Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 284: Love Letter_1

"Damn it!"

A bald man in the audience suddenly stood up, pointing at Xiao Ming and shouted in broken Han language, "We don’t welcome you, get out of here right now!"

Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes, seemingly indifferent to the humiliation, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Well then! I guess I’ll just have to hold a press conference tomorrow to show the public the origin and significant value of this bronze hairpin.

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Just like that, I wish you all a pleasant evening!"

"Mr. Xiao!"

Furukawa Shizuka stood up, "What you just said concerns the reputation of our Furukawa family.

We need an explanation and we need an apology."

"But just now somebody told me to get lost! Clearly, I also need an apology."

Xiao Ming spread his hands, looking innocent, "Shizuka, what do you think we should do?"

Furukawa Shizuka pursed her lips, turned to the bald man, and said, "Mr. Mi Shan, please apologize for your rude words and actions towards Mr. Xiao just now."

The man’s face was filled with indignation and humiliation, but he stood up again, about to speak, when he heard Xiao Ming say, "You’re too far away, I can’t feel the sincerity.

Better wait until after I’ve said what I need to, then you can apologize to me in person."

The man huffed, mumbling under his breath, and sat down. Xiao Ming couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it was certainly nothing pleasant.

"Since dear Miss Furukawa insists, I guess I’ll need to take up a little more of everyone’s time, sorry."

Smiling at the audience, Xiao Ming once again lifted the bronze hairpin in his hand.

"First, everyone, please look at the phoenix feather position at the head of the hairpin. There’s a slight green tinge here, resembling copper rust.

Fortunately, it’s not very valuable, so it didn’t attract enough attention. Otherwise, a simple appraisal would reveal that this is not copper rust at all, but rather the copper plating is damaged, exposing the diorite beneath.

As we all know, diorite jewelry was a popular court accessory during our Braid Dynasty."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room buzzed with discussion. Although most people looked skeptical, at least no one thought Xiao Ming was making a scene without cause.

"Ridiculous! Just because there are no experts present, you think you can spout nonsense?"

Guan Ruiming sneered, "Even if that really is diorite, who doesn’t know that the diorite craft had already become popular among the folks by the late Qing era?

Besides, Fusang has a decorative craft called ’Jade Beetle Elytra’ which isn’t very different from diorite.

In the end, it still proves nothing."

Clap clap clap clap!

Xiao Ming applauded, an expression of admiration on his face, "Impressive! I’ve never even heard of this ’Jade Beetle Elytra’ thing.

To go to such lengths just to play the fool, Mr. Guan’s dedication is commendable!"

"You..."

Guan Ruiming stood up, ready to retort, but then saw Xiao Ming separate the pinhead from the hairpin rod.

Then, he set down the pinhead and tapped one end of the rod on his palm, as if the rod was hollow and something was being poured out of it.

Seeing this, Furukawa Shizuka’s expression changed slightly, she turned to look at her father and brother, but both of them appeared completely clueless.

As for Guan Ruiming, his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Because Xiao Ming’s actions had already proven he was very familiar with that bronze hairpin. So what were the chances his claims were utter nonsense?

The others in the audience clearly thought of this as well, they couldn’t help but crane their necks curiously, trying to see what exactly Xiao Ming had poured out.

Xiao Ming didn’t intend to keep them in suspense, he called the cameraman from the corner onto the stage, and the camera focused on the palm of his hand.

The image that immediately appeared on the projection screen was an object not as wide as his palm, thick as a matchstick, light-yellow throughout, with its edges slightly curled up, looking like a piece of paper rolled into a scroll.

"This, is the next thing I wanted to talk about," he said.

As Xiao Ming spoke, he carefully unrolled the paper with tweezers especially brought by the hostess, revealing one by one the gracefully written Chinese characters.

There was immediate turmoil among the audience.

After all, these were wealthy tycoons, and more than a few had a liking for collecting cultural relics; the mere fact that the hairpin held a universe within was enough to peak their interest and made Xiao Ming’s purchase for a little over three hundred thousand no loss at all.

However, they were surprised too soon.

Because when the whole not-so-large piece of paper was completely unrolled, revealing all its characters, the entire banquet hall exploded.

Many people stood up excitedly, even to the point of knocking over chairs, creating a clattering sound.

But no one went to pick them up, nor did they feel it was impolite; they were all captivated by the writing on the projection screen.

The text of the writing was: "Tomorrow at the third watch of the Hai hour, I hope to meet you at the Thousand Autumn Pavilion."

It was clear that this was a letter from a young lady inviting her lover to a secret rendezvous.

But that was not the point; what truly shocked and excited everyone was the signature at the end of this love letter.

It was merely two characters: Xing Zhen.

Combining these three conditions—kingfisher feathers being popular in the Qing Court, the Qing Court’s connection to Xing Zhen, and the owner of the hairpin—made it almost obvious who it was.

The last female ruler in the history of Han Country, Yehe Nala Xing Zhen, also known as the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi!

This could very well be a love letter written by Empress Dowager Cixi herself!

To whom was it written?

Emperor Xianfeng? Or someone else?

At that moment, regardless of whether they were interested in antique cultural relics or not, whether they were from Han Country or from Fusang, as long as they had some understanding of Empress Dowager Cixi’s history, they all developed a huge curiosity for this copper hairpin.

Furukawa Shizuka was full of defeat and regret.

Such a valuable treasure passed down by her family had been sold for just a little over three hundred thousand; if this were to be known back in her country, the Furukawa family would become the laughingstock of the entire Fusang political scene.

"May I ask Mr. Guan, at this very moment, do you still have any opinions as absurd as ’Jade Beetle Elytra?’" Xiao Ming said, smiling as he carefully rolled the paper back into the hairpin.

Guan Ruiming’s expression had already turned extremely unpleasant, and he said through gritted teeth, "As I said before, kingfisher feathers are not exclusive to the royal court, and Xing Zhen is a very common name; it doesn’t prove anything."

"Aside from it not being made by a craftsman from Fusang, have I said anything else from start to finish?

Moreover, the three characters ’Thousand Autumn Pavilion’ are something that anybody who has been to the Forbidden City would have seen," Xiao Ming said. "If you still insist that it’s not a product of Han Country, then it’s not just about being foolish."

Guan Ruiming’s face turned red with strain, but he had no response.

"So what is Mr. Xiao’s conjecture as to how it ended up in Fusang and became a relic of the Furukawa family?"

A calm, deep voice rang out, and the audience instantly turned their heads, their expressions varied.

Because while this question seemed simple, it was filled with deceit and malice.

It was common knowledge that over half a century ago, Fusang didn’t do anything good in Han Country; burning, killing, looting—the hairpin was likely stolen during those times.

As the evening’s banquet was held to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday and the friendship between both parties, if Xiao Ming mentioned that period now, he wouldn’t just be slapping Fusang in the face, but also all the leaders present.