Lu Buwei suddenly said that these tripods were created by nature and were not made by mortals. Wouldn’t they be made by gods? However, it is said that the Nine Cauldrons were made by Dayu. Could it be that Dayu became a god?
"What do you mean, Father Zhong?" Ying Zheng asked anxiously as he couldn't figure out why.
Lu Buwei looked at Ying Zheng and said softly: "This matter is a long story. I will tell the king everything I know."
Ying Zheng made a gesture of invitation and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhongfu."
Lu Buwei said calmly: "After the veteran captured the Jiuding, he had many scruples, fearing that other countries would send troops to rob it, so he sent special personnel to protect the Jiuding and conduct research at the same time."
Ying Zheng turned his eyes to Jiuding again and listened to Lu Buwei's story.
Lu Buwei continued: "When I first returned to Jiuding, I was afraid that the descendants of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty would unite all the countries to ask for it. So, I summoned all kinds of skilled craftsmen in the Great Qin Dynasty to gather here, with the purpose of making fakes. To prepare for emergencies. But later, the craftsmen of Da Qin really couldn't find a way, so the old minister used various methods to gather skilled craftsmen from all over the world. But until now, let alone imitation, even the raw materials used to make Jiuding, I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.”
"Oh? Even Father Zhong can't figure out the raw materials?" Ying Zheng turned around and looked at Lu Buwei in surprise.
"The king also saw that the colors of the nine tripods are different, which means that the raw materials for making the nine tripods are different." Lu Buwei continued, "But the weight, toughness, and durability of the nine tripods are almost the same. Craftsmen. People speculate that these nine tripods may be made of the same main raw material, but the auxiliary materials are different, resulting in different colors. Furthermore, the nine tripods are treasures of China and cannot be damaged, so they cannot be removed from the tripods. A small piece is taken off and smelted, so the proportions of its various raw materials are also unknown.”
"So that's it." Ying Zheng nodded and said thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty, this is not the only thing that is incomprehensible." Lu Buwei said.
Ying Zheng was slightly startled and listened attentively.
Lu Buwei's mood obviously fluctuated, and he said with a trembling voice: "Over the past year, craftsmen have produced countless imitation samples, but they are only similar in weight, size and shape. The color, texture, pattern, toughness In terms of durability, there is a huge difference. Moreover, in these aspects, the more models are produced, the more problems are discovered.”
It seems that Lu Buwei has indeed put a lot of effort and thought into Jiuding.
"What did you find?" Ying Zheng asked anxiously, his tone no longer calm.
"The different colors indicate that the proportions of various raw materials are different, and the refining process is also different. Judging from Daqin's current technological level, it is impossible to produce such a texture without changing the basic characteristics. Cauldrons that are uniform and have different colors.”
"Great Qin can't bake it? What about other countries?" Ying Zheng asked.
"The craftsmen gathered by the veterans include many capable people from the six countries. It can be said that they basically represent the highest level of craftsmanship in China." Lu Buwei said.
Ying Zheng blinked and said, "Does that mean that even the highest level of skill in the world can't figure out the raw materials and process of making Jiuding?"
Lu Buwei nodded and said, "That's right."
Ying Zheng frowned and thought for a long time before asking again: "Apart from this, what else have been discovered?"
Lu Buwei's voice was slightly lower, but still trembling: "Your Majesty has also seen that the most troublesome thing in imitation is these textures and graphics. If the hardness of the tripod is low, it will take less effort to carve, but the effect will be very unsatisfactory. , and if the hardness is too high, you need extraordinary carving skills, otherwise cracks will easily occur. Especially those raised graphics cannot be carved at all. You can only use small molds to process those graphics, and then weld them, but Welding is another problem, and craftsmen currently don’t have such precise welding skills.”
"You mean those textures and patterns are even more difficult to process?" Ying Zheng asked.
"If you use ordinary materials, it is certainly possible, but we haven't even figured out the material of Jiuding yet. Naturally, the texture and pattern are not easy to solve." Lu Buwei shook his head and said, "Later, the craftsmen guessed that these nine The big tripod was probably made from a larger mold with textures and patterns, and was fired as a whole. But their attempts ultimately failed to come to a conclusion. Because the production of this large mold itself is very difficult, let alone It is said that the stripes and patterns of the tripod are carved into it.”
"..." Ying Zheng was shocked as he listened to Lu Buwei's narration.
"Your Majesty, the most amazing thing is the various strange phenomena displayed by these nine tripods." Lu Buwei could not hide the excitement in his heart.
"A vision?" Ying Zheng subconsciously retracted his hand from the Jiuding.
"The surface of the Jiuding should be coated with a layer of transparent juice that has a protective function, but it is not clear what it is. It makes the surface of the tripod extremely clean. The veteran once used clean water to clean the surface of the tripod, but there were few water marks on the tripod. It disappeared in a breath, and the water in the cauldron also decreased rapidly, and finally flowed out from the fixed position of each cauldron. However, the amount of water flowing out was much less than the amount of water poured in, as if It's like Jiuding drank the water." Lu Buwei's voice gradually increased, obviously unable to conceal the shock in his heart.
"There are really many connections in Jiuding." Ying Zheng sighed.
"What's even more puzzling is that the temperature of Jiuding remains constant no matter how hot or cold it is. The old minister once exposed Jiuding to the scorching sun in the scorching summer to observe its changes. Unexpectedly, it didn't feel hot when he touched it. It is no different from the normal temperature. But now it is the end of winter, and the Jiuding is placed in this cold place, and the tentacles do not feel cold, and the temperature is almost the same as in summer. "
Only then did Ying Zheng realize that this was a basement, it was winter again, and the temperature was very low. But just now he had touched Jiuding for a long time, and he did not feel cold. Instead, it felt very natural, and the touch on his hand did not feel like touching. The feeling of metal made him ignore the temperature factor.
Lu Buwei added: "There is still a little doubt, and the craftsmen have been discussing it for a long time. Even if all the problems are solved and the Jiuding is successfully copied, the fake will remain in the dark for a few years at most, because over time, the copied The fake ones will rust and be corroded by moisture, thus revealing flaws. But the real Jiuding, according to legend, has been around for more than two thousand years since the time of Yu the Great, but there is still no rust at all. It looks like it was just cast yesterday. Moreover, legends are legends, the true age of Jiuding may be even longer, and I am afraid only the person who created it will know it."
Ying Zheng looked horrified. The more Lu Buwei said, the more curious he became about Jiuding.
"Countries have been fighting for years, and the smelting skills have made great progress. But to the extent that this generation can achieve, replicating Jiuding is not difficult to complete, but simply impossible." Lu Buwei seemed to have made a conclusion.
Ying Zheng did not doubt what Lu Buwei said: "Wouldn't that mean that the production level two thousand years ago was much higher than it is today."
Lu Buwei sighed softly: "Man-made things two thousand years ago could not be made by people two thousand years later, so it is not an exaggeration to call it a thing made by heaven. Presumably, this is also the reason why Jiuding can be used as a symbol of royal power and the most precious treasure of China." The reason. As for the magic of Jiuding, I have not fully explored it yet. They are too mysterious, which is one of the reasons why I dare not return them to the king. "
Ying Zheng believes that Lu Buwei's words are true, because what Lu Buwei told can be seen by trying it with Jiuding, and the lie will be easily exposed.
And since it is something handed down from ancient times, there must be a lot of magic in it, and it is even really incredible. Originally, Ying Zheng did not take seriously some ancient figures and their legends. Now it seems that many myths and legends may not be fabricated, and the real fools may be himself and all the people in this world who think they are noble but are like frogs in the well. .
While Jiuding brought great shock to Ying Zheng, it also aroused his curiosity, making him eager to re-understand the world.
Ying Zheng was thinking as he walked slowly around Jiuding and observed carefully.
Suddenly, Ying Zheng seemed to remember something, turned to Lu Buwei and said, "Father Zhong, do you have a ladder for climbing?"
"Of course, Your Majesty." Lu Buwei pointed to the side of a corner, where there were two foot ladders, about the same height as the Jiuding.
"Help me move one here. I want to see what the inside of Jiuding looks like." Ying Zheng walked towards the foot ladder.
"Let me, old minister, do it by himself." Lu Buwei quickly walked up to Ying Zheng.
The foot ladder is not very heavy, but very strong. It is made by craftsmen and is used to step up to the upper part of the Jiuding.
How could Ying Zheng let Lu Buwei carry the heavy objects alone? He helped Lu Buwei lift the stepladder.
After stepping up the ladder, Ying Zheng held the upper edge of the tripod with his hands and looked into the inside of the tripod. Lu Buwei handed Ying Zheng an oil lamp for lighting.
The inner wall of the tripod body is also filled with symbols and patterns, which are very similar to those on the outer wall of the tripod body. The difference is that the outer wall of the tripod body has stripes and patterns that protrude outward, while the inside of the tripod body is concave inward. Compared with the outer wall, the inner wall looks more like it is carved, but no one dares to say whether it is carved or not.
The bottom of the tripod also has such stripes and patterns, but the depth is different. There is a spherical groove in the middle. At the bottom of the groove, there are five holes the size of five fingernails, evenly distributed outside the groove.
Ying Zheng observed carefully again, then got down from the foot ladder, turned around and asked Lu Buwei: "Father Zhong just said that when cleaning the Jiuding, the water will flow out, but will it flow out from the five holes at the bottom of the tripod?"
"Exactly." Lu Buwei nodded and said, "There is only one hole at the bottom of the outside of the tripod with water flowing out. It seems that the five holes are gathered in one place."
"The bottom of the tripod should have a certain thickness, and its internal structure must also be mysterious." Ying Zheng said, "Is this the case for every tripod?"
"There are five small holes in the bottom of each tripod, but the shapes of the concave surfaces are different." Lu Buwei said.
Ying Zheng moved the stepladder and looked inside each tripod. Indeed, as Lu Buwei said, the concave part in the middle of each tripod has a different shape, but there are five leaking holes evenly distributed inside the groove.
"Maybe it was designed like this because it was afraid of trapping rainwater." Ying Zheng seemed to be talking to himself.
"I think so too, but I dare not say for sure whether it is true or not," Lu Buwei said.
"Father Zhong." Ying Zheng came to Lu Buwei and said, "Do you know this much about Jiuding?"
"The old minister is busy with everything, so naturally it is difficult to pay full attention to Jiuding." Lu Buwei said, "Lu Wen and Lu Wu are supervising it. Whenever there is any new discovery, they will report it to the old minister."
"Then why is the Jiuding placed here?" Ying Zheng asked, this was the question he wanted to ask when he came in.
"Over the past year or so, veterans have placed the Jiuding in different environments, and some even placed it in water. First, it facilitates the observation of changes in cold and heat, and secondly, it also facilitates the division of labor and cooperation among the craftsmen." Lu Buwei grew up. In one breath, he said, "Now, the old minister knows that there is no hope of imitating it, so he gathers the Nine Cauldrons here to ensure its safety."
It seems that the Jiuding placed here is indeed very safe, but the secret of the Jiuding may not be leaked.
"Where are those craftsmen now?" Ying Zheng asked.
"They all live in an independent courtyard in the inner palace, and the old officials dare not let them return home." Lu Buwei said.
"That's good. Don't let anyone go." Ying Zheng said, "These craftsmen may be of great use in the future, so we must treat them well."
Lu Buwei cupped his hands and responded: "Old minister, I will obey the king's order."
Even if Ying Zheng didn't give this advice, Lu Buwei would definitely not let anyone go.
The atmosphere in this secret room was turbid, so Ying Zheng did not stay any longer and let Lu Buwei lead the way out of the secret room.
