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"You take a look too."

After admiring it for a long time, Yu Feibai reluctantly placed the small, sweet-white porcelain bowl down gently, gesturing for Wang Guan to examine it, while sighing with emotion, "The glaze is pure white, thick as suet. Holding it up to the light, you can't see a single flaw; it can be described as utterly flawless."

"Mm."

Wang Guan nodded softly. If the piece was genuine, Yu Feibai's words were certainly not an exaggeration.

The reason ancient official ware porcelain fetches prices higher than gold lies in the immense cost of its firing, which was literally built upon heaps of real gold and silver. People often focus only on the flawless nature of the surviving masterpieces but easily overlook the incredibly stringent quality standards demanded by emperors for imperial porcelain. Any slight imperfection meant the piece was shattered and buried deep. A complete Yongle 'Tianbai' piece that survived is inherently a treasure selected from ten thousand, so how could it not be priceless?

At this moment, Wang Guan also carefully picked up the small bowl, and the moment he held it, he noticed how light it felt.

This was entirely normal, as Yongle sweet-white porcelain was a banduotuohua (semi-bodiless) ware. During its creation, the amount of kaolin added to the body was increased to stabilize its form. The raw materials were meticulously refined to enhance whiteness and translucency. From shaping and carving to firing, every step demanded absolute precision; a single slip meant all effort was wasted.

For a superb piece of sweet-white porcelain, setting aside other qualities, the body itself had to be refined until it was thin as paper just to be considered barely acceptable. When held up to the light, the thin body appeared almost transparent, as if the wall barely existed—this was the banduotuohua technique. Although the process sounds simple, successfully firing such a piece represents the accumulated wisdom and dedication of ceramic artisans over millennia.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Meanwhile, Yu Feibai, not wanting to be left out, leaned in for another look. "Furthermore, there are incised secret patterns on the bowl's wall."

"I see them."

As he spoke, Wang Guan took out his small, exquisite flashlight and switched on the bright beam. Under the light, the bowl revealed intricate, yet orderly, scrolling floral patterns. Concealed beneath the sweet-white glaze, they emerged faintly, exquisitely beautiful and delicately charming. Moreover, through the translucent bowl wall, the fingerprints of his hand holding the small bowl were clearly visible, a testament to the piece's transparency.

The scrolling lotus secret pattern was created by filling in the lines with white glaze—first, the outlines were delicately carved, and then the white glaze material was applied. Finally, it was fired in the kiln. This entire process is known as the tianbai (filled white) technique. Thus, "sweet-white" essentially means "filled white."

The refinement of the tianbai technique goes without saying, but what was most striking was the unique, faint rosy hue characteristic of the Tianbai tuohua porcelain, resembling the tender skin of an infant, too delicate to touch. It was also like a newly peeled egg, incomparably lustrous. The glaze color was as white as congealed fat, as pure as accumulated snow, its tone tranquil and soft, giving a visual sensation of sweetness.

Yet, under the strong light, it also emitted a subtle pinkish halo. This scene made it seem as though the sweet-white bowl possessed a human vitality—a faint redness lingering within the pure white, clearly indicating the healthiest complexion.

"A masterpiece. Absolutely a supreme treasure among the finest."

Yu Feibai grew somewhat excited, an intense desire to possess it flashing in his eyes.

"Elder Kong,"

In that instant, Yu Feibai followed his instinct and asked directly, "Do you have any intention of letting this piece go?"

"Oh? You want to buy it?" Hearing this, Elder Zhou seemed slightly surprised and offered a kind warning, "This item is far from cheap; it will cost at least ten million."

"Twelve million," Yu Feibai declared generously, finally having a chance to flaunt his wealth. Since becoming a new billionaire, he hadn't had an opportunity to show off, and now he finally tasted the joy of spending money like water.

For a moment, several pairs of eyes flickered, astonished by Yu Feibai's financial might. Wang Guan and Elder Qian, who understood the situation, felt nothing strange about it and offered no objection. After all, a Yongle sweet-white porcelain bowl was worth that much. Since Yu Feibai genuinely loved it and wasn't short of the funds, why interfere?

"I'm afraid I must disappoint the young man."

However, amidst his surprise, Elder Kong collected himself, smiled, and shook his head. "This is a museum-level treasure, and I've treasured it for over a decade. I've grown quite attached to it and am reluctant to part with it. Please forgive me."

"I see, that is indeed regrettable..."

Yu Feibai shook his head slightly, showing some disappointment, and did not raise his bid further. First, Elder Kong's attitude was firm, and he couldn't press the issue. Second, although the item was a treasure, it wasn't so precious that he needed to acquire it at any cost.

If the bowl's secret pattern had been a dragon-phoenix motif instead of scrolling lotuses, or if it had a mark in the center, or perhaps blue-and-white decoration—if it were one of those treasures noted in the Gan Zhu of Artifacts which states, "Yongle and Xuande kilns were both manufactured for the inner court, favoring zongyan [brown eye] and sweet-white, decorating with Somaliland blue, and treasuring bright red"—then he would consider staking half his fortune to buy it.

"Collecting such treasures also requires a certain destiny,"

At this moment, Elder Qian skillfully changed the subject, smiling as he asked, "Brother Kong, if it's not too private, perhaps you could tell us how you acquired this piece?"

The others also listened with interest. After all, besides its monetary and aesthetic value, the provenance of a collected item is what interests people the most. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many convoluted tales of lucky finds in the collecting circles.

"That story is quite long; it happened fifteen years ago,"

Elder Kong fell into recollection, a smile unconsciously surfacing on his face. "On one occasion, purely by chance, I was invited to a friend's house as a guest. It was in his study that I discovered this cup. At first glance, I was certain it was Yongle sweet-white..."

"Fifteen years ago, Chinese antiques were not highly regarded globally. My friend was a complete foreigner and naturally couldn't grasp my appreciation for the cup. Seeing how much I liked it, he sold it to me at a very low price, almost giving it away."

As he spoke, Elder Kong beamed. "It was only a few years ago, after he inadvertently learned the market price for Yongle sweet-white in China, that he regretted it constantly."

"What great luck,"

Everyone couldn't help but exclaim. Yu Feibai, in particular, once again lamented being born in the wrong era, where the good things had been snapped up by collectors of Elder Qian and Elder Kong's generation. For their younger generation, the chances of stumbling upon something truly good were almost nil.

The 1980s and 1990s were practically a golden age for collectors. During that time, as long as collectors weren't afraid of hard work and were diligent enough to travel to the countryside, they could always uncover fine pieces. But now, the antique market was an era ruled by capital; without substantial financial backing, aspiring to buy a national treasure was pure delusion.

"You are still young, why rush? There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,"

Hearing Yu Feibai’s complaint, Elder Chang shook his head. "We won't be around forever; the future world will ultimately be yours. Why the hurry? When you reach our age, you will surely have quite a collection."

"But it will cost much more!" Yu Feibai muttered silently, but he dared not let the old gentlemen hear, lest they scold him again for his improper attitude.

"You two shouldn't just stand there either,"

At this point, Elder Zhou smiled. "Find a place to sit down."

"Bring two chairs over," Elder Kong responded immediately, waving to his secretary, who swiftly placed two more seats next to the coffee table. Fortunately, the table was quite long, so it didn't feel crowded.

After thanking them, the two took their seats. Someone brought them tea, and refilled the cups for the others. This short break of two or three minutes was actually allowing for the transition to another topic.

After the tea server stepped away, Elder Zhou took a sip of the fragrant tea soup and then smiled. "Brother Kong, you are a leading collector overseas; the 'museum treasures' you possess aren't limited to just the Yongle sweet-white, are they?"

"I dare not accept the title of 'great collector,'" Elder Kong quickly waved his hand, smiling modestly. "I just have a small accumulation of wealth; compared to you all, I am far behind."

"Let's not compare ourselves; we wouldn't dare compete with you," Elder Zhou shook his head. "Among those present, perhaps only Young Master Lingxi... ah, and Wang Guan, their collections might be comparable to yours."

"Hm?"

Elder Kong paused. Elder Qian was understandable; though not intimately familiar, through certain channels, he knew Elder Qian was a deeply hidden major collector in the country. But Wang Guan, possessing such a rich collection at such a young age—had he inherited it like Zhang Congyu, receiving it from his grandparents' generation?

Such a thing wasn't unusual. Before some great collectors passed away, unwilling to donate their life's collection, if they had a descendant interested in collecting, they would simply pass the items on. Elder Kong suspected this was Wang Guan's situation; otherwise, how could he have so many artifacts?

"Elder Zhou, you are exaggerating,"

However, Wang Guan dared not compare himself to Elder Qian and quickly deflected with a smile. "My collection probably isn't as extensive as yours, Elder. It can hardly be called 'rich.'"

"The value lies in quality, not quantity," Elder Zhou chuckled. "One of your pieces is worth hundreds of mine."

"That's very true."

In an instant, Elder Chang and Yu Feibai nodded in earnest agreement.

Hearing this, Elder Kong became thoughtful but didn't press for further details, merely smiling. "I don't have a treasure whose value equals hundreds of others, but I did collect a Xuande blue-and-white piece recently..."

As he spoke, Elder Kong gestured, and his secretary carefully removed the Yongle sweet-white bowl. Not long after, the secretary returned carrying a jar.

At first glance, Elder Chang exclaimed in surprise, "A Xuande blue-and-white cricket jar?"

"Is it real?"

Simultaneously, the others present showed a mix of pleasant surprise and suspicion.

Although cricket jars were relatively common in ancient times, a Xuande-period cricket jar is an extremely rare treasure, comparable in value to the Yongle sweet-white porcelain.

The reason was simple: rarity dictates value. Looking across the entire Xuande reign, two items are considered priceless, unique artifacts by modern collectors: first, the Xuande censer, and second, the blue-and-white cricket jar...