Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 114: Cross-era Craftsmanship
The morning mist flows along the blue bricks, and the iron horses on the eaves sway in the wind.

"Ding-Dong~ Ding-Dong~"

Lin Sicheng opened his eyes in a daze, and it was just dawn.

Stretching, he picked up his phone... Hey, it's turned off?

After finding the charging cable and plugging it in, Lin Sicheng got up, dressed, and just put on his shoes, and then the screen lit up.

Then, like beans falling into an iron pot, ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong, in the blink of an eye, more than ten text messages came in.

Lin Sicheng was stunned and clicked on them one by one.

"Lin Sicheng, why did you turn off your phone?"

"You're so stupid!"

Then came a bunch of emojis: cocky, headshot, unhappy, roaring...

No...Xiao Yuzhu, are you sick?

He pulled it down hard.

Li Zhen: I don’t have classes tomorrow, so I will go to the studio.

Lin Sicheng thought about it and replied: Hard work.

Scroll down, Guan Xingmin:

The first one: I have something to talk to you about, why are you turning off your phone?
Article 2: Yang was arrested!

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then sat up suddenly.

Who else could the Yang that Guan Xingmin was referring to be other than Yang Zhigao?
Looking at the time, it was just past six o'clock, but Lin Sicheng didn't hesitate at all and dialed directly.

It rang twice, and I answered it almost instantly: "Haha, you're up so early!"

"Good morning, Director Guan!"

"What the hell am I early in the morning? I just didn't sleep all night!" Guan Xingmin laughed softly twice and seemed to be walking out.

There was another sound of a door closing, and the voice was much louder: "Thanks to you, brother has really accomplished a great deed this time!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: "Did he really catch him?"

Counting the time, it’s been less than forty-eight hours.

"What else? Why don't you check who gave you the instructions?" Guan Xingmin sighed slowly, "You've got a good teacher. Your life is secure!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned and speechless, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Think about that day: Lin Sicheng, you go back to school first, and leave the rest to the teacher.

And yesterday: Just stay in school for a few days, no more than three days at most.

As a result, one night passed.

"Yang Zhigao is amazing! He busted a fake jade workshop covering two floors and over 500 square meters. A safe as tall as a person was filled with cash... Guess what else we found? Account books... Hahaha..."

After laughing a few times, Guan Xingmin lowered his voice a little, "It's clearly written in there what gift was given to whom and how much it was given...

Even more surprising: He remembers every transaction over 100,000 yuan in detail, saving us so much trouble? Furthermore, many of these involved leaders... More importantly, this old guy has hurt more than one person... His life is over..."

Lin Sicheng listened quietly.

In his previous life, Yang Zhigao’s accident didn’t happen so early, but the result was similar: life imprisonment.

I think there are more things he has done than what Guan Xingmin said, but they will be found out sooner or later.

After Lin Sicheng digested it, Guan Xingmin continued, "We're still recovering and sorting it out, so it might take another week or so. But the leader specifically instructed last night that you must come to the city for an appraisal... We'll set a specific date later."

Lin Sicheng took the lead: "No problem!"

Even if his leader doesn't mention it, he will find a way to take a look.

"That's about it. If there's anything else, I'll contact you again!"

"Okay, thank you Director Guan!"

"You're rebelling!" Guan Xingmin laughed heartily. "I'd be guilty if I didn't set up ten tables for you..."

Lin Sicheng roughly understood: Guan Xingmin's report was earlier than the leadership's instructions, which happened to be a good opportunity.

He had no choice but to accept the credit...

After hanging up the phone, Lin Sicheng slowly let out a breath and felt the pressure suddenly relieved.

No matter how good your kung fu skills are, you still fear a kitchen knife. Fortunately, the hidden dangers have been eliminated.

Then he looked at the time again: It's too early now, Professor Wang probably hasn't woken up yet.

Well, I'll go see him around 7:30. Anyway, I have to thank him in person.

I put down my phone, brushed my teeth and washed my face. Just as I dried my face, the phone rang again.

Wang Qizhi: Are you getting up yet?

He threw down the towel and replied with two words: Get up!
Just as he turned back, Wang Qizhi's voice rang out from outside the door again, "Lin Sicheng, open the door... Knock knock!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then hurried over to open the door. Wang Qizhi was leaning against the doorframe, his beard untidy and with dark circles under his eyes.

This is... a sleepless night?
Lin Sicheng was startled: "Had a fight with Master's wife?"

Wang Qizhi rolled his eyes and yawned: "Can't you just hope for me to be better?"

Is that because of Yang Zhigao’s incident?

Lin Sicheng felt a little warm in his heart, but also a little suspicious: Everything is done, it is impossible that he still can't sleep all night, right?
Turning his thoughts, he said respectfully: "Teacher, thank you for your help!"

Wang Qizhi was stunned for a moment, then said, "What's the big deal?"

He did help, but the key point was that Lin Sicheng's clues were too clear: there was something wrong with the jadeite, and the jade was even more problematic. Guan Xingmin only checked in passing, and Yang Zhigao's ass was exposed.

Then, just as Guan Xingmin finished reporting to the bureau, instructions came from above. It was like a perfect match.

Yang Zhigao deserved the disaster: hundreds of millions of dollars were involved in the case, how many people did this bastard cheat?
Wang Qizhi pondered secretly, his expression straightening. "An Ning said, that agate cup you saw yesterday was made of blasted beads and gilded?"

Lin Sicheng suddenly realized: No wonder you didn’t sleep all night?
But it's normal. If I hadn't had a drink last night, I wouldn't have been able to sleep.

If the unique skills reappeared in the world, there are only two possibilities: one is that they have been passed down from generation to generation, and the other is that the tombs of Qianling Mausoleum or some other Tang Dynasty tombs were robbed.

But the focus is on the unique skills, which is at least a provincial-level project for Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi: research and restoration of gold craftsmanship in the Tang Dynasty.

Don’t think it’s small. Its influence on cultural relics and ancient craftsmanship and technology is even greater than the “independent origin of copper smelting” they are currently studying.

The impact at the business level is even greater.

For example, Zhou Mousheng, around 2021, combined the Tang Dynasty's engraving and filigree techniques with 3D printing to launch ancient gold.

Zhou Mou Sheng was better off, as he basically used pure gold. But when other stores started to follow suit, the gold content of the ancient gold was less than half, but the selling price was twice that of real gold.

For example, a certain Feng...

Lin Sicheng nodded heavily: "Yes, it is the blasted pearl gilded!"

"That's fine, you're better than me!" Wang Qizhi squinted his eyes, "You can actually sleep?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "I had a drink when I got back!" Wang Qizhi was stunned: Hey, why didn't I think of drinking two cups to help me sleep?

He glared at me and said, "You were downstairs last night, why didn't you come up to drink with me?"

Lin Sicheng looked helpless: "Teacher, it doesn't matter to us two, there are also the teacher's wife, Sister An Ning, and You Jian!"

That’s right, children have to go to school.

Wang Qizhi waved his hand and said, "Let's eat first, then go and take a look!"

Lin Sicheng nodded.

The two of them walked and talked as they headed out of the school. Just as they passed the family building, Ye Anning came running down.

The teacher and student exchanged a glance, and Wang Qizhi gave Lin Sicheng a look. "Sister An Ning, I was just about to call you!"

Ye Anning pursed her lips and just smiled.

My aunt said last night: People like your uncle, Lin Sicheng, will forget about his wife and children as soon as he thinks about research or cultural relics.

So, don't expect Lin Sicheng to call you, he won't be able to remember.

So, as soon as her uncle left, she and her aunt got up and stood behind the window to watch: Sure enough, the two of them passed by downstairs without even glancing upstairs...

After saying hello, Lin Sicheng went to drive the car and ate soup dumplings at the school gate.

The teacher and student talked non-stop: things like fried beads, filigree, flat peeling, amalgam... From beginning to end, Ye Anning was like a transparent person.

Thinking of what her aunt said, she laughed again: This kind of man is the most trustworthy. When a vixen throws a wink at him, he just thinks it's a bug in the woman's eye...

He talks a lot and eats slowly, taking an hour to finish breakfast.

Ye Anning took the car keys and drove for them. After about half an hour, the three of them arrived at the clock tower.

The morning light cut through the glazed tiles, creating multicolored ripples on the green walls. The brackets reflected the glass, creating crimson folds in the air.

It’s just a clock tower, but the scenery is extremely beautiful. It’s not even nine o’clock yet, but there are so many tourists, it’s noisy and solemn.

Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi had no interest in appreciating the scenery and went straight to the end of the field.

A gilded black plaque bore three luminous characters: Sheng Kang Xuan. The shutter had just closed, and the shop assistant was still cleaning.

As soon as he arrived at the door, the receptionist came up to greet him. Wang Qizhi waved his hand casually: "Let's take a look first."

Then, three people stepped over the threshold, and immediately, six eyes narrowed at the same time.

In an instant, the three of them felt like they had entered a treasure house: dazzling golden light and a dazzling array of treasures.

Golden ear cup, golden mask, golden cup, golden spoon, golden bowl.

Gilded bronze jars, Sassanian gilded silver plates, golden hairpins, golden scabbards, golden phoenix hairpins, carved golden purses, golden winged crowns, golden crowns with eagle crowns, gilded Jinde crowns, and golden filigree phoenix crowns with kingfisher feathers...

From Shang to Qin, from Han to Tang and then to Song, up to Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

From the Xiongnu to the Xianbei, then to the Rouran, Turks, Khitan, Jurchen, Mongolia and Qing Dynasty.

Don’t worry about whether it is true or not, just tell me whether it is complete or not?
Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi looked at each other, their eyes revealing unconcealable surprise.

Because no matter how well a person learns, it is impossible for him to learn all the gold craftsmanship of the nomadic peoples who have appeared in the north for five thousand years and twenty-four dynasties. Lin Sicheng cannot do that.

Not to mention two lifetimes, it’s impossible even in eight lifetimes.

It is also impossible to gather all the masters with these skills, otherwise this store cannot be opened in Xijing.

With this kind of technology, the Palace Museum would dare to carve a door for him in the Forbidden City wall. The National Museum of China would dare to set up a stall for him in the first-floor exhibition hall, right across from Tiananmen Square...

The teacher and the student were extremely shocked. They lowered their heads to take a closer look. After a short while, they both breathed a sigh of relief: most of them were machine-cast products, used to deceive laymen.

Basically, you can go to major museums to take photos and samples, or directly buy a one-to-one cultural and creative magazine and take it home to copy.

The materials are mostly gilded copper or gilded silver, but if you ask, it is definitely a pure handicraft.

So the prices are not low, the lowest is over a thousand.

But there are also extraordinary fine products, such as a gold-plated silver hairpin with dragon and phoenix patterns, which uses the relief embossing technique of the Song Dynasty.

There is also a silver-wire and gilded Yishan crown imitating the Wanli period, which uses the filigree inlay technology of the Ming Dynasty.

Both of these techniques are inherited from the Jin Ba Yi of the Tang Dynasty.

After secretly sighing and taking a few quick glances, the teacher and student took out their magnifying glasses and pointed them at a gilded bronze vase.

National treasure, bronze gilt pagoda.

It was unearthed in Famen Temple, a royal temple of the Tang Dynasty in Fufeng, Baoji. The original is now treasured in the Famen Temple Museum. It is one of the first cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad, and is even older than the agate cup.

When he first arrived in Baoji, Wang Qizhi focused on research for a period of time.

Looking at it again now, it is almost one-to-one with the one in Famen Temple: half a meter high, one foot wide at the bottom, and molded.

There are three layers, the base, the body and the top of the pagoda. The bottom is a Sumeru pedestal, with three layers of guardrails and a herringbone-shaped bracket set on the lintel.

The roof is single-story, with four pointed corners, each side molded with tiles, and the corners are raised. The pagoda is tall, with six gradually smaller phase wheels, each with a canopy, a halo, a crescent moon, and a jewel.

The tower door is closed, but can be opened. There is a silver coffin inside, and inside the coffin is a relic that is said to be that of Sakyamuni.

Of course, I'm talking about the real thing. Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi could both tell that this one was a distressed modern replica.

But the imitation is quite realistic, the proportions are absolutely one to one, including the slightly oxidized bronze texture, which is 99% imitated.

The key question is, the two of them looked at it for a long time, but couldn't tell any difference in craftsmanship between this vase and the one treasured in Famen Temple?
The lost wax sand mold casting, the base and the tower body are connected by copper mortise and tenon joints, and the tower brake (wheel and orb) are fixed by plug-in connection.

All decorative symbols are engraved without molds, and the gilding process is the amalgam method.

The most crucial point is this: the real pagoda is "coated with gold seven times and roasted with fire to remove the mercury", so this bottle is also "coated with gold seven times and roasted with fire to remove the mercury"?
This is also the most difficult part: the edges, corners, patterns, curved steps and eaves all need to be partially filled with gold and carefully baked in batches, otherwise the copper base will be deformed.

Although the technology of amalgam has not been lost and has been passed down, it is extremely difficult to achieve this goal without the help of any modern tools or chemicals.

The two of them looked at it again and again for more than ten minutes.

The receptionist followed behind, not being allowed to speak, and not daring to leave, yawning with boredom.

Suddenly, Lin Sicheng straightened up and tilted his head to compare the two bottles. "Teacher, do you think this one is brighter and has lighter hammer marks?"

"Even if it's a little brighter, that's normal!" Wang Qizhi wasn't sure. "After all, it's a newly minted imitation!"

"It doesn't look like it's a replica!" Lin Sicheng squinted his eyes. "It's more like... polished agate?"

What the hell, agate pressing... How could this technology exist in the Tang Dynasty?
Wang Qizhi was stunned for a moment, lowered his head quickly, and moved the magnifying glass closer.

Then, his eyes opened wider and wider.

He was only concerned with identifying the characteristics of the craftsmanship and didn't pay much attention: under a high-power microscope, there were almost no obvious stratification and pores in the seven layers of gilding.

This is obviously what Lin Sicheng said. After plating, the gold layer is repeatedly pressed with objects to make it thicker. Naturally, the surface will present a unique "matte gold".

At the same time, the engraved patterns are so shallow because they are flattened.

However, Tang gilding cannot be pressed down unless the Ming Dynasty's fire gilding technology is used.

Awesome! This is definitely a cross-era combination of technology...

(End of this chapter)