Chapter 317 Three-in-One Soil

"Left Zhao, Right Mu..."

"Water, Metal, Fire, Earth..."

"Ren Bing, Gui Ding, Chou Wei, Zi Wu..."

Lin Sicheng would sometimes turn left, sometimes right, sometimes look at the mountain terrain and water direction, and sometimes turn the compass.

His right hand was constantly making calculations with his five fingers, while he muttered incantations.

The group of people found it increasingly strange: if he were to wear an apricot-yellow robe and a crown, wouldn't he look exactly like a Taoist priest?

Then look at the group surrounding him: team leader, director, chief, division chief, and even director-general. Several of them were even wearing Party badges.

He Cong'an felt that the scene was indescribably ridiculous.

After roughly calculating, Lin Sicheng asked Fang Jin to bring out paper and pen, and drew a Big Dipper constellation on it. He then kept dotting around it, and after finishing, he labeled each constellation: Lonely Phoenix, Yellow Springs, Seven Stars Falling to Earth, Golden Plate Shaking Pearls...

No need to guess, anyone who can read knows that this is a feng shui term.

After watching for a while, Deputy Director He couldn't help but ask, "Director Wu, Section Chief Sun, what are you doing?"

Wu Hui didn't hesitate: "Find the grave!"

He paused for a moment, stunned: What the heck?

"Director He, to put it simply..." Wu Hui pointed to the farmland outside the mausoleum area, which varied in size and shape, "Underneath these, there should be the accompanying tombs of the Mu Mausoleum. That's what we're here to investigate..."

He Cong'an was speechless, unsure of what to say.

The accompanying personnel from the municipal, county, and cemetery archaeological units were all stunned, with more than a dozen pairs of eyes staring intently at the cornfields.

So, this is what you came for?

They certainly knew there were accompanying tombs below, and probably quite a few. But the question is, how many years ago were those tombs?

These lands have been used for crops for more than thirty years, and now you're saying it's illegal land use!

Isn't this just picking a fight?

Having a rough idea of ​​what they were thinking, Wu Hui smiled again: "So, this is just a routine inspection, nothing serious!"

The problem is indeed not serious: it's a legacy issue, and even if it's eventually confirmed that there's a large tomb underneath, no one can be blamed.

But He Cong'an felt that there was something strange about this matter: Who would be so bored as to report this?

Even if someone reports it, it wouldn't warrant a ministry making a special trip from Beijing.

Knowing that Wu Hui was blatantly lying, He Cong'an didn't call him out. He looked at the messy cornfield, then glanced at Lin Sicheng, who seemed to be telling fortunes: "Director Wu, Section Chief Sun, will this method work?"

In the past, the two of them would have definitely shaken their heads without the slightest hesitation: "If we can't find it with RTK or remote sensing satellites, how can we find it by talking about superstition?"

But after witnessing firsthand how Lin Sicheng found the five ancient porcelain kilns in Yuncheng, the two finally understood: even superstition has its scientific explanations. And sometimes, it's even more effective than science itself.

In a flash, the two nodded in unison: "It worked!"

A strange glint flashed in He Cong'an's eyes: Okay, since the leader says it's useful, then let's assume it's useful.

But to be honest, although he comes from an administrative background, he has never eaten pork, but he has never even seen a pig run.

I only know that this method was used in feudal society for selecting burial sites, determining auspicious locations, and conducting burials. I've also heard that tomb raiders use this method when searching for tombs and determining if there are any artifacts worth stealing, but I've never heard of any archaeological or law enforcement unit using this method.

He wasn't the only one who thought this way; a bunch of police officers, even a group of officials from the cultural relics bureau, and also the managers of the municipal and county mausoleum areas.

It's not that I don't believe in it; although feng shui is considered superstition in modern times, it was an authoritative doctrine in ancient times. The selection, construction, burial, and funerary objects were all based on this system.

They felt it wouldn't be of much use: nearly two hundred years had passed, and everything had changed. Although the place was still the same, the land had been cleared and reclaimed, and the situation was no longer the same.

The group of people treated it as a show, watching Lin Sicheng fiddle with things.

After calculating and drawing for almost an hour, Lin Sicheng finally put away the compass.

Fang Jin had already accumulated a thick stack of photos and sketches in his hands.

Lin Sicheng took the bills and flipped through them, then pulled out three: "Director Sun, let's explore along these lines."

Everyone crowded forward: What is this? A dragon vein map or feng shui map of Muling?

But it was all for naught; hardly anyone understood it, and it was all for nothing.

Sun Jiamu couldn't understand it at first either, but when Lin Sicheng was looking for kiln sites in Hejin, he accidentally unearthed a Jin Dynasty tomb that had been looted, which amazed him.

The date, gender, occupation, tomb specifications, size, location of the tomb robbers' hole, how long the robbery lasted, and how many cultural relics remained inside were all exactly as Lin Sicheng had predicted.

Out of curiosity, he tried to learn from them. He didn't learn anything very advanced, but at least he could understand the three pictures.

The first image shows the ancestral vein of Xiling, the second image shows the branch vein of Muling, and the third image shows the energy flow and auspicious sites within Muling.

To put it simply: from surface to point, from large to small. Especially in the third picture, if there are accompanying tombs outside the mausoleum, they will only be located between the "storehouse," "gauze hat," and "water and clouds" in the picture.

Based on the floor plan of Muling Mausoleum, it is roughly located on the right side outside the mausoleum.

The map clearly marks twelve auspicious sites. Find these twelve points. The site with an underground tomb that was recently robbed is the correct one.

Sun Jiamu looked up and glanced around: as expected, that area was all farmland.

He summoned the director of the archaeological institute and the team leader, and explained everything in detail. The others listened quietly, becoming increasingly puzzled.

It's not surprising that there are accompanying tombs besides the imperial mausoleum: all four imperial mausoleums in the Western Qing Tombs have such tombs nearby.

It's not surprising that a specific area could be designated: the land is only so big, and there are so many tombs; if they're not buried here, they have to be buried there.

Strangely, all twelve sites were the tombs of imperial concubines. Moreover, Lin Sicheng clearly marked the tomb owners' identities, ranks, whether they had children, whether they were posthumously honored, and even their destinies.

But this made them feel even stranger: a noblewoman was buried at this spot, a lady-in-waiting at that spot, a concubine at the next spot, a lady-in-waiting at the next spot, a concubine at the next spot, and a lady-in-waiting at the next spot.

Many of these people don't understand feng shui, but they do understand history: the so-called "official women" are palace maids, the only difference being that they were palace maids who had been favored by the emperor.

Most of them were concubines who were demoted for making mistakes, but when necessary, they still had to move flowers, weed, and wash clothes.

To put it bluntly, one is in heaven and the other is on earth; they cannot share a meal in life or a tomb in death, so it is impossible for him to be buried with a concubine.

Moreover, it's so chaotic: twelve dots represent twelve tombs, from concubines to consorts, then to noble ladies, ladies-in-waiting, ladies-in-waiting, and palace maids—it includes all ranks.

Even in ordinary families, wives and concubines have to be ranked in order, let alone in an imperial tomb.

As they pondered this, the archaeological team sprang into action.

It's also packed with high-tech features: ground-penetrating radar, capable of detecting tombs more than five meters deep and simultaneously analyzing the tomb's structure.

Electromagnetic trans-hole detection and 3D imaging can detect holes larger than three centimeters in real time. It can detect not only tomb robbers' holes, but even a rat hole underground.

There were also aperture radar, ground-based lasers, and quantum magnetism. The two teams split into three groups to probe the twelve points marked by Lin Sicheng.

The key point is that the speed is exceptionally fast; the instrument found the first location in less than ten minutes after it was turned on.

A group of people looked at each other in bewilderment: Was it just a blind cat catching a dead mouse, or a coincidence?

Just then, Lin Sicheng, holding the walkie-talkie, walked over unhurriedly.

Wu Hui followed behind, and He Cong'an hesitated for a moment before following as well.

Yan Wenjing moved even faster, supporting Lin Sicheng with both hands as if afraid he would trip.

As soon as these few made their move, the others followed suit, looking rather disgruntled.

Not far away, just outside the walls of the Mu Mausoleum, right beside the imperial mausoleum's tree-lined pond. On one side is a grove of pine and cypress trees, and on the other side is a cornfield.

Nearby, a couple dressed as farmers were arguing, while the mausoleum area management personnel and township staff were explaining that any trampled corn or dug-up field ridges would be compensated at the original price.

As for whether it constitutes illegal land occupation, that will have to wait for an investigation before a determination can be made.

On the edge of the embankment, Sun Jiamu was personally drilling down with a probe, while an image was displayed on a ground-penetrating radar to the side.

It's very clear, just like a hospital ultrasound: a square tomb, five meters wide and five meters high, with a black spot on each side of the burial chamber.

One area is dark in color, and the other is light in color. The dark area indicates that the tunnel has been dug to the bottom, while the light area indicates that it has not been dug through.

Lin Sicheng had his team members walk around the grave pit with radar in hand, and then he looked at the soil layer that Sun Jiamu had dug out.

After glancing at it, Lin Sicheng shook his head, and Sun Jiamu also shook his head, and arranged for the team to explore the next location.

A group of police officers were completely bewildered, while a group of archaeologists seemed to be deep in thought.

They are all experts; they can tell just by looking at the soil layers in the shovel: the modern cultural layer is nearly one meter deep, followed by half a meter of raw soil, and then the mature soil.

This indicates that the hole existed before the 1970s, and most likely, the tomb was looted during the Republican era.

So, this isn't about investigating illegal land occupation; it's clearly about investigating a tomb raiding case.

While they were still suspicious, the team found a second one. This one was smaller, about ten square meters, and was also more intact, with no signs of theft or disturbance.

Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth... more and more tombs were discovered, most of them untouched and few robbed, and they were mostly concentrated in the Republican era.

Only two of them were robbed after the founding of the People's Republic of China, but judging from the soil layers inside the robbed tunnels, they were at least ten years old.

The more they discovered, the more disappointed Sun Jiamu became. Even Wu Hui had some doubts, wondering if Lin Sicheng had miscalculated the location.

But the group of onlookers became increasingly alarmed as they watched.

The group of police officers were alright; they didn't really understand much, and besides, they had already witnessed how amazing Lin Sicheng was. They were surprised, but their feelings weren't that profound.

They at least knew how Lin Sicheng found Zhang Anshi's tomb: the area was as large as tens of square kilometers, almost half of Xijing City.

This place is only a few acres?

But a group of archaeologists were all dumbfounded: precisely because they understood, precisely because they knew so much, they knew how incredible this was.

Of the twelve tombs, nine have been discovered. For each one, the tomb is located wherever the dot on the map is.

Even without surveying a large area, Sun Jiamu could pinpoint the coordinate range to within a ten-meter radius by combining the three maps and comparing them with the cemetery's floor plan.

Standing within the circle, a single radar scan reveals whether there are any graves.

One success could be attributed to luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, but nine?

Putting aside whether the person buried inside was a noble, a low-ranking official, or even a concubine or consort, let's talk about the accuracy of this.

Looking up again, all around were trees and fields, and underfoot were crops and grass; there wasn't a single point of reference.

It gives the impression that the child witnessed the burial firsthand.

Seeing the group of people stunned, Wang Qizhi watched coldly: "Back in Yuncheng, the area was much larger, an entire county, five or six hundred square kilometers, and we still found them easily."

The crucial point is that it wasn't a tomb, but an ancient porcelain kiln...

While pondering this, the team members finished exploring the tenth site. Unfortunately, they didn't find a single hole, not even a rat hole, let alone a tomb raider's tunnel.

Continuing forward, passing through a poplar grove, and reaching the last two points marked on the map, the group of team members paused in surprise.

There are two courtyards, one on the left and one on the right, with a dirt road about five meters wide in the middle.

The coordinates weren't in the yard, but behind the backyard. The problem is: one is outside the cattle pen, and the other is in the threshing ground.

Outside the cattle pen, there's a mountain of cow dung, and in the threshing ground, corn is drying everywhere.

The journey of a hundred li is only half complete at ninety; with only these two places left, we definitely have to investigate. Whether it's cow dung or corn, we can just move it; it's just a matter of losing some money.

The archaeological team made quite a commotion, and since it was the busy farming season, many villagers came out to watch the excitement.

The head of the cemetery management office and township officials went to communicate with the owner, while the team members took the opportunity to rest, and several leaders gathered together for a chat.

He Cong'an glanced at him, then gestured with his chin towards Lin Sicheng: "Director Wu, which expert is this?"

"Literary Institute!"

"So young, looks like he's only in his early twenties?"

Wu Hui looked at him meaningfully: "Director He, that's not what you wanted to ask, is it?"

He Cong'an nodded and lowered his voice: "Director Wu, the Mu Mausoleum has been robbed?"

By now, even a fool could see it.

Wu Hui didn't speak, but his silence meant he acquiesced.

He Cong'an looked around and sighed, "Boss, even if the imperial tombs were robbed, it shouldn't be this big of a scene, right?"

Previously, he was so preoccupied with figuring out Wu Hui's purpose that he didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until he was halfway through the tomb exploration and accidentally bumped into Li Zhijie that he felt a sense of familiarity.

Then, upon reflection, he remembered: This was the director of the provincial department's office.

Strangely, Li Zhijie followed closely behind the two men with slight Beijing accents, step by step, and with utmost respect.

Considering Li Zhijie's position and rank, and his Beijing accent, the answer is obvious: these two are police officers from Beijing.

I don't know if he's from a ministry or commission, but his rank is definitely higher than Li Zhijie's.

Thinking about it more deeply, he immediately gasped: the State Administration of Cultural Heritage needed to be mobilized, and the Beijing police needed to cooperate in the investigation. How big must this case be?

But even if it's a huge matter, at most it's the theft of an imperial tomb, why treat it like an investigation into spies?

Wu Hui shook his head.

To be honest, he didn't know much either: he only knew that it was related to the group that injured Lin Sicheng, but he wasn't very clear about the specific nature of the case or its connection to the Qingxi Mausoleum.

Offering him a cigarette, Wu Hui thought for a moment and said, "Director He, you might not believe it, but actually I'm not entirely sure either!"

He settled down and didn't ask any more questions.

The two women were smoking head to head when the staff called over the heads of the two households: two women, or rather, two sisters-in-law.

Hearing that they had to move the cow dung and corn, the two women were reluctant: they said their husbands were away working, and their children were still young. Besides, it was the busy farming season, and it was difficult to find help. Moving the dung and corn was easy, but what would happen afterward?

The township official promised to move the items back exactly as they were moved, and then promised to give each family an extra 500 yuan before the two women finally agreed.

Two loaders were brought in from the town. They were very fast, and in less than half an hour, they had pushed all the corn in the field into a pile.

The archaeological team entered the site and circled around several times, from front to back and back to front.

There is a tomb, and it's quite large, but there are no signs of it being disturbed.

Then, the two loaders shoveled cow dung. There was a lot of cow dung, and it was heavy, so this time it was slower, taking about an hour.

When the archaeological team re-entered the site, they circled around twice and then looked at each other in bewilderment.

Found it?

Yan Wenjing perked up and rushed over, staring at the imaging device.

But it was all for naught; he couldn't understand it.

Sun Jiamu and Wu Hui followed closely behind, glanced at each other, looked at each other, and then looked at Lin Sicheng who had just walked over.

Lin Sicheng frowned slightly as he stared at the screen, which was flashing with static.

Yan Wenjing's heart skipped a beat: "Teacher Lin, how is it?"

Lin Sicheng paused, then shook his head: "No grave!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Of the twelve points on the map, eleven tombs have been found; this is the only one where an unexpected discovery occurred.

Wang Qizhi, chin in hand, asked, "Was it because the feng shui master didn't notice this place when they were choosing the burial site?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: It's possible elsewhere, but absolutely not in this area.

At first glance, this place is the farthest from Daoguang Baocheng (the mausoleum), but here, there is a branch that extends down from the ancestral mountain of Muling.

Facing east from the west, with the main peak standing like a screen and the facing mountain resembling a mirror stand. Surrounded by smaller hills and peaks, shaped like a dressing box, and with a waterfall cascading down from the water's mouth, it resembles a cascading waterfall.

The natural peaks and forests resemble a woman dressing up, exuding a gentle and ethereal aura, while the mirror-like water reflects wealth: a jade maiden's dressing table.

It cannot compare to the Mu Mausoleum of Emperor Daoguang, nor to the Mu Dong Mausoleum, which is dedicated to the burial of imperial concubines, but among the tombs surrounding the Mu Mausoleum, this one has the best feng shui layout.

Especially the area underfoot, where cow dung is piled up, facing north (壬山丙向), is the top of the dressing table, signifying the highest level of nobility.

The place next to it faces south from north (子山午向), which in feng shui is called "Jijiao Xue" (髻角xué), and is considered second most auspicious.

It doesn't make sense that someone is buried there, and the grave is so big, yet it's empty.

After calculating again and confirming that everything was correct, Lin Sicheng tossed the compass to Fang Jin and started circling the cattle pen.

He walked around for a while and then stopped: "Is the old village chief here?"

The village chief is there, but he's not old; he's a young man around thirty years old.

After exchanging a few polite words, Lin Sicheng pointed to the two courtyards and asked, "Village chief, may I ask if we need to raise the foundation when building houses here?"

"Yes, it's too close to the mountains and there's too much water. We have to use dry gravel to build the foundation, otherwise the moisture will be too great!"

"Are the cattle pens and grain yards also being padded?"

"Patch it!" the village chief nodded. "Being close to the mountains means lots of rain, and flooding is a common problem. If we don't patch it, either the grain will be soaked or the livestock will be drowned!"

How much padding?

"The foundation of the house must be at least 1.5 meters high, and the backyard and threshing ground must be at least 1 meter high!"

Listening to their conversation, Yan Wenjing's eyes lit up: Because a foundation was laid, the tomb was buried deeper, so the radar couldn't detect it.

Then he frowned again: the question now is not whether there is a tomb down there, but whether there are signs of looting.

What's the use of finding a tomb if you've never robbed it?

With a sigh, Lin Sicheng said thank you and started circling the cattle pen again.

There weren't many cows, only four of varying sizes. The enclosure wasn't very big either, about ten meters from east to west and four meters from north to south.

There was a small window in the back wall for excrement, which was basically thrown out through the hole with a shovel, and then transported back through the hole.

I just turned it over, and the layer of decay was brought to the top. It stank even more than a dry toilet that had been left to rot for ten years without being dug. It was also extremely filthy, with puddles of yellowish water mixed with thin slurry everywhere.

Choosing a dry, hard spot, Lin Sicheng approached and first looked at the manure pile, then glanced at the base of the cattle pen wall.

Below is a stone base, and above is adobe. The signs of alkali decay and rot are not heavy, indicating that the manure pile was not originally piled against the wall like it is now. Rather, it was turned over again after being pushed out of the window.

But the wall was very wet, which means it hadn't been turned over in the past six months and had been piled up against the wall all this time.

The manure pile was soft and mostly brownish-yellow, but the inner layer was extremely black, like silt from a pond.

At first glance, it seems normal; this is just feces decomposing into organic carbon. What's abnormal is that it would have taken at least five years to decompose to this extent.

But in farmers' homes, manure is piled up and applied as needed, with a one-year cycle. Who can pile up cow dung for five years?

Unless, the bottom of the circle is breached?

Thinking of this, Lin Sicheng's eyelids twitched: "Fang Jin, find a shovel."

What's this for?

But whatever the reason, it shouldn't warrant Lin Sicheng taking action. Putting aside his status, he was just stabbed; whether he could even dig it out is questionable.

Yan Wenjing, quick as a flash, snatched the shovel from Fang Jin's hand: "Teacher Lin, where should we dig?"

"Just this one patch, this pile of black dung, dig slowly, flatten it first, then spread it out!"

Yan Wenjing obeyed without question and called over two more of his police officers.

The three of them each had a shovel; one dug, one patted, and one spread out.

He had only dug a few shovelfuls when Lin Sicheng reached out and stopped him, squatting down beside him.

A few white fragments were found among the spread-out cow dung.

Lin Sicheng didn't mind the dirt, picked up a few pieces, and carefully examined them.

It's very hard and solid.

He held it under his nose again and smelled it, then let out a "ha" sound.

Yan Wenjing was puzzled. He looked at the white clay in the man's hand, then looked down at the ground, and picked up two pieces as well.

He paused for a moment as soon as he picked it up: What is this, lime?

Yan Wenjing pondered for a moment: "Teacher Lin, lime can disinfect and kill insects, so it seems normal to sprinkle lime in the cattle pen?"

Lin Sicheng was stunned: Normal my ass, you've never farmed or raised cattle, have you?

No, they've never actually grown it before.

But it's impossible to spread lime in the cattle pen: firstly, it's corrosive, burning the cattle's hooves during the day and their bellies at night.

Secondly, if lime is spread, how can manure be applied to the land? Even the strongest crops will be burned to death.

Moreover, this is not pure lime at all.

Lin Sicheng tossed away the dirt and clapped his hands: "Captain Yan, watch closely!"

What are you looking at?

Looking again, it's just lime... wait, something's not right.

Lime isn't that hard... This is an ancient mixture of glutinous rice juice, porcelain clay, and fine sand.

But where would you find ancient clay from the cattle pen?

Yan Wenjing was speechless, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably: This is the soil from the top of the tomb...