Subconsciously, Zhuang Rui was somewhat reluctant to ask the Ouyang family for help. Call him hypocritical or a fake gentleman or whatever, Zhuang Rui really felt a bit resistant to this kind of thing, which involved pulling strings and asking for favors.
If something can be settled with money, Zhuang Rui would absolutely not be willing to ask for favors.
"Hey buddy, what's there to worry about? If all else fails, I'll just mail all these antique swords and knives I got overseas back to China to give you some face..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's concerns, Huangfu Yun couldn't help but laugh. He had long harbored the idea of opening an antique sword and knife museum, but he hadn't been able to put it into action due to insufficient funds. Now that such a good opportunity had presented itself, Huangfu Yun was eager to encourage Zhuang Rui to set it up.
"Is it really as simple as you say?"
Zhuang Rui was a little hesitant to believe it.
"Is it that new? I'm just teasing you."
Huangfu Yun was puzzled by Zhuang Rui's attitude. How did this guy manage to build such a large business? In China, as long as you have connections, you can open a museum right across from the Palace Museum and nobody will care. Of course, probably nobody would go there anyway.
"Mr. Zhuang, is there a problem?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui speaking continuously in Chinese with Huangfu Yun, and occasionally showing hesitation on his face, Bass Gimmick assumed that Zhuang Rui was unsure of his attitude towards this matter. He then said, "Mr. Zhuang, I can assure you responsibly that the exchange of the Frey family's donation is not a major issue. You only need to provide a few more items from the exhibition hall's collection, and I can submit it to the board of directors for discussion..."
To be honest, the Guimet Museum has tens of thousands of Chinese artworks, so losing a hundred or so wouldn't be a big problem. However, the Guimet Museum doesn't have a single Picasso work. It's easy to tell which is more important.
Moreover, none of the items in the Guimet Museum belong to private individuals and cannot be traded on the market. Bass Guimet has no right to engage in corrupt practices. What he seeks is to have more works of art by famous artists in the museum.
With these considerations in mind, Bass Guimet was willing to make some concessions within his capabilities to keep Picasso's works in the Guimet Museum.
Upon hearing Bass's words, Huangfu Yun coughed loudly, covering his mouth with his hand while gesturing with his fingers across his neck. Zhuang Rui saw this clearly and understood perfectly that this guy wanted him to kill someone.
"Ahem... Mr. Bass, since you are so sincere, then I will make my suggestion. I personally really like the Han Dynasty jade tiger carving currently on display in your museum. In addition, the bronze elephant-shaped vessel, as well as the three Buddhist paintings, namely 'Amitabha's Western Pure Land Transformation,' 'Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Riding an Elephant,' and 'Portrait of a Traveling Monk,' can all be included in this transaction..."
After receiving Huangfu Yun's hint, Zhuang Rui simply went all out and asked for five items instead of the three he had originally mentioned, all of which were exquisite pieces from the Guimet Museum's collection. Old Bass, who was sitting opposite him, was so surprised that his mouth dropped open.
“Mr. Zhuang… Mr. Zhuang, there’s a saying in your country, ‘The lion has opened its mouth wide.’ I’m afraid I can’t meet your conditions…”
Bass stammered as he described the Chinese idiom "a lion asking for a lot of money" in English, genuinely frightened by the price Zhuang Rui had offered.
The white jade tiger and those Buddhist paintings from the Sui and Tang dynasties are one thing, but bronzes have always been in high demand abroad, and their prices have remained high.
The bronze vessel "Elephant Zun" proposed by Zhuang Rui is 96 cm long, 64 cm high, and 45 cm wide. The opening on its back is 26 cm long and 21 cm wide. The outer side of the belly and the head are engraved with animal face patterns, and the ears, nose, and feet are decorated with scale patterns. It should belong to the late Shang Dynasty or the early Western Zhou Dynasty.
This bronze vessel is largely the same as the "Double Ram Zun" in the collections of the British Museum in London and the Nezu Museum in Tokyo. Although the lid is missing and most of the elephant trunk is destroyed, it is still the largest known animal-shaped zun in the world.
In the spring of 2001, Christie's New York auctioned Chinese ceramics and ancient works of art, featuring five Chinese bronzes. One of these, a Shang Dynasty bronze vessel called "Min Tian Quan" (皿天全), fetched $9.24 million, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for an Oriental artwork at auction (there was a slight error in the previous chapter; that ceramic piece was the second highest-priced). Sotheby's New York had records of auctioning Chinese bronzes since around 2000. In its spring 2003 auction, lot number 6, a late Shang Dynasty bronze ding (鼎), and in its autumn 2004 auction, lot number 117, a bronze jia (斝), both sold for $1.457 million.
These two auctions demonstrate the popularity of Chinese bronzes in the international market. While Zhuang Rui's five Picasso sketches are indeed rare and valuable, their value is likely to be around 12 million euros at most. If the Guimet Museum were to agree to Zhuang Rui's exchange terms, it would be suffering a significant loss.
Because this bronze artifact is almost as valuable as a Picasso work, and it also needs to be paired with more than twenty items donated by the Frey family, a white jade tiger, and ancient paintings from the Sui and Tang dynasties, these conditions are... a bit too much of a rip-off.
Therefore, Bass looked troubled after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. He was not confident that he could persuade the board of directors to approve the transaction. After all, the items to be exchanged should at least be similar in current market price. The museum also has professional appraisers. If the prices are too different, it will be difficult to pass the board's resolution.
“Mr. Bass, instead of having these worthless artworks displayed here, wouldn’t it be better to replace them with items of corresponding value? This would also enhance your museum’s reputation…”
Zhuang Rui knew he had gone a bit too far with his demands, so he quickly added fuel to the fire, saying, "If your esteemed establishment can agree to my conditions above, I can consider gifting you three more of Mr. Picasso's finest sketches free of charge. In that case, your establishment could set up a special section dedicated to the master Picasso. What do you think?"
Zhuang Rui has a total of thirty-two Picasso sketches. He showed six to Ezkener, leaving twenty-six. Even if he gave eight more to the Guimet Museum, he would still have 16 left.
Zhuang Rui also had his own little scheme. Although he didn't know how to appreciate world-famous paintings, he still wanted to keep a few. That way, when he went out and said he was a world-class collector, he would have some confidence.
After appealing to his emotions, he then tried to entice him with benefits. The three Picasso sketches that Zhuang Rui presented immediately shook Bass's confidence. There have been very few Picasso works in recent years, and if he missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to find another opportunity like Zhuang Rui's.
Bass's attention was now completely drawn to the other three Picasso works that Zhuang Rui had mentioned, but Huangfu Yun, who had been listening closely, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Zhuang Rui.
This guy is truly shameless. He looted everyone's collection of masterpieces and then turned around and claimed that his items were given away for free. Shameless! "Mr. Zhuang, I cannot answer your request right now, but I can submit it to the board of directors for discussion. In addition, I hope to bid on those eight Picasso works you mentioned. This way, I can better persuade the board members to agree to this exchange..."
After considering for more than 10 minutes, Bass Gimmick finally made up his mind. In fact, the only thing he found hard to give up was the bronze artifact. As for the Frey family's donation, it had been stored in the warehouse for fifty or sixty years, and he hadn't paid much attention to it.
"Taking photos is no problem at all, Mr. Bass. I hope your board of directors will make the wisest choice. You know, Picasso's works are now extremely rare..."
Zhuang Rui told a blatant lie, adding to Old Bass's psychological pressure.
In fact, Picasso's surviving works are far more numerous than anyone imagines; it's just that none of the collectors of Picasso's works are willing to part with them.
“I will seriously consider your suggestion, Mr. Zhuang. I hope that in the near future, your museum can display these artworks, and similarly, the Guimet Museum can also have works by Mr. Picasso…”
Old Bass stood up and shook hands with Zhuang Rui formally. The secretary who had been sitting next to him had also finished organizing the notes of Zhuang Rui's conversation. After Bass had Zhuang Rui confirm them, he saw them out of the office.
"Damn it, my museum?"
After leaving the curator's office, Zhuang Rui silently cursed in his heart, realizing that his museum still only existed in his imagination.
However, if the Guimet Museum really agrees to this exchange of cultural relics, it can still be carried out even if Zhuang Rui doesn't have a museum. At worst, he can just find a domestic museum to sign an agreement. I believe that the Chinese people would like to see the return of national treasures.
Chapter 643 Private Museum (Part 1)
"Hey, Brother Huangfu, something's not right..."
After leaving the Guimet Museum, Zhuang Rui suddenly slapped his forehead and turned to walk back.
Huangfu Yun grabbed Zhuang Rui and asked, "What's wrong? What's the rush? No one owes you any money..."
"That's not it. They did look at our Picasso works this morning, but we only looked at the list. I didn't see a single one of the antiques that Frey transferred to the Louvre and the Guimet Museum..."
Zhuang Rui didn't mention the items displayed in the exhibition hall, because he had already seen those few and they were undoubtedly genuine. However, he had doubts about the other eighteen items. What if the other party agreed to his conditions but brought out some fakes?
"Hey, you're worrying about nothing. If they agree to the exchange, they'll definitely need to appraise and evaluate the items later. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Huangfu Yun was completely baffled. The exchange and gifting of items between museums required a series of complicated procedures, unlike private transactions where both parties could simply agree on something and proceed with the deal.
"That's good, that's good..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled awkwardly. He knew he had been judging Huangfu Yun by his own standards, and after a couple of embarrassed laughs, he said to Huangfu Yun, "Brother Huangfu, I couldn't get you any antique swords this time, but once we get back to China, I'll definitely find you a good one..."
Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed. Since arriving in Paris, Huangfu Yun had been running around taking care of everything, and he had benefited a lot from it, while everyone else had been doing all the work for free.
Huangfu Yun waved his hand and said, "Alright, we're kindred spirits, let's not waste time on this nonsense. If you're really planning to open a museum, just put a separate exhibition room for my swords..."
Huangfu Yun had long harbored the idea of establishing his own antique sword museum, and with the swords he had collected, obtaining approval shouldn't be a problem. However, due to insufficient funds, he had been putting it off. Now that Zhuang Rui was his financial backer, his ambitions had rekindled.
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll go back and inquire about how this private museum will be built..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. He figured he had quite a collection of treasures in his basement, and he couldn't let them remain hidden away forever. He decided to take this opportunity to build a museum.
"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but it seems there are certain requirements regarding the venue and the number of artifacts. You can ask around, buddy. I can't keep you company any longer; the auction has already started today, and I'm going to check it out. There's an antique sword I'd like to acquire..."
Seeing that things were settled with Zhuang Rui, Huangfu Yun took his leave. Although he didn't want to be ripped off by the foreigners' arbitrage of prices, he still felt itchy to go to the auction house to see the items he liked.
"Alright, Huangfu Yun, I'll go back to the hotel first and ask about the museum project. I'll go with you tomorrow to check on the auction..."
This Paris auction of Chinese art will last for several days. Zhuang Rui glanced at the catalog and saw nothing particularly good today, so he decided not to go and instead decided to take care of things at the museum. ...
As soon as Zhuang Rui entered the hotel room, he was pounced on by the restless white lion, who pinned him down on the carpet and played with him for a while before letting him get up.
Sitting to the side, Peng Fei joked, "Brother Zhuang, you're just making things difficult for White Lion by bringing him out here..."
"I think you're the one who's really suffering..."
Zhuang Rui laughed and cursed.
Zhuang Rui was right. Peng Fei was indeed full of complaints. He had come to Paris with Zhuang Rui, originally planning to go out and buy some luxury goods for his wife. Who knew that he would first be left to look after the white lion, and then he was given a task to keep his eyes glued to those ridiculous pencil drawings, which made Peng Fei very depressed.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and continued, "Alright, leave those sketches here. Go find He Shuang and the others to go shopping. You can have dinner outside yourselves..."
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, I was just kidding. I'd really be worried about leaving this thing, worth hundreds of millions, here..."
Despite his verbal sparring, Peng Fei is a reliable person. Two groups of people have already come to see these Picasso works. If someone tries to do something underhanded and sends someone to steal or rob them, Zhuang Rui really can't handle it on his own.
"Well, that's fine. I'll have Tianya and the others bring Zhang Qian some perfume or something. You can come to Paris for fun when you get married..."
Peng Fei and Zhang Qian are planning to get married in June. Zhuang Rui has already made preparations and will reserve an apartment for them in the new residential area developed by Ouyang Jun. Hao Long will do the same in the future. People rely on him for their livelihood, so he should make them feel a sense of belonging.
After chatting with Peng Fei for a while, Zhuang Rui took out his phone and dialed Ouyang Jun's number.
"Fourth Brother, it's me, Xiao Rui..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Ouyang Jun rarely checked caller ID when answering the phone, so he gave his name first after the call connected.
"You little rascal, a phone call like this never means trouble. Get to the point, I'm busy..."
Ouyang Jun impatiently yelled into the phone. Sure enough, the Fourth Young Master Ouyang was quite busy at the moment, accompanying his wife to the hospital for an ultrasound. While answering the phone, his eyes were fixed on the color screen.
Although the country has explicit regulations prohibiting the use of ultrasound or other means to determine the sex of an unborn child before birth, there are always ways to circumvent them. And who doesn't have connections in the hospital? Let alone Ouyang Jun, even an ordinary citizen can find out in advance whether they will have a girl or a boy by finding a way to pull some strings.
Xu Qing had just been lying on the ultrasound bed when Ouyang Jun, who was quite nervous, was startled by the sudden ringing of the phone. If the doctor hadn't been there, he probably would have started cursing.
“Mr. Ouyang, making or receiving phone calls is not allowed here…”
While Ouyang Jun was anxiously talking to Zhuang Rui on the phone, the female doctor next to him frowned and reminded him that even though the pregnant woman was a big star and the hospital director had personally instructed him, he still had to abide by the hospital's regulations.
"I'm not playing anymore, I'm hanging up now..."
When did Ouyang Jun become so easy to talk to? After hearing the doctor's words, he said into the phone, "Don't bother me if there's nothing wrong, I'm with your sister-in-law..."
Hearing the beeping sound from the phone, Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded. Xu Qing was pregnant in broad daylight. Could Ouyang Jun be in such a hurry? Wasn't he afraid of hurting the baby?
"What? A boy?"
Upon hearing the female doctor's words, Ouyang Jun was so overjoyed that he almost jumped for joy. This was truly a case of having a child late in life; he was almost forty when he finally had an heir. He was so happy that he didn't know what to say.
"Hello? Who is this? I dialed the wrong number, how would I know who you are? Oh, it's Wu'er. Let me tell you, your brother will soon have a big, healthy baby boy, hahaha..."
Overwhelmed with excitement, Ouyang Jun walked out of the ultrasound room, took out his phone, and dialed anyone he could, wanting to share this good news with others.
"You idiot, hurry up and get out of here..."
When Xu Daming saw Ouyang Jun's appearance, she quickly pulled her scarf up a little more. If the news of her seeing an obstetrician and gynecologist got out, it would probably be on the front page of the entertainment news again tomorrow.
"Hey, Fourth Brother, congratulations! I'll prepare some gifts for my nephew later..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh. So Ouyang Jun was taking Xu Qing for a medical check-up? He had wronged him earlier.
"It's still early, you're not due for another six or seven months..."
Ouyang Jun had also come to his senses by this time. He opened the car door and let Xu Qing get in before getting into the driver's seat himself. He then said, "You had something to ask me earlier, didn't you?"
"Yes, Fourth Brother, there's something I need to ask. What kind of procedures are required to open a private museum in Beijing?"
Zhuang Rui hadn't originally planned to ask about the happy occasion that Ouyang Jun had brought up, but since it had, he decided to ask casually.
"A private museum?"
Ouyang Jun was taken aback for a moment, then said irritably, "Brother, I'm not an expert, how would I know about this? You're always coming up with weird and strange things..."
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, you know, you're my only brother in Beijing. If I don't look for you, who else can I look for?"
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. It was true; he had managed to get Ouyang Jun to do things quite a bit lately, and he had to get all the big and small matters done by him.