At this moment, Feng Hui stated gravely, "Having a clear direction makes things much simpler. We immediately brought in several porcelain appraisal experts to take a look, and sure enough, we discovered many precious antiques hidden among those cheap ceramics."

"Why go to such lengths?" Wang Guan was even more astonished.

Because under current Chinese law, there is no such thing as an 'antique'; everything is categorized as 'crafts.' Whether entering or exiting the country, only handling fees for crafts are levied.

Of course, if it were a cultural relic, that would be another matter entirely. Smuggling cultural relics is a serious crime, subject to severe penalties. But for mere antique porcelain, legally defined as crafts, they can freely leave or enter the country. Why bother with the elaborate hassle of smuggling? It's utterly superfluous.

Feng Hui understood Wang Guan's surprise and casually explained, "That's why we also suspect the origins of these antique ceramics are illicit; they are very likely stolen goods."

"Oh."

Wang Guan suddenly realized, finding that assumption quite plausible. Stolen goods inherently have a murky background, so smuggling them abroad or bringing them in for sale is perfectly normal.

"By the way, you’re quite fond of antique porcelain yourself, aren't you?"

At the same time, Feng Hui smiled faintly, "We've already posted notices, but no one has come forward to claim those items. So the department is planning to hold an auction soon to sell them off. If you're interested, you might want to attend."

"When is it?"

Wang Guan hesitated: "I'm not sure if I'll be free."

"In a few days..."

Feng Hui smiled, unconcerned. "If you have the time, you should go take a look. One expert mentioned that one or two pieces among those ceramics are worth tens of millions. Even if you can't afford to buy them, it's worth getting a close look."

"Tens of millions for a single piece of porcelain?"

Just then, Old Feng exclaimed in surprise, "Or is the total value of all the porcelain in the tens of millions?"

"A single piece."

Feng Hui confirmed definitively, "It seems to be something like... a Yongle Blue-and-White... Litchi and Bird Large Plate."

"Is that real?"

Old Feng sounded highly skeptical upon hearing this, "Is it really that valuable? What 'Litchi Bird'? I've never heard of it."

"Uncle Feng,"

At this point, Wang Guan’s expression grew peculiar. "Is it perhaps the Yongle Blue-and-White Litchi and Ribboned Bird Large Plate?"

"Yes, yes..." Feng Hui nodded repeatedly, gesturing with his hands in a circle, "Such a huge plate, and the blue and white glaze has a shine like gemstones, incredibly beautiful."

"Does it have jū wén (staple repair marks)?"

Wang Guan pressed urgently, then realizing Feng Hui didn't understand, he immediately rephrased: "Is it cracked in half and repaired underneath with a row of metal staples?"

"No, it isn't," Feng Hui shook his head. "It's a very fine large plate, absolutely flawless. The expert said it’s an unparalleled treasure; if publicized, it might be worth over a hundred million. What, you’ve heard about this too?"

At this moment, Wang Guan had no time to pay attention to Feng Hui. He stood up, apologized for his abrupt departure, and immediately walked out of the hall to make a phone call, reporting the situation to Elder Qian.

"Just lost one, and another one pops up—is this a direct challenge?" Wang Guan murmured softly, "Elder Qian, it seems Mr. Zhu Da is really going head-to-head with us now."

"Good, a contest is good,"

After absorbing the news, Elder Qian pondered for a moment, surprisingly showing a hint of pleasure. "If he continues to hide in the shadows, we can't do anything about him. But if he can't resist showing himself, that’s our opportunity. More activity means more traces will inevitably be left behind. Of course, this is all predicated on the situation being exactly as you imagine it—that the item is indeed Mr. Zhu Da’s counterfeit."

As he spoke, Elder Qian gave instructions, "You go take a look, understand the circumstances, and contact me if you find any leads."

"Understood."

Finishing the call decisively, Wang Guan re-entered the hall. After offering a couple of apologies, he said cautiously, "Uncle Feng, I am actually quite interested in the auction you mentioned. Especially that blue-and-white large plate; I'd very much like to see it. Do you think they would allow me to conduct an appraisal on it firsthand?"

"That's no problem at all," Feng Hui replied quite readily. "My vacation is ending anyway, and I'm preparing to go back to work. If you aren't in a hurry, you might as well stay a couple more days and travel back with me."

"Naturally, I'm not in a rush. Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Feng." Wang Guan certainly wouldn't refuse.

The subsequent events need no elaboration. After staying at the Feng residence for two days, Wang Guan accompanied Feng Hui to his workplace—the Customs office located in Shantou, Guangdong Province.

After several hours of flying, the two finally arrived smoothly at the airport. However, it wasn't Shantou Airport, but the nearby Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport. Thanks to modern transportation convenience, the transfer from Jieyang Airport to Shantou didn't take too long.

Not long after, conveyed by the driver, the two arrived in front of the Shantou Customs building.

After paying the driver and getting out, Feng Hui hesitated slightly. "Wang Guan, do you really want to attend the auction? If that's the case, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to stay at my place."

"I understand that," Wang Guan replied with a slight smile. "I can find a hotel to stay at nearby."

"Mhm."

Feng Hui nodded gently, then smiled, "There's no rush now. Come to my place first and let's have lunch..."

Feng Hui’s home was in a housing complex near the Customs office, typical of government housing. He and his wife lived in a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment on the third floor; it was by no means extravagant. As for their child, he was in middle school and boarded at school, only returning on weekends.

It seemed Feng Hui had given advance notice, as his wife had prepared everything in advance. Upon seeing her husband return with a guest, she greeted them with practiced politeness and warmth before immediately bringing dishes out from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Feng Hui also made a quick phone call. Just as the food was neatly arranged on the dining table, another guest arrived at the door. A middle-aged man, slightly overweight, with a gentle, smiling face.

At the right moment, Feng Hui introduced him as Section Chief Yu, who was in charge of logistics. Although nothing was explicitly stated, Wang Guan had an inkling: Section Chief Yu was likely the person in charge of overseeing the item auction.

Of course, when introducing Wang Guan, Feng Hui kept it brief, just mentioning that he was a younger relative and asking Section Chief Yu to look after him if the opportunity arose. What followed was obvious: they immediately gathered around the dining table, opened a bottle of liquor, and toasted each other, letting the atmosphere speak volumes.

After enjoying the meal and some drinks, and sitting for a short while longer, the two stood up to take their leave.

That's right, just the two of them: Wang Guan, and naturally, Section Chief Yu. Feng Hui did not stop them, merely opening the door to see them off. He had no intention of meddling further or getting involved in what came next.

Time flew to evening. After getting a satisfactory reply from Section Chief Yu, Wang Guan checked into a nearby hotel. The next morning, full of energy, he arrived at an auction house.

Specialization exists for a reason; the leaders at Customs were not foolish, and they naturally understood that professional matters should be handled by professionals, so they entrusted this business to an auction company.

Under Section Chief Yu’s guidance, Wang Guan easily entered a warehouse belonging to the auction company. This space displayed smuggled goods seized by Customs over the past half-year.

The antique porcelain was only a portion of it; there were many other items. At a glance, Wang Guan spotted numerous digital products like computers and mobile phones, and even luxury items such as fine wine and expensive watches.

In the end, smuggled goods were bizarrely varied, but they were all relatively valuable items. The reasons for smuggling boiled down to two primary factors: evading tariffs, and transporting prohibited items.

Of course, nothing currently slated for auction was prohibited. According to Section Chief Yu's explanation, confiscated cultural relics, narcotics, endangered flora and fauna, and firearms and ammunition were uniformly transferred to the administrative departments for their consideration and handling.

Smuggled reactionary propaganda materials, obscene items, and imported/exported goods that failed inspection or lacked a hygiene license were handled directly by the local Customs office, usually resulting in immediate harmless destruction.

Furthermore, smuggled items like refined oil and cigarettes had to be handed over to the local State Monopoly Bureau for handling. Only what remained could be auctioned. Even so, these remaining items were substantial, nearly filling the entire warehouse.

"This is nothing. I remember one year, three or five warehouses weren't enough to hold everything," Section Chief Yu chuckled, then pointed to a shelving unit. "There, the antique porcelain you wanted to see is right over there..."

"Thank you for your trouble, Section Chief Yu."

Wang Guan steadied himself and quickly walked toward the shelving unit.

After taking a quick look, Wang Guan saw that there were indeed many ceramics on the rack, but the most eye-catching among them was a blue-and-white large plate. With a diameter approaching sixty centimeters, it was monumental compared to the vases and bowls surrounding it, making it impossible to ignore.

"You've taken a liking to this piece?" Section Chief Yu also walked over, looking slightly surprised. "I heard this large plate is very expensive—it could sell for tens of millions at least."

Wang Guan smiled, avoiding a direct answer, and instead asked, "Section Chief Yu, could you tell me how this large plate was seized?"

"I actually do know that," Since the item was so valuable, Section Chief Yu had naturally inquired about the situation, so he answered directly without needing to ask anyone else. "It was seized aboard a fishing boat. According to the colleague on duty, they spotted a fishing vessel loitering suspiciously at sea and decided to approach it for questioning."

"Unexpectedly, as soon as they signaled the fishing boat to stop, the vessel sped away instead. Seeing this, there was no need for further discussion—they must have something to hide. Our colleagues immediately gave chase and intercepted it after some pursuit before they could corner the boat..."

At this point, Section Chief Yu found it somewhat amusing. "Those people were fools. A small fishing boat trying to outrun a patrol speedboat? Pure fantasy."

"Were the people on the boat caught?" Wang Guan asked with concern. "Who were they?"

"They were local fishermen," Section Chief Yu replied casually. "They succumbed to someone's temptation and agreed to help with the smuggling. Since it was their first offense, depending on the severity, they received either a fine and a warning, or were detained for a period..."