Chapter 619: Raising Objections

This price is more than double the estimate of most guests, but upon careful thought, it does not seem all that outrageous.

Because not everyone's estimate was so low, for instance Tian Rulong: he believed this pot could fetch at least over six million.

The final transaction price was another twenty percent higher, but not without reason: ten percent came from the guarantee of Yongyuan Hang, and the other ten percent came from those appraisal reports.

To put it bluntly, this is the most intuitive market reaction, and even more so a choice made by consumers voting with their feet: for goods that can guarantee quality and have after-sales service, the price must naturally be a bit higher—

It was very fast, taking about ten minutes in total. Then, Li Zhen brought up two seals.

One was a Qianlong iron lion seal with Sanskrit, and one was the "Yuanming Hermit" seal of Yongzheng.

Photos and appraisal reports were played simultaneously on the screen, Lin Sicheng introduced them in sync, and there was an uproar below.

Imperial seals, and two of them at that, and they were father and son?

To tell the truth, such items are rare even at international grand auctions.

By comparison, they might not fetch a very high price and won't become the "king of the auction," but the buzz is definitely the highest.

Here, at a small private auction, two of them actually appeared?

Just by virtue of these two seals, today was not a wasted trip—

While everyone was shocked beyond belief, Chen Yangyan raised his hand: "Teacher Lin, what about the Congyun Seal of Qianlong, why is it not here?"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: Wasn't it already reserved for you?

While this thought was turning in his mind, Chen Yangyan laughed: "Teacher Lin, I've changed my mind, I want all three! Bring the items up, let's see who has the real skill—"

The other guests only then reacted: the meaning is, there is still one more?

In a flash, a voice came from the side again: "Right, Teacher Lin, bundle the three seals together and auction them at once!"

Everyone looked over; it was unclear exactly who was speaking, but it was definitely one of those fund Person in Charge.

Suddenly, someone sneered: "Is this trying to throw money at it?"

If auctioned separately, one would be a few million, but if put together, it would at least reach over ten million.

Even though they are all collectors, how many can take out over ten million at once?

Those in finance really don't have a single good thing about them—

While cursing inwardly, Chen Yangyan raised his hand again: "Teacher Lin, auction them separately!"

It really must be auctioned separately, otherwise most of the guests would be cursing.

Lin Sicheng introduced them one by one, including the provenance, history, and relevant literature.

The starting prices were not high: 1.5 million for the Congyun Seal, 2 million for "Yuanming Hermit," and 3 million for the iron lion seal.

This price is considered quite reasonable: the Congyun Seal is a studio-style seal, which can only be counted as an ordinary imperial leisure seal. Plus, there are many Qianlong seals; this category alone has over two thousand. Therefore, the price is relatively low, basically between one and three million.

Taking a middle number, it is neither high nor low.

"Yuanming Hermit" is a high-level leisure seal; although not used for grand ceremonies, it has records and is a commemorative seal: most of the edicts and Daoist decrees related to Yongzheng's cultivation were stamped with this seal.

Added to the fact that few Yongzheng seals circulate, the price of 2 million is relatively on the low side.

If Tian Rulong and Sheng Guoan were to value it, 3 million would probably be more appropriate.

The iron lion seal has Sanskrit representing "Emperor," which can already be called a treasure seal, and it possesses considerable ritual and political significance, so the price must be higher.

Of course, this is just the starting price. Sheng Guoan estimated that these three seals should be able to fetch over 8 million.

But as more and more people bid and the increments became higher and higher, Sheng Guoan's eyelids couldn't stop twitching: only 8 million?

Ten million won't even stop it—

"General Manager Chen bids 3 million, 3 million for the first time—"

"General Manager Sun increases the bid to 3 million, 3 million for the first time, 3 million for the second time—"

"General Manager Liu (Liu Taiqi) increases the bid to 3.2 million—3.2 million for the first time—"

"General Manager Chen bids again, 3.5 million, 3.5 million for the first time—"

Chen Yangyan not only raised his hand but waved it vigorously, saying something loudly, his emotions very agitated.

Including the previous time, he was also shouting when he raised his hand.

But Lin Sicheng held the microphone, the sound was amplified greatly, and he kept reporting and calling for bids, almost without pause, so most of the guests did not know what General Manager Chen was shouting.

Only the circle around him could hear clearly that Chen Yangyan kept shouting: "Teacher Lin, I am shouting 4 million, not 3 million—"

But Lin Sicheng ignored him entirely, just acting as if he didn't hear.

The surrounding guests were both amused and surprised: it's the first time seeing a seller host an auction where a guest shouts a high price alone and the seller ignores them completely.

It wasn't just Chen Yangyan who shouted a price alone; when it reached 2.5 million, Zheng Shanghui had shouted 3 million once.

But Lin Sicheng just followed the normal auction rhythm, reporting prices according to the "2, 5, 8, 0" increment ladder, and reported 2.8 million. So no matter who was shouting, no matter how high you shouted, it was all useless.

Zheng Shanghui raised his hand again, but before Lin Sicheng could even report the price, Chen Yangyan's hand went up again.

Lin Sicheng was methodical: "General Manager Zheng increases the bid to 3.5 million, General Manager Chen increases the bid to 3.8 million, 3.8 million for the first time, 3.8 million for the second time, 3.8 million for the third time—"

"Clack," Lin Sicheng struck the gavel, "Sold!"

Zheng Shanghui's hand froze in mid-air: "No—is there such a thing?"

"I haven't even raised my hand properly, and you strike the gavel?"

Lin Sicheng not only struck the gavel fast, but called the bids even faster, making it seem as if this seal couldn't be sold.

Sun Yan suppressed a laugh: "General Manager Zheng, don't fight it, it won't be worth it if you keep fighting!"

Every firm brought professional appraisers, and the opinions of the three appraisers were basically consistent: the valuation of this Qianlong Congyun Seal should be between 2.5 million and 3 million.

Now that it can fetch 3.8 million, one reason is that Lin Sicheng's guarantee of after-sales service played a role, and the second is this General Manager Chen's unreasonable following and increasing of the bid.

Everyone could see: he was determined to win this seal.

And this was still Lin Sicheng intentionally controlling the rhythm, deliberately not letting him shout the price alone, otherwise the price would have broken 5 million long ago.

Zheng Shanghui nodded.

He naturally knew that once the price exceeded 3 million, he couldn't bid anymore. The reason he shouted two more rounds of bids was just to test what this General Manager Chen's bottom line was.

Now it's been tested: he dares to follow the bid no matter how high it goes.

But even for an Imperial Seal, there is a basic limit, so Zheng Shanghui cannot figure out what the goal of this General Manager Chen is.

"General Manager Zheng, didn't you notice?" Sun Yan smiled, "This General Manager Chen is returning a favor!"

Zheng Shanghui paused, lost in thought: Isn't this just a disguised way of giving a gift to Lin Sicheng?

No wonder Lin Sicheng controls the margin of the price increases: the higher General Manager Chen raises the price, the greater the favor he owes.

To tell the truth, this thing is much more expensive than money—

"If the remaining two are auctioned off like this, what will be left for us?"

"Don't worry, there are plenty of good things today!" Sun Yan pointed at the catalog, "Even if General Manager Chen has a mine at home, can he really buy everything?"

That is true; if Lin Sicheng isn't playing any tricks and these items in the catalog are all authentic, then there is no need to fight General Manager Chen for these three seals.

Of course, this so-called "not fighting" is relative. As long as it is within the valuation range of the appraisers, one still has to bid a little.

In a flash, the screen changed again to the information for the "Yuanming Jushi" seal, including the Expert Identification Certificate, machine inspection reports, and relevant documentary materials.

Just as Lin Sicheng finished the introduction, six or seven hands were raised in the room.

"General Manager He of Zhigutang bids two million, General Manager Feng in the fourth row raises it to two point two million, Boss Xing in the sixth row raises it to two point five million, General Manager Han in the fifth row raises it to two point eight million—"

Lin Sicheng announced the bids unhurriedly; in just half a minute, the price broke through three million.

The appraiser at Taikang valued this seal at around 3.4 million, but with the Congyun Seal as a precedent, the final transaction price would certainly rise significantly.

The appraiser adjusted the estimate on the spot, raising it to four million. He also reminded Zheng Shanghui: as long as it doesn't exceed this price, there will certainly be many people following the bid.

So Zheng Shanghui was not in a hurry, just watching coldly from the sidelines.

But as he watched, he noticed something wrong: there were over a dozen guests bidding on this seal, men and women, old and young, but every single time, Lin Sicheng could accurately call out the other party's surname.

It couldn't be that he knew all these guests, could it?

Of course that's impossible; many of the people here came for Zhang Zongxian, and Lin Sicheng had never met them at all.

Could it be that he remembered them while greeting guests at the door?

Zheng Shanghui looked surprised: "No wonder he didn't even issue number tags; how good must his memory be?"

The people around him nodded in unison: they had already noticed this when Lin Sicheng introduced that painting by Zhang Daqian and the catalog of Fu Shan.

After all, those two were famous masters; if it were just their life backgrounds, one could memorize them with some effort. But Lin Sicheng could even memorize the contents of those six Medical Books word for word, including which page and which paragraph, and the secret base text for the guiding poems corresponding to the picture album; he could explain it clearly without even flipping through the books.

How powerful must such a memory be?

"To be able to stand here and set up such a large venue, he must have extraordinary qualities!" Jiang Cheng sighed sincerely, "Otherwise, how could he have picked up such treasures right in front of those Experts?"

Once this was mentioned, the group fell silent in unison: if he didn't have some ability, how would he dare to plant his flag in Beijing?

And now, this signboard of Lin Sicheng's could be considered firmly established—

Amidst these sighs, the auction of the "Yuanming Jushi" seal had reached its end. After looking at the latest bid, Zheng Shanghui gave up directly:

It had only been a few minutes, and it had already broken through five million?

One can only say, everyone is fucking crazy—

In the end, General Manager Chen won the auction at 5.2 million, more than double the starting price.

Zheng Shanghui gave a thumbs up in his heart: this General Manager Chen is truly wealthy.

Next was the Sanskrit seal of the "Manjushri Emperor" by Qianlong. Knowing the guests were impatient, Lin Sicheng only gave a brief introduction. Before he had even put down the microphone, twenty or thirty hands were raised below.

Qianlong had many seals, but only a few dozen could be called Imperial Seals.

Whenever one appeared, the cheaper ones would be tens of millions, and the more expensive ones would be over a hundred million. The starting price for this seal was only three million; wasn't that like picking it up for free?

Lin Sicheng announced the bids as usual; his two lips were like a machine gun, never stopping at all.

Even so, the guests still complained that he was slow and kept urging him on.

Bidding all the way, raising the price all the way, in less than three minutes, the price had doubled: six million.

There were still eight or nine people raising their hands in the room, but General Manager Zheng knew that most of them were already at the end of their rope.

Because the appraisers of the three firms all valued it between six million and seven million; once it exceeded six million, it would be hard to find buyers.

Sure enough, when it reached 6.5 million, less than half remained: only three fund Persons in Charge, plus General Manager Chen Yangyan.

At seven million, Sun Yan withdrew; at 7.8 million, Jiang Cheng also withdrew.

Zheng Shanghui followed with one more bid, and before his hand had even settled, General Manager Chen's hand was already raised.

General Manager Zheng looked helpless: with General Manager Chen's stance, even a bank couldn't compete with him.

Finally, the hammer fell at 8.2 million.

With a "Bang," Lin Sicheng said congratulations, and Chen Yangyan laughed out loud.

He was indeed returning a favor, but who doesn't like an Imperial Seal?

Otherwise, could General Manager Zheng have bid up to eight million?

Buying three Imperial Seals for less than twenty million is not a loss—

Striking while the iron was hot, Lin Sicheng brought up two imperial portraits:

The first, "Qianlong Changchun Zhenren."

The second, "Yinzhen's Leisurely Life: Riding a Raft to Immortality."

The crowd below became lively again: Good heavens, portraits of Qianlong and Yongzheng?

Where did Lin Sicheng get so many strange, yet rare and precious items?

Let alone how many of these things there are, let's count them on our fingers: how many imperial portraits have appeared at auctions and have clear transaction records?

You can count them on one hand:

The most famous is "Qianlong's Grand Review: Military Formation," with Giuseppe Castiglione as the lead painter, a massive documentary piece of Qianlong in military attire, auctioned in Toulouse, France in 2007, with the hammer falling at 17 million Euros, approximately 180 million Renminbi.

Secondly, at the 2008 Sotheby's auction, a section of "Qianlong's Review of the Formation," led by Giuseppe Castiglione, had the hammer fall at 68 million Hong Kong dollars.

Even earlier, there was: the 2004 Christie's auction, the same scroll of "Qianlong's Review of the Formation," with the hammer falling at 27 million Hong Kong dollars. The 2001 Sotheby's auction, the same scroll of "Qianlong's Review of the Formation," had the hammer fall at 16 million Hong Kong dollars.

These two paintings are, of course, not comparable: first, they are small in size, less than one-tenth the length of "Array Marching." Compared to the individual volumes of "Array Review," they are only about one-third the size.

Second, they are not by famous masters: both of these paintings were executed by Fan Qinghe, a person for whom historical records are pitifully scarce.

Third, they are merely portraits in Daoist robes, which fall far short of the Qianlong "Array Review" portrait in military attire.

But no matter how great the gap, these are still imperial portraits.

The key is that the starting price is not high: one million for each.

Zheng Shanghui rubbed his hands together, looked to his side, and said, "The two of you, I won't be standing on ceremony!"

Sun Yan was noncommittal and did not speak, while Jiang Cheng just smiled.

First was "Changchun Zhenren"; since it was not the work of a famous master, Sun Yan gave up when the bidding reached two million, as did the previous bidders. The only ones still bidding in the room were General Manager Zheng and General Manager Jiang.

But the two would not give way to each other, raising the price all the way to 4.2 million.

Thinking it was just because Poly had started late and Jiang Cheng was anxious to create positive news, Zheng Shanghui didn't pay it much mind and added one more bid, with the hammer falling at 4.5 million.

When it came to the second painting, "Yinzhen's Leisurely Life: Riding a Raft to Immortality," Sun Yan gave up again once it reached two million, and the room was once again left with only Jiang Cheng and Zheng Shanghui.

They followed and raised the price all the way, with Jiang Cheng bidding up to four million—

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