Chapter 1421 White Paper?
Ma Er Dao glanced at a young woman beside him and jerked his chin.
The young woman looked no older than twenty, with a face like a painting and dressed in a pink robe. Her features were delicate, her face oval, like a fairy stepping out of a scroll.
She walked onto the stage, holding a scroll in her hands.
In an instant, almost everyone was captivated by the young woman.
Reaching the center of the stage, Ma Qianqian unfurled the scroll, presenting it for all to see!
"This is 'The Admonitions of the Instructress' by Gu Kaizhi, a painter from the Eastern Jin Dynasty!"
"Rumor has it that Gu Kaizhi's 'The Admonitions of the Instructress' is in the British Museum, and it's a copy from the Tang Taizong period. How could it appear here?"
"Is this an original? Or an ancient copy?"
As the painting appeared, everyone's eyes widened, and murmurs spread.
The judges could no longer sit still. They all stood up, staring intently at 'The Admonitions of the Instructress,' eager to uncover its secrets.
"Is this 'The Admonitions of the Instructress'?" one of the judges asked Ma Er Dao of the Ma family.
His tone was one of disbelief.
Of course, it was unbelievable. The extant versions were said to be in the British Museum, so how could an original painting possibly appear here?
Ma Er Dao said calmly, "Whether it's the genuine article or not, you'll know once you see it. You are all authorities in the antique appraisal world; my words are useless even if I spoke for days."
"Old Tian, let's go see what's happening."
"Let's go, I want to see too."
Thus, Master Tian and several other masters stepped forward.
Ma Qianqian found herself surrounded by the masters and felt a bit uneasy.
The masters, their eyesight not the best, even took out magnifying glasses.
"Damn it, I must be seeing things. This is truly an original by Gu Kaizhi from the Eastern Jin Dynasty!"
"Our national treasure has always been in the British Museum. I vowed as a child to bring that treasure back from the British Museum to our country. I never expected the original to have been in our country all along. Let the Tang Dynasty copy stay in the British Museum."
Master Tian was filled with emotion upon seeing the painting.
It made them uncomfortable that a national treasure of Xia Country was constantly displayed in foreign museums. To discover that the original had been in Xia Country all along brought them immense relief.
Hearing the comments from the masters, the surroundings erupted in an uproar!
No one expected the antique painting brought out by the Ma family to be 'The Admonitions of the Instructress'!
It was utterly unexpected!
"It's 'The Admonitions of the Instructress'! The Ma family's heritage is incredibly powerful to possess such a treasure!"
"The Qin family is in big trouble now. Who could have imagined?"
"Five rounds to win three. With the Ma family presenting a treasure like 'The Admonitions of the Instructress' this time, what other painting in ancient art could be more precious than 'The Admonitions of the Instructress'?"
Gu Kaizhi was known for his unparalleled talent, his masterful brushwork, and his obsessive devotion. The only other artist comparable to him was the Painting Sage Wu Daozi. However, Gu Kaizhi's painting held too many stories and miracles. Even if the Painting Sage's original work were here, it might not compare to this painting.
This was because everyone was willing to pay for a story.
It was akin to stocks; people were willing to pay for those who told a good story.
The surrounding discussions, coupled with the judges' words, made the Ma family members stand taller, their chests puffed out!
In contrast to the smiling faces of the Ma family, the Qin family looked dejected and had unsightly expressions.
Suddenly, a judge spoke, "The Ma family's treasure has been presented, and we have all seen it and have a clear understanding. It is now time for the Qin family to present their treasure!"
"This..."
The Qin family members wore expressions of difficulty.
Actually, the Qin family had prepared a painting by the Painting Sage Wu Daozi for the competition. However, that painting was stolen last night. Thus, the Qin family, finding themselves with no other option, decided to use an original work by Tang Bohu for the treasure appraisal.
"Could it be that the Qin family hasn't prepared a treasure?" the judge furrowed his brow.
Qin Ling, leading the Qin family, opened his mouth to speak, when Ma Er Dao suddenly sneered, "Brother Qin Ling, you're not going to tell us that the painting you prepared was stolen, are you?"
Qin Ling was taken aback. Hearing the mocking words, his anger flared.
It was highly likely that the Ma family was behind this. Otherwise, how would the Ma family know about it? The Qin family had kept this information strictly confidential, and no outsider should have been able to learn of it.
However, he had no evidence now and couldn't argue with the Ma family.
He said gravely, "Master Yao, to be frank, the painting our Qin family prepared was indeed stolen. Our Qin family has prepared another painting, but it was done in haste and may require some time. We kindly ask the masters to wait a little longer."
The antique appraisal masters were all very busy. Naturally, they were quite displeased with the Qin family's explanation.
However, Master Tian then said, "Then let's wait for a while. It's not a significant delay anyway."
Since Master Tian had spoken, they said no more. After all, Master Tian was a towering figure in the antique appraisal world, and they had to show him respect.
Ma Er Dao also smiled, "Waiting a little longer is fine. I don't believe any scroll can compare to my painting."
As time ticked by, unfortunately, Qin Xuelan did not arrive. Qin Ling called Qin Xuelan several times, but no one answered.
"Qin family, you have one more minute. If you don't present the painting by then, you will be considered to have forfeited."
This time, Master Tian said nothing more. Even if he were to favor the Qin family, he could not be too obvious.
Qin Ling's expression changed. He called Qin Xuelan again, but it still didn't connect. He angrily slammed his phone onto the table.
Why hadn't the person arrived yet?
This scene caused the corners of the Ma family's mouths to spread into smiles.
Three!
Two!
...
In the blink of an eye, the minute was almost up. The Qin family held their breath, some even closed their eyes.
At the critical moment, a voice suddenly rang out, "The painting is here!"
Everyone turned to look and saw Chen Xuan carrying Qin Xuelan upstairs. Tian Shijie, Wei Linlin, and the others also had flushed faces.
Upon seeing Qin Xuelan, Ma Er Dao's expression instantly turned grim. As for Qin Ling and the others, they breathed a sigh of relief, but why was a man carrying Qin Xuelan?
Sensing all eyes on her, Qin Xuelan's face turned red. She quickly jumped off Chen Xuan and even pushed him away.
Hey!
Using and then discarding!
Chen Xuan rolled his eyes.
"Xuelan, did you bring the painting?"
Qin Ling quickly walked over.
"Uncle, I lived up to expectations!"
"That's great, that's great! Hurry and present it."
Qin Ling urged, "Thank goodness you made it! If you had been a moment later, our Qin family would have lost for sure!"
"I'll go now!"
Qin Xuelan, holding the scroll, walked onto the stage and to the center. She slowly unfurled the scroll.
In an instant, all eyes converged on the painting, faces filled with astonishment.
What was going on?
Qin Xuelan wondered if the painting was so good that it could leave people dumbfounded.
She looked down and was utterly stunned. How did it become a blank piece of paper?