Mr. Leng's voice was loud, and immediately everyone looked over.

Upon hearing Mr. Leng speak, the owner of the celestial bead on stage very sensibly moved closer to the microphone: "Everyone, I am truly sorry, but since Mr. Leng has taken a liking to this item, I have decided to remove it from the shelves and give it as a gift to Mr. Leng's friend. I am truly sorry!"

“I appreciate your kindness, but let’s not break the rules of this tea party. Since it’s an auction, let’s proceed according to the normal procedures. If other colleagues are really interested in this dzi bead, everyone can compete fairly!”

As Mr. Leng spoke, he had already signaled to the staff to bring the enamel brush washer that had just been placed on the table.

I felt a pang of heartache when I saw the brush washer being taken away, after all, the two items were worth three times each.

However, I didn't say anything this time, and I understood Mr. Leng's intention.

He used the extra four million to buy me peace of mind.

Given Mr. Leng's status, the fact that he would pay a premium for something I had my eye on is enough to spark the imagination.

In this way, those who want to climb over me to get ahead of Lin Jianghao will naturally have to think twice.

This kind of barter auction is essentially a test of the buyer's and seller's judgment. Both parties must not only appraise the items they offer, but also guarantee their authenticity. It is a case of risk and reward coexisting.

The people these people are most willing to trade with are people like Mr. Leng, not for any other reason than that, given their status and position, it would be too embarrassing if word got out that the items they sell were counterfeit.

Therefore, when others saw what Mr. Leng offered, they understood that he truly wanted the dzi bead, and even Lin Jianghao did not make any offer.

This, on the contrary, made me feel somewhat uneasy.

Lin Jianghao had just suffered a setback at Mr. Leng's hands, but he didn't participate in the competition at this moment. It wasn't out of respect for Mr. Leng, but because he felt that it was pointless to argue over such a trivial matter.

Such people often retaliate more fiercely and more unexpectedly.

Mr. Leng made a bold move, swiftly and decisively snapping up the dzi bead on the stage.

When the tray was brought to me, Mr. Leng picked up the dzi bead and handed it to me: "People say that dzi beads are a Buddhist treasure with the power to ward off evil. I don't know if that's true or not, but on this occasion, it is indeed your talisman! Take it, as my way of repaying you for your hard work today."

"Mr. Leng is joking. I'm more than happy to come out and see the world with you. It's not hard at all."

I smiled and didn't refuse Mr. Leng. I put the dzi bead away. After all, he had already lost millions to acquire it, and it would seem unreasonable of me to refuse him.

After this minor incident, the auction continued, and the subsequent items became increasingly valuable, especially a set of silk tapestry-painted 60th birthday screens from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. After more than a dozen rounds of bidding, the seller still couldn't find a suitable item to sell. Someone in the audience even offered 45 million in cash, but the seller was clearly not short of money, and the auction ultimately failed to go up in price.

Seeing that Mr. Leng didn't seem very interested in these items, I asked, "Mr. Leng, do none of these things appeal to you?"

"The items are not bad, but you know what I like. The most interesting thing about participating in these private auctions is that some items that are prohibited from circulation in China will appear. But this tea party is a bit too conventional."

Mr. Leng paused for a moment: "So far, the only valuable item that has appeared is the doucai dragon-patterned jar that was the highlight of the previous barter transaction, but it turned out to be a flawed item! Now the auction has already featured items worth tens of millions, and it's probably nearing its end. I'll just have to see if any of the next few items can pique my interest."

The next lot is an ivory carving of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea from the mid-Qing Dynasty. Its exquisite craftsmanship and the difficulty of its work are unparalleled in the world.

There were two major schools of ivory carving in the Qing Dynasty: the Jiangnan school and the Guangdong school.

The special agency in the Qing Dynasty that manufactured royal items was called the Imperial Household Department's Workshop. The "Ivory Workshop" within it was specifically responsible for ivory carving. At first glance, you could tell that these items had circulated from the Qing Palace to the common people, and they must have been made by a famous craftsman from the Imperial Household Department.

However, Mr. Leng still showed little interest in this item, while Lin Jianghao spent a large sum of money to acquire it.

Just when I thought Mr. Leng was going to leave empty-handed today.

The host on stage suddenly spoke up: "Distinguished guests, our auction today is nearing its end. There are only two items left to be auctioned. Now, let's move on to the next item! A bronze square-shaped wine vessel from the late Shang Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Leng, who had been dozing off, suddenly perked up, and his eyes shone with light.

Soon, the bronze wine vessel was placed on the display stand.

The term "觥" refers to an ancient drinking vessel, also known as a wine cup.

Ancient drinking games can be roughly divided into four categories: ancient, elegant, common, and tally.

The "筹" in this context refers to a counting tool, also known as a "酒筹" (jiǔchóu), which is a type of token used in drinking games to record the amount of alcohol consumed or the amount of alcohol used as a penalty. There is also a specific idiom for this: "觥筹交错" (gōngchóu jiāocuò).

The bronze gong appeared in the late Yin Ruins period. According to known archaeological data, bronze gongs only appeared in a few large and high-level tombs. For example, the tomb of Fu Hao in Yin Ruins had eight exquisitely decorated gongs, which fully reflected the prominent status of the tomb owner and distinguished his identity and rank.

The bronze gong on the stage is an oval-shaped vessel with a dragon-head lid and a ring foot, which is a style from the late Shang Dynasty. It has a curved mouth and a wide spout, a lid that can be fastened, a round and bulging belly, a handle on one side, and a high ring foot supported by a narrow rim.

The front of the lid of the wine vessel is shaped like a giraffe antler and a dragon head, with eyes shaped like the character "臣" (chen), protruding round eyes, a raised upper lip, and a wide open mouth revealing two rows of sharp teeth. The carving is so lifelike that it has a somewhat cartoonish feel.

Inside this wine cup is the inscription "Fang Hou," which is the owner's emblem and the reason why this wine cup is named Fang Hou Gong.

Upon seeing the photo of the wine vessel, Mr. Leng's entire demeanor changed: "Xiao Duan, what do you think of this?"

After getting to know Su Jialiang, I have a new understanding of bronze ware forgery. I responded cautiously: "From the pictures, I haven't found any problems yet. However, the authentication of bronze ware must be done by hand. After all, the current forgery technology has developed to the point that it is impossible to guard against."

Mr. Leng lit a cigarette, staring intently at the pictures on the display stand: "How much do you think this wine cup is worth?"

“I once saw a similar-shaped wine vessel in the records of the Xiling Autumn Auction. It was named after the inscription of its owner and was called Ning Shi Gong. It was originally in the collection of the British and was also included in many books on bronze research. If I remember correctly, Ning Shi Gong should have sold for close to ten million. In today’s terms, it should have appreciated a lot.”

I paused for a moment: "Throughout the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, bronze was a precious material, the handle of royal power, and a ritual vessel for kings and nobles! This Fanghou Gong is exquisitely shaped, well-made, and in excellent condition. If it is genuine, its price should be more than three times that of the Ning Shi Gong."