Is this set of black tea ware a priceless treasure?
He Hongjian's words shocked everyone present, filling the hall with disbelief.
Chu Xiang had some expectations for this tea set, but the evaluation of "priceless treasure" was even higher than she had anticipated.
"Yang Chen, is the value of this tea set really that high?"
Before Yang Chen could answer, Zhang Hongjie shouted loudly:
"Old He, Old Wei, you can't have misidentified it, can you?"
He Hongjian glared furiously and reprimanded sharply:
"How dare you question our eyesight!"
"No... it's not!"
He Hongjian was not an ordinary appraisal expert; he was also a renowned senior figure in the business world of Yangcheng. Even her grandfather treated him with respect. Zhang Hongjie knew he had spoken out of turn and quickly said:
"I... I was just... it was..."
"Hmph!"
He Hongjian snorted coldly and said indifferently:
"Since you, a junior, dare to question my appraisal skills, I will show you!"
"Someone, bring me the developer!"
The crowd was puzzled and began to speculate.
"What does Old He want the developer for?"
"Yeah, what is this developer?"
"I know something about that. I heard that archaeological teams often use developers to clean newly unearthed artifacts."
"Oh, that makes it even stranger. This tea set doesn't look like it's been dug up, so what does Old He want the developer for?"
"..."
Auction houses provide tools and reagents for appraising antiques. A staff member soon brought the developer. Just as Old He was about to act, Wei Tianheng smiled and said, "Old He, since this item was purchased by young Mr. Yang, it should be up to him to display it for everyone."
"Yes, you're right."
He Hongjian beckoned to Yang Chen and called out:
"Young Mr. Yang, it's your item, you do it. Let everyone see what a true treasure is!"
Yang Chen looked at Chu Xiang beside him, seeking her opinion.
"Go ahead, I also want to see what kind of treasure you bought for me."
Only then did Yang Chen stride onto the stage and say with a smile to He Hongjian and Wei Tianheng, "Two senior experts, please excuse my amateurism."
Yang Chen picked up the developer and sprayed it on the tea tray. After a moment, he took a piece of small sheepskin and wiped the surface of the tea tray. The black, unassuming pottery naturally peeled off, revealing a radiant gold.
"This... could this be the legendary Wuyin Fa (Mist Concealment Technique)!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed, and those who didn't understand looked around in confusion.
"Wuyin Fa? What is Wuyin Fa?"
"Wuyin Fa, as the name suggests, is a method of concealing antiques."
Those knowledgeable explained:
"In the past, the world was not peaceful. Landlords who hid treasures feared being targeted by thieves, worried about being stolen or robbed at any moment. What could they do?"
"What could they do?"
"So, someone came up with the idea of covering pearls with straw, which is this Wuyin Fa. For items made of gold, silver, or bronze, a special coating would be applied to the surface to obscure their true nature. For some porcelain, a low-temperature clay layer would be fired onto the surface, which would not damage the original item while concealing it. If I'm guessing correctly, the pottery on the outside of this tea tray will peel off upon contact with the developer, revealing an extraordinary piece of porcelain inside!"
As soon as this person finished speaking, Yang Chen, surprised, had completely removed the pottery from the tea tray. A golden, shimmering, gold-inlaid obsidian gold dragon round plate was displayed before everyone's eyes.
The person who had just explained Wuyin Fa below screamed:
"Judging by the style, it's from the Kangxi period. The tea tray is carved with a large python. Could this be a gift bestowed by Emperor Kangxi to princes and ministers?"
Yang Chen looked at the person and nodded, then shook his head, smiling and saying, "It is indeed a bestowed item, but this is not a python, it's a dragon." Pointing to the dragon claw carved on the tea tray, he smiled and said, "Three claws are for pythons, and five claws are for dragons. Therefore, this is a dragon!"
The person was even more shocked and said:
"The Qing dynasty had strict hierarchy. Dragon motifs could only be used by the emperor. Could this gold-inlaid obsidian gold dragon round tea tray be Emperor Kangxi's personal imperial item!"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
"No wonder Old He called it a priceless treasure. Imperial items used by the emperor are naturally exquisite!"
"This person named Yang... what was his name?"
"Yang Chen."
"Right... right, this Yang Chen is quite capable for his young age. Earlier, he discovered that the dragon playing with a pearl red glaze double-eared porcelain was a fake, and now he has found such a great bargain!"
"More than just a little capability, he can even see through something hidden by Wuyin Fa. That's great skill!"
"..."
Hearing everyone's praise for Yang Chen, Zhang Hongjie, unconvinced, shouted loudly:
"It's just an imperial item from the Kangxi period. It's not that famous. At most, it's only worth a few million."
"Ignorant child!"
Wei Tianheng sneered and said:
"Your grandfather is quite renowned in the collecting world, yet you, his grandson, haven't learned even a tenth of his skill!"
"There are very few imperial items from the Kangxi period that have survived, and a complete set of tea ware is even rarer. It can be called a national treasure. You actually say it's only worth a few million. You are truly unlearned!"
Zhang Hongjie flushed with shame from the scolding. Wei Tianheng was an old acquaintance of his grandfather, so he dared not retort.
Chu Xiang's eyes lit up upon hearing the words "national treasure." Yang Chen had helped her find such a great bargain for only one hundred thousand yuan. She had truly struck gold this time!
"Grandpa will surely like this tea set when he sees it!"
Although there were still items to be auctioned, Chu Xiang was not greedy for more. She immediately paid the remaining balance to the auction house and left the venue with the gold-inlaid obsidian gold dragon tea set and Yang Chen.
...
As soon as they walked out of the auction house, Chu Xiang said to Yang Chen, "Give me your bank account."
Yang Chen's heart leaped with joy. Before coming, Chu Xiang had promised to give him 3% of the antique's value as a reward. However, he then felt dejected.
"Although this gold-inlaid obsidian gold dragon tea set is valuable, I only spent one hundred thousand to buy it. 3% is only three thousand yuan."
"Forget it, three thousand is still enough for my mother's hospital bills for a few days."
*Ding!*
His phone rang. He took it out and saw a bank account notification. Upon opening it, he saw a "3" at the beginning, but it was not followed by three "0"s, but by five "0"s.
Thirty thousand!
Yang Chen thought he had misread it and rubbed his eyes hard. There were still five zeros.
Seeing his unworldly appearance, Chu Xiang said with amusement:
"Don't rub your eyes, it's thirty thousand."
"This... did you transfer the wrong amount? My reward should be three thousand."
"Although this was a bargain at one hundred thousand, its intrinsic value is far more than that. Thirty thousand as a reward is even on the low side."
"But..."
"No buts."
Chu Xiang said without question, "I never take back the money I give. Please accept it with peace of mind, and I also have something to ask for your help with."
"Miss Chu, just give your orders. If you need me to find any more treasures at the auction house, I will definitely help you find them!"
"Not at the auction house. I need you to set aside two days to attend my grandfather's seventieth birthday banquet."
Chu Xiang smiled and said, "My grandfather is old and his health has not been very good lately. He usually enjoys collecting things. I was eager for you to help me find treasures this time hoping to give him this set of gold-inlaid obsidian gold dragon tea ware as a gift. I know nothing about antiques, so I hope you can introduce this tea set to my grandfather and make him happy."
Having accepted the thirty thousand reward, Yang Chen naturally did not refuse Chu Xiang's small request.
"Okay, I will definitely be there."
...
Inside the auction hall, the event continued, but Zhang Hongjie was completely distracted. He had no interest in the items being auctioned above, thinking about how he had been swindled out of eight million yuan while Yang Chen had stolen the spotlight. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
"Hongjie."
Meng Wanting proactively sat beside him. Just as she was about to comfort him, Zhang Hongjie waved his hand and said, "Meng Wanting, don't bother me. I'm in a bad mood right now!"
"Because of that Yang Chen?"
Meng Wanting smiled and said:
"I have a way to deal with him."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Meng Wanting whispered something in his ear, and Zhang Hongjie's face immediately lit up with joy. He nodded and said, "Good... good, your plan is excellent. I'll see how long Yang Chen can be smug. I must humiliate him!"