In an instant, Wang Guan fell into contemplation. While Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was out of the question—the manuscript could not possibly be related to him—Emperor Zhenzong of Song seemed highly plausible. After all, the silk paper of the manuscript dated back to the Song Dynasty, and apart from the illustrated narrative of Confucius's life, the presence of the seemingly "irrelevant" Emperor Zhenzong suggested a possible connection.

No, not perhaps—there must be a link.

At the opportune moment, Wang Guan asked directly, "Elder Qian, are you suggesting that the carvings and paintings in the Hall of Sacred Traces originally began with Emperor Zhenzong?"

Thinking carefully, it wasn't entirely impossible. During Zhenzong's reign, he had famously promoted auspicious omens, conducted grand sacrifices at Mount Tai (the Eastern Feng Rite) and Mount Liang (the Western Yi Rite) to flaunt peace, extensively built Buddhist and Taoist temples, and staged the Feng and Shan ceremonies.

The so-called Feng and Shan rites were major imperial ceremonies performed in ancient China during times of great peace or when celestial omens appeared, meant to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. These were usually held at Mount Tai because, in the ancient mindset, Mount Tai was the highest of all mountains, the foremost peak, and only by sacrificing there could the emperor be considered mandated by Heaven.

Of course, it must also be noted that the Feng and Shan ritual was not something just anyone could perform. Across China's thousands of years of history, setting aside instances before the Qin Dynasty that are hard to verify, the number of people who actually performed the rites at Mount Tai is exceedingly small.

Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were certainties. Then came the Tang Dynasty. Even Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, known as the Heavenly Khagan, despite his merits, faced strong opposition from his court officials when he wished to perform the rites, leading to its abandonment. Li Shimin never performed the rites, but his sons, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) and Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji), both held grand Feng and Shan ceremonies at Mount Tai.

After them came Emperor Zhenzong of Song, who orchestrated the farce of a celestial mandate descending from the heavens as a heavenly book.

Logically, Emperor Zhenzong was unqualified for the Feng and Shan rites, as ancient imperial ideology placed conditions upon them: either an era of great peace or the descent of auspicious omens. An emperor only needed to fulfill one of these two conditions during his reign to proceed.

These two conditions were vague and difficult to judge. Li Shimin’s tragedy lay right here: because the dynasty was newly established and in a period of recuperation, the court officials felt the standard of a "peaceful, prosperous age" had not yet been met, deeming the ritual inappropriate, hence their concerted opposition. With so many objecting, Li Shimin had no choice but to forgo the opportunity to proclaim his achievements.

If even Li Shimin did not perform the rites, then Emperor Zhenzong was certainly unqualified. After all, even the relatively enlightened Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of Song dared not attempt it; for Zhenzong to dare do so required an astonishing thickness of skin.

Speaking of Emperor Zhenzong, he was the third son of Emperor Taizong, neither the eldest nor the son of the Empress. Originally, he had no right to inherit the throne, but due to the crown prince going mad and the second son dying suddenly, the succession fell to him. This situation could be described as being struck by a pie from the sky—incredibly fortunate.

However, the ancients said that fortune and disaster are intertwined, and there was reason to it.

Emperor Zhenzong was such a case; even after becoming the heir apparent, upon Emperor Taizong's death, his joy turned to sorrow as he immediately faced a palace coup plotted by the eunuch Wang Jien and the Empress Dowager. Fortunately, he was saved by loyal court officials, allowing him to ascend the throne smoothly.

Yet, what was even more grim was that the Liao Dynasty and the Song Dynasty were not peaceful, frequently engaging in warfare. Within a few years of Zhenzong’s enthronement, the Liao launched an all-out invasion, driving their horses to the banks of the Yellow River, their blades aimed directly at Bianjing (Kaifeng).

Amidst widespread panic, it was fortunately Kou Zhun who turned the tide, persuading Emperor Zhenzong to lead the army personally. With morale greatly boosted, the Liao army’s aggressive spirit was severely blunted. However, this resulted in the Treaty of Chanyuan, setting the ignominious precedent of paying annual indemnities for fragile peace.

Perhaps realizing this was a disgrace, Emperor Zhenzong adopted an ostrich mentality, refusing to face reality. He not only sought self-deception but also wished to deceive the entire realm, fabricating an illusion of widespread peace and national prosperity. Under his direction, auspicious signs successively appeared across the country to demonstrate this prosperous age.

Eventually, he disregarded the opposition of numerous court officials and headed straight to Mount Tai for the Feng and Shan rites.

It was precisely these absurd actions that suddenly emptied the treasury, which had been relatively sound financially, leaving a mess for Emperor Renzong. This led later to events like the Qingli Reforms and Wang Anshi’s New Policies.

It may have been due to Emperor Zhenzong's reckless behavior that no subsequent Song emperor dared to perform the Feng and Shan rites, nor possessed the audacity for it. By the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang simply abolished the ritual of sacrificing at Mount Tai, replacing it with other forms of reverence.

In other words, Emperor Zhenzong was the last emperor to perform the rites at Mount Tai, which is why Wang Guan retained some faint memory of it. Moreover, Mount Tai is in Tai'an, Shandong Province, not far from Qufu. Since he had already traveled to Mount Tai, he certainly wouldn't mind taking a trip to Qufu to pay respects and sacrifice to the Sage Confucius, demonstrating respect for scholars.

Emperor Zhenzong truly did this. After sacrificing to Confucius in Qufu, he not only bestowed many gifts but also elevated the status and treatment of the Confucius family, perhaps even ordering the expansion or repair of the Confucian Temple...

"Of course, those are secondary details."

At this moment, Wang Guan asked curiously, "Elder Qian, judging by your demeanor, you seem to know who the artist of the Sacred Traces paintings was?"

"It feels like one person."

Elder Qian smiled, "As far as I know, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, there was a painter who modeled his style after Wu Daozi. His brushwork flowed like water, brimming with the spirit of Wu's 'wind-swept robes' technique, very similar to Wu Daozi."

"At the age of seventeen, this man painted the walls of the Laozi Temple on Mount Mang, achieving exquisite perfection. Later, he painted the Thirty-six Celestial Emperors in the Shangqing Palace in Luoyang, where the portraits of the Emperor of Bright Red (Chiming) and the Heavenly Emperor Yang resembled Emperor Taizong. Zhenzong saw them and sighed at the divine quality of the brushwork."

Elder Qian smiled, "During the Jingde era of Emperor Zhenzong, the court undertook the construction of the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, summoning three thousand painters from across the land; only a hundred or so were selected and divided into two departments. This man was appointed the head of the Left Department..."

"Elder Qian, you mean Wu Zongyuan!"

Wang Guan’s mind raced, and he instantly thought of the person: "The creator of The Immortal Staff Scroll of the Celestial Court, a follower of Wu Daozi’s style, the person whose technique came closest to Wu Daozi's."

"Exactly, him," Elder Qian chuckled. "Other than him, I truly cannot think of anyone in the Song Dynasty capable of rendering such flowing figures, garments drifting in the breeze, with meticulously varied line density—a forceful and fluid baimiao (outline drawing)."

"Yes, that’s correct."

Wang Guan pondered and agreed wholeheartedly, "Wu Zongyuan was active during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong; the timing matches perfectly. Moreover, his specialty was murals. According to historical records, he painted many murals in Luoyang and Kaifeng, such as the Thirty-six Emperors' portraits in the Luoyang Shangqing Palace, the Procession of Sacred Emperors at the Central Peak Tianfeng Temple, the images of Indra and Brahma at the Longxing Temple in Xuchang, and the sandalwood auspicious images in the Sutra Repository."

"But it's a pity that those were all murals, and due to natural disasters or man-made calamity, none have survived. Only one piece, The Immortal Staff Scroll of the Celestial Court, which was a preparatory sketch for a mural, was mounted and preserved as a painting, surviving to this day."

As he spoke, Wang Guan sighed lightly, "But that piece is in America..."

"The changes in the world are bizarre; there is nothing to be done about it. You cannot force what is not meant to be; don't dwell on it too much," Elder Qian advised briefly, then smiled, "Besides, your luck isn't bad. This long scroll of the Confucius Sacred Traces should have been a sample for the carvings in the Hall of Sacred Traces, yet the Kong family managed to carefully preserve it. That truly is a stroke of great fortune."

"Indeed, it’s not just my luck, but everyone's luck," Wang Guan replied with a slight smirk.

"Heh heh."

Elder Qian chuckled, then suddenly asked, "The next stop for the Treasure Roadshow should be Hefei, right?"

"Yes."

Wang Guan nodded, "It was originally scheduled for Nanjing, but considering the proximity of the two cities, and since Hefei is followed by Shanghai, people from both Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces can easily go. So, Nanjing was skipped. Right now, the focus is on giving everyone a brief taste. Once this initial wave of excitement subsides, we will arrange detailed stops in every first-tier city..."

"Mmm," Elder Qian agreed, then pondered, "Since that’s the case, you should travel to Shanghai. Before the roadshow begins there, replace the Holy Grail and seize the opportunity to unveil this long scroll of the Confucius Sacred Traces."

"...Elder Qian."

Wang Guan immediately became thoughtful upon hearing this, "Has someone started paying attention to the Holy Grail?"

"Almost," Elder Qian nodded slightly. "These past few days, quite a few people have been indirectly probing my intentions. Since that's the case, let's make them anxious for a while. I’m not afraid of them remaining indifferent."

"No problem..."

Wang Guan agreed enthusiastically. After resting in the capital for two days, he traveled directly to Shanghai. Not long after landing, he received a call from Yu Feibai.

On the phone, Yu Feibai let loose a string of complaints. It turned out that Yu Feibai had gone home to celebrate his grandmother's birthday for over a month; the banquet must have passed long ago. However, since his grandmother felt slightly unwell, his parents were busy with serious matters, and his elder brother had to look after his wife and newborn child, they couldn't accompany her.

But someone always needed to be with the elderly, so this duty naturally fell to Yu Feibai, causing him to miss out on much excitement, which naturally led to his lamentations.

"It’s better this way; if you were here, you’d only stir up trouble and mess things up," Wang Guan laughed. "Tell me, why are you calling? It can’t just be to complain, can it?"

"It's not me looking for you; it's Lu Chongming," Yu Feibai said casually. "That fellow has been shut off from the world, cultivating intensely behind closed doors, so his information flow is naturally limited. He only recently learned about the Treasure Roadshow and these rare treasures; he couldn't sit still and eagerly rushed to Hefei to see them, only to find tickets were long gone. He could only glare outside the exhibition hall."

"And so, he complained to me. I accidentally sold you out," Yu Feibai admitted frankly, "That's the situation. He’s in Shanghai now too. Even though he managed to get a ticket, he wants to use a back channel to examine the items up close..."

"A small matter," Wang Guan replied readily. "I'll contact him directly shortly."

"Okay, oh, wait!"

Just then, Yu Feibai hesitated, "From what he said, it seemed like besides viewing the treasures, he also had something else he wanted your help with..."

"What is it?" Wang Guan sounded slightly surprised.

"I don't know; you’ll have to ask him yourself."