Chapter 155: A Glance at an Idea (Two chapters combined, bonus chapter for 3000 monthly votes)
The semi-circular stone slab reflected a bluish light, and the vigorous seal script characters pierced the eye like sharp arrows.
Chen Peng clenched his fists, his white knuckles brushing against the stone tablet:
The meritorious Zhang family, favored by the emperor and with numerous descendants… Zhang Lin (a fourth-generation descendant of Zhang Anshi, who inherited the title of Marquis of Fuping) married Princess Jingwu (daughter of Emperor Xuan of Han)…
The more Chen Peng looked, the angrier he became. With a loud "thud," the long stainless steel table trembled violently.
"What is this? Ah? What is this... "
Veins bulged on his forehead, Chen Peng's eyes were bloodshot, and he pounded his fist on the long table again and again. "These things only get intercepted at the border? Are you all just sitting around doing nothing?"
Apart from roars and thunderous sounds, there was not a single other noise in the forensic room.
No one spoke, and no one even dared to look up.
But we can't let the leader go crazy like this; what about outsiders?
Guan Xingmin gave Lin Sicheng a pleading look, and Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "Jie!"
Chen Peng paused, "What?"
"This is Jieshi, the very Jieshi mentioned in 'Eastward to Jieshi'! During the Western Han Dynasty, it was usually erected in ancestral temples and tombs to record the emperor's favors and the achievements of ancestors..."
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Anyway, it's not an epitaph. There were no epitaphs or even tombstones in the Western Han Dynasty."
I don't care if it's an epitaph or not.
Chen Peng glared at Lin Sicheng.
At the same time, he realized that if it were just subordinates, it wouldn't matter if he got angry; he could just grab any one of them who was all talk and no action and give them a couple of punches.
But with so many leaders and experts from other organizations present, his cursing and smashing of things was truly out of control.
But on the other hand, it's no wonder he was angry: it had been a month since Lin Sicheng sent the register and jade artifacts. The tomb hadn't been found, and the artifacts hadn't been intercepted.
Before, it was fine; only small items were being smuggled out. But suddenly, an inscribed stone tablet appeared, and it has even been transported to the border.
Putting everything else aside, let's make a comparison: Why was the border station able to find the stone tablet on the bottom of the coal truck, while the police officers stationed at various key checkpoints by the municipal bureau didn't find it?
Chen Peng felt he hadn't been harsh enough: "Eating shit is more like eating rice than eating dry food..."
"Get the hell out of here!" he said, barely containing his anger. "Do I have to teach you what to do next?"
Several branch captains and sub-bureau chiefs left the forensic room with their heads down.
Chen Peng sighed, "Director He, I'll be going now!"
He Zhigang's face darkened, and he didn't say anything, only nodding.
Chen Peng picked up his hat and walked out. Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and then quietly followed behind.
“Hey, Xiao Lin, wait a minute… You’re not a police officer, why are you getting involved?” He Zhigang squinted. “Come back, come back…”
Lin Sicheng had no choice but to turn around.
Why stay here if you're not going to run away? Are you just waiting to get scolded?
Although he knew that even if He Zhigang was scolding him, he wasn't actually scolding him, he was still upset because his work wasn't making any progress.
He paused for a moment, then sighed, "Director He, please don't be angry if I tell you the truth, but Zhang Anshi's grave is really hard to find!"
He Zhigang paused for a moment, then his expression softened slightly.
Seeing this, Chen Peng seemed to be thinking something, and turned back.
Tian Jie's eyes lit up slightly; he really wanted to give a thumbs up.
Why don't you think He Zhigang gets angry? Is it because he's afraid?
No, it's just that the heads of the provincial archaeological institute, cultural relics protection institute, and Yangling Museum, among other departments, are all in their fifties or sixties. If outsiders criticize them too harshly, they will lose face.
Moreover, compared to that, although the Public Security Bureau's work was negligent, it at least made progress: the cultural relics that were captured and recovered are almost overflowing the warehouse of the Municipal Appraisal Center.
Regardless of whether it was stolen from Zhang Anshi's tomb, at least it shows that someone did some work.
The cultural relics bureau, with over ten units and two or three hundred people, worked for a month, but they didn't find a single tomb, not even a hair.
So, once Chen Peng leaves, he will definitely curse even more fiercely and harshly than Chen Peng.
But Lin Sicheng's intervention relieved He Zhigang's anger by at least half: because it was really hard to find.
In just one month, Duling has been searched twice; if it were possible to find it, it would have been found long ago.
Of course, they also made bigger mistakes: on the first day of the meeting, someone pointed out that the tomb was not in Duling, but no one believed it.
Therefore, if the Jieshi stone inscription and the gold seal did indeed leave the country, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage will bear the brunt of the blame...
He Zhigang still had a dark expression, but compared to his previous state of "being so angry that he wanted to curse," he had at least regained most of his rationality.
He didn't bother with further words, picked up the folder, and said: "(Zhang Anshi died) He was posthumously honored as Marquis Jing, and his tomb was granted in Duling. His son Yanshou succeeded him... Any objections?"
No one spoke.
"(Emperor Xuan) recognized An Shi's loyalty and diligence in guarding the palace and bestowed upon him the tomb of Duling. He was then granted the title of General and Marquis, and his descendants succeeded him, becoming the emperor's trusted confidants... Marquis of Fuping (Zhang Anshi) was enfeoffed for his merits and was granted the tomb of Duling. His descendants succeeded him as Marquis, and the lineage continued for generations... Do you have any objections to these two points?"
Still, no one spoke.
He Zhigang turned the page and continued reading: "In remembrance of Zhang Anshi's past merits, the Emperor decreed that his descendants be buried with him... Zhang Anshi's family had inherited the title for five generations, and all of them were buried in the garden, with special permission granted for the establishment of a cemetery... Do you have any objections to these two points?"
These five records are all historical materials that Lin Sicheng found in the corner, and they are largely the same as those in the "Han Ji", "Shi Shu", and "Chu Han Chun Qiu" (History of the Western Han Dynasty).
The only difference is that each of these clauses has an extra sentence: "If the son continues the lineage, the descendants will succeed him, the descendants will inherit the title, the imperial edict will allow the descendants to be buried with him, and the title will be passed down for five generations, all of whom will be buried in the cemetery."
In essence, it all means the same thing: the emperor granted Zhang Anshi's sons and brothers permission to build a family mausoleum around Duling, so that their descendants could be buried there and rest in peace with the nation.
It was quite early; after the meeting documents were submitted, He Zhigang had Lin Sicheng submit them. However, no one paid any attention, and some even scoffed at it.
But now, to make matters worse, Zhang Anshi's marquis gold seal and the stone inscription recording his fourth-generation descendant Zhang Lin's marriage to Princess Jingwu have been unearthed together. Who dares to say that Lin Sicheng's conjecture that "Zhang Anshi's tomb may be a family cemetery" was wrong?
If we follow the last point, according to Zheng Xuan's "Customs and Traditions" from the Eastern Han Dynasty: Zhang Anshi's family inherited the title for five generations, and all of them were buried in the Zhang family cemetery... Then there are more than twenty tombs in the Zhang family cemetery.
The title was inherited for five generations, meaning there were at least five marquises buried in that burial complex. According to the Western Han Dynasty's ritual system, the size of a marquis's mausoleum was regulated, and even if they all occupied a total area of one hundred mu, it would still be considered small.
Therefore, it is definitely impossible for him to be buried in Duling.
Doesn't this coincide with Lin Sicheng's earliest suggestion, the one during the first meeting when they almost got into an argument?
The claim that "Zhang Anshi's tomb is southeast of Duling" is likely a misrecorded entry in ancient texts; his family's tombs are probably located outside of Duling...
The bigger problem was that two or three hundred people surrounded Duling Mausoleum, scrutinizing it so thoroughly that they would "use a magnetometer to probe even a rat hole," yet they couldn't find a single trace of a fresh tomb raider's hole.
However, Zhang Anshi's gold seal and Zhang Linshang's public seal were found thousands of kilometers away.
Could it be that the golden seal and the stone tablet grew legs and flew out of the tomb?
Therefore, it is 100% certain that Zhang Anshi's tomb is a family burial site, and it is located outside of Duling!
Seeing that no one spoke up, He Zhigang's face darkened again. He raised the document to slam it down, but Tian Jie shouted, "I have no objection!"
He Zhigang glanced at him: You're just a tomb raider who only uses your strength and doesn't talk. Your words don't count.
I asked those who work in offices...
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Hu Zheng sighed inwardly: "Even at this point, why are you still being so stubborn?"
He raised his hand: "I have no objection either!"
Then, scattered and fragmented: "No objections...no objections..."
He Zhigang's expression softened slightly, and he opened the folder again:
The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Celestial Offices, states: "The heavens are marked by constellations, and the earth by provinces and regions." The Yellow Map of the Three Capital Regions (a classic of geomancy from the Eastern Han Dynasty) further states:
All Han imperial tombs feature the Four Symbols guarding the four directions: the Azure Dragon coiled on the left, the White Tiger crouching on the right, the Vermilion Bird soaring in front, and the Black Tortoise crouching behind… Therefore, the sites of Western Han imperial tombs were selected based on calendar, astrology, and geomancy…
"Upon observation, the center of the Duling Mausoleum's earthen mound coincides with the projected position of the North Star (Polaris, the Emperor Star). The four gates of the mausoleum should correspond to the 'Eastern Horn,' 'Western Kui,' 'Southern Wing,' and 'Northern Dipper' constellations in the Twenty-Eight Mansions, constructing a 'Heavenly Mausoleum as One' cosmological model... Do you agree?"
These have all been systematically studied, so the response was straightforward: "Agreed!"
He Zhigang nodded and continued reading: This is the first point... Secondly, the Book of Rites, "Royal System", states: "The divine position of the state is on the right of the altar of the land and grain, and on the left of the ancestral temple. The Book of Han, "Treatise on Rites and Music", also states: "(The imperial tomb) has the Azure Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right... that is, the left is civil and the right is military."
The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Celestial Offices: Pleiades is called Maotou, a barbarian star, and represents the White Clothes Gathering. Bi is called Hanche, and governs hunting. Shen is called the White Tiger... In other words, Pleiades, Bi, and Shen, the three constellations in the west, govern war and warfare.
At that time, Zhang Anshi was the Grand Marshal, the head of the military officers, so he was buried west of the mausoleum, which corresponds to the saying that he "was in charge of chariots and cavalry and guarded the imperial mausoleum"... The approximate location should be between three and six kilometers west of Duling..."
The group of people were all stunned for a moment, their eyes fixed on Lin Sicheng: it seemed a bit far-fetched. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
So, the kid actually managed to cover it up?
He Zhigang probably felt it was a bit of a stretch, so he didn't ask "whether you agree or not," but instead closed the folder and said, "Everyone, we've been investigating for a month, through wind and sun, it's really been hard work. But since it's been shown that Zhang Anshi's tomb is not in Duling, there's no need to get bogged down in the details."
"Since we're going to change direction, it's always better to have a basis for it than no basis at all. So, Director Hu, I suggest we look to the west!"
Otherwise, we would definitely have to look outside of Duling.
But we can't just wander around like headless flies, can we?
Rather than starting from scratch, researching materials, checking archives, seeking evidence, and conducting research, which could take several more months, it would be better to follow Lin Sicheng's line of thought and investigate.
Just like Director He said: What if?
Just as Hu Zheng was about to nod, Lin Sicheng suddenly said, "Director He, you're hard to find!"
He Zhigang was stunned for a moment, then stared at him.
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Director He, it's really hard to find because that area is being demolished. Everything that was supposed to be demolished has been leveled. So there are no landmarks on the surface. You can't even use satellite remote sensing to deduce anything, let alone rely on the terrain."
One more point: even if there is a grave, it should be buried deep underground; otherwise, related cemetery remains should be discovered during the demolition process… Therefore, if we are to search, we must conduct deep drilling, simultaneously utilizing ground-penetrating radar, resistivity methods, magnetic methods, and seismic wave detection. But regardless of the method used, all construction work must be halted!
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "But how do we stop in the space city, a national-level economic and technological development zone?"
He Zhigang finally understood why Lin Sicheng wanted to sneak away right after Chen Peng finished yelling at him: because there was simply no way to find him...
But we can't just not look for it, can we?
If there's no other way, then we'll have to find a way.
As he frowned in thought, Lin Sicheng pointed to the tombstone: "Leaders, I have an idea, but whether it will work is uncertain. Just take it as something I said casually!"
It's not like we haven't used it before, right?
Lin Sicheng is incredibly useful.
Chen Peng nodded vigorously: "Go ahead!"
"Follow the clues from the cultural relics..."
Just as he got started, Chen Peng's eyelids twitched: the police, of course, knew to follow the clues of cultural relics to investigate further.
After nearly a month of investigation, a considerable amount of items have been recovered, including some suspected to be from Zhang Anshi's tomb. However, the problem is that we've only scratched the surface.
Many people were arrested, but the most important ones were the black market antique dealers who bought these cultural relics. They could tell you who they bought them from and where they bought them.
But upon investigation, there was no such person at all... The core group of people seemed to have vanished into thin air.
After a moment's thought, Chen Peng was about to say something when Lin Sicheng pointed to Jieshi again: "Director Chen, because this group is too professional, they are not easy to investigate. Moreover, they are incredibly audacious: despite such high-pressure tactics, they still dig, sell, and transport as usual?"
Is this guy risking his life for money? He's got some nerve!
“Especially this one…” Lin Sicheng pointed to the stone carving again, “It was only two days after it was dug out, and the mud on it had just dried completely before it was transported to the border…”
This is a classic example of "leaving the country within the golden 48 hours." Ordinary tomb-raiding gangs don't have this kind of connection, nor the means or ability. There must be overseas institutions involved: that is, acquiring the goods locally, transporting them overnight, and receiving them overseas...
This method has a unique characteristic: it rarely results in the actual sale of stolen goods within the country. Nine times out of ten, the stolen goods that end up on the black market are deliberately baited to mislead the investigation efforts of relevant departments…that's why they can't be traced.”
Another characteristic is the dual nature of the tomb raiding and resale: those who dig up tombs are not sold, and those who sell them are not dug up. Essentially, the process involves a wealthy client locating the tomb, then funding a professional agency as an intermediary, who in turn hires a tomb-raiding gang to dig the grave.
Moreover, it's a cash-on-delivery arrangement: as soon as one item is unearthed, the tomb-raiding gang is paid for it on the spot..."
"Therefore, the organization is extremely tight, the division of labor is extremely clear, and the management is extremely strict: once you go down into the pit, you either have to dig it out completely, or the investigation is too tight and you have to withdraw, otherwise you will not get out of the pit."
Moreover, it's highly likely that the intermediary is intentionally covering up the news, and those who went down into the tomb have no idea that there's been such a huge uproar outside and the investigation is so tight. Therefore, they're probably still digging..."
Chen Peng's face grew darker and darker as he listened.
That's incredibly impressive, how can we even investigate this?
He Zhigang thought for a moment: "Xiao Lin, what does 'professional organization' mean?"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "Auction house!"
The two of them were both taken aback: an international auction house?
If an international auction house was responsible for selling the stolen goods, Lin Sicheng's speculation might actually be quite plausible. Like this stone slab, despite the strict checkpoints at all the major roads, how did it manage to be smuggled out?
Suddenly, Chen Peng remembered what Lin Sicheng had mentioned before about "removing the boots backwards": Director Chen, this group is too professional; it'll probably be difficult to investigate them...
At the time, he didn't quite believe it, thinking to himself, "How many years have I been a police officer?"
As it turns out, it's really damn hard to find out.
In particular, Lin Sicheng's mention of "leaving the country within the golden 48 hours," as well as "reverse slipping of the boot" and "deliberately setting up bait to mislead the investigation," shows that he is definitely a seasoned thief.
An ordinary petty thief wouldn't even know how to do something this well...
Chen Peng bit his cheek, looking pained: "How do you know so much?"
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "I learned it from a book!"
Chen Peng scoffed: "I don't believe you!"
He was referring to the phrase Lin Sicheng "learned from a book," not Lin Sicheng's speculation.
Based on his more than 20 years of professional experience, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Despite being called an international auction house, its core staff are all from China, and 100% of them have no official connection to the auction house.
So, you can even go abroad and check all the auction houses?
Of course, no matter how difficult it is, we have to investigate. On the other hand, it's better than having no clue at all.
He sighed and straightened Lin Sicheng's collar: "If you're going to help someone, go all the way. Come on, give your Uncle Chen some ideas..."
Lin Sicheng was both amused and exasperated.
He thought for a moment longer: "First find the artifacts, then use the artifacts to find the people!"
Chen Peng pressed on: "Who are you looking for?"
"Tomb raiders, or perhaps an auction house!"
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