Chapter 306: Lantingji Xu
Lu Jingyao had never refused any of Xu Youyou’s requests. Hearing her words, he merely nodded, “I’ll make the arrangements.”
Xu Youyou felt reassured entrusting him with the matter.
The guests present had two hours to appreciate and appraise the treasures. Many had brought appraisers with them, and some even approached Xu Youyou.
“Miss Xu, I spotted a Famille Rose butterfly bowl said to be from the Qianlong period. Could you take a look for me?”
The man speaking was bold enough to ask because he was one of Xu Youyou’s major clients. As a devoted admirer of Emperor Qianlong, he had spent a great deal purchasing several Qianlong artifacts from her.
Listening to him, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly — Mr. Wu was still so passionate about Emperor Qianlong.
She didn’t refuse and followed him to inspect the porcelain bowl.
Her skills in porcelain appraisal had already reached a high level. Although she could tell at a glance that this was indeed an imperial piece from the Qianlong period, she still carefully examined it from several angles before giving her verdict to reassure him.
“Ninety-nine percent authentic,” Xu Youyou said.
She left a little room for doubt, but with such a high level of certainty, Mr. Wu immediately looked relieved.
Seeing Xu Youyou helping to appraise the porcelain, a middle-aged man nearby said, “Miss Xu, let me test you. Do you think this Ru ware piece is genuine?”
Xu Youyou disliked the paternalistic tone of the man and wasn’t about to offer her expertise for free to a stranger. She replied casually, “If you think it’s real, then it’s real.”
The middle-aged man didn’t expect such a response. His face darkened immediately. “People outside speak so highly of Miss Xu’s ability to spot treasures, but it seems your reputation is undeserved.”
Xu Youyou remained unbothered: “If you think it’s fake, then it’s fake.”
The middle-aged man felt like he had punched cotton—completely frustrated.
At that moment, Gu Xueying had quietly approached without anyone noticing. She only saw Xu Youyou talking to the man but didn’t catch the conversation.
Following Xu Youyou to the next exhibit, Gu Xueying went back and asked the middle-aged man, “Did Xu Youyou take an interest in that Ru ware?”
The man found the question strange and replied, “She can’t even tell if it’s real or not, how could she possibly be interested?”
When Gu Xueying returned to Gu Fengchuan’s side, she immediately said, “Xu Youyou must be interested in that Ru ware.”
“Why do you say that? It looked more like she was arguing with that man.”
Gu Xueying said confidently, “Xu Youyou is always full of tricks. She knows we like to snatch up anything she’s interested in, so she’s doing the opposite on purpose, pretending to have a dispute to throw us off…”
Although her reasoning sounded far-fetched at first, upon closer thought, it seemed oddly plausible.
Gu Fengchuan observed the middle-aged man from afar. He saw the man glance back and forth between the Ru ware and Xu Youyou’s direction.
Coincidentally, he also noticed Xu Youyou’s young assistant, Liu Xiangyi, casually wandering over to the man and saying something, which made him even more convinced that Xu Youyou and the man were colluding.
Liu Xiangyi, idly wandering, came up to the man, looked at the Ru ware celadon wash basin, and said, “It’s full of cracks. Would anyone really pay tens of millions for it?”
The middle-aged man didn’t recognize Liu Xiangyi. Hearing her words made his blood rush to his head. “Ignorant! Those are called ice crack patterns! Haven’t you heard the saying: ‘A thousand pieces of gold can’t buy a single shard of Ru ware’?”
Liu Xiangyi’s eyes were wide with innocent stupidity. “Nope, never heard of it.”
The man found her irritating: “Shoo, little girl, don’t cause trouble here!”
Liu Xiangyi wasn’t angry at being scolded. Instead, she shook her head and muttered quietly, “I really don’t get you rich people. Spending tens or hundreds of millions on a piece of porcelain—is it really worth it?”
Fortunately, the man didn’t hear her. Otherwise, he would have blown up again.
Xu Youyou stopped helping acquaintances appraise items and instead browsed the exhibits like she was in a museum. Through this gathering, she gained a deeper understanding of the Gu family of Hong Kong.
Here, even the most casually displayed item would start at tens of millions. She saw no fewer than five rare Qianlong porcelains.
Only Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy could truly be called the centerpiece of this exhibition.
Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao finally saw this extraordinarily rare piece. It was placed at the very center of the hall, enclosed in a bulletproof glass case, and guarded by four security personnel.
“It’s the Lantingji Xu! (Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion)” Xu Youyou exclaimed.
Although Lu Jingyao was also a fan of calligraphy, he couldn’t tell if the piece was genuine and only said, “After four great upheavals, none of Wang Xizhi’s original works were left to the world. Legend has it that before Emperor Taizong of Tang died, he ordered the Lantingji Xu to be buried with him in the Zhaoling Mausoleum. However, when Wen Tao later looted the tomb, he claimed not to have found it. No one knows if he was telling the truth.”
The so-called four upheavals were:
- Huan Xuan’s failed usurpation and his throwing massive collections of Two Wangs calligraphy into the river.
- Emperor Yuan of Liang burning a large number of Wang Xizhi’s originals before surrendering.
- Emperor Taizong’s order to have his collected Wang Xizhi works buried with him.
- The Jingkang Incident, where Jin invaders looted the Song imperial family’s collection, including Wang Xizhi’s works.
After these events, few original works of Wang Xizhi remained in the world.
Xu Youyou studied the piece carefully and praised, “A perfect balance of strength and softness, of yin and yang—worthy of the Sage of Calligraphy.”
“Do you think it’s real?” Lu Jingyao asked.
Xu Youyou shook her head. “Not sure. But even if it’s not, it would be among the finest reproductions.”
Lu Jingyao asked, “Do you like it?”
Xu Youyou naturally understood what he meant. In the past, she would have shaken her head.
Lu Jingyao added, “Just follow your heart.”
Now that they had met each other’s families and were likely to marry in the future, what was a treasure worth tens of billions compared to that?
“I love it very much,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao couldn’t help but smile. “I know your abilities. Please give me a chance to show my devotion.”
Xu Youyou nodded modestly. “Okay.”
After lunch, the auction officially began.
The Gu family of Hong Kong indeed had a unique style. Xu Youyou saw an elegant and beautiful middle-aged woman host the auction.
Her voice was exceptionally pleasant. “I am today’s auctioneer, Gu Jiuyan. I know that most of you came today for the Lantingji Xu. Your time is precious, so I won’t delay. Let’s start with today’s first auction item: Lantingji Xu.”
