Chapter 199: More Than Three Million

Lin Sicheng casually spread the scroll out on the coffee table.

"Miss Wang, would you like to see this one?"

The woman gave a wry smile: "Teacher Lin, do we still need to look at it?"

"They're already open, might as well take a look!"

Lin Sicheng was indeed quite casual, and he didn't even take a magnifying glass, just glancing at it indifferently.

He scanned it roughly twice, then straightened up.

Hao Jun also came over.

He had examined all four items that Wang Mingxing had brought. Apart from the Taihu stone, this was the only one he was certain was problematic, so he was extremely certain: "This is a forgery!"

Lin Sicheng remained noncommittal, neither nodding nor uttering a sound.

Seeing his expression, Ye Anning immediately became interested and picked up a magnifying glass to examine him closely.

Then, pointing to the seals and postscripts on the left and right sides, he asked, "Lin Sicheng, were these two sides added later?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "It seems so!"

Ye Anning assumed he was just making a casual remark and didn't pay much attention.

Because the traces are very obvious: the two pieces on the right, the one with the inscription "Zilexuan" on the right, and the two pieces on the left with the inscription inside, were obviously added later, and then the seams were filled with paint.

Over the years, the paint faded, and with a little attention, traces of later repairs could be seen. The paper color in the three areas was also slightly different: the two on the sides were lighter, and the one in the middle was slightly darker.

Therefore, the paper with inscriptions on both sides was obviously added later.

Even the inscription at the end of the scroll, namely the two lines "The 16th day of the 7th month of the autumn of the Renyin year of Yongle" and "Respectfully recorded by Shen Du of Huating", are clearly different in font from the text itself.

Therefore, this is a copy of a work that has been "transferred from one mountain to another" and "changed its inscription and seal".

However, the imitation is quite good; at least the materials are authentic and the mounting is exquisite.

The Ming Dynasty court paper with gold leaf, imitating the paper of the Mingren Hall in the Yuan Dynasty, has large gold leaf flakes that are like snowflakes, and is also known as gold leaf paper.

The ink paste is derived from the "oil cinnabar" of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Compared with the mid-to-late Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty, the cinnabar particles are slightly coarser and the purity is lower. Because it is easily oxidized, the ink color is dark red and there is a slight oil seepage.

The ink is also an early Ming dynasty type of pine and glue ink, black with a grayish tinge and extremely high glue content. The scroll and mounting are the same, typical of the early Ming dynasty style.

The handwriting is also very good: graceful and dignified, with a rigorous structure, so neat and standardized that it cannot be more so.

Historically known as the "Taige style" or "Guange style," it is also called the "Zhuangyuan style."

During the Ming Dynasty, this type of script was used in all government agencies, including the Ministry of Personnel, as well as in local government offices such as provinces, prefectures, and counties, and in official documents, imperial examinations, diplomatic correspondence, and so on.

If we're talking about the best, its heaviness is number one.

During the Hongwu reign, he failed the imperial examination. After Emperor Chengzu ascended the throne, he issued an edict to select skilled calligraphers, and Shen Du was selected and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Because of his exceptional calligraphy skills, Emperor Chengzu greatly admired him and appointed him to serve in the imperial court. He was responsible for writing all imperial edicts, including those concerning imperial appointments, foreign documents, sacrificial texts, and important decrees.

Zhu Di praised him as "the Wang Xizhi of our dynasty," so by the time Emperor Xuanzong of Ming ascended the throne, he had already risen to the position of Academician of the Hanlin Academy. Looking back over thousands of years, he is undoubtedly a prime example of "entering officialdom through calligraphy."

Many ink marks remain, the most famous being the world-renowned Yongle Bell, as well as the regular script inscriptions on porcelain and bronze vessels from the Yongle and Xuande periods, namely "Made in the Yongguang Year of the Great Ming Dynasty" and "Made in the Xuande Year of the Great Ming Dynasty." As long as they are official tribute imperial vessels, any inscription will inevitably be in his official script.

Coincidentally, all three seals on this calligraphy are of the character "沈度" (Shen Du).

The first seal on the right reads "Zilexuan": Zile is his pen name, and the engraving is in standard jade chopstick seal script, as is the standard studio name seal.

There are two postscripts on the left, one reading "Chen Du in the Clouds" and the other "Between the Lecturer and Scholar," indicating that this is a work from Shen Du's later years.

Of course, if it were an original. Unfortunately, it isn't...

After carefully reading it once, Ye Anning began to decipher the contents again:

"Jingjie's noble character is admired for generations. His poems and lyrics are treasured by scholars and passed down through generations, and are widely known and loved... Now Boshi has painted his portrait on Chengxintang paper and drawn his poems into a long scroll... It rivals Wu Daozi and Wang Wei... Wait, is this a calligraphy and painting inscription?"

Ye Anning paused, then tried to recall carefully. But she had no recollection of either the painting inscribed by Shen Du or the "Bo Shi" mentioned in the letter.

After thinking for a long time without any clue, she pointed again and asked, "Lin Sicheng, who is 'Boshi'?"

"Li Gonglin of the Northern Song Dynasty was a famous painter, collector, and connoisseur... He held the official positions of Censorate Inspector and Attendant Gentleman... He was known to be a close friend of Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Mi Fu, and Huang Tingjian..."

Li Gonglin excelled at figure painting, especially horses. Su Shi praised him, saying, "Longmian (Li Gonglin) has a thousand steeds in his heart; he not only paints the flesh but also the bones." He was also proficient in landscape painting; Wang Anshi said he deeply understood the essence of Wu Daozi and was a true successor to Wang Wei…

Ye Anning was a little confused: No... Lin Sicheng, you actually know him?

She glanced again at the line on the scroll: "Dongpo and Shangu praised it highly, and even composed a poem in response..."

Su Shi called himself Dongpo Jushi, and Huang Tingjian called himself Shangu Daoren.

Ye Anning certainly knew that, but based on that alone, she genuinely couldn't do it...

"Then what painting is this inscription on?"

"Li Gonglin painted the 'Returning Home' painting!"

"Returning Home"...a poem by Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty?

Ye Anning stared intently at the words on the scroll: "Beyond the realm of brush and ink, overflowing the viewer's immediate perception... Isn't this painting based on a poem?"

I feel like I'm so far behind Lin Sicheng. It's like I wasted five years of university and ten years of free time at the Forbidden City.

Just as he was reflecting on this, Lin Sicheng slightly curled his fingers and brushed them across the scroll: "Miss Wang, may I ask, if I may, the origin of the character '辐'?"

Wang Mingxing paused for a moment: "It was a gift from a friend!"

"All three?"

"All three!"

Sure enough?

These three items were likely gifts given to Ms. Wang's friends by someone who wanted to ask for a favor.

The recipient of the gift must hold a high position, and the giver must have put a lot of thought into it, so they specifically chose works with unclear provenance and virtually no trace of their provenance.

Therefore, I must have guessed wrong before: Ms. Wang was not fooled, and with the Taihu stone, all four items should have been gifts from her friend.

Lin Sicheng could even guess that her friend had probably been arrested. She must have also committed some offense, which was why she was so restless and anxious.

She was afraid of getting into trouble, or perhaps she was afraid that the person who gave her the gift would ask for it back, which is why she was in such a hurry to make the move.

But that's human nature, so I won't comment.

Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly and looked up: "Would Miss Wang be willing to contribute this item?"

In an instant, everyone was stunned.

Including Hao Jun and Ye Anning: No... Lin Sicheng, this calligraphy is a patchwork of different styles, why would you buy it?

Looking down again: Yes, the seals and inscriptions are all pieced together.

Although the calligraphy is very similar to Chen Du's style, there are countless people who wrote the "Taige style" well throughout the Ming Dynasty, and even the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are many who write in a style even more like Chen Du than he does.

Therefore, this character is most likely a forgery.

Unless it's a forgery by a famous artist?

Hao Jun looked suspicious, staring intently at the scroll. But it was all for naught; his calligraphy and painting skills were only average. If you asked him to name a few calligraphers from the Ming Dynasty, he could certainly name them.

But if you ask who writes in the best style of official script, he honestly doesn't know...

Wang Mingxing's spirits lifted.

The expert from the Chinese Painting Academy also said that this calligraphy was a composite work: the title and seal were genuine works by Shen Du, but the content was pieced together later.

Appraisers from major auction houses echoed this sentiment, stating they would not accept such items at all.

Therefore, she always thought it was a fake and worthless, and she didn't even let Lin Sicheng appraise it.

But then he suddenly asked, "Is this character for sale? What does that mean?"

The key is that they have such a sharp eye and know so much. They even seem more professional than that expert?

Surely this isn't actually a work by a famous artist?

Suddenly, the woman's eyes lit up, and her heart skipped a beat: "Three million!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned: Big sister, you're really going to have a problem with three million, aren't you?

A Taihu stone costs three million, a counterfeit of the Cha Shibiao painting costs three million, a work by a ghostwriter of Dong Qichang also costs three million, and this piece of calligraphy is also worth three million.

Lin Sicheng didn't say anything, he just sighed.

The item is certainly worth three million, but the prerequisite is to know its origin, source, the oddities involved, and the changes that occurred.

It wasn't that Lin Sicheng deliberately tricked her, nor was it him bragging: aside from himself or the Forbidden City, no matter where she took this thing, let alone three million, even thirty thousand would be hard to come by.

Therefore, there's nothing shameful about making money through keen eyesight and knowledge.

Seeing that Lin Sicheng remained silent, the old expert gave him a sharp look, and then held up a four.

Wang Mingxing, on a sudden inspiration, blurted out: "Four million!"

The old expert was stunned and almost bumped his head on the coffee table: You really dare to ask for that?

Although he didn't know who forged it, he at least knew that the core, the middle part, whether it was paper or characters, could not be older than the Xuande or Zhengtong periods.

Throughout these two dynasties, besides Shen Du, the other famous figures who were skilled in writing the official script could be counted on one hand: the Three Yangs, Shen Du's younger brother Shen Can, and Shen Du's son Shen Zao.

But it couldn't be the Three Yangs: a high-ranking official wouldn't stoop to imitating the calligraphy of a lecturer. Besides, their styles don't match.

That leaves only his brother and son.

Shen Can and Shen Du were known as the "Two Shens," and Shen Can rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Shen Du's son, Shen Zao, served as an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Both of them were calligraphers in the Ming Dynasty and held high-ranking official positions, but according to historical records, their achievements were less than one-tenth of their elder brother's.

Therefore, even if it is truly an authentic work by these two individuals, its market value is less than one-tenth of Shen Du's, at most two or three hundred thousand.

Wang Mingxing certainly wasn't short of money, so the old expert meant: "Money can't buy what the heart desires; this kid is so direct, he clearly has a particular fondness for this calligraphy. Miss Wang, why don't you try selling all four together and see if he wants them?"

But Ms. Wang misunderstood and asked for four million... She's not stupid, is she?

He sighed and gestured around the room: "If you want them, all four at once!"

Lin Sicheng shook his head and said, "Then you can keep them!"

The old expert was stunned for a moment, and Wang Mingxing was also stunned for a moment.

"How much money can you offer?"

Lin Sicheng answered without hesitation: "Five hundred thousand!"

The group of people were stunned again: So tall?

It can't possibly be a forgery by Shen Can and Shen Zao, can it?

Regardless of which of these two individuals it is, such a lengthy piece should be worth 230,000. The remaining factor is naturally the price of the actual exam questions and the genuine print.

Conversely, if these two were to imitate it, it would be easy to simply cut two seals and inscriptions from other works left by Shen Du.

In a flash, the group looked again at the two faded, very obvious seams, and became even more certain.

But should we sell, or not sell?

After hesitating for a long time, seeing the old man's eyes flicker slightly, the woman gritted her teeth and said, "Sell!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: Sell it.

But it doesn't matter if she doesn't sell: no one but herself would offer such a high price. So even if she doesn't sell today, she'll personally deliver it later...

Afterwards, Hao Jun called the finance department and brought over a standard contract from Rongbaozhai. Including commission and tax, Lin Sicheng paid an extra 100,000 yuan.

Don't worry about the price; as long as Lin Sicheng can explain his background and it's confirmed, Hao Jun will have to stamp a guarantee for the transaction.

Its nature and authenticity are exactly the same as the authentication seal...

The woman signed quickly, swiped her card, and got the receipt, reluctant to leave.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she had a feeling that she had sold it at a loss...

She sighed and looked at the scroll again: "Teacher Lin, whose original work is this!"

Lin Sicheng smiled, and instead of answering, asked, "Miss Wang, it's already been sold?"

And the contract has already been signed.

He didn't want to cause trouble for himself, nor did he want to upset Ms. Wang.

Knowing he wouldn't get any answers, Wang Mingxing gave up. His assistant and the senior expert came to help; one picked up the Taihu stone, and the other put away the remaining two long boxes.

The two shook hands and said goodbye.

When they reached the door, Wang Mingxing suddenly remembered something: he had brought four items over, including the last one, which was now concluded to be most likely a work by a famous artist.

But the Taihu stone remains unclear.

The crucial point is that Mr. Hao looked smug. Even Lin Sicheng didn't utter a single word after reading it.

She always felt uneasy...

With that thought in mind, the woman turned around and pointed to the box: "Teacher Lin, could you please take a look at this one as well?"

"Miss Wang, there's no need to slap me!"

This time, we found a pretty good deal, and Ms. Wang was quite straightforward, so it was fine to tell her.

Lin Sicheng put it succinctly, "To put it bluntly: in terms of antique collecting, this kind of thing isn't very valuable. But everyone has their own taste, you can try sending it to an auction house, but I reckon nobody will buy it!"

After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng carefully considered his words: "If I'm not mistaken, your friend's matter is probably related to this kind of thing. If it's settled, you might as well meet with him; he should be able to tell you..."

The old man and his assistant were completely bewildered, but Wang Mingxing's face suddenly turned pale and his eyes bulged wildly.

What could possibly happen to her friend? It's obviously referring to her being arrested...

"It's settled" naturally means that the sentence has been handed down and family members can visit the person in question.

But the question is, how did Lin Sicheng know? Did he even know it was because of the Taihu stone that it went in?

For a moment, she was both surprised and doubtful, and hesitated to speak.

But after a long time, she still didn't dare to ask: her friend was tight-lipped and hadn't implicated her. But she couldn't let her mouth slip...

The woman forced a smile: "I don't understand what Teacher Lin is saying!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: That's enough. If you don't understand, you don't understand.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, the woman said thank you, and the three of them hurried away.

The door slammed shut, the sound echoing inside. Hao Jun and Ye Anning stared at Lin Sicheng, their expressions complex and unreadable.

here we go again?

Lin Sicheng's methods of appraising objects sometimes extended to appraising people, which they had both witnessed. Each time they saw it, they were still deeply shocked.

It feels like Lin Sicheng's predictions are even more accurate than those of a fortune teller...

Hao Jun let out a sharp breath: "How did you know his friend was in trouble?"

"Observation: Red and swollen eyes, palpitations, anxiety, suspicion, fear, and stagnation of qi... This indicates depression. It means she has gotten into trouble, leading to restlessness, insomnia, and excessive dreaming."

Deficiency of both heart and spleen, phlegm-heat disturbing the heart, deficiency of heart and gallbladder qi... This indicates emotional distress and internal injury from the seven emotions. It suggests this trouble was caused by someone close to her, and then implicated her... Based on that Taihu stone and her eagerness to sell several paintings and calligraphies, I made a wild guess..."

Lin Sicheng, you guessed right. You guessed that the woman's face turned pale, like she had seen a ghost.

Hao Jun hesitated for a long time, then sighed, "How about we go to the capital and set up a stall for you under the overpass?"

Lin Sicheng was both amused and exasperated: "Senior Brother Hao, where are there any overpasses left in Beijing these days?"

That's right, it was demolished seventy or eighty years ago...

But being friends with someone like that is really stressful...

Hao Jun sighed, tapped the scroll, and changed the subject: "Who wrote this?"

Lin Sicheng went straight to the point: "Sink!"

"who?"

"Sinking!"

Hao Jun suddenly froze, and looked up abruptly.

His hearing was fine, and he heard it clearly; he was just a little incredulous.

Even when Lin Sicheng offered 500,000, he was still wondering if it was written by one of the Six Ministers of the Xuande or Zhengtong eras.

But I never even considered that the forger of Shen Du's original work was still Shen Du himself.

Looking down again: Yes, it's a pieced-together title and seal?

"It's really heavy!"

Lin Sicheng patiently explained, “The Records of the Painting Academy (a catalog of paintings and calligraphy compiled by the Ming Dynasty imperial court) states that in the year Renyin of the Yongle reign (1422), Shen Du, Shen Can, and several other scholars from the Hanlin Academy were ordered to inscribe colophons on many famous paintings collected by the imperial painting academy… This is one of them!”

"By the third year of the Zhengtong reign (Emperor Yingzong), the study under the Imperial Household Department had collapsed due to years of disrepair and was soaked by rain. Many paintings, calligraphy and inscriptions were soaked in water, but this one still survived."

"Afterwards, Emperor Yingzong issued an edict to add inscriptions, but Wang Zhen saw that many of them only had the seals on both sides and the last signature, so he ordered Shen Zao to bring Shen Du's posthumous works from his residence and then transferred the signatures... Among them, there was still this one."

After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng pointed to the scroll: "Then, the 'Records of the Painting Academy,' 'Li Gonglin's Painting of Tao Yuanming's 'Returning Home', and Shen Du's inscription were all passed down to the Qing Dynasty, and the matter of transferring the inscription was recorded in the 'Shiqu Baoji'..."

Later, during the Republic of China era, the "Records of the Painting Academy" were lost, and Li Gonglin's painting of Tao Yuanming's "Returning Home" was transported to Taiwan, but the inscription on it was nowhere to be found..."

Lin Sicheng sighed, "I didn't expect it to just pop up like that. And I certainly didn't expect to be so lucky. Thanks, Senior Brother Hao, I'll treat you to something nice later."

Hao Jun was stunned, while Ye Anning's eyes widened in disbelief.

Doesn't this mean that this is not only a genuine work by Chen Du, but also a rare book collected by the Ming and Qing dynasties' imperial court and included in the "Painting Academy Records" and the "Shiqu Baoji"?

So, it's more than three million.