Chapter 7648
Yun Yatou has been fooled again.
Yun Yuyan had clearly not noticed that Xiao Chen had returned; she was radiant and her eyes were shining.
“This time there will definitely be no problem. These are bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, worth a fortune. I only spent 10,000 yuan to buy two of them.”
Zhou Keying looked at the bronze artifact and felt something was off: "You were a bit hasty in this matter. I think it would have been better if you had Xiao Chen take a look before buying it."
“I can’t keep bothering him, he’s quite busy too. The seller said that this bronze artifact was taken from the coffin of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty.”
Yun Yuyan smiled mysteriously and said, "The seller also said that Emperor Yongzheng really liked this thing and always used it to drink. After he died, it was buried with him. This thing is one of a kind in the whole world."
Zhou Keying was shocked: "The Yongzheng Emperor's burial objects? Bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties? And they were used for drinking? Sister Yuyan, listen to what you're saying!"
"Is there something wrong with it? I've had experts examine it, and they all say it's genuine and worth at least ten million!"
Yun Yuyan exclaimed, "That kid Xiao Chen said before that you couldn't get rich doing this, but look at me, I became rich overnight! I only spent ten thousand yuan and I can sell it for ten million!"
"This is definitely a steal! Even if I have to pay taxes, I should still make a lot of money."
Hearing Yun Yuyan's words, Xiao Chen sighed helplessly. Why doesn't this girl listen to him?
Having just stumbled on porcelain, now they've set their sights on bronzes...
Leaving aside the seller's nonsense, this bronze artifact is obviously fake. I wonder who this girl consulted; she's probably a con artist herself.
Poor girl, she got scammed by two con artists in a row.
Hearing Xiao Chen's sigh, Yun Yuyan realized that Xiao Chen had come. She was immediately excited and rushed over with the bronze artifact as if showing off: "Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, I really got a bargain this time. I bought a bronze artifact worth ten million for ten thousand yuan! Hahaha, are you impressed?"
Xiao Chen could only manage a wry smile.
He picked up the bronze cup and weighed it in his hand; putting everything else aside, the weight was definitely not right.
The cup is small, about the size of a palm, and is greenish-blue in color. Its surface is covered with mottled patina, giving it a somewhat antique appearance.
The cup is engraved with some simple cloud patterns, and there are a few blurry seal characters engraved on the bottom. At first glance, it does look like an antique.
But Xiao Chen knew as soon as he touched it that it was obviously fake.
Although the ancient jade in Qin Xianglan's house was fake, to be honest, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But with this bronze artifact, anyone with even a little knowledge of antiques would definitely not be mistaken.
Unfortunately, our Yun girl is a complete novice. I don't know where she got the courage to spend another 10,000 yuan to buy some bronze artifacts.
"How about it? I'm rich now, right? The first thing I'll do after making money is redeem my car and then treat you two to dinner."
Yun Yuyan was still immersed in excitement and couldn't pull herself out of it.
Xiao Chen really didn't want to shatter her beautiful dream, but he had to tell the truth about this matter.
"fake."
Xiao Chen spoke up, "Moreover, the craftsmanship is absolutely terrible. You've not only been cheated by the seller, but also by the antique appraiser."
"What!" Yun Yuyan's smile froze instantly, and she jumped up.
"No...no way, how could this be fake? You can't be mistaken, can you? I spent ten thousand on the antique, and then another five thousand on an appraisal!"
Xiao Chen sighed: "Sister, can you please stop buying these junk items? You can tell at a glance that they are modern handicrafts. The ones sold on the street for ten yuan each are not even high-quality replicas."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yuyan immediately became anxious: "Xiao Chen, take a closer look! The seller said that this is a bronze artifact used by Emperor Yongzheng, from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Look at the patina, the surface finish, and the seal script on the bottom—it looks so authentic!"
"And another thing, the appraiser said that each of these things is worth at least five million, and a pair would be ten million. Even if they don't sell for that much, they shouldn't be worth ten dollars."
Seeing Yun Yuyan still daydreaming, Xiao Chen shook his head: "You know that cultural relics like bronzes in our country cannot be bought or sold, right? Especially Shang and Zhou bronzes. Selling them is illegal. Do you think the seller dared to sell them to you?"
Yun Yuyan was stunned.
She had actually looked into this matter online, but she was so focused on finding something she didn't know that she had completely forgotten about it.
Seeing Yun Yuyan's pitiful appearance, Xiao Chen began to educate her on the law: "Bronze artifacts, especially unearthed bronze artifacts, are cultural relics that are prohibited from being traded by the state, and it is strictly forbidden to buy or sell them privately."
Buying and selling unearthed bronze artifacts is the same crime as trafficking in cultural relics. In serious cases, it can be punished with up to five years imprisonment or detention, and a fine will also be imposed.
"Five! Five years? Am I going to jail?" Yun Yuyan was so frightened that her face turned pale.
Zhou Keying smiled wryly: "Xiao Chen, stop scaring Yu Yan. Look how frightened she is, her heart is pounding!"
Xiao Chen sighed helplessly, picked up the two bronze cups, and gripped them tightly.
Click!
Both bronze cups shattered simultaneously.
"Xiao Chen, what are you doing? This is something I worked hard to buy, it cost me ten thousand yuan, how could you break it like this... And what if the government comes looking for us? Doesn't this count as damaging cultural relics?"
Yun Yuyan was getting a little anxious.
Xiao Chen rolled his eyes at Yun Yuyan: "The country is asking you for a pair of bronze artifacts that are so obviously fake? Take a closer look at the broken part. Is this bronze? This is basically tin. It's just covered with a thin layer of copper, and they even did an antique patina and coating treatment."
"The key point is that these are very crudely made; they look like mass-produced products, costing only a few dollars."
"Go to jail? Even if you want to go to jail, the country doesn't have the time to come after you."
"So, I don't have to go to jail?" Yun Yuyan murmured to herself.
Xiao Chen was speechless. Couldn't this woman grasp the key point? She'd been misled.
"Let me tell you, that seller and that appraiser are accomplices, working together to cheat you, you little fool. I've told you so many times not to buy antiques alone, but you just wouldn't believe me. Luckily, this time you only spent 10,000. If it had been more, you would have probably banged your head against a wall and died."
Zhou Keying also breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, Xiao Chen, stop talking. Sister Yu Yan is already heartbroken enough. She's the victim now. Not only was she deceived, but she also got happy for nothing."
"How can these people be so wicked? Making these fraudulent things, specifically targeting unsuspecting people, and even having some kind of industry rule saying 'no refunds if you get a fake,' what era are we living in? It's just whitewashing counterfeiters!" (End of Chapter)