Grandpa Wei once said that the Judge's Record is the crystallization of the Duan family's accumulated experience over the generations. As long as you can thoroughly understand this book, even a novice can thrive in the antique circle.
During our conversation, Su Gouzi mentioned the Judge's Record more than once, which made me extremely certain that he was targeting me because of this book.
Because the Qing family's operation at the brick factory failed, we have lost our support and have completely fallen into Su Gouzi's hands.
The reason I was able to protect myself was because I had what he wanted.
To keep Su Gouzi calm, I couldn't hand over the item, nor could I let him sense my resistance. I said in a steady tone, "The book you mentioned is indeed in my possession, but it's too valuable. I don't carry it with me; it's stored in a bank safe deposit box. Only if I personally go to the bank to verify my identity can I retrieve it. But this is my family heirloom, and I absolutely cannot hand it over to anyone."
"You're overthinking it. Although I asked about this book, I didn't want to take it for myself. I just wanted to know how much of it was about bronze ware imitation and identification."
Su Gouzi's answer was quite frank: "I've been in this business for decades and consider myself to have reached the pinnacle of skill, but I'm still aware of the saying that there are always people better than you. Ordinary counterfeit gangs would never be able to surpass me, and if I want to seek a breakthrough, I can only look for methods in ancient families like yours with a long tradition. The contents of that book may not be useful to me, but I still want to take a look."
I casually asked, "As far as I know, you've been in this industry for decades without a single major accident, and your products have always been quite popular. Since your technology has reached such a high level, why do you still insist on making changes?"
"Craftsmanship".
Su Gouzi said two words and then laughed: "I know that in your eyes, I am just a counterfeiter, but for me, even counterfeiting is a career I have devoted my whole life to. I have put decades of effort into this business and spent half my life on it. I have to give myself an explanation. Even if I am a counterfeiter, I have to be the best one."
I didn't find anything wrong with what Su Gouzi said.
In the world of antique collecting, there are indeed many masters who have made their mark on history, all of whom became famous for their superb forgery skills.
Even in today's antique world, there are many highly sought-after forgers, and some precious cultural relics on display in museums are even made from their one-to-one replicas.
Although Su Gouzi's words were rather sincere, I couldn't possibly reveal the contents of the Judge's Record to him because of that. But I still pretended to say, "If you really want to know the methods for identifying counterfeit bronzes in the book, come with me to Shenyang, and I can photocopy the relevant sections for you."
“I know what you’re thinking, but I won’t allow you to leave this factory until I get my hands on the goods. I’ve already let you know where my base is, and I won’t take any more risks until I’m absolutely certain.”
Su Gouzi suddenly changed his tune: "I know you must have other ways to get the book, so you'd better keep your little schemes to yourself. For Duan Jinyan's sake, I can spare your life, but that doesn't mean you can act recklessly in front of me!"
The reason I insisted that the judge's post was in Shenyang and that no one but me could take it was because I knew that, given Su Jialiang's cautious nature, it was absolutely impossible for him to let me return to my own territory, let alone leave my comfort zone to take risks.
Seeing that he had taken the bait, I changed the subject and said, "I've read the contents of that book countless times. Although I wouldn't say I know it by heart, I can remember quite a bit. If you don't want me to go back to Shenyang, then provide me with paper and pen, and I'll write it down for you. You're an expert in this field; you can tell at a glance whether I'm lying or not. If there are any mistakes, you'll need to make some corrections yourself."
Su Gouzi thought about it for a moment and seemed to agree that this was the only solution at the moment. After a brief pause, he said, "I agree to your plan, but you have to give me a deadline."
I held up three fingers: "I'll write down the records of bronze artifact identification and forgery in that book for you in three days at most. But I have one condition: I need Song Laosan to come and keep me company first. I can only feel at ease if I have someone of my own by my side."
"I've been tolerant enough of you. I hope you won't disappoint me. I'm a solitary person and rarely have this much patience with strangers."
Su Gouzi left the room with two bodyguards after saying a few words.
Two minutes later, Song Laosan was also pushed into my room. I immediately went up to him and untied the rope and the rag in his mouth.
"Oh my god, these bastards have really messed with Third Master!"
Old Song's arm was already numb from being tied by the rope. He rubbed his shoulder and cursed, then looked at me: "Xiao Duan, what's going on? Did Su Jialiang and Duan Jinyan confirm your identity when those people took you away?"
I explained to Song Laosan, "No, Su Jialiang did see me just now, but he barely mentioned Duan Jinyan. The reason he came to me was to obtain the Duan family's Judge's Record so that he could take his counterfeiting business to the next level."
"This bastard has his eye on the Judgement Records?"
Song Laosan's face immediately darkened: "Xiao Duan, you absolutely cannot give him this! You are a descendant of the Duan family, so in your eyes, the Judge's Record is just an ordinary notebook. But in the eyes of outsiders, this book is a priceless treasure. Even if you can only learn a little bit from it, you can easily grab all the wealth in the world! If you hand over the Judge's Record, you will not only put us in danger, but you will also be letting down your ancestors!"
"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid! Besides, I didn't bring the book with me... Su Jialiang gave me three days to memorize the content about bronze identification in the book. The reason I agreed to his conditions was so that I could get you."
I told Song Laosan about the agreement I had reached with Su Jialiang, and then added, "I will absolutely not hand over the contents of the Judge's Record to him. The most urgent thing is for the two of us to get out of here first, and then contact the Qing family. Only then will we have a chance to turn things around."
Old Song was furious when he brought this up: "The Qing family? Why are you still contacting those good-for-nothings! If it weren't for Qing Huai's people making a mistake, how could we be in such a passive position? And how could my cooperation with you have been exposed to Qu Ruilin and Wei Shengnan?"
Seeing Song Laosan's exasperated state, I tried to calm him down, saying, "Besides the Qing family, we can't find any force in the area that can rival the Su family in the short term. Instead of complaining here, let's think about how to escape."
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