Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 64 Is your grandfather also a mess?

Among these three items, the cheapest should be Li Dongyang's calligraphy.

But no matter how cheap he is, he is a famous calligrapher in history and a prime minister of a dynasty, so his worth must be over one million.

The second is Lu Zigang’s jade cup.

I auctioned one in 2011 for about 5 million, including commission. Even though the antique market is cool right now, it would still fetch at least 2 million.

The most valuable one is the Chengni inkstone:

The inkstone is in the shape of a fish, with a lotus leaf on the back. The black and red colors complement each other, and the lotus and fish shine together. The colors are bright and gorgeous, and the richness and calmness complement each other.

Turning over the back of the inkstone, one can see a line of words engraved in regular script: Leave a legacy for future generations, a lesson for them to learn from and admonish against!
Amazing! Not only is it a royal inkstone, but it's also a gift from the emperor. Consider it a bit less: three million...

But after emptying his pockets, he only had about a million. Not being able to afford it was secondary. The key point was that something worth a million was not something that could be easily sold.

So, although the things are good, there is no need to...

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng looked at Wang Qizhi.

Professor Wang can buy one, but the question is, will the other party sell it to him?
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "Old man, can we discuss something?"

The old lady smiled and said, "Wa Ni She!"

He pointed at Wang Qizhi and said, "This is my teacher, who learned from Gu Tong Zhang!"

The old lady glanced at Wang Qizhi's hand and curled her lips: "How many strokes did you make?"

What this means is that even after hitting him more than eight hundred times, Wang Qizhi is not even considered a disciple of Gu Tong Zhang, let alone buying things.

Lin Sicheng opened his mouth and then closed it.

The old lady smiled again and slammed her cane on the ground: "Those three can't afford the wooden things, but you can definitely afford this!"

Then, Zhao Xiu Neng moved the tray over, bent his waist, and pulled out a box from under the coffee table.

Open the lid of the box, remove the sponge, and peel off the three layers of soft cloth, and the box will be divided into two.

There are broken porcelain on one side and broken porcelain on the other side.

But there is yellow in the half yellow and half blue.

This pure yellow half is exactly the same as the bowl that Wang Qizhi just bought. It is as delicate as a sunflower and as bright yellow as chicken oil. It is undoubtedly the delicate yellow glaze of the Hongzhi period.

Although there is no dragon pattern, judging by visual inspection, the original vessel is much larger than the bowl. Even if it is not a jar, it is at least a vase.

Looking at the other half, it is a typical Hongzhi blue-and-white porcelain with a yellow background: the glaze is soft, thick, and grayish green, showing a unique jade texture.

Look at the pattern again: there is a dragon in the flowers, the lines are delicate, the brushwork is free and easy, and it reveals a bit of casualness, which is no different from the bowl on the table.

After flipping through it, Lin Sicheng took out the base and found it was indeed: Made in the Hongzhi Period of the Ming Dynasty.

Hongzhi delicate yellow glaze pipa zun, Hongzhi yellow ground blue and white dragon pattern large jar?
The former is fine, especially the latter: the technique is derived from Chenghua Doucai, hence the name Hongzhi Doucai. Just based on the base and the dragon, this half box of porcelain pieces is worth two hundred thousand.

If it can be pieced together, it will be no less valuable than Professor Wang’s bowl.

So, even if the porcelain pieces in this box are not complete, you have to buy them.

After flipping through it roughly and finding no real or fake items mixed in, Lin Sicheng reached out his hand to ask the price.

With his sleeves rolled down, he suddenly stopped.

Hongzhi delicate yellow glaze pipa zun, Hongzhi large jar with dragon pattern, Hongzhi delicate yellow glaze bowl... where did so many Hongzhi imperial utensils come from?

The key point is that there is not a single stain on the pieces, which means none of these three pieces have ever been buried in the ground?

But this is not the point, the point is the quality... As expected, this inkstone is from the same period as the Pipa Zun, the dragon-patterned jar, and the bowl.

To be more precise: always together...

Look at that calligraphy copybook again: Li Dongyang’s "Mr. Mu Zhai is about to board the boat and sends me a poem in the same rhyme"!
Who is Li Dongyang?
During the Hongzhi period, he served as Shangshu, Gelao, and Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary.

Mr. Mu Zhai was Zhuang Chang, who served as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing during the Hongzhi period. He was a fellow townsman of Li Dongyang and they were also close friends.

Both of them were from Jiangsu, so how did the farewell poem that Li Dongyang gave to Zhuang Chang end up in Shaanxi?
Lin Sicheng was not entirely clear, but he knew that Zhuang Chang's daughter had married the son of Li Jun, then a Shanxi councilor (third rank), and that Li Jun was from Qishan. He was buried in Fengminggang, Qishan, less than ten kilometers from here.

A blind guess: Could this copy of calligraphy be the daughter-in-law’s dowry?

Secondly, during the early years of the Hongzhi reign, Li Jun served as a lecturer, later as a councilor of the Huguang Provincial Government, and repeatedly as a councilor of Shanxi Province, earning him great trust. So, were the inkstone, bowl, jar, and vase in the box all gifts from Hongzhi?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Lin Sicheng blinked and asked, "Is the old man's last name Li?"

"My last name is not Li!" The old lady shook her head. "Don't worry, my child. These things were all bought by my father-in-law in exchange for land from the Li family... Before he returned to his hometown, he worked as a handyman in the palace..."

Lin Sicheng was stunned: This old lady's craft is inherited from her ancestors?

Including these three items on the tray, they are all authentic heirlooms from our ancestors.

Anyway, forget it. I really can't afford it, so I can only buy some porcelain pieces.

He sighed and was about to ask the price, but the old lady waved her hand and said, "Don't be impatient, kid. I'll show you something else!"

As she spoke, the old lady groped under the bench, took out a small box the size of a palm, and opened it tremblingly.

The moment the lid of the box was opened, Lin Sicheng's eyes narrowed suddenly: Another box of broken porcelain?
The top piece is particularly eye-catching: a rooster stands tall, its head raised, its feet stamped, and crows loudly. Behind it, a tender yellow chick flaps its wings.

What did you just say?

Hongzhi Doucai originated from Chenghua Doucai. In the blink of an eye, the old lady took out a box?
Look closely: the glaze is lustrous, with a hint of green in the white and gray in the green. But the color is not dark, but rather has a jade-like texture.

Looking at it against the light: the glaze is thick and even, with a soft and subtle luster. From another angle: goose yellow with a hint of green, apricot yellow with a crimson hue, and beeswax with a transparent yellow.

The body is also extremely thin, and through the porcelain piece, you can even see the flesh-red color of your fingers on the back.

The key is this chicken and the base at the bottom of the box... It's so damn recognizable: the best of Ming Dynasty porcelain, exclusively for the emperor, the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup.

It’s no exaggeration to say that this was the first time in Lin Sicheng’s two lifetimes that he saw the real thing…although it was a broken one.

Lin Sicheng was not sure whether there were only seventeen of them in the world, but at least the 280 million that Liu Yiqian spent on it at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong seven years later was not fake.

Looking at the size of the box, there are at least two pieces of porcelain inside... Doesn't that mean two hundred and eighty million?

It’s no exaggeration to say that if someone else were to hold the box, their hands would start to tremble.

After looking at it for a long time, Lin Sicheng slowly exhaled and gently put it back.

The old lady packed the box and said with a smile: "Son, fix this for me and I will give you the box."

After a pause, she pointed at the tray and said, "Pick one from those three!"

Wang Qizhi's eyes bulged and his eyelids twitched wildly: he was a little far away and knew relatively little about porcelain, so he didn't know what the box in Lin Sicheng's hand was.

But at least he could recognize what the three items on the tray were, especially the inkstone: a tribute from the Ming court, bestowed by the emperor.

Just to patch up this box of broken porcelain, Old Lady Qing actually offered to give it to me? How valuable must the porcelain pieces in this box be?

Lin Sicheng was slightly better, but even though he had lived two lives, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

But what shocked him was not the old lady's courage, but her skill: No wonder she took it out openly even though she knew I couldn't afford it? So, she wasn't selling anything, she was luring the fish into the trap!
So should I make up for it or not?

To be honest: How many lifetimes can you encounter something like this? Let alone pay, even if it costs him nothing, Lin Sicheng would still want to do it.

But there is one thing that the logic doesn’t make sense!
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and asked, "Why not send the old man to the capital?"

For example, the Forbidden City.

"It's easy to send him to the capital, but what if he becomes a public figure?"

Haha...did you steal it back then?
Hundreds of years have passed, so it's unlikely, but you can't say for sure...

"Old man, the problem is that I'm too young and I'm afraid I'll break it for you."

"Don't worry, kid, my hands may be shaking, but my eyes are still good!" The old lady paused with her cane, "You mend it, and I'll watch!"

It's quite safe, but as I said, the logic is wrong.

Lin Sicheng nodded and smiled. "Old lady, I also have this inherited craft. My grandfather, Lin Changqing, is a professor of ceramics at Xi'an University. He learned from Li Guangde (whose father and grandfather were both from the Imperial Household Department's Workshop and a master of porcelain restoration in the late Qing Dynasty). His skills are much better than mine..."

"The child is in Hushe again, and Li Guangde has never been to Xijing."

The old lady smiled and looked at his fingers. "Your grandfather also makes paste? Then can he mix the lacquer?"

Lin Sicheng was stunned, staring at the nail of his right thumb: it was as big as a grain of millet, blue with a hint of green.

This was the sample of the two fish he had ordered that day. He then mixed some blue and white glaze glue using the traditional method. He then instructed Li Zhen and Feng Lin to glue the sample to the bottom of the basin after it cooled.

But it's only sticky a little bit?

No wonder the old lady asked at the door: Are you pouring paste?

(End of this chapter)