British writer

Gu Hongming looked at Lu Shi, asking for advice,

Lu Shi nodded in a small way.

Gu Hongming stepped forward, looked at the scroll handed over by the other party, focused his attention on the jade buckle, nodded, and said, "Well, it's really not a jade pendant, it's a jade buckle."

Seeing that Gu Hongming knew what to do, the soldier stretched out his right hand,

"Old sir, I am Clarence Johnson, Captain of the 1st Bengals."

Lu Shi was a little surprised,

"The troops stationed in India?"

Johnson glanced at him, didn't answer, but 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 buckle is?"

Johnson shook his head,

"Frankly, all I know is that it's a piece of jade."

Gu Hongming explained: "Look at this piece of jade, it has a smooth and flexible shape, with holes in it, and has the practical value of a button, so it is called a 'jade button'; but jade pendants are not, they are often worn on the body, and they are mostly decorations. .”

Johnson was delighted to see that Gu Hongming was doing his best.

But he was still worried about being cheated, so he kept a tentative mind and asked: "The old man said, 'Westerners like gems, and Easterners like jade'. Why is that?"

Gu Hongming scratched his head,

Summary of experience, where did you come from and why?

Unexpectedly, Lu Shi beside him spoke up,

"Determined by geography."

After finishing speaking, he introduced himself: "I teach at the University of London Union, and I am a visiting professor. My name is Lu Shi."

I deliberately did not mention LSE because the date of its establishment is short, and the other party is an officer of the 1st Bengal Cavalry Regiment, who has lived in the South Asian subcontinent for a long time, so he may not have heard of it.

Sure enough, Johnson was bluffed by the title of visiting professor.

"University of London!?"

Shock was written in his eyes.

Lu Shi waved his hand and said, "First answer your question. I said it was determined by geography because there are high-quality jade veins in the east; People have the experience of 'Westerners like gems, Easterners like jade'."

Gu Hongming does not agree with this,

"That's not right. Jade and precious stones are both cultural carriers."

Lu Shi said: "You reversed the order. It was jade and gems that chose us, not us choosing jade and gems."

He pointed to the jade clasp,

"Whether it is jade or gemstones, they all have something in common, that is, beauty and high hardness. Equally beautiful and hard, there are turquoise, agate, and crystal, which are produced all over the world, causing not only Easterners to use them, but also Westerners. The use is enough to show that the cultural carrier is actually added by human beings."

Gu Hongming bowed his head in thought for a moment, then nodded slowly,

"Indeed."

He said to Johnson: "This Professor Lu is not an ordinary person, and "Guns, Germs and Steel" is his work."

Johnson couldn't understand, but was shocked.

He said, "Then, can you two take a closer look?"

Gu Hongming touched the jade buckle,

Suet jade is fine and moist, it should be the best green and white jade,

It is very prodigal to make buttons with such exquisite materials.

He asked Johnson: "Captain Johnson, do you know how this jade buckle should be used?"

Johnson: "..."

Of course he didn't know.

Gu Hongming saw that the other party was silent, so he stopped asking questions, and started to operate.

Just listen to the "click -" soft sound,

After the jade button is closed, there is a flower in the middle and a bee on each side.

Gu Hongming's expression was gratified,

"I just saw that when the jade buckle was separated, one of the bees was connected to the flower, and there was a round hole in the flower, and the other bee had a long tenon in front of it, and a round piece on the tenon, which can be fastened to the circle of the flower. In the hole, as a stamen."

He muttered to himself: "Ingenious idea, ingenious idea..."

The other three couldn't help but be amazed.

Johnson muttered: "This thing, no matter how you look at it, is more than 25 pounds?"

Gu Hongming smiled disdainfully,

"25 pounds? That's what you Brits don't know!"

He reached into his pocket, squeezed the thickness of the banknotes inside, and said, "That's it, I'll pay..."

Before he finished speaking, he was stopped by Lu Shi,

Lu Shi shook his head calmly, pulled Gu Hongming aside, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Gu, how much do you think that jade buckle is worth?"

Gu Hongming raised his eyebrows slightly,

"Lu Shi, I'm going to teach you about this. Collecting is like falling in love. The most important thing about bastards looking at mung beans is to be able to see right. As long as it's something you like, it's the real thing, at a reasonable price. It’s enough to start with within the scope, so why do you say ‘how much is it worth’.”

God meow is 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 exquisite, what about the painting scroll it protects?"

Gu Hongming's pupils shrank,

"When you say that, it 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 hearts.

Gu Hongming whispered: "What should I do?"

Lu Shi said, "Come here with your ears."

Gu Hongming approached, listening to Lu Shi's so-and-so, such-and-such arrangements, his eyes widened.

After a while, he said: "The last time I met Zheng Xiang with you, I felt that you have a talent for business. After today's incident, I am more convinced that it is a pity that you are not a businessman."

Lu Shi had a serious face and didn't answer.

Gu Hongming turned his head and said to Johnson: "Captain, I can offer 35 pounds."

After listening to Johnson, he hated Lu Shi immediately,

He could clearly feel that Gu Hongming was going to pay a high price, but after Lu Shi whispered, he only paid an extra ten pounds.

Cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents!

Johnson gave Lu Shi a hard look,

"This...isn't appropriate?"

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 buckle. Only a beautiful story can make a cultural relic have more added value. What do you say? Bar?"

Anyone can hear the temptation in these words,

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 opened his mouth for a thousand pounds, he might retreat instead.

Human mentality is so strange.

Johnson explained: "It 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 kept silent.

Gu Hongming turned to Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu?"

On the surface, he was asking for Lu Shi's opinion, but actually he was winking at Lu Shi.

Lu Shi also knew that it was time for him to appear.

"Well, let me take a look."

He asked Johnson: "Do you mind if I do it?"

Johnson nodded and said cautiously, "Don't break it."

Lu Shi said, "Don't worry."

He carefully unfastened the jade buckle, then slowly pulled the scroll,

As a result, after only a few feet, his movements could not help but pause slightly. On the surface, the waves were calm, but in fact, there was already a huge wave in his heart.

The painting in front of me turned out to be "Admonitions of the Female History"!

Therefore, what Johnson said just now is pure nonsense,

Where did the nobleman give it to?

The previous collector of this painting was obviously Qianlong!

In other words, this is a palace thing!

"Nv Shi Zhen Tu" is an illustrated picture scroll for the article "Nv Shi Zhen" by Gu Kaizhi, a famous painter in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Because of the long history, the original work of "Nv Shi Zhen Tu" has been lost.

Existing in the world, there are copies of Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty.

However, even if it is a copy, its artistic attainment and value are still very high. Taking the Tang copy as an example, some scholars deduce that it should come from the hand of Yan Liben, a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Qianlong's collection is the copy of the Tang Dynasty,

He loved it very much. After re-mounting it, he sealed it with more than 30 collection stamps, large and small, and placed it on the desk of the imperial study. He also drew an orchid behind the scroll and inscribed "Tong Guan Fang" with the imperial pen.

Tongguan refers to a pen with a lacquered shaft of vermilion, which is used for women's history records.

Therefore, later generations often use "Tong Guan Liu Fang" to refer to women's writing and ink.

Although Emperor Qianlong's act of stamping the seal made the painting look cheap, but this "Tong Guan Fang" and "Nv Shi Zhen Tu" complement each other.

At this moment, Lu Shi also remembered,

The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded and occupied and burned the Summer Palace. A captain of the 1st Bengal Cavalry Regiment of the British Army took advantage of the chaos and stole the Tang Dynasty copy of "Nv Shi Zhen Tu" and brought it back to London.

The captain didn't know the value of the painting, but asked the people from the British Museum to estimate the value of the jade buckle on the scroll.

The staff valued the whole 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, deciding to accept the price.

The Millennium National Treasure has been exiled in foreign countries since then.

From the whole incident, it can be seen that the British Museum was not very clear about the value of the "Admonitions of the Female History" at the beginning.

Otherwise, how could it be possible to let the captain go so easily?

Lu Shi never expected,

this time, here,

This painting is actually in my hands!

He would never have imagined that according to the original timeline, Johnson should return to China in 1902 and sell his paintings in 1903.

But because of "Yes! "Prime Minister" put great pressure on the cabinet, and Prime Minister Cecil had to withdraw some soldiers from overseas to cut costs.

Of course, the decision to withdraw the few troops sent from India to China was the result of trade-offs.

The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded and occupied the capital, and Germany and Russia took the most advantage. The United Kingdom had already achieved huge political and economic benefits in the previous two Opium Wars.

Now that we've got everything we need to grab, let's withdraw our troops.

Johnson returned to China with "The Proverbs of Women's History" in his arms.

It can be said that Lu Shi's time travel contributed to this.

Lu Shi remained calm and closed the scroll.

Gu Hongming approached and asked in a low voice: "Just now that was..."

The beginning of the 20th century was not a modern age with abundant printed materials. Gu Hongming did not have the opportunity to receive art education systematically, so it was impossible to see the photos of "Admonitions of Female History" in textbooks.

He just vaguely felt that the painting just now was very unusual,

In particular, the eyes of the characters in the painting are vivid and agile, as if they were painted by everyone.

Lu Shi said to Johnson, "50 pounds."

At this price, Johnson is not satisfied,

"You've been playing tricks for so long, and you've paid this price? Return the jade buckle to me!"

As he spoke, he took away the jade clasp that tied the painting, but the painting was confiscated.

Lu Shi:? ? ?

He looked at the "Picture of Women's History Proverbs" in his hand, with a dazed look on his face.

grass!

Fuck! Fuck!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped past in my heart.

Johnson saw the expression on Lu Shi's face as if he had eaten a fly, and he was determined in his heart. He sneered and said, "No discussion for less than 100 pounds."

He decided that Lu Shi would buy it,

That being the case, then you have to be careful.

Lu Shi was speechless for a while,

Adding up all his money, and then selling people by the pound, it will not be worth the "Picture of the Proverbs of the Female History".

However, Johnson did not know the goods.

Lu Shi weighed the painting in his hand, always feeling that this world is so magical.

No wonder it is said that fiction needs logic, but reality does not,

The reality is much weirder.

Lu Shi said, "60 pounds."

Johnson saw that Lu Shi had increased the price, and he was even more convinced, "100 pounds."

Lu Shi's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He said: "When you buy Wenwan and antiques, you have to bargain. I didn't wipe the zero first, and then halved it. It's quite interesting. You are good, the price is not loose, and there is no way to talk. How about it, I Say a price, £75, that's my bottom line."

After finishing speaking, he rolled up the "Pictures of Women's History Proverbs" in his hand, and made a gesture to leave.

Acting like this, it seems that the painting is completely unimportant.

Johnson was also brought into the rhythm, focusing all his attention on the jade button, his heart was tangled, and the veins on his forehead even burst out.

After a few seconds, he said, "90 pounds, it can't be lower."

Lu Shi shook his head resolutely,

"I will bid up to 75 pounds, and you can pay as much as you can. From now on, I will continue to be a guest lecturer in London politics and economics at the University of London Union. If you think about it, just write to me directly."

This kind of rhetoric is also a psychological suggestion,

Intentionally or unintentionally moved out of the University of London Union to enhance its own credibility.

Lu Shi turned around, ready to leave.

Johnson didn't expect Lu Shi to suddenly become so decisive. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! It's only 75 pounds! I want cash, not a check! Of course, if you give me gold bars of equivalent value, it's not unacceptable."

In the gold standard in the early 20th century, the pound was directly linked to gold.

Lu Shi took out a banknote in his pocket, counted out 75 pounds, and handed it to Johnson.

Worried that Lu Shi would repent, Johnson gave the jade buckle in his hand to the other party, then left in a hurry, and even ran a few steps.

on site,

"..."

"..."

"..."

It was quiet.

The setting sun slowly set, and the blushing light shone on Lu Shi and the three of them.

Gu Hongming asked Lu Shi again: "Just now that was..."

Lu Shi said, "The Proverbs of Women's History."

Gu Hongming:! ! !

The whole person was dumbfounded.

He asked, "We're not being tricked by someone, are we?"

Lu Shi shook his head, and replied: "Regardless of the value of the painting, we also made money by taking that jade buckle at a price of 75 pounds. So, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a scam."

Gu Hongming was even more confused,

If you haven't been lied to, then it's true? !

He looked at the scroll in Lu Shi's hand, and wanted to touch it, but he didn't dare.

After a while, Gu Hongming came to his senses, and asked in a low voice: "What are we... um... What are you going to do with this painting? Will you bring it back to the country and present it to the emperor?"

That must be impossible.

Take it back, and then wait for the fall of the Qing court, let the last emperor sell the national treasure for the ocean for personal enjoyment?

Lu Shi said: "I have decided to seal up this painting for a hundred years."

Gu Hongming was very puzzled,

"you……"

He can't understand.

Collectors are naturally delighted when they buy a painting. Don't they always appreciate it?

Why did Lu Shi do this?

Puzzled.

Lu Shi explained: "Sealing the scroll is easy to protect. If you always take it out for appreciation, the painting will be exposed to light or be affected by other environments, and it 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 the real protection."

Lu Shi shook his head,

"But it also makes this painting lose its value in education and research. There are good and bad. In short, I hope Mr. Gu will keep what happened today."

Gu Hongming nodded again and again,

"It's just a small episode. Whether you, me, or Mr. Natsume, treat it as if it never happened.\

,"Lu Shi nodded,

"Yes, what should we do?"