Chapter 228 The Treasure in the Mezzanine

Chapter 228 The Treasure in the Mezzanine

Chapter 228 The Treasure in the Mezzanine
Not surprisingly.

Spread the robe flat on the table and observe it carefully.

Master Song from Sifangzhai put the magnifying glass back into his pocket and told Fan Wumian:

"It's not of high value. The fabric is machine-woven and definitely not from the Qianlong period. Judging from the degree of fading and oxidation, it's probably only a few decades old at best."

"Those people who set up stalls on the street are the best at making up stories to deceive people. Mr. Fan grew up in Hong Kong City, so he may not know much about these things."

"From the workmanship point of view, it's not even a valuable cassock. When it was hand-sewn, the golden strips on it were sewn crookedly. The workmanship is a bit rough."

Knowing that Fan Wumian was a complete outsider, Master Song spoke openly.

Anyway, I only spent 5000 yuan, which is not even worth the door of this courtyard house. If I lose money, I lose money. It’s a small matter.

If it were many collectors who sold everything they had and spent all their savings to buy fakes, Master Song would definitely not speak so bluntly.

He was afraid that the other person would not be able to catch his breath and would faint in front of him. This kind of thing often happened in Panjiayuan.

Tsunako didn't have any expectations and joked:
"When you come across those street vendors, you have to walk carefully. I wish I could stay five meters away from them, otherwise I'd be easily cheated. No matter if the purchase price is ten or eight yuan, the stall owner will add four or five zeros. When he meets you, the God of Wealth, the stall owner must be celebrating Chinese New Year today."

Fan Wumian smiled happily after hearing this and replied:
"It's okay, just think of it as spending money for fun. I heard the stall owner speak so confidently before, even describing the story of Puyi arranging people to clean up Qianlong's mausoleum as if it were true. That's why I wanted to ask an expert before throwing it into the trash can."

Just finished speaking.

He looked at Pu Jiajing and added:

"Go get a pair of scissors, cut it open and throw it in the trash can, otherwise someone will pick it up and put it on the street to cheat people."

After all, it has several decades of history. If you find a buyer who likes it, you can still sell it for three to five hundred yuan.

However, Fan Wumian has already mentioned that he does not want to let him go and continue to cheat people.

Master Song and others from Sifangzhai didn't have the courage to say things like "It would be a pity to throw it away, why not let me take it away."

There are scissors in the kitchen.

When Pu Jiajing brought the scissors, Fan Wumian reached out to take them.

Even at this moment, I still haven't given up completely. I cut a small slit along the edge and then cut it apart with a "swish" sound instead of cutting it directly in half.

When a hint of yellow appeared inside, Fan Wumian was the first to see it.

Even for him, when he encountered such a rare thing, his heart instantly became warm, thinking that the messy tweets on the public account didn't seem to be all fake.

Tsunako's eyes were sharp, and she blurted out:

"Huh? There seems to be something in there! Mr. Fan, please be careful!"

As soon as these words came out.

Everyone looked over.

Master Qian of Liuxiazhai discovered that the interlayer fabric had patterns printed on it. He was so excited that his face turned red, and he said:
"Oh my god! There really is one! It looks like scripture on it!"

Another old man who looked gentle and knowledgeable said with trembling fingers:

"This is the Dharani Sutra blanket used for burial! As the saying goes, when the deceased wears the Dharani Sutra blanket to go to the underworld, the King of Hell will stand up and show respect when he sees it!"

Before anyone else could ask, the gentleman said:
"But I haven't seen the real thing. After the Republic of China, many funeral clothing stores also sold it to the public. I don't know if it's old."

Master Song from Sifangzhai heard him breathing heavily and, considering the age of the robes outside, initially considered that it might be an item from the Republic of China period.

Then, Master Song said:
"That's not right. If it wasn't a treasure, why would they bother hiding it in the robe? No wonder this robe is made of a whole piece of cloth. I thought it was just to save trouble!"

Tsunako's mood was like a roller coaster, and she asked the question she was most interested in: "Is this thing valuable?"

Master Song from Sifangzhai shook his head and replied:

"It's hard to say. It depends on who used it. If it was really the treasure that covered Emperor Qianlong when he was buried, I'm sure someone would buy it for 10 or 20 million. Anyway, I feel it's not simple. The scripture pattern on it is embroidery, not printing and dyeing."

Someone bystander said hurriedly:

"It's not embroidery, it's kesi! The ancient kesi technique is very time-consuming, and it's made into a Dharani Sutra quilt. I'm afraid it really came from the imperial tomb!"

"."

Fan Wumian didn't need to say anything, as the shop owners in Panjiayuan started discussing among themselves.

After obtaining his consent, I started making phone calls.

Some people contacted experts they knew at the Palace Museum, and others asked someone from the auction house to come over quickly.

Fan Wumian was not sure whether Yang Bing, the street vendor, would celebrate Chinese New Year today.

Anyway, it's as lively here as during the Chinese New Year.

Seeing Zhuang Muxi looking at him with a strange look, Fan Wumian shrugged and said:

"Life is indeed amazing. I've said that I've always had good fortune. You must be right to follow my advice when investing. Before, the Feng Shui master said that I had a dragon vein, but I didn't quite believe it. Maybe I really hit the jackpot."

Having witnessed the whole process, Zhuang Muxi didn't know what to say. She didn't believe in Feng Shui and metaphysics before, but now she felt that some things were really hard to explain. If it wasn't for her incredible luck, how could she have stepped on this robe that contained something while watching the fun?

Zhuang Muxi said with a smile in her voice:

"Although the identification result has not yet been determined, your luck has always been very good. I feel that it should be a very valuable treasure."

Fan Wumian whispered:

"Even if it's a treasure, it has been lying in the coffin for so many years. I don't want to keep it at home and sleep uneasy at night."

Good luck is only one aspect. The memories of future generations are the real advantage that makes Fan Wumian always successful.

When he heard the stall owner mention the Qianlong Mausoleum and the name "Sun Dianying", he immediately recalled Qianlong's sky-high priced shroud.

If it were someone else, they might think that they were being cheated by the stall owner, bargain for a few hundred yuan, and then go home and sulk, thinking that they were unlucky.

Houhai is very close to the Forbidden City.

Some experts take private jobs outside and often go to places like Panjiayuan and Liulichang to serve as consultants for antique shop owners. After a few visits, they become familiar with each other.

I heard that there was a Dharani Sutra blanket tucked into the cassock. Not only did it look like an old thing, it also seemed to be related to Qianlong.

An old man named Tan could not sit still any longer and hurriedly asked his colleagues to drive him to Yaer Hutong on the north bank of Houhai.

The antique circle is indeed full of legendary stories of people getting rich by picking up bargains, but most of them happened in the 1980s and 1990s.

Later, everyone knew that some good treasures were very valuable. Even if they were broken pots and pans at home, as long as they looked like they were worth some money, they would always be carefully checked and evaluated to see if they had any value.

Huhuhuhuhu, several experts soon came to Fan Wumian's courtyard.

After preliminary identification by experts, it was discovered that the material of this brocade Dharani Sutra quilt was not simple, and seemed to come from the southwestern plateau, which was very consistent with the historical background at that time.

Fan Wumian then told the experts the story he had heard, that is, how Sun Dianying had robbed Qianlong's tomb, and later Puyi had arranged for the old people to clean it up, and that someone had secretly kept the shroud, etc.

Master Tan from the Palace Museum has come into contact with Cixi's Dharani Sutra quilt. After looking at it, he said that it was similar to that one, but he was not sure that it was the one covering Qianlong.

As soon as these words came out.

From what he said, it was basically confirmed that it was an old item. Everyone became more and more excited and discussed it heatedly.

There were also experts from the auction house who couldn't wait to ask Fan Wumian:

"Mr. Fan, if the appraisal result comes out, what are you going to do with this Dharani Sutra blanket? I work at Baoli International Auction House. Although it has only been established for a few months, it is backed by the Baoli Group. Its strength is absolutely beyond doubt, and its reputation is also guaranteed."

Fan Wumian got straight to the point and said with a smile:
"Since it's a new company, the fees and commissions should be discounted. I don't know how to collect, so I probably won't keep any."

Master Tan also said: "You can give it to us at the Palace Museum, but the price cannot be that high."

Fan Wumian immediately shook his head and said:
"There are so many treasures in the museum, but only a few are on display. When I first visited, I really thought it was a large museum, but I didn't expect that none of the paintings like A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains and Along the River During the Qingming Festival were on display."

We just met, there's no need to talk about social etiquette.

Being a little polite might result in him losing tens of millions of RMB, so Fan Wumian certainly didn't want to do anything to show off.

The appraiser from Baoli International Auction House said:

"Yes, I have lived in Yanjing since I was a child, but I have never seen "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". Many tourists buy tickets for these treasures, but in the end they can only see empty air. It is already polite not to ask for a refund. It would be meaningless to send this thing to the warehouse. It would be better to auction it off."

Master Tan laughed awkwardly and said:

"What a coincidence! To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the museum, the Qingming Riverside Scene will be on display on October 10. As for A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, it will not be opened easily. After all, it has hundreds of years of history and has become very fragile."

It seems that many people have long been resentful about the treasures being hidden in the warehouse and not released.

Master Qian of Liuxiazhai also said:

"When I went to the Little Palace Museum in Taiwan, they were willing to put out the good stuff for tourists to see, including Yan Zhenqing's "Eulogy for My Nephew", "River Travel in the First Snow", "Traveling in the Mountains and Rivers", and "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains".

Master Tan held it in for a long time, but two fists were no match for four hands, so he added:

"It's no use telling me this. I can't make the decision. If you want to know whether it is the Qianlong shroud, it's actually very simple. If you can extract DNA, you can get a conclusion by testing it."

Everyone looked at Fan Wumian.

Fan Wumian spread his hands and said, "I don't care. It's more reassuring to test it. It only cost 5000 yuan anyway."

After listening.

A group of experts who have been in the industry for many years had sour expressions on their faces.

It feels like pursuing a goddess for years, but is easily seduced away by a passerby's hook of a finger. It's easy to lose your balance.

The news has not yet spread widely.

That evening, an evening newspaper wrote an article about how Fan Wumian had to pay 5500 yuan in compensation in Nanluoguxiang during the day.

At the same time, it was pointed out that placing bottles and cans on the street, especially in crowded tourist attractions, is simply impossible to prevent. Even big stars can only pay to keep quiet, let alone ordinary tourists.
(End of this chapter)