Chapter 224 The Chronicles of the Capital Palace
The cliffs rise hundreds of feet high, their precipitous slopes as if cut by a knife.
The river water rippled and gently lapped against the brownish-yellow stone cliffs. Sunlight slanted down, and the river surface shimmered with silvery light.
The ancient plank road hangs on the cliff, with withered black moss clinging to the cracks in the bluestone steps. A long iron railing and an iron bridge span the east and west.
The first ferry crossing in southern Shanxi, at the entrance of Yumen.
It was also known as Longmenkou in ancient times.
Legend has it that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, water spirits caused trouble here, so he opened the Dragon Gate and carved a ladder to heaven. The stone steps on the cliff are said to be the ladders to heaven for the water monster fish spirits who, after transforming into humans, ascended to immortality.
It's just a legend, but since ancient times, Longmen Ferry has been a vital passage between southern Shanxi and northern Shaanxi.
After crossing the ferry, the current slowed down, and the terrain suddenly opened up. The cliffs and precipices disappeared, replaced by one oasis after another.
These are all mudflats left over from the ancient Yellow River's course changes, and the soil is very fertile. Improvement and trial planting began in the 1990s, with peanuts being the first choice.
As a result, the crops have grown better year by year, and now it has become a planting model of intercropping chili peppers, chives, melons, and even Chinese medicinal herbs.
The several waste porcelain pits that Zhao Da and Zhao Er inquired about are located here, the earliest one of which was dug three years ago.
But after years of farming, all they could find were broken pieces. Forget shards, the two brothers couldn't even find a single piece of porcelain.
"Master, we went to the county history office first, and then to the museum, but there was no record of anything. We only learned from a retired curator that in the early years of the project, Han pottery, Tang porcelain, and Jin-Yuan period purple clay teapots were unearthed..."
Because they were all coarse pottery and porcelain, no samples were taken for photographing... But the old curator said that they were basically daily utensils transported from Xiangning to northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong... Later, we made a special trip to Xiangning County, where the ancient kiln site is only about 20 kilometers away..."
Zhao Da was meticulous in every detail, and Lin Sicheng nodded repeatedly.
Pottery making in Xiangning County dates back to the very early 1970s, with ancient pottery kiln sites dating from the Yangshao Culture (Neolithic period) being excavated, continuing into the Republican era. Ceramic kiln sites from various dynasties and periods have been discovered repeatedly, and they are all quite large in scale.
Especially during the late Qing and Republican periods, there were 37 privately-owned kilns with verifiable historical records.
Having been fired for so long, the craftsmanship and manufacturing level are far superior to those in the surrounding area, so it's no surprise that they were sold elsewhere. Given its proximity to the ferry crossing, it's not surprising that several pits of discarded porcelain have been left on the riverbank over the years.
"Are there any porcelain clay mines nearby? Have you asked?"
"I asked, and there are only two places: one in Guzhen Town, Hejin City, and the other in Xipo Town, Xiangning County. Although they belong to two different counties, the two towns are adjacent. In ancient times, Xiangning County used these two places to obtain clay for pottery, porcelain, and purple clay ware." According to the Hejin Industrial Bureau, the porcelain clay reserves are several billion tons...
“They’re not far from here. The Xipo clay mine in Xiangning is about 20 kilometers away, and Guzhen is even closer, only about 10 kilometers away… We’ve taken samples and are preparing to send them back…”
The two brothers spent four days on the job, working non-stop, and actually managed to get quite a lot of information.
"Hard!"
Lin Sicheng smiled and took the two glass jars. He opened them and examined them, then thought to himself, "Just as I thought: sedimentary silty porcelain clay from the Yellow River basin and weathered clay from the southern foothills of the Lüliang Mountains."
The latter is rich in aluminum, while the former is high in calcium.
Lin Sicheng was more than 90% certain that the porcelain shards the fat boss sold him were made from these two types of porcelain clay.
“It’s too late now, and it’s not safe on the road! Boheng, drive it to the city museum tomorrow and give it to Senior Brother Qin.”
"Yes, Master!"
Zhao Xiuneng glanced at his watch: "Junior brother, Professor Wang, shall we go and take a look at the porcelain clay mine?"
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "It sounds like it's not far, only about ten kilometers, but it's all dirt roads and there are mountains along the way. I reckon it'll be dark by the time we get there!"
“Yes, no rush!” Wang Qizhi nodded. “Let’s go back to the city first and come back tomorrow!”
As they were talking, Zhao Er called the hotel again to book a room.
Just as he was about to pull the dial button, Lin Sicheng's phone rang.
It was a Xijing number, but he didn't recognize it, so Lin Sicheng answered it without thinking.
A man's voice came through the phone: "Teacher Lin, you're in Hejin, right?"
The voice sounded familiar. Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then realized: Zhuang Zijing, Zhuang Yi's brother.
"Mr. Zhuang, how did you know?"
"Zhuang Yi went to the museum to visit Assistant Ye, so I took him there. When we got there, we ran into Director Gao, whom I happened to know. We chatted for a bit and then I found out that you were in Hejin!"
Zhuang Zijing smiled and said, "I happened to have some business back in my hometown, and Zhuang Yi and I are back too... Teacher Lin, it's better to meet by chance than by invitation. Please give me the opportunity to be a good host today..."
Having known each other for five days, this was Zhuang Zijing's third invitation.
It wasn't that Zhuang Yi went to visit Ye Anning as he claimed; she must have come specifically to see him. Upon hearing that he had arrived in Hejin, Zhuang Zijing immediately followed.
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "President Zhuang, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Indeed!" Zhuang Zijing smiled politely. "To be honest, Teacher Lin, there are a few things I'd like you to take a look at! Luckily, I brought them with me..."
Lin Sicheng chuckled: "President Zhuang, this is just the right amount..."
Zhuang Zijing mentioned it several times, but the first few times it was indeed unfortunate. Since I have nothing else to do today, I might as well take a look; it won't take much time.
Lin Sicheng did not refuse and agreed.
Finally, Zhuang Zijing said that the banquet was ready, and it was in the old house on the outskirts of the city, serving authentic Hejin local dishes.
Lin Sicheng hung up the phone, and Zhao Xiuneng clicked his tongue: "Hejin local cuisine, I'm afraid it's casserole? This is not easy to make. I guess this President Zhuang just found out that we came to Hejin and had his family prepare it."
“They were indeed chasing us a bit too frequently!” Wang Qizhi nodded. “But they are locals after all. It’s good to maintain a good relationship with them; they might be able to help us later.”
Lin Sicheng neither confirmed nor denied it.
It's just a few things, something that happened incidentally.
The group got into the car and drove into the city along the county road.
Although it's said to be on the outskirts of the city, it's actually in the city center, right next to Kowloon Park. Nine hills surround the moon like nine stars, with a large lake in the middle.
After entering the residential area and passing through the apartment buildings, there were a few scattered villas at the end. The brother and sister stood at the door of one of them.
Ye Anning pursed her lips again: "Is she really so easily nagged?"
At noon, when she saw the Kowloon Tower under construction not far away, she subconsciously thought of Zhuang Yi and muttered to herself: I hope I won't run into her again this time.
Before it was even fully dark, we actually ran into them?
Muttering to themselves, the group got out of the car.
Zhuang Zijing was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but he was very thoughtful and considerate in his dealings with others, and he was always cheerful and talkative.
Zhuang Yi's parents didn't come back this time, so it was just the two siblings at home. Zhuang Zijing invited two distant uncles to keep them company.
After a few pleasantries, we entered the living room, sat down, and the food was served one by one.
The dishes were made by the two aunts, authentic Hejin casserole dishes. I don't know if they'll taste good yet, but they smell delicious.
Lin Sicheng doesn't drink, and neither does Zhuang Zijing. Thinking they had things to do tomorrow, Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng also didn't drink much.
But because they could hold their liquor, the two of them only drank about five or six tenths of what they were capacity for alcohol before Zhuang Zijing's two uncles started slurring their words.
He had his aunt help him back to his room to rest, and then invited the group to the living room, where Zhuang Zijing brought out several boxes.
Upon opening one of the packages, Lin Sicheng's eyes widened in surprise: Good heavens, there are more than just a few items here.
It's a fairly large storage box, the kind with a linkage mechanism, and it's packed full of storage space on three levels.
Upon closer inspection, one can find hairpins, earrings, hair ornaments, necklaces, headbands, bracelets, rings, and thumb rings. There are even huasheng (forehead appliqués) and yingluo (chest beaded ornaments).
Gold, silver, jade, bronze, mother-of-pearl inlay, bamboo, horn, ivory... almost every common jewelry material can be found here.
Lin Sicheng looked at it for a while, then looked up at Zhuang Zijing.
"Teacher Lin, please forgive me. I know you're busy, so I brought everything I could!"
Zhuang Zijing was somewhat embarrassed. "These were all collected by my father years ago. Before, the craftsmen in the shop used them as design samples and made some imitations, which were sold for several years. But they haven't been very popular in the last two years, so I thought I'd find an expert to appraise them and see if they're any good enough to sell..."
That explains why there are so many.
But believe it or not, there are some really good things there.
Lin Sicheng first picked up a pair of gilded silver rings.
It is made of silver wire gilded and woven together. The dragon's ears are attached to the back, without horns or claws, and the body of the fish is formed after the neck.
This hairstyle, known as "Fish Transforming into Dragon," originated in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties. It was not prohibited for commoners to wear it, but was used specifically to tie up their hair.
During the Song and Ming dynasties, emperors would sometimes bestow such hair rings upon successful candidates in the imperial examinations, symbolizing "a fish leaping over the dragon gate."
The Qing dynasty was not allowed to use dragons, let alone gilded artifacts.
The signs of aging are very strong, and in some places the gold paint has been worn off, revealing the silver underneath, but the workmanship is very good.
After glancing at it twice, Lin Sicheng put it down: "The craftsmanship is quite good. It's a gold amalgam work from Shuozhou, probably from the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, roughly between the Zhengde and Wanli periods..."
Zhuang Zijing was immediately delighted: "The Ming Dynasty?"
"Yes, it was during the Ming Dynasty; it was just a folk craft!"
Zhuang Zijing had consulted someone before, and of course he knew it was a folk craft, but he didn't know exactly where it came from, and the date was also vague.
I was never sure what to do, so I didn't make a move.
Now that we know, in the mid-Ming Dynasty, the price of silver-copper gilded bronze from Shuozhou can be determined by comparing it to the market prices of recent years.
Zhuang Zijing thanked him and solemnly put it aside.
Lin Sicheng then took out a bracelet:
It still features gilded silver filigree and a dragon shape. However, compared to the previous piece, the workmanship is more refined and the craftsmanship is more complex.
Putting everything else aside, just looking at the openwork dragon body and the weaving of the silver filigree, you can tell that this piece is much more difficult and tiring than the other one.
Lin Sicheng looked at it for a while, then handed it to Zhao Xiuneng: "Senior brother, look, doesn't it look familiar?"
Zhao Xiuneng took it and his eyes lit up: "The Imperial Workshop's gold and silver workshop?"
Upon hearing about the Imperial Workshop's gold and silver production, Zhuang Zijing's heart skipped a beat, but Lin Sicheng immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm!
"It is indeed the work of an old court craftsman, but it is not very old, at most seventy or eighty years old. It was probably made by the old craftsman after he left the palace!"
Lin Sicheng returned it, "Republic of China!"
Zhuang Zijing didn't mind and continued taking them out: "Teacher Lin, take a look at this comb!"
"It's a modern imitation! The mother-of-pearl inlay technique from Jishan (part of Yuncheng) is no more than ten years old!"
With just one glance, Lin Sicheng shook his head: "President Zhuang, I'll do it myself. Don't worry, I'll definitely pick out all the good ones for you!"
Zhuang Zijing gave an awkward smile and remained silent.
He took out another item, and Lin Sicheng's eyes narrowed: a mother-of-pearl inlaid with gold and kingfisher feathers bracelet.
At first glance, it's dazzlingly golden and shines like new. But upon closer inspection, it appears luxurious, elegant, and exquisite; the pink is pink, the green is green—it looks like a modern imitation.
But don't doubt it, well-preserved gold artifacts, or those just unearthed from tombs, are generally in this condition.
Just like the gold and silver artifacts in Liu He's tomb, when they were unearthed, they looked as if they had been newly cast...
Although it's not very heavy when you hold it in your hand, you can clearly feel the weight of the gold.
The key is this process: both the inner and outer layers are made of gold, but pressed extremely thin, and then flowers and birds are carved on them.
The inside of the gold bracelet is made of gold wire. When you look at it under a light, you can see that although the holes inside are densely packed, they are all the same size.
Looking at the patterns, they were first carved, then inlaid, and then polished. The color scheme is also excellent: pink is shell, yellow is gold, and green is jade.
To be honest, with this level of craftsmanship and precision, even a machine couldn't produce it; it's undoubtedly pure craftsmanship.
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment and exchanged a glance with Zhao Xiuneng.
Both of them were certain that although the item looked new, it was definitely an old artifact, at least from the mid-Qing or late-Qing dynasty. It was simply well-preserved.
Then another question arises: given the environment of the Qing Dynasty, apart from the Imperial Household Department, where else could you find such excellent craftsmanship and such exquisite workmanship?
The key point is that those few green spots are clearly enamel.
During the Qing Dynasty, the art of cloisonné enamel with kingfisher feather inlay was only practiced in the imperial palace; it was impossible for ordinary people to imitate it.
After examining it carefully twice more, Lin Sicheng looked up and asked, "President Zhuang, where did you find this?"
“Taiyuan, it’s been seven or eight years…” Zhuang Zijing recalled, tilting his head back. “My dad thought this thing was pretty, so he bought it at a high price. But when he got it back to the shop, he found out it was mother-of-pearl inlay, which the craftsmen couldn’t replicate…”
It's more than just mother-of-pearl inlay.
The art of mother-of-pearl inlay has a long history, dating back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. However, gold mother-of-pearl inlay was not realized until the Ming dynasty, and the earliest artifact discovered to date dates back to the Jiajing period.
The craft, though not lost, is exceptionally difficult. And to top it off with enamel?
With this skill, you could easily get into the Forbidden City...
Lin Sicheng returned the item: "Although the craftsmanship of the Imperial Household Department's workshops dates back to the late Qing Dynasty, it includes both gold mother-of-pearl inlay and enamel kingfisher feather inlay. If it were auctioned, it would easily fetch over a million..."
"How many?"
As if he had misheard, Zhuang Zijing's eyes widened. "Teacher Lin, how much did you say?"
Lin Sicheng was a little surprised: His family owns a chain of jewelry stores. They might not be worth hundreds of millions, but they certainly have tens of millions. Why would they be so shocked?
As if guessing what he was thinking, Zhuang Zijing grimaced as if in pain: "My mother gave it to me back then, but I thought it was too new and didn't want it. In the end, I gave it to Zhuang Yi..."
"Haha..." Lin Sicheng chuckled, "Which one did President Zhuang want?"
Zhuang Zijing looked distressed and pointed to the pair of gilded silver rings.
really.
That piece, though silver, looks like an antique. This bracelet, on the other hand, looks brand new.
But in terms of price, a Silver Ring would cost at most 100,000...
Lin Sicheng returned it: "Miss Zhuang, keep it safe. After all, it's an old item from the palace, and a relatively rare gold artifact. It'll definitely appreciate in value in a couple of years, doubling in price wouldn't be a problem!"
Zhuang Yi took it and sweetly said thank you.
Ye Anning felt like her teeth were about to fall out from the sourness.
I flipped through them again, and they were mostly imitations, but the craftsmanship was quite good.
After looking at the jewelry, I also looked at a few pieces of horn and ivory artifacts. Apart from an ivory hairpin from the Republic of China period, there were basically no other old items.
Then there are a few jade artifacts, this is the update.
Without exception, whether it's jewelry or jade carvings, they are all handmade items with excellent craftsmanship.
This alone shows just how much Lao Zhuang loves research. It's no accident that he was able to open a chain of stores.
After reading through it, it was almost eleven o'clock. Lin Sicheng wanted to say goodbye, but Zhuang Zijing stopped him.
"Teacher Lin, I came in a hurry today. The finance department is still in Xi'an. I will personally deliver the appraisal fee to you tomorrow."
"Mr. Zhuang, we're all friends..."
But before he could finish speaking, Zhuang Zijing interrupted him: "Friends are friends, and rules are rules. If you don't accept this time, how can I possibly ask you for help next time!"
Lin Sicheng paused: "Since the finance department has to come all the way here, how much is Zhuang Zijing going to give?"
He sighed, "Mr. Zhuang, just a token amount will suffice!"
"Don't worry, Teacher Lin, I understand!"
Zhuang Zijing smiled and pushed another box over: "Knowing that you came to Shanxi specifically to look for ancient crafts, I just inquired about it. It was quite a coincidence that I actually found a book. If you like it, you can accept it..."
Ancient craftsmanship?
Lin Sicheng said politely and casually opened the book, but after only glancing at it twice, his heart skipped a beat.
What is this, the "Records of the Imperial Palace in the Capital"?
If he remembers correctly, this book should also have another name: "The Construction Methods of the Imperial Palace in the Capital", which is a comprehensive scientific and technological work on construction from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
To put it simply: the Forbidden City was built according to this book.
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