The Lost Tomb Vol. 7

Chapter 26: The Largest Grave Robbery in History (II)

Huo Xiuxiu was rather surprised: "Do you know about this?"

Poker-face shook his head and leaned against the wall, looking out the window at the shadow of the vines. Moonlight dappled his face, making it look even paler than usual.

"Then how do you know they weren't in it for the money?" Xiuxiu asked.

Poker-face said quietly: "Historical inevitability."

Huo Xiuxiu looked at me, probably not used to Poker-face's attitude. I actually wanted to tell her that it was an honor for him to even talk to her. Since he had been leaning there, I thought he wasn't listening at all.

But I understood what Poker-face meant. When money reached a certain amount, there was no point in increasing it again. If it was the largest grave robbery in history, and the motive was still money... that would truly be a tragedy for our profession. There were still many things worth more than money in the world. Hadn't it been said before that there were two big bosses bombing each other's ancestral graves in order to rob each other?

The inevitability of history, the biggest conspiracy in the world, the largest war, and everything else in the world always had some "inevitability" behind them. I just didn't know why he suddenly felt that this was the case.

I explained it a little bit, and Huo Xiuxiu thought it over for a moment: "You men are more sensitive to this kind of thing than us women. We girls certainly don't feel anything about any history."

I told her to keep going and stop dawdling, so she took a sip of Erguotou and continued.

Jin Wantang participated in the "biggest deal in history" because of his discerning eyes. At that time, in the miscellaneous academic circles in Beijing, he was famous for his discerning eyes and knowledge. From a Harbin's cigarette case to a woman's bodice, a more knowledgeable expert didn't exist. It was said that his father entered the pawnshop business when he was six years old, and left when he was seventeen. After liberation, he worked as a laminating worker in a factory, and was so poor he left Lao Jin with nothing when he died. But in his daily life, through countless little bits of experience accumulated from childhood to adulthood, his father deliberately taught him various skills in appreciating the major masterpieces of calligraphy, painting, jade, copper, embroidery, wood, and porcelain. In his own words, he spent the first half of his life achieving a kind of harmony between man and nature through antiques.

As a result, when he was dragged to Liulichang in the early 1960s to play, he actually found that the old depressed alley was actually a treasure.

With a fire in his eyes, he started from two yuan and a few old books. Two changed into three and three earned five. Within two years, no one thought that he could thrive in such a depressed collection market, but an old book brought in a net worth of ten thousand yuan. His skills in the category of ancient books had also entered a higher realm.

Of course, as he was making money, the speculation and government crack-down also appeared. Fortunately, Jin Wantang inherited his father's extremely cautious nature and stopped at the right time. His net fortune of ten thousand yuan had never been discovered.

The business couldn't continue, but he still retained his public reputation among the people via word of mouth. He became famous, and soon, his reputation even reached those abroad, earning him some foreign friends. Large institutions, large families, and university research institutes invited him to make evaluations and appraisals. At that time, the scenery was boundless and the big deal came at the height of his life.

The Huo family took the lead. At that time, he and the Huos had been cooperating for some time, so he didn't think anything was unusual and readily agreed.