I just got divorced, and a rich and beautiful woman dragged me to get a marriage certificate.

Chen Mo picked up the plum vase and examined it one by one, starting from the mouth, the base, the decoration, the mark, the glaze, and the body.

As he looked at it, Chen Mo frowned again.

Seeing his expression, Qin Shouye's heart skipped a beat. Could this one also be fake?

That Ru ware bowl he just bought has already cost him 600 million.

If this Xuande blue and white porcelain is also fake, he doesn't know if he can bear the consequences.

Liu Xin stood to the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

Chen Mo stared at the plum vase for a full two minutes before putting it down, looking up, and suddenly smiling.

"Mr. Qin, don't be nervous, this is genuine!"

"It's good that it's true!"

Qin Shouye let out a long sigh of relief: "This old man was afraid you'd say it's fake again!"

"Old Qin, it's definitely true! But..."

Chen Mo changed the subject.

Qin Shouye's heart leaped again: "But what?"

Chen Mo pointed to the inscription on the bottom of the plum vase and said with a smile, "This one is not from the Xuande period."

Qin Shouye's expression changed again: "Not from the Xuande era? Then what is it? Another fake?"

"It's not a fake!"

Chen Mo shook his head, his tone certain, "It's genuine! But not from the Xuande period, it's from the Yongle period!"

Chen Mo pointed to the inscription on the bottom of the bottle and explained with a smile:

"Mr. Qin, you see, this inscription 'Made in the Xuande period of the Great Ming Dynasty' was engraved later."

"The vast majority of Yongle imperial porcelain pieces do not have any marks, and only a very small number have reign marks."

"This plum vase was originally an unmarked Yongle blue and white porcelain."

"Later, someone added the Xuande mark, possibly to increase its value, or it may have been done by later collectors."

"Mr. Qin, please take another look at this lotus scroll pattern."

"The blue and white porcelain from the Yongle period used 'Sumali Blue' cobalt material, which produced a rich and vibrant color with iron rust spots and tin sheen. The decorative patterns were sparse and the brushstrokes were smooth."

"Although the blue and white porcelain from the Xuande period also used cobalt blue, the color was slightly lighter, the rust spots were more obvious, and the decorative patterns were more intricate."

"The cobalt blue of this plum vase is rich and deep, with rust spots naturally seeping into the glaze. The decorative patterns are well-balanced, and the brushstrokes are bold and powerful..."

"These are all typical characteristics of Yongle blue and white porcelain."

"Therefore, this plum vase is a Yongle imperial kiln blue and white plum vase with a lotus scroll design, not a Xuande vase!"

"However, Yongle blue and white porcelain is even rarer than Xuande porcelain, so it is more valuable."

"Based on current market prices, this plum vase... is worth at least 400 million!"

"If it goes to an auction house, it could fetch as much as 500 million."

Qin Shouye was taken aback for a moment, then was pleasantly surprised.

"Yongle... Yongle blue and white porcelain... not Xuande, it's Yongle... I spent 180 million to buy a Yongle blue and white porcelain piece, and I didn't lose out, I didn't lose out!"

Qin Shouye put down the plum vase, turned around, grabbed Chen Mo's hand, and said excitedly:

"Mr. Chen, you are truly my benefactor!"

"If it weren't for you, I would have thought this was from the Xuande period!"

"Yongle pieces are rarer and more valuable than Xuande pieces. This isn't a loss; it's a gain!"

Liu Xin, who was listening nearby, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging from Old Chen's expression, he thought it was another false alarm, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

"Four hundred million... just for this tiny bottle, four hundred million... I couldn't earn that much even if I ran a clinic for ten thousand lifetimes."

Liu Xin was amazed.

Qin Shouye held the plum vase, his eyes slightly red:

"Mr. Chen, you've helped me twice today. How can I possibly thank you enough?"

Chen Mo waved his hand: "Mr. Qin, you're too kind! It was nothing, just a small favor!"

"Mr. Chen, it's truly a joy in life to be friends with such an extraordinary person as you!"

At this point, Qin Shouye pointed to other antiques:

"Mr. Chen, since you're here today, could you please take a look at everything here for me? I'm really not sure what to expect."

Chen Mo nodded: "Okay! Take the things out, and I'll check them for you."

"However, there are too many things, so I can only take a general look and not necessarily examine each item in detail."

"Enough, enough, enough!"

Qin Shouye nodded repeatedly, "I'll be satisfied if you can give me a general idea."

Qin Shouye walked to a display case and took out a blue and white porcelain plate.

The plate is not large, about 20 centimeters in diameter, with an open mouth, shallow belly, and a ring foot.

The center of the plate is painted with a peony, its petals full, its branches and leaves graceful, and the blue and white glaze is elegant.

The bottom bears the six-character inscription in regular script: "Made in the Kangxi Reign of the Great Qing Dynasty".

"Mr. Chen, I bought this Kangxi blue and white peony plate at a small auction in Beijing for 120 million yuan."

"Could you take a look and see if it's genuine?"

Chen Mo took the plate, glanced at it, and nodded:

"Really! Items from the Kangxi imperial kilns are worth between 150 million and 200 million yuan on the market!"

The second antique is a famille rose vase.

The bottle is decorated with a painting of a lady, with vibrant colors and exquisite craftsmanship.

"It's fake! It's a Guangxu-era imitation of Yongzheng famille rose porcelain, quite well done, but the bottom mark is written incorrectly!"

"The characters 'Yongzheng' on the Yongzheng official kiln porcelain are thinner than these."

"Moreover, the colors of this famille rose porcelain are too bright. The famille rose porcelain from the Yongzheng period was elegant and not this kind of bright red and green. Its market price is at most 300,000 yuan."

The third antique is a gilt bronze Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue is small, about the size of a palm, sitting in the lotus position with its hands in the meditation mudra and its face benevolent.

"It's true! A Yongle court sculpture, made of refined bronze, with thick gilding, a lifelike face, and smooth lines in the clothing!"

"This piece is worth at least twenty million on the market!"

"It's true! It's Hetian mutton-fat jade, a Qianlong court jade piece, exquisitely carved, and the inscription is authentic. Its market value is at least 60 million!"

Chen Mo looked at each item one by one, his pace quickening.

Porcelain, jade, bronze, Buddhist statues, calligraphy and paintings, miscellaneous items...

Each item stayed in Chen Mo's hands for no more than thirty seconds.

Qin Shouye's expression was like a rollercoaster, sometimes joyful, sometimes frustrated, sometimes tense, and sometimes relaxed.

"This one is genuine, worth 800,000."

"This is a fake, a pretty good imitation, but the bottom mark is wrong. It's worth at most 2 yuan, no more than that."

"This is genuine, a Ming Dynasty Xuande bronze incense burner, in excellent condition, worth five million."

"This is fake, a modern craft item, it's worthless."

"This is genuine, a Qianlong imperial kiln piece, worth three million."

"This is a fake, a Republic of China era imitation of the Kangxi Emperor's style, worth 100,000."

"This is genuine, a Jian ware tea bowl from the Song Dynasty, worth ten million."

"This is fake, a modern imitation of Ru ware, worth five thousand."

An hour later, Chen Mo had finished looking at all 100-plus antiques of various sizes in the collection room.

Most of them are genuine, and fewer are fake, but the fake ones were all made at a high price by Qin Shouye.

All told, he has wasted at least 1.7 to 1.8 billion yuan on antiques over the years.

"Mr. Chen!"

Qin Shouye, leaning on his cane, looked on with gratitude:

"If it weren't for you today, I would never know how much money I've wasted in my entire life!"

"How can I thank you? How about I give you Villa No. 6 on the south bank of Jinghu Lake?"

Chen Mo waved his hands repeatedly, "Mr. Qin, you're too kind. It was nothing, just a small favor!"

"Please don't mention the villa again!"

"It's getting late, let's go upstairs for dinner!"

"Oh well!!"