Before coming, Grandpa checked Liu Shou's character. To be honest, no one in the entire archaeology team liked Liu Shou. Simply put, this young man was overly ambitious. To put it more deeply, Liu Shou had problems with his moral character, always trying to take shortcuts. This very smart child's mind was not on his work; he was solely focused on climbing the ladder and becoming a leader.
Facing a child like this, Zhao Shicheng's scheme to trap him could be considered understandable.
After thinking it through, Grandpa decided to help Zhao Shicheng retrieve the lost terracotta warrior heads. After all, these items were treasures of China, and they could not be allowed to fall into foreign hands due to some financial interests.
At this point, Grandpa looked at Zhao Shicheng's expectant gaze and said with a smile, "Your case involves the general's terracotta heads. It can indeed serve as a warning to others, but the scope is too small."
"What do you mean?"
"Those who have taken the terracotta heads will think that as long as they didn't steal them, it's not illegal."
"Yes, that's the situation. But what can be done? I've put in so much effort, just to prevent them from coming back to demand them." After speaking, Zhao Shicheng picked up a piece of beef and said metaphorically, "It's like this piece of beef, with both lean meat and fat. Who wouldn't drool over it? Then, you give this piece of meat to someone, and after they've eaten it, how do you get the meat back out?"
Grandpa smiled, "Terracotta warriors, to put it bluntly, are just sculptures. If you don't connect these terracotta warriors to Qin Shi Huang, would they be considered national treasures?"
"But the problem is that the terracotta warriors are connected to Qin Shi Huang!"
"Really? According to ancient texts, is this place truly the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang? Not necessarily."
Zhao Shicheng was taken aback, "History is a mix of truth and falsehood. It's impossible to verify its accuracy."
"Exactly, so we need to add stories to the terracotta heads, make them appreciate in value like rice and flour."
"What story?"
"Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang."
Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang is a story well-known to Chinese people. It roughly tells of the assassin Jing Ke, who took out a dagger and attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huang while presenting a painting.
Upon hearing Grandpa's words, Zhao Shicheng chuckled, "Old Lin, my education isn't high. The earliest I could work in the archaeology team was because I had strength and could dig fast. I'm no good at making up stories. Tell me, how do you plan to create a story?"
"Are there any bronze daggers among the unearthed artifacts?"
"I'll have to go back and ask."
"No need to ask. There is such a dagger, a burial dagger from the seventh year of Qin, made of bronze and inscribed with Qin Dynasty standard inscriptions."
Zhao Shicheng was completely bewildered by Grandpa's words, "And then?"
"Is your brother Zhao Shirui in the antique business?"
"Yes, he's just trying to make a living."
"Have him spread the word, accompanied by a photograph of this bronze dagger and the general's terracotta head. Let the merchants who want to buy goods understand that this set of 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang' is priceless."
Zhao Shicheng looked at Grandpa, "What's the use of this?"
"Once the news is out, many people will try to sell 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang.' After all, there are some terracotta heads on the market, and the antique market in Xi'an is never short of bronze daggers. Counterfeit 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang' will be everywhere. Then, we report it to the police, and the police issue a notice stating that trafficking in terracotta warrior heads is illegal and punishable by imprisonment, possibly even execution."
Zhao Shicheng frowned, "Then how do we get back the ones that were given away? Report them one by one? If they are reported, I'll be ruined. I can't afford to offend those people. I won't do this."
"Don't rush. Why would you report them? Not only will you not report them, but you will also tell them to hide the terracotta heads carefully during this period. If they are discovered or reported by someone with ulterior motives, they won't be able to hold their positions, and might even end up in jail. Most importantly, you must tell them not to talk, and you absolutely cannot say they came from you."
Zhao Shicheng understood and added, "If they don't want to take responsibility, they will send the terracotta heads back. At that time, I'll push everyone away. If those powerful people don't give me gifts, I won't accept them."
"Yes, you have to make them understand that there are risks involved."
Zhao Shicheng burst into laughter, "Brilliant, truly brilliant, Old Lin, you are too smart. If your mind were to scheme against someone, that person would be finished."
Grandpa was never a person constrained by rules. He acted with his own purpose and took responsibility for his actions.
If he could retrieve the national treasures, he didn't mind if the methods were somewhat shady.
That day, after discussing countermeasures with Zhao Shicheng, Grandpa returned home in high spirits, humming a tune. Upon entering, he hugged Lin Han and rubbed his stubble against her little face. With her grandmother's help, Lin Han wearily escaped and then went to her father's room to tell Lin Zhijun, "Daddy, I want to drink."
Lin Zhijun was stunned. How old are you, child, and you want to drink alcohol?
"Daughter, why do you want to drink alcohol?"
"It tastes good."
"How do you know alcohol tastes good?"
"Grandpa drank today, and he was so happy. Therefore, alcohol must be a good thing, and I want to drink it too."
Lin Zhijun found his innocent and lively daughter both amusing and exasperating, but he received a piece of information: Grandpa had been drinking and was likely tipsy.
After finally persuading the five-year-old Lin Han not to drink with a piece of candy, Lin Zhijun went to Grandpa's room and looked at him curiously, "Dad, why are you so happy?"
Fueled by the alcohol, Grandpa explained his plan to Lin Zhijun. During his description, Lin Zhijun noticed a lot of boasting. In Lin Zhijun's impression, his father had always been a maverick. In this era, everyone pursued stable jobs, but his father urged him to follow the trend of reform and opening up and start a business. Therefore, Lin Zhijun was not surprised that his father devised such a scheme as 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang,' a plan to deceive the common people for their own benefit.
"Dad, you've been tricked."
Grandpa expected his son Lin Zhijun to be astonished by his strategy, but instead, Lin Zhijun uttered this sentence, which left Grandpa utterly bewildered.
"Son, what do you mean?"
"You don't understand. The brothers Zhao Shicheng and Zhao Shirui, they cooperate seamlessly, both publicly and privately, for their own benefit."
"They are dealing in small items?"
"Not small items. The craze for terracotta heads on the market was created by Zhao Shirui. Although there's no evidence, I know that Zhao Shirui has sold at least two terracotta heads. I also heard that Zhao Shirui wants to buy back the terracotta heads his brother gave to others at a high price and then sell them to overseas merchants."
Grandpa still believed his son from the bottom of his heart, but he was somewhat unconvinced, "Those people have power and influence, why would they sell them? Even if they wanted to sell, wouldn't they sell them themselves instead of letting Zhao Shirui earn the price difference?"
"Dad, Zhao Shicheng thought of what you thought of too. He deliberately created such a theft case, making a big fuss, yet not a single national treasure was lost. What was his motive? Simply to avoid dealing with favors. Or perhaps, like you, he wants to protect the national treasures for the sake of the country and its people. Don't joke, he's not that kind of person."
"Then what is his motive? Two thousand yuan each, and with 8,000 terracotta warriors, he could at least get dozens, and gifting them wouldn't exceed ten."
Lin Zhijun smiled, "Dad, you understand antiques, but you don't understand economics. Economics isn't calculated like that. One warrior head is worth two thousand yuan, two might be four thousand, but ten definitely won't be two thousand each. It could even be one thousand each."
"Why?"
"In the antique market, rarity is value. I suspect Zhao Shicheng's initial motive for inviting you for drinks was for you to help him devise a plan to get back those terracotta heads. He would symbolically return a few to the museum, and with fewer remaining, those heads would still be worth two thousand each. But with your idea of 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Shi Huang,' not a single terracotta head can be retrieved."
"Isn't it said that rarity is value?"
"Yes, but the overall price has increased. With the cultural legend you've fabricated, two thousand yuan per terracotta head won't be enough. It will at least double."
Grandpa's eyes widened, his exhalations growing heavy, "Four thousand?"
"Yes, so it doesn't matter if Zhao Shicheng has more terracotta heads. Four thousand reduced to three thousand is still more profitable than before."
Hearing Lin Zhijun rationally analyze the current situation, Grandpa slumped into the chair in the study. Perhaps due to the alcohol, he sighed deeply, tears streaming down his face, "Heaven above, what have I done? I've aided and abetted evil."
Seeing his father's state, Lin Zhijun also felt saddened. In business, all are essentially the methods of black-hearted merchants. Fundamentally, Lin Zhijun did not want to offend Zhao Shirui, but seeing his father's distress, he felt a pang of pity and sighed, "Dad, how about I help you?"
"Help me with what?"
"Retrieve the national treasures."