Reborn As Super Heiress

The Fencai Festive Peace-Ringing Zun that Huo Sining took out was exactly the same Zhou Shitao Yongzheng Porcelain Zun she got in City C before.

”Last September, a major incident occurred at Taicheng Museum. A piece of Yue Kiln Secret Color Porcelain, listed as a treasure of the museum, was swapped by an unknown person. The swapped Secret Color Porcelain Bowl was nearly indistinguishable from the real one, with extremely fine craftsmanship. However, after examination by several experts, we determined it was a forgery.”

”After multiple investigations, the original piece was eventually recovered, but the counterfeit Secret Color Porcelain attracted significant attention from the Cultural Relics Bureau.”

”The counterfeit Secret Color Porcelain was so flawlessly made that if there was anything special, it was a covertly written simplified ’Zhong’ character in a special material on the bowl’s stamp.”

As Huo Sining narrated the story of the swapped Yue Kiln Porcelain Bowl, Madam Yan’s expression changed instantly upon mentioning ”Zhong Fang.”

”Since then, we’ve been trying to investigate the origins of Zhong Fang, but unfortunately, there’s not much information to be found. We couldn’t trace the origin of Zhong Fang, but we did uncover several other Zhong Fang antiques, including this Peace Bell Vessel.”

At this point, Huo Sining looked up earnestly at Madam Yan and said:

”Madam, to be honest with you, my visit here was a complete accident. I have no idea what connection you have with this Old Mr. Zhong, but I must tell you, what is true cannot be fake, and what is fake cannot be true. No matter how similar something appears, it will eventually reveal flaws and be caught.”

Madam Yan lowered her head to look at the Peace Bell Vessel on the coffee table, especially the magpie on it, scrutinizing it for a long time.

Her expression changed several times, remaining silent for a long while, and finally, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply, saying, ”The person you’re looking for does indeed have a connection to me; he is my brother.”

Huo Sining was stunned, and Zhou Shitao, beside her, also lifted his head sharply, both of them staring at Madam Yan in utter surprise and confusion.

Madam Yan gave a wry smile and continued, ”In fact, Miss Huo, this person once made something, and you have seen it.”

A bewildered look appeared on Huo Sining’s face: ”I’ve seen it?”

”Yes, it was that Tortoiseshell Folding Fan my grandson took to pawn at your shop.”

As she spoke, Madam Yan retrieved a rectangular brocade box from a cabinet behind her, taking out the folding fan from it. She slowly unfolded it, revealing the landscape painting on the fan as well as the inscription: ’Encountered Brother Jie Zhi in Early Summer, Guisi Year.’

Behind the inscription was a red seal stamp with four characters: Zhong Gu Daoren.

This fan was one of the items Madam Yan’s grandson had secretly pawned at the Jubao Pavilion, but later Madam Yan negotiated its return using a Xuande Furnace, a peculiar Classic of Mountains and Seas, and a Cold Light Source Bead as exchanges.

At that time, Huo Sining had also seen what the folding fan looked like, including the painting and inscription within, but since the folding fan wasn’t an antique, she didn’t pay much attention. Seeing that Madam Yan insisted on taking back the fan, Huo Sining agreed to Madam Yan’s request.

However, when she followed the address on the card to the Yan family and saw the ”Zhong Gu Daoren” characters on the folding fan, a thought flashed through her mind, and she instinctively widened her eyes.

”Your guess is correct, Zhong Gu Daoren is indeed the Old Mr. Zhong you’re looking for. This folding fan was made by his own hands.”

Madam Yan played with the folding fan in her hands, looking nostalgic:

”My surname is Zhong, and my ancestors are from Changnan, having lived there for generations. I have a brother, who is very intelligent and talented. In his youth, he apprenticed under a senior master to learn antique crafting. Since our family is a collection-oriented family and because of my brother’s extraordinary aptitude, he honed skills that made his crafted antiques indistinguishable from real ones, almost reaching the point where falsehood became reality.”

”My husband also loved collecting and got along very well with my brother. They were kindred spirits who hit it off immediately. Since my husband favored Tortoiseshell Crafts, my brother naturally crafted this folding fan by hand for him after unexpectedly obtaining a piece of superior tortoiseshell in the Guisi Year, which is 1953.”

Hearing this, Huo Sining was momentarily stunned: ”Then about this Mr. Zhong...”

Before Huo Sining could voice her confusion, Madam Yan continued, ”Because of my brother’s superb skills in creating faux antiques, he earned a nickname. In Changnan, many regarded him as ’Old Ghost’, referring to his godly crafting skills.”

”However, possessing such skills is not necessarily a good thing, as my brother’s talents were spread far and wide, quickly bringing many troubles. Some people even resorted to despicable methods to coerce my brother into committing fraud, forcing him to create counterfeit artifacts against his principles.”

”My brother refused to compromise and, as a result, a tragedy occurred. My brother had a little daughter, who was only seven years old at the time and was his most beloved child. Because of my brother’s refusal to commit fraud, those insane individuals kidnapped and murdered her.”

”After my niece’s death, my brother fell into despair. Following my niece’s burial, he vanished as if into thin air, never to be found again.”

At this point, a look of indescribable pain and sadness crossed Madam Yan’s face. Looking at the Peace Bell Vessel before Huo Sining, she affirmed:

”Indeed, my brother had a habit of leaving a simplified ’Zhong’ character as an internal stamp on every counterfeit he made, to distinguish it from genuine articles. But my brother was warned by his master to never use his skills to harm the world, so I can assert that the museum thefts you’re talking about were not his doing!”

”Although I don’t know how you found out about my connection to Old Mr. Zhong, I must make it clear that despite my family’s continuous search for my brother over the decades, we’ve found no trace of him.”

”After all these years, if my brother is still alive, he’d be in his eighties or nineties. If he intended to commit such acts, he would have done so in his youth, not now. My niece has already perished in the Yellow Springs because of this. Were he to do such things, his conscience would certainly condemn him. Therefore, I’m certain that the Old Mr. Zhong you seek must be someone else.”