Seeing the grave expression on Jiang Ning's face, Tang Xiachuan and Tang Hecai exchanged puzzled glances.
"Chairman Tang," Jiang Ning said seriously, "there's a major problem with this Autumn Breeze and Round Fan painting."
"Take a close look at the ink washes. They don't match the characteristics of Ming Dynasty Xuan paper at all."
"In my opinion, it's more likely the work of a modern forger who imitated Tang Yin's style but failed to account for how authentic Xuan paper absorbs ink, leaving behind this obvious flaw."
"And another thing—look at the cinnabar in the seal. It's far too bright. After several hundred years of oxidation, it shouldn't still have such a vivid red color."
Tang Xiachuan's face instantly turned pale.
He staggered backward two steps, nearly crashing into a display cabinet.
"T-That's impossible!"
"I spent twenty million yuan on this at the Datan Auction House! The seller even provided a complete set of authentication certificates!"
He wasn't upset about losing twenty million.
What truly bothered him was that after spending so much money, he hadn't obtained an authentic Tang Yin masterpiece.
Tang Xiachuan had always been obsessed with antiques, especially Tang Yin's paintings. Perhaps it was because they shared the same surname—even if they weren't actually related—he had always had a particular fondness for Tang Yin's works.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ning said,
"Old Master Tang, counterfeiters nowadays are incredibly sophisticated. Even authentication certificates can be forged with ease."
"If I'm not mistaken, you should have this Autumn Breeze and Round Fan re-examined by several top experts."
With his Grandmaster-level appraisal skills, Jiang Ning had recognized it as a fake the moment he saw it.
Tang Xiachuan finally steadied himself and nodded.
"I trust your judgment, Master Jiang."
"I'll definitely have more experts authenticate it."
He sighed heavily.
"I've spent decades navigating the business world and survived countless storms. I never imagined I'd stumble over something like this."
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
Looking at the caller ID, his face darkened further.
"It's Zhou Zheng from the Kyoto Auction House."
"This may have something to do with him."
He answered immediately.
The study instantly fell silent as Tang Xiachuan shouted into the phone,
"Zhou Zheng! Explain yourself! What's going on with that Autumn Breeze and Round Fan?"
"Chairman Tang, what are you talking about? I'm completely confused."
Zhou Zheng sounded deliberately surprised.
Tang Xiachuan snorted.
"Stop pretending!"
"You're the one who told me Datan Auction House was auctioning an authentic Tang Yin painting."
"You even accompanied me to the auction."
"You swore it was genuine and even said you'd stand on your head and eat shit if it turned out to be fake."
"Now it's been identified as a forgery. What's your explanation?"
"I... Chairman Tang... that painting is definitely authentic! The person you asked to examine it must not know what they're talking about."
Tang Xiachuan was furious.
"Still denying it?"
"I've already had several of the industry's top appraisal experts examine it."
"They all agreed it's one hundred percent fake because of the way the ink absorbed into the Xuan paper."
"What else do you have to say?"
"Oh... Chairman Tang, sorry... another call is coming in. I have to take it."
Click.
The line went dead.
Listening to the busy tone, Tang Xiachuan immediately understood.
Something was definitely wrong.
Perhaps Zhou Zheng had pocketed a huge commission...
Or perhaps the fake painting had been his all along, funneled into the auction through connections before tricking Tang Xiachuan into buying it.
Either way...
He had clearly fallen into Zhou Zheng's trap.
"Hecai!"
"Arrange people immediately."
"Go after Zhou Zheng!"
"That old fox is probably trying to run."
Having spent decades in business, Tang Xiachuan knew exactly how people like Zhou Zheng thought.
Once exposed, the first thing they'd do was flee.
"Yes, Father!"
Tang Hecai immediately picked up his phone and hurried out of the study.
Turning to Jiang Ning with an embarrassed expression, Tang Xiachuan said,
"I'm sorry you had to witness this, Master Jiang."
"I never expected you to identify the painting as fake the moment you arrived."
"Please... help me inspect the rest of my collection."
Jiang Ning nodded calmly and surveyed the secret collection room once more.
He slowly walked toward a bronze tripod cauldron and gently ran his hand across its surface.
"Old Master Tang, this bronze ding may look ancient with all this corrosion..."
"...but it's also a fake."
"Look at the patina."
"It's far too uniform."
"Authentic ancient bronzes develop corrosion naturally over centuries. The colors vary in depth, and the distribution is completely irregular."
"But this corrosion looks artificially applied, deliberately created to give it an aged appearance."
He then pointed toward a jade cong nearby.
"This jade cong has problems too."
"Genuine ancient jade, after centuries buried underground, gradually develops natural soil staining."
"But this one's coloration is unnaturally vivid—as if it were artificially accelerated."
"Furthermore, ancient jade craftsmanship was generally simple and elegant."
"The carving on this piece is overly elaborate."
"It doesn't match the techniques of its supposed period."
As he listened, Tang Xiachuan's expression grew increasingly ugly.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
Those bastards...
"They actually dared to cheat me like this!"
"Master Jiang, please keep looking."
"I need to know how many more fakes I have."
Jiang Ning nodded.
He stopped before a calligraphy scroll and examined it for quite some time.
Finally, he spoke.
"This is supposedly a copy of Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion."
"It imitates the appearance reasonably well..."
"...but completely lacks its spirit."
"The true brilliance of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy lies in the vitality of every brushstroke."
"Each stroke flows naturally into the next."
"But this copy's strokes are stiff and lifeless."
"It lacks that effortless rhythm."
"And the paper itself is wrong."
"The texture and fiber structure of Eastern Jin paper are vastly different from modern paper."
"You can tell just by examining its grain."
Tang Xiachuan's face filled with regret.
"I've been blind..."
"I treated all these counterfeits like priceless treasures."
He looked at Jiang Ning helplessly.
"Master Jiang... what should I do now?"
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ning replied,
"From now on, be much more cautious when collecting antiques."
"Don't simply trust what others tell you."
"And don't believe a few authentication certificates without verifying them yourself."
Tang Xiachuan took a deep breath.
"You're absolutely right."
"This experience has shown me just how deep the waters of the antique world really are."
"Thankfully you were here."
"Otherwise, I would have remained fooled forever."
Jiang Ning continued examining the collection, identifying several more counterfeit antiques.
Tang Xiachuan loved collecting antiques...
But in truth, he was a complete amateur.
He simply had money and assumed that anything sold through a major auction house—with expert authentication—had to be genuine.
-----------------------
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