Chapter 9: The Court Painter

  Fan Yongcheng then remembered that he had something important to do, put away his playful mood, put on his glasses and carefully examined the four paintings on the table.

  When it comes to appreciating ancient paintings, the first thing to do is to identify the dynasty, then look at the artist's style, fame, and preservation degree, etc. The identification process has considerable difficulty. For collectors of antiques, comprehensive knowledge of history, literature, aesthetics, ancient architecture, figures, costumes, posthumous titles, official systems, etc. is extremely high, and it is not something that can be learned by buying one or two genuine items and spending a little money. If you are an expert who has been immersed in this field for a long time, over time, due to this profession, the cultural relics you come into contact with will naturally infect and emanate a unique cultural temperament and cultural quality.

  When Fan Yongcheng put on his glasses, his expression changed instantly, with a hint of calmness and focus. He looked at the paintings slowly, as if a biologist studying the latest bacteria under a microscope magnified dozens or even hundreds of times. After a while, he finally finished looking at the three previous paintings and stopped in front of the last one, pondering for a long time before making a decision.

  "This... Old Liu, come take a look." Fan Yongcheng was somewhat uncertain and beckoned to the other side where Liu Da was appraising jewelry.

  "What painting is making you so troubled, you can't even eat or sleep and asked me to come over for nothing." Liu Da let Zeng Hongwei take over his work and came to Pan Yongcheng's side, carefully examining the fourth painting on the table.

  Qu Wen stood behind and also looked for a long time. To be honest, he couldn't see what was special about this painting, nor did he recognize the person in the painting. He just felt that the brushstrokes were smooth, the lines were strong, fresh and natural, and the old pine tree, the mischievous child, and the white crane in the picture were vividly depicted, which should be the work of a master painter. As he gazed intently, a sense of comfort suddenly appeared in his mind, making him feel refreshed and carefree, and he was deeply attracted to this painting without realizing it.

  "Fan Shu, what's wrong with this painting?" His strong curiosity and desire for knowledge made him unable to help but speak up.

  Fan Yongcheng didn't turn his head, still staring at the painting on the table, and said to Qu Wen with his back: "Have you seen the signature below? Jin Tingbiao was a royal court painter during the Qianlong period, and he was the son of Jin Hong, a master of the Qing Dynasty. He was best at painting people, flowers, birds, mountains, and maids. His work 'White Drawing Arhat' was appreciated by Qianlong, who granted him the title of Royal Court Painter. However, Jin Tingbiao became a royal court painter very early on, and most of his works were treasured in the imperial family, with few circulating among the people. As a result, not many people know about his paintings. Moreover, as a royal court painter, Jin Tingbiao basically only painted for the royal family, so he liked to write the word 'minister' in the signature. After Jin Tingbiao's death, Qianlong ordered that all of his works be mounted and included in the 'Shi Qu Bao Ji', which also carried a special imperial seal, such as 'Qianlong Yu Lan Zhi Bao' and 'Shi Qu Bao Ji' seals. If it was sealed as a product, it would also carry the seals 'Qianlong Jian Shang', 'San Xi Tang Jing Jian Xiang', and 'Yi Zi Sun'. But this piece doesn't have any of these, so it's not ruled out that it might be one of his early works or someone else's imitation."

  Liu Da looked at it for a long time, also with a puzzled face. For this kind of rare masterpiece, he didn't dare to make a rash judgment: "Looking at the paper and ink marks, it should be from that era, but it lacks some of Jin Tingbiao's characteristics. You'd better ask Old Gu to take a look."

  So-called generation refers to reaching an era, in line with historical meaning.

  The two men shared the same opinion. Fan Yongcheng nodded and dialed Gu Quan's phone, briefly explaining that he should come immediately.

  Taking this opportunity, Qu Wen asked Fan Yongcheng about the market situation of Jin Tingbiao's paintings in recent years, and the result left him stunned for three minutes.

  Fan Yongcheng said with a playful tone: "As early as 2000, Jin Tingbiao's works were already selling for tens of millions. In the past two years, any genuine work would cost at least 20 to 30 million yuan. If this one is real, it would be incredible! Su Yaxin's feelings for you would be greatly rewarded. This is a great opportunity!"

  The waterfall was flowing wildly, but let's not talk about money for now. Why is Fan Yongcheng still entangled in Su Yaxin's affairs and won't let go? It turns out he likes her type, so he's been actively matchmaking.

  Upon hearing the rumored painting of Jin Tingbiao, Gu Quanzhong rushed over from home in a hurry, and without saying a word, he went straight to the table where the painting was placed. He stared at Jin Tingbiao's painting for a long time before asking expressionlessly: "Is the owner of the painting here?"

  "Agreed!"

  Qu Wen heard that Gong Haide was called over, this kid was flirting with the receptionist at the company's front desk.

  It's not easy to get along with the welcoming lady, and then Qu Wen pulls her away. Gong Haide is full of dissatisfaction, muttering non-stop: "Don't pull, don't pull, whatever it is, you're in charge, if there's less, count it as mine, if there's more, count it as yours."

  It's hard to say about the painting, because Gu Quan didn't mention it. If that painting is fake, how much money should be deducted? Most of the goods Gong Haide brought are jewelry. When I saw Qin Wei Na before, her face was filled with joy, as if she had just married a rich man who died immediately after, leaving behind a large inheritance for her to enjoy slowly.

  "Being too indulgent with one's daughter will lead to financial ruin."

  "It's better to die of exhaustion than to be a monk who is strong in vain; who at over twenty years old is still a virgin!"

  The two of them made their way into the pawnshop and came to Gu's side, with Qu Wen indicating to him that Gong Haide was the seller.

  "Little brother, where did you get this painting?" Gu Quan still had a calm face.

  "This is someone else's debt, I have written evidence in my hand and don't need to worry at all." Gong Haide thought that Gu Xin asked about this issue, took out a letter from his clothes, which clearly stated that the four paintings were indeed used as collateral for debt, with legal basis.

  Gu Zhanchang smiled faintly and said: "I didn't ask that question. Do you know the origin of this painting? Have you ever studied it?"

  Gong Haide is good at going out to cut people, collecting protection fees, and lending usury. He's absolutely a professional. If you ask him to appraise antiques, it's better to just kill him with one knife. With a confused expression, he replied: "I found an expert to take a look, and he said this painting is a contemporary imitation, but the painter's skills are not bad, it should be worth tens of thousands of yuan, could there be any problem with this painting?"

  Gong Haide is right about one thing, from ancient times to the present, many unscrupulous merchants have liked to find people who are good at painting and calligraphy but not famous to imitate the works of contemporary or previous masters, and then sell them as genuine works to reap huge profits. However, for the same fake products, those with high painting skills and a certain historical period can also be sold for money, and the price is either high or low, depending on the seller's eloquence and the buyer's preferences. When encountering someone who likes it, they are often willing to pay a relatively high price even if they know it's fake, which is also one of the pleasures of the antique market.

  Gu Quan nodded: "This painting is indeed problematic, wait a minute, let's discuss it." After finishing, he called Pan Yongcheng and Liu Da to one side and discussed in a low voice for a while.

  Gong Haide stood by, seeing Gu Quanzhong discussing and making phone calls, unable to make a decision. He gave Qu Wen a wink: "What are these three old men doing? It's just an old painting, give them a random number, don't waste time here. I just made an appointment with Xiaofang from the front desk, we're going to have lunch together at noon."

  Qu Wen widened his eyes, and in just a short while, he had already hooked up with a girl. He secretly gave a thumbs-up to show his admiration. However, given Gong Haide's conditions, it wasn't difficult to find a girlfriend at all. But Gu Quan hesitated without giving a definite answer, and he didn't dare speak out of turn. He turned around and unintentionally glanced at Su Yaxin, who had been standing still since bringing the painting in. She only said one sentence: "Uncle Fan... this is Mr. Gong's calligraphy and painting... please help appraise it."

  It's just such a simple sentence, but she got stuck twice, with such a timid and shy personality, it can be considered a rare treasure, I really don't understand how she has survived until today.

  "Suya Xin, don't worry, even if the last one is fake, adding up to the previous three, it's at least over a million. The commission may not be much, but it's still a deal." Qu Wen walked over and comforted her with a kind heart, as if Suya Xin was the new employee and he was the kind-hearted old staff.

  "Thank you..." Su Yaxin didn't dare to look at Qu Wen, slightly lowering her head, with a blush on her face. After completing this transaction, she finally made some achievements, so when expressing gratitude, it was sincere.

  Gu Quan and Fan Yongcheng, Liu Dachang conferred for a while before slowly walking over, staring at Su Yaxin as if they wanted to eat her: "I heard you went out to play last night and almost got into trouble, is that true?"

  Su Yaxin didn't answer, she just nodded fearfully.

  "Your parents left early, leaving you for me to take care of. If something happens to you, how can I face your parents? From now on, you're not allowed to go to that kind of place again!" Gu Quan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his voice growing louder as he spoke, using a tone that was almost like an order, making Qu Wen understand why Su Yaxin had such a personality.

  Fan Yongcheng hastily walked up and persuaded: "She's already so old, she needs to have some social activities like young people. You can't always control her like this. Yaxin quickly agreed with your grandfather, and will pay attention to safety when going out."

  "I know." Su Yaxin replied in a low voice, her eyes slightly red, her head lowered even further, her gaze fixed on the tip of her shoes, not daring to utter a single word of dissent.

  Gu Quan's daughter and son-in-law died prematurely in an accident, leaving behind only Su Yaxin. After experiencing the pain of sending off the young with white hair, Gu Quan's discipline and care for Su Yaxin reached a somewhat pathological degree. However, he truly loved this granddaughter, and seeing the hidden tears in her eyes, his heart softened again.

  "This time you really have to thank Qu Wen properly. He not only saved you, but also helped you a great deal. The money you got this time must be divided in half and given to him."

  Qu Wen hastily waved his hand: "No need, Master Gu. There wasn't much money to begin with, if we split it in half again, how much would she have left?"

  Although I've only been here for two days, I learned a lot about the company's rules at last night's gathering. A 200,000 yuan deal can bring in only 10,000 yuan to Su Ya Xin's hands, and she agreed to divide it into eight shares for herself last night, so how much will be left in her hands?

  Gu's eyes flashed with a hint of appreciation: "You don't know the value of this painting yet, come let me tell you."