As the owner of Banbizhai, Xun Yong's connoisseurship was certainly not undeserved. ▲∴ In his assessment, the paper of this calligraphy scroll was ancient, the ink was vigorous, and the brushwork was exceptional. Moreover, there were inscriptions and seals by calligraphers from various dynasties, all indicating that this was indeed an authentic work by Wang Xianzhi.
Moreover, the calligraphy in this copybook is recorded in ancient books, so there is no doubt about its authenticity.
Now, this young man had made a definitive judgment on the authenticity of a book with just one glance, which Xun Yong found hard to accept. However, upon further reflection, he realized that Duanmu Ci's calligraphy skills were exceptionally high, and he didn't seem like the type to speak carelessly. Thus, he harbored some doubts and sought verification.
So he didn't have time to question the unusual tone of Duanmu Ci, and asked, "How can you determine the truth, young brother?"
Duanmu Cixin said, "Because the original is in my hands, I witnessed the creation of this fake..."
However, that's still not the right way to put it...
Duanmu Ci thought for a moment and said, "This calligraphy is written on hemp paper, which is one of the major characteristics of the Jin and Tang dynasties, that's for sure. Moreover, the paper is very old, probably more than a thousand years old by rough estimation. The ink on the calligraphy has completely penetrated into the hemp paper, unlike a new piece which is just floating on the surface, so this must be an antique without a doubt!"
"Furthermore, judging from the inscriptions and seals of calligraphers from various dynasties on this calligraphy copybook, it is not a forgery; it is clearly and undoubtedly genuine."
Xun Yong was displeased. "Since you've said so, why do you still say it's fake?"
Xun Yong's deep affection for the "Shanyin Calligraphy" was no exaggeration. Since its first appearance in the Tang Dynasty, the calligraphy had remained in private hands, passing through the hands of numerous collectors over the centuries, rarely shown to the public. According to the historical records of the "Shanyin Calligraphy's" owners, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, was likely its last. However, fate intervened. During the humiliating Jingkang Incident in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin army looted countless treasures from the Song court, including the "Shanyin Calligraphy."
This post then disappeared without a trace until it reappeared today.
To say that Duanmu Ci didn't want to reveal the authenticity of this "Shanyin Post" for centuries would be a lie; the main reason was that he simply didn't have the opportunity. In the vast sea of people, who knew who possessed this counterfeit post? Moreover, those who obtained it treated it like a priceless treasure, showing it to no one but their own sons. How could Duanmu Ci possibly have had a chance to see it?
To be honest, this is the first time Duanmu Ci has seen this counterfeit calligraphy by the famous imposter Feng Chengsu, aside from the time he personally witnessed its creation during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.
Duanmu Ci thought it had been destroyed in the war, but he never expected that it would be acquired by Banbizhai. It was truly a strange coincidence!
But this doesn't mean it can continue to "copy" in front of Duanmu Ci.
Since the genuine item was in Duanmu Ci's possession—a gift from his friend, carrying memories and a piece of history—how could he tolerate other strange items using its name to swindle and deceive people?
He would have tolerated it if it weren't for this. If he didn't even have this much patience, he wouldn't have lived this long. But this matter is absolutely unacceptable!
no!
So Duanmu Ci countered, "Why can't it be fake?"
Xun Yong frowned. "Since it's undoubtedly an antique brush, and has been guaranteed by collectors throughout history, how could it be fake? Didn't you, young man, also admit it's genuine? Isn't that right?"
This question was sharp, using the opponent's own words against them. If he wasn't careful, he might not be able to explain himself back. The old gentlemen were all watching Duanmu Ci closely, wanting to see how he would handle this situation.
Tang Rui was even more excited; he was the person most eagerly anticipating Duanmu Ci's embarrassment! As the saying goes, too much talk leads to mistakes, and he didn't believe Duanmu Ci could justify himself.
Those well-versed in the Analects should know that Zigong was Confucius's top disciple in the "speech" category. His eloquence was so remarkable that even Confucius himself was ashamed of his own, calling him a "debater" and often dismissing him from debate. Therefore, when Duanmu Ci appeared, he "preserved Lu, disrupted Qi, defeated Wu, strengthened Jin, and made Yue the hegemon! Within ten years, each of the five states underwent changes!" His debating skills were so great that he simply could not possibly lose in this area.
Duanmu Ci smiled and said, "Elder Xun, you misunderstand. I only said that this item is undoubtedly an antique, but I did not say that it is undoubtedly Xianzhi's own handwriting."
Xun Yong seemed to understand something. "You mean... this is a forgery by the ancients?"
Duanmu bestowed a head.
Then an old gentleman next to me asked, "So who do you think made this? Someone who can imitate Wang Xianzhi's work must not be an unknown person."
Duanmu Ci looked at the calligraphy scroll and pondered for a moment. "Judging from the quality of the hemp paper, this calligraphy scroll must have appeared no later than the Tang Dynasty. And looking at the collector's seals next to it, the earliest one is that of the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Therefore, we can preliminarily determine that this scroll appeared in the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, if this scroll was really written by Wang Xianzhi himself, how could there have been no collector's inscriptions or seals for the next few hundred years, only to have it fall into the hands of Bai Letian?"
The crowd looked at it, thought about it for a while, and then nodded, barely accepting Duanmu Ci's statement.
Then Duanmu Ci added, “Among the Tang emperors before Bai Juyi, only Emperor Taizong was a great lover of calligraphy, especially the Sage of Calligraphy. He ordered people to make extensive copies of his calligraphy. During that period, it is possible that someone made a copy of Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy, and then the copy circulated among the people, becoming a fake and being passed down as the original. This is also a possibility.”
Xun Yong asked, "Then who do you think wrote this letter?"
Duanmu Ci said, “Judging from the copies of the Lanting Preface made by the officials of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, there were only a handful of people with such skill at that time—Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Ouyang Xun and Feng Chengsu. The forged Lanting Preface from Shanyin was made by only these few people, and there could be no one else.”
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