Around eight o'clock that evening.
Wang Dehai was summoned and detained in his office at the Desheng Grand Hotel on charges of illegal assembly and trafficking in cultural relics.
Upon hearing the news, Huang Yongshou immediately wanted to call Xu Tianhou, but was stopped by Li Chonglou.
They waited until almost eleven o'clock the next day.
Xu Tianhou finally received Huang Yongshou's call: "Mr. Xu, shall we meet somewhere to chat?"
"Come to my company. It's very safe, especially considering it's an illegal transaction," Xu Tianhou chuckled, secretly relieved.
From yesterday afternoon until now, he had barely slept, constantly staring at his phone.
Huang Yongshou finally couldn't hold out and was looking for another buyer.
Let that old rogue Wang Dehai stay in the detention center for a few days.
An hour and a half later, Huang Yongshou appeared in Xu Tianhou's office carrying a large bag.
His hair was slicked back with pomade. Without a word, he opened the bag and took out a small enamel-glazed jar, still covered in damp soil.
"Yo, is it still steaming?" Xu Tianhou joked, "Master Huang, with such a good opportunity, why didn't you come to me first?"
"What are you saying, Mr. Xu? I'm being a good friend. I called you first. Only when you weren't interested did I look for others," Huang Yongshou feigned helplessness and complained, "Honestly, I've really hit the jackpot. It's terrible luck."
"I just sold one. I was about to ask that boss to pool money together for the whole thing, and then he got himself locked up!"
"I'm really worried now that they might implicate me."
"Otherwise, I'm finished!"
Hearing this, Xu Tianhou smiled smugly, "Don't worry, Master Huang, he won't be able to say anything about you. I'll handle it."
"What do you mean?" Huang Yongshou pretended not to understand.
"It's better not to spell everything out. Let's talk business. Tell me about this deal," Xu Tianhou said mysteriously.
He needed to put on a show now, to make Huang Yongshou feel like he was a man of great influence.
He would do anything to secure this deal.
He wasn't familiar with these enamel-glazed items and couldn't tell their authenticity.
Tong Chuan was also missing, otherwise, he could have asked for his opinion.
But it didn't matter, he had already sent for experts at a high price. Once the experts confirmed it was genuine, he would do everything he could to proceed.
Until then, he had to probe Huang Yongshou thoroughly.
"Since we're at this point, there's nothing to hide," Huang Yongshou thought gleefully, everything was as Master Li had predicted, not a single detail off. He began to narrate the story they had pre-arranged: "You know about the item, right?"
"I do. It's a place Emperor Qianlong visited six times on his southern tours, not far from our Qin Prefecture," Xu Tianhou's eyes lit up.
"Ah, exactly. I have a brother named Chen who's from Dongshan. He's a gambler and recently lost a lot of money. He was thinking of digging up some items to make up for it," Huang Yongshou slapped his thigh exaggeratedly.
"From Dongshan, a gambler? Are you talking about Chen Tianhe?" Hearing this, Xu Tianhou's eyelids twitched.
How could he not know Chen Tianhe? He had dealings with all the gamblers.
He used to hang around with Jiang Tao.
He had seen him but didn't take him seriously.
He only knew for sure that he was a tomb raider.
"Mr. Xu, you know him? What a coincidence! My brother dug up a Qing Dynasty tomb the day before yesterday, and this item you have is what he found." Huang Yongshou continued to embellish the story: "He said there were many more inside, but he couldn't dig them up alone, and he didn't trust anyone else."
"So, he wanted me to find a powerful boss to buy the entire pit."
Xu Tianhou fell silent for a full five seconds, his eyes flashing with brilliance, and asked, "You mean, you want me to dig it myself?"
"That's right. You know this isn't a proper business. Only a well-connected big boss like you has the ability to bring the items inside to light," Huang Yongshou put on a mournful face. "The boss I approached before, I heard he was doing well, but who knew he would get caught so quickly."
"It's my fault, my judgment is poor."
Xu Tianhou's gaze grew more triumphant. Of course, he wouldn't tell Huang Yongshou that he was the one who had Wang Dehai arrested.
Just then, his secretary walked in and whispered a few words in his ear.
Xu Tianhou's face lit up with joy. He stood up and said, "I don't lack the means, as long as the item is genuine."
"You have some tea first. Lend me the item for a moment, I'll be right back."
Saying this, he picked up the enamel-glazed jar and was about to leave.
"Wait a moment, by the rules, this item cannot leave my sight," Huang Yongshou grabbed him, his face showing difficulty.
He had to play the part perfectly. Xu Tianhou was naturally suspicious, and not a single flaw could be left exposed.
He had to lead Xu Tianhou into a trap for everything.
Li Chonglou had repeatedly emphasized this before he came, and he dared not be careless.
As expected, Xu Tianhou smiled, put the jar back down, and said to his secretary, "Go and invite Master Lin here."
"Yes." The secretary turned and left.
A few minutes later, a conceited and aloof young man pushed the door open and entered.
Huang Yongshou's pupils contracted.
He recognized this person – Lin Ao, the proud disciple of Lu Weishen, the president of the Qin Prefecture Antiques Association!
He hadn't expected Xu Tianhou to invite someone like him.
He secretly broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his throat.
Although Li Chonglou was confident in the high-quality replica obtained by Han Kui, this was Lin Ao, Lu Weishen's openly declared successor.
A prodigy who had grown up immersed in antiques since childhood.
What if he saw through the deception?
He would have to face Xu Tianhou's furious revenge.
Despite being nervous, Huang Yongshou was an old hand. He grinned and said, "Mr. Xu is truly generous to be able to invite a master like Lin."
Lin Ao didn't even glance at him. He sat at the table and stared at the small enamel-glazed jar for a few seconds.
He commented, "This Yellow-ground Flying Phoenix jar is a typical Qianlong period shape."
"Glass base, short processing time, high difficulty, high technical requirements, and very limited shaping."
"If this item is genuine, it would be very expensive. I've seen two genuine pieces, one of which is in the National Museum."
"The patterns on this jar do conform to Qing dynasty records."
"However..."
At this point, Lin Ao paused for a few seconds, making Huang Yongshou sweat profusely and clench his fists.
Even Xu Tianhou looked serious, "Master Lin, is there something wrong with this item?"
"Not at all," Lin Ao shook his head. "It's just that there's a fine crack on the side. It looks like a new damage, perhaps it was bumped somewhere?"
"This significantly affects its value."
"Let me put it this way, if this item were perfect, it would be worth tens of millions. But now, it's only worth a few million."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhou's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
He knew enamel-glazed items were valuable, but he hadn't expected them to be this valuable.
And this was just one piece, what about an entire tomb?
"Master Lin, thank you for your hard work. I'll have someone arrange for you to rest at the clubhouse, and we'll have a casual lunch together." Xu Tianhou suppressed his inner excitement and asked his secretary to escort Lin Ao away.
Then, he locked the office door and leaned in close to Huang Yongshou.
He asked earnestly, "Master Huang, give me a realistic price for the entire pit."
"One hundred million!" Huang Yongshou blurted out without thinking, "According to my estimate, there are at least ten treasures of this caliber inside."
"Too expensive. This is like opening a blind box. For the sake of our relationship, how about fifty million?" Xu Tianhou held up one hand, his eyes gleaming with greed, and a hint of fierceness hidden within.
If Huang Yongshou refused, he might have to resort to some extreme measures.
Even pooling all available funds in the company, raising fifty million would be difficult.
Let alone one hundred million.
But Lin Ao's words made him believe that this deal could be made.
Let alone ten pieces, even if only five appeared, he could double his money by reselling them.
With his connections, a pit wouldn't take more than a week to excavate, as long as it wasn't too large.
Then, he could sell them at auction, and his net worth would skyrocket, potentially making him the richest man in Qin Prefecture.
"Fifty million is a bit too little, Mr. Xu. This is a Qing Dynasty enamel piece!" Huang Yongshou shook his head like a rattle drum. "At least eighty million. Less than that, and we can't talk."
Inwardly, he was overjoyed.
He had immense admiration for Li Chonglou.
Every word and action of Xu Tianhou was like a repetition of Li Chonglou's predictions, with slight variations in wording but identical meaning.
Using coaxing, deception, and veiled threats to acquire the pit.
At this moment, he couldn't afford to be impatient.
The more he refused, the more anxious Xu Tianhou would become, and when a person is anxious, they act without thinking.
He had to push Xu Tianhou into a situation where he wouldn't need to think, and then everything would fall into place.
As expected, upon hearing eighty million, Xu Tianhou's impatience became visible.
He was already short of money. Fifty million was a huge sum that he could only acquire by mortgaging the company. Adding another thirty million was something he couldn't possibly produce, even if he sold his kidneys.
At this time, who would lend him so much money?
Businessmen were driven by profit. When he was valuable to others, lending money wasn't an issue, but now he was struggling to protect himself, and others weren't foolish.
"Fifty million. Do me a favor, brother, and I'll never mistreat you again!" Xu Tianhou placed his hand on Huang Yongshou's shoulder, his voice low.
"It's not about favors, Mr. Xu, my dear brother Xu. Aren't we doing this for a comfortable life? If you can't afford this price, we can always find someone else," Huang Yongshou pretended to reach for the jar.
It was clear he was going to pack the item and call it quits.
Seeing this, Xu Tianhou became anxious and stopped Huang Yongshou, "How about this: if you help me negotiate it down to fifty million, I'll give you thirty percent!"
"Younger brother Huang, you're just helping someone sell it, a degenerate gambler. He has no value in his heart."
"At most, you'll get ten percent commission. I'll give you thirty percent, isn't that sincere enough? How much it sells for is up to your words!"
"Think about it carefully!"
Huang Yongshou fell silent.
He knew that Xu Tianhou had completely fallen into the trap, judging by his desperate, fiery gaze.
He was completely ensnared in the net Li Chonglou had cast.
After thinking for two to three minutes, Huang Yongshou finally nodded fiercely, "Fifty million it is, fifty million. You promised me thirty percent, don't go back on your word!"
"I want to see the money within two days, and then we'll sign the contract."
"Don't let anything happen suddenly like with that boss surnamed Wang, my heart can't take it."
"Don't worry, my dear brother, I'll have the money ready tomorrow!" Xu Tianhou roared with laughter, greed flashing in his eyes.