Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

Of course I want to listen.

Guard Jiang was Zhu Di's trusted spy. He had been tracking down Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen for many years and might have left behind some clues.

Even if not, it won’t hurt to listen to a story.

"Sit down and talk carefully." I pointed to the stool.

Jiang Nanle sat down and started talking.

"I heard it from my dad when I was a kid."

"He said that when our ancestor, Guard Jiang, was searching for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, he heard there was a huge cave in the South Mountain. He suspected that Emperor Jianwen was hiding in the cave, so he led people to investigate..."

The place where Guard Jiang went to investigate happened to be Shangluo.

He entered the cave with a master of the Imperial Guard, and came out alone a few days later, seriously injured, with a white snake in his hand.

After returning to the Jiang family to recuperate from his injuries, he wrote a secret memorial to the emperor, and was subsequently ordered by Zhu Di to stay in Shaanxi.

During this period, Guard Jiang did nothing but practice martial arts and raise snakes.

The white snake grew bigger and bigger, coiling around Guard Jiang all day long. Everyone who saw it was amazed.

Before his death, Guard Jiang left a will, asking his descendants to put a white snake into the tomb to bring good fortune to the Jiang family.

I was a little excited when I heard it.

If the cave Guard Jiang went to was the cave I was about to go to...

"It's difficult. Do you know what happened when your ancestors entered the cave?"

Jiang Nanle tilted his head and recalled for a moment: "My dad seemed to have said that, but I was very young at that time and I don't remember it clearly."

"It seems to be said that it is very dangerous in there, there are fish that eat people, and there are many very strange things."

"My dad said that our ancestors were able to escape thanks to the help of the white snake. As for how it helped, I don't know."

Jiang Nanle only knows a limited amount of information.

But the few short words she said still revealed the danger in the cave.

I picked up the scroll written by Zhu Di himself and said, "This thing is inside the clay sculpture. Did you know in advance?"

Jiang Nan nodded: "My father told me before he died."

"I said if my uncle and his family treated me badly, I would go to the family temple and smash the clay statue and take out the brocade box from its belly."

"If I could sell the scrolls in the brocade box, it would be enough to keep me fed and well for the rest of my life."

I instantly felt the hand roll was a little hot.

So he handed it back to Jiang Nanle: "Since it is your father's last wish, it is not appropriate for me to hold it. You should keep it yourself."

Jiang Nan shook his head.

"Without your help in killing the White Snake, I would have no way of getting revenge, let alone getting the scroll."

"This is my sincere reward to you."

"No matter how high or low, it's all my love."

I hesitated for a moment, then smiled and put away the scroll.

"Okay, I'll take it then."

"From now on, as long as I, Chen Shitou, have a bite to eat, I won't let you, Jiang Nanle, go hungry."

"I believe it." Jiang Nanle smiled, "I will follow you from now on!"

After packing up our things, we walked out of the room carrying our backpacks.

Lao Li's donkey cart was piled high with packages of all sizes, all of which were the fruits of his recent victory.

"Wow, Brother Li, you've gained quite a lot."

Compared with Lao Li, our harvest is indeed pitifully small.

All in all, it was the white copper alchemy furnace, ghost pills, and mountain ghost coins obtained from the Tomb of the Living Dead.

The royal sword, snake gall and snake skin found in Guard Jiang's tomb.

Gilded vase and seven-star nails found in Yu Zhenren’s tomb.

Just enough to fill two shoulder bags.

Old Li was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling: "It was a lucky coincidence. I had previously found a few tombs of wealthy families from the Qing Dynasty. They looked a lot, but there was nothing valuable in them."

"There's no room in the car, so I have to ask you to follow me."

I smiled and said, "You guys go ahead and we'll hire a car at the village ahead and we can meet somewhere."

"That's fine too. See you at the north gate of Xi'an."

The Longhai Railway Line passes right in front of the north city wall of Xi'an, and once you exit the north gate you will enter the northern part of Daobei.

Later, someone sang, "Under the city wall of Xi'an is the train of Xi'an."

After agreeing on a place, Lao Li and his companions went ahead in a donkey cart.

We went to the neighboring village to hire a horse carriage and headed to Xi'an.

It was already evening when we arrived at the North Gate of Xi'an.

Lao Li rubbed his stomach and said, "Why did you come so late? I'm hungry and my stomach is growling."

"Let's go to Ermalu to eat first."

When talking about Ermalu now, perhaps only the old people in Xi'an know it.

Ermalu refers to the area from Ziqiang Road to Tongjia Lane, including Xi'an Railway Station. It was the most chaotic place in Xi'an in the 1980s and 1990s.

Later, thieves were rampant in Xi'an and it was called the City of Thieves.

The main base of those thieves is in the area from Ermalu to the train station.

Follow Lao Li to Second Road.

The roads became narrower, the houses became more dilapidated, and the accents of the people around became more mixed.

But the main accent is still the Henan accent like Lao Li.

Occasionally you can hear some Shandong and Shanxi accents, as well as some unauthentic Shaanxi dialect.

When walking through the streets, we always feel that people around us are staring at us.

Especially staring at our bags.

Cui Hao tightened his shoulder bag and protected it with both hands.

"Brother, why do I feel like I'm being watched?"

"I feel the same way. Be careful."

When Lao Li heard what we said, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lao Li still has some face, they are just looking at it."

"If I hadn't been there with you, you would have been stripped naked!"

Being stripped naked is a bit of an exaggeration.

At that time, if you came to Ermalu alone, the chances of having everything stolen or robbed were quite high.

Even until the mid-1990s, taxi drivers who were not from Daobei did not dare to pick up passengers to Daobei.

"Let me tell you, everything north of the train station is our territory."

"When you get to Daobei, you have to be a coiled dragon or a crouching tiger. As the Shaanxi dialect says, don't be too stubborn or you'll be in trouble."

"Brother Li, why is Daobei so chaotic?" I asked in a low voice.

I feel that Daobei is like the Jianghu.

When it comes to tomb robbing, no matter how you look at it, you are still a gangster.

In the future, you will inevitably have to deal with all kinds of people from all walks of life, so it is necessary to understand them in advance.

Old Li raised his head slightly, shook it and said, "It's more than just chaos."

"Let me put it this way. In the past, there was a saying in the Jianghu called the Outer Eight Sects. There were also people in the Golden Skin and Colorful Hangings and Ge Lanrong. These professions all had people in Daobei."

"The most prominent figure in Daobei right now is Lao Rong. Do you know what Lao Rong is?"

I shook my head blankly.

These are all underworld jargon, and I have never come across them before.

"Simply put, Old Rong is a thief. To put it mildly, anyone who does business in the underworld is a Rong."

"We rob tombs and steal treasures, both of which belong to the honorable profession."

"It's just that tomb robbers and treasure hunters are all low-key and generally don't get involved in the affairs of the Outer Eight Sects. Gradually, Lao Rong has come to refer to only thieves."

"The biggest boss in Daobei right now is Guo Zhenping, nicknamed Tianquan. He's a ruthless, cruel, and powerful man."

"All the thieves in this area are his men. If you get robbed, don't get into trouble with them."

When Lao Li said this, he turned around and looked at me.

He said solemnly, "Please remember my words."

"As the saying goes, if you lose something valuable, you can just find a middleman and buy it back."

I think Lao Li is too cowardly.

But he was too embarrassed to say it out loud, so he asked instead, "What do those golden skins and colored decorations mean?"