Chapter 629: National Gift

To be safe, Lin Sicheng looked it over once more: from beginning to end, from back to front.

After looking for a full five or six minutes, he held the pot with both hands and handed it to Wang Qi Zhi: "Teacher, you take a look too!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned for a moment.

His specialty was Bronze, and he could also appraise similar gold, silver, and tin wares. But as for miscellaneous items, he understood them at most.

What's more, this was a relatively rare type of leather Cultural Relics, and it was even an artifact of a nomadic people. If Wang Qi Zhi were to tell the truth, he could at most see the surface of it.

It couldn't be that there was something strange about this thing, or perhaps, Lin Sicheng was a bit unsure?

This is truly rare——————

Wang Qi Zhi suddenly felt it was strange and took the leather pouch, but the moment it touched his hands, he froze: why did the texture of this thing feel so weird?

While he said he only understood the surface, Wang Qi Zhi at least knew what a leather pouch should feel like: warm and moist, with elasticity hidden within the hardness, and one could feel the obvious fibrous roughness and sticky resistance.

But this piece felt exceptionally smooth to the touch; rubbing it with a finger, one could feel the stiffness of thin layers pressed together. If one had to make a comparison, it was like laminated cardboard.

Secretly suspicious, Wang Qi Zhi held the pot up: under the oblique side light, one could see a layer upon layer of horizontal patterns on the pot's body,

like ripples. Through the edges of the deer patterns, one could even see the peeling layers caused by obvious delamination.

If it were leather, at the very least there would be pores; there would be fine wrinkles; and there would be tiny jagged edges left behind after being cut with a knife or scissors.

At the same time, there would definitely be fine, short stubble left in the pores.

But there was none of that on this.

If it were leather, the edges of the needle holes where it was sewn would inevitably shrink and have frayed edges. At the same time, the edges of the holes would absolutely have fibrous fluff, but there was none of that on this either.

Not only was there none, but there were actually remnants of debris from the needle being squeezed and turned outward, appearing connected yet not, broken yet not. No matter how one looked at it, why did it feel like paper scraps?

The more Wang Qi Zhi looked, the stranger he felt. He turned the pot to the side and touched it with his fingers again. Suddenly, his eyelids twitched twice: this thing was indeed not paper, but if one looked into it closely, the difference from paper wasn't that great.

Could this thing actually be made of tree bark?

As if possessed, Wang Qi Zhi pressed his fingernails together and pinched a piece off.

It wasn't big, just a tiny bit the size of a grain of rice, and Zhao Xiuneng was dumbfounded: Professor Wang, this is an antique after all, you just pinch it like that?

The other party came here specifically to wreck the place and look for trouble; what if they blame this on you?

Just as he was secretly pondering, Wang Qi Zhi raised his head blankly: "This is————tree bark?"

Too shocked, Wang Qi Zhi's voice trembled a little, and his tone shifted along with it, so Zhao Xiuneng thought he said "animal hide."

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Animal hide is animal hide, what are you panicking about?

Thinking this secretly, Zhao Xiuneng nodded: "Right, animal hide!"

What animal hide, I said tree bark.

Wang Qi Zhi handed the pot over: "See for yourself!"

Zhao Xiuneng didn't understand, took it, and then his eyes popped out: how is this animal hide?

Whose animal hide is this smooth, this hard, and has absolutely no elasticity?

Even, one can't see a single pore?

Looking closer, he finally knew what Wang Qi Zhi was talking about: this damn thing is tree bark?

In an instant, Zhao Xiuneng lunged forward, wishing he could nail his eyeballs onto the pot.

He looked again————touched again————and even took a sniff.

Then, just like Wang Qi Zhi before him, he raised his head blankly and stared straight at Lin Sicheng.

It wasn't that the two of them weren't composed, nor that they lacked experience, but having lived half their lives and dealt with antiques and Cultural Relics for half their lives, they had never seen such a thing.

No, they hadn't even heard of it.

Zhao Xiuneng had seen many pots: porcelain, iron, gold, silver, copper, tin, leather, and even lacquer wood pots, but he had never seen one made of tree bark.

He had seen Cultural Relics made of tree bark, though; Xijing had them: the Palm-leaf Scripture brought back from India by Tang Sanzang.

He had also heard of them: the XZ Museum held fragments of Birch Bark Scripture from the Tibetan Empire period, with ancient Tibetan Buddhist scriptures written in ink directly on whole pieces of birch bark, similar in nature to the Palm-leaf Scripture brought back by Tang Sanzang. But apart from these two items, he really had never heard of any other tree bark Cultural Relics.

Although Wang Qi Zhi was young, his knowledge was broader, and he hadn't heard of it either.

But at least they were certain: this thing was indeed old; even if it didn't have the six or seven hundred years Lin Sicheng claimed, it had at least four or five hundred.

Suddenly, the two looked at each other, at a loss: this was a big problem.

Since it was appearing for the first time, how should this thing be appraised?

It wasn't just the two of them; there were also Zhang Yuanqiao and Zhang Yuanfan: they were indeed laymen and didn't understand appraisal, but they had seen plenty.

Anyway, their grandfather had been in the collection business for so many years, and the siblings had never heard Zhang Zongxian mention this type of thing, which showed how rare it was.

But looking at Lin Sicheng again, he didn't seem to be panicking at all?

He picked up the pot, his voice unhurried: "General Manager He, let me give a rough summary first: this item looks like an aristocratic artifact of a nomadic people from the Song and Jin periods. The material and craftsmanship are not complex: birch bark pressed into shape, then hammered with patterns, and inlaid with Gemstones————of course, this is just my preliminary judgment based on the appearance and shape of the vessel, not necessarily one hundred percent correct————"

Hearing the first half, Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi instinctively frowned. Hearing the second half, they immediately relaxed.

What they feared most was Lin Sicheng making overly definitive claims.

He Youhan didn't say he was right, nor did he say he was wrong: "And its purpose?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Daily use, display, or burial object; all three are possible. It balances practicality and aesthetics————"

He Youhan smiled: "I'll have to trouble General Manager Lin to be a bit more specific: for example, the era, origin, craftsmanship, user————if you could find relevant historical allusions, that would be even better————"

Zhang Yuanqiao wanted to speak but hesitated: if he were to speak his mind, let alone verifying relevant figures and allusions, whether this thing was even an antique was still up for debate. This General Manager He asking for such high standards was clearly setting a trap for Lin Sicheng.

If it were him in Lin Sicheng's place, he likely wouldn't appraise it: rather than appraising it wrong, it would be better to refuse from the start; at least that would be better than making a mistake.

Thinking this secretly, he looked at Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng seemed not to notice and actually nodded: "General Manager He, I will try!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Jingzhou's eyes lit up. Although it was very subtle, it did not escape Lin Sicheng's eyes. In fact, Lin Sicheng could guess his current psychological state seven or eight times out of ten: this kid finally took the bait.

It seems there is indeed something strange about this thing.

If Lin Sicheng were to tell the truth: adding up both his lifetimes, this was also his first time seeing this kind of thing, and he really didn't have much certainty.

But precisely because I have never seen it, I must study it properly: at worst, I make a wrong appraisal.

As the old saying goes, even the best of us make mistakes, and even the best horses stumble; among so many renowned appraisers and masters, who hasn't made a mistake?

Just consider it as accumulating experience—

While thinking to himself, he set the pot down: "General Manager He, if we are to analyze it in depth, we must perform instrumental testing and we must take samples. But it won't be much, just a few grams."

"Secondly, to perform a spectrum analysis, we need to use radiation, though it won't be for long, and it will basically cause no damage to the artifact—"

He Youhan did not hesitate: "Do it!"

"Good!"

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng took out his phone and smiled again: "I hope General Manager He won't laugh, but this thing is too rare; I need to find someone to come over and provide guidance!"

He Youhan was very straightforward: "Please go ahead, General Manager Lin. It would be best if you could invite a few experts over; I would like to learn as well!"

He had conducted a detailed background check: although Lin Sicheng was young and his skills were outrageously high, he was never arrogant, nor did he possess the impetuousness and recklessness common in his peers.

He Youhan was certain that Lin Sicheng would not act beyond his abilities; if he was unsure, he would definitely invite help.

But to be honest, it didn't matter who was invited: because this item had never been recorded in historical documents, nor had any physical specimen been passed down.

It was as if it had never appeared before, as if it had fallen from the sky and suddenly emerged.

He Youhan could roughly guess where Lin Sicheng's conclusion of "an aristocratic artifact from the Song and Jin periods" and "combining utility with aesthetics" came from: he was appraising this thing as a leather pouch from the same period.

If one appraised it this way, one would fall into the trap one hundred percent—

The machines were all preheated; although there were not many types of projects, it would still take an hour or so. Lin Sicheng handed the pot to Fang Jin, and then

made a phone call to Tian Rulong, asking him to invite two experts to come over and provide guidance.

After the call, Lin Sicheng invited He Youhan to the Reception Room.

The two siblings intentionally lagged behind; just before entering the door, Zhang Yuanfan tugged at Zhang Yuanqiao's sleeve, her voice very low: "Brother, why not appraise the remaining two items first?"

Zhang Yuanqiao replied without hesitation: "It's like passing levels; you can only see the second level after passing the first!"

"What if Lin Sicheng can't pass?"

Zhang Yuanqiao paused and thought carefully: he had previously felt that for Lin Sicheng to have such great achievements at this age, even if he wasn't young and frivolous, he would at least be a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

Therefore, he worried whether Lin Sicheng would be momentarily impetuous and fall into He Youhan's trap.

But looking at it now, it was the exact opposite of what he had thought; Lin Sicheng was as steady as if he had become a seasoned master: since I am not certain, I will invite those who are.

If I can't see it clearly, then I can't see it clearly; which appraiser hasn't made a mistake?

Zhang Yuanqiao explained: "Yuanfan, do you think that because Lin Sicheng was so confident before, he suddenly changed his nature?"

"Because circumstances change; knowing it's an iron plate, you still want to crash into it? That's not courage, that's stupidity—"

Did he change his nature?

Zhang Yuanfan thought about it: she felt Lin Sicheng had always been confident, even when he said he wanted to invite someone to provide guidance.

In a flash, a group of people entered the Reception Room; they had just drunk two cups of tea when Lin Sicheng's phone rang.

He answered it casually, and before he could speak, Tian Rulong's voice came from outside the door: "Sicheng, which room!"

Everyone was stunned: Good heavens?

It had only been half an hour since the call. Even if the Forbidden City was close by, it couldn't be this fast, right?

Immediately, Fang Jin pushed open the door, and Tian Rulong walked in with a lady of about fifty.

Lin Sicheng hurried to greet them: "Director Tian, how are you so fast?"

"It's not that fast; I even took the time to go to Shoubo to pick up Museum Curator Tang—come, let me introduce you—"

Tian Rulong pointed to the lady beside him, "This is Deputy Museum Curator Tang from Shoubo; she previously held a position at the Forbidden City, served as deputy director of the Palace Department and the Ancient Artifacts Department, and has worked with me and Director Sheng."

"Before this, Museum Curator Tang presided over work at the Mengbo, specializing in artifacts from the northern grassland peoples, the Xianbei, and the Liao and Jin periods; she is an authoritative scholar in the country on the history of grassland peoples—"

Lin Sicheng shook her hand quickly: "Museum Curator Tang, I've long admired you!"

This was not empty talk; he truly knew of her: Tian Rulong's words were not flattery; she was indeed an authority in the field of grassland archaeology in the country.

It was just that Lin Sicheng did not know that Museum Curator Tang had held a position at the Forbidden City and had worked with Director Tian and Director Sheng.

After some polite exchanges, Lin Sicheng introduced them: "Museum Curator Tang, this is General Manager He, and this is Mr. Sun—"

Museum Curator Tang was very polite, while Tian Rulong only greeted them symbolically.

Why was he able to come so fast?

First, it was curiosity: a pot pressed from tree bark, dating back at least six or seven hundred years; even Tian Rulong had never seen one.

Secondly, it was because of He Youhan and Sun Jingzhou: these two were clearly targeting Lin Sicheng, so even for the sake of ensuring the smooth progress of the Palace Porcelain and

He-Imitation Porcelain projects, he had to help Lin Sicheng.

With the two factors combined, of course, he came as fast as he could.

Picking up Museum Curator Tang was just on the way, right on the edge of the Technology Park.

As for Museum Curator Tang, it was pure curiosity: she had never seen a pouch-pot pressed from tree bark either—

Both sides sat down and had barely finished a cup of tea when Tian Rulong's phone rang again.

He stood up quickly, and just as he answered, Fang Jin led someone to the door.

The person who arrived was in his early sixties, wearing glasses and full of scholarly air. Seeing Tian Rulong, his eyes lit up: "Director Tian, where is the item?"

"Teacher Zhang, don't be in such a hurry; drink some tea first, let me introduce you to a few friends—"

"What time is there for tea? Director Tian, do you know where I came from? KFC—I was just having burgers with my grandson and my wife; the moment you called, I abandoned my grandson and ran—"

Tian Rulong was between laughter and tears: "Teacher Zhang, I really didn't know—"

"Director Tian, it has nothing to do with you!" Teacher Zhang waved his hand, "I can see my grandson every day, but I have truly never seen a six or seven-hundred-year-old tree bark pot—"

While they were talking, Museum Curator Tang also came over to greet them, and Tian Rulong took the opportunity to introduce her to Lin Sicheng: this was an old Researcher from the Forbidden City who entered the Forbidden City in the seventies and worked there for over thirty years, only retiring last year.

At the Forbidden City, he served as the Group Leader of the Craft Group in the Storage Department and the Group Leader of the Craft Group in the Ancient Artifacts Department. At the same time, he was also an authoritative Expert on ancient miscellaneous crafts.

When the CCTV program "Appraising Treasures" started, they even invited him to serve as an appraisal Expert.

As they spoke, the others also stood up, and the group marched in a grand procession into the appraisal room.

Samples had already been taken and processed by machines for all four or five tests. The reports would take over an hour, but the items had already been returned.

The three Experts stared at the Tree Bark Pot, their expressions growing stranger by the second.

After observing for quite a while, Tian Rulong picked up the pot: "Why does this look like a classic vessel shape of the Khitan people, a Cockscomb Pouch?"

Museum Curator Tang nodded: "It is indeed a Cockscomb Pouch, though most of those unearthed are single-crested; this one looks more like two cockscombs joined together."

"Director Tian, look at this deer again: head held high, hooves raised, the posture is vigorous—this is a very typical theme of the Khitan's autumn hunt, a propitious beast. It is frequently seen on Liao Dynasty gold and silver ware, tomb murals, and stone carvings—"

"But the craftsmanship is not, or at least not entirely: the Liao Dynasty Craftsmen at most completed the rough processing during the preparation stage, such as steaming and boiling to soften, then flattening and shaping. The subsequent steps must have been completed in the official workshops of the Han Dynasty dynasties, such as press-molding, cutting and stitching, engraving and rubbing, and grooving to inlay Gemstones—"

"Look at the earrings on the pot mouth, the double-loop holes on both sides, and the ratio of the arc to the vessel body; it is designed entirely for convenience of hanging on horseback. This can also be seen from the wear marks: this pot has a very strong practical nature—"

After giving a rough evaluation, Museum Curator Tang handed the pot to Teacher Zhang: "Teacher Zhang, take another look!"

Teacher Zhang took the pot and was straightforward: "The mouth rim and the edges of the pot body both have silver buckles, formed by hammering and forging, but it is not entirely Bronze; there should be silver mixed in—the grooving and pressing to lock in the Gemstones, and the silver buckles being squeezed tight, this is a common glue-free inlay approach for high-grade Khitan artifacts."

"But that is just the approach, not the craftsmanship: Khitan Craftsmen could engrave and inlay, but they could not engrave lines this uniform, nor could they inlay Gemstones this flat. This must be an export from the official workshops of the Han Dynasty dynasties—"

The others were stunned: this was exactly the same as what Lin Sicheng had said earlier: grassland style, Han Dynasty craftsmanship—

He Youhan was noncommittal: "Teachers, is there anything else?"

Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang pondered for a moment: there was a little something, but they were not very certain.

And with their status, if they had ninety percent certainty, they would at most state sixty percent. If they were not sure, it was best not to speak.

Secondly, and most importantly: they were not private Appraisers who would say anything; they were first and foremost Researchers at the Forbidden City and authoritative scholars in their respective fields.

Even if they had one hundred percent certainty, some things could not be said—

But Lin Sicheng did not have this reservation; he had invited these two specifically for their guidance, and the opportunity was rare.

He held the pot in his hands and pointed to the deer pattern: "Museum Curator Tang, does this look like the flat-push shallow engraving technique used for gold and silver in the Song Dynasty?"

Museum Curator Tang paused: "It really does!"

The knife work is smooth and rounded, the lines are arranged regularly, and there is very little repeated carving or correction. This shows that the Craftsman treated this object as gold ware, rather than the chopping or tapping carving commonly used in wood carving.

To put it bluntly: for the deer on this, the Craftsman used the skill of carving flowers on Gold Foil to create the grooves before rubbing in the patterns.

The reason for using such complex and fine craftsmanship is that the pot body is made of layered tree bark, and the engraving must be controlled to the Silk Meter level (one-tenth of a millimeter). If it were too deep and broke through this layer of bark, it would leak.

It would not leak from the inside out, but seep from the outside in: for example, the grease on one's hands while eating meat, or the residual protein from grain-based meals. This type of substance would not destroy the bark itself, but it would attract insects.

But the point is not this, but this type of craftsmanship: not only could private Craftsmen not do it, but over ninety percent of official workshops could not do it either.

Museum Curator Tang's eyes lit up: "Little Lin, what do you think it is?"

Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "The Song Dynasty Directorate for Imperial Manufactories, Wensi Institute!"

In fact, Museum Curator Tang had also seen it. The reason she did not say it was, first, she was not quite sure, and second, she was hindered by her status: according to regulations, they were not allowed to participate in appraisal activities outside the museum. Occasionally commenting a few words was fine, just like what was said before about the shape, craftsmanship, and style.

But when it involved the specific origin or source, even if they were very certain, they would not speak.

For example, if the person who came today was not He Youhan, but an ordinary collector, if Museum Curator Tang dared to say this thing was made by the "Song Dynasty Imperial Directorate for Manufactories Wensi Institute," the collector would dare to take this item to an auction house and demand millions for it.

What, the valuation is too high?

You don't know a damn thing: this was appraised by Museum Curator Tang of Shoubo—

The two asked and answered, while the others looked at each other in dismay: before, they said it was an official workshop, and they were not even sure about the dynasty, but as they appraised it, it became an item from the Song Dynasty Directorate for Imperial Manufactories?

Which meant that this thing was made in the palace?

In their suspicion, Lin Sicheng pointed to the shoulder buckle of the pot mouth again: "Teacher Zhang, the rivet corners are smooth and rounded, without hard folding or cracking; it should have undergone local annealing. Could this also be the craftsmanship of the Wensi Institute?"

Teacher Zhang was extremely certain, but it was hard to say it directly. He thought for a moment: "Little Lin, remove the 'could it be' and the 'also'!"

To put it simply: the hardness of the silver-copper alloy is extremely high, and it gets harder the more it is hammered; it must be repeatedly annealed during the hammering process. Otherwise, it cannot be hammered into sheets, only into slag.

This technology was already very mature in the Tang Dynasty, and the silver and copper ware in the Famen Temple Underground Palace all used this kind of craftsmanship. But the difficulty lies in the corners and bends:

When the silver-copper sheet is thin to a certain degree, no matter how often you anneal it, it is useless. Because the stress is all concentrated on the line of the corner, it cracks as soon as it is bent.

It was not until the Song Dynasty, when they needed to forge Five-colored Armor for the palace guards, which required silver-copper sheets to wrap the edges, that this problem was inadvertently solved: only the narrow strip being bent was heated, while the rest was kept at room temperature, and then cooled; after that, it would not break when bent.

It sounds simple: using a blowpipe for local heating and local annealing.

But it only feels simple now: from the Northern Dynasty Craftsmen discovering that they could use a blowpipe to locally heat gold and silver ware, to the Tang Dynasty Craftsmen knowing how to use a blowpipe to blow gold beads, there was a full two-hundred-year gap.

From the Tang Dynasty Craftsmen using a blowpipe to blow gold beads, to the Song Dynasty Craftsmen knowing how to perform local annealing, there was another gap of nearly two hundred years.

Without sufficiently strong productivity, without the accumulation of experience from generation to generation, technology will not only fail to develop but will instead regress. Secretly sighing, Lin Sicheng continued: "The Birch Bark is Northern white birch; the Central Plains does not produce large pieces of high-quality Birch Bark. The function of the artifact completely obeys the usage habits of the Liao people: retaining the double-loop holes for hanging on a saddle, the leather pouch pot shape, the running deer pattern favored by the Khitan, and catering entirely to the Liao people's hunting themes—"

"But the engraving knife technique, the silver forging, the standardization of rivets, the stitching style, and the full set of craftsmanship traces belong to the Northern Song Dynasty Directorate for Imperial Manufactories official production system—so I will boldly speculate:

This item should have been made with raw materials and patterns provided by the Liao Dynasty, commissioned to be manufactured by the Northern Song Dynasty Directorate for Imperial Manufactories, and presented to the Liao court as Annual Tribute for the Liao Emperor to use during his Nabo—"

Zhao Xiuneng was stunned: Junior Brother, what are you saying?

Presented as Annual Tribute, for the Liao Emperor's Nabo?

He knew about the Annual Tribute; after the Chanyuan Treaty, the Northern Song Dynasty needed to present Annual Tribute to the Liao Dynasty every year. In addition to silver and silk, every

time the Liao Emperor or Empress Dowager had a birthday, as well as on New Year's Day, both sides needed to exchange national gifts. The Northern Song Dynasty would present them, and the Liao Dynasty would also return gifts.

The problem is, how did it suddenly get linked to the Liao Emperor?

The key is, this thing is actually a national gift?

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