"Excuse me, these two gentlemen are distinguished guests invited by Mr. Ren. Mr. Li Chonglou." Li Yao's pretty face showed a hint of awkwardness.
These two middle-aged men were masters introduced by Sister He's friends.
Their job was to sort and appraise this batch of antiques and verify their provenance.
However, one of them specialized in Ming and Qing furniture, and the other in scholar's objects, and they weren't skilled in anything else.
So, when Li Chonglou arrived today, they immediately invited him over.
They hadn't expected him to be looked down upon right after arriving.
As Ren He's personal secretary, Li Yao's discernment was definitely superior to most people's, and she immediately realized this was inappropriate.
She introduced the identities of the two men and tried to smooth things over.
"Mr. Li, they are also Mr. Ren's guests. The elder one is called Zhang Chenggong, and the younger one is Sun Jie. They are both famous antique appraisers in Yong'an."
"I hope the three of you can cooperate sincerely. Mr. Ren will definitely not mistreat you."
"Mr. Li, you must be skilled in jade and porcelain."
A gentle and beautiful woman's words were particularly influential, especially in front of men.
As soon as Li Yao spoke, the attention of the two men was immediately drawn to her.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chenggong sneered, not even looking at Li Chonglou, and said coldly, "Skilled in two categories? Does he think antiques are like books?"
"He hasn't even grown hair, but he blows his own horn to the heavens."
"He's still too young to show off in front of me, Zhang Chenggong."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Jie also chimed in with a chuckle, "Young man, one should know humility. Old Zhang and I are somewhat renowned in Yong'an's circles."
"We each feel that specializing in one area is not enough. You're skilled in two? Have you been playing since you were in the womb?"
Barely concealed contempt.
The two were considered experts, with a much deeper understanding of the antique world than ordinary people.
At least, much better than the players downstairs.
Naturally, they were self-important. Hearing that Li Chonglou was skilled in two categories, they immediately thought he was bragging.
After all, considering his age, mastering even one category would take over ten years. Unless Li Chonglou was a genius, how could he possibly be proficient in two?
In their eyes, only Li Yao mattered, not Li Chonglou.
Therefore, their words were quite casual and unrestrained.
Li Chonglou heard this, and his brows slightly raised.
There was no anger in his eyes, but he knew in his heart that these two looked down on him.
If he wanted to make a name for himself in Yong'an, relying on Zhu Tongren and the people downstairs would likely not be enough.
Since that was the case, he would start with these two, Zhang and Sun, using them as stepping stones.
Who told them to be so full of themselves and to rely on their age?
So Li Chonglou said indifferently, "I'm sorry, I'm not just skilled in two categories, but in all categories of antiques."
"As for whether I've been playing since I was in the womb, it's none of your business."
"I'm definitely better than both of you!"
These few words caused Zhang and Sun's expressions to change simultaneously.
They couldn't help but look at Li Chonglou now.
Not only Zhang and Sun, but even Li Yao's beautiful eyes widened, full of disbelief.
Arrogant!
Too arrogant!
Li Yao knew that Li Chonglou had won against Zhu Tongren downstairs, and she also knew that he had some skill in jade and porcelain.
Otherwise, Ren He wouldn't have asked him to appraise things for her.
But he was only in his twenties. Being proficient in two categories was already remarkable. How could he dare to boast so grandly?
Zhang Chenggong and Sun Jie were seniors in the antique world. Wasn't he afraid of ruining his reputation by offending such seniors?
A strange light flickered in Li Yao's beautiful eyes, showing a hint of disappointment and disgust.
She had originally thought that Li Chonglou, favored by Ren He, must be extraordinary, but she hadn't expected him to be just a bragging loser.
Such a person, ordinarily, wouldn't even be worthy of her glance.
"Kid, I think you've bragged too much and made yourself a laughingstock." Sun Jie recovered, not angry, but laughing heartily instead.
Could someone say something so absurd and get away with it without laughing?
It was utterly boastful.
Let alone a young man in his twenties, even Qin Zhou's nationally renowned Lu Weishen wouldn't dare to claim mastery of all categories.
What was this concept?
Just to learn the basic knowledge of these things would likely take a lifetime.
It also required exceptional talent and memory. People say that different professions are like different mountains. In the antique world, each category is like a mountain.
It was normal for porcelain experts to not understand jade, and for jade experts to not understand lacquerware.
To be proficient in everything meant to be superficial in everything.
"Why bother with him? These boastful losers, you see eighty or ninety of them a year. Let's get to work." Zhang Chenggong couldn't even be bothered to talk to Li Chonglou anymore, his face full of disdain.
Li Yao heard this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She was really afraid that Li Chonglou, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, would anger Zhang Chenggong and Sun Jie.
Fortunately, the two seniors had great magnanimity and didn't bother with Li Chonglou, thus avoiding conflict.
So, she started serving tea and water to the three of them on the side.
Li Chonglou didn't take their dismissive words to heart. His skill was his own, and he had long passed the age where he needed others' approval.
He came here to help Ren He with a favor and to see some treasures.
He had no time to waste with these two middle-aged old men.
Li Chonglou casually picked up a bronze Buddha statue and examined it.
Not bad, Ren He was more than a little better than Zeng Wang. Although she was a woman, the items she bought were worthy of his appraisal.
This was a Northern Wei Buddha statue.
It depicted a seated Shakyamuni Buddha.
After a brief contemplation, Li Chonglou began to write.
"Northern Wei Buddha statues can be broadly divided into two periods: before the relocation to Luoyang and after the establishment of the capital."
"Before the relocation, they generally retained a stronger influence of Western Regions and Liangzhou styles of Buddhist statues. The Buddhist statues from the Liangzhou region also integrated various factors from the northwestern Indian Gandhara region and the Indian native Mathura styles."
"However, they primarily accepted the Buddhist statue styles from the two major systems of Khotan and Kucha in Xinjiang, and formed their own characteristics. Of course, sometimes, certain factors are more or less prominent in a particular statue."
"The general patterns are: First, the Buddha statue has a polished cranial protuberance or is divided into several coiled or deformed spiral or wavy hairstyles. Foreign Buddha hairstyles, and spiral cranial protuberances (Mathura system), are extremely rare."
"Second, the robe is an all-encompassing or right-shoulder-bare style. The folds of the robe are still mostly U or V-shaped, with raised lines and a carved incised line in the middle."
"Third, the Bodhisattva's hair is tied into a high topknot and adorned with a crown. The ribbons of the tied crown float out to both sides. The upper body is bare, and the lower body wears a skirt. A sash is draped over the shoulders, hanging down to the knees and then curling up. Later, it developed into a sash that crossed through a loop."
"Fourth, early flying figures wore skirts and exposed feet. Later, they became long skirts that danced, covering their feet. By the Northern Zhou period, their feet were exposed again."
"Fifth, single bronze statues have large lotus-petal shaped halos and four-legged pedestals. The four-legged pedestals are wide. They are generally cast separately and assembled."
"Based on the above, this statue is a gilt-bronze seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, made by the Yang family in the first year of Taihe in the Northern Wei dynasty."
In a few hundred words, he clearly explained the origin and history of this Northern Wei Buddha statue.
At this moment, Li Yao had just finished bringing Li Chonglou his tea.
Seeing that he had already written an introduction to a Buddha statue, and had even detailed the appraisal method, her beautiful eyes widened, full of flowing brilliance.
She had initially assumed Li Chonglou was just a bragging loser trying to get attention.
But now, not only in jade and porcelain, but he also understood Buddha statues.
This...
Could what he said be true?
Li Yao's heart began to waver, but she found it hard to believe.
After all, her preconceived notions hindered her thinking.
Li Chonglou didn't know that Li Yao's mood had become so complicated in just a moment. He put down the bronze Buddha statue and casually picked up an inkstone.
He still only looked at it for a few seconds before his brush began to move like a flowing dragon.
"A Songhua stone inkstone with the motif of the sun rising in the east, from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty."
"Songhua stone, also known as Songhua jade, is named after its origin in the Songhua River, the source of the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China."
"In the Qing Dynasty, it was regarded as a national treasure and exclusively used by the imperial family. Emperor Kangxi once praised it and wrote a poem: 'Ancient in longevity and lustrous in texture, green in color and vibrant in blue, it enhances ink and nurtures the brush, hence its preciousness.'"
"Emperor Hongli of the Qing Dynasty, in the preface to 'Twelve Poems on Local Products of Shengjing,' stated: 'The Songhua jade produced in the Hundun River can be used as inkstone material.'"
"According to the 'Jilin Tongzhi,' Songhua stone 'comes from the whetstone mountains along the Hundun River.'"
"The production of its inkstones can be traced back to the early Ming Dynasty."
"The stone has colors of dark green and light green, mixed with yellow and purplish-red. Purple and green are interspersed, with patterns like silk threads, fine and lustrous, hard and dense, like ocean waves, flowing water-like swirls, and single-strand textures."
"Among these, dark green silk-thread patterns are considered top-grade. The stone is firm, and its hardness when grinding ink is around 5, higher than Duan and She inks, producing a metallic sound. After grinding, it can be washed with water without leaving any residue."
"This stone inkstone has a small pool carved at the head, like half a red sun breaking through the green sea of clouds. The ink-holding surface is like a vast ocean. It is called 'Rising Sun.'"
"Emperor Qianlong highly cherished this inkstone and inscribed it with the eight characters 'Use stillness for longevity,' hoping to grasp the auspicious fortune depicted on the inkstone and for the country to remain like a rising red sun."
Here, Li Chonglou had just finished writing and put down the text.
Then came Li Yao's exclaim, which she could no longer hold back: "Mr. Li, you are truly amazing!"
In an instant, the disgust in her eyes completely disappeared, replaced by deep respect.
Don't say women are realistic; the two states of dealing with capable and incapable men are only natural for people.
People are all about value.
The value Li Chonglou displayed astonished her.
She couldn't help but feel ashamed for judging him by his appearance earlier.
"Hmph, trying to be mysterious. You only look at each item for a few seconds and can determine its origin and age. Who do you think you are?" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Chenggong couldn't help but attack.
Sun Jie, seeing Li Yao praising Li Chonglou so much, immediately felt displeased and followed suit: "Even Lu Weishen from Qin Zhou doesn't have the ability to instantly date things like this."
"Young people like you who are swindling are the most disgusting, maggots of the industry!"
"Miss Li Yao, you must not be fooled by him."
These words were nakedly filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
To the two of them, Li Chonglou was definitely faking it. Even when they got an item, they had to examine it repeatedly, study it, and even use tools.
Yet Li Chonglou could handle it with just a few glances.
If this wasn't faking, what was it?
Zhang Chenggong and Sun Jie exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions.
Today, in front of Li Yao, they would expose this young swindler like Li Chonglou for what he truly was.