Collection of Gods

Chapter 850 Subverting History
The biggest problem is having no problem.

When everyone heard this, they all felt a little confused.

"Director Dong, can you give me some details?"

Zhou Chaoyang frowned and asked Dong Wenhui.

"Everyone should know the background of the creation of "Lanting Xu", right?"

Dong Wenhui answered his own question and said: "During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, then the Internal History of Kuaiji, invited a total of 41 people, including famous officials and poets and calligraphers of the time. Some of them came here on tour, and some were specially invited. They gathered at the Lanting Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji, and held an elegant gathering.

"This kind of elegant gathering had a very high-sounding name at the time - Qushang Liushui."

"But no matter how high the level is, it's still a drinking game in essence."

"Whoever's turn it is has to write a poem. If he can't write one, he has to drink three cups of wine as punishment."

"There were 41 people who participated in the gathering and wrote poems, which were compiled into a collection of poems. Wang Xizhi wrote a preface for the collection, and this preface is the famous "Preface to the Lanting Poetry Anthology" that has been passed down through the ages."

Everyone at the scene had heard a little about the creation background of "Preface to the Lanting Poems", but few people knew it as detailed as Dong Wenhui.

"Look..."

Dong Wenhui pointed to the seals on the original work and asked: "How many seals are there in total?"

Hearing this, everyone carefully counted from top to bottom: "41."

"What about this calligraphy by Zen Master Biancai?"

Dong Wenhui moved his finger to the left and asked everyone again.

"Eh!"

Someone uttered a surprised sound: "There are also 41 of them. Not only are the number the same, but the positions are exactly the same."

"Everyone, you should know that the creation background of "Lanting Xu" was in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, there were no airplanes, subways, or cars. It was very difficult to bring together 41 people from all over the world. It is likely that this will only happen once in a lifetime."

"Then the question is, if Master Biancai simply wanted to copy Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Xu", why did he specially carve 41 seals privately and then put them on the original work exactly according to the positions of the 41 seals?"

“Why did he build it?”

“Isn’t this a bit unnecessary?”

Dong Wenhui asked Zhou Chaoyang and others one after another, and the doubts raised by Dong Wenhui were like a flash of lightning, making Zhou Chaoyang and others inexplicably feel as if the clouds were clearing and the sun was shining.

Yes!

If Zen Master Biancai just wanted to copy, why did he do this?
Just now all of them fell into a misunderstanding. They all subconsciously believed that the copy should be exactly the same as the original. No one thought about it in this regard at all.

Now think about it carefully, the fact that seals of 41 people who participated in the rally appeared on a copy is completely unreasonable. If Zen Master Biancai did not have other intentions, there was no need for him to do this.

“If I’m not mistaken, Zen Master Biancai should have prepared two copies like this. The ‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection’ that Xiao Yi took away should be the copy that Zen Master Biancai perfectly imitated. The copy we just saw should have an invisible but very fatal flaw compared to the original, allowing Xiao Yi to recognize this copy at a glance.” Dong Wenhui looked very excited, and he became more and more excited as he spoke. Zhou Chaoyang and others could understand Dong Wenhui’s emotions. After all, in a sense, their major discovery today could be regarded as subverting history.

In the story of Xiao Yi earning money from Lanting, Zen Master Biancai was stupid and Xiao Yi was wise. However, their discovery today brought about a major reversal of the matter.

Xiao Yi earned money from Lanting?
NONONO!

To be precise, it should be the debate play Xiao Yi!
Right after Dong Wenhui said this, Zheng Min and the others subconsciously turned their eyes to the long wooden table. They used the original and the copy to verify each other, and surprisingly soon they discovered an inconspicuous but very fatal flaw.

Among these 41 seals, there is one named "Sun Chuo". The character "Chao" on his seal is missing a stroke.

You have to know that those who could participate in such elegant gatherings at that time were all dignitaries of prominent status. How could it be possible that the private seals they carried with them would have their names engraved incorrectly? Such a mistake would never happen.

Such a minor mistake might be difficult for an ordinary person to discover, but Xiao Yi came here on the emperor's orders. If he took this copy with fatal flaws back to Emperor Taizong of Tang to report, he would lose his head.

Since it concerns his life and future, how could Xiao Yi not be extremely meticulous? Therefore, he must have been able to discover this subtle but very fatal flaw.

In this case, if Zen Master Biancai took out a second perfect copy, Xiao Yi would naturally not have any doubts anymore. Even if Xiao Yi was cautious afterwards and secretly searched Zen Master Biancai's residence inside and out, there would be no other result.

This plan is enough to be called a cover-up!

It is naturally much easier to reverse the process based on the results.

Soon, the historical truth was mostly deduced by Dong Wenhui and others.

As for the more detailed historical truth, it has to be left to more professional historians to restore, but it is an indisputable fact that they have rewritten history today.

Dong Wenhui's excitement faded a little, and he immediately turned around and reminded Tang Dong seriously, "Tang Dong, this original painting has just been discovered, and it must be protected now, otherwise it will easily oxidize or deform."

"Director Dong, you are professionals in this area."

"Deal with it however you need to. I trust you."

Tang Yuan glanced at Zhou Chaoyang and the others, without any hesitation in his words.

When Zhou Chaoyang and others heard this, they felt a sense of trust in their hearts. You know, the "Lanting Preface" in front of them is not only the only authentic work of the calligrapher Wang Xizhi that exists in the world, but also has the reputation of "the best running script in the world".

Tang Yuan handed over such a priceless cultural relic to them without hesitation for subsequent preservation and maintenance. How could they not feel honored?

"Don't worry, we will definitely not let any problems occur with the Preface to the Lanting Poems!"

Zhou Chaoyang looked at Tang Yuan and assured him with an extremely serious expression.

Tang Yuan nodded slightly, then gave Dong Wenhui a look, indicating that he should let him talk for a moment.

Dong Wenhui naturally understood what Tang Yuan meant and moved to the corner with him. However, even though he left, Dong Wenhui's eyes never left the long wooden table, fearing that if he wasn't careful, something might go wrong with the "Preface to the Lanting Poems". His nervous look made Tang Yuan smile...

(End of this chapter)