From Nun to Real Heiress: Expert at Turning the Tables - Chapter 244
Chapter 244: 117 Prey (First Update)_2
Translator: 549690339
“This Narcissus Basin has a top-notch glaze and color, even the proportion of agate powder added is optimal. God knows how many were made before this one finally succeeded.”
“How come I can’t see any of this? The color under the sunlight is exactly the same as what you described. Look, under the sunlight, it’s green with a hint of yellow, like it’s shining with gold, incredibly beautiful, a color that’s hard to describe with words, simply marvelous.” Madam Shen exclaimed.
“This is precisely where the other party excels. The craftsmanship is good enough to deceive people, but no matter how well-crafted, it can never compare to nature’s original creations.” The girl’s calm voice gently fell on everyone’s ears, making everyone’s heart tremble.
Her confident composure left no room for doubt.
“You’ve been talking for so long, but it’s all in vain. Why don’t you prove it’s fake? Have you even seen a real one?” Mrs. Gu disdainfully asked.
Ming Jing had indeed seen a real one, in Ran Bowen’s treasure collection.
All this Imowledge was directly passed down by Ran Bowen himself.
People only knew about Ran Bowen’s ruthless and ambitious nature, but they cuan•c Know ne was also a great collector.
His glorious achievement was the destruction of a family over a Tang Dynasty secret-color porcelain.
In his secret chamber, he would repeatedly polish his treasures, telling her about their history and the ups and downs they experienced through the turbulent centuries. Each antique was like a person, each with its own story.
“I got this sky-blue Narcissus Basin from a descendant of a rural gentry from the Republic of China era. He lost all his fortune gambling, and as gamblers always think they can turn the tables, he wagered this heirloom. In the end, he still lost, and to get it, I spent a month setting up a trap. People’s greed is endless, and the final bet a gambler can place on the table is his own life.”
The man caressed the Narcissus Basin with a tenderness in his eyes as if he was looking at a beloved woman.
“Ah Yu, remember, when you want something, don’t be hasty. Patience is the key to victory.”
So, at the moment the tip of the blade pierced his chest, his smile was full of irony.
He prided himself on being a hunter but did not realize he was the biggest prey.
Ming Jing lowered her eyes, concealing a faint sigh at the bottom of her eyes.
The slender white fingers gently brushed the sky-blue glaze, making it appear even more translucent and the sky-blue color even clearer.
Azure peaks and verdant colors, like jade, but not jade.
“In the production of Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain, apart from the proportion of coloring formulas in the glaze, another masterpiece is the control of kiln changes. The cooling control rate directly affects the glaze color. If the cooling speed is higher than 1100 0c, tiny air bubbles will form at the bottom of the glaze under the influence of agate powder. Conversely, one should speed up the cooling to prevent the reduced metal ions from re-oxidizing to their original states, thus maintaining the final sky-blue color. The skills of kiln masters, monopolized by the court, reached an unprecedented level of excellence, and such an occurrence would be impossible. However, current craftsmen, driven by utilitarianism, are eager for quick success and lack both the patience and the core technology. Although they can deceive, they can’t replicate the sky-blue color from a thousand years ago.”
As the girl’s cold voice fell, it was like jade beads dropping onto a plate, and everyone looked at Ming Jing.
If the sky blue color of the Ru porcelain was pure and elegant, and of great value, her crescent eyebrows and autumn water eyes were gentle and simple, like a lotus with twelve petals, inch by inch revealing the subtleties of their charm.
Jiang Chunlan stood there for a moment, and, before Madam Shen and Mrs. Gu could recover, ordered Zhou Xue: “Bring the magnifying glass.”
Zhou Xue quickly fetched a magnifying glass and handed it to Jiang Chunlan with both hands.
Jiang Chunlan held the magnifying glass and swept it over the bottom of the Narcissus Basin inch by inch. Finally, she looked up at Ming Jing in shock and said, “There really isn’t any.”
Mrs. Gu hesitated, “But this doesn’t prove anything…”
Madam Shen shook her head, “Miss Zhu has made it very clear; the technologies monopolized by ancient courts, with one-in-a-million craftsmen, are not the same as modern methods. The colors might be replicated, but the control of kiln changes cannot. Although I don’t know anything about this field, I understand Miss Zhu’s explanation. There is no need for further doubts. Miss Zhu is so young, yet so knowledgeable and talented, it has been truly eye-opening for me today.” Madam Shen sincerely praised, her eyes filled with admiration.
Ming Jing remained humble, saying gently, “Madam, you overpraise me. I just heard it from my ancestors, it’s not worth mentioning..”
