20: Chapter 20: Records of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Elder Zhou looked at Hu Tian with a chuckle, his eyes crinkling with warmth, his gaze filled with a deep sense of appreciation and admiration.

He gently patted Hu Tian on the shoulder with just the right amount of pressure, conveying an elder's affirmation of a junior: "Not bad, truly not bad! This plum vase is indeed the best of the best among fine pieces. Thanks to you, I've thoroughly stolen the spotlight at today's exchange meeting and slapped certain people right in the face. It feels great! Truly great!"

Several senior appraisers from the association also gathered around, unwilling to leave for a long time, as if they needed to get their fill of looking at it, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

One old man wearing thick reading glasses had his face almost pressed against the glass case, staring intently at the plum vase and praising it repeatedly. His gray beard stood up with excitement, spittle flying, and his voice trembled slightly from the thrill: "This piece is flawless in terms of shape, glaze color, patterns, and paste quality—it is perfect! It is simply a textbook-level Northern Song Dynasty qingbai porcelain! To be able to see such a divine piece with my own eyes, this old man can die without regrets! This life has been worth it!"

Another appraiser nodded along, clicking his tongue in wonder, and sighed: "It is too rare to pick up such a bargain in the current market; it is truly as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, rarer even than a giant panda. Young friend Hu Tian, this luck of yours is truly enviable! I fear your ancestral grave must be emitting blue smoke—no, this isn't just smoke, your ancestral grave is practically breathing fire!"

Hu Tian smiled modestly, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture: "It was all just luck, purely luck. You seniors are too kind; this junior just happened to stumble upon it like a blind cat catching a dead mouse."

While he spoke polite pleasantries, he was inwardly muttering to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly: "If it weren't for the Treasure Hunting Radar System, who could have such luck? This isn't luck; this is the victory of technology and hard work! The system is the greatest cheat, bar none! The luck you see is nothing but data streams in my eyes."

At this moment, most people in the exhibition hall were still enthusiastically discussing the plum vase Hu Tian had brought out, the buzz of conversation surging like a tide.

Hu Tian, however, took advantage of the crowded and chaotic scene to quietly slip through the crowd, heading straight for the most inconspicuous corner of the exhibition hall.

He stopped and, looking through the slightly blurry glass display case, locked his gaze onto a yellowed, thread-bound notebook.

The notebook looked extremely inconspicuous, one could even say it was utterly shabby.

The cover was dilapidated, its original blue cloth faded to gray-white, the edges severely worn, revealing the blackened paper fasteners inside, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

The paper had taken on a scorched, fragile texture due to its age, as if it would turn to dust and scatter with the wind at the slightest touch.

A few crooked characters were written on the cover with a brush, the ink so faint it was nearly illegible, and it was stained with unknown grime, looking like dried blood or aged mud, exuding an ominous aura.

The entire book gave off a musty, dusty odor, standing in stark contrast to the bright, glamorous, and jewel-encrusted exhibits around it, as if it were a castaway forgotten in the cracks of history.

Just then, a prompt suddenly sounded in Hu Tian's mind, carrying a rare note of seriousness and urgency: [Item: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Chronicle Notebook] [Era: Circa 1850-1864] [Condition: Ordinary (Damaged)] [Market Valuation: 50,000-80,000 Yuan] [Warning: This item contains important hidden information! It is recommended to acquire it immediately and conduct in-depth research! This information may rewrite part of historical understanding or point to a massive treasure!]

"Hidden information? Rewrite history? A massive treasure?"

Hu Tian's eyes narrowed, his heart skipping a beat involuntarily before beginning to pound violently, slamming against his ribcage like a drum.

The system was always rigorous and never shot without a target.

Since it had specifically marked "Hidden information" and even used exclamation marks, it meant that behind this seemingly ragged notebook, there was absolutely a shocking secret hidden!

It might even be a piece of dusty historical truth, its value far exceeding money itself!

This was an immense fortune!

"Young man, are you interested in this?"

A slightly awkward, cautious voice sounded beside him.

Hu Tian turned to look and saw a middle-aged man in his forties leaning in, his face wearing a mix of anticipation and nervousness, his hands rubbing the corners of his clothes uneasily.

The man was wearing a faded old jacket, the cuffs slightly unraveled, and his pant legs were stained with wet mud. He was an honest, ordinary person, appearing completely out of place in this magnificent venue filled with elegantly dressed people, like an ugly duckling that had wandered into a flock of swans.

"Yes, I find this notebook quite interesting; it has a special quality, as if it hides a story."

Hu Tian nodded and asked casually, his tone peaceful and without a hint of disdain: "Is this yours?"

"Sigh, it's not mine; it belongs to a friend of mine."

The middle-aged man sighed, his brows furrowed into a " river" shape, his eyes full of sorrow, his eye sockets slightly red: "He said this is an old heirloom passed down from his ancestors. His family has an emergency; an elder is sick and waiting for money to save their life. He asked me to help bring it here to see if I could exchange it for some money for the emergency. I asked several people just now, and they all said this thing is too broken and worthless; they didn't even want to take it..."

He pointed to that corner, his tone filled with helplessness and despair: "I thought that since the association had an internal auction, I could just help my friend out. I didn't expect the association's experts to appraise it and say it's just an ordinary chronicle notebook, worth very little, and not qualified for the auction. I can only leave it in this corner of the exhibition hall to try my luck and see if any kind-hearted person will take it."

The middle-aged man shook his head and smiled bitterly, his voice choking up: "It's been here since this morning, and so many collectors have passed by, but not a single person has looked at it properly; everyone is surrounding those porcelains and jades. It seems there's no hope for today; how am I supposed to explain this to my friend..."

Hu Tian laughed inwardly: Sure enough, gold will always shine; it's just that mediocre people trouble themselves.

Those so-called experts and collectors, no matter how good their eye for antiques, can only see the surface and cannot see through the secrets hidden within this notebook.

Their 'eye for antiques' is a joke in front of the system.

"I am quite interested in the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and happen to be researching related historical materials."

Hu Tian considered his wording and probed with a sincere look: "I wonder how much your friend intends to sell this notebook for? If the price is right, I can consider buying it."

The middle-aged man's eyes instantly lit up, as if seeing dawn in the darkness, and he hurriedly said: "The experts previously estimated it at 50,000 to 80,000, but it's been displayed all day and no one has asked. My friend is waiting for the money to save a life; it's an urgent matter. Why don't you name a price? As long as it's reasonable, we'll sell! Even if it's a bit less, saving a life is what matters!"

"How about this, 60,000."

Hu Tian's offer was straightforward, without any hesitation: "However, let me take a closer look at the item first to confirm its condition. If there are no issues, we can close the deal immediately; cash or bank transfer are both fine."

"60,000? Deal! Deal, deal, deal! That's great!"

The middle-aged man was overjoyed, so excited he nearly jumped up. He hurriedly reached into the display case to take out the notebook and handed it over with trembling hands, as if he were handing over some rare treasure: "Take your time, no rush. As long as you are sincere about wanting it, anything is fine! Thank you, you are truly a living Bodhisattva!"

Hu Tian took the notebook. As his fingertips touched the rough, fragile pages, a sense of historical vicissitudes flowed through his fingertips and spread through his entire body.

He feigned calmness as he flipped through it, his movements extremely gentle.

The paper of the notebook was indeed extremely brittle; when turning the pages, one could even hear a faint "crack" sound, as if it would break at any moment.

"Secrets of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom..."

Hu Tian was ecstatic inside, but outwardly, he remained calm.

...

An hour later, the appreciation session ended, and the exchange meeting moved into the internal auction phase.

The venue moved to the VIP auction hall on the second floor.

The layout here was even more luxurious and elegant. The lights were dimmed, with only a spotlight hitting the central display stand, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere, as if a sacred ceremony were about to take place.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, and the surrounding walls were hung with calligraphy and paintings by famous masters, showcasing depth and nobility everywhere.

The host stood on the stage and announced in a loud, clear voice: "Next is the main event of the day, the internal auction segment. There are a total of twenty collection items, all of which are fine pieces carefully selected by our members."

He deliberately glanced in Hu Tian's direction, raised his voice, and said with excited glints in his eyes: "In addition, there is a special item among them, which is a priceless treasure. Please look forward to it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of heated discussion immediately erupted in the exhibition hall, and countless gazes focused once again, filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Zhou Waner leaned over to Hu Tian's side, lowered her voice, and introduced, like a little tour guide, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness: "Brother Hu Tian, my grandfather said that many powerful collector bigwigs have come this time; they are all top figures in the industry."

She pointed to the front row and whispered, her eyes lively: "Look, that is Elder Qin, whom you have already met. Next to him, the one wearing agarwood prayer beads and looking wealthy is the famous Hong Kong antique dealer Chen Qiming. He has always been a big spender at overseas auctions. His family has been in the antique business for three generations, and it is said that there is no item he cannot acquire. And that middle-aged man in a suit who looks like an entrepreneur is the Binhai real estate tycoon Zhang Jianguo. He only entered the collecting world in the last few years and specializes in buying fine pieces to grace his home. He is the most generous spender and a typical 'nouveau riche'."

Hu Tian nodded, his gaze falling on the display area next to the auction stage.

The twenty collection items to be auctioned today were displayed there, each protected by a transparent, temperature-controlled glass cover. The lights hit them, refracting brilliant rays of light, like stars shining, dazzling and mesmerizing.

Hu Tian thought for a moment, and with a thought, the Treasure Hunting Radar quietly unfolded in his mind.

In his field of vision, twenty halos of light instantly appeared, clear and distinct.

Most were blue, ordinary collection items, while five or six were green, fine pieces, emitting an alluring glow.

And at the nineteenth position, that golden halo was exceptionally bright, clearly a rare treasure of great value.

The final grand finale was the Northern Song Dynasty plum vase he had added at the last minute: [Northern Song Dynasty Jingdezhen Kiln Qingbai Glaze Plum Vase with Intertwined Lotus Patterns].

In the radar's view, that halo was not only brighter than the golden ones, but its edges also revealed a faint purple glow, as if signaling its incomparable value and status, like the moon surrounded by stars.

Hu Tian's mouth curled into a confident arc, and he thought to himself: "The show is about to begin. Tonight, this place is my ATM."

The auction officially began.

The first item was a landscape painting from the ming dynasty, with a starting price of 500,000.

Hu Tian's eyes flickered slightly, and the information from the Treasure Hunting Radar in his mind instantly appeared: [A folk painter's copy of Tang Yin's "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams"; the brushwork is decent but the spirit is stiff, lacking vitality; estimated market value is about 600,000].

Sure enough, after several rounds of bidding, the painting finally sold for 620,000. The premium wasn't much; everyone had their own measure in mind, and no one wanted to be a sucker.

The poem reads: Broken manuscripts covered in dust, who knows the thunder buried within? A discerning eye pierces the clouds to find secret history, the legacy of the Taiping awaits your opening.