Chapter 4
Jiang Cheng ignored Zhang Xingrui’s mocking remarks and looked at Xu Zheng.
Xu Zheng sighed, opened the wooden box, and, upon seeing the well-preserved yellow-glazed porcelain plate inside, said, “The condition is good, and it does look authentic. However, finding official kiln porcelain at a street stall is still quite unlikely.”
Despite this, since it was related to a bet, Xu Zheng carefully picked up the yellow-glazed porcelain plate and examined it closely.
As he examined it!
Xu Zheng’s expression immediately changed slightly, showing a hint of disbelief. He took a magnifying glass from the side and scrutinized the plate meticulously.
Xu Zheng’s sudden seriousness made Zhang Xingrui pause, swallowing nervously, and he asked, “Boss Xu, what does this mean?”
Jiang Cheng’s heart surged with excitement. Indeed, indeed, the left eye can authenticate antiques—it was not wrong!
Xu Zheng did not respond to Zhang Xingrui’s question but continued to examine the plate for several minutes, showing astonishment. “I’m seeing things. I’ve been in this business for decades and have seen people find bargains at street stalls before, but this is the first time I’ve seen official kiln porcelain found at a street stall.”
His words indirectly revealed the authentication result.
Jiang Cheng smiled, “Master Xu, is it genuine?”
Xu Zheng’s expression of surprise remained. “Yes, the glaze color is pure, and the body quality is also fine. You can see natural signs of wear. At least from my appraisal, I can’t find any issues.”
Determining whether an antique is genuine or a fake is not difficult. As long as there are no issues, it’s genuine; even if it’s correct on ten points, if there’s any problem, it’s undoubtedly a fake.
Xu Zheng’s appraisal skills are among the top five in the Tang City Antique Market, and especially in porcelain appraisal, he is highly respected. If he says there are no problems, then this yellow-glazed porcelain plate is basically genuine.
“Ha ha, it seems my luck is really good.” Jiang Cheng was also excited internally but still attributed the find to luck on the surface.
There’s no way around it. He’s young and hasn’t studied antique appraisal much. If he claimed he identified the yellow-glazed porcelain plate as genuine purely through his own skill, it would inevitably be somewhat doubtful.
Of course, everyone present wasn’t foolish. Xu Zheng looked at him with a smile and said, “It can’t all be attributed to luck. Little Cheng, you should have had some confidence in your heart. You have a talent for antique appraisal.”
Zhang Xingrui’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he angrily said, “Impossible! How could this porcelain plate be genuine? Boss Xu, you and this kid are colluding to deceive me!”
The fact that the yellow-glazed porcelain plate was genuine was indeed hard for Zhang Xingrui to accept. He refused to believe that Jiang Cheng could find a genuine official kiln porcelain piece at a street stall.
Xu Zheng frowned and said with displeasure, “Boss Zhang, you can be unreasonable with your food, but you can’t talk nonsense.”
Hearing this, Zhang Xingrui calmed down. Xu Zheng had a high status and reputation in the Tang City Antique Market. What he said was indeed somewhat thoughtless, but he didn’t apologize or back down. Instead, he said, “I need to authenticate it myself.”
Xu Zheng snorted coldly and indicated for him to look himself.
Zhang Xingrui was anxious, took the magnifying glass, and examined the porcelain plate as thoroughly as possible.
But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find any issues with the yellow-glazed porcelain plate.
Soon, Zhang Xingrui’s face turned dark, and he looked at Jiang Cheng, saying sternly, “Good kid, you’ve played a trick on me.”
Jiang Cheng was momentarily stunned but quickly understood.
Zhang Xingrui probably thought this was a scheme Jiang Cheng had set up, that the street stall bargain was a trick to win the 100,000 Yuan from him.
Understanding this, Jiang Cheng did not explain but merely smiled, “I still have an account to settle with you. This is just the beginning.”
“You’ve underestimated me, but there won’t be a next time.” Zhang Xingrui quickly calmed down, took out his phone to prepare a transfer for Jiang Cheng, and added, “Today, I admit defeat.”
Though Zhang Xingrui’s reputation in the Tang City Antique Market was poor, many things did not have evidence. With Xu Zheng’s testimony and the written agreement, if Zhang Xingrui tried to back out, the situation would be different.
“Jiang Cheng, you are indeed smarter than your foolish grandfather. We’ll see each other again.”
After completing the transfer, Zhang Xingrui sneered, left a threatening remark, and walked away.
The fact that Zhang Xingrui could make a name for himself in the Tang City Antique Market indicated that he had some skill. After such a big loss, he left cleanly and decisively.
“Little Cheng, this person is difficult to deal with. If you really plan to inherit your grandfather’s Nabao Pavilion, be very careful of him,” Xu Zheng kindly reminded.
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, “I know,” then asked, “Master Xu, are you interested in this yellow-glazed porcelain plate?”
“Oh, you want to sell it to me directly? Not taking it back to the shop?” Xu Zheng asked with a smile.
“I want to refurbish Nabao Pavilion and acquire a batch of better items,” Jiang Cheng replied honestly.
Currently, the situation at Nabao Pavilion was not yet suitable for displaying genuine items for sale.
“Alright.” Xu Zheng agreed, “I’m definitely interested in this Qing Dynasty Yongzheng period official kiln porcelain.”
Antique categories are diverse. Some items, even if genuine, are hard to sell because antiques heavily rely on supply and demand. Some niche items only have a chance to be sold if a collector shows interest.
However, this does not include popular porcelains and jade items, especially official kiln porcelains, which are generally sought after due to their high collectible value.
After a brief thought, Xu Zheng made an offer, “Last year at the Dingde Auction House’s spring auction, a similar yellow-glazed porcelain plate was sold for 280,000. I’ll offer you 240,000. What do you think?”
Auction prices and private transactions are not the same, but they can provide a reference.
240,000 is not a low price. Jiang Cheng did not hesitate and directly shook hands with Xu Zheng, saying, “Master Xu, I look forward to our cooperation.”
“Ha ha, looking forward to it.”
After a pause, Jiang Cheng continued, “Master Xu, I have another request. Could you tell me about the characteristics of this yellow-glazed porcelain plate?”
The information from the left eye’s appraisal was not very detailed. Since Jiang Cheng decided to inherit Nabao Pavilion and develop in the antique business, he couldn’t rely solely on the left eye’s appraisal ability. He needed to start learning about antique appraisal himself.
After all, Jiang Cheng did not know how long the left eye’s peculiar ability would last. What if it suddenly failed one day?
One must still be strong independently.
Xu Zheng, hearing this, looked at Jiang Cheng with approval and said, “No problem.”
“Let’s start with the glaze color of this plate,” Xu Zheng said as he pointed to the porcelain plate in the wooden box, “This yellow glaze is a low-temperature iron yellow glaze, which is the most strictly controlled glaze color by the royal court.”
“Because ‘yellow’ sounds like ‘huang’ (皇), yellow became the supreme color of the royal family. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, only the royal court could use yellow-glazed porcelain.”
“The yellow glaze was first fired at the Ming Dynasty Jingdezhen official kiln. The best quality was from the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, with an even and bright color, hence called ‘jiao yellow’.
“This Yongzheng period porcelain plate is actually an imitation of the Ming Dynasty yellow glaze porcelain. It should be called ‘Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Jiao Yellow Glaze Plate.’ Although it’s an imitation, the yellow glaze of the Yongzheng period is not as rich as the Hongzhi period but is brighter in color.”
“The difference is still easy to see…”
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