Chapter 220: The Loss Outweighs the Gain

What is meant by the "Black Three Generations"?

Namely, the Ming Dynasty reigns of Zhengtong, Jingtai, and Tianshun.

Zhengtong was the first era name of Ming Yingzong, Zhu Qizhen, who reigned for thirteen years, after which the "Tumubao Incident," famous to later generations, occurred.

Later, his younger brother Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, with the era name Jingtai. He asked the warlock Tong Yin to divine, and received the result: "Zhengtong is inauspicious." Consequently, the Jingtai Emperor issued an order to destroy all artifacts with "Zhengtong" reign marks both inside and outside the palace.

Eight years later, Jingtai passed away from illness, and Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen) was restored to the throne, with the era name "Tianshun." He also asked Tong Yin to divine, and again received the result: "Jingtai is inauspicious." Then, Yingzong also issued an imperial decree to destroy all artifacts with "Jingtai" marks both inside and outside the palace.

Another eight years later, Yingzong passed away from illness, and Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne, becoming the Chenghua Emperor. He also asked Tong Yin to divine, and again received the result: "Tianshun is also inauspicious." Then, the Chenghua Emperor destroyed all artifacts with Tianshun marks as well.

In any case, it is unofficial history; whether it is true or false cannot be verified. But to this day, whether domestically or abroad, no "Zhengtong" or "Jingtai" marked Cultural Relics have been discovered. This applies to porcelain, Bronze, and even ivory, horn, or wood carvings.

Some with Tianshun marks have been discovered, but there are only three pieces in total, and all of them are porcelain.

The first two are blue-and-white Persian Script Cylindrical Furnaces produced by private Folk Kilns in Datong, Shanxi. Both pieces came from the same kiln, and everything from the vessel shape and decorative patterns to the content of the poetry is exactly the same.

One was donated by the Hong Kong industrialist Mr. Yang Yongde in 1988 and is now treasured in the Forbidden City. The other was collected from the people of Datong and is now housed in the Shanxi Museum.

The last one is the only Official Kiln piece, unearthed from the family tomb of Zhu Zhen, Prince Zhao of Chu, in Jiangxia, Wuhan, and is now housed in the Hubei Museum.

There are only three in the whole world, yet one has suddenly popped up here?

Even if it is just half a base, it is enough to be astonishing.

Lin Sicheng looked curious and picked it up.

Zhao Xiuneng and Ye Anning were right beside him; at first, they didn't pay much attention, wondering why Lin Sicheng was picking up a broken base. But then, seeing the "Tianshun Year" on it, both of their eyeballs nearly popped out.

What is this, Tianshun blue-and-white?

The key is that the signs of aging are very obvious; the body is already near the point of being dry and brittle. Whether it is a fake mark made after the Tianshun period is unknown, but Zhao Xiuneng can conclude that it should be at least from before the early Qing Dynasty.

Looking closer: the paste quality is slightly coarse, the color leans toward gray, and there are many impurities. One can clearly see black spots formed by Quartz particles and iron impurities.

Looking at the blue-and-white color: the blue is tinged with gray, the color is dark, closer to black-blue; this is clearly Shizi Cobalt produced in Jiangxi in the early Ming, commonly known as Tuqing Material.

So there is no need to doubt: whether it is a genuine Tianshun mark or a later fake, it was definitely fired in a Folk Kiln... Official Kilns either used imported Sumali Blue or Pingdeng Blue, which is also domestic but has better color.

But regardless of which kiln it came from, even if it was fired poorly, as long as it is confirmed to be from the Tianshun period, it is the fourth piece in the world.

The two didn't make a sound, watching along with Lin Sicheng for a few moments. Before long, Lin Sicheng raised his head: "Master, how much for this?"

The stall owner was a man in his early forties, slightly plump, with a shrewd look on his face.

He raised his eyes to scan the four people's attire and instantly made a judgment: they aren't short on money.

Then he held up a finger, "Ten thousand!"

Lin Sicheng couldn't even be bothered to talk to him and threw it down to leave.

He had seen this routine many times; if the boss wasn't anxious, he would consider himself the loser...

Sure enough, just as he turned around, his sleeve was grabbed by the boss, whose fat face was squeezed into an oily sheen: "Hey, young man, look closely: this is Tianshun blue-and-white, ten thousand is already low!"

Lin Sicheng gave a "Heh": "Don't talk about Tianshun, go ask around, how much does a shard of Jianwen blue-and-white porcelain sell for?"

The boss squinted, with an expression of 'don't try to fool me': "How could there be blue-and-white in the Jianwen reign?"

"Exactly," Lin Sicheng pointed at the shard, "Since you know the Jianwen reign didn't produce blue-and-white, how can you guarantee that this piece was fired in the Tianshun reign, and not a later fake?"

The boss was left speechless by the question.

Of course, he had no way to prove it; if he could, this item wouldn't have fallen into his hands, wouldn't be displayed on a street stall, and wouldn't have remained until now.

The reason lies in the fact that this thing was fired too poorly: the blue-and-white color is too dark, the porcelain body is too rough; one look and it's clearly from a small workshop...

"But the 'Tianshun' on it can't be fake, this is the treasure of my stall!"

He muttered, then held up his palm again: "Five thousand at the lowest!"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, acting hesitant.

Five thousand is certainly not high; in fact, in his view, ten thousand isn't high either, and he would even be willing to buy it for twenty or thirty thousand.

But that is not how you pick up a bargain.

For an average person, when the boss said ten thousand, they would probably have already started taking out their money. But believe it or not, before you even finished taking out your wallet, the boss could immediately raise it to thirty thousand, or even fifty thousand?

Lin Sicheng estimated that the boss's psychological expectation was at most two or three thousand, so he had to hold out, otherwise this Pangzi might change his mind on the spot.

He remained noncommittal and took another two looks: "Boss, where did you collect this?"

"In the Xie, you wouldn't know even if I told you!"

"Oh!" Lin Sicheng casually placed it to the side, "I'll look at the others, but don't ask for crazy prices!"

"Rest assured!" The boss patted his chest, "Except for this piece, the rest are one hundred each, twenty percent off for ten pieces or more!"

Haha... all the Republic of China goods in your stall, and this isn't called asking for a crazy price?

Lin Sicheng smiled and pulled over a folding stool. Sitting down right there, he first scanned the finished pieces on the stall.

At first glance, white body with blue patterns, all blue-and-white. But looking closely, the tone is gaudy and the blue is glaring. The patterns are stiff and monotonous, showing no sense of the "blue-and-white layering" technique.

Looking closer: the glaze is dry, the degree of vitrification is low, the body is thick and heavy, and the base is rough enough to prick the hand.

Most of the blue-and-white patterns are dotted with small brown eyes and raised bumps, as if someone had spat on them.

In Ceramics, this phenomenon is called Explosive Glaze, and the reason is not complicated: it is caused by an excessively high content of Cobalt Oxide in the Glaze Material.

So after just a few glances, Lin Sicheng could conclude: although they are all blue-and-white, these all use industrially synthesized Cobalt Material. In other words, they are all things from after the Guangxu reign.

The marks are quite old, with all three dynasties of Yuan, Ming, and Qing present, but it's useless.

After roughly looking at a few pieces, Lin Sicheng flipped through the shards again and asked casually: "The soil stains are so heavy, it wouldn't be freshly dug, would it?"

"Tch..." The boss looked disdainful, "Which family is so extravagant that everything buried with the dead is blue-and-white?"

"I didn't say a tomb, I said a porcelain factory."

"Porcelain factory, what porcelain factory?"

Lin Sicheng paused slightly and looked up: the boss's eyes seemed shrewd, but deep in his pupils, there were traces of doubt and confusion.

If it wasn't dug from a porcelain factory, where did you get so many blue-and-white pieces? And the body quality and Glaze Material are exactly the same?

But it seems the boss doesn't know at all?

No more questions...

Seeing him rummaging endlessly, Zhao Xiuneng prepared to help, but just as he squatted down, Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Forget it, picking and choosing is too much trouble: I'll take it all... plus these two boxes of porcelain shards, plus that piece from just now, five thousand!"

Zhao Xiuneng felt a shock in his heart: there are some in the boxes too?

The fat boss curled his lip: "I have at least three or four hundred pieces here..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Sicheng had already stood up and turned around.

The boss was both annoyed and amused, and he grabbed him again: "This young man, how can you have so little patience?"

"Are you going to sell it or not?"

"Sell!" The boss didn't hesitate for even half a second, "Pay up!"

This porcelain shard of his had been on the stall for nearly two years, but the highest offer had only been a thousand or eight hundred; he would have been perfectly satisfied to sell it for two thousand.

As for those two boxes, he had bought half a pickup truck's worth for five hundred yuan, and there were at least five or six more boxes like that piled up at home...

The boss happily took the money, asked a fellow vendor nearby to watch his stall, and found a cart to help Lin Sicheng haul it out.

When they reached the parking lot, the boss was stunned: Good heavens, a Mercedes-Benz?

Five thousand, did I ask for too little?

But then, his eyes lit up: "Boss, I have several more boxes at home, do you want them?"

Oh, there are more?

Lin Sicheng feigned hesitation: "I'll go back and take a look first to see if there's anything useful in here... How about this, leave a number!"

"You got it!"

After leaving his mobile number and helping Zhao Da move the two boxes of porcelain shards into the car, the fat boss even waved his hand.

The car had already driven out of the parking lot before Ye Anning reacted: what happened to the plan to visit Guandu Temple?

From entering the gate to coming out, it had only been about ten minutes...

Another ten minutes passed, and they drove to the hotel. Just as they got out of the car and opened the trunk, with a "squeak," a Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up alongside them.

Wang Qi Zhi got out of the car, quite surprised: "Where did you get this?"

"Guan Sheng Temple!" Lin Sicheng replied, then reached into his bag, "Teacher, look at this?"

Wang Qi Zhi subconsciously took it into his hand, and then... there was no then.

No matter how unskilled he was with porcelain, he could at least recognize the two characters for "Tianshun," right?

No matter how much his Appraisal level fell short of Lin Sicheng's, he could at least date it: although the blue-and-white color was average, it had already penetrated deep into the body, the surface was hard, bright, and oily, and the reflected light was arranged in a crystalline pattern, presenting a warm, moist feeling like pearls and jade.

Wang Qi Zhi estimated that the age was at least three hundred years or more; even if it wasn't as early as Tianshun, it was at least from the Kangxi era or earlier...

"Tianshun blue-and-white?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Nine times out of ten!"

Based on Wang Qi Zhi's understanding, if Lin Sicheng dared to say nine times out of ten, it was basically no different from one hundred percent. Therefore, this base was indeed fired during the Tianshun Year.

Does that mean in the whole world, this is the fourth piece?

Even if it is just a base.

Suddenly, Wang Qi Zhi had a strange expression: how long had he been out?

Less than two hours.

In just this short while, Lin Sicheng had picked up such a huge bargain?

Wang Qi Zhi pointed again at the two boxes on the ground: "Are there some in here too?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yes, but I don't know how many!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned, not knowing what to say.

It was as if he had a natural talent for attracting wealth; no matter where he walked, bargains would automatically bump into Lin Sicheng's feet.

But thinking about it carefully: this porcelain shard couldn't have been on that stall for a short time, so why hadn't it sold when so many people had seen it?

Because it was expensive, and more importantly, because there was no certainty: two or three thousand for a porcelain shard was equivalent to an ordinary person's two months' wages.

The key was that this thing was also fired so crudely: the blue-and-white was dark, the body was thick and coarse, and there were so many impurities that it looked like it was fired in a small workshop—who would dare to buy it?

When all was said and done, it was still a lack of a sharp eye and a low level of Appraisal...

Sighing inwardly, Wang Qi Zhi went to the front desk to open another suite, and Zhao Da borrowed a luggage cart to transport the two boxes of porcelain shards upstairs.

While going upstairs, Zhao Xiuneng made a phone call, and everyone gathered in the suite.

Then, seven people knelt on the carpet, laying them out piece by piece. Lin Sicheng and Zhao Xiuneng picked through them one by one.

"Zhao Shixiong, is this one... this one isn't it either..."

"How about this one?"

"This one... oh? Senior Brother, look, this piece is blue with a hint of green, it might be mixed with Pingdeng Blue... set it aside first!"

"Set this one aside too!"

After nearly two hours of going through everything, the two of them had picked out more than ten pieces.

Afterwards, Lin Sicheng carefully compared them and placed four of them together.

Taking a subconscious look, the group fell silent in astonishment.

Although there were gaps in the middle, the group could clearly see: this was a Tianshun blue-and-white Flower Pattern Plate.

Looking at the remaining ten or so pieces, although they were all poorly fired, most were even worse than these four: the blue-and-white was interspersed with black spots, the color was grayish-black, and some were even close to ink-blue or navy blue.

The body was also very coarse; two pieces looked like the wall of a Bowl, but they were nearly half a centimeter thick, and the broken edges were grayish-yellow with many impurities.

But the problem was, they were exactly the same as that previous piece: the blue-and-white penetrated deep into the body, the glaze was hard and bright, and it exuded an oily, moist feeling.

Having oxidized for less than three or four hundred years, it was impossible for it to have aged to this degree.

What did that mean?

It meant these dozen or so pieces and the four "Tianshun" pieces came from the same period: either the Zhengtong or Jingtai years, or the Chenghua years.

The most critical part, however, is the body.

Whether it is these dozen or so pieces, or the two or three hundred pieces nearby, regardless of whether they are new or old, and regardless of whether the blue-and-white material used is the Foreign Blue that only appeared after the Guangxu era, or the Tuqing Material exclusively used by folk kilns during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the body quality is exactly the same:

Grayish, with a great many impurities; one can see the Quartz crystals and iron spots at the broken edges at a single glance.

What does this indicate?

It indicates that these hundreds of porcelain pieces all originated from the same place, or even the same kiln...

In an instant, Zhao Da remembered: when Lin Sicheng was flipping through the porcelain shards, he had asked the boss a question: with such heavy soil encrustation, which porcelain factory were these dug up from?

The key is that so many porcelain shards could not possibly have been transported from elsewhere; even if they were transported, they would be shipped to Beijing, and there would be no need to specifically transport them to Shanxi.

Therefore, it is one hundred percent certain that these originated from a local kiln in Shanxi.

He suddenly realized: "Master, are these all blue-and-white porcelain fired in Shanxi during the Ming dynasty?"

"Correct!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "After the Xuande era, because the production capacity of Jingdezhen was insufficient, the Imperial Kiln Factory attempted the 'Official Kiln Supporting Folk Firing' model. In reality, it was forced apportionment: folk kilns had to produce according to Official Kiln standards, and the finished products were submitted as tribute after strict selection.

The superior ones were called 'Primary Color Porcelain', the best of which were sent into the Imperial Palace for the exclusive use of the royal family, historically known as 'Qin-limited Porcelain'. The next grade were sent to the Ministry of Works for use as rewards, historically known as 'Bu-limited Porcelain'. The inferior ones were called 'Secondary Color Porcelain', which could be sold at a variable price..."

Ever since then, Official Kiln craftsmanship flowed into the private sector, and every province had firing operations. This included Shanxi... There are clear records that in the Ming dynasty, only three places received tax vouchers (similar to business licenses) from the government, paid tax silver, and fired blue-and-white porcelain: Taiyuan Yuci Kiln, Yangquan Pingding Kiln, and Jinzhong Jiexiu Kiln...

However, there were many small kilns that did not pay taxes and fired in secret. For example, those two blue-and-white cylindrical censers treasured by the Forbidden City and the Shanxi Museum originated from the Ma Family Private Kiln in Datong..."

Zhao Xiuneng frowned: "Junior Brother, for the rest, do we have to find a dozen?"

Of course we have to find them; who knows, we might find a fifth piece, or even a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth.

If we could piece this plate together, even if we could only piece together the majority, and fill the missing parts with lacquer and porcelain powder, it would be worth at least five or six hundred thousand.

If that really doesn't work, being able to piece together the base would also be fine; it could still sell for one or two hundred thousand.

Therefore, I hope the fat boss wasn't lying, and that he really does have five or six more boxes at home...

Wang Qi Zhi cupped his chin: "Then this kiln site shouldn't have been discovered yet, right?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Definitely!"

This is Tianshun blue-and-white porcelain; if it had been discovered, the news would have been everywhere long ago.

Wang Qi Zhi pondered again: "How about... we try to find it?"

Find what, the kiln site?

Lin Sicheng paused, thoughtful: "Teacher, did the talks not go smoothly today?"

If the talks had gone smoothly, we would have had to arrange something for the evening; it would be impossible to return so early...

Wang Qi Zhi gave a sheepish smile: "We went to the Industrial Bureau, met the director, and then met the Deputy Bureau Chief specifically in charge of the Chengni Inkstone factory. Both were quite polite, and their words were very tactful... but the meaning behind their words was the same: until the public announcement is over and it is officially included in the National Level list of intangible cultural heritage, the technology and data cannot be made public..."

"We can't even visit?"

"We can look at the exhibition hall, and the molding workshop is no problem, but we cannot go down to the kilns..."

I had already thought of that.

Involving a National Level project that promotes local economic growth and expands influence, and currently at the critical final step, who would dare to loosen that restriction?

Let alone Wang Qi Zhi, even if Elder Wang came, it probably wouldn't work.

But the Ministry of Culture won't officially announce the list until June; there are still three months left, we can't just wait around, right?

So Wang Qi Zhi wanted to save the nation by a roundabout path, just like what Lin Sicheng was prepared to do last time in Tongchuan: take something that would move the local authorities and use it to trade.

Ye Anning pursed her lips: "Uncle, what if the porcelain kiln isn't in Yuncheng?"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned, his face sagging bit by bit: That's right?

Shanxi is so big, and there are so many cities and counties that have fired porcelain; who knows where it was hauled from?

If the kiln site isn't in Yuncheng, what's the use even if you find it?

Wang Qi Zhi had a sudden inspiration: "How about we ask that stall-owning boss?"

"That Pangzi definitely won't say, and besides, we can't be too anxious!" Zhao Xiuneng shook his head. "In this line of work, the more anxious you are, the more he will drag it out to demand a high price!"

After a slight pause, he scanned left and right, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "Junior Brother, I think, for you, it's not entirely without a way!"

Lin Sicheng has a way... what way could he have?

After a moment of thought, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and Wang Qi Zhi suddenly realized:

It's all porcelain; since Lin Sicheng could deduce the core craftsmanship of Yaozhou Porcelain, why couldn't he deduce the craftsmanship of the Chengni Inkstone?

That was exactly what Zhao Xiuneng meant.

But the problem is, is it good to do it this way?

Just as he was hesitating, Lin Sicheng sighed first.

Of course it could be deduced; it's nothing more than buying more samples and doing more experiments. It might even be easier than the time with Yaozhou Porcelain.

But the problem is, we can't just get into a fight every time we go to a place for investigation and study, and then smash people's rice bowls, right?

The Yaozhou Porcelain time was forced by necessity, and the other party had indeed gone a bit too far. But this time, they were polite, and their words were very clear: Professor Wang, can you wait another three months, until the Ministry of Culture finishes the public announcement?

To try to deduce or crack it now would be blatantly bullying people.

Lin Sicheng shook his head decisively: "Teacher, Zhao Shixiong, when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; let's not be anxious for now!"

Isn't the cart already at the mountain?

Just as Zhao Xiuneng was about to say something, Wang Qi Zhi gave him a look.

It is indeed possible to do it secretly, but it would inevitably lead to gossip, lack magnanimity, and the hidden dangers would be extremely great.

Just consider one point: will we still take on business from various museums in Shanxi in the future, and will we still repair Cultural Relics?

The loss outweighs the gain!