"Finding an expert to authenticate it after purchase is fine. Before buying, you absolutely must judge it yourself, testing your own eye. Otherwise, how can you ever improve by relying on Uncle De for everything?" Yu Feibai stated with solemnity.

Wang Guan nodded, finding logic in the statement, yet he was also puzzled. "If we have to rely on ourselves, then why did you call me?"

"We're both beginners, we should exchange notes and learn from each other. Though I hate to admit it, your judgment is slightly better than mine." Yu Feibai gave an embarrassed smile, then urged, "Don't dawdle; the shop owner is probably getting impatient. Come on, let's go inside and take a look." As he spoke, he hurried to pull Wang Guan inside.

Wang Guan couldn't easily pull away and could only stumble after him, entering the shop. They passed through the main hall and proceeded to the rooms in the back.

"This is your friend?"

At this moment, the shop owner came out, sizing up Wang Guan with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

The owner was young, perhaps in his early thirties. His clothes were quite plain, resembling an old military uniform from the eighties or nineties, looking quite old, with the edges bleached from repeated washing.

However, judging by the polished leather shoes on his feet and the trendy mobile phone clipped to his waist, it was clear the owner was not out of touch with the times; the worn-out outfit was likely just work attire.

Wang Guan was privately speculating when he heard Yu Feibai speak, "Boss, your asking price is too high. I can't handle this alone, so I brought a friend along to share the burden. If we profit, that's best, but if we lose, it minimizes the risk."

As he spoke, Yu Feibai winked at Wang Guan, signaling him not to blow their cover.

Wang Guan immediately understood and chimed in with a smile, "He told me the boss has a treasure here, perhaps the shop's centerpiece. I was extremely interested, so I rushed over."

The owner looked relieved and reiterated, "These are genuine articles. You absolutely won't lose out if you buy them."

"Then, may I also take a look?" Wang Guan seized the opportunity to ask.

"Certainly."

The owner readily agreed, leading the two into a room to sit down. He then stepped out, returning shortly carrying a box, which he placed on the table, inviting them to examine it.

Yu Feibai opened the box, then turned, saying, "I've already looked it over. It's your turn to handle it."

"Alright."

Wang Guan, with a degree of curiosity, began to examine the contents closely.

Inside the box, various jade plaques were neatly arranged—some were peach-shaped rounds, others square, some shaped like fish tails. Large and small, Wang Guan counted twenty pieces in total.

As Wang Guan studied them, Yu Feibai spoke alongside him, "These are the dai gu (belt plaques) from a jade belt. Ancient clothing belts were generally of two types: the daidai (cloth belt) used for cinching the waist and keeping garments close, and the gedai (leather belt), mostly made from raw hide, primarily used for attaching cords, seals, pouches, swords, and other items."

"Such leather belts were then called jade belts, gold belts, silver belts, and so on, among which the jade belt was the most prestigious, usually reserved only for officials," Yu Feibai whispered. "Furthermore, the evolution of the leather belt had developed into a strict system of regulations by the Ming Dynasty, often losing its function of cinching the waist as in the Tang and Song eras, transforming purely into an item of decoration."

Wang Guan nodded slightly, listening as Yu Feibai continued, "According to historical records, the form, number, and combination of dai gu on a Ming Dynasty jade belt followed very regular patterns. For a gedai, the front closure piece was called the 'Three Platforms'; the left and right rows had three round peaches each; the square plaques on the sides were called 'Fish Tails,' accompanied by two small square 'Supporters'; the back had seven pieces, and the front had thirteen pieces, large and small."

"From this, we can see that a standard, complete set of jade belt plaques should number twenty pieces, including two taowei (end pieces), four fubi (supporters), six round peaches, and eight square plaques."

Yu Feibai listed them out: "The plaques in this box all conform to this standard. Moreover, the carved patterns on the plaques are Cloud-and-Dragon motifs. The five-clawed dragon was reserved exclusively for the Emperor. Four-clawed or three-clawed dragons were mang (pythons/lesser dragons), used only by Crown Princes, vassal kings, dukes, marquises, nobles, and high-ranking officials of a certain grade."

"This is a four-clawed one." Wang Guan picked up a peach-shaped jade piece, closely examining the carving. He observed that the Cloud-and-Dragon motif depicted a four-clawed dragon with a long, winding body. The edges of the pattern and the borders were smoothed, presenting a relatively soft outline. The meticulous polishing perfectly highlighted the lustrous sheen on both the front and sides of the plaque.

Under the sunlight, this round peach jade belt plaque was crystalline, translucent, and utterly flawless.

"This is Hetian jade material."

Yu Feibai added from the side, "It has a slight greenish tint within the white, suggesting it's likely celadon jade (qingyu). The surface of the jade possesses a soft luster, appearing crystalline and moist, with a glassy texture. Furthermore, the carving is exquisite and three-dimensional, making the Cloud-and-Dragon motif appear layered and highly dimensional."

Wang Guan nodded, picking up the other plaques one by one for inspection.

Soon after, Wang Guan set the jade pieces down, and Yu Feibai eagerly asked, "What do you think?"

"You've said everything that needs to be said; what more is there for me to add?" Wang Guan smiled. "I believe this item is genuinely from the Ming Dynasty."

The reason for his certainty was that while examining the pieces, Wang Guan had employed his special ability and observed a layer of bright yellow auspicious light (baoguang) emanating from every plaque.

With this evidence, Wang Guan was naturally certain that these belt plaques were absolutely not fakes. Of course, while inspecting them, he hadn't forgotten to absorb the residual Baoqi (precious essence) from the jade.

Having received Wang Guan's affirmation, Yu Feibai finally let out a sigh of relief, a flash of excitement crossing his face before he quickly regained composure. He turned around and adopted a negotiating tone, "Boss, this is a fine item. But isn't the price a bit too steep?"

"Five hundred thousand is not high," the owner argued persuasively. "In such perfect condition, a complete set of twenty jade belt plaques is extremely rare; most are preserved in museums. Even with money, you might not be able to buy one on the open market."

While acknowledging the owner had a point, they still needed to haggle. Yu Feibai patiently bargained with the owner, first cutting off more than half of the five hundred thousand asking price, and then starting from two hundred thousand, incrementally adding small amounts upward.

A few minutes later, the owner grew somewhat impatient, waving a hand. "Let's go out for tea and discuss it slowly."

"That works," Yu Feibai agreed readily.

The three of them left and went to the small reception lounge in the shop. The owner brewed a pot of tea, and they continued negotiating while sipping it.

Afterward, Yu Feibai and the owner engaged in a back-and-forth, with Wang Guan occasionally chiming in to support the negotiation. It wasn't until the pot of tea was empty that they finally reached the final transaction price: three hundred and ninety thousand yuan.

Once settled, the owner asked a clerk to watch the shop, took the jade belt set himself, and left with Yu Feibai to complete the bank transfer.

Wang Guan had been out roaming all morning and was somewhat tired, so he felt too lazy to follow along, choosing instead to rest in the shop. After sitting idly for a while, Wang Guan grew bored and began to slowly survey the antiques in the shop.

The antique store was not large, occupying roughly twenty to thirty square meters. The space housed two rows of shelves and four glass display cases. Inside the glass cases were relatively precious jewelry items like jade carvings and jade ware.

The items piled on the two rows of wooden shelves were much more miscellaneous......................

On the New Book Rankings, another grand master has launched a new book, storming in aggressively! We request your support with collections, recommendation tickets, and Sanjiang tickets—please help out as much as you can.