Antique Appraisal: I Went Undercover at the Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Institute

I am Lin Yan, a top modern expert in authenticating antiques. The moment I opened my eyes, I had become the most spineless ninth-rank court attendant at the Wenhua Academy of Painting and Calligraphy in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

A missing ancient painting and a secret message hidden in a scroll’s lining showed me that this magnificent world of art had long been rotten to the core. The academy head was stealing from the very collection he was charged with protecting, every colleague had an ulterior motive, and even the Emperor’s Shadow Guard had its eyes on the imperial treasures in the storeroom.

They wanted me to authenticate antiques? Fine.

I used a microscope to examine pigments, chemical test strips to analyze paper, and probability theory to expose forged handwriting. They thought they had found an obedient pawn. I quietly noted every hidden passage, every falsified account book, and every slip that revealed who was really on their side.

Then one day, the academy head laid a bloodstained list before me and smiled. “Attendant Lin, it’s time to choose a side.”

Only then did I realize the greatest secret of this undercover game: the person who wanted me to betray them and the person who wanted my loyalty were one and the same.

And the real showdown was only just beginning.