Detective Di Renjie's legend of Wu Dynasty

Chapter 708
Inside the Chengfu Gate on the east side of the Luoyang Imperial City, there is an inconspicuous silver-roofed gray brick building hidden, with the palace wall to the west and Mingtang to the east, and the seven-entry gray brick palace-style building inside the silver-roofed red lacquer gate, which is simple, simple and peaceful. quiet.

On the plaque above the red gate is written in gilt characters: Shanjin Bureau.

This good gold bureau is specially set up for the emperor to make gold and silverware, and it is the royal workshop.

Hundreds of top gold and silver craftsmen from the dynasty, Persia, Dashi and other countries gathered in the workshop. They produced a large number of exquisite gold and silver wares for the emperor.

In front of the gate of the Shanjin Bureau, dozens of heavily armed armored guards were closely guarding it.

An official sedan chair stopped in front of the gate, and the curtain of the sedan chair was opened. A barbarian with a jade belt, a purple robe, and an official headband got out of the sedan chair and walked quickly to the gate. The gatekeepers bowed to him. , and said in unison: "Lord Sha!"

The barbarian nodded, and slowly raised his hands. A guard went up to search his lapel, and he knew it was a routine inspection.

This Lord Sha is the favorite minister of the current emperor - Shar Khan, the general supervisor.

The Shanjin Bureau is affiliated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and will serve as a supervisor. Because there is always a large amount of gold and silver in the bureau, the [-] Zuoyuqian guards and iron-armored imperial guards under the jurisdiction of the Nanya are on guard day and night. Shar Khan, who will be the chief supervisor, must also pass strict inspections to enter the Shanjin Bureau.

After the imperial guards checked, Shar Khan turned around and got on the sedan chair. The thick iron gate of the Shanjin Bureau opened abruptly, and the official sedan chair passed through the gate along the central axis and headed towards Fan Zhufang, which was located in the center of the first courtyard.

The huge bronze casting furnace is suspended in the air, and below it is a fire pool made of huge stones. The flames in the pool are raging, and the casting furnace makes a slight hissing sound under the burning fire.

Several fireworkers were busy adding matches and firewood in a tense and orderly manner.

A stone's throw away from the fire pool is a square mold casting platform. Under the command of Zhang Gu, dozens of craftsmen placed a round bronze casting mold with a diameter of about six feet on the platform.

Several attendants pushed open the door of the workshop, and Shar Khan stepped in.

Zhang Gu saw Master Sha coming to inspect in person, and hurriedly led the crowd to kneel down on the ground and kowtow to say hello.

Shar Khan smiled and waved everyone to get up: "Get up, everyone."

Zhang Gu trotted up to Shar Khan: "Superintendent, what are your orders?"

Shar Khan's eyes kept staring at the craftsmen working beside the fan casting furnace: "How is it?"

Zhang Gu clasped his hands and replied: "Since the fire broke out at the end of yesterday, and it has taken seven and a half hours to melt 9000 taels of gold into water. The gold water is now stored in the fan casting furnace. The bronze casting mold has been placed properly, just waiting for the arrival of your lord." , Fan Zhu can start."

Shar Khan turned his head and nodded, obviously satisfied with Zhang Gu's answer: "Very good, you have worked hard."

Zhang Gu hurriedly bowed and replied: "I am responsible for being a senior supervisor, Guan Xi, and a humble position. I dare not talk about hard work."

Shar Khan walked to Fan Zhu's platform, carefully inspected the bronze casting mold and the tools around him, and told the palm guard beside him: "Today's Fan Zhu's utensils, from the materials used in the drawings, to the hammering and chisel carving, to the color patterns, are all The Holy Majesty personally tested it, it can be said that he is the emperor's personal supervisor, it is no small matter, you have to be 12 points, and you must not make mistakes!"

Zhang Gu hastily bowed and said, "I would like to accept your teaching."

Sharhan waved his hand and said, "Let's start."

Zhang Gu hurriedly walked to Fan Zhutai, took out a green flag from the lottery holder, and waved it lightly.

The fireworkers who had been waiting beside the bronze casting furnace took the thick ropes on both sides of the furnace and pulled them forward. On the track of the roof, it slowly slides to the top of the fan casting platform, and aligns with the circular bronze mold below.

Zhang Gu took out another red flag from the stick and waved it lightly.

The pyrotechnics who were pulling the forge retreated, and six fan casting craftsmen stepped forward, using six telescopic iron rods about one foot long with handles to hold the forge, and all of them looked at Shar Khan in unison.

Shar Khan stretched out his right hand, and Zhang Gu hurriedly handed the red flag to his hand.

Time seemed to freeze, and all eyes were on Shar Khan, who stared at the casting furnace without moving.

The casting furnace had gradually cooled down. Shar Khan waved the red flag in his hand, leaned his palm forward, and took an iron thermometer about ten feet long from the fireworker beside him, and came under the casting furnace. , put the temperature measuring mirror on the side of the copper furnace, after a while, took off the iron mirror and looked at it: "My lord, it is still high fever, we have to wait."

Shar Khan frowned slightly and shook his head: "I can't wait any longer."

After speaking, slowly raised the red flag.

Looking at the red flag raised high in Shar Khan's hand, Zhang Gu hurriedly walked to Shar Khan's side and said in a low voice: "My lord, wait a minute, please think twice. At this time, the furnace is overheated, and the golden water is like soup. Once the furnace is cast If the angle is slightly wrong, the golden water will definitely splash out... the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Shar Khan was about to wave the red flag in his hand down, when he heard what Zhang Gu said, his hands stopped in the air. After thinking for a while, he took a deep breath, waved the red flag in his hand lightly, and said in a deep voice: "One light shot Put two inches!"

Under the casting furnace, the first row of craftsmen holding iron rods gently turned the handle in the middle of the iron rods, and the iron rods slowly retracted two inches downwards, and the casting furnace slowly tilted at an angle of 45 degrees.

Zhang Gu said worriedly at the side: "My lord, the angle is too big, the golden water will overflow..."

Shar Khan ignored him, waved the red flag lightly and said: "Three strokes are raised by three inches."

The third row of craftsmen raised the iron rod by three inches with the handle, and immediately, the inclination angle of the casting furnace reached [-] degrees, and the golden water was rippling in the furnace and rushed to the furnace mouth. out.

Zhang Gu's face changed drastically, and he said softly at the side: "My lord, the angle is too big, I'm afraid it won't work, let's go back to the furnace!"

Shar Khan's face was calm, completely ignoring Zhang Gu's reminder.

There was no sound except for the hiss of flags waving in the air.

Shar Khan was expressionless, and said in a deep voice: "The second shot is raised by five inches!"

At this time, the air in the workshop seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath and focused their eyes on the casting furnace.

I saw the craftsmen in the second row slowly turn the handle, and the iron rod slowly rose.

With a soft "snap", the iron rod stopped at the five-inch position.

The fiery red gold water in the casting furnace slowly flowed down from the furnace mouth, and poured steadily and quietly into the bronze mold below.

The craftsmen breathed a sigh of relief and expressed their sincere admiration.

A smile appeared on Sharhan's face.

Zhang Gu on the side let out a long sigh, patted his chest vigorously, and said with a swipe, "My lord's ability is really unsurpassed in the past and present, and the 9000 taels of gold water has not been sprinkled. .”

Shar Khan ignored him, his eyes fixed on the forge.

I saw fiery red gold water poured into the bronze mold, and it scattered in the mold in a blink of an eye.

The corners of Shar Khan's mouth rose slightly, and he told everyone: "I am here to oversee the work. You will spend two hours carefully carving and finishing what the emperor wants, and you will be rewarded when the time comes."

Everyone promised repeatedly: "Please rest assured, my lord!"

The craftsmen in the workshop are all selected from the master craftsmen in the foundry and sculpture industry in the middle school.

Everyone has to perform their duties in a hurry and orderly manner.

Someone placed the gold piece on the stage, held a small silver hammer with a jade handle and tapped lightly on the tail of the silver chisel, and the chisel head carved patterns on the gold piece.

Some use a small gold hammer to beat the gold piece repeatedly, and after a while, the smashed part of the gold piece will protrude and become a relief-like pattern.

Here, a craftsman spreads the gold thread on the stage and carefully weaves it into a peony flower pattern.

The craftsmen in that compartment welded a circle of small gold beads around the group of flowers woven with gold wire, and welded pieces of red, green and sapphire inlaid in gold holders on the edge of the gold plate.

Two hours passed, and a six-foot-long gold plate cost 9000 taels of gold to cast. The edge of the plate was inlaid with dozens of catties of precious stones, chiseled and carved. In front of Erhan.

Under the illumination of the light, a glare of light wandered on the gold market, and suddenly pearls shone, full of auspiciousness.

(End of this chapter)