Zigang Plaque

Chu Chen saw how impatient everyone was and said with a smile, "Let's eat first and talk afterward. There's no way to work on it here."

Everyone agreed that made sense, so they hurried through dinner and went to Uncle Wu's shop.

Chu Chen picked up the Buddha statue he had set aside earlier, placed it on the counter, and gently wiped it down with a cloth. He then pointed out the location of the crack. Everyone took turns examining it carefully with magnifying glasses, all marveling at the superb craftsmanship. It actually fit together so perfectly that not even the slightest gap could be seen.

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

Chu Chen obviously couldn't say that he had discovered the anomaly because of his special ability, so he gave them the explanation he had prepared earlier.

"I discovered this Buddha statue by accident. When I first saw it, I was somewhat disappointed, but after thinking about it, I noticed some problems. Uncle Zhao once told me that Old Li's family had not only been Shanxi merchants, but also a family of scholars, and that they had dabbled in antiques as well. They shouldn't have commissioned a Buddha statue with such ordinary carving."

"Even if someone in the family had believed in Buddhism and brought this statue home, why were there no traces of incense at all? So I guessed that there had to be something unusual about it. That was why I found this crack."

The truth was actually much the same as what Chu Chen had said. Back then, Grandpa Li's grandfather had commissioned someone to make this Buddha statue, but before he could reveal its secret, he suddenly suffered a stroke and died.

Later, Grandpa Li had also wondered whether there was something wrong with it. However, perhaps it was simply a matter of luck. Even today, he had never noticed the crack, leaving Chu Chen to benefit from it for nothing.

After listening, Uncle Wu said approvingly, "Good. Your explanation is logical and well-founded. That's why finding hidden treasures is a technical skill. Xiao Chen, remember this: in the antique trade, you have to think more and think well. Only then can you distinguish the genuine from the fake as effectively as possible. All right, let's see what's inside this Buddha statue."

As he spoke, Uncle Wu took out a scraper about three or four inches long and gently scraped at the crack. After scraping out its two ends, he began scraping lightly across it. After roughly ten minutes, the layer concealing the surface of the crack had been scraped away.

The back of the Buddha statue now clearly showed a rectangular wooden panel embedded in it. Yet after seeing it, everyone was dumbfounded. The crack was extremely narrow; even a thin needle might not be able to fit through it. How could they remove the wooden panel inside?

Everyone exchanged helpless glances. They couldn't use brute force, since damaging the treasure inside would make the gain not worth the loss. It felt like entering a mountain of treasures and returning empty-handed.

Unwilling to give up, Chu Chen took out the magnifying glass again and examined the crack. At that point, simply waiting helplessly was not his nature. When he looked at a spot an inch from the bottom on the right, he suddenly noticed something different.

"Huh?"

Chu Chen let out a puzzled sound, picked up the scraper beside him, and gently scraped at that spot. Before long, he exposed a small hole. The hole was only a centimeter from the crack. Uncle Wu might have scraped a little farther just now, so they were no longer as helpless as before.

Seeing this, Zhao Xueyi said excitedly, "There it is! There it is! That must be the mechanism."

Uncle Wu hurriedly rummaged through the cabinets and found a needle of roughly the right size. Chu Chen took it, gently pushed it into the small hole, and soon encountered slight resistance. The moment he applied a little force, there was a soft pop, and the wooden panel sprang out into Chu Chen's hand.

Zhao Xueyi sighed when he saw this. "That's truly astonishing. I never imagined the mechanism from back then could be made so delicately. What a pity that this craft has probably been lost."

This mechanism was indeed extraordinary. It was an extremely complex concealment technique from ancient Huaxia. Not only were there very few people who knew how to make it, there were hardly any who had even heard of it. It had a very vivid name: "belly chamber."

This belly chamber was considered a simple version. There was an even more complicated type in which the small hole itself was a lock. It required a needle of the corresponding shape to open, and there was also a destructive device inside. If anyone forced it open, the object inside would destroy itself.

After the wooden panel was removed, a thick layer of cotton was stuffed inside. It was meant to prevent the hidden objects from making any noise. Once the cotton was cleared away, they found two brocade pouches inside.

One of the brocade pouches seemed to contain two objects. Chu Chen opened it and carefully poured out its contents. When he looked closely, he saw two gold ingots.

Zhu Dafu took the two gold ingots and examined them carefully. They were engraved with the characters "Xin," "Tian," "Qiu Tianbao," and "pure gold," as well as double-happiness symbols. They were extremely exquisite. He smiled and said, "Excellent. Two one-liang gold ingots from the late Qing and early Republic. Their condition is superb. Just these two items have earned us more than ten times what we paid."

After speaking, Zhu Dafu handed the two gold ingots to Uncle Wu and the others. Once the two men had examined them, they nodded happily.

Chu Chen was also delighted. This meant that most of the rent had been taken care of. Still, he was puzzled as to why his special ability had not reacted to the gold ingots. Unable to figure it out, he prepared to open the other brocade pouch. He was filled with anticipation, because the aura inside it was extremely strong.

This brocade pouch felt somewhat soft to the touch. Chu Chen carefully poured out its contents. The first thing he saw was another layer of cotton. After removing it, an exceptionally beautiful jade plaque lay quietly beneath it.

"Let me see it!"

Zhu Dafu eagerly leaned over, carefully took the jade plaque in his hands, pulled out a magnifying glass, and began examining it closely.

It was a jade plaque roughly five centimeters tall. Judging from its carving technique, it should be a Zigang plaque.

Zigang, also known as Zigang, was surnamed Lu and came from Jiangnan's "Wumen." He was a renowned jade-carving artist active in Suzhou during the Jiajing and Wanli eras of the Ming dynasty, as well as one of the most celebrated masters in the history of Chinese jade carving.

Zigang's jade carving transformed Ming jade ware from its stale and vulgar style. Using exquisite jade materials and superb carving techniques, he incorporated seal carving, calligraphy, and painting into jade art, raising Chinese jade craftsmanship to an entirely new artistic realm.

Lu Zigang created countless jade carvings of breathtaking beauty and astonishing ingenuity throughout his life. A single jade hairpin alone was worth "fifty-six taels of gold," while the jade plaques he created were even more captivating.

Zigang's jade pendants were square or rectangular, broad, thick, and solid, resembling plaques, and were therefore simply called "Zigang plaques." Their unique charm lay in the artistic style that combined distinctive forms, exquisite jade, and delicate carving, allowing people to appreciate the artistic grace of Lu Zigang's jade work.

Zigang plaques stood above all other jade works in artistry and cost more than ordinary jade. As soon as they appeared, they were immediately favored by people throughout the court and society, especially scholars and men of letters. They were often in short supply, creating a considerable trend of imitation. People secretly imitated them not only during the Ming dynasty, but also during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China.

Even today, many jade shops in Suzhou and Yangzhou still imitate Zigang plaques, and there remains a sizable market for them. Many people still have a special fondness for Zigang plaques, showing how far-reaching their influence has been. After the Ming dynasty, jade plaques bearing the Zigang mark but not made by Lu Zigang were called "Zigang-style plaques," distinguishing them from the "Zigang plaques" personally made by Lu Zigang.

The Zigang plaque in Zhu Dafu's hands was precisely a Zigang-style plaque.

The jade plaque was rectangular, with a hole drilled through its upper end. Identical Kui dragon patterns were carved on both sides around the hole. The front featured a shallow-relief landscape with a figure: a jade-faced scholar sat beneath bamboo, "chanting" at the breeze and admiring the moon, evoking the feeling of "the rain on bamboo and wind through pines carrying the sound of zithers, tea smoke and moonlight through parasol trees accompanied by the sound of books." A poem and an artist's mark were carved on the other side.

Looking at the plaque as a whole, its jade-working technique was exceptionally superb. The carving was delicate, elegant, and fresh, with figures brought vividly to life. The poem on the back flowed with grace and energy. Though the carving replaced brushwork with a knife, it still captured the charm of ink and brush. It fell short of Zigang's work, but not by much.

The jade itself was of outstanding quality: an extremely rare piece of mutton-fat white jade seed material. It was crystalline, pure white, fine, and lustrous. The entire piece was nearly flawless and could be called the finest of the fine.

After reluctantly handing the jade plaque to Zhao Xueyi, Zhu Dafu sighed and said, "Judging from its patina and other characteristics, this Zigang plaque should be a work from the Qianlong era. Considering its jade and carving, it was likely an exquisite piece carefully carved for Qianlong."

"Aside from the quality of the jade, just considering the carving, this is the finest work I've seen so far apart from Lu Zigang's own. Even more remarkably, the plaque is made from flawless-grade mutton-fat white jade, making it all the more precious. It's truly an exceedingly rare masterpiece."

After everyone took turns appreciating the Zigang plaque, they all marveled at its beauty. Although the jade felt somewhat stiff because it had not been handled for many years, it was clear that with some careful polishing, it would regain its proper luster.

At that moment, Zhu Dafu gave Chu Chen a flattering smile and said, "Xiao Chen, let's make a deal. How about letting Uncle Fu have this Zigang plaque?"

Before Chu Chen could answer, Zhao Xueyi spoke first. "Old Zhu, that's not right. You already got a whole set of furniture today. This Zigang plaque should be my turn."

Zhu Dafu glared at him. "Get lost! You made at least a hundred thousand today without breaking a sweat, and you still want to fight me for it? Besides, I'm already this old. Don't you know you should show some virtue by respecting your elders and cherishing the young?"

Zhao Xueyi chuckled. "When you come across a treasure you truly like, who can worry about that much?"

Zhu Dafu clasped his fists and pleaded, "Old Zhao, please, do me a favor and let me have it. Otherwise, tomorrow you can choose any two items from my collection."

Zhao Xueyi was tempted. "Really? I can choose anything?"

Zhu Dafu wore a pained expression. "Well, we'll discuss that when the time comes. As long as it doesn't exceed three hundred thousand."