Chapter Seventy: Even a Fortune Cannot Match a Single Shard of Celadon

Old Su, of course, had no idea that this entire scene was deliberately staged by Zhang Can for his benefit. Zhang Can’s true intention was to make the spectacle as grand as possible—though luck also played a part, as it depended on whether a good opportunity to acquire something valuable would arise. To buy at the lowest cost and sell for a sky-high sum of a hundred million—that alone would achieve the effect he sought!

After Tang Yuan finished transferring the money, he let out a long sigh of relief, then turned to Zhang Can and Wang Qian, chuckling, “Brother Wang, Brother Zhang, ha, I’m impressed! Brother Zhang, you truly have an extraordinary eye!”

Then, speaking to Wang Qian alone, he asked, “Brother Wang, where did you find this remarkable young man? His discerning eye even puts me to shame. I must confess, I’m curious—where did Brother Zhang learn all this? Who was his mentor?”

Tang Yuan studied Zhang Can intently, his gaze full of curiosity. To have mastered such profound expertise was impressive enough, but some things could not be judged by experience alone. For example, the Black Tortoise figurine required knowledge of the legends and records behind it. For Zhang Can to recognize the piece, he must surely be familiar with the lore of the Four Symbols of the Han Dynasty!

Zhang Can understood Tang Yuan’s speculation. In truth, he had simply taken advantage of his clairvoyant “black-and-white eyes” and analyzed the molecular age to deduce some clues, then combined those with a bit of speculation. He was only half certain at best; if Tang Yuan pressed for details, he would quickly realize Zhang Can did not truly know everything.

But that hardly mattered. Understanding the real value of the Black Tortoise was enough—whether or not he knew the legend was a minor issue. In any case, he would never have sold it for a pittance.

“Heh, Boss Tang, it’s a bit hard to explain. I’m not being secretive—I really never had a master. Not long ago, I came across an ancient book that contained descriptions of rare antiques, including the Four Symbols of the Han. It also outlined some methods of identification. I merely made an educated guess; I can’t claim to understand it fully. Please forgive my modest knowledge.”

With these words, Zhang Can gently declined Tang Yuan’s probing, using the convenient excuse of a vague ancient book. His tone was calm and neither servile nor arrogant.

Tang Yuan paused, then burst out laughing. “Haha, never mind, let’s leave that aside. Since everyone is interested, let me tell you about this Black Tortoise.”

Tang Yuan knew well that in this trade, people guarded their secrets jealously. For someone with skills as extraordinary as Zhang Can, it was only natural to keep them close. After all, a discerning eye was worth more than money, and indeed, could bring in more money than most could imagine. Take Zhang Can, for example: with a single timely move and a stroke of luck, he’d just pocketed a hundred million. Who could have foreseen such a thing?

Tang Yuan did not pursue the matter further. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he smiled. “As I mentioned, the Black Tortoise is one of the Four Symbols of the Han, crafted by master artisans commissioned by Wang Mang. Its mechanical marvels and exquisite craftsmanship surpass even what modern science can easily explain. That’s what makes the Four Symbols so precious. I’m sure you all know the ancient belief in the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The Azure Dragon symbolizes wood, White Tiger metal, Vermilion Bird fire, Black Tortoise water, and the central yellow represents earth in the Five Elements. The Four Symbols are revered as divine beasts: the Azure Dragon in the east, White Tiger in the west, Vermilion Bird in the south, Black Tortoise in the north. Among them, the Azure Dragon and White Tiger are considered divine beasts, the Vermilion Bird a sacred bird—known in the Classic of Mountains and Seas as the ‘Emperor Bird,’ also called Vermilion Bird or Phoenix. In ancient times, the Four Symbols had a hierarchy, with the Azure Dragon once held as the highest. Later, Taoist disciples elevated the Black Tortoise to be the Great Emperor of the North—True Martial Emperor—placing it above the other three. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger became guardian deities of mountain temples, the Vermilion Bird was elevated to the celestial goddess, while the Black Tortoise, as the True Martial Emperor, took precedence among the Four Symbols. Yet, thousands of years ago, this Black Tortoise disappeared, becoming the stuff of legend. To be honest…”

After this lengthy explanation, Tang Yuan gave a self-conscious smile. “To tell the truth, I really misjudged this piece. I’ve owned it for several months, and during that time, not only did I personally examine it thoroughly, but I also had several master experts appraise it. The Black Tortoise passed through all our hands, yet none of us recognized it for what it was. Brother Zhang, you have my utmost respect! For someone so young to possess such insight is remarkable. All of us here know that in our trade, experience is valued over youth; young people are rarely taken seriously. But look at Brother Zhang—he’s the most astonishing young man I’ve met. Impressive, truly impressive!”

Zhang Can smiled faintly and took a seat. Tang Yuan sighed, waving his hand. “Ah, Brother Zhang has just taught me a lesson worth a hundred million in cash. There’s always someone better out there—one can never rest on their laurels. Otherwise, I would become your cautionary tale!”

Though Tang Yuan spoke lightly, everyone present understood that none of them were in a position to mock him. They had failed to recognize the piece as well, and indeed, Tang Yuan’s skill surpassed theirs; otherwise, he wouldn’t have admitted his mistake so candidly. Had it been any of them, their loss would have been even greater.

Yet everyone envied Zhang Can. To turn one million into a hundred million—none had ever imagined, let alone achieved, such a thing.

“Well, enough of that. Let’s move on with our auction. Wang Bao, bring out the next item!”

Tang Yuan turned to his subordinate, who promptly produced another item from a box under the table.

It was a piece of porcelain, a pale milky white, very pleasing to the eye, but quite small—only about ten centimeters tall and just wide enough for a single grip at the waist, resembling the water vase held by the Bodhisattva in films and television, but much smaller, only slightly larger than a human finger.

The eyes of all twenty-some people present lit up. They all knew their antiques. Even from a distance, the faint blue beneath the milky white glaze was visible, though the finer details were hard to discern from afar.

Everyone present, including Wang Qian and Zhu Senlin, guessed immediately—this was a piece of Ru ware!

Because the piece was so small and valuable, Tang Yuan’s assistant placed it on the table in a small brocade box lined with thick silk to protect it from any damage.

Zhang Can was once again at the front, and, as before, Tang Yuan allowed him to examine it first. Zhang Can glanced at the piece; at that moment, all eyes were on his expression, especially Old Su. From the appearance, it was clearly Ru ware, but what interested Old Su most was Zhang Can’s reaction. Zhang Can had behaved so unusually before—Old Su, despite his caution, had missed out on the opportunity. He now bitterly regretted not joining Zhang Can in bidding earlier; if he had, the four of them could have split the cost, only needing to each pay two hundred and fifty thousand, and then shared twenty-five million in profit. This regret gnawed at him, so now he watched Zhang Can closely. If Zhang Can found something worthwhile, Old Su was determined not to miss out again.

At first, Zhang Can’s eyes lit up, but he quickly concealed his excitement and gently pushed the brocade box toward Old Su to let him inspect it before passing it along.

Old Su had noticed Zhang Can’s fleeting expression, though Zhang Can had masked it quickly. Taking the brocade box, Old Su began to examine the item in detail.

Up close, the little vase was even more stunning. It was like wisps of white clouds drifting across a clear blue sky, or faint stars in the early morning—exquisite and captivating, with veins as fine as cicada wings.

“What a treasure!” Old Su couldn’t help but praise silently, his hands trembling slightly. In the world of Chinese ceramics, Ru ware was considered the finest, renowned as the foremost of the five great wares—Ru, Jun, Guan, Ge, and Ding. It came in sky-blue, celadon, moon-white, black, floral, brown, colored, and white glazes, but it was the glaze that made Ru ware famous, not merely the porcelain itself. The clay was delicate and lustrous, the body as fine as bronze, the glaze thick and bright but never harsh, with features known as “pear skin,” “crab claw,” and “sesame flower.” It was said to be “like jade, not jade, but better than jade.”

The value of Ru ware lay in its glaze, made with ancient agate as the base ingredient. The surface featured fine, cicada-wing-like crackles. Since the Northern Song dynasty, Ru ware was reserved exclusively for the imperial court; ordinary people could not possess it. Its value was said to rival the most treasured bronze vessels of antiquity. There was even a saying: “Even with a fortune of ten thousand, you cannot match a single shard of Ru ware.” Its worth was beyond measure!

Old Su’s heart pounded in awe. This was truly a prize, but surely others would recognize it too? If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to acquire it.

After his examination, Old Su was careful not to betray any emotion and passed the brocade box to the next person for appraisal.

This round of inspection took about forty minutes. No one lingered too long, as there were many people, and only those interested in bidding took a close look.

When everyone had finished, Tang Yuan smiled and asked, “So, what does everyone think?”

No one replied. Tang Yuan grinned. “Since there are no comments, I’ll start with a low reserve—three million. How about it?”

The room fell silent for a moment, then someone raised a hand. “Three million two hundred thousand!”

“Three million three hundred thousand!”

“Three million four hundred thousand!”

…

The bidding rose in quick succession. Old Su’s face flushed; he dared not bid. His entire net worth was only about two and a half million, not even enough for the starting price, let alone to compete. He couldn’t help but glance at Zhang Can.

Zhang Can looked at Old Su, then at Wang Qian and Zhu Senlin, and quietly said, “Mr. Wang, Old Zhu, Old Su, why don’t the four of us join forces this time? That way, everyone can earn a little something—it would be a shame to go home empty-handed.”

“Yes, yes, exactly! It’d be a waste to leave with nothing…” Old Su quickly agreed, so excited he stammered. With Zhang Can including him, how could he not be happy? Any opportunity to make money was welcome. Besides, with Zhang Can leading, Wang Qian and Zhu Senlin would surely contribute the funds, and Old Su might not even have to put up any money himself to earn a handsome return. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude toward Zhang Can, believing Zhang Can must want to repay him for his earlier help; otherwise, he wouldn’t have remembered him.

Zhang Can continued in a low voice, “Alright, I’ll do the bidding. But let me be clear—there’s no such thing as a sure win in this game; there’s always risk. If we lose money, I promise I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee this piece will fetch a high price…”

“Go ahead, do your best. Don’t worry about it!” Wang Qian replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry, we’re proud of you—win or lose, we won’t blame you!” Zhu Senlin added heartily.

Old Su, naturally, was not about to object. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, you decide! We’re all in this together, win or lose!”