Zigang Plaque

Chu Chen saw how anxious everyone was and said with a smile, "Let's eat first. We can't do anything about it here."

Everyone thought that made sense, so they quickly finished dinner and went to Uncle Wu's shop.

Chu Chen picked up the Buddha statue he had placed aside earlier and put it on the counter. He gently wiped it with a rag, then pointed out the location of the seam to everyone. They all took a closer look with magnifying glasses and were amazed by the exquisite craftsmanship, which was so seamless.

After putting down his magnifying glass, Uncle Wu said to Chu Chen, "Xiao Chen, you really observed it very carefully. Tell me, what were you thinking at the time?"

Chu Chen couldn't say that he had discovered the anomaly because of his special ability, so he gave the reason he had already thought of.

"I found this Buddha statue by chance. The first time I saw it, I was a little disappointed. But then I thought about it and realized there were some issues. I heard Uncle Zhao say before that Old Li's family was not only Jin merchants but also from a scholarly family, and they were also involved in antiques. They wouldn't have invited such a Buddha statue with ordinary carving, would they?"

"Even if someone in the family believed in Buddhism and brought this Buddha statue back, why are there no incense marks? So I guessed that this Buddha statue must have another secret, and that's how I found this seam."

The truth was actually similar to what Chu Chen said. Grandpa Li's grandfather had commissioned this Buddha statue, but before he could reveal the secret, he suddenly had a stroke and passed away.

Later, Grandpa Li also suspected there might be a problem, but perhaps by luck, he never found the seam even to this day, which benefited Chu Chen for nothing.

Uncle Wu listened and said with satisfaction, "Good, it's logical and well-founded. So, finding hidden treasures is also a skill. Xiao Chen, you must remember that in our antique business, we need to use our brains more and use them well to maximize the process of distinguishing the false from the true. Alright, let's see what's inside this Buddha statue now."

After speaking, Uncle Wu took out a scraper about three to four inches long and gently scraped at the seam. After scraping to the ends of the seam, he began to gently scrape horizontally. After about ten minutes, the concealing layer on the surface of the seam was scraped off.

At this point, a rectangular wooden board was clearly visible inlaid on the back of the Buddha statue. But everyone was dumbfounded when they saw it, because the seam was so thin that even a fine needle might not be able to "insert" into it. How could they take out the inlaid wooden board?

Everyone looked at each other, unable to force it, for fear of damaging the treasure inside, which would be a loss outweighing the gain. It felt like entering a treasure mountain empty-handed.

Seeing this, Chu Chen, unwilling to give up, took out his magnifying glass and looked at the seam again. At this point, passively waiting for death was not his character. When he saw a spot about an inch from the bottom on the right side, he suddenly noticed something different.

"Huh!"

Chu Chen let out a soft exclamation, picked up the scraper, and gently scraped at that spot. Soon, a small hole was scraped out. This small hole was only one centimeter away from the seam. Perhaps Uncle Wu had scraped a little more, and they were no longer in despair.

Zhao Xueyi saw this and said excitedly, "We found it, we found it! This should be the mechanism."

Uncle Wu quickly rummaged through boxes and cabinets to find a needle of similar size. Chu Chen took it and gently inserted it into the small hole. After a while, he felt a slight resistance. With a little force, he heard a soft "pop," and the wooden board sprang out, falling into Chu Chen's hands.

Zhao Xueyi sighed with emotion, "This is truly miraculous. I didn't expect the mechanism at that time to be so exquisite. It's a shame that this skill is almost lost."

This kind of mechanism was indeed extraordinary. It was a very complex concealment technique from ancient China. Not to mention those who could make it, even the number of people who knew about it was very limited. It had a very vivid name: "Belly Hall."

This Belly Hall was relatively simple. There was an even more complex version where the small hole was a lock, which could only be opened with a needle of the corresponding type. It also had a self-destruct mechanism, and if forced, the object inside would be destroyed.

After removing the wooden board, a thick layer of cotton was stuffed inside. This cotton was to prevent the hidden items inside from making any noise. After cleaning out the cotton, two brocade pouches were found inside.

One brocade pouch seemed to contain two items. Chu Chen opened the pouch and carefully poured the contents out. Upon closer inspection, they were two gold ingots.

Zhu Dafu took the two gold ingots and examined them carefully. The ingots were engraved with "Xin," "Tian," "Qiu Tianbao," "Pure Red," and double happiness characters. They were very exquisite. He smiled and said, "Not bad, two one-tael gold ingots from the late Qing and early Republic period. They are exquisitely preserved. Just these two items have earned more than ten times the profit."

After speaking, Zhu Dafu handed the two gold ingots to Uncle Wu and the others to examine. After looking at them, they both nodded happily.

Chu Chen was also very happy at this moment. With this, most of the rent would be covered. However, he was also a little puzzled why his special ability didn't react to the gold ingots. Unable to figure it out, he prepared to open the other brocade pouch. At this moment, he was full of anticipation for this pouch, as the aura from it was very strong.

This brocade pouch felt soft and yielding. Chu Chen carefully poured out the contents. The first thing he saw was a layer of cotton. After removing the cotton, an exceptionally exquisite jade tablet lay quietly on top.

"Let me see!"

Zhu Dafu eagerly leaned forward, carefully took the jade tablet into his hands, and examined it closely with a magnifying glass.

This was a jade tablet about five centimeters high. Judging by the carving technique, it should be a Zigang plaque.

Zigang, also known as Zigang, surnamed Lu, was from the "Wu School" in Jiangnan. He was a famous jade carving artist active in Suzhou during the Jiajing and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty, and one of the most renowned master artists in the history of Chinese jade carving.

Lu Zigang's jade carvings broke away from the stale and vulgar style of Ming Dynasty jade ware. Using exquisite jade materials and superb jade carving techniques, he integrated the arts of seals, calligraphy, and painting into jade carving, elevating the art of Chinese jade carving to a new artistic realm.

Lu Zigang created numerous exquisite and ingenious jade carvings throughout his life. A single jade hairpin was worth "fifty-six taels of gold," and his jade tablets were even more coveted.

Zigang's jade pendants were square or rectangular, thick and solid, like plaques, hence they were simply called "Zigang plaques." The special charm of Zigang plaques lay in their unique forms, exquisite jade quality, and detailed carving, embodying an artistic style. One could appreciate the artistic charm of Lu Zigang's jade carvings.

Zigang plaques surpassed all other jade wares in artistry and were priced higher than ordinary jade. As soon as they appeared, they were immediately favored by the court and the public, especially by scholars and literati, and were often in short supply, leading to a considerable trend of imitation. Not only were there secret imitations during the Ming Dynasty, but even during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, people eagerly imitated them.

In Suzhou and Yangzhou today, many jade shops are still imitating Zigang plaques, and they still have a considerable market. Many people are still fond of Zigang plaques, which shows their profound influence. After the Ming Dynasty, jade tablets with the Zigang style but not made by Lu Zigang himself were called "Zigang style plaques" to distinguish them from the "Zigang plaques" personally made by Lu Zigang.

The Zigang plaque in Zhu Dafu's hand was a Zigang style plaque.

This jade tablet was rectangular with a hole at the top. Both sides of the hole were carved with the same Kui dragon pattern. The front was shallowly relief-carved with landscapes and figures, depicting a jade-faced scholar "chanting" poetry under a bamboo, giving a sense of "bamboo rain, pine wind, zither melody, tea smoke, paulownia moon, and book sounds." The other side was engraved with poetry and a maker's mark.

Looking at the entire jade tablet, the jade carving technique was superb and outstanding, the carving was fine, elegant, and fresh. The figures depicted were lifelike, and the poetry on the back was flowing and dynamic. Although it was carved with a knife instead of a brush, it could still achieve the artistic conception of brush and ink. While not as good as Zigang's, it was not far off.

The jade quality of this jade tablet was excellent, made from a very rare mutton fat white jade pebble. It was crystal clear, white, fine, and moist, almost flawless. It could be considered a top-quality piece among top-quality pieces.

After Zhu Dafu reluctantly handed the jade tablet to Zhao Xueyi, he sighed and said, "Looking at the patina and other characteristics of this Zigang plaque, it should be a work from the Qianlong era. Judging by its jade quality and carving, it should be a masterpiece meticulously carved for Qianlong."

"This Zigang plaque, not to mention its jade quality, just its carving, is the best I have seen so far, besides Lu Zigang himself. Even more commendable is that the jade quality of this Zigang plaque is flawless mutton fat white jade, which makes it even more precious. It is truly an extremely rare masterpiece."

After everyone had taken turns appreciating the Zigang plaque, they were all amazed by its exquisiteness. Although the jade tablet felt a bit stiff due to not being handled for many years, it was still evident that with a little more careful polishing, it would regain its original luster.

At this moment, Zhu Dafu said to Chu Chen with a fawning smile, "Xiao Chen, let's make a deal. How about you let Uncle Fu have this Zigang plaque?"

Before Chu Chen could reply, Zhao Xueyi quickly interjected, "Old Zhu, that's not fair. You've already gotten a set of furniture today. This Zigang plaque should naturally be mine."

Zhu Dafu glared and said, "Get lost! You've easily earned over a hundred thousand today, and you still want to snatch it from me? Besides, I'm already this old. Don't you know how to show respect for the elderly and care for the young?"

Zhao Xueyi chuckled and said, "When I encounter something I like, I can't care about so much."

Zhu Dafu clasped his hands and pleaded, "Old Zhao, please be merciful and let me have it. How about I let you pick two items from my collection another day?"

Zhao Xueyi's eyes lit up with interest, "Really? Can I choose anything?"

Zhu Dafu said with a pained expression, "Well, we'll discuss that later, as long as it doesn't exceed thirty (thousand)."