I started out as a criminal, and the police relied on me to solve countless cases.

Chapter 294 National Treasure
In Washington, DC, amidst the dense forests, a convoy meandered along the black asphalt road.

When you reach the top of the mountain, there is a white manor at the end of the road. There are more than a dozen tall white buildings in groups of two or three, all with carved beams and painted rafters, and the materials are the same as the stones of the Capitol.

Jiang Hanwen only took a quick glance and knew that the manor covered a vast area and was of inestimable value.

Passing through three iron gates in succession, various security personnel shuttled through the woods openly and secretly.

The car finally stopped in front of a huge square with an ancient sculpture fountain in the middle.

In front of the square is a building whose main structure resembles the ancient Greek Parthenon, but the architectural details are mixed with a lot of Gothic style.

But the windows of the building completely replicate the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, the most luxurious and splendid part. There are huge mirrors inlaid on the walls in every gap, and these mirrors are made up of many colorful small mirrors. The golden lights inside the building are all transformed into golden light through the mirrors.

The entire building is a treasure of art, so luxurious that it is beyond words.

But as soon as Jiang Hanwen got out of the car, he was attracted by the bronze sculptures around the fountain.

"Brother Hanwen, what is this? The dragon head?"

Mr. Kobayashi also noticed the difference in the statue. He pointed at the bronze sculpture of a dragon head spraying water in front of him, his eyes full of disbelief.

The bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animals in the Old Summer Palace were originally located outside the Haiyan Hall in the Old Summer Palace, but were later looted by the British and French forces and taken overseas.

Over the years, nearly half of the bronze elephants have returned to the motherland through various channels.

But there are twelve bronze statues placed around this fountain, including all the twelve zodiac animal heads, not one missing.

Moreover, each statue, no matter in terms of color, workmanship, or the charm of the statue, does not look like a crude imitation that is just for show.

"Colonel White, the leader of your organization, no, the president, is indeed a man of taste. If I'm not mistaken, these animal heads are all real?"

Jiang Hanwen closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again.

He would not think that the leader of the Freemasons, the top figure who controls the world's wealth and power, would display counterfeit crafts in his own manor.

Since these things are all real, then aren’t the animal heads that so many patriotic businessmen and overseas Chinese spent hundreds of millions of yuan to buy from Sotheby’s auction house all fakes???
He did not doubt the imitation ability of top craftsmen, especially with the support of modern industrial technology, counterfeits that were one-to-one copies of the real thing could definitely be indistinguishable from the real thing.

But now is not the time to discuss whether it is true or not.

These guys put the national treasures here like faucets, and it seems that they are not well maintained. However, those fakes were bought by China at a cost of hundreds of millions of yuan and are treasured in museums.

This is not deception, this is blatant mockery.

"Mr. Jiang, you don't have to doubt this. Everything you see in the president's collection is the best in the world. As for antiques, the collection here is much greater than that of the British Museum."

White didn't seem to notice the change in Jiang Hanwen's expression.

Instead, he proudly ensures that all the treasures in the manor are authentic.

Jiang Hanwen reached out and held Ms. Xiao Lin's hand. He could feel that the girl's hands were shaking.

It is impossible for any Chinese person to remain calm in the face of such humiliation.

"Mr. Jiang, let's go in. The dinner is about to start."

Gatsby walked forward and patted Jiang Hanwen's shoulder gently.

Jiang Hanwen also nodded slightly and pulled Mr. Xiaolin up the stairs.

In any case, this is their lair and this is not the time for them to get angry.

Besides, even if we take these things back, we may not be able to tell their authenticity, which will cause more trouble.

Several people walked up the steps, and two tall waiters pushed open the huge gilded wooden door. In the magnificent hall, the walkway was paved with Bohemian-style gold-woven carpets, and countless crystal chandeliers above were shining brightly. Walking forward, a strong fragrance suddenly hit us.

"Ambergris?"

Jiang Hanwen blurted out that he had seen this thing before.

"Mr. Jiang is indeed well-informed. He smelled it right away. It is indeed Longyanxiang. The president only burns this incense when he receives distinguished guests. I am grateful to Mr. Jiang for this."

As he spoke, White led everyone into the hall.

Two rows of gorgeously dressed waiters and maids on the left and right were busy, and all kinds of meals were served in an endless stream.

However, they did not put the silver plates in their hands on the long dining table in the middle of the hall.

Instead, they were placed in order on a huge round Chinese wooden table on the left side of the hall.

The table was so huge that dozens of maids were shuttling back and forth, placing hundreds of dishes, but there was no sign of stopping.

Such a ceremony is truly grand.

Jiang Hanwen looked at the dishes on the table. All major cuisines from Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong and Huai were present, and the frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying were also quite authentic. The Manchu and Han banquets that the emperors ate in ancient times were no more than this.

The guests of this banquet were actually only a few people present, and no one knew what the mysterious president meant.

This is not how the Hongmen Banquet was set up.

White was obviously the host of the banquet, and he gentlemanly invited everyone to take a seat.

Then he hurried into the side hall next to him. Not long after, White turned out of the side hall again and walked quickly to Jiang Hanwen.

"Mr. Jiang, the president will be here soon."

After White finished speaking, an old man with a white beard walked out of the archway of the side hall. The white old man was wearing a neat suit and his hairstyle was meticulously groomed.

It was General Bolton whom he had met in Liben before.

"Mr. Jiang, you are finally here. The president has been waiting for a long time."

General Bolton slightly moved aside to make way, and then a tall man slowly walked out pushing a wheelchair.

The person sitting in the wheelchair was an old man with a typical Western appearance. However, because he was too old, the skin and muscles on his face were extremely loose, and his hair was wrinkled and gray. An old man like Bolton looked young in front of him.

Jiang Hanwen was unable to judge the old man's age for a moment. He said that he was about ninety years old, and it was not impossible to say that he was a hundred years old.

Jiang Hanwen glanced at the old man's hands. They were thin and dry, and the blue veins on the palms were bulging.

As soon as the old man appeared, everyone's eyes were attracted to him.

He was clearly an old man who was about to die, but the aura he exuded completely overwhelmed everyone in the hall.

He was sitting in a wheelchair, extremely thin, curled up in a loose robe, but his brown eyes revealed an incomparable brilliance.

Wise, domineering, crazy, kind, greedy, loving, you can see all the emotions in the world from those eyes.

But in the end, all the light was instantly restrained, turning into a pair of ordinary old man's eyes.

"Mr. Jiang Hanwen, I have been following you for a long time."

(End of this chapter)