Chapter Thirty-Nine: Exposing the Fraud

"Hello, Willow Leaf, I'm an enthusiast of antique collectibles. Could you tell me if this Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain in my hand is genuine?"

The caller, who wanted to impress his partners with his antique, deliberately thrust the piece in front of the camera. But as soon as his question was finished, Willow Leaf’s voice came through, “I'm sorry, this antique is fake.”

The questioner was stunned.

Meanwhile, the live chat was scrolling at a dizzying speed; messages sent just seconds before were instantly pushed out of sight. Especially after Willow Leaf helped Zhou Xianshan recalculate rocket propulsion and orbital trajectories, and guided a team tackling a robotics challenge, the voices that had previously attacked Willow Yan were gradually being replaced by scientific questions and imaginative ideas from viewers.

Advanced computation and optimizing robot data were already strengths of artificial intelligence, but to judge an antique worth millions as fake just through a video call gave the critics another angle to attack.

“It’s obvious capital has bribed Zhou Xianshan. Now capital dares to reach into military industry—it's time the state dealt with these people.”

“That robotics team was definitely funded by the Willow Leaf Group.”

“Exactly! There’s a real master of collectibles on short video platforms, connect with him and let him appraise it. We don't trust capital, only Master Chu.”

“Right, Master Jiang is live right now, hurry up and connect with Master Jiang. If you don't dare, it means this whole thing was planned.”

The screen rolled faster and faster; messages sent barely had time to be seen before being pushed up. It was nearly impossible for the human eye to catch every message, but for artificial intelligence, every rapidly scrolling comment was read clearly, even as it simultaneously distinguished user locations and profiles.

At that moment, the questioner, face sour, mocked, “You little virtual person, you should let Master Jiang tell you the story behind this antique.”

“If everyone strongly wants Master Jiang’s appraisal, then I’ll invite Master Chu Jiang to join the call.”

Willow Leaf immediately brought Master Jiang, who was live streaming, onto the screen.

Seeing a live room with millions of viewers request his presence, Master Jiang was momentarily dazed. Once he understood the situation, he realized this was his chance to shine—millions watching live, and if that traffic could be converted, it would all turn into money.

Master Jiang straightened his back and took out a valuable string of glossy beads he had bought at great expense, playing with them as he scrutinized the porcelain held up to the camera by the questioner.

“This peacock green-glazed blue-and-white porcelain is the same one I appraised before, isn’t it? This peacock green comes from the Ming Yongle imperial kiln. When Zheng He sailed west, the finest imperial porcelain was traded with foreign nations, while lesser pieces circulated in the market. Yongle-era blue-and-white porcelain has a rich glaze, vivid blue coloration, and more delicate painting—this is a rare and valuable item.”

“You’re mistaken,” Willow Leaf replied. This artificial intelligence, still newly trained, spoke without the warmth of Yunyan, and immediately projected its analysis onto the big screen: “This is not from the imperial kiln; it’s a product of the Ming Yongle folk kiln. Folk kiln blue-and-white porcelain is freer, focusing more on artistic conception, and the true owner of this porcelain is an elder named Murong.”

As Willow Leaf finished speaking, the textual data transformed into a photograph, apparently taken from a social media post—a humble angle showing the peacock green porcelain quietly placed on a bookshelf. Beside it, most prominently displayed, was a Tang Sancai ceramic.

“Also, this wasn’t made during Zheng He’s voyage west, but after his first return, when a surge of interest in sailing swept the country and many artisans began making blue-and-white porcelain. This piece was crafted by an elder named Murong Chao, the fifth generation of the Murong family. You can verify this connection in the Murong family genealogy in Linhai, and this porcelain has never been sold.”

A collective gasp swept through the audience.

Master Jiang was a renowned figure in the antique world. If this piece was fake, all his previous appraisals would need to be re-examined. No one expected this virtual being to know the provenance so thoroughly.

Moreover, this involved the Murong family of Linhai. Ordinary people might not grasp how formidable these heritage families were; they had long ceased to appear before the public. But the elite, the big business owners, and people like Master Jiang knew very well about the Murong clan.

“I can connect with the Murong family head right now, but humans seem to prefer evidence.”

With that, the screen shifted to another scene.

“Experts appraise antiques with reference to dates and history, perhaps analyzing soil composition. We can already do that. The most important thing is inventing a story and aging the piece according to the appraiser's personality. Master Jiang likes to sound scholarly, so the forgery was made to fit the imperial kiln narrative...”

The footage showed several counterfeiters making the blue-and-white porcelain using advanced technology. The picture was a bit blurry, but the audio was clear, and the process was unmistakable.

“By the way, Master Jiang, your string of beads is fake too.”

The frantic scrolling of the chat seemed to freeze; the last message was from ten seconds earlier, a voiceover saying, “Faced with a real master—got slapped in the face, didn’t you?”

The user called Grandpa Wang wished he could throw his phone away.

About a minute later, the chat exploded.

The entire live room reached its climax.

Viewership soared from several million toward thirty million—a staggering thirty million people online at once.

“This is incredible.”

“We’re witnessing scenes straight out of science fiction.”

“Now that artificial intelligence is here, can robots be far behind?”

“Willow Leaf Group is amazing this time. President Willow is not only beautiful, but Willow Leaf is adorable too.”

“I’m in love—this is a true entrepreneur dedicated to scientific research.”

“Luckily I didn’t get scared off by previous rumors. When the company reopens, Willow Leaf Group’s stock will skyrocket like a rocket.”

“I heard that President Willow took the opportunity to buy stocks at a low, then announced good news, but she actually pushed back against the capitalists. She said her goal is a century-old enterprise.”

“President Willow is powerful and impressive.”

“I lost so much. When the stock dipped, I sold half, now only have 3,000 shares left—I’m doomed.”

“Haha, I bought ten thousand shares.”

“Entrepreneurs like President Willow are rare, not just in our country but in the whole world. With vision and character like hers, would she send her internet celebrities to drink with capitalists? What kind of big shot would dare?”

“Exactly. Surely such entrepreneurs are protected and supported by the state. Who would dare to be so blind?”

“Everyone, let’s not get too excited. Don’t forget this restructuring has a foreign background.”