In the county office, the three examiners are still scoring, and they have just ushered in a wave of surprises at this time.

"This stool...... What's going on? Seven mortise and tenon structures are used!" Master Qin said in shock.

On the other side, Master Song checked the wooden stool at hand and added an extra forty points to it. This shows that it uses a total of eight mortise and tenon structures, all of which are reasonable and perfect.

Zhu Gantang doesn't know how to make it, but his eyesight is very strong, and he went through some bad things before coming.

He flipped through the work in his hand and looked at it many times, and finally hesitated to write a "plus forty-five points (doubts to be determined)" on the paper.

He found a total of nine mortise and tenon structures on this stool, and two others he was not sure about. He vaguely felt that these two places were also different structures, but his ability was limited, and he really couldn't tell if he couldn't take them apart.

He shook his head with a wry smile and set it aside.

Gradually, the examiners felt that something was wrong. Just at this time, the little maid brought the food box over, and they temporarily put down their things and went to eat this belated dinner together.

At this time, Tang County ordered that there was something else and left temporarily, leaving only three examiners present.

The three of them inevitably talked about the candidates' works being judged, and Zhu Gantang first said: "It's very interesting, the few stools I just got seem to be made by the same person." ”

"Oh?" Master Qin asked, and Master Song also looked over.

"The shape is very consistent, it is the most ordinary square stool, and it doesn't look special. However, the workmanship is solid, the bench surface is flat, the stool legs are symmetrical, and the position of the Luo pot is reasonable, which is a very strong stool. Zhu Gantang knocked on the table,

Said, "That's the only way, it's amazing, each of these stools uses several different mortise and tenon structures, and the extra points are all more than 30 points! So many identical stools in a row are almost like the same person's hand." ”

The two masters of Qin and Song glanced at each other and shook their heads together.

"It wasn't the same person who did it. Master Song said with great certainty.

"You have met too?" Zhu Gantang looked at them.

Master Song nodded, stood up directly, and went to fetch the stool on the table.

Master Qin was a little surprised, and subconsciously wanted to stop it, but after thinking about it, he shut up.

The stools are all marked with wooden signs, and it is impossible to know who made them unless you turn over the roster. In this case, there will be no problem for the three of them to exchange ratings on the work itself.

Zhu Gantang really didn't stop it, and got up to take the one on his table.

"Eight kinds of mortise and tenon joints, the technique is simple, and the basic skills are solid. Master Song judged a few words, then took Zhu Gantang's one, read it again, and said, "The structure of the wooden square stool is exactly the same, but eleven kinds of mortise and tenon joints are used, and the techniques are different. ”

He said it simply, and Master Qin explained it to Zhu Gantang in detail.

Everyone is different, and every craftsman has their own different operating habits. Is the main hand left or right, which finger is more flexible, and where is the point of force applied to the hand...... These operating habits are like fingerprints, with subtle but obvious differences that can be distinguished by careful observation.

For some of their more familiar peers, it is not a problem to recognize the author by looking at the finished product. Even if the maker is not so familiar, it is very easy to see if it is the same source.

So, they could tell at a glance that the two stools could never have been made by the same person.

"The techniques are different, in fact, the mortise and tenon joints they use are also a little different. For example, this one, dragon and phoenix tenon, dovetail tenon, raglan tenon, ...... "He said the mortise and tenon structure used in these two wooden stools one by one, and he was very proficient. Most of them are identical, but each uses several different mortise and tenon joints, and the characteristics are very obvious.

"This one is ......" In the end, Master Qin hesitated a little, Zhu Gantang took a structure on the wooden bench, he looked very unfamiliar, and he couldn't recognize it.

Master Song didn't say a word, picked up the pen, drew it on the paper next to him, and said, "I've never seen it." ”

He drew the actual structure of this mortise and tenon joint, and after reading it, Master Qin nodded in certainty: "I have never seen it either." ”

The two looked at each other, and both saw surprise on each other's faces.

A mortise and tenon structure that has never been seen before?

Which master's secret biography is this?

"Collecting the secret inheritance of skills for the imperial court is also the proper meaning of the hundred trade unions. Zhu Gantang finally understood what they meant, smiled and picked up the piece of paper, looked at it for a while, put it aside preciously, and then crossed out the words "doubtful and pending" on his judgment paper, and wrote the words "plus 55 points".

The two masters of Song Qin watched his movements, and their faces were slightly uncertain.

According to the previously formulated scoring criteria, a square stool has solid basic skills, strong and well-proportioned, and there are no other tricks, and you can get 70 points. On this basis, each different mortise and tenon structure can be additionally increased by two to five points according to its different degree of completion.

Of the three examiners who have now judged the work, most of them have scored between 60 and 80 points.

And the carved round stool has a perfect structure, a brilliant composition, and a superb carving, and it has a high score of 95 points just for the basic score. In addition to this, it uses a total of eight mortise and tenon structures, which gives it an extra bonus of 40 points. The two add up to a total of 135 points.

It's an unimaginably high score, and they've actually guessed a little bit about who made the stool. If there is no accident, the head of the apprenticeship test in Shui County this time is none other than him.

But now, they're suddenly a little less convinced.

The basic skills of this new batch of square stools are very solid, but there are no tricks, and seventy points are in the sky.

But in addition to the basic score, they have too many additional points...... Six mortise and tenon joints thirty points is the least, forty or fifty points are not a few, and in the end, almost all of them are above 100 points, and the highest one has reached 125 points!

One hundred and twenty-five points, only ten points away from the carved round stool, only one step away.

Compared with the two, the former is just the most ordinary square stool, and he won't take a second look at it in the courtyard of Zhu Gantang's house. And the latter, the same stool, change the wood, and spend a little more time, it is quite suitable for his study......

You must know that Zhu Gantang is a master of calligraphy and painting, his study must be carefully arranged, how can ordinary ordinary products be placed in it?

Isn't this exam question set a little unfairly, and is there too much extra points for each tenon?

Such a thought flashed in Zhu Gantang's mind in an instant, and was instantly dispelled.

Mortise and tenon is the core of carpenter's craft, one of the purposes of the hundred unions is to collect hundreds of arts for the emperor, more mortise and tenon structure is of course far more than a delicate but imperfect carving!

These square stools may seem ordinary, but they are actually quite extraordinary!

Zhu Gantang suddenly brightened, and after eating this light meal, he returned to the table and continued his work.

By this time it was already dark and the candles were lit.

In the flickering candlelight, Zhu Gantang took the cloth bag given by the servant and opened it.

Another square stool.

When the stool was still in the bag, Zhu Gantang frowned a little, thinking that the candlelight was a little too dim, and he looked at the shadows everywhere.

He asked the servant to add two more candlesticks, and then brought the square stool to his eyes.

He first took a look at the whole of the stool as usual, and felt that it was complete in form, smooth to the touch, well-proportioned on all fours, and it was a work with very solid basic skills.

Then he looked at the details, and found that although it had square legs, the corners were slightly rounded, with circles in the square and curves in the straight, and there was a strange beauty of movement and stillness.

Yes, the details are rich, the ingenuity is unique, and with these alone, you can add some to the basic score.

But......

He took the stool and flipped it over and over again.

It uses only one mortise and tenon structure throughout?

It's pretty sturdy, but that would only add five points, and at most it's only eighty points.

Zhu Gantang touched it at the beginning, the surface of this stool was smooth and flat, and there was no abnormality at all. He only thought that this candidate's basic skills were in place, and he didn't think much about it.

Only then did he turn the bench over, and as soon as his gaze touched its surface, his expression froze.

"Huh?" he exclaimed after a moment!