Gu Hongming looked at Lu Shi and asked for his opinion.
Lu Shi nodded slightly.
Gu Hongming stepped forward, looked at the scroll handed over by the other party, focused his attention on the jade button, nodded and said, "Well, it is indeed not a jade pendant, but a jade button."
Seeing that Gu Hongming knew his business, the soldier stretched out his right hand.
"Old sir, I am Captain Lawrence Johnson of the First Bengal Cavalry."
Lu Shi was a little surprised,
"Troops stationed in India?"
Johnson glanced at him and did not answer. Instead, he stared at Gu Hongming, waiting for Gu Hongming to introduce himself.
Obviously, he felt that Lu Shi was too young.
Gu Hongming was unmoved and did not shake hands with the other party.
"Captain, do you know what a jade button is?"
Johnson shook his head,
"To be honest, I only know that thing is a piece of jade."
Gu Hongming explained: "Look at this piece of jade, it has a smooth and flexible appearance, holes in the middle, and has the practical value of a button, so it is called a 'jade button'; while jade pendants are not the same. They are often worn on the body and are mostly decorative items." .”
Johnson couldn't help but be delighted to see that Gu Hongming was talking clearly and rationally.
But he was still worried about being deceived, so he was tempted to ask: "The old gentleman said that 'Westerners like gems and Easterners like jade'. Why is this?"
Gu Hongming scratched his head,
Summary of experience, where did what come from and why?
Unexpectedly, Lu Shi next to him spoke up,
"Determined by geography."
After speaking, he introduced himself: "I teach at the University of London Union and am a visiting professor. My name is Lu Shi."
I deliberately did not mention LSE because LSE was only established for a short period of time, and the other party was an officer of the 1st Bengal Cavalry Regiment. He had lived in the South Asian subcontinent for a long time, so he had not necessarily heard of it.
Johnson was indeed intimidated by the title of visiting professor.
"London University!?"
His eyes were filled with shock.
Lu Shi waved his hand and said, "Let me answer your question first. I said it is determined by geography because there are high-quality jade veins in the east. On the contrary, Westerners were exposed to high-quality gem mines earlier, so they let People have the experience that 'Westerners like gems, Easterners like jade'."
Gu Hongming did not agree with this,
"Isn't that right? Jade and gemstones are both cultural carriers."
Lu Shi said: "You reversed the order. It was jade and gems that chose us, rather than us choosing jade and gems."
He pointed to the jade button,
"Whether it is jade or gemstones, they all have something in common, that is, they are beautiful and hard. There are also turquoise, agate, and crystal that are equally beautiful and hard. They are produced all over the world, causing not only Easterners but also Westerners to use them. The use of it is enough to show that the cultural carrier is actually acquired by human beings."
Gu Hongming lowered his head and thought for a moment, then nodded slowly,
"Indeed."
He said to Johnson: "This Professor Lu is no ordinary person. "Guns, Germs and Steel" is his work."
Johnson didn't understand, but was shocked.
He said: "Then, can you two help me take a closer look?"
Gu Hongming touched the jade button,
The mutton fat jade quality is delicate and moist, and it should be the best blue and white jade.
Using such exquisite material as a buckle is quite a waste.
He asked Johnson: "Captain Johnson, do you know how this jade button should be used?"
Johnson: "..."
Of course he doesn't know.
Seeing the silence of the other party, Gu Hongming stopped asking questions and started to operate.
Just listen to the soft "click-" sound,
After the jade button is closed, there is a flower in the middle and a bee on each side.
Gu Hongming looked pleased,
"I just saw it. When this jade button is separated, one of the bees is connected to the flower. There is a round hole in the flower. There is a long tenon in front of the other bee. The tenon has a round piece that can be fastened to the round hole of the flower. in the hole, as a stamen.”
He murmured to himself: "What a clever idea, what a clever idea..."
The other three people couldn't help but marvel.
Johnson muttered: "This thing is worth more than 25 pounds, right?"
Gu Hongming smiled disdainfully,
"Twenty-five pounds? That's because you British guys don't know what you're talking about!"
He reached into his pocket, pinched the thickness of the banknotes inside, and then said: "That's good, I'll pay..."
Before he finished speaking, he was stopped by Lu Shi.
Lu Shi shook his head calmly, pulled Gu Hongming aside, and lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Gu, how much do you think that jade button is worth?"
Gu Hongming raised his eyebrows slightly,
"Lu Shi, I'm going to teach you this. Collecting is like falling in love. When it comes to mung beans, the most important thing is to be able to see the right eye. As long as it's something you like, it's genuine, and it's at a reasonable price. Just buy it within the range, there is no point in saying 'how much is it worth'."
It's so special that it's like falling in love...
Lu Shi didn't expect that he would be educated.
He whispered: "My Mr. Gu, think about it, that jade buckle is so delicate, what about the scroll it protects?"
Gu Hongming's pupils shrank,
"What you said reminds me of the British and French allied forces. Could it be..."
The two looked at each other and had the same thought in their minds.
Gu Hongming whispered: "What should I do?"
Lu Shi said, "Come here."
Gu Hongming came closer and his eyes widened when he heard Lu Shi's arrangements like this.
After a while, he said: "I had a feeling when I met Zhengxiang and you last time that you have a talent for business. After what happened today, I am even more convinced that it is a pity that you are not a businessman."
Lu Shi had a serious face and said nothing.
Gu Hongming turned around and said to Johnson: "Captain, I can pay 35 pounds."
After Johnson heard this, he immediately felt hatred for Lu Shi.
He could clearly feel that Gu Hongming was originally prepared to pay a high price, but after Lu Shi whispered, he only gave ten pounds more.
Destroying someone's wealth is like killing one's parents!
Johnson glared at Lu Shi fiercely,
"Isn't this... inappropriate?"
Lu Shi stood back and pretended not to see it.
Gu Hongming on the side said: "This price is not low. Besides, I have to consider the origin of this jade button. Only a beautiful story can give a cultural relic more added value. Do you think so?" Bar?"
Anyone can hear the inducement in this rhetoric.
But Johnson couldn't hear it.
He has been blinded by money.
Moreover, Gu Hongming's bid was just right. Although it was only 35 pounds, it made Johnson think that Gu Hongming really wanted to pay for it.
If Gu Hongming had asked for a thousand pounds, he might have backed down.
The human mentality is so strange.
Johnson explained: "This was a gift from a Chinese nobleman when I was in China."
Gu Hongming snorted coldly: "Do you think I look like a fool?"
Johnson didn't answer, didn't even blush, just remained silent.
Gu Hongming turned to Lu Shi,
"Professor Lu?"
On the surface, he was asking Lu Shi for his opinion, but actually he was giving Lu Shi a wink.
Lu Shi also knew it was time for him to appear.
"Okay, let me take a look."
He asked Johnson: "Do you mind if I get started?"
Johnson nodded and said cautiously: "Don't break it."
Lu Shi said, "Don't worry."
He carefully untied the jade buckle, and then slowly opened the scroll.
As a result, after just a few feet of expansion, his movements could not help but pause slightly. On the surface, he was calm, but in fact, a huge wave was already set off in his heart.
The painting in front of me turned out to be "Picture of Admonitions of Women's History"!
Therefore, what Johnson said just now is pure nonsense.
Where did it come from the nobles?
The previous collector of this painting was clearly Qianlong!
In other words, this is a palace thing!
"Pictures of Admonitions of Women's History" is an illustration scroll for the article "Proverbs of Women's History". It was created by Gu Kaizhi, a famous painter in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Because of the passage of time, the original work of "Pictures of Admonitions of Women's History" has been lost.
There are copies from the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty that exist in the world.
But even if it is a copy, its artistic attainments and value are still very high. Taking the Tang copy as an example, some scholars infer that it should have been created by Yan Liben, a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty.
What Emperor Qianlong kept was a Tang Dynasty copy.
He liked it very much. After re-mounting it, he stamped more than 30 collection seals, large and small, and placed it on the desk of the imperial study. He also painted an orchid on the back of the scroll and inscribed "Tong Guan Fang" with his imperial pen.
Tongguan refers to a pen with a red-painted shaft, which was used by female historians to record events.
Therefore, later generations often use "tongguanliufang" to refer to women's literary and ink affairs.
Although Emperor Qianlong's act of sealing made the painting look less valuable, this "Tong Guan Fang" complemented the "Picture of Proverbs of Female History".
At this moment, Lu Shi also remembered,
The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded and occupied the Summer Palace and burned down the Summer Palace. A captain of the 1st Bengal Cavalry Regiment of the British Army took advantage of the chaos and stole a Tang Dynasty copy of "Proverbs of a Female History" and took it back to London.
The captain did not know the value of the painting, but asked people from the British Museum to appraise the jade buckle of the scroll.
The staff valued the entire painting at £25.
The captain did not agree to the price at that time. It was not until two months later that he wrote to the Department of Prints and Paintings of the British Museum and decided to accept the price.
The thousand-year-old national treasure has since been living in a foreign country.
It can be seen from the whole incident that the British Museum was not very clear about the value of "Proverbs of Women's History" at the beginning.
Otherwise, how could the captain be let go so easily?
Lu Shi never expected that
At this time, here,
This painting is actually in my hands!
He would never have thought that according to the original timeline, Johnson should have returned to China in 1902 and sold his paintings in 1903.
But because "Yes!" Prime Minister" put the cabinet under tremendous pressure, and Prime Minister Cecil had to withdraw some soldiers from overseas to reduce expenditures.
Of course, the decision to withdraw several troops sent from India to China is the result of trade-offs.
When the Eight-Nation Allied Forces invaded and occupied the capital, Germany and Russia took the most advantage. Britain had already achieved huge political and economic benefits in the two previous Opium Wars. Signing another contract would at most make the Qing government shed more blood.
Now that we have grabbed everything that needs to be grabbed, let's withdraw the troops.
Johnson returned home with "A Picture of Women's History" in mind.
It can be said that Lu Shi's time travel contributed to this matter.
Lu Shi remained calm and closed the scroll.
Gu Hongming came closer and asked in a low voice: "That was just now..."
The early 20th century was not a modern era with abundant printed matter. Gu Hongming did not have the opportunity to receive art education systematically, and it was impossible to see the photo of "The Picture of Women's History" in a textbook.
He just vaguely felt that the painting just now was very unusual.
Especially the eyes of the characters in the painting are vivid and lively, as if they were painted by everyone.
Lu Shi said to Johnson: "50 pounds."
Johnson was not satisfied with this price.
"You've been pretending to be a fool for so long, and you ended up paying this price? Give me back the jade buckle!"
With that said, he took away the jade buckle that bound the painting, but the painting was not taken away.
Lu Shi:? ? ?
He looked at the "Pictures of Proverbs for Women's History" in his hand, looking confused.
grass!
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!
In my heart, ten thousand horses of grass and mud were galloping past.
Johnson saw the expression on Lu Shi's face as if he had eaten a fly. He felt confident and said with a cold smile: "If it's less than 100 pounds, no need to discuss it."
He was sure that Lu Shi would buy it.
If this is the case, then we need to be careful.
Lu Shi was speechless for a while.
Even if he adds up all his money and sells people by the pound, it is still not worth this "Picture of Admonitions of Women's History".
However, Johnson didn’t know his stuff.
Lu Shi weighed the paintings in his hands and always felt that the world was so magical.
No wonder it is said that logic is needed, but reality does not.
The reality is much weirder.
Lu Shi said: "60 pounds."
When Johnson saw Lu Shi's increase in price, he became even more convinced and said without letting up: "100 pounds."
Lu Shi's head was covered with black lines,
￣□￣｜｜
He said: "You have to bargain when buying cultural relics and antiques. It's quite interesting that I didn't wipe out the zero first and then cut it in half. It's better for you. You won't loosen the price at all, so there's no way to talk about it. So, I Say a price, £75, that’s my bottom line.”
After saying that, he rolled up the "Pictures of Proverbs for Women's History" in his hand and made a gesture to leave.
Act like this, as if the painting is completely unimportant.
Johnson was also led to a rhythm, and he focused all his attention on the jade button. His heart was tangled, and veins even popped up on his forehead.
After a few seconds, he said: "90 pounds, it can't go any lower."
Lu Shi shook his head decisively,
"I will offer you 75 pounds, and you can pay it if you can. Next, I will always be a guest lecturer at the London Political and Economics Association of the University of London. If you think about it, just write to me directly."
This kind of rhetoric is also a psychological suggestion.
Intentionally or unintentionally, it moved out of the London University Alliance to enhance its own credibility.
Lu Shi turned around and prepared to leave.
Johnson didn't expect Lu Shi to suddenly become so decisive. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Just 75 pounds! I want cash, not a check! Of course, if you have gold bars of equal value, I won't be able to accept it."
In the gold standard of the early 20th century, the pound was directly linked to gold.
Lu Shi took out banknotes from his pocket, counted out 75 pounds, and handed it to Johnson.
Johnson was worried that Lu Shi would regret it, so he gave the opponent the jade buckle in his hand, and then left in a hurry, even running a few steps.
on site,
"..."
"..."
"..."
All was quiet.
The setting sun slowly set, and the red light shone on Lu Shi and the three of them.
Gu Hongming asked Lu Shi again: "That was just now..."
Lu Shi said: "The Picture of Admonitions of Women's History."
Gu Hongming:! ! !
Everyone was confused.
He asked: "We are not being tricked by someone, are we?"
Lu Shi shook his head and replied: "Regardless of the value of the painting, we made a profit by taking the jade buckle for 75 pounds. So, it doesn't look like a scam."
Gu Hongming was even more confused.
If you haven’t been deceived, then it’s true? !
He looked at the scroll in Lu Shi's hand and wanted to touch it, but he didn't dare to do so.
After a while, Gu Hongming came to his senses and asked in a low voice: "We...uh...what are you going to do with this painting? Take it home and present it to the emperor?"
That must be impossible.
Take it back, and then wait for the Qing Dynasty to fall and let the last emperor sell the national treasure for the ocean for personal enjoyment?
Lu Shi said: "I decided to seal this painting for a hundred years."
Gu Hongming was very confused.
"you……"
He couldn't understand.
When a collector buys a painting, he is naturally happy. Shouldn't he play with it and appreciate it all the time?
Why did Lu Shi do this?
Puzzled.
Lu Shi explained: "The scroll is easy to protect if it is sealed. If it is always taken out for viewing, the painting will be exposed to light or affected by other environments and will be easily damaged. Fortunately, this painting did not fall into the hands of the British Museum."
Gu Hongming sighed,
"Compared to the so-called 'conservation' of the British Museum, this is real conservation."
Lu Shi shook his head,
"But it also makes this painting lose its educational and research value, which is both good and bad. In short, I hope Mr. Gu will keep today's matter a secret."
Gu Hongming nodded repeatedly,
"It's just a small incident. Neither you, me, nor Mr. Natsume, we will treat this as if it never happened.",
Lu Shi nodded,
"Yes, let's do whatever we need to do."
(End of chapter)
