Chapter 491: The Biggest Winner (7)

Chapter 491: Chapter 491: The Biggest Winner (7)

"Mr. Xavier, you’d better think carefully about whether you really want to say what’s on your mind. If you do, can you handle the consequences? After all, your Apex Antique Collections is doing very well. It might be new, but it already has a brilliant reputation in the industry. One mistake here could mean a devastating disaster for your shop!"

Mr. Hale laid out the pros and cons perfectly, once again putting the ball in Joel Xavier’s court.

’An old fox, through and through. He’s a real pro at passing the buck. But I, Joel Xavier, am not easily intimidated. The boss has already paved my road to fame; now it’s up to me to perform!’ "Hale, you’re a senior in this field. Just consider this an opportunity for a junior like me to be schooled by an elder."

"Since you’ve thrown down the gauntlet, then I, Hale, accept your challenge!" A middle-aged man stepped forward, and the scene grew even more lively. "I can state with certainty that this *Ancient Plum Blossom Poems Collection* by Shan Franklin is authentic. I appraised it personally. I have over thirty years of experience in antique appraisal. From the day I took over the Hale Corporation, I have never once been wrong! Many people have questioned my conclusions over the years, but in the end, I always came out on top! I trust this time will be no different!"

Hale was a leading figure in the Antiques Circle, so his confident declaration swayed the crowd to his side. After all, he had the age and the experience to back it up. Joel Xavier was certainly impressive, and his antique shop was thriving, but he was young. And with youth often comes rashness.

"Mr. Holden, you’re a master calligrapher and have studied the art from every period. Could you please take a look? Is this *Ancient Plum Blossom Poems Collection* truly from the hand of Shan Franklin?" Joel Xavier asked with great humility, presenting the scroll to Mr. Holden with both hands.

Mr. Holden owned many authentic works himself, including a piece by the great Early Dynasty calligrapher Shan Franklin, so he was quite familiar with his script. He took a magnifying glass from his pocket, examined the scroll carefully for a long while, and finally spoke. "Judging from the calligraphy alone, this is indeed Shan Franklin’s work. There’s no mistake."

The knot in Hale’s stomach finally loosened, and Justin Hale couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. ’We absolutely cannot let anything tarnish the reputation of The Hale Antique Collection,’ he thought. ’It’s the old man’s entire life’s work!’

"Store Manager Xavier, what more can you say? Even Mr. Holden confirms it’s an authentic work by Shan Franklin! Surely you believe my judgment now? It’s good for a young man to have drive, but being too impulsive leads to trouble. In the antiques trade, the greatest weakness is impatience; it leads to careless mistakes. You’re young. You still have a long road ahead of you. It’s alright to be wrong this time. Learn from it. When you get to be my age, you’ll understand what I’m talking about."

"Hale, isn’t it a little premature to be saying all that? Mr. Holden only said it was Shan Franklin’s *calligraphy*. He didn’t say anything more," Joel Xavier replied, looking at the man so eager to lecture him. He maintained his calm, gentlemanly demeanor.

"It’s Shan Franklin’s calligraphy. Isn’t that enough to prove its authenticity?" Hale’s smile vanished. He met Joel Xavier’s eyes, and sparks seemed to fly between them, as if a great fire were about to ignite.

"Of course not. I can only say that the forger was a master of imitation who replicated Shan Franklin’s calligraphy flawlessly. They even managed to fool an experienced appraiser like Hale, and a dedicated master of the art like Mr. Holden couldn’t find a single flaw. But no matter how perfect the calligraphy looks, a forgery is a forgery. It can never be genuine."

A faint, confident smile touched Joel Xavier’s lips. "The biggest flaw in this *Ancient Plum Blossom Poems Collection* is the ink. Shan Franklin was a man of the Early Dynasty. What kind of ink did they use back then? It’s been well over a century since the Early Dynasty. An authentic piece would have been weathered by time, its color faded significantly. To make this forgery look convincingly real, the artist added a type of tree oil to the ink. This oil reduces the ink’s sheen, but it also has one major drawback: the smell!"