Rebirth 93: Break off the engagement at the beginning and marry Bai Fumei

The yellow glaze on the large bowl was delicate, and the intricately carved dragon and phoenix patterns exuded the unique charm of the Hongzhi period. Chen Yang recognized it at a glance as an official kiln piece from the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty. But why did he insist on calling it a folk imitation? Because ever since he met the middle-aged man today, Chen Yang felt that he was a completely different person from before.

With his limited abilities, Chen Yang dared to confidently say that he had only learned about the yellow glaze from the Hongzhi period. How could he possibly know about the yellow glaze from that time? From the moment he met this man today, he felt completely different from before. The first two times this middle-aged man brought items, there was a pile of junk with only one or two genuine pieces. But today was different; all the items he brought out were authentic, which made Chen Yang suspicious.

Now that he mentioned the term "Hongzhi delicate yellow glaze," Chen Yang was certain of one thing: he had brought all the unsold items from other places to his shop. As for why he made this judgment, just look at his attire.

While it's true that what someone wears is their own business—they can wear wire-rimmed glasses, a crisp white short-sleeved shirt without a single wrinkle, neatly ironed trousers, and shiny leather shoes—that's all fine. But how could he possibly dress like that? He's someone who's been searching the world for his child! Have you ever seen someone searching for a child across the country dressed so neatly, without even a stubble on their face?

Chen Yang made a preliminary judgment in his mind: now that his wife has passed away, his child has been missing for so many years, and he knows that antiques are a quick way to make money, he probably went from searching the world for his child to searching the world for antiques.

The items he brought back today were probably confiscated from shops in other places. If they could fetch a high price, he probably sold them locally. However, this is just my guess.

"Wow, that's really good," Chen Yang picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and slowly put it down. He turned his gaze to the middle-aged man, a barely perceptible smile on his lips, and said, "Brother, you've really made a lot of progress this year. You even know about 'Hongzhi Jiaohuang'. I'm truly impressed!"

During the Hongzhi era, Emperor Xiaozong of Ming basically did not interfere with the firing of porcelain at the imperial kilns. During his reign, he practiced frugality and did not indulge in pleasures. Although the Ming Dynasty ushered in a golden age of prosperity and revival, the art of the imperial palace did not experience a leap forward.

Historical records indicate that Emperor Xiaozong of Ming was indignant about the wasteful and burdensome porcelain-making industry and once considered abolishing the imperial kilns. Empress Zhang quickly dissuaded him, arguing that while the production of porcelain for the imperial family could be stopped, porcelain for sacrificial ceremonies was indispensable. Abolishing the imperial kilns would be a blatant defiance of ancestral traditions, displeasing not only the imperial family and court officials but also the common people who would feel the emperor had offended heaven and their ancestors. Considering this, Emperor Xiaozong abandoned his decision.

Even so, the yellow-glazed porcelain of the Hongzhi period was the finest among all official yellow-glazed porcelains of all dynasties, and later dynasties could hardly surpass it. Because the yellow porcelain was glazed by pouring during firing, craftsmen also called it "poured yellow," which gradually evolved into "delicate yellow." By the Zhengde period, the color of the yellow-glazed porcelain had gradually deepened, and later dynasties could not reach the level of the Hongzhi period.

The "delicate yellow" here doesn't mean particularly yellow or garish yellow.

“No,” the middle-aged man said with an embarrassed smile when he heard Chen Yang’s words. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said, “I’m looking for the items and the child at the same time. You know how expensive it is to find a child. In my spare time, I go to antique markets in various places. I’ve heard about it from them, so I know a little bit about it.”

“Brother, you’re being too modest,” Chen Yang waved his hand and said with a smile, “The fact that you can say the four words ‘Hongzhi Jiao Huang’ shows that you must have some knowledge of Ming Dynasty porcelain. This is not something you can learn just by browsing around, don’t you think?”

Chen Yang looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, who was talking non-stop, and his smile deepened. He felt like he was watching a one-man show, while the man was completely absorbed in his own story and oblivious to everything else.

Chen Yang couldn't help but tease, "But your eye for quality has improved so quickly! It hasn't been long since we last met, and you've already gone from a complete novice to a semi-expert?" He paused deliberately, picked up his teacup, and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, his eyes fixed on the middle-aged man, observing his expression. "Then tell me, how did you recognize this as an official kiln piece from the Hongzhi era at a glance?"

The middle-aged man was a little embarrassed by Chen Yang's sudden praise. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes darting around, and stammered, "Mr. Chen, you...you're putting me in a difficult position, aren't you? You're an expert in this field. How could I, with my limited skills, dare to show off in front of you? Don't you think so? You tell me, you tell me..."

Chen Yang chuckled inwardly at the middle-aged man's embarrassed state. He was not only a semi-expert, but also a seasoned veteran in the antique business. Judging from his demeanor, he must have frequented antique shops quite often.

"Brother, don't be so modest! We're exchanging ideas, exchanging ideas! If you say anything wrong, I can correct you, don't you think? That way, you'll be more confident when you go out to find treasures in the future, right?" Chen Yang said politely and calmly.

After listening to Chen Yang's words, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. He cleared his throat, adopted the air of an expert, and said, "Then I... I'll just dabble in your teachings and discuss this with you?"

"Speak!" Chen Yang gestured for the middle-aged man to speak freely.

Encouraged by Chen Yang, the middle-aged man perked up and straightened his back, beginning to speak eloquently: "Let me tell you, the most crucial thing about Hongzhi yellow-glazed ware is its glaze color! That's the key to determining its authenticity!"

"However, there are many different opinions about what color this delicate yellow glaze actually is! There are chicken fat yellow, delicate oil yellow, sacrificial glaze yellow, and oil-sprinkled yellow. Some say it should be light, some say it should be dark, some say it should be bright, and some say it should be dark. It's so confusing that people don't know who to believe!"

At this point, he shook his head, seemingly quite helpless at the ignorance of those laymen. "So, I went to research and museums myself, studying it bit by bit. Hard work pays off! I finally discovered the secret!"

To be precise, Hongzhi yellow-glazed ware has a light glaze that resembles goose yellow and a dark glaze that resembles dark yellow. It is oily, translucent, and slightly crackled. The cracks show obvious signs of water and soil erosion. Macroscopically, it is as bright and clear as new, while microscopically, it is covered with many scratches. It also has a clam-like sheen that changes with the light.

As he spoke, the middle-aged man picked up the porcelain bowl, pointed at it, and continued to tell Chen Yang, "The second point is to look at the clay! This is of utmost importance! From the Yuan Dynasty to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, those exquisite porcelains all used Ma Cang clay! This Hongzhi yellow glaze uses clay that has been carefully selected and washed very finely, so its body is very dense, the color is grayish-white with yellow, and there are some brown sugar spots on it, which is no different from the bodies before the Ming Dynasty!"

He paused, then gently tilted the porcelain bowl so that Chen Yang could observe it more clearly. Chen Yang, sitting beside him, smiled slightly. "Take a close look at the body of this Hongzhi yellow glaze. The clay was carefully selected and washed very finely, so the body is very dense. The color is grayish-white with yellow tinges, and there are some brown sugar spots on it. These brown sugar spots are a typical characteristic of Macang clay, and it is no different from the bodies of clay bodies before the Ming Dynasty!"

“So, Mr. Chen,” the middle-aged man gently placed the porcelain bowl back on the table, placed his hands on the table with his hands folded, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at Chen Yang, “Judging from the glaze, the body, and the shape, this should be an official kiln piece from the Hongzhi period! Don’t you think so? I wonder if my judgment is correct?” As he spoke, he observed Chen Yang’s expression, hoping to glean something from his face.

Chen Yang didn't answer immediately, but instead picked up his teacup with a half-smile and gently blew on the floating tea leaves. His noncommittal attitude made the middle-aged man somewhat uneasy.

Qin Haofeng and Zhu Zi watched the middle-aged man's eagerness to show off, secretly sneering. They had personally witnessed the man's disheveled state back then; if it weren't for Chen Yang's guidance, how would he have gained such insight today? Now he dared to try and show off his limited skills in front of Chen Yang—it was utterly laughable.

Chen Yang put down his teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "Not bad, not bad, you're absolutely right!" Chen Yang even gave the middle-aged man a thumbs-up with a smile. The middle-aged man pretended to be embarrassed and waved his hand, then straightened his shirt, but his smug expression was evident.

Upon receiving Chen Yang's approval, the middle-aged man was overjoyed, his face revealing undisguised pride. He waved his hand modestly and said, "Not at all, Mr. Chen, you flatter me. I only know a little bit and still have a lot to learn."

"Brother, I really admire you," Chen Yang nodded with a smile and continued, "You said you were a latecomer to this field, yet you're more capable than my two younger brothers are now. Your insight... tsk tsk, truly unmatched!"

"So, if you didn't have all these messy things at home, and if you worked diligently in the antique business, what would be left for me, Chen Yang? You're the one who's in this situation!" He said, giving the middle-aged man a thumbs up.

"Oh, oh, Mr. Chen, you flatter me, you really are too kind." The middle-aged man said it was too kind, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face, as if he really had become some kind of treasure appraisal master.

Hearing Chen Yang's praise, the middle-aged man's smile widened. He cleared his throat, about to say something more, but was interrupted by Chen Yang's next sentence.

Chen Yang picked up the teacup, took a small sip of tea, then turned the porcelain bowl over, pointed to the mark on the bottom of the bowl, and said with a smile to the middle-aged man, "Brother, what you said is all correct, but you seem to have overlooked a very important issue."

"Oh?" The middle-aged man was taken aback, his smile instantly freezing. A sense of foreboding washed over him. He forced a calm expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Yang pointed to the mark on the bottom of the bowl, "The mark is wrong!"

"The inscription is wrong?" The middle-aged man looked down at the inscription on the bottom of the bowl and asked in confusion, "The inscription is in regular script, 'Made in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty,' what's wrong with that?"

"Hmph, what's wrong with that?" Chen Yang sneered, pointing to the mark on the bottom of the porcelain. "Since ancient times, most of the porcelain used by the royal family has used blue and white marks. Although iron-red marks appeared in the Qing Dynasty, when have you ever seen official kiln porcelain with black characters and ink marks?"

Look at this style

The middle-aged man was stunned by Chen Yang's question. He carefully recalled the porcelain he had seen before, whether in museums or in his own possession, and he did not seem to have ever seen official kiln porcelain with black characters and ink marks.

He unconsciously reached out and touched the bottom of the bowl, wondering how he could have overlooked such a detail. Could it really be, as people say... a fake?