“A layout?” Bao Baoli blinked in surprise.
With a snap, Lü Fang suddenly clapped his hands in delight, saying with a smile, “Yes, that’s absolutely right!”
“How could I not have thought of that!”
“What’s going on?” Bao Baoli grew even more confused.
Lü Fang smiled and said, “Miss Bao, Mr. Li means that whether it’s the dragon’s claws or the extra cloud, they seem fine at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you can see that it doesn’t conform to typical compositional structures.”
“Therefore, these extra elements must have been deliberately added by someone who feared the Bao family would come seeking the stolen jade bi. Especially that almost imperceptible cloud, which is a sinister trap.”
“If we were to claim the claws are problematic and prove it, then when we call the police to demand the stolen item, this person could use the small cloud to argue their case and completely destroy our advantage!”
In lawsuits involving stolen antiques, once it’s proven that an item is not the stolen property, it becomes extremely difficult to present evidence to reclaim it later.
After all, the appraisal of antiques often involves subjective elements. This is especially true for antiques without signatures.
If Bao Baoli lost the lawsuit, she would almost certainly lose the chance to reclaim the Nine-Clawed Dragon Jade Bi for the rest of her life.
Such a tactic was indeed despicable.
“But even if we know this, we still don’t have proof that these were intentionally added later.”
“There is proof,” Li Yang’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Even though the early Ming Dynasty had some inconsistencies in its regulations, and the number of dragon claws wasn’t uniform, with both five-clawed and seven-clawed dragons appearing, nine-clawed dragons were almost nonexistent.”
“The so-called nine-clawed dragon only gradually became popular during the Qing Dynasty.”
“But this jade bi has quite a few nine-clawed dragons!” Lü Fang exclaimed with joy. “This indicates that either this jade bi is not genuine, or these claws were added later.”
“And in fact, this jade bi is undoubtedly a genuine Ming Dynasty artifact, so there’s only one answer!”
“This is my family’s jade bi!” Bao Baoli was overjoyed, tears of excitement glistening in her beautiful eyes. She couldn’t help but hug Li Yang and say, “Thank you, thank you so much!”
“Uh, you’re welcome.” Li Yang, suddenly embraced, caught her faint scent and felt invigorated.
Bao Baoli, however, hadn’t realized the impropriety of her actions. She continued to rub her forehead against his face, crying with joy, “Thank you so much, Mr. Li.”
“My grandfather has been in low spirits and blaming himself daily because of the jade bi’s theft. He suddenly fell ill a few years ago and is now like a vegetable. If he could see this jade bi returned in his lifetime, he would surely recover.”
“So that’s how it is,” Li Yang understood. “But you shouldn’t cry anymore, or your face will be ruined.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Li.” Bao Baoli’s pretty face flushed as she finally came to her senses. She hastily released Li Yang and stepped back several paces.
However, the lingering masculine scent from Li Yang on her made her heart pound.
Curator Qi looked at them suspiciously, growing impatient. “What are you talking about? Are you going to look at the item or not? If not, please leave. I have other things to attend to!”
“Curator Qi, thank you for waiting, but we have confirmed that this is indeed the jade bi stolen from my family years ago,” Bao Baoli stated formally.
Curator Qi chuckled, “Just because you say it is, doesn’t make it so. If I lost something later, wouldn’t I get rich by doing the same?”
“Miss Bao, words require evidence. Do you have any?”
“I do!” Bao Baoli replied. “The dragons on the jade bi have the wrong number of claws. Nine-clawed dragons only became popular in the Qing Dynasty.”
“Therefore, Curator Qi, these were artificially added later.”
“You’re talking nonsense! Just because you say they were added later, does that make it true?” Curator Qi’s expression changed, and he quickly retorted, “Even if nine-clawed dragons weren’t popular in the early Ming Dynasty, it doesn’t mean they didn’t exist!”
“What if the craftsman who carved this jade bi simply favored nine-clawed dragons?”
“That’s impossible! Because the owner of this jade bi was definitely royalty or nobility at the time. Craftsmen had no right to carve whatever they pleased!” Li Yang countered.
Curator Qi still wanted to argue, but Li Yang added, “Curator Qi, even if this item truly is the treasure lost from Miss Bao’s family, it doesn’t prove you stole it.”
“You were merely deceived by the thief and were careless. Once the truth is revealed, the item should be returned to its rightful owner.”
“This,” Curator Qi’s expression flickered, showing hesitation.
He was certainly afraid of being accused of stealing a family heirloom, but he was reluctant to hand it over freely.
“What you’re saying has some merit, but this jade bi cost me several hundred million. If Miss Bao wants to take it back, she should at least compensate me for my losses, shouldn’t she?”
“Curator Qi, it seems you don’t understand the law.” Li Yang looked at him. “According to legal regulations, once an item is confirmed as stolen property, regardless of who currently possesses it, it must be returned immediately and without compensation.”
“Otherwise, it constitutes a crime.”
“You, you’re trying to scare me!” Curator Qi’s face darkened, and he shouted.
A man in a suit beside him whispered, “Curator, this kid is right. There are indeed such regulations.”
“Especially for particularly valuable stolen items, failure to return them could even be a criminal offense, leading to many years in prison.”
“I, do you think I don’t know this? Why do you need to butt in!” Curator Qi’s expression was extremely unpleasant, and he raised his hand as if to slap the man.
Bao Baoli smiled. “Curator Qi, I know you are also a victim. How about this, I definitely cannot afford compensation of several hundred million, but I can give you ten million.”
“In addition, I can promise you that if the museum holds any events in the future, I can lend some rare treasures to help you make a splash. And if the museum plans to sell any legal and compliant items, I can also assist you.”
“Otherwise, I will have to report this to the police.”
“Oh, Miss Bao, don’t rush! I didn’t say I disagree!” Curator Qi panicked when he saw she was about to call the police.
Unlike before, Bao Baoli now knew exactly where the problem lay. If it were reported to the police, he wouldn’t get a single cent of benefit, and might even be investigated for any illegal connections with the thief.
As the curator of a private museum, how could all his acquisitions be legitimate?
There were always some items with unclear origins, but they were good quality and cheap. Why would he refuse them?