Cultivators and ordinary people belonged to two different worlds. Therefore, even with the knife at the side door of the Academy, Ning Que's status in the hearts of the Tangs still mainly came from his status as a Great Calligrapher. In the hearts of professionals like the old shopkeeper, Sir Ning's status was even more prominent.
Because of his respect and admiration for Ning Que, the shopkeeper was very disdainful of the little handmaiden, even though he could only get the package with the blue flower cloth through the little handmaiden. In the old shopkeeper's eyes, the little handmaiden stole the master's property, which was really immoral.
The shopkeeper thought for a moment. He disdained the little handmaiden's behavior and could not resist the temptation of money. He asked in a low voice, "Since the little handmaiden stole it, she would not dare to report it to the authorities or let Sir Ning know even if we took it. Why don't we …"
"If you don't want to die, stop thinking about it."
Hearing the shopkeeper's words, the boss of the Stone House frowned slightly and warned sternly, "Don't talk about it in the future. I heard that the little handmaiden has a special status and has a good relationship with the princess. Also, from the House of Red Sleeves, Sir Ning treats the handmaiden differently."
"Even if she was taken in by Sir Ning, the little handmaiden is just a greedy girl. She is not worthy of someone like Sir Ning."
The shopkeeper suddenly thought of something and said, "Boss, Sir Ning is not an ordinary calligrapher. Will there be any problems if we sell them secretly?"
The shopkeeper said, "The little handmaiden is very favored and Sir Ning's seals are all kept by her. We have already obtained the sales documents, so these are not stolen goods. Even if Sir Ning finds out about this in the future, he can only blame the little handmaiden. According to the law of the Tang Empire, we are not responsible."
The shopkeeper praised, "Boss, your way of doing things is really reassuring."
The shopkeeper picked up the blue flower cloth package and asked, "Are they all in the side yard?"
The shopkeeper nodded.
…
…
The west yard of the Stone House was hidden behind the main three-story building and under the nine-turn green tree. The lake breeze was gentle and quiet here. Several men walked out of the room and greeted.
Among these men, some were from the Song Kingdom, some from the South Jin Kingdom, and some from Yangguan of the Tang Empire. One of them was a master craftsman from the Auspicious Ink Shop in Chang 'an. They were all the leading figures in the appraisal of calligraphy and paintings in their respective countries. Yes, no matter whether they were gray-haired or indifferent, they all looked proud and confident.
"Brother Mo Shi, you actually came too?"
"Brother Jiefu … Who's that silent man under the grape trellis? He looks familiar."
"I think I met him once in the Yue Kingdom's imperial palace the year before last."
As they exchanged their identities, the pride and confidence in these people's eyes gradually turned into astonishment. This was because they discovered that the reputation and status of the other people in the courtyard were not inferior to their own in the industry. Many of them had been famous for a long time, but they had never seen them before. They did not expect that they would all meet in this small courtyard today.
Brother Mo Shi stroked his beard and said emotionally, "Stone House has been doing well these past few years. They managed to invite so many of us over in such a short time."
The old man called Brother Jiefu shook his head and said emotionally, "If not for the fact that the items being sold this time are too rare and precious, you and I would not have gathered here."
When the details of the sale were mentioned, the few men, including the silent man under the grape trellis, stood closer. They lowered their voices and began to discuss. At the same time, they wanted to see how much the other party knew about this matter.
"How many scrolls are there in existence today?"
"No one knows the exact number. We only know that the imperial study in the imperial palace has the most. I heard that His Majesty took more than half of them from the Old Brush Pen Shop."
Brother Mo Shi said bitterly, "They are hidden in the dark imperial study. No one can see them, appreciate them, or see them. The people cannot get close to them. This is really …"
He wanted to criticize the Tang Emperor for going against the grain. However, even though Chang 'an's politics were clear, he did not dare to say it.
"The manors of the Chancellor and Grand Secretary Wang each have a few copies. The other manors should have about four more. However, these old men have hidden them in their manors. They are even more secretive than His Majesty. They don't show them to others easily."
"There are many rubbings of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy, but no one has seen the original. It is rumored that it is in Grand Secretary Wang's mansion."
"Before everyone became famous, some lucky people bought some authentic works at Lin 47th Street. They were sold for a very high price in the past year. Most of them disappeared after changing hands twice. There are about 12 scrolls in total."
"I wonder how many scrolls the Stone House got this time. Is there a central section?"
"A central section? Not even a wide one. "
"If it is a calligraphy section, it must be more than three. Otherwise, the owner of the Stone House would not have spent so much money to invite all of us here."
The calligraphy appraisers discussed heatedly. Just then, the courtyard door was pushed open. The boss of the Stone House walked in with a blue floral cloth package.
The crowd followed the boss back to the Flower Hall. Their eyes never left the blue floral cloth package in his hand. They were puzzled, but also full of anticipation.
The boss gently placed the blue floral cloth package on the table. He stretched out his hand and gestured for them to enter.
The old shopkeeper brought two of his trusted subordinates with water and towels.
The calligraphy and painting appraisers immediately surrounded him. With the fastest speed and the most meticulous attitude, they washed their hands clean and dried them with towels. Then, they took the oil-absorbent tissue paper that the shopkeeper handed over and carefully soaked up the remaining water and oil on their fingers. Then, they gathered around the blue-patterned package.
The middle-aged man called Brother Mo Shi rolled up his sleeves and raised his hands. He looked at the coarse blue floral cloth package and said unhappily, "When did the Stone House become so shabby? Wrapping it in a cloth, not to mention the fact that it would harm the calligraphy section inside, just the smell alone would be extremely foul. "
The boss of the Stone House could not afford to offend such a professional who had spent his life appreciating books. However, the professional habits they had developed made them unable to tolerate the scene in front of them.
The boss of the Stone House smiled bitterly and did not explain. He reached out to untie the blue floral cloth package, revealing a slightly flat square box inside. The box was also made of coarse cardboard.
Brother Mo Shi became even more displeased. He reached out to open the box, and then his body froze beside the table.
The entire reception hall became silent.
The appraisers looked at the paper in the box and were shocked speechless. They felt their eyes blur. After a moment, someone exclaimed in disbelief, "Seven pieces!"
The boss walked to the side and sat down. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. He smiled and said, "Take a look first."
…
…
The appraisers gathered around the table and carefully took out the calligraphy sections from the box. They were all the best in the industry. It did not take long for them to confirm that the seven sections in the box were all authentic.
Even though there were some doubts about the date of the sections, everyone thought that they were newly written. However, this did not affect the value of the sections. Thus, the appraisers were very shocked. They had not expected the Stone House to spend so much. It could even be said that other than the Imperial Study of the Tang Imperial Palace, there was no other place where one could see so many authentic pieces of calligraphy.
What shocked them the most was the section at the bottom of the box.
To them, it was a crumpled piece of paper.
But in their eyes, that piece of paper was even more valuable than the legendary Xi Shan Xu.
Because there was the word "Chicken Soup" on the paper.
"Even though it should be authentic, but … everyone knows that the original copy of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy was bought by Grand Secretary Wang for four thousand liang of silver. It is now hidden in the Scholar's Mansion."
Brother Mo Shi frowned and said, "Is this a new copy?"
The people around the table frowned and thought that there was indeed something wrong with this.
Brother Mo Shi carefully pinched the two corners of the paper and held it up to the sunlight outside the reception hall. He wanted to see what was wrong with it.
An appraiser from the Kingdom of Song standing opposite him suddenly exclaimed and pointed at the paper. He said, "There are words."
Everyone looked at the back of the paper. There was indeed a line of beautiful small words.
"This is real."
…
…
"Who wrote this?"
The appraiser from the Kingdom of Song was confused and even angry. "Even if this Chicken Soup Calligraphy is a new copy, it is still an extremely valuable work. How can someone write on the back so casually!"
Brother Mo Shi shook his head and looked at the small words. He said emotionally, "Other than Sir Ning, who else can write such good words? If it was written by him, not only would it not ruin its value, but it would add color."
"Is this the original copy of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy?"
"With Sir Ning's signature, it is naturally the original copy."
"Then the one that Grand Secretary Wang bought at a high price?"
"The one from Grand Secretary Wang's house … is naturally fake."
Everyone was silent.
Even though they were not cultivators, they had all heard of the legendary story of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. Especially as the rubbings of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy spread throughout the world, many people thought that in terms of value, the Chicken Soup Calligraphy was almost as valuable as the Blooming Flowers Calligraphy in the Imperial Study.
Someone murmured in shock, "How much should this be worth?"
"Back then, Sir Wang bought it for four thousand taels of silver. It was said to be a friendship fake, and at that time, Sir Wang's reputation was just beginning."
The man who had been silent under the grape trellis in the courtyard and was still silent after entering the reception hall suddenly said, "Give it some time to advertise. It is best to anger Grand Secretary Wang's residence …"
The man raised his head and looked at the owner of the Stone House and the appraisers. He said, "Thirty thousand. I sold this Chicken Soup Calligraphy. If it is less than thirty thousand, I will be too ashamed to face anyone."
As he said this, the silent man no longer looked dull. He looked extremely confident and proud, as if he had pulled out a cold sharp blade from a rusty scabbard.
Everyone finally recognized who this silent man was.
This man was the most famous seller in the calligraphy and painting industry.
"Very good."
The owner of the Stone House stood up and suddenly remembered Dewdrop's words. After thinking for a moment, he looked at the seller and said, "But there is a rule that needs to be written. Sir Ning has the right to choose the buyer."
The man frowned slightly because he had rarely heard of such a request.
The owner did not explain too much.
The reason why he did this was because the origins of the seven calligraphy sections were somewhat dishonorable. Even though the Stone House did not have to bear any responsibility according to the law of the Tang Empire, if this matter were to be exposed, the Stone House had to be prepared for the calligraphy sections to be taken back. Writing such a rule in advance was firstly to give Sir Ning face. Secondly, the sale was invalid, and it was also to appease the big shots who were qualified to buy the calligraphy sections.
…
…
(I don't know why I feel so uncomfortable. Maybe it's because of my laziness … I'll only write one chapter today and three chapters tomorrow. If I don't pressure myself, I'm useless. Damn.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com and vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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