Chapter 163 The Bodhisattva's Face, Thunder Vajra

What kind of tomb qualifies as a large tomb?

"It has to be an official's tomb... It doesn't matter which dynasty it's from, as long as it's an official's tomb!"

Recalling the conversation between Chen Peng and He Zhigang in his mind, Lin Sicheng raised his head and squinted at the sun.

Why couldn't he find Zhang Anshi's tomb even though he knew it was in this area?

Because it's hard to find.

During the Han Dynasty, people believed in the unity of heaven and man and buried their dead according to the stars. They also considered the overall terrain, focusing on the mountains and rivers that formed the foundation.

To put it simply: Chang'an is surrounded by nine mountains and eight rivers. Within this area, all places are auspicious sites, and one can be buried anywhere.

Even if we can locate the stars based on their positions, for two thousand years, the stars have been constantly moving and their relative positions have been changing.

Not to mention star charts from the Han Dynasty, even comparing star charts from the Song Dynasty with those from today reveals significant discrepancies.

At most, Lin Sicheng could determine that Zhang Anshi's tomb was located in the White Tiger position of Duling, specifically in the area of ​​Beiwangli Village and Nanwangli Village in Fengqiyuan, based on the Four Symbols guarding the tomb in Han Dynasty astrology.

But how could he search such a large area of ​​nearly ten square kilometers?

The only thing we can do is find more related cultural relics, search through historical materials, and push it forward little by little.

But after finally pushing the project to within one square kilometer, they were told that "work can only be stopped if a large tomb is unearthed?"

If they find a large tomb, they can stop work, right?

Okay.

Han Dynasty tombs are hard to find, and even Tang Dynasty tombs are somewhat difficult to locate. Song Dynasty tombs are not too difficult, but they will take some time to find.

But can't we find tombs from the Ming and Qing dynasties either?

In just a few hundred years, even if the celestial phenomena and terrain have changed, how much more powerful can it become?

Xijing has few other things, but it has many tombs...

"Whoosh~"

He stuck the stand into the ground, clamped the drawing board on top, and nailed the transparency paper on top. Lin Sicheng used both hands simultaneously, painting non-stop with a "swish, swish, swish" sound.

From a distance, it looks like art students sketching on a hilltop.

Zhao Xiuneng stood beside him, sometimes handing him an eraser, sometimes sharpening a pencil. If Lin Sicheng got stuck, Zhao Xiuneng would even help him flip through the book.

Chen Peng and He Zhigang looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Sicheng said he wanted to find an official's tomb, but instead he started drawing a map?

They knew Lin Sicheng was drawing feng shui diagrams, and they believed in them to some extent. They at least knew that many tomb raiders used astrology and feng shui to find tombs. And they had arrested more than just one or two of them.

These two are just wondering if there's enough time?

The area is only so big; the people can't escape, and the cultural relics can't be moved out. The problem is, Yu Dahai has already started having his henchmen prepare explosives, which means a large-scale shipment is about to be made.

"Unloading" means breaking down the tomb walls, opening the coffin, and disassembling large artifacts.

For example, bronze chariots and horses, bronze tripods, and Huangtang Ticou (an imperial tomb chamber built of cypress wood).

Even if we arrest and execute everyone involved, we won't be able to recover these heavy weapons.

The two of them felt that it would be better to use the clumsy method Chen Peng suggested: it's not like we can only stop work once we find the large tomb.

Today something goes missing, tomorrow there's a fight, the day after tomorrow there's more trouble... Every two hours a police report is filed, and he has no choice but to stop... Then he sends people to surround the area and search every inch of it.

In a flash, the two exchanged a glance and went up the hill again.

It's still the same phoenix as before, but before it was just a sketch, at most a rough outline. Now it has feathers and a crest, surrounded by auspicious clouds.

But strangely, the feathers were not of normal size. On the A4 drawing paper, the large feathers were the size of leaves, while the small ones were like match heads.

They come in all shapes and sizes, some round, some flat, some long, some short. Yet, they all seem quite harmonious.

Chen Peng glanced around and asked, "Where is this?"

Lin Sicheng didn't even look up: "Phoenix Perch Plain!"

Is this what Fengqiyuan looks like?

Chen Peng looked at the drawing that had already been completed and was tucked aside: this time it had become a winding, crouching dragon.

But it's similar to the previous one: the scales vary in size and shape, and even the four claws are not all the same size.

Chen Peng pointed and asked, "Where is this?"

"Weiqu Town!"

This one is even less likely to be like it...

What do the scales on it represent?

Lin Sicheng succinctly stated: "A feng shui arrangement!"

Chen Peng's eyes widened: "What?"

Looking back, there were at least two or three hundred scales on it. And how big is the entire town of Weiqu?

Lin Sicheng glanced at him, pointed to the largest scale on the dragon's nose, and then pointed down the slope:

"Director Chen, this is the site of Institute 067. When it was being built, more than 340 Tang Dynasty tombs belonging to the Wei family were excavated here!"

He withdrew his hand and pointed to the two dragon feet behind him: "This is Qingliangpo in the north of Weiqu. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than 120 Wei family tombs from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty have been discovered here."

These were discovered during the construction of irrigation canals, leveling of land, and land leveling; they haven't been developed on a large scale yet. I estimate there should be over five hundred in total…”

He then pointed to his left foot: "This is Hanjiawan Village, right next to Nanliwang. More than twenty Wei family tombs from the Sixteen Kingdoms period have been discovered there by the villagers... A little further west, this is Shangtapo (village), also farmland, and also Wei family tombs. However, there are fewer here; only eight have been discovered so far..."

Chen Peng was stunned.

In the period from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, there were over a thousand Wei family tombs in Weiqu Town alone.

What about the other dynasties?

He Zhigang knew that Weiqu Town got its name from the ancestral home of the Wei family, so there must be many graves. But he had never counted them carefully before—there were so many!

He thought for a moment, then pointed a little south from the scale on the dragon's head, the area where Lin Sicheng had determined the location of the Rong'an County Princess and Zhang Anshi's tomb: "How about this place? Is the feng shui good?"

"Better, more graves."

Lin Sicheng nodded heavily. "In the Tang Dynasty, this was called Long'e, where a prince was buried, but it was looted by Huang Chao... In the Song Dynasty, this kind of terrain was called 'Juanzhuge', in the Ming Dynasty it was called 'Xianglu'an', and in the Qing Dynasty it was called 'Kui Xing Daoxuan'... But no matter which one it is, it is an excellent feng shui site! To put it bluntly, there are many, many tombs here..."

Chen Peng looked down the slope: "How many?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Tombs are next to tombs, people are crowded together... Two tombs overlapping one another is normal, and three tombs overlapping one another are probably not uncommon. But it depends on the size and whether it's an official tomb..."

Chen Peng's eyes lit up: "Xiao Lin, how many days will it take you to find the large tomb?"

A few days?

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "One night!"

Chen Peng and He Zhigang exchanged a glance: Wouldn't this mean they could do it a day earlier than Chen Peng planned to use underhanded tactics?

Because he needed to arrange for reliable people, and he also needed to speak with the bureau chief privately...

But Lin Sicheng only needs one night. Even if he can't be found tomorrow, it won't stop Chen Peng from using underhanded tactics...

The two nodded and, without disturbing each other, tiptoed down the slope.

Around 2 p.m., Lin Sicheng finished work, returned to the hotel, and went straight to sleep.

At dawn, he appeared on the hilltop again, right on time.

Several large rechargeable lights illuminated the top of the hill.

Lin Sicheng sat in a folding chair, sometimes looking at the stars, sometimes flipping through a book, and sometimes making a few strokes.

As the number of drawings increased, the geographical features they represented became smaller and smaller: Fengqiyuan, Weiqu Town, Nanliwang, Beiliwang, Fenghuangzui, Huangzipo...

Zhao Xiuneng and his two sons stood to the side, occasionally glancing at the books Lin Sicheng was flipping through, and occasionally exchanging glances.

His pupils revealed undisguised surprise and disbelief.

They knew the book, and they had read it:

The first book is "Epitaphs of the Imperial Tombs in Guanzhong" written by Qi Guangzong, who served as the Provincial Education Commissioner of Shaanxi during the Ming Dynasty and later rose to the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Minister of War.

The second book is "Illustrated Records of Scenic Spots in Guanzhong" written by Bi Yuan, who served as the Governor of Shaanxi during the Qing Dynasty and rose to the positions of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and Governor-General of Huguang.

These two books have been circulated for a long time, and even now, printed versions exist. They do indeed record quite a few tombs, and many fellow researchers, such as Yu Dahai and Gao Zhengang, have used these books to search for tombs. However, most of them are imperial tombs and secondary tombs—some are found, some are excavated…

In addition, there has been a persistent folk rumor that, besides the imperial tombs, these two books also contain the "Secret Records of Tombs in the Nine Plains of Xijing," which supposedly details all the official and major tombs in Xijing from the Han to the Qing dynasties. It not only includes detailed geographical records but also clear geographical maps.

The problem is, no one has ever seen the so-called secret record.

Why are the two books that Lin Sicheng is flipping through both illustrated and "historical" books?

Examine the contents more closely: The tomb of the Fan family of the Song Dynasty. Fan Shi, the Salt Commissioner of Shaanxi and Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Song Dynasty, was buried eighteen li southeast of the county seat (Chang'an County)... His descendants built four tombs below him!

The Salt Commissioner was a fifth-rank official, which at first glance doesn't seem like much. But in the Song Dynasty, when even a minor county magistrate was a ninth-rank official, a fifth-rank official was already considered high-ranking. And this place is about eighteen li south of the city.

The problem is that the three of them thoroughly examined the "Epitaphs of Tombs" and "Illustrations of Scenic Spots," but they never found any such record in them.

No matter what, Zhao Xiuneng was a notorious local tyrant in Guanzhong, and he had never heard of any Northern Song Dynasty Fan family tomb in Xijing.

Where did the contents of Lin Sicheng's book come from?

Zhao Xiu had been holding back for a while, but finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Boss Lin, is this the Nine Plains Secret Record from the epitaphs of the Guanzhong Mausoleums?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the government made some cuts, removing all the small tombs and leaving only the imperial mausoleum and the accompanying tombs, so the versions that have been passed down among the people are incomplete."

This is a reproduction of an ancient inscription found in the provincial museum. It's complete, but the information isn't necessarily accurate and is ambiguous. For example, it says "southeast of the county town," but doesn't specify the exact degree. Therefore, one has to rely on feng shui calculations, as well as star observation and drawing diagrams!

Zhao Xiuneng nodded, then pointed: "What about this one, the Northern Song Dynasty Fan family tomb?"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "If you remember this accurately, you can find it by drawing a map. But don't dig it up, and don't spread it around!"

With hundreds of millions in assets, why would I bother digging this up?

Besides, with a drawing like this, let alone asking me to draw it, I can't even understand it...

Zhao Xiuneng pursed his lips and remained silent, but his eyes gleamed: If Lin Sicheng were to go tomb raiding, with this book and his feng shui skills that made his head spin just looking at it, he could become a billionaire in a year or two at most.

Don't believe me?

How much can a piece of Song Dynasty porcelain sell for? And what about the tomb of a fifth-rank official and the four accompanying tombs? How much would they contain in total?

This one alone is worth hundreds of millions... How much willpower does Lin Sicheng have to resist taking the wrong path?

No wonder my mother said: That child has a righteous spirit and a wise look in his eyes.

Zhao Xiuneng also asked: What is Huiguang?

Old lady: A bodhisattva's face, a thunderbolt-like Vajra...

...

Lin Sicheng finished drawing around 3 p.m. and started packing up.

Zhao Xiuneng glanced at the picture: "Boss Lin, aren't you going to look at it anymore?"

"I'm not watching anymore!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "That's enough!"

Zhao Xiuneng thought for a moment: "One fifth-rank tomb from the Northern Song Dynasty isn't enough, is it?"

"That's just a side note, it's not here!" Lin Sicheng smiled. "Don't worry, two royal tombs are enough!"

Zhao Xiuneng was suddenly stunned, and a thought flashed through his mind: Wang Mu... Yu Dahai is finished?

You fool, you're bringing bad luck upon yourself! Who did you have to mess with?

My mother was right: a bodhisattva's face, a thunderbolt Vajra.

You gave me two marquis tombs, so I'll give you two king tombs in return. Perfect...