Chapter 519: A Coincidence to the Extreme

Lin Sicheng just smiled and did not offer much explanation.

There were many people nearby, so Lu Meng felt too shy to press for more.

She asked Ye Anning a few more questions, and the two chatted in low voices.

Just as they were talking, someone in the crowd blurted out, "Teacher Chen, is this painting only mediocre as a copy?"

Lin Sicheng looked up subconsciously.

The one who spoke was Lu Zhen; because the Expert had not brought an assistant and the Police present were all laymen, Huang Zhi had asked him to assist the Expert.

At this moment, he was standing right beside the Expert.

By rights, he shouldn't have been speaking out of turn, but perhaps out of sheer astonishment, he had just blurted it out while looking at it. Didn't he see that General Manager Zhao's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot?

The strange thing was that the Expert did not express an opinion. He neither scolded him for being meddlesome nor said he was wrong.

In his expression, there was actually a hint of approval.

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng recalled the conversation between Zhao Shixiong and Feng Sanjiang back at the Yachang Center:

"Master Feng, do you know who copied that painting?"

"General Manager Zhao, my abilities are limited; I cannot tell who copied it. But whether it is the brushwork or the artistic conception, it is merely mediocre."

At the time, Zhao Shixiong hadn't quite believed it, and the teacher had been even more dismissive, thinking Feng Sanjiang was just being stubborn.

Someone who could afford to use Liuji Xuan paper and could use Lin Liang's paintings as a model—how could they possibly be a nobody?

Only Lin Sicheng felt that Feng Sanjiang could not have been lying at such a time. Given his eye for detail, if he said the painting was a mediocre copy, it likely wasn't much better. Looking at it now, it was indeed so.

After looking for a while longer, the Expert straightened his back and took off his gloves.

That General Manager Zhao looked expectant: "Teacher, how is it?"

The Expert glanced at him but did not respond, looking instead at the Police Commissioner: "Division Chief Liu, there is no doubt that this painting was created in the early Qing Dynasty, roughly the early Shunzhi or Kangxi period..."

"The materials used are quite exquisite, the brush and ink are very fine, and the mounting is even more delicate. As for the author or the school, my abilities are limited, and I am helpless." "Teacher Chen, you are being too modest!" Division Chief Liu smiled: "What about the artistic standard?"

The Expert thought for a moment: "It should not be a famous master!"

The single sentence "not a famous master" made General Manager Zhao's face turn pale.

It was only natural: it was about to go to auction and could very likely have sold for over a million, but suddenly it became the work of an unknown. Anyone would find that hard to take. Huang Lan was the same; her expression was not good: if this thing wasn't valuable, how could they convict those scammers?

She gritted her teeth: "Teacher Chen, if you had to give an estimate?"

The Expert shook his head: "Hard to estimate!"

In an instant, Huang Lan's complexion looked even worse.

Having been in collecting for so many years, she had learned by listening: when an expert's words were ambiguous and went around in circles, it was generally the worst possible outcome.

To translate that sentence: it isn't worth much.

Then what the hell was the point of charging them with fraud?

Seeing her face turn ashen, Lu Meng thought for a moment: "Lin Sicheng, why don't you take a look too?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Zhen was stunned: No... Lu Meng, what are you thinking?

Others might not understand, but this was his sister, born of the same mother.

If you don't believe it, ask Lu Meng; if she didn't mean "The expert might have misjudged it, Lin Sicheng, please help take a look," Lu Zhen would dare to cut his own head off. Lin Sicheng was also a bit confused: Classmate Lu Meng, don't you know that your aunt and I are currently enemies?

Whether this painting is good or bad concerns whether your aunt can recover her losses, and even more so, how much money I have to pay her.

You want me to help her appraise it; how much trust do you have in my character?

Lu Meng also reacted, her face turning a little red.

She had only thought about Lin Sicheng's keen eye, how he could pick up treasures at auctions, and that he must be more professional than the expert the police had hired. She hadn't thought at all that the person her aunt wanted to deal with was Lin Sicheng.

Seeing her embarrassed look, Lin Sicheng smiled: "Even if you let me look, your aunt won't believe it!"

Nonsense, Huang Lan certainly wouldn't believe it.

Including Huang Zhi, he wouldn't believe it either.

But they were very curious: to be able to pick up treasures at a Xiling Seal Society auction, just how high must Lin Sicheng's appraisal skills be?

"It doesn't matter, just take a look!" Huang Zhi gestured, "It won't get lost from looking, will it?"

"Right, feel free to look!" Huang Lan said with an indifferent air, "Anyway, I won't believe whatever you say!"

Lin Sicheng didn't act coy either, nodding: "Thank you, General Manager Huang."

Actually, he was also very curious: why would a painter who could afford Liuji Xuan paper and top-tier Su Style Mounting have such mediocre brushwork? With this thought, he walked over and first greeted the Expert.

Lu Zhen curled his lip in disdain.

To be honest, it would be a lie to say he had no issues with Lin Sicheng: after all, because of Lin Sicheng, he had lost over a million and had become a joke among his peers. But he knew even better that Lin Sicheng had real talent.

Not to mention anything else, just the method Lin Sicheng used to help him verify the bronze seal: hanging the seal by a thread—who wouldn't call that brilliant after hearing it?

Their family made their living by this trade; he knew too well how much benefit having one more friend like this could bring.

Therefore, although his face wore an expression of disdain, Lu Zhen still handed over the Magnifying Glass and Flashlight.

Lin Sicheng took them into his hands but didn't rush to use them, instead scanning the piece first.

He had already looked at the paper and the mounting, and there was certainly no problem there, so next he had to look at the seals, colophons, composition, layout, and artistic conception.

Lin Sicheng looked at the seal first; with just one glance, he frowned.

It was a square seal with red characters, stamped in the lower-left corner of the painting, with the inscription "Yi Shan."

This was the seal Lin Liang used when he served in the Ren Zhi Hall (the Ming Dynasty imperial painting studio) in his early years. The "Painting of Birds in the Shrubs" by Lin Liang in his early years, treasured in the Forbidden City, had this very seal stamped on it.

This piece was a Qing Dynasty imitation, so of course, it couldn't use Lin Liang's real seal; it must have been carved later by the copyist.

But the problem was, it was carved extremely well.

The calligraphic style showed the intent of "thirsty brush" and "flying white"; the brushwork was vigorous and revealed traces of white. The structure was sparse and graceful, with lines mottled like water stains on a wall.

The knife work was also very distinctive, combining thrusting and cutting, using broken knife strokes for dotting, the technique was free and easy, and the border was intentionally left broken to signify the beauty of "better clumsy than clever." Just looking at this seal, it was undoubtedly carved by a master.

Looking at the colophon again, Lin Sicheng instantly reached a judgment: the inscription and the seal were by the same author.

And what about the painting?

After taking another look to confirm, Lin Sicheng examined the painting's core, searching for traces similar to Lin Liang.

Lin Liang was the first painter in the history of Guangdong painting to enter the mainstream art world and hold a position in the imperial court. Moreover, he achieved great success, serving successively as Ministry of Works Yingsuensuo Cheng (an actual post), Jinyiwei Commander, and Zhenfu (an honorary title).

He studied under Yan Zong and He Yin; historical records state: Lin Liang and Lv Ji (Lin Liang's student, a famous Ming Dynasty painter) are unparalleled under heaven.

His painting combined meticulous brushwork with color and ink wash freehand; the former inherited the Southern Song Academy Style, while the latter fused cursive calligraphy techniques into academy-style painting, forming a new style of ink-wash flowers and birds that was vigorous, concise, and full of vitality.

He painted eagles and geese the most; there are one hundred and three authentic works collected in the Palace Museum and the Guangdong Provincial Museum alone. Among them, sixteen are recorded in the Qing Dynasty's "Shiqu Baoji" and the "Qing Imperial Household Department Archives." Later masters like Shen Zhou, Xu Wei, and Bada Shanren were all deeply influenced by him; he is the true founding master of the Ming Dynasty freehand landscape school.

Since his achievements were so high, there were naturally many who imitated him, and among them were many famous masters.

Since it is an imitation, it cannot be one hundred percent like the original; it will certainly leave behind the creator's own style. Lin Sicheng hoped to use this to find a trace of something.

But after looking for a long time, the more he looked, the stranger it felt.

Because this painting was, truly, just an average imitation.

First, the structure and layout: the composition was dull, the space rigid, without a hint of spirit.

Next was the brush and ink: the lines were hesitant; they weren't firm when they should have been, and were stiff when they should have been soft, and the various techniques were completely formulaic.

The artistic conception was merely a superficial resemblance, with no spirit or charm at all.

And there was something even more critical: it was clearly a freehand landscape, yet the branches were like meticulous brushwork; the texture strokes were round, dull, and weak, and the moss dots were arranged mechanically. Even the mixture of blue and purple showed that the color palette for the blue-green landscape was completely unbalanced.

Seeing this, if Lin Sicheng had to give an evaluation: this painting was no longer just an average imitation; it was a failed imitation.

But the strange thing was, in occasional places, one could see the author's extremely solid basic skills, as well as an ethereal, sparse, cold, and desolate artistic conception. Especially the last point: it was not a famous master, and it had nothing to do with those eight words.

The more Lin Sicheng looked, the stranger he felt, so he turned the painting upside down. He stared at those lines that were either stiff or limp.

This was the unique skill of the late grandmaster of Chinese painting and national treasure-level appraisal Expert, Xu Bangda. In his previous life, the Director of the Display Department of the Palace Museum, Senior Brother Sheng Guoan, taught it to Lin Sicheng on behalf of their master, and Lin Sicheng used it very skillfully.

Others, however, could not understand it, including that Teacher Chen: was this the first time seeing someone appraise a painting by looking at it upside down?

But no one cared, just assuming it was some strange trick Lin Sicheng had come up with himself.

After looking for a while from back to front, Lin Sicheng twitched the corner of his mouth: no wonder this painting was so strange?

It was indeed an average imitation, but it was a serious imitation by a famous master. And it was the kind that was extremely famous, too.

But there were not many who could tell...

Seeing him straighten his back, which meant he had finished looking, everyone stared at him.

Those who were uninformed, like that Teacher Chen and Division Chief Liu, were all very curious: since they were clearly opponents, why did Huang Zhi and Huang Lan let him appraise it? And being so young, what could he possibly see?

Those who were informed were even more curious, such as Lu Zhen and Lu Meng. And the skeptical Huang Zhi and Huang Lan: being able to pick up a bargain at a major auction house, he must have had some extraordinary ability.

And since he had looked for so long, had he really seen something?

Seeing him standing there without speaking, Huang Zhi gave a wink, and Lu Meng understood instantly.

"Lin Sicheng, how is it?"

Lin Sicheng paused, then sighed: "I don't want to say!"

No... you don't want to say, what does that mean?

If it's an average imitation, or not worth much, can't you just say so directly?

Lu Meng hadn't reacted yet, but Huang Zhi was thoughtful: why didn't he want to say?

It couldn't be that it went against his goal, could it?

What was this kid's goal? Of course, it was to get those two swindlers out.

Therefore, this painting might have some significance: for example, is it very valuable?

But thinking about it, he felt it shouldn't be: not to mention the experts present, when Huang Lan first took the painting to Liulichang, many insiders had said: this painting is an average imitation.

It had even been taken to Rongbaozhai.

No matter how good this kid's eye was, could it be better than the master craftsmen at Rongbaozhai?

Just as he was about to ask, Lin Sicheng spoke first: "General Manager Huang, didn't Teacher Huang invite experts? Let's wait for them to come and take a look." Oh right, Huang Lan had also invited people.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear; just as he was thinking this, Huang Lan's phone rang.

She walked to the side to say a few words, then left the conference room. In a short while, she led a few people back in.

Two men and two women, none of them old; the eldest was a lady, looking to be in her early forties.

There was also a man of thirty-five or thirty-six, and the two behind them looked to be twenty-six or twenty-seven, each carrying a case; they should be assistants. Lin Sicheng took a glance and was immediately stunned: he actually knew these two as well?

It really was a coincidence; it was as if coincidence itself had opened the door for coincidence...

The woman was Liu Yiling, a student of Senior Brother Sheng Guoan, and she was currently at the Palace Museum. The man was named Sun Qichen, a student of the currently red-hot and nationally famous Expert Liu Yan.

That is, the one who was participating in a famous treasure appraisal program and spent two hundred thousand to buy the Qianlong authentic work, "Songyang Han Cypress Painting," from a pair of brothers in Henan.

Last November, when Lin Sicheng asked Sheng Guoan to appraise that "Imperial Edict" of Wang Shu, he had met these two.

At that time, Lin Sicheng had even had some unpleasantness with Sun Qichen...

As soon as they were brought in, Huang Lan began to introduce them; upon hearing "Palace Museum," the group was filled with awe.

Liu Yiling went without saying; she studied under the famous painter and famous appraisal Expert Sheng Guoan, and she herself was engaged in calligraphy and painting research at the Palace Museum—a true calligraphy and painting appraisal expert.

Sun Qichen was not bad either, because his teacher's reputation was even greater.

Speaking of Sheng Guoan, nine out of ten police officers present had never heard of him. But speaking of Liu Yan, at least half of the people had watched the famous treasure appraisal program.

Therefore, they were more than just enthusiastic, and even Division Chief Liu took the initiative to greet them.

Lin Sicheng did not join the crowd and stood at the very back. After the group introduced each other for a long time, they finally walked over.

But halfway there, the crowd suddenly stopped, and Liu Yiling looked stunned: "Teacher Lin?"

Sun Qichen also froze for a moment, and his face darkened.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Teacher Liu!"

Liu Yiling hurriedly walked over: "Teacher Lin, were you also invited by Teacher Huang to do an appraisal?"

"Actually, no!" Lin Sicheng said with a half-smile, "Let me put it this way: when the appraisal result of this painting comes out, I might end up in a lawsuit with Teacher Huang..."

Liu Yiling was stunned for a moment, letting out an "Ah."

Sun Qichen's eyes lit up, staring intently at the painting on the table, his eyes gleaming.

The others were bewildered: isn't this Professor Liu an Expert from the Forbidden City?

And this kid is still a student, yet she calls this kid "Teacher"?

Looking at their ages, Liu Yiling is old enough to be his mother...

Just as they were completely shocked, Lu Meng lowered her voice: "Third Aunt, Lin Sicheng knows Director Sheng Guoan of the Forbidden City, and they have a very good relationship." Lu Zhen also nodded along: after the Xiling Seal Society auction ended, Director Sheng of the Display Department of the Forbidden City and Director Tian of the Ceramics Research Institute specifically came over to greet Lin Sicheng.

They even helped Lin Sicheng appraise paintings and seals on the spot; only then did Lu Zhen realize how stupid she had been.

Huang Lan opened her eyes wide: "Why didn't you say so before?"

Before, no one knew that the person you invited was an Expert from the Forbidden City...