Chapter 37: Bronze of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties

“Ahua, he’s always the one to provoke me first. I’m really not a bad person.”

His voice was deep and steady, yet there was a distinct sense of grievance in his words.

“I understand.”

“Is your foot still hurting, Ahua?”

He came and sat beside her, his build imposing, almost enveloping her completely. If she wore high heels, the height difference was less obvious, but without them, it was quite pronounced.

Back at the hotel, the bodyguards began to check for safety hazards before closing the door.

The first thing Zhong Huayan did was check the messages sent to her by the brothers from the Li family. She was touched by their warmth—it seemed she had only recently learned what true familial affection felt like. It wasn’t about scheming, pretense, or cold indifference.

After replying simply, she realized it had been a long time since she’d done any appraisals. Life had been so busy lately.

Without another thought, she started a live broadcast to authenticate treasures.

Fu Yanyan was working at his desk while Zhong Huayan worked beside him. As he listened to her discussing appraisals on the livestream, he was somewhat surprised. He’d always thought Ahua merely had a passing interest in collecting, with only a basic knowledge of appraisal. He realized now how careless he’d been; Ahua was not only skillful in managing a company, but also possessed real talent in playing instruments, singing, fine arts, and appraising treasures.

There were ten thousand viewers in the livestream, which was less than usual since her IP address was now outside the country, limiting domestic traffic. Still, her loyal long-time fans continued to send virtual gifts, just as they had from the start.

[My darling, you’re finally online! We’ve been waiting so long for you!]

[Beauty, your IP is actually overseas. Are you appraising treasures abroad?]

She connected with her first guest of the day, who immediately displayed two paintings on video.

This was her area of expertise—when it came to authenticating paintings, she was accurate ninety-nine percent of the time.

“With ink applied in one stroke, the brushwork is strong, the energy flows well, and the dry brush is decisive. The landscape’s shading is also handled nicely.”

After listening, the elderly gentleman on the other side grew excited and hurriedly brought the camera closer to the seal.

“Young lady, can you tell me how much this painting is worth?”

“Sir, do you know what’s written on this red seal?” Zhong Huayan, seeing his silence, began to explain. “It says ‘The property of the Grand Emperor, Azure Dragon Entering the Sea, Mountain High and Misty Water.’ This is a modern reproduction of a Qianlong painting. The original is housed in the Forbidden City—if you had the real thing, it would be worth tens of millions. But this, at a glance, is a fake. It’s a modern reproduction.”

“Well… could you look at these other pieces for me?”

He shifted the camera to a scroll of calligraphy less than ten centimeters wide but several meters long, containing a thousand characters in cursive script. He also displayed several other paintings and inscriptions, overwhelming the viewer with their number.

“I can see the signatures. These are all works supposedly by calligraphers and painters of the Republic era—Zaiying’s eldest son Aisin Gioro Fujin, Leng’an Hu Peiheng, Beilou Jincheng. Have you heard of them? They were quite famous figures in their time. If these were genuine, each would be worth at least a million. But they’re all modern reproductions, and not worth much.”

The old man’s eyes filled with tears as he spoke. “I bought all these seven years ago. They cost me tens of thousands.”

“It’s alright. It’s never too late to turn back. You have to do some research before buying things like these—don’t buy blindly. Do you still have any purchase records from seven years ago? Do you know the seller’s name and address? If you do, you can report it to the police.

“In the future, before you buy anything, wait for my livestream and let me authenticate it for you, alright?”

The old man nodded in front of the camera, and Zhong Huayan ended the call.

The next guest to be appraised startled her the moment their video connected.

Before her was a bronze sword, about a meter long, with visible cracks and covered in inscriptions.

“My goodness, a bronze artifact with inscriptions?”

The voice on the other end was young—likely a man in his early twenties, speaking in a dialect not quite standard Mandarin.

“Teacher, I see you’re quite skilled at appraisals. Could you look at these things for me? What’s so special about a bronze artifact with inscriptions?”

At this moment, the chat was exploding with excitement.

Zhong Huayan rubbed her forehead with a wry smile, then asked with a hint of amusement, “Where did you get this sword?”

“Ah… it’s an heirloom from my family.”

“So your ancestor was a king from the Shang or Zhou dynasty?”

The inscriptions were left in tombs to record the life deeds of the tomb owner—so any inscribed artifact buried with the dead usually belonged to a king, duke, or high-ranking official of the time. If it was a bronze artifact with inscriptions, it would be something worthy of a mountain’s worth. And this one was clearly well-handled, not something for ordinary nobles. The last time something like this surfaced at a museum, it belonged to the King of Yue, who was considered a regional lord.

During the Shang and Zhou periods, there were no emperors. Your sword most likely belonged to a king, as indicated by the inscriptions. This isn’t just a matter of ascending a mountain—it’s a matter of whether you want to eat peanuts or not.

Your best option now is to hand it over to the authorities; otherwise, you might not make it to next year.

Her words set the chat ablaze, and the livestream’s viewership soared.

[The museum examples were all from lords, but this sword belonged to a king!]

[I’m shocked! Ever since I started watching this streamer, I’m shocked every day.]

[For those calling him a shill, take a look—there are already official police and cultural heritage bureau accounts in the chat!]

Zhong Huayan began to wonder if her luck had taken a turn for the extraordinary—how else could she have encountered something like this?

The young man was clearly stunned, then retrieved a few more items from nearby.

“These are all things I found in the cellar back home after my father passed away.”

Zhong Huayan examined each inscribed artifact. “They’re all genuine. Did your dad excavate an imperial tomb?”

“I have no idea. These things seem a bit ominous. My father kept them in the cellar, saying they were ancestral heirlooms. Later, he drowned while winter swimming. At first, after watching your livestreams, I wanted you to authenticate them. There’s one more item in the storeroom.”

He walked to the storeroom of his house and turned on the light, revealing a black chain hanging on the wall, with a yellowed jade pendant at its center.

“Teacher, could you check if this also needs to be handed over?”

“That one is obviously genuine—its luster is like silver and jade. But there’s no way this is a family heirloom; the patina isn’t right. It, too, must be turned in. Are there any more?”

The young man was dumbfounded, then burst out laughing.

“Wow! Teacher, these things are all real! I can’t believe it—I thought my dad had been swindled!”