PS: Two shifts today.

"What's that?"

At this time, Qian Lao was a little curious, and after taking the scroll, he got up and came to the long table next to him, and then carefully pushed the scroll away by dozens of centimeters, and immediately saw the words "Praise for the Loyal Soul".

"Scofa's Fate."

At first glance, Qian Lao became more and more surprised, and his expression became a little more serious.

"Haha, Qian Lao, I didn't expect it to be this thing." Yu Feibai smiled and said, "How about it, I didn't lie to you, is it a bumper harvest." ”

"Well, I'll take a look first." Qian Lao nodded slightly, unfolded the scroll again, and spread it all the way to the ground. Then he took out his magnifying glass and studied it intently.

Seeing this situation, Yu Feibai also did not bother Qian Lao, but walked to the side and patted Wang Guan on the shoulder, and asked quietly: "Now you should say it, what flaws did you find at the beginning?" ”

"It's hard to say anything else." Wang Guan groaned: "But have you noticed that the congratulatory poems of Liu Yong and other ministers are very similar, as if they were cut out of the same piece of paper." ”

"What?" Yu Feibai was taken aback, and he didn't care about disturbing Qian Lao, so he hurriedly stepped forward and squatted down, carefully comparing and studying the paper used by the ministers to write congratulatory poems in the long scroll.

"Don't look at it, it's really the same paper." At this time, Qian Lao pondered for a moment, and couldn't help but sigh softly: "What a powerful Yangzhou knife, it really deserves its reputation." ”

"Yangzhou knife?" Wang Guan was also stunned when he heard this, and said a little strangely: "Old Qian, what is a Yangzhou knife?" ”

"This is a proverb that old people in the antique industry meet, and people generally don't talk about it much nowadays." Qian Lao said softly: "Suzhou film, Beijing teacher; Jiangxi mounting, Yangzhou Gang; Open goods, Changsha loading; The back door is made, and a stick of incense is made. ”

"It's hard for people who don't know how to understand what it means. In fact, these few sentences roughly outline a map of the antique and counterfeit market in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Qian Lao slowly explained: "Suzhou's fraud. The uncovering technique is very superb, and it can peel off a calligraphy and painting into two pieces, so it is called Suzhou film. ”

"The fake paintings in the capital look the same as the real ones, so they are called the Beijing Ministers; Jiangxi antique mounting, can be real, so called Jiangxi mounting; And the fakes in Yangzhou, Kaifeng, and Changsha are also famous, but each has its own tricks. ”

Qian Lao talked eloquently: "As for the back door construction, it refers to the area around Di'anmen in the capital, which used to be a pseudo-center for calligraphy and painting in the north. Masters have gathered, and an industrial chain has been formed. Whoever needs anything, as long as a stick of incense is in time, he can forge a vivid work. ”

"That's amazing." Wang Guan was somewhat staggering.

"Naturally, it's very powerful, but that was a long time ago." Qian Lao smiled: "After the founding of the People's Republic of China, after many blows, there is no living space for these cows, ghosts, snakes and gods, so they naturally disappeared. It wasn't until the eighties and nineties of the last century that some people re-emerged. But it's no longer the climate it used to be. ”

"What is the Yangzhou knife, that is, the so-called Yangzhou Gang?" Wang Guan continued to inquire.

"Yangzhou knife, Yangzhou gang, in fact, the full name is Yangzhou leather craftsman knife." Qian Lao said lightly: "It is said that it is because of all the fake calligraphy and paintings in Yangzhou." The last stroke of the inscription is generally shaped like the knife used by the leatherman in the old days, with a round belly and a warped tail. This has almost become a unique symbol of Yangzhou fakes, so the world calls Yangzhou's fakes Yangzhou knives. ”

"Of course. Yangzhou knives also have the meaning of being extremely sharp and invincible, which is just used as a metaphor for the power of Yangzhou antique counterfeiting techniques. However, after this knife-shaped logo was pointed out, people in the industry were extra careful. Naturally, the people of the Yangzhou Gang will not use it anymore. ”

Qian Lao frowned slightly and said: "But out of this habit, Yangzhou's fraud still deliberately leaves a secret mark on the fake paintings and calligraphy. As for the traces of secret marks, they are strange, hidden deeper, and are no longer so easy to identify. ”

"It's like Mr. Zhu's secret note." Wang Guan said suddenly: "They have left flaws, whether they can find them depends on their ability." In other words, the paper of this long scroll is similar, and it should be a flaw left on purpose. ”

"A fake, it's a fake."

At the same time, Yu Feibai exhaled angrily: "Bai is happy, wasting my feelings." ”

"You can't say that." Qian Lao smiled: "Even if it is a fake, it is also a fake in the middle and late Qing Dynasty." It has been passed down to the present day, and it can be called an imitation, and the level of imitation is very high, which is also a good thing. ”

"No matter how good a counterfeit is, it is always fake." Yu Feibai was unhappy.

At this moment, Qian Lao chuckled and said, "If I tell you that even the so-called authentic book of despair may be a fake, then you won't be happy." ”

"Old Qian, what do you mean by that?"

The news was so exciting that it not only made Yu Feibai's eyes widen, but also surprised Wang Guan.

When the Qing soldiers besieged Yangzhou, Shi Kefa knew that it was hopeless to defend the city, so he wrote a testament to the imperial court and wrote five suicide notes to his family. A day later, Shi Kefa wrote again to say goodbye to his mother, mother-in-law, and wife. These suicide notes are the desperate letters on this handscroll. Qian Lao groaned: "However, you can imagine the chaotic scene at that time, and it is difficult to tell the whereabouts of these suicide notes. Anyway, it wasn't until the Qianlong period that some ministers collected the suicide note and presented it to Emperor Qianlong. ”

"You can think about it, from the destruction of Yangzhou City to Qianlong's order to make the suicide note into a long volume, during this blank period, the preservation of the suicide note is a big problem." Qian Lao smiled and said: "Pay attention to the details, this is the minister's suicide note." It shows that these suicide notes did not fall into the hands of the Qing soldiers at that time, otherwise they should be sealed in the archives instead of being presented by others. ”

"Qian Lao, do you mean that during that period, Shi Kefa's suicide note had been destroyed, and what the minister dedicated to Emperor Qianlong was a fake made by the Yangzhou Gang?" Yu Feibai was a little incredulous.

"It's a possibility."

Qian Lao said with a smile: "Over the years, seven or eight versions of the long scroll of Shi Kefa's Desperate Book have popped up in various places. Almost every long scroll was published, and the Forbidden City sent a special team of experts to verify it, but found that the styles of each version were very similar, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake. It wasn't until later that a master from Yangzhou discovered some clues......"

"What's the clue?" Yu Feibai hurriedly asked.

"He found that the paper in these long scrolls was wrong."

Qian Lao sighed lightly: "Actually, it's not wrong, but it's too right, it's almost the same, it's all paper produced in Yangzhou." It's natural that one long scroll is like this, but if seven or eight long scrolls are like this, then there is a problem. ”

"Even if there is a problem, it's not a big problem, everyone knows that Shi Kefa wrote a desperate letter in Yangzhou, and if you want to forge it, you will naturally get Yangzhou's paper." Yu Feibai was a little puzzled: "Finding this situation is nothing more than a sign of the caution of forgery." ”

"You're right, that's what everyone thought at first."

Qian Lao shook his head and said, "But that master told everyone that this is not an abnormal situation. He once studied the official letters in Yangzhou in the late Ming Dynasty, and the paper used in those official letters was not like this. Because the paper used for official documents and letters of the imperial court at that time was distributed by the unified standards of the imperial court, and the paper used was not produced in Yangzhou at all. ”

"Isn't it, and that's the case?" Yu Feibai was dumbfounded.

"In fact, it is also normal, for example, the current government units, including companies and enterprises, do not necessarily use local paper, but remote procurement." Wang Guan said thoughtfully: "Especially in ancient times, the paper used by the imperial court was more exquisite, and it should be a tribute paper made by a special workshop. ”

"That's right." Qian Lao nodded and said: "Although some people have raised doubts, they think that this paper may have been bought by Shi Kefa himself in Yangzhou, and it may not be the official paper of the imperial court." But thinking about the situation at the time, Shi Kefa first wrote the imperial court testament and then wrote the suicide note. According to common sense, it is impossible to get another paper ......."

"In the midst of controversy, there are also bold conjectures. After all, there are so many long scrolls of the Book of Despair that have been handed down, unless the original work has been destroyed, there should always be a real volume. But they have verified all of them, and most of them have found problems, and none of them are authentic works that everyone recognizes. ”

Qian Lao smiled lightly: "So some people think that considering the peak of the Yangzhou Gang's counterfeiting technology at that time, would the letter of despair presented by the minister to Emperor Qianlong also be a fake?" ”

"This ...... It's really hard to say. ”

Wang Guan thought for a moment and sighed: "However, it is not impossible. Besides, what if you know that the letter of despair presented by the minister is a forgery. Emperor Qianlong's purpose in making the long scroll of the Book of Despair was not to appreciate Shi Kefa's calligraphy, but to make a political show. Even if everyone knows that the book of despair is fake, who would dare to debunk it? I had to pretend to be confused. ”

"Correct."

Qian Lao said with a smile: "When the emperor is in need, what is fake is true, and what is true is fake, so the name of Shi Kefa's book of despair is very loud, but the real big collectors are not very interested." ”

"No wonder!"

Yu Feibai suddenly realized: "No wonder for so many years, I haven't heard of any auction where there is a book of despair auctioned by Shi Kefa. I used to think that it was difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake, so I couldn't put it on the auction. But think about the festive practices of some auction houses...... No, it should be some auction companies that don't care about this, but no one hits the idea of Shi Kefa's desperate book, obviously knowing that there are not many people who are interested, so it is simply not in vain. ”

"There must be people who are really interested, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false, and there are naturally fewer people who are interested."

Qian Lao's expression suddenly became a little deeper, and he said softly: "After all, putting aside political factors, no matter how Shi Kefa's suicide note is said, it is also a witness to a period of history, and it is of great value for cultural collections." ”

Wang Guan and Yu Feibai nodded gently, and the tragic Yangzhou Ten Days Jiading Three Massacres kicked off with Shi Kefa's death. However, some Qing court dramas will only promote how holy the emperor is, and there is no constant beautification of discipline, but there is no mention of these events at all.

"Alright."

After a moment of silence, Qian Lao asked, "Feibai, the big harvest you said won't be just this long scroll, right?" (To be continued.) )