Chen Ke bent down and took the painting out of the wooden box, then carefully unfolded it on the wooden table that had been prepared next to him.

The scroll unfolded like water, but before anyone could get a good look at it, Chen Ke exclaimed in amazement, "...So beautiful!"

Xu Manling stepped forward, her gaze lingering for a long time, and exclaimed, "It is indeed very evocative."

Matsumoto got excited when he heard the word "artistic conception." For him, this word represented the ultimate aesthetic of Chinese culture. Whether it was poetry or painting, the essence of appreciation was "artistic conception." This troubled Matsumoto greatly, as he had studied it for so long but still couldn't grasp its meaning.

Lauters was far less cultured than Matsumoto. Upon hearing Chen Ke's exclamation, his first question was, "Is it possible that this was painted by some emperor?"

Chen Ke cursed Lauter's illiterate nature, all he knew was emperors. He was talking to someone about artistic conception, and Lauter pulled this stunt. Didn't that make him look ignorant and shallow? How could anyone believe that he, who considered Lauter a close friend, was indifferent to fame and fortune and had refined interests?

"Mr. Lauters is quite interesting. There's a signature here. Although this Song Dynasty painter wasn't as famous as the reigning emperor, he was still quite well-known at the time, and his paintings were highly sought after."

Chen Ke was surprised that Xu Manling would offer an explanation. He asked in astonishment, "Miss Xu, you actually know Ma Yuan?"

Xu Manling smiled slightly, "I only know a little bit about him. I only know that he was a famous painter in the Southern Song Dynasty and one of the Four Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty."

“It seems that Miss Xu is also a well-read person.” Chen Ke sincerely praised her, then turned to Matsumoto and Lauters and said, “Miss Xu is right. Ma Yuan enjoys a high reputation in our country’s history. His landscape paintings are the most outstanding and unique. He is a very original painter.”

Matsumoto nodded in realization, "I see, this painting is indeed extraordinary."

Lauters chimed in, “He was a great painter after all. He should be worth a lot now.”

Seeing that both of them knew the fame of the artist, Chen Ke continued, "This painting should be called 'Fishing Alone on a Cold River.' The entire painting depicts only a lone fisherman in a small boat, with the surrounding area almost entirely blank except for a few ripples, creating an atmosphere of vast river and sky, cold and desolate, giving people a profound sense of loneliness and solitude."

Matsumoto looked completely absorbed, "After Mr. Chen's explanation, I... I think I've grasped the so-called 'artistic conception'..."

Lauters was utterly bewildered. "What is this? Artistic realm? It's Japanese maiko—"

“Mr. Lauters,” Chen Ke suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Lauters’s impending outburst, and said meaningfully, “This painting can be considered one of Ma Yuan’s masterpieces.” He emphasized the last two words.

Lauters was indeed drawn to the work. "A masterpiece? Tsk tsk tsk..."

With those three "tsk tsk tsk" sounds, Chen Ke could already imagine Lautes saying to him very sincerely (and with plenty of money), "Name your price, I just really like this painting."

Perhaps experiencing the power of "artistic conception" for the first time, Matsumoto was still in a daze for a long time. He listened to Chen Ke and the others' words as if he hadn't heard them, and asked again, "What did you just say?"

“A masterpiece, Mr. Matsumoto, this is a masterpiece by a great painter from the Song Dynasty!” Lauters’s eyes were glued to the painting.

Seeing this, Matsumoto laughed and said to Chen Ke and Xu Manling, "Lottes also really enjoys appreciating these historical artifacts. No wonder he can be friends with Mr. Chen. They are like-minded people. I just wonder if I will have the opportunity to appreciate these artifacts with Mr. Chen and exchange ideas in the future?"

Chen Ke smiled modestly, "Mr. Matsumoto, you are too kind. It is my honor to be with you."

"Haha, Mr. Chen is a straightforward person. I, Daisuke Matsumoto, am determined to be his friend!"

Daisuke Matsumoto? Chen Ke gave a forced smile. "Mr. Matsumoto, you're too kind."

While there was laughter and chatter on one side, the four appraisers on the other were practically gritting their teeth until they bled from rushing to meet the deadline. They were all there to appraise cultural relics, so why was it that the young man could talk to Mr. Matsumoto about interests, paintings, and artistic conceptions, while they could only bury themselves in their work and toil away?

Chen Ke was completely unaware that he had incurred the envy of his peers. After admiring the paintings, Chen Ke went to another area and carefully selected several sculptures and porcelain pieces, his main purpose, of course, being to distance himself from the white porcelain plate with copper-rimmed lotus petal design…

Chen Ke was able to recount the origins, themes, styles, heritage, and historical background of these artifacts with great familiarity. His extensive knowledge and profound understanding completely shocked Matsumoto, Lauters, and Xu Manling.

The morning passed in the blink of an eye, and the maid prepared the meal and came to ask Matsumoto when he would like to eat.

Matsumoto then realized that a whole morning had already passed. Looking closer, he saw that dozens of artifacts had already been appraised and organized, and this was all thanks to Chen Ke's explanations and assessments. If they hadn't disturbed them…

At this moment, the butler came over and whispered, "Sir, Master Yamashita and the others said they are quite tired and would like to have a meal and rest for a while before continuing."

Matsumoto was about to nod and agree, but then paused and suddenly asked, "How many have they completed?"

The butler immediately went over to inquire, then jogged over and respectfully replied, "Sir, Master Yamashita said they are moving quite fast; the two groups together have already produced ten pieces."

——

As soon as the butler finished speaking, Matsumoto's face visibly darkened.

"Baka! Six people, only finished ten items in a whole morning, and you want to eat and rest? Tell them not to rest, make them keep working!"

"Yes, yes, yes." The butler was so frightened that his face turned several shades pale, and he quickly retreated to relay the message.

Meanwhile, the appraisers standing opposite in the hall were beaming with pride. The butler came over and asked them how many pieces they had completed. It was obviously Mr. Matsumoto who wanted to compare the two and see who had completed more. This time, the four of them had all used their best skills. Although they were carrying a burden of two people carrying one, it was still quite good. They had completed a total of ten pieces.

So they waited there confidently, hoping to see the young man's shocked expression turn into one of frustration and dejection.

But instead of seeing a change in Chen Ke's expression, they received a very displeased look from Matsumoto.

All four of them, plus the two Japanese people, had a bad feeling.

Their premonition came true only after the housekeeper came over and tactfully indicated that they needed to continue working for a while longer before they could have their meal.

"Excuse me, could I ask why?" one of them asked, still unwilling to give up.

The butler, with an extremely complicated expression, said, "That Mr. Chen completed sixteen items all by himself..."