“These three items, numbered one, two, and three from left to right, all have a starting price of 30,000. Each bid must be at least 5,000. You can bid according to the item number. Squid, come over and help us greet them. Okay, everyone can bid now.”
When the boss arrived, Ma Qiang's voice became even louder. It was fortunate that this was a presidential suite in a five-star hotel with good soundproofing; otherwise, someone would have complained or called the police long ago.
“I’ll bid 35,000 for the No. 1 bronze Bodhisattva statue.”
A middle-aged man, around forty years old, was the first to shout.
"Alright, Mr. Yu has bid 35,000 for lot number one. Are there any other bidders?"
"Lot number two, I bid forty thousand!"
This time, it was Yang Bo who made the bid. Although he didn't know anything about antiques and couldn't even name this Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain jar, he had a good eye. He saw that Fatty Jin valued the jar highly, so he thought he could take a shortcut and bid on it.
"I bid 50,000 RMB for lot number two!"
The bidder was Fatty Jin. Although he wasn't a porcelain connoisseur, the piece had a well-proportioned shape, delicate glaze, and a very authentic mark on the base, making it highly likely to be an official kiln piece from the Zhengtong era. Even if it fetched 400,000 or 500,000 yuan, he could easily resell it at a reputable auction house for seven or eight times that price, let alone 40,000 or 500,000 yuan.
"Alright, Mr. Jin has bid 45,000. It seems Mr. Jin is determined to get this blue and white porcelain jar. Are there any other friends who would like to bid?"
"I bid fifty-five thousand for lot number two..."
"I bid 60,000 for lot number two!"
"I'll bid 100,000 for lot number two!"
As soon as Ma Qiang, who was in charge of the event, finished speaking, several bids were raised, with Yang Bo, who was the first to bid, directly raising the price to 100,000 yuan.
"I think your grandma's a piece of cake..."
Ma Qiang's words infuriated Fatty Jin so much he almost vomited blood. He immediately cursed Ma Qiang's immediate family in his mind. Wasn't this clearly using his name to drive up the price? However, Fatty Jin was unwilling to give up, so he still shouted, "I bid 105,000 yuan for lot number two."
"Teacher Jin has bid again. Lot number two is 105,000 yuan, and lot number one is 35,000 yuan. Are there any friends who want to continue bidding? These two Buddha statues are artifacts from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it's a rare opportunity."
Seeing that the price of the porcelain had gone up, but only one person had offered a bid for the bronze Buddha statue, Ma Qiang quickly gave a brief introduction.
I'll bid 40,000 for lot number one.
I bid 35,000 for lot number three.
I bid 110,000 for lot number two.
"I bid 115,000 for lot number two."
Ma Qiang, acting as a guest auctioneer, was quite competent, stirring up the emotions of everyone in the hall. The prices of the three items rose steadily. Being able to show off his skills in front of the boss made Ma Qiang's face even more rosy.
Tao Shan noticed that the auction had just started as soon as they sat down, and Ouyang Jun still hadn't looked at the items. So he leaned towards Ouyang Jun and whispered, "Mr. Ouyang, if you're interested, you can go up and take a look. If you like any of the items, I'll reserve them for you."
"No need, no need. With my brother here, I don't need to go and see this."
Ouyang Jun waved his hand. He was well aware of his own limitations. Even if he were given a rice bowl from a store, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a real and a fake. Going up there would be pointless. It would be better to listen to Zhuang Rui beside him. Ouyang Jun knew that Zhuang Rui had made his fortune in antiques.
"Hey, Fourth Brother, you buy yours, I'll buy mine, don't get involved with me."
Zhuang Rui was displeased. "I was hoping to find a bargain to display at home. What's going on here?"
"Hey kid, you're not giving Fourth Brother any face, are you?"
Ouyang Jun widened his eyes, then laughed, and whispered in Zhuang Rui's ear, "Wu'er, the one you brought is Officer Miao, isn't she? You didn't bring her here just to broaden your horizons, did you?"
Ouyang Jun knew Miao Feifei's fiery personality very well. She absolutely couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing. Normally, she would want to step in and stand up for couples who were being affectionate. Although the black market wasn't a very serious illegal activity, it was still within the scope of the police's crackdown. Miao Feifei's quiet behavior meant there was only one possibility: Officer Miao had gone undercover in the lion's den today.
"Believe it or not, you can go ask her yourself."
Zhuang Rui felt a little guilty. If he had known that Ouyang Jun had this connection, he would never have agreed to bring Miao Feifei. He could have just given Ouyang Jun a heads-up.
"Hehe, no need to ask, Fourth Brother, I'll call her Officer Miao, what do you think?"
Ouyang Jun had grasped Zhuang Rui's weakness.
"Fine, consider this my wasted trip. If I come across anything good next time, I'll tell you to take a picture."
Zhuang Rui said helplessly, "Luckily, the painting is currently in Fatty Jin's hands, otherwise it would have been snatched away by this bandit brother."
Looking at the heated bidding in the room, Ouyang Jun couldn't help but ask, "These few items aren't acceptable?"
“Okay, if you have a lot of money, just buy that bronze Buddha statue. Copper isn’t cheap right now, it’s over ten yuan a pound. You can just sell it as scrap copper later…”
Zhuang Rui was unhappy, and his words were barbed, making Ouyang Jun roll his eyes. Miao Feifei and Xu Qing, on the other hand, covered their mouths and laughed.
"Lot number two, Young Master Yang has bid 300,000; Lot number one, Boss Yu has bid 80,000; Lot number three, President Jiang has bid 110,000. Are there any other bidders?"
The auction of the items on the table was nearing its end. Ma Qiang's voice trembled with excitement; the prices of these items had far exceeded his expectations. Seeing that no one else was bidding, Ma Qiang shouted, "Sold! Please come forward to complete the transaction!"
Chapter 357 Black Market Auction (6)
Everyone, including Yang Bo, was carrying cash. This is a characteristic of black market transactions. Rows of RMB bills, gleaming with a pinkish sheen, were laid out on the table. Behind Ma Qiang, a man was specifically tasked with counting the money, and after verifying the amount, he quickly put it into a suitcase.
Zhuang Rui now understood why even someone with Old Master Gu's discerning eye could be fooled and pay the price at a black market auction. The time allotted for appraising the item was far too short, and the forgery was of a remarkably high standard. Didn't you see how much money was invested in that blue-and-white porcelain jar? These days, even a broken piece of Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain costs three to five hundred yuan, and one with a base mark might be even more expensive.
After Yang Bo returned to the sofa with the blue-and-white porcelain jar, he nodded to Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun. The two men chuckled inwardly. As Zhuang Rui put it, spending 300,000 yuan on a pickle jar that could only serve this purpose—well, that was overestimating its value. A pickle jar might even leak after a while, the bottom coming unglued. What was there to brag about?
"Fourth Brother, do you know this person?"
Zhuang Rui found it interesting and couldn't help but ask Ouyang Jun, "His family really trusts him a lot, casually giving him hundreds of thousands to pay his tuition on the black market. Tao Shan really likes this kind of person."
"I don't know him. He might have been to our club before, but I don't remember. Oh well, you'd better keep an eye out for the good stuff downstairs..."
Ouyang Jun wasn't particularly interested in Yang Bo. There were plenty of wealthy people in Beijing who wanted to frequent his club, and he could easily remember any of them. However, if Ouyang Jun knew that Yang Bo bought the blue-and-white porcelain jar as a gift for him, his memory of the kid would definitely be much clearer.
"That girl next to him looks familiar, isn't she a newcomer? Oh, I remember now, this boy just returned from abroad and was named one of Beijing's most famous young men..."
Xu Qing is in the entertainment industry. Although she's usually low-key, she pays close attention to entertainment news. She's aware of Zhang Qi, a minor celebrity who's been getting a lot of exposure lately, as gossip is everywhere in the entertainment world. She had already exposed the relationship between Zhang Qi and Yang Shao long ago.
"A famous young man from the capital?"
Ouyang Jun frowned upon hearing this, then laughed, shook his head, and stopped talking. Everyone in the capital has their own circles, and if this title were applied to their circle, it would definitely be an insult. However, some people would be pleased with it, like young people like Yang Bo.
"The items to be auctioned next are the highlight of today's auction. There are five pieces in total, all bronze artifacts from the Western Zhou Dynasty. They consist of a set of chime bells and four bronze wine vessels. These items come from the tomb of the ruler of the State of Guo, and are absolutely genuine..."
After the second batch of items was auctioned off, Ma Qiang announced the third batch of items to be auctioned. The others didn't seem to notice anything, but Zhuang Rui and Miao Feifei were shocked and looked at each other in disbelief. Why bother with an appraisal expert? Everyone else was just openly buying and selling, announcing it directly.
"Little brother, what's going on? Miao Feifei came here, could it be that she's eyeing these items?"
Ouyang Jun had been keeping an eye on Zhuang Rui. When he saw Zhuang Rui exchanging glances with Miao Feifei, he immediately understood half of the situation. They had all heard about the case being supervised by the Ministry of Public Security, but Ouyang Jun hadn't expected Tao Shan to be so audacious as to dare to sell these things.
"Let's see if it's true or not first. Fourth Brother, are you close to this boss? That screen in your club, could it be a gift from him?"
Zhuang Rui neither admitted nor denied it, but without seeing the items, it was impossible to confirm based solely on Ma Qiang's words. However, judging from Ouyang Jun's appearance, he seemed to have a close relationship with this black market boss.
"No, that was a gift from someone. He and Tao Shan aren't on the same wavelength. By the way, I was just saying I'd introduce you to that person. Let's wait until after Mid-Autumn Festival..."
Ouyang Jun shook his head. He didn't associate with people like Tao Shan. Taking shortcuts was never the right path. He only asked Zhuang Rui that question to confirm whether his guess was correct. Whether Tao Shan had caused a huge uproar this time had nothing to do with him.
"Ma Qiang. This batch of items caused quite a stir, and you still dare to sell them?"
Not only Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun knew that this batch of items was being investigated, but even Fatty Jin had heard about it. Several experts from their Palace Museum had rushed to Henan to conduct a rescue excavation.
"this……"
Upon hearing this, Ma Qiang hesitated for a moment, his eyes involuntarily turning to his boss.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, the rules of our auction are that we don't care about the origin of the items. If someone sells them, I will buy them and then provide them to you. Moreover, you can rest assured that you will not have any problems keeping or storing the items you buy from me. I guarantee that no one will ever come looking for trouble."
Seeing that Ma Qiang was losing control of the situation, Tao Shan stood up and reassured everyone present, and the bosses all showed excited expressions.
It's important to know that reputable auction houses rarely auction bronzes. Even if you want to collect them, you don't have the connections. If you can find a few rare pieces here, it will definitely be a source of pride when exchanging ideas with fellow collectors. These people collect antiques partly as an investment, and partly because they want to be associated with culture.
Only Fatty Jin showed a hint of disdain on his face. He knew how big this case was. If Tao Shan's batch of bronzes were genuine, then whoever bought them would be doomed. It wouldn't be as serious as being implicated in a prison sentence, but the money spent on the items would definitely be lost forever.
These bronze artifacts are not very large; the largest is the chime bell. It is about 30 centimeters tall and about 25 centimeters in diameter, and from a distance, it looks a bit like a large bronze bell.
As everyone knows, the chime bells are an ancient Chinese percussion instrument made of bronze. They consist of flat, round bells of different sizes arranged in order of pitch and suspended on a huge bell frame. Different musical notes are produced by striking the bells with T-shaped wooden hammers and long sticks. Because each bell has a different pitch, beautiful melodies can be played by striking them according to the musical score.
The earliest chime bells appeared during the Western Zhou Dynasty. At that time, chime bells were usually composed of three bells of different sizes. Judging from the appearance of this chime bell, it should be the smallest one.
The other three items are a wine vessel with a ring foot, an open mouth, a long body, and a trumpet-shaped mouth and bottom: a gu. The other four are animal-shaped zun, depicting animals such as cattle, sheep, tigers, and phoenixes. The zun are decorated with various gorgeous patterns, which are exquisite and the carving is superb.
"Alright, everyone, please come forward and take a look. You can look at these items for a while longer; the auction will begin in ten minutes..."
Seeing that everything was laid out on the table, Ma Qiang made way for everyone to use it for the appraisal after he finished speaking.
"Aren't you going? Hurry up and go see if it's real or fake..."
Miao Feifei, who had been indifferent to the auction, suddenly perked up and subtly gave Zhuang Rui a push on the waist. If she hadn't been unaware of the dangers, she would have rushed to the table long ago.
"What's the rush..."
Zhuang Rui slowly stood up, recalling the information he had seen yesterday about the stolen cultural relics.
The tomb that suffered the most damage and theft was that of the Duke of Guocheng during the Western Zhou Dynasty. If you don't study history, probably a hundred people out of a hundred wouldn't know who he is. But if you mention King Mu of Zhou, who was his contemporary, many people would probably know him.
King Mu of Zhou was the fifth king of the Zhou Dynasty and one of the most mythical monarchs in Chinese history. Legend has it that he lived to be 105 years old and reigned for about 55 years. The Liezi records: "King Mu neglected state affairs, did not enjoy the company of his subjects, and indulged in traveling far and wide, riding in a chariot drawn by eight steeds... He then became a guest of the Queen Mother of the West, and drank wine at the Jade Pool. The Queen Mother of the West presented the Jade to the Son of Heaven, and the king responded with a lament."
These are all myths and legends, but during the reign of King Mu of Zhou, the Western Zhou Dynasty was prosperous and produced many skilled craftsmen. It was the peak period for the development of bronze ware in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, the cultural relics stolen from the Guocheng Cemetery were all priceless and rare treasures.
With Miao Feifei by his side, Zhuang Rui knew that if these bronze artifacts were genuine, he couldn't buy them regardless of whether they came from the Guocheng Cemetery. He was too lazy to examine them closely, so he walked to the table and focused his spiritual energy into the larger piece of woven fabric.
"This...this is way too fake, isn't it?"
After seeing the so-called bronze woven internal structure, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but curse in his heart. This thing was not made of bronze at all, but was actually iron. You know, bronze is an alloy of copper, tin and lead, while iron is a shiny silvery-white metal. The two are easy to distinguish.
The forger was very clever at saving time; he simply coated the iron mold with a layer of bronze glaze and then aged it. Zhuang Rui shook his head at the sight. This thing was made with absolutely no skill involved and was far inferior to a blue and white porcelain jar.
After glancing at the other wine vessels, which were all identical and made using the same techniques, Zhuang Rui lost interest in looking at them any further. He simply parted from the group around him and sat back down on the sofa.
To be honest, Zhuang Rui is now utterly disappointed with this black market. So far, seven or eight items have come out, and only the painting he bought at the beginning has anything to do with cultural relics. The rest of these items are increasingly fake, and he has no desire to stay here any longer.
Although Beijing is the largest antique market in the country with a huge number of antique collectors, it is naturally a paradise for counterfeiters. But you can't just use these things to fool people.
No wonder this black market boss isn't afraid of the police checking. Even if they do find out, it's none of the police's business if someone else is auctioning modern handicrafts.
Chapter 358 Black Market Auction (7)
People who succeed in a certain field are often extremely confident, which is certainly a necessary factor for success. As some have said, most successful people are obsessive; once they set their sights on something, they will dive headfirst into it and not give up until they succeed.
This kind of drive is certainly good when applied to traditional industries. Just like the entrepreneurs in this forum, they are all leaders in their respective fields. Most of them started from scratch and, through long-term capital accumulation and various corporate transformations, they have developed a decisive and extremely confident personality.
However, this kind of personality, if applied to the antique trade, will lead to losses, being fooled, and paying tuition fees. Antique appraisal isn't something you can learn by reading a few books or attending a few lectures; it requires extensive hands-on experience with actual objects. The rich experience accumulated through countless handling and appreciation is absolutely unacceptable when approaching the antique trade with a business-oriented mindset.
"Boss Yu has offered 120,000 for the No. 1 bronze artifact. Are there any other bidders?"