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

Ye Hui stared at the bottle for a long time, then looked up at Chen Yang with an incredulous gaze, as if the bottle in Chen Yang's hand were some priceless treasure. He scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly before finally managing to stammer, "I really don't understand, Mr. Chen, what are you researching every day? How do you even have something like this?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He quickly waved his hands, shaking his head like a rattle drum, "No, no, where would I get this?"

"Young Master Ye, what are you saying? I only saw it once before, how did that mean I have it? So in your eyes, anything I, Chen Yang, have seen, I can get my hands on? If that's the case, then my abilities are truly extraordinary!"

While saying this, Chen Yang was secretly complaining to himself: I have indeed seen it before, but it was at the online auction of Jiade Port City in 2021. It was a fine piece of Kangde porcelain. In his later years, Chen Yang had only seen two pieces. The first time he saw Kangde official kiln porcelain, it was a gourd-shaped vase. At the time, he thought it was a work of art! Later, after checking the information, he found out that it was the imperial porcelain used by Puyi during the Manchukuo period.

Five-color gourd-shaped bottle from the Kant period

Chen Yang's eyes darted around, and he decided to continue his fabrication. He cleared his throat and put on a mysterious air, saying, "You know there's an auction house in Beijing, right? I recently acquired a Kant lemon-yellow glazed orchid-patterned plate there. The craftsmanship, the glaze—it was simply superb!"

As he spoke, he gestured as if the plate were right in front of him. "However, I have high standards, and I felt that the plate was a bit lacking, so I didn't put it up for auction!"

He paused deliberately, looked at Ye Hui, and gave a mysterious smile. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that the lemon yellow color is exactly the same as the bottle in front of you, without the slightest difference! Young Master Ye, take a look, examine it closely!"

After listening to Chen Yang's cryptic explanation, Ye Shao first narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to digest the deeper meaning in Chen's words. He frowned slightly, like a student struggling with a difficult problem, and his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to speak but didn't know where to begin.

After a long pause, Ye Shao cautiously asked with a hint of uncertainty, "Mr. Chen, what do you mean..." He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, trying to glean more information from Chen Yang's face.

Chen Yang calmly picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, took a slow sip, and then put the teacup down. A mysterious smile played on his lips. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly raised his voice and threw out a shocking answer: "It was a copy made by the Japanese during the Manchukuo period!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Hui was slightly taken aback, his mouth agape a few times. Clearly, this answer matched the one he had in mind.

He looked down at the precious moon vase in disbelief, then looked up at Chen Yang, his expression as if he were looking at a monster. He thought to himself, if anyone else had told him this was a fake made by the Japanese, he, Ye, would have rolled his eyes at them on the spot and stormed off.

But it was Chen Yang who said that! I absolutely trust his judgment. And... thinking about it carefully, there doesn't seem to be any other more reasonable explanation.

Before Ye Hui could recover from his shock, Chen Yang moved even closer to him, a smug look on his face, and said with a grin, "And, I also know..."

He paused deliberately, whetting Ye Hui's appetite, before continuing, "The origin of that piece of Kangde porcelain is because when the plate was delivered, there was a note tucked inside the box. It read, 'Shinyama Koransha... Edo period, the fifteenth generation of a feudal lord... Sakai Kakiemon... the fourteenth generation.' This was a famous ceramicist during the Edo period."

The items included in the auction

Upon hearing this, Ye Hui's previously confused eyes instantly lit up, like a lightning bolt streaking across the night sky. He couldn't help but nod repeatedly, as if he had completely understood Chen Yang's meaning, and his tone became more certain: "If that's what Boss Chen says, then it makes sense."

"What matches?" Chen Yang asked, puzzled.

Ye Hui looked up at Chen Yang and cleared his throat. "It's like this, Mr. Chen. Let me tell you, there was another person who came with Ishitani Masano, named Nakahashi Eita. I knew him when I was in Shencheng. When we first met, he was accompanied by a friend named Sakai Kojiro. That guy was incredibly knowledgeable about porcelain, and his eye for it was amazing!"

At this point, Ye Hui and Chen Yang both looked at the lemon-yellow vase with nine peaches in openwork design. They both had the same answer in their hearts: this thing is most likely a fake made by the Japanese during the Manchukuo period! Only in this way can everything be explained.

“If it’s a replica made by the Japanese,” Ye Hui stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, “then they should have an original piece in their possession!”

"Then what's the point of specifying it?" Chen Yang rolled his eyes at Ye Hui. "Puyi's Little White House is right there. What original item could you possibly want?"

"That's true!"

Many people have doubts about this item.

These are photos taken at the preview.

Some people say this bottle looks fake, but if we compare it with a counterfeit, the difference will be obvious. This bottle is definitely authentic; the only question is whether it's from the correct period.

Having ascertained the origin of the lemon-yellow ground vase with nine peaches in a central design, Chen Yang felt relieved and began to examine Ye Hui's collection in the back room with great interest. He paced back and forth, hands behind his back, like a curious cat, carefully scrutinizing every corner. The items in the back room were far more interesting than those displayed outside.

Looking at Chen Yang's relaxed and carefree demeanor, Ye Hui couldn't help but tease him, "Hey Mr. Chen, aren't you afraid I'll team up with the Japanese to deal with you?"

"I'm not afraid!" Chen Yang picked up a crystal-clear jade pendant, examined it closely, and replied without looking up, "Everyone knows our relationship. Isn't it normal for you to oppose me? As for the Japanese devils..."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, a sly glint in his eyes, "Hehe, they'll have to have that ability!"

"Hmph," Ye Hui was amused by Chen Yang's nonchalant attitude. He pretended to be angry and snorted coldly, saying, "With your great abilities, Mr. Chen, I dare not go against you."

"Is that so?" Chen Yang turned around, smiling as he looked at Ye Hui, as if everything was under his control. At this moment, he held a Qianlong-era imitation Ding ware white-glazed vase with carved taotie patterns in his hand.

When Ye Hui saw the bottle, he was stunned. He slapped his forehead and thought with annoyance: How could I have forgotten about this!

"I heard from Young Master Ye last time that this item was sold?" Chen Yang asked Ye Hui with a smile.

"Um... cough cough!" Ye Hui was caught off guard by Chen Yang's sudden question. He coughed awkwardly twice and said vaguely, "Well, it's like this..."

"Young Master Ye," Chen Yang certainly wouldn't give Ye Hui a chance to explain. He interrupted Ye Hui directly and said with a grin, "I think there's something wrong with your item. I'll take it back and take a look for you. I'll return it to you in a few days. Don't worry, I'll definitely look through the materials and study it carefully for you to see if it's crackled porcelain or crazing!"

"Hey!" Ye Hui panicked when he saw Chen Yang trying to pull the same trick again. He glared at Chen Yang and said, "I'm telling you, a big boss, how can you do this kind of blatant robbery? Put it down right now! Didn't we agree that what happened last time is over?"

“That’s right, it’s all in the past!” Chen Yang said with a smile, but he held the bottle tightly in his hand, showing no intention of putting it down. “Didn’t you sell the last one? You must have acquired another one by chance.”

As he spoke, he pretended to carefully admire the bottle in his hand. "You know, Young Master Ye really cares about me. He went to great lengths to find me another one, afraid that people would say I, Chen Yang, am just trying to gain fame and mislead young people! Thank you, Young Master Ye!"

"You...you..." Ye Hui's hands trembled with anger at Chen Yang. "Chen Yang, you are shameless!"

Chen Yang looked at Ye Hui shaking the bottle in his hand and smiled smugly. "Young Master, you think you've gotten over what happened last time? You've offended me, and you still dare to leave this bottle openly. You clearly don't respect me!"

"Young Master Ye, I'll be going now!" Chen Yang chuckled, put the bottle behind his back, and turned to walk away. As long as I'm shameless, Ye Hui can't say anything. This is the price you pay for trying to mess with me first!

Besides, you already told me you're going to team up with the Japanese to deal with me, why should I tolerate that? I'll take whatever I can get my hands on if I get the chance!

"Go up ahead and let Lao Yan bandage you up," Ye Hui chuckled softly from behind, "Don't go out and trip and fall, or break it!"

Watching Chen Yang's retreating figure, Ye Hui's lips curled into a slight smile. "Just a Qianlong-era bottle? I, Ye Hui, can afford it! I just wonder if you, Chen Yang, can handle it later? Those Japanese aren't so easy to deal with. I can't help you, but I won't help the Japanese either. I only protect my own interests. Mr. Chen, you'd better watch yourself!"