The University of Cambridge still maintains its medieval elegance. After hundreds of years, experts have been carefully restoring the school's ancient buildings. Therefore, when the car is parked at the school gate, the majestic, simple and magnificent scene is in front of you. As soon as it lights up, it feels like time and space are intertwined.
But as soon as Xia Shao got out of the car, the sense of time and space was gone. The breasts rushing toward her blocked Xia Shao's view, causing her to move to the side. However, Hu Jiayi still hung on Xia Shao's neck, "Xiao Shao! I miss you so much!"
Xia Shao held her forehead, thinking that after experiencing what happened during the Chinese New Year, she would be more stable, but in the end she still looked cheerful.
"I really didn't expect that you would come to the UK to see me! I'm so touched!" Hu Jiayi hugged Xia Shao tightly.
Xia Shao smiled leisurely and hit her, "I'm here to attend the World Auction Summit. I see you're just dropping by."
"Auction summit?" Hu Jiayi's innate optimistic temperament was not affected at all. She immediately focused on the auction summit and slapped her forehead, "How could I forget about this! I have been so busy lately, Ladis The group held an auction summit, and I heard that leading auction houses from all over the world were invited, as well as entrepreneurs from all over the world. It was a grand event! Although our family has some business in the UK, we are not qualified to be invited. My dad wants to go in, and is going to the venue to ask someone to get an invitation letter."
When Hu Jiayi said this, she wrinkled her nose and smiled a little bitterly, "I won't go if I don't want to go. There are entrepreneurs with tens of billions of assets there. Even if we go there, we won't be able to climb up. We still have to look at people's faces. . Xiaoshao, I really didn’t know that doing business was so difficult. Seeing my dad begging for people for those connections and to open up the British market, I felt... quite uncomfortable. "
Meeting the two of them was originally a happy thing, but it turned into a serious matter in just a few words. Hu Jiayi's eyes were a little red. Xia Shao smiled and comforted her, "Don't always look at the difficulties. It is inevitable to encounter obstacles when opening up the market. Without hard work, how can success be achieved? Your Hu family's life is already better than that of most in the world. You should be a good person. You have been able to live a life of wealth and wealth since you were a child, and you should be grateful to your father for being able to study in the UK. Now that you have seen his difficulties, work hard and share his worries with him in the future."
"Of course! I've really felt more tired in the past six months than in high school. I never knew college courses could be so tiring." Hu Jiayi complained again, but her optimistic temper soon cleared up, smiling. He said, "But since you are here, I have to accompany you to have fun for two days! There are many scenic spots here, and I will be your tour guide!"
As soon as these words came out, Wang Fei, Bifang and Yingzhao, who were standing behind Xia Shao, exchanged glances - exactly what he wanted!
"I just said that there is no success without hard work, and you said that you would take me to play. How can I have time? This auction summit has three days of auction conference, and there must be many good items. I also want to recharge, Learn more about ancient Western culture. We have already arranged to visit the British Museum for a few days, do you still want to be a tour guide?" Xia Shao asked with a smile. She was telling the truth. Even if she didn't have this mission, the first place she would go to when she came to the UK would definitely be a museum. The collections there are from all over the world. Although most of them were looted, they are all genuine. It is a good opportunity to cultivate your eyesight. Xia Shao has the idea of opening an auction house and antique shop in the West in the future, so he must have some understanding of Western antiques.
How could Hu Jiayi refuse? She suddenly said excitedly: "Go! I'll go with you! I've been to the British Museum a few times, but it's so big. Even if it's not all open, I haven't seen it all. But the places I've been to, It’s no problem to be your tour guide!”
…
The British Museum, located in Great Russell Square north of New Oxford Street in London, England, was opened to the public in 1759 and is one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. It is said that its collection has reached 7 million pieces! Most of these collections were plundered from various countries during the British expansion from the 18th to the mid-19th century. Among them, the countries that have suffered the most include China, Egypt, Greece, etc. It is said that a large number of cultural relics arrived in London at that time and were dedicated to the Queen. The number was so large that the British Museum could not accommodate it and had to be stored in various museums.
As soon as Xia Shao and his party arrived at the British Museum, they naturally went straight to the Chinese exhibition room. They are not afraid of arousing suspicion. They are originally Chinese, and what they care most about when visiting the museum is naturally the collection from their own country.
The China Exhibition Hall of later generations is still the China Exhibition Room, but the collection inside is rich, ranging from ancient stone tools, Shang and Zhou bronzes, Wei and Jin stone Buddhist scriptures, to Tang and Song calligraphy and painting, Ming and Qing porcelain, etc., marking the pinnacle of various cultures in Chinese history. National treasures, everything! Of the more than 23,000 looted cultural relics, only 2,000 are actually allowed to be viewed by tourists. Nine-tenths of the rare treasures are tightly stored in the collection room, and ordinary tourists have no chance to see them without special permission.
But even the antiques that are allowed to be viewed by tourists are considered curiosities.
According to statistics from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, China lost as many as 1.64 million cultural relics during the war - this heavy number made most Chinese people who came to the exhibition hall have uneasy expressions.
Wang Fei, Bi Fang, and Yingzhao are indeed competent agents with first-class acting skills. Wang Fei and Bi Fang followed Xu Tianyin and walked behind Xia Shao, alerting the surrounding tourists and acting like bodyguards throughout the process. Yingzhao, on the other hand, helped Xia Shao and Hu Jiayi carry their coats and bags with a professional smile on his face, making him a very competent assistant.
Hu Jiayi didn't realize that Xia Shao had brought bodyguards with her until she was on the way, and made fun of her. After all, in Hu Jiayi's eyes, why does a Feng Shui master with unpredictable skills like Xia Shao need bodyguards? She naturally did not recognize Xu Tianyin, so in the end she wondered whether these bodyguards were arranged by the Xu family to protect her. Xia Shao just smiled and didn't say much to her on this matter.
Today, Xia Shao and others were on a free tour without hiring a tour guide, but many of the visiting teams passing by had tour guides. When Wang Fei and Bi Fang saw this, they took the opportunity to block the flow of people for Xia Shao and led her to the tour guide's side, following the tour guide's team intentionally or unintentionally. You know, there are two thousand exhibits in the China Showroom. It is not easy to visit them all. If you have a tour guide, you may gain something.
At this time, I heard a tour guide say: "Recently, the number of visitors to our British Museum has surged, which is several percent higher than the museum's annual peak visitor flow. Do you know the reason?"
The tour guide was a British woman. Her Chinese was stumbling, but she could still understand it.
Xia Shao raised her eyebrows slightly after hearing this, guessing that it was probably because of the World Auction Summit. Just the day before they came to the UK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to the British side, condemning the Ledtis Group's auction of Dunhuang murals and requesting that the murals be handed over to the British Ministry of Culture so that the two countries could discuss the dispute. This matter, when the statement was issued, had already attracted the attention of all walks of life in China, and there was fierce condemnation online. Many civil society groups said they would organize groups to protest at the British Auction Summit!
This incident has greatly increased the reputation of the World Auction Congress, and the number of tourists is certain to increase dramatically. It is estimated that in addition to many collectors from various countries who come to watch the event, there are also many Chinese patriotic groups.
Sure enough, the tour guide's words made some people in the crowd look sarcastic and said: "I heard that the British Museum has been financially tight. We came to travel to increase your financial income in the UK so that you can have money to replace the cultural relics in the museum. Every time we come here, we see the same thing.”
This may be said to be hurtful, but it is true. Exhibits in museums need to be changed frequently to attract repeat visitors. However, since 1992, the cultural relics in the China Hall have rarely been replaced. The reason is that the British government's funding has decreased, tourists have decreased, and financial resources have been tight, resulting in fewer positions and even no money to hire employees.
Ironically, the British Museum positions itself as "promoting understanding and recognition of art, natural history and science on a global scale, and showing the world to the world." However, due to financial constraints, so-called cultural exchange activities are mainly concentrated in Among developed countries, it is only with the improvement of China's national power in recent years that the UK has paid more and more attention to China, and cultural exchanges with China have gained unprecedented momentum. But even so, the later permanent exhibition hall in China was built with a donation of two million pounds from a Hong Kong businessman.
This time, Ladis Group held the World Auction Summit, whether intentionally or unintentionally, because a Dunhuang mural caused great indignation among the Chinese, leading to a surge in the number of tourists. This can be regarded as adding to the local tourism industry and fiscal revenue.
"Since you can't take good care of our cultural relics, why not return all the stolen cultural relics to us!" someone else said angrily.
This is of course impossible. In fact, not only China, but also Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and other countries have asked the British Museum to return their cultural relics plundered during the war. This has caused the British Museum to face increasing international pressure, but it still insists on returning these cultural relics. The reason for keeping it in your own hands is that it can better protect these cultural relics. It's shameless!
"You still dare to auction our Dunhuang murals?"
"I heard that you have dozens of square meters of Dunhuang murals on display in the exhibition hall. Take us to see them!"
Sure enough, the Chinese tourists in this group quickly turned the conversation to the murals. The tour guide was still very calm. Apparently this kind of thing had been happening before the auction summit when Chinese people visited the exhibition hall. Therefore, she faced the old man with the professional smile on her face and said in an official tone: "Dear tourists, about the cultural relics The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country has been discussing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and I believe the country will make a decision. Since all tourists are visiting cultural relics, let me lead you to have a good tour. I just asked you if you know that the number of tourists has increased recently. The reason is actually that everyone has guessed it wrong. Our museum has always been responsible for cultural exchanges. The Dunhuang murals at the World Auction Summit have always attracted people's attention, so the Ladis Group entrusted our museum to display the murals in the museum for a week. . If you tourists are here to see the murals, then please come with me."
As soon as these words came out, all the Chinese in this team were stunned!
Some people are angry, but most of them are surprised, confused and eager to verify it with their own eyes.
Xu Tianyin stood behind Xia Shao, his breath unchanged. Wang Fei and the other three were also experienced, and their expressions did not even move when they received the sudden information. But this does not mean that the three of them have no ideas in their minds - they originally thought that the credibility of this information was not high, but they did not expect that it was actually true! This Laitis family is too arrogant!
In Xia Shao's view, this is just a hype method used by the Ladis family. If there are sufficient security conditions, the greater the attention it attracts, the more harvest this auction summit will have. It's just a businessman's method.
In fact, Xia Shao originally planned to search for the Dunhuang mural with her eyes after coming in to see if the information was true, but she didn't expect to hear something like this as soon as she came in, which saved her trouble. Then she saw that the tourists followed the tour guide. He turned around and walked toward the center, and she followed him all the way. Xu Tianyin's team followed Xia Shao, and Hu Jiayi walked beside Xia Shao. The group was extremely natural, looking at the exhibits on both sides as they walked. After turning a few corners, they heard an exclamation from the tourists in front!
Xia Shao and his party immediately looked up and saw dozens of square meters of Dunhuang murals displayed in a display cabinet in front of them! What is painted in the mural are portraits of three Bodhisattvas. The images are rich and plump, and the colors are still bright after thousands of years! It is said that there are tens of thousands of national treasure-level Dunhuang murals in the British Museum, but this is the only one on display.
But today, next to this mural, there is another mural!
This mural is displayed in the form of a standing cabinet, which is placed against the wall and surrounded by a vacuum space of about 20 square meters made of tempered glass. There is also a cordon outside the space and guards guarding it. It can be said that adequate protective measures have been taken. Everyone could only stand outside the cordon and watch from a distance. When Xia Shao and his party came over, they could only stand on the outside. But the group of people standing on the periphery could only see the entire mural by raising their heads!
This mural is more than three meters high and seven or eight meters wide. The mural depicts three vertical portraits of Bodhisattvas. The colors are slightly old, but the portraits are still lifelike. From these three portraits of Bodhisattvas, Buddhist students can tell at a glance that they are the Buddhas of the Three Worlds!
The three-generation Buddha is divided into the horizontal third-generation Buddha and the vertical third-generation Buddha. The picture on display in front of you is the treasure statue of the vertical three-generation Buddha - the past Buddha, the ancient Buddha of Lantern, the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, and the future Buddha, Maitreya Buddha.
The beauty of this mural is that it is next to the Third Buddha, and it also depicts a magnificent and beautiful scene. Painted next to the ancient Buddha of Ran Deng is a scene that predicts that Sakyamuni will become a Buddha in the future, while what is painted around Sakyamuni Buddha is a picture of Manjusri, Samantabhadra and other Bodhisattvas using Buddha's Dharma to save all sentient beings in the Saha world. Maitreya Surrounding the Buddha are scenes of Buddhas saving all sentient beings, transcending reincarnation and ascending to heaven.
These three pictures are simply classic interpretations of the three Buddhas! The composition of the picture is full, the characters are lifelike, and the scene is grand. Standing in front of this huge mural, the majestic appearance of the third Buddha seems to be illuminated!
There are still cuts around the mural, which makes everyone feel sad and regretful, but at the same time they are shocked by the majesty and magnificence of the mural and turn pale - this is definitely a national treasure!
"This is really a national treasure..." I don't know who murmured, with a tone of emotion about the vicissitudes of life. Some Buddhists have already started to pay homage on the spot.
And more people were indignant, "You actually want to auction such a national treasure mural?"
"How shameless is it to put money in your pocket with cultural relics stolen from others?"
"Give us back our national treasure!" At this time, someone yelled, and someone behind him started shouting slogans!
Someone had already taken out a camera and started taking pictures of the mural. Although many of the people present were agitated, they still understood the situation and knew that they could not change anything at all, so they took the photos and planned to upload them online. Today's mural should be on display for the first day, because before, people in China had only heard that the mural was going to be auctioned, but they didn't know what it looked like. Now that the picture is spread out, maybe it can put some pressure on the Ladis Group.
But some people were very excited, shouting slogans, jumping into the cordon without saying a word, and ran towards the tempered glass outside the mural display cabinet! The alarm suddenly sounded, and the scene became chaotic!
The tour guide was shocked. Although she knew it was impossible to destroy the glass manually, she kept shouting: "Dear tourists, please do not break through the cordon. You are violating British law and will be arrested!"
But her voice was drowned in the shouts of the angry crowd. The security personnel guarding the mural immediately shouted and entered the cordon. They took out their batons and started fighting with the angry tourists on the spot. At this time, a large number of security personnel came in at the entrance of the exhibition hall, and the scene was chaotic.
Hu Jiayi did not expect that such a thing would happen when she brought Xia Shao to visit the museum. Seeing this chaotic scene, she immediately turned around and asked loudly: "Xiao Shao, what should I do?"
"Back off first!" Xia Shao protected Hu Jiayi and stepped back. As he stepped back, he looked inside the cordon. When he saw the Chinese tourists being beaten to the ground with electric batons, with painful expressions, he couldn't help but squint his eyes with a cold look! According to her temperament, she will definitely take action on this matter. But she didn't move today - she had a mission this time, and it was for the return of the Dunhuang murals. A small impatience will ruin a big plan!
Just thinking about this, when Xia Shao was retreating, his eyes glanced at Yingzhao and nodded to Wang Fei and Bi Fang. Bi Fang's eyes flashed, and Wang Fei and Wang Fei seemed to be protecting Xia Shao as they walked out, but in fact they were rubbing their hands. On the edge of the cordon, when passing by a security guard standing in the cordon who kept swinging his stick at the Chinese, Bifang skillfully touched the side of the man's clothes with his hand.
His tricks are quick and his angles are clever, making him a master thief. If Xia Shao hadn't had good eyesight, she wouldn't have been able to see it at that speed. But the moment she glanced over, she flicked her fingertips quickly. When Bifang, who had never missed before, touched the man's waist, he suddenly felt a dark force and blocked his hand outward! At this time, Bi Fang had already passed by the security guard, and it would be too strange to go back. He had never missed a move before. Just as he was wondering, Xia Shao said, "Let's go! Let's talk after we get out!"
Yingzhao was anxious when he saw Bifang's failure. When he heard Xia Shao's words, he immediately frowned, but considering the chaotic scene in the exhibition hall, her expression did not arouse suspicion. But seeing that there was no chance to make another move, the group had no choice but to protect Xia Shao from the exhibition hall.
After arriving outside, the situation in the exhibition hall had attracted the attention of tourists from other countries. Taking advantage of the commotion at the door, Xia Shao and his group quickly left the museum.
The group went to have lunch first. Xia Shao said she was a little tired, so she took Hu Jiayi back to the hotel where they stayed last night. After arranging for the hotel to open a suite for Hu Jiayi, Xia Shao led Xu Tianyin's team into the presidential suite.
As soon as he entered the room, Yingzhao asked: "Bi Fang, what happened just now? Why did you miss?"
Bi Fang stopped smiling and turned serious, "I don't know either. Just now... I encountered inexplicable resistance." Looking back at that time, he looked confused, but he couldn't explain what happened at that moment, so he asked Xu Tianyin He said, "I'm sorry, boss! This was my mistake! I will find a way to make up for it, and after the mission is over, I will also write a report and accept punishment!"
"It's okay, let's find a way." Xu Tianyin was not a comforting person, but he patted his teammates on the shoulder, and Bi Fang suddenly looked guilty.
However, Yingzhao frowned and looked at Xia Shao with a serious expression, "Miss Xia, please explain why you asked us to leave just now! That security officer has what we want, which will be of great help to us in obtaining the mural." Bi Fang Although we missed, the scene was very chaotic. As long as we were in the exhibition hall, we would definitely have the opportunity to do it again. But because of your decision to leave immediately, we missed the opportunity to obtain important things. There was a riot in the exhibition hall today. The exhibition of the murals was very It may stop. Do you know how much more difficult your decision makes it for us to complete our mission?"
Wang Fei and Bi Fang were stunned after hearing this and looked at Yingzhao. They have been comrades-in-arms with Yingzhao for many years, and they know her character well. She is an excellent agent with a strong sense of responsibility and cannot tolerate mission failure. Although she had some personal feelings for her boss, when facing Xia Shao, she always put her mission first and was never affected by her personal feelings. But Xia Shao's decision today may have made her a little angry.
"Forget it, Yingzhao. Let's just think of a way." Wang Fei, the most loyal among the three, began to persuade him to make peace. Although Yingzhao's accusation is reasonable, it will make it difficult for the captain to handle it. And, to be fair, the requirements for Yingzhao are a bit high. Xia Shao was not a professional agent, so helping them this time was putting herself in danger. She had no professional training. How could she be required to make a professional judgment at that moment? Moreover, it was their first time working together, so it was normal for them to lack tacit understanding.
"Yes, it's common for emergencies to happen during missions. It's not like we haven't encountered them before. Just think of a solution." Bi Fang also advised.
Unexpectedly, the words of the two made Yingzhao even more angry, "Do you think it is easy to obtain a huge mural that is three meters high and seven meters wide? When you said these words, did you already have a way to make up for it? If not, don’t make it so easy!”
Yingzhao thought that he would not be troubled by personal emotions during the mission, but now Wang Fei and Bi Fang both said good things to Xia Shao. They were clearly favoring Xia Shao for the sake of the captain! Now the person who falls short of the level of an agent is not her, but the two of them!
"I have a way." Xu Tianyin said expressionlessly, causing the three people who were arguing to be stunned and all looked at him.
"Captain." Yingzhao's tone obviously softened, "You have also seen the target of this mission. It will be difficult for the four of us to reach the target location."
"I have a way." Xu Tianyin still said the same thing, with a cold voice and eyes like an eagle.
Wang Fei and Bi Fang looked at each other with a sharp look in their eyes. Although they did not speak, their eyes towards Xu Tianyin were full of hope. They knew the leader's temperament and he never spoke nonsense. His words are pitiful, but as long as he speaks, he will practice what he says!
Not once is it unsuccessful!
Although this mission is difficult, the boss must have a solution!
At this time, a chuckle suddenly came from the room. The four of them were stunned and turned around to see that Xia Shao had sat down on the sofa without knowing it. She was still holding a teacup in her hand. The elegant and light aroma of black tea filled the air. She took a sip and smiled leisurely.
This gesture made Yingzhao's eyes sparkle again. It was this woman who had made things complicated. How could she still laugh? Do you really think that because the captain is protecting her, she won't dare to hit anyone
"If you want to obtain this mural, the first thing you have to consider is not how to obtain it, but to determine whether it is authentic." Xia Shao ignored Yingzhi at all and dropped the bombshell unhurriedly.
Wang Fei and Bi Fang were both stunned, but Yingzhao smiled sarcastically, "Miss Xia, what do you mean by this? Are you saying that the mural on display in the British Museum today is fake?"
It is not surprising that it is fake. After all, the diplomatic relations between China and Britain are tense now because of this mural. It is indeed possible for the Ladis Group to take precautions and create a high-quality fake to confuse some people. After all, the people staring at this mural now should not only be from China, but also famous thieves from various countries. How could an experienced agent not understand these things? What makes Yingzhao laugh is that she is also an expert when it comes to antique appraisal.
Although the agents are not proficient in everything, at least they are a team and everyone is good at something. In terms of antique appraisal, the country has specially trained her, and she has a unique eye for antiques from all over the world. To be honest, although Xia Shao started out as an antique dealer, her appraisal vision may not be as comprehensive as hers.
"Captain, that mural is authentic!" Yingzhao said to Xu Tianyin. Wang Fei and Bi Fang breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this. They were very convinced by Yingzhao's judgment.
Xu Tianyin only glanced at Yingzhao, then looked at Xia Shao and asked, "Fake?"
"Captain?!" Yingzhao looked at Xu Tianyin in disbelief. What he just said undoubtedly questioned her ability, "Captain, we have performed so many missions together, you should believe in my ability!"
Did the captain's judgment fall short because of this woman
Xu Tianyin turned to look at Yingzhao again. This time he didn't just glance at her, but kept staring at her. His face was expressionless, his eyes emotionless. But Yingzhao was shocked, and the cold murderous aura that instantly penetrated her chest was like a sharp blade, making her face turn pale and she had to shut her mouth and not dare to speak again. It wasn't until she slowly lowered her head that Xu Tianyin said coldly: "In my eyes, this mission is the only one."
In my eyes, this mission is the only one...
Yingzhao suddenly raised his head and stared at Xu Tianyin, his eyes shocked. Wang Fei and Bi Fang also lowered their heads in shame. They all made a mistake that agents should not make - relying too much on past achievements and trusting their own judgment too much.
No matter how many times they have completed the mission before, it was before, this time is this time. Every mission is different, and their attitude toward the mission should be as if it were their first mission and should not be influenced by previous experience.
"I'm sorry, captain. I fell short of my standards this time!" Yingzhao's face burned, feeling embarrassed, but she had her own pride and was unwilling to admit her mistakes, so she immediately bowed her head and apologized.
Xu Tianyin then withdrew his gaze, looked at Xia Shao, and asked again: "Fake?"
Xia Shao smiled, put down the tea cup, raised his eyes, and nodded, "It's definitely a fake."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
There are still a few red envelopes left and they will be distributed today. Anyone who left a message on the 12th can log in and go to the control panel - consumption record - my award record to view it.
I'll look at it in the evening and I should have all posted it.