Chapter 687: Chapter 684: Folk Treasure Hunt

In order to obtain the other party’s piece, the Forbidden City Museums of Treasure Island and Imperial Capital engaged in a tug-of-war that lasted for decades.

But now, Huo Sining could be sure that the pair of Bowls of Longevity housed in both Forbidden City museums must be a pair of forgeries.

Thinking of this possibility, Huo Sining felt somewhat embarrassed.

To fuss over a pair of forgeries like that, was it really worth it?

Because the records were mystical, the fake had become the real; if Huo Sining hadn’t seen this bowl, she would have believed the Bowls of Longevity to be genuine as well.

Only those who had truly seen the lotus bottom of the bowl could genuinely appreciate its extraordinary nature.

The description in historical texts couldn’t compare with the shock obtained through seeing with one’s own eyes, the lotus swaying with the wind, the noble and elegant aura the lotus at the bottom of the bowl exuded, accompanied by a faint white glow that fascinated and intoxicated onlookers.

Such a magical item would excite anyone beyond control upon seeing it.

This was a piece of Tang Dynasty Ru Kiln White Porcelain, and even with modern superb craftsmanship, it was impossible to reproduce such a beautifully exquisite piece that made lotuses seem to grow at the bottom of the bowl. But how did these Tang people manage to do it?

Gazing at the bizarre scene in the heart of the bowl, Huo Sining’s mind churned continuously.

Even though she had long realized that there was no shortage of skilled craftsmen in ancient China, the exquisite craftsmanship of this bowl still took Huo Sining by surprise.

Obtaining this piece of Ru Kiln White Porcelain was completely accidental; Huo Sining never would have thought that such an inconspicuous bowl would lead to so many surprises.

Even Zhou Shitao could never have anticipated that the Ru Kiln piece would slip through his fingers.

The lotus at the bottom of the bowl, combined with its extraordinary provenance, meant that this was no longer just a piece of Tang Dynasty porcelain; it was a top-tier national treasure.

Huo Sining felt that this piece of Ru Kiln might just be the only one remaining.

She wondered if Emperor Tang Xuanzong regretted killing the potter after his deed because, due to his momentary anger, the two Bowls of Longevity became one-of-a-kind, and the secret of the lotus on the bowl walls was lost to the world.

Huo Sining had some guesses in her heart; perhaps her bowl was greatly related to the Bowls of Longevity.

Regrettably, uncovering the secrets hidden within this bowl would not be an easy task. How the bowl was passed down, why such mysterious techniques were used to conceal it, and how it was made all required Huo Sining to slowly investigate and verify.

Not long after returning to the Huang family, Huo Sining received a call from an unknown number. A woman’s voice came from the other end, “Hello, is this Miss Huo Sining?”

“I am Huo Sining, may I ask who’s calling?” inquired Huo Sining, perplexed.

“Miss Huo, I am the program director for ‘Folk Treasure Hunt’ on Imperial Capital’s Channel Six. I would like to confirm with you whether you can participate in the recording of the program tomorrow?”

The call was from the organizers of the “Folk Treasure Hunt” show, and Huo Sining immediately understood.

Originally, the show had invited Master Zhou to be a guest. Master Zhou had intended to decline but ended up tossing this hot potato to her instead. He even mentioned that the TV station would reach out to her directly, but as the agreed time on the invitation was fast approaching and there had been no word, Huo Sining had begun to wonder if the show had been canceled.

“I can participate, but I’m not sure exactly what I need to do. You might need to fill me in on the details beforehand,” she said.

“Of course, I’ll send you some information first, but the rest will have to wait until you come to the TV station tomorrow. Let’s have a detailed discussion then. I’ll be waiting for you here at the station at eight o’clock in the morning,” he replied.

Zhao Qingchu was the director in charge of liaising with the guest Zhou Shitao for this episode, but since Zhou Shitao had previously said he wouldn’t participate in the program, the production team, with no alternative, agreed to his request to have his disciple take his place.

However, what made Zhao Qingchu feel a bit uneasy was that after receiving the fax about this particular closed-door disciple of Elder Zhou this morning, she was stunned.

The age of Mr. Zhou’s disciple made her uncertain–a nineteen-year-old seemed too young, didn’t it? Zhao Qingchu had to call the production team and Zhou Shitao several times for confirmation before she was sure that Huo Sining was indeed the special guest they had invited.

Now, Zhao Qingchu felt like tearing up.

She knew nothing about Huo Sining’s abilities and assumed rather prescriptively that Zhou Shitao had played a trick on her, but now that things had come to this point, she had little hope left. She only wished that Huo Sining wouldn’t be too weak and botch the recording of the program, as her job would be on the line.

To ensure Huo Sining was mentally prepared, Zhao Qingchu even took the liberty of sending her detailed information from the last season of “Folk Treasure Hunt,” fearing that Huo Sining might have problems during the live recording of the show.

So, by the afternoon, Huo Sining received a large collection of files from Zhao Qingchu, all compound documents of various kinds.

Seeing one file after another, Huo Sining couldn’t help but sigh at how challenging TV station work was. To engage a special invited guest, the female director had to do so much homework in advance.

If Zhao Qingchu knew what Huo Sining was thinking, she would have been exasperated, but of course, she couldn’t guess and continued to pray non-stop for tomorrow’s program recording.

No wonder Zhao Qingchu felt this way. During the first season of “Folk Treasure Hunt,” she was in charge of coordinating with the guests. Generally, those who came to the show for treasure appraisal were either researchers from the Forbidden City Museum, general managers of auction companies, or senior experts from domestic appraisal organizations.

Most of these antique researchers were over forty years old, with a few exceptions who were well into their thirties. Zhao Qingchu had never seen a young appraiser like Huo Sining before, so it was inevitable that she’d have some mistrust.

But having worked at the TV station for several years, Zhao Qingchu had seen it all. Seeing that Zhou Shitao had pushed such a young disciple into the mix, she readily thought that Zhou Shitao wanted to pave the way for his disciple through the back door.

Zhou Shitao was a figure of Mount Tai’s importance in the antique appraisal world, someone even program directors had to treat with the utmost respect. Given the situation, the production team could only accept it with compliance, showing no sign of discontent, to say nothing of her, a minor staff member.

“Sister Zhao, why haven’t you left yet?”

Yao Yujia was ready to leave work with her cross-body bag when she looked up and saw Zhao Qingchu busy typing away at the keyboard like a top. Yao found it a bit odd.

Zhao Qingchu waved her off, “You go ahead, I still have things to do here.”

Yao Yujia laughed, “What’s so busy? The program recording starts tomorrow, and everything that needs to be prepared is ready. You don’t have pre-recording jitters, do you?”