Chapter 207: Chapter 206: Because She Is Empress Taichu, an Old Acquaintance

Director Ding’s expression changed drastically. "What did you say?!"

"You heard me right, it’s true! We just discovered it too!" the caller said anxiously. "These nine Royal Artifacts are priceless. The thieves must have been fully prepared to pull this off right under our noses!"

Director Ding gasped. "If this happened right under our noses, it has to be an inside job!"

"That’s what I thought too. I already called the police before notifying you," the caller replied. "Old Ding, don’t let anyone who has come into contact with this batch of artifacts leave. Everyone must undergo police investigation, including you and me!"

BEEP BEEP BEEP...

The call ended. Director Ding broke into a cold sweat, his legs turning weak.

"What is it? What happened?" a hale and hearty elderly man beside him asked urgently. "What inside job?"

Director Ding had no time to answer. Instead, he made a few more calls. "Lock down the entire Artifact Restoration Center! Anyone who has had contact with these antiques is to await police summoning!"

His words caused everyone’s expressions to shift.

Ming Chengli frowned. "We just got here and haven’t even touched these antiques. Whatever happened, it has nothing to do with us."

"Right, the swapping of the artifacts has nothing to do with you." Director Ding wiped his sweat. "I’ve been in here since you arrived. It definitely wasn’t you."

SWISH. All eyes instantly focused on Shi Changying, leaving everyone in sheer astonishment. These Royal Artifacts were actually fakes?!

Ming Chengli was shocked. "Someone switched out these antiques?"

"Alas, it’s the truth. Kid, I’m truly sorry. I was anxious earlier and spoke a bit harshly to you." Director Ding apologized profusely to Shi Changying. "I didn’t expect your words to be so prophetic; they really turned out to be fakes."

Shi Changying said flatly, "It’s not that I was prophetic. They were fake to begin with."

Hearing this, Director Ding’s expression gradually grew serious. "What makes you say that?"

These high-quality counterfeits had fooled more than just him; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone undetected until now. It had already been three months since the first Royal Artifact was unearthed.

"Since these are Royal Artifacts from the Xuan Dynasty, there must be the character ’Xuan’ inscribed here. It must also feature a dragon and phoenix motif. The dragon must have five claws, and the phoenix’s head must face east, symbolizing the arrival of auspicious energy." Shi Changying pointed to the bottom of a vase. "But look, the head of this phoenix faces northeast, and the dimensions of the ’Xuan’ character are wrong."

This statement prompted the elderly man to grab a magnifying glass and immediately begin a fresh inspection. Director Ding also pulled up records of previously discovered Xuandai Royal Artifacts to observe their hallmarks.

"Ah, it really is!" The elderly man slapped his thigh. "It really is different from the previous authentic pieces. It’s such a minute discrepancy that you truly wouldn’t notice it without a careful look!"

Director Ding gasped and muttered, "Even if we did notice it, we would only assume it was a slight deviation in craftsmanship. We wouldn’t have suspected forgery."

"Exactly." The elderly man nodded. "From our perspective, it just looked like a slip of the hand during carving."

"Impossible. Ancient techniques in carving, painting, and jade polishing were much more robust than you imagine," Shi Changying said, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, they had OCD. For such an important hallmark intended for royal use, everything from the dimensions to the patterns naturally had to be identical."

"OCD" was a modern term she had recently learned.

The renowned artisan Xiao Chengyi had strict requirements when polishing jade. Everything had to be perfectly symmetrical, and not a single stroke could be out of place. It had even reached a point of madness. If even the slightest error occurred, she would melt the piece down and start over. So that was what they called OCD.

Ming Chengli, who had the literary classics of the Xuan Dynasty at his fingertips, immediately chimed in. "The Xuandai Artifact Record states, ’Xuan artisans carve jade with exquisite ancient techniques, flawlessly following the jade’s natural veins. Their blade work is deep and sharp, and their linework is clean and decisive...’ It’s a shame that this craft has declined nowadays."

The elderly man felt a bit melancholic upon hearing this. "Yes, there are fewer and fewer people who know ancient jade carving techniques."

Director Ding gritted his teeth. "Damn it. If I ever find out who stole this batch of artifacts, I’ll make sure they rot in prison!"

"For a young lady like you to understand these details so well, you must be an expert in artifact appraisal!" The elderly man stared at Shi Changying with burning eyes. "Are you interested in joining our Institute of Artifact Protection and Archaeology? You absolutely have to come!"

Shi Changying refused without a second thought. "Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t know anything about artifact appraisal."

"No, you do. You’re exceptional at it!" The elderly man waved his hands repeatedly, his tone firm. "Young lady, don’t be modest. I’ve lived for over half my life, and I still don’t have the Eyes of Golden Flame you’ve developed in just over a decade. You absolutely have to come!"

Shi Changying paused, then reiterated, "I’m not being modest at all, because I truly don’t know how."

Modest? She had never known the meaning of modesty. Whenever she accomplished something great, she had to make sure everyone knew about it so she could bask in their praise.

"Modest, you’re far too modest!" the elderly man said loudly. "Do you all see this? She has such a profound wealth of knowledge at such a young age, yet she isn’t arrogant in the slightest. You all need to learn from her!"

The other staff members nodded repeatedly, expressing that they would certainly strive to emulate her virtues.

Shi Changying was speechless.

It was true that she enjoyed being praised by others, but that was predicated on her actually achieving something real, not something fabricated. The only reason she could recognize these artifacts as fakes was because she had seen and used them before, not because she knew anything about artifact appraisal. If someone placed a few artifacts from before the Xuan Dynasty or some folk antiques in front of her, she wouldn’t be able to tell if they were real or fake at all. For matters like artifact appraisal, it was best left to professionals like Historical Scholar Yun Wuxin and the renowned artisan Xiao Chengyi.

"Sweetie, you’re more amazing than your old man. You really have been reading books this whole time; you’re just too modest about it!" Ming Chengli secretly gave her a thumbs up. "Dad understands. This is called playing the pig to eat the tiger."

Shi Changying cast a glance at him. "A true tiger never plays the pig."

"Sir, you have a wonderful daughter." The elderly man enthusiastically shook Ming Chengli’s hand again. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am from the Institute of Artifact Protection and Archaeology, Kang Jiesu."

Hearing this name, Ming Chengli blurted out, "Elder Kang?"

Elder Kang paused in surprise. "You know me?"

Ming Chengli smiled. "I heard your great name back when I was a student."

"Oh? Did you study at Mingjing University?" Elder Kang was somewhat surprised. "That shouldn’t be. If I had taught a student like you, I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten!"

With that, he leaned in a bit closer and scrutinized Ming Chengli from head to toe. Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed his mind. "That’s right, I have seen you before!"

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