Zuo Shan hurriedly asked, "Uncle Wu, what is a light-transmitting mirror?"
Uncle Wu explained excitedly, "The Western Han 'light-transmitting mirror' looked no different from an ordinary bronze mirror. Its surface was smooth and bright enough to reflect every hair, while its back was cast with various beautiful patterns, exquisitely detailed. But if you placed the mirror under the sunlight and reflected the light onto a wall, the phenomenon we're seeing now would appear: a light-and-dark image corresponding exactly to the patterns and inscriptions on the back."
"It looks as though light can pass through the metal mirror's surface and then be reflected out from the back. This was clearly a miracle, and it became an unsolved mystery for scholars both in China and abroad for hundreds, even thousands, of years."
After hearing Uncle Wu's explanation, Zuo Shan muttered, "Why does this thing look just like the demon-revealing mirror from mythology? And were craftsmen during the Han Dynasty really that skilled? They could actually make a mirror like this?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you."
Uncle Wu smiled. "For a long time, because people were bewildered by this strange light-transmitting phenomenon, these mirrors were regarded as divine objects used to subdue demons and monsters. So there's nothing wrong with calling it a 'demon-revealing mirror.'"
"As for the wisdom of the ancients, there's even less need to say anything. Just look at the exquisite antiques in our shop. If the ancients had no wisdom, do you think they could have made them?"
Zuo Shan gave a sheepish laugh. "It's just that I've never seen anything so miraculous. Besides, I've read several ancient books, and none of them mentioned anything about a 'see-through mirror.'"
Ever since he had started working for Chu Chen, Zuo Shan had found a few simple books on antiques