Chapter 1425 A Thousand Misses
"Then I'll let you all see what's inside this lousy newspaper of mine."
Chen Xuan grinned, and as he opened the newspaper, a sky-blue color, like that after a clear sky following rain, struck everyone's eyes!
If the Ma family's porcelain could be described with the word "grand," then Chen Xuan's porcelain needed to be described as "exquisite and delicate." It was no larger than a palm, yet it was incredibly intricate, with a sky-blue glaze and an extraordinarily unusual texture.
Ma Erdao had initially scoffed, but upon clearly seeing the porcelain, he was instantly stunned: "This is..."
"Could this be the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish?"
"No way?!"
The experts and masters present didn't quite believe it at first, but if it were just an ordinary dish, how could Chen Xuan dare to bring it out for a treasure contest?
Thus, they deduced that this dish must be the renowned Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish!
Several experts and masters exchanged glances, unable to wait any longer, and swarmed forward.
Only Master Tian smiled faintly at Chen Xuan before slowly walking over.
He had already examined the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish beforehand and was certain it was the genuine article, so he wasn't in a hurry.
"The dish has a rounded mouth, shallow belly, flat base, supported by three feet. It is glazed inside and out with a sky-blue glaze, the surface exhibiting fine crackle. This is precisely the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish!"
"It's truly beautiful. Legend has it that Emperor Huizong of Song once had a dream where, after a heavy rain, amidst the parting clouds in the distant sky, there was a mysterious sky-blue hue that was particularly captivating. Upon waking, he wrote a poem: 'After the rain, the sky turns blue as clouds part,' and gave it to the artisans for reference, instructing them to fire porcelain in this color."
"This color alone stumped countless artisans. The five great official kilns even made a wager over it, and finally, a craftsman from the Ru kiln succeeded in creating it, bringing immense fame!"
"I always thought such pieces were only found in museums. I never expected one to be passed down in the private sector. To have the fortune to see it today is truly a blessing."
Hearing the words of the masters and experts, Ma Erdao was struck as if by lightning!
The Ma family had encountered a formidable opponent!
"Everyone, how do you think the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish compares in preciousness to the Yuan blue-and-white porcelain?"
Master Tian asked, scanning the crowd with a smile.
Everyone exchanged glances, and suddenly an old man with white hair spoke first, "Since none of you are willing to offend anyone, I'll speak first. While the Yuan blue-and-white is indeed precious, and such a large piece even more so, this Yuan blue-and-white is incomplete. Therefore, I believe it cannot compare to the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish."
"I agree with Old Bai. If the Yuan blue-and-white were complete, it would be slightly more precious than the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish. But with it being incomplete, its value has plummeted, and it is far inferior to the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish."
An elder with gray hair next to him was even more direct, his face, as wrinkled as a walnut husk, showing no expression.
After he spoke, the others nodded in agreement.
Among this group of so-called master experts, quite a few had good relations with the Ma family, and some even had mutual financial interests. However, the tide had turned, and any discerning person could see that the Ma family had lost!
Completely without a chance of winning.
"Does anyone have any objections?" Master Tian asked.
"No objections."
"The Qin family's porcelain is indeed superior."
"We all have no objections."
Master Tian nodded slightly. "Since everyone has no objections, I shall now announce the result!"
With that, he looked at Qin Ling and Ma Erdao and declared, "After appraisal by all the experts, it is unanimously agreed that the Qin family's Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish is more precious, and has won this round of the competition!"
"Fantastic!"
"We won!"
The Qin family members cheered joyfully. Even Wei Linlin grabbed Chen Xuan's arm and jumped up, "Chen Xuan, we won!"
Qin Xuelan breathed a sigh of relief, looking immensely relieved.
The Ma family members slumped, their faces turning grim.
Ma Erdao, however, remained outwardly calm. In fact, when Chen Xuan produced the Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish, he knew he had lost this round. While the Yuan blue-and-white was precious, a damaged Yuan blue-and-white could not compare to Chen Xuan's Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish.
First, the authentic work of Tang Bohu, and now a Ru kiln Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish from the Song Dynasty. How did this fellow possess so many precious treasures?
"Ma Zi!"
Ma Erdao blinked, unsure who was calling him. He had no intention of responding, but another voice called out, "Hey, hey, don't stand there blankly, it's calling you."
Ma Erdao turned his head and saw Wei Linlin, who was clearly calling him.
His face was covered in pockmarks, and hearing "Ma Zi" made him extremely annoyed: "I'm not called Ma Zi!"
"With your pockmarked face, what else would you be called but Ma Zi?"
Wei Linlin said with a chuckle.
"You..."
"What about me? You just asked what treasure was wrapped in Chen Xuan's lousy newspaper, and now you know what treasure it is, don't you? Are you convinced?" Wei Linlin said, hands on her hips, like a little demoness.
Ma Erdao's lungs nearly exploded with anger!
He took a deep breath and sneered, "This treasure contest is best of five rounds, and we are currently tied at two-all. There is still one final round!"
Wei Linlin was full of confidence and stuck out her tongue, saying, "With Chen Xuan here, your Ma family is destined to lose! Na-na-na..."
"Linlin!"
Chen Xuan stopped Wei Linlin. "One should be humble."
"Uh..."
"Although we are sure to win, you don't need to mock others like this," Chen Xuan said.
Upon hearing this, Wei Linlin burst into laughter.
Ma Erdao, who had been feeling slightly better, turned even more sullen upon hearing this, vowing inwardly: Kid, you just wait, you're going to lose next time!
"Next, we will have the fifth round: Jade! As this round is rather special, we will require a little more time to make arrangements!"
The host smiled faintly and walked off the stage.
Chen Xuan frowned, wondering what made the jade contest so special.
At this moment, Qin Ling, accompanied by the Qin family, walked over.
Qin Ling cupped his fists, his face full of smiles, and said, "Mr. Chen, thank you for your righteous intervention. Otherwise, we would have lost this round. If we lost this round, we would have to pack our bags and go home."
The other younger members of the Qin family also blinked their eyes, looking at Chen Xuan with curiosity.
They simply couldn't comprehend how Chen Xuan, who was around their age, could possess so many treasures.
"What's there to thank? Speaking of which, this Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish originally belonged to our Qin family!"
Qin Xuelan, however, pouted at this.
"Belonged to our Qin family?"
Qin Ling was stunned. "Xuelan, what do you mean by that?"
Qin Xuelan found it difficult to speak, as it felt like an insult to the Qin family. However, under the pressure of others, Qin Xuelan reluctantly said, "Actually, this Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish was bought from our Qin family."
"What? Bought from our Qin family?"
Qin Ling's expression changed drastically.
Some who didn't understand the situation pressed further, asking, "How is it possible that it was bought from our Qin family?"
Qin Xuelan explained, "That day at Panjiayuan, our Yufangzhai was holding an event, and this Sky-Blue Three-Legged Dish was purchased there."
"Ah?"
Everyone was dumbfounded. Suddenly, some felt a sense of having missed out on a great opportunity.