Chapter 552 - 552: Another Crushing Blow from Luo Feng!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Simultaneously, in another part of the city, the Prime Minister of Japan had vacated his office, en-route to Nara.
The farm he intended to visit was merely half an hour away.
He was traversing the distance via helicopter.
A ceaseless journey, some might suggest.
Within the helicopter, the secretary at his side abruptly received a phone call, then turned to the Prime Minister with a perturbed look, seeming reluctant to share the information.
“What’s the problem? Speak out!”
The Prime Minister, a man weathered by countless adversities, sensed something of import must have occurred.
Still, given his high-ranking position, he had grown resilient to unexpected challenges.
“All the artifacts are forgeries, aren’t they?”
Observing his secretary’s hesitance, the Prime Minister decided to confront the looming concern. After all, the notion of such an extensive collection of artifacts turning out to be fraudulent would be a significant disgrace.
“The artifacts are genuine, but the owner of this farm is a private individual, not a government representative!”
“Does it have an owner? I was under the impression it was an abandoned farm, reclaimed by our government years ago?”
A sense of unease washed over the Prime Minister at this revelation.
“Yes, the farm has been under government supervision, which is why the local land bureau assumed it was state-owned. However, upon close inspection, we discovered the new proprietor.”
“Who is it?”
The person capable of amassing such a remarkable collection couldn’t possibly be insignificant.
“It’s Luo Feng’s father.”
With no option but to disclose the truth — as it would inevitably come to light the secretary broke the news.
“It would be better to reveal it now.”
“Luo Feng’s father is a Chinese national?”
The Prime Minister had previously thought that if the owner were a Japanese citizen, the situation would be manageable. They could potentially leverage certain benefits to procure the artifacts. However, if a foreign national were involved, the situation would drastically complicate, particularly with Luo
Feng, who had attracted the attention of China’s officials.
“Yes, Luo Feng is indeed a Chinese national.”
The Prime Minister was left dumbstruck at this disclosure.
This development was quite unexpected.
How could this be?
They had been completely deceived.
Luo Feng must have been privy to this information prior to purchasing the farm.
He couldn’t possibly have stored items there given the government’s consistent oversight.
“Alter our course, we won’t go to the farm. Proceed to the hotel and arrange a meeting with Mr. Luo Feng!”
After a moment of reflection, the Prime Minister decided it was time to engage with Luo Feng directly.
“Hear me, helicopter, divert to the nearest hotel!”
The Prime Minister had a plan in mind; these artifacts must be secured. The methods were numerous.
After all, where were they?
This was his nation.
His home turf.
His strategy was simple: invite Luo Feng and keep him preoccupied.
Meanwhile, dispatch someone to switch out the items.
With a hundred boxes, even if they managed to abscond with seventy to eighty of them, it would be a substantial loot.
“What a revelation, the farm is actually under Mr. Luo Feng’s ownership. Just as I expected of the man I admire, always one step ahead!”
Inside the Tokyo Museum’s exclusive vehicle, Miyuki Kawashima had arrived alongside the museum’s team.
Despite her internal delight upon hearing the news, she feigned disappointment, “The farm is owned by Luo Feng. Should we proceed?”
“Clearly, he came for the farm. The talk about an artifact exchange was a diversion. No wonder the silence has been deafening. We’ve been outsmarted too!”
Elsewhere, Luo Feng pulled out a disc-shaped object from one of the boxes.
It was a type of lacquer ware dish.
Adorned with dragon-wave patterns.
Quite a treasure.
Notably, there was a similar piece housed in the Tokyo Museum.
A seemingly counterfeit one.
If the Tokyo Museum discovered this, their indignation would be palpable.
Sadly, the original artifacts from Hua Xia had likely passed through numerous hands, the genuine pieces hidden, and the forgeries finding their way to the museum.
This had led to an abundance of counterfeit items in the museum.
Even within their country, instances of museum experts swapping genuine artifacts with fakes to add to their private collections were not unheard of. These frauds would only be unearthed years later.
“This is a jade belt hook, a relic of the Han Dynasty. The Tokyo Museum’s East Asia section on the third floor houses an identical item, number 45, but it’s a forgery, this one is authentic!”
Luo Feng picked up a ruyi scepter, about twenty centimeters long, “This is identical to the 11th item in the East Asia section. Theirs is counterfeit!”
As more and more artifacts were revealed,
A wide array of identical items surfaced.
An overwhelming number of genuine and counterfeit Monkey Kings.
This revelation left the Tokyo Museum representatives on the brink of collapsing.
An excessive number of forgeries.
Their museum was practically a warehouse for counterfeit items.
So much for being the nation’s most prestigious museum.
Their reputation was crumbling.
Based on Luo Feng’s findings thus far, the count of counterfeit items had exceeded fifty.
There was no denying it; the farm’s artifacts originated from official channels.
A small group had conspired to create forgeries, present them to officials, while the genuine artifacts were stealthily returned to the country.
Even beyond the Tokyo Museum, many other Japanese museums were awash with counterfeit pieces..
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