Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 823 Don't Underestimate the Poor

The people in this place are mostly nouveau riche who have risen to prominence in a short period of time. Whether they have used the rules or their wisdom, they have managed to achieve upward social mobility.

It's impossible to say they're particularly conscientious, but it's not fair to say they're inherently evil either. Moreover, their biggest difference from families with centuries-old histories lies in their experience and knowledge.

The reason this place became their gathering place is because they clearly know how lacking they are, so they flock together to catch up on their studies.

Those expensive goods are like tickets to the upper class. For them, only by eating and using them can they truly be considered part of the upper class. However, the problem is that they don't understand how to use them. So when Xia Lin, this human-shaped treasure appraiser, appeared, they didn't have time to distinguish whether what he said was true or false. There was a kind of "you're right if you say more" kind of clarity.

But the problem is that there are experts among them. Those shopkeepers who used to rely on aristocratic families ended up in the homes of these newly rich after the major families retreated or collapsed. They have a keen eye and know better than anyone whether Xia Lin's words are true or false.

In fact, these people noticed something amiss when he started evaluating the first item. After several rounds of observation, they were almost certain that this person was there to cause trouble.

In the past, the basic procedure would have been to report to the head of the family, who would then send someone out to test the waters. Those who could identify themselves would be kindly persuaded, while those who couldn't would have their legs broken and be left to fend for themselves by the roadside.

However, this approach won't work now. It's hard to say about other places, but in Fuliang, doing this kind of thing will result in your leg being broken in the morning and your family being wiped out in the afternoon. After all, everyone knows what kind of attitude Lord Xia has towards aristocratic families and groups that may become aristocratic families.

Since legs can no longer be used, a new method naturally emerged: to use unorthodox methods to intimidate people. If a person cannot explain their origins two or three times, their credibility will drop to the lowest point.

"The fourth treasure is a gold mask presented to the Central Plains by the ancient Shu Kingdom during the pre-Qin period. It is said that three sets were presented in total, two of which have been lost over the past thousand years. The asking price is 50,000 taels. I invite you all to take a look."

After the shopkeeper finished his introduction, he raised an eyebrow at Xia Lin, his eyes clearly showing his provocation—you think you're so capable? I'd like to see if you can really tell the difference between these ancient Shu Kingdom artifacts and not.

As expected, after the shopkeeper's glance, many people present began to pay attention to Xia Lin. After all, this was the first time a challenge had been issued, and everyone found it interesting, even more interesting than buying and selling things, so they couldn't help but look forward to it.

Xia Lin wasn't in a hurry. He slowly unfolded his fan and walked forward with a smile to take a closer look at the golden mask. However, after looking at it twice, he shook his head: "Fake, fake. It's an old item, but it's a replica from later generations."

As soon as these words were spoken, the room gasped in surprise. The shopkeeper, his face flushed, said, "Sir, this item is genuine. It was stolen by a maid from the Yang family of Hongnong when they were in decline. Even the most prestigious Imperial Treasure Shop in the world has verified it. How can you speak so carelessly?"

Xia Lin snapped his fan shut, smiled, and picked up the gold mask from the brocade box, showing it to everyone present: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you're all familiar with gold, so it's difficult to distinguish the real from the fake based on the material alone. Moreover, this item has never been buried underground, so it will look the same even after a thousand years. But why do I say it's fake?"

The people below immediately perked up their ears to listen, wanting to see what this young fellow was capable of that could even distinguish such a thing.

"Actually, it's easy to tell from its craftsmanship. It's a hammering method. First, a bronze mold is cast, then gold is applied over it and repeatedly hammered. In order to make the gold stretch smoothly without damaging the mold, the hammering tool is a leather-covered wooden hammer. During the forging process, the gold deforms little by little, and so does the wooden hammer. So, on the finished product, one side will have lines of varying depths, while the other side will be flat."

Xia Lin looked at the mask in his hand a few times and then smiled, "The reason I say this is a later imitation is because of the patterns. By the Qin and Han dynasties, ironware had already appeared. With ironware, it was much simpler to process goldware. You only needed to cast a mold using the lost-wax method, then cover it with molten gold, and after it cooled slightly, you could then make it look antique. But there is a problem here. Because of the limitations of the craftsmanship, although the patterns on the mask were deliberately made to look antique, it was impossible to imitate the unevenness caused by the outdated craftsmanship. Everyone can come up and take a look. Aren't the patterns on this mask all of uniform depth and simple lines?"

Many people stopped talking and went up to take a closer look. Hey... it really was just as he said. Although the golden mask looked ancient, the patterns were indeed not very natural. However, you couldn't tell unless you looked closely. It could completely pass for the real thing.

"To put it another way, this is probably a replica from the Han Dynasty, because the gold leaf technique was much more advanced at that time."

Xia Lin spoke eloquently, leaving everyone below, from the nouveau riche to the shopkeepers, dumbfounded. They even felt overwhelmed by his knowledge, prompting them to sigh in amazement.

"But."

At this point, Xia Lin abruptly changed the subject, instantly putting everyone's hearts in their throats. The entire room fell silent, waiting to see what Xia Lin would say next after this turn of events.

"Although it's a replica, its high craftsmanship and age mean it's quite valuable. Let me take a look."

Xia Lin carefully examined the corners and edges. After a while, he laughed and then found a patch that looked like a repair in an inconspicuous place. He pointed to the patch and asked, "I wonder if any of you dare to peel this patch off?" Everyone looked at each other. At this moment, the first nouveau riche uncle to speak to Xia Lin raised his hand and said, "Fifty thousand it is, I'll buy it! Consider it making friends with this brother."

This old man has quite the guts; knowing it was a fake, he still bought it at a fixed price, showing a willingness to spend a fortune on something worthless.

After paying the money, the 50,000 taels of silver were thrown into the water with a splash. The man who got the gold mask couldn't wait to start prying it off. However, this place should be a combination of two pieces of gold, which was very difficult to deal with. In the end, he had to go all out and use tools to pry off one of the smaller pieces.

Everyone shook their heads, lamenting his waste of such a valuable item. After all, even a fake would be priceless. Even the most knowledgeable pawnshop owners sighed helplessly.

Xia Lin was the only one standing there, chuckling to himself.

After the gold piece was peeled off, dense inscriptions were revealed. Upon immediate examination, it was discovered that these inscriptions were left by craftsmen during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, briefly describing the origins of this counterfeit. The gist was that the Xiongnu sued for peace, presenting Emperor Wu with treasures. However, some of these treasures were unexpectedly lost after arriving in Liangzhou. Local officials and the Xiongnu delegation then used local materials to create replicas. To prevent the Xiongnu from discarding the counterfeit, the craftsmen ingeniously left evidence on these items that could lead to mutual destruction.

Upon seeing these inscriptions, everyone gasped in shock, especially the experts who were eager to reach out and take the items.

"Congratulations!" Xia Lin cupped his hands in congratulations, saying, "Brother, you've really struck it rich."

"Huh? Why?" The person who bought the mask was completely unaware: "How did this become a windfall?"

At this moment, a shopkeeper next to them said sourly, "In the world of antiques, those with carvings are not as good as those with flowers, and those with flowers are not as good as those with inscriptions. Those with inscriptions and those without inscriptions have two different prices. Those without inscriptions are just for playing with, while those with inscriptions can be called treasures. And this one in your hand is probably more valuable than the real thing."

Upon hearing these words, the first reaction of the nouveau riche around them was surprise. After they realized what was happening, they thought Xia Lin was simply amazing, that he could even notice such a trivial detail.

Of course, many people also felt extremely regretful about losing such a treasure.

"Then...how much is this thing worth now?" the nouveau riche asked in a trembling voice, "Is it still worth fifty thousand taels?"

"I'm afraid it can't be measured in monetary terms," ​​Xia Lin said with his hands behind his back. "This should be considered a major event for historians. If you present it to Sima Qian, you'll probably reap more benefits than you think."

Upon hearing this, the nouveau riche immediately understood the mystery. After thanking him repeatedly, he couldn't wait to leave. After all, for a nouveau riche merchant to be able to connect with someone like Sima Qian through this was something that 50,000 taels of silver couldn't achieve, and it could even bring blessings to his descendants.

Putting aside everything else, such a precious item would definitely be reported to the imperial court by the Grand Historian. The imperial court's consistent principle is not to let the person who presents it suffer a loss. The cost of 50,000 taels of silver will definitely be more than just 50,001 taels of silver.

They might not give him an official position directly, but if he's a businessman, give him a project or a procurement plan, and this nouveau riche guy will become a businessman-official. As long as he doesn't do anything reckless and keeps up with the times, he can have wealth for generations, not just one.

His departure made Xia Lin the most dazzling star in the room. They were all trying to curry favor with Secretary Wang, but now Secretary Wang was being ignored, and everyone was surrounding Xia Lin.

However, this has put the auctioneers in a difficult position, as they are now unsure whether they should continue the auction.

"Keep going! Why aren't you continuing?" Someone shouted from below, "What? You're not selling anymore now that there are experts? You ripped us off plenty of times when there weren't any experts, didn't you?"

This place is full of nouveau riche; nobody cares about saving face. In a short time, they put people on the stage.

Fortunately, the manager who had entertained Xia Lin earlier came up at this moment, smiling broadly, and said, "Continue, continue, of course we will continue. Since we have an expert here today, our boss has spoken, and we will increase the quota of twenty more treasures today, so that everyone can be happy."

(End of this chapter)