The sound of the Qiantang River tide was deafening, and Su Chen's hand holding the bronze coin model trembled slightly. The mechanism in the groove of the tower brick made a humming sound that had not been activated for a thousand years, and the eaves and brackets of the entire Liuhe Pagoda expanded and contracted like a living thing. Tang Ren grabbed the white marble railing and shouted: "The floor tiles are moving!"
The two floors of the tower lit up with eternal lights at the same time, illuminating the river surface as bright as day. Qin Feng stared at the rotating relief sculpture of "Chinese and Foreign Countries" in the tower, and suddenly shouted: "The pattern of the floor tiles is the star map of "Heavenly Works Manual"!"
Su Chen embedded the last golden brick into the coin mold. The underground palace suddenly opened, and two or three water columns rushed up from the river. The moonlight passed through the iron mesh of the tower window, casting the bloody word "承" on the wall, each stroke of which was composed of the suicide notes of craftsmen from past generations.
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The river mist was torn apart by the morning light, and when Su Chen saw the treasure ship built in the Jiajing period, his pupils suddenly shrank - the gilded plaque on the side of the ship with "Tiangong Cheng놂" was exactly the imperial official ship supervised by his great-grandfather Su Jiuzhang as recorded in the family tree.
"This ship should be sunk in Sansha Bay..." Before Qin Feng finished speaking, the treasure ship suddenly lowered its blood-red sail. Tang Ren picked up the telescope: "The deck is piled with evidence we have seen!" The secret-colored porcelain jars, tin wine pots, and bronze zong needles glowed coldly in the sun, just like a display of evidence spanning three decades.
Su Chen took off the Luban dagger passed down from his ancestors from his waist, and the dark patterns on it fit perfectly with the mortise and tenon joints on the side of the ship. When he inserted the measuring rod into the steering wheel, the names of the craftsmen suddenly appeared on the waterline of the treasure ship, and each name was stained with blood.
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On the Eight Immortals Table in the treasure ship's cabin, the "Heavenly Works' Book" was being turned to the fifth year of the Jiajing reign. The old man wearing a Xiezhi mask gently stroked the teacup: "Mr. Su, do you know that this word 'cheng' is originally a measuring vessel? One cheng is a bucket, which can accommodate the country and the people."
Su Chen opened the lid of the teapot, and in the clear yellow tea soup was the long-missing secret-color porcelain teaspoon: "You are using the name of inheritance to carry out lynching." Before he finished speaking, two or three assassins with yin and yang masks broke in through the window, and the weapons in their hands were all unique tools passed down from generation to generation.
Tang Ren lifted the rudder and smashed it at the glass lantern. Qin Feng took the opportunity to throw the fishing line and entangle the "Heavenly Craftsmanship Manual". In the melee, Su Chen suddenly caught a glimpse of the scar on the old man's wrist - it was the six-finger feature mentioned in his grandfather's notes, which was injured by the fire spear.
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The river breeze at the hour of Yin blew away the smoke, and Su Chen stood in front of the ruined rudder. The "Craftsman's Register" in the bottom cabin of the treasure ship was burning, and between the yellowed pages floated half a jade lock - the same jade as the "longevity lock" that he wore when he was a cradle.
"It turns out that my father took the "Book of Crafts" with him when he fled in order to preserve the true inheritance." He stroked the micro-carving on the inside of the lock, and the 800-character "Kaogong Yixun" appeared in the morning light. Tang Ren picked up the drifting sandalwood box from the river. Inside the box were two or three bronze seals engraved with the word "Cheng", which were the "Heavenly Craftsman Seals" certified by craftsmen of all generations.
Three years later, on the Qingming Festival, Su Chen stood in front of the rebuilt Suzhou Weaving Bureau. Apprentices were holding the newly edited "Ancient and Modern Craftsmanship Collection" in a row. The word "承" on the cover was taken from its original meaning - holding up with both hands, passing on the torch. Tang Ren chewed a plum cake and approached the plaque: "This newly engraved '天工承놂' looks much better!"
Amid the sound of the river, Qin Feng suddenly pointed to the canal - two or three newly built canals were hoisting white sails, and the bronze measuring instruments on the bows were shining warmly in the spring sun. In the farthest place, where the sea and the sky meet, you can vaguely see the last albatross that was released when the treasure ship sank, and there seems to be golden threads flowing between its wings like stars.