Chapter 80

"Isn't it just a fake painting? The Tokyo Fuhua Record — something by Zhang Zeduan, it's not that rare," Hou Zhi said indifferently.

The advisor waved his hand, signaling Hou Zhi not to interrupt. After some thought, he said, "Fatty, have you seen that painting? Is it real or fake?"

Guo Fatty shook his head and said, "No, if it's said to be fake, how could it be real?"

"If the painting is fake, this matter becomes very simple," the advisor suddenly sneered. "The seller is named Tong Yao, which sounds like a fake name. The buyer is Zhang Dashan from the capital, and I had someone check, but there's no such person in the capital, or at least no one who fits the description. So, this Zhang Dashan is also problematic.

Of course, in the antiques trade, to avoid unnecessary trouble, both the buyer and seller often use pseudonyms, which is not uncommon. For example, when we have someone sell something, we wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal all our details.

This is not unusual.

Buyers, fearing trouble or being targeted, also use pseudonyms, which I can understand.

If the painting is fake, then Tong Yao used a high-quality forgery to cheat and take the money, then disappeared. This is very common in the antiques trade, not unusual, and could even be considered ordinary.

In this case, even if Yang Chongxuan's death has other causes, the matter becomes much simpler."

Wu Bai lit a cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled smoke, saying, "I have been in charge of contacting Yang Chongxuan all these years — I know him better than any of you. His eye for calligraphy and paintings is exceptional, and it's not easy to deceive him."

"Right, it's not easy to create a forgery that can fool him, which is why I suspect — the painting is real!" The advisor leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and said, "Moreover, he examined the goods with Zhou Bomin, who is a great master at the pawnshop, not someone who would deceive. It would be very difficult to fool both of them."

"If the painting is real, then what?" Zhu Hong, who had been silent, said.

"If it's real, then the buyer, seller, and appraiser all have issues," the advisor said. "The buyer, Zhang Dashan, claimed to be from the capital, hoping to find a good painting. Jiang Yan introduced this person to Yang Chongxuan.

This Zhang Dashan is said to be very wealthy, not just pretending, so he's probably not an ordinary plant.

A week after Zhang Dashan appeared, Jiang Yan introduced the seller, Tong Yao, to Yang Chongxuan. Tong Yao said he had an inherited painting and needed money, so he wanted to sell it for ten million euros.

Then, Yang Chongxuan invited his good friend Zhou Bomin to examine the painting. After looking at it, he decided to buy it. But he couldn't come up with ten million euros, which is about eighty million RMB. So, he borrowed money, and his relatives and friends contributed a few million. The key point is — an old man who deals in jade, named Wang Chong, nicknamed Locust.

This person lent him twelve million. Without Old Wang's twelve million, Yang Chongxuan couldn't have bought the painting, and none of the subsequent events would have happened.

After the sale, Tong Yao disappeared, which was expected, with no surprises or suspense. Then, Yang Chongxuan contacted the buyer, Zhang Dashan, to examine the goods."

Chen Mo gestured and asked, "Where is Tong Yao from?"

"I don't know!" The advisor shook his head. "After Zhang Dashan examined the goods, he raised questions and requested an expert to authenticate it, which is a reasonable request. Spending thirty million euros on a painting, there's no reason not to have it verified. But at this point, he requested the most renowned calligraphy and painting expert in Jinling, Ou Mofeng, to authenticate it.

This proves that Zhang Dashan knows Ou Mofeng."

"The boss suspects there's something wrong with Ou Mofeng, and it does seem so," Lin Lan frowned and said. "But even if Old Ou has issues, why would he go after Yang Chongxuan?"

This time, the advisor didn't speak, remaining silent until he finished his cigarette.

Guo Fatty suddenly slapped his head and exclaimed, "Ah..."

"Fatty, what's wrong with you?" Chen Mo frowned and asked, "Why are you so jumpy?"

"Little Prince... Little Prince said..." Guo Fatty suddenly jumped up, grabbing the advisor and shouting, "Advisor, Little Prince said..."

"What did the Young Master say?" The advisor quickly grabbed Guo Fatty and said, "Don't be so agitated, calm down."

"He said... He said... Father never made a mistake in antiques, only in judging people," Guo Fatty mimicked Yang Kang, even copying his tone perfectly.

This time, the advisor's expression became very strange.

"Fatty, I'm going to ask you a serious question," the advisor thought for a moment and then said, "Answer me honestly, don't mess up, this is important, do you understand?"

"I understand, Advisor, please ask," Guo Fatty hurriedly said.

"When you gave him the pair of plum vases, why didn't the Young Master suspect they were modern forgeries?" the advisor frowned and asked.

The pair of plum vases was too perfect, too new, and to put it bluntly, they lacked the worn appearance that antiques should have.

Any great appraiser, when faced with the pair of plum vases, would carefully consider and verify from all angles before making a determination.

They might even use modern advanced instruments for spectral analysis.

"No!" Guo Fatty shook his head. "I also found it strange. I had prepared a bunch of lies, but I didn't even get to use them. He just glanced at them and said he liked them very much. I even asked if he wanted to put them with the vases downstairs, but he said he liked them and wanted to place them in his bedroom, then carefully locked them in the treasure cabinet."

The advisor sighed softly. The situation was becoming increasingly complex.

"Who secretly sold the Ni Zan's 'Ink Bamboo' at the Langyuan auction for the first time?" the advisor asked.

Everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"Old Zhu, was it you?" the advisor asked. "I remember you had a few good paintings."

"Advisor, it really wasn't me. I've never met the Young Master," Zhu Hong hurriedly shook his head. "You ordered us not to contact him to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"If it wasn't you, then does the Young Master have other sources besides us?" the advisor asked. "Fatty, what do you think?"

"I don't know, how long have I known him?" Guo Fatty shook his head. "Advisor, do you think he would tell me everything? You know his personality, don't you?"