Chapter 199: The Leopard Cat for the Crown Prince
In the first row of the VIP section, Cheng Yuan crossed his arms, a cold smile on his face as he looked at Zhang Han, waiting for the show to begin.
Having received Zhang Han’s nod of approval, Xiong Yu picked up a small hammer and scanned the surroundings. "Everyone knows the rules here at Yuanxi! We will absolutely not let a single fake pass!"
With that, Xiong Yu forcefully struck the porcelain vase!
CRASH!
The porcelain vase shattered into pieces!
A mixture of excited and regretful murmurs rose from the audience below.
The viewers in the livestream chat practically lost their minds, and the bullet comments flew across the screen!
"Thrilling! This is so thrilling!"
"This is what you call real!"
"Treasure Holder Number Nine must be crying his eyes out in a bathroom stall somewhere!"
...
Xiong Yu waved his hand, signaling for the staff to clear the porcelain shards from the tray.
Zhang Han took a step forward, stopped the staff member, and began his performance.
It had to be said, every Magician is a natural-born actor. Zhang Han played the part of ’grief’ and ’regret’ to absolute perfection.
"This Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain was passed down from my grandfather. It has great sentimental value to me. Could I look at the pieces one last time? It won’t take long, just 30 seconds. Consider it a way for me to remember my grandfather."
Right on cue, Xiong Yu projected Zhang Han’s face, filled with regret and longing, onto the big screen. In a voice dripping with emotion, he said, "Our Dragon Country champions filial piety. Esteemed guests, could we possibly spare thirty seconds? To let Mr. Zhang have a moment to remember his grandfather?"
The guests nodded magnanimously. After all, Mr. Zhang had put up his own money to provide them with this bit of entertainment—the sound of something smashing.
"No problem! Mr. Zhang’s filial piety could move heaven and earth."
"It’s understandable. If I were in his shoes, I’d be devastated too."
Zhang Han caressed each porcelain shard with deep affection, as if stroking a lover.
It had to be said, Zhang Han was truly an outstanding Magician. He performed a switch right in front of everyone, yet no one noticed a thing.
Even Xiong Yu and the staff member standing right next to Zhang Han failed to notice. In just thirty seconds, the shards on the tray had been swapped out for the real deal!
Of course, none of this escaped Cheng Yuan.
Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil. He saw with perfect clarity how the porcelain shards disappeared, how the new ones appeared, the path they traveled, and even exactly where the fake shards were now hidden.
Still, even though Zhang Han was his opponent, Cheng Yuan had to give him props in his mind.
Zhang Han’s sleight of hand was just that smooth. Without activating his Double Pupil, even Cheng Yuan wouldn’t have been able to see it clearly.
Once all the shards had been swapped, Zhang Han, as if he’d just discovered a new continent, suddenly grabbed a piece of porcelain and shouted, "There’s an official kiln mark! There’s an official kiln mark on the inside of the base! This is authentic!!"
At that moment, the camera on the big screen was still focused on Zhang Han. The shard in his hand was projected for all to see.
Among the guests below, several had profound knowledge of ancient culture. They couldn’t help but shoot to their feet!
"An official kiln mark! That really is an official kiln mark! This piece of blue-and-white porcelain is authentic! And it’s an extremely precious tribute piece! It’s worth at least forty million, maybe even over a hundred million! Even if you sold off all of Yuanxi, you couldn’t afford to compensate for this!"
The revelation hit the hall like a tidal wave.
The entire hall instantly erupted.
"What? A tribute piece worth over a hundred million? This..."
"This is an appraisal disaster! How could Elder Zhang have made such a mistake?"
The internet celebrities in the audience started fanning the flames, and the online viewers instantly went into a frenzy.
"To the dude who mentioned Teacher Wang Gang earlier, please accept my humble worship! An appraisal disaster really did happen!"
"HOLY SH*T! Yuanxi is screwed now! They were just about to take off, and now they’ve been stomped right back into the mud!"
"The worst off is Teacher Zhang. A lifetime of fame, ruined just like that!"
"Teacher Zhang my ass! Turns out he’s just a fraud chasing fame!"
"I feel so bad for Miss Lin, getting scammed this badly!"
...
Zhang Han clutched the shard and strode up to Zhang Zhigang, looking at him coldly. "Teacher Zhang, what do you have to say for yourself? Who is going to compensate me for my loss?"
The scene was too sudden. Other than the composed Cheng Yuan, everyone from Yuanxi was panicking.
Even the famous emcee Xiong Yu didn’t dare to speak.
’He was the one who had just smashed the Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain! They’re not going to make me pay for it, are they?’
Backstage, Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao were so distraught they could have died. They blamed Zhang Zhigang for the entire mistake.
"Is this Zhang Zhigang even competent? Is he trying to ruin us? This is a Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain worth tens of millions, maybe even a hundred million! We couldn’t afford to pay for it even if we sold all of Yuanxi! We’re not going to end up in jail, are we?"
Lin Ruoxi was comparatively calm. "Dad, Mom, don’t panic. We can’t say for sure if it’s authentic yet. Let’s wait and see what Teacher Zhang says."
Zhang Zhigang, however, showed the poise of a true master. Not panicking in the slightest, he picked up the microphone with a faint smile.
"Everyone, please calm down. Official kiln marks can also be forged. I will appraise it once more and point out the forged aspects of this fake."
Seeing how composed Zhang Zhigang was, the guests calmed down a little. The gawking viewers in the livestream also quieted down, watching him intently.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhang Zhigang took the shard from Zhang Han. Xiong Yu quickly projected Zhang Zhigang onto the big screen, hoping he could resolve this crisis.
Otherwise, as the one who instigated the smashing of the Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain, he would face immense public criticism and might even have to bear some of the liability.
But Zhang Zhigang’s reaction made Xiong Yu’s heart leap into his throat.
After taking the shard, Zhang Zhigang let out a soft sound of surprise. His expression instantly changed from relaxed to incredibly grim. He even picked up a magnifying glass to examine it seriously.
The more he looked, the more shocked Zhang Zhigang became!
’Judging from the cross-section of the shard, the clay used for this Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain is exceptionally high-quality and fine. It looks just like the real thing!’
Zhang Zhigang picked up a pair of silver chopsticks and lightly tapped the porcelain shard.
CLINK! CLINK!
The shard produced a very crisp, pleasant sound.
Zhang Zhigang’s hand trembled, and the silver chopsticks fell onto the table.
Zhang Zhigang panicked!
He truly panicked!
’This... this is authentic!’
’What in the world is going on?’
’It was clearly a fake just now. How did it turn into a real one in the blink of an eye?’
’Could I have really made a mistake?’
Zhang Zhigang fell into a deep pit of self-doubt.
The guests present were all sharp individuals. Seeing Zhang Zhigang’s expression and actions, how could they not understand what had happened?
A huge commotion erupted throughout the auction hall!
"According to Teacher Zhang’s own explanation, the sound of an authentic Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain is very crisp! That sound just now was extremely crisp! Plus, the clay of the shard is so fine, and it has the official kiln mark—how can that possibly be a fake?!"
"Master Zhang actually made a mistake! And they smashed such an expensive piece of Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain! How is Yuanxi going to clean up this mess?"
"My god! This is too much! The Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain was actually authentic?"
...
Zhang Han asked aggressively, "Teacher Zhang, please tell everyone honestly! Is my Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain a fake or not? Don’t even try to fool the guests here. Several of them brought their own Antique Appraisers! Their eyes are sharp as eagles!"
Zhang Zhigang was a man of integrity. He didn’t make any excuses and unhesitatingly took responsibility. "I was the one who made the mistake. This Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain is authentic. I am willing to compensate Mr. Zhang for its full original value!"