Chapter 176: Chapter 148: Three Years in Prison, Astronomical Compensation! (Subscribe Please)_2

Hu Shu laughed heartily, following Lin Chuan’s lead, “Indeed, from the decoration and style, we can rule out the early period.”

Lin Chuan took another look at the jade vase.

The light from the glass cabinet shone upon the Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase, revealing a gentle and pure luster without any flaws. However, it differed in subtle ways from the patina and play of light and shadow Lin Chuan expected to see on an object several hundred years old.

It really was a fake!

Lin Chuan cursed inwardly.

Whether it was fake before it was repatriated or became a fake afterward was unknown.

If it was the latter, the gall of those who dared to replace such a national treasure!

“Mr. Lin?”

Seeing Lin Chuan absorbed in thought, Hu Shu called out to him.

Lin Chuan snapped back to reality and smiled, “Judging from the patina of the thin-walled jade vase, it should be a work from the mid-Qing period.”

Hu Shu’s eyes lit up immediately, and he took another look at the ‘thin-walled jade vase’ in the glass cabinet, showing a very satisfied smile, “Thank you, Mr. Lin, for clearing up my confusion. I have urgent matters to attend to now, so I’ll take my leave. Should you encounter any difficulty, or should you need anything, feel free to visit me at the ‘Ancient Moon’ gallery anytime. I’ll be waiting for your esteemed visit.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Chuan nodded and responded with a polite smile.

He was not familiar with Hu Shu, and therefore, did not reveal that the thin-walled jade vase was a fake.

Blurting out such a thing would immediately make it to the top of the trending searches.

The implications would be far-reaching.

Suddenly!

The lights in the venue went out abruptly, causing an instant stir among the visitors.

“Ah—”

But before the crowd had a chance to react, several screams caught the attention of the nearby security staff.

At that moment, beside Lin Chuan, Youyou, for some unknown reason, suddenly lost her balance. Her upper body lurched forward precariously as she fell.

“Lin Chuan!”

In her moment of panic, she instinctively cried out for Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan’s heart tightened. He spun around and quickly took two steps to brace Youyou.

He was fast!

But just as he was about to catch Youyou, preparing to stabilize himself with his waist, he slipped. With their bodies leaning too far forward, already in a state of weightlessness—

Bang!

The two of them fell heavily to the ground.

At the same time, a pillar-style glass cabinet toppled over.

Inside was that piece of cultural artifact—the Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.

The next second, the lights in the venue flickered back on.

From the time the lights went out to when they came back on, it only took three or four seconds, not enough for many to understand what had happened.

At this time, the nearby security staff split into two groups.

One protected the cultural artifacts, while the other encircled Lin Chuan and Youyou.

Not just around Lin Chuan, but accidents also occurred in the areas of several other artifacts, with many people similarly surrounded.

At this moment.

Youyou, looking at the pillar-style glass cabinet and cultural artifact that had fallen to the floor, turned deathly pale, her lips trembling slightly and her voice shaking, “Lin Chuan, I’ve caused a great disaster.”

Lin Chuan gently patted Youyou’s back to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

At the same time, he looked around at the security staff and glanced at the fake thin-walled jade vase, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

The delicate vase, thin as cicada wings, had its body cracked open by the impact, and the lid scattered apart.

“How did you fall just now?” Lin Chuan asked, having quickly regained his composure.

With her lips pursed and eyes slightly red, Youyou responded, “I think I tripped over something and that’s why I fell. Did you get hurt?”

When they fell, Lin Chuan had rolled over to cushion the ground, and Youyou had landed entirely on top of him, so she was also worried that Lin Chuan might have been injured because of her.

“I’m fine.”

Lin Chuan straightened his shirt and gave Youyou a reassuring look.

The police, the Cultural Relics Bureau, the museum, and other relevant officials all rushed over immediately.

The cultural relic that had just been handed over suddenly encountered such an incident, and especially this Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase, a national treasure-level relic, cracked open a large fissure, and could almost certainly be considered a total loss.

This was already beyond an issue within the antiques circle.

Everyone from the Cultural Relics Bureau to the museum, as well as Lin Chuan, Youyou, and others, would be involved.

The magnitude of the loss, the impact, was unimaginable.

The responsibility was too great for anyone to bear.

Chen Hui was nearby, and he arrived the fastest, looking at Lin Chuan with a complex expression, “What happened here?”

Before Lin Chuan could answer, Gao Qinglin, the museum’s chief expert, dressed in a long robe, quickly walked up, looking at the cracked thin-walled jade vase with a face full of regret, and then angrily and in a deep voice said, “Who damaged this national treasure-level cultural relic?”

The security personnel all fell silent, no one answered.

And everyone’s eyes silently turned towards Lin Chuan and Youyou.

Gao Qinglin narrowed his eyes at Lin Chuan, his gaze sharp, and said solemnly, “You must give an explanation for this relic!”

Lin Chuan paused, remaining very calm, “Before the incident is thoroughly investigated, I’m not yet the primary person responsible.”

Moreover, a fake relic just needs to be recreated.

“If you are not the primary person responsible for this accident, who is?”

Gao Qinglin was already displeased with Lin Chuan for disagreeing with him over the Taotie pattern bronze ware, and now seeing Lin Chuan ‘damage’ this national treasure-level cultural relic, he felt his anger surge!

“Determining who is responsible is not for you to decide,” Lin Chuan responded indifferently.

“Hmph!”

Gao Qinglin, the museum’s chief expert, snorted coldly, “It may not be for me to decide, but you damaged a national treasure-level cultural relic, do you know what the consequences are? This Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase is worth a fortune, and it would not be surprising even if it fetched a billion at auction!”

His words were true.

Just the prime jade material used to carve a thin-walled jade vase was worth at least several million at the lowest, and combined with the extremely demanding carving techniques and very low success rate, the value would multiply several times over.

Furthermore, if it really originated from the Qing dynasty and had endured hundreds of years of weathering and accumulation, its value was immeasurable.

Gao Qinglin looked at Lin Chuan with a cold eye, then said in a cold voice, “Even if you didn’t intentionally damage it, accidental damage is still punishable by law, with up to three years in prison!”

There is a charge in the criminal law, called “negligent damage to cultural relics.”

——Negligent damage to precious cultural relics protected by the state, or those identified as key cultural relics protected at the national or provincial level, causing serious consequences, shall result in a prison sentence of up to three years or criminal detention.

Upon hearing this, the people around immediately erupted in commotion!

Three years in prison, astronomical compensation!

This would be a fatal blow to anyone it fell upon!

Even Chen Hui, the legal-minded police officer, couldn’t help but give Lin Chuan a few more glances, a hint of pity and sympathy flashing in his mind.

Next to him, Youyou swallowed, her lips trembling, her pupils dilated, and her eyes reddening.

Clearly, she had considered the consequences to be severe, but the words ‘three-year sentence, astronomical compensation’ almost broke through her psychological defenses.

However, Lin Chuan’s face showed not a trace of panic, his expression serene and composed; he even turned to pat the back of Youyou’s hand that was clutching his, reassuringly saying, “Don’t listen to his nonsense, in this matter, I have more experience than him.”

Youyou glanced at Lin Chuan’s somewhat confident expression, and her heart settled a little, but the panic remained.

At the same time.

Her heart was full of self-reproach.

If she hadn’t called for Lin Chuan, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.

Seeing Youyou still feeling some guilt and self-blame, Lin Chuan turned his head, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, this is a fake, we are going to accomplish something big.”

Youyou’s reddening eyes suddenly paused, her face showing thick surprise.

A fake?

Accomplish something big?

For a moment, she couldn’t make sense of the logic, but seeing Lin Chuan’s ever-composed expression, she believed him a little more, and the chaos in her heart decreased significantly.

“Officer Chen, take us away, we are willing to cooperate with the investigation,” Lin Chuan said as he looked at Chen Hui in his dark blue police uniform, voluntarily offering to cooperate.

Chen Hui looked at Lin Chuan in surprise.

He couldn’t quite understand why there wasn’t a trace of panic on Lin Chuan’s face but rather an increasing sense of calm, even a hint of eagerness?

Yes, eagerness!

Did Lin Chuan actually want to go back to the police station with me?