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To be precise, everything in the chest was blue-and-white porcelain, mostly vases and jars.

The craftsmanship of these blue-and-white porcelains was exquisite; the clay body was as white as jade, precise and delicate, and the blue pigment was deep and rich, exuding a sapphire-like luster under the light.

“Beautiful, absolutely stunning.”

Yu Feibai marveled continuously, then carefully picked up a guaner vase with a relatively long neck and a flattened, round body, examining its texture while intently scrutinizing every detail.

The form of the guaner vase imitated the touhu (pitch-pot) style of the Han Dynasty; it earned its name because of the pair of symmetrical, upright tubular handles (guan'er) affixed to the neck.

This type of guaner vase was purely an ornamental piece, richly decorated. The neck was painted with sea-water motifs, interspersed with a band of key-fret designs, and the shoulder was adorned with banana-leaf patterns. These auxiliary patterns, densely applied with blue-and-white pigment, formed a sharp contrast with the spaciousness of the main theme on the body: entwined lotus scrolls.

Of course, despite the abundance of decoration, it did not feel cluttered. These patterns were drawn with great discipline, never crossing the outlines, the lines smooth, the motifs distinct, conveying a sense of continuous flow. In any case, it was aesthetically pleasing, possessing a strong artistic appeal.

“Made in the Xuande period of the Great Ming, with a double-ring, double-line regular script mark.”

At the same time, Yu Feibai habitually checked the base mark of the guaner vase and was instantly even more delighted: “This is blue-and-white porcelain from the Xuande era; no wonder it's so exquisitely beautiful.”

During the Xuande reign of the Ming Dynasty, compared to the blue-and-white wares of other Ming reigns, its firing technology reached its zenith. Later evaluations often noted that among the Ming kilns, Xuande and Chenghua were superior; Xuande excelled in blue-and-white, while Chenghua was best for wucai (five-color ware).

Some also felt that Xuande kiln wares had a fine and thick body. Those exhibiting subtle orange-peel texture, ice-crackling, or eel-blood markings rivaled the Guan and Ru wares of the Song Dynasty. Whether subtly painted, iron-red painted, or blue-and-white painted, they were unprecedented, masterpieces of their generation.

In other words, if a five-star rating system were used for evaluation, the blue-and-white porcelain of the Xuande period would undoubtedly receive a five-star endorsement, completely free of any manufactured bias. Wares from this period have always been highly prized by collectors both domestically and abroad, regarded as the paragon of blue-and-white craftsmanship. If one could collect one, it would likely be enshrined as a family heirloom.

Yet here was a whole chest, and not just of guaner vases, but also meiping (plum vases), danping (gall-bladder vases), rectangular vases, baoyue vases, yuhuchun vases, and more. Additionally, there were scattered zhizhi ewers, gourd-mouthed ewers, yuhuchun ewers, and square-spouted ewers… A whole box of blue-and-white vases and jars, each piece crafted with superb artistry, its luster soft and never glaring, like something imbued with pearls and precious stones.

Seeing this, Wang Guan also felt deeply impressed, shaking his head: “If only they were all genuine.”

“Indeed. If they were truly Xuande blue-and-white, this box of items could fetch billions.” Yu Feibai sighed too. He wasn't slow; he naturally understood why such a large box had been dug up. No matter how exquisite the object, if it was connected to Mr. Zhu Da, its authenticity was cause for serious doubt.

As he spoke, Yu Feibai carefully examined the guaner vase, quickly glancing over the exterior before focusing intently on the interior wall. However, the interior was relatively narrow, offering little area for inspection. Fortunately, the mouth of the guaner vase was wide enough, so Yu Feibai reached his hand inside to slowly feel around. After a few minutes, he actually managed to feel something unusual.

“Here, right in this spot.”

At this moment, Yu Feibai wasn't sure whether to be happy or dejected: “There is a clear stamped mark here, undoubtedly the masterpiece of Mr. Zhu Da.”

“Naturally so.”

Wang Guan wasn’t surprised: “Actually, the moment I saw these vases and jars, I had a feeling. That kiln site must have been Mr. Zhu Da’s early workshop, solely producing bottles and jars, because those two types have small openings, making it easier to leave hidden stamps inside.”

“But later on, Mr. Zhu Da probably felt stamping inside vases and jars was too childish, so he abandoned that kiln site and planned to start fresh, which led to the hidden marks integrated into the patterns.”

Saying this, Wang Guan was also filled with emotion: “As expected of Mr. Zhu Da; a formidable life needs no explanation. His imitation techniques were already superb, yet he still strove for perfection…”

“Yes, striving for perfection is exactly why everyone got hammered by him.”

While Yu Feibai was grumbling, Gao Dequan wasn't participating. He wasn't even looking at the exquisite blue-and-white ceramics, instead rummaging through the box, seemingly searching for something.

“Found it, it should be this.”

A moment later, Gao Dequan finally pulled out a long, flat box from the bottom of the chest. The instant he saw it, a look of excitement spread across his face. Then, with slightly trembling hands, he opened the box. Inside, there was nothing but a relatively thin booklet.

Yet, this booklet made Gao Dequan ecstatic, so thrilled he almost let out a cheer.

“Uncle De, what is this?”

At the same time, Wang Guan noticed Gao Dequan’s unusual reaction and naturally leaned in to look. The booklet had no cover; the first page was filled with densely packed, tiny characters written in the yingtou xiaozi (fly's head small script).

Wang Guan narrowed his eyes to examine it, then gasped in astonishment: “This is… a formula?”

“That’s right, not just a formula, but also detailed records of the entire process.”

At this moment, Gao Dequan could no longer hide his delight; his smile burst forth brilliantly like a blooming flower: “These are Mr. Zhu Da’s notes on firing porcelain; they are extremely important.”

Not just extremely important, but extremely, extremely, extremely… important.

Wang Guan naturally understood that such a thing would be worthless in the hands of a layman, but in the hands of a master of antique reproduction like Gao Dequan, it was like a fish returning to water, or a tiger gaining wings.

Don't dismiss this as exaggeration. It’s similar to modern patent protection; ancient times placed immense value on core technology.

Wang Guan had read some historical documents explicitly stating that during the Han Dynasty, sericulture was a Han monopoly. If foreigners dared to smuggle silkworm cocoons out of the pass and were discovered upon inspection, the penalty was immediate execution.

The technology for firing porcelain was similar. Porcelain could be sold to foreigners, but the manufacturing process and glaze formulas were not to be disclosed to outsiders.

It was only during the Qing Dynasty, during the reign of the eternal Emperor Kangxi, that he—either unaware or deliberately ignoring the centuries-old established rules—allowed foreigners to visit kilns freely and learn the entire process of porcelain firing…

When foreigners took this technology back, it caused an immediate sensation. Then, they spent hundreds of years mastering and internalizing it, eventually surpassing the original; they began to suppress China in the international market. So, while China remains a major producer of porcelain today, modern Chinese ceramics completely lack the competitive edge they once held in the world.

This is the tragedy of technology leakage. So, one shouldn't always complain that Chinese people don't value patent protection; in reality, those who genuinely made a living from this technology guarded it more fiercely than their own lives. This is why the ancients, when passing on skills, always tended to hold something back, setting various rules like passing knowledge only to sons, not daughters, and only to sons-in-law, not daughters-in-law.

Of course, this practice also led to the loss of much knowledge.

However, Mr. Zhu Da was clearly an exception; he had the habit of taking notes. Then, whether intentionally or inadvertently, these notes were passed down.

For those who fire porcelain, these notes are veritable secret manuals. Mastering them would undoubtedly lead to a massive leap in one’s "martial skill," potentially reaching the pinnacle—equivalent to becoming another Mr. Zhu Da. This is also evidenced by the fact that the original Mr. Zhu Da had been dead for hundreds of years, so how could a Mr. Zhu Da emerge again?

The reason must be that sometime in the 1970s or 80s, someone accidentally obtained these notes. After studying them, they succeeded in replicating Mr. Zhu Da’s techniques and instantly transformed into 'Zhu the Second Generation'?

Although they were fiercely cracked down upon and the 'Zhu the Second Generation' group was destroyed, Qian Lao and the others never found those notes at the time. That’s why, twenty years later, 'Zhu the Third Generation' managed to rise again from the ashes.

“It’s a pity; these seem to be early notes, and the techniques aren't perfectly refined.”

At this moment, Gao Dequan flipped through the notes, reading intently for a moment, then expressed some regret: “And the formulas recorded in the notes are few; they are only specific to Xuande blue-and-white porcelain…”

“Uncle De, just be content,” Wang Guan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. “Finding something like this is already a tremendous stroke of luck; how can you ask for more?”

“Why can’t I ask for more?”

Yu Feibai held a different view: “With Uncle De’s skill, he can surely extrapolate and apply the principles to other things…”

“Stop it.”

Gao Dequan quickly interrupted, a wry smile on his face: “Don’t praise me too highly, lest I fall and break my neck.”

“Alright, you two take your time admiring these blue-and-white ceramics. These items were counterfeits back then, but now they are reproductions and possess very high value. Take a close look, and perhaps you can discern the differences compared to Mr. Zhu Da’s current fakes.”

“As for me, I need to take these notes back for detailed study…”

As he spoke, Gao Dequan waved his hand, preparing to leave.

“Wait.”

At this point, Wang Guan reached out to stop him, smiling slightly: “Uncle De, did you forget something?”

“Did I forget something?”

Gao Dequan looked puzzled, glancing around. He didn’t think he had left anything behind.

“The Mao porcelain, the Mao porcelain ready for cooling down.”

Wang Guan said, exasperated but amused: “Are you just going to abandon it?”

“Uh!”

Gao Dequan instantly snapped back to attention, giving a wry smile: “Look at my memory; I’m completely muddled.”

“I think Uncle De isn't muddled, just overly excited,” Yu Feibai chuckled slyly. “Since you got such a huge reward, you must treat us tonight.”

“How can that be…” Wang Guan shook his head and laughed: “Just treating us isn't enough; you should at least host a continuous feast for three days straight.”

“Hahahaha, if the Mao porcelain fires successfully, let alone a three-day feast, even thirty days is fine.”

Just then, a hearty voice was heard from outside—it was Su Wenyi, the CEO of the Su Group, who had rushed over from his busy schedule just before the kiln was shut down. (To be continued)