Xiao Ran carefully opened the double-layer partition, took out the items sandwiched between the partitions, and gently placed them on the table next to him.
This thing is sandwiched between two layers of rice paper. It is obviously a work of calligraphy and painting.
But whose calligraphy and painting works and how much they are worth are currently unknown.
After placing this treasure on the table, Xiao Ran did not rush to open it, but found a pair of brand new white gloves and put them on his hands.
After he was ready, he gently pinched the lower left corner of the top layer of rice paper and carefully peeled it off bit by bit.
Fortunately, the rice paper was not stuck to the calligraphy and painting works below, and the process of uncovering it was quite smooth.
In a moment, the top layer of rice paper was completely uncovered.
What appeared in front of everyone's eyes was an apricot-yellow, ancient freehand painting of flowers and birds in splashed ink.
This splash-ink freehand painting of flowers and birds is small in size, only about 50 by 40, but it is very exquisite.
In the painting are two lotus flowers in full bloom, and on the water surface under the lotus leaves, there is also a pair of mandarin ducks playing, which is vivid and lifelike.
In the upper right corner of the painting, there are several cursive scripts with flying dragons and phoenixes, and a red seal.
The seal on the square seal is very clear, it is the four characters "Ivy Taoist Priest".
In addition, there are several red seals in the blank spaces of the painting, which are the seals of famous artists.
Among them is a Shiquan old man's seal of Emperor Qianlong, which is the largest and most eye-catching.
The moment he saw this freehand painting of flowers and birds with splashes of ink, a look of joy immediately appeared on Xiao Ran's face.
Just when he was about to take a good look at this treasure, Caroline next to him suddenly asked curiously:
"Sean, looking at your expression, this painting is obviously a top-notch work of art, otherwise you wouldn't be so happy."
"This painting looks very artistic, but we don't understand this kind of Chinese freehand painting very well. Let me introduce it to you."
"Which ancient Chinese artist is this painting? What's the story behind it, and how much is this painting worth?"
Following her words, everyone looked at Xiao Ran.
Xiao Ran glanced at them and then started to introduce them with a smile.
"This is a traditional Chinese splash-ink freehand painting of flowers and birds, written by Xu Wei, a master of Chinese Ming Dynasty painting art."
"The seal on the painting, Old Man Qingteng, is Xu Wei's nickname, which is also the best proof of the provenance of this painting."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the red seal of the old man with green vines.
Following the direction of his finger, everyone looked towards the seal.
But except Fang Yufei, no one else could understand.
After a pause, Xiao Ran continued to introduce:
"Xu Wei is the originator of Chinese splash-ink freehand flower-and-bird painting. He has a high status in the history of Chinese art, which shows how precious this painting is."
"This freehand painting of flowers and birds with splashes of ink is called "Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water". It is a very favorite theme among Chinese people and symbolizes romantic love."
"The pair of mandarin ducks playing on the water in the painting, one male and one female, will never be separated. What they refer to is loyal love."
Before the words fell, Elaine and the others were already amazed.
"Wow! This is so romantic. I love this painting. It's so beautiful!"
"I know about mandarin ducks. In Chinese culture, this beautiful water bird is indeed a symbol of love."
Xiao Ran nodded, and then continued:
"This is an ancient painting that has been passed down in an orderly manner. It was kept in the Forbidden City until the 1920s. It was once the favorite of Emperor Qianlong."
"Everyone, look at this red seal. This is the famous Shiquan old man's seal. It was obviously stamped by Qianlong himself."
"In the famous "Shiqu Baoji", the relevant information of this painting is clearly recorded, indicating the origin of this painting."
"This painting was smuggled out of the Forbidden City in the early 1920s, and then disappeared, never to be seen again."
"But who would have thought that this painting would have fallen into the hands of Lu Qinzhai, and he would have hidden it in this piece of antique furniture, and now I have discovered it again."
"Of course there is a possibility that Lu Qinzhai may not know that this valuable painting is actually hidden in this mahogany cabinet."
"He took this piece of antique furniture, but did not sell it. Instead, he kept it in the red building. As a result, decades later, he benefited me in vain."
"Hahaha"
Everyone chuckled and were envious.
Xiao Ran's incredible good luck once again refreshed everyone's understanding.
After the laughter subsided, Xiao Ran finally revealed the value of this freehand splash-ink painting of flowers and birds.
"Given that this painting is from the hand of the art master Xu Wei and is the favorite of Emperor Qianlong"
"And it is clearly recorded in the "Shiqu Baoji". It is a top-notch work of art that has been inherited in an orderly manner."
"Based on the current market conditions, the value of this splash-ink freehand painting should be around US$15 million."
Not surprisingly, this valuation shocked everyone present.
"Wow! Worth $15 million, that's amazing"
"Just a few strokes, the value is so amazing, it's incredible."
Xiao Ran smiled softly, and then looked at this freehand painting of flowers and birds in splash ink, admiring it intently.
Seeing this scene, Elaine and the others also came forward to admire the painting together.
After five or six minutes, Xiao Ran finished admiring it.
Then he carefully rolled up the splash-ink freehand painting of flowers and birds and put it into a portable safe that had just been brought upstairs.
As for re-framing the painting, we can only do it after returning the painting to China.
Next, Xiao Ran checked other parts of the mahogany cabinet.
After making sure that there were no other secrets inside or outside the cabinet, he assembled the double-layered partition and put it back together.
In the blink of an eye, it was already around five o'clock in the afternoon.
Xiao Ran and the others left Pierre's house and came to a luxurious apartment on the top floor.
The family that originally lived in this apartment had already moved out.
They bought a villa near the Fontainebleau forest and moved to the suburbs.
When they moved, they removed most of the furniture from the luxury apartment.
This makes the apartment a little messy.
After entering the apartment, Xiao Ran glanced at the environment in the apartment, and then said to Elaine:
"Dear, you guys take a look around first, I'll go to the study and make some phone calls."
"Okay, honey, you go ahead."
Elaine nodded in response, no doubt that he was there.
Later, Xiao Ran walked into the study alone and went to make a phone call.
After entering the study, he immediately locked the door and quickly took a look inside and outside the apartment.
Even the Luxembourg Gardens outside the window, the French Senate in the distance, the street in front of the building, several buildings across the street, the sky above the apartment buildings, etc.
Every visitor in the Luxembourg Gardens, every passerby and media reporter on the street outside, every car parked around, etc.
He looked through all of this quickly and missed nothing.
After making sure that no one was listening and that the surrounding environment was safe, he took out the special mobile phone given by Ma Ming and started editing articles on the mobile phone with his fingers flying!
The reason why he chose to risk contacting Ma Ming here was because no one was watching him and there were no agents monitoring him!
And over at the hotel, there are now agents monitoring and listening downstairs 24 hours a day, and they won't relax for a moment!
And there are several waves of agents guarding the downstairs of the hotel, including French agents, CIA agents, and agents from the United Kingdom, Italy and other countries.
Even the Israeli Mossad came to join in the fun, ready to fish in troubled waters.
Seeing through the situation, Xiao Ran dared to use this special mobile phone in the hotel.
In comparison, sending messages in this newly purchased apartment building is undoubtedly safer.
The information he sent was naturally based on what he had seen before. The CIA and the intelligence agencies of other Western countries had launched a series of conspiracies in Eastern Europe.
While editing the article, Xiao Ran would also take a look at the French Senate on the other side of the Luxembourg Garden from time to time.
The target of his insight was the top-secret materials locked in the safe of the Office of Strategic Intelligence.
In that safe, there are other top-secret intelligence materials, each of which is of astonishing value.
In about ten minutes, Xiao Ran had written an intelligence summary of several hundred words.
Then click send to send this top secret information.
As soon as this information was sent, the manuscript disappeared without a trace from this specially made mobile phone.
After confirming this, Xiao Ran put away his mobile phone and walked out of the study room.
Xu Wei's "Chrysanthemum and Bamboo Picture"
