Sunzi is not short of money, but Boss Liu still doesn't care about 50,000 yuan. He immediately warned Deputy Director Zhu in a righteous manner. He has already received 400,000 yuan, so why would he care about the TV station's compensation of 50,000 yuan?
"Can we discuss this further?"
Deputy Director Zhu, who is also in charge of business operations, understands all too well the impact that the "treasure-smashing" gimmick can have on the audience; it can definitely boost ratings significantly.
Zhuang Rui stared at Deputy Director Zhu and said, word by word, "We had an agreement beforehand, Director Zhu. If you let this program air on television without my permission, you will definitely regret it."
To be honest, Deputy Director Zhu really did have that thought. He completely disregarded Boss Liu's warning. "You want to sue me? Sure, we're in the media, all about creating hype. Why would we be afraid of being sued?" However, he would have to think twice about Zhuang Rui's words. Anyone who's made a name for themselves in Beijing's circles—who doesn't have connections?
After warning Deputy Director Zhu, Zhuang Rui extended his hand to Mr. Liu and said, "Mr. Liu, to be honest, I have seen similar items before. They are all from the same hand as yours. Although they are fakes, their firing techniques and artistic level are quite high. It is indeed a pity to break them. Please don't take offense."
"Teacher Zhuang, you're too kind. I've learned a lot today. If you have the chance to come to Jinan in the future, please let me know. I still have quite a few items at home that I'd like to ask you for advice on."
Zhuang Rui's words made Liu feel very comfortable, and most of his previous resentment disappeared. He also admired Zhuang Rui very much. Ambition is not limited by age. Although he was young, his vision was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Liu was completely convinced that he had been defeated by Zhuang Rui.
"Dear friends, that concludes today's expert appraisal session. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, the experts will continue their on-site appraisal service for another half day. We hope you won't miss this opportunity. Thank you for your participation."
While Zhuang Rui and Boss Liu were exchanging pleasantries, Liu Jia went on stage to announce the end of the day's event. However, the collectors below refused to disperse and rushed up to the stage to ask the experts for autographs. Zhuang Rui also enjoyed some celebrity treatment and felt quite good about it.
The dinner that evening wasn't arranged by the TV station, but rather hosted by the Jinan Collectors Association, who invited several experts, including Mr. Liu. At the dinner, the hosts displayed the boisterousness of Shandong men, managing to get Zhuang Rui, who had a good capacity for alcohol, drunk. He was so tipsy that he didn't even know how he got back to the hotel.
Whether it was thirst or the ringing of the phone that woke Zhuang Rui, the sky was already bright outside when he woke up. Still feeling a bit dizzy, Zhuang Rui reached for the phone from the bedside table and pressed the answer button.
"Xiao Zhuang, I called you all night yesterday, but no one answered. Is something wrong?"
The voice on the phone sounded slightly unfamiliar. Zhuang Rui shook his head to clear his mind and then recognized Gu Yun's voice.
"Brother Gu, don't even mention it. I got taken down by a bunch of guys from the Shandong Tibetan Association yesterday. What do you need me for?"
Zhuang Rui was currently cursing Jin Pangzi and his gang for being cunning and treacherous. While they were drinking, they held their glasses up quite readily, but only took a small sip, while he foolishly drank one glass after another. No wonder he got drunk.
"I've found the blueprints for your courtyard house. The overall layout doesn't need to be changed. As for the interior decoration, I've prepared several plans, but I'm waiting for your approval."
Gu Yun was a little annoyed. He and his teacher had spent two days searching through piles of documents before finally finding the document, only to find that the person in question was having a good time and had completely forgotten about it.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui immediately sat up in bed and said, "Brother Gu, it'll probably be very late when we get back today. Let's meet tomorrow morning. By the way, you can arrange for someone to demolish that courtyard house first. It doesn't conflict with that."
“I also want to start construction first, but that place is a cultural conservation area. If we want to demolish it, we have to apply for permission first, and you, the owner, have to come forward.”
Gu Yun had forgotten about this earlier. Yesterday, when he led a group to demolish the house, they were stopped by the staff of the nature reserve. They called Zhuang Rui, but Zhuang Rui was at the treasure appraisal site at the time and his phone was not on.
"Is that so? Brother Gu, you can take some people to dismantle it today. I'll give them a heads-up about the protected area."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and decided that the sooner construction started, the better. After hanging up with Gu Yun, he called Director Zheng.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's story, Director Zheng immediately agreed over the phone. He was a well-connected man in Beijing and had already found out Zhuang Rui's background: Ouyang Zhenwu's nephew, who was also the old man's grandson. Such a free favor was something that was usually impossible to give away.
Chapter 319 Folk Treasure Appraisal (8)
"Teacher Zhuang, are you up yet? I'm going out for breakfast."
Just as he put down his phone, there was a knock on the door. It was a TV station staff member calling to tell him it was time for breakfast. Zhuang Rui checked the time; it was already 7:30. He quickly rushed into the bathroom, washed up, put on his blue long robe, and then left the room.
"Hello, Teacher Zhuang..."
"Good morning, Teacher Zhuang..."
"Teacher Zhuang, could you please sign your name for me?"
After leaving the room, Zhuang Rui felt a little uncomfortable. It seemed that all the hotel staff knew him and greeted him so enthusiastically that Zhuang Rui couldn't take it anymore.
"Damn, the service at a five-star hotel is just amazing."
Zhuang Rui was puzzled. He took the elevator to the restaurant on the third floor, only to find that Professor Tian and the others were already having morning tea and chatting. It seemed that he was the last one to arrive.
"Sorry, I overslept today..."
Zhuang Rui greeted everyone and found a chair to sit down.
"Xiao Zhuang, it's alright. It's already a miracle that you can even get up today. You know, you took down four people from the Jinan Collectors Association all by yourself yesterday."
When Fatty Jin saw Zhuang Rui arrive, he burst into laughter.
"Yeah, we were just betting that you wouldn't have gotten up if you'd said so earlier."
Professor Tian joked with Zhuang Rui as well. Zhuang Rui's performance at yesterday's appraisal event, from a professional standpoint, was more than qualified to be on par with these experts, so no one was trying to assert their seniority. "Have some hot porridge to cleanse your stomach; we'll be busy this morning..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui still had a slight flush of alcohol on his face, Old Sun ladled out a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of him. "Gentlemen," he said, "yesterday's program has already aired on Beijing TV and Shandong TV. Once we return to Beijing, we'll make a DVD of the program and give it to you as a gift..."
At the experts' table, only Liu Jia was present. It was said that Deputy Director Zhu had also collapsed at the table yesterday for his revolutionary work, but he wasn't as physically fit as Zhuang Rui and hadn't gotten up yet.
"No wonder so many people greeted me this morning."
Hearing Liu Jia's words, Zhuang Rui finally understood. So all the waitresses had watched yesterday's program! No wonder, since the program was filmed at their hotel, they would naturally pay attention. Once he took off his glasses and left, probably no one would recognize him.
After a quick breakfast, the group rushed to the hotel's conference room. Although there were only three hours for the appraisal in the morning, the number of collectors had increased rather than decreased, filling the conference room and surrounding area to capacity. If it weren't for the partitioned rooms, Zhuang Rui and the others probably wouldn't have been able to squeeze in.
With time on their hands and the task heavy, the two hosts didn't waste any time. After announcing the start of the folk treasure appraisal event, the experts got busy again.
Today is different from yesterday. Yesterday, at the beginning, Zhuang Rui's desk was deserted, and no one came to him to appraise antiques. Today, however, it's the opposite. A long line has formed in front of Zhuang Rui's desk, and many people have come specifically for him.
"Teacher Zhuang, please take a look. If you say it's real, then it's real. If you say it's fake, I'll smash it right now."
The person holding the treasure standing in front of Zhuang Rui's table is holding a blue and white porcelain piece and insists that Zhuang Rui appraise it for him.
"To this collector, and to the friends below, I am a director of the Jade Association. I am here specifically to appraise jade artifacts. As for other items, the other experts are more experienced than me. Please first determine which category your antiques belong to, and then choose an expert to appraise them, okay?"
Zhuang Rui glanced behind the person in front of him and found that the items these collectors had brought for appraisal ranged from calligraphy and paintings to bronzes—there was something for everyone. There was even someone carrying a mahogany chair, which made Zhuang Rui both amused and exasperated. He could only stand up and explain that he only looked at jade.
After Zhuang Rui said that, although some people below were reluctant, those who were not jade collectors all lined up in other queues, which greatly reduced the pressure on Zhuang Rui's side.
Authenticating jade artifacts is a bit tricky because some jade pieces, although artificially aged, still possess excellent jade quality and contain a certain spiritual energy. If it weren't for the different colors of this spiritual energy found in genuine antique jade, Zhuang Rui would have had a real difficulty distinguishing them. The techniques for artificially aging jade are now so sophisticated that a slight misstep can lead to being deceived.
"Teacher Zhuang, this is an item I bought two years ago. I had someone examine it, and it should be an old jade from the Han Dynasty. Could you take a look at it again?"
The jade toad that Zhuang Rui is holding now is just like that. It is carved from the finest white jade. It feels moist in your hand, clearly indicating that it has been handled. It has three different colors of patina on it. According to its owner, this thing is an artifact from the Han Dynasty.
"It's good jade, top-quality Hetian white jade. Such a large piece could be worth tens of thousands. However, the patina is artificially aged. The color is too pure, and if you look closely with a magnifying glass, the color doesn't penetrate very deeply. Nevertheless, this piece still has collectible value. You can keep it and play with it. It might not be much worse than antique jade."
After observing it with his spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui discovered that although there was a considerable amount of spiritual energy inside, it was white and lacked the rich purple color characteristic of the period before the Tang and Song dynasties. In other words, this so-called Han dynasty jade toad was a later imitation.
Few people questioned Zhuang Rui's words today. After hearing Zhuang Rui's explanation, the owner of the jade toad even bowed to him gratefully. If this had happened yesterday, he might have been pointing fingers and cursing.
Because there were so many people, Zhuang Rui sped up the appraisal process, taking about two or three minutes to appraise each item. These items ranged from ornaments and pendants to ancient sacrificial ritual objects, covering almost all types of jade artifacts. Although there were more fakes than genuine pieces, it broadened his horizons considerably. Even the imitations were quite similar to the genuine items in terms of shape, differing only in their era.
"Huh?"
Zhuang Rui looked at the jade cong in his hand, which was only seven or eight centimeters in size, and felt a little surprised and uncertain. Just now, when he tested the spiritual energy, he found that the spiritual energy inside was actually golden yellow. Since Zhuang Rui learned that spiritual energy could be used to identify objects, this was the first time he had encountered this color.
This jade cong is square in shape, with a square outer shape and a round inner shape. The central hole is through. The four corners of the body are decorated with shallow relief carvings of deities and animal faces. In the straight grooves on the four sides, there is a composite image of a deity and animal face carved at the top and bottom. The main deity in the pattern has an inverted trapezoidal face with double circles for the eyes and small triangular corners of the eyes on both sides. Its image is strange and mysterious.
The carving of the entire jade cong features delicate yet powerful lines, while the lines separating different areas are bold and rounded. The shape is ancient and the patterns are mysterious and unpredictable, reflecting primitive religious consciousness and the divine right of totem worship. However, it is not well preserved, with some damage in various parts.
"Could it be a jade artifact from the Liangzhu culture?"
As Zhuang Rui handled the jade cong, he could feel an ancient and rustic aura emanating from it. This thought arose in his mind, and at the same time, information about Liangzhu jade culture came to mind.
The Liangzhu Culture dates back approximately 5300 to 4000 years. Primarily distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Liangzhu Culture was highly developed in jade craftsmanship. Besides decoration, jade was mainly used for witchcraft, sacrifices, and burial. The Liangzhu Culture had strict regulations regarding the use of jade, marking the beginning of my country's ritual jade system.
The jade cong is the most distinctive jade artifact among Liangzhu culture jade objects and the core of Liangzhu culture jade ritual objects. In that era, drilling and wire cutting techniques were already in use, which represented the pinnacle of jade processing technology at that time.
"It should be right..."
Although this was Zhuang Rui's first time encountering Liangzhu jade artifacts, the spiritual energy contained within them and the exquisite carving techniques proved that this was a representative work of Liangzhu jade culture.
"Teacher Sun, take a look at this jade cong. I think it's a piece of Liangzhu jade, and it could be considered one of the most valuable treasures in this folk appraisal..."
Zhuang Rui called out to Old Sun, who was appraising miscellaneous items, and handed him the jade cong. In order to increase ratings and attract viewers, the TV station specially asked experts to select the three most precious antiques. However, so far, apart from the genuine work by Shen Zhou from the Ming Dynasty that Teacher Jin appraised, none of the other items have been identified as major treasures.
"Hmm, this thing is interesting, Xiao Zhuang, are you sure?"
After examining the jade cong for a while, Old Sun asked Zhuang Rui, "One of the conditions for appraising a treasure is that all experts must agree on it." So Zhuang Rui first pulled Old Sun, who was playing with miscellaneous items, along. Apart from himself, Old Sun was the most qualified to speak on the appraisal of jade artifacts.
"Xiao Zhuang, tell me your thoughts..."
When Zhuang Rui selected an item to be appraised as a treasure, Fatty Jin and the others gathered around.
Zhuang Rui took the jade cong, pondered for a moment, and said, "This is how I see it. As all the teachers know, there are not many jade cong from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Judging from the unearthed artifacts, the cong from this period are generally small in size and mostly plain without any patterns, so we can basically rule them out."
After the Song Dynasty, some antique-style jade cong appeared, but the imitations from the Song to the Ming Dynasty were mostly decorated with the popular patterns of the time, which are obviously inconsistent with this piece.
From the late Ming to the Qing dynasty, most fake ancient jade pieces imitated the plain, short jade cong of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Although there were also imitations of Liangzhu culture jade cong, due to differences in processing tools and habits, most fakes appeared overly smooth and lacked the antique feel, and it was even more difficult to make them look realistically aged.
Based on the above points, I can conclude that this jade cong is indeed an outstanding work of the Liangzhu jade culture. According to current cultural relic classification, it seems worthy of being categorized as a national first-class cultural relic. As one of the three important treasures presented here, wouldn't that be fair?
As soon as Zhuang Rui finished speaking, applause erupted from the audience. Professor Tian and others nodded in agreement, ultimately confirming that this Liangzhu jade cong was one of the most important treasures in this private appraisal.
Chapter 320 Folk Treasure Appraisal (9)
Jinan is not far from Beijing and Tianjin, two major antique markets. There are quite a few fine pieces there; the Liangzhu jade piece that Zhuang Rui appraised is worth at least three million.
The painting by Shen Zhou from the Ming Dynasty that Jin Pangzi selected is also quite valuable. Last year, at an antique auction in Beijing, a painting by Shen Zhou sold for a high price of 6.8 million yuan.
There are also many other trinkets, such as snuff bottles, cricket gourds, purple clay teapots, and ingot coins. Those in good condition can be worth hundreds of thousands, while those in poor condition can be worth tens of thousands. However, the third treasure of today has not yet been selected because, according to Zhuang Rui and others' standards, such a treasure must at least be representative. Of course, price is also one of the criteria for determining its value.
As time progressed, it was already 10:30 AM, and this folk appraisal event was scheduled to end at 11:00 AM. Thanks to the strict oversight of the experts, virtually no items were misidentified. Those who wanted to take advantage of the situation didn't dare to come up on stage this morning. The items appraised today were all genuine collections from enthusiasts, and their quality was quite high, making the appraisal process easy for Zhuang Rui and others.
Zhuang Rui appraises jade artifacts very quickly. In addition, there aren't many ancient jade artifacts that have survived to this day, so the number of people behind him at his table is getting smaller and smaller. Presumably, Zhuang Rui will be the first of the other experts to finish his work.
"Teacher Zhuang, could you help me take a look at this item? There are too many people at Teacher Liu's place, I'm afraid I won't be able to get a turn."
Just after Zhuang Rui finished appraising the last jade artifact, a middle-aged man walked up to Zhuang Rui's table with a cardboard box.
Zhuang Rui glanced at the man. Judging from his appearance, he should be in his forties, but his hair was mostly gray, making him look older. His clothes were also very ordinary, so his family background was probably not very good.
The "Teacher Liu" he mentioned is the expert in appraising bronzes and antique furniture.
Zhuang Rui glanced over there, and sure enough, even in this well-air-conditioned place, Teacher Liu was sweating profusely and extremely busy, while even Fatty Jin seemed more relaxed than him.
You know, most established households have a few pieces of antique furniture. In recent years, the price of antique furniture has risen rapidly, and there are often news reports of certain huanghuali tables and chairs being auctioned for millions of yuan. So today, quite a few people brought a lot of large items. When they arrived, several large trucks were parked in front of the hotel. If you didn't know better, you would think they were moving house.
"What kind of item do you want appraised? I can only take a look first. Apart from jade and porcelain, I'm not very knowledgeable about other items..."
Zhuang Rui didn't dare to speak definitively this time, because it was easy for him to authenticate something, but if it was something he wasn't familiar with, it would be a problem if he couldn't find any flaws. Just like that Tang tri-colored camel, he was eventually forced to smash it before the truth was revealed.
"Professor Zhuang, I need a bronze artifact appraised. Could you please take a look?"
The middle-aged man placed the cardboard box he was carrying on the table. Only then did Zhuang Rui realize that it was actually a leather shoe box, and he didn't think much of the item. If it were something valuable, it would definitely have been given better packaging.
"Alright, let me take a look first. Sir, what is your surname? What is the origin of this object?"