Becoming Rich with Daily Scavenging APP-Chapter 372: Xu Weili’s Southern Song Manuscripts
"You’re being a bit unfair."
Chen Yiyang glanced at the artifact in his hand, thought for a moment, and said, "These manuscripts look too new. I trust you, brother, and believe they’re genuine. But others don’t think so. I have to pull strings and find experts, which carries a lot of risk."
"Then name your price."
"Flat rate, ten million for all sixteen volumes."
After quoting his price, Chen Yiyang exchanged a glance with the two tomb raiders.
This price is far too low compared to the real Song History manuscripts.
Forget sixteen volumes, even a single volume from the Song Dynasty is worth more than ten million.
But just as Chen Yiyang said, they’ve sent these Song Dynasty manuscripts for appraisal twice, and both times they were deemed fake.
Chen Yiyang decided to buy the manuscripts because he recognized them as tomb raiders, thus seeing potential in their possessions.
Yet, to truly sell these manuscripts, one would need to leverage many connections and spend a lot of time.
"Ten million each." These two tomb raiders were reluctant to sell the sixteen Song Dynasty manuscripts for just that amount.
"Fine." Chen Yiyang too feared that discussing further might lead to unexpected complications.
"How should I pay? Shall I withdraw cash in installments or transfer directly to an overseas account?"
"We don’t have any foreign accounts."
These two tomb raiders are clearly amateurs with few resources and connections.
They got incredibly lucky with a small tomb; the owner may have been an insignificant figure in the Song Dynasty, yet was buried with sixteen manuscript volumes, which somehow remained as new.
This left them without a way to sell the manuscripts.
Now, Chen Yiyang suggested using foreign accounts for payment, but they didn’t have any.
"Then, cash it is? But it’ll take me some time to gather two million in cash."
"How do we verify two million in cash, what if you give us counterfeit money?"
"How do I pay then?" Chen Yiyang was getting a bit frustrated.
"How about this, we’ll choose two houses, you pay for them. After the transaction, transfer the remaining money directly to our accounts."
"Okay, no problem." Chen Yiyang agreed swiftly.
These two tomb raiders really aren’t afraid of getting caught.
Since it’s convenient for him, paying through other channels ensures that even if they’re captured later, he won’t lose out.
After negotiating terms, Chen Yiyang paid a deposit, and they directly handed him a manuscript volume.
Back at the hotel, Chen Yiyang called the historian on a video call.
"Mr. Chen, found any treasures again?" the historian asked curiously.
"Take a look." Chen Yiyang directly showed the recently acquired Xu Weili’s Record of Official Assignments and Record of Pardons to the historian.
"Let me see the content." The historian peered through the screen, then said, "This is the retained official record of a mid-ranking Song official, very valuable for research."
"Look closer." Chen Yiyang coughed.
"Anything else?" The historian examined again, then finally said, "This paper seems unusual too. Is it imitation Song Dynasty rice paper?
It’s so new that, with Mr. Chen’s keen eye, you wouldn’t buy such a poor imitation, would you?"
"Never mind, I’ll consult other experts." Seeing the historian hadn’t noticed anything, Chen Yiyang prepared to end the call.
"Hold on." The historian continued, "These manuscripts weren’t found individually, were they? Do you have more for me to see?"
"There are more." Chen Yiyang said and then opened some additional manuscripts for the historian to review.
"I’ve never heard of Xu Weili before; he’s not recorded in any previous Song Dynasty texts, but your manuscript contains an epitaph written by Xu Weili for his wife Lin Chuduan, indicating that Xu Weili’s father was Xu Bangxian, a notable figure."
"Xu Bangxian?" Chen Yiyang pondered briefly, seemingly unfamiliar with the name.
"Xu Bangxian was the top scorer in the Liting Division for the Song Dynasty’s fourth year of Shaoxi, also a renowned thinker and writer of the Southern Song."
"Looks like Xu Weili’s life is quite worthy of research."
"Indeed." The historian said, "Whether these contents are truly passed down or fabricated remains unknown. If genuine, they’d be immensely valuable for research."
"Alright, take another look." Chen Yiyang decided to give the historian another chance.
"Look again?" The historian knew there was more to it but couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
This paper is too new.
Wait a moment.
The historian thought again and said, "During the Southern Song period, tombs were built to be sealed, sturdy, deep, and preserved well. Hence, unless tomb robbers had damaged them, the contents remained very well preserved.
If Xu Weili’s tomb was filled with rammed earth, sealed with stone slabs, and a complete coffin, then the funeral manuscripts would be relatively unaffected.
However, they shouldn’t appear brand new; let me think again."
The historian thought for two or three minutes and then said, "If these documents were wax-sealed externally, then not just hundreds but even thousands of years wouldn’t pose a problem, preserving them as new."
This historian is impressive.
Chen Yiyang didn’t know why the tomb raiders’ manuscripts were so pristine, but after the historian’s explanation, he finally understood.
He realized how incredible it was that the sixteen Song Dynasty manuscripts had survived in such condition.
The construction of Song Dynasty tombs, combined with the appropriate surrounding environment and no violent disturbances, plus the wax-sealing of the paper.
This is how these manuscripts remained as fresh as newly made after over a thousand years.
After the historian spoke, he also understood.
"How many manuscripts are there? If they’re truly Song Dynasty, their research value is immense."
"There are sixteen in total, and I’ve already paid a deposit. Once they hand over the manuscripts, I plan to report it."
"That’s not a good idea; if there are other artifacts, alerting the police immediately could alarm them. Let’s do this: I’ll contact someone on my side first; you proceed with buying the manuscripts on your end.
Xu Weili’s tomb should be in the Jiangnan Province area, so these folks are likely to return home once they receive the money.
Once they return, then capture them. Check for other artifacts and secure the tomb."
"Alright." Chen Yiyang nodded in agreement.
This approach allows him to distance himself, with the historian’s help, the police can apprehend them on other charges, ensuring that even if these two tomb raiders end up in prison, they won’t suspect Chen Yiyang had a hand in it.
