"Alright, Mr. Zhao has made his bid: 125,000. Mr. Du has bid 80,000 for the second bronze artifact. Write it down..."
"Young Master Yang, you've bid 85,000 for bronze artifact number four. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, only kings and nobles had the right to use these items. They were symbols of power and status. Are there any other bidders?"
Hearing Ma Qiang's words, Zhuang Rui's face twitched. "Used by a king or nobleman? It's probably just old stuff that's been fermented in a latrine. Anyone who buys it and actually uses it as a drinking vessel to get that feeling is just incredibly unlucky."
"Mr. Du has also taken a fancy to bronze artifact number four. What's your offer? Ninety thousand. Okay, Mr. Du offers ninety thousand for bronze artifact number four!"
"Young Master Yang has bid again for bronze item number four, 100,000! Young Master Yang is indeed a big spender, 100,000 RMB for bronze item number four!"
Yang Bo actually had no real understanding of these rusty bronze artifacts. In his eyes, they were no different from those exhibited in museums or sold at street stalls. He only offered a price to attract the attention of Ouyang Jun and the others; he didn't even consider their authenticity.
Since bronze artifacts are not items that are traded in auction houses, the business owners, after conducting their so-called research, all offered high prices. Only Zhuang Rui and Fatty Jin remained silent, watching the performance of the crowd.
Jin Pangzi, of course, saw through the poor quality of the counterfeit at a glance. He felt the same way as Zhuang Rui, regretting coming to the black market today. It was obvious that the black market boss had invited him here to use him as a tool.
Aside from Zhuang Rui, Fatty Jin, and the clueless Ouyang Jun, the others currently bidding on these bronze artifacts in the hall seemed a bit irrational. In their minds, the black market naturally had more genuine items than Panjiayuan. Having visited Panjiayuan several times, they felt they had seen enough and wanted to upgrade their tastes by trying their luck in the black market.
These people had no idea that the refined and gentle Mr. Tao had started out as a street vendor in Liulichang. He was a master of counterfeiting, his knives were razor-sharp, and he specialized in ripping off those who thought too highly of themselves.
"Zhuang Rui, those bronze artifacts, aren't they...?"
After seeing Zhuang Rui return, he remained silent, so Miao Feifei could only approach him and ask about the result.
“It’s all fake, none of them are real, and they have nothing to do with your case.”
Zhuang Rui replied softly, and Miao Feifei's face immediately showed disappointment. She said, "Then are we still staying here?"
"Let's go, this place is no longer interesting. I'll say goodbye to Fourth Brother..."
Zhuang Rui hadn't expected that the black market in Beijing would be filled with so many counterfeit goods. There were far more good items than he had found in the black market on the grasslands. Instead of wasting his time here, he might as well go to Panjiayuan to find some items. Although there were even more counterfeit goods there, the sheer number of them made up for it. Wasn't that where Zhuang Rui found his Longshan black pottery?
"Fourth Brother, let's go. There's nothing good here. Let's not waste our time."
The hall was quite noisy, so Zhuang Rui leaned close to Ouyang Jun's ear to speak, not caring that Boss Tao might overhear.
"Leave? Why should we leave? Can't you see how heated this argument is going?"
Ouyang Jun was watching with great interest. Seeing a bunch of unrelated people foolishly bidding on counterfeit goods, Ouyang Jun felt exceptionally pleased. There's a saying that happiness is built on the suffering of others, and Ouyang Jun was currently enjoying this kind of pleasure with a perverse sense of humor.
"These people are just bored out of their minds, and you're just as idle? I remember my uncle asked you to pick someone up today, right?"
Zhuang Rui wanted to leave with Ouyang Jun, otherwise it would seem too abrupt for him to leave alone.
"Oh, you've learned to threaten people now, huh? Well, you'd better find me some good stuff later, or I'll take everything off the shelves in your courtyard."
Ouyang Jun was also afraid that Zhuang Rui would complain about him. Although his eldest and second uncles would arrive in the evening, his other cousins would arrive in the morning. However, since each of them had a liaison office in Beijing, he didn't have to pick them up.
"Go ahead and move them. I'll find some time later to go to Panjiayuan and bring back a truckload of broken porcelain and tiles."
Zhuang Rui doesn't have much on hand right now. The Jun ware porcelain is still with Uncle De. Just two days ago, he put the bronze tripod he found in Jinan and the Longshan black pottery into the basement. Ouyang Jun is naturally one of the unwelcome people in the basement, according to Zhuang Rui.
Let's go!
After Zhuang Rui said that, Ouyang Jun felt bored staying there. He stood up and said to Tao Shan, "Old Tao, I'm quite busy today. I'll come back to your place next time. We'll take our leave now."
"Mr. Ouyang, why don't you sit down more? There are a few items in the collection today. I'll bring them to you for your appraisal when I receive some good ones another day."
Tao Shan knew exactly what his items were, even the auction order was decided by him personally. He knew that apart from the initial imitation of Wu Daozi's "Portrait of Guan Yu," which had some value, the rest were all items he had painstakingly acquired to deceive these self-important bastards.
That Ming Zhengtong blue and white porcelain jar with figures was made by a master forger at Tao Shan's request for nearly 30,000 yuan. The other bronzes were indeed, as Zhuang Rui had guessed, not made in a latrine, but placed in a pigsty for more than half a month, making them genuine fakes.
Of course, only Tao Shan knew about these things. Even Ma Qiang and the others were kept in the dark. They weren't professional actors. If they had known the truth beforehand, the play would definitely have been a disaster.
Seeing that Ouyang Jun was about to leave, Tao Shan breathed a sigh of relief. If this man had taken a fancy to something and insisted on buying it, and it turned out to be fake later, Tao Shan would have been in deep trouble.
Some readers might be wondering at this point: it's understandable that Tao Shan wouldn't dare to cheat Ouyang Jun, since he doesn't have as much power as Ouyang Jun, but why would he dare to cheat those business owners? Isn't Boss Tao afraid of being held accountable later?
Tao Shan wasn't afraid of those people coming after him. The rules of the antique trade were there, and in the black market, everyone relied on their own eyesight. If you found something good, that meant you were skilled; if you made a mistake and paid your dues, that was perfectly normal. If they came after you to settle scores, that meant you were being unreasonable. Like Old Master Gu, who made a mistake in the black market and just accepted his bad luck.
Some friends might say, "Isn't Tao Shan ruining his own reputation by doing this?" Actually, there's no need to worry about that. These people have paid their dues in the black market, and they won't publicize it for the sake of their reputation. They are all respectable figures in their respective fields, so why would they expose their dirty secrets? At most, they'll just not go to the black market again if they receive an invitation next time.
However, there are plenty of business owners in Beijing who want to appear cultured. If Tao Shan were to invite them one by one, the queue would probably be ten or eight years long. He's not worried about not being able to get anyone to come next time.
As for this Mid-Autumn Festival black market auction, it's clear from the people Tao Shan invited that he just wanted to make some money for the holiday. Among these people, apart from Fatty Jin, there wasn't a single well-known appraisal expert. It's estimated that Zhuang Rui was initially invited because he was treated as a sucker. A jade appraisal expert in his early twenties? Tao Shan didn't believe it at all.
Tao Shan also carefully considered the order of the auction items. The first item to be auctioned was the painting that was half-genuine and half-fake, and the initial price would certainly not be very high. This would create the illusion that there were good things on the black market at cheap prices, which would make people less vigilant about the items that would be auctioned next.
Jin Pangzi almost got caught up in it just now. After missing out on the Qing dynasty imitation of the ancient painting, he was determined to get that blue and white porcelain jar. If Yang Bo hadn't been so wealthy and generous, bidding 300,000 for the fake jar, Jin Pangzi would have suffered a huge financial loss.
These black market operators are far more complex than Zhuang Rui imagined. Tao Shan was only interested in making a quick buck at this black market auction. If it were any other day, the items he brought out would definitely be a mix of genuine and fake. While Tao Shan's ability to understand people's hearts may not be on par with Fatty Ma from Shanxi, he is certainly a master.
"Brother Zhuang, let's go together. I have a lot to do today..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui and the others about to leave, Fatty Jin also stood up. He had frequented countless black market auction venues. At first, he hadn't paid attention, but now he understood. It turned out that Tao Shan was using him as a front to pull in others, and he wanted to drag him along as well. Now, Fatty Jin hated Tao Shan to the core.
Chapter 359 Buyers are not as shrewd as sellers
"Oh, Ms. Jin. There are still quite a few nice items downstairs, wouldn't you like to stay and take a look?"
Tao Shan panicked when he saw that Fatty Jin was about to leave. Ouyang Jun and Zhuang Rui leaving was exactly what he wanted, but with Fatty Jin leaving, he still had several convincing fakes under him, but he would be missing a shill.
"Hehe, Mr. Tao's 'Good!'"
There's quite a lot of stuff, of course, but we'll talk about it another time..."
Fatty Jin chuckled and said "Okay!"
The words were spoken with extreme emphasis. Not only Tao Shan, but also the others in the hall looked at the object in their hands with suspicion and trepidation. As for saying those words again, Tao Shan understood that it meant there would be no next time. He knew that the fat man had seen through his scheme and had completely offended him.
"Oh, okay. I'll invite Teacher Jin for tea another time. Take care..."
Tao Shan knew he couldn't keep Fatty Jin. The hidden meaning behind drinking tea was that he would apologize to him later. Fatty Jin smiled and didn't say anything. He took Zhuang Rui's painting and followed Ouyang Jun and the others out.
As for the black market organized by Tao Shan, during the subsequent auctions, the business owners who intended to invest in antiques became more cautious in their spending. They were not stupid, but they didn't understand. When they saw Fatty Jin leave halfway through, they also sensed that there was something fishy going on in this black market.
Items that have already been purchased are naturally non-refundable, but for the newly brought-to-market items, no matter how eloquent Ma Qiang was, the bosses fully utilized their bargaining skills in business, and stopped raising prices among themselves. They managed to acquire several high-quality replicas of antiques at prices below cost, which made Tao Shan so angry that he almost vomited blood.
Zhuang Rui and the others were naturally unaware of what happened next. After entering the elevator, Fatty Jin said to Zhuang Rui with some displeasure, "Brother Zhuang, there must be something fishy about that porcelain, right? You didn't even warn me, and I almost fell right into a trap. Now can you tell me?"
In the antique business, if you're a jack of all trades, you're basically a master of none. Fatty Jin is an expert in calligraphy and painting, and while he knows a bit about porcelain, he's nowhere near as knowledgeable as those who have specialized in porcelain for decades. So, although he suspects the item is fake, he hasn't yet figured out where the trickery lies.
As for Zhuang Rui's silence at the time, that was also due to the rules. It's like playing chess; the saying goes, "A true gentleman observes the game without speaking." If you speak, it might not matter if you help Fatty Jin, but it will offend the black market boss. So, unless you are a close friend or relative, you generally won't express your opinion in such a situation.
"Teacher Jin, what are you saying? How could I just stand by and watch you suffer a loss? I really didn't have time to remind you before the item was auctioned off..."
Zhuang Rui was telling the truth; he and Fatty Jin got along very well. He had originally intended to give him a hint, but after exchanging a few words with Ouyang Jun, Yang Bo had already snapped up the item for 300,000 yuan, without even giving Zhuang Rui a chance to speak with Fatty Jin. Zhuang Rui was speechless. There are all sorts of birds in this world, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone so eager to give money away.
"Hey, I misunderstood you, brother. But the glaze, shape, and mark of that object look exactly like genuine Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain. How did you manage to tell it was fake?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Fatty Jin felt relieved. He knew he had acted too hastily, raising the price to 300,000 in less than a minute. He couldn't blame Zhuang Rui for this, but Fatty Jin was still curious and waiting for Zhuang Rui to answer his questions. At least he couldn't make the same mistake again.
"Hehe, the bottom mark is definitely real, but Mr. Jin, if you buy that thing and take it home, you can't put vinegar in it, otherwise the base will separate from the jar in thirty to fifty minutes."
Zhuang Rui's words made Fatty Jin suddenly realize that this kind of substitution technique is not uncommon in the antique world, such as some ancient masters' manuscripts. The first part is real, but the second part is fake, which often fools even experts.
During the Republic of China era, there was a renowned expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal. His eyes were so sharp that he was known as "King of Halfs." He could distinguish the authenticity of any antique calligraphy or painting by looking at only half of it. This reputation was not something he boasted about, but rather something he earned through countless appraisals.
However, Wang Yifan ultimately failed because of this. Once, when he was helping someone appraise an ancient painting by a famous Song Dynasty artist, he took a quick look as usual and determined that the painting was genuine. The person who asked him to do so then paid a high price to buy the painting. But not long after, it was revealed that the painting was a fake.
Wang Yiban was naturally full of confidence, repeatedly saying it was impossible. Then he went to examine it again. When he opened half of the scroll, Wang Yiban's expression was normal. But after opening half of it, Wang Yiban discovered that the rest was all fake. He was so angry that he almost fainted.
Later, after the story spread, an insider solved the mystery: the ancient painting had suffered a calamity, with the lower half being burned by fire. The painting was owned by an antique dealer who had spent a lot of money to buy it and was reluctant to part with it, so he came up with a crooked idea.
This antique dealer found a skilled calligrapher and painter to repaint the lower half of the painting using Song Dynasty paper. The repainted half was then mounted together with the upper half. The dealer then set a trap for Wang, selling the fake half of the painting at the price of a genuine one.
This matter has been circulating in the antique world for a long time, and even now, many insiders know about it. So when Fatty Jin heard Zhuang Rui say this, he felt relieved. The method was so clever that even a porcelain appraisal expert might not be able to see through it in those few minutes, let alone himself.
"Zhuang Rui, those porcelain pieces are all fake, and this painting you bought is probably fake too, right? How about I give you the five thousand yuan..."
Miao Feifei, standing to the side, felt a little guilty. Zhuang Rui had come to help her with the case, but ended up spending money to buy a fake painting. Although Officer Miao could be unreasonable at times, she was still very loyal to her friends. Didn't she think that Zhuang Rui was really short of five thousand yuan?
"Hey, Wu'er, did you buy this painting?"
Ouyang Jun was unaware that the painting Jin Pangzi was holding belonged to Zhuang Rui, and immediately asked about it.
“Um, Miao… Feifei,”
Zhuang Rui almost called out Officer Miao's name in front of Fatty Jin, but luckily he reacted quickly and continued, "This painting is a Qing Dynasty imitation, but it can't be dated. I asked Teacher Jin to take it back and help me check the records to see if we can find out who copied it."
"So you made a profit, didn't you? Would that shady merchant really sell something genuine?"
Miao Feifei was somewhat puzzled. This time, they hadn't gained anything, and Officer Miao had developed a very bad impression of Tao Shan. If only he could produce genuine artifacts stolen from the tomb of the King of Guo, wouldn't the case be able to continue?
"Hehe, Miss Miao, that's what someone else uses for fishing. If they want to get a good price for the later items, of course they have to spend some money. It's just that the black market's methods are not very sophisticated. Brother Zhuang has taken the bait but hasn't taken the bait yet. However, the person running the black market didn't lose out. The money lost on this painting has long been recovered from the items sold later."
Jin Pangzi had figured it out. Anyway, he hadn't lost anything on this trip, and he even found a misplaced blue and white porcelain jar, so it wasn't a wasted trip.
"Isn't that clever? You almost got ripped off."
Miao Feifei was always quick-witted and outspoken, leaving Fatty Jin speechless, both amused and exasperated.
Fatty Jin didn't take Miao Feifei's words seriously and said with a smile, "What I said is nothing. Let me tell you a story from the industry. People who collect things like to go to the countryside because there are many antiques left there. Once, an antique dealer went down to the countryside to buy cultural relics. He saw an old farmer at the entrance of the village selling cats with his head down. Suddenly, the antique dealer realized that the cat's food dish was actually a very valuable cultural relic."
The man's eyes lit up, and he immediately came up with a plan. In order not to let the old farmer find out, he bought all five of the old farmer's cats at a high price. Before leaving, he said casually, "I've bought all your cats. And since these cats are used to eating from this dish, why don't you just give me this 'broken dish'?"
As soon as the antique dealer reached out to take it, the old farmer's eyes snapped open, flashing like lightning, and he uttered a shocking statement: "Don't move! Just this 'broken food plate'..."
I've sold fifty cats in total!
"Hehe, little girl, you know now, the buyer is never as shrewd as the seller. Even if you did lose out today, you've still learned something new."
The Ouyang couple also found it interesting; the stories in the antique trade were quite captivating.
"Alright, Brother Zhuang, this painting should be appraised in three to five days. We'll contact each other by phone then."
As they talked, they arrived at the hotel entrance. They had been picked up by a car when they arrived, but since Fatty Jin was unhappy about leaving, he didn't let the black market people take him. Instead, he hailed a taxi and left.
"Officer Miao, where are you going?"
With no one else around, Zhuang Rui looked at Miao Feifei. Ouyang Jun and Xu Qing both knew Miao Feifei's profession, so they weren't surprised.
"I'm going to work. Who's as free as you? Bye-bye..."
Officer Miao was quite cautious. After greeting Zhuang Rui and the others, he didn't cross the road directly into the police station. Instead, he went around in circles and entered through another side door.
"What, you're still reluctant to let them go?"
Ouyang Jun knew that Zhuang Rui was worried that the girl would walk straight into the police station and be seen by Tao Shan's people, so he deliberately teased him.
"Alright, take me to my uncle's place, my car is still there."
Seeing Xu Qing drive Ouyang Jun's Audi out of the underground parking lot, Zhuang Rui opened the back door and got in without ceremony.