Chapter 282 Put Your Mind at Ease

The Prince Gong Mansion encapsulates half of the history of the Qing Dynasty.

Built at the height of the Qing Dynasty's power, it perished after the empire's collapse. Prince Gong's Mansion witnessed the entire process of the Qing Dynasty's rise and fall, and its own decline followed the dynasty's demise. In the end, it suffered financial ruin and the destruction of its family.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, every leader has given important instructions on the relocation and renovation of Prince Gong's Mansion, so as to restore it to its original appearance as much as possible. This is not to show the public how wealthy Heshen and Yixin were, how extravagant the Qing Dynasty nobles were, or how obsessed the remnants of the Republic of China were.

Rather, it is to respect history, understand history, analyze history, summarize history, and remember history.

The Prince Gong Mansion is also a cautionary tale.

It is also a historical treasure trove that integrates Qing Dynasty architectural craftsmanship, humanistic thought, culture and art, and science and technology.

Looking at it now, aside from the exquisite materials used, the overall quality seems rather ordinary. But in the Qing Dynasty, it showcased the pinnacle of the combination of ancient craftsmanship's wisdom and scientific technology.

For example, the grand theater:

It has three floors, is over ten meters high, covers an area of ​​nearly 700 square meters, and can accommodate more than 200 people.

However, there is no pillar in the middle; the entire structure is connected by mortise and tenon joints, without the use of a single iron nail.

Nine water tanks were buried beneath the stage, creating a low-frequency resonance system that allows the actors' voices to be heard clearly from anywhere inside the theater. Even standing twenty meters away, the voices can still be heard distinctly.

At the time, that was a miracle.

For example, in Ledaotang and Duofuxuan, there are phoenix and sash paintings preserved from the Qianlong period, with gold leaf purity of 99.6% and a thickness of only one micrometer.

There's also a natural megaphone in the back garden made of Taihu stones with a 31% porosity; if two people whisper to each other, a third person standing 30 meters away can hear them clearly.

For example, there is the Qingwang silk python robe with as many as 110 weft threads per centimeter, and the golden nanmu wood pillar made with secret methods, with a bending strength of 38MPa... and so on.

Some of these techniques would be a headache for engineers even in modern times, let alone in ancient times when they relied entirely on manual labor.

Unfortunately, most of them were destroyed during the war years, and now only one in ten remains.

Zhang Jindong chuckled self-deprecatingly: "In 1990, the Prince's Mansion Garden was renovated and officially opened to the public. Once, the director took us to a site meeting in the garden, and we happened to overhear tourists discussing: 'Such a large Prince's Mansion, how come there isn't even a single cultural relic?'"

"Although it was an unintentional remark, it had a profound impact on us: what history can ordinary people learn by simply strolling through the garden, and what warning effect can it serve?"

"But at that time, everyone was poor, and funds were limited, so we could only focus on repairing the main building. Later, we discussed it internally: if all else fails, we'll try to figure it out ourselves. To put it bluntly, it boils down to one word: 'search'!"

"We will make a trip to Panjiayuan, Liulichang, antique markets in various provinces and cities, as well as museums and exhibition institutions in various places, as long as there is information related to the lost cultural relics of Prince Gong's Mansion."

Basically, they had to cover their own travel expenses, food, and lodging. After a month of traveling, many researchers couldn't even afford groceries, forcing their families to eat only steamed buns for a month, but they never complained..."

"At that time, we learned that in order to save money on collecting cultural relics, we not only did not receive a raise in six or seven years, but we also often lost money. The Beijing Customs donated more than 10,000 cultural relics confiscated from the 1980s to the Prince Gong's Mansion."

"It was from that time that donations from all sectors of society began to grow explosively. After the death of the famous scholar of Dream of the Red Chamber, Mr. Zhou Ruchang, his family donated more than 30,000 of Mr. Zhou's manuscripts and letters to the Prince Gong's Mansion."

Among them was the renowned calligrapher, Mr. Yuzhan, son of Prince Gong (Puwei). He returned to Beijing in the 1980s and made a living by selling his calligraphy, never becoming wealthy. But whenever he acquired a treasure, he would send it to Prince Gong's Mansion. In his heart, it seemed that these cultural relics only truly returned home after being returned to Prince Gong's Mansion…

Zhang Jindong recounted the story in detail, while Lin Sicheng looked on with a sigh.

If you were to tell this to modern young people, many would not understand: Are there really people in the world who are selfless and willing to dedicate themselves?

Yes, and it always has.

Why was there a saying in the 1990s that "making missiles is not as profitable as selling tea eggs"? Why is it that in 2020, Taiwan still laughs at us for not being able to afford tea eggs?

Because the experts actually sold tea eggs at a street stall while working on missile development. Back then, they were basically losing money on their own wages; they genuinely couldn't afford tea eggs…

Seeing that he remained silent, Ye Anning's eyes lit up slightly, and she poked him with her finger.

Lin Sicheng understood what she meant: Lin Sicheng, you're just like them! Even if you're a little silly…

Honestly, Lin Sicheng always felt that he was actually a very selfish person, but when faced with matters of principle and the loss of countless lives, he really couldn't remain indifferent and heartless.

Even though it was dangerous, Lin Sicheng still did what he had to do. As he often said: Some things just have to be done by someone.

In the end, nothing happened?

Although he spent all the money he could, and it all went down the drain, Lin Sicheng didn't regret it at all: "The wind blows the eggshell away, and though the money is gone, the person is at peace."

He'd accomplished something so significant, and almost three months had passed without him mentioning it to anyone. It wasn't until the day before yesterday, when he went to the auction and asked Zhao Xiuneng for a loan, that everyone realized something was amiss:

From the moment he met Lin Sicheng, he kept finding bargains and making money. In Shan Wangshu's words: robbing a bank or operating a printing press couldn't compare to Lin Sicheng's speed in making money.

But suddenly, Lin Sicheng borrowed money to pay a deposit of 500,000 yuan.

Upon investigation, his private accounts were found to be spotless, as if a dog had licked them clean. Further investigation revealed that Lin Sicheng had donated everything.

Everyone was baffled: that's millions of yuan! Even if you're donating, you could at least build a few Hope Primary Schools. In the end, Lin Sicheng used it all to buy disaster relief supplies and sent them to western Sichuan?

Wang Qizhi scolded him, saying he was out of his mind: "You believed just a few rumors and dared to donate everything? What if someone said later, 'The Earth is going to explode,' would you just give up on life?"

Lin Sicheng just smiled: Nobody knows that he was the one who spread those rumors. Fortunately, they actually became rumors?

God bless China, long live China!

Amidst their reflections, the group arrived at the rear building located between the main courtyard and the back garden of the Prince's Mansion.

From the front, it looks like this:

This is what it looks like from the back.

It is over 160 meters long from east to west, with hidden chambers in the middle of the walls. Regardless of whether it is open or closed, there are a total of 99 and a half rooms, modeled after the Forbidden City's "9,999 and a half rooms".

At first glance, it looks like a prison, but it is actually Heshen's treasure house.

In unofficial historical accounts, the rumor that billions of taels of silver and millions of treasures were confiscated from Heshen's mansion originated from this rear chamber.

Of course, not that many, but not a small amount either: even if it were all stored in cabinets, it could fill all ninety-nine and a half rooms. How many treasures would there be?

It is estimated that even Heshen himself did not know the exact number. To facilitate classification, the second-floor windows of each vault were of different shapes. As is known to date: horseshoe windows contained silver ingots, round windows contained jade artifacts, fan-shaped windows contained calligraphy and paintings, and square windows contained porcelain.

As for what was hidden there afterward, there is no way of knowing. Today, it is still used to store treasures, all of which are cultural relics collected by museums.

Zhang Jindong selected a few of the more important rooms and showed them to Lin Sicheng:

"Although very few of the artifacts originally belonging to the Prince's Mansion are actually from that time, most of the artifacts collected over the years conform to the regulations of the Prince's Mansion or are related to its history. If they do not conform, they are exchanged with other exhibition institutions."

"To date, the Prince's Mansion houses over 4,000 Qing Dynasty artifacts and over 7,000 Republic of China artifacts. Over the past three months, we have re-invented and categorized them, and plan to officially open the exhibition of representative artifacts to the public next week!"

"Look at these pieces: a Kangxi Langyao red vase and a Qianlong jade dragon covered vase. Both of these were gifts from Emperor Qianlong when the Tenth Princess married Fengshen Yinde."

The former was donated by the Beijing Customs, while the latter was acquired in 1994 by Researcher Zhou from the museum, who purchased it in Guangzhou. It only cost four thousand yuan at the time, but on the way back, he was targeted. To protect this jade vase, Researcher Zhou nearly died on the train…

Lin Sicheng squinted, glanced at the Langyao red vase, and then his gaze fell on the jade bottle.

The knob is carved with a dragon, coiled within, head raised and roaring, its expression majestic. The neck of the bottle is decorated with animal heads holding rings, echoing the dragon from afar. At first glance, an ancient and mysterious aura subtly stirs within.

The bottle is divided into two layers: the upper layer features a kui dragon and a taotie pattern, while the lower layer features two opposing taotie patterns. The sides of the bottle are carved with animal masks. The overall design is ingenious, the carving technique is exquisite, the lines are smooth and natural, and it is full of lively and vivid charm.

This piece would undoubtedly be a national treasure, even if placed in the National Museum of China or the Palace Museum.

"Look at this pair of plates. These were part of the dowry when the Tenth Princess got married: they were made by order of the Qianlong Emperor to the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln. They later bear the mark 'Jialetang' (the rear hall of the Prince Gong's Mansion, the Tenth Princess's bedroom during the Qianlong era). They are dragon and phoenix patterned plates with the character 'double happiness'."

"This was in 2003, the year the Wangfu Management Office was established. The leaders of the office found it at the Panjiayuan Ghost Market. Because it was so new, the stall owner thought it was a fake, so it only cost fifty yuan at the time. It was a great bargain."

Lin Sicheng examined it carefully: the Jialetang plate with dragon and phoenix auspicious pattern and the character "double happiness" would fetch at least a million if auctioned.

Continuing to look further, it becomes clear that only a handful of artifacts originally belonged to the Prince's collection. The rest were either collected from various places, seized by the Beijing Customs, donated by people from all walks of life, acquired by researchers in the museum from antique markets, or exchanged for artifacts from other dynasties.

Porcelain, jade, bronze, calligraphy and paintings, ancient books—all kinds of items, a dazzling array.

Finally, Zhang Jindong opened the two warehouses.

Lin Sicheng was taken aback when he glanced around: there were porcelain pieces on the shelves by the wall, porcelain pieces in the box in the middle of the floor, and porcelain pieces in the cabinets around the perimeter.

Plates, dishes, bowls, cups, goblets, saucers, vases, jars... whatever shape existed in the Qing Dynasty, it has it all. The key point is, none of them are in good condition.

If you count them, there are at least seven or eight hundred items here, if not a thousand.

Zhang Jindong sighed: "These are fragments collected from the 1980s to the present, mostly porcelain from the Qing Dynasty imperial collection and used in princely residences. But don't laugh at me: if it's architectural restoration, the museum certainly has no problem, but porcelain restoration is indeed our weakness!"

"The top porcelain restoration experts are mostly concentrated in the Palace Museum and Jingdezhen. But as you know, these two institutions have dozens or even hundreds of times more damaged pieces to restore than we do... There's no other way but to seek outside help. We've approached quite a few, but the results have always been unsatisfactory..."

"It was quite a coincidence. Last year, when we went to Xi'an to collect cultural relics, Bai Wan happened to meet you and happened to see the lard bowl that you were halfway through restoring. Later, through An Ning and Professor Wang, we learned that Professor Lin was self-taught and that his restoration skills had reached a level comparable to those of experts from the Palace Museum."

So from that time on, we started planning to ask Professor Lin for help. But knowing you've been so busy, we didn't want to bother you... It was just a coincidence that we ran into each other at the auction, so we took this opportunity to invite you to come and take a look..."

Zhang Jindong paused for a moment, then said, "I know Professor Lin is busy, overseeing projects in the lab and assisting the Cultural Relics Bureau in excavating porcelain kiln sites in Shanxi. So, when you have some free time, could you help restore a few pieces? Of course, the cost is negotiable!"

Lin Sicheng suddenly realized: So, why was Leader Zhang willing to spend more than 100,000 yuan on a folk kiln bowl that was only half repaired?

It's just to establish a good connection in advance.

He also understood what Leader Zhang meant when he said that "porcelain restoration is their weakness": since the 1960s, when the Prince Gong's Mansion was being restored, the goal of the restoration was the architectural complex.

Because only the buildings of Prince Gong's Mansion remain, the internal organizational structure, even with expert assistance, is primarily focused on the architecture. Subsequent research has also focused on studying Qing Dynasty institutions and deciphering late Qing politics.

Without cultural relics, there's no need to consider personnel allocation in this area. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise; it's impossible to have experts who restore murals and pavilions repair porcelain.

Of course, we could ask for outside help, but it's best not to even think about it: not to mention how many new artifacts have been discovered in the Palace Museum in recent years, just the burning of the Old Summer Palace by the Eight-Nation Alliance alone destroyed more than a million pieces of porcelain.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the number of restored artifacts will be between 30,000 and 50,000. Even with just these, the Palace Museum's experts wouldn't be able to finish restoring them in another ten years. They certainly don't have the time to travel to other museums to help out.

Jingdezhen is even more extreme: this month they discover an imperial kiln from one dynasty, and next month they discover an imperial kiln from another dynasty. The speed of excavating the fragments is several times the speed of restoration.

Or they could go to the major ceramic research institutes, such as the Ceramic Research Institute of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. But to be honest, with so little going on at those institutes, they have to work their butts off just to complete the research projects that the academy tenders for each year.

As for the top museums with advanced restoration techniques, such as those in Henan, Hebei, Hunan, and Zhejiang, those that are relatively professional all have imperial kiln sites within their respective provinces. Similarly, they can't even finish their own work, let alone help others.

Zhang Jindong dared not hire anyone with even lower skill levels. These seven or eight hundred damaged pieces were either tribute porcelain for the imperial court or porcelain used in princely residences. Without sufficient skill, they would either fail to repair them properly or ruin them completely.

In a flash, Lin Sicheng picked up a restored pastel cup.

Judging from the craftsmanship, it should belong to the Jiaqing period. And looking at the mark on the bottom, it is indeed so: a square mark with a double frame in blue and white, Qingyitang.

This is the hall name used exclusively by the Qing Prince's Mansion after the Jiaqing Emperor bestowed the Tenth Princess's Mansion upon his younger brother Yonglin and renamed it the Qing Prince's Mansion. It was used until the Xianfeng period, when the Qing Prince's Mansion was renamed the Gong Prince's Mansion.

Judging from the soil, this cup must have been unearthed during the construction of the Prince's Palace.

The item is definitely correct, but the restoration work looks somewhat familiar.

After glancing at it once or twice, Lin Sicheng picked up a blue and white porcelain bowl with a pine tree pattern.

At first glance, the repairs seem minor, but for exhibition restoration, the craftsmanship is actually quite good.

Just like Zhao Da, Zhao Er, and Li Zhen, they are still far from achieving this level of restoration.

After glancing at it a couple more times, Lin Sicheng looked at it with suspicion: "The craftsmanship of Baishanzhai in the capital?"

Zhang Jindong and Bai Wan were taken aback: Had Lin Sicheng's eyesight become so terrifying?

This is not about dating, nor is it about authenticating; it's about restoration techniques.

There are hundreds of shops in the capital that can repair porcelain. He can tell which shop did it just by glancing at it.

Seeing the couple's stunned expressions, Lin Sicheng explained, "The owner of Baishanzhai is surnamed Zhao, Zhao Xiuxian. His elder brother, Zhao Xiuneng, is a partner in the research center. His two sons are currently learning the craft from me..."

Lin Sicheng then pointed to the cup and bowl: "This should be the work of Senior Brother Zhao Xiuneng..."

Zhang Jindong suddenly realized.

These were sent to Baishanzhai for repairs five or six years ago, and only five or six pieces were repaired. Zhang Jindong felt that the exorbitant price was secondary; the key issue was the mediocre craftsmanship.

It's not that it's bad; in the general public, this craftsmanship is top-notch. But compared to experts from the Palace Museum and Jingdezhen, this craftsmanship simply can't compare, so we never collaborated again.

He had only met Zhao Xiuxian before, not Zhao Xiuneng. Although he knew that Lin Sicheng's partner's surname was Zhao, he had never connected them.

Zhang Jindong was too embarrassed to say more, he just nodded, and Lin Sicheng could roughly guess what he meant.

His skills were definitely slightly better than Zhao Xiuneng's, but Lin Sicheng felt that if he wanted to do long-term business and establish a foothold in the capital, this was the best opportunity. Therefore, it was best to inspect the goods first.

He glanced around and carefully selected a few items:

The lid of a celadon bowl bearing the mark "Shendetang". This hall was located on Jiuzhou Qingyan Island in the Yuanmingyuan Garden and served as the sleeping quarters for the Daoguang and Xianfeng Emperors.

A celadon-glazed covered jar with the inscription "Changchun Tongqing" (meaning "May you celebrate the long-lasting spring"). The lid is missing, leaving only the jar. It is said that this inscription was a custom-made porcelain mark for the Tongzhi Emperor's wedding. Whether this is true or not is impossible to verify, but it is certainly a mark of imperial ware.

A blue and white porcelain cup with a dragon scroll design from the Guangxu period, and a famille rose sunflower-shaped dish with a frog perched on a lotus leaf design and bearing the mark of the Xianfeng period.

They are all damaged, but not too badly damaged. At least most of the parts are still intact, and they can be pieced together to be over 90% complete.

The decoration is relatively simple, with little damage to the sharp edges, and there are fewer areas for color repair, making it much easier to repair compared to large blue and white porcelain jars.

Lin Sicheng gathered around and said, "Leader Zhang, let me try to fix it first. We'll talk again after I've fixed it."

"Ah... should I fix it now?"

"Let's finish the repairs here around 2 PM!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "Our flight is the day after tomorrow afternoon, so we have about two days. We might not be able to finish, but we'll repair as many items as we can!"

Looking at the four broken pieces on the table, Zhang Jindong was stunned: When did the time unit for the restoration of ancient porcelain start to be calculated in "days"?

It's at least a "week," or a "month," or even a "quarter."

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly froze: Something's not right?

For anyone else, it would definitely take a long time, but for Lin Sicheng, it might really only take a day or two.

Why is it that Lin Sicheng, who is only in his early twenties and has just graduated from university, and whom Zhang Jindong is more than twice his age, addresses Lin Sicheng as "Teacher Lin"?

Because Bai Wan knew Ye Anning, and Zhang Jindong also knew Wang Qizhi, and the Prince Gong's Mansion was only two streets away from the Forbidden City.

As both are directly under the Ministry of Culture, researchers from both institutions frequently exchange ideas. Last October, Wang Qizhi brought a jar to the Palace Museum, boasting about it to the skies—it's not exactly a novel thing, is it?

He was able to repair a large blue-and-white porcelain jar from the Ming Dynasty, and even Mr. Geng (Geng Baochang, a master of ceramic appraisal and restoration at the Palace Museum) praised him highly. It is not an exaggeration for Zhang Jindong to call him a teacher.

How long did Lin Sicheng use that big jar?

It seems like it's been less than a week...

Zhang Jindong perked up: "Teacher Lin, what do you need? I'll get it ready right now!"

"Just a restoration room will do, and it would be best to find an electric kiln. I'll have Senior Brother Zhao bring the tools; all the assistants are here, so I'll call them now..."

Zhang Jindong nodded repeatedly, first calling the canteen to prepare lunch, and then notifying the logistics department.

Lin Sicheng also called and asked Zhao Xiuneng to bring a set of tools over, and also notified Li Zhen, Xiao Yuzhu, Zhao Da and Zhao Er to come and help.

Then, he called Wang Qizhi again. Before Lin Sicheng could finish speaking, the call was disconnected. Then, less than fifteen minutes later, he arrived at Prince Gong's Mansion.

After exchanging pleasantries with Zhang Jindong, Wang Qizhi said with a smirk, "Lin Sicheng, you really know how to get yourself work done. What if Boss Zhang won't let you go?"

Zhang Jindong patted his chest again: "Professor Wang, don't worry, I won't repay kindness with enmity!"

After exchanging a few jokes and waiting a while, Zhao Da and Zhao Er each drove a car, taking Zhao Xiuneng, Zhao Xiuxian, Li Zhen, and Xiao Yuzhu to the Prince's Mansion.

After hearing the gist of what had happened, Zhao Xiuxian felt both envious and apprehensive.

What I envy is that back then, he racked his brains and used all his strength, but he still couldn't catch the eye of Prince Gong's Mansion. Lin Sicheng just came for a quick visit.

This is a large museum directly under the Ministry of Culture, on par with the Palace Museum and the National Museum of China. If he can land this job, Lin Sicheng will be inundated with business in Beijing.

What made him uneasy was that it was his first time in Beijing, and he hadn't used Wang Qizhi's connections or contacted his elder brother. The business opportunity seemed to have fallen from the sky and landed right on Lin Sicheng's head.

Given time, Lin Sicheng's fame will only grow, and his abilities will only become stronger. He will no longer need to rely on him and his elder brother; he will be able to work independently...

Brothers are of one mind, and it was obvious what the second brother was thinking. Zhao Xiuneng gave him a subtle glare: "Worrying about nothing!"

After spending so much time together, don't you know what kind of personality Lin Sicheng has?

Besides, even if you don't trust your older brother's judgment, you can trust your mother's, right?

Don't worry about me...