"Well, Mr. Guan, what you said really makes me feel ashamed, ashamed, ashamed." Mr. Jin sighed, and then cupped his hands at Zhang Junping and said: "Master Zhang, it is really presumptuous to come to the door today. It's not that I can't survive.
Come to your place to exchange some money."
Mr. Beile must be joking. He was so miserable. In the Qing Dynasty, he would have been a Beizi at best.
However, the surname Jin is really the surname changed by the royal family of the Qing Dynasty in the past.
Thinking that this was the former royal family, Zhang Junping couldn't help but get a little excited. There were three pounds of nails in the broken ship, and the skinny camel was bigger than the horse. This Lord Baylor might have something really good in his hands.
"You're welcome, Mr. Jin. Come, please invite us into the room. Let's sit down and chat while drinking tea." Zhang Junping warmly invited the two of them into the room again.
"I don't know much about tea, so I don't have any good tea here, just some jasmine tea. Don't mind it, Mr. Jin." Zhang Junping made tea for the two of them and said politely.
"You're welcome, we old Beijingers love flower tea, especially jasmine tea," Mr. Jin said as he picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "Well, authentic! Especially Wu Yutai's jasmine tea.
Pay attention to the clear soup, strong flavor, fragrant entrance, and endless aftertaste." When Jin Ye tasted the tea, his head shook back and forth, as if he was carefully savoring the fragrance of the tea.
"Master Zhang, this is the authentic Wu Yutai's jasmine tea. Thanks to your blessing, I can drink it again today." Master Jin solemnly raised his fist and saluted Zhang Junping.
"As long as you like it!" Zhang Junping returned the favor with a smile.
"Brother Guan, I'm here today, and I can't leave at noon.
Mr. Jin, we meet for the first time today. Since you are Brother Guan’s friend, you are my friend.
Let's go to Qingyun Tower to eat at noon."
"Okay, Brother Zhang is an honest man, so I won't be polite to you. I will give you a meal today." Guan Jiaming agreed readily.
After a few more polite words, he returned to the topic.
"Brother, I know you are an honest person. It just so happens that Lord Jin has some small items that he wants to sell, so I brought them to you."
"Thank you, Brother Guan, for still thinking of me." Zhang Junping quickly clasped his fists to express his thanks.
Then he cupped his fists at Master Jin and said, "Master Jin, what kind of good thing is this? Let me open my eyes first?"
"Okay, this is passed down from our ancestors. I have been reluctant to sell it. Now I really have no choice. I can't support myself, so I have to take it out and find a good home for him." As Jin Ye spoke, he opened the sheets and
Reveal what's inside.
Zhang Junping looked at it for a moment, it was a mat.
For a moment, he had some doubts as to whether Mr. Jin had picked up the wrong thing.
Then I realized something was not right, the color was wrong, and the gloss was wrong.
He hurriedly stepped forward and watched carefully, "Master Jin, can you get started?"
"As you please."
Zhang Junping took the mat to the bright light at the door and watched carefully.
This is just a mat, cool to the touch and smooth.
But this is not an ordinary mat, the material used is unusual, and the weaving process is also unusual.
"Master Jin, what a treasure you have! If you read correctly, this is an ivory mat?"
"Master Zhang has good eyesight!" Master Jin gave Zhang Junping a thumbs up.
"Master Jin deserves to be a member of the royal family, and he can produce such treasures.
This was a tribute to the emperor back then. It is said that such an ivory mat required 60 skilled craftsmen and 18 months to complete.
Being able to make the ivory mat only 3 mm thick, yet flexible and strong, without any damage after hundreds of years, is truly an ingenious craftsmanship.
It's a pity that the craft of making mats has been lost now." Zhang Junping shook his head and sighed.
"Brother Zhang is really knowledgeable and knowledgeable about such unpopular objects." Guan Jiaming praised from the side.
“I only recognized it after seeing it in a book occasionally.
At the beginning, Guangdong presented a total of five ivory mats to Emperor Yongzheng, which is recorded in the Qing Palace Building Office.
However, I think Master Jin’s ivory mat should not be among those five."
"Yes, Mr. Zhang has such a keen insight.
There is nothing to hide now. Our ancestors also had some rights back then. Guangdong sent a total of ten such ivory mats as tribute, but in the end only five were sent to the palace.
Among the other five pictures, one is the one in front of Mr. Zhang.
As for the other four, they have disappeared due to the chaos of war in the early years."
"The thing is a good thing, what does Mr. Jin want to do with it?" Zhang Junping admired it for a while before asking.
"Five hundred yuan." Jin Ye stretched out his hand and gestured.
"Okay! Just pay according to the price Jin Ye said!" Zhang Junping smiled and raised a hand.
"Master Zhang, that's cool!" Master Jin also smiled and reached out to give Zhang Junping a high-five.
High fives mean the business is done.
An ivory mat worth 500 yuan was a bargain. Zhang Junping couldn't even think of bargaining. Such a mat would cost 20 million yuan in future generations. It had a price but no market. No one was selling it and there was nowhere to buy it.
If someone really sells it, someone will be willing to pay 50 million.
This is a royal ivory mat that will last for centuries.
"Hahaha, what do you think, Mr. Jin, I will say that Brother Zhang is a cheerful and down-to-earth person.
As long as the goods are good, Brother Zhang will definitely not lose you." Guan Jiaming said with a smile.
Zhang Junping's straightforwardness made him, the middleman, very face-saving.
"I would also like to thank Brother Guan for bringing me such a wonderful treasure.
To me, the most precious thing about this ivory mat is not its historical value, but the craftsmanship of the object itself.
This kind of technology, if understood through research, can be a valuable asset.
It’s a pity that the mountains and rivers are broken, and hundreds of years of ups and downs have caused many precious craftsmanship to be buried in the long river of history.” Zhang Junping shook his head and sighed.
After the price was decided, Zhang Junping simply took out five hundred yuan and handed it to Lord Jin, and then carefully put away the ivory mat.
As Zhang Junping said, the craftsmanship here is worth studying. If you really study it, it will be a treasure.
Even if you don't use ivory and use horns to make mats, it is still feasible.
At this point, the entire transaction has been completed. As for documents, sales contracts, etc., there is no need for them.
This transaction itself is illegal. If you create a document again, aren't you asking for trouble?
The supplementary agreement signed with Guan Jiaming was also to explain that the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques were not bought and sold, but presented to Zhang Junping as accessories to the house itself.
After putting the things away, Zhang Junping said again: "Master Jin, if you have any other good items at home, feel free to bring them. As long as the items are good, I will never lower the price for you.
After all, I am different from those antique dealers. They collect antiques to make money. I collect antiques to study the traditional craftsmanship contained in them, and of course to collect them for myself."
This Lord Jin, the legendary Lord Baylor, really has good things in his hands, even the royal ivory mat.