Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 661: Use the other person's way to repay the other person's kindness

Upon returning to the capital, Gao Dongxu and Huang Yanyan went straight to the Huang family's old residence, only to find it empty.

Upon making a phone call, it was discovered that Huang Kewu, Liu Yiming, and Director Luo had all gone to the hospital to find Xu Yuan, who was hospitalized due to illness.

The two had no choice but to rush to the hospital again, where they met Director Luo and his group in the ward, all of whom had gloomy expressions.

As for Xu Yuan, he was pale and in a state of utter dejection.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Huang Yanyan immediately stepped forward and took Huang Kewu's arm, asking with some concern.

"It's all because of this kid's good deeds—" Huang Kewu glared at Xu Yuan, who was sitting on the hospital bed, looking dejected, with a look of utter disappointment.

When Director Luo saw Gao Dongxu return, his eyes lit up, and he asked with concern, "Have you finished dealing with it?"

"Yeah, he's just a conman. I let him go, and he's already fled." Gao Dongxu said simply, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Has the person behind it all come forward?"

As soon as he asked this question, Liu Yiming, Huang Kewu, a stranger who was meeting him for the first time but also had the face of an actor, and Xu Yuan, who looked dejected, all looked up at him.

Director Luo looked at Gao Dongxu with bright and sharp eyes and nodded, saying, "Just as you predicted, after we came forward to refute the rumors, this morning, Hong Kong media reported that Bai Ruilian Auction House claimed that they had obtained the original 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' from an unnamed collector and planned to auction it off publicly, with all proceeds donated to Project Hope."

Bai Ruilian also stated that they are willing to cooperate with professional appraisal institutions to clarify the truth. She also included a lengthy historical account, explaining that the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll confiscated by the imperial court from Yan Song's residence was a forgery by Wang Shizhen. The genuine article was taken to Wang Shizhen's home and remained hidden among the people until it was revealed to the public today.

"Bai Ruilian Auction House?"

I vaguely remember the name Gao Dongxu. He is from a major antique auction house in Hong Kong. According to information I have seen before, he is known for auctioning genuine works by Mi Fu and a Ming blue and white porcelain piece.

"Hehe, there's always supporting evidence, and even a single piece of evidence isn't insurmountable. They're very well prepared." Gao Dongxu smiled faintly, then looked at Director Luo and continued to ask, "Even using my solution, you, the leader, are still frowning. It seems the other side has resorted to even more insidious tactics, right?"

Everyone in the ward looked at Gao Dongxu with bright eyes. Only then did they realize that the series of amazing operations and responses from the Cultural Relics Protection Bureau were the work of Gao Dongxu.

Hearing Gao Dongxu accurately point out that the opponent had another trick up their sleeve, the group, who had been at a loss, seemed to see a glimmer of hope and looked at Gao Dongxu with expectant eyes.

"Well, I was planning to call you later, but you're back just in time. Bairuilian Auction House has issued a statement saying that it is willing to publicly accept carbon-14 testing by an authoritative institution along with the Palace Museum's collection," Director Luo said with a hint of helplessness.

"Ha—that's pretty underhanded indeed." Gao Dongxu said with disdain upon hearing this.

Carbon-14 dating is a scientific method for determining the age of cultural relics; it is also known as radiometric dating.

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope. As long as plants and animals on Earth are alive, they will continuously inhale carbon-14 through respiration. When organisms die and stop respiration, the carbon-14 in their bodies stops increasing and decays over time.

Because carbon-14 decays at a very stable rate, with a constant half-life of 5730 years, its age can be estimated simply by detecting the carbon-14 content in biological remains.

The reason Gao Dongxu called the other party insidious is because carbon-14 dating is not a non-destructive test; it requires extracting a sample, specifically a section of the painting, from the center of the image. Bai Ruilian might be willing to go to any lengths, even damaging their "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll, but the Palace Museum would never allow that.

Emperor Huizong of Song ascended the throne in 1100, while the forgery of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" could not have occurred earlier than 1526. The difference of four hundred years barely reaches the limit of carbon-14 dating.

In fact, there is no need to calculate these four hundred years. Just look at which of the two "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scrolls comes first and which comes later, and all the questions will be answered.

In terms of public opinion, carbon-14 testing is currently the most impartial method. If the Palace Museum does not accept it, it will be seen as having a guilty conscience in the eyes of the public.

Whether you agree or not, you'll find yourself in a dilemma.

Director Luo stated that the Palace Museum would never accept damage to the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll. When asked by the media, the Palace Museum chose to refuse to respond.

Currently, public opinion is in uproar. Domestic newspapers are doing relatively well, as their reports have been suppressed, but overseas media have published lengthy articles questioning the authenticity of the Palace Museum's collection.

Moreover, the news stories that Xu Yuan revealed became particularly sensational, with some journalists even writing articles claiming that the whistleblower of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" had been detained and needed international rescue.

Gao Dongxu smiled and shook his head. Bai Ruilian's punch was indeed steady and ruthless, truly forcing the Forbidden City and the Five Families into a corner.

"The forces behind Bai Ruilian are indeed quite powerful. I think, according to their plan, the next step is to wait for the Palace Museum to refuse to respond to this matter, and then they will immediately commission an international authoritative institution to conduct carbon-14 dating on the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' in their possession. Once the test results are published, proving that the collection should be dated to 1000 AD plus or minus 400 years, which is exactly the Song Dynasty, then they will directly corner the Palace Museum and the Five Families. That will be the most fatal blow."

Upon hearing Gao Dongxu's analysis, everyone present changed color. They knew that the other party would definitely do that, and then they would truly be at a disadvantage.

Xu Yuan's hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. All of this trouble originated from him. His face was ashen. If things continued to develop, not only would the national interests be damaged, but the Five Families would also collapse because of him. He dared not think any further.

There are two versions: the genuine copy is from the Song Dynasty, and the forgery is from the Ming Dynasty. If the copy in Bai Ruilian's possession is proven to be from the Song Dynasty, then if the copy in the Palace Museum's collection refuses to be examined, it would be tantamount to admitting that it is a fake.

Previously, the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll in the Palace Museum did not have the author's inscription, which does not mean anything. It may have been dug up or damaged; all sorts of possibilities exist.

However, if another identical painting appears with complete inscriptions and is proven to be from the Song Dynasty, then comparing the two will raise serious questions about the authenticity of this painting.

This is like going to the police station to claim a wallet. If you can't remember the amount of money, it doesn't prove you're fraudulently claiming it; you might just have a bad memory. But if another person also comes to claim it and clearly states how many bills are inside, who would you, as a police officer, believe?
Therefore, the Palace Museum could previously respond to the doubts by citing "insufficient evidence." But once the carbon-14 dating of the Bai Ruilian version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is released, its escape route will be completely cut off, leaving it with no choice but to accept public confrontation.

Since the other party dared to let the two confront each other in public, they must have strong confidence that the Bai Ruilian collection can defeat the Palace Museum version and become the original of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

In contrast, the authenticity of the Palace Museum's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll, which has been evasive and avoids discussing its flaws, becomes increasingly questionable.

As the ward fell into a deathly silence, Xu Yuan suddenly looked up, her eyes red, and shouted, "I'm going to find the reporters now. I'll risk my reputation to tell the truth!"

At this moment, Huang Yanyan looked at Xu Yuan with annoyance and said coldly, "Don't you understand yet? This matter has nothing to do with you anymore! Nobody cares about whether this is a conspiracy or not. Everyone's attention is focused on the two 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' paintings. They are only interested in comparing the authenticity of those two paintings!"

"Am I just supposed to stay cooped up in my room doing nothing?"

"Xiao Xu, calm down! Your appearance now will only cause more harm to the Five Families!" Liu Yiming scolded.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan trembled, closed her eyes with a bitter smile, and lay down on the hospital bed.

Looking at the dejected Xu Yuan, Director Luo frowned slightly and said calmly, "Xiao Xu, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Even if you weren't the one who fell into this trap, someone else would have. The other party's methods are endless."

His words did not make Xu Yuan feel any better.

Looking at Xu Yuan lying flat, Gao Dongxu couldn't help but smile slightly, while Huang Yanyan said somewhat angrily, "Stop pretending to be dead, get up and let's think of a solution together—"

Xu Yuan sat up again with a bitter smile, looked at Huang Yanyan and said, "What can I do now? I know I was wrong. I want to make amends and clear things up, but you won't let me."

“They are right. You were just a catalyst, you’re useless now. Everyone, both domestically and internationally, is waiting to see how this goes. If you step forward to refute the rumors now, who will listen?” Gao Dongxu said with a faint smile.

Upon hearing Gao Dongxu's words, everyone looked at him with bright eyes, and without realizing it, they developed great admiration for Gao Dongxu's wisdom.

"Then... what should we do?" Xu Yuan looked at Gao Dongxu and said with a wry smile.

Gao Dongxu smiled and said calmly, "From the beginning of the scheme until now, the other party has been using the media and public opinion to desperately boost your reputation. It was a brilliant move, but they went a little overboard."

Therefore, to turn the tide, you must start here. And you are the key to making this game a success.

Xu Yuan looked bewildered and was a little confused. Just now, he was said to be useless, but now he is said to be the only one who can break the deadlock.

Having already realized what was happening, Director Luo, Liu Yiming, Huang Kewu, and the stranger all looked helplessly at Xu Yuan, who was still slow to react. Liu Yiming even raised his hand and tapped Xu Yuan on the head: "The one who tied the knot must untie it, understand?"

His tapping seemed to have instantly cleared his mind about making a wish.

"From the very beginning, the other side was waging a war of public opinion. They framed the Five Families by portraying me as a 'hero against counterfeits' and the Riverside Scene at the Palace Museum, which inadvertently increased my credibility in the public eye."

In the current situation, anyone from the Forbidden City or the Five Families who speaks out will be seen as making excuses, but I am the only one who will be safe. Therefore, in this battle, I am the only one who can confront them in public. I only need to produce evidence to prove that their Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival is fake to break the deadlock!" Xu Yuan's face became more and more flushed as he spoke, and his previous dejection vanished, replaced by excitement.

(End of this chapter)