Silencing the pleasantries, Wang Guan was momentarily startled to discover the long scroll contained both the Ode to the Red Cliff, Part One and Part Two, yet he quickly composed himself, even frowning slightly when he saw the inscription.

He actually saw the characters "Dongpo Jushi Su Shi" written there.

This meant the calligraphy was no longer a true copy. Generally, when the author's own name appears on a work, there are only two possibilities: either this scroll is an authentic piece handwritten by Su Dongpo himself, or it is a forgery. If it wasn't Su Dongpo's original work yet deliberately carried his title, what else could it be but a fake?

Of course, if the piece predated the founding of the People's Republic, the signature on the scroll could be termed an (antique style inscription).

To put it plainly, everything hinged on the age of the calligraphy itself. As long as it was created before the PRC, even something originally passed off as a fake could now be called a reproduction. That’s the strange magic of the world; don't dismiss a forgery as worthless. Perhaps an imitation made today might become incredibly valuable in two or three centuries.

Time, truly, is a profound thing, capable of turning rot into wonder. Yet, even though everyone understands that enough waiting transforms an object into an antique, no one possesses the patience for such a long wait. Oh, wait—it’s not that they lack the patience; they want to wait, but unfortunately, they cannot live that long. It is precisely under these circumstances that forgeries are born.

The people who create and peddle fakes absolutely deserve censure, but one cannot deny that collectors often harbor a degree of impatience for quick gains. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so easily duped, which in turn fuels the market for counterfeits.

Wang Guan sighed, his thoughts drifting somewhere far away. In his momentary lapse, the adjacent Xiao Duan and Liu Liang misunderstood him.

The two exchanged glances, nudging each other until Xiao Duan finally spoke, cautiously: "Mr. Wang, you are a true expert; this item certainly couldn't fool your discerning eye..."

"Hm?" Wang Guan jolted internally, then found the situation amusing. He hadn't even examined it closely, yet their words already admitted the item was a fake—a blatant self-betrayal.

However, this saved him trouble, so Wang Guan nodded calmly, feigning an air of confidence.

"To be honest, the imitation is quite well done."

At the same time, Xiao Duan shook his head with a sigh. "It's a pity the faker didn't consider that Su Dongpo wrote the two Red Cliff Odes separately, one after the other. How could they possibly appear together on one long scroll? They truly have no basic knowledge."

"If it hadn't been inscribed with Su Dongpo's signature, even writing Mi Fu, or Wang Mengxi, or at the very least, a famous calligrapher from the Ming or Qing dynasties, might have fooled an expert."

After another shake of his head and deep sigh, Xiao Duan lamented, "As it stands now, it can only deceive the absolute layman, and even they might not be fooled."

"Indeed," Wang Guan agreed, recognizing that even the most novice enthusiast interested in calligraphy and painting would certainly look up relevant materials. Discovering both Odes written on one piece, with Su Dongpo’s inscription, their first reaction would likely be similar: the piece seems very fake.

"So, what about it?"

At this point, Wang Guan couldn't grasp Xiao Duan’s objective. Since he admitted the item was fake, why show it to him? Did he think Wang Guan was so foolish as to buy something he knew to be counterfeit?

"Mr. Wang..."

Xiao Duan hesitated, then suddenly gestured, "Liu Liang, you explain."

"Brother Wang,"

Just then, Liu Liang smiled broadly, "Actually, Brother Duan wants to partner with you. We have a big deal to do."

"What big deal?" Wang Guan felt bewildered, yet vaguely sensed that this supposed "big deal" might not be a good thing.

"Brother!"

In an instant, Xiao Duan changed his address, his face radiating shrewd calculation, "You’re quite familiar with Elder Xing and the others, aren't you?"

"Not extremely familiar..." Wang Guan shook his head, but somehow grasped a thread, beginning to understand their scheme.

"Brother Wang, don't be modest," Liu Liang quickly interjected. "They trust you implicitly; they hang on your every word."

"If you say so," Wang Guan glanced over, confirming that Liu Liang must have played a part in this, feeding Xiao Duan all sorts of nonsense.

"It's true!" Liu Liang grinned. "As long as Brother Wang steps forward, the matter is as good as settled."

"Step forward how?" Wang Guan frowned. "I still don't know what this is about."

"It’s simple,"

Xiao Duan quickly chimed in with a laugh. "Brother, you must have heard that the Su Shi Culture Festival is tomorrow, and Elder Xing and the others are currently collecting items related to Su Dongpo. If you present this scroll to them, they will surely be pleased and offer a good price."

Just as expected. It turned out they wanted him to act as a stooge.

Wang Guan's eyes showed sudden comprehension; this was entirely within his expectations.

After all, this tactic wasn't new in the collecting world. Driven by profit, certain well-known experts become blinded by greed, colluding with others for illicit gain. The expert's job would be simple: to deliberately misidentify a fake as genuine, sign off on it with their reputation, and mountains of money would follow.

Clearly, Xiao Duan and Liu Liang intended for Wang Guan to pass the forgery off as authentic, sell it to Elder Xing and the others, and pocket a hefty sum.

"Anyway, Elder Xing and the others don't have high appraisal skills; they absolutely won't see through the authenticity of this scroll. Even if they harbor doubts, your explanation will quickly dispel them."

At this moment, Xiao Duan wore a cunning smile. "Besides, Brother, you’re an outsider. Once this deal is done, you can just dust off your hands and leave. Even if the truth comes out later, they won't trace it back to you. Moreover, even if they knew it was fake, given Elder Xing's status, they would surely feel too embarrassed to publicize it. The matter might just fade away..."

It had to be admitted, Xiao Duan grasped human nature with pinpoint accuracy.

All people are inevitably bound by the shackles of fame and fortune. Celebrities, in particular, value their reputations even more. Even if they realize they’ve been swindled, their first instinct might not be to call the police, but to cover it up and quietly swallow the loss.

This isn't just true for laymen; even some antique dealers are no exception. When they mistakenly purchase a fake, they fear being ridiculed if others find out and thus keep the matter secret.

In a way, this behavior fuels the flames of unethical conduct. However, this is human nature, an eternal selfish impulse. Even knowing this truth, people still choose concealment when it suits them.

Therefore, if Wang Guan truly agreed to this scheme, apart from earning the secret curses of a few people, there seemed to be no risk, no extra loss—in fact, he stood to gain considerably.

As Wang Guan pondered, Xiao Duan quietly added, "Brother, I understand the rules. Without you, this item couldn't be sold, so you get the lion's share. You take fifty percent, forty percent goes to me, and ten percent to Liu Liang."

"Yes, exactly," Liu Liang quickly nodded. Although he felt ten percent was too little, he hadn't done anything besides introduce them. Getting ten percent was still decent.

Besides, ten percent wasn't a small sum. If the item sold for a million, he’d get a hundred thousand.

With that thought, Liu Liang suppressed his discontent and urged, "Brother Wang, Brother Duan is very sincere. If I partnered with others, it’s always a fifty-fifty split."

"This is the first time we're working together, so I want to show my goodwill," Xiao Duan chuckled. "If we collaborate long-term like you two, I won't be so polite..."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Wang Guan immediately glanced at Liu Liang, who was smiling back, discreetly giving him a look, showing no shame whatsoever.

At that instant, Wang Guan finally understood. No wonder Xiao Duan invited him to cooperate without knowing his background. He had believed Liu Liang’s fabrications, assuming Wang Guan had a prior record, which left him without reservations.

For Liu Liang's behavior, Wang Guan could only offer an eight-character appraisal: Jiangshan yi gai, benxing nan yi (It’s easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one’s nature).

Of course, he used such refined language out of respect for Old Master Liu. Otherwise, there was a much more common descriptor: truly incurable.

The matter of the ashes urn had only just passed, its repercussions still lingering, and now this came along—they were clearly blinded by greed, possessed by delusion, and utterly incorrigible.

Wang Guan shook his head slightly, intending to offer a polite refusal, when suddenly his heart stirred. He spotted a rather familiar line of text near the end of the scroll.

In that very instant, Wang Guan changed his mind, turned, and said, "Let me look again..."

As he spoke, Wang Guan bent down to examine the scroll, observing it with intense concentration. Seeing this, Xiao Duan was slightly surprised but quickly rationalized it as a sign of professional diligence. After all, even when trying to pass off a fake as genuine, the item needed a degree of similarity; otherwise, if the flaws were too glaring, even a layman might not be fooled.

Thinking this, Xiao Duan quickly assured him, "Brother, rest assured, this imitation is very convincing. When I first saw it, I mistook it for the original. Not only is the artificial aging color natural, but it also includes Su Dongpo’s preface, as well as inscriptions by Huang Tingjian and Zhu Xi—each person’s script is distinct. Truly professional work."

"The hateful thing is that such a well-executed piece bears Su Dongpo's inscription—what a waste."

This was the third time Xiao Duan lamented, "If only I had the skill, I would certainly carve out the inscription and the seal, then fill them in with another name."

Given Xiao Duan's mediocre skill level, the fact he could conceive of carving out and replacing the inscription showed considerable effort. It seemed he pondered such matters often; he was truly calculating. It was precisely this that brought a saying to Wang Guan's mind: Jia yi zhen shi zhen yi jia, zhen yi jia shi jia yi zhen (When the false seems true, the true seems false; when the true seems false, the false seems true). The confusion between true and false wasn't due to a flaw in the object, but a failure in the viewer's perception... (To be continued.)