Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 449: Chapter 445: Purple Qi

The enamel colors were fired in Jingdezhen. The finest plain white porcelain was sent to the palace, where it was painted with enamel glazes and baked.

The craftsmen’s skills were exceptionally high, and the level of workmanship was strictly controlled; any defective pieces were immediately smashed.

Because enamelware was exclusively for the enjoyment of the royal family within the palace, it was not allowed to leak out, hence it was extremely rare and thus was also called the ”imperial kiln” among official kilns.

Each piece of Famille Rose porcelain is unique; the white porcelain body it requires is specially made by the Imperial Kiln Factory in Jingdezhen and, after being transported to the capital, is painted and fired in the Qing Palace Manufacture Department.

The required patterns are drafted by the Ruyi Hall of the Manufacture Department and approved by the Emperor. The court painters then paint the patterns onto the porcelain, ensuring that no two pieces are alike.

Like the set of Famille Rose porcelain bowls Huo Sining was now seeing.

This set of bowls had a wide mouth and a curved belly on a ringed foot, with a very regular and sturdy form. The inside was coated with white glaze, and the inner wall featured a blue background with symmetrical peony branch patterns in peach red, pink, and yellow. The flowers were large and delicate, with green leaves scattered around them; the painting was very exquisite.

Although this set of enamel colors was a seven-piece set with a completely consistent type of pattern and color use, the pattern painted on each bowl was different.

Because enamelware was so precious, every time Famille Rose porcelain appeared at an auction, it would cause a sensation, with sale prices all exceeding ten million.

The production of Famille Rose porcelain is exquisite, elegant, and atmospheric; it is much liked by people, so many private kilns specialize in creating these kinds of porcelain bowls to sell on the market.

Thinking of that strange sensation she had just felt, Huo Sining couldn’t help but squat down, pick up one of the porcelain bowls with her right hand, and found nothing special. Sining thought it was strange; could it have been an illusion?

Not giving up, Huo Sining reached out to take a closer look at the entire set of seven bowls once again.

”Miss, why don’t you sit down and take your time looking,” said the old man who was selling the items. Such a person had seen much and naturally had a more discerning eye than the young peddler selling jade incense burners nearby.

As soon as the old man saw Huo Sining, he felt that this girl exuded an aura of importance; she was certainly not someone who didn’t have the money to make a purchase.

Seeing that Huo Sining seemed interested in his set of enamel, he smiled and handed over a square object he was using as a stool for Sining to sit on.

Huo Sining was somewhat surprised; the young vendor she had just encountered did not even glance at her, yet this elder was so polite to her. How could there be such a big difference in behavior between people of different ages?

Having squatted for a while, her legs indeed felt a bit numb. Sining moved her body slightly, nodded, and thanked the elder.

Although the square object that the elder was using as a stool didn’t look so clean, she couldn’t worry about that and, without thinking, took the ”stool” to sit on.

But before she could place the square object on the ground, her Heavenly Eye suddenly opened on its own.

The square object was originally dull and seemingly wrapped in a layer of dirty stains of indiscernible nature. Now, through the Heavenly Eye, Huo Sining could directly see the true appearance inside the square object.

Seeing the inside of the object was one thing, but there seemed to be a faint purple aura enveloping the surface of the square object. Sining initially thought she was seeing things and subconsciously let go.

As soon as she let go, the ”stool” immediately fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The scene before her eyes vanished in an instant, including the faint purple gas inside the object; everything disappeared. The object in front of her remained dull and inconspicuous.

Huo Sining was startled and suddenly thought of what Yan Feng had said before.

The so-called Heavenly Eye refers to the eye that sees beyond the Emperor’s reach, beyond the constraints of time, both past and future, enabling one to clearly perceive all phenomena.

The things that the Heavenly Eye can see go beyond the physical categories of size, distance, and light that the naked eye can perceive.

Does that mean the Heavenly Eye can see what the naked eye cannot, including the sediment of time?

Realizing this, Huo Sining felt like she had an epiphany. She bent her head down and stared intently at the black cube in front of her, feeling both surprised and doubtful.

Could this object that was being used as a seat cushion also be an antique?

”What’s wrong, young lady?” Seeing the change in Huo Sining’s facial expression, the elderly vendor couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Huo Sining was still examining the unassuming black cube with uncertainty and didn’t quite understand what it was used for. When the old man asked, she felt a bit guilty and made a vague excuse:

”I’ve been squatting for so long, my whole body is numb. I just moved my head and felt a little dizzy, didn’t grip the item firmly. I’m sorry, sir, I hope I didn’t damage your item, did I?”

The old man laughed heartily at her words and said, ”No problem at all, that thing can’t be converted into cash anyway, so it doesn’t matter even if it got damaged. But you, young lady, you need to take care of your body. You feel dizzy after standing for a bit; you might be anemic. You young girls need to pay attention to nourishment. Don’t get caught up in dieting and skip meals. If you don’t take care of your health when you’re young, your body won’t be able to handle it when you’re older.”

Huo Sining smiled awkwardly, maintaining her composure, but discreetly moved the cubic object towards her feet.

Having guessed that the cube might be an antique, Huo Sining naturally couldn’t let it pass by.

However, she couldn’t be too obvious about it. The vendors on Antique Street were all shrewd; they spoke with warmth, but they were all eagle-eyed. If they noticed something was amiss, they might discern the significance of the cubic object. Then it would be difficult for Huo Sining to acquire it.

Therefore, Huo Sining had to suppress her strong impulse and curiosity. She casually sat on top of the cubic object, answered the elderly vendor with a few nods, and then shifted her gaze to the Famille Rose Porcelain Bowl set.

Huo Sining always trusted her intuition. Previously she hadn’t seen anything special about the Famille Rose, but she didn’t give up on it. Instead, she took out all seven bowls from the set and studied each one carefully.

This examination left Huo Sining stunned once more.

The first three bowls were indeed fakes, but just a few seconds after she picked up the fourth bowl, her Heavenly Eye saw the purple gas again.

The bowl in front of her was also enveloped in purple gas!

Huo Sining was taken aback, a flash of insight crossing her mind, as if she understood something.

Because last time at Diecuiyuan, while solving the mystery of Elder Wu’s Tang Bohu ancient painting, the scene had been too chaotic. Plus, it was the first time Huo Sining used her Heavenly Eye. She wasn’t very calm then and hadn’t noticed whether the surface of the ”Li Duanduan Drawing” had been enveloped by any other substance.

However, just now, Huo Sining’s Heavenly Eye clearly saw that the cubic object under her was surrounded by a layer of purple gas-like substance.