Chapter 1711: Sell the Set of Bronze Chimes at Auction

Translator:

Henyee Translations

Editor:

Henyee Translations

After receiving Gu Ning’s call, Cai Wenhong walked out to welcome her in person. He didn’t think it was strange that she came back within an hour.

Cai Wenhong also believed that Gu Ning arranged for someone to help her get the case here and the distance wasn’t long. He was only surprised that Gu Ning came back to give him the vase on her own. He thought that there would be another person.

Cai Wenhong met Gu Ning soon.

“Miss Gu, I didn’t know that you would bring it here by yourself.” Cai Wenhong politely said to Gu Ning.

“My friends are still looking around inside, so I called someone to help me get it here and I met him outside,” said Gu Ning.

“Miss Gu, I heard from Master Jiang that you’re the boss of Xiangyun Antique-store now, and that you can sometimes get some good ancient objects. Please call me next time, I also want to have a look,” said Cai Wenhong.

Cai Wenhong never bothered to ask for the sources of Gu Ning’s good ancient objects, because he knew that they could be legal and illegal. As long as she had a powerful support, it would be fine even if she got the ancient objects by grave-digging.

In addition, Gu Ning was Leng Shaoting’s fiancée. Even if the government found out what she was doing, it would turn a blind eye on it. As long as no one had anything on her and forced the government to deal with it, she would be safe.

The government had strict rules about cultural relics, not ancient objects. Cultural relics were different from ancient objects.

As the name suggested, cultural relics were objects with cultural value. According to the current academic view, they should refer to objects cast in the past and pa.s.sed down to the present. They had a certain value for the current society, and they were cultural products inherited in history.

The scope of cultural relics was very wide. They included various building sites, memorials of various eras, intangible cultural heritage, which currently were also cultural relics, unearthed ancient tombs, ancient construction tools and buildings, artificially mined grottoes, artificially carved stones, handicraft products, various historical books and cultural materials of each dynasty or era, which had an impact on modern society.

As for antiques, we could understand them literally. Antiques referred to things produced in previous years. An ancient object should have the qualifications for appreciation and research value. Based on their relevant data, we could infer some circ.u.mstances and characteristics of their time.

The biggest difference between antiques and cultural relics was that cultural relics were protected by the laws of the government and private possession was allowed, but they couldn’t be sold. On the other hand, people could collect antiques, invest in them, or sell them to other people.

“No problem, I surely will give you a call too when I get some good ancient objects again,” said Gu Ning. Since Cai Wenhong proposed that of his own accord, it would be free advertising and Gu Ning definitely wouldn’t turn him down.

“Oh, Curator Cai, can I ask you for some information about something?” asked Gu Ning.

“What is it?” said Cai Wenhong.

“When will there be a big antique auction?” asked Gu Ning.

“The biggest antique auction in the capital every year is in October, but exactly which day of October has not yet been determined. It will take about a month to determine. As long as there are relevant antique auctions, well-known antique shops will be Invited, including Xiangyun Antique-store. And this year will certainly not be different. Once the time is set, I’ll send the invitation letter to you in person,” Cai Wenhong said.

“Well, I actually want to sell an object at the auction. May I know the rules?” asked Gu Ning.

“Since it is a large-scale antique auction, the value of the auctioned objects can’t be low. They must at least be worth tens of millions of yuan. However, it’s hard to tell an exact number, because the number of auctioned objects is limited. About 20 items will be shown, so only the top 20 antiques will be accepted for auction. Of course, if the top 20 items do not reach the bottom line of value, they will not be accepted either. In other words, even if the number is small, objects with low value will still not be accepted,” said Cai Wenhong, then he asked Gu Ning, “Miss Gu, what do you want to sell at the auction? How much is it worth?”

Cai Wenhong was eager to know the answer, because Gu Ning was able to give him a Tang Sancai vase which was worth about forty million yuan, which meant that she must have more valuable objects.

“A set of bronze chimes, and it’s worth over a hundred million yuan, but I’m afraid I can’t show you right now, Curator Cai. You can see it when I send it for the appraisal,” said Gu Ning and didn’t give many details.

A whole set of bronze chimes was worth billions of yuan, and a small part of it would cost less.

“A set of bronze chimes? It’s worth over a hundred million yuan?”

Hearing that, Cai Wenhong was shocked. To his astonishment, Gu Ning had such a priceless ancient object.

At the same time, he ached to see it, but Gu Ning said that she couldn’t show him right now, so he had to control himself.

“I’ll tell you once it’s open for application,” said Cai Wenhong.

“Sure, thank you, Curator Cai,” said Gu Ning.

“My pleasure,” said Cai Wenhong.

As they talked with each other, they arrived at Cai Wenhong’s office, and several aged experts of this museum were already waiting for them.

Cai Wenhong told them to do the appraisal, not because he didn’t trust Leng Shaoting or Gu Ning, but because it was the rule. All the antiques had to be appraised before the museum took them. It wasn’t free after all, and they exchanged for it with another valuable antique.

When the box was placed on the table, several experts surrounded it at once. They all couldn’t wait to see the Tang Sancai vase.

Once the box was open, they began to appraise the vase.

Within a short time, they had the answer, and it was real. After that, they signed a certificate of receipt of the item and Gu Ning left then.

She called Leng Shaoting when she walked out of Cai Wenhong’s office and asked him where he was right now.

They had just finished walking around the museum and were back in the hall, so Leng Shaoting told her their location, and Gu Ning went to meet them.

They gathered together again in the hall.

“Is it done?” asked Jing Yunyao.

“Yes,” Gu Ning replied.

“Did you see the man?” asked Gu Ning afterwards.

“No, but I don’t know whether we’ll run into him when we walk out. Why don’t we move separately and meet again after leaving here?” asked Jing Yunyao.