Qing Huai treated Song Laosan with great respect. After picking us up and hosting us at a private kitchen, he personally escorted us to a private estate and led us into a villa: "Gentlemen, this villa is specially used by the Qing family to entertain distinguished guests. It has been thoroughly disinfected and cleaned before your check-in. In addition, we have arranged security to monitor this place comprehensively. Whatever your needs, including girls, entertainment, or anything else that cannot be discussed openly, you can ask the butler here."
"Mr. Qing, I don't think this is necessary."
I heard that Qinghuai had arranged for people to keep an eye on us, which made me feel a little uncomfortable: "We are just a few ordinary people, not celebrities or big shots, we don't need this kind of pomp and circumstance."
"Haha, it seems you really don't know who your opponent is. Su Gouzi's lair is in Luoyang. If you run into trouble here, I will be held responsible."
Qinghuai noticed my resistance and explained, "Don't worry, the bodyguards here are all professionals. They won't see what they shouldn't see or say what they shouldn't say, and they will absolutely not disturb your private life."
“Listen to him on this matter. You know too little about this industry. My older brother lost his life because of carelessness when he was dealing with a counterfeit gang. Su Jialiang’s business is so big, his ruthlessness will be beyond your imagination.”
Song Laosan accepted Qinghuai's kindness and instructed, "Xiaohuai, we must keep our trip a secret this time, not just from Su Jialiang."
Qinghuai smiled and said, "Third Master, don't worry, you don't need to tell me about this. You've all had a long journey, so please rest for a while. This afternoon, I'll take you to see the Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple, the Lijing Gate, and the old streets of Luoyang. Oh, and there's also an ancient tomb museum in Luoyang. As people in the industry, you'll definitely be interested."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
After seeing Qinghuai to the door, Song Laosan and I returned to the hall, brewed a pot of tea, and started chatting.
As I savored the expensive tribute tea made with human heads, I asked Song Laosan, "Qinghuai has been very friendly to us all morning, but he has consistently avoided talking about Su Gouzi. What do you think he means by that?"
"What else could it mean? Interactions between people are nothing more than giving and taking."
Song Laosan poured tea over the golden toad tea pet: "Qinghuai has made himself very clear. The Qing family is at a critical juncture and needs our help to take over Su Gouzi's business. We haven't accepted his demands yet, have we?"
I've never really understood this: "According to Qinghuai, their Qing Group is a huge enterprise worth tens of billions. If they want to steal Su Gouzi's business, they can just do it themselves. Does our attitude even matter?"
“I don’t know if you know anything about European history, but in the Middle Ages, Europeans valued bloodlines very much. Even if a noble family fell into ruin, as long as their descendants had that bloodline, it was the capital for them to rise again. On the other hand, even if a commoner gained a lot of power, they would not be recognized by the mainstream.”
Old Song refilled my cup with water: "Actually, the antique circle is like that too. Of the traditional 72 trades, antiques are the greatest. This ranking stems from the special nature of this trade, because it embodies true equality. Even Emperor Qianlong, as the supreme ruler, had to show some respect when dealing with antique experts. The Four Schools are considered the originators in this trade. Although our two schools have fallen on hard times, the reputation established by our ancestors is enough for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor."
Although the Qing family has always been in the antique business, they lack the necessary foundation and are only somewhat mediocre. Without the backing of a powerful family within the industry, they won't be accepted by people in the circle.
"The Qing family wants to use the emperor to command the feudal lords. By taking advantage of this slow and insidious approach, they can secure the counterfeit business while simultaneously binding themselves with the four major families to bolster their influence."
I understood what Song Laosan meant and frowned slightly: "Our Duan family has an ancestral rule that we must not produce or sell counterfeit goods. Now you want me to support the Qing family in seizing Su Gouzi's counterfeit industry chain. What's the difference between that and aiding and abetting evil? Once this gets out, the Duan family's reputation will be ruined."
"The reason I didn't agree to Qinghuai's request is also because of this, but we don't have a better path to choose now."
Old Song rubbed his face: "Su Gouzi isn't the kind of pseudo-expert who seeks fame and fortune. He's after money, not reputation. All those who work for him are paid white gloves. Apart from people with influence like Mr. Leng and the Qing family, outsiders probably haven't even heard of him. Without the Qing family's help, you and I wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of Su Gouzi, let alone compete with him. Qing Huai's intentions are clear: we either get what we want, or we part ways. There's no other choice."
I actually knew what the Qing family was planning, so I took a sip of my tea and asked, "What's your opinion on this matter?"
"From ancient times to the present, the antique and cultural artifact industry has been a vast and profound one. Counterfeiting has never been a new thing. Take today for example, which counterfeiting industry chain has not been formed in various places?"
Liaoning's Hongshan jade, Inner Mongolia's Liao Dynasty gold and silver wares, Shanxi's wooden Buddhist statues, Henan's bronzes, Anhui's Warring States and Han Dynasty jade artifacts, Sichuan's Tibetan cultural relics, Jiangsu's calligraphy and paintings, Zhejiang's Liangzhu jade, Fujian's porcelain, Hubei's bronzes, Xi'an's Han Dynasty jars and Tang Dynasty tri-colored pottery, Jiangxi's Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasty imperial kiln imitations, Xinjiang's Khotanese documents... the list goes on and on.
Old Song crossed his legs: "To put it bluntly, counterfeiting in China started the day antiques appeared, and this industry will never disappear. Take this matter for example, the Qing family and Su Gouzi are fighting over the cake of bronze counterfeiting. No matter who wins or loses, this cake will not disappear."
If we help, not only will we achieve our goal, but the Qing family will also remember this immense favor. Conversely, if we refuse, Su Gouzi's business won't be affected, but our demands will be completely impossible to fulfill. And if the other two factions gain the upper hand, then…”
"You don't need to whisper in my ear anymore. This afternoon, let's talk to Qinghuai about the cooperation. But let's make it clear beforehand that I won't do this in the name of the Duan family, and I certainly won't let my grandfather be disgraced."
I know that a large part of the reason why Song Laosan wants to help the Qing family seize business is for his own benefit.
Regardless of his motives, he has a history of selling and manufacturing counterfeit goods, which shows that he doesn't really care about such things.
If I want to track down Duan Jinyan's whereabouts, I can only rely on Song Laosan.
Even if I know he's using me, I can only turn a blind eye and let him take advantage of me a little.
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