hsntnovel Chapter 1860 Jade
Chapter 1860 Jade
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Shen finally untied the last layer of package.
All I saw was a huge emerald green tea table inside.
One end of the tea table is as green as water, while the center of the tea table is white and green, as if inlaid with a few white clouds.
The tea table is surrounded by ridges, like the charm of mountains and rivers, as if it has opened up a peaceful world.
The color is clear, like a pool of clear water, full of vitality and agility.
Those strands of emerald green texture are just like mountain streams and floating mist in the woods.
It makes people feel relaxed and happy after watching it.
Everyone stared at the tea table intently, and they were all shocked. As expected, the things that King Ji produced were not ordinary items.
What's more, it is a gift to Your Majesty.
When Li Shimin saw the tea table, he couldn't help but stand up and walked towards it. Empress Changsun and Concubine Wei also followed him.
"Father, this is the gift I gave to you. I was busy with the affairs of Xizhou during your birthday celebration some time ago.
So I didn’t give Aye any decent gifts, please don’t blame me, Aye.
Today, I would like to take this opportunity to present this tea table to my father as a gift for his birthday.
May Aye be blessed with everlasting immortality, a lifespan as long as the heavens, and blessings as great as the heavens. "
Li Shen knelt down on the ground and bowed devoutly to his father.
Li Shimin did not speak, but slowly squatted down and gently stroked the edge of the tea table. The lines were smooth and elegant, without any traces of carving, as if it was created naturally.
Lightly touch the countertop, and the coolness seeps into your fingertips. The texture is delicate, as smooth as mutton-fat white jade, giving you a warm feeling.
The tea table is carved with exquisite patterns from afar, with a circling dragon and lifelike dragon scales. In the center of the tea table is a golden carp that looks like a living fish, and there are lotus flowers carved next to it.
"Good stuff." Li Shimin stroked the tea table and couldn't let it go.
"Father, are you satisfied with this gift?" Li Shen asked with a smile when he saw that his father liked it so much.
After hearing this, Li Shimin withdrew his hand and stood up.
"Get up, this thing is pretty good, I will accept it."
Li Shimin waved at Li Shen who was still kneeling, and then said expressionlessly.
Although he liked it, he was the emperor and could not let others see that he was too demanding and had to be reserved.
Li Shen curled his lips and thought, if you like it, you like it, and you're pretending. Does every father pretend to be great in front of his son?
"Is this jade?" Empress Changsun and Concubine Wei squatted down and touched it with their hands. They were not as excited as Li Shimin.
If it were made into jewelry, they would like it, but they are not so fond of it as a tea table.
"Mother, it is emerald, and it is top-grade emerald," Li Shen replied.
The "Cui" that Li Shen mentioned is actually jadeite, which was also called "Ruru" or "Ruru" during this period.
Jade was popular in the Tang Dynasty, and jadeite was defined as a type of jade. However, jadeite was relatively rare, so the circulation of jade was limited.
However, jadeite with good color is still very valuable.
"Such a large piece of jade is truly a rare treasure, Erlang, look how filial Shen'er is to you.
There is no such large piece of high-quality jade in the palace."
Empress Changsun praised Li Shimin with a smile.
There are also large jades in the palace, but they are definitely not as good as this piece of jade in terms of grade. Even an unsophisticated person can see that.
This piece of jade has no impurities at all and is delicate and transparent, obviously top quality at first glance.
"Well, it's not bad. Every year the palace also has a lot of top-quality jade tributes."
Li Shimin glanced at the tea table with fondness in his eyes, but said indifferently in his mouth.
The other concubines did not dare to step forward, but they could tell from a distance that this was a rare treasure.
Everyone was envious in their hearts and wished that if they had a son they could be like Ji Wangshen.
"Father, this jade was brought back from Pyu Kingdom. After it came back, I asked the carving masters of Prince Ji's Palace to carve it piece by piece for more than a month.
I was originally going to present it to Aye, but it was delayed because it was not completed. I hope Aye will be satisfied."
Li Shen began to introduce the origin and extraordinary nature of this jade.
"Ship it from Pyu Kingdom? That must be a long journey. Shen'er is very thoughtful."
Empress Changsun said in surprise.
The Pyu Kingdom was a small country on the southern border and also a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, which paid tribute of some jade every year.
"Well, you put in a lot of effort. I am very satisfied."
When Li Shimin heard Li Shen say that it was transported back from the Pyu Kingdom, a look of satisfaction finally appeared on his face.
"Yeah, there's more." Li Shen said as he took two more boxes from Shi Tou.
"Aye, look here, isn't there something vacant?"
Li Shen pointed to the front of the tea table, and Li Shimin noticed that there were two square shallow grooves on the left and right sides of the front of the tea table.
Li Shen opened a box and took out a white sculpture. Li Shimin took it and looked at it carefully and found that it was a Pixiu.
Li Shimin squatted down and gently put the Pixiu into the groove, fitting it perfectly.
Li Shen took out another golden cube from another box.
"Aye, this is to be placed at the other end. When you go back, you can ask the craftsmen to carve a dragon or a phoenix.
This is a piece of top-quality yellow jadeite, which I bought specially from Pyu Kingdom.”
Li Shen took the block and introduced it to Li Shimin. Li Shen was not ignorant of the rules. He could carve a dragon.
That’s because there was no regulation in the Tang Dynasty prohibiting the use of dragons.
According to the Wude Code promulgated by his grandfather Li Yuan, the kings were required to decorate themselves with coiled dragons and deer.
That is to say, the kings can use the dragon pattern, but it has to be a coiled dragon.
The emperor's is a large dragon pattern that can demonstrate his status and symbolize imperial power, which is an unfolded dragon.
Therefore, it is better to let his father carve the dragon himself, and he would not do such a thankless task.
Compared to Panlong, Li Shen is more interested in Qilin, which is allowed by the prince and is more majestic and domineering.
Li Shen originally wanted to place a Qilin in this place. The Qilin represents good fortune, and the Pixiu on the other side brings wealth, which is pretty good.
But it would be a bit inappropriate to give it to someone else now, because his father would know at a glance that it was something he wanted to keep.
Li Shimin reached out to take the yellow jadeite, touched it carefully, then nodded and handed the yellow jadeite to Wang De.
"Take this Pixiu back. I will find a piece of jade and carve a phoenix into it to form a dragon and a phoenix."
Li Shimin took the Pixiu off and gave it to Li Shen. Li Shen was not polite either. He said that this thing was very valuable and it was priceless, so he shouldn’t take it.
Put it directly into the small box and let the stone hold it.
Finally he took the last long box from Shi Tou's hand.
"Father, a tea table without tea utensils is useless. This is a kind of top-quality jadeite that I have been looking for for a long time in Pyu Kingdom."
Li Shen opened the box as he spoke, and saw a set of dark green tea set inside.
(Cui Yu is jadeite, and Pyu is Myanmar.
I do have some knowledge about this thing. A few days ago, I saw a jade tea table that was very beautiful. But when I found out it cost 370,000, I gave up.
Jade can also be used to make tea sets, and it won’t get damaged by burns.)