Chapter 477: The Twenty-Year Scheme (Two-in-one, making up for yesterday's missed update)

The few people's voices were not loud, and there were many people surrounding them, so neither Fu Manshu nor Li Zhiyuan could hear very clearly.

They only knew that these three seemed to be researching that set of Acid Branch Wood.

Fu Manshu was thoughtful: It couldn't be that they had taken a fancy to these three items, could it?

And then, opened their mouths like a lion?

But get this straight, this is 1.2 million, not 12,000...

Looking at Li Zhiyuan, Fu Manshu raised her eyebrows.

Li Zhiyuan did not speak.

If one were to say these people were here to extort money... it didn't really seem like it?

If they wanted something, they would certainly have to state their origins first. At the very least, they would have to let people know: what the consequences of offending them would be.

But until now, let alone their identities and backgrounds, they didn't even know the other party's surname.

It couldn't be that the other party truly liked this and wanted to research it, could it? But that felt even less likely: they were too young.

Being young meant having no experience and little knowledge; what could they possibly research?

Unable to judge for the moment, Li Zhiyuan shook his head slightly, meaning to watch and see.

Fu Manshu nodded slightly and leaned in a little closer: Rather than guessing blindly here, it would be better to listen to what they were saying.

Li Zhiyuan thought for a moment and followed.

Assuming they were preparing to introduce the items, no one paid them any mind, and the two stood two or three steps away from Lin Sicheng.

Being this close, the words of the three people could be heard clearly. After listening for a few sentences, everything felt normal, and Fu Manshu did not pay much attention.

She knew about Fish Maw Glue; of course, it wasn't the kind you eat, but the Fish Bladder Glue used for Artifact Restoration on furniture.

Li Zhiyuan had mentioned this stuff before: the process was too complex and difficult to boil, so she had never seen it, and the shop had never used it.

She also knew "loose head": this is jargon in the Antique Trade, referring to Cultural Relics that have been repaired after being damaged; anyone with a little common knowledge of antiques knows this.

It was not strange that it could be said from the mouth of this young man.

But gradually, she discovered something was wrong: they were looking at the chairs just fine, but suddenly, the two older ones froze.

Extremely stunned, extremely shocked, extremely unbelievable... as if they had seen a ghost.

It couldn't be that these three felt these three items were fake, could it?

Fu Manshu did not understand the reason and subconsciously turned her head back.

Li Zhiyuan shook his head slightly, meaning there was no need to worry, and then explained with a smile: "Do you gentlemen feel that it is unreasonable for new fish glue to be used on old furniture?"

"Actually, it is very normal: over time, the moisture in the glue will slowly evaporate, leading to the shrinkage of glue seams and the loosening of the Mortise and Tenon. To avoid this situation, every ten or twenty years, master craftsmen will use new glue to fill the glue seams."

"But Hide Glue and Bone Glue have a characteristic: they are very brittle and have too strong an adhesive quality, making them difficult to remove. Every time glue is added, it can only be stacked on top of the previous layer. Over time, it gets thicker and thicker, and the glue becomes tighter and tighter. If it suddenly gets damp, the glue expands and will pry open the Mortise and Tenon."

"But fish glue is different; it is easy to absorb water and easy to disassemble: when filling the glue seams for the second time, you can remove the layer filled the first time and then add new glue..."

Watching Li Zhiyuan hold forth, Fu Manshu nodded secretly: Just as I said, even the Expert from Beijing said they were good items, how could there be any problems? Feng Sanjiang and Ding Aqin looked at each other: Problems? The problems were huge.

Does the technique Li Zhiyuan mentioned exist? The answer is yes, and it is a superb Artifact Restoration technique in woodwork, one of the most classic and representative maintenance crafts in Beijing-style work.

But there is a prerequisite: north of the Yangtze River.

South of the Yangtze River, there is barely enough time to prevent dampness; the glue seams could only expand, how could they shrink? To put it bluntly: there is no need to fill glue seams at all. Su-style work doesn't use this technique, and Guangzhou-style work uses it even less.

It couldn't be that this chair followed Luo Bingzhang to the north, for example to Beijing, and finally returned to Guangzhou, could it?

But get this straight, this is made of wood, not cast iron. Traveling thousands of kilometers back and forth, with the transportation conditions of ancient times, it would have been shaken to pieces eighty times over. Besides that, there is the most fatal point: with the craftsmanship and technology of ancient times, there was no way to solve the maintenance problems caused by humidity differences. Furniture from the south transported to the north would inevitably crack due to moisture evaporation—one hundred percent, no exceptions.

Therefore, since ancient times, furniture has always been placed where the wood was transported to. Then, for at least one year and at most three years, the wood was allowed to dry naturally in the shade to reach a humidity that adapted to the local climate before production began.

So, it had absolutely nothing to do with what Fu Manshu and Li Zhiyuan were imagining.

All that talk of extortion and taking advantage was complete nonsense.

Lin Sicheng was just curious: how could he see such high-level Beijing-style craftsmanship in Guangzhou?

The key was, using Beijing-style craftsmanship to imitate Guangzhou-style antique furniture, how could it be imitated so similarly, and so realistically?

Thinking secretly, Feng Sanjiang and Ding Aqin looked at the label: Luomen Tenon Longevity, Wen Zhong Gui Zhen?

Hehe...

Ding Aqin truly could not hold back: "Boss, may I ask, how many years has this chair been in Guangzhou?"

Fu Manshu frowned: Why is this question so strange?

Aren't you experts, can't you tell?

She said without hesitation: "It has always been in Guangzhou, at least one hundred and forty or fifty years."

One hundred and forty or fifty years?

If it could be fourteen or fifteen years, one would have to give a thumbs up and praise it as old.

Seeing the corners of Ding Aqin's mouth twitch as if suppressing a laugh, Fu Manshu felt bewildered.

In a flash, she subconsciously turned her head back and was stunned again: Li Zhiyuan was squinting, his face full of suspicion.

What does that mean? It couldn't be that I said it wrong, could it?

But that is how it is written in the account book; these three items were collected by her father and Master Li from Foshan Chancheng in '99, and the seller was a descendant of Luo Bingzhang.

Later, it was verified that they were moved out of Luo Bingzhang's former residence (in Foshan Chancheng).

Even the Expert invited from Beijing said: they came from the home of a First-Rank Official...

While she was suspicious, Li Zhiyuan gave her a look: We'll talk later.

That's right, the Expert did indeed say that, but at that time, neither Li Zhiyuan nor the Expert thought Fu Manshu's ambition was so great. They only thought she wanted to do publicity and advertising; the Expert had taken the money, so of course, he tried his best to speak well and appraise it highly. Furthermore, Fu Manshu was a complete layman, and out of consideration that "the more people who know, the greater the risk of a leak," they did not tell her.

If they had known her goal was to only sell authentic items and offer refunds for fakes, Li Zhiyuan and the Expert would certainly have told the truth.

If one were to ask Li Zhiyuan where the items came from: in '97, he and the Old Chairman collected them from Tianjin, and afterwards, they were taken to Foshan for a "bath." Luo Bingzhang's descendants did indeed exist, but they were just collecting money to act. These items had indeed been placed in Luo Bingzhang's former residence, but for no more than three years in total. There were indeed flaws: fish glue was used to fill the seams, but to be honest, ordinary collectors would not realize this point at all.

It was not that they didn't understand the climate difference between the south and the north, but that they couldn't recognize the difference between fish glue and hide glue at all.

So what is going on with these three?

From beginning to end, they only looked for two or three minutes...

While secretly pondering, Li Zhiyuan looked them up and down. First Lin Sicheng, then Feng Sanjiang, and finally Ding Aqin...

Suddenly, his pupils constricted: Something is wrong... this woman's hands?

The fingertips were deep yellow as if stained with lacquer: This comes from frequently handling colored glazes, with the pigments seeping into the flesh.

The palm lines were blue with hints of green, and green with hints of red: This comes from frequently touching celadon and copper-red glazes, with the glaze colors seeping into the skin's creases.

If it were only these two signs, Li Zhiyuan would likely have taken Ding Aqin for a Gold Tracing master, because Canton enamel also uses these pigments.

But the problem is, there is more:

The middle finger is bent to the side; this is from the habitual gripping of needle-tube pens and glue needles, both of which are tools unique to Artifact Restoration and not used in color painting. There are calluses on the ring finger: these are traces left by frequently bracing a carving knife; Canton enamel only involves gold tracing and double-color glazing, not porcelain carving, so it would not require this. From this, Li Zhiyuan was at least ninety percent certain: this woman is an Artifact Restoration master.

The key is: the rust-colored stains are so deep, she must have been repairing for at least ten or twenty years, and her craftsmanship is quite high. Because those without high craftsmanship cannot repair colored porcelain. And as it happens, fish glue is used even more in Artifact Restoration; it is not at all surprising that she could recognize it.

However, what Li Zhiyuan found shocking was not this, but the identities of these people: based on these hands, there is no doubt this woman could be called a "Master." Yet she stood before that young man as if she were a subordinate, humble to the bone?

Of course, it could be an employment relationship, but Li Zhiyuan heard very clearly that earlier, this woman addressed the young man as "Lin Shifu."

Only peers would address each other this way; if it were an employment relationship, they would only say "General Manager Lin" or "Boss Lin."

Isn't that better sounding than Lin Shifu?

The key is the tone and attitude of the three speaking: the young one seems more like he is giving guidance, while the two older ones seem more like they are learning?

The problem is, looking at those three faces again... for a moment, Li Zhiyuan felt it was both bizarre and ridiculous.

In his astonishment, the three seemed to have finished looking and discussed in low voices for a few sentences.

It was mainly the young one speaking, and the older ones listening:

"Do you know Yang Ashui?"

The two shook their heads in unison.

"The last Head Craftsman of the Oil Wood Workshop of the Imperial Household Department in the Qing Palace, skilled in Mortise and Tenon, and his inlay craftsmanship was truly peerless... During the Guangxu Emperor's wedding, there were no more large pieces of Red Sandalwood in the palace, so he pieced together scraps to make boards, inlaid a dragon bed, and carved a phoenix pavilion... During the time of Puyi, when Feng Yuxiang entered the capital, he fled to Tianjin..."

"Are these three pieces the work of this man?"

"Of course not: the timing doesn't match, and the level of skill is also far off... To me, it looks like the work of his grandson... I remember, he seems to be called Yang Chun, this man is still alive, he should be over sixty, nearly seventy..."

When he heard "Yang Ashui," Li Zhiyuan felt it sounded familiar, and later when he heard "Oil Wood Workshop," he remembered: this was the last grandmaster of the Beijing style.

Afterwards, hearing "Tianjin" and "Yang Chun," Li Zhiyuan's pupils constricted:

Aren't these three pieces the ones collected from Tianjin?

The key is, the seller who sold them the items was named Yang Chun. At that time, he was roughly fifty or sixty years old; by now, wouldn't he be nearly seventy?

But that is not the point; the problem is: these items were all collected as century-old goods back then.

If it were the seller's own craftsmanship, let alone a hundred years, even twenty or thirty years would be a stretch...

In an instant, Li Zhiyuan's eyelids twitched violently, and his eyes were fixed on the chair like knives.

There is no need to look at the authenticity of the items; even if Li Zhiyuan looked for another ten years, it would still be the same conclusion: genuine, century-old Acid Branch Wood.

It is not that he is stubborn, but with his level of expertise, he truly cannot see any problems.

But to say this young man is spouting nonsense is even more impossible.

Only he and the Old Chairman knew the origin of these three items. Now that the Old Chairman has passed away, he is the only one in this world who knows the details of these items; even if others wanted to investigate, they would have nowhere to look.

Yet this young man acts as if he saw it with his own eyes, not only knowing "Tianjin" but even knowing "Yang Chun"?

It cannot be that just by taking a few casual glances, he could deduce what the craftsmanship was and whose work it was.

It is not that such people have never existed, but they all exist in legends; in any case, Li Zhiyuan has never seen one.

Looking at his age and appearance again, he doesn't look like someone with such high discernment...

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and Li Zhiyuan followed them.

Lin Sicheng was looking at a long table made of Chicken-wing Wood. The item was relatively new, at most from the late Republic of China, perhaps even a product from after the founding of the nation.

However, the wood grain was quite peculiar: although it was a pockmarked pattern, it vaguely formed the shape of a peony.

It didn't look like it was man-made, but rather formed naturally. After holding a Magnifying Glass and looking for a while, Lin Sicheng began to touch it with his hands. Just as he was looking closely, a figure leaned over, and Lin Sicheng raised his eyelids.

Li Zhiyuan cupped his hands and was about to speak, his mouth already open, but he suddenly froze.

Lin Sicheng held a Magnifying Glass in one hand, while the other hand extended a finger, pointing at the table surface.

What Li Zhiyuan found strange was not this set of actions, but these hands: colorful, with red, black, blue, and purple... as if they had been boiled in a vat of pigments.

As the saying goes, one can infer the rest from one instance; with just one glance, Li Zhiyuan could judge seven or eight out of ten: although this young man is young, he is also a restoration master.

Whether his craftsmanship is higher than that of the woman beside him, he couldn't judge for the moment, but he dared to be certain of one thing: this person has at least done a wide variety of repairs.

The red is copper-red glaze, the black is raw lacquer, the blue is cobalt pigment, the purple is colored porcelain, and the brown is glue.

The point is the yellow and green: the former is soil encrustation, the latter is copper rust; there cannot be a third possibility.

Subconsciously, three words popped into Li Zhiyuan's mind: Raw Pit Goods.

As if frozen, his eyes stared straight at Lin Sicheng, not moving at all.

This face, is he even twenty years old?

Look at these hands again: years of Grave Robbing, years of going into pits, does a tomb raider with twenty or thirty years of experience have as much rust on their hands as he does, and is it as deep?

Suddenly, a few strands of eerie, absurd emotions surged up, and Li Zhiyuan didn't know what to say: a twenty-year-old veteran tomb raider?

It couldn't be that he started going into pits and Grave Robbing from his mother's womb, could it?

Heh heh... what a load of bullshit...

Suddenly, Lin Sicheng smiled: "Manager Li, do you have any advice!"

Advice, my ass?

Li Zhiyuan sighed inwardly: Why didn't I see it before?

If he had paid even a little attention and seen these hands, he wouldn't have been so careless: he didn't know if this person was a tomb raider, but he definitely understood woodwork. First, the brown glue stains, second, the black lacquer stains... Li Zhiyuan had appraised furniture for most of his life, and even he didn't have as much rust on his hands as this person... With ten thousand doubts in his heart, Li Zhiyuan still raised his hands and bowed. Then he straightened his back and made two gestures: "My Zhaoji were not bright enough, I didn't know you were a master!"

Looking at the two signs Li Zhiyuan made, Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Shifu Li, I do not walk the Yuanliang Path!"

Li Zhiyuan was half-doubting: "If you don't walk the Yuanliang Path, how do you recognize the Yuanliang Seal, and how do you understand the cut mouth?"

He squeezed out a trace of a smile and cupped his hands: "I didn't know you were a friend from the grave (grave-robbing), I was rude before, please, Lin Shifu, show your green child (lay your cards on the table, make your request straightforwardly):"

"In the kiln hall, you can move mountains (take whatever you want from here), if there are peaks to break, or gold sand to pan (pick whatever good goods you want)... if there is something that catches your eye, I'll give you the raw fetus cost price, absolutely no adding leaves (no price hikes)..."

Hearing the first half, Lin Sicheng was quite surprised: The so-called Manager, in the end, was just an employee, at most holding some dry shares. He didn't expect this person to have such authority and be so generous.

Hearing the latter part, Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly: After all that, it wasn't a free gift?

Thinking about it, it made sense: What era is this now?

It wasn't that no one feared this; like Feng Sanjiang or Hu Pangzi, they would definitely dodge their peers when they saw them, for fear of being double-crossed.

But this shop did a relatively legitimate business, and wanted to be even more legitimate, so how could they fall for this?

If you were tactful, they'd give you an item that wasn't too expensive or too cheap, just as a way to send you off.

If you weren't tactful, the shop had been open here for decades, why don't you try it?

And on the contrary: to them, the so-called fellow travelers of the underworld were actually easier to deal with...

Lin Sicheng raised his hand and gestured: "Li Shifu, you've misunderstood: I don't rob graves, nor do I go down into pits, I do legitimate work. If I must be associated with this trade, at most I'm a scavenger of broken pieces... I am no robber, and I have never thought of extorting anything from your esteemed firm..."

Li Zhiyuan stared at his hands: Scavenger of broken pieces... someone who specializes in artifact restoration?

But this was even harder than going down into pits to rob graves.

Large lacquer (black rust) and fish glue (brown rust) were easy to talk about: after learning for three to five years, one might not dare say how well they could repair, but at least they would dare to start.

But blue and white (blue rust), doucai, or even famille rose (purple rust)—without twenty or thirty years of ceramic repair skills, who would dare touch these?

The key was: the cut mouth he used earlier was so obscure that even a senior scholar would definitely be left confused. But not only could he understand it, he even responded back and forth?

No one in a legitimate business would specifically study this...

Seeing that he didn't believe him, Lin Sicheng pointed at the furniture, "Li Shifu, don't mind me saying this, but to be honest: even if I wanted to extort, there really isn't anything to extort. Five or six out of every ten items in your esteemed firm are raw fetuses. Of the remaining four or five, at least half still carry fire qi..." Li Zhiyuan's eyes popped: He understood raw fetus, originally referring to furniture made before the wood had dried through. Used here, it had only one meaning: a newly imitated fake, where the aging process was not up to par.

He admitted this; there were indeed fakes in the shop: last time Fu Manshu invited an expert to audit the treasury, he intentionally kept a few pieces because the imitation was absolutely authentic enough to pass for the real thing, to the point that even he couldn't tell without looking closely.

Such items could completely be sold as authentic.

But he could guarantee: the proportion was less than ten percent; how did this person come up with five or six out of ten?

Besides this, there was the latter part: carrying fire qi?

This phrase was used for porcelain: just out of the kiln, carrying a dry heat, referring to newly fired fakes.

But this was all furniture; wasn't this completely irrelevant?

Seeing his hesitant expression, Lin Sicheng said concisely: "Let me put it simply: it's smoked..."

Li Zhiyuan's expression changed: You motherfucker, you're bullshitting...

He was just a moment away from blurting it out.

He admitted: in the Guangzhou appraisal circle, he had some fame. But looking at the whole country, he definitely wasn't top-tier, not even first-rate. But no matter how bad, he still had second-rate eyes; he wouldn't be unable to distinguish between natural aging and smoked aging on furniture.

Furthermore, the shop had been open for so many years, and who knows how many experts and big shots had come? How many pieces of furniture had been sold—so many that even he, the manager, couldn't count them. If there were really such items, he would have been fucked over by someone long ago.

Still open for business? It would be good enough if he and the Old Chairman weren't sunk in the Pearl River.

Taking a step back: although the experts in Beijing took money, they weren't brainless. Appraising an old object as even older was fine. But if they appraised a fake as a real one, would they still be able to survive in the future?

Talking nonsense, spouting rubbish... have you even finished shedding your baby hair, and you're here pretending to be an expert?

The more he thought, the angrier he got; Li Zhiyuan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

If it weren't for the suspicion that these people had some background, he would have started kicking them out long ago...

While pondering, Li Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes: Could this person be trying to "smash the pulp" (intentionally devaluing the worth to buy low and sell high)?

It wasn't just Li Zhiyuan, but also Feng Sanjiang, Ding Aqin, and Yao Qiming and Gao Wen, who had been playing the role of transparent observers in the back.

In the appraisal business, one doesn't just use their eyes; sometimes, one has to smell the scent, or even taste it.

A dull nose, poor sense of smell, or poor sense of taste meant that the ceiling for one's appraisal ability was very low.

They wouldn't dare say how much they knew about woodwork, but at least they could distinguish what color and smell natural aging had, and what color and smell smoked aging had.

Anyway, after walking around for so long, they hadn't found a single one. Yet Lin Sicheng said at least twenty or thirty percent?

The group of people blinked their eyes, looking left and right.

Ye Anqi was half-doubting: "Sicheng, is there really that much?"

"Of course!"

And even more than that.

Then why couldn't they see it, and why, after selling for so many years, had no customer ever discovered it?

Because the craftsmanship of the forgers was high enough. High enough to deceive the likes of Hu Desheng, Chen Zengbi, and Wang Shixiang.

First, take Wang Shixiang; he was a student of Liang Sicheng, and in 1945 he served as the assistant representative of the "Wartime Cultural Relics Loss Committee" for the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government, responsible for recovering cultural relics for the country.

Later, he served as a Section Chief at the Forbidden City Antiquities Museum, and after the founding of the country, he served as the Director of the Display Department of the Forbidden City, and successively as an associate researcher and researcher at the National Cultural Heritage Administration's Museum Research Institute, and a member of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History.

Then the main point: he was the most authoritative expert in the field of contemporary Ming and Qing furniture. The two disciplines of "Appreciation of Furniture Antiques" and "Furniture Research" at the Beidawenbowuxueyuan were founded by him and are known as the bible of furniture antique research.

Hu Desheng was his disciple, a researcher at the Forbidden City, and an authority on imperial furniture research. The "Illustrated Catalog of National Collection Cultural Relics: Ming and Qing Furniture Volume" and "Grading Standards for Ming and Qing Furniture" were both created by him.

Then there's Chen Zengbi, a professor at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and the founder of the Chinese Furniture Department at the Beijing University of Technology. At the same time, he was also Wang Shixiang's junior fellow apprentice and research partner: he studied under Liang Sicheng and the contemporary architectural master and Ming and Qing furniture scholar Yang Yao. If even so many authoritative scholars could be mistaken, let alone Li Zhiyuan?

While pondering, Lin Sicheng looked again. But the more he looked, the stranger his expression became: had he fallen into a nest of high imitations?

Imitation... imitation... still imitation?

Smoked aging accounted for about twenty or thirty percent, while dyes like blood sandalwood imitating red sandalwood, sabre bean (South American acid branch) imitating yellow sandalwood, and iron wood bean imitating acid branch each accounted for about twenty percent.

It could be said: out of one hundred pieces, at least eighty were purely new imitations. Like the official hat chair he just looked at, being able to use new-old splicing craftsmanship and carry some old materials already counted as a conscientious product.

The most extreme part was: using An's sandalwood (Burmese rosewood, also known as African yellow pear) to imitate Hainan yellow rosewood: although both were yellow rosewood, the former was of the genus Dalbergia in the Fabaceae family, while the latter was of the genus Pterocarpus in the Fabaceae family.

Besides differences in density, grain, texture, and color, the biggest difference was: the former stank, while the latter was very fragrant.

But he didn't know how it was processed; the screen that was imitated not only looked like it, but also felt and smelled like it.

If he weren't so familiar with this type of fake-aging craftsmanship and hadn't studied it deeply enough, Lin Sicheng would never have discovered it.

He sighed inwardly, and then praised inwardly: Impressive, Master Yang...

With these thoughts turning, Lin Sicheng looked at Li Zhiyuan: "Master Li, how long has your shop been open?"

Not knowing what he was up to, Li Zhiyuan replied with patience: "This shop has been open for just over twenty years, but before opening the shop, the old proprietor ran a furniture factory, specializing in Rosewood."

"And even earlier, including the old proprietor, the old proprietor's father, and his grandfather, they all served as Head Craftsmen at Yuehua Company..."

Lin Sicheng was startled: Passed down for three generations, and now it is already the fourth generation?

Yuehua Company was a branch established in Guangzhou by the British firm Gonghexiang Company, with its headquarters in Shanghai, primarily engaged in export trade; during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the largest Gonghexiang wharf in Shanghai was a property under its name.

Yuehua Company specialized in furniture trade: that is, manufacturing in China and selling to Europe.

Looking at it this way, the plaque outside is not entirely bragging: although the shop has not been around for a hundred years, the craftsmanship heritage is definitely sufficient.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Master Li, may I ask a presumptuous question: over these twenty years, where do you generally source your goods from?"

Li Zhiyuan was stunned, squinting his eyes without speaking: It is indeed quite presumptuous.

To put it bluntly: who would casually tell others the business channels they rely on to make a fortune?

Knowing he would not say, Lin Sicheng scanned left and right: "Northeast, Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin!"

It is roughly these few places, but the most frequent ones must be Beijing and Tianjin.

Li Zhiyuan still did not speak, but his pupils could not help but shrink.

Lin Sicheng let out a "Ha": As expected?

It was indeed sourced from these places...

Taking it a step further, Lin Sicheng was at least ninety percent certain: as long as it is furniture in the shop, whether it is big or small, sandalwood or Acid Branch Wood, or from the Republic of China, the Qing Dynasty, or even the Ming Dynasty, it all came out of the same workshop.

Even, to be more precise: it was all made by the same person.

The only difference is that some are newer, about the last two years; some are older, about eight or nine years, or ten years.

The oldest is that yellow rosewood chair, which is the piece seen earlier, about twenty years or so.

But there is no need to doubt: no matter how good the material is, or how well it is imitated, it is all the same technique.

One can imagine, what kind of goods did Nanmu Wood Wood Studio sell in the past?

Without exception, it was all the craftsmanship of the Jinmen Yang School...

A full twenty years, what kind of concept is this?

Truly, Lin Sicheng really wanted to give a thumbs up: Master Yang, impressive, a setup, and you've been scamming for twenty years?

Also being scammers, also setting up schemes, compared to this, Feng Sanjiang, Ding Aqin, and even Hu Pangzi are as kind as naive fools... While thinking this, Lin Sicheng turned around: "Second Brother, how about we go?"

Go?

Wasn't it agreed that we would give them a taste of their own medicine and teach them a lesson?

Having been here for so long, you only focused on looking at things and didn't even say much.

But as the old saying goes: a gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late, there are plenty of opportunities...

Muttering in his heart, Ye Anqi nodded: "Good, let's go!"

Saying go and going, crisp and neat, the two lifted their feet, and the other nine all followed.

Fu Manshu blinked his eyes, looking completely bewildered: What is this situation again?

One second, they were talking just fine, the next second, they leave just like that?

Just as he was about to ask, Li Zhiyuan shook his head.

The two followed to the back and saw them off to the door.

Upon parting, both sides bowed: "Master Li, please stay!"

"Master Lin, bosses, walk slowly, come often in the future!"

Saying this, the two cupped their hands again.

Lin Sicheng turned around and had already stepped down the stairs, but as if he suddenly thought of something, he turned back: "Master Li, you are an old senior, let me ask a question."

What kind of trick is he trying to pull now?

Li Zhiyuan was secretly vigilant: "Master Lin, please speak!"

"Good!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "There is a craft in the Antique Trade called Yin-Yang Stakes, have you seen it, Master Li?"

Li Zhiyuan was confused: Of course he had seen it.

Entering this trade at ten years old and working for nearly fifty years, what kind of setups and traps had he not seen?

Yin-Yang Stakes are also called Planting Life Foundation; strictly speaking, this is a trick of the Grave Robbing trade: dig a real tomb, bury a fake.

To put it simply: find a large tomb of a famous person in history, preferably a big shot, steal the real items, then bury High Imitation goods inside, and then find a client. Because the craftsmanship is high and the imitation is good, the Cultural Relics dealers cannot tell at all that this is a tomb that has been robbed and the hole sealed. They also cannot tell that what was dug out of the tomb is a High Imitation.

They will only believe their own eyes: seeing the grave robbers dig the hole with their own eyes, and seeing the goods dug out from the fresh pit with their own eyes, how could this be fake? Naturally, it is a sure hit every time.

But there is one prerequisite: the grave robber's skill must be high enough, and the quality of the High Imitation must be good enough.

Thinking inwardly, Li Zhiyuan nodded: "I have seen it!"

"Then Master Li, have you heard of doing Yin-Yang Stakes for twenty years straight?"

Li Zhiyuan did not understand: a setup, done for twenty years straight, isn't that nonsense?

No matter how well a tomb is sealed, it would have been dug into a sieve...

He shook his head: "Never heard of it!"

You may not have heard of it, but you have fallen for it, do you believe it?

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Thank you, Master Li, farewell for now!"

"Good!" Li Zhiyuan cupped his hands and watched the group walk away.

Staring at Lin Sicheng's back until they had walked more than ten meters away, Fu Manshu lowered his voice: "What does this person mean?"

Li Zhiyuan shook his head: "Don't know!"