Chapter 587: What Time Is It Now?

The venue was set on the sixteenth floor, still in the previous conference room.

The front section was the auction seating, the left and right sides were the exhibition boards and promotional areas, and the back section was arranged as a lounge area.

Several ushers carrying soft drinks wove between the sofas.

Liang Shiya arrived quite early; she entered the venue just as it hit eight-thirty.

There was still an hour until the auction, and there were only a sparse few people inside. But gradually, more and more people arrived.

After about ten minutes or so, He Jian and Zhou Zhilin entered the venue, followed by several others, both men and women.

Seeing Liang Shiya, the group quickened their pace.

"Miss Liang, let me introduce you: this is Mr. Li Chengkai, a senior Appraiser from Christie's."

Although Liang Shiya was not into collecting and did not like antiques, she at least knew of Christie's and Sotheby's.

Although an Appraiser does not participate in management, once they reach a certain level, they can likewise influence the decision-making of a company's Executives. So strictly speaking, this Appraiser Li could barely be considered a foreign-invested Executive.

Being fellow Hong Kongers, the feeling grew a layer closer, and Liang Shiya shook hands politely: "Mr. Li, nice to meet you."

The two shook hands, and Zhou Zhilin introduced another person: "Miss Liang, this is Miss Zhang Yuanfan, the granddaughter of the Chairman of the Hong Kong Yongyuan Art Company."

Liang Shiya paused for a moment.

She did not know if it was an illusion, but compared to when he introduced Li Chengkai, Zhou Zhilin seemed much more respectful.

But the Yongyuan Company, she had never heard of it?

Of course, it could also be because she did not pay attention to art collection.

As for the Mr. Zhang of Hong Kong, Liang Shiya did know several: for example, Mr. Zhang Yonglin, the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Telecom, current Executive Chairman of Asia Television, and Independent Director of Taikang Life Insurance.

Besides that, Zhang Yonglin was also a board member of Sotheby's International Auction Company and a famous collector in Hong Kong.

However, Zhang Yonglin was only sixty years old. The key was, he did not seem to have a granddaughter?

There was also a Ms. Zhang Yin, known as the Paper Queen of Hong Kong; she was even younger, having just passed fifty.

Then there was the Chairman of the Board of Chongqing Land, Zhang Songqiao; this person was even younger than Zhang Yin, only forty-five years old this year.

Looking at this Miss Zhang before her, she was about twenty-five or twenty-six.

Feeling suspicious in her heart, Liang Shiya smiled and shook hands: "Miss Zhang is so beautiful!"

It was not flattery, but a sincere compliment.

Liang Shiya considered herself a beauty too, but standing next to her, she felt she was just a little bit lacking.

Zhang Yuanfan was neither humble nor pushy: "Miss Liang, you flatter me!"

There were two others remaining, who were appraisers for the Yongyuan Company.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group sat down, and Zhou Zhilin gave a rough explanation.

Li Chengkai was a friend of his, and also a friend of He Jian, specializing in Calligraphy and Painting. He was particularly skilled with rare editions and fine editions from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

This person had come over yesterday, and Zhou Zhilin had specially invited him to look at the Zhu Zi Manuscript. The three of them surrounded the display cabinet and researched it for a full hour.

Without exception, including He Jian, they all believed those few pages were indeed a Song Dynasty Imperial Engraving. The only difference was whether the small notes written in brush were Zhu Zi's Authentic Handwriting.

Because the price was too high and He Jian was a cautious person, he did not dare to draw a conclusion. But after comparing it with the Analects Annotations at the Tokyo National Museum and the Zhu Zi Letters at the Taipei Palace Museum, Li Chengkai believed there was an eighty percent chance it was authentic.

This further solidified Zhou Zhilin's determination to bid.

Out of consideration for balancing risk, he made a special trip back to Hong Kong to visit the old-established Yongyuan Hang of the Hong Kong collecting world.

The founder, Zhang Zongxian, had been retired for many years, and now it was his second son, Zhang Hantao, who was in charge of Yongyuan Hang. Zhou Zhilin explained the situation roughly over the phone, and Zhang Zongxian immediately made the decision to send Zhang Hantao's eldest daughter, Zhang Yuanfan, to Beijing.

If Zhang Yuanfan was confident, she would raise the paddle herself. If she was not confident, then Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai would bid.

Then, once the item reached Hong Kong, after he had seen it, he would decide whether to keep it or not.

If he kept it, regardless of the transaction price, it would be marked up by twenty percent. Even if he did not keep it, there would be a tea fee, so Zhou Zhilin and Li Chengkai would not have worked in vain: five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars each.

Liang Shiya did not quite understand the ins and outs of this; she was just curious: according to Zhou Zhilin's words, as long as someone raised a paddle, these few pages would definitely exceed one hundred million, and perhaps even several hundred million.

Where did Zhou Zhilin get so much money?

And this Yongyuan Hang, it seemed to have a lot of strength too?

After all, they had just met, so Liang Shiya found it difficult to ask which Yongyuan Company this Yongyuan Company was.

Just as she was feeling suspicious, Zhou Zhilin smiled apologetically again: "Miss Liang, I'm sorry, because of these few rare pages, I've delayed your commission!"

Liang Shiya shook her head: it really hadn't been delayed.

"Yesterday, General Manager Lin sent over the Financial Plan. This time, there are only six items he is prepared to bid on. Three pieces of porcelain, three pieces of Calligraphy and Painting—among them, this one you are eyeing is not included!"

Zhou Zhilin was stunned for a moment, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Lin Sicheng himself had no money, he had the national team standing behind him. If he were to make an issue out of this item, Zhou Zhilin would have no choice but to give up.

And even someone as wealthy and imposing as Miss Zhang Yuanfan would, in the end, only be able to sigh at the treasure and return in defeat.

The Yongyuan Company had money and was very overbearing. But behind Lin Sicheng was the country—

"That's good!" Zhou Zhilin nodded, "Miss Liang, let me take a look at the list first!"

Liang Shiya gestured, the Assistant handed over the catalog, and Zhou Zhilin took it in his hands and flipped through the fold-out pages.

The first three items were ancient ceramics; with He Jian there, he didn't need to worry about that.

Looking at the three pieces of Calligraphy and Painting again, Zhou Zhilin paused.

One of the paintings was, surprisingly, that imitation of Shitao's Nest Lake Map. The valuation was only twenty thousand-plus, so even if the price was driven up, there wasn't much room for maneuvering.

The remaining two items: one was a Ming Dynasty anonymous Landscape Pattern album, totaling twenty-four pages, with a valuation of two hundred and eighty thousand.

The painting was decent, but it had no colophon and no seal, only a signature of "Hong Daoren". The content was also mainly craggy mountains and Taoist temples, not very identifiable.

The only bright spot was that it was from the Ming Dynasty; Zhou Zhilin felt that if they cut the price in half based on the two hundred and eighty thousand, they should be able to win the bid.

The last item was two sets of medical books. The reason it was counted as one item was because these two sets of medical books were originally one set: the Jiyin Outline and the Jiyang Outline.

The Jiyin Outline was smaller, with only six volumes. The Jiyang Outline had a full one hundred and eight volumes.

Looking at the introduction: a Classic Workshop Edition from the early Qing Dynasty, the full set was valued at five hundred and eighty thousand, which meant five thousand per volume.

But the starting bid is very low, only 150,000.

Looking at the pictures in the catalog again, Zhou Zhilin subconsciously curled his lip.

The so-called Classic Workshop Edition refers to those funded and printed by temples. Among them, there is no lack of fine works, such as Buddhist scriptures carved by large temples, and some large Daoist temples would also print some Medical Book.

But this set is clearly not from any major temple or monastery: the lines and columns are cramped, the font is too small, and at a glance, it gives one a suffocating feeling.

The paper is not very good either; even through the photos, one can still see straw debris between the chain lines.

But these are only secondary; the key is that there are extremely many errors: out of ten photos in total, there isn't one that hasn't been corrected with a brush. The one with the fewest has seven or eight typos and five or six missing characters.

Even the promotional brochure is like this; one can see just how poor the original book is.

Looking further down: the origin is unknown, the specific era is unknown, and the corrector is likewise unknown.

For a book like this, let alone five thousand, even if you cut a zero and made it five hundred a volume, Zhou Zhilin wouldn't want it.

Afraid of making a mistake, he looked at it one more time, then handed the catalog over.

Having been instructed before coming, Li Chengkai took the catalog.

After just two glances, he shook his head: "Carved so poorly, and they dare to ask for 600,000? I think 60,000 is a stretch—"

He continued flipping down: "The album leaves are not bad, but they are anonymous works; 300,000 is a bit high, 200,000 would be the absolute limit—"

"As for the Nest Lake Map—at most three or five thousand!" Li Chengkai paused, "It's all junk!"

Zhou Zhilin couldn't help but nod.

Including He Jian, who had looked at it yesterday, the assessment was similar. Although not as direct as Li Chengkai, the meaning was the same: for these few items, if one dares to raise the paddle, one must be mentally prepared to be stuck with them.

If only one person said so, Liang Shiya might have doubted it. But since all three gave the same evaluation, it can only mean that Lin Sicheng's eyes are the problem.

Raising the price is impossible; although it isn't much money to her, there is no reason to throw money into the water when one knows it will be a total loss.

She just wants to see if Lin Sicheng will make a fuss after winning these items at auction.

It might even be that Lin Sicheng misjudged them. If that's the case, as long as he dares to raise the paddle today, he will lose money?

Thinking of this, Liang Shiya felt happy. She checked her watch: nine o'clock sharp, Lin Sicheng should be here too.

Just as she was thinking this, with two "buzzing" sounds, Zhang Yuanfan's phone rang.

After checking the number, she answered it, and just as she called out "Uncle Tian," a voice came from the entrance: "Yuanfan!"

Zhang Yuanfan stood up hurriedly and went to greet them.

Tian Rulong and Sheng Guoan were on the left and right, with Liu Yiling following behind.

The group exchanged a few words, Zhang Yuanfan looked over here, and Tian Rulong and Sheng Guoan shook their heads in unison.

They were a bit far away, so she couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could roughly guess: it was likely Zhang Yuanfan wanted to introduce them, but the two refused.

The group sat on the sofa nearby, Zhang Yuanfan called the usher to bring two glasses of water, and then came over here.

She didn't sit down, just picked up her bag: "Miss Liang, Master Zhou, Manager Li, some friends have arrived, excuse me!"

Liang Shiya didn't recognize the man, but she had seen the woman the day before yesterday, and Liang Shiya remembered very clearly: her surname was Liu, and she knew Lin Sicheng.

She looked slightly curious: "Miss Zhang also invited an Expert from the Forbidden City?"

Zhang Yuanfan was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected Liang Shiya to know them too.

"Yes, Miss Liang, these two are friends of my father!"

Liang Shiya nodded and said nothing more.

Since the Yongyuan Company mainly deals in art collection, it is not strange to know a few experts from the Mainland. What Liang Shiya found strange was: compared to the experts from the Forbidden City, the three in front of her were not inferior, but she felt Zhang Yuanfan didn't seem to value them much?

While she was pondering, Zhang Yuanfan took her things and explained a bit. Then she took the two appraisers who came with her and sat nearby.

Others followed her gaze and peeked with curiosity.

Subsequently, Li Chengkai raised his eyebrows: "Forbidden City?"

Zhou Zhilin and He Jian didn't speak, just exchanged a look.

The Forbidden City claims to have ten million fine pieces, but anyone who understands history knows: the three dynasties, ten million fine pieces, were partially stolen by eunuchs and palace maids after Puyi abdicated. Later, a portion was sold by the two brothers, and then another portion was looted by various warlords.

Most of what remained was moved to Chongqing before the Japanese army entered the capital, and later moved from Chongqing to Nanjing.

In this back-and-forth, a lot more were lost. Most of what was left was arranged by old Chiang to be flown to Taiwan in '49.

A small portion fell into the pockets of rogue soldiers. What remained in the end were either things too heavy to move or things that weren't valuable.

Therefore, most of the ten million now were collected after the founding of the country.

It's not to say there aren't good things among the people, but if compared to the imperial palace, both in quality and quantity, they are definitely a bit inferior.

And so-called appraisal relies on eye and experience. And regardless of which, both are fed by a massive amount of treasures.

Therefore, they didn't feel that the experts from the Forbidden City were necessarily more professional than them, or that their eyes were better than theirs.

They also didn't have the habit of being overly eager to please; if others didn't want to know them, they didn't want to crowd forward either.

They just exchanged a look and said nothing more, the few of them sitting in a circle drinking tea.

Just after drinking half a cup, Liang Shiya's eyes lit up: Lin Sicheng had arrived—

There were quite a lot of people, a large, bustling crowd. Besides Ye Anning, Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng had also come.

The rest were all bodyguards.

Thinking that Lin Sicheng would fall into a trap and be deceived today, Liang Shiya's mood was better than ever.

She took the initiative to wave and called out with a smile: "General Manager Lin, over here!"

Lin Sicheng paused, his face looking strange: "Did this woman take the wrong medicine? Why is she so happy?"

Ye Anning glared at him: "Keep your voice down!"

"Don't worry, it's so far, she can't hear!"

The two were talking as they walked over.

Liang Shiya just wanted to see him get snubbed and had no intention of introducing anyone. There was serious business today, so Lin Sicheng couldn't be bothered to provoke her.

The two were harmoniously polite for once and exchanged greetings in a proper manner.

After separating, the group walked toward the back, and Lin Sicheng sighed: "Teacher, Senior Brother, Sister Anning, do you know why she is so happy?"

They didn't know before, but now they did: Liang Shiya had a look of schadenfreude on her face, almost as if she had the words "you deserve it" carved onto it.

Wang Qi Zhi had a strange look on his face: "So, just how obscure are those few items you plan to bid on?"

Zhao Xiuneng looked regretful: "If I had known, I should have made time to come over and take a look!"

They certainly trusted Lin Sicheng's eye, but the two people Liang Shiya had invited were no nobodies.

The Honorary Museum Curator of the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and a senior Appraiser from Sotheby's—these two were experts in every sense of the word.

If even they could be mistaken, it showed just how peculiar these items must be?

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "They aren't that strange, just rare!"

Isn't that the same thing?

Zhao Xiuneng looked back, then lowered his voice: "How much can you make?"

Lin Sicheng said nonchalantly: "Quite a bit!"

Hearing these two words, Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng both paused in unison, their eyes shining like lightbulbs.

If Lin Sicheng said quite a bit, then it was definitely quite a bit.

The key was his nonchalant, indifferent expression.

Based on their understanding, the more perfunctory Lin Sicheng was, the more he actually valued it.

The two of them subconsciously exchanged a glance, and the same thought popped into both their minds: picking up a bargain at an auction—how many times has this been now?

>