Hearing this, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were naturally quite curious.

However, Elder Tan did not answer immediately, only stating, "Rest assured, the item is absolutely genuine. I, Tan, still hold some credibility in this circle and would not tarnish my reputation."

"Indeed, indeed. Elder Tan is highly respected, known for his words matching his deeds, never dealing in falsehoods," Boss Zheng chimed in with great sincerity, though one couldn't be sure how much of that sincerity was genuine.

Of course, a little exaggeration from Boss Zheng didn't matter, as long as the item itself wasn't suspect. Thinking this, Tang Qinghua turned his gaze to Wang Guan, requesting his expert eye for authentication.

At the same time, Yu Feibai reluctantly pushed the underglaze red plate forward. It was evident that despite his firm assertion of its authenticity, he felt a degree of unease, lacking the final, unshakable confidence.

Seeing this, Boss Zheng and Elder Tan were somewhat surprised. After all, Wang Guan appeared quite young, yet he commanded the trust of the other two, suggesting he must possess some real skill. But his true capability would only be revealed in how he authenticated and appraised the piece.

Appropriately, Wang Guan took a sip of his peony flower tea before picking up the underglaze red plate to examine it, asking, "Feibai, what reasons do you have for believing this piece is authentic?"

"Of course, I have my basis."

Yu Feibai immediately explained, "First, the body clay. Yuan Dynasty underglaze red often has a coarser paste, possessing a heavy, clumsy feel. Another factor is the glazing technique; early underglaze red utilized a painting or wiping method. After incising the design onto the body, red pigment was filled within the lines to create red ground with white motifs, or sometimes the pigment was applied over the incised lines, resulting in white ground with red motifs."

"As for underglaze red with linear designs, those are later works, dating to around the late Yuan period. The technique for these linear designs is also quite straightforward, usually involving outlining supplemented by simple dabbing and dotting."

Yu Feibai spoke fluently, "Judging by the motifs on this plate, it is clearly a later piece, belonging to the linear style, which is why it appears more regular, naturally conforming to the characteristics of that era."

Wang Guan nodded slightly, recognizing that Yu Feibai was correct. Legend holds that the appearance of underglaze red involved a degree of chance. A ceramic craftsman, while molding the clay body, accidentally smeared copper filings from his apron onto the surface. Not noticing, he fired the piece directly in the kiln.

Upon extinguishing the fire and retrieving the porcelain, he was suddenly struck by the sight of that touch of crimson on the surface. Only after tracing the cause was the birth of underglaze red established. However, due to the immaturity of the technique, it started with direct application of the glaze, slowly evolving into simple outlining and dabbing, meaning the decoration remained relatively basic.

The art of underglaze red was truly brought to its zenith during the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, favored the color red, not just because he rose to power through the Red Turban Army, but crucially, because his surname was Zhu (which sounds like the word for vermilion/cinnabar red). He had a natural affinity for the color. Fortunately, he wasn't overly doctrinaire, or perhaps he might have even changed the imperial yellow dragon robes to scarlet red.

Nevertheless, anyone with a slight understanding of Ming Dynasty official attire should know that high-ranking officials and ministers, at least those of the fourth rank and above, were permitted to wear red official robes. This demonstrates Zhu Yuanzhang's clear fondness for red; if he couldn't wear it himself, having his subordinates clad in it made the morning court a dazzling expanse of red—quite pleasing to the eye, in its way.

Within this historical context, underglaze red was certainly favored by Zhu Yuanzhang and consequently became a treasure of national significance. But China has a peculiar characteristic: whenever there is a good item, people always like to copy and imitate it. Therefore, the piece might not necessarily be a modern fake; after all, there were imitations made in both the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era.

"Even if there are copies, counterfeits would certainly strive for vibrant colors and pure firing results. They wouldn't aim for a color like this, which leans toward a dull red with blackish undertones," Yu Feibai added, his reasoning being quite sound: "Forging an inferior product doesn't align with the forger's goal of maximizing profit."

"How do you know they didn't deliberately do the opposite? Every little bit helps—they'd take whatever profit they could get," Wang Guan countered with a light laugh, though his hands remained busy, carefully weighing the plate while intensely observing it.

"Didn't I just say? You can tell by the paste," Yu Feibai retorted with a slight pout. "Don't forget, I was right beside you when Elder Qian was instructing you. He always said that while there are many imitations of underglaze red, if it's a modern fake, the improved grinding technology results in a paste as dense as rice cake. A genuine piece, however, feels loose, almost like a steamed bun without its skin."

"Oh."

Hearing this, Elder Tan’s eyes flickered with surprise. "So, you had guidance from an expert. No wonder you were so quick to determine its authenticity."

"Naturally. How would I dare take on the challenges of Mount Liang without a bit of skill?"

Yu Feibai smiled broadly. "Most of the underglaze red porcelain on the market today comes from the Porcelain Capital. That was around the late seventies when the nation initiated a cultural relic acquisition and preservation effort based on county-level units, rescuing surviving private relics."

"From the late seventies through the nineties, the state cultural departments conducted multiple transfers and adjustments of museum collections. Some precious relics with high research value were moved from smaller museums to major national collections. To facilitate this work smoothly, the state allocated special funds and instructed relevant scientific research units to replicate the transferred items to meet the exhibition needs of the receiving institutions."

Yu Feibai narrated smoothly, "Undoubtedly, this task fell to the major porcelain factories in the Porcelain Capital. At that time, to replicate one piece of porcelain, they would fire at least ten or more. After kiln extraction, one or two pieces would be given to the original transferring unit, and the remainder were bought at high prices by shrewd antique merchants and sold overseas. Even as reproductions, they fetched high prices and yielded handsome profits."

"Spurred by this, the industry of copying and reproducing antique ceramics fully revived in the Porcelain Capital. The reproductions from that era, supported by special government funding and held to high standards, are now twenty or thirty years old, making them easily confused with genuine artifacts."

As he spoke, Yu Feibai chuckled proudly, "But I spent two years in the Porcelain Capital. During that time, Elder Qian specifically placed these reproductions alongside the genuine articles, teaching me how to distinguish them. I only managed to vaguely remember some things, but Yuan blue-and-white and underglaze red were the hottest items then, so I paid extra attention and picked up a few tricks."

"I can’t claim a hundred percent certainty, but I have about a seventy or eighty percent confidence that this is genuine."

For a moment, Yu Feibai’s face lit up with a confident smile. "What do you think?"

"I..."

Just as Wang Guan was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang.

Hearing the chime, Wang Guan had a premonition that it might be Elder Hou, and quickly pulled out his phone to check. Sure enough, it was a missed call from Elder Hou.

"Excuse me!"

Wang Guan gestured briefly, quickly stood up, walked aside, and answered, "Elder Hou..."

"Wang Guan, you’re there. I’m truly sorry, I was busy with something and couldn't turn my phone on earlier." Elder Hou’s voice carried a hint of apology mixed with barely concealed excitement.

"It's fine, we understand." Wang Guan certainly didn't mind and immediately asked, "Elder Hou, why did you ask me to come over?"

"It’s just... where are you right now?"

Perhaps due to security needs, Elder Hou didn't respond directly but side-stepped the question, saying, "If it’s convenient, it would be best if you could come over in person."

"Where to?" Wang Guan hesitated slightly. "I'm currently in the North Suburbs..."

"The North Suburbs?"

Elder Hou paused. "What a coincidence! I actually wanted you to come to the North Suburbs— (Mangshan) north of Luoyang City. You know it, right?"

"Mangshan!"

In an instant, Wang Guan froze, feeling a vague sense of inevitability. After all, before coming, they had all speculated about Elder Hou’s purpose for calling him, believing it related to the items found in the mechanical box. Among the two pieces of cloth in the box, one was a map of the main tomb's underground palace, and the other indicated the location of the tomb—or perhaps the location was Mangshan.

With a thousand thoughts racing, Wang Guan didn't hesitate. After that brief pause, he asked directly, "Where on Mangshan?"

"Go to Cuiyun Peak first, and then I'll have someone come pick you up."

"Alright, I'll leave immediately." Wang Guan nodded and then ended the communication.

"Well? Did Elder Hou ask us to go to Mangshan?"

Meanwhile, Yu Feibai looked over, his eyes showing eagerness and a keen anticipation for a challenge.

"Yes."

Wang Guan walked back with a smile, looking down at the items on the table, not forgetting Tang Qinghua’s request. As he lowered his gaze, his innate sensory energy flowed out, instantly allowing him to perceive the scene shimmering with radiant light from the treasures.

Yu Feibai’s judgment was correct; the underglaze red plate was indeed genuine.

Of course, the authenticity of this single item didn't guarantee the others were real. Wang Guan could clearly see that among the remaining pieces, there was a mix of genuine and counterfeit items.

At this moment, Wang Guan had no intention of investigating the extent of the deception—whether Elder Tan had been fooled or harbored other motives. He simply bent down, his hands moving in swift, intersecting motions, separating the items into two piles.

Casually, Wang Guan indicated, "Qinghua, these items are fine. As for the remaining two or three, I’m a bit unsure about them; you should study them more carefully. I apologize, but something urgent has come up, and I need to leave now. Please bear with me."

As he spoke, Wang Guan offered an apologetic smile and turned to head toward the door.

"Wait for me!"

Yu Feibai naturally followed, not forgetting to call back over his shoulder, "Qinghua, call us after you're done!"

"Got it."

Tang Qinghua nodded lightly, then smiled. "Elder Tan, shall we discuss the contract now?"

"...Uh!"

After a long moment, Elder Tan finally snapped out of his shock. A complex expression crossed his face, but inside, a tremendous storm was brewing. What kind of background did this young man have? He appraised the items in just a few glances and discerned their authenticity with such precision. That eyesight... it was too astonishing to be believable.

Thinking of this, Elder Tan couldn't help but ask, "Manager Tang, what does your friend... do for a living?"

"Him?"

Tang Qinghua paused to consider, then stated seriously, "A great collector."

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