The term "beautiful woman in disguise" is also known as "divine undressing".

To put it simply, it's like unveiling a painting.

Xuan paper is one of the Four Treasures of the Study. It originated in Jing County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, and is named after the prefecture capital, Xuancheng.

Xuan paper is classified into three main categories according to raw materials: special pure bark paper, pure bark paper, and cotton paper; according to paper texture: single-thread paper and double-thread paper; according to processing method: raw Xuan paper, semi-sized Xuan paper, and sized Xuan paper; and according to thickness: decorated Xuan paper, continuous Xuan paper, single-layer Xuan paper, double-layer Xuan paper, double-layer Xuan paper, double-layer Xuan paper, and multi-layer Xuan paper.

There are a total of thirty or forty types of Xuan paper. However, double Xuan paper, which is the kind of paper with two or more layers, must be used for painting. This is because the paper has good water absorption and is more resilient. It is also the painting paper most commonly used by famous painters in ancient times.

The so-called "unraveling painting" refers to peeling apart these layers of Xuan paper. In the hands of a professional unraveling painter, a painting can be peeled into multiple sheets. Even experts cannot distinguish which one is the original authentic work because the authentic work has been destroyed.

It is worth noting that removing a painting is a very patient and has a very low success rate. The process is more complicated than surgery. After being stored for a long time, the fibers inside the painting break, decay, and become very fragile.

Even renowned artists who specialize in revealing paintings have a very low success rate. Therefore, most of the revealing paintings commonly found on the market are not famous paintings. As for ordinary paintings, even if they were revealed and sold, the price would probably not cover the cost of hiring a revealer. Thus, apart from showing off skills, this method has been eliminated by the industry.

Thinking about this method of forgery, I turned my attention to the location of the calligraphy signature.

There was no stamp, only faint red marks!

The ink in ancient paintings can soak through Xuan paper, but the cinnabar in seals has very poor penetrating power and is difficult to penetrate several layers of paper.

At that moment, my thoughts finally became clear: "Mr. Leng, it is true that this painting is an authentic work by Wen Zhengming, but it is not complete. Instead, it is a peel-off painting, where the original painting is peeled off. The painting you have is the layer underneath after the peel-off."

Mr. Leng narrowed his eyes slightly: "You mean, the person who sold me the painting cheated me?"

"No, he didn't lie to you, because he didn't unveil the painting."

I rolled up a piece of the painting and pointed to the stains on the back, saying, "Although I don't know what the person who peeled the painting was doing, they remounted it after peeling it off and even aged it. Judging from the aging marks on the paper below, this painting is quite old! The reason they didn't add a seal is because the colors have faded after the painting was peeled off, and if they added a seal, the mark would be very obvious."

Mr. Leng's face darkened: "In other words, this is a damaged painting."

“That’s right, but that doesn’t mean this painting is worthless. As you know, Wen Zhengming’s paintings are quite valuable, and most of them are collected in the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Palace Museum in Beijing. Among them, the ‘Magnolia Scroll’ is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States and is almost never circulated among the public.”

I explained to Mr. Leng, "Although this painting is a type of incomplete painting, it is not the kind that is broken in two and missing half. Its artistic value is still there, and in the eyes of collectors who truly appreciate calligraphy and painting, it is still a priceless treasure."

"Very well, since I know this is a damaged painting, I naturally can't sell it. Lao Mao, find a buyer for this painting and sell it."

Mr. Leng waved his hand dismissively, then said to me, "Xiao Duan, the tea party at the beginning of next month is the largest in several years. If you have time, please come with me."

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Leng. If it is not too much of a bother, I would be happy to go with you to broaden my horizons!"

When I received Mr. Leng's invitation, I accepted without hesitation.

The world of antiques is all about networking. Just like the world's major auction houses, they all have their own seasoned collectors. Sometimes, they put items up for auction not to acquire them, but simply to make friends within the auction house.

Although I understand appraisal, I am at a very low level. Only when you reach Mr. Leng's level can you play at a truly high level. Moreover, in these circles, the growth of knowledge, the trading of collectibles, the accumulation of connections, and so on are all easy things. Mr. Leng's willingness to bring me into the industry is like giving me a stepping stone to access higher circles.

In the world of antique and collectible items, such influential people are not something you can find everywhere.

Seeing that I agreed, Mr. Leng continued, "I'm going to Shanxi the day after tomorrow to deal with the equity issues of several coal mines and real estate companies there. Why don't you come with me? We can see if we can find anything good there to replace this painting."

“Mr. Leng, I’m afraid I can’t comply.”

I chuckled and said, "To be honest, I went down into a tomb a few days ago, and my body was corrupted by evil energy. I'm afraid I won't be able to adapt to the arduous life of traveling."

"Are you sick? No wonder you look so pale!"

After listening to my words, Mr. Leng looked me up and down and said, "In that case, you don't need to come along. Lao Mao, call Lao Xie at Xiehe Hospital and arrange for Xiao Duan to have a detailed medical examination. I'll cover the medical expenses."

...

Under Mr. Leng's arrangement, I was admitted to one of the best hospitals in Beijing and received a consultation with specialists.

Doctors in big cities are indeed different. My symptoms of mercury poisoning were nothing to them. I only stayed in the hospital for more than ten days, and I was back to my lively self.

In the blink of an eye, there was less than a week left until the tea party that Mr. Leng mentioned, and I started making preparations in full swing.

Since I'm attending the tea party to build my network, I naturally need to prepare something presentable.

I have nothing else on hand right now, but I do have over ten million in cash. I've been visiting some antique shops in Beijing lately, but the items were either too expensive or too low-grade.

After much deliberation, I finally sent the monkey back to Shenyang to retrieve the Northern Song Dynasty children's play painting that Professor Li had given me.

Although the artist of this painting of children at play is unknown, the skill of the painter is evident, and it is a masterpiece that has been passed down through generations. Anyone in the know will be deeply attracted at a glance.

After Monkey retrieved the items in Shenyang, I felt that I had almost recovered. While I was going through the discharge procedures, my phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the unfamiliar number calling, I casually pressed the answer button: "Hello, who is this?"

A male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Xiao Duan, this is Su Jialiang!"

"Master Liang?"

When I received the call, a look of surprise flashed in my eyes. Su Jialiang, as the head of the counterfeiting gang, was usually elusive, and this was the first time he had contacted me on his own initiative: "You called me, is there something you need?"

Su Jialiang replied in a serious tone, "Yes, and it's an urgent matter. We've run into some problems in our business, and since you're now a shareholder, it would be best if you came over in person."

I had no interest in these things to begin with, so I replied perfunctorily, "Mr. Liang, I don't understand business matters, and I'm only holding shares in the company. You and the Qing family can make the decisions. Whatever you do, I will support you unconditionally."

“Xiao Duan, this matter is not as simple as you think, otherwise I wouldn’t have called you personally.” Su Jialiang said seriously, “It concerns the survival of the business, you have to come. If you don’t trust me, you can specify the city and place for the meeting.”

"Forget it, I'll go to Luoyang instead."

Seeing that Su Jialiang had already put it this way, I agreed.

When I first met him, I wasn't very interested in money. This isn't to brag, but because I had enough money to live on, and if I wanted more money, I would have to take on greater risks.

But now I've decided to start afresh and build my own network, so money has become a crucial element. Su Jialiang's business is an important source of funding for me, and at least at this critical juncture, it absolutely cannot have any problems.