Chen Muwu told the story of the origin of the treasure vividly in order to conceal the true origin of his paintings.
Of course, he did not tell a complete lie, but he mastered the essence of "three parts truth and seven parts false" when telling lies.
It is true that the bastard grandson of the little emperor in the Forbidden City got married, and he indeed spent three hundred yuan to buy three calligraphy and paintings.
As for the rest, it is completely Chen Muwu's wild fabrication in order to confuse the public.
After listening to Chen Muwu's remarks, Ma Heng frowned and said, "Hanchen, I guess that old man didn't tell you the truth. These three paintings and calligraphy cannot be passed down from their family's ancestors. Treasures hidden in the inner palace.
"Look, whether it's the "Five-Colored Parrot" by Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the "Xing Rang Tie" by Wang Youjun, or the "White Picture at Night" by Han Gan, they are all stamped with the Qianlong Dynasty's The seal of the Imperial Household Appraisal.【1】
"This shows that it is impossible for these three calligraphy and paintings to be circulated among the people. What the old man told is all lies, unless his surname is Aisin Gioro!"
Chen Muwu only knew Song Huizong and Wang Xizhi in Ma Heng's words. He was not sure who the third Han Gan was.
But thinking about it, being able to get into Qianlong's eyes shouldn't be a bad thing.
He continued digging: "Perhaps these three paintings and calligraphy are fake?"
"Impossible, these three calligraphy and paintings can never be fake!" Ma Heng answered resolutely, "Whether it is judging from this paper, this ink or this paint, there is no doubt that they are objects from ancient times. After that, you Looking at this line, this sharp edge..."
Chen Muwu was too lazy to listen to a long set of analysis after Ma Heng (mainly because the author couldn't write, and copying and pasting from Baidu Encyclopedia was too low in word count). As long as he could hear the news that the three scrolls were authentic, he would have reached the point. The purpose of this trip.
So on the surface he pretended to be listening to the teachings attentively, but secretly he was thinking in his mind, since the products in the black market in Black Dragon Pond were indeed the genuine ones from the palace, should he do it again? How many times have you fallen in love with him?
Ma Heng chattered selflessly for a long time and finally said with sincere envy: "Hanchen, you are really lucky to have picked up three authentic works of ancients at once. But how did these things flow out of the palace? ?”
Chen Muwu thought to himself, of course I know how they leaked out, but I can't say it yet.
Speaking out will not only do nothing to stop this phenomenon, but may also encourage more greedy people to get involved in this muddy water.
Now he is alone and has no right to speak. He can only do his best, like the little boy on the beach, to pick up a few more stranded fish and throw them back into the sea.
Ma Heng continued to walk around the long table, his eyes full of love.
He completely forgot that there was such a big Chen Muwu standing in the living room of his home. He kept muttering to himself, commenting on the three calligraphy and paintings: "This is the handwriting of Empress Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty!"
"This is Dong Qichang's inscription and postscript!"
"Qianlong, the old dog, wrote too many characters and stamped too many, which ruined the charm of the painting. Alas, what a pity!"
…
After half a stick of incense had passed, Ma Heng realized his gaffe and apologized to Chen Muwu repeatedly: "Han Chen, I'm so sorry. I saw something good, and I was fascinated by it for a while, so I left you in the cold." .”
"Fourth Brother, what are you saying? This is what I am asking for from Fourth Brother, and I can still hear your detailed explanation. I should be the one to thank Fourth Brother! Since everything you said is true, then I also I’m relieved. Fourth brother, if you’re disturbing me a lot today, I’ll take my leave now!”
After saying that, Chen Muwu wanted to clean up the three calligraphy and paintings on the table.
"Han Chen, wait a minute, I have a merciless request."
After hearing this opening statement, Chen Muwu knew what Ma Heng wanted to say.
"The more I look at these paintings and calligraphy, the more I like them. Can you part with one or two of them? I will give you 500 taels for the "Parrot Picture" by Song Huizong, and 800 taels for each of the remaining two paintings. "
Sure enough.
I have to say that Ma Heng was really generous with his offer. The price he gave was in taels, not yuan.
The silver content in a silver dollar is seven cents and two cents, which is 0.72 taels of silver.
The price in two units is nearly 40% higher than in silver dollars.
If Chen Muwu sells these three calligraphy and paintings at Ma Hengkai's price, then he will earn nearly 3,000 yuan, which means that the value will increase tenfold with one sale!
It's a pity that Chen Muwu has no intention of selling these calligraphy and paintings.
On the one hand, he wants to preserve the national treasure, but on the other hand, he doesn't want the value of calligraphy and paintings to rise so fast.
If this transaction price spreads to the ears of those eunuchs, then next Sunday, when Chen Muwu goes to Black Dragon Pond, he will probably pay 100 yuan, not to mention a scroll, and even the wooden stick in the scroll. Can't afford it anymore.
"Fourth brother, I'm really sorry, I don't plan to take action on these calligraphy and paintings yet."
Ma Heng sighed: "Hanchen, it's my fault. Your Chen family is also a wealthy family, so naturally you won't be tempted by a few dollars. It seems that these three calligraphy and paintings have no relationship with me."
"Fourth Brother, I have another unkind request. Since you said that these paintings are authentic works by predecessors and are of great value, then I beg Fourth Brother to keep this secret for me. The book says, 'Every man has no It's a crime, it's a crime to have a jade in your arms. I don't want to get into unnecessary trouble because of these calligraphy and paintings."
The less people know about the secret purchase of national treasures, the better.
"That's natural. Don't worry Han Chen. Only God knows about this matter. You know it and I know it. I will definitely keep it rotten in my stomach."
"Thank you so much, Fourth Brother. I'll take my leave now."
After rejecting Ma Heng's offer to send him back in a car, Chen Muwu put away the three scrolls and walked out of Ma Heng's house. A big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
Since these calligraphy and paintings are all authentic, it shows that the black market in Heilongtan is still credible.
There is still a week until the next black market. How can I make as much money as possible during this period?
A gust of cold wind blew through the alley, and Chen Muwu, who had not seen each other since late at night, suddenly felt a little top-heavy.
Forget it, let's go back to Dongbanqiao first, hide these three calligraphy and paintings, and rest before making other plans.
As we boarded a rickshaw and traveled through the streets, each driver had different familiarity with the distribution of alleys in this area, so the way back was not the same as the way we came.
The driver took Chen Muwu to an alley near Beida University. Because it was close to the school, he had to rely on a mountain to live in. The shops on both sides of the alley basically served the students' clothing, food and housing, and they were full of life.
Chen Muwu, who was in the car, was experiencing such human fireworks, and accidentally saw the door of a bookstore on the roadside. The boy hung an advertisement for "The New Arrival Zhao Huanting's "The Legend of Strange Heroes, Part 2".
*****
[1] Author's note: In fact, these three works are collected in our time and space by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA ("Five-Colored Parrot"), the Princeton University Art Museum ("Xing Rang Tie") and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA. ("White Picture at Night"). The purpose of arranging such a plot and these three works, alas, a sigh.
