The next second, a piece of information floated into his mind.
Origin: Long Kingdom
Era: 2009
Market price: 1,300 yuan
Over a thousand?
Yang Fan felt a sudden realization in his heart, confirming without a doubt that it was a fake.
However, just judging by its appearance, this round-collared pomegranate-red changyi had slits running from the armpits down on both sides. At the top of the armpit slits, ruyi cloud patterns decorated with piping and embroidered borders formed a symmetrical design on the left and right.
Furthermore, the sleeves reached the elbows and could also be detached and worn with pinned threads. The insides of the cuffs were embellished with exquisitely embroidered, replaceable sleeve-ends, making them both easy to detach and exchange while looking like layered, elaborate undergarments. It certainly possessed the characteristic features of a Qing dynasty changyi.
"Strange, where is the flaw in this fake?" Yang Fan muttered to himself.
Using X-ray Vision, he examined the changyi closely once more and finally spotted an inconspicuous embroidered mark on the inside of the cuff!
Meanwhile.
Seeing that Yang Fan remained silent for a long time, Yang Rong's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly, her expression looking somewhat uneasy.
Now that Master Wang had been poached by Baobao Pavilion, and the Zhou father and son had chosen this exact critical moment to appraise antiques, it was blatantly clear they wanted to squeeze Brocade Pavilion out of the antique trade entirely.
At this point, she could only pin all her hopes on her younger brother...
"Well? Did you figure it out?"
Yang Rong bit her fingernails, staring eagerly at Yang Fan with nervousness written all over her face.
"I've finished looking."
Yang Fan gave a slight nod and smiled with confidence. "This clothing is fake..."
Smack!
Before he could even finish speaking, another young man in his early twenties slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his brow bones twitching with violent anger!
"Do you even know how to appraise things, kid? If you don't know, shut the hell up!"
"This 'Butterflies in Love with Flowers' vintage embroidery is a Qing dynasty imperial changyi! This young master spent two hundred thousand at an auction house to buy it! And you fucking dare to say it's fake?"
"Lin'er, keep your composure," the middle-aged man took a sip of tea, cast a calm glance at Yang Fan, and said unhurriedly, "Young man, our appraisal of antiques is not unfounded. Everything has its reasoning..."
"Since you say this changyi is fake, do you have evidence—proof that it is fake?"
A mere two sentences carried an unforced authority.
Even Yang Rong, who had met quite a few big figures, was intimidated by this aura at the moment and couldn't help fixing her gaze on Yang Fan, secretly praying that he could present a solid argument.
"Evidence, I have..." Yang Fan touched the cuff of the changyi, feeling the subtle bumps of the single-sided embroidery on the inside, and added, "However, digging out that evidence might cause some damage to this garment."
"Ha, causing damage? I figure you just can't come up with a valid point, so you're deliberately looking for an excuse to get us to drop the demand for proof!"
Zhou Lin wore a look of disdain, refusing to believe anything Yang Fan said.
You must know that in order to prove himself to his father, he had even specifically found two appraisers to examine this item, and all of their conclusions pointed to it being genuine!
"Believe it or not, suit yourself. After all, the real can never be fake, and the fake can never be real."
Yang Fan spread his hands, too lazy to continue arguing.
Yet while he didn't want to make a fuss, the troublemakers certainly weren't going to let it go easily!
True to form, Zhou Lin pressed both hands against the table, cast a mocking glance at Yang Fan, and said sinisterly, "Kid, didn't you say my garment is fake?"
"Fine! Then go ahead and find the proof! If this garment is fake, I will shoulder all the losses incurred entirely by myself. But if it's genuine... then you'll have to buy it at double the price!"
Yang Rong's pretty face darkened, and she felt somewhat anxious inside.
In the antique trade, what fetched the highest prices were highly decorative porcelain vases and paintings. For a Qing dynasty changyi like this—unless its collection value happened to be right there—who in their right mind would spend two hundred thousand to buy an old piece of clothing worn by some minor imperial palace servant?
Therefore, just in case her younger brother misjudged it, Brocade Pavilion would suffer a massive loss...
"Yang Fan, are you sure about this?"
"Don't worry, I am!"
Yang Fan wore a confident expression.
Just to be safe, he looked over at the middle-aged man and emphasized, "Boss Zhou, you heard what your son just said. What about you? Are you also willing to bear all the consequences?"
"Naturally."
"Very well!"
With both the old man and the young man stating their positions, Yang Fan had no further worries.
Without hesitation, he picked up the left cuff of the changyi and gently stroked the surface sleeve-end until he located the exact position of the single-sided embroidery. Then, with a *ripping* sound, he tore the entire cuff right off!
The next second!
A clear embroidered mark came into plain view before everyone's eyes!
"What the hell is this?"
Zhou Lin was dumbfounded.
Yang Rong stepped forward and immediately made out that string of embroidery!
"January 6, 2009, manufactured by Maosheng?!"
"Hey! I know this Maosheng Group. It seems they specialize in supplying costumes for the film and television industry, and their prices aren't low either!"
With irrefutable facts laid out before them, there was no room for the Zhou father and son to quibble.
Zhou Shenping's expression turned cold and gloomy. Though not showing much emotional fluctuation on the outside, inwardly he was extremely vexed and embarrassed!
"Dad, this..."
Zhou Lin looked at the mark, then looked at his father, unable to squeeze out a coherent sentence for a long time.
Originally, he had wanted to use this opportunity to properly wear down the people at Brocade Pavilion, but who could have expected that instead of gaining an advantage, he would end up losing out, not to mention losing twenty thousand—wait, two hundred thousand—and utterly humiliating himself!
"It's fine."
Zhou Shenping was, after all, the head of Baobao Pavilion.
Despite his embarrassment and anger, he quickly steadied his state of mind.
Antiques made of fabric were inherently difficult to authenticate, and there weren't many in market circulation anyway. Things going wrong at a time like this was simply unavoidable...
However, regardless of whether this kid just had a stroke of luck or genuinely possessed some real skill, since he had come today as part of a setup, Brocade Pavilion's days were numbered!
Even Jesus couldn't save them!
"Yang Fan, is it? I wouldn't have thought that someone so young as you would have such a sharp eye, able to spot the true from the false even among clothing, which is the hardest category to appraise in the antique trade..."
Zhou Shenping pointed at the central antique, wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he said, "Then take a look at this treasure and see how it is."
As he spoke, holding the rosewood box horizontally with the box and its contents intact, he handed it across to Yang Fan in front of him. "This is a white-glazed porcelain tea cup set from the Song dynasty. A complete set of four without a single flaw, which is exceptionally rare!"
Upon seeing this, Zhou Lin's pupils flickered, revealing a hint of sinister intent.
Others might not know, but as the young master of Baobao Pavilion, how could he possibly not know that his father had tampered with the rosewood box?
As long as this kid picked up any one of them, the bottom of the box would automatically open, causing the remaining three teacups to shatter!
Hmph hmph, by the time that happened, Brocade Pavilion wouldn't be able to clear its name even with reason on its side!
"Alright, let me take a look."
Yang Fan remained calm on the surface, but in reality, after acquiring X-ray Vision, his ability to capture micro-expressions had also become much sharper. He had naturally taken in every subtle abnormality of the Zhou father and son!
Still, you cannot catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den.
He still took the rosewood box in public, concentrated his focus, and quietly activated the power of X-ray Vision!
Sure enough!
The next moment, Yang Fan discovered the trick hidden within it!