Chapter 521: Meihe Sanren Cha Shibiao

Liu Yiling weighed her words: "Teacher Huang, if there is anything I can help with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Huang Lan could understand: Liu Yiling wanted to make peace and had even offered conditions.

To be honest, she was tempted; after all, an Expert from the Forbidden City could not be hired just because one asked. Today, she had pulled strings through several layers of connections and begged Liu Yan before Liu Yiling was finally invited.

It was absolutely rare for Liu Yiling to take the initiative to offer help. If it weren't for this painting, she would have agreed one hundred percent.

But this painting had truly made her lose all face, endure all the scolding, and be laughed at enough by others.

If she didn't vent this frustration, she would wake up from her dreams in a rage even in the future.

Huang Lan smiled with effort: "Teacher Liu, thank you!"

Liu Yiling was stunned for a moment: Why would Huang Lan refuse?

This painting was basically just like that; although the materials used were quite high-end and the mounting was good, the painting itself was truly hard to describe.

Therefore, one or two tens of thousands was possible, but anything higher was absolutely impossible. It certainly couldn't be classified as fraud, and the Court would never support a lawsuit. So, what necessity was there for Huang Lan to persist?

By taking the step down, turning hostility into friendship, not only would she owe Huang Lan a favor, but Lin Sicheng would also owe one.

Liu Yiling suspected, did Huang Lan not yet know Lin Sicheng's background?

"Teacher Huang, Teacher Lin's Painting Appraisal ability is extremely high..."

"I know!" Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Huang Lan, "Both of my nephews know Lin Sicheng; they also went to the Xiling Seal Society auction last year."

Liu Yiling looked puzzled: Then why?

Huang Lan didn't speak, just smiled.

Should she tell Liu Yiling that there was a ball of fire in her heart, and no matter what, she had to vent this frustration?

Of course, she definitely couldn't do anything to them this time, but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything to them in the future.

Since they were scammers, they certainly hadn't only scammed her. Just because she couldn't sue them didn't mean others couldn't.

Before, she couldn't find the people, but suddenly there was a lead; as the saying goes, every debt has a debtor, could the monks run away if the temple was still there?

Just finding Lin Sicheng would be enough; there would always be an opportunity.

Huang Lan felt embarrassed to say it, which instead made her seem unfathomable. Liu Yiling couldn't understand, but Lin Sicheng could.

This was exactly what he was worried about.

To call her simple, she was nearly fifty; to call her mature, she only recognized dead logic: regardless of what kind of Expert you are, regardless of how much ability you have, or whether I might need to beg at your door in the future, I will vent this frustration first.

Believe it or not, if this wasn't handled well this time, it would absolutely be as the teacher said: the trouble would be endless.

The key was that they not only had this ability, but they were also in the right.

It is no exaggeration: Lin Sicheng had lived two lifetimes, possessing a wealth of skills, yet against this kind of person, he was truly helpless.

He thought for a while: "Teacher Huang, may I ask, why are you so persistent in sending them in?"

If it were before, Huang Lan would certainly have said: two scammers, do they need a reason to be sent in?

But now, this reason didn't hold up: that painting wasn't worth much money, so it couldn't be called fraud at all.

Huang Lan curled her lips: because she felt unhappy in her heart.

She was just straightforward, not stupid, so she certainly wouldn't say it out loud.

But Lin Sicheng could guess it; he just wanted to find a pretext to talk.

"Teacher Huang, how about this?"

Lin Sicheng said while observing Huang Lan's expression, "If I can help you regain the face you lost, can we consider this matter finished?" "How to regain it?" Huang Lan sneered, "Post in the newspaper, run an ad, and tell everyone that this painting is worthless and I wasn't scammed?"

It would be easy to explain to the family, but those colleagues, friends, and fellow collectors would only think she was putting on a show.

It was only a little over a million, and it wasn't like she couldn't afford it? Everyone would think she paid money to have the auction withdraw the lot and then bought this painting at a high price.

"Of course not!"

Lin Sicheng pointed at the painting, "What if this painting is actually quite valuable and has quite a bit of fame? It's just that its origin is too strange, causing everyone to misjudge it?"

"This might include you, Master Feng, as well as those experts you consulted before, and the Appraiser and valuers at Duoyunxuan."

It also includes the Teacher Chen invited by the Police, and a full-time Researcher from a top-tier institution like Liu Yiling. And even more so, the top disciple of the nation-famous Expert Liu, Sun Qichen.

If even these experts could misjudge, what is there to be ashamed of if you misjudged?

Moreover, on the contrary, it was precisely because your intuition was accurate that you bought this painting. But because you followed the crowd and were subject to external interference, you missed the Lock. In the end, when the truth comes to light, others won't laugh at you; they will have to praise you.

Huang Lan understood, because Lu Meng had asked before, and when Lin Sicheng said "I don't want to say," Huang Zhi had explained to him: this kid should have seen something.

However, she didn't believe it, thinking Lin Sicheng was playing hard to get.

But now that Liu Yiling had already set the tone, and Lin Sicheng still said this?

Huang Lan narrowed her eyes: "Teacher Chen, Expert Liu, and Expert Sun also misjudged?"

Lin Sicheng was categorical: "Of course!"

No need to worry about Teacher Chen; she didn't know him anyway.

No need to worry about Sun Qichen either; she had already offended him once, so it didn't matter if she offended him again.

Liu Yiling counted as one of their own, and her heart was much, much broader than Sun Qichen's; after explaining it thoroughly and teaching her two little tricks for Artifact Research, she would surely be happy.

The point now was to coax this middle-aged girl into being happy.

This was not a derogatory term; this Teacher Huang was truly quite simple...

Hearing him say this, Huang Lan was suddenly speechless.

Liu Yiling was so familiar with him and thought of him in every way, yet he could still pull her in as a scapegoat; it seemed he was very confident.

Conversely, if it were really as Lin Sicheng said: this painting made all the experts misjudge, including the forensic experts from the public security department, the full-time scholars from the Forbidden City, and the top disciple of a world-famous master of Artifact Research, what would that mean?

It would be equivalent to saying that the faces of all those who had scolded her and laughed at her would all be slapped hard by her...

She was so angry and insisted on sending those two scammers in, wasn't it just for this?

Thinking of it this way, Huang Lan's eyes lit up instantly.

Huang Zhi stood to the side and couldn't help but sigh.

He recalled earlier, when Lin Sicheng asked in front of him: What does Teacher Huang like?

From childhood to adulthood, pampered by her parents, indulged by her husband, and coaxed by her children, what could this eldest sister possibly lack?

Indeed, she lacked nothing, but she had always wanted to prove herself, not to be a vase in the eyes of others.

But alas, her ability did not allow it.

Now it was fine, the opportunity had arrived...

Was it really so?

Huang Lan nodded solemnly: "Lin Sicheng, I promise you: if it really is as you say, I will never pursue this later."

"That's good!" Lin Sicheng hurriedly added a patch, "But Teacher Huang, let's be clear: even if this painting is worth some money, it is not that Feng Sanjiang and Hu Hai intended to deceive you, but that their discernment was insufficient and their skills were lacking..."

Huang Lan rolled her eyes.

If even experts like Liu Yiling and Sun Qichen could misjudge, and with Teacher Chen there as a backdrop, wasn't it normal for two swindlers to misjudge?

"I understand!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Alright, then I will begin!"

Hearing this, the people present perked up.

For example, Huang Zhi, Lu Zhen, Lu Meng, and Huang Lan.

They all wanted to see if Lin Sicheng truly possessed discernment superior to ordinary people.

But not everyone was curious, such as Sun Qichen and that Teacher Chen.

The former was slow to react: This dog, is he using him as a stepping stone again?

If one were to say he didn't believe it, the scene from last autumn still seemed vivid in his mind: that was a Ming Dynasty Imperial Edict, something that didn't originally exist in history, yet hadn't Lin Sicheng picked it up as a bargain and even found its origin?

If one were to say he did believe it, Sun Qichen really felt a bit unconvinced: he himself had been taught by famous masters and had painstakingly studied for over a decade, so why was he inferior to a wild-path amateur who hadn't even grown a full beard?

Teacher Chen didn't have so much inner drama; he just couldn't quite understand: where did this kid pop out from?

If Liu Yiling had said such things, he would certainly be convinced; just the two words "Forbidden City" and "Sheng Guoan" would be enough to keep him from uttering a single "no."

But this kid, had his hair even grown out yet?

Liu Yiling was the exact opposite; not only was she not angry, but she was eager to try.

Because Sheng Guoan had said more than once: Lin Sicheng's foundation in Painting Appraisal was no worse than his own, and he was more than qualified to be Liu Yiling's teacher. In the future, whenever there was a chance, she must ask Lin Sicheng for more guidance.

Even her grand-teacher (the authority on Calligraphy and Painting, Xu Bangda) had said the same: just based on that "Wang Shu Imperial Edict" and that "Qianlong Congyun Seal," Lin Sicheng's ability in Painting Appraisal was not below any of the Painting Appraisal Researchers at the Forbidden City.

With both her teacher and grand-teacher saying so, what else did Liu Yiling have to be unconvinced about?

What she admired even more was Sun Qichen's so-called wild path and amateur status: Lin Sicheng had studied porcelain since childhood, and what he currently focused on and researched was also porcelain; his Painting Appraisal was entirely self-taught.

And he was only twenty-two or twenty-three; what would he be like when he reached her age?

Seeing that Lin Sicheng was about to appraise the painting, Liu Yiling took the initiative to pick up the tools: "Teacher Lin, I will assist you. If I saw anything wrong just now, you must give me more pointers."

Lin Sicheng smiled hurriedly: "Teacher Liu, you are too kind, let us learn from each other!"

Fearing that Huang Lan might go back on her word, Lin Sicheng took out his phone again: "Lu Meng, could you help me film this? I'll use it for research later."

"Okay!"

Just as Lu Meng was about to walk over, Huang Lan waved her hand, "I'll do it!"

Saying this, she took Lin Sicheng's phone.

Huang Zhi stood to the side and sighed again: Eldest sister, do you know that he is guarding against you?

Otherwise, with several cameras that large overhead, couldn't he just ask the Police Station for a copy of the footage afterward?

While thinking this, Lin Sicheng began to handle the painting, and the crowd focused their attention.

He pointed at the painting: "Teacher Liu, let's look at the creative characteristics first, then analyze. The style in this painting is quite mixed, so let's go through it one by one: first, look here..."

Liu Yiling looked at the distant mountains Lin Sicheng was pointing at: the mountain body was square, folded, and simple, the blocks like Axe Cut Texture, deliberately creating an artistic conception of "one river, two shores, deserted and cold."

"Teacher Lin, this is the sparse style of Ni Zan (a famous painter of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties), with Ink Breaking Rendering, distant water and quiet light. But Lin Liang uses thick ink to shape, expressing tension through dynamics..."

"Right, completely incompatible!" Lin Sicheng nodded: "Let's look here again."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the clouds; the clouds in the painting were accumulated and dyed with ink dots, giving a sense of mist and clouds changing and vanishing. But Lin Liang's characteristic was to let the brush run wild, writing as he pleased, not seeking change, yet appearing more elegant.

Equally incompatible.

Lin Sicheng pointed to the rocks and trees again: the pines in the painting were like crab claws, the rocks like Axe Cut Texture; this was typical fine-brush work. But the original work was freehand Landscape Pattern, going in the opposite direction. Look at the fourth place: water. The small streams in the painting were like lines, the vertical lines gradually thinning. But Lin Liang's characteristic was Ink Breaking to show state, with waves splashing.

Fifth place: celestial phenomena. Although Lin Liang's characteristic was desolate, it was clear; yet in the painting, it was a twilight scene, a cloudy sky and dark sun.

Liu Yiling studied under Sheng Guoan; she not only appraised paintings but also learned to paint, so seeing these was easy for her.

She also knew that Lin Sicheng was indeed giving her pointers, but there were too many people, and he was afraid she would lose face, so he couldn't be too blunt and could only stop at the point. The problem was, Liu Yiling still didn't understand: since it was a whole painting, why look at it in parts?

Because only by looking at it separately could one find the traces of the author.

Lin Sicheng guided her step by step: "The distant mountains are Ni Zan's sparse style, the mountain rocks use flying white dry brush, and also combine the Wen Brush of the Wu School.

The mist and clouds changing and vanishing, light-transmitting and not muddy, this is the ink dot accumulation of Mi Family Cloud Mountains. The Axe Cut Texture is vigorous and strong, with side-brush sweeping out burr textures; this is the Jin Brush of the Zhe School."

"Especially the composition, although not very coordinated, the skeleton is still based on the cold mountains and thin water of the Huangshan School..."

Hearing the first half, Liu Yiling was still half-understanding, but when she heard the last sentence, she paused abruptly: cold mountains and thin water, Huangshan School? In an instant, a light flashed through her mind:

Ni Zan's sparse style?

The Wen Brush of the Wu School?

The ink dot accumulation of Mi Family Cloud Mountains?

The Jin Brush of the Zhe School?

Plus the cold mountains and thin water of the Huangshan School, isn't this the sparse-simple school uniquely created by the Xin'an School by gathering the strengths of the five masters?

Looking at this painting again, the reason it was mixed, the reason it was chaotic, wasn't it because the style of the Xin'an School, which gathered the strengths of the five masters, was separated and applied to this painting? It was still a hodgepodge, but not the incongruous, nonsensical mess she had previously thought. Instead, it had rules to follow and traces to track.

And there was something even more critical: no painter could learn all five of these vastly different techniques, each with its own merits, and be able to paint them whenever they wanted.

Let alone five, it would be good if they could learn one well. Unless, what they learned themselves was the technique of the Xin'an School.

However, by the same token, learning techniques is easy, but wanting to dismantle and integrate all the strengths of the five masters of the school is extremely difficult.

To put it in a fantasy sense: unless one reaches the realm where all methods return to the source and one can draw inferences about other cases from one instance.

To put it plainly: to know it by heart, to use it at will, and to use whichever one you want to use.

And among the Xin'an School, how many painters have reached this stage and possess this ability?

No more than a handful: Seng Jianjiang, Zha Shibiao, Sun Yi, and Wang Zhirui, historically known as the Four Masters of Xin'an.

Liu Yiling suddenly lowered her head, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

She finally understood: why did the calligraphy in the colophon look like earthworms crawling, yet in occasional places, it revealed a few traces of the decadent, rough, and fluid master style with connected strokes?

Why was this painting a poor imitation, yet from time to time, one could see a few traces of the clear, ethereal, sparse, simple, distant, cold, and desolate aura of a famous master? Because the one who imitated this painting was, in fact, a famous master.

But who could it be?

Liu Yiling tried hard to recall the painting styles of the New An Four Masters, but it was as if a layer of fog covered her mind; although it was clearly very close, she could not see the truth.

As if inadvertently, Lin Sicheng's finger tapped lightly, pointing toward that small notch on the seal, and Liu Yiling suddenly realized: Meihe Sanren, Zha Shibiao.