New Times, New Hell

Chapter 90 - Real or Fake Famous Painting

As soon as Shang Que said this, the crowd went into an uproar.

Everyone turned to look at Shang Que, shocked. Yu Zhengdu scanned their surroundings and discovered that everyone’s shock could be largely separated into two categories: one was truly astounded and shocked. The other was shocked in a way that read “wow, you really dare to bluff.”

Old Mr. Wang, Shen Wenrong, Gou Shiwang, and Liu Ao belonged to the latter category.

Gou Shiwang burst into laughter on the spot out of anger.

Antique painting and calligraphy identification was something that only a very small number of people understood. The majority of people only blindly listened to experts’ statements. Regardless of if the item was authentic or not, as long as a slightly influential person listed a few suspicions they had, this would naturally cause doubts among a portion of the population.

Gou Shiwang had originally been worried that Shang Que would be capable of truly sharing some credible opinions. Though he wasn’t necessarily scared, a great amount of time and energy would still be needed to eventually refute the other’s claims.

He had never expected, in his wildest dreams, for Shang Que to be so careless and straight to the point. Or, it could be said that the other was outrageously bold. He even dared to spout such a huge lie.

Right now, Gou Shiwang wasn’t agitated in the slightest anymore. He was even slightly inclined to slowly tease Shang Que. This way, he could create a more interesting headline for their press conference. He gazed at Shang Que and asked with a smile, “You say that the real《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》is in your possession?”

Shang Que side-eyed him nonchalantly. He only hummed in acknowledgement from the back of his throat.

Now, even Old Mr. Wang Gezhi, who was on Gou Shiwang’s opposing side, couldn’t keep his back straight. He sighed and said, “Mr. Shang, you can’t say things like that out of the blue. Gou Shiwang is a bastard, but to be perfectly honest, the Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》is truly authentic.”

Here, he couldn’t help sighing again. It was exactly because the Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》was authentic that he felt so much pain and regret upon hearing about Gou Shiwang’s plans. However, regret was one matter; the old man’s professional integrity was a different matter. Regardless of how much he hated Gou Shiwang, he couldn’t possibly lie through his teeth and slander the Gou family.

“Did you hear what the old man just said?” Gou Shiwang looked at Shang Que, expression pleased.

“What did he say?” Shang Que furrowed his brows. “That you’re a bastard?”

Gou Shiwang almost choked to death. A while later, he finally angrily ground his teeth together and continued to say, “I fear that you don’t know the truth.《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》has been passed down in the Gou family for hundreds of years. Everyone in the Song history research circles and antique collection circles knows this. Before you start bluffing, at least do some homework, okay?”

Yu Zhengdu was also curiously gazing at Shang Que from off to the side. Given his understanding of Shang Que, the other absolutely wouldn’t lie about this kind of thing. However, regardless of Old Mr. Wang Gezhi’s reaction or the reactions of all the other collectors present, it seemed that the《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》belonging to the Gou family was truly an authentic piece.

What was actually going on?

He couldn’t help asking, “The real one is really in your possession?”

Shang Que made a sound of acknowledgment.

Liu Ao took this opportunity to step forward. With an insincere smile, he stared at Shang Que. “Since you say that the real《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》is in your possession, why not take it out now so everyone can authenticate and appreciate it? Coincidentally, there are many experts here today. They’ll definitely be able to expose the truth to everyone.”

Shang Que stood in place, silent.

Yu Zhengdu lowered his voice and asked him, “You……don’t want to take it out?”

He knew that Shang Que had a qiankun spell in his sleeve. In it, there were many of Shang Que’s personal items. When Shang Que had visited his house previously, he had brought over that set of rabbit fur black glaze tea cups in this manner. As such, Yu Zhengdu didn’t suspect at all that Shang Que was capable of carrying a painting around on his person.

“That’s not it.” Shang Que paused for a moment and whispered in response, “I just feel like pulling a painting out from my sleeve in public isn’t very elegant.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……”

Was this a problem of elegance or inelegance?《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》wasn’t a small painting. If Shang Que really pulled it out from his sleeve, everyone present probably wouldn’t be trying to authenticate the painting anymore. Instead, they’d probably be trying to authenticate Shang Que’s sleeve.

Upon noticing that Shang Que still wasn’t reacting, some people started getting impatient. Shu Yujing had conversed with Shang Que beforehand. Thus, she helped mediate the situation. “CEO hasn’t brought it along, right?”

This was believable too. After all, nobody carried a painting around with them for no reason when they headed out.

But Liu Ao refused to give Shang Que the opportunity to evade responsibility. He instantly scoffed and said, “What an excellent plan. Bluffing without proof and saying that you own the authentic painting. Then, saying that you didn’t bring it here today to avoid taking responsibility. You get to play good cop and bad cop. However, that’s not how we do things around here……”

Yu Zhengdu interrupted, “He brought it.”

Liu Ao didn’t manage to finish his sentence. He almost choked to death. It took a long time before he could react. He scoffed. “Since he’s brought it, why not take it out?”

By now, it was impossible to not take the painting out for a closer examination. Though Yu Zhengdu was still hesitant in his heart, he had absolute faith in Shang Que. He gazed at Shang Que. “Boss, I trust you.”

Shang Que suddenly turned around and headed towards the back. Yu Zhengdu stayed in place, politely smiling and acting as a representative. “Please wait a moment. Our Boss is retrieving it.”

Liu Ao scoffed. “Mr. Shang is truly so prepared. He even stored the item in advance, I guess?”

Yu Zhengdu’s expression didn’t change. “Yep.”

Shen Wenrong and Wang Gezhi made eye contact off to the side. The old mister only felt like his heart was getting squeezed. “Wenrong ah, this Mr. Shang that you’ve invited isn’t a scammer, right……”

At this time, Shen Wenrong had already spiraled into deep confusion. He had only interacted with Shang Que online in the past. He had no clue that Shang Que was so strange in person.

While they were still conversing, Shang Que had already returned. He was casually carrying a slightly yellowed scroll painting in his hand. “Go ahead and authenticate it.”

He had taken this scroll painting out too carelessly. There also weren’t any protective measures in place. In comparison to the Gou family’s&#k300J;Trip to Songfeng Pavilion&#k300K;that was carefully encased in reinforced glass, there was a world of difference.

It didn’t look as impressive as a national treasure painting should look at all.

Everyone present instantly fell into a deathly silence. Their expressions all seemed to be saying “you’re kidding me.”

Especially Gou Shiwang, who started guffawing. “You’re telling me this is the real《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》?”

At least pretend like you’re handling a treasure?

Shang Que was too lazy to bother with him. There was a flat glass display counter next to him. He offhandedly placed the scroll painting on it. After gently flicking his wrist, the scroll started rolling; the slightly yellowed art piece unfurled, revealing a historical painting.

This painting was covered in boundless strokes, making it appear extremely carefree. The calligraphy was bold and majestic, as if it had been inscribed with a sharp blade.

It was exactly Qu Lanzhi’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》.

Those who had initially been planning on mocking Shang Que all inhaled sharply.

The feeling this painting gave off was too astonishing. Even the reporters, who didn’t understand painting or calligraphy at all, could feel the artist’s energy exuding from the painting.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at this painting. Then, they turned their gazes onstage to look at the《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》owned by the Gou family. At first glance, these two paintings were practically identical. It was difficult for one to tell which was real and which was fake within a short amount of time.

Gou Shiwang’s expression changed as well, but he very quickly reacted. He revealed a generous smile and said, “Your painting has been falsified quite well.”

Off to the side, Wang Gezhi’s expression had changed too. With Shen Wenrong’s help, he walked over and exclaimed, “I’ve never seen such an expertly falsified《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》.”

《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》had always been privately owned by the Gou family. This was something that true antique collectors knew. As such, there wasn’t anyone who wanted to imitate this painting. Additionally, this painting was very rarely brought out in public. There weren’t too many people who had ever seen the real deal, meaning that nobody could realistically imitate it even if they wanted to. The versions available on the market were all very blurry photos.

This was also why everyone present had been so shocked when Shang Que had unrolled the scroll.

Aside from the media, those in attendance were either experts or wealthy professional collectors. Everyone knew that《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》shouldn’t have such a high quality counterfeit.

Shang Que was completely unbothered by Gou Shiwang’s words. He only stood off to the side and calmly said, “Go ahead and authenticate.”

“Do we still need to authenticate this?” Gou Shiwang burst into laughter. He pointed at Shang Que’s painting and said, “So what if your painting is almost a perfect replica? Can’t you tell that your painting is missing the most important part?”

Everyone carefully observed the painting after hearing what he had said. They also realized that there was a big problem with this painting.

The Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》had been treated as an authentic antique by collectors for several hundred years. One of the most important reasons was that this painting was covered in several collectors’ seals. Aside from a collector’s seal from a renowned Ming Dynasty collector, there was also a private seal belonging to an emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the painting that Shang Que had brought out was too clean. Aside from Qu Lanzhi’s painting, poem, and personal seal, there was nothing else.

Thus, a collector said, “Truly. The painting Mr. Shang has taken out has no private collectors’ seals. This isn’t really in accordance with the characteristics of a historical painting that has survived for over a thousand years……”

Another person said, “The Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》truly has been passed down through the generations. The seals are the best pieces of evidence for this. Though Mr. Shang’s painting was expertly falsified, it’s missing evidence in this regard. That’s illogical……”

Gou Shiwang revealed a pleased expression. “Does Mr. Shang not know how to make fake stamps?”

At this time, Old Mr. Wang suddenly cried out in disbelief. “Wait a moment. Mr. Shang’s painting seems to be authentic……”

Wang Gezhi’s words achieved the effect of a bomb. They instantly attracted everyone’s attention. Someone yelped in surprise, “That can’t be possible! Isn’t the authentic painting in the Gou family’s possession?”

“The Gou family’s painting truly is authentic.” Wang Gezhi seemed to be slightly bewildered too. “B-but Mr. Shang’s painting also looks to be authentic.”

His words caused everyone present to become confused. “Isn’t that impossible? How could there be two authentic pieces?”

Gou Shiwang and Liu Ao’s expressions simultaneously changed. Gou Shiwang especially became very agitated. He pushed through the crowd and walked over. “Shishu, even if you have a bad opinion of me, you shouldn’t lie about this kind of stuff, right?”

“When have I ever told half a lie regarding this topic?” Wang Gezhi pushed him away. His attention had long since shifted away from Gou Shiwang. He told Shen Wenrong, “Wenrong, bring me my tools. I’m going to perform a live authentication.”

Liu Ao noticed that the scene was spiraling out of control. He knew that there was no other solution right now other than allowing a live authentication. Meng Hua had carefully planned today’s press conference. Mishaps were absolutely not allowed to happen.

Fortunately, the Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》really was authentic.

Upon reaching this thought, he held Gou Shiwang at bay and generously smiled at the media. “I hadn’t expected to be able to encounter such a situation today. Then, let’s perform a live authentication for everyone right now. This way, everyone will be able to witness the prowess of our Meng Hua Auction House as well.”

After hearing the other’s speech, Gou Shiwang composed himself too. As expected from Liu Ao, someone who had many resources. He really did have a solution for everything. In only the blink of an eye, he had already changed this danger into an opportunity for showing off.

Thus, he smiled too. “Exactly. Many experts are here today. This is the perfect opportunity to show everyone what a real antique is.”

Because of Old Mr. Wang Gezhi’s words, all the experts on site had started buzzing with excitement. By following the instructions of the event organizer, they started their work in an orderly manner.

The media were very excited too. They had originally thought that this was only going to be a boring symposium. Unexpectedly, such a dramatic incident had occurred. Regardless of the results of authentication, the simple rise and fall of this plot was eye catching enough.

This time, Meng Hua had truly placed serious investments into this event. The experts they had invited were all extremely famous authority figures in the industry. A crowd of people surrounded the painting Shang Que had brought out. All sorts of authentication tools got used. The scene could be compared to a study in a rocket science lab.

The authentication process was slow and careful. The media, like the other guests, were waiting off to the side. Liu Ao was a detail-oriented host. He didn’t forget to order the staff to diligently care for everyone.

Everyone observed them, but Liu Ao and Gou Shiwang truly seemed calm. After brief thought, though, this made sense. The Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》was incredibly famous. It absolutely couldn’t be a counterfeit. It could only be said that the painting Shang Que had brought out was overly realistic. Old Mr. Wang was also a very serious person when it came to his profession. This was the only reason he was actually performing an authentication.

However, there were several experts present. It was impossible for all of them to be wrong. The results of this authentication weren’t that much of a mystery.

Time ticked by slowly. After an unknown amount of time, the team of experts huddled together and shared a quiet conversation. Finally, someone got elected to be their representative. He walked out and said, “The results of the authentication have appeared.”

Gou Shiwang was unbothered. With a smile, he said, “Please be straightforward.”

Though Yu Zhengdu believed Shang Que, at this moment, he still couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. His heart was in his throat. The next moment, someone had already held onto his wrist. Yu Zhengdu’s heart calmed down. He subconsciously started smiling.

That expert’s expression was solemn. “After careful examination and discussion, we unanimously agree that Mr. Shang Que’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》is authentic.”

Everyone became stunned.

Gou Shiwang shouted, “What did you say?”

Liu Ao couldn’t retain his composure either. Expression dark, he asked, “How is that possible? The authentic one is the one belonging to the Gou family!”

The expert glanced at the two of them. Though their team of experts had been invited by Meng Hua, they weren’t under Meng Hua’s control. They had their own professionalism and adherences. Because of this, he ignored Gou Shiwang and Liu Ao’s questions and instead patiently relayed their process of authentication in detail.

Authentication for antique paintings required a lot of knowledge. The authenticators needed to know the artist’s names and titles, place of birth, and birth and death dates. They also needed to be thoroughly educated in history. Additionally, knowledge about materials, mounting technique, etc. could be used for authentication.

The team of experts had been exceptionally careful during this authentication. They had practically considered all possible factors. However, the final result still caused them extreme astonishment.

The《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》that Shang Que had taken out really and truly used paper from the Song Dynasty. All other details showed no signs of falsification either. After eliminating the possibility of counterfeiting, there was only one conclusion left.

This painting was the real deal.

The media present didn’t understand antique identification. However, they could understand what the expert was saying. The expert didn’t speak too quickly. Point by point, in extreme detail, he relayed their findings. With each new sentence he spoke, Gou Shiwang and Liu Ao’s expressions became darker.

“……The aforementioned was the process of our authentication. From the results, Mr. Shang Que’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》truly is authentic,” the expert explained.

“A load of bullshit,” Gou Shiwang said while pointing at the expert. “If his is authentic, does that mean the Gou family’s is counterfeit?”

Wang Gezhi stepped forward. “The《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》in the Gou family’s possession is real. I authenticated it in the past too.”

Gou Shiwang scoffed. “Shishu, could it be that you’re trying to say that there are two copies of《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》in this world?”

“Right now, we’re also unclear about what’s going on. The only thing we can do at this time is to put the two paintings together and do another comparative authentication,” Wang Gezhi said.

At this point, Gou Shiwang had no other options.

Thus, with the media witnessing everything, the two《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》paintings got placed together.

When they had been separate, there had been no noticeable difference. But when placed together, everyone finally realized that though the two paintings were very similar, there were also some slight variances between them. It was unsure if this was an illusion, but the painting in the Gou family’s possession just seemed to be slightly less impressive in terms of the overall feeling given off.

“Uh, these two characters are different.” Yu Zhengdu had keen eyes. He instantly discovered the main difference between the two paintings. Aside from the fact that the Gou family’s painting contained a few extra seals, there was a slight difference between the inscriptions on the two paintings as well.

As soon as he said this, everyone else noticed too. Aside from containing a painting,《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》also contained a poem inscribed by Qu Lanzhi himself. Juxtaposed, it was instantly noticeable that the painting belonging to the Gou family contained a “tuan” whereas the character used in Shang Que’s painting was a “wan”. Additionally, the Gou family’s “tuan” character also bore signs that it had been altered before.

This discovery garnered everybody’s immediate interest. They read through both poems separately.

Wang Gezhi started pondering. “Speaking of, in the early years, Shixiong and I had a discussion about this ‘tuan’ character too. The original poem really did use the ‘wan’ character instead.”

Shu Yujing asked, “As such, this means that the “wan” character used in Mr. Shang Que’s painting is the correct one. So his painting is the real one?”

“That’s not how we draw conclusions,” Wang Gezhi said.

“Haha, see, you guys don’t know, right?” Gou Shiwang had been born in a family of antique collectors. He naturally understood antique identification too. He instantly chuckled, pleased. “This just so happens to prove that the painting in the Gou family’s possession is the real one.”

Shu Yujing didn’t understand. “Why’s that?”

“As everyone knows,《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》was one of Qu Lanzhi’s earlier works. At the time, his calligraphy skills had not yet stabilized. Occasionally, he would make errors in his writings. Additionally, this painting originally had a description. The poem written on the painting had been done while Qu Lanzhi had been testing his chicken feather brush. This ‘tuan’ character shows signs of being altered because the wrong character had probably been written at first. Thus, he could only try to make the best of his mistake. If this were an imitation piece, they definitely wouldn’t have left such an obvious flaw. The ‘wan’ character on Mr. Shang’s painting, though, is perfect. Isn’t the fact that they changed the wrong character to the right one in this painting the evidence needed to prove that it was created after the original?”

As soon as Gou Shiwang said this, everyone was struck with realization. They turned their gazes onto the team of experts. Wang Gezhi nodded. “Sometimes, counterfeits truly do seem to be more flawless than the real piece……”

“That isn’t a wrong character,” Shang Que suddenly interrupted.

Wang Gezhi paused. He looked towards Shang Que. “Mr. Shang, what did you say?”

Shang Que stared at the “tuan” character on the Gou family’s painting and calmly explained, “The ‘wan’ character sounds similar to the ‘huan’ in Zhao Huan, Emperor Qinzong’s personal name. After the start of the Southern Song Dynasty, the common people mostly avoided using it, often using other characters to replace ‘wan.’”

As soon as Shang Que said this, everyone present fell into a daze.

Yu Zhengdu had an instinct. He pulled out his phone and looked up Qu Lanzhi’s birth and death dates. He announced, “Qu Lanzhi passed away in the year 1115. This was 11 years prior to Song Qinzong’s Jingkang Era, which started in 1126. It would’ve been impossible for him to start avoiding Qinzong’s name in advance.”

This painting belonging to the Gou family could truly be proven to have dated from the Song Dynasty, whether it be from material, mounting, stamping, etc. As such, nobody had ever suspected that there was something wrong with the time period. Because the “tuan” character on the painting bore signs of being altered, in addition to the fact that Qu Lanzhi’s calligraphy skills truly hadn’t been stable in the early stages, everyone had always thought that he had just written the wrong thing.

Plus, there were only a handful of people who could lay eyes on this painting. Those qualified to authenticate it were even more rare. Moreover, a second《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》had never appeared in public. As such, for several hundred years, this painting belonging to the Gou family had been believed to be authentic.

But right now, another《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》had appeared. Shang Que’s words had also created a new possible theory.

If the “tuan” character on the Gou family’s painting wasn’t a wrong character and was instead an attempt at avoiding the emperor’s name, then everything could be explained. The character bore signs of being changed. If the wrong character had been written, then the right character should’ve replaced it after scratching out the wrong word. However, the character on the painting was still wrong. Then, it was very likely that this wasn’t because they had changed a wrong word. Instead, they had altered the originally correct “wan” character into something else.

The fact that they avoided Emperor Qinzong’s name meant that this was definitely a piece created during the Southern Song. This was also why the painting in the Gou family’s possession didn’t appear problematic at all in regards to materials, mounting, etc. This was because the painting truly was from the Southern Song. However, it simply hadn’t been painted by Qu Lanzhi.

There was a history scholar present who specialized in researching historical taboos. After brief consideration, he agreed with Shang Que’s explanation. “You’re right. During Emperor Qinzong’s rule, many public writings truly avoided using the ‘wan’ character. Among all the other characters, ‘tuan’ was used most often to replace it.”

The scholar’s confirmation basically sentenced Gou Shiwang to death. Gou Shiwang started shouting, “Impossible! This is impossible! This is only a guess you guys have.”

But by now, his struggle was already meaningless.

The authenticity of the two paintings was hard to determine. Under the circumstances where many different methods couldn’t provide a definitive answer, it was naturally the painting that was more logical that seemed more compelling.

Shang Que’s reasoning was undoubtedly more convincing.

Additionally, when these two paintings got placed next to each other, Shang Que’s painting obviously had more spirit. Even without the problem with the character, the Gou family’s painting probably wouldn’t be able to completely impress everyone anyways.

“Truly unexpected ah. Unexpected,” Wang Gezhi muttered. Everything had progressed in a manner completely surpassing his wildest expectations.

Liu Ao hadn’t expected for things to go down this path. Though these were only guesses that couldn’t be absolutely confirmed, given such a situation, the Gou family’s《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》obviously could no longer become Meng Hua’s “representative piece.”

He had come here while bearing the burden of many resources. No matter what, he couldn’t allow this plan to fail in his hands. In only a brief moment, he had already come up with a new idea. He instantly whispered something to his old friend, the wealthiest businessman in the capital, Zhan Wei. He wanted Zhan Wei to help him test Shang Que’s attitude.

Zhan Wei had secret collaborations with Meng Hua. This time, he had come with the intention of helping Meng Hua. He instantly agreed to this request and walked forward to greet Shang Que. He cheerily said, “I never thought that Mr. Shang would own a《Trip to Songfeng Pavilion》too. Though there’s still an ongoing debate between your version and the Gou family’s version, I’m not the type to be so restrained. I wonder if Mr. Shang is interested in selling? If you’re willing to part with your treasure, I can give you this amount.”

He held up one finger. One hundred million. This was the original starting price that Meng Hua had placed on the Gou family’s painting. Given that the debate between the two paintings still hadn’t ended, this asking price could be considered extremely sincere.

Shang Que glanced at his finger. Apathetically, he stated, “Not selling.”

Zhan Wei was in slight disbelief. According to the information they had gathered previously, Shang Que was merely an Internet celebrity. He also only owned a small company. It was impossible that he wouldn’t feel tempted by this price.

He thought that Shang Que didn’t understand what he meant. He couldn’t help reminding, “Mr. Shang, I’m offering a hundred million.”

Before Shang Que could react, though, Yu Zhengdu had already gasped in shock. He held onto Shang Que’s arm, a dreamlike expression on his face. “Boss, that’s a hundred million! One hundred million!!”

He was actually only lamenting about the price in jest. This was the first time in his life he was hearing about a real amount of one hundred million. He couldn’t help reverting to his identity of an ordinary commoner.

“You want it?” However, Shang Que thought he was being serious. He looked at Yu Zhengdu, rolled up the painting, and stuffed it into the other’s arms. “Then I’ll give it to you. You can sell it.”

Zhan Wei: !!! Holy shit!

Yu Zhengdu: !!! Boss’s actions? He’s trying to pursue me, right?!

The author has something to say:

Xiaokui: Lighting up the domineering boss skill!

Zhengdu: ……My rich-ass Boss!