Watching Ye Fan, he secretly laughed in his heart, "Ye Fan, you're asking for death. Even if I, Feng Xiao, lose today, you won't have a good end. By provoking everyone in the Jiangnan antique circle, you've made countless enemies for yourself."
Ye Fan paid no mind to their nonsense and instead looked coldly at Elder Zheng.
"Can I begin the appraisal?"
Elder Zheng narrowed his eyes, "As you wish."
At this moment, Elder Lei once again reprimanded everyone to be quiet. Although they were filled with anger, they could not hinder Ye Fan from appraising the treasure.
No longer looking at the people below, Ye Fan calmed his mind.
He had already realized that talking to these people was useless; the most effective way was to slap their faces with strength and make them shut up obediently.
A moment later, Ye Fan's eyes opened, his clear gaze filled with determination.
Inside this box lay a porcelain vase.
Unlike any porcelain vase he had seen before, this one was inlaid with many decorations on its surface.
Even Ye Fan was momentarily stunned upon seeing the vase. Fortunately, he possessed memories from two lifetimes; otherwise, he would have been shocked and lost his composure.
The vase was only palm-sized, not large. Vases of this size were generally used for display in ancient times.
However, even for display, decorations were unnecessary.
Ancient people always appreciated single objects, not such combinations, especially with porcelain.
Porcelain was considered noble in its simplicity. Those with decorative exteriors were certainly not original pieces.
"Shouldn't this be considered two objects?"
Ye Fan looked up at Feng Xiao, as this was a treasure from the Feng family's collection, and Feng Xiao should know more about it than anyone.
Moreover, Elder Zheng was only here to assist with the appraisal; he did not need to appraise this treasure of the Feng family.
At this moment, Elder Zheng was also looking at the vase, but he kept frowning, a cold expression on his face.
Elder Lei, Jiang Zhong, and others also gathered around.
"Ye Fan, how did you determine these are two objects? This is clearly one piece."
Elder Lei frowned and asked in confusion.
Ye Fan did not answer, but kept staring at Feng Xiao, awaiting his reply.
Feng Xiao's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. Others might not understand the meaning of Ye Fan's words, but he understood them perfectly.
However, with matters having come this far, he would not easily admit defeat. Instead, he snorted coldly, "Ye Fan, didn't you hear Elder Lei's question just now? This is clearly one object. Why do you say it's two? If you ask me, you can't see through this object at all and are spouting nonsense."
He could not lose; he absolutely could not lose. Once he lost, it would be as if he had lost everything.
Seeing Feng Xiao's stubbornness, Ye Fan wasted no more words.
"As everyone knows, porcelain has a rich and colorful history in China's five thousand years. Porcelain appeared from the late Han Dynasty, and by the Song Dynasty, porcelain craftsmanship reached its peak. Afterward, the Ming and Qing dynasties continuously researched new objects on this foundation. However, throughout the thousand-year history of porcelain, no dynasty ever combined porcelain with other objects. They all favored singular porcelain pieces, and it is precisely these singular porcelain pieces that hold extremely high value. Therefore, I dare to assert that this porcelain vase must have had decorative elements added by someone in later generations, rather than being an original feature."
After speaking, Ye Fan looked at Feng Xiao again.
Not only Ye Fan, but everyone else, including Elder Zheng, turned their gaze to Feng Xiao.
Ye Fan had explained it very clearly, and as old hands in the antique circle, they naturally knew that Ye Fan was not wrong. They had never seen objects in this form before.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Feng Xiao gritted his teeth.
He knew that no matter how much he argued, it would be futile. After all, Ye Fan was not the only appraiser present. Both Elder Lei and Jiang Zhong were first-class appraisers. As long as they investigated carefully, they would surely find a clue.
"Hmph, even if you are right, you still haven't revealed the specific information about this object, so it doesn't count as your victory."
In desperation, Feng Xiao had to admit it, but he remained stubborn.
As long as Ye Fan could not clearly explain the object, he would never admit that Ye Fan's appraisal was successful.
Hearing Feng Xiao's words, Elder Lei frowned. Feng Xiao was indeed quite detestable.
Elder Zheng had not understood Ye Fan's luminous pearl at all, and now, with this porcelain vase, Ye Fan had already seen a clue. From any angle, Ye Fan was superior.
However, this matter had not been clearly defined beforehand, so now that Feng Xiao said this, no one could do anything, even if he were the referee, he could only tacitly agree.
He gave Ye Fan a helpless look, fearing that this might affect Ye Fan's mood.
But to his surprise, Ye Fan's expression was calm, showing no concern.
Instead, he smiled and said, "Even if Young Master Feng doesn't say it, I will continue the appraisal. I, Ye Fan, am someone who sees things through to the end. As long as I start an appraisal, I will thoroughly understand the object; otherwise, I will never rest."
"Well said."
Jiang Zhong praised loudly, "This is the quality a treasure appraiser should possess: not arrogant or impatient, not hasty or slow, seeing things through to the end. Ye Fan, please continue your appraisal; we are also very curious about what this object is."
Clearly, Jiang Zhong had not seen through the object.
Although he was an expert in porcelain, even this expert was troubled by this vase.
Ye Fan nodded to Jiang Zhong.
He hadn't expected this guy to be so straightforward, but Ye Fan liked it very much.
Such people never played tricks; they said what they thought and were direct, making them suitable friends.
He turned his gaze back to the porcelain vase.
"The vase is palm-sized, with a single thick body. The surface of the fired body has been polished. This craftsmanship was used more frequently during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, as the clay at that time was no longer suitable for firing porcelain. Therefore, the porcelain craftsmen invented the polishing technique, smoothing and polishing the particles and uneven areas on the surface of the raw body before applying the glaze."
Walking around the vase, Ye Fan explained calmly.
"The glaze is pale and uneven, which is characteristic of Longquan ware. Inside the neck of the vase, there are also characters indicating Longquan ware, serving as proof."
Ye Fan's expression was solemn as he spoke earnestly.
But upon hearing his words, everyone was stunned. There were characters inscribed inside the vase? How could Ye Fan see this? Did he have X-ray vision?
At this moment, even Elder Lei was full of shock.
"Ye Fan, how are you sure there are inscriptions inside the vase neck?"
It's important to know that to verify whether there were inscriptions inside the vase, professional instruments would be required. But Ye Fan could see it with just his eyes, which implied what? Could Ye Fan's eyes be an X-ray machine?