Boss Wan was reported and quickly arrested. Da Huang and Fatty couldn't get any news from the police. Instead, the police found me. Two formal officers, because of Yu Xiaoluo's relationship, didn't make things difficult for me and looked at my ID.
"Hello, may I ask why you are investigating me?"
The Taian police were a little helpless and told me the reason. A British girl named Jessica, twenty-seven years old, went missing after traveling to the Taishan Scenic Area 34 days ago. Her relatives contacted them through the embassy and relevant departments to search for the missing Jessica. However, the case had been open for several days, there was a lot of pressure from above, and there had been no progress. Yesterday, someone reported that Boss Wan had British items in the locker at the massage center.
The police searched the locker and found over 5,000 pounds and Peppa Pig pens that could only be bought in the UK. There was also a folder and two hairs. Upon discovering this evidence, the police immediately arrested Boss Wan.
Teacher Wan was a local, a know-it-all, and a stone expert. He said the pounds were payment from someone who wanted to buy Laizhou Jade (frozen stone). As for the Peppa Pig pens, folder, and hair, he claimed he had never seen them and believed he was being framed. The police asked Boss Wan who he sold the Laizhou Jade to and why he used pounds for the transaction. Boss Wan said the buyer's name was Tang Nan, and he used pounds because Tang Nan was a British-Chinese. Boss Wan didn't ask further about Tang Nan's identity, as Laizhou Jade was not an untradeable item.
Boss Wan and Tang Nan had been trading for two years, always paid in pounds, with transactions at Taishan's Nantianmen. Boss Wan described the old man as wearing tea-colored glasses, a combed-back hairstyle, and slicked-back hair, speaking fluent and authentic English. Boss Wan's English was poor but communicative. The transactions were paid in cash, about ten times. Each time, Boss Wan would use a carving machine to replicate the appearance of the Wenliang Jade Gui, an unfinished product without any inscriptions at the bottom.
To verify Boss Wan's statement, the police began investigating the name Tang Nan. Records started from the third day of the Lunar New Year, but hotel management reported that Tang Nan was a young man.
Thus, the police found me in the hospital.
They were quite surprised when they learned about my situation. I had police around me, and I fell from the cable car. Such a major incident and the Taishan Scenic Area had no report, which was highly unusual.
"I was investigating and got on the cable car privately. The scenic area management has nothing to do with it."
"Investigating?"
Yu Xiaoluo took out her badge: "We are members of the special task force, and Tang Nan is our informant. Although we haven't been to Shandong, the 'Black Gold' special task force has been reported to the public security departments of Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Inner Mongolia. You should be able to verify this."
"This is a misunderstanding. Is there anything the special task force needs help with in Taian?" the Taian police asked enthusiastically.
Yu Xiaoluo looked at me. I pondered for a moment: "The person who attacked me is named Cao Shi, a fat man. He arrived in Taian around April or May last year. He might have used a pseudonym."
Since I mentioned it, Yu Xiaoluo helped me by saying, "When you investigate, please inquire about this person, Cao Shi."
The Taian police nodded. I thought for a moment and continued, "That old man might be impersonating me. He went to a local restaurant called Zhang Silu Cai Guan. You can check there."
"Thank you for your help. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with the 'Black Gold' special task force."
The Taian police were very polite. Yu Xiaoluo also responded politely and saw them to the door. After watching the two Taian police officers disappear, she turned around, closed the door, and asked me, "This was all your arrangement, wasn't it?" Yu Xiaoluo had heard about the Peppa Pig and the hair in the black folder, so she guessed it was me.
"Yes!"
"Tang Nan, what are you up to again?"
"You don't need to worry about it."
"How can I not worry? What are you doing this for? Are you seeking revenge? Do we live in a world of immediate gratification and revenge?"
I remained silent, lost in thought again. Boss Wan was more cautious than I expected. His locker must have contained more than just some pounds. After Da Huang found Boss Wan and the Copper Shopkeeper, Boss Wan went to the bathhouse in broad daylight and only came out for dinner. Fatty couldn't stay by his side the entire time, so Boss Wan must have transferred something important. He took it out during dinner, and it was after dinner when I had Da Huang and Fatty put things in.
"Tang Nan, I'm talking to you!"
"Sister, I'm tired."
"Is it about being tired now?" Yu Xiaoluo's voice grew louder. I spoke even louder: "Then what are you talking about? Crime? If I'm committing a crime, arrest me. Aren't you a police officer?"
Given Yu Xiaoluo's hot temper, if I argued with her, she might hit me. Perhaps I was too abnormal lately. Yu Xiaoluo swallowed and said, "Transfer hospitals. We'll transfer today. This is not up for discussion."
I fell silent again, continuing to think: Although I framed Boss Wan, I at least learned that he was trading with someone, making fake Wenliang Jade Gui. Boss Wan sold unfinished Wenliang Jade Gui to the fake Tang Nan, and I had a finished one in my bag. According to the intelligence gathered by Da Huang, Lin Han paid 100,000 for one, but Boss Wan gave this 100,000 to an old man named Tang Nan. Now, the most important question is what is the use of the Wenliang Jade Gui?
I've encountered antiques before, but buying them at a high price while knowing they are fake must mean there's something going on. At this moment, I heard Yu Xiaoluo's voice: "Tang Nan, I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"
"Sister, what did you say?"
This angered Yu Xiaoluo, and she stomped her foot: "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to discuss it with Captain Luo."
...
Not long after Yu Xiaoluo left, Chang Dachun arrived with a food box. There were only the two of us. I took the Wenliang Jade Gui out of my bag and showed it to him. Chang Dachun took one look: "Oh, Wenliang Jade Gui?"
"You know it."
"I know a little."
"What is this thing used for?"
"Wenliang Jade Gui is a sacrificial item, used for sacrificing to heaven, earth, ancestors, and meritorious officials. Jade has always been an immeasurable and mysterious existence in ancient culture. Until the Qianlong period, the carving of jade reached its peak in terms of cultural significance, and much of the mysterious court techniques were lost. 'The Rites of Zhou' records the uses of the six types of jade, one of which is 'using the green gui to honor the east.' Emperor Qianlong strictly followed the records in 'The Rites of Zhou' and presented the Wenliang Jade Gui to the Dai Temple as the foremost sacrificial item for Mount Tai."
"Besides its cultural significance, what about its price?" I asked eagerly.
Chang Dachun smiled: "Priceless, a national first-class cultural relic. Anyone who dares to buy or sell it would be executed."
"Anything else?"
"It's good enough to know this much. I'm not my sister; I don't know all national treasures by heart." Speaking of his sister, Chang Dachun became a bit sad and changed the subject: "Tang Nan, can bones be used for DNA testing?"
"No."
"How are you so sure?"
"Uh, isn't that common knowledge? What are you trying to say, Brother Chang?"
"You can't remember anything, but you are The Schemer, and a very厉害 one at that. I always feel like my sister might not be dead. That police officer named Luo Bo also came to see me, which makes me even more suspicious."
I also hope so, but would I use Lin Han's death as a scheme? Probably not. Lin Han's death would only attract Chang Dachun and the others. I need them. A call to my brothers would bring them here. It's not worth faking Lin Han's death to set up a scheme. Besides, jumping from such a high cable car is not something a schemer would do. With bad luck, I would have died. Schemers never gamble; they rely on psychology, human nature, and strategy.
Chang Dachun is a smart person. Seeing my attitude, he didn't ask further. He handed me the Wenliang Jade Gui: "This replica is really well-made, looks just like the real thing."
"Why do you say that?"
"Wenliang Jade Gui is a craft from the Qianlong period, half warm, half cool. I've only heard of such strange things, never seen them. And yours, it really is like that?"
Hearing Chang Dachun say this, I quickly touched it. It really was like that. I asked seriously, "Brother Chang, do you think this Wenliang Jade Gui might be real?" I asked casually, and Brother Chang started sweating: "Tang Nan, don't joke. This isn't something you can buy in the ghost market. If this is real, we'd be jailed even if you were executed."
The more information I gathered, the more confused I felt, as if the fog was thickening. I felt helpless and put the Wenliang Jade Gui back in my bag. Chang Dachun curiously leaned over to look, and I said softly, "Don't worry, this is the only antique in the bag."
"Then what about the key?"
"Isn't it just a key?"
Chang Dachun is a man of the martial world. He took out the keys and aligned them, one thin and one thick. He looked at them carefully before returning the keys to me: "This thing is rarely seen?"
"Why? Aren't they just two keys?"
"Two keys to open one lock. Young people your age might not have seen this. Tang Nan, to be honest, you've lost your memory, but that doesn't mean you haven't done things. This strange key, a national first-class cultural relic, and you weren't home celebrating the Lunar New Year on the second day, but came to Taian. Think carefully, did you come to Taian to steal a national treasure, or were you helping someone steal it?"
"I only lost a period of memory, not all of it. I came to find someone. However, you might be right. Perhaps this Wenliang Jade Gui is real, and I stole it."