The mutton-fat white jade brand was eventually collected by Mr. Li himself and was not sold to Zheng Congyuan.
Even Zheng Congyuan's high price of two million failed to impress this stubborn old man.
And Mr. Li never said the origin of this jade plaque from beginning to end.
Shen Yu guessed that others might not know either...
But combined with the old man's series of mysterious operations, Shen Yu felt that his Uncle Li might be holding back a big move.
Because although the mutton-fat white jade plaque was not sold, Zheng Congyuan was given a Zigang plaque made of blue and white jade made by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
Here comes the question, everyone brings one antique to the treasure appraisal party, why does he bring two?
It looks like you came prepared.
And they didn’t ask for any money, not even a penny, and they gave away hundreds of thousands of items for free.
Sensational sentences such as "ancient jade is like an ancient painting, we should cherish antiques" are not in line with the old man's usual style of behavior.
This made Shen Yu more and more certain that his Uncle Li might be holding back a big move.
This old man might want to get something from Zheng Congyuan.
Could it be that there are some good antiques in Lao Zheng’s house that he has targeted?
I don’t blame Shen Yu for guessing, it’s because the old man’s signs of fishing are too obvious. After you took out the jade token, he made the other person’s heart flutter, and then you sold him and it was over.
But he just didn’t sell it, and instead whetted the other party’s appetite.
The carvings and jade materials can be called the Zigang brand of the highest quality. Zheng Congyuan doesn’t know about it. How can he give up after knowing it?
This is like a wine glutton. You bring a bottle of century-old wine in front of him and let him sniff it. When he smells the aroma of the wine and swallows his saliva, you just take the wine away again. This does not mean Is it to kill him?
It is conceivable that in the future, the threshold of "Hanlin Pavilion" will have to be stepped down by Zheng Congyuan.
There are billionaires with more than one billion in their bank accounts, and they will definitely not give up until they achieve their goals.
"Uncle Li's trick of playing hard to get is so neat!" Shen Yu secretly praised.
After Li Hanlin finished talking with Zheng Congyuan and put away the wooden box, he suddenly asked Shen Yu: "Shen Yu, what are the objects you brought this time?"
Shen Yu knew that it was his turn, because now only Fatty Li and Mr. Qian did not show off their treasures.
The finale of the treasure appraisal meeting and the last one to appear, Shen Yu was sure that it would not be him.
"I brought a piece of ancient ink today." Shen Yu didn't pay much attention to it and took out the engraved silver box directly from his trouser pocket.
After the silver box is opened, the oily, quaint, and sharp-edged strips of Cheng Junfang's ink reveal their true appearance.
"From a famous ink maker?" Zheng Congyuan asked this time.
Shen Yu nodded: "Yes, it is ancient ink made by Cheng Junfang, a master of ink making in the Ming Dynasty."
"What? It's actually the ancient ink from Cheng Jun's room?"
When Shen Yu said that this was the ancient ink in Cheng Jun's room, all the eyes of the five people in the hall focused on the silver box in Shen Yu's hand.
Without it, Cheng Junfangmo’s reputation would be too great.
Whether it is a well-known antique store or a special auction, everything is hard to find and cannot be bought with money, and Cheng Junfangmo can definitely be included in it.
"Brother Shen, can I get my hands on this ancient ink and have a look?" Zheng Congyuan couldn't wait, feeling very interested in this ancient ink.
Shen Yu smiled: "Of course, Mr. Zheng, you can watch as you like."
Zheng Congyuan picked up the ancient ink with both hands, first put it under his nose and smelled it, and then used his fingernails to scratch the unwritten parts of the ancient ink without leaving any trace.
Turning over the ink ingot, his eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the seal script "Cheng Yue Yin", "Yes, the ink body is as strong as gold and iron, and it is smooth and delicate.
It is as warm as jade and as lustrous as lacquer. It is exactly the same as the ingot of ancient ink I saw before. It is indeed the greatest treasure among inks, Cheng Junfang ink!"
Mr. Qian did not get started with ancient ink, but he looked at Xian Yu: "Our country has a long history of making ink, but not many can leave a name in the history of ink.
"Legend has it that Mrs. Wei, a famous calligrapher in the Jin Dynasty, used Luxue pine smoke ink and Daijun deer glue ink to write "Bi Zhen Tu", but there is no record of the name of the person who made the ink.
"In the Tang Dynasty, Li Chao and Li Tinggui, father and son, were born, and their names were recorded in the history of ink. It is said that the formula for the ink they made was one pound of pine smoke, three ounces of pearls, one ounce of jade shavings, and one ounce of borneol. Mix it with raw lacquer and finally pound it into a hundred thousand pestles to form ink.
"After the ink is formed, it is as hard as stone and will not break even after being soaked in water for three years. It is the best in the world.
"In the Ming Dynasty, famous ink makers emerged in large numbers, among whom Cheng Junfang and Fang Yulu during the Wanli period were the most famous.
"Cheng Junfang said that his ink is more valuable than gold and is the best ink in the world. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is not much different.
"His favorite works, 'Xuan Yuan Ling Qi', 'Liao Tian Yi', and 'Wonderful Products', are as solid as gold, with textures like jade, and colors like lacquer, which are almost the same as those of Li Mo in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
"The ancient ink handed down from generation to generation no longer has the ink from the Tang and Song Dynasties. Even the Cheng ink from Cheng Junfang is extremely rare.
"Because in ancient times, Cheng Mo didn't make much.
"The cost of making ink is very high. The cost of making such a piece of Songyan ink is not a small amount. It requires at least thirty taels of silver.
"I wonder, Xiao Shen, where did you get this ancient ink?"
As soon as Mr. Qian's words came out, except for Li Hanlin, Zheng Congyuan, Fatty Li, and Lin Xifeng all looked at Shen Yu.
Shen Yue understood what Mr. Qian meant. He was asking himself whether this ingot of Cheng Mo was a relic from his grandfather or whether he had received it himself.
Shen Yu said calmly: "It's a long story. This ink was sold by a customer who came to the store last month.
"At that time, the guest carried a whole wooden box with at least thirty ingots of ancient ink, but most of it was residual ink. Among them, there were only about seven or eight ingots that were in good quality.
"I selected the ones with better quality and bought ten ingots at a price of 1,900 yuan per ingot.
"Because the seller didn't know where the ancient ink was placed, and the cobweb seal was very dirty. After buying it, it was placed in the corner of the store. It took me a whole day to clean it.
"I didn't know that I found this ingot of Cheng Junfang ink. It seems that I am very lucky and my luck is shining brightly!"
What Shen Yu said was half true and half false. There was indeed someone who came to the store to sell ancient ink, and he did buy eight ingots of ancient ink, each ingot costing a real 1,900 yuan.
But those are ordinary ancient inks from the Qing Dynasty, and they are still lying around in the store. If you don’t believe it, Shen Yu can take out the ancient inks immediately after going to the store.
All doubts can be dispelled.
Shen Yu could only say this. He couldn't really say that he found it in the calligraphy and painting heaven and earth pole. This was too bizarre. Not only did others not believe it, but they also felt that he was perfunctory.
There is no psychological burden on Shen Yu if he tells half-truths. The antique shop is full of stories, and people who cannot tell stories cannot survive in the antique shop.
Mr. Qian nodded, but immediately shook his head: "Picking up leaks is both a technical job and a lucky job.
"If you have good eyesight but no luck, you will never encounter a few mistakes in your life, and you can only become an appraiser with a good reputation.
"But if you are lucky enough to encounter a leak, or even encounter a top-level leak, it is useless if you have no eyesight and cannot see it.
"So picking up leaks is not just luck, but a comprehensive expression of luck and strength. Xiao Shen, you are too modest!"
