golden ear

Chapter 346

The Qi sword recorded in "Sword Record" is three feet nine inches long, converted into a modern unit of length, it is about 1 meter 3, which is not much different from the length measured by the bronze sword in the archives.

Moreover, according to historical records, Qi conquered Boyi by force, defeated him and succeeded to the throne, defeated the powerful Youhu clan through the battle of Gan, and realized the destiny of the world, the Xian Dynasty.

Combining these aspects, archaeologists believe that this bronze sword is the Qi sword recorded in "Sword Record".

The last piece is jade, Yuhuang!
Jade huang, jade cong, jade bi, jade gui, jade zhang, jade hu, etc. are collectively called "six auspiciousness", which is called "six utensils rituals of heaven and earth" in the book "Zhou Li", a high-level jade ritual vessel. Servings are heavy.

This jade huang is in the shape of a crescent moon, inlaid with jade stones by subtracting the ground, leaving the bottom to form the outline of the animal face, with two round jade stones inlaid on it as the eyes, the eye sockets as the bottom of the huang, and the mountain-shaped bottom to form the shape of the mouth, and the inside is inlaid Square turquoise, with four sides left as a frame, is exquisite.

The jade used to carve this jade huang is a whole piece of top-grade white jade, the craftsmanship is extremely unique and exquisite, and the decoration technique is extremely ancient and superb.Due to the age, there are recrystallized spots on the jade surface, showing the vicissitudes of thousands of years.

There is an inscription on the jade huang, and the inscription reads "the decree is shown below".The following instructions are revelations or instructions from heaven or ancestors and gods.

Xia Wen's "purpose" has a "dagger" shape on the top, like a spoon, and a "day" character on the bottom, like a mouth.The meaning is to put a spoonful of delicious soup into the mouth, expressing pleasure and pleasure.

Combining "purpose" and "showing below", the inscription means that the people express to heaven or their ancestors: "I am happy to accept your instructions." of.

"This is really the Huang of the Xiahou Clan, the most precious treasure in the world, and the divine weapon of the country!" Wu Tianyuan couldn't help but exclaimed.

This time, not only the Xiahou Ding, which had been lost for thousands of years, was discovered, but also three absolutely important weapons that were kept secret in Xiaotian, Yipan, Qijian, and Xiahou's Huang!

"Change! You go to be in charge of the negotiation, these heavy weapons will be brought back to me no matter what!"

Wu Tianyuan ordered domineeringly: "If Mitsui Kusaka can't be the master of that, please ask me to meet Mitsui Patriarch, and I will talk about it in person!"

A day later, Wu Tianyuan met Mitsui Kusaka in the museum, and the two talked secretly for a long time, and finally reached an agreement to exchange [-] famous paintings for this batch of cultural relics from the Xia Dynasty.

"This time we are at a disadvantage!"

Sun Yuyao said in dissatisfaction: "Four hundred master works cost at least several billion dollars, you are really willing!"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not interested in those oil paintings. Besides, I still have 1200 paintings in my hand, which are definitely enough for museums."

Wu Tianyuan said with a smile: "Now we also have money in our hands. We collect some from several auction houses every year, which is enough for daily replacement. Our Xia, Shang and Zhou bronzes are masterpieces of our ancestors and cannot fall into the hands of Little Japan!"

Wu Tianyuan had just rested for a day, and Liu Meizi hurried over to say that he had something important to discuss.

"You were invited to participate in the incense tasting party? What's the situation?"

Liu Meizi was a little worried and said: "This is the highest level of incense tasting in Osaka. It is held by several senior experts and held every six months. Inviting all incense masters to participate is actually an opportunity for exchanges in the industry to see who has a higher level. it is good."

"I want the circle to recognize the level. This is the first necessary path. Only by making a name can our agarwood enter the Japanese market."

"That is to say, it is inevitable this time?" Wu Tianyuan pondered for a while and asked, "What rules?"

"The first item is air smoked incense. Let's see who is familiar with raw materials from different origins? The one who can distinguish the most in the shortest time wins!"

"The second item is seal seal and tasting incense. The contestants combine incense to see who has the best taste and who is more popular wins."

"The third item is the air-burning method. Each takes out the best of the bottom of the box, and all the referees score together. Two out of three rounds win!"

Liu Mizi explained: "The three competitions proposed by the Incense Tasting Association are three different methods of tasting incense, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The air fumigation method has strong firepower and is suitable for heating raw materials, distinguishing its origin and fragrance at different stages. The origin of agarwood There are more than a dozen places, even an expert cannot distinguish the place of origin with the naked eye."

"The most accurate way is to heat it with air fumigation, smell the fragrance carefully, and judge the real quality." Liu Meizi took out the incense utensils, and demonstrated it to Wu Tianyuan while talking.Liu Meizi's movements are smooth and rhythmic, and she looks like a master at first glance.

Wu Tianyuan also memorized the order carefully. The incense and tea ceremony are the process of cultivating the mind. The so-called expert will know if there is one as soon as he stretches out his hand, otherwise Liu Meizi would not value it so much.

"My biggest opponent is a Vietnamese half-race, Kawada Yumi, who comes from a family of incense and Taoism. He has been good-looking since he was a child. He is a real master! I met him once. He has an elegant and quiet temperament. He is a strong opponent." This is what Liu Mizi is most worried about.

"Players usually remove impurities such as white skin and dirty mud first, otherwise it will affect the fragrance. Experienced players simply make the raw materials into uniform sizes to facilitate the fragrance tasting. This must be the case at the Fragrance Conference, so it depends on the appearance It is even more difficult to distinguish the origin of raw materials. Usually it doesn’t matter, but the competition is to see who is faster, and the first instinct is the most important.”

"The third item is air-burning incense, mainly high-grade agarwood, even Qinan. Because the heating process is slow, easy to control, and can fully utilize agarwood. On the contrary, we have a better chance of winning this one, after all, we have some top-grade Hainan in our hands. fragrant."

Wu Tianyuan shook his head, and had a different opinion: "Not necessarily, Yumi Kawata has a deep family heritage, even if there is no such superb product, there must be good ones in his hand. With her technique, all the referees will taste the fragrance together, who would like it if they don't keep it all together? What's the taste?"

"That can't be helped, our hole cards are only like this, and others don't know!" Liu Meizi was also very helpless, and had no choice but to play hard.

"The second item is the most important level of incense, Hexiang!" Liu Meizi said seriously: "The only criterion for a master of incense is to create his own genre and his own fragrance spectrum. For example, Chen's fragrance spectrum is the painstaking work of a generation of masters."

Wu Tianyuan asked with a smile: "You are also considered an expert, so you don't have any secret recipes?"

"Hey, I also have a few small secret recipes in my hand, which can increase the quality of Hexiang. The fragrance will set the theme of the most memorable flavor this time, and let us develop it ourselves. What is the most memorable? Everyone has different understandings. Difficult!"

Now that there is no other way, Wu Tianyuan asked Tianyuanhui to use all its strength to buy agarwood raw materials at a high price, and to give Liu Meizi a special training as soon as possible. There is still half a month before the incense tasting meeting, hoping to improve the level.

Liu Meizi began to conduct special training, taking out various air-smoking raw materials purchased at high prices, and memorizing their external characteristics and taste.There are always seventeen or eighteen kinds, all of which are similar from the outside, and those who are not really big experts can't tell the difference at all.

"Khmer agarwood, sweet and slightly sour, similar to honey. Because of its strong fragrance, it can eliminate all odors, and is the most popular in the Middle East market. This kind of agarwood is like an eagle's wing feather, with brown and black filaments on the surface Fine lines. The agarwood oil extracted from it has strong penetrating power. Generally, after applying it, it lasts for four or five days, and the fragrance remains. It is known as the best perfume in nature."

"Agarwood from Laos is brown-black, hard and brittle, and some are honeycomb-shaped, and the thick ones are extremely rare. Agarwood from Laos has a strong fragrance, mellow and cool."

"West Malaysia is a relatively large production area, so the taste of West Malaysia in each production area will be different. In the industry, West Malaysia is not subdivided. The West Malaysia production area near the north has a slightly sour flavor and a strong taste. The taste is similar. Aroma of dried plums. Close to West Malaysia in the south, it has a slightly floral aroma, sweet and cool."

"The oil line in Xima is very delicate, and the output of submerged water is lower than that in Gary and other places. The wood color of Xima in the north is slightly yellowish, while that in Xima in the south is black and white."

Wu Tianyuan also observed each kind carefully by himself, savoring the nuances with his nose.Not to mention that different production areas have different tastes, even in the same production area, because the environment, water and soil are different, the aroma is also different.The subtle changes in it are so strange that outsiders cannot understand them.

"Nha Trang, Vietnam is known to everyone, and more is the Qinan it produces. The quality of the Qinan produced in Nha Trang is the best, and it has always ranked first in all kinds of Qinan. But under the aura of Qinan, Nha Trang is actually also It produces ordinary agarwood. This is what we call Nha Trang agarwood.”

"The agarwood in Nha Trang is also hollow, and it is mostly sold as smoked materials. The fat is relatively thick, and the material is not low in rot. The smoked materials in Nha Trang are rich in flavor, and will show different changes with temperature and time. Changing, sweet and melodious."

Liu Meizi focuses on collecting several kinds of Vietnamese agarwood. After all, Kawata Yumi is of Vietnamese mixed blood, and the family must grow this kind of incense. It is more likely to win if you know yourself and your enemy.

"Vietnam produces agarwood, and red soil is also one of them. Most of Vietnam's agarwood is produced in the mountainous areas of central Vietnam. The wood is yellow-white and quite soft. The surface is a rough yellow wood film. Under the wood film is hard black agarwood. There are yellow and black agarwood. Secondly, it tastes sweet and cool. Because this kind of soil is buried in the soil for a long time, the outer shell is very crisp, and some of them are severely carbonized. There is a saying in the industry that "agarwood for thousands of years, red soil for ten thousand years."

When Wu Tianyuan heard it, he couldn't help asking: "Will Kawada Yumi use red soil to make incense?"

"It is possible that it is difficult for others to know the specific formula of Hexiang Zhidao except myself. Because the amount of each fragrance material will affect the result, and the production methods of different fragrance materials will also be different, so there are too many changes."

"This time, we set the most memorable flavor as the theme. The scope is very large, and there is no fixed standard. You must first determine the main flavor according to your own understanding, then select the fragrance materials according to the fragrance spectrum, and constantly adjust the proportion of ingredients to try out a finished product."

From ancient times to the present, there are very few incense lists, and there are hundreds of incense recipes, which shows how difficult it is to combine incense.This is what Liu Meizi is most worried about. Kawada Yumika said that there must be a secret recipe passed down from generation to generation.Liu Meizi's hands are just some co-fragrance tricks, which can only increase the chance of success at most, and it doesn't help the main line much.

Wu Tianyuan was also most worried about this. After all, the Liu family still has no background in the way of incense, even if they followed the incense book step by step, the result would definitely not be the best.After all, the Fragrance Club is full of connoisseurs, and the members are all experienced players. Without innovation, people cannot be fooled.

Take it one step at a time, first clarify the raw material production area, and then Liu Mizi's surprise special training in the next two days, her level will rise as the tide rises.In three days, you can basically distinguish the raw materials of agarwood from all Vietnamese production areas.

"In fact, the closer the material is to the core material, the less miscellaneous it is. Everyone has preferences for various flavors of agarwood, and everyone has different sensitivities to the fragrance of agarwood, so agarwood is really subjective and subjective. Small crowd's plaything."

(End of this chapter)