Chapter 148: Was it like being transported to another world?
Inside a box slightly larger than the palm of your hand, there was a jade pendant the size of a fist.
Lin Sicheng stared at it for a long time.
Outside the door, Hao Jun remarked that this General Manager Chen had rather peculiar tastes; he preferred things from earlier eras. Lin Sicheng had assumed that the earliest possible era was the Han and Tang dynasties, perhaps even extending to the pre-Qin period.
I never expected that this Mr. Chen could go all the way to the Neolithic period, before writing was even invented.
This one piece alone is at least four or five thousand years old...
The image is depicted very realistically: a pig's head and a dragon's body, with a fat head, large ears, big eyes, a wide mouth, a protruding snout, and fangs showing from its mouth.
The face features engraved lines depicting the eye circles and wrinkles, with a smooth central perforation. The entire piece is chicken-bone white with slight yellowish soil stains in some areas.
It doesn't look very smooth, nor very shiny. But that's precisely why it's a genuine product.
Upon holding it in my hand and examining its texture under light, I found that the jade has a fine texture, an oily luster, and is slightly transparent, typical of Xiuyan nephrite from Liaoning Province.
Similarly, the jade quality is average, but this object comes from the Hongshan Culture five thousand years ago and is the earliest dragon-shaped artifact to date.
Known historically as the first dragon of China, it is the kind of item that is "collected but not allowed to be known by others, and can only be viewed in secret."
It seems that Mr. Chen and Hao Jun have a really good relationship.
The key point is: this thing was definitely just dug out.
If you report it, your property will be confiscated in no time, you'll be fined a lot, and you might even have to stay in jail for a couple of days.
After watching for about ten minutes, Lin Sicheng straightened up.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Hao Jun's eyelids twitched: "Is it fake too?"
"It really is a jade pig-dragon from the Hongshan Culture of the Neolithic period. But it was unearthed less than half a year ago, and then it was put inside a pig's belly for about three months before it developed a patina that looks like it has been passed down for many years and has been polished for many years."
"This method isn't visible to the naked eye, but you'll know once you burn it. Of course, to be on the safe side, it's best to send it to a professional institution for testing, such as the Municipal Appraisal Center; Director Guan can do it."
Lin Sicheng stated the conclusion directly, "Therefore, it should reach President Chen within three months!"
Hao Jun paused for a moment, then glared at Lin Sicheng: "Your idea is really good."
If it were truly a newly unearthed jade pig-dragon, one look at it would be enough to send a person flying into the abyss.
He glanced at Chen Yangyan again: "Burn?"
Chen Yangyan nodded: "Burn!"
As soon as the words were spoken, one person took out the jade dragon, and the other took out a lighter. With a "whoosh," flames shot out.
As the flames licked, a halo of mist appeared around the dragon's body, followed by a faint smell of burnt fur.
Even if you've never eaten pork, you've always seen pigs run. You can still smell the charred fat.
Chen Yangyan remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged.
But his two children's eyelids twitched uncontrollably: if someone reported this, it wouldn't just be a matter of confiscation and fines, but a question of whether they would go to jail.
Hao Jun sighed and stopped calling him "President Chen": "Old Chen, my opinion is not to return it, just donate it!"
Of course he had to donate. Chen Yangyan wasn't sure whether the person who sent him the item was genuinely unaware of the situation, or if it was a setup to get him arrested.
Chen Yangyan nodded: "Okay, I'll donate. I'll contact you later!"
As he spoke, he put away the jade pig dragon and opened another box, revealing a bronze mirror.
The vessel is quite large, with a diameter of about 22 or 23 centimeters, and it exhibits the rustic feel of ancient bronze artifacts.
The rust is very light, only appearing in a few tiny spots at the edges, and it has a smooth, oily sheen. At first glance, it looks like it has been polished for many years.
The center features a copper knob, and the inner circle is decorated with a persimmon calyx pattern, consisting of eight petals, also known as eight protrusions, corresponding to the eight winds.
Next are two rings of serrated patterns, with twenty-four seal script characters engraved in the middle of the patterns.
Lin Sicheng, holding a magnifying glass, carefully read each line: "Serving the ruler with purity and integrity, harboring resentment in secret. Shining with the grace of the imperial favor, cautiously displaying loyalty and pleasing the emperor."
But as soon as he finished reading, Lin Sicheng's eyelids started twitching uncontrollably: The Great Han Dynasty's Innocent Mirror?
The first half of the sentence comes from Xunzi's "Bu Gou": "A gentleman purifies himself and those who are like him will unite..." The second half comes from the Legalist school's "Shen Xing Cha". It means "pure and upright, cautious and firm" and "acting according to human feelings".
To put it bluntly: This is the posthumous title bestowed by the emperor upon a minister after his death during the Han Dynasty.
So, Hao Jun brought him to see the Emperor's Inkstone, but he didn't see the Emperor's Inkstone. Instead, he saw a mirror bestowed by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.
And the shape is so big?
The *Baopuzi* states: "A bright mirror nine inches or larger, hung on the back of a corpse, can illuminate the netherworld." The *Zhen Gao* (True Teachings) further states: "Hanging a bright mirror on the back prevents the soul from rising..."
Looking at the craftsmanship: the decoration is relief, the mirror back mold is divided into three layers: one layer for the knob area, one layer for the main pattern, and another layer for the inscription.
Next, let's look at the persimmon calyx pattern: a combination of line engraving and molding, using the double-yin-yang technique from the Western Han Dynasty.
The characters on the inscription are extremely small, less than one centimeter in size, with at least forty or fifty strokes, yet they are carved with exceptional precision. This is also the water-based engraving method used in the Western Han Dynasty.
Turning it over to examine the mirror again: the surface is smooth and reveals every detail, achieved through a unique "gold-mercury-tin" process. This corresponds to the inscription's line: "Radiant black tin with flowing luster..."
There's absolutely no doubt that this is a Qingbai mirror from the Western Han Dynasty.
How many generations must it take for a bronze artifact to develop the ancient bronze texture of "passed down for over a thousand years"?
Fifty or sixty generations?
Of course not.
Under a high-powered microscope, the two remaining rust spots still reveal traces of the chemical etching process used to remove the rust layer. Therefore, the time since its discovery is even shorter: more than two months ago, Lin Sicheng dared to pick up the mirror and eat it.
The key lies in the twenty-four-character inscription: "Serving the ruler with purity and integrity, concealing grievances in secret. Radiating the black jewel with flowing grace, cautiously displaying loyalty and pleasing the ruler..." If condensed into one word: Respect!
More importantly, there is such a piece of Zhang Anshi's legacy locked in the studio.
Quite by coincidence, the posthumous title bestowed upon Zhang Anshi by Emperor Xuan of Han was precisely "Respectful"...
For a moment, Lin Sicheng didn't know what to say.
This time, Lin Sicheng watched for a relatively long time, almost half an hour, before turning off the flashlight.
He didn't speak, a strange look on his face, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Hao Jun was taken aback: "Is it fake again?"
“No, it really is, a Western Han Dynasty Qingbai Mirror!” Lin Sicheng nodded, then thought for a moment, “President Chen, if I may ask, was it recently acquired, even later than the Jade Pig Dragon?”
In an instant, Chen Yangyan remembered the jade pig dragon from earlier: "Mr. Chen, was it just acquired? It shouldn't be more than three months old."
So, this thing also has a problem?
With a thud, Chen Yangyan's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded: "Yes!"
After a slight pause, he pointed to the bronze mirror again: "But the 'Innocence Mirror,' Professor Hao, do you remember it?"
Hao Jun immediately shook his head.
I don't recall it, because so far, only one tomb has been unearthed: the tomb of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, in Mancheng, Baoding.
During the construction work by the military, it was accidentally run over by a bulldozer and shattered into more than ten pieces. Furthermore, it was heavily rusted, and most of the inscription was lost; the three characters "洁清白" (meaning "clean, pure, and innocent") could barely be discerned.
Another piece is buried in the tomb of Liu He, the Marquis of Han. Therefore, this is the only complete piece in the world.
Lin Sicheng patiently explained, "The key point is that it was just unearthed, and the rust marks are very heavy. More importantly, the process is extremely complex and technologically advanced..."
He paused for a moment, then picked up the bronze mirror and the high-powered flashlight. "Excuse me, Senior Brother Hao, could you please draw the curtains?"
Hao Jun paused for a moment, about to stand up, when Chen Yangyan waved his hand: "Dao Qing!"
Mr. Chen quickly got up and found the remote control.
The curtains slowly fell, and the living room grew darker and darker. Lin Sicheng picked up the bronze mirror and faced it against the wall, then gestured to Hao Jun: "Senior Brother Hao, take a look!"
Hao Jun quickly picked up a flashlight and shone a beam of light.
Suddenly, a halo of light appeared on the wall.
At first, the group didn't pay much attention, thinking to themselves, "What kind of bronze mirror is it if it doesn't reflect light?"
But then, their pupils suddenly contracted.
Due to the angle, the halo is slightly distorted. But the problem is, there are concentric rings of texture within the halo?
Moreover, it is extremely clear: in the middle is a knob, followed by a circle of beaded patterns, then persimmon calyx patterns, and then sawtooth patterns.
Even the twenty-four seal script inscriptions were clearly visible.
Suddenly turning around: That's right?
Lin Sicheng held the mirror with both hands, the light shining directly on its surface. It was smooth, flawless, and exceptionally bright. There wasn't a single blemish on the mirror, let alone any texture.
The patterned back of the mirror is behind the light source, so the light can't reach it. But the problem is, when a flashlight shines on the smooth mirror surface and reflects off the wall, what's projected is the pattern on the back of the mirror?
The group looked at each other, at a loss, and a sense of absurdity arose in their hearts: it was as if Lin Sicheng had performed a magic trick for them.
Hao Jun even tilted his head and looked behind the mirror.
But the back of the mirror remained the same, dim and dark, with no light filtering through.
"This thing lets light through?"
Staring at the halo of light on the wall for a long time, Hao Jun seemed lost in thought. "But how is that possible: the mirror is so thick, almost half a centimeter?"
"It's not light transmission, it's the curvature that refracts and reflects light!"
Lin Sicheng patiently explained: "Because the mirror body with inscriptions and patterns is thicker, and the area without inscriptions is thinner. Therefore, the uneven thickness causes casting stress in the bronze mirror, resulting in a slightly convex surface. Furthermore, elastic deformation occurs during the polishing process, ultimately leading to a smaller curvature in the thicker areas and a larger curvature in the thinner areas."
"Furthermore, the difference in curvature corresponds to the pattern. When light shines on the mirror, the reflected light is more dispersed in areas with greater curvature, resulting in a darker projection. The reflected light is more concentrated in areas with less curvature, resulting in a brighter projection. Therefore, brighter characters and patterns can be seen in the reflected image."
"Convex surface, curvature reflection?"
Mr. Chen only half understood, but Hao Jun did. He then stood to the side, squinting, and said, "It's very flat, can't you tell?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "It only protrudes by a few micrometers, so of course it's not visible to the naked eye. That's why I say the process is extremely complex and technologically advanced!"
It's not just complex in its process, but also extremely technologically advanced.
Chen Yangyan was quite knowledgeable, and Hao Jun was an expert among experts, but they had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.
In particular, they doubted that even with current technology, it might be impossible to manufacture the same objects based on the principles Lin Sicheng mentioned: casting stress, curvature refraction, etc. Furthermore, they considered the Western Han Dynasty, two thousand years ago: an era relying solely on handcrafting and human labor—could such objects have been created?
It felt like this mirror had traveled back to the Han Dynasty...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
