136: Chapter 136 Who exactly is this Mr. Hu?

Hu Tian gave a faint smile. "Lu Zigang was a jade carver. Placing his mark on an inkstone was indeed a practice of playful gifting among the literati circles of that time; it shouldn't be taken as authentic. However, the age of the inkstone itself is not an issue."

"Mr. Hu is an expert. I have no concerns," the old man said.

Zhou Jingzhi nodded. "The stone quality, the knife work, and the patina are all correct. It's a piece from the ming dynasty."

Chen Jiaxin immediately followed up, "The market for study room items like Duan Inkstones has been relatively cool, but high-quality pieces from good quarries with excellent carving have seen prices rising over the last two years. We suggest a starting price of 2.2 million, with an estimate of 3 to 6 million."

Hu Tian thought for a moment. "Starting price 2.5 million, keep the estimate as is."

Chen Jiaxin pondered briefly. "That works."

The second contract was pushed over, and Hu Tian signed it once more.

The third item was a Song Dynasty Yingqing glaze Carved Prunus Vase.

As soon as this item was placed on the coffee table, Zhou Jingzhi's expression clearly became more serious.

He didn't touch it immediately, first walking around the Prunus Vase to observe the flow of the glaze and the areas of glaze accumulation from different angles.

The characteristic of Yingqing glaze is that it appears white where the glaze is thin and lake-green where it accumulates. The glaze transition on this Prunus Vase was extremely natural. The carving featured interlocking peonies with shallow yet fluid knife strokes, a typical technique of the Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen.

Zhou Jingzhi looked at it for a full five minutes before speaking. "A masterpiece from the Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln. There was a small chip at the mouth that was repaired later, but the craftsmanship of the repair is very sophisticated and doesn't affect the overall piece. The body is thin, the glaze transparent, and the carving is a single diagonal stroke—the distinct 'Half-Knife Mud' technique. It's authentic."

"I repaired the mouth of the bottle myself and specifically preserved the carving. I hope you won't laugh at my humble efforts, Elder."

"You were right to preserve it."

Zhou Jingzhi uncharacteristically added another sentence, "This kind of repair is itself part of the history of its transmission. Mr. Hu is a master of this trade."

Chen Jiaxin was taking notes nearby. Once Zhou Jingzhi set down the Prunus Vase, she spoke up. "Mr. Hu, this Prunus Vase is the one we have the most confidence in among today's five items. The circulation of high-quality Hutian Kiln Qingbai pieces is extremely low, and several major collectors in Hong Kong, Magic City, and the Capital have been following them for a long time. We suggest a starting price of 18 million, with an estimate of 23 to 36 million. If the response is good, there's a high possibility the hammer price could reach over 40 million."

Hu Tian set down his teacup. "A starting price of 18 million is fine. But I have one requirement: I want this Prunus Vase to be placed in the Evening Session of the Magic City Autumn Auction, not the Day Session."

Chen Jiaxin's eyes brightened slightly. "No problem, that was our original plan as well. The client base for the Evening Session is of a higher caliber, and the bidding is more intense."

She pulled a third contract from her briefcase. It was thicker than the previous two, with two extra pages of special terms for the Evening Session.

Hu Tian flipped through it page by page, signing after confirming everything was correct.

The assistant acted even more carefully, using double-layered mulberry paper and a custom porcelain brocade box to properly secure the Prunus Vase.

The fourth item was a qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi Blue and White Landscape and Figure Pattern Bowl.

Zhou Jingzhi looked through this one a bit faster.

The key identification points for Kangxi Blue and White were etched into his heart. Once he went through the body, glaze, cobalt pigment, and brushwork—the key nodes—he knew exactly what he was looking at.

"A piece from the mid-Kangxi period. The Blue and White uses Zhejiang Cobalt, with a verdant color that carries a hint of purple. The 'Five Colors of Blue' are all present. The rocks use the 'Axe-Cut Texture' stroke, and the facial features of the figures show the typical 'Bean Sprout Eyebrows' of the Kangxi era."

Zhou Jingzhi set the bowl down. "The base mark is six characters in three columns of regular script. It's clean and authentic."

This time, Chen Jiaxin didn't wait for Hu Tian to ask. "Starting price 5.8 million, estimate 8 to 13 million. There has always been stable demand for Kangxi Blue and White in the Hong Kong market, and the figure pattern theme is quite popular. I anticipate there shouldn't be much pressure."

Hu Tian nodded. "Let's go with what you said."

The fourth contract was signed.

The final item was a ming dynasty Tianqi Official Kiln Bronze Censer.

This was the piece Hu Tian valued most himself, and it was also the last one Zhou Jingzhi examined.

He picked up the Bronze Censer with both hands almost slowly, with a nearly ritualistic attitude, cradling it in his palms to weigh it, then lightly tapping the walls of the censer with his knuckles.

A clear, crisp sound rang out, the resonance lingering for three seconds before fading.

"Exquisite bronze quality, contains gold,"

Zhou Jingzhi said in a low voice, a trace of hard-to-detect praise appearing in his eyes. "Not many Bronze Censers from the Tianqi era used such fine materials; this is a palace piece. The patina is genuine—a chestnut shell color with hints of ochre-red, formed through natural oxidation. It cannot be faked. The 'Made in the Tianqi Era of the Great Ming' six-character mark has sharp edges with no signs of polishing after casting; it was cast in one go."

He placed the Bronze Censer back onto the tray and let out a long breath. "Mr. Hu, this Bronze Censer is my personal favorite among the five items today."

This was the longest sentence Zhou Jingzhi had spoken since entering the door.

Chen Jiaxin clearly placed great importance on this piece as well. She pushed the fifth contract in front of Hu Tian, her expression even more solemn than before. "Mr. Hu, Tianqi Official Kiln Bronze Censers are rare survivors. The total number of public auction records worldwide doesn't exceed fifty. We suggest a starting price of 22 million, with an estimate of 28 to 38 million. If possible, I would like to make this one of the cover lots for this Autumn Auction, placed within the first three pages of the catalog."

Hu Tian didn't rush to answer, picking up his teacup for a sip.

"A starting price of 22 million is fine. I agree to it being a cover lot, but with one additional condition—in the provenance section of the catalog for this Bronze Censer, write 'Important Private Asian Collection.' Do not let my name appear, nor any information that can be traced back to me personally."

Chen Jiaxin immediately nodded. "That is our standard practice. Rest assured, Mr. Hu, anonymous consignment is written into the contract."

She flipped to the third page of the contract and pointed out the relevant terms to Hu Tian.

Hu Tian scanned them over and signed.

By the time the five contracts were signed, it was already a quarter past five in the afternoon.

The assistant packed the final Bronze Censer into a special velvet bag, then placed it into a double-layered wooden box, with Christies' seals applied to the outer layer.

The four wooden boxes were neatly stacked inside a suitcase. Chen Jiaxin personally set the code for the suitcase and handed a duplicate key to Hu Tian.

Chen Jiaxin stood up, sorted the five signed contracts into her briefcase, and then took out a gold-embossed business card, handing it to Hu Tian. "Mr. Hu, the preview for the Autumn Auction is from September 10th to 15th at the Magic City Convention and Exhibition Center. The formal auction is on the evening of the 16th. A week before the auction begins, I will send the catalog to your designated address. If any issues arise in the meantime, please contact me at any time."

Hu Tian took the card. "Thank you for your hard work."

The four of them rose to take their leave.

When the door closed, Hu Tian stood in the foyer, listening to the sound of the commercial van starting downstairs and gradually fading away before turning back to the living room.

The coffee table was empty. The five antiques had left his sight, but there wasn't the slightest ripple in his heart; his collection room was filled with items far more precious than these five.

According to the estimate ranges provided by Christies, if these five items all sold successfully, he would walk away with at least 60 million after deducting commissions and taxes.

And this was only the beginning.

He looked up at the wall clock; the hands pointed to 5:20.

Hu Tian changed into a set of loose cotton work clothes and stepped into his workshop.

He had converted this independent room into a professional-grade antique restoration space. A dehumidifier ran 24 hours a day, and the thermo-hygrometer on the wall read: 20.5°C with 45% humidity—the perfect environment for restoration work.

He walked to the workbench.

Fragments were spread across the workbench. He turned on the overhead shadowless lamp, and the light fell evenly, making the details of every porcelain shard clearly visible.

—Meanwhile.

The commercial van was traveling on the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway. Outside the window, the night was thick, and the headlights cast a bright band of light.

Chen Jiaxin sat in the back row, holding a cup with half-finished coffee, looking down at materials on her tablet.

Zhou Jingzhi sat beside her, resting with his eyes closed. His breathing was steady, as if he were asleep.

In the front, the assistant Xiao Fang and the driver Old Zhang were chatting idly.

"Old Zhang, just what do you think is the background of that Mr. Hu from today?"

Xiao Fang asked in a lowered voice.

Old Zhang chuckled. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"I'm just curious."

Xiao Fang glanced at the back row. Seeing that Chen Jiaxin hadn't looked up, he continued, "Look at that house of his—the Yunding Villa District. In Binhai, a house there starts at at least 50 million. If it were in the Magic City downtown area, it would cost at least a 'small goal'."

Old Zhang didn't respond, focusing on his driving.

Xiao Fang continued talking to himself, "And look at those five items he brought out. Any one of them is worth millions or tens of millions. He's so young—not even thirty, right? I really can't figure out how he got his hands on so many good things."

"If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it."

Chen Jiaxin suddenly spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a clear tone of warning. "Xiao Fang, in our line of work, the biggest taboo is prying into a client's background. You only need to remember one thing: Mr. Hu is an important consignor of ours. Not a single word of his information is to be leaked."

Xiao Fang immediately shut his mouth. "Yes, Manager Chen, I understand."

Chen Jiaxin set down the tablet, took a sip of coffee, and looked out the window.

She was actually curious about Hu Tian's identity as well, but as a senior manager for Christies Asia-Pacific, she had seen too many low-profile major collectors. She had learned not to ask what shouldn't be asked and not to say what shouldn't be said.

However, there was one thing she was certain of: Hu Tian was definitely no ordinary collection enthusiast.

His understanding of each auction item was even deeper than hers and Zhou Jingzhi's.

Especially that Tianqi Bronze Censer—when Zhou Jingzhi mentioned the detail about it being 'cast in one go,' she noticed a flash of a smile on Hu Tian's face. That kind of smile was the tacit understanding shared between experts.

"Manager Chen."

Zhou Jingzhi suddenly opened his eyes, breaking the silence inside the car.

"Yes?"

Chen Jiaxin turned her head.

Zhou Jingzhi's tone was calm, but his eyes held a rare excitement. "I think the starting price for that Bronze Censer can be adjusted upwards."

Chen Jiaxin was slightly stunned. "You mean adjust it from 22 million to how much?"

"28 million."

Zhou Jingzhi spoke with certainty. "A Tianqi palace Bronze Censer in such pristine condition hasn't appeared on the market for at least two years. And look at its patina—chestnut shell with ochre-red highlights. This was formed by over three hundred years of natural oxidation; fakes can't produce this texture. My conservative estimate is that on the auction floor, the final hammer price won't be lower than 35 million."

Chen Jiaxin pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "The starting price has already been contracted; it can't be changed. But I can raise the upper limit of the estimate in the catalog to 35 to 40 million."

Zhou Jingzhi nodded. "That works too."