Baston was surprised when he saw a scholar-looking person coming to ask. He nodded quickly, but then asked cautiously: "Who are you?"
"Mr. Baston, I am the master of the local county government. My surname is Tang Minglu, and the current grand master Bu Huishu is my mentor." Tang Lu said.
"So that's it." Baston said, and then stretched out his hand. Tang Lu saw that it was a sign of friendship, equivalent to a kind of courtesy, indicating that he had nothing in his hand, no weapons, and no threat to the other party.
"Dear Mr. Baston, I come with no ill intentions and no one will accuse you. I come to visit you in another capacity." Tang Luyan said.
"What is your identity? Aren't you a master?" Baston asked.
"It's not that status. I'm a master and am also an amateur. What I love most is to study porcelain and I know a lot about antiques. Of course, I also collect a lot of antiques. I'm not afraid of your jokes. I don't have any hobbies, I just like to collect them.
, has a unique vision for porcelain and antiques, can distinguish authenticity from fakes, and knows how to distinguish genuine products from fakes. If it is genuine, it is very valuable, if it is fake, it is not valuable. This skill requires long-term training to master." said the master.
.
"You said you have researched on porcelain, and I have researched too. Can you tell me whether this porcelain Guanyin is real or fake?" Baston asked.
"What porcelain Guanyin?"
"I just found one on Taobao in the antique market. It looks real, but I'm not sure yet. Are you an expert? Are you wrong?" Baston asked.
"This is simple, let's take a look." Tang Luyan said.
"Okay!" Baston said, got up, went to the back room, rummaged around for a long time, and finally came out, holding a wooden box in both hands, opened the wooden box, held a porcelain Guanyin in his hands, and handed it to Mr. Tang.
Master Tang took a look at the color, workmanship, and texture. These glazes were truly outstanding. He knew in his mind that this was the stolen porcelain Guanyin from Chengen Temple, but he kept his expression.
, If it is a genuine product, he will definitely keep a close watch on it and never leave it. If it is a fake, he will think that Tang Lu is up to no good. This will be difficult to handle.
"This porcelain Guanyin is real." Master Tang said. He was silent for a while, looked at the movement, and then said: "However, this porcelain Guanyin was made into a pair at that time, which means there is one more, so it is complete. Because
The Chinese think it is better to be in pairs. They don’t like odd numbers but even numbers. Look at the stone lions at the gate, one on the left and one on the left. The gates are also a pair, one on the left and right. The number of sedans must be even. Two people carry four.
Those carried by individuals or carried by eight people are all even numbers. The buildings are also even numbers, the same on the left and right, arranged symmetrically and very organized. The same is true for the porcelain Guanyin. You can only find this one in the antique market, and there is another one. If
If you can find it, it would be great."
"Oh, that's it! No wonder some people in the antique market say they are a pair, and a pair is more valuable. It is said to be priceless, but I don't know whether it is true or not." Baston asked.
"This is possible. Because the Chinese believe that even numbers are auspicious. Generally, antiques are sold in pairs. Only pairs of antiques are easier to sell and more valuable. If a single one is sold alone, it will be more difficult to find another one." Master Tang said.
"So, Master, do you know where there is another porcelain Guanyin?" Baston asked.
"I know, it's at my place. I didn't bring it with me today. I'll come tomorrow and bring it to you for a look. What do you think?" Master Tang asked.
"Okay, Master, if you have one, bring it over and have a look. If it's really a pair, I'll spend money on it, no matter how much it costs," Baston said.
"That's it, it's a deal!" Master Tang said and left the club where Baston was staying.
As soon as Tang Lu came out of the guild hall, Monk Huitong saw him. After making sure that no one was following him, he chased Tang Lu and asked, "Master, have you seen him?"
"Saw it."
"Porcelain Guanyin?"
"Boston and Porcelain Guanyin have seen it."
"That's great. When will we invite Porcelain Guanyin away? Now that Baston has occupied it, we have to find a way to get rid of it." Monk Huitong said. He was very anxious and worried that if he didn't do it well, he would be punished by his master.
of blame.
"Don't worry yet. We'll find a solution after we get back." Tang Luyan said.
Tang Lu returned home. The so-called home was also a study room, which also had antiques, many strange stones, and pottery figurines. He also had a kiln where he made and fired various ceramics by himself. The shelves were filled with shelves. Among them was a porcelain Guanyin.
In a corner.
When Huitong saw it, he was extremely surprised and said, "Master, there is also a porcelain Guanyin here. Could it be twins?"
"No, I made this. There are words on the base, you will know it if you look at it." Tang Luyan said.
"Sure enough, it says: Imitation of Ming and Tang Dynasty laws." Huitong said after carefully looking at the base.
"Tang Lu is the master, and the Ming Dynasty is now. This skill is really high, no one can beat the master!" Huitong said.
"It's just for fun. I have long known that there is a porcelain Guanyin in Cheng'en Temple. I only heard about it and didn't see it in person, so I made one according to the pictures in the ancient books. I didn't expect that it would come in handy today. Maybe it won't work today.
Let’s talk tomorrow. I have promised him that I will show him this porcelain Guanyin tomorrow. Then I will look for opportunities to let you return in triumph,” the master said.
When Huitong heard this, he was overjoyed. Victory was really in sight. He would be able to return victorious immediately. It was simply wonderful.
The next day, Tang Lu brought the porcelain Guanyin. When he arrived at the guild hall, Baston was very happy! It turned out that the master really kept his word and did what he said. He was indeed a gentleman. He said: "The master really keeps his word."
, I also believed what you said, there are only two porcelain Guanyin statues in the country, and today I brought another one, so I have two porcelain Guanyin statues, which are really priceless!"
Back to the subject, without saying a word, Tang Lu took out the porcelain Guanyin and carefully handed it to Baston. Baston took the porcelain Guanyin. When he saw it, he was shocked and couldn't close his mouth. He was very surprised and thought:
"How come this porcelain Guanyin is exactly the same as the one I have? It's almost like they are twins."
He took out his porcelain Guanyin again and compared it carefully. Sure enough, it was the same. This made him take a breath of cold air.
"Mr. Baston, this Guanyin is a rare porcelain from the Tang Dynasty. There are only two of them in the country. I will send it to you today to make a pair, which will increase the value of the porcelain Guanyin. Look, the real pair is absolutely perfect!"
The master said.
Baston was very happy. He got a big deal this time and it was a worthwhile trip. He quickly asked: "How much is it?"
Master Tang put the real porcelain Guanyin and the fake porcelain Guanyin together and pretended to appreciate them carefully. After looking at them for a long time, he said: "This is the cheapest one for you, one thousand taels of gold, no more, no less. If you give me
For others, I want at least one thousand two hundred taels of gold."
When Baston heard this, he panicked and said repeatedly: "It's so expensive! It's too expensive, it's too expensive!"
Baston wanted it very much, and secretly considered whether it was worth it, and calculated in his mind how much money he would have.
When Master Tang wasn't paying attention, he changed the positions of the two porcelain Guan Guan, and then stared at Baston. Baston was hesitating, but when he caught Master Tang's eyes, Master Tang immediately said: "Don't forget it, don't
As for whether it’s expensive or not, if you don’t want it, I’ll find another buyer and a porcelain Guanyin can be sold for a good price. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.”
As soon as the master finished speaking, he stood up, picked up the porcelain Guanyin, put it into a wooden box, picked up the wooden box and left.
Baston watched him get up and leave, and forgot to get up to see him off. He was still in a daze, carefully considering whether to buy a pair or just one. A pair is valuable, but it is too expensive to buy now. If one price is discounted, it is probably not easy to sell, because
Chinese like even numbers, but foreigners may not like even numbers too.
Baston suddenly wanted to think something was wrong. How could he discuss business like this? He came and went in a hurry, like a gust of wind. He left in a hurry before the conversation was in depth. What does this mean? Could it be that there is something wrong with Porcelain Guanyin? Let me take a look.
Besides, bargaining in business always takes a long time. It's not normal for him to do this.
So, Baston carefully looked at the remaining porcelain Guanyin with a magnifying glass.
Everything else was fine, the workmanship was very exquisite, the color was very warm, and it looked very gorgeous. He was worried, so he searched carefully, and finally found some small words in an inconspicuous place. When he looked with a magnifying glass, it read: "
"Imitation of Ming and Tang Dynasty laws".
As soon as he saw it, he became anxious and immediately stood up to chase after Tang Lu. Unexpectedly, as soon as he got up, his hand slipped and there was a "crash--" and the fake porcelain Guanyin fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
.
This time the game was completely over. His hatred for Tang Lu had grown rapidly, and now it was completely cool. He immediately swept away the broken porcelain pieces, collected them, and put them into a wooden box.
I got up and chased him, but where did I see Tang Lu?
Tang Lu had already handed over Porcelain Guanyin to monk Huitong and asked him to rush back to Chengen Temple without making any mistakes and be careful along the way.
"Did you get the real porcelain Guanyin?"
"Yes, you go quickly, hire a horse, and rush back to Cheng'en Temple. Then return the horse later. Remember, I will deal with it here." Tang Luyan said.
"Okay, thank you so much, Master!" Huitong said.
"You're welcome! Let's go quickly! Baston is going to catch up, so we'll split up," the master said.
"That's good! Master, see you later." Huitong said, bowing to say goodbye.
Sure enough, after Baston chased him out, there was no one there, so he had to go back to the guild hall full of anger. After thinking about it, he felt that something was wrong. He couldn't swallow this breath, so he went to the county government office with the broken porcelain pieces from the wooden box and beat the drum to complain.
Complaints.
Li Lisheng tried the case in court.
Baston said: "I am a foreigner and came to Xiangyang County. I spent one hundred taels of gold on a porcelain Guanyin at the antique market. I didn't expect that I was deceived by a liar."
"Who is the liar?" Li Li asked.
"Tang Lv." Baston said. He paused, as if remembering something, and continued: "He said he was the master of the county government."
When Li Li heard this, he thought it was interesting.
"Official Tang Lu knows that he is the master of this county. However, he travels everywhere and it is difficult for me to find him. How did he deceive you?" Li Li asked.
"He said that he had a porcelain Guanyin, which happened to be a pair. He said that one was easier to sell than the other, and the value of one was not as high as the pair. I believed him, and he brought his porcelain Guanyin the next day.
When I saw it, they were exactly the same. I believed they were a pair, but he asked for one thousand taels of gold, which I thought was expensive. He said he would sell it to someone else for one thousand two hundred taels of gold. Why did he sell it? The purpose was to make a pair.
, to increase the value of the porcelain Guanyin. He asked for one thousand, which I thought was too expensive. When he was deciding whether to buy it or not, he secretly swapped the positions of his porcelain Guanyin and mine. Before I even noticed, he walked away.
He ran away, saying don't buy it if it's too expensive, and I won't sell it if you don't buy it. As soon as he ran away, I became nervous and saw clearly the words imitation of Ming and Tang Dynasty laws written on the fake. I then
I was angry and anxious, and when I was about to go out to chase him, the porcelain Guanyin fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Later, I put the porcelain pieces into the box and brought the complaint as physical evidence." Baston said.
"Can you find the porcelain piece with those words written on it?" Li Li asked.
"If you can find it, you need to dig through the fragments again," Baston said.
Li Li thought to himself, if we want to be fair, we must compete openly. What should we compete with?
He suddenly thought of a drinking contest to see who could drink. The one who could drink would win, and the one who couldn't would lose.
This may seem a little funny, but it is useful. Li Li considered that Baston was from the Western Regions and could drink. He took this opportunity to let Tang Lu know how powerful he was, and he also restrained his arrogance and became more humble.
When Tang Lu heard the news, he thought it was a piece of cake.
Li Li knew that Tang Lv was very clever. He let outsiders see the excitement and felt that Li Li was more fair. Let the people from the Western Regions show their talents and let Baston drink to his heart's content. If Baston wins the drinking competition, he will naturally get porcelain.
Guanyin. However, nine times out of ten, he will lose. If Baston wins by drinking, he may not get the porcelain Guanyin. Because this is something from the Ming Dynasty, it is a national treasure and cannot be exported abroad.
This is the principle. Baston is busy working on this, and he may not expect that it will come to nothing.
A good show is going on and cannot be stopped midway.
News of the wine competition to compete for the Porcelain Guanyin spread like wildfire, spreading throughout Xiangyang County.
The rules of the competition are: Whoever drinks more will get the Porcelain Guanyin.
The rules are very simple, just let the masses supervise and make the judgement.
Li Li knew very well that Baston was a good drinker and good at pretending to drink, while Tang Lu was a bit bookish, and the wine competition was really nerve-wracking.
On the day of the competition, thousands of people in Xiangyang went to Zhongxuan Tower to watch the competition and drink.
There is a sea of people in front of Zhongxuan Tower.
A high platform was built in front of the building, with tables and stools placed on it.
Attorney Tang brought an extra-large wine pot, and "bang--" the wine pot was placed on the table, shaking the wine cup and tea cup. In order to sober up, some tea needed to be prepared.
At the referee's order, the two began to drink.
After the order was given, there was no taking it back. The two of them quickly drank more than a dozen bowls each. The large pot of wine quickly reached the bottom. I don’t know how long it had been since I drank. When Baston saw the wine, he felt like he had met him.
People who save lives drink desperately, as if drinking can bring good luck.
After finishing the wine, it was time to get another drink. Attorney Tang arranged for his apprentice to go to Zhongxuan Tower to get a drink. After a while, a full jug of wine was brought over by the master's apprentice.