Chapter 364: Don't Believe Everything You Read

Tang Nanjin and Jing Zeyang stared at each other with wide eyes.

From Beijing to Shanghai, and from Poly and China Guardian to Sotheby's and Christie's, they had effectively gone through every auction house in the country that held any weight.

And without exception, every single one had failed to sell; just how fake must this thing be?

But thinking about it, that didn't seem right.

At the time, Lin Sicheng had specifically asked that mother and son: had this Imperial Edict been put up for auction? This showed he knew about the situation, yet he still dared to offer 500,000; he must have had some basis for it.

Thinking it over and over, only that book remained—

Wang Qizhi and Ji Wangshu exchanged a glance: if it had been anyone else, the two would have already started whispering and backing out.

But unfortunately, this time it was Lin Sicheng.

Having known him for so long, from something as large as an imperial seal to something as small as a porcelain shard, when had Lin Sicheng ever misjudged anything, when had he ever slipped up?

Even if the world's four major companies had all failed to sell it, they firmly believed that it was impossible for Lin Sicheng to have misjudged it—

The two looked at each other and smiled. Wang Qizhi picked up the gloves cheerfully: "Senior Brother Sheng, come and take a look!"

Sheng Guoan had a strange expression: "Qi Zhi, you're quite confident, aren't you?"

"What kind of talk is that? He is my student; if I don't believe in him, who do I believe in? Besides, even if he loses money, it's only 500,000; Lin Sicheng can afford to lose that."

Wang Qizhi gave a dismissive laugh, "Even if he can't afford it, don't I, his teacher, still exist?"

Sheng Guoan was choked up: that was true.

Just from that one time at Xiling, Lin Sicheng had earned at least three or four million.

"Right, Lin Sicheng, don't be discouraged!" Ji Wangshu said with a smile, "If you happen to lose money, make your teacher cover it; he has secret savings!"

"Thank you, Senior Sister-in-law!" Lin Sicheng nodded with a smile and picked up the Magnifying Glass again, "Sorry to trouble you, Director Sheng!"

Sheng Guoan nodded and took it into his hands; Liu Yiling was quick-witted and took out the High-intensity Flashlight.

Sun Qichen remained expressionless, watching coldly from the sidelines.

If one house misjudged it, that was possible. But to say the top four auction houses in the world all misjudged it was more ridiculous than the earth exploding.

Of course, that wasn't what he cared about: in the antique and appraisal business, who hadn't misjudged something?

What Sun Qichen was curious about was Lin Sicheng's mindset: he heard his family background was only average, and 500,000 was not a small sum; how could he not feel a pinch at all, and even be able to smile?

And there was the attitude of Wang Qizhi and his wife: this was a student, not a son, right?

While he was secretly pondering, Sheng Guoan leaned down, and Liu Yiling followed obediently by his side. Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng also moved closer.

Seeing this, Sun Qichen also stood up and followed behind Sheng Guoan.

For a moment, the large living room was deathly silent.

Even with several hundred years of history, the silk surface remained smooth. When the flashlight shone on the front, it was like a sharp, cold, and steely blade. When it shone on the back, it was like the sky clearing after rain, revealing a soft, seven-colored glow.

A finger touched the corner; it was as tough and resilient as sinew, and when lightly brushed, the texture was icy and smooth.

Sheng Guoan picked up the Magnifying Glass again and counted carefully: counting the layers, counting the warp threads, and then counting the weft threads.

After counting, he pinched it with his fingernail and then plucked at the loose threads at the end of the silk to take a look.

Then he looked at the roller: the roller ends were Hetian Green Jade carved with dragon-like beasts, the roller rod was Red Sandalwood with Gold Tracing, and the hanging cord was woven from Pheasant Pattern Gold Thread Brocade.

Then he looked at the patterns: the back had a Double Dragon pattern, and the front had a Cloud Crane Four-Fold Ruyi Hidden Pattern. Although there were five colors, every one used top-quality pigments: Huiqing, Indigo, Cinnabar, and Madder—

It was hard to judge exactly how long it had been preserved, but Sheng Guoan dared to conclude it was at least five hundred years old; looking at the color of the silk, there was almost no visible sign of fading to the naked eye.

The ink was the same, standard Great Ming Imperial Pine Soot Ink; under the high-intensity light, it still radiated the unique luster of Pearl Powder.

Only then did Sheng Guoan begin to look at the characters on it: as he looked, his right index finger traced in the palm of his left hand, and he muttered to himself.

After all, it was a matter of several hundred thousand, and more likely several million; no one dared to speak, and they all waited quietly.

Having looked from beginning to end, after nearly half an hour, Sheng Guoan straightened his back.

He closed his eyes and thought for a while, then turned back and began looking from the end of the Imperial Edict.

This look took another half hour, and Sheng Guoan closed his eyes again, as if recalling something.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes: "It doesn't feel quite right?"

Sun Qichen paused and gave a silent smile. Liu Yiling looked at Lin Sicheng and sighed inwardly.

As expected?

Having been to so many auctions, if it were real, how could it have waited for Lin Sicheng to pick it up for a bargain?

Lin Sicheng, however, remained indifferent: of course it didn't feel right; even if all the Experts in the Forbidden City were invited, they would probably say the same thing: because at first glance, it looked fake.

But if one looked closely, the longer one looked, the more it seemed real.

The problem was: in no historical records was there any mention of it?

If it turned out to be correct, that would be the real rarity—

Lin Sicheng smiled: "It indeed doesn't feel quite right!"

"You have a good attitude, don't you?" Sheng Guoan sighed, "If it's fake, 500,000 is gone?"

Lin Sicheng joked: "It's fine, the teacher can afford to lose it!"

"Yes, yes, yes—I'll pay!" Wang Qizhi said impatiently, "Senior Brother Sheng, how is it?"

Sheng Guoan paused, staring at the imperial decree, somewhat hesitant: "I still need to look again!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qizhi's heart sank: it was over.

It doesn't feel quite right—I still need to look again—based on these two sentences, how was this any different from a death sentence?

Of course he could afford to lose 500,000; even four times 500,000 would be no problem. Whether it was himself, Lin Sicheng, or even Zhao Xiuneng, he guaranteed they wouldn't even blink an eye.

The problem was, the undefeated golden body had been broken?

Although they said to believe in science, some things were just very eerie and couldn't be explained by science: what they called 'once there is one, there will be a second,' and even a third or fourth—

More importantly, this was an Imperial Edict, and it was a decree for Wang Shu. It was no exaggeration: the moment he finished Lin Sicheng's phone call, every hair on Wang Qizhi's body had been smiling—

He widened his eyes, staring straight at Lin Sicheng. Zhao Xiuneng was the same, his eyes looking as if they couldn't turn, his face full of disbelief.

The two of them didn't determine that there was no problem with this item simply because of their blind confidence in Lin Sicheng, but because they were themselves highly expert Appraisers.

Even though each has their own specialty—one studied metalware, the other studied porcelain—the so-called ability to draw inferences about other cases from one instance means they can at least tell: is the piece in front of them artificially aged, or naturally oxidized?

It looks old from every angle; it cannot be fake—

It wasn't just the two of them; Sheng Guoan was also half-believing and half-doubting, feeling shocked and uncertain. But it was the exact opposite: Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng didn't believe it was fake, while he didn't believe it was real.

All the top-ranked auction houses in the country had been through it; there was no reason for it to fail to sell at every one, only for Lin Sicheng to pick up a bargain at a cabbage price in the end?

No matter how Sheng Guoan thought about it, he couldn't quite figure it out—

He picked up the Magnifying Glass again and started looking from the beginning, asking as he looked: "Sicheng, what are the characteristics of the silk used for Imperial Edicts in the various dynasties of the Great Ming?

"

Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "Hongwu governed the country with frugality, using only coarse silk, with a warp density of fifty-two threads, using only herbal dyes, and strictly forbidding minerals—During the Yongle era, Zheng He went to the Western Oceans, bringing in Iran diamond materials, Huiqing Glaze Material, Bengali fine cotton, and Annam Agarwood. From then on, the warp density rose to sixty-five, and the four-fold ruyi cloud pattern was pioneered—"

"During the Chenghua era, the warp density increased to sixty-eight threads, and the weft density increased to forty-five threads, creating the cloud crane pattern, the back-imprinted double dragon pattern, the hidden joy pattern, and weaving hidden flowers—The first to add ribbons, using Gold Foil to wrap silk threads—"

"During the Hongzhi era, Jiangning official weaving technology underwent Reform, using a Double-Warp Axis + Five-Leaf Shedding Machine; the warp and weft remained the same, the silk layers were thickened by three layers, yet the thickness was reduced by thirty percent—Secondly, the four-fold pattern was changed to a hooked cloud pattern, the crane eyes used gold threads, and the ribbons used Pheasant Pattern Gold Thread Brocade—And the most important point: during the Hongzhi era, the Three-Color Set was pioneered—"

That's right: Double-Warp Axis, Five-Leaf Shedding Machine, Double-Silk Cloud Crane, crane eyes woven with gold threads, ribbons using Pheasant Pattern Gold Thread Brocade?

Sheng Guoan squinted his eyes, a Flashlight in one hand and a Magnifying Glass in the other, moving forward inch by inch: "What about the grade?"

"First and second rank use Jiangning Double-Silk Cloud Crane, third and fourth rank use Suzhou-Hangzhou Single-Silk Peacock, fifth and sixth rank use Songjiang Fine Silk Twining Lotus Pattern, and seventh rank and below use Jiangxi Cotton Silk Water Wave Pattern—"

"That covers the silk and patterns, as well as the axis, ribbons, and ink: first to third rank use Pine Soot Ink + Pearl Powder + Gold Foil shavings, appearing black and bright with golden spots. Fourth to sixth rank use Pine Soot Ink + egg white + indigo plant, presenting an indigo luster, and seventh rank uses smoke Coal glue + Glutinous Rice Juice for a matte black—Besides that, there is the seal: super-rank and first rank use Treasure of Vast Fortune, second to fifth rank use Imperial Edict Treasure, and fifth rank and below use Imperial Command Treasure—"

Sheng Guoan paused again: That's right?

Pine Soot Ink plus Pearl Powder plus Gold Foil shavings, axis ends of Hetian Green Jade, axis rod of Red Sandalwood with Gold Tracing, the seal is the Treasure of Vast Fortune—

One asked and one answered; the questions were short and crisp, the answers detailed and meticulous.

At first, the group was still listening earnestly, but gradually, Liu Yiling noticed something wrong: she only remembered a portion of what Lin Sicheng was saying?

Well, to be precise, perhaps less than one-third, and it was absolutely impossible to remember it so clearly: which dynasty's silk warp density had how many threads, what the weft density was, which dynasty used what pigments for dyeing, and what ink was used for which rank.

At most, she remembered which silk and which pattern were used for which rank—

In astonishment, she subconsciously turned her head and was stunned for a moment: Sun Qichen seemed even more surprised than she was.

But immediately, he twitched the corners of his mouth, as if sneering.

Sun Qichen must be saying: what's the use of remembering it so clearly, isn't it still a fake?

But Liu Yiling vaguely felt something was wrong: given the teacher's personality, if it were fake, he would have said so directly. Instead of saying things like "it doesn't look quite right" or "I still need to look again."

If it is, it is; if it isn't, it isn't. The teacher never says such ambiguous things.

Unless, he really isn't sure?

Therefore, him asking Lin Sicheng so much wasn't a test, but because he was afraid that since it was so long ago, his memory was blurred, thereby affecting his judgment.

But how is that possible?

In shock, Sheng Guoan straightened his back again, staring at Lin Sicheng, his expression indescribably strange: suspicion, surprise, astonishment, and a tiny trace of regret.

No—if it's fake, what are you regretting?

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind; Wang Qizhi remembered the last Xiling Auction: at that time, when he knew that the Qianlong "Congyun Seal" had flown right under his nose and been picked up by Lin Sicheng, wasn't that the exact expression Sheng Guoan had?

Besides, if this thing were fake, why would he ask Lin Sicheng so much?

This was clearly asking Lin Sicheng: you dared to spend 500,000 to buy this thing, what is your basis?

Haha, it matches—Sheng Guoan could also see what Lin Sicheng was saying, which is why he regretted it: if he had only taken a look, this item wouldn't have been left for Lin Sicheng.

Wang Qizhi let out a sharp breath: I knew it?

Zhao Xiuneng realized it belatedly, his face revealing wild joy: "Director Sheng, is the item real?"

"This still needs to be looked at again—" Sheng Guoan didn't dare to speak definitively, "but at least the silk is correct, the Double-Silk Cloud Crane pattern. The weaving method is also correct: Double-Warp Axis, Five-Leaf Shedding Machine. Including the ornamentation: standing crane treading on waves, crane head facing left—The axis is also correct: Green Jade dragon head, Red Sandalwood axis rod—"

After a slight pause, Sheng Guoan sighed again: "Including the ribbons, the edging, the back pattern, the border, as well as the ink, the writing format, the use of seals, and even the seal paste—including the degree of aging, at least five hundred years or more—"

Everyone was stunned: doesn't that mean everything is correct?

But it's not right—

Sun Qichen shook his head violently: "Impossible, the Imperial Edict silk of the Great Ming cannot be this new—let alone the Ming Dynasty, even the Imperial Edicts from the Kangxi and Qianlong eras aren't this new—"

After speaking, seeing everyone staring at him, Sun Qichen realized: the person standing in front of him wasn't one of the clients asking him for an appraisal, but his grand-uncle-master.

No matter how dismissive he felt inside, he had to put on a respectful look on his face—

He hurriedly smiled: "Uncle-Master Sheng, these aren't my words, they are what the appraisers at those auction houses said!"

Since they knew there was a problem, why did they still accept it?

Because there is no need to bear guarantee responsibility, let alone after-sales service; if you happen to meet a sucker, that's a commission of over a million—

Sheng Guoan sighed: "Did you hear what Lin Sicheng just said: Three-Color Set?"

Sun Qichen was stunned for a moment: "Uncle-Master, what about the Three-Color Set?"

Sheng Guoan was instead stumped by the question.

The Three-Color Set is over-dyeing, using the principle of gradients, using the three primary colors to compound; you can dye it any color you want.

But the Three-Color Set pioneered during the Hongzhi era is not the point; the point is that the Three-Color Set derived a technological revolution: using Tin Salt Reduction and Aluminum Mordant for Color Fixing.

To put it simply: the color stability is extremely high, and the penetration depth is extremely deep. To speak in human terms: it doesn't fade.

But unfortunately, after the Qing Dynasty was established, human factors led to the loss of these two technologies. Just because of these two inconspicuous little technologies, the weaving and dyeing technology of the Ming Dynasty was three or four stories higher than that of the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, this is not a question of how long the time has been, but a question of technological regression, or even a gap.

Let alone Kangxi or Qianlong, even if you brought an Imperial Edict from the Daoguang era, it couldn't possibly be as new as the one in front of us—

Sun Qichen specializes in Calligraphy and Painting; he only has a slight understanding of silk and textiles, and this piece of knowledge is extremely obscure, so it's not strange that he doesn't know it.

Including Liu Yiling, it was the same; Sheng Guoan explained it patiently.

Sun Qichen was half-believing and half-doubting: but it's still not right.

"The seal is wrong, the format is wrong, and this five-color silk, it hasn't appeared before, and it hasn't appeared since—the key is, there is no historical record?"

How can things be so absolute?

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible!" Sheng Guoan sighed again, "To believe everything in books is worse than having no books at all—"

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