Appraising Treasures 225

  Liu Ziguang sat at the table, and in a manner as swift as swirling clouds, he devoured twenty eggs and a bowl of steamed shrimp. He grabbed the teapot and gulped it down, but still felt a bit hungry. He then ran to the kitchen and ate five baskets of roasted wheat and three tiers of soup buns. By the time he finished eating, the sky had already brightened, and the servants had opened the main gate, sweeping the floor and sprinkling water in the courtyard.

  Liu Ziguang sent Ding Libin to the Guo Gongfu to invite Eldest Miss and Second Miss over, as the stolen calligraphy and paintings needed to be appraised by a professional. It was out of the question to ask an outsider to appraise the loot, so they could only ask Peng Jingrong, who was like a walking encyclopedia.

  In Liu Ziguang's room in the morning, several checkpoints had been set up outside, prohibiting anyone from approaching. Peng Jingrong stared at the four paintings in shock.

  "This is Wu Daozi's Eighty-Seven Immortals, I've only seen copies before, never thought that today I'd be able to see the true work of a painting sage." Peng Jingrong said, pointing at the long scroll filled with immortals.

  "This is a rare white silk painting, most of the existing works of the saint are murals. I have seen them in temples in Luoyang and Chang'an. This silk painting may be a draft prepared for mural painting. Look at it, although it's not colored, but its momentum is majestic, the image is delicate and intricate, the figure is natural, the brushstrokes are bold and free, like clouds flowing water. It's truly a priceless ancient painting." Peng Jingrong carefully examined every detail on the painting, occasionally exclaiming in admiration, and even forgot to ask about the origin of the painting.

  The second long scroll is a handscroll on rice paper, painted with many small birds. The entire painting is divided into twelve sections, each section has a seal at the joint, the brushwork is simple and elegant, all in ink, whether it's birds or flowers, grass and trees, they are all vividly depicted.

  "This is Song Huizong's 'Finest Bird Painting', a model of his realistic flower and bird paintings. Look at the feathers on the birds, they are lightly outlined with pale ink, then covered with darker ink, and finally dotted with even darker ink to highlight the head, tail, and feather tips, creating a layered effect that reflects the softness, thickness, and mottled colors of the feathers. The branches and leaves are painted in a similar way. Especially the bamboo leaves are depicted exactly as recorded in historical documents. Moreover, when depicting the birds' postures, 'Finest Bird Painting' also has its brilliant moments, such as the eleventh segment "Harmonious Chirping on the Plain" where the birds turn their heads to look back, the fifth segment "Emerald Jade Twin Perch" with its dynamic and static contrast, and the second segment's "Fragrant Breeze Bird Language" with its absorbed and stretched neck...". Peng Jingrong chatted enthusiastically, like playing a lute to a cow, while Liu Ziguang impatiently asked: "I know about Song Huizong, if he could paint his way out of losing the country, he would be considered the greatest emperor in history. Just tell me if it's worth money or not."

  "Of course, it's valuable and a national treasure. I reckon the Emperor of Song would be willing to pay an unimaginable high price to acquire it, after all, it's his ancestor's heirloom. It's said that two years ago, the Emperor of Song was willing to exchange ten naval ships for one of Huizong's paintings, but was politely declined by the Empress Dowager; even if we put aside its historical significance, 'The Painting of Rare Birds' is a masterpiece with exceptional skill, and it's extremely valuable." Peng Jingrong couldn't contain her excitement, her voice trembling slightly.

  "Alright, let's take a look at this one. Who wrote these two characters?" Liu Ziguang felt like he was now just like the host of CCTV's appraisal program, and Xiaojie was the specially invited expert.

  "Quickly snow clears! Where did you get this from? You didn't go grave robbing, did you? It's said that this post was brought into the Zhao Mausoleum by Emperor Taizong of Tang for burial." Peng Jingrong was almost fainting, having been shocked three times in one morning, and really couldn't take it anymore. She hastily sat down in a chair, poured herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves, and composed herself.

  "Xī Zhī dūn shǒu. Kuài xuě shí qíng, jiā xiǎng ān shàn. Wèi guǒ wéi jié. Lì bù cì. Wáng Xī Zhī dūn shǒu. Shān yīn zhāng hóu. Just these 28 characters can be called the best in the world, unmatched in ancient and modern times! Do you know who wrote this? The calligraphy saint Wang Xizhi! This piece is only second to his 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion', people all over the world cannot get it, even good copies can sell for a sky-high price! Wait, I need to take another look to see if this is a copy." Péng Jìng Róng looked carefully for half a day and still couldn't come to a conclusion.

  "My skills are too shallow, I can't see it, anyway, even if it's a copy, it's still worth treasuring." This was her final conclusion.

  Looking at the last piece of running script, Peng Jingrong was even more stimulated and gradually became numb. She said weakly: "This is Tang Dynasty Yan Lu Gong's 'Disputing Seat Post': also known as 'On Seat Post' or 'Letter to Guo Pu'. It is a draft of a letter from Yan Zhenqing to Guo Ying, written in running script. The calligraphy throughout the entire piece is connected and each character is related to the next, full of life and energy. This draft was written by Yan Zhenqing as he was dissatisfied with the arrogance of the powerful eunuchs, so the whole piece is full of vigor and vitality, strong and straightforward, with a sense of loyalty and integrity overflowing between the lines. It shows Yan Zhenqing's strong and upright personality. Reading it makes one feel respectful. This post was originally a draft, and the author focused on the words and phrases, not intentionally paying attention to the brushstrokes, but it was written with a full and rich energy that overflows the paper, becoming a masterpiece in the history of calligraphy. Later generations referred to this post along with 'Lanting Xu' as the 'Double Jewels'."

  "So, it seems that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is worth more money?" Liu Ziguo shook his head and said with a calculating mind. These four paintings are much more valuable than gold of the same weight, now they're in luck.

  "Money, money, money, all you know is money. Yan Lu Gong was the greatest calligrapher after the Two Wangs, and his authentic works cannot be measured by money. To those who don't understand it, they are just worthless paper; to those who appreciate calligraphy, they are even more precious than life." Peng Jing Rong was outraged by Liu Zi Guang's vulgarity and philistinism, and if she weren't too embarrassed, she would have already grabbed the pillow from the bed and thrown it at him.

  "You like it? I'll give it to you. Now help me take a look at these little trinkets." Liu Ziguang poured out a bag of precious antiques onto the bed.

  "This is a seven-colored glass cup from the Western tribute, this is a jade rough stone from Burma, and this is a gold-inlaid Xuande furnace of our dynasty. Hmm, this one is relatively rare." Peng Jingrong picked up a round gemstone and said.

  "It appears to be a cat's eye, the color of the cat's eye is greenish-yellow, honey yellow and yellow-brown, etc., with deep colors and a honey-like appearance and tone being the best, because under this color background, after polishing, the cat's eye shines particularly strong and lively. When rotating the gemstone, the shining position changes accordingly, like it's alive, so it's also called 'live light'. If the gemstone is too transparent, the shine will weaken and be inferior."

  The cat's eyes presented a deep greenish-yellow color, rotating in Peng Jingrong's hand, shining and changing with it, as if the cat's eyes were staring at the person looking at it.

  It's as beautiful as San Hua's eyes. Liu Ziguang thought to himself.

  He picked up the last white wax-like object and asked: "Young lady, what is this thing, why is it so light?"

  "This is Longdi Xiang, the most expensive spice. Look at its white color, it must have been floating in the ocean for hundreds of years. It's said that if you spray Longdi Xiang on your body, it can evoke a unique personal scent, so its price is much higher than other perfumes."

  It turns out that this inconspicuous white wax is actually a precious spice and a consumable item, so it shouldn't be hard to get rid of.

  After finishing the calligraphy and painting treasures, she made so many comments. Peng Jingrong took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and asked in a low voice: "Alright, now can you tell me where these treasures came from? Don't tell me that you looted the imperial palace last night."

  It's impossible to hide it, Liu Ziguang sneered and said: "It was the emperor who asked me to bring it out to exchange for money. A child taking things from his own home can't be considered stealing."

  It's come to this, and it's impossible to turn back now, so we can only get rid of the loot as soon as possible.

  Peng Jingrong sighed and said: "Huizong's 'Painting of Rare Birds' can be privately contacted with the envoy team traveling to Song Dynasty, it can sell for a good price. The other three paintings are difficult to get rid of, private collection of national treasures is a crime punishable by extermination of nine clans. The seven-color glaze cup, jade raw stone and Xuande stove can all go by sea route, those Persian merchants will dare to collect anything as long as they can make money. As for the Longpan Xiang incense, it's even easier to deal with, just turn it into perfume and sell it off, after all, not only the palace has this hundred-year-old fragrance."

  "Why not sell those three paintings to Travel Song, or Manchu and Western Xia?" Liu Ziguang's traditional education made him think that the Manchu and Western Xia were all members of the big family of the Chinese nation, so this move did not have the suspicion of letting the fat water flow into the outsider's field.

  "How can the barbarians from foreign lands appreciate our Huaxia culture? Those Tartars only know how to shoot arrows with their bows, and their writing looks like worms crawling. In their eyes, gold and silver are the only treasures. As for the Song people, although they have lived in a land outside of China for a long time and are descendants of the Central Plains, they no longer respect the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. I've heard that all the men in their country shave their heads, so it's better to keep our national treasures stored in the Great Ming."

  "Then let's contact the people from the Traveling Song Mission immediately." Liu Ziguang wanted to get rid of the stolen goods as soon as possible, and at the same time, he also wanted to see the style of overseas Chinese.

  Struggling to update... struggled... clicked on it, but there aren't enough flowers, hurry up and throw some flowers over, Your Honors!