Zhao Tianming knew that it was not difficult to see this, Liu Lao's test would not be so simple, and only by explaining the origin of this inkstone one by one could he have vision.

Looking at this inkstone again, it is about 20 centimeters long, more than 10 centimeters wide, in a rectangular shape, square and straight, with sharp edges and corners, which is in line with the righteousness and righteousness of the reader. What is rare is that this inkstone is blue-green as a whole, crystal like jade, and there are no flaws all around.

Tao Yan also has purple and red, but it is the most famous, the most representative, or green, and there are many treasures produced, and "duck head green" is one of the best.

And the reserves of "duck head green" are very small, in the Song Dynasty, it has been cut off, it can be said that now every time a "duck head green" is found, it is a treasure.

In fact, although the end inkstone is the first of the four famous inkstones, but on the degree of rarity, it is the first to recommend Tao inkstone, its mining has been more than a thousand years, almost exhausted, the old pit Tao inkstone on the market, has become more and more rare.

Zhao Xihu, a famous connoisseur of the Northern Song Dynasty, once said: "In addition to the two stones of Duan and She, only the green stone of Tao River, the most precious in the north, green as blue, moist as jade, the ink does not reduce the inkstone under the river, and the stone is at the bottom of the deep water of the big river, which is not caused by manpower, and it is a priceless treasure."

Looking at this color, Zhao Tianming guessed that the inkstone in front of him was the famous "duck head green" that belonged to Tao Yan, and it was no wonder that Zhou Lao was so moved.

Moreover, the above content also confirms his thoughts.

The inkhole of the inkstone is also square, with a coiled dragon pattern carved on the side, and a moire pattern on both sides, which is full of bookish charm.

Zhao Tianming shifted his attention to the inkstone, which is made of the same material as the inkstone, which is more rare and rare than the ordinary mahogany cover, and the value space has been greatly improved.

The inkstone adopts the inkstone hall with a lid, that is, the form of a double inkstone has a stone cover that is integrated with the overall shape of the inkstone, which is also a major feature of Tao inkstone.

If the polished ink is not used temporarily, the ink will not thicken due to the volatilization of water, and at the same time, it can prevent the inkstone from falling into dust when it is not used for a long time, which not only stores the ink but also protects the inkstone.

The production process of the inkstone cover is very delicate and elegant, and the closure must be tight and seamless, and the upper and lower left and right sides are not loose. The inkstone with a cover, to take the same stone is expensive, the bottom, the cover of the same stone color, the stone pattern is particularly rare, called the original stone, also called the mother stone.

On the lid of this inkstone, carved with patterns full of good intentions such as "Moon Palace Folding Gui" and "Golden Toad Spitting Beads", it can be speculated that this inkstone was made for the scribes who rushed to the Kaodenke at that time.

The Moon Palace is the meaning of the high school jinshi, and the golden toad spits out the beads, indicating the high school champion, which shows the ambition in his heart. Time passes, and it seems that you can still see the high-spirited and ambitious momentum of the students who entered Beijing to take the exam.

However, Zhao Tianming carefully observed, but still did not find poems such as "The spring breeze is proud, and you can see all the Chang'an flowers in one day", which is full of joy after high school.

Either the scholar who rushed to take the exam was named Sun Mountain and returned disappointed, or the owner of the inkstone couldn't bear to destroy this exquisite thing and left no traces on it.

On the contrary, there are other inscriptions, which make Zhao Tianming see a lot of clues.

In the middle and lower part of the inkstone, a poem is engraved in block letters: "Long Wen Min right duck head green, can grind Guixi Longwen knife, do not suspect that the scribes do not use martial arts, to make the frost autumn rabbit hair", the lower left corner is also engraved with a few words: "Xiaodao human system".

"This is a poem by Huang Tingjian in the Northern Song Dynasty praising Tao Yan, if you have some understanding, just by this poem, you can know that this is the 'duck head green' in Tao Yan, but this is not a product of the Song Dynasty. ”

"Xiaodaoren, he refers to the Qing Dynasty's famous inkstone Gu Shengzhi, it is said that he carved at will, can make the inkstone very charming, his works, elegant and natural, famous, if not imitation, then, this inkstone should be from his hands. ”

Liu Lao nodded approvingly, he could know who it was from just one alias, and he couldn't do it without something in his stomach.

"Gu Shengzhi, if you weren't talking about the Qing Dynasty, I thought it was Gu Kaizhi, very famous?" Wang Zhiwei sounded familiar, but he didn't know this person at all.

"Not many people have heard of his name now, but his daughter-in-law Gu Erniang, as long as she comes into contact with Wenyu, I believe she will know. Zhao Tianming said.

"Gu Erniang? I've heard of this, and I've seen a lot of inkstones that pretend to be made by her, and the Palace Museum has her collection. This Wang Zhiwei knew that he once wanted to find a genuine inkstone of Gu Erniang to give away, but he didn't dare to do it for fear of being blinded.

Gu Erniang also has a nickname called "Gu Xiaozu", because she has a very special set of skills, according to legend, she can identify the quality of the inkstone by pointing stones with her toes.

Although she is a world-famous inkstone master, how many calligraphers and painters are proud to be able to get the inkstone she made, but she never refuses to be shoddy, the attitude is very rigorous, the pursuit of perseverance, "non-Duanxi Laokeng Jiashi does not play the knife", "the inkstone made in her life is not as good as a hundred squares", so the inkstone she made is even more precious.

This Gu Shengzhi is Gu Erniang's father-in-law, and his craftsmanship will not be bad, and it is also an antique from the Qing Dynasty, which must be very valuable.

"It's a pity. It is said that after the death of Gu Shengzhi, the skill of making inkstone was passed on to his son, but life is impermanent, and his son died young, so the craft of making inkstone was passed to his daughter-in-law Gu Erniang.

Gu Erniang had no children under her knees, so she had to inherit a person from her mother's family as a son and pass on the craft, he was Gu Gongwang, but God played tricks, Gu Gongwang also had no successor, and this craft was cut off. Zhou Lao said regretfully.

However, today I can see the famous inkstone made by the Gu family, which is still a rare treasure in Tao inkstone, and it can be regarded as a wish. Because of this, this inkstone is becoming more and more precious, and Liu Lao is willing to give it to him, which is really a love for him.

The poems on the inkstone are not limited to this one, and there are several inscriptions in other places, which are left by collectors of the past generations.

Below Huang Tingjian's poems, there are also inscriptions, and there are still a lot of numbers, Zhao Tianming looked at the inscription, which read "The Inscription of the Daoist".

People are small Taoists, and he calls himself a Taoist? How can he feel like a spoof?

"How is it? Can you see whose inscription this is?" Liu Lao said with a smile, he was also short of some information at the beginning, and only then did he know whose it was, and now it is used to test this kid, which is also quite interesting.

"I don't think I've seen it somewhere, I'm not very impressed, let me think about it. "Zhao Tianming almost has an unforgettable memory, and he probably has an impression of the information he has read, and the knowledge has not been absorbed and digested, and he is not deeply impressed, so he can't remember it for a while.