Chapter 456 Pocketing Money
Chen Yang stood aside, too lazy to remind Lin Xichen, as he himself did not want to get into trouble.
Xia Yan, standing next to him, enthusiastically discussed something with Lin Xichen. Then he turned and walked towards the person selling the Tang Sancai porcelain.
Xia Yan spoke, "Sir, we are quite interested in the items you are selling. However, we can also see that your item is incomplete."
"In the antique trading market, incompleteness means a discount, or even worthlessness. Therefore, we will definitely not pay seven million for your Tang Sancai. We can offer at most one million!"
The seller's face changed when he heard the price of one million.
He immediately waved his hands and said, "No, absolutely not! You can haggle, but not this much. Five million... five million is my bottom line."
Xia Yan pretended to explain things to the seller again.
Finally, he said, "Three million! Friend, we'll buy it for three million. If it exceeds this amount, we won't buy it."
The seller's face showed pain. He finally stomped his foot and said, "Alright, you Chinese people are really good at haggling. Then it's a deal!"
There was no internet here. To complete a transaction, one had to go through the ship's trading system, which would automatically deduct commissions.
The commission rule was that the buyer would be deducted five percent, and the seller would be deducted five percent.
In other words, the more and more expensive the item sold, the more Captain Tardos on the ship would earn.
Lin Xichen was overjoyed to hear that the Tang Sancai ceramic was only three million.
She immediately swiped her card to pay and then gave Xia Yan a thumbs up, saying, "Mr. Xia, you are truly amazing! Not only is your taste excellent, but your bargaining skills are even more remarkable."
Xia Yan laughed heartily and patted his chest, saying, "Miss Lin, I was hired by you at a high salary precisely to save you money and find treasures for you. Don't worry!"
Lin Xichen nodded. After receiving the Tang Sancai item, she handed the box to Chen Yang.
Lin Xichen glared at Chen Yang and said, "Kid, hold it carefully. This is a three-million-dollar antique, don't break it!"
Chen Yang pouted, too lazy to remind Lin Xichen.
As they were walking further in, a Chinese man quickly approached them.
He was wearing a suit and immediately approached Lin Xichen, nodding to her and saying, "Miss, I just saw you buy a Tang Sancai antique. I presume you are very interested in Chinese antiques. I have a treasure here that you will definitely be interested in!"
Lin Xichen heard this and said, "Alright, what do you have for sale?"
The man mysteriously took out a silk bag from his sleeve. He opened the bag, revealing a gold tablet.
The gold tablet was inscribed with ancient characters: "Rain falls, then peace."
Below these ancient characters, there was a signature clearly stating the name Wu Zetian.
The man mysteriously said to Lin Xichen, "Miss, this item of mine is a true treasure. As you can see, this piece is cast in gold, and it clearly bears Empress Wu Zetian's royal name and handwriting."
"This is a rain-praying decree issued by Wu Zetian back then, a genuine antique with immense value."
Lin Xichen's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
She quickly asked the man, "This seems quite impressive! How much do you want for it?"
The man smiled happily when he heard this.
He said, "Twenty million! This price is not expensive, mainly because I don't want to sell it to foreigners. If you like it, Miss, you can buy it. Twenty million is the lowest price. If you try to bargain, I won't sell it."
Lin Xichen hesitated slightly, then turned to look at Xia Yan.
Lin Xichen asked, "Master Xia, what do you think?"
Xia Yan frowned. He glanced at the gold tablet and then sneered, "What is this worth twenty million? Do you take us for fools? Go away, go away!"
Then, Xia Yan quietly said to Lin Xichen, "Miss Lin, his item may not be genuine. And even if it is, it clearly shows signs of repair."
"Twenty million is too much. Two hundred thousand would be about right! If the item is entirely made of gold, we could buy it for five hundred thousand. Any more than that would not be a profitable purchase."
Lin Xichen was stunned and looked at Xia Yan in surprise, "Master Xia, I think that person is quite sincere. Fifty thousand, he probably won't agree, will he?"
Xia Yan immediately patted his chest and said, "If he doesn't agree, we'll leave. This kind of thing is only worth the value of the gold itself."
"In fact, I suspect it's just gilded. Not real gold, so it's not expensive."
Saying this, Xia Yan turned to the seller and said, "Our young lady says, will you sell this for five hundred thousand?"
The other party's face changed upon hearing the price of five hundred thousand. He then got angry and turned away, unwilling to deal with Lin Xichen and Xia Yan any further.
Chen Yang stood beside Lin Xichen, even more speechless at this moment.
Lin Xichen watched him leave with longing, still feeling a bit dejected.
She glumly said to Xia Yan, "Master Xia, is that thing really fake?"
Xia Yan immediately nodded and said, "It's definitely fake! Look at his exasperated reaction. After we saw through it, he left immediately, clearly indicating he was selling a fake."
Then, Xia Yan smiled at Lin Xichen and said, "Miss Lin, please rest assured! With me around, no one can cheat you."
"Although we have a lot of money, we must spend every penny wisely. We are not easily fooled by others, are we?"
Lin Xichen nodded upon hearing this and said with a smile, "Yes, Master Xia, you are right. We cannot be treated as fools. Let's go and buy the next item!"
Xia Yan led Lin Xichen to the left.
On a table to the left, a delicate and exquisite jade necklace was displayed.
Under the light, the jade exuded a brilliant glow.
Xia Yan's eyes lit up. He immediately pointed to the agate and jade necklace and said, "Miss Lin, look, do you like it?"
Lin Xichen took a look and nodded, "The design is beautiful, and the color is quite pleasing. However, this isn't an antique, is it? I already have quite a few jade jewelry pieces at home, so I don't want to buy another one like this."
Xia Yan smiled and said, "Miss Lin, this is where you lack expertise. Indeed, you must have many pieces of jewelry, but this one is completely different."
"Take a look. There are eighteen emerald beads on it, and each bead is carved with a Four-Faced Buddha."
"This necklace has an extraordinary origin. It's not a very ancient antique, but it is over three hundred years old. It was once worn by a former queen of Myanmar. This necklace was a symbol of royal power."
"I never expected such a precious item to end up here for sale. Miss Lin, we are quite lucky!"
"If you can buy this, when you travel to Myanmar in the future and wear it around your neck, many people in Myanmar will probably respectfully kneel before you and call you Queen."
Lin Xichen's eyes lit up when she heard this, "Really? Does this necklace have such a grand history?"
Xia Yan laughed heartily, then said, "Miss Lin, don't forget, I am the president of the Professional Association of Antiques, Jewelry, and Cultural Relics, and a professor at Harvard University."
"My entire life has been dedicated to this field. There is no treasure in the world that can escape my discerning eye! Let's go and take a look."
The group approached the jade necklace.
Xia Yan pretended to examine it.
Then he asked the seller, "How much do you want for this item?"
The seller glanced arrogantly at Xia Yan and then at Lin Xichen. He held up five fingers and said, "Fifty million, non-negotiable."
Lin Xichen was startled by the price and immediately said, "What, fifty million? Since when has jade become so valuable? I'm not buying it, I'm not buying it!"
Xia Yan immediately nudged Lin Xichen's arm and whispered, "Miss Lin, please remain calm. I will help you negotiate."
"Furthermore, while fifty million is a bit high, it's not outrageous. Let me put it this way, as long as we can buy this item for under forty-five million, we'll be making a huge profit."