Chapter 292: Beijing, Here I Come

Two old chain-smokers puffed away, and the office looked as if it had caught fire.

With two "clack-clack" sounds, the door was pushed open, and Shui Jisheng walked in, leaning on a cane.

Jiang Chengying stood up to open the window, Zheng Ming turned on the ventilation fan, and then they helped the old man sit down.

The secretary brewed tea again and closed the door; the three of them sat facing each other in silence.

After a long while, the old man sighed: "All for nothing!"

Jiang Chengying and Zheng Ming did not speak.

Money can't buy foresight.

The samples were insufficient to support enough trial-and-error experiments; restoring the craft was already a castle in the air, a load of nonsense.

Standing in the position of local leaders, with an attitude of being responsible for their work, eight out of ten people would inevitably think of cutting losses and reducing expenses at the first opportunity.

Naturally, breaking the contract with Lin Sicheng became the logical next step.

They never imagined that something which seemed to have no hope and was 100% impossible to succeed would not only be accomplished by Lin Sicheng but would also exceed expectations several times over.

He traced the technical origins, found the paths of dissemination, confirmed the scope of connections, and even restored the complete craft.

Especially the last two points: being of the same lineage as the Yongle Sweet White Glaze and the Chenghua Doucai porcelain infinitely elevated the historical value and status of Hejin Porcelain. Combined with the complete restoration of the ancient craft, its influence would be more than enough to surpass ten "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries."

To put it bluntly: how great a political achievement is this?

Now, however: no matter how great the influence or how high the value, their relationship to it was already negligible.

It had even decreased rather than increased.

Because they were all major discoveries, there were too many halos and the positive news was too dense. The more sensational it was, the more it would cause the public to "lose focus."

It was all big news, and human energy is limited; even if people paid attention, they only focused on the one or two most eye-catching items. With basically no history, and no famous Hejin Porcelain or Hozhou Porcelain sandwiched in a pile of glittering behemoths, they could only end up as mere foils.

Thinking about it from the other side: what if they hadn't broken the contract in a way that was almost like a total rupture?

With "Hejin Porcelain" as the center, letting Lin Sicheng release his research results bit by bit: tracing back to Jingdezhen Shadow Blue Porcelain, and connecting downward to Hozhou Porcelain, Yuan Dynasty Egg White Glaze, Yongle Sweet White Glaze, Chenghua Doucai, Dehua White, and Qing Dynasty Thin-Bodied Vessels...

Every time one was released, they could have hyped it up, striving to turn it into an industry sensation, or even national headline news. It wouldn't take long—three or four months—for the heat of the previous news to die down, then they could release another and continue the hype.

Jiang Chengying was confident: if he were at the helm, he could make Hejin Kiln popular across the country for at least two to three years.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs"...

Shui Jisheng frowned: "When you were preparing to terminate the contract, I warned you: in academics and research, you put in the effort, but there might not be results. But if you don't put in the effort, there will definitely be no results. Once there are results, however, the return is a hundredfold, a thousandfold, or even ten thousandfold."

The two remained silent.

Of course they understood the logic, and Shui Jisheng had indeed warned them. But at the time, they didn't think of it as academics or research at all. They treated it as a business, or perhaps a transaction.

Without profit or benefits, the foundation for cooperation naturally vanished...

After a long while, Zheng Ming looked up: "General Engineer Shui, we invited you here today to ask for your advice: is there any way to remedy this?"

Shui Jisheng paused: "How do you want to remedy it?"

Jiang Chengying weighed his words: "As of now, Lin Sicheng has not published any thesis, nor has he revealed any information to the outside world. Those in the know are basically limited to a very small circle.

So, Director Zheng and I discussed it to see if there is anything we can do: for instance, is there any way to make up for it?"

The old man wanted to speak but stopped, really wanting to ask: how could you possibly make up for it?

After thinking for a moment, he said bluntly: "What is the ultimate goal?"

"Can we ask Teacher Lin to slow down, preferably by adjusting his research plan and excavation schedule?"

Shui Jisheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself.

Slow down what?

Naturally, they meant pushing back the excavation timeline and delaying the public announcement of the excavation and research results as much as possible, so the local government could formulate a supporting promotional plan as quickly as possible.

But Lin Sicheng had already finished over 90% of the research, and had even restored the complete craft; what research plan was left to adjust?

Therefore, what they wanted Lin Sicheng to adjust wasn't a plan, but to tell lies: that every result and every discovery was achieved through the "Hejin Kiln."

For example, that the Hozhou Kiln was not found based on the Forbidden City's survey team, nor based on the records of any ceramics expert, but was discovered through the excavation and research of the Hejin Kiln.

Or even better: that Lin Sicheng did not restore the craft by studying the kiln furnace structure of the Hutian Kiln, but achieved the technical tracing only after excavating the Hejin Kiln.

Including the subsequent Egg White Glaze, Sweet White Glaze, and eggshell vessels—all were crafts researched and restored on the basis of Hejin Porcelain.

Shui Jisheng really wanted to sneer and ask: how thick is your skin?

He had intended to endure it and offer a few perfunctory words. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Do you know what it means for Jingdezhen that the crafts of Sweet White Glaze, Chenghua Doucai, and Dehua Kiln originated from the Hutian Kiln's Shadow Blue Porcelain? It means the birthplace of the pinnacle of Chinese white porcelain, and it means moving the history of the Jingdezhen Official Kiln system from the Ming Dynasty back to the Song Dynasty..."

"And do you know what the restoration of the crafts of Shadow Blue Porcelain, Sweet White Glaze, Chenghua Doucai, and Dehua Thin-Body Porcelain means for Northwest University? It means an upgrade in the college's professional level, an increase in the school's ranking, and it means policy tilting from the Ministry of Education, as well as greater support and larger investments in talent and funding..."

"And do you know what cooperation with the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Cultural Relics Research Institute, and the Forbidden City, as well as being a Special Consultant and Special Invited Expert for the Ministry, means for Lin Sicheng? It means he is a quasi-national-level reserve talent, and it means all these departments have opened their doors to him..."

"Come on, tell me, what can you possibly use to make up for this?"

Shui Jisheng smiled expressionlessly, "And don't think about how to work on Lin Sicheng; now that things have reached this point, is it something he alone can decide?"

"So, first think about how to negotiate with Jingdezhen and Xida. Think about how much of a price you need to pay to get those two to give up an opportunity that might not come along even in ten years."

"Then think about how to get the leaders of the National Cultural Heritage Administration to withdraw a resolution made after meetings and collective discussion, and how to pull back Department Head Wu and the guidance group that has already arrived and started work..."

"Not to mention all that, first put your hands on your hearts: can you get past Professor Wang Qi Zhi?"

At first, the two were quite angry, thinking that he had been so amiable just a moment ago, so why did he suddenly lash out?

But halfway through, as the old man spoke, their hearts sank with every word.

It wasn't about whether they could do it, but that it was fundamentally impossible. Just as the old man said: setting everything else aside, could they get past Wang Qi Zhi?

Locally, he was at most a second-generation official with a slightly special status and a slightly bigger background, so they could ignore him if they wanted.

But in Beijing, the man is a crown prince. Trying to pull strings and use connections there? You're out of your mind...

Seeing their stiff expressions and silence, Shui Jisheng sighed inwardly: having reached these positions, how could these two not understand these truths?

It was just that they were at their wits' end, clutching at straws.

The old man exhaled: "I'm old, so I talk too much: I think you should stop busybodying and just cooperate properly with the work of the guidance group!"

The two looked at each other: "General Engineer Shui, let's give it a try!"

"Fine!" Shui Jisheng leaned back, "You all report to the superiors first!"

It was easy to talk to Lin Sicheng; it was nothing more than Lin Sicheng refusing: "Old sir, my apologies." Then he would laugh: "No matter."

But the problem was, the nature of the matter was wrong: whether it was the research plan or the archaeological proposal, could it be that Lin Sicheng had formulated them? Making Lin Sicheng tell a lie was equivalent to questioning the decision-making of the superior unit; this was a political issue.

He might be old, but he was not muddled, and Lin Sicheng was even less so.

The two's expressions changed: If we could report to the superiors, what would we be asking for your help for?

……

One family's joy is another's sorrow.

They still stayed at the municipal guesthouse, and the research office was still set up at the Municipal Cultural Bureau. However, there were no longer so many messy units; now there was only one: the National Cultural Heritage Administration Hejin Kiln Site Excavation and Research Center.

But the people were still the same people, including the liaison Person in Charge, who was still Secretary-General Tan of the City Government.

Before Lin Sicheng left for Huo Prefecture, the center held a small, temporary meeting.

It was presided over by He Wei, Senior Engineer at the Ceramics Research Institute of the National Cultural Research Institute and Director of the Hejin Kiln Site Excavation and Research Center. The attendees were: Consultant Lin Sicheng, Consultant Su Zhenjiang (Deputy Director of the Cultural Relics and Museology College at Northwest University), and Consultant Xiao Lin (Deputy Director of the Ceramic Research Office at the Shaanxi History Museum).

The rest were all the original crew: Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi were still responsible for the field team, one in Hejin and one going to Huo Prefecture; Huang Zhifeng and Qin Tao were responsible for the laboratory teams on both sides, and the members were basically all the same people as before.

The project level was several grades higher, and the supervising and guiding unit had reached the sky in one step, jumping directly to a Ministry: the National Cultural Heritage Administration. But from top to bottom, everyone appeared very relaxed, including He Wei, the Person in Charge of the research center, as well as the archaeology team members and Laboratory Technicians.

Because Lin Sicheng had already finished eighty or ninety percent of the work. The remainder did not have a single bit of difficulty: excavating step by step, collecting data step by step, and verifying the research results.

It could be said like this: as long as the Kiln Furnace was dug out and the structure was more or less the same as what Lin Sicheng had conjectured, the excavation report and research report could be published directly.

Then, the Thesis would fly like snowflakes toward the major top journals in the domestic archaeology field: the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' *Archaeology*, *Archaeology*, the National Cultural Heritage Administration's *Cultural Relics*, and the Palace Museum's *Artifact Research*.

Even, Lin Sicheng had already listed the outline, marked the core arguments, and even marked the index directory.

For Tian Jie, Gao Zhangyi, Huang Zhifeng, Qin Tao, and the members below them: it was equivalent to Lin Sicheng feeding the results directly to their mouths; they only needed to open them.

Thinking back to the promise Lin Sicheng made to them at the beginning: not only was there not a single discount, but it exceeded expectations by several times.

It is no exaggeration to say that a group of people almost pinched their thighs blue just to suppress the corners of their mouths...

The meeting was not long; it just discussed the work arrangements after starting construction. After eating lunch, the group boarded a minibus and headed straight to Huo Prefecture.

The site area here was relatively large, and its value was also relatively high. Furthermore, Lin Sicheng had only conducted a preliminary survey earlier, so the number of people needed was several times higher.

Director Tian brought two archaeology teams, and Professor Huang Zhifeng not only transferred the entire Ceramic Group from the Shaanxi History Museum but also borrowed a group from the provincial Cultural Relics Research Institute.

Compared to this, the level of liveliness was like heaven and earth.

Personnel had been in place for almost a week, and the situation over in Hejin was so low-key it felt eerie: only the Deputy County Mayor in charge of culture showed up once, and then the highest-level leader they saw was only Deputy Secretary-General Tan.

Here, however, it was so enthusiastic it was unbearable: on the first day, the Secretary and the Mayor received them personally; on the second day, they accompanied them on an inspection again. From the third day on, the Deputy Mayor in charge of culture, the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau Chief, and the Deputy Bureau Chief followed the team the whole time. All municipal-level units and the two sets of county-level leadership teams were on standby twenty-four hours a day.

Because to them, it was no different from a pie falling from the sky: no need for local organization, no need for local investigation, no need to beg grandfathers and grandmothers to apply for funding, and even less need to climb mountains and wade through rivers to invite Experts.

The specifications and level were considered to have reached the sky: the National Cultural Heritage Administration guided and organized it, the National Cultural Research Institute and the Palace Museum conducted the research, and the local area only needed to coordinate land requisition and organize laborers to perform basic work like digging test pits.

The biggest expenditure was just taking care of the expert group's accommodation and meals; they didn't even have to pay a single cent in wages.

But the benefits were one basket after another: inexplicably, an Official Kiln from the Jin-Yuan period was excavated?

And it was the only production center for northern White Porcelain from the Jin-Yuan period, and perhaps even the only ancient porcelain kiln site in Shanxi to enter the Official Kiln system?

Everyone said Shanxi had no famous porcelain and no famous kilns. Now there was one, in Huo Prefecture.

To the local area, wasn't this just like a gold bar falling from the sky?

If they weren't enthusiastic, they wouldn't be able to face their conscience...

……

They stayed for another week, and the time entered mid-September.

The sky was very clear, cloudless for ten thousand miles, and blue as a mirror.

The layers of forest were gradually turning colors, frost crystals hung on the grass leaves, and the air was exceptionally refreshing.

Sun Jiamu took out a cigarette case and handed one over; Wu Hui shielded the Wind to light it, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "How about I leave first, and you stay for a few more days!"

"Right!" Sun Jiamu nodded vigorously, "Your teacher won't come, and I don't even have a familiar person here?"

"Fine!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "As long as Dean Ma agrees!"

The two looked at each other, and simultaneously: Hehe...

Just as Lin Sicheng arrived in Yuncheng, Lao Ma called to urge him. At first, it was once every two or three days; after a week, he called basically every day. Once the tenth passed, he urged at least three times a day.

Of course, he wasn't urging Lin Sicheng; he was under someone else's management now, and whether he left or not wasn't up to him.

Rather, he was urging Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu.

Wu Hui didn't care; whether he released the person or not, early or late, it was all the same. Because he had participated in the entire BTA re-verification process with Lin Sicheng, he knew that there wouldn't be any problems on Deputy Director Ma's side.

Lao Ma was just being cautious, thinking about calling Lin Sicheng to Beijing so that if a problem arose, it could be solved at any time.

Sun Jiamu, on the other hand, was dragging it out for as long as he could: with Lin Sicheng's help, his days were incredibly easy. He didn't even have to leave the command post; Lin Sicheng had arranged everything for him in perfect order.

But with only a week and a bit left until October 1st, he really couldn't drag it out anymore. If he dragged it any longer, Deputy Director Ma would start cursing.

The basic coordination was already in place, and Wu Hui was also preparing to return to Beijing, so they could go together.

"It's fine if you don't stay!" Sun Jiamu flicked the cigarette ash, "If you encounter any difficulties here, you can come back. It's not far anyway..."

The survey work for the Huo Prefecture Kiln site was basically finished, and the rest was just digging. The craftsmanship, formulas, and the like had been studied thoroughly by him, even more thoroughly than the Hejin Porcelain.

Furthermore, with Tian Jie and Huang Zhifeng leading the team, it would be hard to encounter any difficulties.

Thinking secretly, Lin Sicheng nodded: "Anytime is fine!"

After chatting about some subsequent details, Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu started making small talk.

Lin Sicheng sat on the top of the slope, looking toward the northeast, and the bits and pieces of his past life surfaced in his mind.

The Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, the Cultural Relics Research Institute.

Old Madam Wang, Old Sir Xu, Old Sir Geng... Director Lu, Dean Ma, Senior Brother Shan...

Beijing, I am coming!

(End of chapter)