Amidst laughter, the group slowly arrived at Elder Tao’s residential compound. Wang Guan and the driver strained to carry the boxes up, and after knocking on the door, they carefully set them down in the living room.

At the same moment, Elder Tao appeared, looking greatly surprised: “Why are you all here? And carrying a box…”

“Teacher, we found the things.”

Putting aside the matter of having been sold, Qiao Yu was quite pleased and hurriedly handed the canvas to Elder Tao.

“What?”

Elder Tao started, then instantly cried out in a mixture of joy and disbelief: “It’s really been recovered?”

“You’ll know once you look, Teacher,” Qiao Yu said with a smile. “Not only did we get the painting back, but we also acquired a Tang Dynasty Buddha statue along the way.”

“A Buddha statue?” Elder Tao carefully unfolded the canvas while looking quite puzzled. “What Buddha statue?”

“This one.”

At this moment, Wang Guan also lifted the statue out of the box. Elder Tao glanced over, his body trembling slightly, and he exclaimed in shock: “Isn’t this the Vairocana Buddha from Grotto Seventeen? How is it here?”

“Someone must have stolen it out,” Qiao Yu admitted, slightly confused. “But then again, when we visited the grottoes at Tianlong Mountain, the statue in Grotto Seventeen seemed to still be there…”

“It must have been swapped,” Wang Guan mused. “The one in the grotto is a replica; this one is the genuine article.”

“Let me see.” Elder Tao composed himself and strode over, moving directly behind the statue. He fumbled briefly beneath the back pedestal, and his expression immediately changed: “It really is real.”

“Teacher, you’re that certain?” Qiao Yu wasn’t disbelieving, just curious.

“No doubt about it,” Elder Tao explained. “This Vairocana Buddha, according to our research, should date back to the era of Empress Wu Zetian. The pedestal is inscribed with the Guangwu Inscription. Though most of the inscription has weathered away by now, some fragmented phrases remain.”

“The Guangwu Inscription?” Qiao Yu was even more confused. “What is that?”

“A piece of flattering writing, full of praise and sycophancy,” Wang Guan chuckled. “Back in the Tang Dynasty, the emperor’s surname was Li, and they revered Laozi, Li Er, as their ancestor, leading to a national policy of promoting Daoism over Buddhism, which greatly displeased many monks. During Wu Zetian’s reign, some monks felt their opportunity had arrived and immediately fabricated this text to curry favor with her…”

“The content of the article is simple enough—it basically implies that Wu Zetian descended from a manifestation of the Buddha and should replace the Li Tang dynasty as the female ruler. To put it plainly, it was political opportunism, flagrantly flattering behavior.”

Wang Guan’s tone held a hint of sarcasm. “However, the effect was remarkably significant. Wu Zetian already harbored the ambition to become emperor herself, and the appearance of this Guangwu Inscription was like someone delivering a pillow just as she was dozing off. Naturally, she was extremely pleased. After formally ascending the throne, she immediately reciprocated: reversing the Li Tang emperors' ranking of Dao above Buddhism, she explicitly decreed the precedence of Buddhism over Dao.”

“Oh.” Qiao Yu nodded vaguely.

“Madness, sheer madness.”

By now, Elder Tao understood what had happened, his body trembling with rage. He roared, “These people have such gall! Completely blinded by greed, to actually do something like this—aren't they afraid of becoming national traitors?”

“Teacher, you said it yourself, they’ve fallen head over heels for money. People die for wealth, and birds die for food. If they aren’t afraid of losing their heads, why would they care about anything else?” Qiao Yu consoled him. “People do things, and Heaven watches. You shouldn't get worked up over them; in a few days, they will receive the punishment they deserve.”

“It’s not about angering myself, it’s heartache,” Elder Tao lamented. “In the past, it was because our country was weak that our treasures were snatched away, and there was nothing we could do. But now, no one is snatching them, yet people are deliberately giving them away…”

“Elder Tao, you don’t need to be too heartbroken,” Wang Guan comforted him. “The main issue is that our country has too many people. When you have a large population, there are bound to be some of mixed quality. It’s quite normal for a few despicable wretches who forget their ancestors to appear.”

“Exactly, generalizing is not good,” Qiao Yu quickly seconded.

“Alas…”

Elder Tao sighed deeply, the joy of recovering the lost painting completely evaporated. After a long pause, he asked, “How did you manage to get it back? Your grandfather made a move, didn’t he?”

“Yes… and no.”

Qiao Yu’s eyes flickered, and she deliberately pouted. “Grandfather sent people to retrieve it, but he wanted to keep it for himself privately. Then Wang Guan promptly sold me off to get it back. So, I took a massive loss, Teacher, you must compensate me…”

At first, Elder Tao was naturally puzzled, only fully grasping the situation after Qiao Yu’s explanation.

“Heh heh, you two are playing games again,” Elder Tao laughed, then shook his head. “This is serious business. Qiao Si has discretion; he must have been joking.”

“If he achieved his goal, then it was definitely a joke. Otherwise, you know his character; a joke might turn into reality,” Qiao Yu said helplessly. “To put it bluntly, he’s just like an ancient feudal patriarch.”

“Not that exaggerated; Qiao Si is relatively enlightened.” Saying this, Elder Tao didn't sound entirely convinced. In the end, he chuckled, “Regardless, I must thank you both.”

“Teacher, just verbal praise? Isn't there anything substantial?” Qiao Yu asked with a slight smile.

This was intended as a lighthearted remark, but Elder Tao seemed to take it seriously. After a moment’s consideration, he smiled and said, “Wait right there, I’ll go get it.”

“Teacher, I was just kidding,” Qiao Yu quickly explained when she heard this.

“I was planning on giving it to you anyway…” Elder Tao chuckled, walked into the room, and soon returned with a scroll.

“What is this?”

Qiao Yu might not accept the gift, but she was very curious whether the scroll contained calligraphy or a painting.

“A painting, a very meaningful one,” Elder Tao said with a hint of wistfulness, speaking softly. “This is a work from twenty years ago, which I’ve kept ever since. I’ll give it to you now.”

“Your painting, Teacher?”

Qiao Yu’s interest was piqued, and she immediately took the scroll, carefully unrolling it on the table. It was mounted as a hanging scroll, depicting a female figure. Her hair was piled high, her face delicate, her robes flowing, yet her figure possessed a slight fullness, and her attire was splendidly ornate, naturally radiating an air of dignified grace.

“Teacher, who is this?” Qiao Yu examined it for a moment, feeling puzzled. “She looks like someone from ancient times.”

At this point, Wang Guan glanced at it and remarked with a smile, “The figure is full and elegant, the colors refined and rich—this should be in the style of a Tang Dynasty court lady painting. It is rendered very realistically, and based on the visual effect, it should belong to the Shu Hua (upright/vertical painting) technique.”

“What is Shu Hua?”

This question came from Bei Ye, who was also curious.

“Before the Tang and Song dynasties, mural painting was prevalent, and painters worked standing up. Even when painting on silk or cloth, it was often stretched onto a frame and painted vertically, similar to how we paint oils today,” Wang Guan explained. “The angle of the brushstroke and the force of the arm in this upright method differ from flat painting laid upon a table, making them easy to distinguish.”

“That’s right,” Elder Tao smiled and nodded. “It’s actually a type of mural, except I didn't paint it on a wall; I painted it on paper.”

“Teacher, you rarely paint on paper.”

At the same time, Qiao Yu looked surprised, then gently said, “You also said this painting has been treasured for twenty years, so it must be something you hold dear. You should keep it; why give it to me?”

“Don’t think this painting is that precious,” Elder Tao chuckled. “You must realize that twenty years ago, my skill had not reached its peak. What I painted was barely passable, perhaps third-rate work.”

“Elder Tao, you are being too modest.”

Wang Guan observed the painting but held a different view. “Your painting deeply captures the spirit of Tang Dynasty court lady portraits. The elegance within the fullness and grace is precisely the unique style of a beauty from the High Tang period. This demeanor—overflowing with prosperity, confidence, contentment, and grandeur—is unprecedented and unrepeatable, embodying the spirit of an entire era.”

“Especially the woman in the painting—adorned in magnificent finery, yet in every gesture, she lacks the melancholy of spring sorrow found in common palace maid paintings. Instead, she possesses an energetic spirit of a heroine who is second to none,” Wang Guan said with a smile. “In modern terms, she is a very confident and independent woman…”

“Naturally,” Elder Tao smiled faintly. “The first female emperor in history—how could she not be confident?”

“What?”

Wang Guan was stunned, asking in astonishment, “This is a portrait of Wu Zetian?”

“Most likely!” Elder Tao recalled nostalgically. “Twenty years ago, I was invited by the Tianlong Mountain Grottoes to conduct a comprehensive survey and maintenance of the murals. Back then, the nation’s investment in maintaining local cultural relics wasn't as deep as it is now, so the condition of the grotto murals was naturally not very good…”

“The first time I saw this painting, it was on the wall of one of the grottoes. That mural was already severely damaged, and most of the figure patterns were quite indistinct, except for this portrait, which was relatively well-preserved.”

At this point, Elder Tao sighed softly. “I was somewhat famous at that time. Surrounded by flattery, I inevitably developed a bit of arrogance, my tail completely up. When discussing the restoration of the murals, I ignored the advice of others and insisted on using certain mineral pigments for inpainting.”

“The effect of the inpainting was striking; the mural regained its former brilliant colors. However, several months later, the mural suddenly began to crack naturally, and it couldn't be repaired at all. I could only watch as it disintegrated completely.”

Elder Tao shook his head slightly, his face etched with bitter regret. “It turned out the pigment I used was a highly corrosive chemical dye that reacted with the ancient mineral pigments, resulting in this catastrophic outcome. Seeing that scene filled me with remorse. I confined myself to reflection for a month, and only then did I create this painting.”

Hearing this, Qiao Yu naturally offered comfort: “Teacher, you didn't mean to do it…”

“No, you don’t understand. Whether intentional or unintentional, neither is an excuse,” Elder Tao shook his head and sighed again. “Just like now, twenty years later, haven't I repeated the same mistake?” (To be continued)