Chapter 181: Thinking About the Consequences

The ingredients were complete enough; from the Tang to the Qing, ever since the Yaozhou Kiln and Jian Kiln, every glaze material mentioned in the literature was fully present.

Moreover, everything followed ancient methods: for instance, the black soil, red soil, kaolin... the original parts were collected as raw earth, then ground, magnetically separated, and filtered.

After a rough scan, Lin Sicheng put on his gloves:

"Tea Dust Glaze was originally a Kiln-transmutation Porcelain from the Tang Dynasty, caused by black glaze being over-fired (at too high a temperature). It was fired in large quantities during the two Song dynasties, but due to immature technology, the glaze quality was coarse and the coloring uneven, so it was mostly used as folk porcelain. What Lu You referred to—'extremely coarse and poor, only used by eateries for its durability'—is exactly this kind."

"It wasn't until the mid-Ming Dynasty that the Imperial Porcelain Factory began to imitate it, and the quality improved significantly. Later, in the Qing Dynasty, once the Jingdezhen Official Kiln was able to keep the furnace temperature constant at over 1300 degrees, the quality of Tea Dust Glaze reached its peak... especially during the Yongzheng and Qianlong eras, when it once became Imperial Palace Ware and was called 'Secret Glaze'..."

"The Qing Dynasty's *Tao Ya* records: 'Tea Dust is yellow mixed with green; it is valued for being moist, bright, and lively... delicate without being vulgar, as beautiful as flowers, as fine as jade; when fashioned into a vase, it is most pleasing to the eyes...'"

Speaking as he worked, Lin Sicheng picked up a scoop and uncovered the ball mill.

Liu Dong gave a sharp look, and the two mold carvers understood instantly, rushing over: "Teacher Lin, we wouldn't dare let you tire yourself, let me..."

"You want to do it?" Lin Sicheng smiled and stepped back: "Fine, you do it!"

One of them took the scoop and picked up a shovel, while the other brought over an electronic scale, then they stood there, quietly watching Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng wore a half-smile: "Please continue, teachers!"

The two mold carvers were completely stunned: No... what do you mean 'continue'? You should be the one continuing.

If you don't tell us the formula, how are we supposed to mix the ingredients?

Lin Sicheng: Heh... you want the formula? What are you thinking?

Glancing at Liu Dong from afar, the two mold carvers gave a sheepish smile: "Teacher Lin, you want to mix it yourself? But the materials are all quite heavy; which ones do you need, and we'll help you move them over?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "No need!"

The glaze material table was very large, and the materials were prepared in great abundance, each kind stored in a vat.

Lin Sicheng just grabbed a bucket and a shovel and walked straight over.

Without Liu Dong needing to give another look, everyone, to a person, had their eyes widened. Some even picked up paper and pens: glaze ratios—even if you miss by a single percentage point, the resulting color will be worlds apart.

So, it definitely had to be weighed; it definitely had to be precise to the gram. As long as one remembered the specific weights, that was equivalent to the standard formula.

But then, the group froze: after shoveling a few scoops of black soil, Lin Sicheng didn't put it on the scale, but instead shoveled a few scoops of red soil into it.

No... you're not even going to weigh it?

Wang Hong couldn't help it and stepped forward: "Teacher Lin, wouldn't it be more precise to weigh it?"

"No need!" Lin Sicheng didn't even turn his head, shoveling other ingredients, "It's just a test anyway; it doesn't matter if the test is wrong!"

The crowd was stunned into silence: with you being so casual, shoveling in a scoop or half-scoop like that, it would be a miracle if you tested it correctly, wouldn't it?

But it wasn't as if no one was keeping an eye on things; just like with the Peony Vase blank on the table, from beginning to end, Lin Sicheng had acted nonchalant and half-hearted.

At the beginning, no one took it seriously, but what happened in the end?

So, several people still meticulously recorded it in their notebooks: six scoops of black soil, two scoops of red soil... wait, the shovel shook on that last one, that should count as two-thirds of a scoop.

Just like that, Lin Sicheng circled the material table: black soil, red soil, kaolin, Quartz, Potassium Feldspar, Calcite, Talc Powder, Agate Powder, Wood Ash... whatever ingredients were there, he would shovel a little bit, more or less, into the bucket.

The group found it stranger and stranger the more they watched: with so many ingredients, so messy, and no clear measure, what kind of glaze paste would come out of it?

But suspicion aside, they still had to record it... just in case?

And subsequently, they didn't even know how to record it anymore: perhaps feeling the quantity wasn't enough, or the ratio wasn't right, Lin Sicheng came back.

But he didn't use the shovel; he used his hands to grab directly. Sometimes he grabbed a handful, sometimes half a handful, sometimes he grabbed a bit in, then grabbed a bit back out.

Even, after having grabbed some before, once other ingredients had been grabbed, Lin Sicheng came back again and grabbed another handful or half-handful.

Then he went forward to grab more, and after picking a few things, he actually came back again to pick and grab a few more.

Some were done twice, some three or five times; the most was the black soil, which he grabbed a full twelve times.

The number of times was recorded clearly, including how many handfuls were grabbed each time, also recorded clearly. But specifically whether each handful was a full handful or half a handful, and how much each handful was—God only knows.

How the hell is one supposed to record this?

But they still had to record it.

In the end, the stainless steel bucket, as thick as a person's waist, was half full, weighing at least sixty or seventy catties.

Lin Sicheng stopped and thought for a moment: "Add some Antimony White, Stibnite will do too!"

The group was stunned: that stuff was indeed used in ancient times to produce White Porcelain, but only White Porcelain would use it, and it was toxic.

The R&D Center certainly didn't have it, but the laboratory did.

It was just one floor away; in three minutes, the item was brought over.

This time he didn't use his hands; Lin Sicheng used an egg-sized spoon to scoop seven or eight times.

Following the same pattern, they recorded it for him as well.

Ball milling, two hundred mesh, Lin Sicheng began to mix the paste.

It was still very casual: he poured half of the ground glaze powder into the material vat, then took the bucket directly to the faucet to get water. First, he filled about half a bucket, then about a third, and then another third.

After five or six times, the large vat with a one-meter diameter was more than half full.

Then, Lin Sicheng poured the half-bucket of old tea water from the workbench into it as well.

Watching the bubbling glaze paste, the group was speechless: how the hell is one supposed to record this?

How much tea was there, and how much water?

Every time a bubble popped, it exploded, followed by a puff of smoke; this was definitely a chemical reaction. But what exactly was the reaction, what were the reaction formulas and the resulting compounds, and how much of each was there?

God knows...

Just as they didn't know what to say, Lin Sicheng pointed: "Stir at a constant speed!"

After saying that, he picked up the bucket again and began to mix ingredients anew.

The crowd realized belatedly: is he going to mix two types of glaze?

While they were surprised, Lin Sicheng either shoveled half a scoop or grabbed a handful, and in the blink of an eye, there was another small half-bucket.

Ball milling, mixing, stirring, and then sealing for aging.

Once set, it would be for six hours.

It was nearing midnight, but no one had left, including Shang Yan.

Glancing at his watch, Lin Sicheng stood up, uncovered the vat, tore off the plastic wrap, and then stirred.

The crowd gathered around in unison.

The Glaze Paste was extremely thick, giving one the texture of honey; visually, the Baumé degree (solution concentration) was at least fifty percent.

The key was that the color was very chaotic: red, blue, gray, green—it was like a visual sensation of seven or eight colors of ice cream piled together and mixed after melting.

According to experience: this was because the Glaze Material had undergone a chemical reaction, producing new compounds, which in turn caused the pigments to separate.

In plain language: it was ruined!

But the strange thing was, as Lin Sicheng stirred continuously, the Glaze Material... seemed to be slowly merging?

First it was a bit gray, then it had a hint of blue, then it turned ink-green, then cyan-green, and even deep green...

In the end, the color stopped changing and tended toward a stable cyan-green.

The formula had long been lost; no one had ever seen the original color of Crab Shell Green Glaze Paste. What surprised them was not this, but the process of the color gradually changing as it was stirred...

Shang Yan was stunned and speechless, and the others were even more dumbfounded: having studied porcelain for half a lifetime, this was the first time they had seen a Glaze Paste that reacted and merged on the spot?

Lin Sicheng stirred another vat, the same as before: like an overturned paint can, the color changed incessantly.

When Lin Sicheng stopped stirring, everyone's expression was exactly the same: eyes wide and mouths agape, with golden light reflected in their pupils.

This vat of Glaze Material had actually turned into a pale gold?

No... these were all ingredients for mixing cyan glaze, including the so-called Tea Dust Glaze, which is also a cyan glaze. Lin Sicheng had mixed them haphazardly; why could he produce a vat of a different color of Glaze Paste?

The key was this concentration, the key was this coloration; this clearly meant it had been successfully formulated, right?

Thinking back to his reckless operation earlier, it felt incredibly absurd: had all the porcelain research of half a lifetime been in vain?

Just as they were stunned, Lin Sicheng took off his gloves: "Half an hour!"

Liu Dong was bewildered: "What?"

"After half an hour, the Glaze Material will react again, the compounds will settle one after another, and the color will become lighter and lighter, lighter and lighter, until it turns into clear water with the glaze and paste separated..."

Lin Sicheng wiped his hands carefully, "So, there is only half an hour; dip as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Don't worry, it will definitely be sellable..."

Liu Dong was completely stunned, his face as black as the bottom of a pot: did this mean that even if I wanted to analyze the composition of the Glaze Paste, I wouldn't be able to?

He suppressed his anger: "This coloration is wrong; this is definitely not the Tea Dust Glaze recorded in the literature..."

"That is why I said, it is better to have no books than to believe everything in books!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "The 'Chronicle of Ceramic Production' written by Tang Ying, the Superintendent of Pottery during the Kangxi era, records: Factory Official Glaze (referring specifically to the Tea Dust Glaze imitated by the Imperial Kiln of the Qing Dynasty) that is yellow, tends to be greasy, has 'tea' (large spots) but no 'dust' (finer glaze dots), is Eel Skin... that which is mostly green without small dots is Crab Shell Green..."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the green vat: "Mostly green with 'tea' but no small dots, Crab Shell Green!"

He then pointed to the yellow vat: "The yellow one has spots but no 'dust', Eel Yellow!"

"Impossible?"

Staring at the two glaze vats, Liu Dong's eyelids could not stop twitching, "It was lost long ago?"

"There is nothing impossible. Didn't Yaozhou Porcelain also get lost? But in the end, it was still restored by the National Porcelain Institute and Li Guozhen?"

You're talking nonsense... that was restored by my teacher...

The cursing words rushed to his lips, only to be swallowed back down by Liu Dong with great effort.

"Director Liu, don't delay: there are twenty-five minutes left before the Glaze Paste is ruined; wouldn't it be a pity to waste it?"

Lin Sicheng looked at his watch again, "You might not believe me if I tell you, but I don't know the specific principle or how to preserve it for a longer time... but one thing I am certain of: you cannot deduce it..."

Liu Dong's face turned livid: he didn't even know the principle, let alone whether the Glaze Paste would be ruined after half an hour; even if it weren't ruined, could he deduce it?

He gritted his teeth: "What about the formula... what is the formula?"

Lin Sicheng was suddenly stunned, his face full of disbelief: he could not understand where Liu Dong got the nerve, or what kind of mindset he had, to ask this question?

"Director Liu, do you remember three days ago, when you felt that I had already recognized that what Teacher Wang (Wang Hong) used for Carving Embryo was not the Double Knife Method of Yaozhou, but the craftsmanship of Dingzhou, and you stood beside me and said: 'The method is not easily passed on, the Dao is not cheaply taught'!"

"Honestly, if you had said this directly when I first met Dean, I wouldn't have cared too much: after all, it is core technology, it is the hard work that Director Meng and you have put in for ten or twenty years..."

"If you had asked at the time: 'You are here to steal the technology, aren't you?', I wouldn't have been angry either. After all, I am too young, and it is normal for you to be suspicious... but you dragged us along for a full twenty days..."

You kept baiting us, telling me every time: 'You should focus on learning the existing materials first, and when Director Meng comes back, we will give you the core materials'... Even when I repeatedly wanted to communicate with the Researcher teachers, you treated it as if I were trying to fish information out of them... In the end, I had no choice but to take the samples and deduce it myself..."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the two vats of glaze again: "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself... The Glaze Paste is right here, and once fired, it will be a ready-made sample: if you have the ability, do as I did and deduce it from the sample!"

Oh right, the academic thesis 'Research on the Main Crystalline Phase of Tea Dust Crystalline Glaze' published in 1989 by Professor Fang Hao, Senior Brother of Director Meng and an expert in mud and glaze materials at the Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute, can also be used for reference..."

"Director Liu, let me remind you again: it is true that Tea Dust Glaze originated from Yaozhou Porcelain. But what did Lu You say? 'Yaozhou produces celadon, known as Yue ware, as if it were similar to the Secret Glaze of Imperial Kiln... but it is extremely coarse and simple, not good, and only used by eateries for its durability'..."

And what you think is Tea Dust, Crab Shell Green, and Eel Yellow are not the same thing, nor were they invented by the Yaozhou Kiln, but by the Imperial Porcelain Factory of the Ming and Qing dynasties; it is Jingdezhen..."

These two are true Imperial Porcelain, palace Secret Glaze. They even have their own names: Factory Official Glaze! But it was lost during the Guangxu era... So, on what grounds, and with what kind of nerve, do you have the face to ask me for the formula?"

After a brief pause, Lin Sicheng let out a breath: "I am not afraid to tell you, even if these are semi-finished products that will change color in half an hour, they can still be patented. If applying for a World Heritage Application, a National Level one is hard to say, but a provincial level one would be easy..."

Liu Dong was shocked and angry: the Yaozhou Porcelain they were researching, and the Yaozhou Porcelain they were applying for World Heritage status for, were the same; even the second phase of the research plan that Director Meng went to Beijing to report to the Ministry of Culture and apply for was Tea Dust Glaze.

But suddenly, the crown of Yaozhou Porcelain, the peak technique of Tea Dust Glaze, had been patented by someone else, and they even wanted to apply for World Heritage status?

Then what was their twenty-plus years of painstaking research worth, and what kind of heritage were they applying for?

The more he thought, the more afraid he became; the more afraid he was, the angrier he got. Liu Dong's lips turned purple: "You dare... you damn dare? You try applying for it..."

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "I'll apply if I want to, who do you think you are?"

Shang Yan was stunned, Li Zhen was stunned, and Sun Lezhangfeng was also stunned.

Including Ge Xu and Xu Gaolan, who were waiting at the door to take Lin Sicheng back, and everyone in the research room, all were stunned.

How long had they known him? They had never seen Lin Sicheng curse, oh no, they had never seen him get angry. Including Shang Yan and Li Zhen, who had known him the longest.

This sudden use of a not-so-dirty curse, and the key was that expression and look in his eyes as if he had seen a cesspit, made it feel... dirtier than cursing one's mother.

Liu Dong was trembling with anger, holding up his finger, shaking: "You wait... you just wait..."

Wait for what?

Lin Sicheng sneered and stood up. Liu Dong rushed over and blocked his path, as if not letting him leave.

But before his mouth could open properly, before the words could come out, with a *bang*, Ge Xu and Xu Gaolan pushed the door open and entered.

Zhang Feng was faster; it felt like a shadow flashed, and the tower-like man blocked the space between the two. He didn't speak, just glared with a pair of bull-like eyes, staring coldly at Liu Dong.

For some reason, Liu Dong felt a chill in the depths of his heart.

Lin Sicheng gave him a deep look: "Let's go!"

As he spoke, he turned around, and the group marched out of the research room in a grand procession. Seeing they were about to go downstairs, Wang Hong woke up as if from a dream and chased after them like lightning: "Teacher Lin, how exactly do you soak it, how do you fire it... I beg you..."

Lin Sicheng paused his steps: "There's less than ten minutes left, how many pieces can you soak? The problem is, will Department Head Liu let you soak them, will he let you fire them?"

Wang Hong's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth: "No... he wouldn't dare, would he?"

Things had reached this point, what was there left for him not to dare to do?

Lin Sicheng sighed, "Stir it evenly first, soak each piece for three seconds, then let the Glaze Paste settle for one minute, stir it again and soak... After entering the kiln, raise the temperature in stages, maintain an oxidizing atmosphere (sufficient air supply, complete fuel combustion) for eight hours, raise it to 980 degrees, then switch to a reducing atmosphere (generating carbon monoxide to reduce the ferrous oxide in the Glaze Material)..."

"Pay attention to controlling the time; within the two hours of the reducing atmosphere, gradually raise it to 1300 degrees, then hold the temperature for half an hour, and finally turn off the heat and let it cool naturally... This is for Crab Shell Green..."

"As for Eel Yellow, the other steps are the same, the temperature is the same, the time is the same, you just need to keep an oxidizing atmosphere the whole time..."

Wang Hong was incoherent: "Thank you, Teacher Lin, thank you, Teacher Lin..."

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Teacher Wang, there is nothing to thank me for; just don't hate me in the future!"

Wang Hong was completely confused: Why would he hate him?

Lin Sicheng didn't speak and turned to go downstairs.

Shang Yan was quite reluctant: "The bridge has been completely burned, why did you tell him how to fire it at the very end?"

Lin Sicheng sighed but didn't speak.

Why do you think Liu Dong would rather argue and waste time than remind his subordinates to soak the glaze and put it in the furnace?

Because he has eyes and can see: those two vats of glaze were clearly formulated successfully. So, how could he dare to let them fire it? What if they actually fired up Crab Shell Green and Eel Yellow?

It would mean just exchanging their existing technology to help Director Meng and the Porcelain Research Institute save five, eight, or even ten years of time. How much manpower, material resources, and money could be saved?

In the end, because he was biased and stubborn, he ended up with nothing. Even the core technology he guarded against so heavily was clearly and thoroughly deciphered by him?

If the items were actually fired successfully, how much responsibility would Liu Dong have to bear?

If they didn't fire them and there were no finished products, Liu Dong could find countless excuses: Lin Sicheng didn't weigh the ingredients, didn't weigh the water, and just mixed it randomly.

Lin Sicheng definitely wouldn't do it, he was just doing it out of revenge to deliberately disrupt our Artifact Research plan... and so on, and so on!

So, do you think you can just choose not to fire it?

Just as she was thinking this, intense arguing came from behind: "Liu Dong, what kind of thing are you? You say don't soak, so we don't soak? You say don't fire, so we don't fire? Let me soak them..."

Was that Wang Hong?

Immediately after, a sound of "clatter" and "crash" followed.

Something must have been knocked over; it seemed there were screams too...

No... those Researchers, did they suddenly revolt?

They were so obedient and honest just before?

Shang Yan was full of disbelief, turned her head, and listened for a long time.

After about two more minutes, Wang Hong's roar came again: "Open the kiln!"

Then, there was more clattering and crashing, followed by a few muffled groans, accompanied by cursing: "Liu Dong, what the hell are you trying to do?"

So the glaze was soaked, but Liu Dong wouldn't let them fire it and smashed the items?

And then, someone gave him a couple of punches?

Suddenly, Shang Yan remembered the conversation between Lin Sicheng and Wang Hong: Teacher Wang, will Department Head Liu let you fire it?

Don't worry, he wouldn't dare...

Look, did he dare or not?

Subsequently, she remembered a few sentences Wang Qi Zhi had said on the phone the day before yesterday: Professor Shang, set your mind at ease. No one needs to step in, no need to use any connections; Lin Sicheng can handle it himself.

What, impossible? Then wait and see what it means to lead someone by the nose, what it means to manipulate people's hearts.

At the time, Wang Qi Zhi had also silently muttered to himself: Lin Sicheng either doesn't do things, or he does them to the absolute limit.

Smashing the Inverted Pot at the Cultural Relics company was just a glimpse of his nature; buying the Qianlong Iron Seal at Poly was just a small test of his skills. By the time he encountered that group of grave-robbers later, he had completely unleashed his true nature.

Want to frame me, want my life? Fine, come...

It's not an exaggeration at all; he could sell you, and you'd still have to say thank you and help him count the money: just like Yu Dahai right now...

Shang Yan thought for a long while, until she went downstairs, got in the car, and arrived at the hotel.

She could roughly figure out how the conflict in the research room started, but it just felt too abrupt: "Lin Sicheng, those people were so obedient before? It's too sudden..."

"It was just a facade under high-pressure coercion."

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, "How should I put it regarding Liu Dong? It's roughly this: I am your leader, so I cannot allow you to be better than me... I also won't allow you to be closer to me and the teacher, and you can't even show that you are excellent... After being oppressed for a long time, when a suitable opportunity arises, the accumulated resentment of his subordinates will erupt..."

So, you artificially created a little opportunity?

Then, she remembered again: "But what about Wang Hong? I saw that Liu Dong was quite polite to him?"

Lin Sicheng wanted to smile: "His father was originally a leader in the municipal Industrial Bureau. In the nineties, he took a leave of absence with pay, went into business, and founded the municipal Porcelain Company. It's said the business is quite good. And nearly half of Director Meng's research funding over these years has been sponsored by him, and all the patents of the Porcelain Research Institute are shared with him..."

Shang Yan suddenly realized: No wonder Wang Hong was the first to jump out right after Lin Sicheng left?

So, you calculated this too?

Hiss... wait, no?

Once Lin Sicheng's patent application is successful, what will happen to the cooperation between Wang Hong's company, the Porcelain Research Institute, and Director Meng?

If they cooperate, their technology is inferior. Once Lin Sicheng's patent passes, it will be hard for their products not to become unsellable.

Therefore, parting ways is inevitable.

The key is Liu Dong; not only will he have to bear political responsibility, but how will he survive in Tongchuan in the future?

Suddenly, Shang Yan remembered that sentence Wang Qi Zhi said: Lead someone by the nose, manipulate people's hearts!

After that, Shang Yan's mind was filled with these words until she went upstairs. She was even thinking about it while lying in bed...

The daylight was bright, the Artifact Research room was filled with smoke, and scarlet cigarette butts were piled one after another.

Usually, Liu Dong stipulated that one must wear shoe covers when entering, but now no one even paid him any mind.

A group of people surrounded those two vats.

From the surface, they were just two vats of water, and it was murky sewage that had been sitting for many days.

Stirring it again, granular matter about the size of rice grains surged up from the bottom. It was gray with a hint of green, and green with a tinge of yellow.

Having studied Celadon for half a lifetime, they naturally knew that these were compounds of iron and manganese.

How were they formed? They didn't know. Where did the other ingredients go? They didn't know that either.

But Lin Sicheng said it would take half an hour; the two vats of Glaze Paste had maintained this state for half an hour, not a minute more. Then it became clearer and clearer, and this kind of substance became more and more abundant.

No matter how they stirred, heated, or kept it warm, the two vats of Glaze Paste were ruined right before everyone's eyes.

They didn't even know the reason...

Du Liangzhi was unshaven, smoking cigarette after cigarette.

Liu Dong sat in the corner, his face pale, his eyes fixed tightly on the Kiln Furnace. His expression revealed unease, suspicion, panic, and fear.

The Bureau Chief stood by the Kiln Furnace, and the rest of the people were scattered about.

There were over a dozen people, yet the Artifact Research room was terrifyingly quiet.

Suddenly, with a "ding," the group of researchers all jolted at once, and then all gathered around again.

Ten and a half hours, not a minute off, not a second less.

All the procedures, temperature control, and humidity were strictly in accordance with Lin Sicheng's instructions before he left.

But whether it was a success, whether it was red or black, they still didn't know. It had to cool down naturally, and they had to rely on the high-temperature gas inside the furnace to fully oxidize or reduce the Glaze Layer.

The night had already passed; two hours wouldn't make a difference.

They continued to wait until twelve o'clock noon.

Wang Hong looked at her watch and said in a very low voice, "Bureau Chief, it should be time to open the furnace!"

The Bureau Chief nodded vigorously: "Open it!"

Wang Hong was very cautious as she unscrewed the door bolt.

The moment the kiln door was opened, a wave of heat rushed toward them, and then, one yellow and one green, two ghostly lights came into view.

Whether they were experts or not, everyone's pupils shrank in unison:

One piece was as green and deep as jade, with light-colored spots inside, just like the shell of a green crab that had just emerged from the water, yet it was more crystalline and more lustrous.

The other piece was as yellow as ancient bronze, as moist as chicken fat, and as if molded within tassels, covered with yellowish-brown patterns.

Crab Shell Green, Eel Yellow... The items were sitting right in front of them, still emitting hot steam; could this still be fake?

And Liu Dong had stubbornly blocked them, only firing these two pieces...

So, how wicked could this person be?

Suddenly, a burst of rage rushed to the Bureau Chief's head, and he turned his head back sharply.

That gaze was like two arrows, shooting straight over.

Liu Dong's face turned ashen, his lips trembling, but he didn't know how to quibble.

How could he still quibble?

But who the hell could have imagined it?

At the thought of the impending outcome, Liu Dong's body couldn't stop trembling...

But no one cared about Liu Dong anymore; even if they killed him, it would be of no use.

The point was how to remedy the situation: the deed was done by Liu Dong, but when reporting it initially, it was a decision made by the Bureau Chief and Director Du together.

Even Director Meng, who was far away in Beijing, couldn't escape: without his habitual indulgence and backing, how would Liu Dong have had the audacity to never take Du Liangzhi seriously?

The Bureau Chief let out a forceful breath and glanced at Du Liangzhi.

Director Du understood in a second and hurriedly took out his phone: "Bureau Chief, I'll contact them now!"

He dialed immediately, first calling Lin Sicheng, who never answered. Then he tried Shang Yan, but she didn't answer either. Then he called Dean Su; not only did he not answer, but he hung up directly.

Then a second time, a third time...

Suddenly, a text message came into the phone, labeled Dean Su: Director Du, is the funding not enough?

It's fine, just report a number, and I'll have the studio's finance department go over and settle it...

The twenty or so characters stung his eyes like a Needle, and beads of sweat seeped out on Director Du's forehead.

He gritted his teeth and held the phone forward: "Leader, look!"

The Bureau Chief glanced at it, and his expression changed.

Stop calling; there was no room for maneuver in this matter... That was exactly what Dean Su meant!

But no matter how little room there was, they had to find a way to maneuver...

"I'm going to report to the leaders... You all start researching now, no matter what method you use: whether it's researching these two vats of Glaze Paste or smashing these two pieces to research the Glaze Layer..."

"Du Liangzhi, you ask Meng Shufeng again, if someone really snatches the patent and even applies for the World Heritage Application, what does he, this World Heritage Application inheritor, count for in our Yaozhou Porcelain?"

Everyone's heart jolted in unison: would he be a clown, or a joke?

The Bureau Chief let out a breath and looked around the circle again, "Think about the consequences..."

What consequences?

When that day really comes, what bonuses, subsidies, professional titles, or even honors... what kind of good things are you thinking about?

If they are held accountable, everyone present, one by one, won't be able to escape...

In an instant, more than a dozen gazes pierced into Liu Dong, as if they were looking at a dead man...

(End of chapter)