Chapter 56: A Guarantee

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Hetian jade is a natural mineral. Because its inherent radioactive elements are extremely low, its radiation value is relatively low and stable: hovering around 0.07 to 0.08 microsieverts.

However, even the lowest value has its limits. There is simply no way it could be four times lower than the average, even lower than a paper-based ancient painting?

This is no longer nonsense; it is utterly impossible.

Therefore, this piece of jade is problematic. Consequently, neither the initial appraisal nor the re-appraisal holds up—they are entirely problematic.

Yet, was the appraisal report just pulled out and removed so blatantly?

The section chief and the female police officer stared blankly, while Lin Sicheng looked straight ahead, fixing his gaze on Guan Xingmin.

Providing guidance is fine, and helping out is also fine, but you cannot make us take the blame... That was precisely what Lin Sicheng meant.

Of course, it was also because the document had not been stamped and possessed no legal validity. Otherwise, people could do whatever they pleased.

Guan Xingmin hesitated for a moment, took the folder from the section chief, and similarly pulled out the second page.

Lin Sicheng still did not budge: Director Guan, please be quick about it...

Guan Xingmin was left between laughter and tears: No one could possibly have taught him this, so how did Lin Sicheng pick it up?

He sighed helplessly and cast a glance.

The section chief understood instantly: The re-appraisal report was made in triplicate. Aside from the copies held by him and Xiao Zhu (the female police officer), the third copy was with the deputy section chief who was keeping company with several professors.

Since they were destroying the evidence, shouldn't they make a clean job of it?

He sighed as well, walked over to exchange whispers with the deputy section chief, and retrieved the third copy as well.

Without exception, all of them ended up in Lin Sicheng's pockets.

Had a shady inside deal just been completed so quietly?

Wang Qizhi's eyes flickered slightly: Such composure, especially this thick-skinned boldness—it would be a waste if he didn't work in the administrative system.

What would have happened if Lin Sicheng hadn't acted this way today?

Naturally, he would have ended up sharing the misery with the Provincial Department's Forensics Center and the Municipal Bureau's Forensics Center, taking the blame together.

There was no need to doubt that when the case was eventually overturned, those two organizations would guarantee with absolute righteousness: "Look, leaders, even the expert guidance group from Xida University failed to identify it..."

That would mean the guidance group had jumped squarely into the thieves' pit. Afterwards, Wang Qizhi would undoubtedly be ridiculed like a piece of dog shit: You were the team leader in charge; if you aren't responsible, then who is?

Therefore, Lin Sicheng was actually covering for Wang Qizhi.

Wang Qizhi let out a breath, took the folder back from Guan Xingmin, and began turning the pages one by one.

He looked at the instrument testing report first:

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Raman spectroscopy was performed at the provincial department, and the main component of the staining is calcium carbonate... No problem.

Ultraviolet probe testing was conducted: No staining phenomenon observed... Also no problem.

Infrared spectroscopy showed: The degree of hydroxyl loss in the jade texture is normal.

High-power microscopy revealed: Obvious carver's tool marks, with cracks caused by natural thermal expansion and contraction... Also normal.

As it happened, thermoluminescence testing was not performed.

But not performing it was the normal course of action: Jade is not ceramics; it doesn't require high-temperature firing, so what good would it be to test the time it was last heated?

Could it be to study the origin of Hetian jade?

Therefore, the forensic institution could not be blamed for negligence...

Musing inwardly, Guan Xingmin whispered a reminder, "Should we call Professor Yu over to take a look?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head.

Since Professor Yu dared to sign the re-appraisal report, he must be 100% confident. If you called him over now, he would undoubtedly repeat the exact same rhetoric: It's genuine, absolutely genuine.

If they temporarily invited someone from the university, firstly, there wouldn't be enough time, and secondly, it would become a laughingstock.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Let's examine it ourselves first!"

With these words, Lin Sicheng reached out and pulled a flashlight and a magnifying glass from the pocket of Guan Xingmin's white lab coat.

Wang Qizhi and Guan Xingmin also leaned in close.

At just a single glance, all three men understood why the two levels of forensic centers had authenticated it as genuine, and why Professor Yu was so firm in his conviction.

It was a classic piece of Hetian mutton-fat white jade pebble, specifically a textbook example of "chicken-bone white": as the name implies, the jade quality is slightly dry, with the overall texture appearing whitish, reflecting a luster reminiscent of chicken bones.

This occurs when jade artifacts are buried for a prolonged period in an alkaline-rich water-soaked environment, causing minerals to dissolve and leading to the calcification of the jade.

Looking at the patina (baojiang): the jade surface is oily and lustrous, with fine and natural orange-peel textures. This is caused by the accelerated disintegration of the jade quality under constant cycles of thermal expansion and contraction.

Looking at the carving craftsmanship: bold, vigorous, and fluid. In areas with dense hair structures like the lion's head and back, where the lines are tightly packed, the chisel marks follow one another closely—appearing broken yet connected, severed yet continuous. This indicates that after the carving was completed, it was hardly polished at all.

However, the decorative patterns have distinct layers, seamlessly integrating multiple techniques such as openwork, relief carving, and convex carving. There is meticulousness within the roughness, combining strength and gentleness. This precisely aligns with the historical characteristics of the nomadic culture merging with the traditional culture of the Central Plains during the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty.

In plain human terms: This piece of jade had been buried long enough, the excavation site was far north enough, the summers were hot enough, the winters were cold enough, and the local soil was alkaline enough... And as it happened, it matched the climate and soil environment of Yulin.

This meant the era was not an issue, the excavation site was not an issue, and the craft characteristics were even less of an issue?

Including the instrument tests, it seemed that apart from the radiation value being too low, everything else checked out?

Wang Qizhi and Guan Xingmin looked at each other in dismay: Had Yu Zijian's report been pulled out too early?

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Of course not.

Because the radiation value of Hetian jade is extremely stable, with upper and lower limits varying by at most about 0.01 microsieverts. How could this particular piece drop by a full 0.05?

Naturally, it had been burned away.

Why was it burned? Because high-imitation ancient jade must undergo high-temperature treatment to artificially replicate the deep-seated internal cracks characteristic of genuine ancient artifacts.

Beyond that, imitating "chicken-bone white" ancient jade involves a master technique: baking the head to fake staining spots.

The general method involves coating the jade artifact in lime and burying it tightly sealed in sawdust to simmer for two days. Once fired, the jade will exhibit a chicken-bone white texture along with irregular grayish-white staining spots, while simultaneously producing dense, fire-induced thermal stress cracks.

However, there is a major flaw: the jade surface appears overly dry, completely lacking any oily luster, and feels rough to the touch.

Yet this is not difficult to resolve: the jade is then implanted into the fat layer of a living sheep, dog, or even cow. Within a year at most, or five to six months at the minimum, the resulting patina turns out even more authentic than one cultivated by human handling for ten years.

Simultaneously, the fire-induced cracks will develop an undulating texture resembling orange peel... This piece of jade had likely been treated precisely this way.

Yet another problem arises: no matter how convincingly it is faked, the jade remains a counterfeit. How did it manage to fool Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and high-power microscope testing?

Unconsciously, Guan Xingmin raised his head and stared fixedly at Lin Sicheng, asking, "How was this done?"

Lin Sicheng blinked. "How would I know?"

"If you don't know, how did you dare to pull out the re-appraisal reports?"

It was the exact same logic as before: If he hadn't been certain that the reverse-flow pot contained radioactive elements, how would he have dared to send those two "Hong Kong businessmen" to the hospital?

Could it be that Lin Sicheng had a death wish to eat prison food?

Guan Xingmin urged in a low voice, "Get straight to the point, I really have no confidence left in my heart!"

Helping Lin Sicheng destroy evidence right in front of his colleagues meant he was a dyed-in-the-wool traitor to the municipal bureau. If he didn't give his superiors a satisfactory explanation, could the leaders possibly spare him?

Lin Sicheng sighed, "It was soaked in lye water!"

Guan Xingmin was stunned. "It's really that simple?"

"It's not actually simple, because there are many intermediate steps involved, but I can guarantee you, it was simply soaked in water..."

Pausing for a fraction of a second, Lin Sicheng pointed at the paperweight. "I guarantee it one hundred percent!"

Guan Xingmin's spirits instantly lifted: Having known him for so long, when had he ever seen Lin Sicheng make such a foolproof promise?

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