Chapter 3: Spring Palace Painting

  Han Qin turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with a greasy face, whom he didn't recognize. Han Qin asked in puzzlement: "Do you have something to say?"

  The middle-aged man said softly: "I have some old items, would you like to take a look?"

  After what happened earlier, Han Qin became much more cautious. Everyone wants to find bargains in the antique market, but most of them are just pretending. The reason why people often hear stories about finding great deals is that no one wants to reveal their own mistakes. Who would rather talk about overcoming five passes and beheading six generals than admit defeat and fleeing from a city?

  You can't just listen to stories in the antique market! Han Qin smiled faintly: "There are so many people in the market, why did you call me specifically?" In his heart, he thought that these people who often mixed with the market seemed to know nothing, but actually they had a lot of tricks up their sleeves. Did they think he was easy to cheat?

  The middle-aged man pointed at the thing in Han Qin's hand and said, "I see you bought such a strange thing, maybe you really know your stuff."

  Han Qin looked down at the waist drum in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Do you have any strange or unusual things?"

  A middle-aged man gently pulled Qin and said, "There are many people here, it's not convenient to talk. Let's go over there and talk." Qin thought for a moment and followed him. You're talking nonsense, I won't fall for it. It's broad daylight, and I don't have much money on me either. There are even robbers in the market! Even if we really encounter robbers, this champion of the East City University's散打 (a type of martial art) is not someone who can be easily dealt with!

  Walking to a secluded place with no one around, the middle-aged man took out a cloth package from his bag and opened it. Inside was an old scroll of painting. The old painting looked like it had been around for some years, made on silk with colors that had faded to grayish white, and had various stains of different sizes, looking quite aged.

  The middle-aged man carefully opened the painting, and Han Qin only took a glance before bursting out laughing!

  Is this a pornographic work?! The painting is not large, only about one foot square, unsigned and undated, in an old-fashioned room, with two naked men and women, the two are on the bed making love, and it's even doggy style! The brushwork is delicate, vivid and lifelike, it really makes people imagine.

  Jian saw Qin smile, and the middle-aged man himself was also embarrassed, and followed with a smile. The middle-aged man explained: "This painting was found when I renovated my old house at the beginning of this year, hidden on the top of the beam, and I don't know when it was hidden by my ancestors. When I first discovered it, I was so excited that I thought it was something good, but I didn't expect it to be such a scene. My wife asked me to burn it at the time, saying that if outsiders knew that our ancestors had hidden this thing, it would be embarrassing. It was hidden by me secretly. Now who doesn't know that antiques are valuable? Which one is not worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands?"

  "What do you mean? Are you thinking of selling it?"

  The middle-aged man also smiled and said: "I'm just a peasant, I won't keep the ancient painting, it's probably going to be ruined if I mess with it. You name a fair price, and I'll sell it to you!"

  This middle-aged man is a small contractor, undertaking minor renovation projects. This painting was obtained from the ceiling when he was doing renovations for a client. It was an old quadrangle courtyard with a very large yard area and exquisite houses, one could tell that the owner's ancestors were either rich or noble. The contractor discovered this old painting but did not inform the house owner, instead, he secretly kept it hidden away. Nowadays, everyone knows that antiques can be valuable, so the middle-aged man is also thinking of making some money from it.

  The middle-aged man had looked at several small antique shops, but not only did they not accept it, he was also ridiculed by them. Later on, he became too embarrassed to take it out. Recently, he heard that CCTV has a "Treasure Appraisal" column, and the middle-aged man rushed there excitedly. When he arrived, he realized that it wasn't possible for anyone to bring an item for expert appraisal. He couldn't even pass the registration stage and was given many disdainful looks by the staff.

  The construction worker was about to finish his shift and head home, but he didn't dare bring this painting back with him. He knew his wife's temper all too well - she would blow up if she found out he had been hiding a dirty picture like this. The middle-aged man had originally planned to just throw it away, but then thought better of it and decided to try his luck at the antique market instead. At a stall selling old books and paintings, the owner took one look and offered him 10 yuan, asking if he wanted to sell. The middle-aged man was taken aback - the bus fare from the construction site alone was more than that!

  He took the painting in his hand, and Han Qin examined it carefully. As a history major, he naturally knew that this yellow piece was actually an ancient erotic painting. It is said that Wu Zetian and Cixi were both fans of erotic paintings, and there were many masterpieces hidden in the palace.

  There is no signature or seal on this painting, so I don't know who painted it or if it's a genuine work by an ancient artist. Taking advantage of the conversation with the foreman, Han Qin intentionally activated the super-work-assistant system's antique identification function. As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Han Qin felt a little regretful - that female secretary, Hu Mei, although just a virtual beauty, was not suitable for appraising such an erotic painting, it was a bit embarrassing.

  Hu Mei looked at this spring palace painting, and her pale little face actually had a faint blush! Han Qin's heart moved, this is too advanced, even virtual characters have emotions, isn't this a demon?!

  This time, Hu Mei looked very carefully and gave a conclusion after two minutes. According to comprehensive analysis, this painting should be a work of the late Ming dynasty, and it has more than 98% similarity with Tang Yin's works, which can basically confirm that it is a work by Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin? That's Tang Bohu! Han Qin first knew of Tang Bohu's great name from the movie "Tang Bohu Picks Up Autumn Fragrance". Later, when he went to university and studied history, he naturally learned about Tang Bohu's reputation. This man was a master of poetry, books, and painting, with a free-spirited nature and outstanding achievements in calligraphy and painting. If this painting is really a work by Tang Bohu, then it's a great find! Han Qin again used his intuition to ask about the value of this painting.

  Hu Mei introduced that most of Tang Bohu's spring palace paintings have been lost, and only one "Little Girl Peeping at Spring" is now stored in Japan, with an estimated value of over 10 million. This painting comes from "Fengliu Juechang Tu", which has been lost. The single painting has no seal or signature, nor does it have the collector's inscription, so there will definitely be controversy over the author's identification, which will also affect its value. Even so, this painting should be worth more than 10 million!

  Look at that sly contractor. Han Qin suppressed the joy in her heart and said casually, "Boss, how much are you planning to sell this painting for?"

  The middle-aged man was well-versed in the art of haggling, and as the saying goes, "ask for the sky and settle for the ground", he said: "Brother, if you know what's good for you, just give me 1,000 yuan!"

  Boss, you're really good at joking. Look at the ancient paintings others sell, they're either landscapes or flowers and birds. Take them back, frame them, and say they're genuine, at least they can be used to decorate the door. After all, few people understand this. You say you bought this painting, but it has to be hidden away. What's the use of having this? The romantic action movies from Japan are more stimulating than this!

  The middle-aged man was speechless after being ridiculed by Han Qin. Han Qin took out an old ticket from his wallet, flashed it in front of the middle-aged man and said: "One ticket, willing to sell, if not sold, you can keep it for yourself to appreciate."

  The middle-aged man took over the old man's ticket. It was better than throwing it into the trash!

  Han Qin wandered around the market for more than an hour, but didn't find anything valuable again. You can't swallow a big fat man in one breath, today's harvest is already not small, from a poor little boy, suddenly became a nearly millionaire!