âWhere did you get this jade ring?â Qin Cheng had seen this jade ring on Su Jingmoâs finger. Su Jingmo shouldâve been used to riding horses and shooting arrows for years, so the jade ring on his thumb had worn out. However, this one in the sellerâs hand was smooth, and the jade didnât have any marksâŚ.
In ancient times, the jade ring was originally used to pull the bow and arrow when snapping the string. It was set on the archerâs right thumb in order to protect the archerâs right thumb from being hurt by the bow string. During the Shang Dynasty, the jade ring also had the function of pulling the bow and protecting the finger, which was not only longer than the later jade ring, but it also had groove marks on it. In the Warring States period, it began to become shorter, while in the Han Dynasty, the jade ring had 3 sharp jade thin pieces, similar to a jade pendant, with a small hook used to pull the string, however, this functions didnât allow the jade ring to accept the force of pulling the bow so much. In the Song Dynasty there were some limitations of the jade ring from the Han Dynasty, and its style was more diverse, some flaky and some short cylindrical. In the Qing Dynasty, the jade ring was cylindrical, with one end concave inward, and one edge protruding forward. This way, it was more difficult to be used for archery because its raw materials were more rounded and lubricated, so it ended up becoming a symbol of decoration, identity, and popular trend.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong was fond of jade rings. Everyone who likes watching tv dramas knows that, and most of the well-known jade rings to modern society are from that period.
Qin Cheng remembers that not long ago, the price of a set of seven Qianlong Imperial jade rings were sold for more than 40 million HKD <sup>1</sup> , which shows the great value of the jade rings.
Su Jingmoâs jade ring is different from the late Qing Dynasty, which is a symbol of power and nobility. Except for the necessary ornaments, itâs not as round as the ones the Emperor Qianlong liked. Instead, itâs slightly thick up and down, with grooves in the middle, which was convenient for archery.
The jade ring the seller had on his hand was almost identical to the one Su Jingmo has on his finger, except that this one wasnât as worn and teared, as if the owner of this jade ring was someone who wasnât good at riding and shootingâŚâŚ
If that person had the same jade ring as Su Jingmo, then his status mustâve been similar to Su Jingmoâs. Qin Cheng guessed that, at least, the owner of this jade ring should also be a member of the Royal Family of Great Xu.
The middle-aged man, who took out the jade ring, heard Qin Chengâs words. When he saw that Qin Chengâs eyes were glowing, he knew that he mightâve found a big treasure. With a big smile on his face, he put the jade ring away. âI obtained this ring by looking at it over and over, since the jade is quite good. At first, I thought that it was a homemade high imitation jade ring, after all, itâs hard to find a jade ring that was used thousands of years ago, let alone one that has such an exquisite pattern as this one.â
Qin Cheng agreed on this. One should know that a dragon pattern hollowed out jade ring from the Tang Dynasty was sold for 400 million yuan <sup>2</sup> .
â However, I believe that this man also thinks that this jade ring doesnât look like any known Dynasty craftsmanship, so thatâs why he hadnât put it on display yet. â
âDo you know from what period this is from?â Qin Cheng asked tentatively.
âIt shouldâŚ. be from the Tang Dynasty, right? Or is it from the Northern and Southern Dynasties?â
The middle-aged man wasnât sure when he spoke, because the one who gave this ring to him at the beginning was also confused about the age of this jade ring, so thatâs why he sold it to him for such a low priceâŚ.
Carefully observing the middle-aged manâs expression, Qin Cheng was sure that the man in front of him wasnât sure from where this antique had come from. Then, he pretended to be a Taobao customer and approached the middle-aged man to ask him in a low voice: âDid you âtakeâ this antique out of the âwoodâ from the âearth slopeâ?â
âEarth slopeâ and âwoodâ is the local dialect for âtombâ and âcoffinâ, respectively. When Qin Cheng said those words, the middle-aged man hurriedly shook his head: âI donât dare to do such a thing. Itâs enough for me to resell antiques, I donât have the heart to dig other peopleâs ancestral graves, let alone the courage.â
After hearing this much, Wu Hai would naturally guess that this jade ring must be a precious item from Great Xu, so he said: âItâs hard for us to talk with people coming and going on this street, so why donât we find a quieter place to talk?â
After hearing this, the middle-aged man couldnât agree. He sensed that there was something wrong with these two, and he was afraid that theyâll be some grave robbers. When such thought crossed over his mind, he really regretted saying all that. âNo no no. Iâve business to do here. If you have nothing else to say, then just give the 2500 yuan for the black jade hairpin, and go.â
Since the middle-aged man didnât want to keep talking to them, they were afraid that he had mistook them for grave robbersâŚ. It wasnât easy to find some clues, so how could Qin Cheng give up? After thinking it over, he decided to not explain, and he simply said: âIâm simply asking you to tell me what you know.â
The middle-aged man was just a businessman who liked to collect things, and then sell the fake items to tourists to earn some money to make a living. If they can dig up dead peopleâs items, then these two individuals arenât afraid of anything. After thinking about this, the middle-aged man sighed: âI really donât know. Iâm afraid that I donât know much about the man who sold these items to me. But, ah⌠the man who sold the jade ring to me said this item was bought from this market, and that some people selling antiques in Zhanglan Antique Market, are in âthat line of workâ. He said that there are some rare treasures in Zhongdu Township, butâŚ. I donât know the details.â
âZhongdu Township?â When they heard this, Wu Hai and Qin Cheng glanced at each other. It seemed that Qin Chengâs speculation was quite accurate. There must be ancient tombs in Zhongdu Township for sure.
âWell, I donât know. Iâve also been to Zhongdu Township, but I havenât seen any place where a treasure may be hidden. Maybe itâs just a rumor. Ah, well, well, thatâs all I have to say. I donât know anything else. If you want to know more, youâll have to ask other people.â
In other words, they couldnât ask more questions anymore. After all, robbing a tomb was a crime in itselfâŚ. Qin Cheng put away the black jade hairpin, paid for it, and then left with Wu Hai.
âDo you want to go with grave robbers to find the Imperial Mausoleum?â
âNo.â Qin Cheng smiled and shook his head: âI just thought that I could get some information.â
Wu Hai frowned: âIt wouldnât have been good if you were caught. This isnât a jokeâŚ. What are we going to do next? Just now the seller said that there must be grave robbers in the market. Do you want to go look for them?â
âEven if we do find them, they wonât tell us anything. At least, Iâm sure that the Imperial Mausoleum is around Pingyao, and that there are some grave robbers who are patronizing it.â
Wu Hai looked at Qin Cheng, and asked: âWas it that jade ring? Have you seen it inside the Ninghua Villageâs tomb?â
âYes, Iâve seen it; and itâs exactly the same.â
These words represented a heavy meaning. Ninghua Villageâs tomb is an Imperial Mausoleum. So, generally speaking, those who have the exact same objects as Emperors, can only have the same status as an Emperor, and itâs even more likely that they were forged at the same time.
âThat jade ring still looks brand-new, as if it hasnât been used much.â When Wu Hai said this, he was happy. âIf an object is used to accompany the burial, and excluding the favorite objects of the deceased, that object should be something of great significance. What do you think this jade ring represents?â
Qin Cheng probably had the answer already in mind: âDo you mean, that the jade ring is a symbol of the Emperor of Great Xu?â
Wu Hai nodded: âYes. Speaking of which, the jade ring shouldâve been worn on the finger of the tombâs owner to accompany the burial, so if you saw it, you must have opened the coffin, right? Are the bones of the tombâs owner in Ninghua Village still there?â
Wu Haiâs words made Qin Cheng stunned for a moment. Then, he shook his head with a complicated expression on his face, and replied: âThe corpse mustâve turned into ashes a long time agoâŚ. thereâs nothing left behindâŚ.â
Without noticing that something was wrong with Qin Chengâs reaction, Wu Hai continued: âTsk, such a pity. If the bones were still there, then we could restore the appearance of the tombâs owner with technology.â
Qin Cheng didnât reply to this. When Wu Hai saw that Qin Cheng wasnât speaking to him, and how his mood didnât seem to be very good, Wu Hai thought about his silence for a long time, and then asked: âQin Cheng, did you see anything else in that tomb?â
Qin Cheng would hide a lot of things when he speaks, Wu Hai was able to tell. But in the end, Qin Cheng never said anything. Moreover, there were some things that were even more complicated for Wu Hai to ask Qin Cheng about.
âNothing.â Qin Cheng said. Then, he changed the subject: âSince that person mentioned Zhongdu Township, letâs go there. Thereâs no way weâll be able to find any more clues here.â Qin Cheng then looked at Wu Hai, and smiled: âItâs not that I donât want to say âsomethingâ. Itâs just that I donât know how to say it. Wait untilâŚ.. until these things are sorted out, then youâll know everything about it.â
(ŕšâÚĄâŕš)ŕ¨
Footnotes
<ol><b>港ĺ </b> <b>gÇng yuĂĄn</b> ; Hong Kong Dollar, is the currency unit of Hong Kong. Itâs usually abbreviated with the dollar symbol, but âHKDâ is used to differentiate it from other currencies. $ 40 million HKD are approx. usd $ 5 million. Current year (2021). Approx. usd $ 61 million, current year (2021).</ol>