Chapter 134 Cutting off someone's source of income, the Seven-Story Pagoda
A gentle breeze rippled across the West Lake.
The awning boat parted the water chestnut leaves, and a white egret soared into the sky, skimming over the corner of Lonely Hill. The sycamore leaves on the Bai Causeway fluttered down, covering the reflection of Leifeng Pagoda.
Gently push open the carved window, and the fragrance of osmanthus mixed with the rich moisture wafts in.
With a "whoosh," the Xuan paper on the table swayed slightly.
Lin Sicheng turned around and slowly exhaled.
I remember that when Xu Weili's documents were recovered in my previous life, the public security authorities clearly reported that there were seventeen copies.
But Li Jinqian found him a full thirty-seven sets, more than twice as many as in his previous life.
The Seven Volumes of Records of Official Appointments: Records Xu Weili's official documents from the fourteenth year of Jiading (1221) to the twelfth year of Chunyou (1252).
Equivalent to a modern "appointment letter" for officials, it details the selection and appointment process for officials in the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Five Volumes of White and Yellow Edicts: These are imperial edicts issued by the court, covering government affairs and cases handled by Xu Weili during his tenure, and providing a detailed reflection of the local administrative operations in the Southern Song Dynasty.
There are also twenty-five blank printed papers: these are official performance evaluation files, which record Xu Weili's performance evaluation, rewards and punishments, term of office, etc.
Both are very rare.
No, it should be said to be extremely valuable: it not only provides continuous original archives for the study of the bureaucratic system of the Southern Song Dynasty, such as the processes of performance evaluation, salary, and dispatch, but also reveals the high level of achievement in the production and preservation technology of paper documents in the Song Dynasty.
In addition, there is the paper document sealing technology that was created in the Southern Song Dynasty, which involves "roll sealing (wax coating on the roller head) to prevent oxygen and covering it with an alum-glue silk bag to prevent water damage".
Just one point: after the tomb raiders went down into the pit, all these documents were retrieved from the water. Who would believe that?
Even more remarkably, its completeness rivals that of the Dunhuang manuscripts. Because of these finds, many existing historical research findings have been overturned. This means that decades of painstaking research by many Song Dynasty archaeologists and historians were all for naught.
So, it's more than just two billion.
He spent 100,000 yuan, of which 50,000 yuan was the cost price the antique dealer bought back from the tomb raiders, and the remaining 50,000 yuan was a reward for Li Jinqian's brother's hard work.
Even though he had expected it, Lin Sicheng still found it amazing: something like this only costs 50,000?
On the contrary, the other volumes, which Lin Sicheng considered to be extras such as "Longquan Wu Family Land Purchase Deed" and "Wu Family Burial Buddhist Scriptures", cost Lin Sicheng more than 300,000 yuan.
This was bought from Yongkang, more than 30 kilometers away from Xu Weili's tomb. It has the same paper and the same packaging technology.
These items further confirm the authenticity of Xu Weili's documents, which is a pleasant surprise.
Li Jinqian, on the other hand, only took two days...
Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly and bent down to roll up the document.
Gu Ming also came to help.
"Chengwa, these things must be quite expensive!"
Lin Sicheng nodded: This kind of thing can no longer be described as "expensive".
Gu Ming's eyes lit up instantly: "How much can it sell for?"
"Sell?" Lin Sicheng was stunned. "Are you out of your mind?"
If he can guarantee that these things won't be confiscated, we'll be incredibly grateful, let alone sell them.
Everyone there is talented, and they all speak so well...right?
After glaring at Gu Ming, the two quickly packed up the box, just as the phone started buzzing.
Li Jinqian?
Lin Sicheng answered the call, and a hearty laugh came from the other end: "Brother Lin, you haven't left yet, have you?"
"not yet!"
"That's good... It's like this: I have a friend who has heard that you have exceptional eyesight and your restoration skills are extraordinary, and he greatly admires you. So he would like to get to know you, Brother Lin. I wonder if you would do me the honor?"
Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, and really wanted to ask: Is your friend surnamed Chen?
If it had been the day before yesterday or yesterday, he probably would have agreed.
But now that we've decided to cut off someone's source of income, it's best not to meet them.
From another perspective, it also saved their lives.
As in his previous life, Chen Wei was sentenced to death, while his wife, son, and son-in-law were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Li Jinqian is the same, biubiu... son twenty years.
Regardless of everything else, just look at the two scrolls of documents that suddenly appeared on the table, and the twenty-four blank printed sheets of paper.
The latter, in particular, is the main body of the "Xu Weili Documents," of which the public security authorities in the previous life only recovered twelve copies. Li Jinqian, however, found a full twenty-five copies for himself.
And they're still looking... Just for that, we have to praise Manager Li.
As he pondered, he sighed inwardly, then chuckled, "Manager Li, what bad luck! I have an appointment with a friend and I'm going to Suzhou this afternoon. How about another time?"
"Of course!" Li Jinqian laughed heartily. "Then it's a deal, next time you come, you must call!"
"good!"
After exchanging a few polite words, Lin Sicheng hung up the phone and sighed again.
There probably won't be a next time.
After loading the scroll, he picked up the pouch and said, "Let's go!"
"Huh?" Gu Ming was taken aback. "You haven't bought the tickets yet!"
"I'll go back tomorrow; I'll head to Shaoxing first!"
"Oh~"
Everything was arranged by Lin Sicheng. Gu Ming didn't even bother to ask questions and just picked up his suitcase and followed behind.
About two hours later, the two arrived at Baoshan Town in Shaoxing.
Gu Ming watched over the boxes at the foot of the mountain, while Lin Sicheng climbed Qingfujian, south of the cemetery, alone.
From this vantage point, one can see the imperial tombs of the six emperors and six empresses of the Southern Song Dynasty all within view.
At first glance, the scenery is beautiful with green mountains and clear waters, a typical four-symbol pattern: backed by the treasure (Black Tortoise), facing Ruoye (Vermilion Bird), and surrounded by low hills on the left and right (Azure Dragon and White Tiger).
However, if Lin Sicheng were to interpret this from a feng shui perspective: the mountain behind the mausoleum has a gentle slope and lacks a majestic aura. The water features are also scattered, and the Vermilion Bird in front of the mausoleum is merely a stream.
Furthermore: Zhenbaoshan is only a branch of Kuaiji Mountain. It is uncertain whether Kuaiji Mountain even has a dragon vein, let alone a branch.
Even if they exist, they cannot gather energy, because the two azure dragons are both hills, but the mountains are low, short and flat, lacking both the spirit of a crouching tiger and the power of a coiled dragon. They cannot hide the wind or gather energy.
The saying goes, "If the feng shui is not good enough, popularity can make up for it." When the Southern Song Dynasty's Imperial Observatory was selecting a site, it listed Mount Kuaiji as "the town of Yangzhou" based on the "Zhou Li·Zhi Fang Shi" and renamed Mount Shangfu as Zhenbao Mountain, giving it the metaphor of "the rise of the dragon in the south" to make up for the geographical disadvantage.
It probably didn't work, because the outcome was very bad:
After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yang Lianzhenjia, the chief Buddhist official in Jiangnan, was ordered by Kublai Khan to "sever the lifeblood of the Han people" and "excavate the Song tombs".
How did it break?
Tao Zongyi's "Nancun Chuogenglu" records: "He collected more than ten cartloads of gold, silver and precious objects, cut off Emperor Lizong's skull to make a drinking vessel," and took the remains of the Song emperor, "mixed them with the dry bones of cattle, horses, pigs and dogs, and built a pagoda in the old palace of Hangzhou, named Zhennan Pagoda."
Fortunately, Emperor Lizong's skull was later recovered by Zhu Yuanzhang. It was first temporarily placed in Tianzhang Temple in Nanjing with imperial honors, and later reburied in the renovated Yongmu Mausoleum.
They are still there:
After that, Zhu Yuanzhang rebuilt the Six Mausoleums, and peace prevailed for five hundred years. Then, the War of Resistance against Japan broke out, and they were once again subdued by the Japanese.
The trees were cut down, the mausoleum was leveled, all the stone figures and horses were smashed, and then the land was plowed three feet deep.
Many later attempts to whitewash the situation blamed the Wang Jingwei regime on it, to which Lin Sicheng could only chuckle.
Logically, after being dug up so many times, the underground palace should have been completely ransacked, and all the treasures that could be stolen should have been taken. Not to mention the remains, there weren't even many stone tables and platforms left.
But don't doubt it, there really are treasures.
In 2022, relevant departments announced that satellite remote sensing had discovered intact tombs still existing in the Six Mausoleums of the Song Dynasty, and that "non-natural underground reflection signals" were present.
In layman's terms: There's another underground palace beneath the underground palace!
Whether it was truly discovered through satellite remote sensing, Lin Sicheng didn't know. He only knew that that year, grass had begun to grow on Chen Wei and Li Jinqian's graves.
Lin Sicheng had no idea how many valuable items these two had taken from the second level of the underground palace, but according to historical records, after Yang Lianzhenjia had "ploughed up the land three feet deep," many more items were stolen from the six mausoleums.
Jade pen box, copper cool rust remover tube, pearl horse saddle, intertwined white tooth comb, fragrant bone table, tiger-crouching pillow, cloud-piercing zither, golden cat's eye, jade rattan plate, fish-shadow jade fan handle... and so on.
Every single one of them is a national treasure.
By this standard, who else would I shoot if not you?
Looking at the gilded lacquer box from the day before yesterday, Chen Wei and Li Jinqian must know that it was an imperial artifact from the Southern Song Dynasty, otherwise it wouldn't have sold for 850,000.
They must already suspect there are more treasures in the Six Tombs, but they're still just exploring the surface. However, if they let these two continue their investigation, they'll discover, within five or six years at most, that there's another underground palace beneath the first.
Then, boom...
Therefore, even if it was out of consideration for preventing national treasures from flowing overseas, Lin Sicheng could not sit idly by.
And then, biubiubi...
Make no doubt, there's only one path to robbing imperial tombs: death.
But right now, they've probably only been together for about ten years. The crucial point is that their children are both in high school and haven't gotten involved at all.
Based on these two points alone, Chen Wei and Li Jinqian should thank themselves properly.
With that thought in mind, Lin Sicheng took out his newly bought phone and SIM card.
Grandma, there's another underground palace beneath the Southern Song Dynasty's Six Mausoleums, filled with countless treasures... Would you like to come and see?
No phone call, just a text message, but that was enough.
Besides her high seniority, the old lady also has a lot of students, many of whom are in key departments. They will definitely send someone to investigate.
An investigation would surely uncover recent signs of illegal excavation. However, Chen Wei and Li Jinqian are currently in the early stages of development and their activities are not yet widespread, so the local authorities will take this matter seriously.
With current technology, discovering the underground palace beneath the underground palace is not too difficult.
But what if it wasn't discovered?
Then I'll just have to do it myself...
After sending the text message, Lin Sicheng dusted himself off and headed down the mountain. He then deliberately took a detour and threw the disassembled phone and SIM card into the lake.
Gu Ming was still waiting at the foot of the mountain, while the taxi was parked on the roadside further away.
Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Let's go!"
Gu Ming narrowed his eyes: "You traveled all this way just to climb to the top of the mountain and take a look?"
But he remembered clearly: speak less, ask less, look less... so he only had a moment of doubt.
But then Gu Ming remembered something else: "You'd better call back. Your Professor Wang called my cell phone to ask if we're still in Hangzhou and when we're going back."
Lin Sicheng was taken aback: "How did Professor Wang know?"
"I guess it was my godfather who said it."
Lin Sicheng nodded.
Not many people knew that the two had come to Hangzhou. Mainly because they were afraid Wang Qizhi would come after them, Lin Sicheng had his phone switched off.
The reason is simple: the teacher's identity is too sensitive: What, a third-generation Red? You still need to find a clerk? I'll find you a liar.
What if things go wrong again and the dog gets so desperate that it jumps over the wall?
But you can't hide it from your family.
"I'll book a ticket as soon as I get back to Hangzhou, let's see if there are any flights tonight!"
Gu Ming shook his head: "I checked, the earliest train is tomorrow!"
"Okay, then tomorrow morning!"
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com