Chapter 85

"Oh? This jade suit is actually made of Hetian jade, which is quite rare."

When Zhang Tianyuan examined the quality of the jade used in the suit, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, because most jade suits were made of ordinary jade, but this one was made of very high-quality Hetian jade, which was not simple at all.

According to Zhang Tianyuan's knowledge, a jade suit unearthed in China was also made of Hetian jade, and it is a national treasure in the Xuzhou Museum.

This "jade suit" was unearthed from the Chu King's tomb on Lion Mountain in Xuzhou between 1994 and 1995, and it took the Xuzhou Museum more than two years to restore it. It is currently the best in terms of jade quality, the most jade pieces, and the finest craftsmanship among the jade suits unearthed in China.

This jade suit has many national records: it is the earliest, dating back more than 2000 years, and it is believed that the tomb owner was the third Chu King, Liu Wu; it has the most jade pieces, with the suit being 174 cm long and 68 cm wide, using 1576 grams of gold wire to connect 4248 pieces of jade of varying sizes; it has the best jade quality, with the suit entirely made of white and green Hetian jade from Xinjiang, which is warm and lustrous; and it has the finest craftsmanship, with a clever design, meticulous workmanship, and seamless assembly, making it a rare artistic treasure.

Zhang Tianyuan could see that the treasure Yang Yijun had taken out was, at least in appearance, no less impressive than the national treasure in the Xuzhou Museum. Zhang Tianyuan had once visited the Xuzhou Museum to see that jade suit, and he still had a very vivid impression of it. That time was during the summer vacation, and a classmate had paid for their trip, otherwise, he would have had little hope of seeing such a fine piece.

Such technical skills, all done by hand, would be difficult to achieve even in modern times. The ancient people had such exquisite craftsmanship, which was truly a blessing for collectors.

"One million one hundred and ten thousand!"

The bidding voice broke Zhang Tianyuan's thoughts. The auction was still ongoing, but it was still lukewarm, with no one willing to bid too high at once, probably out of fear of it being fake. If this jade suit was genuine, it would definitely be a national treasure, and it could fetch millions of dollars abroad, but if it was fake, then apart from the jade and gold wire being worth something, it would have no artistic value.

The highest bidder so far was the Korean man, who seemed determined to get this jade suit.

"One million one hundred and twelve thousand!" The bidder was a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance. Zhang Tianyuan didn't know his name, but from his calm demeanor, it seemed he was being directed by someone behind the scenes, as he often took phone calls or checked messages.

The others had already withdrawn from the competition, at least for now, and the man with the pompadour, who had been very enthusiastic at first, now looked indifferent, as if it didn't matter to him who bought it.

"Brother, this auction is really not a place for ordinary people. These people casually bid ten thousand or twenty thousand, as if they were haggling at a vegetable market. My goodness, this is all money. If an ordinary person's monthly salary reaches ten thousand, they would be overjoyed. People comparing themselves to others can be really frustrating," Xu Gang muttered to Zhang Tianyuan, listening to the constant bidding.

To be honest, Xu Gang's wealth had never exceeded one million at its peak. Seeing these people spend so much money on a dead person's item naturally made him very upset.

"By the way, brother, do you think that thing is real? Don't let that Korean guy get it. Why don't you bid for it?" Xu Gang said to Zhang Tianyuan, "You're a rich guy now, don't think I don't know. You must have at least ten million in your bank account, right?"

"Alright, don't bother me, I'm examining it," Zhang Tianyuan shook his head and said, "I'll know if it's real after a careful look."

"Okay." Hearing that Zhang Tianyuan was examining it, Xu Gang immediately shut up. Although he was talkative, he knew when to be serious and wasn't annoying.

Zhang Tianyuan had just used a magnifying glass to examine the overall structure and material of the jade suit. Now, he was using his透视功能 (penetrating vision) to examine the inside of the jade suit in detail.

He then discovered that this jade suit was truly a masterpiece, possibly even better than the one in the Xuzhou Museum, as that one had been restored and showed traces of modern craftsmanship.

But this one was different. It was a complete piece, and even the body inside was still there.

When he first saw it, Zhang Tianyuan was startled. The body inside had already rotted, leaving only a complete skeleton. This item was unsuitable for private collection, as it would scare people to death, but if sold to the state, it would be extremely valuable. Recently, the state had relaxed its acquisition policies for such items, mainly to prevent people from冒险 (taking risks) to sell them abroad, which would be a loss. Therefore, as long as someone was willing to sell or donate to the state, the state would not mistreat the owner and would not investigate the item's origin.

There are always exceptions, and the state's policies are not set in stone.

Threats of legal action are not enough. Even Marx said that high profits would make many people willing to risk their lives.

If they are not afraid of death, what else are they afraid of?

"The current bid is one million one hundred and twelve thousand. If no one bids higher, this item will go to Mr. Dong. I need to remind you that this item could fetch millions of dollars at an international auction, but due to the domestic environment, it may not reach such a high price. However, if someone wants it, don't miss out, as it is a national treasure," Yang Yijun continued to praise the jade suit. For him, the higher the price, the more he would earn, so he didn't care who bought it or where it would end up.

The Korean man hesitated and said, "Your item is not a masterpiece, and more importantly, it would be very troublesome to bring it back to my country, so I won't bid too high. One million two hundred thousand! If someone bids higher, I will withdraw."

Zhang Tianyuan found it amusing. The Korean man was a smart person, knowing how to haggle.

No matter how good your item is, he would belittle it to get a lower price, but in his heart, he was very satisfied. This is a common tactic in auctions and even in ordinary antique markets.

For example, if you have a pair of vases that look like general vases but are not, he would insist they are and devalue your item to buy it cheaply.

He would even say that general vases were used to hold the ashes of generals, which is why they are called general vases.

What he said had some truth, but if you listened carefully, it was all nonsense.

First, your item is not a general vase, and even if it were, it wouldn't be as he described.

General vases are named for their shape, which resembles a general's hat, hence the name. They first appeared during the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing and Wanli periods and were basically standardized during the Qing Dynasty's Shunzhi period.

They were most popular during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi period. The vases have a straight mouth, full shoulders, and a constricted abdomen, with a flat sand bottom and a high, round lid topped with a pearl. Most general vases were used for display and not for holding ashes.

Of course, some people used them for that purpose, but to treat an exception as a common fact is a bit excessive.

Today, the Korean man's evaluation of the jade suit was no different, nitpicking. In Zhang Tianyuan's view, this jade suit was absolutely a national treasure, better than the best existing ones, at least in terms of completeness and material quality.

Zhang Tianyuan didn't believe that everyone here was an amateur; they just didn't want to reveal the value of the jade suit, hoping to get it at a low price. If you praised it too much, you would be the fool.

Hearing the Korean man's words, Mr. Dong made another phone call and soon received instructions, bidding "one million two hundred and fifty thousand."

This sudden increase of five hundred thousand was to tell the Korean man that he was determined to get it and didn't want to continue the bidding war.

The Korean man was also helpless. Although he was relatively wealthy, bidding higher for such an item would be unwise, so he could only reluctantly give up.

"Oh, one million two hundred and fifty thousand, this is the current highest bid. Is there anyone willing to bid higher? If not, it will be sold with the final hammer!" Yang Yijun was delighted. This item was a hot potato, as you couldn't auction it at a regular auction and had to worry about being caught by the state, which would be nerve-wracking. Even if it was worth millions or tens of millions of dollars, selling it was the only way to turn it into money. Holding onto it would just be a burden.

Of course, reporting was absolutely not allowed here. This was a rule, otherwise, the underground market wouldn't have existed for so long. If someone reported others for having prohibited items, they would be quickly investigated and banned from such auctions, and might even be blacklisted in the antique world. The worst-case scenario would be losing everything and even one's life.

Yang Yijun had the confidence to organize such an auction because he had powerful backing. If you reported, the person answering the phone might be one of them. Therefore, unless someone was a fool, no one would do that.

Even Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang, who were new to this, were given a code of conduct that clearly stated no reporting.

Even without this, everyone was smart. The underground market had existed for many years without a single report, or if there were any, they were likely covered up immediately.