Chapter 482: Who Are You Talking About?

What is a unique piece?

One of a kind in the world, absolutely singular.

The saying that things are valued for their rarity is manifested to the fullest in the antique trade:

No matter the dynasty or generation, no matter the object, as long as it is linked to "the first" or "the only," it is a priceless treasure. But there is a prerequisite: the evidence must be as solid as a mountain and irrefutable.

Do not talk about possibilities or probabilities; even if you are ninety-nine percent certain, if there is even one percent of doubt, then sorry, go find somewhere cool to sit.

And what is the certainty level of Peng Yanzhi and Zhao Xiuneng?

Less than ten percent.

Even though they are very certain that this colored plate absolutely uses the Jingdezhen Macang Clay and XZ Cinnabar unique to the Kangxi reign.

And even more certain that both the molding and the Glazing use the innovative craftsmanship techniques from when Lang Tingji oversaw the Jingdezhen Official Kiln in the mid-Kangxi period. But unfortunately, they cannot find the source or origin. To put it bluntly: there is no proof to examine and no evidence to rely on.

It is not that just because you say this is Imperial Kiln porcelain, it is Imperial Kiln porcelain; you must have evidence. Not to mention listing sufficient literature in detail, at the very least, you must find relevant historical materials that can corroborate the origin.

At the very, very least, you must clarify: in which year was this plate fired, why was it fired, and what was the reason that the Official Kiln, which had never fired Export Porcelain, made an exception.

You must also know the historical figures and historical events represented behind it, as well as what kind of influence it had.

The reason is very simple, just two words: Imperial Kiln.

From the Emperor and Empress Dowager, down to the Empresses and Concubines, and further down to the Beile and princesses, every single item used by every palace, every rank, and even every individual had grade regulations that were terrifyingly strict and detailed to the point of being jaw-dropping.

If there were no imperial edict in the Kangxi Emperor's vermilion brush, let alone firing such a "neither fish nor fowl" piece with no traceable origin, Lang Tingji would not even have dared to change the pattern on the edge of the plate by a hair.

Did he not want his official hat and peacock feather anymore, or did he think his neck was too itchy?

Therefore, if this is a unique piece from the Imperial Kiln, there would absolutely be relevant records in historical materials.

But unfortunately, let alone records, Zhao Xiuneng and Peng Yanzhi cannot even recognize the emblem on this plate.

After recalling for quite a while, until their brains felt numb, Peng Yanzhi still could not think of any historical Information related to this emblem or the Imperial Kiln firing Export Porcelain.

He simply gave up and prepared to discuss it with Zhao Xiuneng again. But just as he raised his head, he paused.

Zhao Xiuneng was leisurely, nonchalant, and completely indifferent.

No... this is a unique piece, aren't you curious at all, aren't you conflicted at all?

At the very least, shouldn't you try to recall if you have ever heard of something similar in your impressions?

Or could it be that you know?

Peng Yanzhi's heart shook violently: "General Manager Zhao, you... do you know the source?"

Zhao Xiuneng shook his head: What would I know?

If I knew, I would have gone to pick up the bargain.

He did not speak, but looked at Wang Qi Zhi, and Wang Qi Zhi nodded: "Lin Sicheng should know."

Peng Yanzhi was stunned: What?

To say that Lin Sicheng could see that this was an Official Kiln, or even identify it as an Imperial Kiln, might be possible. Because Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng had both clearly expressed that Lin Sicheng's appraisal skills were higher than theirs.

As the old saying goes, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, just as one cannot measure the sea with a bucket. Although the antique trade is a niche, it is not without geniuses.

Gan Luo became a prime minister at twelve, and Lin Sicheng is at least much older than Gan Luo...

But to say that Lin Sicheng is clear about the origin of this Colored Porcelain and knows the details of this emblem, Peng Yanzhi intuitively felt it was impossible.

Just look at one point, is Yao Qiming not an insider?

As an Expert in the industry, when encountering such a rare object, it is impossible that he would not consult masters and seniors, and even more impossible that he would not check the data. Since he dared to say he had studied it heavily, he must have put in great effort, but what was the result?

While he was secretly pondering, Lin Sicheng stood up: "Director Peng, I have indeed seen some files, but it was just a coincidence."

You actually know?

Peng Yanzhi was half-believing and half-doubting: "Where did you see them?"

"In the Forbidden City!"

Peng Yanzhi was stunned once again: Good fellow, how did you get in?

"What kind of files were they?"

"The 'Imperial Pharmacy Medication Ledger', 'French Envoy Tribute Ledger', 'Edict on Mission to China', 'Jean de Fontaney Diary', 'Doro Mission to China Secret Archive'..."

Peng Yanzhi tried hard to recall: "No... the files you mentioned, why haven't I heard of them?"

"They are all old files from the Qing Palace, and their influence is not very great."

Lin Sicheng was very humble, "I also happened to see them when I was sent by the school to study at the Palace Museum..."

Peng Yanzhi gasped: The school can send students to intern at the Palace Museum... why didn't I know?

Since when did Northwest University have such prestige?

In terms of economic development, Guangdong is number one in the country. In terms of rankings, Zhongshan University is still a top-tier 985 university in the country, and its history department is ranked even higher, so why didn't they get this treatment?

While he was suspicious, he saw Ye Xingchi staring at Wang Qi Zhi with a strange look in his eyes, and Peng Yanzhi suddenly realized: What school assignment? Nine times out of ten, this teacher of his pulled some strings...

Knowing exactly what these two were thinking, Wang Qi Zhi did not know how to explain: Lin Sicheng was used to passing the buck; whenever he encountered something hard to explain, he would kick it to him.

If you ask whether Lin Sicheng has been to the Forbidden City, of course he has. But every time he went, he stayed for two or three hours at most. He hadn't even recognized all the palaces and halls in the Forbidden City, so where would he have seen so many historical materials?

Moreover, what Lin Sicheng said was not at all the "old files with little influence" he claimed.

To be precise: anything that cannot be found in the National Library is classified as a secret file. They will only be made public when the history of the Qing Dynasty is finished being compiled. And "school assignment"?

Ask the Deans of the Cultural Relics and Museology College if they can see them.

Secretly grumbling, Wang Qi Zhi kept his mouth tightly shut.

Let him take the blame; anyway, since he has already taken so much, one more thing won't hurt...

Seeing what he was thinking, Zhao Xiuneng suppressed a laugh.

Afraid that Ye Xingchi and Peng Yanzhi would get to the bottom of it, he hurriedly changed the subject: "Junior Brother Lin, can you explain in detail?"

There is nothing that cannot be said.

This thing is quite rare, and he is currently in dire need of money, so the sooner he can cash it in, the better.

The earlier the promotion, the greater the fame, and the higher the price...

Lin Sicheng collected his thoughts and pointed to the emblem on the plate: "Director Peng, the origin of this item is a bit complicated; I will try to be brief. First, let's talk about this emblem:

This is the Auri Family emblem, created in the early 18th century during the Spanish War of Succession by the Spanish Minister of Finance, Jean d'Auri, and his younger brother, the naval commander Philippe d'Auri..."

In the early 18th century, the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty had no heirs, leaving the throne vacant; France and Austria fought a Europe-wide war to contend for the Spanish throne.

The King of Spain at the time was the grandson of the French King Louis XIV, namely Philip V. After ascending the throne, Louis XIV sent the Auri brothers to assist him. To put it bluntly: the king was merely a puppet, and half of the nation's power was in the hands of the two brothers, who served as French royal envoys.

The other half of the power was in the hands of Marie-Anne, the chief court lady also planted by the French King.

This is the historical background.

Next, let's talk about the personal relationships: the Auri brothers were cousins of Jean de Fontaney, a French mathematician and Jesuit Chairman who came to China to preach during the Kangxi era, and who was the son of a Count of Brittany, France.

Jean de Fontaney is his Chinese name; his English name is this: Jean de Fontaney.

It was he who presented Quinine, which cured Kangxi's malaria. The Kangxi Imperial Diary, the Veritable Records of the Qing Saint Ancestor, and a report sent by Jean de Fontaney to the French King Louis XIV in 1704 all contain records of this:

Emperor Kangxi suffered from severe intermittent fever (malaria), and we presented Quinine; after the Emperor ordered 4 malaria patients and 3 imperial physicians to test the medicine, he took it himself and recovered...

Now, let's talk about the origin of this plate: in 1701, Jean de Fontaney, who had been preaching in China for sixteen years, was summoned by the Pope and passed through Spain on his way back to Europe.

At that time, the Auri Family had just been founded, and the Auri brothers entrusted Jean de Fontaney to have high-end porcelain featuring the family emblem custom-made in China, and they paid a deposit. Two years later (1703), Jean de Fontaney returned to China with a group of Jesuits. It was a coincidence that Kangxi happened to have malaria, and Jean de Fontaney happened to have Quinine, saving Kangxi's life by a stroke of luck.

After Kangxi recovered, Jean de Fontaney requested an imperial decree, asking for Kangxi's permission to have the Official Kiln fire sample porcelain for the Auri Family.

It was, after all, a life-saving favor, and furthermore, the Auri brothers were the veritable Regents of Spain at the time with immense influence, so Kangxi waved his imperial brush and granted it.

Several months later, the samples were successfully fired, and Jean de Fontaney was quite satisfied. He personally arranged for the sample porcelain to be loaded onto a merchant ship bound for Europe.

I don't know exactly how many there were; there must have been dozens or hundreds. But unfortunately, before the porcelain reached Spain, the combined Spanish and French forces were soundly defeated at the Battle of Blenheim.

Someone had to take the fall for such a massive disaster, so the Auri brothers became scapegoats and were sent to the guillotine.

The so-called Auri Family naturally vanished into the long river of history. The sample porcelain, custom-made at great expense, became ownerless property. The key is that Europeans did not have the habit of keeping historical records, and this family was too short-lived, existing for only two years.

Even more unfortunately, it happened to be during the chaotic wars in Europe, so it was never recorded in any proper historical documents. In fact, even the records related to the Auri brothers are pitifully scarce.

Not to mention that Yao Qiming and Peng Yanzhi are Chinese; even if you went to Europe to find a professional historian, they might not be able to recognize this emblem. But China is different: as long as it involves the Emperor, it is definitely recorded clearly. Moreover, this was a matter of bestowing favors upon foreign envoys, involving diplomatic etiquette. It is in the Secret Diary of the Imperial Daily Life, in the Manchu Vermilion Rescript Memorials, and even more so in the "Tribute Records of French Envoys": it is recorded in every entry related to Jean de Fontaney presenting the medicine.

But because Kangxi nearly lost his life, anything related to the illness and the treatment process was classified as secret archives and has not yet been made public. Therefore, ordinary people cannot find it even if they want to.

That is one point; the second is that even if they did check, they would focus on what illness Kangxi had, what medicine was used, how he was cured, and so on. Who would care about a few inconspicuous little characters?

Even if they had seen them, they would have forgotten them in the blink of an eye.

But Lin Sicheng is different; regarding the memories of his past life, he truly has a photographic memory...

Lin Sicheng spoke eloquently, his tone extremely humble, attributing everything to luck.

A group of people looked at each other in dismay, especially Peng Yanzhi: how could there be so many coincidences?

Just ask one thing: who would have nothing better to do than to specifically memorize a record from the secret imperial archives about a piece of sample porcelain of uncertain authenticity that had never been seen by the world? Unless he could keep all the historical materials of the Qing Dynasty in his head. And he must be able to recall them whenever he needs to use them. Then, let's talk about a set of data: according to official statistics, there are 11 million core historical documents from the Qing Dynasty... note, that is items, not characters. If you count the characters, tens of billions wouldn't even cover it.

Furthermore, Lin Sicheng mentioned those two items: the "Imperial Diary" and the "Vermilion Rescript Memorials/Imperial Edict Files"; the former has over 120 million characters, and the latter has 4.2 billion characters.

This is just the main text, not including the annotations. May I ask, who could memorize all of that?

Therefore, Peng Yanzhi really could not figure it out.

At the same time, he was also somewhat suspicious: is the one on the table the very one recorded in the historical materials?

Even more, do these historical materials that Lin Sicheng spoke of even exist?

It is no wonder he thought this way: the shock Lin Sicheng gave him was truly too great, exceeding his past understanding...

The deeper he thought about it, the more suspicious Peng Yanzhi became, and the more curious he grew. He was curious about Lin Sicheng's identity, and even more curious about the origin of this Wucai plate. For a moment, it felt like a cat was scratching at his heart.

Truly unable to hold back, Peng Yanzhi took out his phone: "Professor Wang, Sicheng, may I take a photo and ask a friend to verify it?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Director Peng, please, go ahead and take it!"

To tell the truth, he was hoping for exactly that: the more people who know, the greater the fame can be.

Perhaps before he even returns from abroad, this item will already have a buyer.

Then again, if he were in his shoes, he would be even more curious than Peng Yanzhi...

Saying he would take it, he did; with a few "click-click" sounds, after taking the photo, Peng Yanzhi sent it immediately.

In this era, it was still MMS, so the speed can be imagined. Peng Yanzhi sent the picture first, then edited the message.

But he didn't expect that the internet speed was quite good today; before he had even finished editing the text message, the other party had already replied.

And it was lightning fast, "swish-swish-swish," several messages in a row:

Old Peng, what is this thing, Export Porcelain that has returned to the country?

Huh, why does it look like Gold-traced Five-colored Porcelain from the Official Kiln to me?

Peng Yanzhi was startled: as expected of an Expert from the Forbidden City, he just took one look?

And he was looking at a photo sent via MMS?

In a few quick movements, he deleted the text message he had edited and composed a new one: Director Lu, you didn't see wrong; it is indeed Gold-traced Five-colored Porcelain from the Official Kiln, and it is from the Imperial Kiln.

Just as the message was sent, less than ten seconds later, the phone rang with a "ding-a-ling."

Peng Yanzhi was stunned for a moment, said an apology, and stepped out of the private room.

Just as he stepped over the threshold, he hurriedly answered, and an exclamation came from the receiver: "It's rare; the Imperial Kiln fired Export Porcelain? Old Peng, where did you dig this up?" "Director Lu, it's not me; it's a student of a friend I just met. Very young, still a graduate student... oh, right..." Peng Yanzhi suddenly remembered, "He said he had been to the Forbidden City to study before."

The person on the other side paused: "A graduate student who hasn't graduated, able to go to the Forbidden City to study... how come I don't know about this?"

Peng Yanzhi was stunned: could Lin Sicheng have lied?

It didn't feel like it.

He hinted vaguely: "His teacher's surname is Wang, a professor at the Xida School of Archaeology..."

"Hmm, Xida School of Archaeology... wait, who did you say?"