After hearing Mei Xi’s question, Qu Zhengbo thought for a long time and frowned and said, “It should be said that they all talked about my students occasionally when chatting. They are not antiques?”

Mei Xi: "Who brought this alchemy tripod?"

Qu Zhengbo: "Zhang Xiaoning has a friend who is a collection. Zhang Xiaoning bought it from him. Will his friend lie to him, right?"

Mei Xi: "Does Zhang Xiaoning know these allusions?"

Qu Zhengbo: "I should know, remember that I told him."

Mei Xi: "Since that collector is Zhang Xiaoning's friend, has Zhang Xiaoning told that person these allusions?"

Qu Zhengbo shook his head: "How do I know this? That's his business."

Mei Xi: "Do you know how much Zhang Xiaoning spent to buy it?"

Qu Zhengbo: "At first he didn't say it, but later I asked again and again, he told me it was 600,000... Why, do you think Zhang Xiaoning was cheated? This thing has an expert appraisal certificate! Could it be that you read it wrong, right?"

Six hundred thousand? When Mei Xi heard this, she felt something and suddenly remembered something. Not long ago, he also heard this number in this laboratory. At that time, the family of the deceased Chi Gong in the hospital made trouble and asked Qu Yimin to compensate 600,000 yuan. Zhang Xiaoning was present and took the initiative to ask him to settle it. Mr. Qu said it was not necessary, and said that he could take out 600,000 yuan if he searched for the family.

Others may not pay attention to such coincidences, but it is different to the old man like Mei Xi. The first step to cheating is to find out the money, and Old Man Qu’s money has been unintentionally revealed. Some people may not understand it very well. Here is an example-

Whether it is setting up gambling games on the roadside or opening a casino on the ground, it was all the eight major gates of the rivers and lakes in ancient times. The art of the rivers and lakes of the rivers and lakes was a routine. Recently, this set of things was very rampant in the southern area, and many people have fallen into it. For example, Zhang San accidentally fell into a gambling game. After losing the chips from childhood to big losses, he still wanted to make a profit. There are those who lend money in the casino, and they often put money in a very accurate way. Zhang San has a factory worth 5 million yuan. Those who lend money often put money in four million yuan and don’t borrow it again. At this time, the winner will force Zhang San to repay the money. Considering the discount on urgent assets, Zhang San can just take out four million yuan, which seems very coincidental. In fact, Zhang San fell into the gambling game designed by others, and the other party has touched the money in advance.

Qu Zhengbo has no worries about living with his salary. He has a big house in Beijing, but he is not a big money after all. His savings over the years are only 50,000 or 600,000 yuan, so he said that Sosuo's family could make up 600,000 yuan. The antique dealer was Zhang Xiaoning's friend. He probably learned about Professor Qu's situation through Zhang Xiaoning. Not only did he forge such a elixir, but the final price was also 600,000 yuan. If Zhang Xiaoning was reluctant to spend this money to give gifts, Mr. Qu would have bought it himself when he saw it.

Thinking of this, Mei Xi was already very clear about the process of this scam. She just didn't know if Zhang Xiaoning was also kept in the dark, or if he had conspired with his friends to plot against the old man? It is estimated that Zhang Xiaoning was also cheated. His friends' actions were "killing old people" in jargon.

But how did Professor Qu explain these words clearly? He didn't want to attack the old man too much, so he asked for the identification certificate. He saw it: "Three-legged, two-eared, dragon-patterned furnace... The shape is simple and dignified, the patterns are exquisite and smooth, and it conforms to the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty artifacts. There are radial cracks on one ear, and the appearance is slightly incomplete. After identification, it is a genuine product in the Tang Dynasty and is relatively rare....The market reference price: 800,000 to 1 million yuan...The appraiser: Long Ruhai, a researcher at the Heluo Museum."

He frowned and said, "Antiques can be forged, and this appraisal certificate may not be credible. Mr. Qu, I don't need to lie to you. I think this is really not something from the Tang Dynasty... You can take a closer look and think about it carefully. Let's not talk about whether this alchemy tripod is true or false. Use a normal mind to analyze whether there are any other flaws? I don't understand this historical allusion very much, and I don't know the alchemy tripod, but if it is a pseudo-device, there may be other flaws."

Professor Qu looked at Mei Xi with suspicion, looked at the three-legged copper tripod that was being turned upside down with his scrutiny. As he looked at it, he suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed: "Oh, it's really wrong! Why didn't I expect it?"

Mei Xi was startled by his voice and asked quickly: "Do you always see something wrong?"

Qu Zhengbo pointed to the inscription on the bottom of the tripod: "These three words "Sun Yinyan" are not right. If it were something from Yonghui for five years, I'm afraid the place name Sun Yinyan was not yet... I was so happy that I thought I had found the relics of Yao Prince, and forgot to think about it for a while. After hearing your reminder, there is really a problem when I recall it. You don't know yet. I have been to Liuyang to search for the relics of Yao Prince..."

In ancient times, there was a place called Sun Yinyan in Liuyang. Professor Qu not only visited, but also looked up local chronicles in local archives. According to historical records, this place name did not appear before the Sui Dynasty, but it appeared in the Tang Dynasty. This place is called Sun Yinyan. The recorded place name began in the Tang Dynasty, and Sun Simiao lived in seclusion here to refine alchemy in the early Tang Dynasty. What does this mean? - A careful analysis, the conclusion should be that this place should be named after Sun Simiao!

During the Yonghui period, Sun Simiao was refining alchemy there. Was this place called Sun Yinyan at that time? This possibility is not great, nor does it conform to the traditional customs of ancient China. At least it should have happened after Sun Simiao left. Even if it was named in the Tang Dynasty, it should not be the fifth year of Yonghui, and it would not be engraved on the alchemy tripod of Sun Simiao at that time. Professor Qu was so happy that he didn't think too much about it. Now he calmed down and saw something strange.

As for this period of history, I guess the antique dealer did not think too much about it. Even if you look up historical books, you can only see that there was indeed a place called Sun Yinyan in the Tang Dynasty, and Sun Simiao did refine alchemy there to create the method of subduing fire. There are clearly recorded things in history that can be forged, but history does not have clear records, and knowledge that can only be inferred based on experience and common sense. Forged things often reveal flaws.

In fact, Mei Xi didn't think much about that inscription, because he could see at a glance that the bronze tripod could not be something from the Tang Dynasty. No matter what was written on it, it was fake, so he didn't notice this detail. The one that touched Qu Zhengbo the most was this inscription, so the flaw in the inscription was the first thought of Qu Zhengbo.

Seeing that Professor Qu saw the flaws himself, Mei Xi was relieved. Many folk collectors have a paranoid mentality, and always think that the things they collect are "possible" to be true. Even if they are obvious fakes, experts will be skeptical when they say something to him. Professor Qu is not an ignorant person, and when he wakes up, he finds the problem all at once, which is a good thing for Mei Xi.

Mei Xi asked the most critical sentence at this time: "Mr. Qu, have you paid?"

Professor Qu sighed: "I almost paid. I have more than 500,000 yuan in my deposit. There is still a little bit in the stock market, but the stock market has fallen from more than 6,000 points to 1,600 points. It has not rebounded yet. I am not willing to sell it. I called in the morning to borrow some points for the time being. This danding was bought by Zhang Xiaoning and gave it to me. I won't let him spend money no matter what. If I want to keep it, I will give him money... Alas, it seems that Zhang Xiaoning is probably cheated by his friend!"

At this moment, Qu Yimin pushed the door and walked in, and said, "Grandpa, do you send an email to my dad and want to borrow money? Dad just contacted me and asked you what you do and how much you need. He directly transferred to your account from abroad... Are you spending so much money to buy this copper cauldron?" At this time, she also saw Mei Xi and the alchemy cauldron on the table.

Professor Qu sat on the chair and waved his hand in disappointment: "No, this thing is fake. I saw that the inscription was wrong, and Mei Xi also recognized that it was not something from the Tang Dynasty." Then he explained what had just happened.

Qu Yimin jumped up and took out the phone while dialing, saying, "This Zhang Xiaoning actually cheated on my grandfather. I can't scold him to death!" Professor Qu and Mei Xi next to him reached out to stop her.

Professor Qu advised: "The matter has not been clarified yet. Depending on the situation, Zhang Xiaoning was also cheated. I heard that he really spent 600,000 yuan. Is it still a little bit to ask if he can come back?"

Mei Xi said to the two: "Don't worry, this matter is not complicated. If Zhang Xiaoning is really cheated, according to the rules of the antique industry, if I guess well, the money can be returned... It's just that this appraisal certificate is still a little problem. Teacher Qu, can you lend me your phone to use it?"

Qu Yimin handed him the phone, and Mei Xi dialed a number, which was You Chengji, the son of his fourth aunt's cousin, and now the one who is in the Panjiayuan Antique Market. After the phone was connected, Mei Xi said, "Is it Xiao Jiji?... It's me, your cousin...... I have something to ask you for help. I have something here, a three-legged and two-eared special furnace in the Ming Dynasty, an eight-inch-high red copperware is a bit broken, and an inscription was engraved on the bottom to pretend to be from the Tang Dynasty. The identification certificate seems to be real... I'll read it to you, and you can hear what's going on?"

The other end of the phone replied: "You are asking about this thing? Are you asking about the cracks on your ears and the small seal script underneath it? It's such a coincidence. I really know that it was done by Boss He, the shop opposite us.... The appraisal expert Long Ruhai has a bad reputation in the industry. When Boss He looked for him, he asked for an appraisal fee of 3,000 yuan, and then he got it done with a price of 1,000 yuan after the counter-offer. This is not the first time this is, and when people see through it, they will be out of sight.... It's just that you ask me that I can't tell these things, I can't tell them if others touch the situation."

Mei Xi: "Will the boss sit in the land or cross the river?"

You Chengji: "If you open a regular door, you can't leave if you have a signature. If something happens, you have to follow the rules."

Mei Xi: "Okay, I understand, thank you!... I come to school to play when I have time!" After that, he hung up the phone and returned the phone to Qu Yimin and said, "This is easy to deal with. Call Zhang Xiaoning tomorrow and say everything clearly. After he understands it, he can just take it back by himself. There are rules for antique companies."

The popular antique is now called collecting, and it belongs to the book gate among the eight major gates of the world. The times have developed. Nowadays, people don’t know what the book gate is, but the antique business rules are mostly derived from the details of the book gate. For example, if you go to an antique store and buy a fake, you can return it according to the rules in the industry? It doesn’t necessarily depend on the specific situation.

No antique sells fakes, and the professional knowledge required is very complicated, so it is not something that can be explained clearly in one or two sentences. Even if the disputes are in modern law, even judges have a headache. There is a conventional rule for selling antiques. In a simple summary, it can be summarized in one sentence: If there is a fake in the middle of your goods, you can not say that the thing is fake, but you cannot guarantee that the thing is real, let the customer choose it himself, distinguish the real and fake, and you will bear the consequences if you miss it.

If you hold a piece of porcelain that was just burned last year, you can say to the customer: "This may be Hongzhi blue and white. I want it to be quite cheap. You can buy it and try your luck!" There is no problem. But if you say to the customer, "This is Hongzhi blue and white!", then you will most likely have to take responsibility. If the customer gets it back, you have to eat it, unless you want to finish a single transaction.

Of course, the specific situation of the antiques business is very complicated, and you may not know about selling fakes. For example, the boss was beaten by the fake and accepted the fake and thought it was real, so he took the price and took the takeout. As long as he did not violate the rules, the customer had to tell the authenticity of the goods after the money was paid. There is only one worst case, that is, he made a fraud by himself, and then promised it was real and directly defrauded. According to the current law, this is a fraud. According to traditional industry rules, if it is exposed, you need to refund money, apologize, smash the goods, and dismantle the signboard. Of course, laymen do not understand these, so they usually use such fraud methods to vulnerable men who do not understand their profession.

This is the case with Zhang Xiaoning's friend. He learned from Zhang Xiaoning that Professor Qu's hobbies and family background, and deliberately set up a plan to make such a fake, which is different from selling fakes in the general sense.

After saying this, Mei Xi said to Professor Qu: "You can call Zhang Xiaoning now and return the appraisal certificate and this item to him. If he doesn't understand, I will explain it clearly to him. Should he use legal means or follow the industry rules and choose it yourself... Teacher Qu, don't scold him, I think he was deceived."

Mei Xi advised Qu Yimin not to scold Zhang Xiaoning, but Qu Yimin's mouth still did not spare the Zhang surname. After Zhang Xiaoning arrived, she was scolded first. If Mei Xi and Professor Qu had not persuaded him, she would have been scolded! After hearing the cause and effect of the matter, Zhang Xiaoning was ashamed at the time, and her face was as purple as a pig's waist. She really wanted to find a crack in the ground and try to fall after picking up the alchemy tripod.

Mei Xi quickly stopped him and reminded: "We must return it as it is, and we must smash it if we want to smash it, and let the seller smash it himself."

Zhang Xiaoning blushed and said thank you, lowered his head and left with his things. Professor Qu looked at him leaving and sighed helplessly: "Learn from one's mistakes, it's not a good thing to learn from this lesson, but this matter is too bizarre, just like what is written in the novel."

Mei Xi smiled faintly: "Reality may be more bizarre than art, and the stories in the novel also come from reality."

Qu Yimin patted Mei Xi's back shoulder and said, "Thanks to you, otherwise I wouldn't know if my grandfather was cheated, and I'll spend all the money on retirement."

Professor Qu: "My salary is enough for retirement. The money is not my retirement money, but for your dowry. I originally wanted to buy a heirloom and leave it to you as a dowry in the future... You have to thank Mei Xi. Thanks to him, your dowry was not cheated. It doesn't matter if the dowry is cheated, don't be cheated!"

Qu Yimin was embarrassed by her grandfather's words, and her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't help but glance at Mei Xi again.

...

Originally, Mei Xi had already noticed that Qu Yimin's eyes had changed subtly, and was thinking about whether to keep a distance appropriately. However, after the farce of fake antiques, he and Qu Yimin became much closer. The gentleness in Qu Yimin's eyes became more and more obvious when he looked at him. What kind of emotion is this? Maybe she didn't realize it herself. Judging from her age, Qu Yimin is a few years older than Mei Xi, but in terms of social experience and experience, Mei Xi is more mature than this sister.

Qu Yimin didn't know about Mei Xi's thoughts and still often came to him, either this or that. As a counselor, Mei Xi couldn't hide. He could not say bluntly: "Sister, our relationship is too close, so there will be problems if this continues."

That day Qu Yimin came to Mei Xi again and insisted on treating him to dinner. She took out a small porcelain bottle at the dining table and asked mysteriously: "Guess, what is this?"

Mei Xi: "Do you still need to guess this? A small porcelain bottle."

Qu Yimin couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You are so funny. Of course, what I asked was what was in the bottle?"

Mei Xi shook her head: "I can't guess it, I don't have special abilities."

Qu Yimin: "You don't have special abilities yet? You can do such a magical whip technique!"

Mei Xi: "When hitting the monkey whip, it is a monkey whip, and special abilities are special abilities, which are two different things."

Qu Yimin: "You are quite low-key. I used to think that people who discovered a strange person like you had already been on the news broadcast!... Can't guess it? Let me tell you, it's Wushi San."
Chapter completed!