"But things that can be used as cultural relics and cannot be circulated are all top-notch and high-priced, aren't they?"
I said, smiled, and then told them a story about the bottle.
Of course I followed what was written in cursive on the bottle.
"About the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, the emperor and a palace maid had a child."
I began to slowly tell a story that sounded a bit like a "traditional bloody drama".
Probably because of the identity issue, the emperor entrusted the child to a minister, and at the same time secretly gave the minister a plum vase.
After the minister resigned and returned home, the bottle followed him as proof that the child had royal blood.
But it’s different from most stories of illegitimate children’s counterattack.
This child was not outstanding. When he grew up, he did not make many literary achievements, let alone become a celebrity or hold a high position.
"I heard that he seemed to have written a collection of essays that looks like a current diary."
I slowly said, "His life experience is hidden in it."
Fortunately, this person is more casual and doesn't really think of ways to rely on his bloodline to compete for a big position. Otherwise, the end may not be so smooth, and Mei Ping probably won't be able to survive until now.
"How bloody!"
"But it's quite boring!"
Su Yu slowly said, "If I were that illegitimate child, I would definitely kill him back!"
"It's not a TV show."
I said and sighed, "If we fight back to the palace, this guy will probably be convicted of treason, and we won't see this bottle."
"That's true..."
Amelia Su said and nodded slightly.
"That's probably it, but to fully understand the origin of this bottle, we still have to find another ancient book."
I slowly said, "I remember it was called Temple Industry Collection."
"This... I seem to have heard of it..."
"But because there is no signature on it and the literary talent is not good, it is circulated as an ordinary folk antique..."
The seventh uncle suddenly became energetic and asked, "Is there something in the ancient tomb?"
"This kind of thing is generally not used as a burial object."
I explained, "The cursive writing on this bottle should be the handwriting of the minister who adopted it, but that minister was not a famous figure."
"Huh? You're not famous, why is this thing so expensive?"
Just when Amelia Su was surprised, Liu Jiahao spoke.
"Look, there is news about the archeology over there in Jingjiang."
As he said this, he sent the webpage to our group, and then we all opened it and read it.
It is archeology-related news about Jingjiang Ancient Tombs.
Several articles in a row made me a little disappointed - their ignorance reduced the value of the tomb.
According to the report, the archaeological team initially thought that the tomb should belong to an important minister who once held a high position.
Because the size of the tomb has exceeded that of a country squire, and the things inside are also valuable.
However, after exploration, there were no relevant inscriptions or anything that could prove the identity of the tomb owner.
So they classified this ancient tomb as an ordinary cemetery.
Some items in the tomb are currently being identified.
Because he didn't know, Jingjiang's idea of building a museum on this basis was shattered.
How to deal with it has become a new problem.
Generally speaking, it is reburied or the grave is moved.
"Grandpa, can we pay to take down all these things?"
"He's so pathetic."
Su Yu slowly spoke, but I refused.
"No, I know the value of this tomb, it doesn't mean others don't know it."
I slowly said, "Including this bottle, if we take it down, we might get involved in something bad."
"Shen Fan is right, granddaughter, you have to think about these carefully."
Uncle Seven also nodded, "Shen Fan, you told me a story. I understand the subject matter, but what is the actual value of this bottle?"
Only then did I realize that I was focusing on the Jiang theme and forgot to tell them about the subtleties of this bottle.
"This plum vase is made of two layers of glaze."
I slowly said, "The first layer is a black glaze, so you can see that the whole bottle is dark, and then the second layer is a nearly transparent azure glaze."
"How can I see it?"
Uncle Qi took the bottle in his hand and played with it a little, "I feel like the enamel of this bottle is not very good, which makes the pomelo look darker."
"It's dark outside, we might as well go inside and take a look."
I thought about it and said, "We have almost enough to eat anyway."
"Yes, Master, it just so happens that we can learn from it too!"
Lu Yunchuan said with excitement on his face.
"That's right, Zhou Jianguo, please ask someone to prepare the inside, and also ask someone to tidy up the place."
The seventh uncle nodded and walked carefully towards the hall with Mei Ping.
In the well-lit hall, the seventh uncle really felt that I might be right.
Because he clearly felt that there was a layer of something on top of the black glaze.
"Shen Fan, maybe the bottle itself is made of black soil?"
He placed the bottle on the table next to his seat in the hall.
"If the soil is black, then the part in the middle of the bottle should also be black."
I slowly said, "Let me explain it to you."
I said and brought Lu Yunchuan and Liu Jiahao forward. Others also came up to take a look out of curiosity.
Seeing them coming up, I didn't reveal the secret but asked Lu Yunchuan and Liu Jiahao to identify it first.
"I...I may not be able to see it."
Lu Yunchuan said, shaking his head slightly, and then looked at Liu Jiahao.
"I can only see a little bit, Master, you don't teach me much."
"You try it first. It doesn't matter if you are wrong. This thing does have some technical content."
I said and smiled.
However, they could only tell that it was a darker azure glaze, dating from the Qingyuan period to the Baoqing period of the Southern Song Dynasty.
I nodded slightly, "Okay,"
"Look, does the pattern of plum blossoms have a layered feel to the cursive characters?"
I found a brighter flashlight and shined the light on it.
"When you tell me, I can... see a little bit of it."
Uncle Seven nodded slowly.
"The words are exposed on the innermost layer, and what is written above are the words of the abbreviated version of the story."
"The plum blossom pattern on the plum vase is made by applying a layer of azure glaze after the black glaze has been applied, leaving a black part for writing in the middle, so it looks layered."
When I said this, they all opened their eyes wide, and finally discovered that there were traces of black glaze on the base of these words between the concavities and convexities.
"This is a double-firing method. The first layer of black glaze is only slightly fired to set the shape, and then the second layer of azure glaze is applied. At the same time, the words are written on the black glaze."
After I explained this, they all nodded as if they suddenly understood, "This kind of technique is basically invisible to the public, and not much can be done in official kilns."
What I mean is that except for the emperor's personal request and the palace craftsmen, there is basically no one to do it.
