Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

Wang Xi was sitting cross-legged in his computer chair, watching the data in the backend skyrocket, his mouth practically stretched to the back of his head in a wide grin.

"Over a million views! With this kind of viewership and popularity, I, Wang Xi, am finally going to rise up and sing my praises!"

In a great mood, he decisively uninstalled the Pinhaofan app from his phone.

"I have to treat myself today." Wang Xi opened a Meituan app and, with trembling hands, ordered a premium braised chicken rice for himself, and even went so far as to add a double portion of chicken.

Half an hour later, Wang Xi was sitting in front of her computer, slurping up the rich broth of braised chicken while brainstorming the script for her next video.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A knock sounded at the door, followed by the deliveryman's hurried voice: "Mr. Wang, are you home? Your package has arrived. It's a bit heavy, please sign for it!"

Wang Xi, biting into a piece of chicken, got up and opened the door, puzzled.

"What the hell? I'm broke these days, I haven't even bought a mousepad, where did this express package come from?"

Wang Xi was startled when she opened the door.

Three huge boxes were neatly stacked in the hallway outside the door.

"Wait, what are all these?" Wang Xi rubbed her eyes, various scenarios flashing through her mind. "Could this be some kind of inheritance sent to me by some reclusive wealthy grandfather? Or... will three delicate and beautiful anime girls suddenly jump out of the box?"

The delivery guy made him sign the form, gave him a look like he was crazy, and then quickly left.

It took Wang Xi a tremendous amount of effort to drag the three extremely heavy boxes into the cramped room.

"Phew—I'm exhausted! Come on, let me see what kind of amazing treasure is inside!"

Wang Xi rubbed his hands together, eagerly ripped open the seal on the first box, and yanked open the lid.

The moment he saw it, the smile on Wang Xi's face froze.

"What the hell is this?" Inside the box, there were no luxury car keys, no property deeds, and no anime/manga character.

It was just a pile of rough, yellowed paper, stacked neatly like a small mountain, and of an unusually large size.

Wang Xi picked up a piece of paper and examined it carefully.

The paper was thick, with some blurry words and intricate patterns printed on it. At the very top, one could vaguely make out the words "Da Ming Tongxing Baochao" (Great Ming Circulating Treasure Note).

However, due to the extremely poor printing quality of this thing, coupled with the extreme lack of modern people's knowledge of ancient paper money, Wang Xi did not even consider it as an antique.

"These dark, indistinct patterns, this rough texture... could this be some new type of high-denomination ghost money issued by the Heaven and Earth Bank?"

Wang Xi felt a chill and quickly threw the paper back into the box.

Looking further down, beneath the paper money, there was a stainless steel basin that looked like an aluminum alloy.

"Holy crap!" Wang Xi was so angry she almost overturned the basin. "What does this mean? Sending a box of ghost money? And a washbasin? Are they telling me to burn paper money in a basin? Which hater did this despicable thing! Damn, this is so unlucky!"

Filled with rage, Wang Xi kicked the first box away and slashed open the second one while cursing.

Wang Xi peeked out and was immediately stunned.

In the very center of the box sat a uniquely shaped bronze artifact covered with intricate inscriptions. Beside it was a small wooden box wrapped in fine silk.

"Oh ho, is this an antique ornament?" Wang Xi carefully took out the bronze mythical beast statue and examined it closely under the lamp.

Although he is not an expert in treasure appraisal, he has watched quite a few treasure appraisal videos on Douyin (TikTok).

In his mind, bronze artifacts should all be green and covered in rust, exuding a sense of vicissitude.

But this bronze artifact in front of me... it's too new. Absolutely ridiculously new.

The gold and silver inlay on the surface is sparkling, the lines are smooth and sharp, and there is not a speck of dust. It doesn't look like it was buried in the ground at all.

Wang Xi rolled his eyes speechlessly, flicked his finger on the bronze artifact, and produced a crisp sound.

"With this quality, you call this a Western Zhou bronze artifact? I think it's from last week! You couldn't get it for more than 9.9 yuan with free shipping at the Yiwu Small Commodities Wholesale Market."

He casually tossed the bronze artifact aside, muttering, "This generation of haters really has money to burn, always pulling these fancy pranks."

Wang Xi resisted the urge to throw the pile of scrap metal downstairs and slit open the last box.

The culmination of the efforts of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

As soon as the box was opened, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted out.

The first thing that catches the eye is a pair of extremely exaggerated cups.

Wang Xi took one out, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Wow, it feels quite heavy."

Looking at the lifelike animal head and the two blood-red gems inlaid in the eyes, Wang Xi couldn't help but sigh.

"The workmanship is really exquisite. The current industrial standards are indeed amazing. This resin molding technology, combined with the glass imitation gemstones, looks just like the real thing."

He took the cup and walked to the windowsill. Looking at it in the sunlight, he saw that the pigeon blood ruby ​​emitted a captivating, dark red light, crystal clear and radiant.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this handicraft would be quite nice as a water cup, it looks impressive."

Finally, Wang Xi's gaze fell on a scroll at the bottom of the box.

The scroll's axis was made of jade, and the silk covering it was incredibly smooth.

"What kind of high-quality counterfeit is this again?" Wang Xi muttered, pushing the braised chicken lunchbox aside, clearing a space on the computer desk, and carefully unrolling the scroll.

As the scroll unfolds, a rich aroma of ink wafts out.

Wang Xi leaned closer, squinting as he looked at the flowing, elegant calligraphy line by line.

"In the ninth year of Yonghe, the year of Guichou, at the beginning of late spring, we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji..."

As Wang Xi read, his voice gradually softened, but his eyes widened more and more.

Although he was a poor student in college, he had at least studied "College Chinese," and he knew about this famous article that has resonated throughout history.

"These flowing strokes of the brush, these corrections..." Wang Xi gasped sharply, letting out a curse.

Holy crap!!!

"The Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion?!"

Wang Xi's brain froze for a full ten seconds. "No way... what kind of international joke is this?"

"Wasn't this a long-lost treasure? It's said that Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, took it to Zhaoling Mausoleum, but later Wen Tao robbed the mausoleum, and its whereabouts became completely unknown!"

Wang Xi quickly took out his phone and frantically searched for the authentic copy of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection.

All existing copies are imitations, the most famous being the Shenlong version, which is housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Wang Xi fell into deep thought.

He looked down at his phone, then looked up at the calligraphy scroll on the table, which exuded a faint scent of ink.

"This means..." Wang Xi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The museum has one set, and I have one set?"