Chapter 87 The Qing Dynasty Inner Court
Lin Sicheng was stunned: Ye Anning's attitude was so firm, this must have been premeditated.
Since you were planning to do this all along, why didn't you buy it?
Suddenly, he realized that Ye Anning wasn't after the calligraphy itself, but rather the anger that had been building up inside her.
Teacher Ma made a scene for half a month, and her colleagues laughed at her for more than half a month. Even the leader's attitude was subtle. It was obviously not difficult to solve, but he dragged it out for half a month.
Most people would have given up long ago, but Ye Anning was neither aggrieved nor angry. Although she was in the middle of it, she acted like a spectator.
We've been waiting for this day.
Just as he was secretly admiring them, Wang Qizhi coughed and said, "Are you two treating me like I'm invisible?"
And where do your emotions come from at this moment, in this situation, in this scene?
If Wang Qizhi thinks this way, what about other people?
No matter how you look at it, it seems like these two are flirting.
The woman laughed out loud: "Is he really your little boyfriend?"
Lin Sicheng ignored him and looked at Ye Anning: "Do you want to resign?"
Ye Anning shook her head resolutely: "I won't resign!"
If she wanted to resign, she would have done so two weeks ago; she wouldn't have waited until today.
I won't even resign in the future: I have connections, but I'm more capable, and very strong...
"good!"
Lin Sicheng nodded emphatically, picked up the broken scroll, and put it into the box.
Then, he looked at the two leaders: "Is it necessary to withdraw?"
The leader shook his head more resolutely than Ye Anning: "We must withdraw!"
Fiber analysis was conducted on the mounting paper, blue silk, and the painting itself: the former two dated to the early Yuan Dynasty, but the latter suddenly jumped to the late Ming Dynasty, a difference of nearly three hundred years.
Further testing was conducted on the ink of several seals: four in total, two of which date back to the late Ming Dynasty (one of which is a Sanskrit seal by Xiang Molin imitating Zhao Mengfu), and their ink is from the same period as the paper fibers. However, the remaining two seals date back to the mid-Qing Dynasty?
That's another four hundred years difference. Adding that to the previous three hundred years, there's a full seven hundred years between them. What else could this be but a fake?
As for where it came from or who copied it, there's no need to look at that.
Only a complete novice like Ye Anning, fresh out of college, naively thought he had struck gold, saying things like, "Even if it's a forgery, it's still the work of a master."
But how many famous people are there in the world?
Lin Sicheng looked at the woman again: "Teacher Ma, what should we do?"
"I don't care!"
The woman sat up straight, pointed directly at Ye Anning, and said, "She said that if the publicity and operations are done well, the starting price will be at least one million... So, it's fine if we don't bid, just buy this calligraphy. My asking price isn't high: one million!"
"Ha, a million!"
Lin Sicheng laughed out loud, giving the impression of mockery: You really dare to ask for that?
Actually, he was genuinely happy: only one million?
Then, Lin Sicheng shook his head again, "Teacher Ma, please speak properly!"
The woman's eyes lit up instantly: She wanted to buy this little puppy?
Want to be a hero and save the damsel in distress?
Secretly guessing, she looked him over again: good-looking, articulate, and adorable. Standing next to Ye Anning, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a "perfect match."
Combined with Lin Sicheng's earlier question: "Should I resign?"... the woman became even more certain that he just wanted to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.
But Bao Li can't accept it, and he won't give up easily. Ye Anning is unwilling to resign, so what can be done?
The only solution is to address the root cause: simply collect the calligraphy.
It's the best of all three... but the question is, do you have that much money?
While the woman was still suspicious, Lin Sicheng tapped the table again:
"The edge of the mounting paper was sampled, and the edge of the drawing paper was also sampled, and more than once? I suppose Teacher Ma had it tested before sending it to Baoli, so you knew it was a fake, right?"
“It’s a fake, no doubt, but it’s a fake of Dong Qichang… She said it herself, you heard it, right? So, if she’s short one million, I’m not done with her!”
The woman glared at Ye Anning, then turned back to her. "Stop talking nonsense and just tell me if you're going to buy it or not?"
Why am I saying all this if I'm not going to buy?
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Buy it, but its origin must be clear and the price must be reasonable!"
"The origin is clear: I bought it from Northeast China eight years ago, and I still have the invoice... As for the price, what do you think is a reasonable amount, nine hundred thousand or eight hundred thousand?"
The woman chuckled and glanced sideways, as if asking: Do you have money?
Lin Sicheng remained silent and took out his bank card.
Suddenly, Teacher Ma's eyes lit up: He really is a puppy, so protective of his sweetheart. I just provoked you a little, and you fell for it?
But we can't be too tense, what if it comes off the hook?
She gritted her teeth: "Eight hundred thousand, no lower... or I'll come every day!"
"good!"
Lin Sicheng was surprisingly decisive. He pushed the bank card forward without even frowning and said, "Excuse me, gentlemen, could you please have the finance department process this?"
The woman beamed: Good heavens, where did this sucker come from?
The two leaders exchanged a glance.
They had imagined countless times how Ye Anning would resolve this matter, but they never expected that she would resort to throwing money at it.
But then again, it's a matter of one party being willing to give and the other being willing to receive.
The deputy director nodded: "In that case, it will be a company consignment sale, which will require an additional 10% commission, but only a three-party transaction contract will be issued, and Renhe's seal or stamp will not be affixed to the artwork."
Lin Sicheng remained nonchalant, displaying the demeanor of a wealthy man to the fullest: "It's alright, I'll cover the commission!"
The woman was even happier, having saved another 80,000 yuan, and followed the director and supervisor to complete the formalities. Ye Anning, as the person in charge, naturally had to go as well.
The group went to the finance office, and it wasn't until then that someone came over and brought them two cups of coffee.
Wang Qizhi slowly stirred his coffee, his gaze growing increasingly strange.
Lin Sicheng and Ye Anning's expressions were so realistic, they looked like they were flirting, which led him astray.
It wasn't until Lin Sicheng took out his bank card that he realized: Lin Sicheng wanted to buy that calligraphy.
And how discerning is Lin Sicheng's eye?
Internal reference materials, Li Zicheng's iron certificate, Pu Xinyu's feather duster, Tantric Buddhist statues, Qing Dynasty Yongzheng enamel sunflower-shaped plate...
In less than a month, Lin Sicheng went from nothing to something, earning nearly two million yuan just by finding bargains.
Not to mention the inverted-flow teapot from the cultural relics company, the Hetian white jade lion paperweight from the authentication center, and the Kangxi imitation Xuande sutra-pressing incense burner that I saw not long ago...
So, would he dare to spend 800,000 if he wasn't absolutely sure?
Wang Qizhi lowered his voice: "Is it really Dong Qichang?"
"Yes, teacher!"
What are the odds of success?
"Ninety percent!"
What's the difference between this and the 19th?
Wang Qizhi believed most of it: after all, Ye Anning had spent so many years in college and in the Forbidden City, and Lin Sicheng's discerning eye was undeniable.
Determining whether a piece of calligraphy is a forgery of Dong Qichang's work is not a big problem.
Based on the market prices of Dong Qichang's works in the past two years, if that calligraphy piece were a full scroll of Chinese characters, it would be worth at least four or five million.
It's a pity it's a broken scroll; the price will be reduced by at least half. And since it's in Sanskrit and a forgery, the price will be reduced by half again… All things considered, it'll be at most a million.
Fortunately, at least we didn't lose money.
But the premise is that Ye Anning and Lin Sicheng were both right.
"Besides the written evidence, is there any other supporting evidence?"
"have!"
Lin Sicheng picked up his coffee cup and covered his lips with it: "It has the imperial seal of the Qing Dynasty on it!"
What is this... a Qing Dynasty imperial collection?
Wang Qizhi's eyes widened: Lin Sicheng, are you kidding me?
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