Chapter 229: The Boss Can Be Driven Crazy

The rustic white porcelain pillow was like a key, unlocking the deep gates of memory.

Scenes from long ago played out one by one, like a Zoumaling.

On the main wall of the hall hung a posthumous portrait of Mr. Xu Bangda. In the center stood a long table, spread with a half-finished Landscape Pattern painting.

Lin Sicheng worked with both hands, one stroke outlining, one stroke Rendering.

In front of the long table, Dan Guoqiang (a Researcher at the Forbidden City, who studied under the master of Calligraphy and Painting, Xu Bangda) stood with his hands behind his back, holding a Precept Ruler. Beside him, the old Mrs. Wang sat leaning against her chair with her eyes closed, holding a steaming Purple Clay Teapot in her arms.

Lin Sicheng was painting intently when the old lady opened her eyes and said as if suddenly remembering: "Old Dan, do you still remember that porcelain pillow that Qianlong inscribed a poem on?"

"Qianlong inscribed a poem? Is Senior Sister talking about the Ding Kiln Child Pillow?"

"No, it's the one in the Yangxin Hall."

"Oh, the Ding Kiln Pearl-ground Carved Flower Porcelain!"

"It's not Ding Kiln; Qianlong got it wrong. The Cultural Relics Bureau only released a briefing yesterday saying it was fired at some kiln in Yuncheng, Shanxi. It didn't use the carving technique either, but rather Carved Flower and Painted Color."

Dan Guoqiang was stunned for a moment: "What would Qianlong know about Ding Kiln or Shanxi kilns? If there was a mistake, it was the Imperial Household Department that made it!"

The old lady smiled: "Anyway, it was a mistake... The briefing says that a new site from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty was discovered in Shanxi. Just the workshops from the Song and Jin periods number four, with over thirty Waste Porcelain Pit sites, and over a thousand complete vessels excavated, with even more fragments—tens of thousands of pieces..."

"Besides the White-ground Black Carved Flower Porcelain, there is also the White-glazed Porcelain that was exclusively offered to the royal family since the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Three-colored Pottery Pillow... I remember the National Museum of China collected many of them, and they were all previously said to be from Ding Kiln and Cizhou Kiln, but it turns out they aren't..."

"Shanxi produced Song Porcelain, and it was Tribute Porcelain?" Dan Guoqiang looked astonished. "This might just make it into this year's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of the Year..."

"Definitely. There are very few complete Song and Jin porcelain kiln site clusters. I heard this one is preserved quite well and can completely restore the Song and Jin porcelain-making process..."

"Hey, then it's a done deal!"

A Tribute Kiln was discovered in Shanxi and is going to be selected for the national archaeological discoveries?

How strange...

Lin Sicheng was momentarily intrigued and stopped his brush. But just as he suspended his wrist, the Precept Ruler struck down on his hand.

"Clack!" Lin Sicheng winced in pain.

The tip of his brush couldn't help but tremble, scattering a spray of ink dots.

It was over; he had been painting for a whole week, and it was ruined just like that?

"Tear it up and paint it again!" Dan Guoqiang snorted coldly. "I didn't say you couldn't listen, but who told you to stop?"

Lin Sicheng gave a sheepish smile, lowered his head, and crumpled the ruined painting into a ball.

The old lady held her Purple Clay Teapot and chuckled...

What year was that?

2016.

Seeing him staring at the porcelain pillow, motionless, Wang Qi Zhi gave a light cough.

Lin Sicheng snapped out of his trance.

He had only glanced at that Poetry Porcelain Pillow in the Yangxin Hall in passing, so he only had a vague impression of it.

Even when the two masters were chatting about it at the time, he had only been curious and hadn't specifically gone to do any Artifact Research.

Therefore, if he hadn't bumped into this one right in front of him, he really might not have been able to recall it.

But what was the significance of a pillow that Qianlong had slept on?

He had even specially inscribed a poem on it and had craftsmen carve his imperial handwriting onto it; one could see how much he loved it.

But that was secondary; the point was what the old lady had said.

Previously, the academic and historical circles generally agreed that Shanxi had never produced famous porcelain.

There were actually quite a few ancient kiln sites excavated in Shanxi, including those from the Song and Jin periods, such as the Huo Prefecture Kiln, Pingyang Kiln, Yuci Kiln, Huairen Kiln, Changzhi Kiln, Pingding Kiln... and so on. But they were all folk kilns, not even coming close to being famous porcelain.

Now, not only was there some, but it was also Tribute Porcelain.

More importantly, the ones already excavated lacked complete industrial chains and could not form corresponding relationships. To put it bluntly: either there were no clay-refining sites, no Glazing sites, or no temperature-measuring equipment unearthed.

As long as one was firing porcelain, these things had to exist. The problem was that they hadn't been discovered, no related relics had been unearthed, and the supporting facilities were incomplete, making it impossible to conduct systematic research.

But the old lady said that this discovery could completely restore the Song and Jin porcelain-making process, so this was definitely the first complete Song and Jin period porcelain kiln site cluster in Shanxi.

Along with new formulas, new techniques, new technology...

One, two, three, four, five—as long as it met one of these criteria, it could potentially vie for the Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of the Year, let alone having all five points gathered together?

Mr. Dan was right; it was a done deal...

Secretly sighing with emotion, Lin Sicheng put down the porcelain pillow: "Two bosses, name your price!"

The two were very polite: "Teacher Lin, just give us whatever you think is fair!"

Understood, General Manager Zhuang must have given instructions in advance.

But this wasn't a bargain hunt; the matter was of great importance, so the necessary precautions still had to be taken.

Lin Sicheng scanned the room and said without hesitation: "You two are friends of General Manager Zhuang. Since he went to the trouble of using his favors and connections, I certainly can't just give you any amount. How about this, 800,000... Boheng, take the two bosses to transfer the funds."

The two were stunned, and Lin Sicheng smiled again: "Of course, business is business; we must sign a Contract!"

Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi looked at each other and didn't say a word.

If it were just a matter of antiques, the items on the table were certainly not worth 800,000. Take the most eye-catching Fine White Porcelain Bowl among them:

Even if it was Song Porcelain, and even if the craftsmanship was good, it was from an unknown small Folk Kiln, and they didn't even know where the kiln was; 100,000 or 200,000 would be the absolute limit.

The rest of these would be worth at most 100,000 or 200,000; added together, 400,000 would be the ceiling.

But from the perspective of restoring the technique, it was definitely worth it. They could at least determine that this bowl was absolutely the new technique Lin Sicheng had mentioned...

The two bosses, however, looked strange: they had previously thought that selling it for 200,000 or 300,000 would be good. But in the end, the other party gave 800,000?

Looking down again, it was indeed the same items; before, no one wanted them even for 200,000...

The two looked at Zhuang Zijing again. Just as Zhuang Zijing was about to speak, Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "General Manager Zhuang, favors are favors, but the items are definitely worth it."

Zhuang Zijing understood immediately.

The point was in that middle sentence: favors are favors, but one must take precautions against future trouble.

Although these two were not professional collectors, they had spent half their lives in the business world; the moment they heard about signing a contract, they knew the items they had brought were very valuable.

If he had tried to fob them off with one or two hundred thousand, it would have been like treating them like fools; the deal might have fallen through right there on the spot, so it was better to give them a sufficient amount all at once.

So, how useful could this pile of junk be that Lin Sicheng would rather spend an extra five or six hundred thousand just to buy a contract?

Although they were suspicious, eighty thousand was hardly a loss. The two bosses were beaming with joy, the contract was signed on the spot, and Zhao Da took the two bosses to transfer the funds.

Once they left, Zhuang Zijing looked at the porcelain on the table, his face full of doubt: "Teacher Lin, won't this be a loss?"

How could it be a loss?

Lin Sicheng held Zhuang Zijing's hand: "General Manager Zhuang, I won't hide it from you, there are several pieces of Song Porcelain here. Although they are from small folk kilns, each one is worth two or three hundred thousand, so I must thank General Manager Zhuang, and even more so, thank the elder General Manager Zhuang..."

He paused slightly, then smiled: "I might still need to trouble you for a few more days!"

Zhuang Zijing nodded incessantly: Lin Sicheng's character was explained clearly and distinctly by Fang Jingxian: if you respect him by a foot, he will repay you by ten feet.

This is what is called returning a peach for a plum; the more he helps Lin Sicheng now, the greater the reward will be in the future...

"Teacher Lin, rest assured, there must be more like this in Yongji! From now on, I won't go anywhere else; I'll stay in Yongji to help you make contacts..."

"It's not Yongji, it's Hejin!"

Lin Sicheng looked solemn, "These porcelains were all fired using Guzhen porcelain clay. Even though the kiln site is in Xipo Town, Xiangning County, before the founding of the country, Xipo was always under Hejin County. Therefore, there must be more in Hejin than here..."

"Additionally, I infer that there should also be a kiln site in Hejin, and I plan to look for it. Therefore, I must ask General Manager Zhuang to help coordinate and talk to the Municipal Cultural Bureau, or even the City Government, to provide as much convenience as possible..."

It was all the same wherever he went, as long as he could help Lin Sicheng, Zhuang Zijing agreed readily.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng, however, looked suspicious: What, looking for a kiln site again?

Didn't he say he wouldn't look for it the day before yesterday?

After sending off the brother and sister, just as the two were about to ask, Lin Sicheng picked up that fine white porcelain bowl: "Teacher, Zhao Shixiong, this is a new craft!"

That's right, a new craft.

Lin Sicheng had mentioned it before, but the porcelain shards collected earlier were not very obvious, so Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi could only rely on their imagination.

Now that they had this bowl, the two felt it more intuitively: if it weren't a new craft, it wouldn't be possible to fire this extremely pale white-glazed porcelain.

The key was that it was extremely thin. Given the porcelain-making standards of the Song Dynasty, it was extremely rare even among the Five Great Kilns.

But the same point remained: even if it were a new craft, and even if a kiln site existed, if it were all buried under the ceramic clay mine and the purple clay ware factory, how would you find it, and if you found it, how would you dig it up?

Seeing the two looking bewildered, Lin Sicheng slapped his forehead: "My fault for not being clear... Teacher, Zhao Shixiong, this is Northern Song Dynasty Egg-white Jade. Let me be blunt: nine times out of ten, the kiln site is in Hejin!"

The two were stunned in unison; Wang Qi Zhi was still recalling what kind of porcelain Egg-white Jade was, while Zhao Xiuneng's eyes bulged.

What is Egg-white Jade?

It specifically refers to white porcelain from the two Song periods that is as thin as an eggshell, translucent when held to the light, lustrous and white as jade, and slightly tinged with green.

Which kiln researched it is no longer verifiable, and all of the Five Great Kilns had fired it. But the success rate was extremely low, so very few exist in the world.

Later, when the Southern Song Dynasty fell, the craft was lost.

Then, in the early Ming Dynasty, it was restored by the Ministry of Works' Bureau of Imperial Manufactories (responsible for industrial research) and the Imperial Porcelain Factory. The historically famous Yongle Sweet White Glaze semi-translucent ware, the Xuande and Chenghua eggshell cups, and the embryo-forming and firing technology for the Chicken Cup all originated from this.

Then, in the early Wanli period, the Jingdezhen porcelain master Hao Shijiu refined it further, taking it to a higher level by researching the even more exquisite and thinner egg-membrane cup.

How thin?

Barely half a millimeter; when held to the light, it was like the inner membrane of an eggshell.

This has an even smaller survival rate; not even the Forbidden City on either side of the strait has one.

But here, a Song Dynasty Egg-white Jade bowl suddenly appeared?

No wonder Lin Sicheng paid eighty thousand without even thinking about it?

Zhao Xiuneng picked up the bowl, turning it over and over, his eyes glowing: "If this thing went to auction, even if we couldn't find the source, it would probably fetch two or three million."

"What it's worth is secondary; it's the craft!" Wang Qi Zhi said, looking shocked, "Does this mean the technical origin of Egg-white Jade might be in Hejin?"

If it really were here, the ceramics world would be blown apart.

Lin Sicheng shook his head violently: "According to my inferences, the Egg-white Jade craft should have originated from the Zhou Dynasty Chai Kiln and the Northern Song Bianjing Official Kiln, but no physical objects have been unearthed from either."

Therefore, strictly speaking, this bowl alone is absolutely worthy of being called a new discovery and a new craft, and there is a high probability that it was ahead of its two neighbors from the same period.

A new discovery, a new craft, and ahead of the Ding Kiln and Cizhou Kiln of the same period... with this, who needs a Chengni Inkstone?

By then, the leaders in Shanxi would probably be overjoyed.

Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi were energized: "You said the kiln site is in Hejin... how did you determine that?"

"These past few days, we have collected quite a few samples. It is very clear that the technology of the Xipo Ancient Kiln during the Song Dynasty was not this advanced; such Egg-white Jade should not have been able to be fired... Teacher, Zhao Shixiong, look at this piece again..."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the remnant of the carved flower Sancai Pillow: "This piece has a pottery body. If it had been fired in Xipo, it should have used the Xipo pottery clay, which is more suitable for firing pottery. But this one still uses Guzhen porcelain clay, so I conclude that the kiln site is in the Guzhen area..."

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng looked at each other: that seems to make some sense.

But as the saying goes, a single piece of evidence is not enough; what if this is an isolated case?

However, the two didn't say a word, nor did they press further.

Lin Sicheng also knew it was a bit far-fetched, but for the moment, this was the most defensible reason he could think of.

He couldn't very well tell these two: his brain had suddenly had a breakthrough?

If he had been asked to recall earlier, Lin Sicheng's impression was indeed very vague; he couldn't even remember where in the Forbidden City he had seen a porcelain pillow.

But after seeing this one on the table, his memory surged out like a floodgate opening: in 2016, the Hejin Ancient Kiln was discovered in Yuncheng, Shanxi.

That same year, it was selected as one of the Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of the Year.

In 2021, the GuojiaBowuguan specifically held a three-month special exhibition: "Essence of the Dragon Gate: Archaeological Achievements of the Shanxi Hejin Kiln."

And before that, the Shanxi Archaeological Institute, in conjunction with the National Cultural Heritage Administration, had excavated for a full five years; one can see how large the site was and how many discoveries were made.

And the kiln site was in Hejin, right in Guzhen.

Lin Sicheng was also very certain that the site was likely not in the mining area, at least not on the ceramic clay vein.

The reason was simple: from the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, the porcelain clay near the kiln site had long since been dug out. Even if a major earthquake not recorded in historical documents had occurred, it wouldn't have moved a mountain of ore over to bury the entire site.

Therefore, it basically wouldn't affect the excavation...

"Teacher, I still have to trouble you to contact the school and send out another letter, this time directly to the Hejin Municipal Government..."

"I will contact the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau to see if we can invite an investigation team to come over and provide technical support..."

"Senior Brother, please trouble yourself and General Manager Zhuang to make some trips; treat people when necessary and give gifts when necessary, try your best to smooth out the relationships..."

Zhao Xiuneng said half-jokingly: "We are doing good deeds for them, and we still have to give them gifts?"

"It's fine, spend what needs to be spent..." Lin Sicheng smiled, "Sharpening the axe will not delay the work of cutting firewood!"

As long as the kiln site can be found, the previous investment can be returned a hundredfold or a thousandfold.

What's more, there is still the Luanbai Jade: the Light Industry Ministry and Jingdezhen have been planning since the founding of the country, but now, fifty or sixty years have passed, let alone restoration, they haven't even found a single clue.

And underneath the kiln site in Guzhen, how many bowls like this one are buried?

It doesn't need to be many; with a hundred or eighty broken pieces, Lin Sicheng would be able to deduce it...

(End of this chapter)