Chapter 1

"Damn! All my hard work over the past five years has been for nothing!"

Chen Chen's face was ashen, and a wave of frustration instantly washed over him. Five years ago, at the age of sixteen, Chen Chen, with only 2,000 yuan, came to the capital to make a living. Relying on his knowledge, sharp and eager-to-learn mind, and cautious personality, he gradually learned from experienced antique dealers and seniors, transforming from a naive mountain village boy into a small antique dealer with a keen eye at Panjiayuan.

The effort and sweat he invested during this period were truly indescribable to outsiders. The antique business is fraught with risks, and there are many "landmines." During this time, Chen Chen suffered many losses and made many mistakes, but this was normal. How could one grow in this industry without making mistakes?

Fortunately, Chen Chen was cautious and not greedy, so his losses were relatively minor. During this period, his discernment improved, and his luck was also good, allowing him to make several significant finds. Over the five years, after covering his living expenses, he had saved 400,000 yuan in the bank.

However, this 400,000 yuan, earned through hard work and sweat, was instantly reduced to nothing due to his recent mistake!

It was now 2001, and the housing prices in Chaoyang District of the capital were just over 4,000 yuan per square meter. Chen Chen had originally planned to use this money to buy a two-bedroom apartment near Panjiayuan. After all, doing antique business, living in a rented place was always inconvenient.

Moreover, after five years in the capital, he had developed a certain affection for the city. As a single man, settling down in the capital and living a life with a wife and children was his most urgent desire. Now, with this mistake, it was uncertain when he could achieve this dream by selling antiques at the market.

The experience that led to this mistake was not complicated. In April 2000, a pair of rare Tang Sancai horses from a Hong Kong tycoon's collection was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York for over 1.5 million US dollars by a Jewish businessman.

This news caught Chen Chen's attention, leading him to become interested and obsessed with Tang Sancai.

Tang Sancai is a type of pottery that was popular during the Tang Dynasty. It is a general term for low-temperature colored glaze pottery. On the same piece, yellow, green, white, or yellow, green, blue, brown, and black glazes are used together, creating a vibrant and colorful artistic effect. Generally, three colors are used, and later, people began to call this type of pottery "Tang Sancai."

Tang Sancai is vivid and lifelike, with bright colors and a sense of life. Together with the colorful silk, magnificent murals, and lustrous gold and silverware, it forms a grand picture of Tang Dynasty culture.

Tang Sancai not only achieved high artistic standards but also made significant contributions to ceramic technology. Its colorful decoration broke the monopoly of monochrome glazes, evolving from monochrome to tricolor, laying the foundation for the birth of polychrome porcelain in later generations.

After the Song Dynasty, various low-temperature colored glazes and overglaze polychrome porcelains were mostly developed based on Tang Sancai.

Due to its high artistic level and unique status, and because it was exported overseas from the beginning, Tang Sancai has been deeply loved by foreigners. Since its rediscovery in the early 20th century, it has received significant attention, especially in the past twenty years, with the opening of domestic and international markets, more and more people have become interested in collecting Tang Sancai.

Tang Sancai was used as burial objects, and because of its brittle body and poor waterproofing, it is difficult to preserve. However, foreigners' love for Tang Sancai has made it a high-priced item at auctions.

For example, on December 12, 1989, a Tang Sancai black horse was auctioned at Sotheby's in London for 3.74 million pounds. Auction prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars are common, greatly stimulating collectors' enthusiasm.

Since becoming interested in Tang Sancai, Chen Chen has been obsessed with the idea of obtaining a fine piece, not only for its beauty but also for its significant economic value.

Marx once said, "If there is a 20% profit, capital will be active; if there is a 50% profit, capital will take risks; if there is a 100% profit, capital will dare to risk the gallows; if there is a 300% profit, capital will dare to trample all human laws."

Since the 1990s, with the success of reform and opening up, people's living standards have improved, and the entertainment and cultural industries have flourished. As the saying goes, "In troubled times, gold is valued; in peaceful times, antiques are treasured." The number of people entering the antique business has increased exponentially.

Consequently, some unscrupulous individuals have targeted this field, and there are all kinds of counterfeiters. Since Tang Sancai is valuable, it has not escaped their greedy hands.

Tang Sancai is made from low-temperature ceramics, and its production process is not complex. The raw materials are readily available, and the glaze formulas are public. Many skilled forgers, some of whom are experts in Tang Sancai research, have emerged.

Some high-quality forgeries are 99% indistinguishable from the real thing, with only 1% of special features that cannot be replicated due to natural formation over centuries.

Even experienced experts may not be able to identify these 1% of special features.

Fortunately, Chen Chen has always been cautious, and his five years of experience as a vendor have been invaluable. Although he has encountered many high-quality forgeries, he has managed to avoid them. Despite this, his dream of owning a fine Tang Sancai has only grown stronger.

Three days ago, an opportunity arose for Chen Chen to buy a fine Tang Sancai camel at a bargain price.

Xiang Lao, a professor of history at the capital's university, has long been passionate about antiques due to his work with historical artifacts. After retirement, he frequently visited the antique street, becoming a regular customer. He would visit the antique street every day unless it was windy or rainy, saying that antiques were his second spring.

Because of his solid knowledge and long-term experience, although Xiang Lao has made mistakes, his collection includes many fine pieces, including a beautiful Tang Sancai camel.

Chen Chen has always operated honestly and never cheated, which is why he has been able to establish himself in Panjiayuan at a young age. Xiang Lao is a regular customer at his stall and has made several good finds there, leading to a close friendship between them, despite the age difference.

Therefore, Chen Chen had the opportunity to see the Tang Sancai camel. It was a two-humped camel, primarily glazed in brown, with green, white, and yellow accents. The camel's head was slightly raised, its front legs were kneeling, and its back legs were standing, with its mouth wide open as if calling out. It had a rich expression, and its humps were adorned with a saddlebag, with silk and a water flask hanging on either side.

The Tang Sancai camel had a natural glaze, fine and uniform crazing, and some lead return, similar to some genuine Tang Sancai pieces, with brown and black impurities penetrating the glaze. Although the back legs were slightly damaged, the overall appearance was that of a fine piece.

Chen Chen was immediately captivated by it. When he first saw it, he could not take his eyes off it, and he asked Xiang Lao if he could sell it to him. However, Xiang Lao refused, explaining the reason.

Xiang Lao had bought the camel for 420,000 yuan from a shop in Xi'an last year, where he had fallen in love with it. However, after bringing it home, he felt it lacked a certain charm. He immediately invited several experts to examine it, and only two were unsure, but these two were the most influential in the antique world: Liu Lao and Qian Lao.

Liu Lao, whose real name is Liu Zhihe, is 82 years old, born into an antique collecting family, with extensive knowledge. He began appraising antiques for the state in the early days of the People's Republic of China and served as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Culture. He has rich experience in antique appraisal and is a respected figure in the antique world.

Qian Lao, whose real name is Qian Zhiyan, is 71 years old, the president of the Beijing Collectors Association, and a long-time worker at the National Museum, serving as an expert advisor to the Palace Museum. He is also highly influential in the antique world.

These two respected figures did not definitively state that the Tang Sancai was a forgery, but they also did not confirm it as genuine. Their reason was that the camel lacked a certain charm, but they could not pinpoint the issue.

Xiang Lao, who usually collects to support his hobby, has a principle: if his collection is not genuine, he would rather destroy it than sell it to others. Since he had doubts about the camel, he refused to sell it to Chen Chen.

Chen Chen was deeply moved by Xiang Lao's integrity. In China, honesty and reliability have always been valued, but in recent years, with the rise of the economy, moral standards have not kept pace, and in some cases, have declined.

For example, with this Tang Sancai, many new collectors would not have the same scruples as Xiang Lao. As long as the profit is satisfactory, they would sell it regardless of its authenticity, which has encouraged counterfeiters.

Chen Chen, however, still believed the Tang Sancai was genuine, as neither Liu Lao nor Qian Lao had pointed out any specific issues. He thought that feelings were subjective and could not be precisely defined.

This was not a lack of respect for the elders but a normal mindset for a young man in his twenties. He believed that his years of experience as a vendor had honed his discernment, and since he had not suffered significant losses, he had become somewhat arrogant.

People sometimes become overly attached to something they like, focusing only on its positive aspects. Chen Chen was like this, constantly thinking about the Tang Sancai camel and dreaming of owning it.

Now, an opportunity arose. Xiang Lao's only son had studied in the UK and settled there, marrying and having children. He had been trying to persuade Xiang Lao to move to the UK, but Xiang Lao had always refused. Recently, his son threatened to sever their relationship if he did not come, leaving Xiang Lao with no choice.

However, as an older generation, Xiang Lao was deeply attached to the country, so he decided to sell his collection in China, with the condition that his antiques could not be sold to foreigners.

Chen Chen was thrilled when he heard this news, thinking that he could finally get the Tang Sancai camel. He persistently asked Xiang Lao, who, after much persuasion, finally agreed to sell the camel to him for 420,000 yuan.

After obtaining the Tang Sancai camel, Chen Chen lost interest in his stall. For over 50 hours, he spent all his time, except for eating and sleeping, admiring the camel. He even used a magnifying glass to examine every detail. However, this examination revealed a significant problem.

Thus, the scene described earlier unfolded. (New book release, please follow and recommend! Thank you all!)