Live appraising treasures, I became a national treasure expert?

"Teacher Cui...Teacher Cui?"

I shouted several times, but no one responded.

Just when I made a phone call, he disappeared without a trace?

The secretary poked his head: "Are you looking for Researcher Cui? He's on the second floor..."

"Okay, thank you!"

Li Ding'an nodded and quickly went upstairs.

As soon as he went up the stairs, he saw Cui Li holding his chin with one hand, as if he was looking at something, very focused.

"Teacher Cui... Researcher Cui?"

"Oh...Teacher Li?"

"What are you looking at, so fascinated?"

"nothing!"

Cui Li's eyes were a little evasive, "Just do some research!"

Just study, study, what are you lacking?

Suspicious, Li Ding'an tilted his head and looked: directly in front of Cui Li, there was a bottle of a statue about thirty centimeters high.

Take another closer look... Good guy, Happy Buddha?

There is a pavilion under the Buddha statue, with one on each side: the female Youyou on the left, and the male Qie on the right.

Aren't these the two items in the cellphone photo?

Look to both sides:

Drum, bell and pestle, Kadam Pagoda, old stork-feathered iron bowl, winged Dharma conch, Wheel King Seven Treasures, Harmony Pagoda, Relic Pagoda, Dharma Wheel, Dharma Spoon, Round Dharma Spoon... Regardless of texture, shape and style, They are all Tantric objects.

Feeling suddenly, I ran into the Lamasery.

Tantra originated from Indian Esoteric Buddhism. It was first integrated with Indian Buddhism and then introduced to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. After thousands of years of evolution, it formed China's unique Tibetan Buddhism, which is commonly known as Lamaism.

Historically, believers have mostly been ethnic minorities, including Manchus.

If it had happened before, Li Ding'an would have definitely done some research to see where these things came from, and whether the royal cemetery or the imperial mausoleum in the Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty had been stolen, as he had guessed.

But now, even the tomb of King Jing of Zhongshan has been dug up in advance, so how can there be any time to clean the tomb?

"Teacher Cui, let's go!"

"what?"

Cui Li was stunned for a moment, "Teacher Li, haven't you read those things yet?"

"Oh yes……"

I came here today nominally to help Cui Li look at things. It would not be good to drag him away without looking at anything.

"Which one does Teacher Cui like?"

Li Ding'an looked around, "Is this a bottle of Happy Buddha?"

"This item is too niche, so it's probably hard to sell...but the price is not high!"

Cui Li pointed at the label, "Add two magic weapons, it's only 560,000!"

"Isn't 560,000 expensive?"

"What if?" Cui Li blinked and pointed in the northwest direction.

What’s in the northwest?

Of course it’s Qingxiling…

Right.

According to unofficial records, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang all participated in Huanxi Zen. Qianlong was buried in Dongling, so there is no need to mention it, but Jiaqing and Daoguang were both buried in Xiling...

Li Ding'an came closer: the Buddha statue was made of cypress wood and was painted gold after being carved. It was quite old and there was basically no scent at all.

Most of the gold paint has fallen off, and it has been burned by smoke and fire, and the whole thing is burnt black.

The carving is quite good: the male Buddha wears a dharma crown, has a ferocious face, and sits with his arms spread out to show the enlightenment of Bodhi. The female Buddha holds Buddhist scriptures and ingots to show the ultimate emptiness and happiness.

The two magical instruments on the pavilion are made of copper, with high purity and covered with patina.

After looking at it for a while, Li Ding'an narrowed his eyes again: If you only look at the color, does it feel that it is no different from the statues he saw in Fengcheng?

In short, it has not been buried in the ground, and it is definitely not dug out of any tomb. Instead, it seems that it has been placed in the temple and received all kinds of incense.

And it wasn’t long before I left the temple...

This is a bit strange.

There can’t be a lamasery in Baoding similar to Fengcheng Five-Word Temple, right?

Of course, maybe it came from Qinghai or XZ...

After thinking about it, Li Ding'an bent down again: Sure enough, the base of the Buddha statue was covered with a round stamp: Beijing Huachen!

Looking at the female You and Xiong Qie on the pavilion, there are also traces of being stamped, which shows that they are a complete set...

Haha, you bought it at an auction?

He straightened up and shook his head: "Forget it!"

Cui Li blinked: "It's fake...it doesn't look like it?"

"It's true, but collecting is okay, just make money!"

Li Ding'an lowered his voice, "It has been kept in the temple, and it has only been leaked out in the past two years."

Cui Li was stunned for a moment and suddenly became discouraged: Apart from Qinghai and XZ, where else are there Tantric temples now?

In other words: it has nothing to do with the Manchu royal family...

Seeing that Li Ding'an might be in trouble, he didn't dare to delay: "Teacher Li, can you help me take a look at this?"

Li Ding'an nodded and followed him to another stand: an enamel rosette, fifteen or six centimeters high, with a base diameter of nearly five centimeters, and an octagonal wish-fulfilling orb embedded in it. Each is decorated with colorful silk, golden treasures, red ears, flower bells, necklaces, auspicious knots and other decorations.

One of the Seven Treasures of the Wheel King, the divine jewel.

The porcelain body is thin, the porcelain quality is very fine and moist, the color materials are dignified, the color is bright, and the painting work is also very exquisite. It has the typical style of the Qianlong period of "precision and complexity, glory and splendor".

Look at the bottom glaze: neither green nor yellow, the glaze surface is smooth, clean and flawless.

The cow hair pattern is also very fine. If you change the angle slightly, the clam light is connected in one circle.

It looked quite real, but Li Dingan frowned.

It was after seeing this thing in the photo that he decided to take a look with Cui Li. But he didn't know whether it was because the angle when taking the photo was wrong or because the light was insufficient. He always felt that the real thing was much whiter than in the photo.

Especially in the base glaze, which is the area that is not painted, there is almost no trace of color.

Of course, the color porcelain base is white, especially the enamel color. The whiter the porcelain base, the fewer impurities, and the lower the chance of reacting with the color material during the second re-firing, resulting in discoloration of the pattern.

But in ancient times, even the Qianlong Dynasty, which had the most perfect white porcelain craftsmanship, could not remove all the impurities in the porcelain clay, and the base was only close to "albumin blue".

At first glance, it looks almost pure white, but if it is illuminated, you can see faint milky green and milky yellow, just like a hard-boiled egg, with the egg yolk wrapped in the egg white, and the color penetrates to the surface.

Therefore, any classics that record porcelain, no matter how white it is, only dare to say "clean and flawless", but dare not say "pure white and flawless".

Of course, it can definitely be done now, not to mention modern times. During the Yuan Shikai period of the Republic of China, chemical raw materials had been used to bleach porcelain clay, so Hongxian pastels are so white...

Um, bleach?

Li Ding'an paused for a moment and leaned closer to smell it.

No taste?

But it feels like it’s not worth wasting a few points for such a thing...

After thinking for a while, he poked Cui Li: "Do you believe me?"

Cui Li looked confused: "Of course I believe it!"

If you don’t believe it, I can still find ways to get you here?

"If you believe me, just lick it!"

"What?"

"Lick it, I suspect this thing is new!"

Cui Li was stunned for a while.

Although he specializes in calligraphy and painting, he is also a layman and has studied a little bit about porcelain.

There are only a few ways to imitate porcelain: soaking in medicinal water, boiling in tea, rubbing with grease, grinding with rice bran... But look at this one, nothing looks like it?

But Li Ding'an said, it's just a mouthful... He looked at the camera, quickly moved closer, stretched out his tongue, and then retracted it.

Li Ding'an looked forward to it: "What does it smell like?"

Cui Li smacked it: "It's a little bitter, a little salty!"

"As long as it's salty..."

"Teacher Li, this thing is used by the great lama for his practice. He often shakes it in his hand. Is it normal for it to get a little sweaty?"

"Don't interrupt. Try it again. Is there anything left?"

"Hmm, does it still stink?"

"Haha... the smelly thing is even more correct, this is high white mud!"

"what?"

Cui Li's eyes widened and he reacted for a while, "Is there bleach added to the porcelain embryo?"

Li Ding'an nodded heavily.

To whiten china clay, in addition to removing impurities, it is nothing more than adding bleach. But in the past, including the 1990s, many porcelain bowls could smell a bit of odor after being used for a long time because the workmanship was not up to standard and the dosage was difficult to control.

This is because too much bleach has been added, and the chlorine inside has not been completely neutralized and is slowly evaporating.

If this thing has been left for long enough, it may have evaporated. But when chlorine seeps out of the glaze, it forms chlorates on the surface, so you can taste the odor, bitterness, and saltiness.

Ninety-nine point nine percent, things from the Republic of China are no earlier than Hongxian.

Let’s look at the price: 1.2 million.

Not to mention the Republic of China, since it was the Tongguang period and the palace enamel porcelain, it could not be sold in so many quantities...

Cui Li was immediately discouraged: "Did you make a mistake?"

"It's not like I'm too blind: there were still some in the Republic of China!"

He replied and sighed: Strictly speaking, he also made a mistake.

No matter how you look at it in the photo, you think it's fine, but how did you know it's so white in person?

"There's no need to worry about one thing!" Li Ding'an patted Cui Li on the shoulder again, "Let's look at the other things?"

"Thank you, Teacher Li!"

If it weren't for Li Ding'an, he might have fallen into trouble.

Li Ding'an didn't speak, just nodded.

He had such a good relationship with Ding Licheng, not to mention that if it weren't for Cui Li, he wouldn't have been able to see Yousai and Gloves. He couldn't let Ding Licheng's students be fooled, either emotionally or rationally.

The two of them walked to the next stand, and Cui Li pointed at the round French spoon that he had seen in the photo.

This time the color was right, it was dark and translucent, but with the lessons learned from the past, Li Ding'an looked at it very carefully: the shape of the vessel, the patina, the decoration...

After looking at it for nearly five minutes, he put down his things, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Cui Li's heart started to rise again: "Teacher Li, is there a problem with this too?"

Li Ding'an shook his head.

It was precisely because there was no problem that he felt strange.

Like the previous two pieces: the Happy Buddha was bought from an auction. I don’t know about the divine jewelry, but it was at least the beginning of the Republic of China, so he thought that both he and Cui Li were a little whimsical: the things here have nothing to do with the Qing imperial tombs. .

The item in front of me has become the third generation of the Qing Dynasty... No, at least it is also an object from before Qianlong?

The rust layer is thick enough, it must have been buried for at least three hundred years, and it must have been unearthed no more than thirty years ago.

The pure black lacquer indicates that the climate and soil are relatively dry, which is consistent with the climate of Baoding and the soil quality near Xiling of the Qing Dynasty.

Of course, it is also possible that it flowed out of XZ or Qinghai, went to auction, and was bought back by Mr. Wen.

Just like that joyful Buddha...

"Don't worry, I'll take a look later!"

Li Ding'an put down the French spoon and stood up to look at each one.

Bells, ropes, hooks, axes, axes, halberds, pillars, covers, prongs, knives... many of them evolved from weapons in Hinduism, including an iron mace.

Hmm, trump card?

There is no such object in Hinduism, nor in Buddhism. There is only a whip. Only mace is occasionally seen in Taoism, and it is impossible to have it in Tantric Buddhism.

An iron rod is in the shape of a six-sided cylinder, nearly one meter long, becoming thinner towards the back and tapered at the tip.

There are also iron-cast decorations on it: the top is three small iron balls, one finger long, just used as a mace stem for shaking hands, and then there is a cross grid, which should be a mace grid, and then there is another A larger iron ball happens to be the mace jaw.

Apart from a mace, Li Ding'an really couldn't think of anything else this weapon could be.

There is a note on the label: Tantric magic weapon, but there are less than a hundred Tantric magic weapons in total, and there is absolutely no whip among them.

Opening the cabinet door, he took it out and weighed it.

It's not heavy, just over two pounds, and it's hollow.

"Teacher Cui, do you have any impression of this thing?"

"Kind of like a weapon?"

"It's hollow!"

Cui Li thought for a while: "Then I don't know!"

Since you don’t know each other, there’s no need to worry.

Li Ding'an put it back where it was.

Look further down... Oh my god, there are even Gaba La bowls, Gabala drums, Gabala beads, and even leg bone numbers that are only slightly thicker than your thumb?

Simply...

Well, are there any leftover weapons?

A gold steel prong, with an iron-coated gold pestle on top, and three iron Buddha heads at the bottom. The head is wrapped in silver leather, and the eyes are decorated with red paint. The expression is very fierce. The lower end is decorated with a gold-plated Capricorn beast, with a triangular cone-shaped iron blade sticking out of its mouth.

This is a typical iron-on-gold and silver craft in the snow area, which is roughly a simplified version of gold or silver: first cast the mold core, then roll out a fine grid on the surface, then burn soft gold or silver sheets, and then engrave, Create a shape or pattern.

It's like having a layer of crust on the outside.

The advantage is that the process is simple, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to fall off.

Just like this one, there are three Buddha heads, most of the silver skin is missing, and the top of the head is as bare as an iron ball... Well, iron balls, three?

After thinking for a moment, Li Ding'an looked back.

That's right, if the silver skin on the Buddha's head is peeled off, the shape of the stem will be very different from that of the iron mace: three iron balls.

Think about it again: are the three iron balls on the mace's stem just like this gold steel prong? They turned out to be three silver-coated or gold-coated Buddha heads?

Gold-covered Buddha head?

Suddenly, a light flashed in my mind.

What's the trump card? This is the Kadranga Staff, also known as the Tantric Heavenly Staff.

It is the most complex and highest-level instrument in Tibetan Buddhism.

So far, only two have been found, one of which is in the Palace Museum on Wandao: a silver staff crossed with gold, 40 centimeters long, which was presented by Jia in the second year of Qianlong's abdication.

There is also another piece presented by the Sixth Panchen Lama on the occasion of Qianlong's 70th birthday for Qianlong to practice esoteric magic: an iron staff embellished with gold, nearly one meter long, which is now stored in the original Buddhist Hall of the Qing Palace and the Fanhua Tower in the Forbidden City.

If the gold skin on this one is still there, it will definitely be exactly the same as the one in Fanhua Tower...

Li Ding'an took a deep breath, took two "thumping" steps, and took out the iron staff.

The screen unfolds like a water pattern:

Kazonga stick, presented to the third generation of Zhangjia Ruobidoji (Manchu Qing Dynasty master, leader of the Yellow Sect, living Buddha) on the 50th birthday of Qianlong in the 25th year of Qianlong's reign.

In the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign, Hong Zhou passed away. He was given the posthumous title Gong, and the emperor gave him a staff to be buried with him...

Ha, a gift from Qianlong? (End of chapter)