Deputy Director Zhu gave Liu Jia and the other experts face and personally came to the lounge to explain.
"If the item is genuine, I'll pay for it, but I have one condition..."
Zhuang Rui suddenly interrupted Deputy Director Zhu, drawing everyone's attention to him. They wondered what kind of conditions this somewhat impulsive young man would propose.
Chapter 317 Folk Treasure Appraisal (6)
Zhuang Rui's words silenced the lounge. In the experts' minds, they were just there for a cameo role; there was no need to take it so seriously. It seemed these young people were just too young; they wouldn't grow without experiencing some setbacks.
Don't tell me you're just guessing this tricolor camel is fake. Even if it really is fake, what if the forger didn't leave any notes inside? You still won't be able to find any fault with it. Besides, even if you prove it's fake, you won't get a penny. On the contrary, if you can't prove it, you'll have to pay out hundreds of thousands. It seems like no normal person would do that kind of deal.
Leaving aside the experts, the way Deputy Director Zhu is looking at Zhuang Rui now is like he's looking at a giant panda. He's probably thinking that rich people have a lot of weird quirks, spending hundreds of thousands of yuan to smash porcelain to listen to the sound. It's just a waste of time.
"Xiao Zhuang, you really need to think this through. You're still young. It's normal to mistake something for something occasionally; you'll forget about it after a while. Nobody remembers this kind of thing..."
Old Sun, confident in his good relationship with Uncle De, offered a few words of advice to Zhuang Rui. He believed that Zhuang Rui had simply spoken too much earlier and was now losing face, so he insisted on determining the authenticity of the tricolor camel.
In the antique circle, it's quite common for things to escalate to the point of no return in a heated exchange. Some old friends often have conflicts due to differing opinions, but this matter hasn't reached that point yet. If Zhuang Rui just takes a step back and softens his stance, it will be fine.
Not only Old Sun, but also Fatty Jin and Professor Tian, among others, believed that Zhuang Rui was acting out of this mentality. Young people who can't back down are bound to do some impetuous things, which is understandable.
While Zhuang Rui was certainly motivated by a sense of pride, his primary motivation was to prevent this fake antique from becoming a genuine item in their hands. If they hadn't seen it, they wouldn't have bothered, but since they had encountered it, he couldn't simply ignore it.
As for compensation, that's simply impossible. On the inner wall of that raised camel's foreleg, there's a simplified "许" (Xu) character, about the size of a thumb, clearly written. As long as you let your foot land first when you break this object, the truth will naturally be revealed.
"By the way, Professor Zhuang, you haven't stated your conditions yet."
Of all the people in the room, Liu Jia was probably the only one who didn't care about Zhuang Rui's motives for insisting on determining the authenticity of the item. What she cared about was how to increase the show's ratings and how to attract viewers' attention.
It's worth noting that Liu Jia was responsible for both planning and hosting this episode. If the show becomes popular, she might have a chance to transfer to CCTV. Although Beijing TV is good, its influence is far less than that of CCTV.
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "Since your station is unwilling to bear the consequences of smashing the treasure for appraisal, then my condition is that although this appraisal can be held on-site, it cannot be recorded, and of course, it cannot be broadcast. Consider this an exchange within our industry."
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, Deputy Director Zhu's face instantly turned extremely ugly. In his view, Zhuang Rui's words were tantamount to slapping him in the face. You were unwilling to pay? Then I'll pay for it myself. But I'm sorry, you've also lost your right to record the broadcast.
"Teacher Zhuang, such a wonderful live treasure appraisal, if broadcast, would not only benefit us, but it would also make you remembered by audiences all over the country. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
It's said that those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. Liu Jia was only focused on her TV program, but she didn't consider that if Zhuang Rui smashed the item for appraisal and it turned out to be fake, it would indeed benefit Zhuang Rui's reputation. But what if the item was genuine and there were no flaws? Wouldn't that make her lose face in front of the entire nation?
This is because their positions and perspectives differ. Deputy Director Zhu felt that Zhuang Rui was trying to embarrass him, while the host, Liu, was tempting Zhuang Rui with fame and fortune. Jin Pangzi and the others, however, thought that Zhuang Rui was uncertain and therefore had left himself an escape route. Even if the item was genuine, the maximum loss would be 800,000 yuan; it wouldn't be worth losing face in front of a national television audience.
In truth, Zhuang Rui hadn't considered all these complexities. Although he had decided to reveal the true nature of the tricolor camel to everyone, he also felt that smashing the treasure for appraisal was somewhat unreliable and would draw too much attention.
Zhuang Rui, who is usually quite low-key, was forced to participate in this folk treasure appraisal event by Grandpa Gu. The previous issues he had resolved had already been recognized by the experts in the field, so there was no need to show off anymore. That's why he made this request, which was different from what everyone else thought. However, if the experts present knew his idea, they would definitely spit in his face. They were about to smash the treasure for appraisal, and he still said he didn't want to show off.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's firm attitude, Liu Jia looked at her superior, Deputy Director Zhu. Although he was very unhappy with Zhuang Rui, he wanted to take this opportunity to make amends for the offense he had already committed. So he smiled and said, "Let's do as Teacher Zhuang says. Discuss it with the owner of the treasure. Consider this a private exchange between them. By the way, Xiao Liu, have someone draft an agreement to clarify things. This will be better for everyone."
Otherwise, how could Deputy Director Zhu, who is about the same age as the driver, become a leader? This leader has a different perspective on issues. Deputy Director Zhu's first thought was to clarify responsibilities to avoid disputes later.
"Okay. Xiao Qiao is studying law, let him draft an agreement. The audience outside has been waiting for quite a while, let's go out."
Although Liu Jia was a little unwilling to accept the failure to secure the right to record the broadcast, the person involved disagreed and the leader did not support it, so the work could not be carried out. She could only go along with Zhuang Rui's wishes and define the matter as an exchange between private collectors.
"Dear viewers and friends, a very interesting situation has arisen. Professor Zhuang suspects this tricolor camel is a fake, while the owner, Mr. Liu, insists his item is genuine. How can we distinguish between the real and the fake? Professor Zhuang has suggested that we break this tricolor camel, and then Professor Zhuang will point out the evidence of its forgery..."
"What? You smashed the tricolor camel? That's ridiculous!"
"Exactly, if something worth hundreds of thousands is broken, who will compensate for it?"
"Isn't that obvious? Whoever broke it should pay for it. Shut up, or the show will be over..."
"Yes, yes, brother is right, this kind of excitement is a rare sight. Everyone stop arguing, let's hear what the host has to say..."
Before Liu Jia could finish speaking, a noisy discussion broke out from below the stage. No one expected that the experts would propose such a radical method after their discussion. If this thing were real, there would be no way to compensate for the damage. However, no one objected. After all, there was a free show to watch, so why not?
"Please be quiet, everyone. This matter has been agreed upon by both Professor Zhuang and the owner of the artifact. They will sign an agreement. If the sancai camel is determined to be fake, Mr. Liu, the owner, will not pursue liability for the broken object. If Professor Zhuang cannot provide evidence to prove that it is a fake antique, then Professor Zhuang will compensate Mr. Liu with 800,000 RMB. This can be seen as a declaration of war against the forgery of antiques. Regardless of whether the sancai camel is real or fake, the actions of Professor Zhuang and Mr. Liu deserve our respect and emulation..."
Liu Jia's words were very persuasive, and some people in the audience were already applauding and cheering. But those were mostly young people in their early twenties. The more mature and prudent people were secretly thinking to themselves: "Using your own money to fight counterfeits is just a waste of time. They're crazy!"
While Liu Jia was speaking on stage, Xiao Qiao from the production crew had already drafted an agreement. The agreement was very simple and straightforward: if the item was fake, then everyone would part ways and no one would be in trouble; but if the item was real, then sorry, Mr. Zhuang, you would have to pay 800,000 yuan to hear the sound of the porcelain falling to the ground.
Furthermore, the agreement stipulated that if the tricolor camel was genuine, after Zhuang Rui paid compensation, the broken pottery shards would still belong to Mr. Liu, the owner of the treasure. Regardless of winning or losing, it would mean that Zhuang Rui would gain nothing, not even a single piece of broken porcelain. At this point, some people in the audience were already whispering that Zhuang Rui was out of his mind.
There wasn't time to find a computer to print it out on the spot, so they simply wrote two copies by hand. Zhuang Rui and the owner of the treasure, Mr. Liu, both signed their names on the agreement. Zhuang Rui then took out his checkbook from his clothes and wrote a cash check for 800,000 yuan on the spot, which he handed to Liu Jia for safekeeping. His action was meant to make people think that he himself was also unsure.
Seeing that both parties had finished signing and that the young teacher Zhuang had already taken out 800,000 yuan, everyone in the audience held their breath and pricked up their ears, waiting for Zhuang Rui to smash the tricolor camel. That sound was very valuable; perhaps with one smash, 800,000 yuan would become someone else's.
"Teacher Zhuang, the hammer has arrived, here you go..."
Such a large object is inconvenient to smash. The male host from Shandong TV went to the hotel to borrow a hammer. During that time, he mentioned the bet between the two, which attracted a large group of hotel guests who followed to watch the commotion, completely blocking the area inside and outside the conference room.
Zhuang Rui shook his head, refusing to take the hammer, and said with a smile, "No need for the hammer, let's do a freefall instead."
His words drew laughter from the audience, but little did they know that if Zhuang Rui were to use a hammer, he would be in a difficult position. Was he supposed to just hit the camel's leg? Even a fool could see the problem. Lifting it up and slamming it to the ground, as long as the force was controlled, it wouldn't be difficult to make the feet land first.
Zhuang Rui looked around, called a few security guards, and had them lift up the thick red carpet covering the ground to reveal the marble floor. They then used the red carpet to form a circle about two or three square meters in size to prevent broken pottery shards from flying everywhere.
Once everything was ready, Zhuang Rui walked to the table, hugged the Tang tri-colored camel statue, placed it outside the circle formed by the carpet, lifted it high with both hands, and forcefully slammed it to the ground.
"Bang, crack..."
The huge conference room was completely silent, except for a crisp sound that echoed throughout the room after the initial silence. It was because Liu Jia had just slipped a miniature microphone under the carpet, which made the sound of Tang Sancai (a type of pottery) hitting the ground resonate throughout the entire conference room.
"Quickly check, see if it's real or fake?"
This was shouted by people at the treasure appraisal event.
"That was so much fun! This treasure appraisal event is great. We should suggest that the city organize one too."
The person who said these words was a guest staying at the hotel.
The moment the Tang tri-colored pottery landed, everyone in the conference room was ignited with enthusiasm. If it weren't for the armed police maintaining order, they probably would have rushed onto the stage to see what was going on, even though they couldn't understand it either.
"Alright, put the carpet down."
If we're talking about the calmest person on the scene, it has to be Zhuang Rui. From the moment this Tang tri-colored pottery piece hit the ground, the final outcome was already destined, because Zhuang Rui had already seen that the raised foreleg was already broken.
"Teacher Tian, please come and help take a look. Mr. Liu, please take a look too..."
Zhuang Rui squatted down and pretended to pick up a piece of broken pottery to examine it, but deliberately stayed away from the piece with words on the foot. The limelight had already been drawn, so let others announce the final result.
"Xiao Zhuang, look at this. The texture is fine and smooth, and the color is slightly yellow. It must be a genuine artifact. Alas, it's a pity that this thing has been broken. The world will be missing one of these artifacts."
Like porcelain, pottery has a glaze on the outside and a clay body on the inside. Professor Tian picked up a piece of broken pottery and looked at it for a while. His face showed regret. As a researcher, he was naturally heartbroken to see such an exquisite object destroyed. The craftsmanship of this forgery was truly unparalleled. Even the clay body inside was imitated to be just like the real thing. It was truly admirable.
"This...this is impossible, it can't be!"
Just as Professor Tian finished speaking, a gasp came from Mr. Liu, the owner of the treasure, drawing everyone's attention.
"Is this the character '许'?"
With great difficulty, Mr. Liu read the words on the semi-circular fragment of pottery in his hand. The blue characters seemed to flash in his eyes like lasers. Although Mr. Liu was a self-taught collector, he still knew how to write the traditional Chinese character "许" (Xu). The character in front of him made his heart feel as if it had fallen into an abyss.
"What happened? What's going on on stage?"
The few words that Boss Liu was muttering were amplified wirelessly by the miniature microphone on his collar, and the crowd below, not knowing what was going on, started to discuss it among themselves.
Chapter 318 Folk Treasure Appraisal (7)
Starting with the legendary invention of characters by Cangjie, Chinese characters have undergone thousands of years of evolution and development, from oracle bone script, bronze script, seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script to modern simplified characters, forming a unique pictographic writing system in the world. It is the crystallization of countless efforts and wisdom of our ancestors.
In each dynasty, there was basically an official script. Among the scripts mentioned above, the clerical script, regular script, and running script were the most widely used after the Han Dynasty and all had extremely strict writing standards. However, in folk culture, there were also some simplified characters that were easier to write and were called vernacular characters.
However, the character “许” was not among these simplified characters. It was not until 1956, when the State Council passed the “Simplified Chinese Character Scheme” and the “Resolution on Promulgating the Simplified Chinese Character Scheme”, that the simplified Chinese character scheme was officially implemented. In 1959, when the fourth batch of simplified characters and simplified radicals were implemented, the current form of the character “许” came into being.
Therefore, the character "Xu" on the broken pottery shard held by Mr. Liu is sufficient to definitively identify this Tang Dynasty tri-colored double-humped camel-shaped vessel; its existence must date back to after the liberation. This is an undeniable fact that requires no further discussion.
Mr. Liu's heart was filled with mixed emotions, a mix of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty. He was first and foremost a businessman, and only then could he be considered a collector. As a businessman, he was driven by profit. He agreed to smash the tricolor camel for appraisal with the intention of making a profit. After all, buying it for 400,000 and reselling it for 800,000 would already be a 100% profit. But who knew that not only would his 400,000 go down the drain, but he would also lose face in front of a national audience.
"Xiao Zhuang was right! Amazing, amazing..."
"It really is a fake. The person who made this forgery is a real master..."
"Yes, to be able to fire the glaze and the body of the porcelain to be exactly the same as the real thing, one must be a master in the forgery industry..."
At this moment, Professor Tian and the others gathered around Boss Liu. Under the bright lights of the conference room, they could clearly see the character "Xu," which was about the size of a thumb. They immediately began to discuss it, though their discussions also revealed their embarrassment at not being able to determine the authenticity of the item.
At that moment, a member of the TV crew squeezed into the middle of the group with a camera, pointing it at the broken pottery shard in Mr. Liu's hand. Instantly, a blue "Xu" character appeared on the large screen in the conference room, making it clear to everyone present.
"Why is there another character inside?"
This is what someone who is slow to react would say.
Can a single word prove whether something is true or false?
The person who spoke probably has no idea what traditional Chinese characters are.
"The character 'Xu' wasn't written like that in the Tang Dynasty, which means this Tang tri-color camel is a modern imitation..."
Fortunately, there was someone knowledgeable who explained it to the two people above.
"Teacher Zhuang is really amazing! He actually managed to see the words inside?"
And you know what? This person's guess was the most accurate.
"You're talking nonsense. This is based on experience. If you could read through objects, why would you need to appraise antiques? You could just go to a casino in Macau and get rich!"
This person's words represented the public sentiment, and for a moment, the audience became noisy. Seeing such a wonderful on-site appraisal, everyone was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and they expressed their opinions enthusiastically.
"Miss Liu, didn't I say filming was not allowed?"
Zhuang Rui looked at the camera and the image on the screen, and said to Liu Jia with some displeasure.
"Yes, this was a private conversation between Teacher Zhuang and me. Why are you all filming it?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the owner of the treasure, Mr. Liu, also put on an angry face towards Liu Jia. He had previously shown off this tricolor camel piece everywhere, and if the program were to be broadcast and his fellow collectors saw it, he would have no face to show in the antique business in the future.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Liu, we filmed this so that the audience could see it clearly. We promise that this segment will not be broadcast during the official program."
Liu Jia originally didn't plan to let the film crew shoot it, but since Deputy Director Zhu gave the order, she had no choice but to comply. Liu Jia promised not to broadcast it, but she herself wasn't sure if she could withstand it if the leaders insisted on including this segment.
"Teacher Zhuang, this segment about smashing treasures and appraising items was absolutely amazing! Let's discuss this. If you're willing to let this segment air, our station will give you and Mr. Liu 100,000 yuan. What do you think?"
The somewhat overweight Deputy Director Zhu also squeezed in, grabbed Zhuang Rui's hands and shook them repeatedly, and even offered a price to buy the broadcast rights to this video.
"Mr. Liu, are you short of money?"
Zhuang Rui released Deputy Director Zhu's hand and turned to ask the boss, Mr. Liu, who was standing next to him.
"This isn't about money. This is a private conversation between me and Teacher Zhuang. It's a private matter. If you dare to broadcast it, I will sue you."