Chapter 103
Extra 4
In the new year, the day after New Year's Day, "Peace and Prosperity" was grandly broadcast on CCTV-1 during prime time.
This blockbuster drama, a truly impressive production, captivated audiences who had been waiting for more than half a year. Online discussion was also intense, with praise accumulating across the board, from the visuals and costumes to the plot and acting, and frequently trending on search engines.
As the plot progresses, Su Yuan and Yan Yeshi's roles gradually increase, and the popularity of the Yan-Su CP is rekindled. Countless fan works emerge at once, and various related documents are also dug out and discussed with relish.
Just one week after the show premiered and the plot reached its first climax, when Emperor Mingzong successfully ascended the throne through a coup and began to integrate his manpower and lead the military and civilians to resist the invasion and defend the capital, a shocking trending search suddenly appeared on Weibo - #The Yu Dynasty tomb undergoing rescue excavation in County C is suspected to be the tomb of Su Yuan#.
Many netizens thought it was some marketing account trying to capitalize on the popularity of the title before clicking on it, but upon closer inspection, they found that the top post was actually the C County Tomb Archaeological Team.
The tomb was uncovered in early June last year, and rescue excavation began in late June. Half a year has passed now, and the archaeological team has made a brief summary of the work done during this period.
The main reasons for the experts' decision to excavate were that the tomb door had been blown open by tomb robbers and that the tomb was flooded. As the excavation progressed, the archaeological team discovered that the tomb's structure was remarkably solid, like a nesting doll, with doors nested within each layer. The team has now reached the fourth level. Based on their exploration, the next step should be the innermost main burial chamber.
The outermost and second-outer layers of the tomb, which were blown open, had previously been damaged by tomb robbers who had dug holes from the top. The archaeological team only recovered some broken porcelain and other items that the robbers had deemed unworthy. Through identification of these artifacts, it was confirmed that the tomb occupant lived during the reign of Emperor Yu Myeongjong.
But when the archaeological team entered the third level, they found it intact, with various exquisite funerary objects sealed in well-made moisture-proof and insect-proof wooden boxes and placed on raised pedestals. This discovery made the archaeological team realize that the burial chambers further inside were not damaged, and they faced the choice of whether to continue excavating.
After much discussion, the archaeological team decided to continue excavating. Because the tomb's structure was gradually sinking, and the doors to each level were well sealed, the water accumulated deeper into the tomb, necessitating lengthy pumping work before each level was opened. On the third level, the water had reached two-thirds of the way up the pedestal where the funerary objects were placed.
Upon entering the fourth level of the tomb, the archaeological team was incredibly grateful for their earlier decision. On this level, the water accumulation was only a few centimeters from the pedestal. Most importantly, the burial objects in this level were no longer just household items, but a vast collection of manuscripts from the tomb owner!
Although these manuscripts were meticulously treated to prevent moisture when they were stored in the tomb, they could not withstand prolonged exposure to water. If the tomb had been opened a few years later, these precious historical documents might have been completely lost.
The archaeological team initially conducted a rough classification of the manuscripts, discovering that most dated from the early to mid-period of the Yu Dynasty, with the highest concentration occurring during the reign of Emperor Mingzong. A number of rare works dated even earlier periods. The content was diverse, encompassing literature, history, medicine, engineering, and other aspects of society. Many of these books were now lost, making them truly priceless treasures.
As the names of these books were entered into the database, a system prompt surfaced in recent days, indicating a significant overlap between these books and the early collections of the Bitian Academy, founded by Su Yuan and Yan Yeshi. The archaeological team also discovered numerous manuscripts by Su Yuan and Yan Yeshi within the collection, including some that clearly represent their daily jottings, as well as correspondence between the two and their numerous friends and students, and even letters written by Emperor Mingzong himself.
At this point, the archaeological team boldly speculated that this tomb was most likely Su Yuan's. They chose not to guess Yan Yeshi's burial because no trace of weapons had been found in the tomb. However, documents surviving from the Bitian Academy clearly state that Yan Yeshi's beloved bow and long sword were buried with him.
After reading this long summary on the hot search, netizens were immediately excited and requested in the comments that the archaeological team should broadcast live when entering the main tomb chamber, wanting to witness history together.
This call quickly gained momentum, and eventually, the archaeological team actually agreed.
On Saturday morning, many history enthusiasts and viewers who were attracted by their love for "Anhe Shengshi" rushed into the live broadcast room, waiting to watch the main tomb chamber of the historical celebrity.
Ye Yuze and He Tong, who played the roles of Su Yuan and Yan Yeshi in the TV series, have been constantly being called out these days and are naturally also paying attention to this matter.
He Tong connected his computer to the equipment in the audio-visual room and waited to watch the live broadcast with Ye Yuze.
While eating snacks, he said to Ye Yuze, "Brother, my prayer worked. It really is Lord Su's tomb. Maybe it will be revealed soon that the two were actually lovers."
Ye Yuze drank his coffee and said calmly, "You could be bolder. Maybe this is a joint burial tomb."
He Tong touched his chin. "I saw a fan fiction a while ago that said Yan Su was our past life. It was quite touching. If it really is a joint burial tomb, I think that story will become one of the most popular works in the genre."
The host of the live broadcast invited by the archaeological team is Xiao Zhao, a history graduate student who became popular online for his historical stories. Now he is holding up his mobile phone and explaining the general situation of the tomb to the audience.
"The door to the main tomb chamber was opened last night, and the water was pumped out all night. As you can see, the water is now almost gone. The experts on the archaeological team are also ready and can enter the tomb immediately... Of course, I can only follow behind, so don't expect me to lead the charge!
"By the way, although there are no murals in this tomb so far, you still can't use strong lights when you enter the tomb. The picture will become dark once you enter the tomb, so everyone should be mentally prepared. Anyway, this live broadcast is just a witness to history together. If you really want to see the artifacts clearly, you'll have to wait until the museum opens for exhibition."
Xiao Zhao was talking when he heard a voice from the other side calling him to follow. He hurriedly followed with his cell phone in hand.
As Xiao Zhao went down into the tomb, the live broadcast screen suddenly went dark, and he could only barely see the back of the person in front and a small section of the tomb passage on both sides.
As Xiao Zhao walked, he explained the structure of the first four levels of the tomb and what the archaeological team had discovered, slowly putting some distance between him and the main group ahead. Some on the barrage urged him to walk faster, while others told him scary jokes to scare him.
Xiao Zhao laughed and said, "Although I don't have much experience in tombs, I have been there a few times. All your jokes are child's play. And I'm not alone. I have two friends beside me holding a flashlight for me. Otherwise, with just one flashlight, you wouldn't be able to see anything..."
At this moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the front of the tomb passage, startling him and the audience. Without waiting for anyone to urge him, Xiao Zhao quickly walked forward.
A group of people were blocking the tomb passage ahead. Xiao Zhao had just arrived when he heard someone shouting, "Where's the student doing the live broadcast? Come up and take a picture of this tombstone for the audience to see."
Xiao Zhao shouted, "I'm coming!" and as he squeezed forward, he spoke into his phone, "We finally found the epitaph. This way we can confirm the tomb owner's identity."
He squeezed to the front and pointed his phone at the place where the light was concentrated, but was stunned - there were two tombstones.
The comments on the barrage were all urging him to talk about the epitaph. After all, in such lighting, the quality of the picture taken by the mobile phone could not make out many words on the screen, not to mention that it was ancient Chinese, which many people had difficulty reading.
Xiao Zhao, after all, was a graduate of a serious school. After quickly reading it, he exclaimed "Wow!" before excitedly saying, "This is the epitaph of Lord Su Yuansu. It introduces his life story. It's all in history books, so I won't go into details. The key point is that this epitaph was written for him by General Yan. And the one next to it is the epitaph of General Yan written by Lord Su. These two epitaphs stand at the entrance to the main tomb chamber, representing..."
He wanted to keep the secret, but unfortunately netizens' comments had already filled most of the screen.
Xiao Zhao smiled and said, "Everyone is right. This is the joint tomb of Lord Su and General Yan. Look, that is the legendary jade coffin specially gifted to Lord Su by Emperor Mingzong."
After saying that, he raised his phone.
The dim tomb chamber reflected in the camera only had two pedestals. On the large pedestal in the center was a gorgeous jade coffin, and on the small pedestal next to it was a simple wooden box.
Members of the archaeological team have come forward to take pictures and inspect, preparing to open the boxes and coffins.
He Tong, who was watching from the screen, straightened his back and exclaimed excitedly, "It really is a joint burial tomb!"
The archaeological team made preparations and first opened the wooden box on the small pedestal.
The wooden box was covered with brocade, with a bow and a long sword placed on both sides. In the middle was a row of neatly arranged brushes, some thick and some thin. Below the brushes were three inkstones placed horizontally, and below that was a large inkstone.
Xiao Zhao followed over and took photos: "No wonder I haven't seen any weapons. They're all stored here. General Yan's favorite bow and long sword, and the brush, inkstone, must be Lord Su's favorite things."
At this time, the lid of the jade coffin next to it was pushed open by several people together, followed by several more exclamations.
The stepladder Xiao Zhao was standing on was right between the two pedestals. He turned around and took a picture of the situation inside the jade coffin. There were no bones of the two tomb owners in the jade coffin. Instead, there was a very ordinary wooden box in the middle, with a small stone tablet on one side and two rows of seals side by side on the other.
The audience was discussing the matter in the barrage.
【What's going on? It's empty?】
【Could it be a cenotaph? 】
[Xiao Zhao, take a quick look. What's written on that stone tablet?]
Xiao Zhao quickly glanced at the small stone tablet and suddenly sighed.
"The stone tablet was left for the students who handled the funeral arrangements for Lord Su and General Yan. It states that, in accordance with the two gentlemen's wishes, they were cremated after their deaths, their ashes mixed together, and buried in a common wooden box. This way, no matter who opens the coffin in the future, they will be unable to separate the two gentlemen..."
There was a moment of silence on the barrage, and then rows of "fairy love" began to appear.
[The Yansu Party is above the blue sky! ]
【I actually got another real pair! 】
【Kneel down for the love between Lord Su and General Yan.】
Seeing that same-sex lovers from hundreds of years ago could stay together for their entire lives, I believe in love again. He Tong leaned on Ye Yuze's shoulder, took his hand, interlocked their fingers, and sighed.
Ye Yuze turned his head to look at him: "Why, isn't this good? This is the fairy tale love you have been looking forward to."
He Tong pouted slightly: "I was fed a mouthful of dog food from hundreds of years ago... Sigh, I feel like I lost to them in showing affection."
Ye Yuze chuckled and said, "We are still so young, we still have a lot of time to show off."
He Tong was immediately amused when he heard this: "That's right! And we will not only leave behind written materials, but also a lot of audio and video materials, which will definitely allow people hundreds or thousands of years from now to clearly understand how much we love each other."
After saying that, he looked at the live broadcast screen again, which was showing the seals of Su Yuan and Yan Ye.
He Tong touched his chin. "Come to think of it, Lord Su and General Yan have always been very popular, but it seems that no historical drama has been specifically filmed about them. Now that so many historical materials have been released, I wonder if CCTV will film a series. It would be great if they could ask us to act in it again..."
After the joint tomb of Su and Yan was discovered, the popularity of "Peace and Prosperity" soared again. The popularity of Su Yuan and Yan Ye Shi was comparable to the top stars, and Ye Yuze and He Tong also gained a large number of fans.
I don’t know if it was because the money they donated to Yue Lao was too generous and they received Yue Lao’s blessing, but more than a year later, CCTV Channel 8 took the lead in filming a historical drama about Su Yuan and Yan Yeshi. The screenwriter and director they found were the main screenwriter and director of "Peace and Prosperity", and the invitation to star in the drama was naturally given to Ye Yuze and He Tong.
Afterwards, the fan fiction about Yan Su in the previous life and Tong Ze in the present life became popular across the circle and became an introductory reading for the Tong Ze Party and the Yan Su Party.
The author has something to say: Next chapter: Fan meeting
(The extra chapters are all independent chapters, you can buy them according to your interests)
Thanks to the little angel "Red Bean Paste Xiao Yuanyuan" for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel "Empty Yogurt Box" for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel for the nutrient solution of "April Peach Blossoms"~~
Thanks to the little angel "Liunian~Sijin" for the nutrient solution~~
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