Chapter 298: Dragon's Pattern

Qingliuzhai.

Liu Yi saw Xu Man and Zhou You who got out of the car, and immediately greeted him warmly.

Liu Yi beckoned: "What kind of wind blew you here today?"

Xu Man replied: "I heard that Brother Liu received a few very good ancient inkstones, and he happened to travel around the provincial capital, so I took him over to see it by the way." ”

Liu Yi knew that Zhou You in front of him was no longer the little person who could only gamble on stones and had no foundation, and the opening ceremony of Longque Tower made him see how terrifying Zhou You's influence was, and he was the director of the Provincial Collectors Association who was not comparable at all, so he was naturally admired.

"Come..."

Liu Yi welcomed Zhou You and Xu Man into the inner hall and happily took out the treasure he had bought.

"Very good literati inkstone!"

Zhou You saw it at the first glance, and a feeling of joy swelled up.

China was the first country in the world to implement "civil governance", and in ancient China, there were many literati, and when literati were in power, the influence of literati was the greatest. The Song Dynasty was the era of the most thorough civil rule, and calligraphy, painting, and composition were all based on the aesthetics of the literati. Since the inkstone is used for the grinding of literati calligraphy and painting, of course, it must conform to the aesthetic standards of the literati, pursue artistic conception, and pay attention to taste. So from the Song Dynasty, the literati actively participated in the design and production of the inkstone, the inkstone by the practical utensils of calligraphy and painting, gradually became the art treasures of the desk to play, a small inkstone, the integration of calligraphy, painting, poetry, gold and stone and other arts, into a world of its own, this is the literati inkstone.

Like Chinese landscape paintings, the literati inkstone is the true reaction of the Chinese literati who on the one hand followed the Confucian principle of "governing the country and leveling the world" and became an official career, and on the other hand, they advocated the emptiness, quietness and lightness of Taoism and Zen Buddhism.

"Very wonderful scribe game map!"

Zhou You looked at the back of the inkstone, and what caught his eye was a picture of a robed scribe playing chess under a pine tree and among flowers and plants. Looking at the vivid characters, feeling the elegance that is transcendent from the world, you can feel the value of this famous inkstone without thinking about it.

Liu Yi replied: "I just bought it because I looked at the back of this ancient inkstone." The engraving of this inkstone is deep and sophisticated, especially the characters can be carved to such a realm, and even the artistic conception of the essence is also vividly expressed, which can be described as the leader in the inkstone carving. ”

Zhou You looked at the inscriptions and inscriptions, and sighed: "It's from Gao Fenghan's handwriting, it's rare, it's really rare." ”

Gao Fenghan was a famous painter, calligrapher and seal carver in the Qing Dynasty.

The prevalence of gold and stone studies in the Qing Dynasty, as well as the excavation of a large number of gold and stone cultural relics in the past dynasties, many scholars are committed to the collection, research, writing and circulation of these cultural relics and ancient characters, thus expanding the vision of seal carvers, making the Qing Dynasty's seal carving school reach an unprecedented level. Among them, Gao Fenghan, who was in the flourishing period of seal carving art, can be said to be a representative figure at that time.

It is rare to meet like-minded people, Liu Yi said excitedly: "If there is Xiaoyou, my scribe game Duanyan will not be eye-catching." ”

But this was just the beginning, and Liu Yi then unveiled the remaining two inkstones.

Zhou You looked at the inscription poems and inscriptions left and right, and said in a daze: "It's all Gao Fenghan's handwriting, how can there be so many?"

Liu Yi replied with a smile: "I have a friend of an old friend, whose ancestors were once a big official in the Qing Dynasty, and he loves Gao Fenghan's works. It's just that the friend wanted to raise money to buy a house, so he was forced to take the ancestral treasure out and pick a big bargain for the two of us. ”

Zhou You asked in surprise, "How many pieces of Gao Fenghan's Duan Yan did that person collect?"

Liu Yi replied: "Not much, all four pieces." There were three pieces here, one of which we couldn't see through, so we agreed to him to sell it here on consignment, and the rest was bought by my old friend. ”

"This one?"

Zhou You took the incomprehensible ancient inkstone that Liu Yi pointed to and pondered it carefully.

Seeing the end, Zhou You nodded and commented: "It's really weird, Gao Fenghan's works have a fairy flavor, especially his cursive writing has a fluttering fairy charm." But this place is full of anger, unruly style, for the first time in Gao Fenghan's work. ”

Liu Yi also replied: "That's it, we don't dare to buy it." You must know that Gao Fenghan's works are not cheap, even if we pick up the leaks, the cost of each piece is as high as one million, which is not something to be fooled around. ”

Zhou You continued to ponder.

Xu Man saw everything in his eyes.

Although she didn't know who Gao Fenghan was, she knew from the conversation between Zhou You and Liu Yi that he was a great character. And she was smart enough to see that Zhou You seemed to have the intention of acquiring, so she naturally wanted to think about him.

Xu Man asked: "Brother Liu, the inkstone that you can't get is probably a bit mysterious, I don't know what price the seller is opening?"

Liu Yi replied: "He also knows that it is difficult to sell things that he can't see, so he only offers 800,000 yuan!"

Xu Man covered his forehead and sighed: "It's really sold for millions, but the things that can't be measured are only reduced by 200,000, this kind of deal is really cost-effective." ”

Liu Yi couldn't hear that Xu Man was talking back, but he could only smile bitterly: "No way, all the things are handed down by the ancestors, and everything is true in his eyes." If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't identify it, he wouldn't be willing to reduce the price. ”

"Well, I'll buy it. ”

Zhou You thought for a moment and added: "Brother Liu, I don't know if you have the intention of ceding an inkstone?"

Liu Yi shook his head and refused: "No, Xiaoyou, these two inkstones will be the treasure of our store." Will you sell the Dragon Sparrow Sword from the Dragon Bird Tower?"

Zhou You shook his head.

"Let's not talk about that. ”

Liu Yi pointed to the strange inkstone and asked: "If you want to buy it, I naturally won't stop you, if you sell it successfully, I will be equivalent to repaying the favor of others, killing two birds with one stone." But I'm curious, did you see something that would make you so decisive?"

Zhou You replied while signing the check: "Yes, it really let me find out the story behind it." ”

Liu Yi took the check, and asked without looking at it: "Tell me, I still remember the last time you helped our store's Chengni inkstone." ”

Zhou You pointed to the strange inkstone and said: "First of all, it is stone, the texture is warm and delicate, the texture is natural and clear, and it is a rare inkstone." The second is the delicate and expressive dragon diagram on the back of the inkstone, which vividly shows the sinister murderous aura of the dragon, and the whole body is filled with a killing atmosphere. ”

Liu Yi nodded and said: "Both the texture and the decoration are impeccable, which is the specific reason why the seller has been unwilling to reduce the price significantly." However, these alone still do not mean that its author is Gao Fenghan. ”

Zhou You didn't answer, and continued his evaluation: "We won't talk about the meticulous polishing work, the impeccable smooth lines, and even the broken poems and inscriptions, but we can't ignore the feelings he wants to express." ”

"Feelings?"

Liu Yi became more and more puzzled, how to talk and talk about it, and he was tied to his feelings.

Zhou You began to tell the story: "Gao Fenghan is talented and intelligent, and he can recite poetry at a very young age, but unfortunately his career is not accessible, and he was only tried as a county officer at the age of 44. What's even more unexpected is that because he was a guest of Lu Jianzeng, the envoy of the two Huai salt transports, he was implicated in the fall of Lu Jianzeng and lost a future that was not brilliant. After being frustrated, Gao Fenghan lived in Yangzhou and began his career selling paintings. Unexpectedly, just as he was concentrating on art, his right hand suddenly suffered from paralysis and could no longer do calligraphy and painting. The successive blows caught him off guard. ”

Hearing this, Liu Yi vaguely grasped something.

Zhou You continued to tell his story: "In the end, the distressed and desperate Gao Fenghan began to praise the stone carvings, picked up the millitube with his left hand, started again, and then explored. I don't want to be penanced, and the words written with my left hand are very different from his original words, and there is a sense of rebellion that overflows the face. Gao Fenghan, who suddenly woke up, began the golden age of his creation with his tenacious will. ”

"I see!"

Liu Yi suddenly shouted: "What we have seen before are all his works in his golden period, but this inkstone is a witness of his transition and transformation, and it has full historical research value." ”

Zhou You smiled.

It was just his speculation just now, but now looking at Liu Yi's expression, he knew that he had guessed it again.

"Wonderful!

Liu Yi really admires Zhou You now, and he actually has such a bold idea, and he deserves to get this piece of dragon pattern inkstone.

Xu Man was also happy for Zhou You.

Liu Yi's ability is obvious to all, otherwise he would not have become a director of the Provincial Collection Association. But now even Liu Yi is so impressed by Zhou You, which shows how prominent Zhou You's status is in this regard. Xu Man is also very proud to be able to come together with such an outstanding man.

"Come..."

Liu Yi seemed to be very excited, and pulled Zhou You to a certain corner, and then pulled out a large cardboard box full of stones from this corner, and said: "Xiaoyou, your prestige in the gambling stone circle is no less than that of the antique circle, why don't you also help me take a look at these half-gambling wool, and by the way, verify someone's eyesight." ”

Zhou You asked in surprise: "Brother Liu, why do you play gambling stones?" ”

Liu Yi denied it: "No, these half-gambling wool materials were sent to me by a friend for consignment, just like that piece of dragon pattern inkstone." You see, over there, a lot of them are entrusted by friends to come and sell on consignment. ”

"Understood. ”

Zhou You looked at what Liu Yi was pointing at, and sure enough, he saw a lot of old things.

Liu Yi continued: "Although I am very interested in gambling stones, such a high-risk thing is not suitable for me, and I will not touch these things unless I sell them on behalf of me. My friend also had no way out, so he finally sent it to me. ”

Zhou You took a closer look, and his eyes immediately popped out.

It's not that you see any amazing wool, but that the wool in front of you is suspected of fraud.