148: Chapter 148 National Treasure-Level Counterfeit

It was already past eight o'clock by the time Chen Shaoping and Zhang Ying returned home.

Neither of them felt like cooking, so they ordered takeout.

Now, they were eating and watching TV.

Originally, Chen Shaoping wanted to watch "treasure appraisal," but he simply couldn't win against Zhang Ying.

He could only watch "palace jade" with her and wait until it was almost time to switch channels.

He finished eating a bit faster, and once done, he stepped aside to call Tian Jun.

After the call connected, Chen Shaoping asked hurriedly.

"Four Jun, are you resting or at work right now?"

"Res... resting. Is... is something up, Da Ping?"

On the phone, Tian Jun was stammering, as if he had been caught red-handed doing something bad.

Tian Jun only acted this way when facing girls, especially someone he liked.

Chen Shaoping immediately guessed what was going on and teased him on purpose.

"Not bad, Four Jun, you've really stepped up. You're with some girl, aren't you? Confess now, or I'll tell my sister Mengmeng right away."

"I'll tell her to ignore you."

Tian Jun immediately grew anxious.

"Da Ping, don't talk nonsense. The one I'm with is Mengmeng."

"Tian Jun, you're so silly. My brother was just baiting you, and you actually fell for it."

"You seem smart enough when handling cases, so why are you so slow when it comes to this kind of thing?"

From the phone, besides Tian Jun's voice, Yang Mengmeng's complaining voice could also be heard.

Yang Mengmeng continued, "Brother, I'm with Tian Jun. Do you want to come find us? Hehe."

"Mengmeng, are you two dating?" Chen Shaoping asked.

"Mm-hm," Yang Mengmeng answered softly, her tone filled with sweetness.

"If this guy Tian Jun dares to bully you, just wait and see how I deal with him," Chen Shaoping said loudly.

"Brother, don't worry, I'm the only one who bullies him."

"I love her more than anything; how could I ever bully her?" Tian Jun argued.

"Anyway, Da Ping, what did you call me for?"

"Where are you two right now?"

"We just finished eating and are shopping at Wansheng Square."

"Stop shopping for now. Get to Jingjiang Hotel before ten o'clock; we'll meet there."

"Bring Mengmeng along."

"Okay, Brother, see you in a bit."

Tian Jun had wanted to ask what it was about, but Yang Mengmeng had already agreed.

Chen Shaoping returned to the sofa; Zhang Ying had already finished eating and had even cleared the coffee table.

"Who were you calling? You even went behind my back," Zhang Ying said, pouting.

Chen Shaoping pulled her into his arms and smiled. "Jealous?"

Zhang Ying didn't say anything, merely leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I was calling Tian Jun. That guy is dishonest; he tricked my sister, Yang Mengmeng, into dating him."

Hot air puffed from Chen Shaoping's nostrils, his face full of dissatisfaction.

"Then did you trick me into dating you too?" Zhang Ying looked up at Chen Shaoping.

"No, I truly love you." Chen Shaoping lightly flicked her nose.

"Tian Jun and Mengmeng are different. You're not allowed to say 'tricked'."

"Fine, fine."

"You heard me on the phone just now, didn't you?"

"You were so loud; it would've been hard not to hear."

"Then why did you ask me on purpose..."

"To see if you'd be honest."

"Hehehe!"

"You're naughty!"

Chen Shaoping gave her backside a light smack as punishment.

At the same time, he switched the TV channel to "treasure appraisal."

On the television.

A woman who looked to be around fifty years old, dressed elegantly and carrying herself with poise.

She walked onto the appraisal stage holding a cultural relic wrapped in yellow cloth.

Then, she carefully unwrapped the layers of yellow cloth one by one.

A porcelain mei bottle appeared before everyone's eyes.

Zhao Meng, an expert from the porcelain group, walked onto the appraisal stage with a magnifying glass.

This was his job.

"Ma'am, please introduce the origin of this porcelain piece," Zhao Meng asked.

"Hello, Expert Zhao. My surname is Liang."

"My husband bought this three years ago. He didn't tell me where exactly he bought it or how much it cost."

Ms. Liang's smile was a bit forced; she clearly knew very little about the details of this relic.

"Oh, so what would you like to know today?"

"I just want to know if this relic is authentic."

Hearing this, Zhao Meng didn't press further. After putting on white gloves, he began to examine it closely.

He looked very carefully, following the order of the rim, neck, body, and base of the bottle.

His expression grew increasingly solemn, and his movements became gentler.

Even his breathing slowed down.

Everyone present also held their breath, watching him quietly; no one rushed him.

After a long while.

Zhao Meng carefully set the mei bottle down. Instead of giving his opinion immediately, he walked over to Luo Yibo, an expert from the miscellaneous items group, and whispered a few words.

Subsequently, Luo Yibo followed closely behind Zhao Meng to the appraisal stage.

He picked up the mei bottle reverently and began to appraise it with serious concentration.

After a while, he placed the mei bottle back on the appraisal stand.

After letting go, his hand hovered a couple of centimeters away from the mei bottle for several seconds.

Only after confirming the mei bottle was stable did he straighten his back.

After exchanging opinions with Zhao Meng, he walked down, looking satisfied.

Zhao Meng coughed lightly and cleared his throat. "Ms. Liang, do you know what this relic is called?"

Ms. Liang was deeply drawn in by the two experts' solemn appraisal process. Her inner state was far from as calm as her exterior, and her mind was racing.

One moment she fantasized it was real, and the next she thought it was fake.

There was one thing she hadn't been honest about: her husband had bought this mei bottle for five million.

Because of this, she hadn't spoken to her husband for half a year.

Coming to the "treasure appraisal" set this time was also done behind her husband's back.

Startled by Zhao Meng's question, she snapped out of it.

"Expert Zhao, I don't know."

"Alright, then I'll be blunt. You don't have heart disease or any similar condition, do you?" Zhao Meng asked.

Ms. Liang didn't understand why Zhao Meng was asking this, but she roughly guessed it was good news.

Feeling a surge of joy, she said, "Expert Zhao, my health is very good. Please, go ahead. I can accept it whether it's real or fake."

Upon hearing this.

Zhao Meng walked to the side of the appraisal stage, facing the audience, and spoke in a loud voice.

"This relic is called the 'meiping vase with underglaze blue figures, chenghua reign mark'."

"'chenghua dynasty' underglaze blue is known for being elegant and delicate, mostly using domestic 'pingdeng' blue cobalt, resulting in an elegant blue-gray color. mei bottles with figure patterns were not mainstream during the Chenghua period, so very few have survived."

"Most existing ones are imitations from the middle to late Ming, the Qing Dynasty, or the Republican era. The closer the period is to the modern day, the lower its value."

"Ranging from dozens to millions."

Hearing this, Ms. Liang felt like a deflated ball; her composure vanished, and her expression turned grim.

Suddenly, Zhao Meng changed his tone. "However, the body of this figure mei bottle is light, thin, and delicate, the glaze is as warm and smooth as fat, the blue color is elegant, the painting style is ethereal, and the lines of the figures are soft."

"All of these perfectly match the characteristics of porcelain from the chenghua dynasty. Therefore, Expert Luo Yibo and I have unanimously concluded that this relic is undoubtedly an authentic piece from the chenghua dynasty."

"Furthermore, it is in perfect condition; it is a true national treasure-level relic."

"A mei bottle like this should be valued at the hundred-million-yuan level. If it were to go to auction—similar items have sold for several hundred million yuan in the past two years—it wouldn't be any lower."