Chapter Fifty-Two: Battle Aura

“Mr. Zhou, that won’t do. Master Qian is the expert I’ve invited specifically for the auction; his role is to appraise the relics for the event and he can’t make exceptions for you here,” Manager Wang quickly interjected to stop him.

Hearing this, though Mr. Zhou looked a bit disappointed, he didn’t show any displeasure. Manager Wang was obviously someone with connections if he could bring in such an established figure as Master Qian for the auction, and this made Mr. Zhou regard him with a new level of respect.

“Mr. Zhou, these old bones of mine have already landed on the blacklist of Chenxiang Pavilion. It’s not just that I can’t give you any advice—even if I wanted to buy something myself, Manager Wang wouldn’t allow it,” Master Qian said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, not only Mr. Zhou but the rest of the crowd looked at Manager Wang in confusion, wondering why Chenxiang Pavilion had such a rule—turning away willing customers seemed odd indeed.

“You all know that the hallmark of Chenxiang Pavilion is the ‘three fakes for every genuine’ policy. Every time we sell a genuine artifact, it’s a huge loss for us. With Master Qian’s discerning eye, if he were to visit, he’d likely clear out all our authentic pieces in half a day, and then we’d have to shut down,” Manager Wang explained with a wry smile.

In reality, it wasn’t just Chenxiang Pavilion that feared experts like Master Qian; other antique shops were equally wary. Genuine pieces are rare enough these days, often kept only as the shop’s treasures. If someone as knowledgeable as Master Qian were allowed to pick them all out, the business would be unsustainable.

Although everyone could understand Manager Wang’s reasoning, they still felt a bit disgruntled. After all, Master Qian was blacklisted simply because he could distinguish the real from the fake. In essence, Chenxiang Pavilion’s business was to take advantage of those less knowledgeable.

“Mr. Zhou, it’s not entirely impossible to have Master Qian appraise your items for you—but you’ll need to purchase them first. Once they’re yours, there’s no issue,” Manager Wang said with a smile, though the shrewdness in his expression was hard to ignore.

“You really do know how to do business. If we buy everything and Master Qian then tells us what’s real or fake, what’s the point?” Wu Qian said with some irritation.

“Yes, Manager Wang, you’re quite the businessman—aren’t you just setting a trap for Mr. Zhou?” the other customers jeered.

“Oh, you mustn’t put it that way,” Manager Wang replied hurriedly. “My little shop survives on this trade. If everyone asked Master Qian to check every item before buying, I’d be out of business in no time!”

“As long as I can get Master Qian’s advice, what’s a few bronzes?” Mr. Zhou replied with bravado. “Manager Wang, regardless of Master Qian’s verdict, I’ll take these five bronze pieces. How about it?”

Mr. Zhou quickly calculated—the five bronze pieces amounted to three million yuan. Though it wasn’t a trivial sum, it was hardly significant for someone of his wealth. Being hesitant would only cost him face in front of the crowd.

“Mr. Zhou, you truly are magnanimous!” Manager Wang complimented with a smile. He knew that with a billionaire like Mr. Zhou, there was no chance he’d go back on his word over a few million in front of so many people. Even though Mr. Zhou hadn’t paid yet, Manager Wang wasn’t worried.

“Master Qian, I’ve bought these five bronze items. Could I trouble you to appraise them for me?” Mr. Zhou turned to Master Qian and bowed respectfully.

“Ah, Mr. Zhou, what need was there for this?” Master Qian said with a faint smile. He had tried to warn Mr. Zhou earlier, but didn’t want to block Manager Wang’s business, so he had kept silent. Now that Mr. Zhou had purchased the items, Master Qian felt a little guilty.

He walked over to the bronzes, took a delicate magnifying glass from his sleeve, and carefully examined each piece. He tapped them with his finger, listening to the tones they produced, then sighed gently, “Mr. Zhou, these five bronzes are recent creations, though the craftsmanship is fine enough. They’d do well as decorative pieces at home.”

Having spent a lifetime in the antiques world, Master Qian’s vast knowledge and experience made it easy to spot the signs of artificial aging on the bronzes. The motifs carved on them were of modern origin—there was no way these were ancient artifacts.

As soon as Master Qian spoke, Mr. Zhou’s face fell. He knew the bronzes were certainly fake. Losing the money was a small matter; the real loss was face. To spend several million yuan on scrap metal, and have it made public, was truly humiliating.

“Zhou, the antiques business isn’t for everyone. I think you’d be better off going back to Shanxi to dig for coal!” Yue Ming taunted from the side.

The onlookers shook their heads and sighed. While they didn’t mock him as openly as Yue Ming, there was clear schadenfreude in their eyes—a common enough trait, sadly.

“Don’t take it too hard, Mr. Zhou. Everyone makes mistakes in this business. When I was younger, I suffered my share of losses, too,” Master Qian said, patting Mr. Zhou’s shoulder in comfort.

“Master Qian, I’ve also bought these two Buddhist statues and two paintings. Would you mind taking a look at them as well?” Wu Qian placed the four antiques on the table, speaking up.

She’d seen Mr. Zhou unable to respond to Yue Ming’s jibes and wanted to help her husband save face. If Master Qian could authenticate even one genuine piece among her purchases, at least they wouldn’t have to leave in disgrace.

Although Wu Qian’s four antiques weren’t as expensive as Mr. Zhou’s, they still totaled nearly two million yuan. Master Qian, worldly and astute, saw through her intentions. While he didn’t approve of her impulsive effort to reclaim some dignity for her husband, he couldn’t refuse and nodded, stepping forward to appraise the items.

The crowd, seeing Mrs. Zhou also buy four antiques for Master Qian to examine, felt both envious of the couple’s wealth and curious to see whether any of the pieces were genuine. To hear a master’s appraisal was a rare treat.

Master Qian took longer with Wu Qian’s antiques. Unfortunately, both the Guanyin and the Buddha statues turned out to be high-quality replicas. They had some value, but nowhere near the purchase price—she had overpaid for both.

As for the two scrolls—one calligraphy piece by Su Shi from the Song dynasty, the other a painting by Tang Bohu from the Ming dynasty—while the brushwork and style were similar to the originals, they were simply later copies, not authentic works. In the end, Wu Qian, like Mr. Zhou, lost her entire investment.

When Master Qian finished, both Mr. Zhou and Wu Qian wore bitter expressions. They had spent several million yuan and hadn’t acquired a single genuine item. Worse, they’d asked Master Qian to appraise them in front of everyone, making their embarrassment complete.

“Tsk, tsk, no wonder they say Mr. Zhou is wealthy! He just dropped five million yuan without batting an eye. Impressive!”

“In the antiques world, knowledge and discernment matter more than wealth,” the crowd whispered among themselves.

“Zhou, you might be good at coal mining, but highbrow pursuits like art collecting aren’t for you!” Yue Ming, unafraid to offend, didn’t bother to lower his voice.

For years, Yue Ming had been overshadowed by Mr. Zhou. Now that Mr. Zhou had ventured into his field and lost face, Yue Ming relished the chance to needle him.

“Yue Ming, enough with the sarcasm. Your eye for antiques may not be any better than ours. If you’re so confident, why not buy a few items and have Master Qian appraise them?” Wu Qian retorted.

Unfazed by Wu Qian’s challenge, Yue Ming, who had been immersed in the antiques business for years and fancied himself quite capable, seized the opportunity. “Fine, I’ll pick out a few antiques myself and have Master Qian take a look!” he declared.

The crowd immediately understood that the two were about to compete, taking advantage of the occasion to see whose judgment was better. Nobody was happier than Manager Wang—his earlier vexation over Zhang Wei buying the gold-inlaid jade Guanyin had long since evaporated.