Chapter 315 Cultural Relics Can Talk

Was it just dug up from the Western Qing Tombs?

A simple sentence, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shook Ma Shan's heart and made his brain rumble.

His expression changed drastically, his eyes widened like deep wells, and he stretched his neck forward with all his might, his gaze piercing Lin Sicheng's face like an arrow.

He knew it was XJ red money, and he also knew it was Yarkand money, but he didn't know that it was tribute money cast by melting down enemy cannons after Zhao Hui pacified the Dzungars.

The problem is that the money was indeed unearthed from the Western Qing Tombs, and it had only been unearthed recently.

But how did this kid know, or even know it was Xiling?

Was it a guess or a bluff?

Startled and doubtful, Ma Shan bit his tongue, trying to calm himself down: "When you're in business, you buy what you can and make money what you can. It's just a Qianlong Tongbao coin, who cares if it's red or green, or whether it's from the Eastern or Western Tombs?"

"Really?" Lin Sicheng slowly twirled the copper coin. "What about the rare and exquisite ones, like the Yellow Dragon?"

"I was just upset about losing a treasure, so I exaggerated!" Ma Shan leaned back. "A whole box full of copper coins mixed together, each one shiny and golden, who could have looked closely, and who could remember them clearly?"

Isn't this utter nonsense?

Which antique dealer doesn't appraise and debate the items in their hands repeatedly?

Lin Sicheng sighed: "Surely Ma, the middleman, can remember where he got them from?"

“Yuanliang is a master craftsman, and he does needlework, so he definitely understands the principles better than I do!” Ma Shan laughed. “In this line of work, who cares about the origins of things or people?”

There's no need to ask about the black and gray ones, but this is a pure black, uncut piece, worth tens of millions. How could I not ask about it?

To put it bluntly: if it's not a genuine product, who can guarantee its authenticity, and who would dare to buy it?

In fact, it's highly likely that the well and pit were dug by people hired by Ma Shan.

But he's a tough nut to crack, a cunning old fox, and a complete scoundrel; conventional methods won't work on him.

Lin Sicheng didn't say anything more, casually playing with the copper coins.

The atmosphere fell silent, eerily quiet.

Yan Wenjing seemed to wake from a dream, exchanged a glance with the clerk, and his pupils gleamed with excitement.

They've been reviewing it for a week, and they've tried almost every method they could think of, whether it was usable or not.

But Ma Shan either refused to speak or made random accusations, clearly showing his attitude of "if you push me too far, I'll bite you, and you can take my life if you want."

He confessed to a few trivial matters, such as selling counterfeit goods as genuine or selling cheap goods as expensive. The most serious charge, however, was that he instructed Ma Long to kidnap and assault Lin Sicheng.

By comparison, his crime was even less serious than that of Malone and the drunkard.

But Yan Wenjing knew that Ma Shan's case was not so trivial: without a few murders on his hands and a few prison sentences, he couldn't be so ruthless or inflexible. He also couldn't possibly be so knowledgeable about police tactics and the inner workings of the system.

Therefore, the investigation was exceptionally difficult. In fact, after a week, Yan Wenjing had not found a single useful clue: what crimes Ma Shan had committed before, where he had been dealt with, how many times he had been imprisoned, and so on.

His resume was surprisingly clean: an orphan, with no parents or immediate family. He started working in society in his early teens, doing all sorts of jobs.

I arrived in Beijing ten years ago and started out carrying goods for people in Panjiayuan Market. Later, I became an apprentice, then a shopkeeper, then a vendor, and finally a stall owner. After closing the shop, I became a middleman, dealing in goods.

According to him, the box of copper coins that the woman stole from Guyizhai was something he had smuggled. He had simply placed it in the shop for consignment, but due to the shop assistant's negligence, the woman had stolen it…

Yan Wenjing knew very well that Ma Shan wasn't telling the truth; his resume was entirely fabricated. And it was very likely, just as Lin Sicheng had guessed, that Ma Shan was someone's underling, having already purged his identity before becoming a middleman.

Even the name Ma Shan is fake.

Yan Wenjing also believed that he would eventually uncover the truth about Ma Shan, but the problem was that it would take time.

By the time the problem was discovered, it was too late.

Therefore, Yan Wenjing was under immense pressure, working day and night, and losing clumps of hair.

Just when they were at their wits' end and had no other choice, Lin Sicheng appeared out of nowhere.

Counting from the night he was brought back, it has been nine days since then. This is the first time he has seen Ma Shan's emotions fluctuate so much.

Having worked in reconnaissance for nearly ten years, Yan Wenjing knew exactly what this meant: Lin Sicheng had guessed correctly.

This copper coin was unearthed from the Qing Dynasty tombs, and it was only recently discovered. It's even quite possible that it was dug up by people hired by Ma Shan.

The saying goes, "If you pick up a gourd, you'll pull up its vine," meaning that once this one incident is confirmed, a whole host of others can be uncovered. Yan Wenjing didn't believe it: "Since the well was dug and the pit was dug, was this the only time they stole from it?"

Don't joke around: this is an imperial tomb...

He perked up, and the dejection of the past few days vanished.

The clerk kept giving him meaningful glances, but Yan Wenjing shook his head: Lin Sicheng must have made thorough preparations to come here; he couldn't have just tricked him with this one sentence.

Let Lin Sicheng ask the questions first; it's not too late to interrogate and investigate after that...

...

Separated by a wall, eight large screens covered three walls. Ma Shan's head, front, back, and sides were all clearly visible.

Staring at the very center, the experts exchanged bewildered glances.

They were all interrogation experts specially invited from the Municipal Public Security Bureau; micro-expressions and body language were just their specialties.

But I ran into a tough nut to crack. If I can handle it, I'll handle it; if I can't, I'll just give up. I won't admit anything no matter what you ask me.

The ruthless fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the reckless. Even the most brilliant expert is powerless against a scoundrel. If he's willing to risk his life, even the most advanced technology is useless to him.

Suddenly, the brigade brought in an expert in cultural relics. Within three minutes of him entering the room, the tough guy's psychological defenses began to crumble.

And it happened twice.

The first time was when Lin Sicheng introduced himself after sitting down. The second time was when Lin Sicheng took out the copper coin and said it had just been unearthed from the Western Qing Tombs.

Since he's an expert, he's definitely more professional than Yan Wenjing: the copper coin this incredibly young expert is holding, and the Qingxi Mausoleum he's talking about, could very well be the key to his breakthrough.

Suddenly, several experts turned around to look at the leaders of the brigade and the detachment.

But the two leaders remained unmoved, glancing at Ma Shan on the screen, then at Lin Sicheng sitting opposite him, and then turning back to glance at Wang Qizhi, who was sitting perfectly still.

Before Lin Sicheng arrived, they had wondered if the child was holding a grudge and wanted to take revenge on Ma Shan.

Young people are hot-blooded and don't hold grudges overnight, so it's not surprising that they have this kind of thinking.

Yan Wenjing reported the case to the branch, which then reported it to the headquarters, which in turn reported it to the municipal bureau. The leadership's idea was that it would be good to meet with the person involved, given the high level of public attention the case had garnered; it would be best to appease them if possible.

Of course, they couldn't let Lin Sicheng do whatever he wanted, and they were also afraid that Yan Wenjing might act rashly and open a back door, so not only did the branch captain come, but a deputy chief captain also came.

In order to justify their actions, they made special arrangements and appointed Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi as advisors.

But no one expected that Lin Sicheng's visit was actually to "advise" someone.

He was unusually composed: when he met Ma Shan, it was like meeting an old friend; he smiled, spoke gently, and chatted warmly.

Forget hatred, there wasn't even a trace of resentment. Who could tell that he was facing the enemy who had hacked him to pieces and nearly killed him?

He wasn't just an ordinary expert: he could rattle off slang on the spot, and his sign language was dazzling. The squad leader had spent half his life handling antique cases and had encountered countless figures from the underworld, yet he only half-understood what he heard.

It wasn't just any ordinary profession: laymen see the spectacle, experts see the intricacies. Like stirring up a hornet's nest to frighten a tiger, whether it was the self-introduction upon entering or the discussion of the copper coin, it was clearly all meticulously planned by Lin Sicheng.

Without professional interrogation skills, how could I know this?

The two leaders exchanged a glance: Had they struck gold?

They exchanged another glance, and the squad leader grabbed the walkie-talkie: "Yan Wenjing, don't disturb Teacher Lin!"

Yan Wenjing didn't speak, but simply tapped the microphone lightly.

The silence remained, and the somber atmosphere persisted.

Yan Wenjing and the clerk remained motionless, staring intently at Ma Shan.

Ma Shan kept his head down and remained motionless.

Only Lin Sicheng, turning the coin over and over, flicked it repeatedly.

A few minutes later, he suddenly stopped and looked up: "Brother Ma must be thinking, this kid's barely got any hair on his head, yet he dares to say Cai Ziyuan is a master of needlework?"

"You're probably thinking, how can I be so sure that this is a newly unearthed artifact from an imperial tomb? And that I know it's from the Western Qing Tombs, not the Eastern Qing Tombs?"

Ma Shan paused for a moment, glanced at him, and then lowered his head again.

Lin Sicheng continued: "Zhao Hui only minted 10,800 of these Yarkand tribute coins. On the night they were sent to the palace, Empress Xiaoyichun (Consort Ling, née Wei, the birth mother of Emperor Jiaqing) gave birth to her fourteenth son, Yonglu (Emperor Jiaqing's elder brother)."

Emperor Qianlong considered this an auspicious omen and ordered the Imperial Household Department to hang all the tribute money on palace lanterns, which were then displayed outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Qianlong's main sleeping quarters) and the main hall of the Palace of Eternal Longevity (where Consort Ling slept when she was an imperial concubine).

"A few months later, the thirteenth son, Yongjing, died young, and some of his coins were buried with him. Three years later, the fourteenth son, Yonglu, died young, and some of his coins were buried with him. After that, one after another, until the Daoguang period, these copper coins were basically used as burial items for princes and empresses."

“There are some in the Eastern Tombs, some in the Western Tombs, and even more in the Qianlong Princes’ Mausoleum (Caobalitun Garden Cemetery, Chaoyang District). But why am I so sure that this one came from the Western Tombs? Because cultural relics can speak!”

Lin Sicheng flicked it again, and with a "clang," the copper coin spun on the table.

"Although both are in Hebei, the environments of the two imperial tombs are vastly different: the Eastern Mausoleum is in Zunhua, with its parent material being weathered limestone from the Yanshan Mountains, and its surface being leached brown soil containing calcite fragments deposited by rainwater washing over the mountain. When rubbed, it feels smooth like incense ash, and after rain, it develops white alkaline streaks..."

"Xiling is located in Yi County, Baoding. The parent material is alluvial sandstone and conglomerate from the Taihang Mountains, the surface is a layer of humus and brown soil, and the water quality is fissure water with embedded quartz particles. It feels prickly and angular to the touch, and cracks into a network when dry. It is weakly acidic..."

The water quality in Dongling is plain pore water, high-calcium hard water, and slightly alkaline... The key difference between the two lies in the soil and water quality..."

Seeing Ma Shan's blank expression, Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "Don't you understand?"

What nonsense could he possibly understand? What tomb raider would research this?

Not to mention him, even Yan Wenjing next to him and the squad leader next door were completely confused.

"Okay, let me put it simply: In Xiling, the environment is weakly acidic. Loose, chlorogenic copper chloride, and even toxic copper acetate, will form on the surface of the copper coins. Most of the copper coins will be corroded so badly that the characters are illegible..."

"However, if it is a weakly alkaline jade scepter from the Eastern Tombs, a stable thin layer of cuprous oxide will mostly form on the surface of the copper coin. Just like the copper coins unearthed from the tomb passage of Emperor Qianlong's Yuling Tomb, which were buried for hundreds of years, they still have a reddish glow..."

Ma Shan was completely bewildered, half believing and half doubting.

This includes Yan Wenjing, as well as the squad leader from next door.

They didn't really understand things like weak alkalis, weak acids, or even copper chloride and cuprous oxide. But they did know at least that in the Qing Dynasty tomb raiding cases cracked in both locations, the proportion of copper coins unearthed from the Western Tombs in Baoding was much lower than that from the Eastern Tombs in Zunhua.

Moreover, their quality is generally worse.

However, Ma Shan felt it was unlikely that this alone would lead to a conclusion about whether the tombs were in the Eastern or Western style.

Yan Wenjing also found it unconvincing, mainly because he discovered that Lin Sicheng's statement was contradictory: the Eastern Tombs were a slightly alkaline environment, which was good for preservation, while the Western Tombs were a slightly acidic environment, which was difficult to preserve. If this were true, the copper coin should have come from the Eastern Tombs, not the Western Tombs.

Did Lin Sicheng say it backwards, or was it intentional?

Ma Shan also realized what was happening, his eyes flickering and shifting uncertainly.

"Do you think what I'm saying is completely irrelevant and doesn't make any sense? Because nothing is absolute!"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Although Xiling is located in the acidic rock area of ​​the Taihang Mountains, the Muling Mausoleum of Emperor Daoguang happens to be situated in a concealed limestone fault. The dissolution reaction releases carbonaceous hydride calcium, leading to the alkalinization of the soil and groundwater..."

"More coincidentally, during the Daoguang era, the nation's strength gradually declined. To save costs, only a small amount of stone bricks were used for Daoguang's Muling Mausoleum; the majority was made of mortar, lime, and lime-sand mixture. Among these, lime accounted for more than 40%, which was equivalent to adding alkali to alkali..."

Therefore, although the Mu Mausoleum is in the west, its pH value is lower than that of the Eastern Mausoleum. Furthermore, it hadn't been looted before, the tomb chamber was unventilated, the environment was stable, and the temperature was moderate, creating conditions even better for the copper coins to form cuprous oxide than those in the Eastern Mausoleum. Like this one, with its jujube-red base and metallic sheen, it looks newer than new…”

"Of course, you probably don't have the technology to rob the Mu Mausoleum yet, and you probably don't have the guts either. I suppose you're going to rob that secondary mausoleum. But there are only a few secondary mausoleums of Emperor Daoguang that haven't been robbed..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng picked up the copper coins again. "Come on, Broker Ma, let's talk again. Which one did you steal?"

At first, things were alright. Although Ma Shan was quite startled, he was at least able to remain calm. Unlike just now, when he heard "Xiling," he turned pale with fright.

But when he heard the name "Mu Ling," it was as if two punches had hit him in the face, making him dizzy and seeing stars.

His eyes were wide open, and his hands, handcuffed to the table, were clenched into fists and trembled uncontrollably.

This son of a bitch can deduce so much just from a single copper coin?

Ma Shan is no stranger to experts and masters, but even the most skilled person can only guess that this copper coin was newly unearthed and dug from Xiling, which is already the best they can do.

This kid is fucking crazy. Not only did he point straight to Mu Ling, but he also concluded that it was Pei Ling.

How many tombs are there in the Western Tombs? At least two hundred remain. It's as if he robbed these tombs…

Seeing Ma Shan in such a panic, Lin Sicheng had a sudden thought: even if it were an imperial tomb, it would take at most twenty years to rob the Mu Mausoleum.

There's definitely something else going on in Ma Shan!

He thought for a moment: "Ma, the broker, has been in the underworld for many years. He's experienced and knowledgeable, and his will is as firm as iron. If he had only stolen from the tomb's side chambers, it wouldn't have caused you such a panic... Let me think about it..."

Lin Sicheng pinched the bridge of his nose, pondered for a moment, and then a thought flashed through his mind: "It seems someone died... wait, there was infighting during the shipment, and someone was buried in the cave?"

Ma Shan's body trembled uncontrollably, his face turning deathly pale: What the hell are you still holding back for?

He wished he could stand up, rush out, and cover Lin Sicheng's mouth.

Think back to what just happened: "How old are you, you're already talking about 'far-reaching' and 'needle-tip skills'? You're hilarious!"

And now: What is Cai Ziyuan? With this kind of person, with this kind of insight, with this kind of ability, Wang Yaozi isn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

But why was I so blinded by filth that day, convinced that he was Wang Yaozi's accomplice?

If we hadn't robbed him or harmed him, the worst we would have lost was tens of millions of dollars worth of goods, which we could have made back in a year or two at most.

Now look what's happened: with just one copper coin, he was able to deduce Mu Ling's whereabouts, and even guess that there had been internal strife and that his accomplices had been killed in the cave.

And as he said, Muling is only so big, it has never been robbed, and there are only a few tombs that have never been exposed to the wind. Is it really that hard for him to find it?

Then, in collaboration with the police, they followed the clues to the grave and dug up his accomplice who had personally planted the life-growth stake...

For a moment, Ma Shan was filled with regret and resentment, wishing he could slap himself twice.

Yan Wenjing and the clerk were frozen in place: this time, Ma Shan's emotional fluctuations were even greater and more intense than the last time.

No experts are needed, and there's no need to observe any micro-expressions. Anyone with eyes can see: this bastard's face has turned white with fright.

What does this mean? Does it mean that Ma Shan really did rob the Mu Mausoleum?

Even if it's a secondary mausoleum, it's still a secondary mausoleum for the emperor. But after counting all the mausoleums in the Eastern and Western Qing Tombs—emperor's tombs, empress's tombs, prince's tombs, large tombs, small tombs, princess's tombs—out of the five hundred or so, how many have never been robbed?

He'll be sentenced to twenty years in prison—it'll be a piece of cake.

And did he really kill someone?

If this is verified, Ma Shan will be eating peanuts three times over...

Next door, a group of experts and two leaders looked at each other.

Just one copper coin?

After handling so many cases over the years, I've really learned a lot: it's the first time I've ever seen someone so convincingly bluff a suspect without any evidence or even any clues, just by guessing and bluffing.

Moreover, he's a seasoned veteran who's completely given up on his work, and someone with extremely rich counter-surveillance experience, so much so that he's fearless even in the face of death.

He was tricked and exposed in just a few words?

Just as he was secretly surprised, the clerk in the monitoring room looked up, looking troubled: "Sir, how do we record this?"

The deputy chief scoffed, "What are you going to remember!"

This is blatant inducement to confess; how do you remember that?

The key point is that the suspect didn't say a word at all; only Lin Sicheng was saying, "What's the use of you remembering this?"

Remember how wide his mouth opened and how wide his eyes widened?

The key is how to proceed with the investigation.

The deputy captain glared at the clerk, then stretched out his hand and sighed deeply: "Professor Wang, I'm ashamed!"

I should indeed feel ashamed.

At first, it could be said that the incident was due to their momentary negligence. But after the person was brought back, and after more than a week of hard work, with a group of people racking their brains and trying every method, the progress was minimal.

As soon as Lin Sicheng arrived, he casually used two moves, and the situation took a dramatic turn, as if the clouds had parted and the sky had cleared.

There are precedents of victims assisting the police in handling cases, but how many times have there been such an immediate effect and such a big difference before and after?

Wang Qizhi nodded: "You're too kind, sir. I don't think it's that difficult at all."

The group of people were stunned, unsure of what to say.

Professor Wang, are you pretending to know what you don't, or are you harboring resentment and deliberately trying to hurt people?

If it weren't so difficult, how could so many people be interrogated for a week, and how could Ma Shan be so arrogant?

Otherwise, how could Yan Wenjing have become so thin that he looks unrecognizable?

They knew very well that even if Ma Shan gave no confession, they could still convict him. Because eventually, they would definitely be able to find clues and evidence of his crimes.

But the question is, when?

There's a saying: "Weeds are hard to eradicate, and their poison is endless."

At best, Ma Shan is just a glove. If we don't dig out the people behind him, squeeze out the festering sores inside, and cut away the rotten flesh, even if we lose Ma Shan, there are still Niu Shan, Zhu Shan, and Yang Shan.

It's simply a matter of changing the person, the identity, and the location.

Therefore, the most urgent thing now is to get Ma Shan to talk and spit out everything.

Seven or ten years is certainly not enough, even life imprisonment might not be enough. But if a death sentence can be verified, I don't believe he won't talk.

He says he's not afraid of death, but when he knows he really could die, would you let him try it?

Such despicable people who dig up people's ancestral graves have no sense of morality or ethics whatsoever. Forget about being a boss; he'd sell out even his own parents.

The problem is, how can we let Ma Shan know that if he doesn't confess, he'll be facing death, and he won't even have a chance to confess?

On another note: Don't Yan Wenjing and so many experts know that winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, and that it's important to use deception and truth?

As long as they can solve the case, what's a little bluffing? The question is, what will they use to bluff?

Ma Shan isn't an idiot; on the contrary, he's cunning and slippery. You only say he's robbed tombs and killed people, but you don't say where he robbed them or where he killed them. Believe me, he'll laugh his teeth out.

Therefore, even if it's a scam, you at least need to have evidence to convince him. So, it's not that Yan Wenjing lacks ability, nor that the experts are unprofessional. It's that he has no clue, no direction, so there's no way to even begin a scam.

Fortunately, just when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up. Now we know: Ma Shan robbed a secondary tomb of the Mu Mausoleum, and his murdered accomplice was inside the tomb.

It's only a hundred kilometers from the capital to Baoding. The Mu Mausoleum isn't that big; it should only take three to five days at most to find the tomb and exhume the body...

The deputy captain sighed inwardly, "Professor Wang thinks it's easy, but for us it's incredibly difficult. What's even more difficult is that we don't have someone like Teacher Lin..."

Damn, here we go again?

Wang Qizhi's heart skipped a beat: it was like this in Xijing, and it's like this now that he's in the capital.

Lin Sicheng is like Tang Sanzang's flesh, why does everyone want to get their hands on him?

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Academy of Cultural Heritage, the Palace Museum, and now the Public Security Bureau...