Rebirth of the Forbidden City: The Troublemaker in the Courtyard

Since we've met, it would be unreasonable not to say hello.

Ning Yuan and Zhong Yuemin greeted Mr. Qiao again.

"Professor Qiao, you're back just in time! These two young comrades were just looking for you to look at something!"

Liu Haidong saw Ning Yuan and the others out and happened to see Mr. Qiao coming back, so he quickly helped Ning Yuan and the others call out to Mr. Qiao.

Ning Yuan smiled helplessly for a moment, then shook Liu Haidong's hand to express his gratitude and goodbye, and then quickly walked to Mr. Qiao's side.

"Mr. Qiao!" Ning Yuan greeted him.

"It's you two young comrades. Let's go inside and talk!" Mr. Qiao first waved at Liu Haidong, then looked at Ning Yuan and Zhong Yuemin.

After two transactions, he certainly remembered these two handsome and tall young men, so he invited them into the house to talk.

"Sit down. I just heard Teacher Liu say that you two have something to show me. Have you got anything new?" Mr. Qiao asked directly without much greeting after entering the room.

"Yes, there is a new item. Take a look!"

Ning Yuan originally didn't plan to sell the Jade Guanyin, but things had come to this point, so he could only grit his teeth and take out this small Jade Guanyin.

"This Jade Guanyin, the jade material, carving, and specifications are exactly the same as the Jade Maitreya we just traded the day before yesterday. Are they a pair?"

Mr. Qiao is indeed an antique enthusiast. When he saw this object, his first reaction was not to observe it, but to wipe his hands with a towel.

After wiping his hands, he picked it up, looked at it carefully, and asked Ning Yuan tentatively.

"Indeed, it is a pair with the jade Maitreya statue I traded with you. Originally, I didn't want to sell this jade Guanyin~" Mr. Qiao interrupted Ning Yuan impatiently before he finished speaking.

"Little comrade, price is not an issue. With this kind of carving and quality, it would be a real shame if we couldn't pair them up, so please be sure to help us!"

When Mr. Qiao heard that Ning Yuan didn't want to take action, he became anxious and interrupted him quickly.

This feeling is absolutely difficult to understand unless you are someone who shares the same experience!

Since the beginning of the antique business, matching items have been much more valuable than unique or fragmentary pieces.

Because true antique collectors are not pursuing the economic value of an item, they look at the artistic value of the collection.

Artistic value has a very broad scope. For example, when it comes to calligraphy and painting, the first thing to look at is the painter's historical status and highest artistic achievements.

The second thing to look at is the year and dynasty of the painting.

The third thing to look at is the background and content of the painting.

It is not necessarily the case that the older the work, the more valuable it is. For example, the two modern masters Qi Baishi in the north and Zhang Daqian in the south, except for a few masters in the Song and Ming dynasties whose works can surpass the value of their works, the works of most ancient painters cannot sell for more than Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian.

Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the more famous a painter is, the more valuable his works are.

The period from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Northern Song Dynasty was a period of rapid development of calligraphy and painting art.

As the saying goes, there were Jing Hao and Guan Tong in the past, and Dong Yuan and Ju Ran in the future. They opened the door to the Six Laws and enlightened the later generations, and it was all these four people.

These four people are almost the founders of landscape painting in Chinese history. People in the antique collecting industry cannot be unaware of their status in the history of calligraphy and painting.

However, from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to the Northern Song Dynasty, only one national treasure-level calligraphy and painting was produced, that is, Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

Zhang Zeduan was a painter who lived during the transition period between the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties. Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Dong Yuan and Ju Ran were all his predecessors, and his status in art history is unparalleled.

However, due to the historical background of his works, his paintings have become national treasures.

For example, among antiques, a piece of jade is judged by its quality, age, and the craftsman’s carving skills.

For example, miscellaneous porcelain items all have their own comprehensive standards for judging their value.

But among all the branches, there is one that is common.

That is, complete sets and pairs of collections are much more valuable than single items that are incomplete.

For example, among the calligraphy and paintings, Qi Baishi's twelve landscape scrolls, if the twelve works were sold separately, each one might be priced at around tens of millions.

However, in 2017, a collector from Taiwan collected a complete set of twelve paintings and set a domestic auction record of million yuan at the Poly Autumn Auction that year.

The price of a set is seven or eight times higher than the price of selling them individually.

That’s the value of a complete collection.

So when Mr. Qiao saw another Jade Guanyin appear, he had already made up his mind to get this Jade Guanyin.

Ning Yuan was also trapped here at this time, and he had no choice but to speak.

"Mr. Qiao, I can give you this Jade Guanyin statue, but I have two conditions. I hope you will consider them carefully before giving me a reply!"

"Little comrade, you can say whatever you want. As long as it's something I, Qiao, can do, I won't hesitate!"

Mr. Qiao was also very excited and couldn't help but agree immediately.

"First, the price. We absolutely cannot trade at the price of the Jade Maitreya statue. Second, you have to promise me that you will never resell these antiques and valuables abroad! As long as you agree to these two conditions, I will give you this Jade Guanyin statue!"

Ning Yuan slowly stated his two conditions at this time, but he was also considering whether he should bring people to overthrow him directly if Mr. Qiao hesitated and refused to agree to the second condition. Should he be so ruthless?

However, Ning Yuan's worries were obviously unnecessary.

"No problem, I agree to both conditions. We can negotiate a higher price. As for your idea of making a fortune trading antiques abroad, that's completely ridiculous! Those who trade antiques abroad are all after the money, but as for me, to be frank, I really don't need that much money!"

Mr. Qiao acted as if it was a matter of course. Ning Yuan also felt that this man was a bit too Versailles. He couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart, "I know your family is rich, but can you not be so Versailles!"

But at least Ning Yuan agreed with what he said, and didn't worry about the second point anymore.

"I'm very willing to believe you. So let's talk about this Jade Guanyin. What price are you willing to pay for it?"

Whether Ning Yuan believed it or not, he could only say that he believed it at this time. It seemed that he had to make friends with some young people in the Air Force compound. There had to be someone to help keep an eye on it. After thinking about it, Ning Yuan decided to sell it at a suitable price first.

"Fifteen hundred dollars!"

"No, one thousand eight hundred!" Ning Yuan shook his head after hearing his offer, and then reported his own bottom price.

"Deal, young comrade, I'll take it for 1,800 yuan!" Mr. Qiao agreed immediately.

Ning Yuan was still in shock. This wasn't what he'd expected. Bargaining? Heartache? Hesitation?