You Say These Antiques Are Fakes?

Nie Shi'an really wanted to cry; he was now at his wit's end.

He can postpone it as long as he can. Does he really expect him to compensate everyone for their losses? Even the Nie Family would be severely weakened by that!

Just as everyone was anxious, they suddenly heard a servant outside say, "My lords, Zhou Wanwan has returned, bringing all the treasures with her, saying she wants to return them to their rightful owners."

Nie Shi'an looked at him and asked, "Is it really true?"

"It's true, absolutely true, I saw it all."

Nie Shi'an almost burst into tears; he hadn't expected his Little Ancestor to actually come back.

Then they saw Zhou Wanwan leading more than a dozen carriages, and her elite soldiers began to carry the items from the carriages inside one by one.

Zhou Wanwan looked at Nie Shi'an and said, "Lord Nie, I've returned these things to their rightful owners! Don't forget the reward you promised!"

Zhou Wanwan doesn't do business without capital. It was already agreed beforehand that if any unexpected situation occurred, the price for a single treasure would be five thousand taels.

There are plenty of five thousand taels here now.

Nie Shi'an nodded and said, "Don't worry! You won't be shortchanged."

Madam Nie chimed in, "Do you know how much money we'll lose at five thousand taels apiece? Where are we going to get that much silver?"

The noble families nearby smiled and said, "Now that the treasure has been returned, we'll compensate for the loss ourselves; Lord Nie doesn't need to pay anything."

Nie Shi'an quickly said, "Thank you everyone."

A man suddenly said, "These antiques of mine are fakes, Zhou Wanwan. You didn't replace all our antiques with fakes, did you?"

All the prominent families were astonished. Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "Oh? You're saying these antiques are fake?"

The man gave a cold snort and said:

I originally had three antiques, each with its own history.

But the three items I have now are all ordinary goods; they are not the three genuine items I originally had.

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and nodded:

"That's right, you're right. I misjudged you and mistakenly handed these three items over to you."

As for where your original treasure went, I have no idea.

Since the items are not the correct ones, I will take these three items back immediately.

She immediately gestured to her subordinates behind her to step forward and take all three antiques back from the table.

The man instantly panicked, his face turning bright red, and he hurriedly questioned:

"What do you mean by that! It's obvious that you secretly switched them and hid my genuine pieces! Are my three antiques ordinary objects?"

One piece is a celadon porcelain from the imperial kilns of a previous dynasty, with a warm and lustrous glaze like jade. Its shape is unique and extremely rare on the market.

One piece is a mythical Hotan ornament carved from a classic Hetian jade pebble, its jade surface smooth and white, making it priceless.

Another item is a heirloom jade pendant, with naturally formed patina and a profound historical significance; it is a genuine antique.

You must hand it over to me today, or this matter is not over!

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said:

"When you came in, I had all your treasures registered."

So I've never even heard of those treasures you mentioned.

"Bring us the register."

Then Zhou Wanwan's men brought out books, all of which were filled with illustrations of various treasures and detailed descriptions of them.

Nie Shi'an snorted coldly and said, "Xie Linzhou, what else do you have to say?"

Xie Linzhou wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "How could you possibly have drawn this book? You're just talking nonsense."

Zhou Wanwan had someone flip through it and said:

"These are all registered treasures, and I just felt that if there were a book like this, more people could see these treasures."

This book is not yet complete; it currently contains over 300 treasures, but more will be added gradually in the future.

But I never expected you to accuse me of stealing your things.

Xie Linzhou was sweating profusely, and he cautiously glanced at Xie Cheng'en beside him.

Xie Cheng'en scoffed, "Zhou Wanwan, stop pretending. Who knows if you actually switched these things or not?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at the other aristocratic families and said, "Then you should take a good look at what you have in your hands to make sure it's correct. You need to examine it carefully."

Before long, the six members of the prominent families present gradually realized what was happening and looked at Zhou Wanwan with rather unpleasant expressions.

A member of a prominent family also frowned and said:

"No, something's not right about this thing I have! The old book I had was a rare, ancient copy, and the paper was worn out."

It also has the ancestral signature mark, making it no ordinary booklet at all.

Another member of a prominent family nearby quickly nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice:

"Mine also has a problem. The jade ornament I brought is a family heirloom. It has a delicate texture, unique patterns, and exquisite workmanship."

This one looks exactly the same, but the feel and texture are completely different; it's definitely been switched.

The remaining scions of prominent families also spoke up one after another, each lowering their voices, their faces filled with resentment and anger.

As they talked, they all discovered that the ancestral heirlooms and treasured antiques they had brought had all been switched.

Their faces were grim, their eyes fixed on Zhou Wanwan, their words filled with accusation, convinced that she had secretly replaced their original items.

Xie Cheng'en sneered, "Zhou Wanwan, how dare you do such a thing? Do you know your crime?"

Zhou Wanwan looked back at the young masters and asked, "Are you sure these things have been switched?"

The scions of wealthy families quickly nodded and said, "Yes, it's all fake. Zhou Wanwan, you have to compensate us for all our losses."

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and smiled faintly:

"I'm afraid I can't compensate you for your losses, because I was just trying to help you get your things back."

As for whether this item was switched, you'd have to ask the bandits from that time.

This was a trap set for her.

Xie Cheng'en's face stiffened, and he scoffed coldly:

Who will believe you now that you're saying this?

Zhou Wanwan, these treasures were all returned to you, so naturally they passed through your hands.

Whether it was given to you or taken by those bandits, nobody knows.

Therefore, you should have compensated for these treasures in the first place.

Zhou Wanwan looked at Xie Cheng'en and the other young masters from prominent families and said, "So how do you want to compensate me? And how much do you want me to compensate?"

Xie Cheng'an smiled faintly and said:

"The three treasures of my Xie Family are rare and precious items that are extremely valuable.

To settle this matter, you must provide three rare and priceless treasures of equal quality as compensation; not even one less will suffice.

He turned to look at the several prominent families beside him and said:

"Each of the other prominent families must provide compensation based on the value of the antiques they lost."

Some have to compensate with top-quality jade, while others have to compensate with antiques.

Furthermore, valuable calligraphy and paintings, as well as exquisitely crafted ornaments, must be added; inferior or counterfeit goods cannot be used to deceive customers.