Chapter 29: Counterfeit Goods

  "Shu Yao, leave the silver ticket for your cousin."

  Shu Yao followed Guajia's orders, took out a silver note from the calabaza-shaped purse and slapped it on the table with great momentum. At the same time, she picked up the jade tripod. The silver note was worth two hundred taels. Alone in Shu Yao's purse were white silver notes. How rich is the second house?

  "Second Aunt, you can blame me for losing face if you want, but the jade ding was a gift I gave to Sixth Sister to admire. You're humiliating my niece by doing this." Li Zhiqing bit her lip, feeling very wronged - no one had ever humiliated her like Guwalgiya did.

  "Big sister, what you said isn't quite right." Shu Yao's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she spoke seriously: "Just now, Second Auntie said that everyone in the Duke's Manor, from top to bottom, relies on you for support. My mother is a person with dignity, I can afford this bit of silver."

  E'niang and Li Ziqing's confrontation was too damaging to their reputation. Shu Yao's ability to use her connections to intimidate others was not small, with E'niang backing her up from behind. She wouldn't dare act out of line if E'niang didn't allow it. What Shu Yao said was all true and straightforward, without any twists or turns, which made the second lady feel very embarrassed. To think that she and Li Ziqing were guests at the Duke's Manor, without the Duke's protection, they would be like floating duckweed, drifting aimlessly with the wind. Even if her daughter helped the Duke's Manor earn money, it wasn't something that could be openly said.

  Guar Jia felt relieved about her daughter Shu Yao, this girl is not bad, has the demeanor of a husband, who says that inner house struggles must be bent and twisted? Straightforwardness can achieve the same without being taken advantage of, status and position are key, higher than your status, more noble than you, and not seeking from you, why should she be humble and yield? The daughter born to Guar Jia is not someone who can be bullied.

  "Niece, let me say one more thing, that white jade clean bottle, you mustn't bring it into the palace."

  "Second Aunt, what do you mean?" Li Zhiqing wiped away her tears. "I had intended to present this pair of jade vases to the Empress Dowager for her enjoyment. You look down on your niece and also lack respect for the Empress Dowager."

  Li Ziqing's accusation was quite serious, and Shu Yao once again did not disappoint with her words, "Elder sister, are you confused? Which sentence of my mother's was disrespectful to the Empress Dowager? Respecting the Empress Dowager is not just about speaking it."

  "That pair of white jade vases are counterfeit, niece. I did it for your own good, using counterfeits to deceive the Empress Dowager. The entire Duke's estate cannot bear this crime."

  Xiu Yao rushed into the house where everyone looked like they had been hit by a bomb, their eyes dull and stunned. The words were truly powerful, one sentence was like an atomic bomb.

  "Fake? How can it be fake?" Li Ziqing shook her head in disbelief, she was an expert in antique appraisal, "Qian Popo wouldn't dare to cheat me."

  "It's not that she deceived you, but the counterfeit can deceive many people. Even those who have studied antiques for many years can't avoid being cheated. As the saying goes, 'the one who hits the wild goose is pecked in the eye.' If you give it to someone else, I won't say much, but there are many people in the palace who are well-versed in antiques. Giving a fake to the Empress Dowager would be a crime of deceiving the emperor, which is the most serious offense."

  "Second sister-in-law, you say it's a fake and it's a fake?" Second Auntie Li argued for her daughter Li Zhiqing, "What makes you say it's a fake?"

  "Zhi Qing, don't listen to her."

  Li Ziqing didn't have time to cry, and instead focused on arguing with Shu Yao. She took the white jade vase and examined it carefully, saying after a while: "Second Aunt, you're wrong, this pair of white jade vases is absolutely not fake."

  "What's fake can't be made real, I said the jade bottle is fake."

  "Could this mark be fake?" Li Ziqing showed the bottom of the vase to Guwalgiashi, in modern times there are high-quality imitations, but Li Ziqing did not believe that the Qing dynasty's craftsmanship could produce such a high-quality imitation.

  "The Ai Yu Jingping vase is from the late period of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, its value lies in being from the official kiln of the Tang Dynasty. Niece, do you know which porcelain kiln was the most prosperous during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu?"

  Li Ziqing shook her head, and Guaerjia revealed a hint of concern. "The Yangs of Hongnong and the Chuis of Qinghe are the most renowned families in the world. Among the ceramics produced by these two kilns, there is no such pair of white jade vases."

  "Second sister-in-law, aren't you speaking nonsense? Even if those two families didn't make the white jade vases, does that mean no one else is allowed to make them?"

  Gua Lian smiled faintly: "The great Tang Dynasty mostly believed in Taoism, until Empress Wu Zetian took over the throne and Buddhism gradually prospered. In this world, every family's porcelain kiln produced many pure bottles. At first glance, these white jade pure bottles have a good luster and fine texture. Even if they are fake, they are worth some silver coins. My niece didn't lose out."

  The material of the vase is not bad, if it were really a product of the Tang Dynasty, Guan Jia wouldn't be unaware. "It's shiny, over a thousand years have passed since the Tang Dynasty, even if it was well-preserved, it wouldn't be this complete." As for the mark mentioned by his niece, it's easy to handle, bring it here.

  Peach approached with a copper basin in her hands, the water inside rippling with a faint purple color. "Second Aunt, what is this water?"

  "Don't worry about it for now, just wipe the mark with water and you'll understand. The ceramic seals from the Great Tang Imperial Kiln are not blurry like this."

  Gua Lijia was very certain about this, and Shu Yao had also confirmed that her mother was a noble lady from the Tang Dynasty who had traveled back in time. The ancestors of the Marquis's family were also people who had traveled through time and space. Adding to this, Shu Yao and Li Zhiying made this time and space very chaotic. Compared to Li Zhiying, Shu Yao was at a disadvantage, not understanding history, having a simple living space, and having unpredictable abilities. Shu Yao relied on her mother to be a passerby, safe as a rice worm.

  "Fallen? Fallen." Li Ziqing looked at the empty bottom of the porcelain bottle in disbelief, the seal had been erased. Li Ziqing's hand relaxed, and the porcelain bottle fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Gualjia said, "What a pity."

  Li Ziqing got up with a grateful expression and bowed: "Thank you, Second Aunt. If it weren't for your reminder, I would have almost brought about a great disaster."

  Gua Erjia raised her hand, and Li Ziqing's move was slightly unexpected. After a short while, she adjusted from her frustration and realized that Li Ziqing was not to be underestimated. She had to say some polite words, but Gua Erjia had never been taken advantage of before. With the intention of giving Li Ziqing a warning lesson, she thought that her family was not something that could be easily calculated. The only way was to make Li Ziqing have scruples about her daughter Shu Yao. Li Ziqing did not dare to bully or scheme against Shu Yao easily. If you want to hit someone, you have to hit their face, and target the place where they are most confident. Since Shu Yao would inevitably be with her cousins, Gua Erjia couldn't always keep an eye on her. Although it was unlikely that her daughter Shu Yao would suffer a loss, as a mother, Gua Erjia was not at ease and had to make thorough preparations. "As the aunt, how can you not take care of your niece who is living in the Duke's mansion?"

  Gua Erjia's calm and proud demeanor made Li Ziqing feel an inexplicable sense of being unable to be her enemy. Li Ziqing was not convinced, as a woman who had traveled through time and space with the "Draft History of Qing" in hand, how could she possibly lose to Gua Erjia? But living in the Duke's mansion, her identity and emotions were mismatched, which was the deadliest wound for Li Ziqing this lifetime.

  Li Ziqing was not reconciled and had no way out. Born into the Han army banner, her father died early, with no money or property, she could only rely on her mother to attach herself to the Duke's mansion. Li Ziqing did not curry favor with Empress Dowager nor the old lady, she couldn't survive in the Qing dynasty, let alone marry Yongzheng.