Imperial Treasure
Chapter 188 - 142: Imitation, or Famous Brand?_2

Chapter 188: Chapter 142: Imitation, or Famous Brand?_2

Over in the Famous Ink District, Sui Yi was picking out inks to examine, while Bai Xiong stood to the side and said,

"The ordinary schools in the Provincial City are easy to get into. With Miss Sui’s current grades, getting into the top class is quite easy, but as for the prestigious schools, whether it’s Xue Jun, Huang Yan, or Yunfeng, they are extremely difficult to get into. First of all, the quotas are full, and secondly, you are currently in your senior year, which makes transferring schools even more difficult..."

Hearing him speak like this, Sui Yi knew Bai Xiong was attempting to inflate his own value.

After all, if you tell someone that what you’re doing for them is a trivial matter and very easy, they would consider it a small matter.

If you tell them it’s a significant and difficult issue, they will feel indebted and grateful...

The nuances of social interactions did have some intricacies.

Sui Yi was neither annoyed nor in a hurry. She picked up a piece of famous ink and gently said, "Then according to Mr. Bai’s opinion, is there a solution?"

"It just so happens that I know someone at Yunfeng who has some clout. He told me that recently Yunfeng expelled a few students due to some issues, so there should be a few vacancies. However, there are many eyes on those spots, so you at least need to have excellent grades... As long as the grades are solid! Yunfeng is very welcoming."

"Yunfeng? Does this school place a great emphasis on academic performance?"

Sui Yi wasn’t familiar with schools in the Provincial City and was not particularly demanding, but if there was a better school, naturally, she would prefer one that was more relieving, and besides, it would be easier to bump into Yhan Qingwu.

She did harbor some regrets about this deskmate of hers.

If possible, she wanted to see if her abilities could help the other party.

"In the Provincial City, Yunfeng is ranked as the No. 1 High School and is also a nationally renowned high school within the province, very famous. Slightly inferior to it are Xue Jun and Huang Yan, though in reality, the difference isn’t much. It’s just that Yunfeng has a stronger background which is helpful in securing university placement, even reaching famous schools abroad, hence its higher profile. In terms of management, it also more closely embraces the foreign way of education, excelling in all aspects of education... "

Quality education, huh? And overseas background?

Sui Yi was somewhat surprised, thinking to herself, perhaps Bai Xiong wasn’t exaggerating about the difficulty of getting into Yunfeng.

And with Yhan Qingwu’s background and academic performance, plus Tang Hanyan’s personality, it seemed unlikely they would settle for second best.

"Alright, I got it. As for Yunfeng, I’ll have to trouble Mr. Bai to put in more effort. If it works out, that’s great, and if not, it’s fate."

After Sui Yi finished speaking, she looked at the shelf in front of her, her palm gliding over it to pick up two boxes of ink. Suddenly, her fingers paused and she looked at the frame next to the box of ink she had just taken. It was a round cake-shaped inkstone;

The ink was circular, with a raised edge around the handle, dark black with white color, with clouds and flowing water inside, a slender chi dragon spiraling amongst them.

The note below read: "Famous Chinese ink, Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Ink from the Ming Jiajing period, 8.1cm in diameter, 0.9cm thick, priced at 70,000."

Upon seeing this, Sui Yi raised an eyebrow, and with a subtle smile towards Lv Haobai, she inquired lightly, "Mr. Lv, could I please ask, is this piece of ink a copy from a master?"

Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Ink is a renowned Chinese ink dating back to the Ming Jiajing period; it couldn’t simply be on sale here, especially not for 70,000. Hence, Sui Yi’s question.

It seemed that Lv Haobai was not afraid of others realizing it was a replica,

"A replica? Isn’t that a fake? How can it be priced at 70,000 if it’s a fake? That’s a scam!" Mrs. Bai and others weren’t familiar with the matter and started making a fuss as soon as they heard it.

Lv Haobai wasn’t annoyed upon hearing this because too many people had misconceptions about this, so he explained calmly, "Ladies and gentlemen, this replica isn’t some low-quality product... Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Ink is indeed a famous Chinese ink from the Ming Jiajing period. But when people admire dragons, naturally there will be those who transform into dragons. The true piece is out of our reach, so many ink-making masters have created replicas in this style. Look at the color and scent of this ink; it’s made out of the same materials as the real Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Ink, quite remarkable..."

"A replica isn’t necessarily a counterfeit. There is another kind which is made using the same materials but made separately, not meant to deceive but to replicate the style exactly, also known as packaging! Look at my price, and you’ll know I have no intention of scamming."

After Lv Haobai’s explanation, some people got it, while the students were taken aback. "70,000 and it’s not a scam? What kind of ink is worth so much? Aren’t they all made with modern techniques?"

"This piece isn’t a modern craft..." Lv Haobai sneered and pointed to the ink in Sui Yi’s hands, "This piece was made by Hangong Square, a famous ink maker in Jiangnan from the late Qing Dynasty. It was rumored that they once obtained the real Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Ink a long time ago and meticulously studied it to create this piece, which is almost indistinguishable from the genuine article. However, to differentiate it from the real thing, they left a mark. On the true ink piece, the inscriptions ’Xuan Yu’ on the back and ’Jiajing Gengzi Sunny River Jiang Zheng Production’ on the side are written in relief script. On this replica, it’s been replaced with Hangong Square..."

Sui Yi turned the ink cake over and indeed saw the words Hangong Square inscribed on it.

Seeing this, everyone sighed.

"Of course, during the same period, the Hangong family also made many of these Jiang Zhengxuan Jade Inks. Later, the real one was destroyed during unrest that coincided with the loss of Hangong Square, and only some replicas survived until now."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood. Ah, it’s not a modern artifact; it comes from the late Qing period... It still has some historical value.

And it’s out of print!

No wonder it’s so expensive.

However, at that moment, as Sui Yi listened to Lv Haobai’s words, there was a faint smile in her eyes.

A replica?

Then why did she feel a sky-blue magnetic sensation when she probed inside, just behind the not-so-thin, not-so-thick layer of black carbon material?

In terms of age, it should date back to the Ming Dynasty...

So this piece is genuine.

It turns out that Hangong had one final trick up their sleeve!

--------(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to give us your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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