this is the legendary warm and fragrant jade!" The old man looked very excited.

But after a burst of excitement, the old man reluctantly put the jade pendant back into the wooden box, and presented it to Yang Huan with both hands, "Master Yang, this is a priceless heirloom, please be careful!"

Yang Huan took it with some amusement. Something he just casually bought has become a national treasure?

"I will go back to read the ancient books immediately. If I find anything new, I will come back to visit you immediately!"

As he spoke, the old man took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Yang Huan.

Upon closer look, I found out that he was the honorary chairman of the National Appraisal Committee of Cultural Relics, named Zhang Xiaochuan.

His phone number is also included below!

"Then you have to hurry up, otherwise I will have to give it to someone as a birthday gift in two days!" Yang Huan said with a smile.

Give it as a birthday gift?

Zhang Xiaochuan looked at Zhuang Zicheng, seemed to have thought of something, nodded, clasped his fists, and left.

Watching him limping away, Zhuang Zicheng felt a little strange, and then looked at the business card in Yang Huan's hand.

"Brother Huan, you're not a liar, are you?"

Yang Huan laughed dumbly, "Have you ever seen such a liar?"

Zhuang Zicheng was speechless. He had never seen this before!

"Let's go, let's go back!"

The two men walked out of the alley. Zhuang Zicheng saw the location clearly and called the driver to drive over.

While waiting for the bus, Yang Huan received a call from Liu Mingwei.

Fatty Liu had already found out everything and knew that Yang Huan would take a flight to Beijing today, so he called immediately and said that he would host a welcome party for Yang Huan in the evening and asked Yang Huan to definitely do him the honor.

Yang Huan couldn't refuse, so he agreed.

After sitting on the plane for such a long time, I rushed to the antique trading market as soon as I got off the plane. Now that I’m done, I have to go home quickly to have a good sleep and adjust to the jet lag.

But who would have thought that just as Yang Huan left by car, Qin Yongming also got off at the same place.

A man immediately ran out of the alley.

If Long Wu was here, he would definitely be able to recognize him at a glance.

This guy was the one who had been following them since the airport.

"Young Master Qin!"

"Where is Yang Huan?" Qin Yongming asked.

"I don't know. I saw him and Zhuang Zicheng walk out of the Treasury, so I ran back to get some information. It looks like he's been gone for a while."

The person who was following them obviously did not see Yang Huan and Zhang Xiaochuan meeting, and thought they had been gone for a long time.

In fact, it was just a matter of one step at a time.

If Yang Huan delayed a little longer, they might meet again.

"What news have you found out?" Qin Yongming asked with concern.

The person who was following shook his head. "The people at the Treasury refused to say anything. They just said that Yang Huan asked them to appraise the treasure!"

"Appraising treasures?"

Qin Yongming could almost conclude that Yang Huan must have bought some antique as a birthday gift!

This bastard actually knows how to please others, it seems he is not stupid!

"Come on, take me there!"

Treasury?

Young Master Qin had just spent nearly one million to buy an antique from the Cangjin Pavilion as a birthday gift. He wanted to go and find out the news. Could it be that the people at the Cangjin Pavilion dare not tell him?

Qin Yongming had been here two or three times and went up to the second floor through the alleyway with great familiarity.

The owner of the Treasury Pavilion was not there, but the middle-aged scholar was.

"Old Zhou!" Qin Yongming walked over and shouted.

"Hey, Mr. Qin, what brings you here?"

The middle-aged scholar usually looked elegant and refined, but when he saw Qin Yongming, he could almost write flattery on his face.

"Old Zhou, I'm going to ask you something, and you have to answer me honestly!"

"Okay, Young Master Qin, I have nothing to say!"

Qin Yongming looked around guiltily, making sure no one was paying attention to them before speaking.

"Did Zhuang Zicheng bring a man named Yang Huan to you to appraise treasures just now?"

The middle-aged scholar Lao Zhou nodded hurriedly after hearing this, "Yes, that's right, it's a jade pendant."

"What's its origin?" Qin Yongming asked quickly.

"Our boss looked at it for a long time and concluded that this jade pendant was a fake and worth no more than ten thousand."

"Really?" Qin Yongming was a little unconvinced.

Could the gift that Yang Huan carefully prepared be a fake?

"Young Master Qin, this is not what I said. It was our boss who said it. You know, our boss is known for his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils. He has seen countless antiques and he has never made a mistake!" Old Zhou was very sure.

Qin Yongming seemed to trust the vision of the owner of Zangjin Pavilion.

"But..." Lao Zhou hesitated.