As Grandpa Wei's story reached this point, my heart was in my throat.

According to his account, the split among the four factions is likely related to this so-called final showdown.

But up to this point, Duan Jinyan has maintained a positive image. His ability to be the commander-in-chief jointly recommended by the four sects shows that he is recognized by everyone.

Could it be that my thinking has been wrong all along? The reason he was regarded as a sinner of the Four Gates was not because he betrayed the Four Gates, but because he made a mistake in command during this operation, which led to the loss of the team.

Seeing my eager gaze, Old Master Wei picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and continued, "The Lingbi matter went very smoothly. Wu Liang was already a defeated opponent of the Four Gates. In order to turn the tide, he hired a large number of tomb raiding experts, including many from the Southern and Northern Schools. Unfortunately for them, their opponent was the strongest young talent of the Four Gates, a master with over a thousand years of inherited skills."

Wu Liang suffered a crushing defeat. He and all the experts he had hired were buried alive in the ancient tomb by Duan Jinyan, becoming souls in the underworld. After that, the Sino-Foreign Association, having lost so many skilled members, ceased operations and completely withdrew from the tomb raiding world.

I could no longer suppress my doubts and asked bluntly, "Grandpa Wei, according to you, the four sects should have won a great victory, so why do you say that Duan Jinyan is a sinner?"

Old Master Wei suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, exuding an imposing aura without anger: "Because he's gone mad!"

I was startled by Old Master Wei's change: "Has he gone mad?!"

"At that time, the people from the four gates discovered a large number of treasures in that tomb. The most precious treasure was a piece of broken ancient jade. I did not see the jade with my own eyes at the time, but according to Duan Jinyan's fax, the broken jade was fascinating in color, and when viewed from the side, it was a bluish-green color with obvious carving marks."

When Grandpa Wei mentioned that incident, he gently tapped his pipe with his fingers: "Back then, the four of us old folks saw a picture attached to the fax and discussed it for a whole afternoon. We all felt that the broken piece of jade was very likely a fragment of the Imperial Seal of the State."

As a descendant of the lineage of the Wealth-Giving Boy, Song Laosan was quite knowledgeable about antiques and history: "The Imperial Seal of the State? Isn't that the famous He Shi Bi? Historical records describe the He Shi Bi as 'blue when viewed from the side and white when viewed from the front,' which doesn't match what Duan Jinyan said! Besides, even ignoring the characteristics, it wouldn't appear in Lingbi!"

Seeing Song Laosan interrupt, Old Master Wei turned his gaze to us: "Since the story has come to this point, let me test you younger generation. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Song Laosan spoke first: "During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, jade was often used as a token of envoys in exchanges between states, and the He Shi Bi, the finest jade, was a symbol of the state. After Bian He presented the jade, the He Shi Bi was regarded as a national treasure by the State of Chu. After the State of Chu annexed the State of Yue, King Wei of Chu bestowed it upon his prime minister Zhao Yang, but it was lost in his hands. It was not until decades later that it appeared in the State of Zhao, which aroused the covetousness of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and also led to the story of Lin Xiangru returning the jade intact to Zhao."

Sixty years after the return of the He Shi Bi to Zhao, Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, and King You of Zhao surrendered and presented the He Shi Bi. One account states that after Qin Shi Huang obtained the He Shi Bi, he ordered jade craftsmen to carve eight bird-and-insect-shaped seal characters, "Received the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous," written by Prime Minister Li Si, onto the He Shi Bi as the emperor's jade seal, which became the national seal passed down through generations.

After Qin Shi Huang's death, Zhao Gao used the He Shi Bi to usurp power. When Liu Bang led his troops into Xianyang, the national seal fell into his hands. After Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, he used the jade disc as the national seal of the Han Dynasty. From then on, the He Shi Bi became the "Heirloom Seal of the State". Moreover, after Liu Bang, the He Shi Bi was passed down to nine emperors.

Based on numerous historical records, I believe the He Shi Bi was indeed the Imperial Seal of the State, and that its material must have been a single piece of jade, which explains why it appears in two different colors from the side and front.

I was eager to hear Mr. Wei continue telling my father's story, so I had no time to answer his questions. However, out of courtesy to my junior, I could only wait patiently.

Wei Shengnan glanced at Song Laosan while holding her teacup, clearly sharing the same opinion.

Qu Ruilin then spoke up: "Historical documents record the origins and development of the Qin State's Imperial Seal in detail. Historical materials such as the 'Treatise on Carriages and Clothing' in the Book of Jin and Xu Lingxin's 'Illustrated Manual of Imperial Seals' in the Tang Dynasty both record that it was 'green like blue, warm and lustrous,' indicating that it was made of Lantian jade. Therefore, I believe that the claim that the Imperial Seal was made from the He Shi Bi jade is unfounded and untenable."

"Clap clap clap!"

Grandpa Wei clapped his hands: "Not bad. I didn't expect that you, a descendant of the winding path lineage, would be so diligent and eager to learn. You are a good prospect, unlike your father who was so dull!"

I was the one who proposed that the broken jade fragment was the Imperial Seal of the State, and my view is the same as yours; I don't believe the Imperial Seal of the State is the He Shi Bi! If this claim holds true, we can use it as a basis to continue tracing its whereabouts!

Duan Hongyu shared my view at the time, but he didn't believe the fragment of jade Duan Jinyan found was the Imperial Seal of the State. Instead, he believed the Imperial Seal of the State had been buried with Ying Zheng in Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum as a funerary object. He felt that Qin Shi Huang built the largest mausoleum in the world and used a large number of terracotta warriors as funerary objects to ensure he would continue to enjoy supreme power after death, and the Imperial Seal of the State was the most representative object of that power!

I believe the Imperial Seal was considered a symbol of dynastic legitimacy. Since Ying Zheng passed the throne to Qin Er Shi (Hu Hai), he should naturally have handed over the Imperial Seal, representing the majesty and legitimacy of the empire, to him. If this is true, then when Xiang Yu led his troops to attack Xianyang at the end of the Qin Dynasty, burning down the Qin palaces, excavating the Qin tombs, and plundering treasures and beauties, the Imperial Seal was very likely among them.

Lingbi in Anhui was known as Gaixia during the Qin Dynasty, the very place where Xiang Yu was defeated and killed. Duan Jinyan and his team discovered a large number of Qin Dynasty burial objects in that tomb. I suspected at the time that this person might have been one of Xiang Yu's subordinates, who, seeing Xiang Yu's defeat, fled with the treasure. Or perhaps he was a subordinate of Liu Bang, who obtained the treasure from Xiang Yu.

Old Master Song was still unwilling to give up: "Grandpa, the whereabouts of the He Shi Bi jade, and whether it is the Imperial Seal of the State, is a major unsolved mystery in Chinese history! It is inappropriate for you to make a hasty judgment based on just a few words!"

"Back then, your grandfather had the same opinion as you, and we argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion! In the end, Qu Ruilin's grandfather, Qu Xiangsheng, stepped forward and said that since we were all unsure what that thing was, we might as well go there in person and have it appraised on the spot! The Imperial Seal of the State is a rare treasure that carries the fate of the nation, and none of us wanted to miss this opportunity to admire it. We all agreed and prepared to go to Lingbi. We also agreed that if we could determine the origin of the jade, we would donate it to the National Museum of China."

At this point, Old Master Wei raised his head and took a deep breath: "But on the very day we arrived in Lingbi full of hope, the Four Gates... encountered the greatest crisis in a hundred years!"