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"It happened several hundred years ago anyway; there’s no point in discussing it now…” At this moment, Fang Mingsheng chuckled, “The item is a gift for you; I hope you like it.”

Wang Guan managed a smile. “Liking it isn’t exactly the word, but the item is exquisite and worth collecting for appreciation. Once I grow tired of admiring it, I can put it up for sale at Shiyi Pavilion and probably fetch a few hundred thousand.”

It was already quite late into the night, but perhaps because of the wine consumed at dinner, Fang Mingsheng was in rather high spirits. After presenting the gift, he unexpectedly stood up and invited, “Wang Guan, are you interested in seeing my collection room?”

Was that even a question? Of course, he was interested. Upon hearing this, Wang Guan didn't even consider refusing and agreed without hesitation. Despite his suspicions about Fang Mingsheng’s character, he couldn’t deny that the man was wealthy and certainly willing to spend heavily on acquiring items, meaning his collection room must hold numerous treasures.

As a competent expert, Wang Guan naturally wouldn't miss an opportunity to appreciate rare artifacts.

“This way, please…”

Fang Mingsheng, beaming, extended his hand and led Wang Guan through twists and turns to a heavily secured room. Stepping inside, Wang Guan looked around, his eyes involuntarily showing amazement.

It should be noted that this was merely one of Fang Mingsheng’s temporary residences, so the collection wouldn't be vast. In a space of perhaps twenty or thirty square meters, only about seven or eight items were displayed.

Of course, there was no doubt that these items were rare pieces, absolutely qualifying as treasures. However, the Daqian Painting of the Red Gauze Girl could be ruled out first; it was a scroll that had just been placed and already viewed, so there was no need to waste time on it.

“Come and take a look at this piece.”

As the host, Fang Mingsheng was quite diligent. He called Wang Guan to the center of the room to show him the most prized possession in that entire chamber.

Take note: this was only the best piece in this room, not the best item in Fang Mingsheng’s entire collection. But if he recommended it with such pride, the item certainly couldn't be ordinary.

And so it was. Wang Guan walked over and was surprised, yet also somewhat awestruck. The object was a hat… Well, "hat" is a modern term; in ancient times, it would be called a guan or a mianguan.

“A Nine-Bead Mianguan!”

Wang Guan examined it closely, his expression strange. “Is it real? Or a replica?”

It was no wonder Wang Guan asked this. The mianguan was an item that, in ancient times, only emperors and princes were qualified to wear. Never mind commoners; even unqualified officials wearing one would certainly face execution for defying propriety.

As for what a mianguan is, perhaps many people don’t know… Actually, if one pays close attention to period dramas involving imperial courts, one can see the hats worn by emperors: flat on top, with strings of dangling beads front and back, swaying as the emperor moves his head. That is the mianguan.

It must be noted that this is a distinct marker for Han Chinese emperors; there’s a difference between emperors of minority ethnic groups and Han emperors—don’t confuse them. For instance, Qing dynasty emperors wore a round hat resembling a pot lid, whereas Han and Tang emperors wore the mianguan.

The ancients had specific regulations for attire; they weren't formulated arbitrarily. Legend says that the ancients observed celestial phenomena above and earthly laws below. Reverencing the grace of heaven and earth and emulating the beautiful patterns of nature, they established rules for vestments, distinguishing ranks, status, nobility, and commonality. It is rumored that the term Huaxia (a classical name for China) was initially used to describe attire and etiquette.

“China has great ceremony, hence Xia; it possesses beautiful vestments, thus Hua.”

“Magnificent robes and ceremonial splendor are called Hua; a great nation is called Xia.”

In ancient times, the early ancestors wove clothing from hemp, and later invented silk. At that time, surrounding tribes were likely still in a very primitive stage of eating raw meat and drinking blood, perhaps even still wearing animal hides and playing with stones.

Humans are like this—perhaps due to social attributes, or perhaps stemming from innate nature. They always like to compare and establish hierarchies, so they formulated strict systems of ceremonial attire.

But how could one differentiate between noble and common ranks even among similar mianguan?

This minor issue certainly couldn't baffle the intelligent ancients. After all, there were strings of dangling beads both in front and behind the mianguan. By manipulating these beads, the matter could be easily resolved.

These dangling beads are generally called miuliu. The front and back sections of liuyu are strung together with five-colored silk threads and five-colored round beads. The number of liuyu is determined by the wearer's status, ranging from three, five, seven, nine, to twelve. Twelve liuyu signifies the highest honor, reserved exclusively for the Emperor.

This Nine-Bead Mianguan before them, therefore, belonged to the rank of a Prince or a Commandery Prince.

However, for well-known reasons, this type of Han imperial mianguan would have been strictly prohibited during the Qing Dynasty, making the survival of an actual artifact highly unlikely. If one exists, it must be either an archaeological find or a replica—which is why Wang Guan posed that question.

“What do you think?” Fang Mingsheng countered with a smile.

“That’s hard to say,” Wang Guan mused. “I recall there are only two authentic imperial mianguan specimens. One is the antique-style emperor’s mianguan worn by Yuan Shikai during his restoration, now housed in the National Museum of China. The other is the Nine-Bead Mianguan excavated from the tomb of Prince Lu Huang, Zhu Tanling. But since Yuan Shikai’s imperial mianguan was never recognized by anyone, the only genuine one is the Nine-Bead Mianguan of Prince Lu.”

“Looking closely, this Nine-Bead Mianguan does bear some resemblance to Prince Lu’s Nine-Bead Mianguan.”

The item was inside a glass case, so Wang Guan couldn't handle it for a closer inspection; he could only offer these judgments. Considering Fang Mingsheng's solemn introduction, he suspected it was genuine.

Thinking of this, Wang Guan couldn't help but glance at Fang Mingsheng. If the item was authentic, it could only mean one thing: another prince's tomb had likely been robbed.

However, Fang Mingsheng didn't confirm this, merely chuckling, “Didn't you say it yourself? Whether it's real or fake, as long as it's beautiful, that’s enough.”

In an instant, Wang Guan secretly rolled his eyes. How could those be the same? The nature of the objects was entirely different. But sensing that Fang Mingsheng was being evasive, the possibility that the item was genuine grew stronger.

Despite this, Wang Guan had no intention of exposing him, merely nodding in agreement. “It is indeed beautiful. The surface is covered with black lacquer over silk, inlaid with gold circles and borders, and nine strings of jade beads hang front and back, implying a hall full of gold and jade.”

“Exactly…” Fang Mingsheng nodded repeatedly, then gestured again with a smile. “Come and look at this next item; it took me a great deal of effort to obtain.”

The word "obtain" suggested the item was not simple. Wang Guan graciously followed suit and looked over, finding it both unexpected and plausible. The item was a wooden fish—a very ancient-looking wooden fish.

“This is an relic belonging to a highly virtuous, great monk from Baiyun Temple in Yangcheng,” Fang Mingsheng explained with a fixed smile at this moment. “That master used this wooden fish his entire life to chant scriptures and pray for the salvation of his followers. After his passing, I begged the abbot for a long time before he consented to bestow this ritual implement upon me.”

Seeing Fang Mingsheng’s delighted expression, Wang Guan felt a little speechless.

This item, while arguably precious—being the relic of a high monk, it would certainly be a treasured ritual object for devout believers—didn’t seem particularly valuable in monetary terms. After all, the wooden fish was made of ordinary cypress wood; even with the finest craftsmanship, its price could never skyrocket.

Of course, Wang Guan didn't mean to look down on it. The world of collecting is inherently full of uncertainties. If you genuinely love something, regardless of others' opinions, as long as you feel it’s worthwhile, then it's not a loss.

Clearly, this wooden fish held extraordinary significance for Fang Mingsheng. Wang Guan could understand him treasuring it; even if he didn't agree inwardly, he wouldn't say much outwardly.

“Duk, duk, duk…”

Appropriately, Fang Mingsheng struck the wooden fish. Hearing the crisp, pleasant sound, his smile slightly faded, and his expression grew quite serene. Even if it was psychosomatic, the effect achieved demonstrated that obtaining this item was not in vain for him.

“…Pardon me.”

A moment later, Fang Mingsheng realized the time, quickly putting the wooden fish away and smiling apologetically before turning to direct him, “Take a look at this next piece.”

“An oil painting?” Wang Guan frowned slightly upon seeing it.

“That’s right, an oil painting,” Fang Mingsheng smiled. “I bought this in the United States. Is it okay?”

“Uh…”

Wang Guan blinked, hesitating. “Boss Fang, doesn't this painting look very familiar to you?”

It was indeed very familiar, frequently appearing in collections of world masterpieces. The famous Van Gogh Sunflowers—even those who haven't seen the original painting have likely heard its name.

“I know what you’re about to say—that I was cheated and bought a fake?” Fang Mingsheng laughed heartily. “This is actually a copy, painted by a reasonably well-known artist in America imitating Van Gogh's masterpiece. It only cost a little over a hundred thousand, not that expensive.”

Wang Guan smiled, fully understanding that the currency unit of "a little over a hundred thousand" was definitely US dollars. Since his knowledge of oil paintings was limited, he merely offered non-committal nods while Fang Mingsheng commented, offering no critique of his own.

Sensing Wang Guan's waning enthusiasm, Fang Mingsheng spoke a few more sentences before leading him to view other items. These included a jade bowl from the Qianlong period, a porcelain plaque painting by the Eight Friends of Zhushan from