Zhuang Rui was speechless. He should have known better than to choose Ouyang Jun's club. It made the other party think he was some kind of princeling. Zhuang Rui had only received one gift in his life, back in school, when a female classmate asked him to pass it on to someone else.
"Yes...yes, Mr. Zhuang's discerning eye is well-known in the industry..."
Li Dali nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let me take another look at this tricolor horse..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head helplessly and took out a Tang tri-colored horse from another leather suitcase. This object was quite large, about 40 centimeters high and about 70 centimeters long, making it a large piece of Tang tri-colored pottery.
Just by talking, Zhuang Rui really couldn't find any flaws in those female figurines. He couldn't very well tell this Mr. Li that these ceramics had no spirit, could he?
Zhuang Rui immediately wanted to examine the tricolor horse to see if there were any fake parts that he could point out.
This tricolor horse is rather plump, with a large rump and a wide neck. It is depicted in a running posture, which, compared to the Tang dynasty horses which are mostly still, strongly reflects the characteristics of horses from the Western Regions.
Different cultural backgrounds can be revealed through subtle features, demonstrating the exquisite craftsmanship of artisans.
However, although there are no flaws in the shape, color, and artistic style of this Tang tri-color pottery piece, in Zhuang Rui's eyes it is still a fake, a modern imitation.
Zhuang Rui frowned slightly. He had said earlier that it was fake, and if he couldn't produce evidence, it would definitely make Teacher Tian look bad if word got out. However, apart from conducting carbon-14 testing, Zhuang Rui really didn't have any other good options.
"Could it be?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered something: the tricolor horse he had seen in the Tibetan black market and the tricolor camel he had broken during a folk appraisal in Jinan. Both were flawless and difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
However, both of them have one thing in common: a small character "许" is printed on their inner walls. For some reason, Zhuang Rui felt that these items and the other two might have been made by the same person.
After having this idea in mind, Zhuang Rui moved off the sofa and squatted down next to the tricolor horse, carefully examining it with his spiritual energy. To outsiders, it would look like Zhuang Rui was appraising an object.
"Damn, it really is! Who is this guy? He's fucking amazing..."
Zhuang Rui's intuition was correct. Sure enough, there was a character "Xu" on the front hoof of the tricolor horse, attached to the hollow inner wall of the hoof, almost identical to the tricolor horse in the grassland black market.
Having found the character "许", Zhuang Rui felt relieved and picked up the female figurines again to examine them.
Sure enough, the character "Xu" also appears in the female figurine, but this time it's not on her feet, but behind her plump buttocks. It seems that the master craftsman who made these objects had a rather perverse sense of humor.
"Mr. Li, you've been in this industry for quite a while and have seen a lot. Do you know anyone surnamed Xu?"
After discovering the origins of these tricolor porcelain pieces, Zhuang Rui's interest in the character "Xu" grew significantly.
It should be noted that even if these Tang tri-color pottery pieces are fake, they are still modern handicrafts with extremely high artistic value. The production process is very sophisticated and intricate. If Zhuang Rui were to price them, each piece would cost no less than 100,000 RMB.
It's clear that all of these items were made by the same person. Zhuang Rui was curious about who this person was and why they could produce so many counterfeit Tang tri-color pottery pieces.
"Is your surname Xu or Xu? Why do you ask, Mr. Zhuang? I know a lot of people with the surname Xu (or Xu)..."
Li Dali was a little confused. Why was he asking this out of the blue?
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Uh, the person I'm talking about is a master porcelain maker. His surname should be Yan Wuxu. Is there such a person in the industry?"
"You...you mean, this thing was made by that person?"
Li Dali finally understood what Zhuang Rui meant. It turned out that the other party wasn't trying to extort him, but genuinely thought the item was fake.
"Yes, Mr. Li, this is the third time I've seen this kind of Tang tri-color pottery. Last year, when I participated in a folk treasure appraisal in Jinan, there was a tri-color camel. It was flawless in terms of appearance and firing technique, but inside the camel, there was a simplified Chinese character '许' (Xu).
Therefore, I suspect that these things, and that Tang tri-colored camel, were created by the same person…
Although the incident of Zhuang Rui smashing the Tang tri-colored camel was rumored in the industry, it was not broadcast on television, so many people did not know about it, including the President Li in front of us.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Li Dali thought about it seriously for a while, and then said thoughtfully, "I do know someone like that. I heard that his skill in imitating ceramics from various dynasties is extremely high, but his fees are also outrageously high. He's from Hebei, but his surname isn't Xu, it's Xu..."
"Oh, Mr. Li, could you tell me about his situation..."
"I've never met that person, but a friend knows him. He says he's in his forties, owns a ceramics factory, and is a local celebrity..."
Li Dali had only heard rumors and didn't know the person himself. After talking for a long time, Zhuang Rui still couldn't be sure if it was him.
Chapter 771 Truth or Falsehood (5)
When Li Dali said these words, a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face, which made Zhuang Rui look at him strangely.
"Mr. Li, what's wrong? It's not that you know this Mr. Xu, is it?"
In Zhuang Rui's mind, although this Xu man owned a ceramics factory, he might not be able to produce Tang tri-color pottery with such high craftsmanship.
It should be noted that although these items are modern replicas, in terms of craftsmanship and artistic value, they are not much inferior to, and may even be superior to, those of the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. A small business owner should not have such artistic attainments.
"President Zhuang, this... I don't know this Mr. Xu, but, but..."
Li Dali stammered, as if he had something difficult to say.
"Hmm? Mr. Li, please speak frankly..."
Zhuang Rui frowned. The previous behavior of this man surnamed Li did not seem like he was trying to set a trap for him, so why was he acting so uncooperative now?
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, General Manager Li seemed to grit his teeth and said fiercely, "Fine, I'll break the rules this time. But if that person is really trying to fool me with fake stuff, I, Old Li, am not made of clay..."
Li Dali paused for a moment, then said, "President Zhuang, these things were brought over by my friend, and this friend happens to know the owner of that ceramics factory surnamed Xu. I heard about this Mr. Xu from him before. Now that you mention it, this matter does seem a bit suspicious..."
According to the rules of the black market, Li Dali cannot reveal his supplier. If he breaks the rules, no one will dare to supply him with antiques in the future. If Zhuang Rui hadn't put a lot of pressure on him, Li Dali would not have revealed this.
"Hehe, Mr. Li, I'm 80% confident that these things are fake. However, your friend might not be able to tell the difference. How about this, could we ask your friend to help this Mr. Xu out?"
As Li Dali said, the suspicion level of the ceramic factory owner immediately rose sharply. In the past, the items he had seen were all single pieces, and it was impossible to find their origin. But this time, dozens of items appeared at once, which made things relatively simpler.
To be honest, ever since Zhuang Rui saw this man's work at the black market on the grasslands, he had become very curious about it. Seeing another piece at a folk appraisal event only fueled his curiosity. Now that he had a clue, Zhuang Rui wanted to see who this man really was. "Mr. Zhuang, as the saying goes, you have to catch a thief red-handed. If this thing is fake, we should at least give you an explanation, otherwise it will break the rules..."
Li Dali had a lot to consider. He had known that friend for seven or eight years, and the friend had provided him with many ceramic items for auction. If they fell out over this matter, it would be difficult to meet again in the future.
"Catch the thief and recover the stolen goods?"
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. This guy was really funny. What he had done was already somewhat shady, and he still wanted evidence. He immediately said, "Alright, Mr. Li, I'll let you see the stolen goods..."
Zhuang Rui took out his handbag, pulled out his checkbook, wrote out a check for 500,000, and placed it in front of Li Dali.
"President Zhuang, what...what do you mean by this?"
Mr. Li was somewhat puzzled.
"Hehe, Mr. Li, your previous quote for these items was 500,000 each. I need to break one. If the character 'Xu' isn't found inside, I'll compensate you for that... If it is, I hope you can arrange for me to meet this friend surnamed Xu..."
Zhuang Rui didn't really have the ability to point out the fake parts of these Tang tri-colored pottery pieces, so after thinking it over, this was the only way he could use.
"this……"
Mr. Li hesitated for a moment. Zhuang Rui spoke with such confidence that he became a little suspicious. If it was really false, would Zhuang Rui suspect that he was setting a trap for him?
"That's settled then, Mr. Li. I know this has nothing to do with you..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand, stood up, and took the Tang tri-colored pottery in his hand. The reason he chose this Tang tri-colored horse was because the set of eight female figurines was too exquisitely made, and Zhuang Rui couldn't bear to break them.
Seeing that Zhuang Rui was really about to smash the porcelain, Huangfu Yun was also a little excited. He was somewhat of a person in the antique circle, and he had never seen such a way of authenticating the porcelain. He immediately helped Zhuang Rui lift up a piece of the carpet on the ground to reveal the marble floor underneath.
With a "smack," Zhuang Rui didn't hesitate at all, and directly made the tricolor horse in his hand drop from a high altitude, and the entire tricolor horse immediately became fragmented.
"Here you are, Mr. Li, please take a look..."
Zhuang Rui went straight for the clues, not afraid of arousing suspicion from the people present. As he had already said, this kind of situation had happened before.
"This...this is true, Mr. Zhuang. Please wait a moment, I'll make a call right away..."
Upon seeing the blue simplified Chinese character "许" on the porcelain, Li Dali immediately realized it was genuine. He stood up, took out his phone, and went out of the room to make a call.
"Hey, Mr. Zhuang, you're amazing."
Huangfu Yun couldn't help but give Zhuang Rui a thumbs up. This was the most unique method of physical object authentication he had ever seen in his life.
Zhuang Rui laughed and said, "Brother Huangfu, nothing in this world is perfect. Even genuine Tang tri-color pottery has flaws. I have a strong gambling instinct, but luckily, I won the bet."
"Damn, to put it bluntly, you're just rich. With money comes confidence. Nobody else would dare to smash it like that. Just hearing the bang is worth half a million..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's smug look, Huangfu Yun couldn't help but say something to put him down.
As the two were chatting and laughing, General Manager Li pushed open the door and walked in, saying, "General Manager Zhuang, to be frank, it was my friend's fault. He just admitted that these items are counterfeit, and they were indeed made by that man surnamed Xu. However, regarding the conditions you proposed, my friend needs to consult with the other party first..."
Li Dali was a little embarrassed. Actually, he had been tricked in this matter. Even he didn't know that the goods were fake before. He had to pressure the other party with his words before the other party admitted it.
"Okay, but I'll be quite busy in the next few days, only available on Sundays. If the other party agrees to meet, it would be best to arrange it for the weekend..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. He was going to Peking University to report for duty the next day. Although graduate studies offered more freedom, Zhuang Rui wanted to relive his university life and attend some open courses.
"By the way, I'd like to buy this set of eight figurines. They're 100,000 yuan each, so eight hundred thousand for all eight. What do you think, Mr. Li?"
In terms of the firing process of this set of sancai figurines, it would take at least half a month to make one piece. Although it is not a real Tang Dynasty sancai, its craftsmanship and materials are top-notch. Zhuang Rui's price of 100,000 yuan is quite reasonable.
"100,000 yuan per piece? Oh, Mr. Zhuang, this... I can't possibly accept this. How about this, if you really like these items, consider them a gift from me as an apology..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Li Dali's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. He was now completely convinced by Zhuang Rui, because he had just learned from the phone call that these items were worth 100,000 each and were obtained from that person surnamed Xu.
The man wanted to profit from the price difference, so he approached Li Dali and offered 500,000 yuan per piece. Of course, he offered Li Dali 300,000 yuan per piece, with the remaining 200,000 yuan as commission for the black market.
After Li Dali saw through his scheme, the guy was quite straightforward and said directly, "If you want to continue selling, just give me 100,000 yuan a piece, and I'll get my cost back."
What Li Dali didn't expect was that Zhuang Rui could not only tell that the item was fake, but also accurately estimate the other party's purchase price.
Previously, Li Dali respected Zhuang Rui because of his background, but now, he feels awe for Zhuang Rui's knowledge itself.
"Alright, Mr. Li, I don't want it for free. How about this, I'll take out this 500,000. I wasn't planning on putting it back anyway, so 500,000 will do..."
Zhuang Rui stood up, stuffed the check into Li Dali's hand, and said, "Mr. Li, please don't refuse anymore. Please help me out and let me meet this contemporary master craftsman..."
"Alright, Mr. Zhuang is a straightforward man, so I, Old Li, will take it on. I'll definitely get this done for you, just listen carefully..."
Li Dali knew that Zhuang Rui wasn't short of money, so he put away the check, closed the suitcase himself, and handed it to Zhuang Rui.
"Alright, let's go get some food together..."
All guests are guests, and Zhuang Rui had a good impression of Li Dali. Besides, since the man had come all the way from Hebei, it was only right for him to show him hospitality.
Mr. Li was naturally eager to get closer to Zhuang Rui, and the group walked out of Building No. 1 chatting and laughing.
"Ah...ah..."
Little Golden Feather had been playing outside for a long time without finding Zhuang Rui. Now that it saw Zhuang Rui coming out of the house, it chirped excitedly and grabbed Zhuang Rui's shoulder.
"Hey kid, take it easy, you're grabbing my flesh..."
Zhuang Rui winced in pain, his brows furrowing. The little golden eagle's claws were getting longer and sharper, and even with toe covers, the effect wasn't very good.
Seeing this, Li Dali, who was walking behind, was stunned for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, he quickened his pace and caught up with Zhuang Rui, saying, "Mr. Zhuang, there is equipment for falconry. Why don't you get a set?"
Zhuang Rui replied somewhat dejectedly, "Hey, I'd like to look for them, but those old things are long gone..."