The commotion outside soon died down.
The offered price was too low, and no one was willing to pawn their items.
However, the Wanfu Pawnshop was an open - door business and didn't force anyone to buy or sell. So, after making a fuss for a while, they quieted down.
But although they didn't pawn their items, they were reluctant to leave.
Instead, their eyes were fixed on the middle - aged scholar, waiting for his move.
The middle - aged scholar smiled and held out a box he had been carrying in his arms.
When the box was opened, there was a white jade Avalokitesvara statue.
The statue was small, only about the height of a palm, but it was pure white all over, crystal - clear, and obviously not an ordinary item.
Uncle Zhong took the statue, and his expression became solemn.
It had been a noisy afternoon with a continuous stream of customers, but only this white jade Avalokitesvara statue was truly something special.
"Please wait a moment."
Uncle Zhong said to the middle - aged scholar, then personally carried the statue to the back hall to find Prince Ning and Princess Ning.
Princess Ning's expression also tightened slightly.
She took the Avalokitesvara statue and examined it carefully.
Prince Ning asked, "Did the customer say anything?"
Uncle Zhong stood with his hands down and replied, "He only said that this Avalokitesvara statue was an old item. He accidentally bought it and didn't know exactly how many years it had been passed down."
"Where did he buy it?"
"He said the person who sold it to him was a peddler who went from street to street selling old items. This jade statue must have changed hands several times, and its origin was unknown."
"How much did he pay for it?"
"The time was too long ago, and he forgot..."
Prince Ning raised his eyelids. "Then how much does he want to pawn it for?"
"He said... he didn't understand either and asked us to set the price."
"Tsk!"
Prince Ning sneered. "Not knowing its origin, price, or even how much he wants to pawn it for, and asking us to decide... This is clearly coming to cause trouble!"
At this time, Princess Ning let out a soft "hmm".
"Madam, what's wrong?" Prince Ning asked.
Princess Ning looked up with a puzzled expression.
"This jade statue is pure white all over with a slight pink tint. It feels warm to the touch and seems to be a piece of excellent mutton - fat jade. But if you look closely under the light, it doesn't seem pure enough."
"Madam means..."
"Your Highness, come and take a look."
Princess Ning held the jade statue in front of the lamp and pointed it out to him. "Look, the texture of mutton - fat jade is delicate and crystal - clear. It should look like laid - out fluff or layers of snow - covered mountains. But this jade statue is very rough."
Prince Ning stared intently and saw that the patterns inside the jade statue were chaotic, looking rough and hard, completely lacking the delicate beauty of mutton - fat jade.
Princess Ning put down the statue, and the puzzled look on her face deepened.
"Its color and feel are like mutton - fat jade, but its interior is completely different. This is what puzzles me. Is there really such a type of jade in the world that resembles mutton - fat jade so much?"
Prince Ning stroked his chin, and the smile on his lips became even colder.
By this time, Uncle Zhong had understood.
Someone was deliberately faking the jade.
Princess Ning was of noble birth. She had eaten the best food and used the best things since childhood and had seen countless precious items. Just by holding a jade statue in her hand, she could tell its authenticity.
But she had been overly protected.
She had never seen the dirty means that people in the real world would use to fake items.
That was why she was so puzzled.
Why did this jade statue look so much like mutton - fat jade on the surface but was actually not...
But for old - timers like Prince Ning and Uncle Zhong, this kind of thing was very common.
Uncle Zhong whispered, "I heard that there is a kind of white stone in Liangzhou that is very similar to mutton - fat jade. If you carve this stone into shape, polish it carefully, and soak it in dyes and oils for several months, you can make it look exactly like mutton - fat jade."
Princess Ning exclaimed, "There's such a thing?"
Uncle Zhong nodded. "This method is extremely popular in the antique black market in the south - western border areas."
Prince Ning thought for a while and then asked softly, "Madam, is there any simple way to identify mutton - fat jade so that even ordinary people can tell the authenticity at a glance?"
Princess Ning nodded. "There is."
She told them the identification method, and Prince Ning slowly raised his eyebrows. "Brilliant! This method can even enable the most ordinary people to tell the authenticity at a glance."
He put down his teacup and said coldly, "A Zhong, take this jade statue out and tell him what the princess just said. Also, tell him that this jade statue is only worth ten taels of silver."
"If he doesn't cause trouble, just let it go."
"If he does cause trouble, teach him a good lesson."
Uncle Zhong understood and picked up the jade statue and walked out.
When the middle - aged scholar saw him coming out, a faint smile curled up on his lips. He stepped forward and asked, "Shopkeeper, how about it? How much is my jade statue worth?"
Uncle Zhong calmly said, "Ten taels."
"Ten taels?"
The middle - aged scholar's voice rose, as if he was extremely surprised. But there was a look of smugness in his eyes, as if he had expected it.
He took back the jade statue, took two steps back, and stood in the middle of the hall, showing it to everyone. "This is a top - grade mutton - fat jade Avalokitesvara statue. It's pure white all over and feels warm to the touch. How can you say it's only worth ten taels?"
His voice was as loud as a bell. Seeing this, the people around him immediately shouted in agreement.
"Exactly! Look at the color and the luster. It's obviously a good piece of jade. How can you say it's only worth ten taels?"
"Is your chief appraiser in this shop a fake? Doesn't he even have this kind of eyesight?"
"Only offering ten taels for mutton - fat jade. Aren't you just cheating people?"
The commotion immediately attracted the attention of the common people outside. Many people walked around the screen at the door and came in specifically to watch the excitement.
The pawnshop had a grand opening today, and there were already many people gathered at the door.
Hearing the noise inside, many people squeezed in, filling the hall to the brim.
Uncle Zhong was calm. He repeated what Princess Ning had said.
The middle - aged scholar's face changed slightly, but he still refused to admit defeat. He rolled his eyes and walked out onto the street in front of the shop, shouting even more vigorously.
"Come on, everyone! Come and take a look! This shop is a black - hearted one. They want to cheat my family - heirloom treasure!"
"It's clearly a top - grade mutton - fat jade Avalokitesvara statue, but they say it's just ordinary white jade and only offer me ten taels!"
"A treasure worth a thousand gold is only worth ten taels in their mouths. Isn't this the same as being a robber!"
The scholar was spitting as he shouted, and soon a large crowd gathered in front of the shop.
Coupled with the people in the shop constantly echoing him, gradually, quite a few ordinary people really believed his words.
The scholar's face was filled with pride.
What patterns?
What materials?
How could ordinary people understand such things?
They just thought that if something looked good, it was valuable!
This jade statue made of Liangzhou stone was specially found by Ma Wu from the south - west. It was extremely lifelike. Even experienced experts couldn't tell it was fake.
This small pawnshop was surely going to make a big blunder this time.