Two Realms: A cartload of rice arrived at the end of the Ming Dynasty

After lurking in the live stream room for a while as a viewer and watching a few viewers connect online, Zhu Shiting got a general understanding of the live stream treasure appraisal process.

Those who have joined the queue will have their antique collections remotely appraised by the livestream host via video. After confirming the authenticity, the host will provide a rough estimate, attracting the attention of viewers in the livestream.

When encountering high-value collectibles, the host will have the moderator play a DJ version of "Spring Snow" as background music, along with a catchy monologue to highlight the collectible's value and attract comments and donations from viewers.

This live-streaming treasure-hunting format, similar to opening a blind box, is undeniably eye-catching.

As for the antiques that appeared in the live broadcast room, most of them were ancient coins, such as silver dollars, copper coins, etc. These are all things that I am good at.

Occasionally, a few pieces of Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain, gemstones, jade, calligraphy and paintings will be inserted, or there will be mischievous collectors using beer bottles as examples of imperial jadeite.

In short, the antiques that can be featured in live streams come in all shapes and sizes, ranging in value from counterfeit crafts worth tens or hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands or even millions of yuan.

Zhu Shiting was not more concerned with the value of the antiques featured on camera, but rather with listening to the stories these antique enthusiasts told him about the origins of their own antiques on the microphone.

After summarizing, he categorized the rhetoric into two main types.

The first category consists of items that the collector or their family members purchased from auction houses, antique shops, or roadside stalls, and can provide certificates and invoices as proof.

The second category, which appears most frequently, is treasures passed down from ancestors.

These sales pitches mostly follow the same pattern: to make viewers in the live stream feel that the antiques featured on screen are "old."

Once the streamer exposes that the product is fake, the chat in the live stream will be flooded with gloating and mocking comments, maximizing the live stream's entertainment value.

"This kind of blind box-style live-stream treasure appraisal is actually quite interesting," Zhu Shiting muttered to himself.

……

After roughly figuring out the ins and outs, Zhu Shiting looked up the contact information in the live stream's description and quickly joined a treasure-hunting fan group sent by a moderator.

At this time, there were more than 500 fans in the group waiting to go on mic and connect with the host.

In addition, it was already close to midnight, and the streamer was about to go offline for a break. The moderator sent a last-minute notice in the group: [Friends, please listen to our advice and let's add 20 minutes of broadcasting. If anyone wants to jump the queue to go on stage at the last minute, they can use a 2888 yuan fan light stick or give a carnival gift.]

[Don't be discouraged if you didn't get a spot today; please try again early after the broadcast starts tomorrow.]

As soon as the notification was sent out, the number of members queuing in the group began to decrease sharply.

Knowing they have no chance to connect with the treasures tonight, these fans won't be foolish enough to stay in the group and wait idly.

Of course, there were also a few wealthy fans who wanted to cut in line and connect with the streamer to have their collections appraised and chat with the streamer.

Unsurprisingly, seven or eight animated effects of virtual gifts flashed across the screen in the live stream.

One of the Blue Carnival gifts was given by Zhu Shiting using his own account.

"Holy crap! 3000 yuan for a carnival, and they flew so much in one go!"

"Being a top-tier livestreamer definitely makes money."

Zhu Shiting stared at the screen and counted the tens of thousands of yuan in gifts he received before logging off after listening to advice. He was filled with emotion.

No wonder everyone wants to become an internet celebrity these days!

After becoming famous, the money came in like a whirlwind; an ordinary person might not be able to earn as much as someone else earns from a single live stream in their entire life.

As for Zhu Shiting's queue order for the live stream, after he gave the carnival gift, the moderator arranged for him to be in position 13, and he was also added to a VIP fan group.

The group is full of big spenders on the tipping leaderboard. Most of them have a Douyin level of over 50 and have spent over a million RMB on Douyin.

In the past, Zhu Shiting would never have dared to dream of joining such a group of wealthy people!

He was unexpectedly transported to the late Ming Dynasty, which gave him tremendous confidence.

"There must be a lot of collectors in this fan group. They can easily spend millions online. How damn rich must they be in real life?" Zhu Shiting muttered to himself.

While he was watching these big spenders in the group, the moderator messaged him privately saying it was his turn to speak.

Seeing that the opportunity had come, Zhu Shiting quickly adjusted his voice and demeanor, and soon connected with the popular anchor he had been following for several years.

Having streamed live all night, Ting's face showed signs of exhaustion on the screen.

Seeing that the previous viewers had all been forced to end their broadcasts after less than a minute on the microphone, Zhu Shiting guessed that this popular streamer was probably in a hurry to finish get off work and get some rest.

So he took out a gold ingot, placed it under his phone's camera, and asked bluntly, "Teacher Tingquan, I've been following you for a long time. Could you take a look at this item for me?"

Upon seeing the Ming Dynasty gold ingot appear in the frame, the previously listless person immediately widened their eyes and straightened up in their chair.

"Seriously, bro! We were almost done streaming and you give me this really shocking stuff!"

"Quickly point the camera at the words on the gold ingot so I can see them clearly."

His tone and expression were exaggerated as he listened to advice. He jumped up, half of his buttocks leaving the seat, and directed Zhu Shiting to flip the large gold ingot in his hand.

Soon, the words "Reward" engraved on the front of the gold ingot and the several lines of crooked characters on the back, "Made by the Ministry of Revenue in the fourteenth year of Jiajing, 25 taels of pure gold," caused a shock in the eyes of the person who had been advised to listen.

With a wave of his hand, the previously quiet live stream room was immediately filled with the upbeat DJ version of "Spring Snow".

Heeding the advice, he started jumping around on the live stream screen and began his rapid-fire recitation: "No one can support my lofty ambitions, I will tread the snow and climb to the top myself! Congratulations to this lucky friend, you have won a gold ingot bestowed by Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty!"

The live stream room was in an uproar, and the chat exploded with all sorts of tips and gifts flying everywhere.

The special effects like dragons, carnivals, yachts, and sports cars almost crashed the live stream.

"Holy crap! The battle hymn is here!"

"Awesome!"

"66666!"

(Staring)

"Another person has become rich (covers face)"

Netizens were surprised that such a significant collectible would suddenly appear at the very end of the live stream.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he performed a dramatic scene in the live stream, having everyone stand up and shouting to the 10+ viewers: "Brothers, stand up! The most awesome and heavyweight collectible of the night has appeared!"

"A 25-tael gold ingot from the Ming Dynasty is extremely rare! Even a plain gold ingot circulating among the common people would fetch no less than 1 million at auction, based on current gold prices!"

"And the gold ingot in our brother's hand is a gift from the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, an absolute treasure from the imperial palace. It was usually given as a reward to important officials or imperial relatives. You can imagine its value for yourselves."

After a series of exaggerated, roaring performances, the chat was flooded with even more "666" comments.

Once the atmosphere had built up sufficiently, he heeded advice and had the event manager turn off the background music. In front of over 10 viewers, he asked, "Bro, how did you get this treasure?"

Zhu Shiting didn't show his face on camera. Looking at the rapidly scrolling comments, he calmly made up a story: "Teacher, listen to my advice. I accidentally found this treasure in my old house while cleaning back in my hometown."

"What an accident!"

"Why didn't I have the same carelessness as you?"

Listening to advice, he started joking around again in the live stream. He picked up the calculator that's famous from the "Listening to Advice Appraisal" segment, zeroed it out twice, and then bluntly quoted: "Equals eight, one hundred, five, one hundred, ten thousand."

Due to the restrictions imposed by live streaming platforms, treasure appraisal streamers cannot give specific quotes in person. Instead, they mostly adopt this roundabout and entertaining method to provide valuations.

When Zhu Shiting heard that the gold ingot in his hand was estimated to be worth about 8.5 million yuan, he and the netizens in the live broadcast room all gasped for breath!