Chapter 276 Counterfeits
Lin Sicheng wrote furiously, scattering papers everywhere.
A laptop sat on the table, and Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu were constantly searching for information: the first, second, and third editions of the *Shiqu Baoji*, the *Qianlong Baoshu*, the *Jiaqing Baoshu*, the *Daoguang Baoshu*, and the *Complete Collection of Archives of the Imperial Household Department of the Qing Dynasty*...
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He answered it without thinking, and Ye Anning's voice came through: "Lin Sicheng, it's about to start!"
"Okay, I'll go down right away!"
After replying, Lin Sicheng hung up the phone and wrote the last two lines on the paper:
On the sixth day of the tenth month of the first year of the Qianlong reign, Su Peisheng, the chief supervisor of the Palace Administration, presented two plaques with the imperial inscription "Changchun Study" and "Congyun" on the Xianlou Pavilion in the west warm pavilion of the Yangxin Hall...
On the sixth day of the fourth month of the third year of the Qianlong reign, eunuchs Mao Tuan and Gao Yu presented a pair of exquisitely colored agate vases with interlocking patterns and designs… Treasurer Liu Shanjiu and Supervisor Bai Shixiu received the imperial decree: The outer layer should be inscribed with "Only the refined and unified" on the top circle and "What is treasured is only the virtuous" on the bottom. The second layer should be inscribed with "Qianlong's Imperial Writings" on the top circle and "Clustered Clouds" on the bottom…
Without stopping his pen, Lin Sicheng casually instructed, "Senior Sister Li, tidy things up a bit!"
Li Zhen nodded, turned off the computer, and, together with Xiao Yuzhu, collected the scattered papers and fed them one by one into the shredder.
About ten minutes later, the three of them left the room.
The four met at the elevator entrance, greeted each other, and Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu went into the elevator first.
Seeing Lin Sicheng's slightly red eyes, Ye Anning handed him a wet wipe. "How are you?"
Lin Sicheng took it, wiped his eyes, and nodded.
They summoned Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu to the capital overnight, and the three of them investigated all night, finally figuring it out:
This Vermilion Bird Seal was not only Emperor Qianlong's seal for appraising and collecting calligraphy and paintings, but also a very important and frequently used seal in his early period. Many paintings, calligraphy works, and ancient books bear this seal.
However, Emperor Qianlong had too many seals. There are more than 1,900 verifiable seals for calligraphy, painting, and collection. No matter how learned or how good the memory of the collector was, it would be impossible for him to remember them all.
The Shiqu Baoji contains even more calligraphy and paintings, with over 11,000 pieces bearing the seal of Emperor Qianlong alone. It was impossible for the collection specialists to compare them one by one.
Therefore, it is understandable that people could not recognize this as the Qianlong Emperor's seal.
Lin Sicheng really couldn't understand how someone could mistake "Congyun" for "Quyun": how could Xiling Seal Society, which started with seals and has been professionally studying seals for over a century, make such a basic mistake?
Ye Anning suddenly had a thought: "Could it be a case of goods being laundered?"
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it."
While not everyone who attends the auction is an expert, they certainly have a discerning eye. Anyone could easily tell that this Vermilion Bird seal has no soil stains, no rust spots, and a smooth, rounded patina, clearly indicating it's a heirloom.
Upon closer inspection, the fact that the auction started with no reserve price might pique one's curiosity, prompting them to ask the custodian to take it out for a closer look. Anyone with even a basic understanding of epigraphy could discern that the inscription reads "丛云" (Congyun), not "取云" (Quyun).
What if we run into a master who happens to remember Qianlong's "Congyun" study? They'll definitely be suspicious. And then, won't the seal just disappear?
Therefore, if it were for cleaning up goods, they wouldn't use such a high-risk method.
If the collection specialist wants to keep it for themselves, there are still many ways: for example, they can find an acquaintance to contact the seller and spend tens of thousands of yuan to buy all four seals together, without having to deliberately write mistakes or put them up for auction.
Of course, this is just speculation. But regardless, we'll definitely try to film it.
Lin Sicheng pressed the elevator button: "Have the teachers arrived yet?"
"We arrived at the venue half an hour ago. Suxin and Ruozhi are here too. Which specific items do you want to photograph? Should we list them out first?"
Lin Sicheng slapped his forehead.
So engrossed in studying the Vermilion Bird Seal, I almost forgot about something important: there were a fair number of bidders, but not too few either, and if one bidder raised their paddle too frequently, it would inevitably attract attention.
If the auctioneer isn't completely incompetent, they'll definitely hire shills to inflate the price. That's why Lin Sicheng tried to arrange for unfamiliar faces: Zhao Da and Zhao Er, Li Zhen, and Xiao Yuzhu.
Therefore, fearing that they might be seen as a group, Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu went downstairs before them.
Feeling it still wasn't enough, Ye Anning invited her childhood friend over as well.
One was surnamed Jing, and the other was surnamed Qin. Last winter, these two came to Xi'an to visit Ye Anning, and Lin Sicheng even had a meal with them.
"When we got to the venue, I told them to take notes and then send them text messages!"
Ye Anning nodded: "Okay!"
As they were talking, the elevator arrived at their floor, and the two of them entered the car.
...
The auction was still held on the second floor, attracting a large number of guests in a glamorous setting.
With the tortoise-shaped Han Dynasty seal in mind, Lu Zhen got up very early. The auction didn't start until 9:30, but he arrived at the venue at 8:00.
It was originally arranged that a friend of his father's would come and take a look at the seal, but the friend had something come up and wouldn't arrive until nine o'clock.
It felt like that hour was really hard to get through.
Just as he was feeling utterly bored, he suddenly paused.
Two girls walked past them and sat in the front row. They were both around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with regular features and tall figures.
Seeing that he was staring intently at her, Lu Meng became suspicious.
Although his family is wealthy, Lu Zhen is quite good at controlling his desires when it comes to women, and he rarely goes to disreputable places.
Young, rich, and handsome, he attracted many women, but he never fell for their tricks.
Looking at these two, their figures are alright, and their looks are at best considered pretty.
Thinking it over, she reached out and poked it: "You know him?"
"Yes, I've met you!" Lu Zhen nodded. "At Miss Xu's birthday party!"
Upon hearing "Miss Xu", Lu Meng suddenly realized: Why is Lu Zhen still single at thirty?
To put it bluntly: to climb the social ladder through marriage.
Therefore, Lu Zhenchao kept himself pure and was extremely enthusiastic about various social circles. He knew many of the socialites and young masters in Beijing, and Miss Xu, whom he mentioned, was one of them.
To be able to be friends with Miss Xu and attend her birthday party, she must be someone important.
What does your family do?
"One works at the Ministry of Culture, and the other at the National Development and Reform Commission!"
Lu Meng clicked her tongue in surprise: "Should we say hello?"
Lu Zhen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "We've only met once, and we haven't even spoken!"
"Never mind then, I doubt they even remember your name!"
As they were talking, Lu Meng paused for a moment, then pointed behind her and said, "Teacher He is here!"
Lu Zhen glanced at it and immediately stood up.
A large group of about six or seven people escorted a man who looked to be around fifty years old into the hall.
His father's friend, Teacher He, followed at the very edge, like a follower.
Once inside, the others sat in seats further back, and Teacher He, with his back hunched, accepted their farewell.
Then, as they walked over, Lu Zhen and Lu Meng went to meet them.
"Teacher He!"
"You ran into an acquaintance, have you been waiting long?" Teacher He smiled. "Xiao Lu, where's your stuff?"
"The cabinet has already been sealed, but we've already arranged with the auctioneer to let us take a look at it before the auction!"
"As long as it's viewable, that's fine. Perfect, I'll have Chairman Hao take a look at it for you later!" Teacher He pointed behind him, "The one wearing the baseball cap, a graduate of the Department of Cultural Heritage at Peking University, a proper academic."
After graduation, I apprenticed under Mr. Yang Boda (retired), the former deputy director of the Palace Museum, specializing in miscellaneous items… After completing my apprenticeship, I joined Rongbaozhai, where I worked for over ten years, eventually becoming the head of the miscellaneous items department. Two years ago, I was transferred to Xi'an to oversee the branch's operations…”
Lu Zhen was taken aback: although he wasn't a professional in the antique business, he at least knew the prestige of Peking University's Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, and he also knew what it meant to be the deputy director of the Palace Museum.
Don't think he's just a director; he's in charge of all miscellaneous matters, whether at headquarters or branch offices.
If transferred to a lateral position, the director would at least be a museum director at the city level.
Lu Zhen looked at it carefully for a few moments, then glanced at Chen Yanyang next to Hao Jun: "Where's that one?"
"The big boss is a miner in Shaanxi!" After replying, Teacher He reminded him, "If Chairman Hao doesn't introduce him later, don't force it!"
Lu Zhen instantly understood: we're not on the same level, so don't bother people.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, two men came in and stopped in that row.
They were all quite old, the older ones around sixty and the younger ones in their fifties. They clearly knew Hao Jun, as they were chatting and laughing together.
Afterwards, the two men shook hands with Chen Yangyan.
Lu Zhen squinted and looked at him: "Teacher He, is that the younger one, Mr. Zhao from Baishanzhai?"
"Yes, Mr. Zhao, the man next to him is his elder brother, you may not have met him before!"
I've never seen it, but I've heard of it.
Baishanzhai became a renowned old brand in Beijing's antique and collectible market entirely thanks to the superb craftsmanship of its general manager, Mr. Zhao. It is said that there is no antique or collectible that he cannot repair.
However, they weren't very familiar with each other. Although they knew Zhao Xiuxian, they hadn't interacted much, so they didn't try to get close to him.
It must have been arranged in advance, as the two of them sat in that row. Chen Daoqing and Chen Daoling quickly got up and sat in the back.
Just as they were settled, Wang Qizhi entered the room, and suddenly, everyone who had just sat down stood up.
They shook hands with each other, chatting and laughing.
"Teacher He, who is this?"
"I don't recognize him." Teacher He narrowed his eyes. "But he looks...he must be someone important?"
Lu Zhen also noticed that whether it was Chairman Hao or General Manager Zhao, their expressions revealed a hint of respect.
Chen Yangyan even stood up and gave up the middle seat.
Wang Qizhi didn't sit down, but sat next to Zhao Xiuneng. However, Lu Zhendu could tell that everyone was very humble in front of him.
But judging from his age, he's only in his thirties?
Just as she was wondering, Lu Meng exclaimed, "Hey...this person looks a bit like Anning's uncle?"
Lu Zhen paused for a moment, then glanced sideways at him: "You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"
I didn't mean anything by it; I just said she had no parents. How could that woman remember it for four or five years?
With such a vengeful nature, having an uncle like that would have led to revenge long ago...
"It looks somewhat similar," Lu Meng said, trying to recall, "but it's been several years, so I don't remember it very clearly!"
Lu Zhen didn't care at all: "Whether it is or not, we'll know when she gets here."
"That's true!"
Before he finished speaking, Lin Sicheng and Ye Anning entered the hall.
Lu Meng quickly waved: "Anning, over here!"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then sighed: "Cousin Ye even put the license plates together in order to trick Lu Meng's brother?"
It seems this young master Lu will have to pay a price today.
After a moment's thought, the two walked inside and were taken aback when they saw Hao Jun.
When Ye Anning saw Chen Yangyan next to him, and Chen Daoqing and Chen Daoling in the row behind him, her heart skipped a beat.
Yesterday, when I met Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu, they mentioned that Chairman Hao Jun had sent several damaged items to the center, saying that he would help Lin Sicheng repair them when he returned.
And yet, just one day later, we arrived in Xijing today?
Why did you bring Mr. Chen and his entire family along?
Once the necessary arrangements have been made, it will be impossible for Lin Sicheng to try and play dirty tricks again.
There was no other way but to spare one person to wait and film the final Vermilion Bird Seal. But this disrupted the plan, and Lin Sicheng had to film several fewer pieces as originally planned.
Lin Sicheng didn't care: it just meant bidding on a few fewer paintings by modern masters. If there was no spring auction, there was still the autumn auction. After this year, there was next year; there was no rush.
He was about to go over and say hello when Ye Anning stopped him.
When she stopped him, Zhao Xiuneng suddenly remembered: he only remembered not to greet Lin Sicheng when they met, but forgot about Hao Jun and Chen Yangyan, who were variables.
Looking back: Hao Jun and Chen Yangyan had already seen Lin Sicheng and were preparing to get up.
Zhao Xiuneng reacted quickly, pressing Chen Yangyan back down: "President Chen, don't move! Chairman Hao, don't move either!"
Chen Yangyan asked, puzzled, "Mr. Zhao, is this Teacher Lin?"
"I know... Junior Brother is going to turn off the lights today!"
Chen Yangyan was baffled, wondering what a blackout light was, while Hao Jun's eyes lit up.
He had just lifted his bottom, but he immediately sat back down. He turned around and waved to Chen Daoqing and Chen Daoling, "Sit down quickly, don't say hello!"
Chen Yangyan was particularly curious: "Mr. Zhao, what is a hanging black light?"
Seeing that no one was paying attention, Zhao Xiuneng breathed a sigh of relief and explained in a low voice: "In the old days, casinos would specifically target gamblers with bad luck and have them bet against them. In slang, that was called 'lighting the lamp.' Sometimes, when two groups of wealthy young men had a feud, the casino would deliberately provoke them into throwing money around in a fit of anger, which was called 'lighting the sky lamp'..."
Later, this term was applied to auction houses, where heated bidding wars between the two sides, or shills inciting bidders to raise prices, were called "lighting the sky lantern." Conversely, it was called "hanging the black lantern"...
Zhao Xiuneng paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "It means to find a bargain in the dark, to find the best bargain!"
The best leak?
Chen Yangyan subconsciously turned his head around.
Hao Jun gave a strange smile: "President Chen, don't look at me!"
That's right, he did say that going to an auction is similar to browsing an antique market. In any case, never be greedy, because if you are, you will definitely suffer a big loss.
But that refers to ordinary people.
If it were Lin Sicheng, and he said there was a leak here, then there definitely was a leak.
He quickly took out his phone and typed a text message: "Which one is it? Send me the number, I want to see something new too!"
Lin Sicheng held his phone in his hand, glanced at it, but didn't move.
Not just one item, but many items.
He casually shoved the phone into his pocket and nodded at Lu Zhen.
Lu Zhen nodded slightly, and without introducing Teacher He, the two went into the aisle and sat down.
Lu Meng was slightly excited: "Anning, I just saw someone who looks a lot like your uncle?"
"Really?" Ye Anning said calmly. "My uncle is in Xi'an!"
She had already thought of it: Lu Meng had met her uncle before, but she was a junior in college at that time, and now that three or four years had passed, her memory of him was long gone.
"Oh, then I must have misread it!"
Lu Meng didn't mind, "Anning, which one are you planning to photograph?"
Ye An pursed his lips: "Lin Sicheng said there is a bronze seal with a tortoise-shaped knob from the Han Dynasty!"
What? A tortoise-shaped Han Dynasty seal?
Lu Zhen and Teacher He turned their heads at the same time. Lu Meng exclaimed "Ah!" and was stunned for a long time.
"Anning, that seal, the starting bid is tens of thousands?"
Ye Anning smiled and said, "It's okay, I contributed some!"
That's a Han Dynasty seal, how could a single dot be enough?
Lu Meng subtly reminded him, "Anning, my brother is also planning to bid on that seal!"
Ye Anning smiled and said, "Really?"
Lu Zhen heard it, but didn't take it seriously at all.
His bottom line for that seal was a million, and the little Ye Anning had scraped together wouldn't even make a ripple.
The host took the stage, gave the same old opening remarks, and then the auction officially began.
The opening act was a resounding success: Zhou Chunya's "Peach Blossom".
Starting bid: one million.
This is a renowned contemporary oil painter and a contemporary Western-style painter. Compared with contemporary traditional painters such as Huang Binhong and Li Keran, he is much more famous.
Lin Sicheng remembers very clearly that around 2013, Zhou Chunya became the living artist with the highest total transaction volume on the Hurun Art List that year: he sold a total of 470 million yuan.
He knew a little about oil paintings, but if asked to buy one, Lin Sicheng could only say: "It's like being in a completely different world."
The reason he came to the oil painting auction today is because Wang Qizhi took a liking to a sketch by Liu Haisu: "Woman in Paris".
The atmosphere was very lively, and the host kept bidding, quickly pushing the price above the highest estimate of 1.5 million.
The hammer finally fell at 1.62 million, and with a 15% commission, the final price approached 1.9 million.
The second piece is also a highlight: Liu Ye's "Losing Balance".
This is a Western-style painter who is on par with Zhou Chunya. If we compare individual works, his auction records are even higher than Zhou Chunya's.
The works are also very distinctive, such as the one being auctioned today:
At first glance, it looks very abstract and cartoonish, just like the illustrations in elementary school textbooks.
However, the market's enthusiasm for it is exceptionally high: last year at Poly Auction, the transaction price was 2.8 million yuan, and this year when it was sent to Xiling, the starting price was 3.2 million yuan.
Lin Sicheng recalls that around 2020, Liu Ye's "Little Navy Series" seemed to have fetched a sky-high price of 70 to 80 million yuan, but he didn't remember which one it was.
In a flash, bidding began. Although not as heated as the previous round, the bidding was almost constant. In no time, it broke the four million mark.
Lin Sicheng didn't pay any attention and continued flipping through the picture album.
But suddenly, Ye Anning nudged him and then propped her chin back.
Lin Sicheng turned around and his eyes widened: the one holding the sign was Chen Daoqing.
No... Mr. Chen, why don't you collect traditional Chinese paintings? Why are you collecting oil paintings?
If it really is Liu Ye's work, he definitely won't stop it. Even if there are capital driving it and other reasons, the fact is that the market is heating up year by year, and with President Chen's connections, finding channels to monetize it won't be difficult.
But this one won't do, because it's a fake.
The bidding was getting less and less frequent; if we didn't stop it soon, the hammer would fall...
Without hesitation, Lin Sicheng took out his phone and dialed the number.
The call rang only twice before it connected. Lin Sicheng uttered just two words: "Fake!"
Lu Zhen and Lu Meng are completely baffling!
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