"Bronze artifacts won't work, I'll give you something else!" Li Shimin wanted to use something to pay off his debt.
"You've exchanged a lot for me before, it's enough for now. Let's exchange it into banknotes first!" Xiao Ran already has a lot of wealth now, and he doesn't have any idea about the value of money.
This time they helped partly because of the princesses, and partly because they wanted to make up for the regret that the Tang Dynasty had no Tubo.
"Okay, Ananda, send it back to the warehouse!"
Xiao Ran pulled the bronze ware, "Let me take another look!"
Although I don’t understand it, I want to take a look.
This is my first time coming into contact with this kind of thing.
"Why is buying and selling not allowed? It's even illegal?" Li Shimin didn't quite understand this.
Xiao Ran took out his phone and started taking pictures. "Western Zhou bronzes hold significant historical, cultural, and artistic value. They are crucial materials for studying the social history, culture, and art of the Western Zhou. Many of their inscriptions are chronological records, their content corroborating ancient texts, and their scripts are also a foundation for studying ancient characters."
"This will be a priceless treasure for future generations, so naturally, we cannot allow it to be circulated abroad."
"Many emperors' tombs have them. Were the tombs of later emperors severely robbed?" Li Shimin asked.
Tomb robbing has a long history and existed long before the Tang Dynasty.
"Yes! The emperor's tomb has many burial objects, so many people must have coveted them. If you take out any of them, it would be a huge fortune."
Li Shimin frowned, "Is there anyone stealing my property?"
Li Shimin cared a lot about this issue.
"Rumor has it that it was robbed!" Xiao Ran continued, "According to the New History of the Five Dynasties, Biography of Wen Tao, compiled by Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wen Tao once looted Tang imperial tombs on a large scale, including Zhaoling."
"However, there are some doubts that make this statement inconclusive. First, the earlier "Old Five Dynasties History: Biography of Wen Tao" only states that Wen Tao looted all the imperial tombs within his jurisdiction, but it doesn't specify which ones. At the time, Wen Tao's jurisdiction was Yaozhou, and your Zhaoling Mausoleum was not within his jurisdiction."
"Secondly, the Zhaoling Mausoleum's underground palace is dozens of feet deep, carved into the mountain, and is incredibly solid. Excavating such a mausoleum is a massive undertaking, and would inevitably cause significant damage to the mountain. However, Jiuyi Mountain is relatively intact today, with no signs of large-scale human damage. Furthermore, modern technology has yet to discover the entrance to the Zhaoling Mausoleum, raising questions about whether Wen Tao, who lived over a thousand years ago, could have easily excavated it."
"Furthermore, if Zhaoling Mausoleum was indeed robbed, the burial treasures in the underground palace have not been found. For example, the calligraphy of Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi, and other world-renowned treasures, would not disappear inexplicably."
"However, Zhaoling's above-ground structures and surrounding tombs have almost all been looted. The Six Horses of Zhaoling are six large stone reliefs inside the Sima Gate in the north of the mausoleum. These above-ground structures have survived for thousands of years, while none of the more precious artifacts in the underground palace can be found. This raises doubts about the claim that the underground palace of Zhaoling was looted."
"Two or three years ago, the Tang Zhaoling Mausoleum exploration project was the first in China to utilize geological technology to survey an imperial mausoleum built on a mountain. Geological radar and high-density electrical methods revealed no significant localized surface anomalies near the tomb passage. Furthermore, several ground surveys of the inferred ridge at the entrance to the passage revealed no signs of disturbance or excavation. Scans also revealed the passageway's structural integrity, suggesting the mausoleum has remained undisturbed to date."
Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief that his tomb had not been robbed.
"The last record of Lanting Preface was during the Zhenguan period, and it was related to my uncle. It never appeared again after that. Everyone said that I was taken in by you, my uncle."
Li Shimin did not answer this question, but instead asked: "Are there many imperial tombs that have been robbed?"
"There are many, but not many are still intact. Most have been stolen. There are three more famous ones that have indeed not been stolen."
"Tell me!" Li Shimin was a little gossipy.
"The first one belonged to the First Emperor. No one touched it until more than a thousand years later. Another one belonged to Zhinu and Wu Zetian. This one is so strong that even the warlords' cannons couldn't blow it apart. And the one from Genghis Khan can't be found."
They were having a good chat, but when it came to Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, Li Shimin didn't want to talk anymore.
.....
Empress Changsun strolled to the medical school, and when she saw Empress Changsun alone, she told Princess Yuzhang immediately.
"Mother!" Princess Yuzhang pulled Empress Changsun's arm.
In addition to the Agricultural College, the Medical College has made the greatest contribution. It has saved many people and brought many advanced medical technologies.
Many officials come to check on the body.
"Are you busy, old man? Let me check."
"It's okay, mother. I'll take you there."
When they saw Empress Changsun, many people hurriedly saluted, because through the photos in the Hall of Fame, they knew people like Empress Changsun and Li Shimin.
Empress Changsun had a special status, so Sun Simiao must give her priority care. If there were no particularly urgent patients, he would examine Empress Changsun first.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you are pregnant!" Sun Simiao said with a smile.
"So fast?" Princess Yuzhang murmured to herself.
Empress Changsun was also pleased to hear this, "Old sir, how is your health?"
"Put it down, ma'am. Everything is normal, nothing serious."
Empress Changsun subconsciously reached out to cover her lower abdomen.
Sun Simiao mentioned some precautions, and Princess Yuzhang escorted Empress Changsun out of the medical school.
"Mother, let's wait and see and go to the hospital over there to check and confirm. The old doctor's medical skills are of course no problem, but it never hurts to have more tests."
Princess Yuzhang knew better than anyone else that some medical equipment in the 21st century could not be replaced by humans.
"Okay, I'll go back first!" Empress Changsun wanted to tell Li Shimin first.
After Empress Changsun left, Princess Yuzhang went directly to the Agricultural College.
Xiao Ran was at the Agricultural College with his two little princesses and Li Lizhi.
"Sister Niu~" The little princess who was playing saw Princess Yuzhang.
"Sizi, where are my sister and brother?"
The little princess pointed to the pavilion not far away and said, "Hey~"
Princess Yuzhang saw Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi talking about something and seemed to be having a very happy chat.
"Sister!" Princess Yuzhang had to interrupt.
"What's the matter, Liu Niang?" Li Lizhi turned around.
Princess Yuzhang approached the two of them and said with a smile, "My mother is pregnant!"
"So fast?" Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi said in unison.
"We need to go to the hospital for a check-up, right?" Xiao Ran understood what Princess Yuzhang meant.
"Well, it's better to check it out to see if there are any hidden problems."
Xiao Ran nodded, "Let's go over in the afternoon!"
Unexpectedly, nothing has changed. Now she is pregnant in the seventh year of Zhenguan, and the little princess will still be born in the eighth year of Zhenguan, which is similar to normal history.
Xiao Ran was not sure whether it was a princess, or the little prince.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
