This was my first time participating in a private photoshoot, and I was unfamiliar with the process. After the tea party started, I simply watched quietly.

I won't go into the lengthy, clichéd remarks of the host. After reading the opening remarks, the host glanced at the teleprompter in his hand and announced loudly: "Distinguished guests, I hereby declare the opening of this year's Cultural and Artistic Exchange Tea Party officially open. Next, please appreciate the exhibit number 47, a calligraphy scroll by Zhang Zhidong, a famous official of the late Qing Dynasty."

Upon hearing this name, I immediately became interested.

Zhang Zhidong was a famous official in the late Qing Dynasty and a representative figure of the Westernization Movement. His ancestral home was Nanpi, Zhili Province. His courtesy name was Xiaoda and his pen name was Xiangtao. At the time, he was the governor-general, so people at the time called him "Zhang Xiangshuai".

He is known as one of the four great ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, along with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang. However, another version lists the four great ministers as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi, and Peng Yulin.

In the long history of China, the Qing Dynasty, as the last feudal dynasty, has only been around for a little over a hundred years. Therefore, there are quite a few works by Zhang Zhidong that have been passed down to posterity. He was a calligrapher himself, and with the added influence of being a famous official, the market value of his calligraphy works has been rising in recent years.

The organizers must have carefully considered using Zhang Zhidong's works as the opening piece for this tea party. It not only reflects the weight of history but also showcases rare treasures, making it the perfect opening act.

As soon as the host finished speaking, two hostesses came out from behind the stage, carrying a large tray and walking towards Mr. Leng and Lin Jianghao, followed by several waiters pushing luggage carts.

At the same time, a high-resolution image of the calligraphy was displayed on the large screen behind the host.

This calligraphy piece, with its red background and black characters, is vigorous, bold, and unrestrained, perfectly embodying Zhang Zhidong's style of seeking richness in structure and smoothness in brushwork.

At the end of the strokes, the signature "Zhang Zhidong of Nanpi" is written, followed by two seals, one reading "Seal of Zhang Zhidong" and the other his pseudonym "Wujing Jushi".

While Mr. Leng and the others were observing the calligraphy in the distance, the bald man at the booth next to mine had already taken out a piece of yellow silk from his drawer, wrapped a Ge kiln brush washer on the table, and attached a label equal to his booth's. Seeing that I was sitting in the chair without moving, he said, "Young man, aren't you going to participate in this first round of competition? That's right, you only brought one painting, how can you participate!"

The monkey scoffed, "Isn't this tea party an auction? We just need to bring money, why do you care how much stuff I have?"

"Haha, it seems this is your first time attending a tea party?"

The bald man smiled and said, "Almost all the people who can attend this tea party are collectors, so most of them are here to exchange ideas. Look at the people at the other booths."

I looked around and found that many stalls were like bald heads, already wrapping up some items, and some stalls had wrapped up several items.

The bald man waited until I looked away and continued to explain, "The main form of trade at this tea party is barter. We bring up what we want to exchange, and the person bidding chooses what they want. If the other party likes it, they will keep what you brought and return the item they exchanged. Everyone else returns their original item. Of course, if you don't have anything, you can write a check and leave it there. However, almost everyone who comes here is not short of money. Unless you offer a price that is hard to refuse, it will be difficult to buy anything."

The bald man explained the rules of the tea party to us, and the calligraphy work gradually moved towards us from Mr. Leng's side.

According to the rules of the tea party, apart from Mr. Leng and his VIP group who could touch the auction items, other booths could only look but not touch, and only for a maximum of one minute.

The owners of the two booths ahead of me showed no interest in this calligraphy and simply waved it away.

After listening to the bald man's explanation, I realized that I couldn't handle the calligraphy, but instead of skipping over it, I went over to take a look.

Zhang Zhidong learned calligraphy from Su Dongpo, so he was good at using the side of the brush when creating his works. Just by looking at the brushstrokes, this painting is undoubtedly an authentic work.

Behind the hostesses, staff members pushed a luggage cart with grids. Shopkeepers who wanted to exchange the calligraphy would place their own antiques on it.

As I expected, after the auction of Zhang Zhidong's calligraphy was completed, the subsequent auction items became uneven in quality. Although they were all rare and valuable items on the market, none of them were eye-catching at this level of tea party.

The bald guy next to me is a complete middleman. I don't know how he brought in a cell phone, but during each round of bidding, he would secretly take a picture and send the information out. Only after confirming that there was a buyer would he make a move.

I noticed that some of the items at the bald man's booth were problematic, but he brazenly packed up those fakes and sent them away, and even got back a lot of genuine items in return.

Just as I was feeling utterly bored, a speech by the host on stage finally caught my attention: "Ladies and gentlemen, the next item we will be exhibiting is the last item in the free trade session, submitted by number 11. It is a Chenghua-era doucai dragon-patterned covered jar, 12 cm in diameter and 37 cm in height..."

The monkey's eyes lit up when it saw the photo on the big screen: "Young Master Duan, this is a good thing!"

"It's definitely a good product!"

Looking at the huge picture behind the host, I nodded in agreement: "The glaze, style, and painting are all top-notch! I've only ever seen a jar of this quality in auction videos. A few years ago, the Federal International Auction in the United States sold one for nearly seven million US dollars!"

Just then, a waiter walked to the table and nodded respectfully to me: "Mr. Duan, Uncle Mao asked me to inform you to come over."

"good!"

When I heard what the other person said, I knew that Mr. Leng had taken a liking to this jar, so I immediately got up and walked over there, stood next to Mr. Leng, and greeted him.

When Mr. Leng saw me coming over, he nodded slightly: "Today's tea party is too small. So far, I've only taken a liking to this jar. Could you give me your opinion?"

Lin Jianghao, sitting at his booth six meters away, saw me talking to Mr. Leng and burst into laughter: "Sixth Young Master, such an arrogant person, has actually learned to ask questions without shame. Could it be that once bitten by a snake, twice shy?"

Mr. Leng was so angered by Lin Jianghao that his expression changed instantly. I could only change the subject: "Mr. Leng, I wonder what item you plan to use as collateral for this round?"

Mr. Leng glanced at Lao Mao, who then instructed a waiter to set up a screen and retrieve a very exquisite brocade box, more than half a meter tall, from a cabinet behind it, placing it on the table in front of him.