49: Chapter 49 was discovered by a young man named Hu Tian.

On the banks of the Qinhuai River, the lights were just beginning to twinkle. Painted pleasure boats, gleaming with vibrant colors, drifted slowly across the water, stirring up ripples that seemed to dye the entire river in flowing, fragmented gold.

The ancient Confucius Temple gained even more charm in the night, its upturned eaves outlining a graceful silhouette. From the teahouses and taverns along the river came the melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, weaving with the sound of the water into a moving nocturne, making one feel as if they had traveled back to that prosperous era of "mist veiling the cold water, moon veiling the sand."

Hu Tian parked the car in a parking lot near the Qinhuai River. As soon as he turned off the engine, Zhou Waner excitedly grabbed his arm, like an elementary school student eager for a spring outing: "Come on, let's go! I want to take a painted pleasure boat! I've heard the Qinhuai River is especially beautiful at night. We can tour the river while eating snacks; how romantic! If we could run into a singing scholar, it would be even more atmospheric!"

"Fine, I'll listen to you. As long as you don't sell me off, we can go anywhere."

Hu Tian smiled indulgently, letting her pull him toward the riverbank, thinking to himself: "This girl has even more energy than I do; she's practically a 'female perpetual motion machine.'"

Inside Wenchang Pavilion.

Three black sedans parked in succession in front of the rustic pavilion. The doors opened, and seven or eight serious-looking middle-aged men stepped out. The leader was none other than Director Zhang, the head of the city's Cultural Relics Bureau.

He was in his early fifties, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and carried a scholarly air in his every gesture, but at this moment, his brows were tightly furrowed, clearly burdened by heavy thoughts.

"Director Zhang is here!"

"To trouble a leader to come in person this late at night!"

The staff members guarding the entrance hurriedly stepped forward, looking somewhat nervous, like elementary school students seeing their homeroom teacher after doing something wrong.

The elderly people and young couples inside the pavilion who were burning incense and praying turned to look, whispering to each other, their eyes filled with curiosity and the flames of gossip.

"What's going on? So many leaders? Are they here to inspect work?"

"Could it be that Wenchang Pavilion is going to be demolished? Then wouldn't the wish I just made be in vain?"

"Nonsense! This is a protected cultural relic site; how could it be demolished? Unless they want to get roasted on the trending topics!"

"Then why are so many people here? And they're all wearing formal attire; it looks quite serious. It feels like they're about to pull off something big."

Zhang Mingyuan didn't have time to pay attention to the surrounding chatter and walked straight into the pavilion, followed by several cultural relic appraisal experts and assistants, his aura so powerful that people dared not look directly at him.

"Where is Li Hao?"

Zhang Mingyuan asked urgently, his voice tinged with impatience.

"Master Li is in the quiet room inside. Director Zhang, I'll take you there!"

The staff member hurried to lead the way, quickening his pace.

Passing through the main hall where the statue of Wenchang Dijun was enshrined, and turning through a moon gate, they arrived at the quiet room in the backyard.

This place was usually where Li Hao rested and organized cultural relic documents. At this moment, the door was tightly shut, and a sign reading "No Unauthorized Personnel" was posted on the door, as if some earth-shattering secret was hidden inside.

Zhang Mingyuan knocked lightly on the door: "Li Hao, it's me, Zhang Mingyuan."

The door was opened immediately. Li Hao greeted them, his face glowing with excitement, his smile even brighter than a blooming chrysanthemum: "Director Zhang! You came so quickly! Please, come in, come in! The treasure is waiting for you inside!"

Inside the quiet room, the bronze incense burner had been placed by Li Hao in the very center of the desk. Under the soft light, the patina on the surface of the incense burner shimmered with a faint luster, and the chiseled cloud and dragon patterns seemed to come alive in the light and shadow, ready to take flight at any moment.

Zhang Mingyuan spotted the incense burner at a glance. His footsteps quickened immediately, and he arrived at the desk in a few strides, his eyes shining with a fanatical glow, as if he were looking at a peerless beauty.

He put on white gloves and leaned over to examine it carefully. His gaze swept over the shape, decorative patterns, and inscriptions one by one. His expression became increasingly grave, and his breathing grew rapid.

"This is..."

Zhang Mingyuan's voice trembled slightly, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes: "This is actually..."

The several experts following behind him also crowded around. When they saw the four seal script characters "Made in the Qianlong Era" on the base, an elderly expert with white hair became so excited that his eyes turned red, and he was on the verge of shedding tears of emotion.

"Director Zhang, this base mark... this craftsmanship... and this chiseling technique of the cloud and dragon patterns..."

The old expert's fingers hovered above the incense burner but he dared not touch it, fearing he might damage this treasure. His cautious manner was like he was stroking the cheek of a newborn baby. "If I am not mistaken, this should be... imperial-made! And it was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong himself!"

"Imperial-made?!"

Zhang Mingyuan gasped, feeling as if his heart was about to jump out.

"That's right!"

The old expert said excitedly, spittle almost spraying out: "Look at the carving of these cloud and dragon patterns, nine claws and five toes, the dragon body is vigorous; this is a regulation that only the imperial family could use! Look at the bronze quality, shimmering with a golden-red luster; it must be high-grade red copper forged with mixed gold. It's simply the 'aristocrat among bronzes'! The most critical part is the base mark; the brushwork of these four seal script characters 'Made in the Qianlong Era' is vigorous and powerful, definitely not something a folk craftsman could do. This is 'imperial certification'!"

Another middle-aged expert also leaned in, taking out a magnifying glass to carefully observe the inner wall of the incense burner, as if he had discovered a new continent: "There is also an inscription on the inner wall... This is... the eight characters 'Revere Heaven and Follow the Ancestors, Be Careful in Mourning and Pursue the Distant'! Good heavens, this is absolutely an imperial sacrificial vessel! It was used to worship ancestors; the significance is monumental!"

The quiet room fell into a brief silence. Everyone was so shocked by this discovery that they were speechless, as if time had stood still.

After a long while, Zhang Mingyuan finally spoke slowly, his voice trembling slightly: "Master Li, how was this incense burner... discovered? Did you find it in a corner?"

Li Hao hurriedly recounted the details of Hu Tian's visit this afternoon, from how Hu Tian recognized it as a treasure at a glance to how he analyzed the value of the incense burner. He spoke with great animation, as if he were the one who had discovered the treasure.

"You mean to say, it was discovered by a young man named Hu Tian?"

Zhang Mingyuan was thoughtful, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "And he said this incense burner is worth at least twenty million? This young man has quite a bold tone, but it seems he has real ability."

"Yes, yes, yes! That's the young man! Don't let his age fool you; his eye for antiques is absolutely amazing! He's practically the reincarnation of the 'Fiery Eyes'!"

Li Hao nodded repeatedly, admiring Hu Tian completely: "If it weren't for him, who knows how long this treasure would have remained covered in dust. Maybe one day it would have been sold to a scrap collector as waste copper and iron; that would truly be a 'terrible waste of a precious item'!"

Zhang Mingyuan pondered for a moment, then turned to his assistant and said: "Xiao Wang, take down the information of this young man named Hu Tian. I want to thank him personally later. He is a great contributor to our cultural relics world!"

"Yes, Director Zhang."

The assistant quickly took out a notebook and recorded it rapidly.

Li Hao quickly recited the phone number Hu Tian had left behind, fearing that if he were a second late, it would be forgotten.

The old expert spoke up again, his tone serious: "Director Zhang, this incense burner must be sent to the Cultural Relics Bureau for safekeeping immediately. The security conditions here are insufficient; it would be troublesome if thieves set their sights on it. Also, I suggest contacting experts from the Palace Museum immediately and asking them to come for further appraisal and research. If it really is an imperial sacrificial vessel from the Qianlong era, the significance is extraordinary. This is a major discovery that could make it onto the evening news!"

"Right! Arrange it immediately!"

Zhang Mingyuan made a decisive decision and waved his hand: "Xiao Wang, contact the Palace Museum side right now. Tell them we have discovered a suspected imperial Qianlong incense burner and ask them to send experts as soon as possible. Master Li, this incense burner must be moved to the Cultural Relics Bureau's vault tonight. Rest assured, we will provide you with formal handover procedures; we definitely won't let you take the fall for anything."

"It's only right, it's only right!"

Li Hao nodded repeatedly. Although he was a bit reluctant, he knew this was the safest course of action. After all, he understood the principle that 'holding a jade ring is a crime'.

Just as everyone was busy preparing for the transfer of the incense burner, the crowd burning incense and praying in the main hall outside had already exploded, their spirits of gossip burning fiercely.

"Have you heard? A treasure was found inside! It's said to be a priceless antique!"

"What treasure? Could it be a golden rice bowl left behind by Wenchang Dijun?"

"I don't know, but to make so many leaders come overnight, it must be something significant! Maybe it's hiding some martial arts manual!"

"Could it be some antique? I saw those people wearing white gloves, acting all cautious, like they were defusing a bomb."

The news spread like wildfire, becoming more and more mysterious. Some said gold and silver treasures had been unearthed, some said an ancient imperial decree had been found, and others said Wenchang Dijun had manifested to bring blessings to Nanjing.

On the street outside the pavilion, many passing citizens stopped to watch and discuss, surrounding Wenchang Pavilion tightly.

Meanwhile, on the Qinhuai River, Hu Tian and Zhou Waner were sitting in a private booth on the second floor of the painted pleasure boat, sipping fragrant tea, admiring the lights on both banks, and enjoying their own 'world for two.'

Zhou Waner leaned on Hu Tian's shoulder and said softly: "I'm so happy today. I didn't expect that just by wandering around, we could discover such an important cultural relic. Do you think Master Li is so happy right now that he can't sleep? Maybe he's counting money until his hands cramp."

Hu Tian smiled, his eyes deep: "Probably. But for him, the fact that this incense burner can see the light of day again and fulfill its proper cultural value is more important than anything else. After all, 'treasures are gifted to heroes, and rouge is gifted to beauties.'"

"That's true."

Zhou Waner looked up, her eyes shining with a sly gleam like a little fox: "But what I'm more curious about is, how did you discover that it was an imperial-made Qianlong incense burner? Do you have X-ray vision? Or is it that... you are actually some reclusive master of antique appraisal?"

Hu Tian looked at the shimmering river surface and smiled mysteriously: "A secret. However, I heard that there are quite a few old bookstores and antique markets along the banks of the Qinhuai River. Why don't we go over there and take a look? Maybe there's some big bargain waiting for us to pick up, like some 'fish that slipped through the net.'"

"Okay, okay!"

Zhou Waner clapped her hands excitedly, like a child who received candy: "I just love the feeling of treasure hunting with you; every time there's a surprise! It's just like opening a blind box; you never know what the next one will be!"

The painted pleasure boat moved forward slowly, the sound of the zither lingering in the air. In the distance, the Confucius Temple shone brightly in the night, like a flowing ink painting.

The poem reads: The night scenery of Qinhuai intoxicates the traveler, the zither music on the pleasure boat brings spring in a dream. The true dragon in the pavilion is recognized for the first time, a treasure-appraising talent that a thousand pieces of gold cannot buy.