Chapter 266 - It Was a Fake
Su Ming's expression involuntarily contorted upon hearing Bai Tianlei's remarks.
He endeavored to regain his composure.
Bai Tianlei, oblivious to his blunder, had inadvertently revealed the truth.
He continued to silently gloat and mock Su Ming internally.
The gathered reporters remained quiet.
Old Master Tang halted abruptly.
It raised the question: Was Su Ming truly prepared, or was he setting himself up for embarrassment?
Bai Tianlei boasted as he turned and noticed his grandfather's furious gaze.
He was taken aback by this.
He was puzzled about the cause of his grandfather's anger.
He recalled his grandfather had paid a substantial amount to acquire it from someone, cherishing it greatly.
It seemed his grandfather intended for him to present this prized possession publicly.
With that in mind, Bai Tianlei spoke earnestly.
“Let me be honest with you.”
“Fifteen years ago, my grandfather acquired this valued item.”
“He waited outside the seller's home for over a month to secure this acquisition.”
“Once home, he consulted numerous experts to verify its authenticity, all of whom confirmed it. How can it be deemed a counterfeit?”
Bai Tianlei reiterated with pride.
Upon hearing this, Bai Qiusheng's anger intensified.
This was a confidential matter, known but to a few, and Bai Tianlei's public declaration threatened to tarnish his reputation.
Standing under the spotlight, Bai Tianlei couldn't make out his grandfather's expression.
He assumed his grandfather was pleased.
“Why the silence? You need to prove it's a forgery, or face consequences.”
“If it turns out to be a fake, I'll consume manure.”
Bai Tianlei's mockery continued.
To Su Ming, Bai Tianlei's behavior marked him as someone out of the ordinary.
Su Ming approached the artifact with a subtle smile and began to explain.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this artifact, the Heavenly Death Vessel, dates back to the early Western Zhou period.”
“It features eight lines and 78 words, documenting the sacrificial rites King Wu of Zhou conducted post-Shang Dynasty.”
“It credits the protection of his ancestors for establishing the Zhou dynasty's rule.”
“This artifact is a pivotal cultural piece, immensely valuable both historically and as a benchmark in Western Zhou studies.”
“Should Mr. Bai genuinely possess such an artifact, he indeed holds a significant treasure.”
“However, Mr. Bai's understanding of it is quite limited.”
Su Ming smiled knowingly as he paused.
He activated the scanning device at that moment.
The scanner explicitly displayed the text.
It was identified as a Ming Dynasty replica, crudely crafted and of no real value. The identifier was to discard it.
Yes, the item was an antique.
Yet, it was not the Western Zhou's Heavenly Death Vessel.
It was merely a casual creation by a Ming Dynasty artisan during his leisure.
He based its design on an illustration found in an ancient tome.
An expert later artificially aged it to appear worn.
After being buried for centuries,
It was excavated,
Giving it an ancient appearance.
In truth, it was nothing more than a modern-day fabrication.
This object was not a valuable artifact at all.
Poor Old Man Bai believed he had discovered something priceless.
He invested tens of millions to acquire it.
Eventually, he ended up purchasing worthless scrap metal.
This transaction resulted in a significant financial loss for him.
Su Ming left his statement unfinished.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Tang furrowed his brow and abruptly turned.
The other elders present were momentarily taken aback.
They all pivoted to see what was being discussed.
Shortly after this supposed treasure surfaced, Bai Qiusheng had snapped it up.
Bai Qiusheng cherished it as if it were a true treasure and kept it hidden from view.
It was rumored that he sought experts to appraise it.
Yet, the identity of these experts and the methods used remained unknown.
Regardless, Bai Qiusheng was respected as an elder.
He possessed a certain level of expertise.
Thus, there was never any suspicion about the item's authenticity among them.
However, hearing Su Ming's claim, they began to wonder if there was more to the story.
Bai Qiusheng himself was shocked.
He questioned himself: Was this artifact a counterfeit?
Such a notion seemed unbelievable!
He had scrutinized it over several nights.
He had consulted numerous references.
How could it possibly be a forgery?
In truth, his claim of having it authenticated was entirely fabricated.
He trusted his own judgment.
After decades of handling genuine relics, how could his assessment be incorrect? It simply couldn't be!
“Why are you silent?”
Bai Tianlei scowled and challenged: “Have you run out of explanations? You can't fabricate any further, can you?”
Su Ming sighed, “I was trying to spare you some dignity. If you reject that, don't hold me responsible.”
With that, Su Ming moved assertively forward.
He gestured towards the artifact.
“This item is definitely not from the Western Zhou period. It's merely a practice piece crafted by a Ming Dynasty artisan, devoid of any real value—it's essentially worthless.”
“However, the artisan's skill was exceptional. Even his practice pieces were of decent quality. Unfortunately, these were later used by deceivers to mislead, aided by the fact that they had been buried for centuries, which fooled many.”
Su Ming then dramatically lifted the artifact and hurled it to the ground.
“Crash!”
The resounding crash left everyone around him stunned.
Nobody anticipated Su Ming's bold action of discarding the artifact.
His decisiveness was startling!
Was he really going to destroy it just like that?
What was his intention?
Perhaps he realized his loss and decided to destroy the artifact in response?
This act seemed insane…
If this were genuinely an heirloom passed down through generations, Su Ming would never harm it.
Yet, this was merely a counterfeit, crafted centuries ago.
It was a long-standing forgery.
Holding onto it would only continue to deceive many in the future.
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