msmithbooks Chapter 31: Is the Yuan blue and white porcelain worth 1 million yuan real or fake?
Chapter 31: Is the Yuan blue and white porcelain worth 1 million yuan real or fake?
The people around also immediately erupted in an uproar.
"My God! Meteorite! It really is meteorite! I've seen it in a museum, it has the same pattern!"
"This is insane! Absolutely insane! Five thousand dollars turned into ten million! This is true genius luck!"
"Who is this young man? His eye for bargains is off the charts! Two steals, each one more ruthless than the last!"
At this moment, two middle-aged men wearing glasses squeezed out from the crowd. They were collectors of meteorites in the collecting circle. Hearing that someone had found a bargain on extraterrestrial meteorite iron, they were eager to sell everything they owned to buy it from Shen Yu.
"Young man! Are you selling this piece of meteorite iron? I'll offer twelve million! I'll transfer the money right now!"
"I'll offer fifteen million! Young man, sell it to me! I'll sign the contract and pay on the spot!"
The two men were bidding fiercely, and the price instantly soared to eighteen million; their eyes were practically red with greed.
Such a complete meteorite core is an absolute treasure in the collector's market, priceless and unavailable. Once you miss it, you'll never find it again!
Fang Dashan stared at the two bidding frantically, then his vision went black and he fainted.
He hates it!
Why are you so foul-mouthed? Why don't you buy it first?
I feel like he'll never get over this hurdle in his life; he's the kind of person who won't even die in peace!
Shen Yu glanced at the collectors bidding frantically and said calmly, "Not for sale."
Everyone was stunned by these words. Not even 18 million?!
Shen Yu didn't care about the money at all. This meteorite iron was the main ingredient for alchemy, and he wouldn't sell it for any price.
If he wanted money, he could just stroll around the market and pick up a few bargains; he wouldn't need to sell meteorite iron at all.
Under the reluctant gazes of the two middle-aged men, Shen Yu calmly put away the meteorite iron, took Jiang Xinlan's hand, and squeezed out of the crowd.
Jiang Xinlan stood beside him, her heart still pounding, her voice trembling:
"Shen Yu... ten million... they offered eighteen million and you still won't sell?"
"This is essential for alchemy, and I won't sell it for any price." Shen Yu chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Want money? It's very simple."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the porcelain stall next to him, and his spiritual sense instantly locked onto an inconspicuous blue and white porcelain jar in the corner of the stall.
That's a cup from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, a genuine piece, with a market value of at least three million. The stall owner thought it was a high-quality replica and priced it at three thousand yuan.
"Look, here it is!" Shen Yu smiled and pointed to the blue and white porcelain cup, then led Jiang Xinlan over.
Ten minutes later, Shen Yu bought the blue and white porcelain cup for three thousand yuan, and then sold it for three million yuan at an antique shop in the market, with the money going directly into his account.
Jiang Xinlan was completely stunned when she saw the notification message on her mobile banking app that the money had been deposited into her account.
In less than an hour, Shen Yu not only found two main ingredients for alchemy, but also casually earned three million.
Her man is truly amazing!
Just as the two were about to continue browsing the market and looking for the remaining two main ingredients, a loud argument suddenly broke out not far away.
"Old Chen! This Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain jar depicting Guiguzi descending the mountain is absolutely genuine! Don't listen to these experts' nonsense!"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Shen Yu's eyes.
Mr. Chen? Chen Limin, the president of the Jiangcheng Collectors Association?
This is a leading figure in Jiangcheng's art collecting world, holding an invitation to Jiangcheng's top art auction, which is exactly what they need next!
Thinking of this, Shen Yu led Jiang Xinlan toward the crowd.
In the center of the crowd, Chen Limin, with gray hair and wearing a Tang suit, was holding a magnifying glass and staring intently at the large blue-and-white porcelain jar that was half a person tall in front of him.
This Yuan blue-and-white porcelain jar depicting Guiguzi descending the mountain was the one he bought a few days ago for 100 million yuan from an antique dealer named Wang Kun.
Today he brought an expert from Beijing to examine the product, but after the expert looked at it for a long time, he hesitated and said something was wrong. Only then did he realize that he might have been fooled.
Wang Kun stood to the side, his face flushed and his neck bulging as he shouted:
"Mr. Chen! We've known each other for so many years, how could I possibly try to cheat you with counterfeit goods? What about my reputation?"
This is absolutely genuine! It came back from overseas, and I even have complete auction records! Haven't you seen all of these?
You can't dismiss my work just because a few experts spout nonsense!
"Exactly! Our boss has been in the collecting world for decades, how could he possibly sell fakes?"
"I think these experts aren't skilled enough to recognize the genuine article!"
Wang Kun's men echoed the sentiment, and the onlookers around were buzzing with discussion. If a counterfeit worth 100 million yuan were real, Chen Limin's reputation would be completely ruined!
The Palace Museum expert standing next to Chen Limin frowned and said:
"Mr. Chen, something's off about this jar, but it's such a convincing fake. We can only spot the suspicious points, but we can't produce any solid evidence!"
Without concrete evidence, it's impossible to draw a conclusion about something worth 100 million.
Chen Limin's heart sank to the bottom. All the savings he had accumulated over a lifetime were now in this jar. If it really was a fake, he would not only lose everything, but also completely ruin the reputation he had built up in the world of collecting!
Just then, a calm voice came from outside the crowd:
"No need to look anymore, this jar is fake, a modern high-quality replica, costing at most eight thousand yuan."
The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.
Everyone turned around at once to look at Shen Yu and Jiang Xinlan who had squeezed in.
Wang Kun was furious when he saw that Shen Yu was young and dressed plainly:
"Where did this brat come from? How dare he spout such nonsense here? Elder Chen and experts from Beijing are all here. Who gave you the right to speak? Do you even know what Yuan blue and white porcelain is?"
People around them started talking about it.
"Who is this young man? So young, yet he dares to say that a Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain worth 100 million is fake?"
"Exactly! Isn't that too arrogant? Even experts in Beijing don't dare to make a definitive conclusion, and this kid dares to just spout off like that?"
"I think he's just trying to ride the wave of popularity; he's desperate for attention!"
Chen Limin frowned and looked at Shen Yu. Although he felt the young man was too arrogant, he still held a glimmer of hope and said:
"Young man, you say this jar is fake, do you have any proof?"
"Of course."
Shen Yu nodded calmly, led Jiang Xinlan to the jar, and without even taking a magnifying glass, scanned the jar with his divine sense and calmly commented,
"This jar is indeed a high-quality replica. The texture of the Ma Cang clay is perfectly replicated, as are the color of the Su Ma Li Qing and the diffusion of the iron rust spots. Not to mention ordinary collectors, even seasoned experts who have been collecting for twenty or thirty years would be fooled if they were not careful."
The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.
Even Chen Limin was stunned for a moment. He had been collecting porcelain all his life, and only after being reminded by experts from Beijing did he realize that something seemed off about this jar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
This young man was able to tell at a glance that it was a high-quality fake, and he could even point out the good parts of the fake. Obviously, he wasn't just talking nonsense.
Wang Kun's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the man in front of him to be so perceptive, actually noticing that he had seen through this.
But in order not to be exposed, he still stubbornly and righteously rebuked Shen Yu:
"Stop pretending! If you say it's a good imitation, then what makes you say it's fake? If you can't produce solid evidence today, I'll sue you for defamation!"
"The evidence is simple, just one point." Shen Yu pointed to the bottom of the jar.
"The Ma Cang clay used in Yuan blue and white porcelain, after being fired at high temperature, naturally seeps out of the clay body to create the reddish-brown color on the sandy base."
Therefore, in genuine Yuan blue and white porcelain, the color in the pores of the sandy base will always be the darkest in the center, gradually fading towards the edges. This is a trace of iron elements in the clay naturally precipitating out under high temperatures, something that modern techniques cannot replicate.
"The iron-red color on the bottom of your jar looks real, but it's actually just painted on with pigment. Look, the color inside the pores is completely reversed, darker at the edges and lighter in the middle. The pigment has all accumulated at the pore openings and hasn't seeped into the body of the jar at all."
This alone is enough to prove that this is a modern high-quality counterfeit. It's not worth a hundred million, not even eight thousand.
The room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were fixed on the bottom of the jar.
Chen Limin also perked up and immediately picked up a magnifying glass to examine the bottom of the jar closely.
The more he examined her, the paler her face became, and her hands began to tremble. It was a full half minute before she suddenly raised her head and cried out in a trembling voice:
"It matches! It all matches! The iron oxide in the pores is all reversed! This jar is definitely a high-quality fake!"
These words caused an uproar in the entire room!
"My God! It's actually fake! This young man is amazing!"
"He saw right through it! No magnifying glass needed! What kind of divine eyesight is that?"
Wang Kun's face turned pale instantly, and his legs began to tremble.
He never expected that the high-quality counterfeit he had spent a lot of money on, which even experts in Beijing couldn't prove, would be seen through at a glance by a young man in his twenties!
He also tried to argue his case.
"Impossible... I bought the real thing..."
Chen Limin, however, wouldn't listen at all and shouted sternly at the bodyguard beside him:
"Grab this swindler! Call the police! Let the police handle this!"
One billion!
He was almost scammed out of 100 million!
If this young man hadn't pointed it out on the spot, he would not only have lost everything, but his reputation would have been completely ruined!
He would never let Wang Kun get away with harming him like this!
The bodyguards immediately rushed over and pinned Wang Kun, whose legs had gone limp, to the ground.
After dealing with Wang Kun, Chen Limin quickly walked up to Shen Yu, bowed deeply to him, and expressed his extreme gratitude.