Everyone was dumbfounded.

It wasn't just He Zhijun and the veteran appraisers.

Even Zhao Qian, Zhao Jiwei, and Zhang Xingguo were stunned.

Su Enping and the appraisers from Fusu Group were equally shocked, their eyes locked onto the Ming Dynasty golden brocade in Ye Chen's hands.

A piece of Ming Dynasty... Well, calling it a "golden brocade" sounded nice.

To put it bluntly, it was a burial shroud.

Could there really be any hidden secrets in this thing?

Even the seasoned appraisers furrowed their brows deeply.

Something like this couldn't possibly hold any secrets.

Yes, there was that one auction years ago where someone bought a late Qing Dynasty yellow brocade robe, only to find a sutra worth over a hundred million hidden inside.

But that was a rare case.

The sutra itself only appeared during the Qing Dynasty.

Considering the era, this Ming Dynasty golden brocade clearly couldn't be the same as that Qing Dynasty robe!

"Xiao Ye, what is this? Is it valuable?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

"Uncle Zhao, a moment ago, it was worth a few hundred thousand. But if I'm right, soon it'll be worth billions!" Ye Chen said with a smile.

"What? Billions?" Zhao Qian's eyes widened like copper bells.

Even as a nouveau riche, willing to spend lavishly on antiques, he wouldn't buy this shabby piece of brocade.

It looked eerie. Even if it was from the Qin Dynasty, he wouldn't want it for free.

And now Ye Chen claimed it was worth billions?

"Brother Ye, is there really something special about this?" Zhao Jiwei asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon!"

Ye Chen smirked and turned to He Zhijun.

"Mr. He, could you help me open up the layers inside?"

"You really think there's a hidden sutra inside? Wake up, it's just a Ming Dynasty burial shroud!"

Su Enping, anxious and uneasy, couldn't help but interject.

But his unease wasn't about the brocade.

He was worried about the Sui and Tang jade carvings and the Yuan blue-and-white porcelain jars.

If Ye Chen was right, he wouldn't just lose face—he might literally get his bones broken.

Yet Ye Chen ignored him completely.

"Mr. Ye, no need to look elsewhere. We have tools right here!"

One of the veteran appraisers from Wuji Group lifted a toolkit.

Ye Chen nodded with a smile and walked to a large table.

He carefully spread the brocade flat.

"Masters, please help me open the layers!" Ye Chen requested.

"Mr. Ye, are you sure? This brocade may not have high collectible value, but it's still worth a few hundred thousand. If you open it, it might lose all value!" one appraiser warned.

"If it's not what I think, I'll accept the loss. A few hundred thousand is no big deal." Ye Chen laughed.

"Alright then!"

The appraisers recalled how Ye Chen had previously pocketed two billion from Wuji Group.

A few hundred thousand was indeed nothing to him.

Three appraisers began working.

Su Enping hesitated.

He wanted to rush back to verify the blue-and-white jars but also wanted to see if Ye Chen was bluffing.

Ultimately, he stayed.

Everyone silently watched as the appraisers carefully dismantled the brocade.

Even Zhao Qian, usually loud, stayed quiet.

Before long—

"Huh?"

"There's something inside?"

At these words, everyone's hearts tightened.

Anyone interested in antiques knew the story of the Qing Dynasty yellow brocade robe.

Could history be repeating itself?

But that was impossible!

Sutras were only made during the Qing Dynasty.

This brocade was from the Ming Dynasty—how could they overlap?

The room fell silent.

Breathing was the only sound.

Yet the hidden object had yet to be revealed.

Even knowing something was inside, the appraisers carefully continued dismantling the brocade.

Minutes passed.

The brocade was fully opened.

Upon Ye Chen's nod, the appraisers cautiously peeled back the top layer.

But when they saw what lay inside—

Their hands froze.

Their bodies trembled violently.

"This... this... how is this possible!"

Their exclamation drew everyone's attention.

A sutra.

Inside was a sutra!

My goodness, a Ming Dynasty brocade containing a Qing Dynasty royal sutra? How was this possible?

Skepticism arose.

"Could it be a forgery? Maybe someone inserted the sutra later?"

The auction world was no stranger to fakes.

But before Ye Chen could respond, the appraisers exploded in anger.

"Nonsense! Inserted later? Seamlessly hiding a sutra with no trace—who could do that? Besides, the stitching thread is the exclusive silk used by the Ming royal family. You'd only discover it by dismantling the brocade. Could anyone today get their hands on royal Ming silk?"

The doubts vanished.

"Masters, no need to be so careful. Just lift it directly—it won't get damaged!" Ye Chen laughed.

"Mr. Ye, we can't risk it. Better safe than sorry!"

Despite his words, the appraisers carefully revealed the entire sutra.

At the center—three characters: Zhu Chongba.

Everyone froze.

Zhu Chongba—everyone knew it was the birth name of Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang.

Was this sutra once wrapped around Zhu Yuanzhang himself?

That couldn't be!

No Ming tombs had ever revealed a sutra.

Sutras didn't exist in the Ming Dynasty.

But reality was right before their eyes.

Stunned, the experts from Fusu Group rushed forward.

They had seen the one-billion sutra at auction before.

But this sutra—its material far surpassed that one.

"This... this is real! A sutra from the Ming Dynasty!"

"It was likely made for Emperor Hongwu himself!"

"My goodness, how is this possible?"

The experts trembled uncontrollably, voicing their disbelief.