Chapter 36

Lai Yingbo saw Director Tan come out and got out of his car, intending to exchange a few pleasantries. However, he didn't expect that Director Tan was heading for the young man in the car in front.

Seeing them chatting enthusiastically, Lai Yingbo didn't want to disturb them and could only stand by his car.

When Li Yi drove into the club, Lai Yingbo thought that Tan Mingcheng would at least come over to exchange a few pleasantries with him, so he didn't move. But to his surprise, Tan Mingcheng didn't even notice him, turned around, and followed Li Yi's car into the club.

Feeling a bit depressed, Lai Yingbo got into his car and instructed the driver to follow into the club. As soon as he parked, he saw Tan Mingcheng already ushering Li Yi into the exhibition area.

At this moment, the security guards were all in place, and the various display cases and cabinets were neatly arranged. Some of the collectors who had already arrived were carefully unpacking their antiques and placing them in the display cases.

Tan Mingcheng and Hu Wanshan escorted Li Yi and Lin Ruxue inside, and many collectors greeted them, while the security guards saluted them. Many people were curious about Li Yi's identity. Who was this guy that made Director Tan and Director Hu personally go out to welcome him?

Lin Ruxue, looking at the luxurious exhibition hall, felt uneasy. She always thought that Li Yi's items were fakes. Now, displaying them so prominently, would there be any trouble?

"Mr. Li, the exhibition stands were all arranged, and there were no extras. When I heard you were coming, I specially added a stand here, close to the central area and the main entrance. It's just a bit smaller. Is that okay?" Tan Mingcheng asked with a smile.

"Of course, I don't have many items," Li Yi nodded.

Tan Mingcheng continued, "Mr. Li, for this exhibition, we have a rule that all items must be genuine and must be appraised by experts. They must be clearly priced to ensure fairness, justice, and transparency. Could you please come with me to record and appraise your items?"

"Uh-oh, this is going to be a disaster!" Lin Ruxue thought to herself.

Li Yi, however, smiled and said, "No problem at all!"

The expert area was on the left side of the central area, with a specially designated platform. Due to the large scale of this exhibition, many professionals were invited, including the venerable Director Gu from the Ancient Palace Museum, Professors Li and Hua from the prestigious Shuimu University and Capital University, and Professors Liu and Hao from the National Cultural Relics Bureau...

These professors were all top figures in the field, and even Tan Mingcheng couldn't command their respect. So when he arrived, he greeted each expert with a smile.

"Mr. Li, you can open your antique packaging and let our experts appraise it on the spot!"

"Sure!" Li Yi didn't hesitate and opened a box.

Inside the box was a set of porcelain, a teapot with four teacups, all in a sky-blue color, with a lustrous and pure glaze, looking particularly beautiful.

Seeing that Li Yi had taken out porcelain, Tan Mingcheng smiled and said to Director Gu from the Ancient Palace Museum, "When it comes to porcelain, no one is better than Director Gu. Director Gu, do you have a moment to help us take a look?"

"Old Tan, you always like to trouble people. I just had a moment of peace!"

Gu Delong was over sixty, with white hair and a robust body. He laughed and waved his fist at Tan Mingcheng, then looked at Li Yi's porcelain, his eyes widening.

"Be careful! Be careful!" Gu Delong shouted.

Gu Delong's shout attracted the attention of many people, and Tan Mingcheng was puzzled. Director Gu, who was always stationed in the country's largest treasure house, had seen countless treasures. Why was he making such a fuss over a few pieces of porcelain?

"Director Gu, are you afraid I'll drop your treasures?" Li Yi smiled and placed the porcelain in front of Gu Delong.

Gu Delong immediately held his breath, carefully picked up the teapot, and examined it with a magnifying glass, his face serious.

After a long time, he put down the teapot and said nothing, closing his eyes to take deep breaths.

Lin Ruxue's heart tightened. She thought, "Director Gu is about to say it's a fake, right? Bringing art to the Ancient Palace Museum's director for appraisal is really asking for trouble!"

Tan Mingcheng was speechless, thinking, "What's wrong with you, Old Gu? Just tell us if the antique is real or fake. Why are you meditating?"

Is it necessary for someone of your status to put on such a show?

After a long time, Gu Delong opened his eyes again, but he didn't say anything, and carefully picked up a teacup.

This happened three times, and by the time Gu Delong had finished examining the entire tea set, half an hour had passed.

Seeing that Gu Delong had finally finished, Tan Mingcheng couldn't help but ask, "Director Gu, is this tea set an antique?"

Gu Delong didn't answer Tan Mingcheng but turned to Li Yi, "Young man, where did you get this tea set?"

"Oh, it's a family heirloom," Li Yi said casually.

Lin Ruxue secretly glanced at Li Yi, thinking, "Your family has never even drunk tea, where did you get a family heirloom tea set?"

Gu Delong pondered for a moment and sighed, "Young man, your family is truly remarkable. Do you know that this tea set is Ru porcelain?"

"What? You mean this tea set is Ru porcelain?" Tan Mingcheng jumped up in surprise.

Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about antiques, he had heard of the famous Ru porcelain.

"What? Ru porcelain?" The other experts, hearing about the Ru porcelain, also put down their work and gathered around.

"Is it really Ru porcelain?"

"If Old Gu says it's Ru porcelain, it must be!"

"My goodness, a complete set of Ru porcelain tea set!"

"To see this set of Ru porcelain tea set, I didn't come here in vain!"

Hearing the experts' excited discussions, Lin Ruxue was a bit confused and couldn't help but ask a very naive question, "What is Ru porcelain?"

Instantly, countless eyes shot at Lin Ruxue like arrows.

If you don't even know what Ru porcelain is, why are you at an antique exhibition?

Seeing Lin Ruxue being looked down upon by the experts, Tan Mingcheng, who had recovered from his surprise, kindly said, "Ms. Lin, have you heard the saying: 'Even with a fortune, it's not as valuable as a piece of Ru porcelain'?"

"Even with a fortune, it's not as valuable as a piece of Ru porcelain?" Lin Ruxue frowned.

"That's right. 'Even with a fortune, it's not as valuable as a piece of Ru porcelain' describes the value of Ru porcelain."

Another expert in his forties, seeing that Lin Ruxue really didn't understand, explained, "Among the famous porcelains, Ru porcelain is the best. Ru porcelain refers to the porcelain produced in the Ru kiln. The Song Dynasty was a very prosperous period in the history of Chinese ceramics, a time when ceramic art reached maturity. Many world-renowned kilns and porcelains appeared, praised by Western scholars as the 'great period of Chinese painting and ceramics.'"

"Among the famous kilns of the Song Dynasty, the 'Ru, Jun, Guan, Ge, and Ding' kilns are the most famous, known as the Five Great Kilns. Among these, the Ru kiln is the best, and Ru porcelain is called the 'crown of Song porcelain.'"

At this point, Gu Delong wiped his glasses and continued, "It is said that the Northern Song imperial family, finding the white porcelain from Dingzhou unsuitable, ordered the production of blue porcelain in Ruzhou, which became Ru porcelain. Ru porcelain was always a royal treasure, and no expense was spared in its production, using agate for the glaze."

"More precious is that the Ru kiln was only in operation during the late Northern Song Dynasty. After the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Northern Song, the Ru kiln also disappeared. It was only in operation for about twenty years, and very few pieces have survived. By the Southern Song Dynasty, Ru porcelain was already very rare."

"Today, it is generally believed that only 65 pieces of Ru porcelain exist, each a national treasure. Seventeen are stored in the Ancient Palace Museum, eight in the Mingzhu Museum, 21 in the Ancient Palace Museum in Taiwan, seven in the British David Foundation, and about 10 are in private collections."

"At a Sotheby's auction a few years ago, a piece of Ru porcelain appeared. It was a sky-blue glaze plum blossom washbasin, a small and exquisite tool used by ancient scholars to wash their brushes. It sold for 200 million yuan. Now, your Ru porcelain is a complete tea set, with a teapot and teacups, and is in excellent condition. Its value is truly immeasurable!"

——

The next update will be at midnight. I hope for your recommendations after midnight!

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