Relieved that Qin Xuan had not chosen the miscellaneous poetry scrolls, Chen Zhongping let out a long sigh.
Although the painting scroll before him was long, it had only cost him a little over two million. Compared to the miscellaneous poetry scrolls worth over eighty million, it was insignificant.
"But Brother Qin, why did you choose this painting?" Chen Zhongping looked closely at the "Yandang Tu" in confusion. "Could it be that it has something special about it?"
Qin Xuan nodded. "This landscape scroll is named 'Yandang Tu,' and it's an authentic work by Qian Weicheng of the late Qing Dynasty."
"Although I haven't studied this person much, my intuition tells me that this work of his should be quite valuable."
After speaking, Qin Xuan turned his gaze to Ye Shuliang, who was also surprised.
Chen Zhongping had mentioned that Ye Shuliang had Qing Dynasty blood, so he would surely be more familiar with Qing Dynasty items than the two of them.
As expected.
When Ye Shuliang heard the name Qian Weicheng, he was first stunned, then hurried forward to examine the seven-meter-long "Yandang Tu" from top to bottom.
"I hadn't had a chance to appreciate this painting after Old Chen bought it. I didn't expect it to be an authentic work by Qian Weicheng."
As he spoke, he took out a small magnifying glass from his pocket and examined the details of the "Yandang Tu."
At the same time, he began to explain Qian Weicheng's life to Qin Xuan.
"Qian Weicheng, courtesy name Zongpan, sobriquet Jiaxuan, was born in the 59th year of Kangxi's reign and was intelligent from childhood."
"In the tenth year of Qianlong's reign, he became the top scholar and later served as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice."
"In painting, he drew inspiration from the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty and the Four Wangs of the early Qing Dynasty, achieving a state of exquisite beauty in his depictions of trees and rocks."
"The 'Shiqu Baoji,' Emperor Qianlong's collection catalog, alone contains over 160 of his works."
"This is enough to show how favored Qian Weicheng was by Emperor Qianlong."
As he finished speaking, Ye Shuliang pointed to a scene in the "Yandang Tu" and said, "Look."
"The composition of 'Yandang Tu' is dense and rugged, with fine yet layered brushstrokes."
"The details of the mountains, trees, houses, and people are all complete."
"It is meticulously detailed up close and grand and magnificent from afar."
"Truly a rare masterpiece!"
Clapping his hands in admiration, Ye Shuliang continued to point to the inscription on the scroll.
"And here."
"The inscription reads 'Subject Qian Weicheng respectfully copied from the original by Li Tang.'"
"This means that 'Yandang Tu' was a tribute work presented by Qian Weicheng to Emperor Qianlong."
"Since it was to be presented to the emperor, he must have put immense effort into its creation, and the resulting painting would undoubtedly be far superior to his usual works."
After speaking, he pointed to the various red imperial seals of different sizes and shapes on the painting and said excitedly, "It is clear that his efforts were not in vain."
"Here, here, and here."
"Not only are there Emperor Qianlong's eight imperial seals, but also the collection seals of Emperor Jiaqing and Emperor Xuantong."
"This is sufficient proof that these three Qing emperors all greatly admired this 'Yandang Tu'!"
"It's just that for some reason, it ended up circulating outside the palace."
"Then..."
"How much is this painting worth?"
Seeing Ye Shuliang's delight as if he had found a treasure, Qin Xuan couldn't help but be curious.
To be honest, he wasn't particularly interested in calligraphy and painting.
He was more concerned about its specific price.
Ye Shuliang clearly understood Qin Xuan's thoughts.
After a moment of consideration, he gave his answer.
"This painting is truly rare, not only for its exquisite craftsmanship but also for its immense size."
"If it were me, I would be perfectly willing to accept it for under eighty million Long Coins."
"However, to be frank, Brother Qin,"
"If this painting were to enter the auction market, its auction price would undoubtedly be higher than this."
"If it encountered certain art enthusiasts, its final price might..."
Ye Shuliang took a deep breath, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly uttered two words, "Exceed a hundred million!"
"Exceed a hundred million?!"
In an instant, Qin Xuan's breathing hitched, and his hands trembled and felt numb with excitement.
But this time, his mood quickly calmed down.
One hundred million Long Coins sounded like a colossal sum.
But Qin Xuan was confident that in the near future, his wealth would far surpass this magnitude.
By then, a hundred million would simply become an unremarkable, routine number in his mind.
Given this, why should he be overly excited about it?
Having realized this, Qin Xuan's emotions completely subsided in an instant.
His expression was natural, his gaze calm, as if nothing had happened.
Ye Shuliang and Chen Zhongping exchanged glances.
They were shocked by Qin Xuan's discerning eye, and even more so by his mental transformation.
This was a spiritual transformation from the inside out.
At this moment, they could clearly feel that the Qin Xuan before them had completely changed.
He was no longer the green youth who would be smug about a lucky find.
"Brother Qin, how do you plan to handle this 'Yandang Tu'?"
"Are you going to keep it for yourself, or consign it to an auction house?"
After a moment, Chen Zhongping slowly spoke.
Qin Xuan replied without hesitation, "Consign it to an auction house, of course."
"But Brother Chen, this is a rare treasure worth over a hundred million. Are you really willing to give it to me for free?"
Chen Zhongping rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "I, Chen Zhongping, stand by my word! I always do what I say!"
"Besides, I only paid 2.8 million Long Coins for this painting when I bought it, so the loss isn't that significant for me."
Qin Xuan nodded and smiled without speaking.
Although the other party claimed there was no loss, his tightly clenched fist betrayed him.
However, Qin Xuan was no longer worried about any problems arising in his relationship with Chen Zhongping.
Someone who valued reputation over money like him would not fall out with him over such a small matter.
"By the way, elder brothers, do you have any suggestions regarding consigning the 'Yandang Tu' for auction?"
Returning to his seat, Qin Xuan asked.
"No need for suggestions. I already have consignment services under me."
"Don't worry about this matter. Sign the documents with me later, and you can wait to receive the money."
Since the item had already been given away, Chen Zhongping was happy to do him a favor.
Qin Xuan naturally had no objections.
After thanking Chen and Ye, he took his leave.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when he left the treasure vault.
To ensure Qin Xuan could make it to his sister Qin Ling'er's surgery on time, Chen Zhongping specially sent someone to drop him off at the hospital entrance.
The surgery was successful.
After only five hours, Qin Ling'er was smoothly returned to her ward by the nurse.
After briefly explaining the precautions to Qin Xuan, the nurse left.
Qin Xuan then took Qin Ling'er's fair little hand and gently stroked it.
"Ling'er, you're all better now."
"We just need to observe for a few more days in the hospital, and then we can go home."
"You sleep well, and when you wake up tomorrow, your brother will give you a big surprise!"
After muttering a few words to the still unconscious Qin Ling'er, Qin Xuan also specially hired several professional caregivers to be responsible for Qin Ling'er's daily care during these days.
The next morning, Qin Xuan called the hospital.
After confirming that Qin Ling'er had no discomfort, he immediately headed to the largest Yida Mall in the city center.