13: Chapter 13 Northern Song Dynasty Plum Vase

Hu Tian was not in a hurry; he walked forward leisurely, enjoying the process of "panning for gold in the sand," his mindset as peaceful as an old man out for a stroll.

He slowly scanned one stall after another.

In front of a small stall at the corner of Antique Street, Hu Tian stopped his footsteps.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man, dressed simply, even a bit sloppily. The items on the stall were few: only a dozen pieces of porcelain, a few bronze items, and a pile of messy old objects. They looked unremarkable, even somewhat shabby, as if they had just been collected from a scrap yard.

Hu Tian scanned them casually; the auras of the items on the stall appeared one by one in his field of vision. Most were gray, occasionally interspersed with a few white auras.

But right in the corner of the stall, a porcelain vase half-wrapped in old newspaper actually emitted a dazzling yellow aura!

Hu Tian's heart rate accelerated instantly, his breathing stalled, and his blood seemed to boil at this moment.

Yellow!

Rare level!

Two levels higher than the previous blue boutique grade!

This was a true big find!

It was also a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!

He suppressed his inner ecstasy, his face remaining calm. He even deliberately revealed a look of bored wandering, pretending to walk to the stall casually, his gaze sweeping over various items, and finally landing inadvertently on the porcelain vase in the corner.

"Boss, how much for this vase?"

Hu Tian pointed to the porcelain vase wrapped in old newspaper, his tone flat, as if just asking casually.

The stall owner looked up at Hu Tian, saw he was a young man, dressed ordinarily, and thought he was just another student or a green college student who had just entered the trade, so he replied casually: "Oh, that? Five hundred."

His tone was very casual, even faintly tinged with impatience. Clearly, he didn't take this item seriously, just regarding it as an ordinary old flower vase that was taking up space.

Hu Tian secretly smiled to himself. Buying a rare-level treasure for five hundred yuan was practically a gift!

It was a gold ingot falling from the sky!

He reached out, picked up the porcelain vase, his movements casual, and gently pushed aside the wrapping of old newspaper, revealing the true face of the vase body.

The vase body was slowly revealed, as if unveiling a veil of history dusted for a thousand years. A rustic and elegant aura rushed towards him.

This was a standard Meiping with a small mouth, long neck, sloping shoulders, and a bulbous belly. It was about thirty centimeters high, with elegant and smooth lines, like a graceful Song Dynasty lady, charming and poised.

The whole body was covered in bluish-white glaze. The glaze color was between blue and white; blue flashed in the white, and white appeared in the blue. It was as warm and moist as jade, radiating a unique "Yingqing" luster. In the morning sunlight, it flowed with a captivating treasure light, as if it contained flowing liquid inside.

The vase body was painted with scrolling lotus patterns. The lotus flowers were in full bloom, the branches and leaves curled, and the lines were as smooth as floating clouds and flowing water. The brushwork was delicate and nuanced; every stroke revealed the ultimate craftsmanship of Song Dynasty artisans—every cut revealing the clay, vivid and expressive.

Hu Tian's gaze was locked tightly on the vase body, his breathing almost stopped, his eyes full of amazement.

The next second, system information exploded in his mind like a tidal wave, detailed to the point of being astonishing:

[Item Name: Northern Song Jingdezhen Kiln Bluish-White Glaze Scrolling Lotus Pattern Meiping]

[Production Era: Northern Song Yuanfeng to Yuanyou Period (1078-1093 AD)]

[Item Condition: Rare (Perfect Condition)]

[Provenance: This vase was originally imperial display porcelain of the Northern Song court, fired by the Jingdezhen Zhushan official kiln. It was specially made for Emperor Shenzong's birthday. Ten pieces were fired, eight were tribute, and two defective pieces were destroyed on the spot. This piece was once stored in the Northern Song inner treasury, drifted among the people after the Jingkang Incident, and was collected by a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan. It passed through the Southern Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Despite the wars and changes, it was always regarded as a treasure by collectors of successive generations and kept secret. It wasn't until the late Qing and early Republic period that it was forced to flow out due to the family's decline. After changing hands several times, it was forgotten in the corner of a warehouse and eventually ended up at this stall.]

[Craftsmanship Details: It uses the typical Northern Song "binary formula" to make the body; the tire bone is white and delicate, with excellent light transmission. The glaze is selected from local high-quality kaolin mixed with porcelain stone. The glazing uses the dipping method; the glaze layer is thick and lustrous, and the accumulated glaze is lake-water green. The decoration uses a combination of carving and incising techniques. The knife work is sharp and smooth, with varying depths, demonstrating the superb skill of "every cut revealing the clay" during the Northern Song period. The firing temperature was controlled at about 1280 degrees, the reduction atmosphere was perfect, achieving this peerless bluish-white glaze color.]

[Market Valuation: 12 million - 18 million RMB]

[Remarks: A superior work among the Northern Song official kiln bluish-white porcelain from the Jingdezhen kiln, extremely rare in existence, with very high historical, artistic, and collection value.]

Hu Tian reviewed the system's rating standards in his mind:

Gray: Garbage, worthless or miscellaneous goods worth a few dozen.

White: Miscellaneous, hundred to thousand yuan level, like old electronics.

Blue: Ordinary, ten-thousand yuan level, antiques with some collection value.

Green: Boutique, million yuan level, frequent guests at major auction houses.

Yellow: Rare, ten-million yuan level, basically all in Museums or top collectors' hands, rarely appear on the market; once they appear, they are the finale treasures of auction houses.

Purple: Epic, hundred-million yuan level national treasure, usually collected by the state.

Orange/Red: Legendary, priceless treasure, like the Imperial Jade Seal.

This dazzling yellow aura before his eyes represented a huge wealth of ten million yuan right now!

Hu Tian secretly took a deep breath, trying hard to control his facial muscles, not letting his inner ecstasy leak even a bit, fearing the stall owner would go back on his word or raise the price on the spot.

His heart was beating violently in his chest, as if it wanted to break through his ribs and rush out, and his palms were slightly sweaty.

A Northern Song official kiln bluish-white glazed scrolling lotus pattern Meiping, and in such perfect condition, with documented provenance.

Five hundred yuan?

This isn't picking up a bargain; this is practically robbery!

Is it a pie falling from the sky, or is that stall owner blind?

Or does he simply not know the value of this thing?

Regardless of the reason, it is mine now!

"Boss, five hundred, right? No problem, I'll scan you."

Hu Tian's voice was steady, even carrying a hint of deliberately feigned casualness, as if he were just buying an ordinary daily necessity.

Scanning the code, paying, all in one go.

As the "Payment Successful" notification sound rang out, Hu Tian felt the whole world light up, the surrounding noise seemed to disappear, leaving only this heavy treasure in his hands.

Meiping acquired!

Hu Tian hugged the Meiping, which was re-wrapped tightly with old newspaper, his movements as gentle as holding a newborn baby, fearing to bump or damage this priceless treasure.

He continued walking towards the remaining second half of the Antique Street, but his footsteps were more cautious than before.

Every step was taken with extra care, as if he were stepping on landmines, and as if he were holding the whole world.

His smile hadn't fully faded, and his heart was still surging with immense joy, when he bumped into Old Zhou and Zhou Waner at the corner.

"Hu Tian?"

Old Zhou recognized Hu Tian at a glance, a look of surprise appearing on his face, and then he smiled, "What a coincidence, Young Friend Hu, are you also here at the Antique Street to hunt for treasures today?"

Zhou Waner beside him also started to smile, her crisp voice as pleasant as wind chimes: "Brother Hu, long time no see!"

Hu Tian hurriedly restrained the smugness on his face, subconsciously tightened his hold on the Meiping in his arms, and piled a humble smile on his face: "Old Zhou, Miss Waner, it is quite a coincidence. I happen to be off today, so I came out for a stroll to see if I could bump into anything good."

Old Zhou's gaze was experienced, instantly falling on the object tightly wrapped in Hu Tian's arms, a flash of inquiry in his eyes: "Did you pick up something? Looking at how careful you are, could it be that you've found some treasure?"

Hu Tian neither denied nor admitted it, only vaguely responding: "Eh, just some small trinkets I bought while wandering, not worth mentioning."

"Small trinkets?"

Zhou Waner's curiosity was piqued, she leaned over and said, "What kind of small trinkets? Let me see, Brother Hu, you must have picked up a bargain again!"

"Waner, don't be rude."

Old Zhou gently patted his granddaughter's shoulder, stopping her rashness, and turned to speak gently to Hu Tian, "We two are just finishing our stroll today and were planning to go back to the shop for tea. If it's convenient for Young Friend Hu, why not come sit with us? If you trust us, you can let this old bag of bones take a look at that 'small trinket' of yours, and we can exchange some thoughts along the way."

Hu Tian's heart stirred.

Old Zhou had been in the antique circle for decades, his eye was sharp, his connections were extensive, and he was an authority in the industry.

Although the system had already given detailed information and valuation for this Meiping, if he could let a great expert like Old Zhou help authenticate it again, confirm it was correct, and incidentally learn about the latest market conditions and selling channels, it would definitely be of great benefit to his future treasure hunting path.

After all, for some things, the system can see the truth or falsehood, but human relationships and market fluctuations still need to be grasped by people.

"Then I am honored to accept; I also happen to want to hear Old Zhou's teachings."

Hu Tian nodded in agreement.

The three of them returned to Jubao Pavilion together.

In the quiet compartment, Zhou Waner skillfully made tea on the side, the tea fragrance curling.

Hu Tian carefully took the Meiping out of the old newspaper layer by layer and gently placed it on the tea table covered with silk cloth in front of him.

When the Meiping was fully presented in front of Old Zhou, Old Zhou, who was still smiling while holding his tea, had his pupils suddenly shrink, and his whole person seemed to be frozen.

His hands were trembling slightly as he slowly put down the teacup. His right hand picked up a magnifying glass, moved close to the surface of the Meiping, and observed carefully from left to right, from top to bottom.

His breathing became rapid, and his eyes were full of shock and fanaticism.

"Northern Song... absolutely Northern Song!"

Old Zhou's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "Undoubtedly Jingdezhen Kiln! This glaze color is between blue and white, just right; the glaze surface is thick and lustrous, and the accumulated glaze shows a faint lake-green, which is a typical characteristic of Northern Song bluish-white glaze, also known as the legendary 'Yingqing'!"

He pointed to the patterns on the vase body and continued: "Look at this scrolling lotus pattern, the depiction is smooth and natural, with varying depths, the knife technique is sharp but not lacking in roundness. This 'every cut revealing the clay' technique can only be achieved by the top artisans of the Northern Song official kiln. This charm, no matter how later imitations try, they cannot imitate it!"

Zhou Waner also leaned over to look. Although she didn't understand much, she also felt the solemn and elegant aura emanating from the vase and couldn't help but ask: "Grandpa, is this vase very valuable?"

"More than just valuable!"

Old Zhou raised his head, looking at Hu Tian with burning eyes, his tone solemn, "This Meiping is in perfect condition, without any cracks or flaws, the shape is regular, and the decoration is exquisite. A similar Northern Song official kiln bluish-white glazed Meiping appeared at Sotheby's auction house last time, and the transaction price was close to twenty million RMB! And that one even had traces of restoration. This one... is simply a perfect piece!"

Hu Tian was calm on the surface, but his heart had long been surging with stormy waves.

The rating given by the system was at the ten-million level, and the price range was between 12 million and 18 million, which completely matched Old Zhou's valuation, and Old Zhou was even conservative!

"Old Zhou is too kind. I just happened to run into it, felt the item was good, and bought it when the connection felt right."

Hu Tian said modestly, glossing over the price lightly.

"Happened to?"