Chapter 185: When You Need to Panic, You Panic All the Same

Tian Chengming breathed a sigh of relief in secret, and Wang Zeyu also breathed a sigh of relief.

In order to meet Lin Sicheng, they had prepared for three full days.

On the first day, they pulled strings and asked for favors, going through quite a bit of trouble before they finally managed to invite Director Tao.

On the second day, they looked for items. This didn't take much effort, as the Xijing Museum had them. At the same time, they designed a plan and held emergency training.

As the saying goes, "sharpening the spear at the last minute, even if it's not sharp, it will still shine"; at the very least, they couldn't reveal their hand before they were ready to lay everything out on the table.

On the third day, they invited Lin Zhangqing...

Hard work pays off; they had finally met Lin Sicheng.

At first glance, he was gentle, humble, mild as a breeze and gentle rain, with a smile on his face—he seemed like someone who was particularly easy to talk to, right?

But back in Tongchuan, Lin Sicheng had been just as gentle and just as easy to talk to, and what was the result?

However, as the old saying goes, everything is difficult at the start. They had successfully taken the first step and managed to meet the person. What followed was nothing more than deepening the relationship, a process of "water mill" persistence...

Thinking this to himself, Wang Zeyu gave a wink, and Tian Chengming picked up the string of beads again: "Teacher Lin, please take another look at this!"

Lin Sicheng looked thoughtful as he took it into his hands.

It was a string of ivory-like beads:

The color was slightly yellow, the texture fine, and the surface had unique spiral patterns, all of which swirled in the same direction.

Stretching the cord to look at the hole in the center, one could faintly see a few thin lines that looked like blood seepage.

It felt very heavy in the hand, at least heavier than ivory, and the touch was oily and moist, but it wasn't as smooth as ivory.

After a rough look, Lin Sicheng sniffed it: "The specialized left canine tooth of a narwhal. It contains nerve endings that can sense the environment. Only the males have them, and they only grow one in their entire life..."

"Narwhals are creatures of the Arctic Circle, so these things didn't flow into the country in large quantities until around the nineties. At first, they were used to impersonate ivory to cheat laymen, but later they gradually became known. They count as a new type of collectible... Like this string, it should have been cut about five to six years ago..."

The group nodded repeatedly.

Whether it was a narwhal tooth or not, they knew perfectly well. Therefore, putting everything else aside, just this level of discernment, just this appraisal technique, was enough to make people marvel.

"Teacher Lin has a sharp eye!"

Tian Chengming was specifically responsible for playing the straight man; he praised him first, then picked up the bronze plaque: "I must ask you to take a look at this too!"

Lin Sicheng paused, not knowing what to say: such a high-ranking official, and he even used the honorific "you"?

Sighing inwardly, he took it and glanced at it, then froze.

At first glance, what was this thing: it didn't look like a plaque, it didn't look like money, it looked like a fabrication?

Looking closer: it was brass, with a few traces of rust on it. There was the occasional old patina, but it had already fused with the copper.

Looking at those few patches of rust, they were purple within red and brown within purple, and the rust was extremely solid.

Just looking at these two points, Lin Sicheng dared to conclude: this thing was at least eight or nine hundred years old, if not a thousand.

Looking at the patterns: there were many characters engraved, and he recognized the radicals, but put together... what was this written?

Turning it over to look again: it was pitted and uneven, with a ridge on the left and a pit on the right, and there was no pattern to it.

It just felt like the design was unusually strange, and the casting and engraving techniques were only average.

But Lin Sicheng looked at it extremely carefully, occasionally scratching at it, occasionally using a magnifying glass to look at the edges, and then occasionally raising his head to think.

He looked at it for a long time, at least ten minutes, before he put it down.

Then he sighed: it was hard on them, to be able to find something like this?

Its value was only one aspect; the key was its rarity... Have you ever seen a Golden Order of the Khitan Founding Emperor made of brass and meteorite iron?

There were only seven or eight unearthed in the whole country, and one in such complete condition, preserved so well. It was clearly borrowed by the Xijing Museum from some Level One museum to be used as one of the exhibits for the opening.

That they could bring it here and have him appraise it again was quite incredible. So, how much of a benefit did they promise Director Tao?

Seeing him silent and sighing, they assumed Lin Sicheng hadn't identified it. It was also possible he wasn't sure and couldn't make a conclusion for the moment.

Because of this, the group felt a surge of energy.

They weren't afraid of Lin Sicheng not being able to tell; they were afraid of him being too accurate and too fast.

As long as he couldn't tell, it meant they had left a hook, and they could schedule a next time.

It didn't need to be long, just a day or two. If he still couldn't tell, even better, they would swap in something even harder... After doing this a few times, wouldn't the relationship become familiar?

At the same time, they would do a background check and then cater to his preferences: everyone had hobbies, everyone had needs... So, they would definitely be able to negotiate it; it was just a matter of how much of a price they needed to pay.

Thinking this to himself, Wang Zeyu looked at Tao Zhuo, and Tao Zhuo nodded slightly.

He and Lin Zhangqing were peers, so naturally, it was awkward to follow along and call him Teacher Lin. He smiled first, then pointed at the bronze plaque:

"This thing is too strange and too difficult. To tell you the truth, I've studied it for a long time and haven't figured out the rhyme or reason, which is why I brought it to ask your grandfather to take a look... but what a pity."

"But it doesn't matter. Xida has many talented people. Little Lin, you take a few photos, and after you go back, ask your teacher and check some materials... maybe you'll be able to find some clues!"

Lin Sicheng sighed again: they had already found their way to his doorstep, how could there be a next time?

As the saying goes, cut the Gordian knot...

He tapped the bronze plaque and pointed at the character in the very center: "Dai, Xing, Gong... This is Khitan Hu Script, the most primitive Khitan script. Translated, it only represents one word: 'Zhen' (the Imperial 'I')!"

"The circle in the middle is Khitan Large Script, which is the script that evolved to be closer to Chinese characters after the Khitan became gradually Sinicized in the middle period... Translating clockwise from under the knob: 'Heaven, Year, Virtue, Fortune, Longevity, Divine, Ten Thousand, Father, State, of...'"

"Do you think the number is wrong? There are clearly twelve in this circle, but only eleven were read? And the sentence doesn't flow, it's extremely awkward?"

Lin pointed at the only character with a square frame, then tapped the 'Tu' (earth) next to it, "This was originally one character, 'State', but it was deliberately split apart before being engraved... and this one..."

He pointed at the character next to the framed one, which looked a bit like the character 'Dan' with a stroke wiped away: "This is 'Father', but it was engraved backwards."

"Normal characters are of course not split when engraved, let alone engraved backwards, and certainly not engraved in a chaotic, topsy-turvy manner with the front and back confused... The reason this bronze plaque is like this is only because it is a command token, specifically for conveying secret military orders... Therefore, one must skip cells, use reverse-cutting, borrow and substitute, and shift positions to translate the true meaning..."

"I don't know what the specific meaning is, but this 'Zhen' only represents the Emperor of Great Liao... And these bumpy patterns on the back..."

Lin Sicheng flipped the bronze plaque over, "This is the 'Nine Dragon Map' unique to the Khitan, symbolizing 'prosperous descendants and boundless fortune'."

At the same time, it is also a secret Khitan military map: the raised parts are mountains, the low depressions are valleys, or they could be roads... How to specifically travel is all written in those eleven characters on the front..."

"Let me put it simply: this is a gold plaque specifically used by the Emperor of Great Liao to issue orders to high-ranking generals fighting abroad, meaning 'as if I were here in person'..."

Every time Lin Sicheng said a sentence, Tao Zhuo's eyelids would twitch, and when he said another, they would twitch again.

He had borrowed the item himself; he knew better than anyone whether the character in the middle was "Zhen" (the Imperial 'I') and whether this was truly a gold tablet issued by a Khitan emperor.

But how could that be?

There are only seven or eight such items in the entire country, kept in the collections of three museums; each one is treated as a treasure of the institution and is almost never put on public display.

Tao Zhuo had gone to great lengths to borrow it for Xijing. It wasn't for some "opening exhibition" as Lin Sicheng assumed, but rather to create a big sensation during the New Year to attract tourists.

The exhibition hadn't even started yet, so Lin Sicheng certainly couldn't have seen it.

Yet not only did he identify it, but he explained it so clearly and distinctly?

The problem is, this bears the earliest form of Khitan Hu Script, which became a completely dead language after the Song Dynasty; very few relevant documents have been passed down, so how many experts in the country can translate it?

Let alone someone like him, who could just open his mouth and speak without checking references or making comparisons... Tao Zhuo dared to swear: you could count those with this level of skill on two hands...

So, no matter how one thinks about it, it just doesn't make sense, right?

Tao Zhuo frowned and stared at Lin Sicheng for a long time: "Little Lin, have you seen similar items somewhere before?"

"Director Tao, I haven't even been out of Xijing in all my life... Oh, wait, I did go out once a couple of days ago, I went to Tongchuan... but I haven't left the province, so where could I have seen it?"

Lin Sicheng tapped the bronze tablet with a half-smile, "I haven't seen the item itself, but I have read the relevant documents: for the sake of secrecy, every time a new emperor of the Great Liao ascended the throne, they would change the gold order, including the Lucky Word Mark on the front and the Nine Dragon Map on the back..."

"Therefore, the distinctiveness of each set is extremely high; as long as one understands Khitan Hu Script, one can deduce which emperor this tablet belonged to..."

"Let me reorder these twelve characters correctly: 'Zhen', 'Father of the Nation', 'Heavenly God', 'Ten Thousand Years', 'Fortune, Virtue, Longevity'... Director Tao, think about it: who could the Great Liao emperor be who dared to call himself 'Father of the Nation' and 'Heavenly God'?"

Lin Sicheng gave a thumbs up: "So, this is the Nine Dragon Gold Order of the founding emperor of the Great Liao, Yelu Abaoji..."

"If you really must make a comparison: it's certainly far inferior to Genghis Khan's, but at least it can be compared to Kublai Khan's founding gold seal... Director Tao, really, you've picked up a massive bargain: it's worth at least several hundred million..."

Tao Zhuo couldn't hold it together, his face turning red in a "whoosh": I would like to pick up a bargain, but where would I find one?

This was borrowed from the Inner Mongolia Museum...

So, you think Lin Sicheng was complimenting him? No, he was pointing at his nose and scolding him... especially with that "several hundred million," it felt like several slaps to the face, landing squarely on his cheeks.

No... this brat isn't even that old, why is his tongue so venomous?

He was both angry and amused, not knowing how to explain, or whether he even should.

The others looked at each other in dismay.

Anyone could hear the mocking tone in Lin Sicheng's voice. Yet, for a moment, they couldn't be sure if he was just mocking Director Tao or if he was implying something else.

Just as they were guessing wildly, Lin Sicheng raised his head, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

Director Tao doesn't count, that woman should be his secretary or assistant, so she doesn't count either, but what about the remaining four?

Their ages aren't far apart, mostly in their forties or early fifties. Their attire is also much the same, just the standard dress of middle-aged men.

But one could see the difference in status and position from their words, actions, and some subtle details.

The slightly chubby one is specifically responsible for handing things over and collecting them; at first glance, he seems to rank last among the four, but in fact, he ranks third.

The one who is speaking to him face-to-face and calling him 'teacher' every other word should rank second.

The one who occasionally gives the second-in-command a look is, of course, the one who ranks first.

The remaining one has been sitting in the corner, silent, the oldest, but his rank should be the lowest.

And his complexion is very poor: bloodshot eyes, sallow face, and faintly, there is a hint of a greenish cast.

In the terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine: deficiency of both heart and spleen, deficiency of both yin and yang, disharmony between heart and kidney, heart deficiency and timidity... symptoms of panic, unease, anxiety, and even a bit of depression.

Recalling the inspection team mentioned in Wang Qi Zhi's phone call, Lin Sicheng sighed and reached out his hand: "Director Tian, Director Song, nice to meet you!"

The mention of "Director Tian" was like a thunderclap; Tian Chengming was suddenly stunned, staring straight at Lin Sicheng.

As if struck dumb, for a moment, he didn't know whether he should respond or reach out his hand.

Song Hui was carefully putting the bronze tablet into the box; hearing "Director Song," his hand couldn't help but tremble.

What the hell, how does he know who I am?

The two didn't reach out their hands, and didn't even make a sound, just staring fixedly at him.

Lin Sicheng smiled and looked at Meng Shufeng: "Director Meng!"

Without waiting for Meng Shufeng to answer, he stood up: "Hello, Mayor Wang!"

It was as if a pause button had been pressed in the tea room.

They are leaders, after all; what kind of scenes haven't they seen? But in an instant, the four were so shocked by Lin Sicheng that they didn't know how to respond.

Because they were very certain that Lin Sicheng had never seen them before, including Meng Shufeng.

He hadn't returned to the school either, so it was impossible for him to have seen any videos or photos. So how did Lin Sicheng guess who they were? And even match the names to the faces?

It couldn't possibly be that he divined it, could it?

Of course it wasn't divination, but Wang Zeyu had called out: "Old Tian..." and Lin Sicheng knew this was Director Tian from the Industrial Bureau.

The one who coordinated with Old Tian so tacitly, it was obvious they had been colleagues for many years, so of course he was Deputy Bureau Chief Song.

As for Director Meng, there was no need to deduce it at all; one could guess just by looking at his complexion.

And the one with the highest rank and the most imposing manner, General Manager Wang, who else could he be but the top leader?

It wasn't just the four who were shocked, but also Tao Zhuo and the assistant. The two were shocked beyond measure, their expressions at this moment as if their jaws were about to drop.

How did he recognize them?

Lin Zhangqing was completely confused, not understanding, still thinking he was some general manager, so how did he suddenly become a mayor.

Ye Anning's eyes were shining.

Her uncle said that Lin Sicheng could Watch Qi and was even better at judging people; she didn't believe a word of it and even listened to it as a joke.

Then what was this?

Everyone had different thoughts; there were seven or eight people, men and women, young and old, but the tea room was deathly silent, you could hear a pin drop.

After a long time, Wang Zeyu sighed and stood up.

A light flickered in his eyes, mixed with indescribable astonishment, extreme suspicion, and admiration: it was no exaggeration that Xida treated him like a treasure, being such a monster of talent.

While thinking to himself, he also reached out his hand: "Teacher Lin!"

Lin Sicheng smiled modestly: "Leaders, please don't call me that. Just call me Little Lin..."

Little Lin?

But with this level of skill, he was absolutely worthy of being called a teacher.

After a few polite words, the two sat down; Wang Zeyu wanted to say something, but then paused.

It wasn't that he couldn't say it, but that it was too sudden; Lin Sicheng had caught them completely off guard, throwing all their steps into disarray.

His mind was full of loose ends, not knowing where to start...

In a flash, he looked at Director Meng.

Director Meng's body shuddered, a slight flush appeared on his pale face, and his cheeks puffed up as well.

No... why go as far as gritting his teeth?

Before he could stand up, Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Director Meng, I know that you certainly didn't know about what Liu Dong did. And to put myself in your shoes, standing from your perspective, core technology must be kept secret, and you would certainly have given those instructions: it must absolutely not be leaked."

"Because for you and the Porcelain Research Institute, this is a hard-won achievement that two generations have worked hard for over several decades, exhausting countless heart's blood and energy..."

"For your students, this is a bargaining chip for their future evaluations, promotions, and even making a living... so Teacher Meng, you really don't need to apologize..."

Director Meng paused; he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

But Tian Chengming's face next to him turned green: Old Meng, oh Old Meng, do you really think he doesn't blame you, that he really understands you?

He is simply not giving you a chance to explain...

Sure enough, just as Tian Chengming was about to say something, Lin Sicheng smiled again: "Leaders, I also know your intentions... and putting myself in your shoes, I can understand your difficulties, and even more so, I understand the good intentions of you leaders to benefit the region..."

"Secret Glaze Porcelain, and Imperial Palace Ware at that—what a huge gimmick, what huge appeal? There's no need to deliberately advertise; as long as it can be restored, as long as the Thesis is published, relevant institutions will come for the name, and relevant media will scramble to report on it..."

"Working overtime, the factory buildings could be built in half a year, with production lines in place simultaneously. At most, production could start in three months, then spread nationwide, and even be exported overseas... By then, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten more factories would surely have to be built. And how many people can one factory support?"

"Even a conservative estimate is five or six hundred, but what about the families behind these five or six hundred people? And the links of raw materials, packaging, transportation, sales, and so on—how much can this increase the employment rate, and how many families' difficulties can this solve?"

Pausing slightly, Lin Sicheng smiled again: "But having said that: Teacher Meng has a position, and you leaders have a position; likewise, shouldn't I also have a position?"

"First of all, I am a student at Xida, helping my teacher look after a small laboratory, and with the help of my teacher and the school, I established a small studio... so, what position should I take?"

"I am young and dare not claim to be hardworking, at least not as hardworking as Teacher Meng... but as core technology, since it can bring fame and fortune, salary raises, and promotions to Teacher Meng and his disciples, why can't it bring fame and fortune, salary raises, and promotions to my teacher, my Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, Junior Brothers, and Junior Sisters?"

"Furthermore, why can't the school also share in the glory? At the very least, Xida cultivated my grandfather, then cultivated my father, and now, it is cultivating me."

"Since giving it to Tongchuan can benefit the region, solve many employment positions, and support many families, then giving it to Xida, to the Beilin District where the Cultural Relics and Museology College is located, or even to Xijing—can't it create employment and solve difficulties there too?"

"It can't be that because Xida's teachers and students have a higher level of education, their ideological awareness must be infinitely higher? And because the people of Xijing aren't too destitute, they should be the ones to step aside? Which leader dares to say such things? If they do, I'll give it to them immediately, free of charge..."

Pausing for a moment, Lin Sicheng sighed again: "As the saying goes: one shouldn't be too selfish... The so-called 'do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.' If you repay injury with kindness, how will you repay kindness? At the very least, when I say no, it means no; I am not playing hard to get, nor have I kept you leaders waiting for twenty days..."

His voice was not loud, but it was resonant; his speaking speed was not fast, but it was as swift as a thunderclap.

With every sentence he spoke, the four people's faces sank a notch; the words grew heavier, and the four leaders' faces grew darker and darker.

When Lin Sicheng finished the last sentence, the four of them, as if by prior agreement, turned pale, with blue veins bulging on their foreheads.

Don't hit a person in the face, don't expose a person's shortcomings... but Lin Sicheng, he just picks the most unpleasant things to say?

Yet, he refuted them until they were speechless: Since there are benefits, why shouldn't I let my own people have them instead of giving them to you?

And for things you yourselves are unwilling to do, why must you force others to do them?

It was also at this moment that they realized: among Xida, that Professor Wang, and Lin Sicheng, Lin Sicheng had the most resolute attitude, was the most straightforward, and spoke the least politely.

They understood the logic, but they were still furious; Wang Zeyu was even so angry he laughed out loud: being lectured like this by a kid?

Tao Zhuo and the Assistant blinked their eyes, looking at Lin Zhangqing, then at Lin Sicheng, remaining silent: what is called a poisonous tongue, what is called slapping someone right in the face?

Isn't this it?

Tao Zhuo finally realized: out of respect for Lin Zhangqing, Lin Sicheng had given him enough face... the two barbs he threw at him earlier were just like a light scratch.

Lin Zhangqing finally understood half of it: Lin Sicheng went to Tongchuan to learn technology, but not only did he not learn the technology, he was also kept waiting for over twenty days.

But he didn't know how he did it, but in the end, he actually researched the very technology Tongchuan was most desperate for. Then these people tried to remedy the situation and chased him to Xijing.

They had already been to Xida, but were turned away. Then these people took another path, wanting to start from family connections...

Thinking of this, Lin Zhangqing's face changed in a "whoosh": isn't this just bullying people?

Not to mention the grievances Lin Sicheng suffered in Tongchuan, just look at the present: Xida doesn't agree, yet you want Lin Sicheng to agree; if he really agreed, what would that make Xida, which supports him, and Wang Qi Zhi, who supports him?

And what would that make Lin Sicheng, who hasn't even graduated yet and whose studio is still at the school?

And this scene today, doesn't this amount to chasing him to his own doorstep?

This time they could find Lin Sicheng's grandfather, so could they find Lin Sicheng's dad, Lin Sicheng's mom, and their workplaces next time?

No need to guess, it would just be endless, endless...

Lin Zhangqing stood up with a cold face: "Lin Sicheng, let's go!"

"Alright, Grandfather, let's go..."

Lin Sicheng also stood up, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the few: "Teacher Meng should know how difficult it is to register a patent for ancient restoration technology? But no matter how difficult, I will register it..."

"Whether or not I apply for a World Heritage Application is uncertain, but you leaders can rest assured: whether it is a patent or a World Heritage Application, I will not use words like 'Yaozhou'..."

Was it that he didn't want to? No, it was that there was simply no need...

"I was a bit anxious, so I said a bit too much. I was a bit quick with my tongue, and my choice of words wasn't very appropriate; I hope the leaders will be understanding. But please also understand:

Because I am too busy, I haven't told my family about many things. And my grandfather is advanced in years, so I was afraid he wouldn't be able to accept it all at once, so he knows even less. Therefore, if you leaders come again next time, you can come directly to me..."

Pausing, Lin Sicheng smiled again: "Actually, besides Green Glaze Ink Color, there are many other technologies I can consult and discuss with Teacher Meng and the two Bureau Chiefs:

For example, Green Glaze Ink Color, for example, Carved Flower Relief... or even, Japanese Pumpkin Stem Knob, Yixing Purple Clay Lifting Beam... of course, if you are interested..."

In an instant, it was as if an iron hammer had struck their chests. Every time Lin Sicheng mentioned something, the four people's hearts skipped a beat, and when he mentioned another, they skipped another.

Their hearts raced, their eyelids twitched, and even the muscles at the corners of their mouths twitched along with them.

Because the types Lin Sicheng mentioned were all the core of the core technologies of Yaozhou Porcelain, and the key was that none of them had applied for patents yet.

Because once a patent is registered, there is no way to enter the expanded technology project for the World Heritage Application, so one must first enter the catalog and then register the patent. And the time Director Meng spent going to Beijing was for handling this matter.

What was even more critical was that, besides Director Meng, only the two Bureau Chiefs and Wang Zeyu knew of the existence of these technologies. Even the city leaders only knew that such a project existed, but knew nothing of the specifics.

Especially the last sentence: that is the Yaozhou new Celadon handle pot newly developed by the Porcelain Research Institute, the core of its craftsmanship is borrowed from the Japanese Pumpkin Stem Knob pot and the Yixing Purple Clay handle pot.

But Du Liangzhi, Wang Hong, and Liu Dong all did not know, how did Lin Sicheng know?

In an instant, Director Meng's originally sallow complexion turned deathly pale:

The words have already been spoken very clearly; if you all still want to pester me, it is not impossible, you can come directly to find me.

But if you still want to implicate my family, then do not blame me for being impolite: let alone the Secret Glaze Porcelain, I won't even let you enter your factory for those few types you are currently developing... that is exactly what Lin Sicheng meant.

The four people looked at each other in dismay, at a loss for what to do.

So what if they are leaders?

Leaders are also human; when it is time to panic, he still has to panic...