Chapter 86

Seeing that no one was willing to bid higher, Dong clearly heaved a sigh of relief, and his tone on the phone was filled with joy.

However, he did not notice that at least two people in the auction hall were still very interested in the golden-threaded jade suit.

When Yang Yijun picked up the gavel and was about to announce the sale, Mu Yi, who had stopped bidding long ago, suddenly said, "1.5 million, I'll take this item."

Hearing the bid of 1.5 million, Dong sighed helplessly, and the voice on the other end of the phone seemed to fall silent.

"Oh? 1.5 million! Boss Mu has bid 1.5 million. Is there anyone willing to bid higher?" Yang Yijun was a bit excited. He had been worried that the item wouldn't sell, but it had quickly risen to 1.5 million, which was absolutely good news for him.

Mu Yi looked quite pleased. Everyone thought his family was in real estate, which was true, but he was also involved in smuggling. If he could sell the golden-threaded jade suit abroad, 1.5 million would be nothing to him, just a drop in the bucket.

The reason he hadn't bid earlier was that he was too lazy to speak. He had simply waited until there was no competition and then made his move.

"2 million!" Just as Mu Yi was feeling smug, a clear voice broke the silence in the hall.

"Liáng Dé?" Zhang Tianyuan was also surprised. The bidder turned out to be Zhao Liangde!

He had initially decided not to bid after seeing Mu Yi get the item, as Mu Yi was a fellow countryman, not a foreigner. Of course, he didn't know that Mu Yi was involved in smuggling antiques. If he had known, he might have competed.

Zhao Liangde's bid not only surprised Zhang Tianyuan but also everyone in the hall.

They all wondered who this young man was, to have such courage.

"Oh, it's Young Master Zhao, no wonder!" Yang Yijun knew Zhao Liangde's identity, so he wasn't surprised. In this world, most things, as long as they had a price, the Zhao family could afford.

"Liáng Dé, what are you doing?" Zhang Tianyuan asked in a low voice.

"Brother Zhang, you don't know. This item has a very close connection to our Zhao family. My father has been looking for it for a long time. I never expected to find it today, so I must get it. Even if it costs 20 million, I have to bid for it," Zhao Liangde explained and then looked at Mu Yi.

Mu Yi had planned to bid higher, but he was sitting not far from Zhao Liangde and had overheard his words. Bidding 20 million was beyond his courage. Transporting the item abroad was already a huge risk, and if he lost 20 million, he would suffer a significant loss.

He wrinkled his nose and finally lowered his right hand, giving up.

"Alright, 2 million, sold to Young Master Zhao! Congratulations, Young Master Zhao! Would you like to settle now or after the auction?" Yang Yijun asked.

"Let's settle now." Zhao Liangde didn't want any unexpected issues, so he went to the back with the item holder to complete the transaction.

Zhang Tianyuan was worried and asked She Lin to go and keep an eye on things. Anything could happen in this place, and he couldn't be too cautious.

After Zhao Liangde and She Lin left, about a dozen more items were auctioned, but with the golden-threaded jade suit and Zhang Tianyuan's copy as highlights, these items were not as noteworthy. Their prices ranged from 50,000 to 1 million, and their ages spanned from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Republic of China and even contemporary times.

Zhang Tianyuan only briefly appreciated these items. He couldn't possibly buy all the good things, partly because he didn't have the money and partly because he had a specific goal today: to bid on the most valuable item. Since the main item hadn't appeared yet, he couldn't act too early, or he might miss out on the relic.

Of course, he couldn't help but be envious. If he were as wealthy as Zhao Shenluo, he would have bought all these items to enjoy. Now, he had no interest in items worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands; he wanted to keep them for himself to appreciate. This was a sign of his progress. In the past, he was purely motivated by profit, but now he was moving towards becoming a collector.

When Zhao Liangde and She Lin returned, 20 items had already been auctioned, and the auction was reaching its climax.

"The next item is something you won't find a second copy of in all of China," Yang Yijun said as he had the item carefully brought up and placed on the display stand.

"Wow, is it that exaggerated? Even a painting by Tang Bohu isn't that rare," Tu Shou said dismissively.

"Who cares about Tang Bohu? His paintings are far inferior to his calligraphy! Do you know what 'rarity is value' means? His calligraphy is exactly that! Even a copy can fetch over 300 million. Isn't that impressive?" Yang Yijun smiled.

"Are you talking about Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy?" Tu Shou asked, frowning.

"Exactly, this is the only surviving true work of Wang Xizhi—the 'Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie'!"

As he spoke, Yang Yijun lifted the red cloth to reveal the treasure.

Xu Gang asked Zhang Tianyuan, "What is the 'Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie'? And are Wang Xizhi's surviving works really that rare?"

Zhang Tianyuan didn't criticize Xu Gang for his lack of knowledge, as not many people knew about this. Non-experts might only know that Wang Xizhi was the Sage of Calligraphy and had read his 'Lanting Xu'.

He thought for a moment and said, "Wang Xizhi's true works no longer exist. The fine copies from the Tang Dynasty have been regarded as true works."

"What nonsense, Yang Yijun is clearly trying to deceive people with a fake!" Xu Gang exclaimed.

Zhang Tianyuan sighed, "Don't jump to conclusions. Let me explain."

"Alright, go on, I'm listening."

"Due to its age and long-standing fame, the dating of this copy has been debated. Some say it's from the Song Dynasty, others suspect it's by Mi Fu, but most agree it's from the Tang Dynasty. It has been recorded extensively and repeatedly included in various collections. Its provenance and authenticity are well-documented since the Yuan Dynasty. Even if it's a fake, it's not entirely so. If it's a Tang copy, it's still extremely valuable. Even if it's a later copy by Mi Fu, it's still a significant treasure. So don't rush to judgment. Yang Yijun might be mistaken, as he doesn't seem particularly knowledgeable about calligraphy and paintings."

"So, Yang Yijun is also an amateur. I'm not the only one who doesn't know about this," Xu Gang laughed.

"I suspect Mu Yi doesn't understand either. People like him are just pretenders. There are many such people here. Even experts have their specialties. They might be good at ceramic appraisal but not necessarily at calligraphy and painting," Zhang Tianyuan explained.

He was trying to reassure Xu Gang, so he wouldn't feel like the only ignorant person. There were many others who were just pretending to know.