Chapter 192: 【192】This phoenix hairpin is a counterfeit!_1

People in the antiques business generally have a good grasp of history.

They are naturally no strangers to this famous love story from Dragon Country’s history.

It is said that the Lu Family once used a phoenix hairpin as a token of engagement with the Tang Family.

After Lu You and Tang Wan were married, they were very much in love.

However, Lu You’s mother did not like Tang Wan and forced the two to divorce, and they both entered into other marriages.

Years later, they reunited in Shen Garden.

By then, the once beloved wife had married another man.

Filled with sorrow, Lu You inscribed the famous “Phoenix Hairpin: Soft Red Hands” on the walls of Shen Garden.

Especially the lines “The east wind is cruel, love is frail. A heart full of anguish, years of yearning. Wrong, wrong, wrong” deeply touched people’s hearts.

And this widely loved verse indirectly cost Tang Wan her life.

Years later, when Tang Wan revisited Shen Garden and saw the inscription, she also wrote a response poem, “Phoenix Hairpin: The World’s Thin Sentiments.”

In it, the lines “The world’s sentiments thin, human feelings cruel, rain sending dusk, flowers easily fall” revealed her profound sorrow.

In the autumn of the same year, Tang Wan died of depression.

This love story has been passed down for thousands of years, deeply moving people.

If this phoenix hairpin truly was the token of love between Lu You and Tang Wan, its value would be immense.

“My first question is to ask Mr. Tang to help appraise whether this phoenix hairpin is genuine or fake, and you must provide convincing reasons,” said Xue Yingjie, handing the hairpin to Tang Feng.

Instead of taking it directly, Tang Feng asked him to place the hairpin on the table.

It’s a rule in the antiques trade: never directly handle the goods.

Otherwise, any issues that arise would be hard to account for.

Xue Yingjie only smiled, placed the hairpin on the table, and turned to the crowd, “Everyone is welcome to join in the appraisal.”

Hearing this, the crowd gathered around, curious to take a look.

“Looking at the style of the decorations, it seems like a style from the Northern Li Dynasty period…”

“The gemstones set in it also seem to be without any issues…”

“Looking at the patina and the degree of wear, it also seems to be fine…”

“Taken all together, it should undoubtedly be genuine.”

The crowd scrutinized the piece closely, repeatedly examining it with magnifying glasses and occasionally weighing it in their hands.

Even Zhang Jicheng joined in the study for a while, but he couldn’t find any problems either.

Most people ultimately gave a definitive answer.

A small group remained non-committal—possibly not wanting to influence Tang Feng’s judgment—but their expressions suggested that they saw no issues either.

After everyone had taken their turn, Xue Yingjie then turned to Tang Feng, “Now it’s your turn. Take your time; there’s no rush.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Only then did Tang Feng pick up the phoenix hairpin and begin to examine it.

In reality, he had a scanning system and didn’t need to pick it up at all.

But of course, with so many people watching, he had to put on a show.

Zhang Ji hurriedly instructed the staff to prepare chairs for everyone to sit and wait, and had tea sent over.

Appraising antiques of this nature can be very time-consuming.

It might take as short as several minutes or as long as several hours.

Some items could even take days to authenticate conclusively.

Everyone was prepared for a long haul.

However, after just over ten minutes, Tang Feng put the phoenix hairpin back on the table.

“I’ve finished my examination.”

There was an audible gasp.

His remark startled everyone present.

Two people who were in the midst of drinking tea sprayed it out.

All eyes widened in disbelief.

That had been far too brief.

Even Zhang Jicheng was taken aback by his speed, reminding him, “Feng, accuracy is more important than speed, you shouldn’t rush.”

After all, since Xue Yingjie hadn’t set a time limit, the more thorough the examination, the better.

“But I have finished. Why waste more time?” said Tang Feng looking innocently at his master.

The crowd shook their heads with wry smiles.

What could you possibly find in ten minutes?

At best, you could get a general idea.

But with antiques, a lot of the knowledge is hidden in the small details.

One oversight could lead to a misjudgment.

They didn’t believe that Tang Feng could see every detail with just a few glances.

It seemed almost like an act of resigned frustration.

“Are you sure you don’t want to continue looking? What if you’re wrong?” Xue Yingjie prompted with a peculiar smile on his face.

“If I’m wrong, then it would mean I haven’t mastered my craft, and I would have no right to assume the position of Chief Appraiser at Ya Garden,” Tang Feng responded with a confident smile.

Seeing Tang Feng so confident, Xue Yingjie added no further comment, “Well, since you have your answer, I have nothing to say.”

“But whatever your answer is, you must provide your reasons and not just guess.”

“Understood,” Tang Feng nodded.

“Then please, state your judgment,” Xue Yingjie said with a gracious gesture.

“Many esteemed predecessors here have examined the hairpin and unanimously declared it genuine…” Tang Feng’s gaze slowly swept over those present, then he suddenly paused, “But after my appraisal, this phoenix hairpin is a counterfeit!”

The room instantly filled with murmurs of debate.

Everyone’s face was stamped with skepticism; they clearly did not agree with his conclusion.

Xue Yingjie’s expression froze, and he stared at Tang Feng for a couple of seconds. “Why do you judge this phoenix hairpin to be a counterfeit? Please provide your reasons.”

Tang Feng glanced again at the conclusion provided by the system, then stood up and spoke eloquently.

“I must say, the craftsmanship of the forgery is indeed ingenious, nearly achieving an uncanny semblance to the real thing, but there are still flaws in a few minor details.”

“First is the jade set in this hairpin; it uses leftover slivers or coated slivers of jade to imitate patina; this method of aging is very deceptive. But there is a difference between natural skin tones and induced patination…”

“Furthermore, as for the metal parts’ oxidation and weathering, the faux aging is again quite skillful. But there are still a few issues with that…”