Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 328 This is a talent

The autumn sun slanted across the blinds, cutting the light spots into tiny diamond shapes.

The pothos plant dangled from the top of the cabinet, swaying slightly with the air conditioning.

Two knocks sounded on the door. Li Chunnan looked up and said, "Come in!"

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Chen Peng peeked out furtively.

He looked around, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes: the political commissar wasn't there, the executive officer wasn't there either, only his master was there.

This doesn't seem right.
In the past, whenever Master called in a normal tone and asked him to come to his office, there were only three possibilities:
One type is when there's a temporary assignment, and the other is when a major case needs to be analyzed within a small group. In these two situations, either the political commissar or the executive officer is present, or both of them are there.

Another situation is that if you accidentally cause trouble, some bastard will complain to your master. If your master doesn't have any evidence right away, he will trick the bastard into coming over to extort money from you.

At times like this, besides the master and his apprentice, there would be no third person. Even the secretary wouldn't dare enter without the master's permission.

Like now.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Chen Peng's eyes started darting around. Li Chunnan glared at him and said, "Get in here like a thief!"

"Hey, Master!" Chen Peng chuckled awkwardly and quietly closed the door. He moved forward inching along, as if shuffling.

My mind raced, trying to recall the cases I'd handled recently, whether I'd gone too far, or made any mistakes.

But even as he walked up to his desk, he couldn't remember which one it was.

It was obvious what he was thinking. Li Chunnan sighed, "What are you standing there for? Sit down!"

Wait, it's not because of making a mistake?
If you make a mistake, forget about sitting down, you probably won't even have time to get your feet on the ground before something flies at you.

It could be a teacup, a stapler, or even a wired mouse and keyboard. Whatever flies over depends entirely on what the master has on hand and what's convenient.

They didn't hit or scold him, and even offered him a seat... It seems they're about to get down to business?

Chen Peng felt a sense of relief, and his face beamed with smiles. But instead of sitting down, he eagerly picked up Li Chunnan's teacup: "Master, let me make you some tea!"

"He's shameless," Li Chunnan said, both amused and exasperated, pointing at him with her finger.

After brewing the tea, Chen Peng sat down opposite Li Chunnan. Li Chunnan picked up his teacup and pointed to a document on the table: "Take a look!"

What is this? A letter of assistance from another location?
Chen Peng glanced at it, took it in his hand, and then he was stunned:

Confidential ★ Five Years

Public Security Bureau Investigation Notice No. [2008] XX

Issuing authority: Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Express (in bold).

Addressed to: Shaanxi Provincial Public Security Department.

As soon as he looked up, Chen Peng's pupils involuntarily contracted.

Good heavens, five years of classified information, express delivery in bold?
Moreover, the case was sent directly from Beijing to the provincial department. How big must this case be?

Looking further down, sure enough:

Case details: The tomb robbery case in Yi County, Hebei Province, and the 928 major murder case.

Case filed on September 28, 2008.

Assistance provided by: Lin Sicheng...

Before he could even read the first four characters, the three characters "Lin Sicheng" pierced his eyes like three needles. In an instant, Chen Peng felt a "buzz," as if all the blood rushed to his head, and his brain felt like it was about to explode.

My eyelids kept twitching, and my mind was a complete mess: Lin Sicheng robbed tombs and even killed people... What kind of nonsense is this?

At the same time, Chen Peng leaned forward, jumped up, and slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang": "Lin Sicheng killed someone? That's bullshit..."

Li Chunnan held his teacup, staring blankly at him. After a long while, he glanced at the documents again.

"From now on, don't even mention that he's my apprentice. I can't afford to lose face like that... Open your dog eyes and take a good look!"

Master, what else do you want me to do?
The Muling tomb robbery case, the 928 major murder case, the suspect: Lin Sicheng...wait, something's not right?
Chen Peng's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on that line... not involved in the case, but assisting?

Wait... what kind of document is this?
Whose coordination letter is written like this?
According to the normal format of a coordination letter, the date of case filing should be followed by the main suspects, and then their basic information. The person requesting assistance in the investigation is this individual. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they are almost certainly the principal offender.

So when Chen Peng saw the name Lin Sicheng, he felt like the sky had fallen. He didn't even bother to look closely; the name wasn't preceded by "person involved in the case," but rather "assistant."

But this wasn't his fault: he'd been a policeman for half his life, working in all 34 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of the country, and he'd never seen a letter of assistance like this before.

Why is the letter requesting assistance in investigating personnel instead of criminal suspects?
But never mind all that, let me breathe a sigh of relief first: those bastards in Beijing, they're terrifying!
This is only possible because it's in the master's office. If it were in the bureau or the department, people would absolutely laugh their heads off: He can't even read all the documents, yet he's the deputy director in charge of criminal investigations. What are you even doing?
But to be honest, anyone who knows Lin Sicheng well, or is close to him, would be shocked to see his name at the beginning of this document.

If you don't believe me, call He Zhigang and Guan Xingmin over and try it.
Chen Peng took two deep breaths, and seeing Li Chunnan glaring at him, he quickly picked up the documents.

Looking further down, Chen Peng exclaimed "Eh!"

This is indeed a letter of assistance in an investigation, but there is more to it:

(Top Secret ★ Five Years)

Public Protection Line [2008] No. XX

Protected object... Protection number... Category of case... Risk level assessment... Source of threat... Risk of identity exposure... Area control...

And specific requests include: home security, family safety, movement protection, information isolation, communication security, counter-surveillance measures, etc.

Chen Peng's eyes widened little by little, his pupils flashing with surprise and doubt.

This is actually a special agent identity protection assistance letter?

What does this mean?
Does this mean Lin Sicheng... became an undercover agent for his colleagues in Beijing?

Has he lost his mind?
Chen Peng was panicked before, but now he was shocked and suspicious: He remembered that Lin Sicheng went to Beijing more than half a month ago, saying that he was helping some research institute with a project. How did it turn into a special operation?

And Wang Qizhi, are you just a nobody?
The Muling tomb robbery case, a major murder case... Just by looking at the first four words of these two sentences, Chen Peng could imagine what type of criminals they were, what scale they were, and what their modus operandi was.

That's an imperial tomb! If we brought Yu Dahai back from abroad and gave him ten lives, would he dare to rob it?
Old Wang, Old Wang, how much do you wish your student would die quickly?

Feeling uncertain and apprehensive, Chen Peng started from the beginning and watched it three times in total.

That's right, a special protection assistance letter.

That's right, the person being protected is Lin Sicheng.

He blinked his eyes and stared intently at Li Chunnan.

"What are you standing there for?" Li Chunnan put down his teacup. "It's just normal assistance in the investigation. Lin Sicheng has assisted before, hasn't he?"

Chen Peng looked puzzled and pointed at the document: "No... Master, of course he assisted! But the problem is, back then Yu Kejie had more than a dozen guns, and he repeatedly raided the thieves' dens, yet we didn't cause such a commotion?"

"The two groups weren't even in the same league!" Li Chunnan tapped the table. "Back then, Yu Kejie didn't even know if he existed. As for small fry like that female leader, they all assumed he was from Zhejiang..."

"Let alone these small fry, even if Yu Dahai himself came, before he even committed any crimes, when he was still the renowned Yu Zhiguo of Guanzhong, ask him: would he have the ability to go to Zhejiang and investigate whether there really was such a 'Zhejiang Boss'?"

After a brief pause, Li Chunnan sighed again: "But this time is different. A kidnapping, murder, and even gunfire in broad daylight in Beijing. And more than a week after the incident, they've only found a few third-level leaders? Use your brains and think carefully about the nature of this case..."

Chen Peng was startled: To draw guns in the capital city, he didn't know how to spell death.
The key point is that they only found out the third-level leader... How high must the level of this mole be?
Just as he was secretly wondering, he suddenly realized: "Is it Lin Sicheng who's been kidnapped?"

"Nonsense, how do you think he got his special agent status?"

"He was stabbed?"

"I was stabbed, but thankfully, nothing serious: two stabs to my back, one to my shoulder, and one to my arm!" Li Chunnan gestured. "I was injured in self-defense!"

Self-defense?

Chen Peng's hand trembled involuntarily: No... Lin Sicheng, they have guns?
Without even asking, Chen Peng could picture the scene in his mind: Lin Sicheng was cornered at gunpoint.

For most people, they would have surrendered without a fight. But for Lin Sicheng: "Go to hell..."

Good luck!

He took a deep breath: "How many were injured?"

Li Chun looked at his apprentice strangely: No wonder they were birds of a feather, they really do know each other quite well?

Chen Peng immediately realized: as long as Lin Sicheng didn't fall, the other party would have to fall...

“Five were injured…” Li Chunnan paused, “and three were crippled!”

Chen Peng clapped his hands: "We're all in the police force. When Master talks about being 'disabled,' he means it's real disability, the kind that lasts a lifetime."

Should.

Suddenly, he became excited again: "We can't just stand there and let him beat us up. I reckon the number of people who kidnapped him will be more than double... Not only do they have knives, but they also have guns? This kid's got guts, this kid's got guts..."

Muttering to himself, he held up the coordination letter again, but it only contained the coordination content and didn't mention the case details at all.

Chen Peng looked at it over and over: "How did he offend these people and set a grave on fire?"

How could Lin Sicheng be so reckless?

"It's said that I ran into them while browsing Panjiayuan..." Li Chunnan shook his head, "It was a strange coincidence, a twist of fate..."

He gave a rough explanation, and Chen Peng pieced together the story: Lin Sicheng was just unlucky; during a fight between two groups of tomb raiders, one of them shot him (as a scapegoat). The other side thought he was an accomplice, so they sent men to kidnap and kill him.

Neither group had ever imagined that this was a cunning and ruthless individual: young in stature but skilled in manipulation and capable of ruthless violence.

These people are in deep trouble: of all people to mess with, why did they have to mess with him?
Lin Sicheng will definitely dig up every last detail about them.

Then everything that followed made sense: Lin Sicheng couldn't have been stabbed several times for no reason and acted like nothing had happened, could he? He would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't dig out these people... That's exactly how Lin Sicheng got his special agent job.

Hmm, but that's not right?
Chen Peng pointed to the document again, "He was attacked while browsing Panjiayuan. Then what about this major murder case in Muling, Yi County?"

"You spend all your time with Lin Sicheng, you know him so well, how could you not have thought of that?"

Li Chunnan scoffed, "Of course he dug it up... It's said that based on a copper coin, Lin Sicheng followed the clues, first finding a robbed imperial concubine's tomb, and then digging out five skeletons from the tomb robber's hole..."

I rely on?

Brother, you're amazing... Our colleagues in Beijing really hit the jackpot.

If this were in Xi'an, and if this were my own case, it would at least be on the agenda for the provincial department's year-end conference.

Whether you'll receive an award or get criticized, only God knows...

Chen Peng pondered for a moment, then picked up the documents again: "Master, I'll handle this. I guarantee it'll be done perfectly!"

"Well, make the file as realistic as possible, preferably with some connection to Yang Bin and the Lü brothers (a major tomb raiding gang in Shaanxi)... Also, the other party may investigate Zhao Xiuneng's identity, you can make some use of that."

Also, erase all information related to the school and create a fake one. You'd better go in person and communicate with the school leaders... In addition, just in case, send two experienced people to the research center, preferably young and not too conspicuous..."

Chen Peng patted his chest: "Master, don't worry!"

After giving another salute, Chen Peng left the office.

Li Chunnan thought for a moment, then picked up the landline and dialed the number of the department leader: "Leader, it's been arranged. I've asked Chen Peng to handle it personally... Yes, the investigation process of this Muling tomb robbery case is indeed quite typical. After Xiao Lin returns, I'll take Chen Peng with me to personally go to the school to discuss it..."

"Yes, good... Don't worry, Director!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Chunnan leaned back and muttered to himself, "Even a sharp awl in a bag can't hide its brilliance."

……

Beijing.

The sky was high and the clouds were light, the sun was shining brightly, and the woman was reclining in a deck chair, basking in the sun by the window.

Holding my phone, the calls kept coming in, one after another.

Ren Danhua waited quietly to the side, glancing at her phone screen every now and then: Big Boss, Second Boss, Third Boss, Director So-and-So...

He was just looking for someone to help him with his hair, but the older woman made such a big fuss, as if the kid was an undercover police officer.
But she only thought about it in her mind...

It took almost an hour before the woman put down her phone, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes.

Thinking she had gotten bad news, Ren Danhua's eyelids twitched: "Big sister, how is it?"

The woman slowly straightened her back.

Ren Danhua acted swiftly, placing a cushion under the woman's waist.

"I'm not even seventy or eighty yet!" the woman chuckled, then clicked her tongue in amazement, "You really are a prodigy?"

Ren Danhua was stunned for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that there are no problems. If there really are problems, whether or not the items are replaced is secondary. The bosses will definitely hold her accountable, and she will definitely be blamed.

Now I'm relieved. The man's background is reliable; at the very least, I can get him to fix that watch...

The woman put down her phone: "The second boss personally asked through connections: he said this child is Yang Bin's nephew. You know Yang Bin, right?"

Ren Danhua nodded: "South China Sea, North China Mountains, find Yang San in Guanzhong."

These three are renowned tomb raiders in Shaanxi Province, and even in the four provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Shanxi.

Yu Dahai fled a long time ago and is now in exile overseas. Miao Taiyue (Beidashan) seems to have committed a crime as well; whether he has been arrested is unknown, but we haven't heard from him for almost a year.

Only Yang Bin, who had been imprisoned for several years, had his death sentence commuted to a suspended death sentence, and then to life imprisonment.

Of the three, this one is the most unique: in addition to stealing, he also sells, appraises, and dismantles hairpins.

Especially in the area of ​​appraisal and restoration, Yang Bin built a large building in Xi'an as an appraisal and restoration center, and invited experts in appraisal and restoration from all over the country. In terms of both scale and technology, it is second to none in the entire Northwest region.

Moreover, Yang Bin himself is a renowned expert in appraisal and restoration in Northwest China. It is said that there is nothing he cannot appraise or repair, whether it is gold, silver, copper, tin, pottery, porcelain, paper, wood, or even jade, silk, horn, or other materials.

"No wonder he has such a keen eye and even better skills at such a young age?" Ren Danhua suddenly realized, "Did he learn from Yang Bin?"

“Not only that!” The woman shook her head. “It’s said that when he was twelve or thirteen, he started learning appraisal and restoration from Yang Bin, spending all his time in Yang San’s building. After five or six years, Yang Bin had nothing more to teach him, so he sent him to Old Lady Zhao’s place, where he’s been learning ever since. It’s also because of this that he wasn’t implicated by Yang Bin…”

"According to information obtained by the second boss's friend, it is said that the student has surpassed the master; this child's skills are not only better than Yang Bin's, but even better than Old Lady Zhao's..."

Ren Danhua was taken aback: "Yang Bin knows Old Lady Zhao?"

"It's more than just knowing him. Yang Bin was Old Lady Zhao's apprentice, and he studied under her for five or six years. His skills are several levels higher than Zhao Xiuneng's..."

Huh, does that make sense now?

Ren Danhua had never met Old Lady Zhao and wasn't sure if the child's skills were even better than the legendary Zhao Baixian. However, she had had items repaired by Zhao Xiuxian before, so she knew very well that the child's skills were at least better than Zhao Xiuneng's.

The key point is the attitude of the two brothers and the three fathers towards the child: they followed his lead and obeyed his every command.

It seems that while the Zhao family relied on him to revive their family's reputation, the key was his ability to win people over with his skills...

Just as she was thinking about it, the woman stretched out her hand: "Where's that sachet? Let me take another look?"

Ren Danhua quickly opened her bag and took it out.

The woman took it in her hand, back and forth, over and over again.

She was the head of the operation, specifically responsible for handling leftover stock. But in her earlier years, she had experience in cemetery raiding, selling, and even receiving goods.

The saying goes, "to draw inferences from one instance to another." Although she couldn't dissect the details, she definitely understood: this sachet was beyond description as merely "skilled," it was "exquisite."

She's even worse than Old Lady Zhao...

The woman sighed again: "I heard that his specialty is porcelain. Compared to that, his skill in repairing gold and silver is only average."

"Huh?" Ren Danhua was taken aback and looked at the sachet in the woman's hand. "Mending it like this, it can only be considered average?"

What should a good repair look like?

"Old Mrs. Zhao has two broken chicken cups, which are with him. Whether they've been repaired or not is unknown, but if he couldn't, Old Mrs. Zhao wouldn't have given him such rare items. She certainly wouldn't have allowed her eldest son and two grandsons to fawn over him like servants all day long..."

The woman put down the sachet. "Leaving aside doucai porcelain, at least the second boss's friend can be certain: whether it's blue and white porcelain, wucai porcelain, or enamel porcelain, he can handle it with ease..."

"Moreover, he has fully inherited Yang Bin's true teachings: he is proficient in everything from stargazing and mountain surveying to water divination, dragon vein searching, and gold analysis..."

Ren Danhua's mouth was open, and her peach blossom eyes were shimmering with tears.

She can appraise and restore... These are two skills she has personally witnessed: with just a glance from afar, without even touching them, she can tell 99% of the age, material, and origin of an object.

It even knows exactly where it broke, where it was repaired, and how it was repaired.

As for repairing it... the sachet is right in front of me. My older sister has been immersed in this field for half her life. She has more knowledge and experience than I do. If she says it's good, then it must be good.

Moreover, he can repair ceramics, even better than gold and silver artifacts.

What are the most common funerary objects found in ancient tombs? Ceramics, of course. And ceramics are also the most easily damaged and broken.

More importantly, he was also skilled in geomancy and knew how to find the dragon vein and divide the gold.

Grave robbing is easy, and selling the goods is even easier. As long as you're bold and unafraid of death, anyone can do it.

But finding graves is a purely technical skill. How many times have we, including my older sister and Ma Shan, suffered losses and setbacks in this area?
It was precisely because they lacked such talent, and even more so because of the competition for talent, that they, who were originally all in the same boat, turned into bitter enemies.

In the end, they had to change careers: one became a middleman, and the other became a doormat...

Zhao Xiangyue was getting more and more excited. The woman's eyes gleamed, and she moved her lips, saying, "Big sister, this is a talent!"

Once you bring them over, you can make endless money...

The woman remained noncommittal: he was indeed a talented individual, and a true all-rounder. But she always felt something was amiss.

So young, so capable, so skilled, why would someone choose to rob tombs?

Moreover, there's a precedent: his uncle is still in jail...

"Don't panic, haste makes waste. Fix this first!" The woman tapped the table. "Find an opportunity for me to meet the person..."

Ren Danhua perked up: "Meet in person?"

"Meeting him wouldn't be out of the question, but it would be best if he didn't know who I am. But I'm also afraid that he already knows me?"

The woman thought for a moment, then said, "How about this, you arrange it, and I'll take a look through the mirror."

"Okay, big sister!" Ren Danhua replied, then suddenly remembered, "Oh right, Qianjin House must have surveillance cameras, would recording it work?"

"Judging a person's character is based on their appearance; you can't judge them just by watching a video. You definitely need to see them in person..." The woman shook her head. "But bring it over first, and I'll try to verify it..."

Ren Danhua nodded and immediately called Feng Shizong. After exchanging only a couple of sentences, she instinctively froze: "What? The surveillance footage was stolen? Heh, Mr. Feng, could you at least make this story more believable?"

After saying something else, Ren Danhua angrily hung up the phone, gritting her teeth: "You haven't even crossed the river yet, and you're already trying to destroy the bridge... Feng Shizong, do you have a death wish?"

The woman, however, felt something was amiss: with such a large Baizengzhai restaurant right there, and it's not like we can't get in touch with them, there's no need for this whole charade.

When were the security cameras lost?

"They said that the shop was burgled the day before yesterday and several pieces of silverware were stolen."

The woman frowned: "Stealing silver from a jewelry store? Are you blind or have you lost your mind?"
(End of this chapter)