The plum rain wet the glazed tiles of the 36th Pavilion. Su Chen stroked the marks on the jade lock. Tang Ren approached with an oil-paper umbrella: "This cloud pattern looks like the wrinkles of Taihu Lake in the West Mountain..." Before he finished speaking, Qin Feng suddenly opened the window of the corridor. The "Remnant of the Craftsman's Book" in the secret compartment of the window was turned to the 45th year of Jiajing, and the annotation on the margin of the page "Three hundred craftsmen in Su, only nine chapters are left" was clearly visible.
"Look here!" Tang Ren poked the pillar of the water corridor with the tip of his umbrella. Half of a tenon with tooth marks appeared in the moss-covered area, which perfectly matched the gap of the jade lock. The moment the mechanism turned, the entire Hanqing Pavilion sank to the bottom of the pool, revealing the twenty-three statues of ancestors enshrined in the Hanbai secret room. The face of the last statue was exactly the same as that of Su Chen's grandfather when he was young.
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The newly built ship suddenly had an abnormal draft, and Su Chen jumped onto the deck on the gangplank. The "Cheng" character on the bronze measuring vessel glowed coldly, and he used the ancestral Lu Ban ruler to measure the vessel, and a dark blade suddenly popped out from the end of the ruler. Qin Feng wiped away the copper green, and in the "Construction Method" star map on the inner wall of the measuring vessel, the "Tianxuan" position clearly marked the location of the current prefect's private residence.
"This measuring vessel can't even hold ten dou!" Tang Ren scooped up the grain and let it flow out, "There's a secret storehouse hidden underneath!" When he pried open the bottom, a whole box of smuggled salt with the prefect's private seal poured out, with blood-stained secret-color porcelain mixed between the salt grains - it was the evidence from the shipwreck case that year.
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On the cape where the typhoon was approaching, Su Chen stood in front of the statue of Qi Jiguang. The body of the albatross was stuck in the barrel of the gun, and the golden lines of its wings showed new patterns in the heavy rain - it was actually a modified version of the "Hegongtu". Tang Ren opened the rotting carcass of the seabird, and found half a jade earring wrapped in its crop, with the family emblem of the current prefect micro-engraved on the back.
"Look at this bullet mark!" Qin Feng touched the newly rusted dent on the gun barrel. Su Chen inserted the earring into the dent, and the secret door opened at the cliff. Twenty-three sandalwood boxes were neatly stacked, and the complete version of "Heavenly Craftsman's Book" written in blood in the boxes recorded in detail the humiliation of the craftsmen who were forced to participate in the private salt trade.
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On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the prefect's private residence was decorated with lanterns and ribbons. Su Chen pressed the jade lock into the longevity-patterned screen. When the secret door opened, the current prefect was burning incense in front of the "Heavenly Works and Peaceful Paintings". The mast of the treasure ship in the painting was actually made of human bones. Tang Ren overturned the incense table, and the rosewood base cracked, revealing bundles of secret letters from Japanese pirates - stamped with the same sea serpent emblem as the albatross gold thread.
"Didn't my father run away secretly..." Su Chen held up the yellowed Jinyiwei secret order, "He was ordered to infiltrate you, a group of rebels who are using the word 'Cheng' to harm the country!" The six-finger scar on the prefect's wrist suddenly cracked, and the poisoned bronze needle in his sleeve had not yet been shot out, and was knocked down by Qin Feng with a weight.
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On the day of Frost Descent, the rebuilt Tiangong Pavilion officially opened. Tang Ren chewed a crab shell yellow biscuit and watched Su Chen seal the twenty-three Tiangong seals into the underground palace. Qin Feng suddenly pulled his sleeve: "Look, look at the secret compartment on the plaque!"
At the bottom of the bookcase of the ancient and old-fashioned "Ancient and Modern Craftsmanship Collection", half a page of the "Heavenly Craftsmanship Book" that has not been completely burned lies there quietly, as if forgotten by time. The edges of the page are jagged, as if it was hastily devoured by a sudden fire. On it, the ink stains soaked by the sea water are like mysterious brushstrokes, outlining the winding outlines of the Ryukyu Islands.
Beside a reef, a brand new “承” character stands out. This symbol is like the brightest star in the night sky, guiding the lost people in the right direction. The place it marks is the last corrected star map position before the treasure ship carrying countless hopes and dreams sank. Time flies, and although the treasure ship has long since sunk into the deep sea, this “承” character has always remained here, witnessing the vicissitudes of history.
At this time, a cool sea breeze blew through the main room, lifting a corner of the gauze by the window. Su Chen, standing in front of the window, couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and his eyes looked towards the southeast sky. The distant sky was dyed a gorgeous orange-red by the sunset, like a colorful painting. In this twilight, a sturdy albatross flapped its wings and flew high, with golden silk-like light on its wings, appearing and disappearing in the reflection of the sunset, like a dream, intoxicating and unable to extricate oneself.