Xu Manling smiled brightly after hearing Chen Ke's words, but Chen Ke always felt that the smile was somewhat meaningful.

As Chen Ke followed Xu Manling through the gate, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

Perhaps noticing his reaction, Xu Manling chuckled and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Chen to be surprised too."

Chen Ke nodded. "This is quite surprising." After all, the entire hall was filled with fake antiques that he had printed out himself. It seemed that the things the puppet army had dug up were all sent to his employer, the Japanese?

"Mr. Matsumoto."

Upon hearing Xu Manling's voice, Chen Ke looked up and saw a group of people slowly descending the stairs on the left side of the hall.

The person walking at the front had a slicked-back middle parting and was clearly Matsumoto. However, when Chen Ke looked at Lauter's blond hair and blue eyes next to him, his eyes twitched, and he subtly glanced down at his feet.

The white porcelain plate with lotus petal design and copper clasp that I sold to Lauters on the ship happens to be sitting here by some strange coincidence.

“Mr. Matsumoto, this is Mr. Chen, recommended by Mr. Lauters.”

"Hi, Mr. Chen!" Lautes greeted Chen Ke warmly while still standing on the stairs.

Chen Ke nodded and smiled: "Mr. Lauters, it's a pleasure to see you again."

At this moment, Lauters leaned over to Matsumoto and said a few words, to which Matsumoto nodded with a smile.

A short while later, Matsumoto led his group into the hall, and Xu Manling and Chen Ke also stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Chen."

Chen Ke was surprised that Matsumoto spoke Chinese better than Lauters, and he couldn't detect any accent at all.

"Not at all, it's my honor to meet Mr. Matsumoto. Mr. Matsumoto speaks Chinese so well." So it's true that the subsequent invasion of China was premeditated.

"Thank you for the compliment. It is the result of a long period of study, but Chinese culture is profound and extensive, and there is still much for me to learn."

"Hehe, Mr. Matsumoto is too modest." After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two got down to business.

"Mr. Chen, let me introduce you. These are some of the more well-known antique appraisers in Shanghai. These two are national-level cultural relic appraisers. Including Mr. Chen, there are a total of seven masters. I hope to complete the appraisal of all these cultural relics within three days."

"Within three days?" one of the appraisers said in surprise. "Mr. Matsumoto, isn't this too rushed? You know, this involves not only verifying authenticity, but also considering the quality, craftsmanship, and historical background. So many artifacts, in just three days..."

"Yes, Mr. Matsumoto, three days is probably a bit too short."

"It is a bit rushed."

The Shanghai appraisers who came with us all thought the time was a bit short.

Chen Ke did not offer any opinion, but Matsumoto and the two Japanese connoisseurs behind him seemed quite confident.

Matsumoto twitched his short, almost V-shaped eyebrows and said in a clear, articulate voice, "You don't need to worry about authenticity. They are definitely genuine. You just need to identify their year, historical background, and extreme rarity."

"This..." Several Shanghai appraisers looked at each other, unsure why the Japanese were so confident.

However, since they had already said there was no need to verify its authenticity, they would simply do as they were told, and so they all nodded, "Okay."

After Matsumoto made his request, he had a Japanese connoisseur and two Shanghai connoisseurs work in two groups to begin their work.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ke exclaimed that Matsumoto was a cunning Japanese man. The two Japanese connoisseurs could not only play a supervisory role, but also openly learn from him!

For example, during the appraisal process, if you say that this is from the early Song Dynasty, and the Japanese say, "How can it be from the early period? I think it looks like it's from the late period," then you have to explain to them why this artifact is from the early period and not the late period.

Later, when they say that this porcelain was produced in large quantities at the time and is not a particularly rare cultural relic in China, they will ask you which kiln this porcelain was fired in and where in China. Will you answer or not?

So, Komatsumoto really knows how to play his cards right.

“Mr. Chen, Lauters highly recommends you, so I want to see your appraisal skills for myself.” Matsumoto turned to look at Chen Ke with anticipation in his eyes.

"It's not that I particularly admire him, it's just that Mr. Chen has the ability. Mr. Chen is a big boss who owns thirteen antique shops in Beiping. The number of cultural relics he has handled must be countless."

After saying that, he lowered his voice and said to Matsumoto, "The carpet that Emperor Kangxi used, which I showed you to Mr. Matsumoto before, was sold to me by Mr. Chen at a low price. I have already shipped it back to France. After it goes back, it may be auctioned off by those nobles at a high price. You know, they are eager to buy anything that the Chinese royal family used."

Chen Ke didn't know what Lauters said to Matsumoto, but he did see the light in Matsumoto's eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Then he heard Lautes speak normally again, “Moreover, Mr. Chen is a true antique enthusiast, not one of those vulgar people who are only interested in money. He has many precious antiques and likes to appreciate and play with them with like-minded people. But if you want to buy them, Mr. Chen will never sell them. He will only sell them at a low price to a good friend who is on good terms with him. This is something I admire very much.”

Chen Ke: ""

Did he hire Lauter's as a salesman and then forget about it? This persona, created solely for sales purposes, was being spoken of with such admiration and respect that Chen Ke himself felt a little embarrassed.

"I never expected that Mr. Chen would also have such a passion for antiques and cultural relics, and that he is a man who is indifferent to fame and fortune and does not covet money. He is truly a gentleman."

Clearly, Komatsumoto is much more cultured than the Frenchman, and he's quite adept at using four-character idioms.

Chen Ke blushed slightly. "...Mr. Lauters is too kind."

It's a seemingly humble statement, but it actually means: Yes, that's just who I am. I only appreciate antiques and I don't love money.

“Mr. Chen just likes to be modest,” Lauters said with a smile.

"In ancient China, gentlemen regarded humility as a virtue, and Mr. Chen possesses the virtue of a gentleman."

"Haha, not at all." Chen Ke was afraid that Matsumoto would start spouting classical Chinese phrases if he continued, so he quickly changed the subject. "Then, Mr. Matsumoto, let's begin. With so many artifacts displayed here, to be honest, I'm already quite eager to appreciate them."

"Yes, yes, I can understand Mr. Chen. I was also very excited when I saw them. It took me a long time to calm down. Come on, Mr. Chen, please choose one to start."

Chen Ke took a step around the white porcelain plate with lotus petal pattern and copper clasp, and came directly to a rolled-up scroll. "There are many famous paintings from the Song Dynasty. Since Mr. Matsumoto said that these cultural relics are all from the Song Dynasty, let's see which famous artist made this painting."