Chapter 128: The Inner Courtyard

Seeing the sales assistant approach, Xia Moyan chose to let Fang Nian off the hook for the time being to maintain her lady-like image. Having escaped a close call, Fang Nian shot her a look of desperate survival, which amused Xia Moyan, before he returned to his usual self.

"Good day, sir and miss. Is there anything you would like to see? I can offer some recommendations."

Fang Nian casually picked up a white porcelain vase from the cabinet to examine it. The sales assistant immediately swarmed over, pointing at the vase to introduce it.

"Sir, you have a keen eye! This white porcelain vase is the treasure of our shop. It dates back to the Tang Dynasty and is a work from the Xing Kiln, the earliest kiln in China. It has a history spanning hundreds of years. You know, it is truly rare for a piece of porcelain to survive the passage of centuries to reach us today. Our boss only decided to put this Tang Dynasty vase on display a couple of days ago. What do you think? If you like it, I can quote you our lowest price. If it suits you, you can take it home."

Fang Nian didn't say a word, letting the girl fire off her pitch like a machine gun. Unswayed, he continued to scrutinize the vase.

Xia Moyan, however, seemed to fall for the act, finding the vase more appealing the longer she looked.

"Hey, look at this. The glaze on this white porcelain has a faint reddish hue—like the rosy complexion of an oriental girl's face. The luster is just right, not too glaring. I think this piece might be authentic."

The sales assistant was overjoyed. She realized Xia Moyan was a theorist, likely a novice who had read a few books at home and come out to hunt for treasures. She grew even more excited.

"You are absolutely right, miss! This is undoubtedly an authentic Tang Dynasty piece, which is very rare on the market these days. May I ask if you like it? If so, I’ll go ask the manager to approve the lowest possible price for you. How does that sound?"

Xia Moyan was immediately tempted. "The lowest price? How much would that be?"

The assistant beamed, glanced left and right, and whispered to her.

"Here is the thing, miss. Our boss priced this vase at 2 million Hope Coins, but the absolute floor is 1.8 million. I feel like we really hit it off, so I’ll take the liberty of giving you a 30% discount. How about 1.4 million? That is the best I can do."

Hearing this, Xia Moyan was moved; the price was within her expectations. But as a layman, she knew she couldn't rely on the techniques she’d read about to authenticate antiques, so she turned to Fang Nian for his opinion.

Fang Nian was not as naive as Xia Moyan. He set the vase down and pulled her away to look at other items. Seeing this, the assistant panicked and called out to him.

"Sir, sir! Is the price not right? If it’s a matter of price, I can knock off another percentage point. I’ll forfeit my commission just to give you a deal. How about 1.2 million, and it’s yours?"

Xia Moyan was even more tempted as the price dropped by another 200,000. Seeing that she had truly fallen into the trap, Fang Nian sighed helplessly and said calmly:

"White porcelain, also known as 'China White,' was an invention of Chinese kiln masters. It has a long history. The earliest kiln to fire white porcelain was the Xing Kiln, one of the seven great kilns of the Tang Dynasty and the progenitor of Chinese white porcelain. It was first fired in the late Northern Dynasties, developed rapidly through the Sui Dynasty, reached its peak in the Tang, and declined by the end of the Five Dynasties. It was the center of early white porcelain production in our country. With over 1,500 years of history, its exquisite fine white porcelain was presented as tribute to the imperial court and exported to over a dozen countries and regions."

"So, white porcelain is a very precious commodity. Pieces passed down through generations are extremely rare—scarce, in fact."

At this point, Fang Nian picked up the vase again and addressed the sales assistant.

"The key to identifying white porcelain lies in the surface. In the early Ming Dynasty, the glaze was white with a faint reddish tint, like the rosy white of an oriental girl's face. By the mid-Ming, the glaze turned a faint yellowish-white, like the teeth of an adult elephant. From the late Ming to the early Qing, the glaze was a faint ivory white, like the color of solidified lard."

"However, what we have here is clearly a replica. It was obviously made by casting in a mold and assembled in sections. Because of the slip-casting process, you can see the flow patterns of the porcelain slip inside, usually in a vertical orientation. The body is thin and light, and the glaze has a milky white color. Under a magnifying glass, you’d see bubbles, lacking the moist, pleasing characteristics of an authentic piece."

Fang Nian’s professional and detailed explanation left the sales assistant stunned, her eyes rolling back in shock as she fell silent. She hadn't expected him to be so knowledgeable, making her previous lies look utterly ridiculous.

Xia Moyan, seeing this, glared at the assistant. She had been in business for years; being nearly duped by a young girl was quite embarrassing.

Before she could lash out, a middle-aged man around forty emerged from the back of the shop. He had a fierce look, a thin, gaunt face with a small mustache, and an oily expression that screamed "shady merchant."

The man walked up and slapped the sales assistant across the face, roaring:

"Is this how you introduce items to guests? Daring to sell a sample to a client? You must be out of your mind! I’m punishing you to go to the back and write the *Tao Te Ching* one hundred times with a calligraphy brush. You are not to sleep until you finish."

Turning back to Fang Nian and Xia Moyan, he put on a sycophantic smile.

"Please forgive me, you two. I’m sorry a mere assistant dared to display her incompetence in front of experts. To apologize, I will give you a discount on whatever you choose to purchase today. How about that?"

Fang Nian looked at the shady merchant with resignation. Surprisingly, he felt the sales assistant had been more sincere. The standard version of the *Tao Te Ching* has 5,162 characters; even using a ballpoint pen, copying it once would take hours.

Making her write it one hundred times with a brush was absurdly fake. A project of that scale would take half a year to complete—meaning she wouldn't sleep for six months?

Fang Nian understood that such scams were happening almost every hour in the Pan-Peach Garden. He didn't intend to argue with him and continued browsing the shop.

After walking around, he found nothing of real value aside from two jade pieces, so he pulled Xia Moyan to leave and check the next shop.

But just as they were about to step out of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, the boss called them back.

"Wait, please. May I ask what your budget is for this visit?"

Xia Moyan was about to speak, but Fang Nian cut her off.

"No limit. We only care about the items."

The boss grew excited. "In that case, please follow me to the inner courtyard. There are a few unique, high-quality items there."

Fang Nian raised an eyebrow at Xia Moyan and whispered:

"Here we go."