Upon seeing the inscription, Yu Feibai froze.

"Feibai, stunned, are we?" Gao Dequan chuckled softly. "Do you know who this Mu Zhai Jushi is?"

"It's truly Mu Zhai Jushi?"

At this moment, Old Qian's eyes also lit up, his gaze fixed on the celadon bowl, tinged with excitement.

"Old Qian, you know who Mu Zhai Jushi is?" Yu Feibai quickly inquired.

"Old Qian definitely knows, but he won't tell you," Gao Dequan smiled, preemptively issuing a warning.

"If you won't say it, fine. Don't think I have no way," Yu Feibai’s eyes darted, and he pulled out his silver-hued cell phone. His fingers glided across the screen as he rapidly logged onto the internet to search.

Seeing this, Gao Dequan was momentarily startled before immediately shaking his head with a wry smile. "I actually forgot—this is the age of high technology. Not like in our day, when we’d search through mountains of books just to find a few characters."

"The times are different; things are much more convenient now."

Old Qian also nodded, remarking with inexplicable emotion, "It's true that finding clues is simpler now, but it also makes it harder to retain the knowledge. In our generation, searching for a few characters often took days of digging through books. In the end, you not only got the answer but fully understood the cause, effect, origin, and trajectory. Moreover, it became so deeply etched in your mind that forgetting was impossible."

"Found it."

Just as the two were sighing, Yu Feibai announced cheerfully, "Mu Zhai Jushi… Tang Ying, courtesy names Jungong, Juangong, sobriquet Mu Zhai Jushi… Hmm, let me check—who was Tang Ying…"

"No need to look further; I'll tell you who Tang Ying was."

At this point, Old Qian reached out and took the celadon bowl. While admiring it, he began to speak, "He was the most famous Imperial Kiln Supervisor in Jingdezhen during the Qing Dynasty’s Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. During his thirty years in office, he elevated the ceramic industry of the Qing Dynasty to its absolute zenith, earning the era the moniker 'Tang Yao' from the world."

"No wonder the name sounded so familiar; it was him…" Yu Feibai realized with a sudden understanding.

Simultaneously, Old Qian held the celadon bowl aloft, scrutinizing it intently, examining it repeatedly, even taking out a magnifying glass to observe and verify every minute detail.

After a long while, Old Qian let out a breath and nodded. "It is indeed genuine. Having survived for over two centuries yet preserved so flawlessly, virtually without a single flaw—that is truly rare. If the body, glaze color, inscription, and craftsmanship, along with all the subtle details, did not perfectly conform to the characteristics of that era, I would genuinely suspect this to be a high-quality forgery."

"You mentioned earlier that Wang Guan found this as a 'leak'?"

Old Qian looked up, nodding approvingly. "Young man, your eyesight is extraordinary."

"Just luck," Wang Guan replied humbly.

"I suspect the seller thought this bowl was too authentic, too exquisite, and thus treated it as a highly sophisticated fake, selling it off to Wang Guan. They never imagined he’d actually stumble upon such an incredible bargain," Gao Dequan laughed.

"Wow, I wish I could run into that kind of good fortune,"

Yu Feibai said with envy. "Brother, where did you buy it? I’ll try my luck there when I have time."

"It was at a baofuzhai stall, conveniently located near where I was staying. I saw this piece looked good then and bought it. After that, I never saw that person again," Wang Guan explained, a bitter smile tugging at his heart. Indeed, one lie requires thousands more to patch up.

The term baofuzhai referred to those with keen eyes but little capital to open a shop. They would use a blue cloth bundle to acquire goods from various antique dealers and then sell them for a profit.

These individuals differed from small street vendors; they had no fixed location. They frequently roamed the streets and alleys, rootless, sometimes traveling between several provinces. Even if one deliberately searched for them, finding their whereabouts was incredibly difficult.

"Your luck is astonishing," Yu Feibai sighed.

"It’s not just luck; it involves a certain level of discernment," Gao Dequan countered. "Feibai, if you had seen something this exquisite at a street stall, would you have dared to act decisively? Even if you bought it, could you have been certain it was genuine?"

"I couldn't…"

Yu Feibai admitted honestly, though he still felt a touch defiant, turning to Wang Guan. "Could you?"

"I wasn't entirely certain either,"

Wang Guan smiled, naturally refraining from absolute assertions, and continued humbly, "That's why I brought the piece here, to allow Manager Gao and Old Qian to examine and appraise it, learning from the process."

"That attitude is excellent. Being neither arrogant nor complacent ensures continuous progress," Old Qian praised. "Collecting antiques is a process of ceaseless learning. Our ancestors left behind an immense heritage; who can claim to master it all? Much of what we know is only the 'what' and not the 'why'; it requires dedicated research and exploration."

"For instance, this Chanzhilian Celadon Bowl."

Old Qian used it as an example. "This is a Qing Dynasty piece, yet it is an antique imitation. Speaking of which, our tradition of imitating antiquity reached its peak during the three reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. These three emperors were all profoundly learned and appreciated refinement; their connoisseurship was high, so why did they imitate the old styles?"

"This precisely demonstrates that the legacies left by our ancestors are true treasures, which later generations must inherit. Furthermore, we must not only inherit but also innovate and expand upon them."

Old Qian touched the celadon bowl, his eyes alight with fondness. "Look at this small bowl; it imitates the celadon porcelain of the Song Dynasty. However, compared to Song celadon, this bowl’s clay body, glaze, and workmanship appear even more refined."

"This fully illustrates Tang Ying’s spirit of innovation—constantly researching and innovating upon the achievements of his predecessors. Therefore, the porcelain he fired not only retained the classical style but surpassed the ancients."

"It is precisely thanks to Tang Ying’s inheritance and creation that his fame resonated both domestically and internationally. Later generations greatly admire the rich variety of porcelain produced by the kilns during his tenure as supervisor."

"The factory kilns, having reached this point, achieved complete mastery; revealing the secrets of creation; blessing the auspiciousness of civilization; they are celebrated as the most perfect state of ceramic art since Tang Ying first supervised the creation of pottery…"

It was clear Old Qian held Tang Ying in the highest esteem, lavishing praise without reservation. Gao Dequan must have understood this, otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed Wang Guan over immediately after recognizing the celadon bowl as a masterpiece from the Tang Yao kilns.

Moreover, Old Qian made no attempt to hide his adoration, handling the celadon bowl lovingly, unable to set it down.

Observing this scene, Gao Dequan chuckled. "Old Qian, have you fallen for it? Wang Guan, do you have any intention of selling this celadon bowl? Why not just let Old Qian have it?"

Originally, Gao Dequan’s remark was purely intended to amuse the group.

Yet, Wang Guan took it seriously. After a brief consideration, he nodded with a smile. "I’m not selling the item. However, if Old Qian truly desires it, I can give it away for free…"

"What!"

Everyone was stunned.

At the same time, Old Qian’s expression shifted, and he frowned. "What do you take me for? A landlord ready to seize property through coercion? I, Qian Lingxi, have lived my life uprightly and have never done anything against my conscience."

"Take your bowl and go now,"

Old Qian placed the celadon bowl back on the table, issuing an order for them to leave.

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