Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Running out from the depths of the Mountain Range, Bai Tang took out her bicycle and whistled happily as she pedaled her way home. The unexpected harvest put her in a great mood. Upon returning home, she simply greeted Bai Dad and Bai Ma before shouldering her travel bag that had accompanied her through two worlds and stepping out. At the moment the backpack settled on her back, two antiques moved from her game bag into the travel bag.
She called Zhang Feng from downstairs at the hotel and went directly to the café to order a pot of fruit tea while waiting for him. Less than five minutes later, Zhang Feng walked in, looking quite anxious.
"Sister Bai, did you bring the items?" Zhang Feng's eyes sparkled as he stared at Bai Tang's travel bag, burning with intensity as if he wanted to set it ablaze.
"I brought two items." Bai Tang pulled out the first item from her travel bag, which was a set of four porcelain paintings. The front depicted the story of Peach Blossom Three Brotherhood, while the back featured patterns of spring peach, summer lotus, autumn chrysanthemum, and winter plum. The craftsmanship was quite good, and it wasn't expensive; Bai Tang had bought it for half a tael of silver from a carpenter. These porcelain paintings were originally meant to be inlaid into the wooden panels of furniture and beds.
Zhang Feng almost snatched the porcelain paintings to examine them closely.
"…The glaze uses blue and black colors, forming a harmonious and stable combination of red, green, yellow, black, ochre, and blue. This is a typical characteristic of Kangxi Five Colors. This set of porcelain paintings is from the Kangxi period." Zhang Feng's face was filled with joy; he knew that Bai Tang had something valuable.
"Kangxi Five Colors?" Bai Tang was surprised; this was a product of the Kangxi Dynasty. How could it be related to Kangxi?
Thinking that Bai Tang's surprise stemmed from her lack of knowledge about antiques, Zhang Feng eagerly explained: "Porcelain paintings began in the late Qing Dynasty and have only been around for a little over 100 years. However, if we trace their historical roots, we must go back to the Tang Dynasty. According to its introduction, porcelain paintings evolved from traditional Chinese ceramics. Initially, ceramics were only made for practical use; it wasn't until the Tang Dynasty that they began to develop towards decoration. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, Western enamel was introduced to China, adding more colors like doucai and wucai to ceramic painting art. Kangxi Five Colors changed the rough painting style of Jiajing and Wanli periods in the Ming Dynasty, forming a style that is vibrant yet not ostentatious, stable yet not gaudy. The glazed five colors of Kangxi have distinct differences compared to those of Jiajing and Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. Jiajing's five colors emphasize red hues, while Kangxi's glazed five colors utilize various colors such as red, green, yellow, blue, ochre, and black with rich variations. Five colors are defined by Kangxi; Kangxi five-color porcelain paintings are diverse in form and have high artistic achievements. Although Kangxi five-color porcelain paintings are technically advanced, they do not bear the author's name or record production dates; occasionally one might see one or two decorative stamps on five-color works."
Listening to Zhang Feng's explanation about Kangxi five-color porcelain paintings, Bai Tang realized that there was no difference between the characteristics of Kangxi Dynasty porcelain paintings and those of Kangxi five-color porcelain paintings. It seemed that even in an alternate dynasty created by native Qing Dynasty people, aside from different emperors and dynasty names, the social structure and cultural customs remained identical.
"Indeed, Sister Bai has good items!" Zhang Feng praised Bai Tang and offered what he considered a reasonable price.
Bai Tang nodded; although she had no expertise in antiques, she trusted that Zhang Feng wouldn't shortchange her since they were going into long-term business together.
"Sister Bai, what's the next item…" Zhang Feng carefully stored away the porcelain paintings while eagerly staring at Bai Tang again.
Bai Tang chuckled as she pulled out the second item from her bag: a wooden box made of golden silk nanmu wood. Opening the lid revealed a black silk cloth holding a round pearl about an inch in diameter.
"This is a night pearl; it should have some age." This came from Ninth Prince's treasury and had been kept very securely by him; it seemed like a valuable item.
Zhang Feng examined the pearl closely with an increasingly serious expression. He looked up and took a deep breath: "Sister Bai, this isn't very convenient here; let's go to my room."
Bai Tang met Zhang Feng's serious gaze and nodded. It seemed she had acquired something remarkable; this pearl was not an ordinary night pearl but likely had significant origins.
Once they entered the hotel room, Zhang Feng immediately locked the door to prevent anyone else from entering and drew all the curtains shut, plunging the room into darkness. Bai Tang leisurely sat on a chair watching Zhang Feng busy himself without worrying about his intentions behind locking doors or closing curtains; she could tell how much Zhang Feng valued the pearl and thus felt more curious about it.
Zhang Feng held his breath and slowly opened the box lid. A soft and bright light, like moonlight, flowed out from the box, illuminating the entire room, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
"Beautiful!" Bai Tang couldn't help but exclaim.
At that moment, Zhang Feng was so overwhelmed with excitement that he stared at the bead and murmured, "A perfect inch, pure white and luminous at night, can light up a room... flowing like the light of a dark night, adorned with beads to serve as a lamp... that beautiful Han Eastern country, where the bright moon shines over rivers and mountains. Little did I know that after chaos, there would be another bead returning..."
"Mr. Zhang, do you know the origin of this bead?" Bai Tang poked Zhang Feng's arm, as he was completely captivated by the bead and didn't hear her question. After Zhang Feng snapped back to reality from Bai Tang's poke, she asked again.
"I'm not sure!" Zhang Feng took a deep breath to calm his overwhelming excitement before cautiously replying. In fact, he was about eighty percent sure that the bead was indeed the kind of legendary item he thought it was, but because it was so precious, he didn't dare to confirm it without consulting others for verification.
"I need to find a few colleagues to authenticate it," Zhang Feng said as he picked up his phone and made several calls in quick succession. Then he smiled apologetically at Bai Tang, "Sorry, I got too excited just now. But if this bead is real, then it's a national treasure. I can't make a decision on my own; those colleagues are the most professional in the industry in Zhongdu, and their authentication would carry more authority."
"It's okay!" Bai Tang replied and then asked with even more curiosity, "What exactly is the origin of this bead? Can you tell me?"
"I'm still not very sure!" Zhang Feng said.
"But you can at least share your guesses with me, right? I'm dying of curiosity. Don't worry; even if it turns out later that it's not what you thought, I won't be disappointed," Bai Tang felt anxious for answers and wished he wouldn't keep her in suspense.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Feng decided to share his guess with Bai Tang, believing she was a rational person.
"This bead might be the Suihou Pearl."
"Suihou Pearl?" Bai Tang looked confused. "What is that?"
Zhang Feng sat down across from Bai Tang, but his longing gaze remained fixed on the Suihou Pearl, unwilling to move an inch.
"You know about the He Shi Bi, right?"
"Of course! It's the most famous beautiful jade from ancient times. Qin Shi Huang used it to create the imperial seal, which was regarded as priceless. Unfortunately, it was lost after the Tang Dynasty due to changes in dynasties." How could Bai Tang not know about the renowned He Shi Bi? She had been quite envious of it when watching "The Legend of the Twin Dragons in the Tang Dynasty."
"The Suihou Pearl is known alongside the He Shi Bi as one of the Spring and Autumn's Two Treasures, and its value is no less than that of the He Shi Bi." Zhang Feng dropped a bombshell that made Bai Tang gasp in surprise.
"Is it really that amazing?" Bai Tang exclaimed in disbelief. "How come I've never heard of it?"
"Do you know the idiom Sui Zhu Jing Yu?" Zhang Feng asked.
Bai Tang nodded, "Yes, Sui Zhu Jing Yu describes the finest treasures among gems."
"That's right. Sui Zhu Jing Yu, also known as Sui Zhu and Bi, refers to Suihou Pearl and He Shi Bi. Both are top-tier jewels." Zhang Feng explained the origin of Suihou Pearl to Bai Tang, "The Suihou Pearl is a treasure from the State of Sui during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. It is said that the ruler of State of Sui, known as Suihou, once saw an injured snake suffering by the roadside during an outing. Moved by compassion, he had someone treat the snake and release it back into the wild. After recovering, the snake came to Suihou with a luminous pearl, saying: 'I am the son of the Dragon King, and I have come to repay your kindness for saving my life.' Therefore, Suihou Pearl is also called 'the Pearl of the Spirit Snake.' The text in the *Huainanzi* states: 'The pearl of Suihou and the jade of Bian He; those who possess them are rich, while those who lose them are poor.' The old entry for 'Suihe' in *Cihai* explains: 'The pearls of Suihou and the jade of Bian He are both treasures, hence they are referred to together.'"
"Because Suihou Pearl was lost long ago. Originally a national treasure of State of Sui, it fell into the hands of the King of Chu after State of Sui was destroyed. After Chu was defeated by Qin, Qin Shi Huang acquired both Suihou Pearl and He Shi Bi. This is fully confirmed in Li Si's *Memorial on the Expulsion of Guests*. He advised: 'Now Your Majesty has obtained jade from Kunlun Mountain, possessing both Sui and He treasures, adorned with Mingyue Pearl... These treasures were not produced by Qin State, yet Your Majesty cherishes them greatly; why is that?' This shows that at that time, Suihou Pearl had indeed fallen into Qin Shi Huang's possession. Later, Qin Shi Huang ordered Li Si to inscribe 'Receiving the Mandate, may it last forever,' which was engraved by jade craftsman Sun Shou on He Shi Bi, becoming the emperor's jade seal. After Liu Bang defeated Qin, He Shi Bi became the imperial seal of the Han dynasty. Over 1600 years later, it passed through more than a hundred emperors' hands. However, there has been no record of Suihou Pearl since Qin Shi Huang; some have speculated that it was buried with him as a substitute for candles in his tomb."
Wow! Could it be that the Ninth Prince stole Qin Shi Huang's tomb? Facing Zhang Feng's gaze questioning whether their Sect had robbed Qin Shi Huang's tomb, Bai Tang secretly wiped his sweat and awkwardly smiled, "I obtained this pearl by chance; its origin is definitely legitimate."
Zhang Feng smiled slightly and said no more. Even if Bai Tang's Sect had robbed Qin Shi Huang's tomb, it must have been a long time ago; back then, there was no government established to pursue such tomb robbery responsibilities.
Comment 0 Comment Count