Reborn As Super Heiress-Chapter 1852 - 1755: Dian Qingluo

When Huo Sining spoke, Adrian, who was quite familiar with Huaxia culture, heard a familiar name and his eyes lit up. He immediately interjected, asking:

"Miss Huo, does the Zhuge Brush have anything to do with Zhuge Liang, the one who wrote the ’Memorial to Departure’ in your country?"

Huo Sining’s lips twitched as she replied, "There’s no relation."

Adrian’s face instantly froze and he awkwardly glanced at Windsor Reed beside him, feeling quite uneasy.

Seeing everyone looking at her in confusion, Huo Sining quickly smiled and explained: 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"During the Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a famous type of brush known as the Xuan Brush."

"The Zhuge Brush I mentioned earlier is a kind of Xuan Brush."

"During the Southern Tang of Huaxia Country, there was a master brush maker named Zhuge Gao, who was renowned as the best brush maker in the world. The brushes he made were famous and thus called Zhuge Brushes by people at the time!"

"What makes the Zhuge Brush most famous is its craftsmanship, using mouse whiskers and purple rabbit hair. With the skillful brush-making technique, the brush tip is sharp, smooth in appearance, neither soft when laid down nor spread apart when lifted, making it very rare."

"Such a brush could be sold for ten taels of gold back then. Nowadays, such a brush would be considered a special product."

"However, because the brush is made of bamboo, despite the heavy patina and luster, dating back to the Tang and Song Dynasties, there are no carvings on the brush body. To someone unfamiliar with this or uninterested in calligraphy and painting, it might seem worthless."

"But even though a Southern Tang-Song brush has been passed down to today, no matter what, it’s been hundreds or even thousands of years, and it’s an item of the study room, considered a refined object. If any household displays such a brush, whether it’s used for writing or not, it’s seen as sophistication and taste."

Li Jun was the first to react, pointing at the brush that seemed even more plain than those sold in stores, and asked in surprise:

"Miss Huo, are you saying this brush is the Zhuge Brush you mentioned?"

Huo Sining nodded, "Zhuge Brushes were mass-produced. If it’s just an ordinary writing brush, it’s naturally not worth much, but this particular brush is truly a Zhuge Brush made from mouse whiskers and purple rabbit hair, holding high historical and cultural value."

Li Hang sneered, "Just because you say it’s a Zhuge Brush doesn’t make it one. You also mentioned that there are no carvings on the brush body, so how do you determine it’s a Zhuge Brush?"

Huo Sining looked at Li Hang and, knowing he was not yet convinced, nodded and shattered his last ounce of doubt with one sentence:

"This brush indeed has no carvings, but it does leave a mark. Look at the bottom end of the brush’s shaft, there is an inconspicuous spot where three small floral characters are carved. With a magnifying glass, you can clearly see these three words: Dian Qingluo!"

Li Hang was taken aback and instinctively followed Huo Sining’s direction, picking up an appraisal magnifying glass from the table and quickly searching the brush for those characters.

Sure enough, in just over ten seconds, Li Hang’s hand stopped, and his face turned various shades of pale and dark.

Seeing Li Hang’s expression, everyone understood that Huo Sining wasn’t lying, and indeed there were words on this brush.

"Ningning, so there are the three words Dian Qingluo, what’s so special about them?" Yue Shuwen asked curiously.

Huo Sining answered, "Of course, it’s special. This brush is a product of the Southern Tang. You should know, about Li Yu, Emperor Li of the Southern Tang, right?"

Yue Shuwen nodded, "Is he the one who wrote ’How much sorrow can one know, as much as a river’s stream flowing east’?"

Huo Sining smiled, "Yes, he was a talented Emperor. He had two wives, Zhou Ehuang and Zhou Nuying, known as Great and Lesser Empress Zhou. His first wife, Empress Zhou Ehuang, was also a talented woman skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The brushes she used during her lifetime were the Zhuge Brushes."

"Emperor Li, in order to express his special affection for Ehuang, specially ordered Zhuge Gao to make a batch of brushes for his wife, and even gave them an exclusive name, Dian Qingluo!"

This revelation astounded everyone.

Nobody expected that such an unremarkable, seemingly ordinary brush would turn out to be the exclusive brush of a Southern Tang Empress!

"I’ve looked at the brush’s bristles and they haven’t been stained with ink, which suggests it’s from that batch of Dian Qingluo, but was never used by Empress Zhou Ehuang. Even so, with the words Dian Qingluo, its value surpasses that of an ordinary Zhuge Brush."

"However, estimating a price for this brush is challenging. It seems the person who offered this as a gift likely knew its history, intending to bring a smile to Master Li. Such a gesture is priceless."

Huo Sining, smiling, carefully handed the brush along with its box to the birthday celebrant, Master Li.

Master Li accepted the brush, examining it closely. After a while, he looked up at Butler Li and said, "This brush, is it a gift from that old Zhang family man? That old fellow was being secretive lately, saying he found something good but wouldn’t show it to me. I knew there was something up. He sure has a knack for choosing gifts—such thoughtfulness!"

Butler Li said nothing, but his expression indicated he agreed with Master Li.

Though Master Li said it was thoughtful, his eyes and brows were full of joy, clearly satisfied with this gift.

After Huo Sining’s explanation, everyone had a newfound understanding of the brush. They listened intently, finding her explanation more fascinating than those of the treasure appraisal experts on TV. Some began to urge:

"Miss Huo, aren’t there two more antiques to appraise? Please continue!"

"Yes, please continue, it’s so captivating, we want to hear more!"

Huo Sining glanced at Master Li and, seeing him nod slightly, turned around and picked up the inkstone, handing it to Master Li and asking, "Master Li, what do you think of this ancient inkstone?"

Master Li took the ancient inkstone, looked at it carefully for a moment, then smiled and handed it back to Huo Sining, saying, "It’s a very good Ming Dynasty She Inkstone, unfortunately damaged, otherwise its value could be several times more."

Huo Sining, however, smiled a bit mysteriously and beckoned a nearby attendant. Before long, the attendant fetched what Huo Sining requested.

Seeing Huo Sining’s action, Master Li couldn’t help but be startled. He glanced at her in surprise and looked again at the She Inkstone, thinking to himself, did he miss something? Could this She Inkstone have other significance?