False evidence

Chapter 148 Finding a Bargain (Part 2)

Shen San said, "I don't know much about antiques, but I do know that anything that's been around for a certain number of years, except for old men's items, is considered an antique! I've never kept birds, but birdcages are for raising birds!"

Just think about it, even if the original owner of this birdcage was short-lived, he must have kept the birdcage for at least 10 or 20 years, right?

Those groundhogs digging up graves rarely target the current dynasty; they mostly dig up graves from previous dynasties or even older ones. By that logic, how many years has this birdcage been buried in the graveyard?
I'd say it's fifty years old! It gets painted immediately after being dug out. Bird lovers carry the cage around all day, so how many years would it take for it to develop such a patina?

Over time, to say that this thing is over a hundred years old would be an understatement. It's probably two or three hundred years old, or even earlier!

My elder brother lived for over five hundred years, but he's useless; even if you dismantle him and sell his meat, he wouldn't be worth much. If this thing were hundreds of years old, it would be an antique. If you're going to take the cage hooks apart and sell them for gold, you're a spendthrift!

Meng Chao was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by his words; I, however, was utterly impressed by his remarks.

This Shen San may not be very learned, but he is exceptionally quick-witted.

Yan Fengwei was also impressed with Shen San and asked me, "Whose child is this? I really like his intelligence. If his parents agree, I'll take him as my godson!"

"I'd be at a disadvantage even if I recognized you as my godson!" Little Shen said angrily.

Yan Fengwei was also a little annoyed: "Hey, I'm telling you, you're not even fully grown yet, why do you always act like an elder?"

I quickly grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "He's not just pretending to be an elder. I've roughly calculated that he's actually older than Lin Qin'en."

Yan Fengwei was a man of experience, and upon hearing this, he understood somewhat.

However, antiques are clearly more attractive to him than other things.

He only glanced at Xiao Shen a few times before turning his gaze back to the birdcage.

He pointed to the cage hooks again and said, “Look at these carvings. Although there’s some wear, it must have been handled and played with before it was painted. Three of the four cage hooks are carved with the three immortals of fortune, prosperity, and longevity; the other one is carved with a dragon. Don’t think it’s just a dragon, though. I don’t know any of you have ever played with prayer beads…”

Xiao Shen said, "You're an amateur, aren't you? You're showing your ignorance, aren't you? Let me teach you a lesson. That thing is only called a Buddhist rosary when one has converted to Buddhism; in the hands of someone who hasn't converted, it's at most called a prayer bead, or simply a hand-held string or bracelet."

Yan Fengwei laughed and said, "I'm just trying to make it clear to you. Let me continue. The part where the prayer beads, no, the rosary beads are tied in a knot, is called the dragon's head. You see, on the top of the rosary, there are three beads of different sizes shaped like a pagoda, that represents the dragon's head. Add the dragon's body, and that's a dragon."

I don't need to elaborate on what kind of families in ancient times dared to use dragons as decorations, do I? Look closely at the dragon's body; although it's somewhat blurry, you can still see that its claws only have four toes. The emperor, being the Son of Heaven, was the only one whose jeweled dragon was a five-clawed golden dragon. The fact that this dragon only has four toes suggests that the original owner of this birdcage was likely a prince or nobleman.

"Goodness, it turns out to be something from the royal family." Meng Chao and Xiao Shen exclaimed in surprise.

Yan Fengwei nodded. "Judging from the carving craftsmanship, this should be a Ming Dynasty artifact. But look at the base; it's carved with scenes of everyday life, which is a bit incongruous." Meng Chao asked, "You mean, this isn't an authentic piece? It's a fake?"

Yan Fengwei laughed heartily: "Not only is it not a fake, but that's precisely why it's so valuable. Royal items are always made with meticulous craftsmanship. However, there was one emperor in the Ming Dynasty who was notoriously unconventional, and that was the Zhengde Emperor, Zhu Houzhao."

“Playing with dragons and phoenixes!” Little Shen San immediately exclaimed.

Yan Fengwei nodded: "That's the guy. Among all the emperors throughout history, he has to be in the top three for being unique. During his reign, he broke many traditional rules."

There's too much insider information to explain here. I'll just say it directly: this cage hook was likely commissioned by the Zhengde Emperor and bestowed upon his brother. In other words, it belonged to a prince during the Zhengde era.

Meng Chao was somewhat engrossed in listening and asked, "Isn't a dragon with four toes a symbol of a prince or king? Why does it have to be a prince? Couldn't it be a gift to the crown prince?"

Xiao Shen San spat at him: "Pah, you don't have a son! If you did, would you teach him to study hard and improve every day, or would you encourage him to set up a birdcage, take a few lackeys, and go out on the street to harass women?"

Meng Chao was rendered speechless by his retort.

Yan Fengwei turned to me and said, "Saying you'd trade this for a house is just a general analogy. It's something bestowed by Emperor Zhengde... Let's not talk about the price. Keep it. If you ever need money urgently, you can borrow it from me. You must keep it safe and don't sell it easily. These kinds of 'genuine' treasures, although not national treasures, are becoming increasingly rare."

I nodded: "This cage originally belonged to Kou Yun. He died because his wife and her lover killed him. The cage was given to me by a third party as junk, so I don't think I need to return it to anyone."

Yan Fengwei chuckled: "That bastard Kouzi was killed by his wife? Great! That's awesome! This finally relieves my anger."

He put his arm around my shoulder and asked, "Do you think I'm petty? It's such a small thing, why are you holding such a grudge?"

"No way. Right now, if some guy called Pidan in the middle of the night and said something filthy, I'd definitely watch him die before I did to feel better."

I stared at the birdcage for a while longer, then asked Yan Fengwei, "After hearing what you've said, something about this birdcage seems a bit off to me."

"It's just right if it feels awkward."

Yan Fengwei gave me a thumbs up, then turned back to the birdcage and said, "You've thought of it, but you can't put it into words. Let me explain it to you in more detail. Think about it, no matter how ruthless an emperor is, he's still an emperor. Emperors are serious; why would they personally order someone to make a birdcage to give away?"

I'm certain this cage hook was made during the Zhengde era. Zhu Houzhao could only have given such a thing to one person: the Prince of Ning, who harbored rebellious intentions. Giving him this contraption clearly meant: "You can just carry this bird around with your lackeys and harass women in the streets; stop dreaming of becoming emperor." Therefore, I suspect the original owner of this cage hook was most likely the Prince of Ning.

Prince Ning and Emperor Zhengde died in the same year, meaning this object is nearly five hundred years old. It may not have been buried with Prince Ning, but regardless of who it was meant for, the gold would be rusted, and the bamboo cage itself couldn't possibly be so well preserved. Therefore, the hook is from the Ming Dynasty, but the cage was added later.

(End of this chapter)